Maiocxx

Cody and Lucas

A Personal Slaveboy Story

Chapters 7-8

Chapter Seven

"I'm OK. Just nicked me. The Twins are gone. They took them right off the street. Inspector Morse says this has been happening almost weekly for some time."

"Yes," said the Inspector wearily, "this gang keeps snatching young slaves, for what purpose we can't imagine. They can't sell them. There's no evidence of them trying to ship them off shore. There's too many and they're too young for them to use as workers. We just haven't a clue."

"Can't you locate them from their tracking chips?"

"This gang is sophisticated enough to broadcast a blocking signal which renders all our tracking useless, not one slave anywhere in the area can be tracked. They apparently find the chips on the kids, disable them, and turn the signal off. We've had no results whatever trying to figure out where they are being taken. And, unfortunately, we simply don't have the manpower to devote to finding stolen property."

"Inspector, these are young children, slaves or not." Lucas had forgotten that slaves were considered property."

"I'm sorry young man. We simply don't have time to…

"YOU CALLOUS SONS-OF-BITCHES! THESE WERE NOT JUST SLAVES. THEY WERE YOUNG CHILDREN. WARM, LOVING CHILDREN WHOSE PARENTS ARE NOW DEVISTATED. HOW CAN YOU STAND THERE AND SAY THESE CHILDREN, ARE NOT IMPORTANT ENOUGH?"

It got very quiet within the circle of the men. Quite a few of them looked at the ground, shamefaced. The inspector looked shocked.

"Lucas! Enough! Inspector," Cody said, controlling himself with difficulty, "Our boys just happen to be free boys. This is now a kidnapping and an assault.

"I understand. It was callous. I can't imagine how much pain those families have suffered loosing a young child, slave or not. Sometimes we police forget to be human beings. Please accept my apology."

"And mine, too, Inspector," said Lucas. "We need to work together to solve this and get our boys and the other kids back."

"Well, since your sons have no tracking chip… We keep hoping they will miss one when they turn off their signal. So far, their ruse has worked perfectly."

"But they do have a chip, Inspector. We had them fitted with a special one that broadcasts on a different frequency. My tracker isn't getting a thing at all right now but if they recognize them as free boys, they won't look for a chip. And the frequency isn't likely to be detected."

For the first time, hope replaced weariness on the Inspector's face. "Oh, I hope so. You may find this hard to believe, but this whole affair from the very start has caused me untold pain. I have a young son, Timmy, and a slave his same age. If Bert were taken, Mary and I would be devastated. And, if Timmy were taken, I don't think we could go on. I should have told the Chief Inspector from the very beginning I was going to solve this heinous crime whether he wanted me to or not. Can you forgive me for my cowardice? " And the Inspector began to weep.

When the men in black masks had descended on the Twins, Donnie had time for just one shout before he felt a sting on his butt and everything went black. When he awoke, he was lying on the floor of a moving panel truck. His hands were cuffed together behind his back and shackled to a bolt in the floor.

Raising his head, he could see Ronnie a few feet away, similarly restrained. "Ronnie!" he screamed.

"I'm here." came the faint reply. "Where are we? Who are these people? Where are they taking us?"

"I don't know, but I'm scared. I hope Dad can find us."

"Shut up!" broke in a man's voice as the toe of his boot struck Donnie in his side, causing a howl of protest and pain. "Stop your sniveling and maybe you'll get to live a little longer." Both little boys began to cry in earnest.

The truck had evidently left the main road and they were bounced around as it negotiated a rough track. It seemed like hours, but finally the truck stopped. They heard an overhead door rumble up and the truck moved indoors.

They were dragged out of the truck and into a large, dimly lit room, where their cuffs were removed and they were told to strip.

"No!" said defiant Donnie. Their guard touched him with a hand-held device and in an instant Donnie was rolling on the floor, screaming in agony.

"You want some of the same?"

"Noooo" gasped a thoroughly cowed Ronnie and he was naked in a flash.

Donnie recovered enough to join him. They were then thrown into one of a number of cages set along one wall. Some, they noticed, held children… boys and girls. A heavy padlock secured their cage door. Trembling with fright and cold, they held each other desperately trying to make some sense out of what had happened. Slowly they drifted off to an uneasy sleep.

The guard gathered up their clothes and noticed they did not have the usual slave markings. He dug into their pockets and found their wallets with their identity cards. "Sweet Jesus!" he swore, "a pair of fucking free kids! The boss'll have a fit." And he ran from the room.

Entering an office, he hurried up to the little man seated at the desk. "Boss, we got a problem! Them twins we snatched this morning? They was free kids. The cops ain't gonna like that."

"It's not a problem, Dirk. They can't trace us. Free kids don't have chips. And they should bring premium prices. Let me see what you got on them." He stared at their ID's for a moment, dumbfounded, and then began to laugh. Dirk was alarmed; the Boss never laughed.

"Dirk, you witless bastard! You don't know who these kids are. At last I'll have my revenge. Shackle them to the prep polls. I want to personally welcome them. I can't wait." He chortled.

Donnie and Ronnie had hardly fallen asleep, when they were dragged from the cage and fastened by their wrists to two upright poles. They were so terrified, they peed themselves. Their arms were stretched high over their heads and they had to stand on tip toes.

Dirk went to get the Boss and the two of them returned and faced the boys. "Give them a touch with the laser. I want to see them dance." A few seconds later they were both screaming in agony as 10,000 volts caressed their pricks. It took them almost ten minutes until they subsided, choking and gasping, hanging limply. They were well beyond tears.

The Boss stood close to Ronnie. "You don't know what a pleasure it is to meet you," he snarled. "Your fathers have caused me untold misery and now I will have my revenge. Enjoy your stay with us. I'll try to make it as painful as I can." And he cackled.

Summoning all the strength left in his dancer's legs, Ronnie kicked him squarely in his crotch. The Boss went down as if pole axed.

Dirk immediately came to his aid, pausing only long enough to give each boy another kiss of his laser. Helping him to sit down, he fastened the screaming boys' ankles to the pole and placed another strap around their mid-sections for good measure.

Once the screaming had subsided and the Boss had recovered, he pointed to Ronnie and said, "Unfasten his one leg and hold it straight out."

Utterly exhausted, Ronnie made no effort to resist. The Boss picked up an iron bar lying nearby and, with all his strength, smashed Ronnie's kneecap. Ronnie's scream was cut short as he mercifully passed out. His twin's howls of rage echoed through the dingy room for hours.

"Put them on the line next. As soon as your have finished with the current batch. And don't forget to turn off that dammed transmitter. It gives me a headache." And he limped from the room with Dirk's help, leaving the two boys hanging.

Cody, Lucas and Inspector Morse had set up a command post at their home, watching the tracker round the clock. John had arrived by air and Ruth was on the way by car. Clara Barton took over meals and Tommy and David sadly kept vigil with the others.

"I've placed a strike force on high alert. It's been almost 24 hours and that's when they usually kill the blocking signal. The force will be down their throats within minutes as soon as we get a signal."

After a mostly sleepless night, Lucas was manning the tracker when…

"I'VE GOT A SIGNAL. Thank God at last!"

Things moved rapidly, and the three of them were airborne in seconds, heading north along the Front Range, pulled by the steady signal.

Landing beside a supposedly abandoned mining operation, the troopers skillfully dispatched the guard and raced into the building, followed by the Inspector and the Boys. Breaking into a room at one end of the shed, they were stopped in their tracks.

At the desk sat a little man working on some paperwork. But, above him on the wall, mounted like a big game trophy, was the head……… of a little girl. The momentary pause gave the little man time to get off a shot, dropping one of the troopers. Inspector Morse drilled him squarely through his head, but not before the Boys recognized him. "Grinch!" they screamed in unison.

"You know this man?"

"Yes, he's wanted back on the coast for assaulting me and several others," replied Cody. "Quick, we've got to find the kids. He is evil enough to have tried anything with them."

They raced further into the building, at last finding Ronnie hanging from his shackles, partly conscious, his one leg dangling and misshapen.

Ronnie regained consciousness long enough to recognize Lucas and croak, "You've got to save Donnie. He's in the other room! They're going to cut him up!" Then he passed out again.

While Inspector Morse called for medical emergency crews and he and Lucas struggled to remove the unconscious boy from the pole, Cody and the troopers began to batter down the heavily secured door to the adjoining room.

Finally breaking through, the scene they beheld was from the lowest region of Hell… an illegal organ harvesting operation.

On a table lay the husk of what had been a beautiful little girl, about 8 years old. She was beyond all pain, her organs neatly packaged for delivery. The troopers clubbed the technicians brutally into submission.

Across the room, hanging by his feet was Donnie, his blood being slowly drained from a catheter in his neck. A trooper made a flying leap and clamped the line shut, stopping the flow.

In a daze, Cody received the cold, still body that was his son from the trooper, cradled him gently in his arms and sank to the floor.

And lost it!

Strong, courageous, unflappable, compassionate Cody had passed even his limit.

He began a shrill keening cry, "Oh my beautiful boy! What have they done to you?" repeating it over and over. Continuing until the emergency crew burst into the room. It was all the med-techs could do to pry Donnie out of Cody's arms.

"He still has a pulse, very weak. Get him on a respirator." But Cody never heard them; he continued his mournful keening, "Oh my beautiful little boy! Oh my beautiful little boy!" over and over again.

Meanwhile, in the other room, the techs had removed Ronnie from the pole and Lucas helped them get him ready for the airlift to hospital. They immobilized his leg and shot him full of antibiotics. He was still unconscious, a blessing, considering the condition of his damaged leg

John and Dr. Barton arrived a few minutes later, and together, they helped the troopers and techs remove the other kids from their cages and get them ready for the evac. All of them were in fair shape, dehydrated and hungry, but otherwise undamaged. Their slave tracking chips had been shut down electronically. After medical checks at the hospital, they could probably go home with their owners.

When Donnie's gurney was wheeled through, Lucas asked, "Did we get to him in time? How is he?"

"Very weak pulse, massive blood loss. Not much chance he will live."

"Yes he will!" replied Lucas as he went in search of his brother.

He found Cody still locked in his trauma, keening shrilly. "He's not dead!" Lucas told him. "He's going to be all right." But Cody wasn't hearing him. He continued to sway back and forth, his arms extended as if Donnie were still in them.

Lucas took him into his arms. "Snap out of it Cody. Dad and Dr. Barton are here to drive us to the hospital." Getting no response, he picked him up bodily and carried him into the other room. Somehow the three of them managed to get him into the Bartons' SUV and they set out for the city.

Lucas sat in back, cradling Cody. He hugged and stroked him and tried to get through the barrier Cody's mind had erected. "Donnie is alive! He's going to be OK. You've got to believe me. You need to be strong for him."

Gradually, Cody returned to the world and began to cry, a good sign that he was starting to get control of himself again. By the time they reached the hospital, he was simply quiet, hugging Lucas for dear life. Just as they pulled up to the emergency entrance, he spoke his first words. "Lucas, are you sure?"

"Absolutely! No matter what the doctors say, he will recover. You can bank on it."

"Thank you, Lucas. I think I'm OK now." And he was although he needed a steadying hand as the four of them entered. The found Ruth and Clara and the Barton boys waiting for them, along with a sizable crowd of anxious couples, waiting to hear if their young slave was one of those saved.

Every so often, an intern would appear with a child and one of the couples would be ecstatic. Hugs and kisses and tears of joy. One couple greeted their boy… about 12 years old… with the news, "Johnnie, we're going to free you!"

Finally, the last child was processed, and the remaining folks sadly dispersed. An older couple approached Cody and Lucas. They had already been fortunate to regain a little boy. In tears they shook the Boys' hands, "Thank you for helping to rescue our Jimmie. We lost our Elsie, but at least we have Jimmy back. Our son was killed in Iraq and our daughter-in-law just pined away for him. So, they were the grand children we never had and now one of them is gone."

"I wish we could have saved all of those kids," replied Lucas. "We're happy you have Jimmie. I hope you will free him. It would mean a great deal to him after what he's been through."

"We will! It's only right. We should have done it sooner. We loved them both just like they were free children, but we know it's not the same. Bless you! We hope your boys will be OK. We'll light candles for them." Giving each of them a hug, the couple and their grandson turned and slipped away.

They settled down to wait. David and Tommy tried their best to comfort Cody and Lucas, but it was sort of mutual. They had almost lost their best friends. They instinctively knew that they could also have been taken.

Finally, the orthopedic surgeon appeared. "I'm sorry, but we couldn't save the boy's knee. So we've put in an artificial one, one of the very new designs. We should have him walking again shortly."

"Thank you, Doctor," replied Lucas. "By the way, his name is Ronnie and he's my son. We'll do whatever it takes to help him recover."

"I'm glad to hear that as therapy is going to be a painful process. He certainly has a dancer's body type so that should help. He's in recovery, but we'll probably keep him under until the morning. You can peek in on him, but I'm going too ask the rest of you to wait until tomorrow."

Lucas followed the doctor into the surgery area. There was his boy, sleeping peacefully, looking so frail and vulnerable. "Oh God! What would I have done if we had lost you! By they way, doctor, he is a dancer and he will dance again, of that I am sure."

"Well, that may be expecting a bit much, but it's sure a worthy goal. And my staff will do their very best to help him toward it. Now, please excuse me, I understand there's a broken arm waiting for me before I can go home." He shook Lucas's hand and left.

When Lucas returned to the others, the neurosurgeon treating Donnie had arrived. "I wish I had more positive news. He's still alive, but barely. The amount of blood he lost is huge and recovery is unlikely. I assure you we'll keep trying, but I simply don't have much hope."

Cody weighed in with, "Donnie is my son and he will recover."

John looked at him with sad puzzlement, "Cody, you heard what the Doctor said. Please don't hurt yourself any more with unreasonable hope."

"I told Cody that Donnie will recover," interrupted Lucas. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life!" Both John and Ruth gasped. Maybe there was hope despite what the doctor thought..

The doctor watched the byplay with astonishment. "Well, I surely hope you're right. He's a beautiful little boy and I swear I will do all I can to save him. I just don't want you to be…"

"I understand, doctor." To the others Cody said, "I guess we might as well go home and come back in the morning." He picked up a sleeping David, gave him a quick kiss and helped Dr. Barton load him into their SUV beside his sleeping brother.

"Please let us know the minute there's news," pleaded Clara.

"We will," said Cody. "Thanks for being such good friends." And Ruth drove the four of them home. Lucas held Cody close throughout the night, comforting him as best he could. "Remember, Big Guy, he will recover. Hang on to that."

The next morning, the four were back at the hospital and crowded into Ronnie's room as soon as the surgeon allowed them. He was a bit groggy and madder than hell.

"Why won't anyone tell me how Donnie is? I know he's alive, 'cause I can feel him. What's the problem?" The others may not have picked up on the nuance of Ronnie's statement, but Ruth and Lucas did.

"He's very badly injured. The doctors don't think he will recover, but I do."

"Then why won't they tell me?

"I don't know, but you need to simmer down a bit and concentrate on getting you well. We've got a lot of hard work ahead, a lot of therapy. You want to dance again, don't you?"

"Of course. Yeah, they told me about my knee. It throbs, but at least I can move it a little. I hope they let me out of here soon; I don't want to be away from my dads ever again." All of the injury to this vulnerable boy was not necessarily physical.

The neurosurgeon reported on Donnie. Contrary to his expectations, the boy was still alive. "We had another teen a few months ago, who lost a lot of blood. Not nearly as much as your son," he told Cody, "but she did live. Unfortunately, her brain was damaged and she will never be a whole person again. In fact, she's little more than an infant."

"We're going to keep him in a coma for two more days and keep infusing blood into his system. All we can do is hope for the best."

"Your best will be fine," Cody assured him. The doctor was a bit annoyed with this smart-ass young man.

The next day both Cody and Lucas accompanied Ronnie to his first therapy session. It was grueling for them all. Ronnie was white with pain before the session was half over, but hung in with grim determination. For Lucas it was a repeat of the sessions he had spent with the unconscious Cody years before. The therapists were well pleased with his expertise. It meant Ronnie could go home tomorrow.

Four very anxious family members haunted the waiting room… a fifth one a few doors down the hall. Today was the day. By mid morning, they were frantic. Lucas tried to assure all of them, but he wasn't very successful.

Suddenly the neurosurgeon appeared, tears streaming down his face… tears of awe and joy. "He's alive!" he croaked. "He's a bit weak, but perfectly all right. It's as if he were never injured! None of us… not one of us… understands this. We're all very happy, but we just don't…"

The joy exhibited by the family was wondrous to behold. A nurse wheeled an exuberant Ronnie into the room and the question from everyone was "How soon can we see him?"

"They're cleaning him up a bit and then we're going to bring him out to you. You can visit for an hour or so. But, then I think you should let him rest. We have some additional tests to do, but they can wait."

After about an hour, they acceded to the doctor's wishes. Ruth, John and Cody went home and Lucas and Ronnie went off to therapy.

That night Ronnie returned to their little house and never was his bed more inviting. The Boys both sat up with him until quite late, holding him and just reveling in the good feeling of having him home again.

They all visited again the next day until Ronnie's therapy intervened. The doctor came in while they were there and they had a lively discussion about how Donnie managed to survive his terrible ordeal. For the first time, Donnie learned how close to death he had been and the doctor's doubts that he would recover.

How had he been healed?

"It's quite simple," asserted Ronnie. "Lucas healed him!" The adults were astonished.

Lucas managed to keep his cool until they were in the car on the way home. He lit into Ronnie, "Why did you say that? Do you know what you said? After all he's done for us, can you imagine how badly you hurt the doctor?"

"I'm sorry if I hurt his feelings, but it's the truth. You healed Donnie… just as you're healing me." No amount of argument could budge him one inch.

Lucas realized how much his son loved him, so he eased off. But that night they had a more quiet discussion and he realized Ronnie was not to be denied. He comforted Ronnie and loved him passionately. But he, himself, was far from convinced. Cody was neutral, but tried to help his brother; they lay awake in each others arms until well into the new day.

Everyone was excited that Donnie would be coming home today. And completely healed from his terrible ordeal. The entire medical staff was floored by his recovery; they simply could not explain it; all their expertise told them that Donnie should have died. It frightened them, even though they were overjoyed that it had happened.

But the rest of the family 'knew' how Donnie had been healed and Lucas was distressed by their innocent faith. Ruth sensed his distress, so she asked to stay home when the others went to bring Donnie home from the hospital and asked Lucas to stay with her. She knew he needed her very badly.

After the others had gone, Ruth and Lucas sat quietly in the common area.

"You know," she began' "in the six years you have been with us, you and I have never in all that time had a conversation, just the two of us. When you were younger, Cody was always with you. You've been so busy as the two of you grew up together, we just never took the time."

"You're right, Mom. I never thought about it until just now. I guess we're long overdue in that department."

"Lucas, I know you are uncomfortable with the idea that you may have been the one who healed Donnie. He and Ronnie are absolutely certain it was you. Me???? I don't know. But it saddens me to see you so distraught about what just might be a further gift you have from God." She could see he was near tears, so decided to take a different approach. "Tell me about your ability to sense the future… the good things you have predicted with such uncanny accuracy."

He was silent for a minute, but blinked back his tears and began.

"When I was first at the Slave School, it was so much better than my so-called family, I didn't mind the other boys picking on me. They slapped me around, hit me and even made me do sexual things. But I didn't mind, because something told me things would be better."

"Then one of the older boys… the one who called me 'Little One'… began to be my friend. A friend! Something I had never had before. And I felt good with him; I could trust him; he cared for me just because I was me. At the time it was the most wonderful feeling I had ever had. That's when I started to grow physically. I grew emotionally, too; I grew to love him very much even though I didn't know what love was."

"I was sad when he was sold, but then a whole new feeling took over. Something truly wonderful was going to happen to me. I just needed to be patient and study hard and get ready… for what, I had no idea."

"Then came the day I first saw you!"

"I knew at once, you were my new Mom! And you would take me home to a real family. If you had left without me, I would have died. But that couldn't have happened, could it?"

"No Lucas, when I saw you standing there, I can't begin to describe what I felt. Love, compassion… I can't put words to it! I truly believe I was touched by God at that moment. He was guiding me and I simply could not have left without you."

"And Mom, you took me to that awful place for clothes… and I got to see my friend again. It was sad because I knew he was in great pain. But, you understood and took me home. And fed me a lunch like I had never had before. And I met Dad. And then the party!"

"Mom, you can't imagine what I felt when I first saw Cody. My brother! My hero!"

They were both weeping in each other's arms, by this time. "Cody has tried several times to tell me what he felt at that moment," replied Ruth, "and he breaks down every time and sobs like a baby. I think he was actually very frightened that he could experience such intense feelings."

It was a few minutes before Lucas could continue.

"So many wonderful things continued to happen, I didn't have time to think about what was in the future. This may sound stupid, but even when Cody abused me, it felt good… well not as good as some other things. I think the time he took me into his sleeping bag on that camping trip was the time we started to move toward being Lifemates. Soon after that was first time we had real sex with each other."

Can you imagine any boy explaining that to his mother without embarrassment? Lucas could and did.

"You know, even when we were all so upset and frightened by the 'Runaway Slave' thing, there was a little voice in the back of my head telling me. 'Don't worry! Everything is going to be all right!' I should have paid attention to it and saved us all a lot of heartache."

"Lucas, there is no doubt about how your gift came into play when Cody was injured. John and I had both given up. You kept assuring us he would recover. Oh my boy, how could we ever have doubted you? And when you chose the Twins to be your sons… I am ashamed that we did not immediately rejoice with you."

"You are a miracle, Lucas, in many ways. What you have brought to this family! Quite a few times your spirit has been the glue that holds us all together. That is your greatest gift to John and me. If you truly do have the power to heal, it is simply one more in a long line of miracles. Don't be afraid of it. God wants you to have it or he wouldn't have given it to you. He knows you will always use it wisely."

Lucas felt a great deal calmer. He would treasure what Ruth had told him. Things will work out his 'gift' told him.

The noisy arrival of the others set off a general celebration. It was great to have them all back under one roof. But, by evening Lucas's mood had once again slipped. He was truly frightened… he did not deserve such a gift. Why were they all so sure? He wasn't.

At bedtime each of the Boys spent some time with their sons. Lucas helped Ronnie get as comfortable as possible; there was no practical way he could sleep with him so long as he had his cast on. "That's a very good reason why I must hurry up and heal," he told Lucas.

He also told him. "Thank you for healing Donnie!"

Lucas didn't answer. He just kissed him and held the little boy's hand until he went to sleep. Then he crept into Cody's bed and wept.

Cody held and caressed Donnie until he was asleep, but he did not get into bed with him. Even though Donnie was the one who had been gravely injured, he had a brother who was hurting and needed him desperately.

When he crawled in beside Lucas, he knew immediately that he had been crying.

"C'mon guy, out with it. I know what's eating at you, but you need to say it. Don't hold it in. Come to me!"

"Oh Cody," he bawled, "Mom thinks I healed Donnie."

"And did you?"

"Cody! Don't you start! Everyone has abandoned me!" he wailed.

"I'm sorry Lucas love, I shouldn't have said that. Tact was never my strongest suite. Forgive me?"

"Yes, you know I do without asking." Zing!

"I deserved that," thought Cody. They both silently held each other for a long time.

Finally, Lucas was ready.

"Cody, can you imagine what it's like to always feel different? My birth was different. I'm so much smarter than you. I'm the only one in this family that's ever been a slave. I grew so fast that I caught up to you. I have this power to sometimes see into the future. Different! Different! Different!"

"And, now everyone thinks I have the power to heal. Why do I have to be different? Why is everything about me a miracle? Can't I just be Lucas, Cody's brother and Ruth and John's son?"

"Lucas, I'm sorry, but I never knew you felt this way. I wish you had shared these feelings with me before. Now, I can imagine how you felt at high school graduation and I am truly sorry."

"Don't be sorry. You talked about my dreams, not my being different, and I know you made that speech out of love. And your love is more important to me than life itself."

"Yes, but I don't want you feeling bad about yourself. Simply because God gave you a few small gifts that the rest of us don't have."

"You know, there is another gift we all – you and I and the Twins – share. No matter how far apart we may be physically, we have the power to be together… to be of one Spirit, as our Native American brothers would say it. Isn't that wonderful? Doesn't that make us different?"

"My love, if I have learned nothing else in the years we've been together, it's this. There is a God who guided you to us, who gave you to us as our own flesh and blood and who is guiding all of us today. All the arguments of the theologians are simply twaddle. He is real and we are His children."

"Yes, you are a miracle, Lucas John Davidson. And so am I and so are we all. Aren't Ronnie and Donnie miracles? How did we manage to find them? If you really have the power to heal, it's because God gave it to you. I pray you rejoice in that, just as I rejoice every day because you are my brother and my lover."

"You are not cursed, Lucas. You are truly blessed. We all are and I believe that with all of my being."

Listening to Cody's words, Lucas suddenly felt a great joy wash over him. "You always understand. Oh Cody, thank you for helping me understand." And he never again, doubted his 'different ness'. Whether he could heal or not wasn't important any longer. He was who he was, ready to accept God's gifts.

The next morning, at breakfast, Cody had an important message for them all. "I know you all believe that Lucas healed Donnie. And you may be right. Lucas doesn't know for sure and neither do I. But whether he did or not isn't the important thing. Donnie is back with us. That's the important thing. He is whole and we are all so thankful. And, Ronnie, you will dance again. Lucas has told you that. Please note; he didn't say it would be easy."

"All the talk about whether Lucas did or did not heal Donnie must stay within the family. Let the doctors and nurses be confounded; it's good for their egos. I think you can all imagine what would happen if Lucas were suddenly proclaimed a miracle worker. I know I can count on you."

"I just want to be your son, your brother, your dad," added Lucas. "I will use the gifts God has given me cheerfully. The rest is unimportant."

His voice breaking, John replied, "Cody, you are absolutely right. I take it the Twins know about your special relationship with Lucas."

"Yes we do. We know they are twins," replied Ronnie.

"And we will never, never tell anyone." added his brother. "Or about Lucas's gifts, either. We know how important that is. We love this family and will never betray it," once again displaying a wisdom and understanding that few adults possess, let alone ten-year-old boys.

A series of unsettling, but understandable incidents precluded the need for the four of them to appear at the trials of the 'Transplant Monsters.' Every one of the nine defendants died mysteriously at the hands of other inmates before they could be brought to trial. Some crimes even other criminals will not accept. No culprits could ever the found. In truth, the authorities didn't look too hard. The proceeds from the liquidation of the enterprise were divided among the families who had lost slaves, small recompense for their sorrow. To their credit, almost every family adopted another slave.

Over the summer, Ronnie and Lucas worked together at the little boy's therapy. It was tough, it was painful, often agonizing. Dance played an important part in it. But it worked. By the start of the fall semester, he was almost completely restored; a bit stiff sometimes, but able resume all his boyish activities.

So, the four returned to Colorado Springs in high spirits.

That fall, the Boys decided to hold a party and enlisted the help of the Barton boys. When they found out what their roles would be, they thought it was a hoot. Their mother was a bit less sure, but gave her approval, reserving judgment until she could see the results.

Four 'Chippendiddy' outfits were purchased. While they did cover the genitals, precious little else was covered. In addition to acting as servants, the four learned some simple dance routines that would be the entertainment.

Guests included fellow students and quite a few faculty, although it was declared off-limits for children. Cody and Lucas were dressed to the nines in bib and tucker and caused great swooning among the younger (and older) female set, Everyone agreed it was the hit of the season.

To be sure, Clara Barton was a bit embarrassed by her sons disporting themselves so suggestively, but quickly got over that when David danced his way over to her, did an erotic hip thrust and said sweetly, "See Mom, Cody was right, I do have a pretty body."

His father nearly choked on his drink and found it hard to suppress his giggle at his wife's look of amazement. Finally, he took her in his arms and replied, You both look positively brilliant."

When Ruth and John, heard about the party from friends – complete with snapshots – they laughed themselves silly. "They've never quite grown up, have they? I hope they never do."

That holiday season, Ruth and John spent in Colorado Springs. The Boys, with no little help from the Twins, made every day a gala event. The entire family spent New Year's Eve watching the fireworks over McKenzie Peak. The little house burst at the seams with happiness.

They had time for just the four of them, when the Twins moved their 'party' to the Barton household and they reciprocated by hosting a huge sleep-over (sleep, of course, being a misnomer) with the Twins, the Barton Boys and a dozen or so other young friends in attendance. Sexual activity was curtailed, although not completely, as some stains on bedclothes demonstrated. On the whole, however, it was good wholesome fun. And boys will, in the end (no pun intended), be boys.

Just before John and Ruth returned to the coast, they celebrated the Twins 11th birthdays. I won't bore you with the details of how badly they were spoiled.

The twins had seen Lucas with his nipple rings, even though he wore them only occasionally. Of course, they wanted to have some too. So, after their 11th birthdays, (and John and Ruth's return to the coast) Cody had them pierced and fitted. They caused quite a sensation at their school; the jeweler probably had a run on similar items. They also inherited the cock rings that Cody and Lucas had grown out of.

In a few weeks, their nipples were healed and it was clear that they liked to have them pulled, just as Lucas had when he was their age. The also liked the cock rings and experimented with higher and higher settings until they reached half power.. But they were forbidden to wear them outside the home.

The experimentation came to a head one evening when they persuaded the boys to help them try a new sex game. Since they enjoyed being tied up, it was no surprise it involved a form of restraint.

Ronnie sat naked on Cody's bed with his legs spread apart. Donnie joined him with his legs apart and on top of Ronnie's bringing their cocks close together, Having donned the cock rings earlier, they proceeded to fasten them together, something the Boys had never thought to do. This pressed their groins together and resulted in a good bit of tension on their genitals. But there was more to come,

Ronnie undid his nipple rings, slipped them thru Donnie's and reattached them, putting still more tension on their boy parts. They were now attached to each other by their most sensitive body parts. Placing their arms around each other, they began to kiss and suck each other's tongues. Breaking off for a second, Donnie asked his twin, "You ready for some juice?" Getting an affirmative nod, he looked over at Lucas who held the controls. "Give is a jolt!"

Lucas turned both controls on to the lowest setting. Both twins stiffened as the electricity hit them. They continued to kiss and began to push their groins together. "More!" shouted Donnie and Lucas advance the settings. The twins began to hump. "More!" Now they began to slam their groins together and pull them apart, repeating the action again and again. As they were doing this, they also began to push their chests apart, stretching their nipples almost to the tearing point, then releasing and hugging themselves again and repeating that action over and over. "Turn it up the whole way!" Ronnie stuttered. It's hard to talk when your mouth is full of your partner's tongue.

Lucas looked over at Cody, who shrugged. So he turned both controls to maximum, By this time the twins had to be fully aroused, but the rings kept them from their release. With no rings to inhibit them, Cody and Lucas watched fascinated at the Twins' sexual gymnastics. It was so erotic they both had huge climaxes without ever having touched themselves.

The twins, meanwhile, were in an absolute frenzy and finally began to cum, despite the rings. Lucas, concerned they might really hurt themselves, turned the controls off. But, the twins continued to cum for almost 5 minutes. How their little balls kept up with their pricks was anyone's guess. Finally they subsided, drenched in sweat and cum and just slumped together, completely wiped out. They were not unconscious, just so tired they were sound asleep before Cody and Lucas managed to separate them. Laying them in the center of the bed facing each other, the boys crawled in behind, spooning each of them. It was a while before they got to sleep.

The next morning, the twins were bright and chipper. "That was quite a show you put on last night. How did it feel?" asked Lucas

"It was the most wicked good feeling I've ever had."

"Yeah, me too. It was like I was completely inside of Ronnie! But we probably shouldn't do it again. My nips are a little sore this morning."

Cody agreed, "It was a bit much. We don't want you ruining your equipment. It wouldn't be much fun if you did."

"How about we see if your equipment is still working?", grinned Donnie. And they proceeded to work over two teen cocks with lips and tongue. For the record, their dads' equipment worked just fine. The cock rings were quietly discarded.

Part of growing up for the Twins was learning to us their computers and especially the Internet. Cody and Lucas made no effort to 'block' certain sites. Any determined ten-year-old could get around such blocks, anyway. But, much more importantly, it was a matter of trust.

Sure, they might see some sites that some people thought were 'inappropriate'. But, then, some people thought their entire relationship with their Dads was inappropriate, instead of the flowering of a love so pure and intense it was breathless.

In any event, they understood the rules and adhered to them religiously. If they wanted to try something the saw on the internet, one of their dads must be present and give permission. They did veto a few experiments, but not many.

Obviously the Twins had much more eclectic sites they regularly visited than most people.

Bondage was a subject they both adored as witness the experiment with the cock rings. It should surprise no one that they saw a piece about a young boy being tickled until he peed himself. "He's a wuss," observed Donnie. "I could hold out forever."

Somehow the interest became a challenge. "I don't think you want to go there," chuckled Lucas, remembering his painful lesson some years before.

"You just don't want to loose," challenged Donnie. "Yeah, we could beat you," added Ronnie. Neither of them knew about Lucas's humiliation.

Cody glanced over a Lucas, who nodded. "Might as well just get this out of their systems," he thought.

"OK guy's. Here's the deal. We get a hour to make you pee yourselves. If you do, you lie there in it all night. If you hold out, we do your chores for the next week."

"You're on!"

They stripped the Twins beds and covered each with a waterproof tarp. The Twins stripped and were tied spread-eagle on their separate beds. "OK, the hour starts now!"

Gales of laughter rose as the Boys began to tickle. It really wasn't much of a contest, they knew the Twins could never hold out. Squeals, hysterical laughter and much squirming and pulling at their bonds were the result of continuous expert torture of their entire bodies.

Scarcely fifteen minutes had gone by before Donnie gasped, "I can't stand it! I can't hold it any longer! I'm eeeeeeeeeeeeee!", as he sprayed himself from head to groin."

"Wuss!" yelled his brother. Fifteen seconds later his little hose duplicated Donnie's. He even got a liberal dose in his mouth and swallowed it sputtering.

"Oh shit!" they said together as Cody and Lucas laughed at their look of disgust and revulsion. "I'm going to untie your arms, but you are to stay right there until morning. Understand?"

"Yes," they replied, disconsolately.

"If you need to go some more during the night, be our guests." Added Lucas. "Good night!"

"Oh yuck!"

About 2:00 AM, "Cody, Lucas, please let us up. It smells awful. We can't sleep. It's cold and……" The fact they used their dads' names, showed how serious their plight was..

"I guess if we expect to get some sleep, we'll have to relent," opined Cody.

"I suppose," agreed Lucas.

They untied the Twins and sent them off to the shower while they disposed of the tarps. The urine had mostly dried, so the mess wasn't too bad; it really did smell horrible, however.

In the shower, both boys concentrated on getting the mess out of their hair and off their bodies. It took four soapings and rinses with each boy working on the other. Sex play wasn't even remotely considered.

At last, clean and sweet smelling, they slid in between their dads.

Late that Saturday morning, they were all finally awake. "OK, how did you know?" demanded Donnie.

"Being tickled makes you loose control. After that your body just sabotaged you. Lucas tried the same stunt… and lost," answered his dad.

"Really?"

"Yep. By they way, what did you learn from this?" asked Lucas.

"Not to bet against you!" declared Donnie.

"Yeah, I learned that, but something else!" exclaimed his brother, "Not to let you talk me into things!"

"Hmm This has a familiar ring," observed Cody.

"What do you mean?" asked Ronnie.

"Do you remember our telling you about the Great Mud Caper?"

"Yeah."

"When we got into scrapes like that, who do you think was the ringleader?"

"Lucas?"

Both Boys nodded.

"But he was your slave!"

"Yes, but he tended to dominate me at times, and I let him, just like you dominate Ronnie. I had to learn not to let that happen. The tanning my Dad gave me helped to instill that and I tanned Lucas's butt thoroughly. We both ate breakfast standing up."

"That's when Cody became my true Master and it was good for both of us. It actually deepened our love, because we both knew how important each of us was to the other."

"So watch yourself, Ronnie. Don't be afraid to say 'No' when it's right to do so. And you be more considerate of your brother, Donnie. Make him more of an equal partner in your relationship for each other. Whatever, you do, don't loose your exuberance and sense of fun, either of you. Just be a little more respectful of each other."

"OK, but I still won't bet against you again!"

"Me, neither!"

"Smart guys!"

Returning to the coast that summer, the family was once more reunited. Both Cody and Lucas began to spend some time working with John, but this would be the final summer before they graduated from college and had to make some career choices. Much as the whole family might have wished it, even teen-hood doesn't last forever.

At eleven years, the twins were fast growing up too. They possessed a maturity far greater than anyone might suspect, but they were still beautiful, lovable little boys, too. 'Our place' was definitely their venue of choice, so the four of them spent many afternoons under that cove's spell.

One morning in mid summer, they were all at home when John called. "I'm afraid I have some bad news. Rupert Gann just called to tell me that Ian McGuire took his life yesterday. He remembered we were interested in the family and wanted me to know before the news showed up on the telley. His father found him hanged when he came home yesterday, called the police and then drove his car over the cliff."

They were stunned and saddened.

Even though it had been several years since their last contact with the family, Lucas could vividly remember the sad little boy he had tried to comfort. Their efforts to help the damaged family were thwarted when the father refused all offers of aid. Now, the only one left was Toby, enslaved for life.

That afternoon, a letter arrived for Lucas, written in a boyish hand. Lucas opened it with a heavy heart.

Dear Lucas Friend,
I never did say thank you for the day I was really sad and angry with my brother and you tried to help me get over it. You said you hoped one day I would not be angry with Toby and what he did to me.
I know you and your family tried to help Da and me, but he was just too proud and stubborn to accept it.
I hoped you were right about Toby, but I just can't stand the anger and hate I feel any more. But he is my brother, so I will wait for him in the next world. Maybe we can be friends there. If you can, would you please let him know about my choice and wish him well for me.

Always your friend
Ian McGuire

Lucas stared at the letter for a very long time with tears in his eyes. Finally he shared it with the others with a look of determination.

"What are you thinking of?" asked Cody.

"I'm thinking I must go to Paloma Ranch," he replied.

"I'll go with you."

"No Cody. I think this is something I must do alone."

"We'll go with you." Interjected Ronnie.

Lucas turned to them, "I, I ,I have to do this alone. But thank you for…"

"You need someone to be with you," interrupted Ronnie. "Besides, we should go to Paloma and find our people and let them know they haven't been forgotten."

"And thank them for the sacrifice they made so we could be free," finished his brother.

These were eleven-year-old boys! No, not boys. Young men who carried the hopes of a whole culture.

Lucas and the Twins arrived at Paloma just after lunch time and asked to see the owner, Michael Connor. After some short delay, they were ushered into his office. A tall, powerfully built man with graying hair greeted them. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, but we don't get many unannounced visitors. Your name intrigued me, though. Are you John Davidson's son?"

"Yes, sir, I am and Dad sends his warmest greetings. And these are my sons. But, that's not why we are here. I have a sad message for Toby McGuire from his brother Ian."

"What do you know about Toby?" asked their surprised host.

'That he once suffered from an easily curable condition which caused him to injure his brother almost fatally, and was enslaved and confined here because of it. I met his brother several years ago and saw the results of Toby's beating and tried to help Ian. But," he sighed, "it was too late."

He handed the letter to Michael, who read it and returned it with a sad look. Turning to the intercom, he asked, "Paulie, is Toby with you?"

"Yes, Dad," came the reply.

"Good. Would the two of you please come to my office in five minutes. Toby has a visitor."

"We'll be there."

Turning back to Lucas and the twins, Michael said, "There are a few things about Toby you don't know. Yes, we cured his condition. And since that time, he has been a very hard working, conscientious young man whom everyone loves and admires. That he was sentenced for what he did to his brother was just; that he remains a slave is unjust. Unfortunately, I can't do anything about that."

"Toby and my son, Paulie are 15, the same age I was when I chose one of the slaves on the ranch to be my personal attendant. Since my father passed away more than 30 years ago, Jonathan and I have managed Paloma Ranch together. We have continued the work my father began and I have to believe we have had some success." That last was a huge understatement; Paloma Ranch was known and admired throughout the civilized world.

"When I am gone, my son will own and manage the Ranch. By now, you have guessed whom he chose to be his partner in this venture and I am just thrilled with his choice. I'm sure you will be likewise impressed, once you have met them. Here they are now."

Two slim young men entered and stood by Michael's desk. If Paulie was a slightly younger version of his father, Toby was an almost exact copy of his brother, a bit older.

"You said I had a visitor, Master?" asked a clearly confused Toby.

"Yes, this is Lucas Davidson and his sons and they bring you a message from your brother, Ian."

Toby looked distressed, but accepted the letter from Lucas. He read it and time stood still for a moment. Then he burst into tears. Lucas instinctively held out his arms, but Toby fled into Paulie's arms and wept bitterly.

"It is not for you to comfort him; that is Paulie's task."

"Yes sir, of course," replied a chastened Lucas. "How insulting of me! I beg your forgiveness."

"There is no offense," replied Michael. "You did that out of the goodness of your heart, instinctively. Your only thought was for Toby."

"And I thank you, too," added Paulie. "Toby will be OK. He just needs some time. May we go, Father?"

"Yes, take the rest of the afternoon off. We'll see you at dinner."

"They are very close aren't they? I was a slave once and I loved my Master without exception. Today we are brothers and Lifemates."

"Then you understand. But there is more to your visit, isn't there. You didn't bring these two boys along for the scenery."

Before Lucas could respond, his son stepped forward. "I am Ronnie and this is my twin brother, Donnie. We are of the Acoma!"

The look of amazement on their host's face was priceless.

"We know many of our people are here and want them to know they are not forgotten and that we revere them and the sacrifices they made so we could be free. Lucas Davidson is my Father and my Spirit Guide. Our other father, Cody Davidson, is Donnie's Spirit Guide."

"Jonathan!" Michael shouted into the intercom. "Please find don Alfredo and bring him here at once. I have thrilling news for him and two visitors he will want to see."

"Years ago, my father learned the simple secret of this successful operation. Give the workers – even though they are slaves – the chance to build a new life here, to be proud of their heritage and their work, to raise families. And it works! My son and I are the only two free persons living here. We employ no guards. No one has ever sought to leave. Not one of my people would wish to be any other place on earth. It's not any easy life. But it is immensely satisfying."

"When I heard what was being done to Acoma Pueblo, I set out to 'rescue' every one. I couldn't change the unjust sentences handed down by that kangaroo court, but I could and did give them new life and hope. I think we have done that with a few possible exceptions. I would take in the entire Pueblo if necessary. Hang the considerable cost, it was the best investment I ever made. The Acoma people have repaid me many times over."

"Don Alfredo is the acknowledged leader of the Acoma people here and that is why I sent for him. Here he is now."

A distinguished-looking older man entered, followed by a huge black man, who must be Jonathan.

Don Alfredo looked at the Twins as they slowly approached him. Then, they flung themselves into his arms.

"Donaldo and Ronaldo! Oh, no! Not you also!" And he began to wail.

"No, Uncle Alfred. We are free and will always be free." The words tumbled from their mouths. "We've come to greet our people and tell them that we revere them and their sacrifice for us. This is Lucas Davidson. He and his brother, Cody, are our fathers and our Spirit Guides. Our Grammie Davidson is our Shining Star. And they are all now of the Acoma. Maman has made them so."

"Master Michael, I am truly sorry for my unseemly behavior. This is wonderful news and I must tell our people."

"Don Alfredo, this is a great day for the Acoma and I understand perfectly." Turning to Lucas, "Can you and the boys remain overnight?"

"I guess we could," replied Lucas.

"Good! We would be honored to have you as our guests. Don Alfredo, summon your people to the assembly arena at 9:00 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow is hereby declared a holiday. Only vital tasks, Jonathan. And, don Alfredo, please join us for dinner tonight"

"It will be done, Master. If I may make a small suggestion! That scamp, Toussant, needs something to keep him from driving his teachers crazy. Why not let him show these two fine young men around this afternoon, if that is acceptable to their father."

"Excellent suggestion. Now I know why I keep you around." Their easy, but polite, banter told volumes about their trust and affection for each other. Master and slave they might be, good friends and trusted colleagues was a more fitting description. "Do you ride?" he asked the Twins.

"No sir," they answered with mounting excitement.

"No matter. You will before the day is out!"

Lucas nodded his approval, and Jonathan took each by the hand and the two wide-eyed boys were led off to find the 'scamp'.

After letting Cody know they were staying over, Lucas spent the afternoon with Michael visiting each of the major functions of the Ranch. It was a truly impressive operation. Everywhere they went, Michael was greeted politely, but warmly and not once did he fail to greet a worker by name. With upwards of six hundred workers, that is no small feat.

Late in the afternoon, Lucas was showering in the guest quarters when the Twins arrived like a small whirlwind. The scamp had turned out to be a little black boy about half their size, chock full of merriment. They had ridden real horses, seen everything, learned all there was to know about Paloma… at least Toussant's version.

They continued their animated description through undressing, showers and dressing for dinner in the clothes which had magically appeared in their room. Lucas thought he might have to drug them to shut them up. But, just before dinner, they subsided, put on their best-behavior persona and all was well.

At dinner, Lucas could not have been more proud of them. They captivated everyone. After dinner, they all stood on the veranda and watched the fiery sunset over the Sierras to the west. They all were much too tired to do more than crawl under the covers and cuddle themselves to almost instant sleep.

It was just getting light when Lucas awoke. "Man! That was a vivid dream! It was almost as if Cody had been in bed with them.! Was it really a dream. Of course it was. Don't be stupid! " he told himself.

A little dark head popped up next to him. "Where's Dad?" asked Donnie.

"Right here!" answered Lucas.

"Not you, silly! Cody!"

"Back home. Where else would you expect him to be?"

"Well he was here last night," asserted Donnie. "He gave me the best blow…" Being a little more grown up, the Twins were a bit more discrete about their sexual adventures; at least some of the time.

"Me, too," joined in a sleepy voice from the other side. "It was awesome!"

Lucas didn't know quite how to handle this. "Look, guys, Cody may have been here someway and maybe not. We won't know until we can talk to him. But right now, this morning, you have an important meeting with the Acoma."

Donnie was never one to cede the last word, "You're right Dad, but I know Cody was here last night." Lucas sighed; Donnie could be exasperating at times.

The crowd gathered in the assembly arena was huge; almost six hundred men, women and children. When the Twins entered with Lucas, Michael and don Alfredo, an excited buzz began. "They look like Maria Lopez's sons. Are they slaves, too? They must be; why else would they be here?"

"People of the Acoma!" Don Alfredo's voice boomed out over the crowd. "When we arrived here years ago, it was to begin a new life. Our beloved Acoma Pueblo would shortly be no more and our people would no longer be of the Acoma. But, today I tell you that Acoma lives! It lives in the person of these two young men you see before you, the children of Maria Lopez, Ronaldo and Donaldo. They have not come as slaves, but as free boys, to greet us."

Ronnie stepped up on the podium. "I am Ronald Lopez, now known as Ronald Dakota Davidson and this is my brother Donald, now known as Donald Alexander Davidson. We have came here today to tell you that you are not forgotten and that we thank you with all our hearts for the sacrifice you made so we could be free."

"With us," added Donnie, "is our father, Lucas Davidson, who is Ronnie's Spirit Guide and our other father, Cody Davidson is my Spirit Guide. Our grand mother, Grammie Ruth Davidson is our Shining Star. They are all of the Acoma!"

"Our father, Cody, was with us last night!' Lucas winced! "In spirit!" Lucas sighed with relief.

"I know you are anxious to meet these very important visitors," announced Michael, "So I have declared a holiday. We'll have to care for the animals, but the crops can wait a day. I am astounded at the message these young men bring us, and I could not be happier. Enjoy your time with them."

"Thank you Master Michael," replied don Alfredo. And he took Lucas by the arm to meet the waiting crowd. The Twins needed no escort and were quickly swallowed up by aunts, uncles and cousins they had never met before. Looking back on it later, Lucas marveled at the outpouring of love and affection for him and his two beautiful boys. They now had a mission: to keep the flame of Acoma burning.

It was late afternoon before they could leave. The car was silent on the trip back to the city. Each of them completely caught up in the drama played out that day.

It was late that night when they arrived and the Twins were awake only long enough to greet Cody and thank him for 'visiting' the previous night. Cody was on edge and at last had the chance to tell Lucas about his experience and hear about Lucas and the Twins.

"I've talked to Mom about it and she wants to talk to you first thing in the morning" he said. "I'll take the Twins swimming so you can be alone with her. I think you'll be floored by what she has to tell you. It's awesome."

Lucas understood that Cody didn't want to spoil things for either him or Ruth, so he would be patient, an unusual condition for him. But sleep came rapidly.

"Did you enjoy your stay at Paloma?" Ruth asked the next morning.

"Come on, Mom! Don't be cute, please. I'm sorry! That was rude and unloving. But, you know what happened." And he gave her a full accounting of his and the Twins' experience, in great detail including sex… without blushing at all."

"Well," replied Ruth, "Now you know the family secret."

"What do you mean?" asked her son.

"When your father and I were first married, he had to travel a lot, getting his business started. He was often away overnight. But, no matter where he was, it was just like he was there in the bedroom with me. And he reported the same thing."

"At first, we were scared. What was going on? And then we did some research into our families. We found, to our amazement, that my family had experienced similar 'visitations' for generations. It just wasn't something they talked about."

"Some more research turned up other cases and we came to learn I was the locus for the spirit. The bond grew in strength so that soon we could experience all the feelings that we could have had if we were physically together. You may find this hard to believe, but after John came home from one trip of about a week, I was pregnant with Cody!"

"Wow, Mom! That is mind blowing."

"You and Cody are obviously loci and somehow the Twins are tied in too. You remember Ronnie's remark in the hospital, that he could feel Donnie was still alive?"

"Yes! And you know Cody and I have talked about this from time to time. Nothing nearly as strong as the other night, though. And, I just thought of something else, too. Is this how we 'found' each other that day at the slave dealer?"

"I never thought of that before," his mother confessed. "But you surely could be right!"

"Another gift!"

"Yes, surely, but you're not the only one who has it."

"Absolutely brilliant, as the Barton boys would say. I'll have to think about how to explain this to the Twins."

"I think that might be easier than you realize. I would guess they've pretty well worked things out for themselves." (That turned out to be the case; all four of them just accepted it was just another of God's gifts, this time for all of them.)

"You reminded me of another thing I have been meaning to ask you or Cody. Why don't we invite the Barton boys here for the last two weeks of August. They can fly up and then go back with you guys."

"Mom! That would be terrific! But do we have room?"

"I'm sure you'll be able to make suitable sleeping arrangements in the Bachelor Pad," she answered slyly. This time, Lucas did blush.

They kept the impending visitors secret from the Twins. The day that Tommy and David arrived, Cody insisted the Twins accompany him to the airport. "It's just to pick up a package Mom ordered," he told them.

But when Tommy and David came skipping through the security barrier, the screams of happiness could be heard for miles, making the security guards very nervous until Cody explained the situation.

The first night, they all slept (wrong word) together in Cody's bed. Six bodies in one bed is just too many, they decided. So, they would pair off and change partners every night.

So it was, that Lucas and David snuggled down in Lucas's hardly used bed the second night. It had been a busy and active day but they enjoyed a bit of sex play, anyway. Afterward, Lucas lay on his back with David on top of him, chest to chest. He marveled at how good their skin-to-skin contact felt. David so warm and soft, quite different from the slim and sinuous feel of his own son. This must have been what he felt like to Cody when they were first together.

Lying with his head on Lucas's chest, David whispered, "Lucas! Thank you for helping me to be free once again!"

"You're welcome, but I didn't have much to do with that."

"Yes you did! Father told both of us about the conversation you had after the sleepover. And when you and Cody set me free in your house, even though it was only for a little while, it was the best feeling.. Tommy and I grew much closer after that. And Cody helping me to be strong in front of that awful judge. I didn't cry because my wrists hurt or because I was naked in front of all those people… I really didn't like that… but I was so frightened that I would screw up and maybe never be free. Even maybe be taken away from Tommy and his parents."

"You helped me be brave enough to stand that! And I will owe you forever!"

"David," Lucas answered, "every time you hug me or I see you so happy with Tommy and my boys, you pay any debt a thousand times over. What's the best thing about being a free boy again?"

"I love my family and 'specially Tommy so much it makes my tummy ache. And I have special friends like Donnie and Ronnie and you and Cody and Grammie Ruth and Grandpa John. And all the kids at school….."

"And I can honor the memory of my birth family. I miss them but I'm not so sad any more 'cause I know they will be waiting for me when it's my turn to go to the other world. Lucas, when I greet them in the other world, will I be a grown-up or a little kid again?"

"I don't know, David, but whatever it will be just right. Why did you ask me?"

"'Cause you know stuff," came the reply as David drifted off to sleep.

Now, Lucas understood, as never before, why he loved this little boy so much, almost as much as Mom and Dad and Cody and Ronnie and Donnie.

In the adjacent room, a similar conversation was taking place in Cody's bed. (The poor Twins! They had to make due with just themselves that night,)

"Cody, thank you for helping to free David. You could not have given me a greater gift in all the world."

Cody started to protest, but Tommy cut him off, "It was Lucas who convinced Father to free David. It was you who made him free at your house during the sleepover. I didn't realize until the moment we both stood naked in front of you just how much I really and truly loved David and how much I wanted him to be free. It hurt awful for me to think he was a slave!"

"And you jumped in and helped him at that terrible trial when the rest of us were too scared to even move! If it had not been for you, David might still be a slave and I would be very sad."

And he kissed Cody long and hard and dropped off to sleep. "Lucas was right," thought Cody, "these are very, very special boys. Almost as special as our sons."

Activities continued apace. "You know, we have six little boys in the house," confided Ruth to John.

"No, seven!" And he scooped her off her feet and twirled around the room. Neither could remember a happier time in their lives.

One of John's clients was the Brazilian embassy. When the ambassador learned John had young visitors, he invited them to watch the World Cup match between the North American team and the visiting Brazil Professional All Star team. The star of the Brazilian squad was the immortal Pele. Avid football (soccer) lovers, the four kids couldn't wait to meet their hero, even though his team punished the North Americans 6-0.

Taken to the Brazil locker room, they found Pele to be a thoroughly likeable and friendly, even easygoing guy! Not at all like he appeared on the field. He greeted all of them warmly.

They were astounded to learn that Pele had once been the slave of a rich rubber plantation owner who acquired him in a swap with another owner. The rubber baron had recognized the talent of this scrawny young boy and provided the encouragement and resources for him to become the super star of the sport. Pele told them how he had earned his freedom during a penalty shot and now he and the man, who was like a father to him, were firm friends.

When it came time for autographs, David whipped up his shirt and Pele obliged him by signing his name on the boy's chest, nipple to nipple.

"Will wash off first time you shower," he teased. David hadn't though of that.

The other kids opted for the famous signature on their shirts. Regretting his rash decision, David asked shyly, "Can I have one on my shirt, too?"

"Oh no," said the super-star. "Only one allowed for small boys."

Seeing David's disappointment, he offered, "I make you deal. You must show you not small boy, but great football player. You see that basket by the wall? You and I we play one on one. The first one to kick ball into basket wins. If you win, you great football player."

David knew he had no chance, but he wanted to show he was a true sportsman, so he agreed.

Pele placed a ball on the floor between them and the match was on. He put on a demonstration of ball handling that left the others breathless and David sprawled on the floor. But he didn't try to score.

David gamely fought on. Giving the others a broad wink, Pele left an opening for David and David's shot was true. Pele scooped up the radiant boy, "You not just small boy, but small great football player, too." And he peeled off his game shirt and put it on David, to the cheers of everyone present.

The assorted shirts proved to be a problem. Ruth couldn't get them off the kids long enough to wash them. By the middle of the second week, they were pretty ripe and she put her foot down, promising to preserve the signatures. Using a special spray, she was able to keep her word and have the kids at least smelling a little better. David's on-the-chest decoration did slowly fade; he would not have to explain it to his mother when he got home.

The day before they were due to leave, Cody and Lucas took them to 'Our Place'. For some reason, Cody insisted the four kids wear white shorts and no shirts.

Tommy and David were overawed by the beauty of the place. The warm gentle surf, the fine sand… just the privacy the spot afforded them… made their visit special. Swimming and sex! Lunch! Then, more swimming and sex. By late afternoon, all of them were tired, but tremendously happy.

It started to cool off a bit, so Lucas handed them towels to dry themselves and remove most of the sand from their bodies. Cody nodded and asked them to cluster around him.

Handing each of the four boys a shirt from his pack, he asked them to close their eyes until they had but them on. When they opened their eyes and gazed at each other, they were speechless. For quite a few minutes the only sound was the gentle surf and the sea birds, as four young boys stood with tears rolling down their cheeks.

On the right breast of each of their new shirts was an intricate design:

Chapter Eight

2013 Fall

"Department Head! That sounds nice," thought Professor Dora Washington. "It feels good too." Almost as good as the little girl lying naked on top of her, her tongue working on Dora's clit. She hugged her daughter's naked body, reveling in the feel of her smooth soft skin.

"Mommy! Please do me, too. It feels so good when you do," squealed Samantha.

"OK, dear." And Dora thrust her tongue into her daughter's crack and began the ministrations, which would soon lead both of them to ecstasy. It didn't take long. The little girl's ass began to wobble and her breath came in gasps, just as Dora's own orgasm kicked in. Squeals and shrieks echoed throughout the otherwise silent house as the two of them spent themselves.

"Oh, Sam, honey! You're getting so good at that," panted her mother.

"Oh Mommy, it's the best feeling ever. I'm glad you taught me how to do this. It's so much fun!"

After short naps and a long, hot shower, the two of them sat relaxed in Dora's bed.

"Mommy, do boy's orgasms feel this good?"

"Yes, dear. When the juice shoots out of their pricks, that's how they plant their seed in your belly."

"I wonder what it's like to have fun with a boy."

"Well, when you're a little older, you'll have to find out."

"I bet I know two boys who would be fun," thought Samantha. "I'll have to work on that."

Several days later, the Twins arrived home late from school. Cody & Lucas were already home.

"Hi guys! You're a little late tonight," said Lucas. "We were starting to be concerned."

"Sorry! We stopped off to visit with someone," said Ronnie. "Sam."

"Were his parents home?"

"No."

"Guys, we'd rather you didn't visit with another boy unless his parents are home."

Donnie giggled. "Sam isn't a boy. She's a girl. Her real name is Samantha, but she lets us call her Sam. She's Professor Washington's daughter."

A prickle of concern began to gnaw at both their dads.

"And you say Professor Washington wasn't there?"

"It's OK Dad, we know how to behave. She's in our class and she's cool, not like most of the other girls."

"What did the three of you do?" asked Lucas sweetly.

The Twins looked at each other guiltily. "Uh… uh… uh. I guess we better tell you."

"You know how you always tell us to explore and find things out for ourselves? Well, we decided to explore Sam," stated Donnie matter-of-factly.

Cody and Lucas both nearly choked.

"Don't worry, we didn't do anything you would be ashamed of," added Ronnie. "You see, we often eat lunch together and Sam likes to wrestle. So, we go into the gym. She sometimes gets her hands in… hee hee… interesting places. Sometimes we feel her boobs."

This whole conversation was a testament to the complete trust between the Twins and their Dads.

"So she invited us to stop in for some fun."

"And?"

"Well, we went up to her bedroom and first we stripped her. We've both seen pictures, but we've never seen a girl naked before. Then she stripped each of us; she said she had never seen a boy naked before. She said we both looked nice."

"But she likes Donnie's fingers better," interjected his twin.

"Ronnie! You played with her too!"

By this point, the Boys didn't know whether to giggle or hug the innocents before them.

"She wanted to feel our pricks and balls and we got real hard. She nearly went crazy when we sucked her nipples. And then she showed us her slit and that thing she called her clit. She really went bananas when we rubbed it."

"So, we took turns," continued Ronnie, "one of us sucking and playing with her nipples and the other rubbing her clit. After a while she began to squeal and thrash around and we thought she was having some kind of seizure. She said to keep going, and she got all wet down there. After a while, she calmed down and said she had had an orgasm. Just like we have."

"After that," resumed Donnie, "we showed her how to play with us until we both cummed. She was surprised we could shoot. She never asked us to put our pricks in her and we wouldn't have anyway. We both know better."

The Boys heaved a sigh of relief. "Did you enjoy yourselves?" asked Lucas.

"It was OK, but not nearly as much fun as we have with you or David and Tommy. She said it was nice, but she had another girl she played with and she enjoys that better," (She did not, of course, tell them that other 'girl' was her own mom.)

"Were you afraid we might get her pregnant?" asked Ronnie. "We would never do that! We're much to young for that, and besides, when it's time for us to have kids, we'd like to adopt just like you did. There are lots of kids who need a good home. And I'm sure we will find one we could love just as much as you love us."

"We've thought about maybe seeing if we could adopt a kid from Paloma," added Donnie. "But they already have good families, even though they're slaves. They really don't need us. I'm sure there will be lots of kids who do."

'That's absolutely beautiful," breathed Cody.

"But all the same," said Lucas, "I think we need to make it a rule that you don't visit a friend unless a parent is present."

"OK! We can always go to Tommy and David's if we want some fun."

"Which for Donnie is most of the time," interrupted his brother.

"Like you don't!" shot back Donnie. "Mrs. Barton s always home, but doesn't bother us even when we play strip poker."

Later that evening, after the Twins were asleep, Cody and Lucas lay together in bed.

"You know, I've never given much thought about their sexual orientation," mused Lucas. "If they grow up, marry and have kids, I could be happy with that. If they stay male oriented, that would be OK, too."

"Yeah, just like Mom and Dad are with us; if they're happy, I'm happy."

"Remind me again! Our boys are only eleven years old? They didn't suddenly become young adults and I missed it?" asked a bemused Lucas. "That conversation about adopting a child in-need was just heartwarming and so grown-up."

"Yeah, they're a lot like you were at that age, Lucas."

"What do you mean?"

"They're exciting, fun, sexy, loving, with hearts as big as all outdoors. And yet they're serious and very grown-up when they need to be. So were you, even though you were a slave."

"Really?"

"Oh, yes! Do you remember when I abused you and was punished? Dad told me later how horribly you suffered when you had to whip me. But you realized it needed to be done, so you did it. How many eleven-year-olds could have done that? Not many!"

"You remember the fuss over the Slave Expansion Act? You were barely ten years old and a slave to boot. How many free ten-year-olds would have understood what the problems were like you did."

"And when I had to punish you for being disrespectful to both me and Mom and Dad. The next day, you apologized to them. I will never forget what you said; it was magnificent! And after we had been saved from the 'Runaway Slave' thing, you told me what you truly felt about our family; I remember it word for word:

"For the first time I truly understood what this family means to me. I was so ashamed for always saying I was 'just a slave'. That was an insult to you all! Your Mom and Dad gave me a home, their love and a future and I was too pig-headed to just accept it gratefully. I wanted to be the very best slave, not the very best member of this family. Your parents gave me all this love, and I didn't know how to love them back."

"That was not an eleven-year-old boy! That was a man! And I will cherish that memory forever. I think our sons are made of that same stuff"

"I'm… I'm… I'm just staggered that you remember all those things!" stuttered Lucas.

"I remember everything about you, lover. From the moment I first saw you! You changed my life. You're my reason for living!"

Lucas knew that Cody loved him more than life itself, but he didn't often talk about it like that. He just enfolded his brother in his arms and kissed him.

That fall, the College had hired a new Director of Engineering, a widower by the name of Bruce Cowan. He had a young son, Little Bruce, who was in the Twins class.

He was so tiny he looked more like a six-year-old and the 'Four Musketeers' became his protector. He was a very quiet child, rather sad. They all tried to cheer him up and he appreciated their friendship. But they couldn't quite shake the idea there was something wrong in his life.

The five of them usually ate lunch together, but one noontime they couldn't find him. "I know he's here," said Tommy, "he was in class this morning. I wonder where he went."

David excused himself to go to the lavatory, but came running back a few moments later. "I found him and he needs our help badly!"

The four of them dashed into the lavatory and found little Bruce in great pain. He had shed most of his clothes and was trying desperately to remove a harness that encased his body. It featured a butt-plug firmly implanted in his rear and a clamp-like device around his prick.

"Please help me get this thing off!" he tearfully pleaded. "I've got to go so bad I can't stand it! Dad was in a hurry and forgot to take it off me this morning."

The boys sprang into action and succeeded in loosening the straps and easing him out of the harness. As soon as the clamp on his prick was released, he began to pee all over the floor and barely made it to the toilet before his distended bowels let loose. He sat on the toilet crying as the pain slowly dissipated.

The four boys could not help noticing that his back, behind and upper legs and chest were covered with hundreds of red welts.

"Bruce! Who did this to you? Who whipped you like that?"

"My dad. He punishes me. He says I'm bad. I brought the flu bug home from school and my mom died from it and he blames me."

The four boys were horrified at the thought of what poor Little Bruce had to bear. No wonder he was always so sad! "What's this harness thing?"

"I have to wear it at home all the time, 'cause I had an accident and messed the floor. He was in a hurry and forgot to take it off me this morning. I'll be all right now. Can you help me get it back on? Or I'll really get punished when he gets home."

"No Bruce! We need to report this to our teacher or the Headmaster," said Donnie.

"No! No! Please don't," replied the terrified boy. "It'll get Dad in trouble. Please, please, I beg you!"

It was quiet for a moment. They really wanted to help their friend, but weren't quite sure what to do. Finally, Donnie said, "OK we won't tell a teacher or the Headmaster." And they reluctantly helped him climb back into the harness. The worst part was getting the butt-plug back in; that really must have hurt, but Bruce gritted his teeth and didn't cry out.

When their dads got home that afternoon, the Twins were nervously waiting. "Dad, we have a problem," began Donnie. And he described what they had seen and done. And promised. Almost in tears.

"Well, you kept your promise," said Lucas. "But we can't let Bruce continue to beat his son half to death."

"We know! That's why we didn't promise not to tell you. The four of us agreed you would know what to do."

"I think we better call Sergeant Anderson," said Cody.

Sergeant John Anderson commanded the College Police Force and came right over after Cody explained briefly what the twins had told him. Cody had also called the Bartons and asked them to come over.

The four boys went over what they had observed and Sergeant Anderson asked them numerous questions. "I can't believe this about Bruce. He does such a fine job. But we clearly have to get the kid away from him."

"I wouldn't normally do this, but I think the four boys and the dads should come along." They agreed and piled into the police vehicle for the short ride to Bruce's house on the campus. The others waited in the van while Anderson confronted Bruce. After a short time, he motioned them all into the house.

Bruce sat with his head in his hands. "I'm sorry," he sobbed. "I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I couldn't help myself. He's in the other room."

The found Little Bruce blindfolded and gagged and tightly shackled to his bed in a spread eagle. His prick was clamped so he wouldn't pee himself. There were fresh welts on the front his body and a small whip lay nearby.

They released him and David took the sobbing boy into his arms. "Don't let anything bad happen to him. He really does love me," he whimpered.

The adults held a hurried conference. "If I report this to the city authorities, they'll come and take the boy,' said Anderson. "The last thing this kid needs is Slave School, but that's where they'll send him. I think Bruce is truly sorry and, with intensive counseling, can probably recover. But I need a place to put the boy for a few days until I can arrange a foster home."

"Father," said David, "could we take him? He knows us and Mother is there to help. Could we, please?"

Dr. Barton thought for a minute, and then turned to Cody and Lucas. "You boys taught Clara and me the meaning of true family love when you encouraged us to free David. It's been a glorious experience with these two fine sons ever since. Could we do any less for this child who is in such need?" Turning back to Sergeant Anderson, "Yes, we will take him for as long as necessary."

At Bruce's hearing a few days later, he confessed completely and the four boys testified as to what they had seen. Little Bruce was also heard. "Please sir, he's not a bad man. He's just been terribly sad since Mom died. Please give him another chance. I love him and I know that deep in his heart he loves me. I know I must leave him for a while, but I hope we might be a family again some day."

The judge was deeply moved.

Temporary custody of Little Bruce was awarded to the Bartons.

Big Bruce was sentenced to two years in prison, but sentence was suspended in favor of three years intensive probation to include psychiatric treatment. During that time, he was to have no contact at all with Little Bruce.

So Little Bruce joined the Barton family. It was clear he missed his dad terribly even though they did everything they could to make him feel loved and safe.

Winter was especially hard that year and it did not improve any after the Boys and their sons returned from Holidays on the coast. They celebrated a quiet twelfth birthday with the twins. It hardly seemed possible that it was 2014 and the Twins had been with them for more than two years.

One Monday in February, it began to snow. And snowed. And snowed. By Tuesday noon, there was more than two feet [60 cm] on the ground and school was dismissed early.

The Twins plowed their way through the drifts, homeward bound. They had dressed for the weather and were actually enjoying the blizzard. As they approached a small stand of trees in the park along the river, two men hurried out of them, turned and rapidly moved away from the boys.

They were about to pass the grove, when Donnie stopped. "Look! There in the trees. It's a boy standing there with no clothes on!"

"I see him!" replied Ronnie, "but he's not just standing there! He's tied to the branch over his head!"

The two of them plowed their way over to the boy. "Is this someone's idea of a joke?"

"No, Ronnie. Someone wanted this kid to die! Those two men must have done this. Help me get him loose."

It was a struggle, but, with Donnie supporting him, they managed to get the boy loose. Donnie slipped off his parka and put it around him. The boy was unconscious, but still breathing. "He's so cold! We've got to get him home! You take my books and I'll carry him."

It was a struggle, but they finally made it, staggering into their front door. By that time, Donnie was soaked to the skin and shivering badly. "Get out of those wet things," counseled his brother. "Get in the shower and take him with you. I'll join you in a minute."

Donnie turned the shower to medium, picked up the boy and climbed in, holding him upright. The boy's body still felt like an ice-cube. Ronnie squeezed in a few minutes later and they held the boy between them, allowing the warm water to play over him. "I couldn't get thru to Emergency. The lines are all busy. I couldn't reach our dads either."

The hot water wouldn't last forever and the boy was still very cold, so they dried him and themselves off and got into bed with him, spooned between them. The skin-to-skin contact began to have some effect and the kid began to shiver. That was a good sign, they knew, so they continued trying to cover as much of his body with theirs as they could.

The boy began to mumble something. "Ty tak nuzshna mne! (I need you so much!) Mne tak kharasho stoboy! (I feel so good next to you) Ty poslana mne bogom!" (You were sent me by God.)

Just at that point Cody and Lucas came in from the storm. "Hey guys!" shouted Lucas, "you left quite a mess out here. Where are you?"

"Sorry! We're in bed," answered Donnie. "We had a problem." They walked into their sons' room and saw them together in bed. Then they looked again! There was a third head poking out from the tops of the quilts.

"We rescued this kid from the storm," explained Ronnie. "Someone had tied him naked to a tree!"

Cody & Lucas looked at each other in amazement. Who would do that to a young boy? Someone who wanted him dead!

By this time, the boy was fully conscious, hugging the Twins and saying "Spasibo!" over and over again.

"What language is he speaking?" asked Donnie.

"I think it's Russian! And spasibo means thank you," answered Lucas. "I know a few phrases. I'll tell him we can't speak Russian and see if he understands. K sozhaleniyu, ya poka ne govoryu po russki."

The boy nodded vigorously. So that confirmed his hunch. "I better see if I can reach the authorities. Someone will be looking for this kid."

While Lucas made his phone call, the others helped their guest into one of Donnie's sweat suits and they adjourned to the kitchen for some hot soup.

"I managed to reach the police," reported Lucas. "But they're swamped. I told them we had rescued a young boy from the storm, that he speaks Russian and appears to be OK. They asked if we could keep him overnight, and I told them we could. They said they will contact the Russian Consulate and get back to us, but it might be a few days."

"Let's see if we can find out his name," said Cody. He pointed to himself and addressed the boy, "Cody Davidson." Then, pointing to each of the others in turn, "Donald Davidson. Ronald Davidson. Lucas Davidson."

The boy nodded and replied, "Gregor Ivanevich Romanoff. Zdravstvujte! (Hello!) ya panimayu tebia (I understand you,) Dlya menya eto ochen' neobychny sposob znakomstva" (I don't usually meet people in this way)

"Do you have any idea what he said?" asked Ronnie.

"Yes, his name is Gregor Romanoff. Beyond that, I just don't know. But I'm sure it was very nice."

"Well, I think we could all use some sleep," said Lucas. "Guys, why don't you take Gregor with you."

"OK." And Ronnie took Gregor by the hand and led him off to their room, but not before he gave Cody and Lucas each a great hug and again said, "Spasibo!"

Cody pulled Donnie aside. "I think you better wear pajamas tonight. And no sex play."

"Why not? He's a boy, isn't he?"

"Yes, but we have no idea how he was brought up. He might not react very well to sex play. You may hug him… he seems to like that… but nothing further."

"Yeah, you're right. He might freak out if we came on too strong. We'll behave," he promised. "We don't want to make him uncomfortable."

Alone at last, Cody and Lucas looked at each other. "What have we gotten into, here?"

"I'm not sure, Lucas, but whatever it is, it's scary! Who would try to murder a young kid like that? It had to be someone who wanted to send a very strong message. Come on; let's turn in. This is creepy!"

"Cody, come look." They peered into the Twins' room. All three were in Donnie's bed, soundly asleep.

By morning, the snow had reached three feet [90 cm] with no end in sight. The three of them came to breakfast the next morning in their pj's. At first Gregor seemed a little shy about eating, but once he had tasted Lucas's ham eggs and toast, he ate with gusto and a big smile. After breakfast the four of them sat around helping to name various things in English for Gregor. They were soon to discover that he was a whiz at languages.

About mid morning the phone rang and Lucas went to answer it.

"Mister Davis, I am Arkady Soboloff, the Russian Consul-General in Colorado Springs. I understand you rescued a young Russian boy who was caught out in the storm."

"The name is Davidson and yes, our sons did," replied Lucas.

"Sorry, the line from the police was not very clear. How is the boy?"

"He seems to be OK, but he had a rather frightening experience." He wasn't quite ready to tell the diplomat any more. He could hear a rapid conversation in the background.

"The boy's uncle, who is his guardian, is here with me and has been sick with worry, fearing he was dead. His name is Alexei Romanoff and he wishes to speak with the boy. Can he come to the phone?"

"Sure! Gregor!"

Gregor appeared at once and Lucas handed him the phone. He left the boy alone and rejoined the group in the other room, telling them about the call.

Gregor held a lengthily conversation with his uncle… tears flowed copiously. When he was finished, Gregor brought the phone back to Lucas and said, "Uncle speak!"

"You are Lucas, yes?"

"Yes I am Mr. Romanoff. And with me are my brother Cody and our two sons, Ronnie and Donnie. The two of them were the ones who found and saved Gregor."

"Is some way I speak to all of you?"

"Yes, I'll put you on the speaker phone."

"Very good. My warmest greeting to all of you. I am Alexei Nicholiavich Romanoff and I am ever in your debt for saving my nephew, Gregor, from a frightening death at the hands of criminals who wished to do me harm by killing my nephew. Gregor is only living relative and I love him as son. I was filled with joy when policeman called to say he was found."

"We were very lucky to discover him on our way home from school," explained Donnie. "We brought him home and warmed him up and now he's OK."

"And I thank you and brother with all my heart. Gregor told me he would have frozen to death had you not come at that moment."

"He was in pretty bad shape," added Ronnie, "and it took quite a while until he was warm enough to speak. He told us his name, but we don't speak Russian. But he has been trying to learn English."

"You soon learn he has great gift for languages. You both heroes for saving him And all of you very kind to shelter him. He say you have wonderful soup and ham and eggs."

They all chuckled at that.

"Now," continued Alexei, "I must ask favor. Consul Soboloff tell me it will be some days before snow allow us to come for Gregor. May I humbly ask if you will care for him until then?"

"This is Cody, Lucas's brother. We would be honored to have him stay with us as long as is necessary. He's a delightful boy and already has become a good friend to our sons."

"Oh excellent! I will call you soon as we can get through snow. Now may I speak to Gregor again?"

Lucas shut off the speaker and handed the phone back to Gregor. After a short conversation, Gregor disconnected and handed the phone back to Lucas. "Uncle say… thank… you!" Lucas swept him off his feet and hugged him, before releasing him. The twins eyes were shining with happiness."

It would be Friday until Alexei could retrieve Gregor. In the meantime, they were snowbound and set about entertaining their guest. They had plenty of food and the Twins taught Gregor some computer games. He was a fair chess player and held his own against Lucas, only loosing two matches.

They learned he was a year older than the Twins and that he and Alexei had come to North America on a mission of great importance for their future. He did not reveal what that mission was, however, but continued learning and polishing his English so that by the time his uncle came for him, he was well on the way to being quite fluent.

The second morning, Ronnie approached Lucas before breakfast, "Dad, I know you told us no sex play, but Gregor enjoys it as much as we do."

"How did you find that out?"

"Well, he was in the shower and I was waiting to take mine and he motioned for me to come in with him. We soaped each other and he pointed to my boy parts and asked, 'Feel.' And then he put my hand on his boy-parts."

"I guess that settles that question," laughed Lucas. "Just don't go too fast. Let him show you what he likes."

"Thanks, Dad! So far it's been just feeling and stroking. Can we go naked in the house? He says he likes that."

"OK, just don't get carried away."

That morning, three naked boys appeared for breakfast. Before they sat down, Gregor walked over to Cody and gave him a big hug. "Thank you! Boys and I have much fun."

Thursday afternoon, the three Barton boys managed to snowshoe over. There was a scramble for clothes when they knocked on the door. The Twins introduced them to Gregor, saying only that he was staying with them until his uncle came for him. They took to him immediately.

The snow was excellent for snowshoeing and the Bartons wanted Ronnie and Donnie to come out and enjoy it and invited Gregor to share their fun. Donnie had an extra pair, but Gregor was, understandably, reluctant to venture into the outdoors, which had almost killed him.

"Why don't you guys go ahead and Gregor and I will play some chess," suggested Lucas. I'll go with you," added Cody.

The house was quiet after they left, but Gregor wasn't much interested in chess. He and Lucas sat in the common room in front of the fire. Lucas could tell Gregor wanted to talk. He was amazed to find how much English the boy had learned in just two short days.

"Your sons, they fine boys. Much friends. Very loving. You and Cody good parents."

"Thank you Gregor, we try to be."

"No question you good parents. Twins tell how you saved from slavery. They your sons, now?"

"Yes, we adopted them when their mother died. We are also their Spirit Guides."

"They tell me, but I not know what is."

"It is a is a teacher who will help them to become men."

"Hmmm! Sound like important stuff."

Lucas nodded.

"You and Cody, you are brothers?

"Yes."

"You are lovers, also?"

"Yes, we are Lifemates. That's like being married."

"They tell me you were slave?"

"Yes, and Cody was my master… a very good one. And our parents raised me so I could be a free person."

"In Russia, few slaves ever freed."

"Well, here many slaves are freed."

"Oh!" Gregor sat mulling this. "Are Ronnie and Donnie lovers? Lifemates?"

"No, but they are very close. And Cody and I love them very much."

"Is good. I not remember parents. Were killed when I was baby. Uncle raises me from time I little boy. He like a father."

It was quiet for a while, with just the crackle of the fire.

"I be sad when Uncle come for me. Not want to leave good friends. But must," he sighed.

'Gregor, Cody and I will always be your friends. We have become very fond of you. (That statement would come back to haunt him, but I digress.) And so will Ronnie and Donnie always be your friends. If you ever need it again, you will always be welcome here."

"Thank you, Lucas. I never had friend before. It feels wonderful."

"Did you go to school? Did you have friends there?"

"School in Moscova. Not have friends there. Boys nekulturi (literally, 'uncultured', the worst insult you can give to a Russian.). Lucas knew the meaning of that word. "Uncle teach last two years. But I learn much from you and Twins."

But Friday morning the inevitable call came. Alexi would come for Gregor that afternoon.

Alexei Romanoff was a great bear of a man and he swept each of them into a giant hug as Gregor introduced them. With tears in his eyes, he thanked all of them over and over for their kindness toward Gregor. Then he told them why he and Gregor were in North America

"I am most important slave dealer in all of Russia," explained Alexei. "In Russia, we treat slaves very bad. Many die each year because they not cared for. It is enormous waste. Consul Soboloff tells me you have experience with slaves, so you understand this."

"I wish to change this. There are those who wish to stop me. That is reason for attack on Gregor. God led your sons to him in time, so He wishes us to succeed."

"We came to your country to learn how you manage slaves. Have special interest in enterprise called Paloma Ranch. Do you know if it?"

"Yes," answered Lucas. "The Twins and I have visited them. It's an amazing place."

"Is said slaves run whole operation and are proud of their work and happy to be there."

"That is correct. Only the owner and his son are free persons. They have been very, very successful and productive."

"That is kind of enterprise we need in Russia. Gregor and I will study them. We go there end of next month. But now is time for us to leave you with many thanks."

The Twins and Gregor sat dejectedly, faces betraying their feelings at that statement.

Then, Gregor brightened and held a short conversation with his uncle. There was a lot of back and forth in rapid-fire Russian.

Alexei shook his head in wonder. "Gregor has idea. I tell him is too much to ask, but he insist. Would you allow him stay with you until we go to Paloma?"

The twins jumped to their feet in excitement, "Dad! Say yes! Say yes!"

All eyes were on Cody. He looked at Lucas and the message between them was plain. "I think that can be arranged. In fact, this might be the safest place for Gregor to be."

"Yea!" And the three boys rushed into each other's arms.

"I see I outvoted," chuckled Alexei. "Are you sure you wish to do this. Gregor can be quite a scamp when he put mind to it."

"Well, that's a side of him we haven't seen," laughed Cody. "Seriously, we would be honored to have him stay with us. He is a delightful boy and his skill learning English is remarkable. School will start up again, probably Monday, and I am sure they will be delighted to have him visit. I suspect the Twins will keep him in hand. They can be very mischievous."

And so they added a member to their family, at least temporarily.

School did resume the following Monday even though the snow banks were still six to eight feet high in many places.

The students and teachers welcomed Gregor enthusiastically. The school provided a tutor so he could work on his English… Dr. Novotony, the Russian language professor. After a few sessions, marveling at Gregor's ability, he turned him loose to study on his own; he didn't need a tutor. After a month and a half he was speaking unaccented, mostly grammatically correct English and reading at an eight-grade level

So Gregor was able to attend many of the Twins' classes and observe a great deal about education in British North America. He was happy, too, to tell about his homeland and quickly became a well-liked addition to the school's cultural mix.

Outdoor activity was still pretty much curtailed, except for winter sports. They finally managed to get Gregor on snowshoes a few times, but he was clearly not comfortable out in the snow… small wonder after what he had come through.

To dispel some of the pent up cabin fever, most Sunday afternoons, the college turned the field house over to the families. There Gregor was astounded to observe young slaves having an afternoon of fun with their young masters, just as if they were all free boys. "How is discipline, if you allow them to run about like this?" he asked Lucas.

"Well, this is a special time," replied Lucas, "when slave discipline is relaxed. At other times, you would see them observing slave discipline, according to the wishes of their master. You must understand, almost every one of these slaves is being raised to be a free person one day. I had much the same thing when I was Cody's slave"

"You were a slave. I remember; you told me," Gregor replied, more curious than ever.

"Yes, and Cody was my master. When we were alone, we behaved like we were brothers. When we were out in public, I dressed as a slave and behaved like a slave. When our parents thought I was ready, they freed and adopted me."

"When you visit Paloma Ranch, you will meet two young men, Paulie and Toby. Watching them, you will think they are simply best friends. Paulie is the son of the ranch owner, Michael Connor, and Toby is Paulie's personal servant. Even though he will be a slave for the rest of his life. You have met Tommy and David, the Twins' friends. Ask them to tell you David's story."

"Are all slaves treated like this in your land?" asked the clearly amazed boy.

"Unfortunately, no. I'm sorry to say there are many young slaves who are not treated well. They are not given the opportunity to grown into productive citizens. Some are even treated cruelly and suffer every day of their lives. .And, as you said to me, that is a terrible waste."

Gregor thought to himself, "I must tell Uncle about this."

But, all too soon, the end of March arrived and, with it, Gregor's departure.

"We will never forget you," the Twins told him.

"And I will always count you as friends, all of you!"

Alexei confided to Cody, "I never see him so happy in years. It is good to see him happy. We have much hard toil ahead."

"Well, we have been thrilled to have him. I think our sons have learned much from him."

"Now," announced Alexei, "Gregor and I have gift for your sons." He turned to Gregor and they had a short conversation in Russian.

Gregor was evidently pleased by what his Uncle told him. "That is great idea, Uncle." And he left the room and went outside to his uncle's vehicle.

A few minutes later, he returned leading three little girls, the youngest about four years old and the oldest about eight. "This is Catarina, Tatiana and Olga"

The girls each curtsied. "I am Cat," said the youngest. "I am Tat," added the middle one. "And, I am Olga," beamed the oldest.

Cody, Lucas and the twins were thunderstruck! "You mean you're giving us one of these little girls?" Donnie managed to croak.

"No! All three of them!" replied Gregor, amused at their dumbfounded expressions. "Before you say anything more, let me tell you about them. We rescued these three from a brothel. They are slaves, but Uncle and I have been searching to find a good family for them. They have been well trained although they speak little English. They very excited to live in North America."

"Can, can you excuse us for a moment?" stammered Cody, as he herded the others into the kitchen.

"I don't think there is any way." he began.

"The are just adorable, but I know we couldn't take them," interrupted Donnie. "But maybe if we could find a family for them?"

"Do you have someone in mind?" asked his clearly upset father.

"Yes! Professor Washington! Sam says she has been looking for a girl slave to adopt for several months. Let me ask Mr. Romanoff if that would be OK. Please?"

Cody nodded and Donnie returned to their guests. "Mr. Romanoff and Gregor, Ronnie and I are much too you to have the responsibility for raising these three darling children. If we could find a good family for them, would that be OK?"

"You are wise beyond your years, young Donald. If you know family who would love these little ones and raise them properly and keep safe, Gregor and I be very happy."

"I hope you're right", said Lucas when Donnie rejoined them. "You want to call Dora Washington, or shall I?" he asked his brother.

"I'll do it," said Cody and he went to the phone.

"Hello, Professor Washington. This is Cody Davidson"

"Yes, Cody. What can I do for you?"

"Samantha told our boys that you are looking for a girl slave to adopt."

"Yes, that's right, but I just haven't found quite the one I want. Do you have one in mind?"

"Yes, mam. Well, actually, three of them."

"What? I never could afford to buy three slaves. You must think professors are millionaires."

"Well, you don't have to purchase these. They are a gift from a fabulously rich friend,"

"Oh, Cody! I don't know! Three of them?"

"They are four, six and eight and were rescued from a brothel."

"Cody, you're breaking my heart!"

"Won't you please come and at least see them?"

"You're going to talk me into this, aren't you? OK, we'll be there in about fifteen minutes"

"Thank you, Professor Washington. We'll be waiting for you."

They returned to the other room.

"I think we have someone who is interested. She is Professor Dora Washington, who is head of a new Human Resources Department at the College. She has a daughter, Samantha, the same age as our sons."

"Cody Davidson, you are truly amazing," smiled Alexei.

"Don't thank me. It was Donnie's idea."

"I already told him he wise beyond his years."

The three little girls sat on the davenport, their faces a mixture of nervousness and excitement. The others paced and tried to hold conversations.

"Dora and Sam, arrived, and the little girls introduced themselves once more.

"Oh Mommy," exclaimed Samantha.

She held out her arms and the smallest little girl jumped into them. "You mistress?" she asked. Samantha just dissolved into a melted puddle.

Dora took one long look at them and then just fell to her knees, with her arms outstretched. The other two little girls enthusiastically accepted her invitation and she hugged them to herself. "Cody, you silver-tongued devil. You knew once I saw them I couldn't refuse. Oh, yes, I'll take them, but there's a price."

"What's that?" asked Lucas.

"I want you to think seriously about helping me get this new department off the ground. I know you'll go to the coast for the summer, but I'd like you here in the fall."

"That's an exciting offer," exclaimed Lucas. "We'll give it serious thought."

The next half hour was a whirl of signing papers and gathering the little girls' things. When they were finally ready to leave, Sam gave each of the Twins a lingering kiss. "You have made me and mom very, very happy."

When the room settled down again, it was time for Gregor and Alexei to say goodbye.

Alexei shook hands all around and the boys parted with tears in their eyes. "Come back and visit, Gregor."

"I will!" sniffed Gregor. He gave Cody and Lucas each a crushing hug.

And they were gone.

"Do you think they will really be able to build a ranch like Paloma in Russia?" Donnie asked his Dad.

"If anyone can do it, they can," replied Lucas.

The weather finally moderated and spring blossomed forth. The Twins had been asking for an overnight camping trip. They wanted to bring the three Barton boys, but Cody had said, "I think I'd like to have just the four of us this time. Perhaps another time."

So during Spring Break they parked the car at a spot near the base of McKenzie Peak, donned their packs and set out for a small lake shown on their maps. They had passed close to it on their annual visit to the summit, but had never actually seen it.

Cresting a small ridge, they looked down on the clearing and the lake. Cody's heart caught in his throat. The setting was almost a duplicate of another camping spot… one where he and Lucas had begun to fully realize their profound love for each other, only six short years before.

They quickly set up camp and prepared to enjoy the warm spring weather. It was still much too early in the season for swimming, but the Twins stripped to briefs and sweatshirts and went wading.

Donnie tripped over a hidden rock and fell completely into the icy water, to the accompaniment of his brother's gales of laughter. Whereupon, he grabbed Ronnie and pulled him down into the frigid water.

The two of them came pelting back to camp, teeth chattering, stripped off their soaked clothes and tried to warm themselves by the campfire. Taking pity on them, Cody and Lucas each took a shivering boy onto their laps, and hugged him close, wrapping a blanket around them.

"You twit!" Ronnie admonished his brother, "that water's cold!"

"Well, you shouldn't have laughed at me!" shot back his brother.

"You guys don't know what it means to be cold. Think of poor Gregor!" said Cody. But, actually, he was thinking of another shivering little boy he had once warmed with his own body.

After supper, they sat around the campfire. "Guys, the reason I wanted just the four of us this time," began Cody, "is to talk about our future. You both know Lucas and I graduate in June."

"I guess that means we'll be leaving Colorado Springs, doesn't it?" asked a solemn Ronnie.

"I think we have some good news for you about that," said Lucas

"What? What?" asked the excited Twins.

"We've decided to make our home here in Colorado Springs until you're at least out of high school."

"Really? Super!" exclaimed Ronnie.

Always the thoughtful one, Donnie asked, "You're doing this for us, aren't you?'

"Yes, but not completely," replied his dad. "We're going to take Dora Washington's offer to help her set up her new department."

"And we'll both have the opportunity for some graduate studies,"

"And we're going to set up sort of a branch-office for Dad and help him serve some of his clients in this area. We'll be spending this summer really learning more about the family business."

"Oh Dad, how can we ever thank you!" blubbered Ronnie.

Just holding you here in my arms is all the thanks I need," replied Lucas.

Just knowing that you love me is all the thanks I need," Cody told his son.

That night after tenderly having great sex, Donnie was fast asleep with his head cushioned on Cody's arm.

"Lucas? You awake?" he called softly.

"Yeah."

"Do you remember?"

"Like it was yesterday!"

"All I could think was how much I loved a shivering little boy and how very fortunate I was to have him."

"And all I could think of was how warm and safe I felt in your arms and how lucky I was to have you for my Master."

I think that was the first time I knew we were to be more, much more, than Master and Slave."

"You may have been my Master, but you were my best friend, my brother, my hero."

"And then I nearly blew it with that stupid torture game. I was so miserable when Dad was punishing me, but the worst was when he said he might take you away from me. I don't think I could have lived with that!"

"Yeah, Dad knew we were both very upset at that thought and he told me he would never even consider doing that and not worry. He said it would destroy us both."

"He was right about that, but the threat certainly made me realize how much you meant to me and how truly selfish I had been. The work he made me do and the way he kept after me was hard. So was the way he punished me the night before and made you beat me. But that was nothing compared with the thought I might loose you. I don't think I have ever been quite so frightened, not even during the runaway slave thing. Somehow I knew Dad would make that go away."

"Yeah, that was a scary night. I should have listened to my 'gift'. It would have saved us all a lot of heartbreak."

"The thing that scared me most about that," confessed Cody, "was that you might be hanged and I might be spared. Spared for what? I would have confessed to anything to be with you at the end so we could be together in the next world."

"And now we have these two fine sons. Oh, Cody, I have never loved you more than I do right now and the Twins, too. I've never been happier in my life. To think that I was such a sad little boy who didn't even know how to smile. But you taught me!"

The second weekend in May was the time for their annual trek up the mountain to visit Bill and Charlie. For the first time, they invited the Barton boys. Tommy and David accepted at once, but no amount of coaxing could get Little Bruce to join them.

"He's not doing well, is he?" Lucas asked Tommy.

"No, he still misses his Dad something awful. A couple times David and I found him hiding in a corner of our storage room in the basement, crying his eyes out. When we asked him what was wrong, all he would say was 'he really loves me.' David and I try to make him feel welcome and loved, but he just……"

"I know you're trying hard and will keep on trying. But maybe it just isn't going to work. I hope it does and I know both of you do too. You're both great kids and Cody and I are proud of you for trying to help poor Little Bruce."

"Thanks Lucas. Father says the same thing, but it means a lot coming from you."

Properly equipped, the six of them made it to Summit House by noontime. As always, Bill and Charlie greeted them enthusiastically and were excited to meet Tommy and David. Of course, the 'veterans' had to show the 'rookies' how everything worked, leaving the four adults to talk.

"You guys are so visibly happy with your sons! I can tell you think Tommy and David are something special, too. Charlie and I have thought about adopting, but it wouldn't be fair to a growing boy to be isolated up here. Kids need to be with other kids. We will have a young nephew with us for the summer and we can't wait for that."

"Do you think your boys will be Lifemates?" asked Bill.

"I don't think they know quite yet, and neither do we. Also, there's the problem that they are blood relatives. Lucas and I are only legally brothers."

"Well, maybe they'll pair off with Tommy and David," suggested Charlie.

"Hadn't thought about that," said Cody. "I suppose it's possible. No mater what, they know they will be always loved and we will be happy if they are happy."

"If only our parents..," mused Charlie sadly.

That evening, there were four apprentice meteorologists for the evening weather report. And, for the first time, there was a video hookup. The four 'apprentices' practiced diligently and the show… a full half hour… came off without a hitch.

"Where did you find these delightful kids?" asked Charlie's boss afterward. "Can't you please keep them? The Weather Channel picked them up and are clambering for more."

"Don't think we can do that Dave. We'd have to fight off their parents and they are both bigger than we are."

"Oh, well. Just when I had the chance to break into the big time. Tell the boys 'Well Done'.

"I will!"

"I don't suppose one of you would like to sleep with each of us tonight?" Bill asked them.

After a nod from Cody, Donnie answered, "Sure. Ronnie and I will sleep with you two and Tommy and David can sleep with our dads."

"Sexy!" murmured David.

"Your boys are just fantastic!" exclaimed Charlie the next morning. "Where did they learn all that stuff?"

"The just had good teachers," replied Lucas with a straight face.

Descending the mountain that afternoon, they had just about reached the lake, when the Twins, who had run ahead with Tommy and David, came screaming back up the trail.

"Dad!" screamed Ronnie hysterically. "There's hundreds of kids and they're all dead! It's awful!"

Rushing down to the lake, they found Tommy and David, rooted to the spot and hanging onto each other, bawling. What they also found was a neat row of little bodies… sixty-seven by actual count, mostly boys, but a few girls also, all slaves eight to ten years old… their right arms shackled to a long chain. Their bodies were emaciated to the point of skeletal. What little clothes they had were mostly tatters.

More than half of them were dead of a single gunshot in the middle of their foreheads. Some of the rest were still alive, but just barely so.

Cody pulled out his communicator and thumbed the emergency police channel. By coincidence, Inspector Morse was the duty officer and Cody quickly described what they had found.

"God damn! That's where they are," swore the Inspector. "You say some are still alive."

"Yeah, a few."

"Can we get a helicopter in?"

"Yes, there's room between them and the lake."

"We'll drop medics first. If you can, see if you can identify which ones are still alive."

"You'll need bolt cutters. They're shackled."

"Roger, that. We'll be there shortly. Please keep your communicator on so we can find you."

"OK", replied Cody and he went back to Lucas where he was trying to comfort the four boys.

They began the heartbreaking task of triage. David knelt down beside the last little boy in the row and picked him up in his arms. The boy reached up with his free hand and touched David's cheek. Then he closed his eyes and his hand dropped limply to his side.

"It was too late. I couldn't save him," wept David, still cradling the dead child.

"Yes, but at least he no longer suffers and at the end he knew that someone loved him."

Copters came and went and the living were soon on their way to hospital. There were seventeen in all; five of them would die, but twelve would live. Then began the grizzly task of tending to the dead.

Off to one side, they discovered an adult man who had obviously taken his own life. "He was the last of the private Slave Dealers from up north," the Inspector explained.

"Rumor was that he was in severe financial difficulty. So about two weeks ago, he took all his slaves and vanished. We were asked to keep a lookout for him. The theory was that he would try to smuggle them to Mexico. So we've been inspecting trucks and busses like mad. No one ever thought he would try to drive them overland like some herd of cattle."

"He left a note."

The Slaves and I haven't eaten in twelve days. My so-called friends in Mexico have obviously betrayed us. We just can't go any further.

I can't bear the thought of these little ones slowly starving to death, so I will end their suffering as best I can.

All these little lives wasted! God knows, I didn't want it to be like this.

On the drive home, Lucas told the boys, "Think of the ones you saved, not about the ones who died. They are alive because you found and helped them."

When they arrived at the Bartons, a grim set of parents met them. "We thought it was you from the news reports. It must have been ghastly."

"I guess, after this you won't want your boys to go anywhere with us,' lamented Cody.

"Cody! We would trust you or Lucas to take our boys to the gates of hell and back. Never, never doubt that! After all you and the Twins have meant to our family? Not trust you? Rubbish!"

Clara took charge of the four boys and ushered them into the house for showers, hot cocoa and to bed. "Let them stay here, tonight," she implored. "They will be a comfort to each other and I'll be right there with them and Little Bruce will help, too. You two look like you could use a little time alone, just now."

"Thank you, Mrs. Barton," said Cody gratefully. "We'll come by in the morning."

And so, they went home. And, for a short time, they didn't have to be strong, courageous fathers. For a short time they could just be young boys again, comforting each other as they always had.

Cody called the hospital in the morning to check on the kids they had rescued. The news was mixed; five had died, the remaining twelve would survive. There was other news, too.

Arriving at the Bartons, they found four dispirited boys, still tearful after yesterday's ordeal. Lucas gathered them around. "Guys, think about this. There are twelve kids who are alive today because you found them and helped to rescue them yesterday. The hospital says they have been inundated with offers to adopt them, all of them as free children. Yes, a lot of other kids didn't make it and that's sad. But, at least they are not suffering any more."

That seemed to brighten the atmosphere a bit. And after one of Clara's full English breakfasts, The Boys took their sons home.

There was a lot of holding and loving that day… in both families… but, once again childhood innocence had taken a big hit.

Their call home that night was somber, as they described what had happened.

"It made the Nightly News," reported John, "and we though you might have been involved. How are the Twins?"

"We're OK, Gramps," replied Ronnie. "It was pretty bad, but twelve kids were saved and they're going to be free."

"Did you see us on the Weather Channel?" asked his brother.

"Yes we did. You guys were great!."

After the call was over, Ruth sat deep in thought. John could tell she was upset to the point of explosion. "Where were the authorities when that slave dealer began to have financial problems." And then her anger and sadness overflowed.

"How many more children must die before we begin to see them as God's greatest gift?" she shrieked. John took her gently in his arms, but her anguish continued unabated for some time.

"Oh John," she bawled, "we're loosing the battle. All our work through the years and what do we have to show for it: a hostile government and an indifferent citizenry. Why? Why? Why?"

"Ruth, how many children are free today because you and I encouraged their parents to free them? Each one is a victory!"

"How many young families have we aided so they would not have to sell their children into slavery just to survive? Each one is a victory!"

Our sons and grandsons rescued twelve slaves from sure death yesterday and they will soon be free. Each one of them is a victory even though many others died."

"And those recent stories out of Alberta! A year ago, no newspaper anywhere on the continent would have printed stories like that. Ones which showed a slave in a positive, even heroic light or wrongfully treated."

YOUNG SLAVEBOY CALLED A HERO

Calgary (Reuters) A 10-year-old Slaveboy is in St. Elizabeth Hospital with serious injuries suffered while protecting his 7-year-old master. The two were on the way home from the young boy's Primary School when they were attacked by three older boys, schoolmates of the young lad and former schoolmates of the slaveboy.

According to the young boy, Luke Martin, he called for help and his slave, Marcus Shay, prevented by law from intervening physically, protected him with his own body from the kicks, beatings and hurled rocks of his assailants. The attackers were chased off by a passer-by who called the police, but not before they struck young Marcus in the middle of his back with a paving stone, crushing 2 of his vertebrae and paralyzing him from the waist down. Although physically unharmed, Luke accompanied his slave to the hospital and insisted on staying with him until Marcus was taken to surgery.

Luke's guardian and the slave owner is Michael Cameron, prominent local businessman and engineer. The young slave is part of a group of 6 owned by Mr. Cameron who were sentenced to indefinite slavery, the result of boyish prank gone horribly wrong, an unusually harsh sentence even though a police officer was injured in the incident Under Alberta law, they may be held for life unless the court grants commutation, a very rare occurrence.

Reached at his home, a tearful Mr. Cameron was asked if young Marcus had, by his unselfish and loving act, perhaps earned his freedom. Cameron replied, "I am deeply sad that Marcus has been so seriously injured. He is truly a hero and I pledge to you I will provide him with the finest medical treatment and rehabilitation available. This lad will walk again! Although my slaves are kept in very strict discipline, I love them all deeply and they are well cared for. No, I will never free any of them."

The 3 attackers have been apprehended and, since the young boy was not harmed, will only be charged with willful damage to private property.

MINING COMPANY UNDER INVESTIGATION

Calgary (Reuters) An investigation has been launched by the Crown Solicitor into certain practices of the Ajax Mining Company at their operation in northern Manitoba. The inquiry stems from an illegal drug device found in the body of a young slave purchased from them by Michael Cameron, local businessman.

Ajax purchases large numbers of young slaves, many of whom perish very quickly in the harsh conditions of their mining operations. They have the highest industrial accident and death rates in all of British North America.

In a related inquiry, the Solicitor will probe allegations there has been collusion between the local courts and Ajax to provide a steady supply of young slaves to the company. If found to be true, thousands of sentences could be overthrown.

Ajax officials refused comment. Their stock plummeted on all major exchanges.

SCANDLE ENGULFS CALGARY COURTS

Boys Sentences Based On Perjury

Edmonton (Reuters) The Queen's Appellate Court today issued a stinging rebuke to the Calgary District Court, overturning the sentences of 6 young boys whose trials had been tainted by perjury and corruption. It now appears each of the boys were sentenced to Indefinite Slavery for stealing an apple. The presiding judge, prosecutor and the police officer who gave the perjured testimony have all be removed and are being held for prosecution.

At their retrial this week, the boys and their families received fervent apologies for the miscarriage of justice, which caused them to be held in strict slavery for more than two years.

Speaking for all the boys, Marcus Shay apologized for their actions and said they had all learned a lesson. Readers may remember young Marcus was gravely injured several months ago while defending his master from a brutal attack. He has made a remarkable recovery.

After receiving their guilty pleas to the petty theft charge the Court declined to release them immediately, ordering they serve one additional month under their former owner, businessman Michael Cameron. Following this, as petitioned by their parents, they will remain in Mr. Cameron's household as wards of the court until they reach 18.

Mr. Cameron said, "I am more than ready to help these young victims recover from their terrible ordeal and am proud and humble to be their mentor and friend."

Collusion Uncovered

In the course of the investigation into this case, collusion between the Court and Ajax Mining Company was discovered in that Ajax made regular payments to Court officials to assure a stead supply of young slaves to be exploited. "If other sentences are also overturned, and that is likely, and the young boy perished in the mines, I will direct the court to seek homicide charges," stated the Appellate Judge.

Several court officers and Ajax officials are currently under arrest and the company has been placed into receivership.

Provincial Government spokesmen denounced the decisions as coddling criminals.

"No, Ruth the tide is beginning to turn. We have many more supporters than we once did. Many people are slowly beginning to understand the true cost of our reliance on this institution. Not enough for real change yet, but real change is coming as sure as the sun rises over Westminster every morning. You and I may not live to see the change, but our sons surely will, and their sons after them."

"So, do not despair, my love" And he picked her up and tenderly carried her into their bedroom.

With all that had happened that school year, college graduation was sort of an anticlimax.

The college did not hold a single mass graduation ceremony. Instead each department held a graduation dinner at which time degrees and honors were presented to the students, surrounded by family and a few close friends. John and Ruth were there for both dinners, of course, as were the five Bartons. The boys each graduated summa cum laude and received several additional honors.

The four of them left for the coast immediately following the final ceremony. The Twins would remain behind for several weeks, beginning their much-needed vacation with the Bartons. Both Cody and Lucas hoped for a little less stressful time when the whole family could really enjoy being together.

Alas, fate had other plans for them.

NEXT PART