Son Of A Preacher Man (12/?)
Title: Son Of A Preacher Man (12/?)
Author: millionstar
Pairing: Belldom, AU
Rating: This part, G
Warnings: Language, Sudden Southern Drawls, Tight Blue Jeans.
Summary: AU Belldom, set in the Deep American South. Enough said, y'all.
Feedback: Is welcome & appreciated, if you're so inclined. :)
Archive: Links only.
Disclaimer: I don't own Muse, no $$ being made, and this is fiction. Title taken lovingly from the song of the same name.
Author's note: As always, eternal thanks to my lovely, dear ladies dolce_piccante, myz_bee and frolicandfall for constant inspiration, love and support. BTW,lalalive23 is uber smexy.
And as always, HUGE thanks to my girl M, captivemuse for her help in all thangs Southern. Your assistance is critical and greatly appreciated, and a case of Cheerwine is headed your way, girl! <3
One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Eleven
Gabriel Howard had three loves.
His first, of course, would always be his late wife, and the second, his handsome, wonderful boys.
The third?
A bowl of butter pecan ice cream on a hot summer evening.
Sure, it was getting late, but it was so peaceful on the front porch swing that he couldn't help but stay outside just a few minutes longer. The fireflies were milling about the yard, the moon hung high in the night sky.
"Daddy?"
Gabriel turned and smiled as his oldest son came outside, the carton of ice cream in his hand, a spoon in the other. The reverend shook his head with a smile.
"Dominic, son, can't you use a bowl? You weren't born in a barn, boy."
Dominic blushed. "Sorry, Daddy. It's about empty, though."
"How can you be hungry still? You ate three plates full at supper!"
"I dunno," the younger Howard whined, sitting down next to his father on the swing.
"Aww, d'ya miss him?" Gabriel teased. He knew full well that when Dominic was upset he tended to eat everything in sight. "It's only been three days!"
"Stop it," Dominic mumbled, elbowing his father in the side playfully.
But that was precisely the problem; he did miss Matthew dreadfully. The morning after he'd unwilingly become a spokesperson for the nude sunbathing contingent in America, he'd come home to find that Kevin was sick with a stomach bug. Since his father had to run to town for medicine, Dominic sat up with Kevin while he was ill. But this meant he was afraid to see Matthew again for fear of making him ill too. He'd spoken with Matthew later that day to break the bad news.
"I don't fuckin' care," Matthew had insisted, "I just wanna see ya! And y'ain't sick yourself, yeah?"
"You've got responsibility at the store," Dominic giggled, "I'd feel awful if y'got sick cos of me, blue eyes. It's just for a couple days."
Gabriel had to admit he was a little surprised that Dominic was out all night long after his and Matthew's first date. But then again, his boy was twenty-two and had a good head on his shoulders.
Dominic smiled to himself, clearly off in his own little world. The sight amused his father until a low cry came down from the mountains behind the house. The two of them sat up a little straighter, listening for the noise to repeat itself. Gabriel cocked his head, watching as Dominic processed the sound; the older man could positively see the gears turning in his son's mind.
"What d'ya reckon, son?"
"Cougar, definitely," Dominic grinned excitedly. "I can't wait t'get started at the park."
Gabriel bit his lip to keep himself from laughing. He knew full well Dominic was eager to start his new job; he'd caught him earlier, dressed in his Ranger uniform, hat and all, admiring himself in the mirror in the hallway. "I'm excited for you! Tuesday morning, in a couple weeks, right?"
"Yep," Dominic beamed. "And after hearin' that," he pointed out at the mountains, "I can't wait to see what other sort of wildlife these mountains are home to."
Gabriel's late wife Gretchen had worked as a secretary for the US Park Service for twenty years. It wasn't unusual at all to find Dominic hanging around the offices after he'd gotten out of school. It seemed he possessed the same love of nature that his mother did. The two of them weren't surprised when Dominic announced that he wanted to make a life for himself in the same organization. Gabriel was a little nervous, though, as he knew it could be a dangerous way to make a living, but he tried to keep a positive attitude about the situation.
"I just... nah, forget it." Dominic chuckled
"Go on."
"I just, I dunno. Matthew, this job, your new church... I feel like maybe this is gonna be the place for us, y'know? I'm just happy, is all."
Gabriel turned to his son. "You would tell me if you ever were unhappy, right, Dominic?"
"Daddy, don't worry about me." His son's voice was serious. "Please. But would ya tell me if you were unhappy?"
"I would. But you don't need to worry about me either, son. I just want you to enjoy life and be the Dominic I've always been so proud of. Now," he cleared his throat, "tell me more about Matthew!"
Gabriel meant every word he'd just said. It was hard enough that they'd lost their mother so tragically, he would settle for nothing less than for his boys to find some peace in life.
The thing is, life is often anything but peaceful. This was something Gabriel had learned first hand this year. His boys weren't aware of the circumstances that led their father to cut ties with their hometown for a fresh start.
It was something else, really; he'd been certain that after losing his wife he could handle practically anything. He was doing just that, for the most part. When he cried he did it late at night once he was certain the boys were sleeping, more often than not out in the front yard, to be extra certain that he'd not be heard. The morning after a particularly rough night he preached a sermon focusing on love to his congregation and had retired to the church office to gather his things before heading home. When he heard a knock on the door and footsteps, he looked up to see his life-long friend Wayne, a deacon in the church.
"Hey! What can I do for you?"
The other man shuffled his feet, eyes cast downward. "Can I ask you somethin', Gabe?"
"Course you can!"
"Why ain't I never seen Dominic with any young women in town?"
"What does that matter?" Gabriel laughed. When his friend didn't join in with the laughter the reverend's stomach began to lurch.
"People are talking."
"Are they?" Gabriel replied casually. "I'm not interested in gossip, Wayne."
"They're sayin' your boy's queer."
Gabriel calmly put his hands on his desk and sat down slowly. He looked his friend in the eyes. "Watch your mouth," he said quietly. They held their gazes, Gabriel's fiery and Wayne's nervous.
"So, it's true."
"What of it?"
"You really think you can preach the word while having a gay son? The congregation won't stand for it, Gabriel."
"It's none of the congregation's concern how my boy lives his life. Dominic doesn't owe them anything." He stood, gathering his papers with a shaking hand. "I'm done discussing this with you."
"The other deacons and I have been talking," Wayne began, swallowing hard.
Gabriel walked over to the window and stared out at the small gravel-covered parking lot. Dominic and Kevin were standing out at the small pond on the church grounds, tossing rocks into the water and horsing around with each other, Kevin's laughter ringing clearly through the windows. "Really? What have you been talking about?"
"Don't make this any more difficult than it has to be, please."
"Make what difficult?" Dominic, who now had Kevin in a headlock, looked up and saw his father looking out the window. He waved, that ever-present smile on his face. Gabriel waved back, forcing a smile onto his own face. He was pretty sure he knew what was coming, but he was going to force Wayne to say it out loud.
"You're gonna have to step aside, Gabriel. The decision's been made."
"Just like that?" the reverend answered calmly, still watching his sons across the yard.
"Look," Wayne said, "I know this is hard, especially since losing Gretchen-"
The reply came quietly. "No. You don't get to say her name."
The deacon winced. "Gabriel, this is a conservative church. We have to think of our reputation. Please understand that."
"I've given this church twenty-two years of my life. Do you understand that?"
"I'm sorry."
"No, you aren't."
Wayne had the decency to remain silent. Gabriel could see that his friend was sweating; he chose his next words carefully.
"This is wrong. This is so wrong. Don't do this."
"We love our church," Wayne replied, "and we won't allow it to be sullied with the presence of a gay man."
The reverend blinked. "Wow. You don't even see how misguided that statement is. You speak of love, yet are acting on hate."
"No-"
"Yes. Hate," Gabriel replied quietly. "Pure, simple hate. The God I serve doesn't deal in hate." The anger and hurt began to boil inside of him and he used what he reckoned was his last chance to reason with his friend.
"Gretchen would be so ashamed of you all."
"Well, Gretchen's not here anymore," Wayne replied quickly. Just as quickly his hand flew to his mouth, as though he was well aware he'd just crossed a line.
Gabriel quietly gathered his papers. At the door he turned and looked at Wayne again. "I'll be back tomorrow to collect my things, when noone else is here."
"Sure. Gabriel, look-"
"Goodbye, Wayne."
He closed the door behind him.
Dominic and Kevin saw him exiting the church and ran toward him. He smiled tightly, tossing his belongings in the trunk of his car. When he looked up, Dominic was staring at him intently.
"Everything okay, Daddy?"
He smiled even harder, ruffling Dominic's hair as he carefully evaded the question. "Let's go home."
That's just what they did. And when Gabriel explained to his boys why he was no longer preaching at their home church that night, he told the first lie he'd ever told in his adult life.
His oldest son's voice brought him back to the present.
"All I know," Dominic said with an easy smile, licking his spoon clean, "is that I ain't never been this smitten with a guy this quickly. He's kind and gorgeous and smart! And his mama and daddy seem sweet too. He makes me smile. I like that."
Gabriel nodded. "Then that's all that matters."
"Although..."
"What?"
"He's got a big old hound dog-"
"Oh!," his father replied, snapping his fingers, "I've seen it at Bellamy's I think!"
"Yeah! Anyway... his dog don't like me much," the young man frowned. Dominic looked so positively broken-hearted as he spoke that his father's heart swelled in sympathy.
"Give it time," Gabriel said, biting back a laugh, and punching Dominic in the arm gently.
"Maybe I could bring him by to meet ya properly soon? Would that be okay?"
"Course it would! He's welcome here anytime."
The two of them looked up at the same time when they heard Kevin walking around upstairs. Dominic picked up the empty ice cream carton and stood up. "No, no. You stay out here and relax, I'll look in on him."
As the screen door shut behind the blond, his father was taken just again with how big of a heart the young man had. That, he was certain, would be Dominic Howard's legacy: his kind heart and generous nature.
That was Dominic.
The young man who was looking after his little brother while he was ill, because he was choosing to, not because he was expected to. The young man who slept at his sick mother's bedside for the last two weeks of her life. The young man who wanted nothing more than for Matthew's dog to like him.
His son was an amazingly kind and respectful young man. He had a habit of always putting others before himself and never met a stranger. That's why it hurt so badly when he was forced out of their previous church, it was like the people who had decided Dominic was something... bad, didn't really know him at all, didn't see him for who he was.
It was their loss, though. It took some time for Gabriel to be able to reconcile that, but he'd finally gotten there. He'd spent so much time in prayer, hoping that this time things would be different, that his son could live his life in peace. He did know one thing, though: if, for some reason, he once again found himself surrounded by bigots, he wouldn't just take it. He'd fight for his son.
And God help anyone who got in his way.
Author: millionstar
Pairing: Belldom, AU
Rating: This part, G
Warnings: Language, Sudden Southern Drawls, Tight Blue Jeans.
Summary: AU Belldom, set in the Deep American South. Enough said, y'all.
Feedback: Is welcome & appreciated, if you're so inclined. :)
Archive: Links only.
Disclaimer: I don't own Muse, no $$ being made, and this is fiction. Title taken lovingly from the song of the same name.
Author's note: As always, eternal thanks to my lovely, dear ladies dolce_piccante, myz_bee and frolicandfall for constant inspiration, love and support. BTW,lalalive23 is uber smexy.
And as always, HUGE thanks to my girl M, captivemuse for her help in all thangs Southern. Your assistance is critical and greatly appreciated, and a case of Cheerwine is headed your way, girl! <3
One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Eleven
Gabriel Howard had three loves.
His first, of course, would always be his late wife, and the second, his handsome, wonderful boys.
The third?
A bowl of butter pecan ice cream on a hot summer evening.
Sure, it was getting late, but it was so peaceful on the front porch swing that he couldn't help but stay outside just a few minutes longer. The fireflies were milling about the yard, the moon hung high in the night sky.
"Daddy?"
Gabriel turned and smiled as his oldest son came outside, the carton of ice cream in his hand, a spoon in the other. The reverend shook his head with a smile.
"Dominic, son, can't you use a bowl? You weren't born in a barn, boy."
Dominic blushed. "Sorry, Daddy. It's about empty, though."
"How can you be hungry still? You ate three plates full at supper!"
"I dunno," the younger Howard whined, sitting down next to his father on the swing.
"Aww, d'ya miss him?" Gabriel teased. He knew full well that when Dominic was upset he tended to eat everything in sight. "It's only been three days!"
"Stop it," Dominic mumbled, elbowing his father in the side playfully.
But that was precisely the problem; he did miss Matthew dreadfully. The morning after he'd unwilingly become a spokesperson for the nude sunbathing contingent in America, he'd come home to find that Kevin was sick with a stomach bug. Since his father had to run to town for medicine, Dominic sat up with Kevin while he was ill. But this meant he was afraid to see Matthew again for fear of making him ill too. He'd spoken with Matthew later that day to break the bad news.
"I don't fuckin' care," Matthew had insisted, "I just wanna see ya! And y'ain't sick yourself, yeah?"
"You've got responsibility at the store," Dominic giggled, "I'd feel awful if y'got sick cos of me, blue eyes. It's just for a couple days."
Gabriel had to admit he was a little surprised that Dominic was out all night long after his and Matthew's first date. But then again, his boy was twenty-two and had a good head on his shoulders.
Dominic smiled to himself, clearly off in his own little world. The sight amused his father until a low cry came down from the mountains behind the house. The two of them sat up a little straighter, listening for the noise to repeat itself. Gabriel cocked his head, watching as Dominic processed the sound; the older man could positively see the gears turning in his son's mind.
"What d'ya reckon, son?"
"Cougar, definitely," Dominic grinned excitedly. "I can't wait t'get started at the park."
Gabriel bit his lip to keep himself from laughing. He knew full well Dominic was eager to start his new job; he'd caught him earlier, dressed in his Ranger uniform, hat and all, admiring himself in the mirror in the hallway. "I'm excited for you! Tuesday morning, in a couple weeks, right?"
"Yep," Dominic beamed. "And after hearin' that," he pointed out at the mountains, "I can't wait to see what other sort of wildlife these mountains are home to."
Gabriel's late wife Gretchen had worked as a secretary for the US Park Service for twenty years. It wasn't unusual at all to find Dominic hanging around the offices after he'd gotten out of school. It seemed he possessed the same love of nature that his mother did. The two of them weren't surprised when Dominic announced that he wanted to make a life for himself in the same organization. Gabriel was a little nervous, though, as he knew it could be a dangerous way to make a living, but he tried to keep a positive attitude about the situation.
"I just... nah, forget it." Dominic chuckled
"Go on."
"I just, I dunno. Matthew, this job, your new church... I feel like maybe this is gonna be the place for us, y'know? I'm just happy, is all."
Gabriel turned to his son. "You would tell me if you ever were unhappy, right, Dominic?"
"Daddy, don't worry about me." His son's voice was serious. "Please. But would ya tell me if you were unhappy?"
"I would. But you don't need to worry about me either, son. I just want you to enjoy life and be the Dominic I've always been so proud of. Now," he cleared his throat, "tell me more about Matthew!"
Gabriel meant every word he'd just said. It was hard enough that they'd lost their mother so tragically, he would settle for nothing less than for his boys to find some peace in life.
The thing is, life is often anything but peaceful. This was something Gabriel had learned first hand this year. His boys weren't aware of the circumstances that led their father to cut ties with their hometown for a fresh start.
It was something else, really; he'd been certain that after losing his wife he could handle practically anything. He was doing just that, for the most part. When he cried he did it late at night once he was certain the boys were sleeping, more often than not out in the front yard, to be extra certain that he'd not be heard. The morning after a particularly rough night he preached a sermon focusing on love to his congregation and had retired to the church office to gather his things before heading home. When he heard a knock on the door and footsteps, he looked up to see his life-long friend Wayne, a deacon in the church.
"Hey! What can I do for you?"
The other man shuffled his feet, eyes cast downward. "Can I ask you somethin', Gabe?"
"Course you can!"
"Why ain't I never seen Dominic with any young women in town?"
"What does that matter?" Gabriel laughed. When his friend didn't join in with the laughter the reverend's stomach began to lurch.
"People are talking."
"Are they?" Gabriel replied casually. "I'm not interested in gossip, Wayne."
"They're sayin' your boy's queer."
Gabriel calmly put his hands on his desk and sat down slowly. He looked his friend in the eyes. "Watch your mouth," he said quietly. They held their gazes, Gabriel's fiery and Wayne's nervous.
"So, it's true."
"What of it?"
"You really think you can preach the word while having a gay son? The congregation won't stand for it, Gabriel."
"It's none of the congregation's concern how my boy lives his life. Dominic doesn't owe them anything." He stood, gathering his papers with a shaking hand. "I'm done discussing this with you."
"The other deacons and I have been talking," Wayne began, swallowing hard.
Gabriel walked over to the window and stared out at the small gravel-covered parking lot. Dominic and Kevin were standing out at the small pond on the church grounds, tossing rocks into the water and horsing around with each other, Kevin's laughter ringing clearly through the windows. "Really? What have you been talking about?"
"Don't make this any more difficult than it has to be, please."
"Make what difficult?" Dominic, who now had Kevin in a headlock, looked up and saw his father looking out the window. He waved, that ever-present smile on his face. Gabriel waved back, forcing a smile onto his own face. He was pretty sure he knew what was coming, but he was going to force Wayne to say it out loud.
"You're gonna have to step aside, Gabriel. The decision's been made."
"Just like that?" the reverend answered calmly, still watching his sons across the yard.
"Look," Wayne said, "I know this is hard, especially since losing Gretchen-"
The reply came quietly. "No. You don't get to say her name."
The deacon winced. "Gabriel, this is a conservative church. We have to think of our reputation. Please understand that."
"I've given this church twenty-two years of my life. Do you understand that?"
"I'm sorry."
"No, you aren't."
Wayne had the decency to remain silent. Gabriel could see that his friend was sweating; he chose his next words carefully.
"This is wrong. This is so wrong. Don't do this."
"We love our church," Wayne replied, "and we won't allow it to be sullied with the presence of a gay man."
The reverend blinked. "Wow. You don't even see how misguided that statement is. You speak of love, yet are acting on hate."
"No-"
"Yes. Hate," Gabriel replied quietly. "Pure, simple hate. The God I serve doesn't deal in hate." The anger and hurt began to boil inside of him and he used what he reckoned was his last chance to reason with his friend.
"Gretchen would be so ashamed of you all."
"Well, Gretchen's not here anymore," Wayne replied quickly. Just as quickly his hand flew to his mouth, as though he was well aware he'd just crossed a line.
Gabriel quietly gathered his papers. At the door he turned and looked at Wayne again. "I'll be back tomorrow to collect my things, when noone else is here."
"Sure. Gabriel, look-"
"Goodbye, Wayne."
He closed the door behind him.
Dominic and Kevin saw him exiting the church and ran toward him. He smiled tightly, tossing his belongings in the trunk of his car. When he looked up, Dominic was staring at him intently.
"Everything okay, Daddy?"
He smiled even harder, ruffling Dominic's hair as he carefully evaded the question. "Let's go home."
That's just what they did. And when Gabriel explained to his boys why he was no longer preaching at their home church that night, he told the first lie he'd ever told in his adult life.
His oldest son's voice brought him back to the present.
"All I know," Dominic said with an easy smile, licking his spoon clean, "is that I ain't never been this smitten with a guy this quickly. He's kind and gorgeous and smart! And his mama and daddy seem sweet too. He makes me smile. I like that."
Gabriel nodded. "Then that's all that matters."
"Although..."
"What?"
"He's got a big old hound dog-"
"Oh!," his father replied, snapping his fingers, "I've seen it at Bellamy's I think!"
"Yeah! Anyway... his dog don't like me much," the young man frowned. Dominic looked so positively broken-hearted as he spoke that his father's heart swelled in sympathy.
"Give it time," Gabriel said, biting back a laugh, and punching Dominic in the arm gently.
"Maybe I could bring him by to meet ya properly soon? Would that be okay?"
"Course it would! He's welcome here anytime."
The two of them looked up at the same time when they heard Kevin walking around upstairs. Dominic picked up the empty ice cream carton and stood up. "No, no. You stay out here and relax, I'll look in on him."
As the screen door shut behind the blond, his father was taken just again with how big of a heart the young man had. That, he was certain, would be Dominic Howard's legacy: his kind heart and generous nature.
That was Dominic.
The young man who was looking after his little brother while he was ill, because he was choosing to, not because he was expected to. The young man who slept at his sick mother's bedside for the last two weeks of her life. The young man who wanted nothing more than for Matthew's dog to like him.
His son was an amazingly kind and respectful young man. He had a habit of always putting others before himself and never met a stranger. That's why it hurt so badly when he was forced out of their previous church, it was like the people who had decided Dominic was something... bad, didn't really know him at all, didn't see him for who he was.
It was their loss, though. It took some time for Gabriel to be able to reconcile that, but he'd finally gotten there. He'd spent so much time in prayer, hoping that this time things would be different, that his son could live his life in peace. He did know one thing, though: if, for some reason, he once again found himself surrounded by bigots, he wouldn't just take it. He'd fight for his son.
And God help anyone who got in his way.