Thanks, Rock , for your excellent editing on this story.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Hugs to you all. Jack

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Pat (GP)

I was enjoying a cup of coffee sitting at the kitchen table looking out at the bay from the condo Rich and I'd moved into. The building is only ten stories, but it's situated on a hillside overlooking the buildings below, giving us a fantastic view. Rich had headed for his office, and I was trying to decide what to do with the day when my cell started singing, O Solo Mio. Dammit, why'd I ever let Luke get hold of it? I still hadn't figured out how to make it ring like a regular phone again.

"Hey, Dad, how are you doing today?" The voice was cheerful and warm, and it took me a moment to realize that it was my oldest son Patrick.

"Good morning, Paddy. I'm well, how are you?"

"Doing great. Hey, Dad, do you feel like playing chauffeur? I'm getting my right arm cast off today. Maybe you could borrow John's double cab to take me down to San Jose."

"Can't they cut if off at Carla's hospital?"

"I suppose so, but my doctor wants to X-ray my left limbs to see how they're doing."

"Okay, let me call John. There shouldn't be any problem exchanging pickups."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Paddy, I know you're getting a cast off, but I get the feeling that there's something else making you sound so cheerful. What's going on?"

"I'll tell you about it on the way down." He disconnected.

I pondered it a moment, then called Franky at his shop.

"Do you know what's going on with Paddy?"

Franky started laughing. "Matt and Luke got to him."

"What do you mean 'got to him'?"

"I'll let Patrick tell you himself."

I obviously wasn't going to know until Patrick told me.

Farr

For the next several weeks, I closely monitored Patrick's behavior. I even went so far as to ask for George's input. When I asked him what his observations were, he answered, "I… at first, I thought that he was just being a difficult patient who was aggravated because he was so helpless, but I soon decided that he was just a natural ass. He wasn't as bad with me as I saw him be with others - Carla excluded, but even with her, he was rather insolent and demanding.

"I couldn't believe my eyes when I returned after my anniversary day off," George told me. "Patrick wasn't the same person. He was cheerful for one thing. Hell, he was even saying 'please' and 'thank you' constantly. When I asked him what was going on, he laughed and told me about his day with Matt. I hadn't met Matt yet. But when he and Luke dropped by after school, I got to observe how he interacted with them. Luke even had his arm around Patrick's shoulders at one point. I got the feeling that Patrick would have hugged him if his arms had been free."

I asked George to please tell me if he noticed the old personality returning. It never happened. The despicable lawyer character seemed to have totally disappeared. The boys continued to drop by to see Patrick every day after school, and often played video games with him. With George working with him, his right arm muscles were gaining strength and he was starting to win more often.

Matt

I've gotten so used to the difference in Luke's and my size that I just don't think about it anymore. So it kind of surprised me this morning when I was heading up the stairs and Luke was coming down. He stopped in the middle of his descent and grinned at me. I stopped a couple of steps below him and looked up at him. He grabbed me around my neck and pulled me into a kiss. I placed my hands on his hips to steady the two of us as we got lost in a new sensation.

When we broke apart, his expressive eyes were wide with surprise. "Wow! That was different."

"Yeah, I never kissed someone taller than me before."

"Did you like it?" he asked.

I thought about it for a moment before replying. "I always like kissing you, but I think I still prefer being the taller one."

"Oh, good. 'Cause I like you being taller."

He descended to the same step on which I stood, and I backed him against the banister as I bent to kiss him again.

"Do you two ever stop? Jeez, you're as bad as John and me."

We looked down at Farr at the bottom of the stairs with guilty grins.

"You do set a good example, Dad," Luke replied, as he grabbed me around the neck and pulled me into another kiss. When we broke, Farr was no longer there.

Luke

One thing that neither Matt nor I had thought about with him moving in with us was that he could go to the same school as me. It wasn't until like a few weeks before school started that his mom brought up the subject one night when she and Patrick went out to dinner with all of us.

It would be so neat that Ben, who is Matt's best friend, could hang out with Matt and me at school. We hadn't seen him or Tony all summer with all that had gone on with Patrick. There was lots of catching up to do. I figured that both of the guys had gone off with their respective parents on vacations. And I kind of wondered why we hadn't heard from them after they got back.

Matt didn't like the idea of transferring schools. He said he thought it would be best if he stayed where he was. I was hurt and more than a little pissed off, until he pointed out that Tony would be stuck there by himself with no one to protect him. I got over my hurt immediately, but I was still kind of upset that we were living in the same house, but would be going to different schools.

I got an idea in my head and got Matt to take me out on his big Harley. I had him show me where his school was located, and then as if I'd just had the thought, I suggested we go by Tony's to see if he was home. We rode directly from Matt's high school to Tony's house. There was no car in the driveway and the house looked like no one was home, so I suggested we go home. I'd counted the blocks from Matt and Tony's school to Tony's house, then counted how many blocks on home. It was three blocks further to our house and another three blocks to my high school. That's what I was hoping.

The next day Matt was over at his mom's doing something with Patrick, who still had the leg cast. I called Tony's and got his mother. I told her who I was and asked if I could go over and talk with her. She was warm and friendly and told me to come on over.

Half an hour later I was sitting at her kitchen table explaining to her that Matt had moved further away from his school and there was another school just three blocks from where he now lived, but he was insisting on staying in his old school to protect Tony. She knew that Tony was gay and that his boyfriend, who she considered her second son, had transferred to another school. I explained that Ben and I went to the same school and that it was only like six blocks farther from her house than the school Tony and Matt were presently going to.

She stopped me and asked, "And just what is your connection in this, Young Man?"

I figured that I had to be straight forward if I was going to get what I wanted. "As I said, I go to the same school as Ben. That's the same school that's only three blocks from where Matt lives. I figured that if Tony were to transfer to that school, Matt wouldn't have to travel so far to go to school."

The lady was bright. She smiled at me. "And since Matt's your boyfriend, he would be able to go to the same school as you."

I grinned at her. "Yes, Ma'am, and Ben, who's been my guardian angel, could then be Tony's instead of Matt."

"And Matt could be yours instead of Ben." She grinned. "Let me discuss it with my son and husband, but it sounds like a good idea. Tony's never really been happy where he is. I wasn't aware of the sacrifice that Matt was prepared to make for my son."

"We haven't seen Tony all summer, so he's probably not even aware that Matt's moved."

"He has spent the summer with Ben's family down in Monterrey. They've got summer jobs down there working for Ben's oldest brother in his nursery."

"Lucky guys."

"I don't think there will be any objections to Tony transferring. I'll phone him tonight and then discuss it with his dad. I'll let you know as soon as a decision is made so Matt can transfer, too."

I figured it would be several days before I heard anything, and was startled the next morning to get a call from Tony himself.

"Hey, Little Dude, you're the greatest." He said in greeting.

"Who're you calling little, Short Stuff?" Tony's four inches taller'n me, but he's still way smaller than Ben or Matt.

Matt was standing beside me looking curious. I grinned at him as Tony said, "We're coming home a week early to get me transferred and registered."

"Fantastic, Man. You wanna give the news to Matt?"

I handed my cell to Matt mouthing, "Tony." He greeted him with an insult and then listened. I watched his face light up, and when he ended the call he grabbed me up and whirled me around. When he set me back on my feet, he shook his head and asked, "Why didn't I think of doing that?"

"I take it you're not upset with me for meddling?"

He grabbed me up and whirled me around again, saying, "Meddle with me anytime you want, Babe."

Farr

Soon as I got home, I knew something was up with Luke and Matt. My first thought was that it probably had something to do with Patrick since they'd been spending so much time with him the last few weeks. Since the boys were being smug, and obviously wanting me to ask, I decided to play with them by not inquiring. John didn't have the patience to play the game out. Soon as he'd showered, put on clean clothes and sat down at the dinner table, he demanded to know what was going on.

Luke grinned at him. "Tony is transferring to my school."

John looked perplexed. When neither boy said anything more, he nodded and said, "And…"

Luke's grin grew. Matt took mercy on John and said, "That means I can transfer, too."

"I hadn't realized that you weren't planning to anyway, Matt."

Matt shrugged. Luke took over. "Dad, that school has several bullies who were always picking on Tony until Matt put a stop to it. Matt was going to stay there just to protect him, and since Tony is transferring over here, Matt doesn't have to stay there."

John's eyebrows rose.

"Matt," I said, "You continue to amaze me. I'd just assumed that you would be transferring. I didn't know that Tony was being hassled. Do Tony's parents know you were doing this?"

Matt just looked away. Luke popped up, "They do now. I told his mother what was going on. She was aware that Ben had been his protector before he moved, but she wasn't aware that Matt had taken his place or that he had moved, but was still planning on staying to protect Tony."

John wrapped Matt in a big bear hug. "You make me so damned proud of you, Son."

I waited until he sat down to give him a hug and tell him the same.

Matt

Much to do over nothing, but I was really happy that things were going down like they were - thanks to my little meddler.

Later, I was lying on our bed thinking about my life since I met Luke. I'd gone from being a lone, lonely kid with just a mother that I didn't get see that much and the closest grandparents nearly six hundred miles away, to having two men who treated me like their own son, plus four uncles, another granddad and Rich. I'm not quite sure how to classify him. He's more like another uncle I guess. Then there's John and Farr's friends, they all treat Luke and me like we're something special.

Rafe had been a Marine who had served with John. I guess that since my dad was one too, that makes both of them extra special. Rafe is really cool. He's always checking on me to see if everything is going well. He got really pissed off when he found out I'd run.

I didn't tell anyone about him meeting up with me right after Pete and Dan brought me back to the city. But he read me the riot act, telling me that he was really hurt that I hadn't turned to him for help.

"Rafe, I know I should have turned to one of the adults in my life, but I obviously wasn't thinking straight. Anyway, Patrick's in the hospital in a coma and I don't think he'll be bothering me anymore. Besides, I've got a feeling that if you did anything to him, the Bailey's would band together against you, even if you are John's best friend."

Rafe just sat there and stared at me for a moment. "You are a deep one, Matt. I hope Luke knows just how special you are."

I could feel the blood surfacing to my face and looked away. Hell, I'm nothing special. I'm just trying to find my way like everyone else. Seeing me embarrassed, Rafe grinned. "Alright, I'll shut up," he said.

I sighed with exaggerated relief, making his grin bigger.

Luke

Matt has been working with John as his 'step'n'fetchit'. That's what John calls him - must be something Texan. I think it's the same thing as a gofer. I've been working with Farr in his shop. He's been teaching me how to rewire lamps - says if I get good enough, he'll teach me how to do a multiple light chandelier.

Ben and Tony came back home two weeks before school started and showed up on our doorstep. They were both tan from working outside all summer. Tony gave me a hard hug, thanking me for getting his mom to see the logic of him changing schools. "Hey, it was no big deal. Besides I did it for me mostly," I told him. It will be exciting with all four of us going to the same school.

Matt

I was sitting here thinking about the day that I first saw Luke at the dojo, and how my life has changed since. I'm part of a big family of wonderful men who love me. My mom's back to being the mother I remember from before my dad was killed in the Mideast. I'll soon have a stepdad that I have come to love and respect (although I'll still be living with Luke and his dads). And I have my Luke. What more could I want.

We've decided that we're going to Berkeley when we graduate. With our bikes, the commute is just over a half hour, so we'll continue living with John and Farr, at least for the next few years. Neither of us has decided on a major yet, but there's plenty of time for that.

Excuse me, I've got to go get me a Lukey fix. Maybe, we'll get back to you some time soon. Bye.

John

I get to have the last word. The other evening, I was watching Luke interacting with Matt and their two buddies Ben and Tony and got to thinking about the filthy little boy that stopped Farr on Castro a couple of years ago, damn, it seems like only yesterday, and how much he has grown - emotionally and mentally. I don't suppose he'll ever be any taller than he is now, but he certainly has filled out. When I watch him and Farr sparring, I feel confident that he will never have to fear big men again - which reminds me of the time that Farr put that guy in his place at the bar before we got together. Yeah, with Matt at his side, Luke'll do just fine.

The End