Between the Lines (16/17)
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“You don’t think…?” Jason asked softly.
“Oh come on, Jason. It makes sense. The baby lives, but Kevin’s in no place to raise it. A couple days later, Kitty suddenly has a baby of her own?”
“It’s…I’m…”
“You’re his grandkid,” Chad finished.
“Oh my God,” Jason breathed out, staring up at Chad.
Chad gave him a small smile. “Maybe that’s what this has all really been about. We wanted to figure out the truth, right? Now we know everything.”
Jason swallowed. “Chad, what you were saying earlier…about - I’m not done with you. I’m beginning to think I won’t ever be done with you.”
Chad stared at him. Then he took two large steps forward and pulled Jason into a kiss. Jason dropped the picture, bringing his hand to the back of Chad’s head, holding him in place as he deepened their connection. Moments later, Jason slammed into the wall of the room, trying desperately to keep up with Chad’s urgency. He laughed breathlessly as Chad pulled back and immediately reached for his belt. Jason pressed one palm flat against the wood behind him, canting his hips up to allow Chad easier access.
“This is…” Jason murmured.
“Long overdue,” Chad interrupted, pulling Jason’s belt out of its loops and tossing it aside. He reached up to Jason’s shirt then, grabbing the collar and dragging them both down to the floor.
Jason propped himself on his elbows, grinding against Chad's thigh as he lifted his palms to Chad’s cheeks and kissed him. Chad groaned, sliding Jason’s shirt up as he ran a hand along his lower back. Jason broke the kiss, burrowing his face between Chad’s neck and shoulder, moving his hips faster as he reached one hand down to undress them further.
“I don’t…I don’t have anything,” he gasped out.
“Check my wallet,” Chad said, his voice strained.
Jason stopped moving abruptly, pulling back to look at Chad. “You’ve been carrying a condom around all this time?”
Chad grinned cheekily. “And a small packet of lube.”
Jason stared at him, and Chad shrugged even as he brought his hand around to Jason’s front. He squeezed lightly, and Jason’s eyes fluttered shut. “Hope springs eternal,” Chad said just before he sat up and they kissed again.
***
Sometime during the course of the weekend, Chad and Jason managed to move from the attic of the cabin to one of the bedrooms. They went to the store, stocking up on food and other supplies, and then spent the rest of the trip making up for lost time.
At the moment, they were quietly resting, recovering from a rather athletic yet strangely tender round. Jason leaned against Chad, who was holding him tightly in his arms.
“The soft moans of lovers discovering passion,” Chad murmured.
Jason opened his eyes. “Hmm?” he asked.
“He was right,” Chad explained. “This house was again filled with - ”
“The soft moans of lovers,” Jason finished in understanding.
“I wonder if this is what it felt like for them.”
“I hope so.”
“No,” Chad said, smiling. “Well, that too, but I mean…holed up in the middle of nowhere, feeling like the only two people in the world. I can’t imagine how I’d feel if this was all we had, and then we never saw each other again.”
Jason was silent for a moment. “I’d probably write a few dozen sappy love poems too.”
Chad tightened his arms around Jason. “You’re a frustrated writer, aren’t you? I bet you have lots of notebooks just filled with scribbles.”
Jason opened his mouth in amused protest. “I do not.”
“Tell the truth.”
“Those who can’t do, teach. If I wrote poems, they’d all sound like a 15-year-old star-struck kid with a crush on some big Hollywood actor.”
Chad laughed out loud. “Ah,” he said, fighting a smile. “Fiction.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“I think you should. Write, I mean.”
Jason smirked. “Do that thing with your tongue again, and I’ll let you read my stuff.”
“I knew it,” Chad replied, laughing.
“I can’t help it!” Jason exclaimed, pretending to resist Chad as he rolled them over and began to kiss his way down Jason’s body. “It’s in my genes!”
***
“I can’t believe she just gave you the ashes.”
Jason chuckled. “He didn't have any specific instructions, and Susanne agreed with me that this was a great idea.”
“Still.”
They were standing side-by-side, staring down at the gravestone. Jason was silent for a moment. Then he read out loud, “Kevin Walker, 1916-1956. Army Air Forces, World War II. Rebecca Harper Walker, 1924-1947.”
Chad waited a moment, then he added softly, “Scotty Wandell, 1922-2010.” He pulled open the lid of the urn, starting to tilt it over.
“Wait!” Jason said, and Chad froze.
“What?”
“We can’t just - the ashes will blow away. The whole point of bringing them here was so they could be together.”
“Well, we can’t just leave the urn here. Some sicko might walk off with it.”
“OK, just let me think.” Jason was silent for a moment. Then he bent down and started to dig a hole with his hands.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he whimpered.
“Jason!”
“Shhh! Just - ” He had a relatively deep hole dug by that point. “Give me the urn.”
Chad handed it to him quickly. Jason turned it over, pouring the ashes into the ground. He pushed the soil back into the hole, patting it down flat. Then he stood.
“Should we…say something?” he asked Chad.
“Sorry for desecrating your grave?”
“Chad.”
“Sorry. I - this is weird.”
Jason nodded. “It is.” He was silent, then finally said. “You wrote about finding love in the darkest of places and the most hopeless of times. I hope you’ve found each other again and are happy at last. Rest in peace.”
Chad bowed his head for a moment of silence, and then looked up. He glanced at Jason. “Where was that from? Where did he write that? I don’t remember - ”
“It was in an unfinished poem,” Jason said, smiling softly. “About a bombed-out French cathedral.”
Epilogue
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“You don’t think…?” Jason asked softly.
“Oh come on, Jason. It makes sense. The baby lives, but Kevin’s in no place to raise it. A couple days later, Kitty suddenly has a baby of her own?”
“It’s…I’m…”
“You’re his grandkid,” Chad finished.
“Oh my God,” Jason breathed out, staring up at Chad.
Chad gave him a small smile. “Maybe that’s what this has all really been about. We wanted to figure out the truth, right? Now we know everything.”
Jason swallowed. “Chad, what you were saying earlier…about - I’m not done with you. I’m beginning to think I won’t ever be done with you.”
Chad stared at him. Then he took two large steps forward and pulled Jason into a kiss. Jason dropped the picture, bringing his hand to the back of Chad’s head, holding him in place as he deepened their connection. Moments later, Jason slammed into the wall of the room, trying desperately to keep up with Chad’s urgency. He laughed breathlessly as Chad pulled back and immediately reached for his belt. Jason pressed one palm flat against the wood behind him, canting his hips up to allow Chad easier access.
“This is…” Jason murmured.
“Long overdue,” Chad interrupted, pulling Jason’s belt out of its loops and tossing it aside. He reached up to Jason’s shirt then, grabbing the collar and dragging them both down to the floor.
Jason propped himself on his elbows, grinding against Chad's thigh as he lifted his palms to Chad’s cheeks and kissed him. Chad groaned, sliding Jason’s shirt up as he ran a hand along his lower back. Jason broke the kiss, burrowing his face between Chad’s neck and shoulder, moving his hips faster as he reached one hand down to undress them further.
“I don’t…I don’t have anything,” he gasped out.
“Check my wallet,” Chad said, his voice strained.
Jason stopped moving abruptly, pulling back to look at Chad. “You’ve been carrying a condom around all this time?”
Chad grinned cheekily. “And a small packet of lube.”
Jason stared at him, and Chad shrugged even as he brought his hand around to Jason’s front. He squeezed lightly, and Jason’s eyes fluttered shut. “Hope springs eternal,” Chad said just before he sat up and they kissed again.
***
Sometime during the course of the weekend, Chad and Jason managed to move from the attic of the cabin to one of the bedrooms. They went to the store, stocking up on food and other supplies, and then spent the rest of the trip making up for lost time.
At the moment, they were quietly resting, recovering from a rather athletic yet strangely tender round. Jason leaned against Chad, who was holding him tightly in his arms.
“The soft moans of lovers discovering passion,” Chad murmured.
Jason opened his eyes. “Hmm?” he asked.
“He was right,” Chad explained. “This house was again filled with - ”
“The soft moans of lovers,” Jason finished in understanding.
“I wonder if this is what it felt like for them.”
“I hope so.”
“No,” Chad said, smiling. “Well, that too, but I mean…holed up in the middle of nowhere, feeling like the only two people in the world. I can’t imagine how I’d feel if this was all we had, and then we never saw each other again.”
Jason was silent for a moment. “I’d probably write a few dozen sappy love poems too.”
Chad tightened his arms around Jason. “You’re a frustrated writer, aren’t you? I bet you have lots of notebooks just filled with scribbles.”
Jason opened his mouth in amused protest. “I do not.”
“Tell the truth.”
“Those who can’t do, teach. If I wrote poems, they’d all sound like a 15-year-old star-struck kid with a crush on some big Hollywood actor.”
Chad laughed out loud. “Ah,” he said, fighting a smile. “Fiction.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“I think you should. Write, I mean.”
Jason smirked. “Do that thing with your tongue again, and I’ll let you read my stuff.”
“I knew it,” Chad replied, laughing.
“I can’t help it!” Jason exclaimed, pretending to resist Chad as he rolled them over and began to kiss his way down Jason’s body. “It’s in my genes!”
***
“I can’t believe she just gave you the ashes.”
Jason chuckled. “He didn't have any specific instructions, and Susanne agreed with me that this was a great idea.”
“Still.”
They were standing side-by-side, staring down at the gravestone. Jason was silent for a moment. Then he read out loud, “Kevin Walker, 1916-1956. Army Air Forces, World War II. Rebecca Harper Walker, 1924-1947.”
Chad waited a moment, then he added softly, “Scotty Wandell, 1922-2010.” He pulled open the lid of the urn, starting to tilt it over.
“Wait!” Jason said, and Chad froze.
“What?”
“We can’t just - the ashes will blow away. The whole point of bringing them here was so they could be together.”
“Well, we can’t just leave the urn here. Some sicko might walk off with it.”
“OK, just let me think.” Jason was silent for a moment. Then he bent down and started to dig a hole with his hands.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he whimpered.
“Jason!”
“Shhh! Just - ” He had a relatively deep hole dug by that point. “Give me the urn.”
Chad handed it to him quickly. Jason turned it over, pouring the ashes into the ground. He pushed the soil back into the hole, patting it down flat. Then he stood.
“Should we…say something?” he asked Chad.
“Sorry for desecrating your grave?”
“Chad.”
“Sorry. I - this is weird.”
Jason nodded. “It is.” He was silent, then finally said. “You wrote about finding love in the darkest of places and the most hopeless of times. I hope you’ve found each other again and are happy at last. Rest in peace.”
Chad bowed his head for a moment of silence, and then looked up. He glanced at Jason. “Where was that from? Where did he write that? I don’t remember - ”
“It was in an unfinished poem,” Jason said, smiling softly. “About a bombed-out French cathedral.”
Epilogue
Main Page