---

After dropping Max off at LAX, Ben and Jim had a late brunch with Claire on the water front in Marina Del Rey before dropping her off. They spent the rest of day doing their last minute Christmas shopping, and then relaxing in each other's arms while watching TV until bed time. Even though Ben was the older, Jim, being the larger, usually held him when they curled up together on the sofa. But there were nights, like tonight, when Jim wanted to be held - and Ben most willingly obliged him. He knew that Jim would most likely fall asleep in his arms. Ben loved holding the big fellow, rubbing his fingers through the hair on his chest, feeling the rise and fall of his ribs as he slept, like he was doing that night. When the program ended at 11:30, he kissed the side of Jim's neck and licked his ear lobe to wake him.

Jim stumbled into the bedroom, took off his clothes, then went into the bathroom to brush his teeth and piss while Ben locked up the house for the night. He was still standing at the commode when Ben walked in, naked, and wrapped an arm around him as he stood next to him to relieve his own bladder. Jim planted a kiss on the side of his forehead and Ben let his hand slide down to cup one of Jim's cheeks before Jim pulled away and turned to the sink. When Ben finished and turned toward the sink, Jim was staring into the mirror. Ben, noticing that his eyes weren't focused, asked "What're you thinking about, Babe?" as he stretched to nuzzle the side of Jim's neck.

"Oh, nothing," Jim replied with a sigh and shook himself.

"Bull." He embraced the big man, poking his chin into his back between his shoulder blades.

Jim arched away from him. "Alright... alright... I was just thinking about Allen."

"What about him?" Ben asked. He lightly kissed the spot he'd poked with his chin, making Jim jump again. He peered over Jim's shoulder to look into his eyes via his reflection.

"I don't know. I just kinda wish he'd come back into town with us."

"You gotta thing for our young friend." Ben surprised himself with the statement. Until that moment, he hadn't admitted to himself the mutual attraction he'd noticed between his lover and Allen, and when he did, he found that he felt secure in Jim's love, there was no feeling of jealousy.

Jim twisted in Ben's arms to stare intently into his eyes. "You know I love you, don't you?"

Ben wondered why Jim asked, but figured he would tell him, given the chance. "I've never doubted it," he answered, "since our first day together."

"Have you noticed how Allen looks at you... how he watches you?" Jim asked.

"Not really. But I have noticed that he watches you with a yearning look on his face."

The idea startled Jim. "Really?"

Ben looked into Jim's eyes. "I would venture to say that Allen is infatuated with you."

Jim considered it a moment as he stared back at Ben. He rested his arms on Ben's shoulders and laced his fingers together. "And I'd say it's with a look of adoration as well as a little lust that he watches you, Ben. I'd venture further to say that our Allen is possibly in love with you."

Ben chuckled. "I was being light when I said infatuated. I get the feeling that given the chance Allen would proclaim his love to you."

"You're mocking me." Jim turned back to the sink.

"I'm serious, Jim."

Jim breathed in deeply and then let out a lusty sigh. "I know you are... I've seen the look... I just didn't want to admit it." He busied himself putting toothpaste on his toothbrush while doing his best to ignore Ben's half hard cock nudging his crack.

"And now that you have?"

Jim carefully laid the brush on the edge of the sink and turned back to pensively study his lover's face before answering. "If I hadn't met you, I think I would be seeking something with Allen. I... I... there's an innocence about him. It's like he doesn't realize how attractive he is."

Ben kissed the tip of Jim's nose. "So, you find him attractive, too?" he asked.

"Too?"

"Well, he's not a Max Brown, but yeah, I'm more than just attracted to him."

"So we're talking like...maybe... getting him to romp a little in bed with us?" Jim attempted to lighten the conversation.

"We couldn't do that to him. To begin with, I don't think he would play around like that, Jim."

"I'm glad you feel that way, because I think he's still too fragile from what his father did to him to be able to do that kind of thing."

"So, what do we do, just continue being his friends and hope he finds someone else?" Ben asked.

Jim leaned back against the countertop and let his hands drop to Ben's butt. Cupping his cheeks, he pulled, rubbing Ben's cock against his own. Almost immediately, he felt Ben growing harder. He sought Ben's lips and opened his mouth to let Ben's tongue play with his. When Ben pulled away from the contact, he searched Jim's face and asked, "Do you think you could love Allen equally with me?"

Jim looked bewildered a moment, and then got a serious expression. "Given the chance, yes."

"And you wouldn't be jealous of me loving him, too?"

"Ben, what you and I have between us wouldn't be diminished by us also loving Allen."

"You really believe that?"

"With all my heart."

"Then let's sleep on it, and go back and convince him tomorrow."

They brushed their teeth standing side by side. Once they'd rinsed, Jim turned and breathed at Ben.

"Minty," Ben said, as he pulled him snuggly against his side. Ben's cell phone chimed. He glanced at the clock; it read 11:57. He glanced at the caller ID as he opened it up and jokingly said, "Good evening, Claire. It's been soooo long."

Ben listened a bit, and then asked, "What's the matter with him?"

Jim glanced up with a concerned frown on his face. He couldn't hear Claire's end of the conversation, but he knew he needed to get dressed. He pulled his pants back on and buttoned them as he heard Ben ask, "You don't think he'd try to off himself?" Jim pulled on his shirt and buttoned it as Ben said, "I know. He's been through so much bad stuff in his life. We'll find him and save him from whatever is going on."

Pause.

"We're on our way, Claire. But even at this time of night, it's going to take at least forty-five minutes. Pray that we get there in time."

Pause.

"Yes, we'll call you as soon as we know something."

Ben snapped his phone closed and started to quickly dress.

"It's Allen, isn't it?" Jim asked.

Ben slipped into his jeans. "Yes."

"He did seem depressed when we left."

Ben glanced at his lover. He hadn't suspected that Jim had noticed how Allen was feeling under the smiling façade as he'd called out, "Merry Christmas," when they drove away. Ben had worried since. Claire's call had only confirmed his feelings that Allen was on the edge.

Neither man said much more before they'd jumped into Ben's F-150 and headed south to find Allen.

Ben thought about the transition that his feelings toward Allen had gone through in the short time he'd known him. The day that Max had brought him to the gym, he'd found Allen attractive. He knew that if he hadn't met Jim, he would've pursued Allen. Lust had been the driving force then. Allen had an innocent animal magnetism that Ben found very attractive.

He thought about the day he'd gone into the men's dressing room to change for a business meeting, leaving Max and Jim to finish their workout. Allen had shown up late that morning and had rushed into the dressing room to change into his gym clothes. "Ben..." he'd said - and stopped dead in his tracks, staring at Ben's naked body. Ben had turned to greet whoever had entered and saw the stricken look on Allen's face.

"Hey, Allen, how's it going?" He'd stuck his hand out. Allen tentative took it. Ben had then pulled him into a friendly hug, not thinking about his nakedness. He hadn't expected Allen's reaction, which was almost violent, in his attempt to get away from him.

Ben had immediately let go of him when he realized that he was naked. Allen had collapsed on a bench and shook like he had ague. Profusely apologizing, Ben had quickly put on his street clothes as he told Allen he'd not meant anything other than a friendly hug. And then he'd sat down beside him and comforted him with an arm around his back. Allen had quickly recovered. It was then that Ben had started feeling more than just friendly toward him.

Jim was having similar recollections of how he'd snubbed Allen the first time, and then discovered that as soon as he paid attention to him, he'd been very attracted to him. He thought about how he'd run into Max again after several years and tried to rekindle his feelings from high school for him. And then how there had been no doubt in his mind from the moment he'd met Ben, that he was the love of his life. His attachment to Allen had been gradual. As he came to know him, he came to also love him... and he eventually realized that he was also in love with the man. It bowled him over to think that both he and Ben felt the same way about Allen. And if forced to admit it... Allen would have to say that he was as much in love with them. Jim had no doubt about it.

Ben grinned at his lover and looked back at the road. Jim leaned over the center console and kissed Ben on his temple. He sat back and studied the road that seemed to forever hurl itself under the pickup's wheels.

"How are we going to handle this?"

Ben thought a minute, then shrugged. "I guess we play it by ear. The most important thing is to make sure that Allen is okay."

Minutes later, they found a parking place near Allen's uncle's home and raced to the door. It was after midnight; the house was dark.

Ben rang the door bell, and when it seemed no one was going to answer, he started knocking on the door with his knuckles. It was Allen's uncle's lover that answered the door, looking disgruntled.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Dex, but we need to check on Allen."

"Really, guys. Allen went to bed a couple of hours ago. I'm sure he's sound asleep."

Fred came up behind Dexter, tying his bathrobe, and asked, "Who is it? What's going on?"

Dexter turned and said, "It's Ben and Jim. They want to check on Allen."

"Good grief, it's nearly one a.m.; Allen went to bed right after you left."

"Please, Fred. Check and see if he's in his bed." Ben asked.

"Of course he is. Why wouldn't he be?"

"Fred we just drove all the way back down here. Please, just go check on him," Jim said.

Fred shrugged and walked back into the house, leaving Dexter standing in the foyer with Ben and Jim.

"Did Claire have a dream or something?"

"Yes, she had a premonition." Jim said.

"And on just a premonition... you up and drove all the way back down here?"

"We care about him," Jim said, and immediately hoped Dexter wouldn't construe it as implying that he didn't, but before Jim could say any more, Fred came running back. "He's not in his room, nor has his bed been slept in."

Allen's mother appeared. "Ben, Jim, what are you two doing here?"

"Do you know where Allen is?" Jim asked without greeting her.

"Allen?"

"He's not in his bedroom." Fred said.

Jim grabbed Ben's arm before she could answer and said, "Come on, let's go look for him."

"We'll get dressed and join the search." Dexter said.

Ben headed for the waterfront and strode along the walk looking down the dimly lit narrow private docks that lined the length of the waterway. He wanted to call out Allen's name, but it was late night; he didn't want to wake the residents.

Jim stood stock still as soon as Ben walked away and cast about with his mind, trying to pick up where Allen might be. He couldn't do the same things that Claire could, but if he could get close to a person, he could sometimes pick up all kinds of things from them. An image came into his mind of Allen standing on the end of a large dock. He knew from earlier that the private docks were only four feet wide and figured that Allen must be on the Yacht Club's big dock. Surmising that the quickest way to that public dock was to take the street and cut in through the Club's parking lot, he took off at a run.

He could feel Allen standing on the end of the dock staring into the black water. He refused to search for his emotional state, and simply ran until he reached the dock. He saw the lone figure leaning against a piling at the end and called out. "Allen, we're here."

The dark figure slowly turned and looked up the dock. "Jim?"

Jim sprinted down the dock and caught Allen in a tight embrace. "Oh, man, I'm so glad we found you."

"Why... why were you looking for me?"

"Claire called us right after we got home and told us to come find you."

Allen smiled sadly. "Dear Claire," he muttered with a sigh as he clung to Jim, who continued to hold him against his chest. Allen just leaned into the safe haven of Jim's arms, giving no sign of wanting to be any place else.

"Allen, I want you to know that I love you," Jim whispered in his ear, and kissed him on the top of his head.

Allen pushed away and stared incredulously up at him. "Why are you telling me this? You're with Ben. I'm not about to come between you," he said in a loud voice that ripped the night's silence.

"I know that you love me, too." Jim again whispered.

Allen struggled to get away from the larger man. "Let go of me. I'm not about to tell you... even if it is the truth."

"So, I am right."

Allen sagged against him, defeated. "It's just not fair."

Jim pulled him close. "It'll only get better from here on, Allen." He saw Ben up on the sidewalk and waved to him. Ben ran down the dock.

Allen, hearing Ben's footsteps thundering on the floating dock, struggled to get away from Jim.

"I'm never going to let you go again, Allen," Jim murmured to him.

At that moment, Ben reached them and flung his arms around both of them. "Thank God, Jim found you, Allen. Are you okay?"

"I haven't offed myself yet, if that's what you're asking."

"Why would you do that?" Ben let go of the two of them and stepped back. Allen succeeded in getting loose from Jim.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Ben, tell him." Jim demanded.

Allen looked at Ben. "Tell me what?"

Ben stepped up to him and took his hands as Jim watched. "Allen in the time that I've known you, I have come to deeply care for you. I...I...I have fallen in love with you."

Allen pulled away from him and backed up. "I thought you guys were my friends. I don't know what game you're playing, but I don't want any part of it. My life is fucked up enough without you messing my mind up more."

"Allen, we're not playing any game. We're both serious. We want you to be part of us," Jim said.

"We love you and we want you to be our lover," Ben added.

"That's fucked. You have each other. Why would you want someone like me?"

"Simply because we have come to love you," Jim said.

"We need you to make us complete," Ben added.

Allen stared from one to the other as they stood in the semi darkness. The only sound - the lap slap of the water against the boat bottoms tied to the dock. The dampness of the ocean air curled around them. He shook his head violently, like a dog shaking off water, as if he could shake their words out of his mind. Ben and Jim watched without moving. Allen squinched his eyes closed and choked on a sob.

Ben quietly said, "We need and want you in our lives as much as you need and want us."

"Bullshit. You don't need me to mess up your lives."

"What makes you think you'd mess up our lives? I believe you'd enhance our lives. You'd make our lives much richer, being one with us."

Jim stepped up to him and took his hands. Allen stared at the ground.

"Allen, look at me. Look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't love Ben and me."

Allen shook his head ever so slightly, still not looking up. In a soft whisper, he said, "I can't."

"You can't what?" Jim asked.

Allen raised his head and glared up at him. "I can't look you in the eye and tell you I don't love you."

Ben stepped up beside Jim and caressed the side of Allen's face. "Let's go back and tell your mom and uncle that you're going home with us."

Allen leaned his head against Ben's hand. "You guys are crazier than I am."

"You're not crazy, Allen."

"I must be... to believe that you can love me as much as I love you two."

"We do. And we want you with us."

"You guys are sure about this?"

"More serious than a heart attack."

"I just can't figure why you're doing this."

"No matter how many times you keep asking, the answer will always be the same. We love you and want you to be part of us. Come on, let's go home."

Fred and Dexter were standing at the end of the dock. It was obvious that they'd seen and heard most of the exchange with Allen. Fred stepped in front of them and put his hands on each side of Allen's face and looked for the truth of how he felt. "Is this something you want to do, Kiddo?" he asked, searching Allen's face in the dim light.

Allen nodded. "More than anything I've ever wanted, Fred."

Fred hugged him. "Let's go square it with your mother then."

"Fred? Let's just tell her I'm going back into town with Ben and Jim. Right now, she doesn't need to know what's really going on. She'd freak out. Let's give her a chance to get to know Jim and Ben better before we admit to what we're doing."

Fred studied his nephew's face a moment. "I think our boy has grown up, Dex. He's thinking like a man, now." He grinned and tapped Allen on his chin with his fist. "Good luck, Kiddo."

"Luck will have little to do with it, Fred. You know that a relationship is a lot of work. Looks like we're going to have to double the effort to make this work."

Allen awoke slowly. It took him a bit to realize that his head was lying on a hairy chest and it was tickling his nose. There was a big hairy arm lying over his side, with the hand planted against his chest. Then he became aware that his arm was draped down the muscular body on which his head rested. He flexed his hand, and a groan resonated through him from the chest under his ear. 'My God,' he thought, 'I have a hard cock in my hand.' That woke him up completely. He realized his own hard rod was pressed against the man he lay against, whose cock he held, and there was a hard body pressed against his back, with a throbbing cock pressing into his crack.

And then, the events of the previous night came back to him. He'd promised his mother he'd come back to see her before the semester started. He'd thanked his uncles for their hospitality. Jim and Ben had promised to take good care of him, as if he were a child. As they'd walked to the pickup with Jim's arm around Allen's shoulders and Ben's around his waist, they heard Matty say to her brother and his lover. "I think that there will be little reason to worry about my son, now. He's going to be well loved by those two."

"Have you been talking to Claire?" Dexter asked.

"Yes, but she only reassured me about what I could see with my own eyes."

Ben smiled at Jim over Allen's head. "You were right. She knew before we did."

Allen just smiled to himself.

Allen rode shotgun, with Jim sitting in the back seat. He had a hand on Allen's shoulder most of the way back to the city, while Ben had held Allen's hand on top of the console between the front seats. And when they all crawled into bed, even though it was nearly four in the morning, they had made sure he'd felt loved and desired.

Allen's slight movements woke Ben, who pulled him up tight against his chest, kissed the nape of his neck and pressed his hardness against Allen's ass. "Good-morning lover," he murmured. In answer Allen pushed his butt back against him. The movement woke Jim, who grabbed Allen and pulled him on top of himself. "How are you doing today, Babe?"

Allen grinned at him. "I've never slept with anyone before... whew, you've got dragon breath."

Jim pushed him off, back onto Ben. "Oh, I am injured. Here I was thinking you were so sweet. Hold everything I gotta go pee." Jim rolled Allen off and into Ben's arms, then bounded off the bed and trotted into the bathroom.

Allen lay inert in Ben's arms. Seeing Allen's reaction, he said, "Hey, lighten up; he was only joking with you. How did you sleep?"

Allen took a moment to relax, then snuggled against him. "I've never felt so secure. I don't remember even dreaming."

Jim wandered back into the room after brushing his teeth. "Alright, I'm rid of my morning breath. Has our little one sweetened up any, Ben?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Jim." Allen looked up at Jim with a sorrowful expression. "I didn't know you carried them so precariously," he said, then grinned evilly at him.

"Ouch. Looks like I'm going to have to start wearing emotional armor."

"Shut up you big lunk, and get back into bed."

""How come I'm the only one that had to piss and brush my teeth?"

"We're just waiting for you to get back in bed, so we can abandon you," Allen responded.

Jim slid back into bed and wrapped his arms and legs around Allen. "Make a break for it, Ben, I've got 'im where he can't get loose."

Ben scooted off the bed, turned and kissed Allen on the forehead and said, "Don't go away. I'll be right back."

"Yeah, like I could go anywhere with this big octopussy wrapped around me."

Ben chortled as he headed for the bathroom.

"So, you think I'm some kind of kitty, huh?" Jim started tickling him.

Allen squirmed and giggled. "No, no, I'm the kitty. Meow... meow. Ow, stop. Jim, that really hurt."

Jim let go of him and sat up, all concerned. "Where? What did I do? Where did it hurt?"

Allen twisted, trying to touch where the pain had been. "Right... above my finger. I can't quite reach it."

Jim gently probed the area and found a hard knot between two ribs. He pressed on it and Allen jerked away. "Damn, that's painful."

"Allen, get in the shower, we're going to the clinic right after we eat. This could be something serious."

An hour and a half later, they were sitting in the waiting room at the UCLA medical clinic waiting for the results of a biopsy on the knot. Allen seemed not concerned about it, while both Jim and Ben were both fretting. When the doctor called Allen back into the office, both men acted like they wanted to accompany him. The nurse laughed at their nervousness. "You'd think you two were married to him," she commented.

Big Jim looked at her with a deep frown and asked, "Is it really that obvious?"

The nurse looked askance at him and then grinned, thinking that he was joking with her.

Ben jumped in and covered by asking, "Don't you think the two of them make a nice couple?"

She looked at him and raised an eyebrow, "And you're not worried about your friend?"

Ben blushed.

"That's what I thought," she said, with a big grin.

The knot turned out to be scar tissue where a broken rib had pierced the flesh before it had been set properly. The doctor told Allen to keep a watch on it, and if in a few weeks it wasn't healed, they would take further action. Ben and Jim's relief was palpable.

The nurse grinned knowingly at them as she bid them, "Good day, Fellows."