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Blessed are the Meek

By: MoogPlayer



This story is one that I started many years ago. And while it is pure fiction, as are all the characters mentioned; I really hope you like it. I decided to write this one in the third person due to so many requests. A very big thank you goes to Peter Murrell for his sharp editing skills so; thanks, Mate! Oh, and please don't forget to vote.

MoogPlayer

~~~~~~

Chapter One

"We're going to have to take the baby Cesarean, Mrs. Markinson," said Doctor Harry Johns.

"Ahhhhh," screamed Jane Markinson, in childbirth. The problem was that the baby had not turned to come out head first. Instead, the child was trying to come out breach. After much struggle, Jane Markinson gave birth to a four pound, seven ounce, baby boy that she named Mason Heath Markinson Junior. Mason, or 'Mace', as he was nicknamed, was named after his father who was a United States Army Medevac Helicopter pilot. Jane, Mason's mother, had just received word two days prior to her son's birth that her husband's UH-1D Iroquois, Huey helicopter had been shot down while pulling wounded men out of the Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam, during November of 1965. And because of the fact that the aircraft was at an altitude of well over two hundred feet in the air, the chopper was brought down from ZSU fire, resulting in the deaths of everyone aboard. Due to the traumatic news of the death of her husband, Jane immediately went into labor two months before her due date; hence the reason the baby hadn't properly turned yet, and was born premature as well as under developed. 

~~~~~~

FIVE YEARS LATER

"Happy Birthday, Mace, Sweetie," said Jane Markinson, as she place a homemade chocolate cake with five candles burning atop of it, onto the table in front of her son.

"Wheeee, Mommie," replied young Mason, the sound of his little voice reflecting the smile on his face. Because he was born prematurely, Mason's little body was slight and seemingly frail. Jane had never really had any family to speak of so, when her husband was killed; his parents, Chandler and Vivian Markinson, lovingly and gladly took her and their grandson in as their own. However small Mace's little body might have been, he more than made up for it with his huge heart, even at such a young age. 

As soon as the birthday cake was in set front of Mace, Chandler, or Papaw, as Mace called him, leaned down close to the boy and said, "Okay Mace, close your eyes and make a wish, little buddy." As the boy complied, Candler smiled and added, ""Now open them and blow out the candles." 

~~~~~~

HIGH SCHOOL

AUGUST 1979

"I'm sorry, Mason, but you're too small to play football. You might get seriously hurt, and that wouldn't be good, now would it?" said Coach Nathan Brice, deeply regretting having to turn away one of his favorite students.

"I understand, Coach," Mace cheerfully replied, but clearly disappointed, "Maybe next year I'll be big enough to play" 

As he walked away from football tryouts with a smile on his face, Coach Brice sadly watched Mason, and then shaking his head with tears starting to form in his eyes, he looked to the heavens and silently said, "It's not fair. It's just not fair, God, that you would put the heart of a Lion into the body of a sparrow. It's just not fair." Although Mason had only known defeat in his early years, that wasn't to say that it would be that way all his life.

~~~~~~ 

All throughout school Mason excelled in his studies. The reason that all of his teachers adored him was, because whenever any of his classmates were having trouble understanding their work assignments; Mason was always there to help them. He explained the work to them in a way that made it easier for them to understand. 

At the beginning of each school year, teachers in whatever school Mason attended, each vied for the chance to have him as one of their students. They knew that if he, Mason, was in their class then all of their students would pass that year, and not have to be held back. 

It had been that way from the time Mason was in Kindergarten until he graduated High School. And while Mason loved sports, he had always been out sized by his classmates and therefore was too small to play. However, that would all change when he reached college.

~~~~~~

All of the students of the class of 1982 sat in their seats waiting for their names to be called out so they could walk across the stage and receive their diplomas. When Mason's name was called, he proudly walked upon the stage to the cheers and whistles of his classmates. 

You see, he was never picked on by his peers when he was in school, and if anyone ever tried, one of the bigger students, or upperclassmen, were always there to take up for him, because Mason was loved by everyone who came in contact with him. When he was a freshman, the football team made him their mascot when, at a football game one Friday night; a student from the rival high school was speaking ill of their high school's team and Mason accosted him. What started as an argument escalated into a fight, and Mason got beat up pretty badly, and had to stay home from school the following week.

However, the other student had to spend ten days in the hospital in order to surgically set his leg that, through sheer strength of his own will, Mason had somehow managed to break. 

His mother and grandmother scolded him openly for fighting, while his grandfather secretly cheered him on for what he'd done to the other guy. "Mace, little buddy," he chuckled, "It don't matter how bad you get beat up in a fight, as long as the other guy is worse off than you are, son." 

When word of this reached the student body of his school, there were so many students who had volunteered to take Mason his missed assignments, the school staff ended up having to make each of the volunteers submit their names into a box; and then the principle would draw names from the box at random. Everyone agreed that it was the fair thing to do.

~~~~~~

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, this is a self defense class, nothing more. If I hear of any of you using what I'm going to teach you this semester, for anything other than self defense, then you'll answer to me. Have I made myself clear?" Coach Benjamin Tyler told his freshmen students. After acknowledgement from his class, Tyler handed out the necessary forms, release forms, and lists of supplies needed for class. He looked around the room, and to Mace, he pointed at him and said, "You, what's your name?"

"Mason Markinson, sir," Mace respectfully replied.

"See me after class, if you would," said Coach Tyler. 

"Yes, sir," replied Mason.

As the other students left the gym, Mason remained, wondering what it was his teacher wanted to see him about. As the last student walked out the door, Tyler made his way and stood next to Mason.

"I knew Nathan Brice when he and I served together in Vietnam," Ben sadly told him, "I also knew your father, Mason."

"Really," Mason excitedly asked, "You knew my Dad?"

"Yeah, I knew him well. He and I were in the same Helo Squadron," replied Ben, "He was one hell of a guy, Mason. He was also the bravest man I ever knew. You look a lot like him you know."

"That's what my Mom and grandparents say, too," laughed Mason.

"Look Mason," Ben quietly told him, "Nathan Brice told me that you have the heart of a Lion; and that's why I want you to call me Ben from now on, when it's just you and me. But in front of the rest of the class you gotta call me Coach Tyler, okay?"

"No sweat, Ben," Mason smiled, feeling an immediate kinship for this man who had known his father.

"I was wondering if you might want to think about taking the full Black Belt Course while you're here, Mason," Ben suggested

"I don't think my scholarship will pay for it," Mason replied, "But I'll find out if..."

"No, no, that's not what I meant," Ben interrupted, "I want to teach you myself, and it won't cost you a thing, just some time and a lot of hard work." 

~~~~~~

Mason trained as hard as he studied, and by the time he was nineteen; what he had lacked in physical height was more than made up for in body strength. While he wasn't bulky like a weight lifter, his physique became sinuously smooth, like that of a swimmer. Mason only stood five feet, seven and a half inches tall, but after training, as well as following Ben's suggestions on what his diet should consist of; Mason grew and ended up weighing in at a whopping one hundred, seventy-five pounds of not bulky, but smooth, defined, yet solid muscle tissue in just a little over a year. His flexibility came from Ben having him train with some of the gymnasts and tumblers on campus, and after hours of intensive training over the summers; Mason's flexibility knew no boundaries. He could do not only the conventional splits, but the Chinese splits as well.

~~~~~~

Ben had kept Mason from participating in the Karate tournaments, whether they were local, or state sanctioned events; and up until Mason's junior year in college, he had never stepped onto the mat against a live opponent. It was at the beginning of that year that he unintentionally began to make his presence known on campus, and in a very big way, too.

~~~~~~

He was twenty years old now, and on his way to English class one spring afternoon, when Mason saw a group of three guys harassing a girl that he knew from training with the gymnasts. She was very pretty and her name was Heather Winters. She had also discreetly flirted with Mason over the course of his training, but due to his lack of experience with girls; he never picked up on her signals. That's not to say she didn't stop flirting. She only did it more openly, as well as more brazenly at times when she thought no one was looking, but she and Mason were still friends. And over a period of time, he began to feel more than a "friendly" affection toward her, though he'd never let her know, for fear of spoiling the relationship he already had with her.

However, from the look on her face at that moment, she wasn't enjoying the situation she was currently in. He heard her scream, and as he looked; Mason saw Heather being pulled by the arm. He walked over to them, and after freeing Heather from the guy's grip, he casually stepped between them, and then to Heather, said, "What's going on here, Heather?"

Before she could answer, the guy who had grabbed her looked at Mason, poked him in the chest with the index finger of his right hand, and snarled, "I'll tell you what's going here, half-pint. This girl is coming with us to a party at our fraternity house, and there's nothing you can do or say about it. Got it, dickhead?"

"I don't want to go, Mace," Heather replied, clearly afraid.

Standing confidently in front of the three guys that he now recognized as football players, Mason smiled and said, "Look fellas, she doesn't want to come with you so, why don't you just leave her alone. Besides, we don't want any trouble."

"Oh, you've already made trouble by getting in my way," laughed the guy, "Now, get out of here before we pound you, little boy."

Placing Heather behind him, Mason took a non-threatening stance and growled, "Take your best shot, you stupid-assed jock."

It was over before it really started. Suffice it to say, that at the speed of light, the three guys were dispatched, left lying on the ground while holding their groins, and each one, crying like babies.

~~~~~~

"I've never seen anything like that before in my life," Heather excitedly said, as she and Mason quickly fled before anyone saw who they were. 

"Are you alright," he asked her.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she sweetly smiled, "At least I am now, anyway." And then after they were safely away, she took Mason's arm. While giving him a smiling glance, she pressed herself tightly to his side, then she batted her eyes at him and nervously asked, "Um...do you think that...um....maybe...um...you...you'd like to come to my dorm room and watch a movie on T.V. with me tonight?"

"Sure," beamed Mason, "I'd love to."

After agreeing on a time, as well as giving him directions to her dorm, Heather kissed him on the cheek, and then softly said, "Thank you, Mace, I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't been there..." 

~~~~~~

Mason nervously knocked on the door to Heather's dorm room promptly at the previously appointed time. The moment the door opened, his olfactory senses were assaulted by a mixture of perfume, baby powder with the hint of another smell he couldn't quite make out, a sweet, almost aromatic smell of something different. At first he thought it might've been perfume, but then upon taking another whiff, he realized that this was like nothing he'd ever smelled before, it was erotically warm and excitingly pungent, making his pants become tight in the crotch, eliciting a tingle in his testicles. 

Waking him from his reverie, a sweet, soft voice purred; "Well, hello handsome," making him look up to see Heather wearing a pair of tight, pink terrycloth shorts and a matching tank top. It was obvious by the way her breasts moved that she was braless beneath the shirt, and it made for another, stronger pleasant tingle in Mason's pants. As she invited him in and then closed the door behind him, he was treated to an exquisite view of her ass as it danced back and forth beneath tight terrycloth while she walked.

The first thing Mason noticed about her room, was that number one; she had no room mate, and number two, against the far wall, two beds had been pushed together making one larger bed. The lights in the room were nothing more than a couple of bedside lamps being slightly brighter than your average night light. But still, there was more than enough light for Mason to be able make out the contours of Heather's ass as she crawled across the bed; inviting him next to her once she was seated. After making him take off his shoes, she pulled Mason toward her until he was lying snugly next to her. 

Putting her arms around his neck, she gently kissed his lips and then purred, "Thank you again for taking up for me today. That was the bravest thing I've ever seen," then kissed him again. 

He knew that he really liked this girl so, as he gently extricated himself from Heather's arms, he looked at her and said, "Look, you've been coming on strong to me since the beginning of last semester. Don't get me wrong, I really like you a lot, but you're my friend and I don't want to mess things up with you, and..." then hanging his head, "I don't think I could handle losing you as a friend."

Lifting his chin up with her index finger until he was looking into her beautiful sparkling eyes, Heather smiled and then said, "Mason, look at me," and when he finally did, she asked him, "Why do you think I've been flirting with you all semester, huh?"

"I don't know," he replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"Because I care about you, Mace," she tenderly replied, caressing his face with the palm of her hand, "I have for a long time, now."

"You could have any guy you want, Heather," Mason objected, "Why me?"

"Mason Markinson, are you trying to tell me that I have bad taste in men," she teased, playfully crossing her arms, "Or are you just ashamed to be my boyfriend?

"Well, no," he blushed, "It's just that I've never had a girlfriend before."

After gently caressing his pectoral muscles that now prominently bulged beneath his tee shirt, Heather smiled and softly purred, "You've always been such a nice guy, sweetie, and I love that about you, and I'll be real good to you if you'll let me. Besides," she grinned, "I've seen the way you look at me sometimes, Mason."

"Oh really," Mason chuckled; now feeling comfortable enough to take her hand into his, "I think you might just be hallucinating a little bit."

"Oh, you're awful," she giggled, playfully slapping his arm, "You'd better watch it, Mister." Then her expression turned serious, and as she laid her head on his shoulder; she leaned up and kissed him gently on the throat and softly told him, "I promise you that I'll never hurt you Mason."

They lay together and watched the television in her dorm room that night, as well as a number of nights after that, getting to know one another. And while the attraction between the two of them was very strong, they still wanted to take things slowly. However, neither of them ever knew that they had been destined to be together since the time before time itself. 

~~~~~~

Mason and Heather were in the gym doing some stretching exercises when in walked the same three guys who, ten days earlier, had tried to get Heather to go with them. Taking immediate notice, Mason stood up; and then taking up a defensive posture, said, "Please guys, let's not do this again. I tried to tell you once that we don't want any trouble."

"Whoa, wait, please," said the one guy who'd grabbed Heather, as he slowly backed away, "We don't want any trouble either. We came to apologize to both of you."

"Really?" asked Heather, smiling in surprise, shocked, but smiling none the less.

"Yeah, really," he said, "We were way out of line the other day, and we're very sorry."

Returning back to his normal and kind self, Mason smiled then extended his hand, and replied, "My name is Mason Markinson, and her name is Heather Winters, what's yours?"

As the two of them shook hands, the guy smiled and said, "My name is Chuck Sanders, and these two clowns behind me, are Rick Crossfield, and Shaun Powell."

"It's nice to meet you guys," Mason replied, also shaking hands with Rick and Shaun, "I only wish we could've met like this before."

"Me too," Rick chuckled, "Man....you took our asses down with one kick."

"No shit," Shaun laughed, "How did you do that? You were faster than anything I've ever seen."

"I'm really sorry about that," Mason replied, changing the subject, "I'm also sorry about calling you guys a bunch of stupid-assed jocks, too."

"If that ain't a case of the pot calling the kettle black," Chuck howled, "Then I don't know what is."

"What're you talking about?" Mason asked grinning, Heather now standing beside him smiling.

"Look, Mason," smiled Chuck, gently placing his hand on Mason's shoulder, "We're the starting defensive linebackers for the Longhorns, and I'm here to tell you now that I've, well, none of us, have ever been hit as hard as you hit us the other day. I'm also the president of Alpha Beta Epsilon fraternity, and I want to personally invite the two of you to a party that we're having at the Alpha house tonight; and it would really honor us if you two would come. Can you make it?"

"We'd love to," Mason smiled, as he gently squeezed Heather's hand, "What time?"

~~~~~~

I've not described anyone yet so, now is as good a time as any. Mason reached the height of five foot, eight by the time he was nineteen. He had coal black hair and sky blue eyes. Like Ben Tyler had told him, he inherited his father's genius and natural good looks while he carried his mother's genteel warm heart and good sense. 

Heather Winters was very beautiful and stood three inches shorter than Mason, and weighed no more than one hundred and fifteen pounds. Her body measurements were proportionate to her height with the exception of her breasts. While they were not overly large, suffice it to say they sat rather prominently on her chest. She had dark brown hair that hung to her waist and big dark brown, almost black, eyes that melted Mason's heart every time he looked into them. 

~~~~~~

THAT EVENING

As Mason knocked on the door to Heather's dorm room to pick her up for the party that night, he almost fainted the moment she opened the door. She was wearing a white mini-skirt that was that was snug but not obscenely so, with two inch black heels that made her beautiful legs seem to endlessly flow from beneath her skirt. The top she was wearing was dark blue and halter style, very tastefully showing a delightful amount of cleavage. Her hair flowed like a shiny dark river down her back, stopping just at the top of her beautifully tight little ass, not to mention the fact that her make-up had been flawlessly applied.


Blessed are the Meek



"I can tell by the expression on your face that you like the way I look, Mason," Heather giggled, kissing him lightly on the lips, "I wore this just for you, sweetie."

"My God, Heather, you're beautiful," Mason breathed, "So very beautiful." 

"Thank you, sweetie," she smiled, "You make me feel that way."

"Come on, my beautiful girlfriend," Mason smiled, taking her hand, "We're going to be late."

~~~~~~

"Hey, Mason," smiled Chuck, as Mason and Heather came through the front door at Alpha House, "We're glad you could make it. Come on in, you two." Then Chuck turned his head toward the main room of the house and loudly yelled, "HEY GUYS, HE'S HERE!!!"

All at once Mason and Heather were suddenly surrounded by some of the biggest guys they'd ever seen, smiling and welcoming them into their midst. "Hey Mason, hi Heather," smiled Shaun, from behind them, making Mason turn around, "I'm glad you two are here."

"Oh, hey Shaun," Mason grinned, "Thank you, we're glad to be here."

"Yo, Shaun," boomed a loud voice from across the room, and getting nearer by the second, "Is this the guy that kicked your ass?"

~~~~~~

Chapter Two

Suddenly Mason came toe to toe with the biggest guy he'd ever seen before. He had to be at least six feet, six inches tall; and probably weighed somewhere in the neighborhood of two hundred and ninety to three hundred pounds. However, there wasn't an ounce of fat on him anywhere, which made for a menacing sight to Mason. 

But, Mason being who he was, simply smiled and extending a handshake, replied, "Hi, my name is Mason Markinson."

"Mason," grinned Chuck, "Let me introduce you to Brian Hawkins, starting fullback for the Texas Longhorns."

"I've heard some things about you," Brian emotionlessly replied, crossing his arms, "Are they true?"

"I don't know," said Mason, putting his hands on his hips, "Were the things you heard good, or bad?"

"Well, they were pretty amazing," Brian contemplated, "So, I guess that means they were good."

"That explains it then," Mason laughed.

"You lost me there," Brian said, scratching his head, "What do you mean?"

"If you heard good things about me from him," Mason grinned, nodding at Chuck, "Then you can be fairly sure that its bull shit."

"HELL YEAH," Brian loudly roared with laughter, as he put his arm around Mason, "He can stay, welcome to Alpha House, little bro." 

~~~~~~

After that night, Mason knew what it was to be well liked. Everywhere he went on campus, people that he didn't know would acknowledge him with either a cheery smile or simple nod of their head. 

~~~~~~

His relationship with Heather only brought them closer, until everything changed one afternoon. "I'm moving into an apartment this summer, Mason," Heather said as they walked along to his dorm, "And I want you to move in with me."

"Gosh, Heather," Mason nervously replied, "I don't know, I mean...."

"Don't you care about me, Mason?" she sweetly asked, "Because I sure care about you."

"You know I care about you, Heather, but what will your parents say?" Mason hesitantly asked, "And what will my Mom say?"

"I know how to help you make your mind up," she purred, taking his hand, "Come with me, baby."

~~~~~~

Back in her dorm room Heather stood before Mason, smiling seductively. And as she began to unbutton her shirt, Mason gulped and asked, "What're you doing, Heather?"

After removing her shirt and dropping it on the floor, she reached behind her back, unsnapping her bra. While still holding the cups of her bra to her breasts, Heather smiled and sensually purred, "I want you to make love to me, Mason," as she slowly removed her hands, allowing her bra to fall onto the floor where it laid next to her blouse. Mason sat in awe of her beautiful tits, speechless, his throat going dry and his cock becoming hard.

"Aren't you going to say anything, Mason?"

"Oh my God, Heather," he replied trembling, "You are so beautiful....and....and I love you so much."

As her eyes began to fill with tears, Heather smiled while she climbed into Mason's lap, threw her arms around his neck, and said, "I've been in love with you for a long time now, Mason, but I didn't want to tell you, because I didn't want to scare you off."

"That will never happen, baby," Mason breathed, as he placed his lips on her nipple that was now only inches from his face as she sat in his lap, "Not in a million years."

"Oh Mason," Heather moaned, cradling his head in her arms as he now began to tenderly suck both of her hard nipples, "Oh, yes Baby, suck my titties. Mmm, that feels so fucking good."

They progressed with their oral administrations until it eventually led to them making love. And while it could be graphically depicted, suffice it to say that the love that was not only made, but shared between them that afternoon, became the glue that would eventually seal their lives together for all eternity.

~~~~~~

"Good morning, lover," Heather purred, when Mason opened his eyes to find himself naked in bed with her the next morning.

"Mmm, good morning," he smiled, stretching his body while placing his arms around her and pulling her naked body against his.

"Did you mean what you said last night," she asked, "Right before we went to sleep?"

"And that would be what," he teased, "Maybe you need to refresh my memory?"

"Oh Mason," she giggled, playfully slapping his arm, "You know what I'm talking about."

"Of course, I remember," Mason smiled, tenderly holding her next to him, "And yes, I meant what I said when I told you that I was going to marry you someday."

"I love you so very much, Mason Markinson," Heather sweetly replied, as tears of joy poured happily down her face.

"I love you, too, Heather Winters," smiled Mason, tenderly kissing her lips, "And I always will."

From then on, you didn't see Mason on campus, or anywhere else that Heather wasn't very far away, and as the weeks progressed; they became so close that nothing, short of God himself, would ever be able separate them.

~~~~~~

Mason had not only won the respect of the entire football team, but they also treated him as if he were one of them. Mason and 'his buddies', as he affectionately called the football players, came to mutually respect one another. Mason wasn't a muscular giant like the rest of them, but as they once said of him, he was a small guy with a huge heart, and that made them respect and adore him that much more.

~~~~~~

"Hi Ben," Mason smiled, as he walked into the gym for his weekly Karate lesson.

"Hey, Mason," Ben knowingly smiled, "How's Heather?"

"She's great," Mason proudly replied, "Thanks for asking."

"Glad to hear it," Ben grinned, "I've got a surprise for you, my friend."

"Oh, yeah," Mason asked, "What is it?"

Ben folded his arms across his chest and proudly replied, "I've entered you in the All-State Amateur Karate Tournament, which will take place six weeks from now."

"Do you think I'm ready, Ben?"

"I sure do," smiled Ben, "You've been ready for this your whole life."

~~~~~~

When word of Mason's impending competition reached the football team, they got Ben's approval and took over Mason's training. "You can do it, little brother," Shaun said, as together, they ran the five mile stretch of road that ran up and down some of the steep hills surrounding the campus.

"Is this how you guys train before your football games, Shaun?" Mason asked, as they ran along and up and down.

"It sure is, Mace," smiled Shaun, "But wait until you see what Brian and Chuck have waiting for you at the bottom of this last hill."

~~~~~~

As Shaun and Mason rounded the last bend at the bottom of the last hill, Mason first saw the bright smiling face of Heather as she sat atop a cooler in the back of Brian's truck, where both Brian and Chuck sat, grinning proudly at him.

"Hi, baby," Heather grinned, as stood and then reached into the cooler to retrieve a cold bottle of Gatorade, which she handed to Mason, "How was your run?"

"It was tough," Mason smiled, taking a cool refreshing drink of his Gatorade, "But I'm sure that the guys I'm supposed to fight are a lot tougher that this."

"That's the spirit, Mace," Chuck said, "We know you can do it, buddy."

~~~~~~

Chapter Two

"I don't know if I'm really ready for this, Ben," Mason worriedly said, as he prepared to participate in his first full contact competition, "These guys are all black belts."

"You just rely on your training, Mason," Ben reassured him, "You're faster, stronger, and more agile than all of these guys put together."

~~~~~~

As the referee gave the two fighters their instructions, Mason sized up the man standing on the mat in front of him. He had to have been right at six feet tall. Still though, Mason was confident that he could get in underneath him and maybe tangle him up a bit.

When the ref gave the signal to begin, the other fighter threw a forward lunge punch. Mason saw it coming, but as opposed to just simply blocking it; he got beneath the punch and landed a devastating upper cut into his opponent's jaw that raised him almost two feet into the air, knocking him flat on his back, unconscious. 

The crowd burst into a roar of cheers for Mason, and for the first time in his life, he felt like a bonafide athlete. Mason fought twice more, winning both times, before fighting in the semi-finals that afternoon, where he won his place in the finals later that night.

~~~~~~

THAT NIGHT

None of Mason's previous fights had lasted more than one round, and now that he was going into the third round; he was beginning to feel some pressure. "He's all over me, Ben," Mason panted, on the thirty second break before the next round "It's like he knows my every move."

Wiping the back of Mason's neck with a cold towel, Ben smiled and replied, "That's because you're trying to stand toe-to-toe with this guy. He's bigger than you are so; you need to keep moving around. It slows him down and confuses him. Just take your time and break him down a piece at a time. We've still got three more rounds so, there's still time," then leaning in to Mason's ear, Ben whispered, "Remember what I told you. This guy has a soft jaw. Try to land as many blows to the head as you can, and keep him guessing."

The bell rang and out came the fighters. Mason took his mentor's advice and began to dance around the mat like he was standing on hot coals. Every two to three seconds he would throw a fast hard punch to his opponent's head; avoiding every single counter punch the other fighter threw. The crowd came alive and loudly began chanting his name, and as the round progressed; Mason's opponent began showing definite and obvious signals of his impending defeat. His defense was weakening and Mason seemed to be all over him, flurrying him with fast, hard punches directly to his face, and jaw. Suddenly Mason saw the chance to land a hard kick to his opponent's face, and after exploiting that same opportunity, and right before his opponent fell unconscious a large white towel came sailing into the ring like a brilliant flame from the opposing side, signaling their resignation from the tight. And upon seeing it; the referee immediately stopped the fight and claimed Mason the victor. 

~~~~~~

Heather, as well as the rest of his peers from college, threw Mason a big victory party after the fight at Hippie Hollow Park, on Lake Travis. And while he was a bit banged up from the day's exploits, Mason knew that Heather would make him forget about everything but the love they had for one another. 

"I'm so proud of you, baby," Heather purred, as she and Mason sat huddled together in front of one of the many small fires that had been built where the party was being held.

"We are, too," smiled Chuck, as he, Brian, Shaun and Rick grinned from across the fire they had all been seated around. 

"As a matter of fact," said Chuck, with Brian, Rick and Shaun knowingly chuckling beside him, "We're all very proud of you, Mason. And because of the pure strength, drive and determination you showed in the ring today, we want to make you a member of our fraternity, if you'll have us, that is."

"That's all great, and I appreciate it," Mason pointedly replied, "But I'm a little too old for all the bullshit of rush week, fellas."

"Well, I can take care of that," chuckled Brian, as he suddenly picked Mason up, and ran into the lake with Mason in his arms until they were in waist deep water and then fell straight back, soaking them both. "You've officially been rushed," Brian laughed, as the two of them walked back to the shore, both laughing hysterically.

"God, you are such an asshole," Mason laughed, as he took off his shirt, wringing the lake water from it.

"And your point is?" smiled Brian, as he reached into his truck and withdrew a couple of towels and tossed one of them to Mason.

"Be at Alpha house this Friday night at seven o'clock wearing a tux," grinned Chuck, "Okay, Little Brother?"

"Are you guys serious?" Mason excitedly asked.

"You bet we are," Brian replied smiling.

~~~~~~

The following Monday proved to be a turning point in Mason's life, as everywhere he went, people gave him accolades, praising his victory at the tournament the previous weekend.

Ben gave him two weeks off from his training, not only because finals were coming up in a week, but because Mason had been working his ass off for three years, and it was time he had some rest, and a little fun, too. Not only was Ben a coach, but he was also Mason's friend, and he wanted Mason to revel in his new found celebrity without having to worry about making it on time to classes, as well as his training sessions.

Heather soon got on the pill, and she and Mason made love almost every night, whether it was in her dorm, or at the little motel that was right outside of town where they would occasionally spend secluded weekends.

~~~~~~

"I love you so much, Mason," Heather breathed, clinging to his side as they caught their breath from the love making session they both had just enjoyed, "I'll always love you."

"I know you do, baby," Mason smiled, "And I love you with all my heart."

"The initiation ceremony is tomorrow night," Heather smiled, "Are you nervous?"

"A little," Mason grinned, "But not so much. I still can't believe they want me in their fraternity, though."

"And why not," Heather disapprovingly asked, "Are you, or are you not the National Amateur Full-Contact Karate Champion?"

"Well sure," he began, "But it's not the same a being a football player."

"Bullshit, Mason," she glared, now sitting up in bed, "You think that any one of those guys on that team doesn't get hit just as hard, or harder than you do when they play?" 

"I guess I never looked at it that way," Mason smiled, gently putting his arms around her, "Thanks Heather, you're the best, and one day, I'm gonna marry you."

"Is that right?" she giggled, tenderly kissing his lips, "Well don't let your mouth go making any bets that your little ass can't cash, Mason."

"Little ass?" he laughed, holding her close to him and tickling her, making her delightfully squeal, "I'll show you a little ass, girlie-girl."

They playfully wrestled until they made love once more, and then went to sleep, holding one another until the sun began to peek over the horizon to start the new day.

~~~~~~

Mason opened his eyes when he awoke the next morning to find Heather's naked body pressed tightly to his own. It was obvious by the smile on her face that she'd been watching him while he slept. "You're so cute when you're asleep, baby," she smiled, leaning over and kissing his lips."

"Good morning to you, too, pretty girl," Mason grinned, "How did you sleep?"

"Mmm," she cooed, hugging him tightly, "I always sleep well when I'm lying next to you."

"You are so beautiful," Mason breathed, running his hand down her back and onto the round globes of her perfect naked ass, "I love you, Heather."

"I'll always love you, Mace," she purred, snuggling closer, "Always..."

~~~~~~

That week was spent with both Heather and Mason studying for their finals during the week to come. They also made certain that they took enough time out of each day for one another. Not only was Mason looking forward to being inducted into the Alpha Beta Epsilon fraternity on Friday, his mother and grand parents, who, without his knowledge, were going to be attending the ceremony to see him take his place in one of the most prestigious fraternities not only on campus, but also across the country.

~~~~~~

FRIDAY EVENING

6:30 PM

"How do I look?" Mason asked Heather, right before they left for Alpha House, "Does this tux look okay on me?"

"Are you kidding me, Mason?" she swooned, "You look so handsome, baby; and I can't believe that you're all mine. I feel like the luckiest girl in the whole world."

"I don't think so, baby," he grinned, gently pulling her against him as he tenderly kissed her lips, "I'm the one who's lucky, because I got you."

~~~~~~

After the ceremony was over with, and Mason had been given his membership papers, plaque and frat pin, which he immediately gave to Heather; he stood in silent shock when his mother, Jane, as well as his grandparents, Chandler and Vivian Markinson approached him smiling from ear-to-ear.

"Hi, baby," Jane proudly smiled, hugging her son as her eyes filled with happy tears, "I'm so proud of you, Mason honey."

"Oh, my God," he gasped, in shock, "What're you guys doing here?"

"I invited them, Mason," Ben smiled, coming in behind them, "I hope that's alright with you, kiddo."

Mason was so happy to see his family that the only thing he could do was to silently embrace his mother and grandparents, as happy tears filled his own eyes.

"I'm so glad you guys are here," he softly told them, "I've missed all so much," then he looked over at Ben and quietly sniffled, "Thanks, Ben."

All of a sudden, he heard Heather clearing her throat, as she stood beside him, smiling, making him pull away from them, and with a huge smile on his face, he took Heather by the hand and proudly said, "Mom, Nan, Papaw, This is my girlfriend, Miss Heather Winters, and I'm going to marry her after I graduate."

"Oh, my goodness," Jane sweetly replied, pulling Heather into her arms, "It's so nice to meet you sweetheart...oh, and she's so pretty, Mason."

"It's nice to meet you, too, Missus Markinson," Heather politely replied smiling, "And I want to let you know that I love Mason with all my heart."

"Damn, son," Chandler proudly smiled, hugging his grandson, "She's beautiful...I'm very proud of you Mason...damn proud."

"Thank you, sir," Mason respectfully told his grandfather, "I want you to be proud of me."

"I hear that you're the All State Karate Champion, too," Chandler knowingly grinned, winking at Ben, "I always knew that you'd do well, son."

"No sir," Mason teased, "I'm the National Champion, Papaw."

"You've never done anything half-assed," the old man proudly laughed, "Have you, boy?"

About that time Shaun and Rick approached Mason and his family, and after being introduced to them by Mason, Rick smiled and said, "Coach Tyler, sir; I apologize for taking Mason away from his family, but we need to him to stand with us for the group photograph, please."

"You go with your friends, Mace," Chandler smiled, "It'll give your mother, grandmother and me the chance to talk to your beautiful girlfriend. Maybe we can get her to tell us the things about you that I know you damn sure won't tell us," and then he laughed.

"I'll be right back," Mason smiled, making it a point to kiss Heather right before he left.

.

"You'd better watch my grandfather, baby," He smiled at Heather, "And don't believe a word he says either."

"Get outta here, boy, before I rattle your little ass," Chandler good naturedly teased, "Karate Champion or not..."




Blessed are the Meek



~~~~~~

"Would you folks like to sit down?" Heather politely asked, as she guided them to one of the open table in the banquet room of Alpha house "I'm dying to know about Mason. He doesn't tell me much."

"Of course, pretty girl," Vivian gently smiled, "What would you like to know?"

"I'd like to know about what he was like when he was a little boy," Heather quietly replied, "He'll talk about things to a certain point, but when I try to get him to tell me about how he grew up, he totally shuts me out," and then her eyes began to fill with painful tears, "I love him so much, and please don't tell him that I told you this, but he cries for his father in his sleep," and then she began to softly but painfully weep.

"Shh, it's okay, baby girl," Jane softly soothed her, "He never knew his father because he was killed in Vietnam. He won't tell you this because he doesn't know, but Mason's father gave his life while trying to save wounded men. He died a hero," and then of course Jane's eyes began to dampen, but after quickly regaining control of her emotions, she continued, "Mason was born two months prematurely, and I honestly thought we were going to lose him there for a while. Now that I've met you, and seen what my son has accomplished thus far, I know that God had a very special purpose for putting you and Mason in one another's lives."

"I guess now I see why he's the way he is," Heather proudly replied, "He's got the biggest heart I've ever seen, and he's so kind to every single person he meets. And just so you guys know, everybody here loves him very much."

"You don't know how proud that makes us, sweetheart," Jane tenderly replied, "He looks just like his father did when he was that age."

"I'll bet his father was very handsome then," Heather sweetly smiled, "I hope that I'm not out of line by saying this so, please don't take it the wrong way; but your son and I gave our virginities to one another, and he's the most gentle man I've ever known."

"I think you're a very wise young woman," Jane affectionately told her, "And I'm happy that you and Mason are together."

"I agree with my daughter," Chandler kindly smiled, as he took Heather by the hand, and stood her up. He then gathered her into his arms, and gently while hugging her, he said, "Welcome to our family, sweet girl. We're very proud to have you."

"Thank you," she softly replied, "I promise you all that I'll never hurt him, and I'll always love him his whole life..."

~~~~~~

Chapter Three

"I need to talk to you, Mom," Mason quietly asked her, as he and his mother walked around campus, his grandparents having gone back to their hotel room, while Heather waited patiently for him at her dorm room, "Heather's getting an apartment next year, and she wants me to move in with her."

"Why're you telling me this?" she knowingly asked, a pleasant smile on her face, "You're a grown man now, and you don't need my permission to do anything where she's concerned. You know that don't you?"

"I suppose so," he said, "I guess I'm asking you what you think about it, that's all."

"Do you love her, son?" Diane asked him, stopping to look into her son's eyes, "Because if you two are planning on living together, then you need to be sure about how you feel about one another."

"I love her more than anything in the world, Mom," he sincerely replied, "I just don't want to disappoint you, or Nana and Papaw."

"Oh, honey," she sweetly told him, "There's no way on this earth that you could ever do that, Mason. We just want you to be happy, okay?"

"I love you, Mom," he told her, "And I'm so glad that I had you guys to look out for me as I was growing up. I only wish that Dad was here to see all of this. Do you think he would've been proud of me?"

"Baby, I know he would have," she sniffled, "When I told your father that I was pregnant with you, I thought he was going to bounce off of the walls, he was so happy. So; I have no doubt that he'd be just as proud of you now as he was then..."

"Do you miss him, Mom?" Mason asked.

"There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about him," Jane sadly replied, then she smiled and said, "But I've got a part of him with me as long as you're alive. I've always told you how much you look like him."

"I think you should remarry," Mason teased, "You're too hot to be by yourself, Mom. All of the guys in my fraternity agree with me ya know."

"And I think you should mind your own business, Mister Smart Ass," she giggled, "So, don't worry about me. I want you to focus on that beautiful girl that's waiting for you back at her dorm."

"She really is pretty;" he contentedly smiled, "Isn't she?"

"Yes, she is, honey," Diane softly told him, "And one of these days you two are going to give me some beautiful grandbabies to spoil..."

~~~~~~

The time had come for his family to go back home; and as they prepared to leave, Mason and Heather made certain that they were there to see them off.

"There's enough money in your account to last you through the rest of the year," Chandler Markinson told his grandson, handing him a checkbook to his new bank account, "Make sure you use it wisely son."

"Yes sir," Mason gratefully yet respectfully replied, "You really didn't have to do this, Papaw. I could've gotten myself a job ya know."

"I know that," Chandler proudly smiled, "But I want you to be able to not only pay your half of the bills, but I also don't want you to have to worry about anything but your studies, and taking care of that sweet, pretty girlfriend of yours, okay son?"

"Yes sir," he smiled, hugging his grandfather, "Thank you, Papaw. I won't disappoint you, I promise."

"I know you won't," the old man smiled, desperately fighting back the tears that were threatening to fall down his face. Then, so as to make sure no one else could hear, he leaned down and softly told his grandson, "I want you to call me when you get ready to buy Heather an engagement ring, okay?"

"I sure will," Mason grinned, his cheeks blushing, turning bright red, "Thanks, Papaw."

"You betcha, kiddo," Chandler chuckled, as he, his wife and daughter got ready to leave, "Well, I guess we'd better get on the road so that I don't get hung up in the damn traffic so; we'll see you two later. It was nice to meet you, Miss Heather." 

"You, too, Mister Markinson," Heather sweetly replied, "Ya'll be careful on the way back..."

~~~~~~

THE FOLLOWING WEEK

It was nearing the end of the semester, and that was when Heather decided that it was time for Mason to meet her family. Mr. John Winters, and his wife, Heather's mother, Lena arrived at Heather's dorm room with smiles on their faces. Heather had excitedly told them all about Mason, and they were breathless with anticipation to meet him.

"Mom, Daddy," Heather sweetly smiled, "I'd like you to meet the love of my life, Mason Markinson. Mason, honey, this is John and Lena Winters, my mother and father."

"It's very nice to meet you, sir," Mason smiled, extending his hand to her father, "I hope you two had a pleasant trip."

"I've heard a lot of good things about you, son," John kindly smiled, as he and Mason shook hands, "And I wanted to personally thank you for looking out for my daughter's safety."

"You're welcome, sir," Mason respectfully told him, "I'd die before I'd ever let anything happen to her, Mister Winters."

"Oh, Heather, sweetie," her mother gushed, "He is just as handsome as you said. It's so nice to finally meet you, Mason. I've heard so many wonderful things about you."

"The pleasure is all mine, Missus Winters, I assure you," Mason smiled, "And I can see why Heather is so beautiful. She clearly gets it from you, if you don't mind my saying so."

"Oh, my goodness," Lena smiled, her face turning bright red, as she glanced at her daughter, "What a polite young man."

"He's always like that, Mom," Heather proudly told her, "And that's why I love him so much."

All of a sudden, John looked at Mason, and with a somewhat stern yet kind tone of voice, he looked at Mason and said, "My daughter tells me that you two plan on living together this next yer. Is that right?"

"Yes sir," Mason replied, being respectful, yet clearly and firmly standing his own ground, "I know that you and your wife may have concerns about that particular issue, sir; but I assure you that my intentions are nothing but honorable, Mister Winters."

"I see," John replied, "And while we're on the subject; what are your intentions where my daughter is concerned?"

"I've asked her to marry me after we graduate, and she's accepted," Mason told him, "And while we seek not only your permission, but also your blessing, make no mistake when I tell you that we don't need it. I'm in no way trying to be disrespectful, Mister Winters; but I love Heather that much, sir."

"I can appreciate that," John said, "So how are you planning on providing for my daughter?"

"I'll do whatever it takes," Mason said, "And that means that if I have to work three jobs to take care of her, I will, sir."

John's stern glare quickly melted into a warm smile, and placing his arm around Mason's shoulder, he grinned and said, "My daughter told me that you had the heart of a lion, and I can clearly see that she was right. Welcome to our family, son."

"Thank you, sir," I happy that you approve, and I promise not to disappoint you."

"I have no doubt about that," John chuckled, "Heather told me that you were the National Karate Champion. Is that right?"

"Yes sir," Mason proudly smiled, "That's correct."

"I want to hear all about it," John smiled, "I've always been fascinated by the martial arts."

As her father and her fiancé talked, Heather looked at her mother, and with a smile on her beautiful face, she smiled and said, "See, I told you he was the real thing, didn't I, Mom?"

"Yes, you did, baby girl," Lena tenderly replied, "And I'm so happy for you, sweetheart."

"He's the kindest, most gentle person I've ever known," Heather happily sniffled, "And I can't, no, I won't let him go...not for anything. My heart starts beating like crazy just being in the same room with him, and when he's not around me, I feel like I'm going to die before I see him again."

"I understand, baby," Lena knowing replied, "Now you know how I felt the first time I met your father. I just hope that you two are being careful if you know what I mean."

"You can relax, Mom," she grinned, "I got on the pill right after this past Christmas break."

"You're a very wise young woman, baby," Lena proudly smiled, "And I want you to know, that when you and Mason get married, your father and I are going to be right there for the both of you."

"Thank you, Momma," Heather sniffled, "I love you and Daddy so much."

I want to give you some good advice baby," Lena whispered to her daughter, "As long as you fuck him as good as you feed him, he'll never stray."

"Mother," Heather playfully gasped, her face turning a bright shade of red, "That's terrible," which of course was followed by knowing fits of giggles between her and her mother.

"Your grandmother told me the same thing right before I married your father," Lena laughed, "And you'll notice that we're still together after all these years, and, let me just say that there's never a dull moment in the bedroom..."

~~~~~~

That night after dinner when the waitress brought the check to the table, Mason was reaching for it while pulling his wallet out of his back pocket. However, right before he picked it up, Heather's father, John, snatched the check from his grasp.

"Your money's no good her, Mason," John laughed, "Besides, I'd planned on buying yours and Heather's dinner this evening anyway."

"That's not right, Mister Winters," Mason replied, "At least let me pay for mine and Heather's part of it."

"It's not happening," the man grinned, patting Mason's shoulder, "And I want you to call me John and my wife Lena from now on, okay?"

"If you say so, Mist...err, I mean John," Mason chuckled, "Thank you, thank you very much. We really appreciate it."

"You're welcome, son," John light heartedly smiled, "And just so you know, I want you to make my daughter bring you home some time this summer so I can show you off to all of my friends, okay?"

"Uh, sure," Mason said, "But there's not really much to show off."

"Horse shit," John laughed, "My soon to be son is a National Karate Champion."

"He's right, baby," Heather smiled, leaning over and kissing him right in front of her parents, "We're so proud of you."

"Come on, you guys," Mason grinned, his face turning red, "You're embarrassing me..."

~~~~~~

That night as they lay in bed together after they'd just finished making love, Heather leaned across Mason's chest and rubbed her beautiful breasts against him.

"My parents adore you, baby," she cooed, "I hope you know that."

"I really like them, too," he smiled, gently running his hand across her hot little ass, "Your Dad is a good man."

"Are you kidding me?" she sweetly giggled, "Dad thinks you're the greatest thing since sliced bread, and Mom couldn't tell me enough how handsome she thought you were."

"You look just like her," he smiled, "That's why you're so beautiful."

"Aw, thank you, baby," she softly replied, tenderly kissing his lips, "I love you so much, Mason."

"I'm glad," he told her, gazing into her big dark eyes, "Because I love you more than anything in the world..."

~~~~~~

TWO WEEKS LATER

Mason and Heather had been living together for about ten days, and there was only about a week left before college dismissed for the summer. They were spending the day out at Lake Travis enjoying what was left of spring as the season began to turn to summer. Needless to say, the day had been beautiful, and as they lay together in the sun, Heather told Mason that she was thirsty.

"I'm sorry, baby," Mason smiled, "I'll go to the car and get the cooler."

"Don't worry about it," she grinned, "I'll go get it; you keep your seat, handsome."

"Are you sure?" he asked, "I don't mind one bit."

"We didn't pack the big cooler; we packed the small one, remember silly?" she grinned, standing up, "Besides, "I'm not totally helpless, honey. I'll be right back," and with that, she merrily trotted toward the parking lot which was about thirty yards away from where they were laying out.

Heather hadn't been gone for more than a few minutes, when Mason suddenly heard a familiar voice screaming, "MASON...HELP ME, PLEASE!!!"

He took off like a shot out of a cannon toward the parking lot where his truck was parked...

~~~~~~

When he arrived at his truck, the first thing he saw was that Heather had her arms across her bare chest as two assholes, who'd clearly ripped her top off, were trying put their hands on her breasts.

"Come on, baby," the bigger of the two drunkenly sneered, "All we wanna do is suck on those hot ass tits of yours."

"Back off now, asshole," Mason growled, quickly stepping in between the two idiots and Heather, reaching into the open cab of his truck and retrieving a tee shirt for Heather to put on, "What the fuck is the matter with you, huh? Does it make you feel like a big man to pick on a girl, you fucking coward?"

It was very obvious that Mason had lost his temper, something he never did, but because these two idiots had messed with Heather, he was clearly ready to destroy them where they stood.

"Why don't you step off, half pint," the bigger one spat, "This isn't any of your business."

"Your ass, fuck face," Mason quickly replied, "You're messing with my girlfriend so; I'm giving you fair warning right now, back off before you get hurt...I mean it."

"Bullshit," the guy laughed, "We're gonna fuck you up, and then right before I kill you, we're gonna fuck your little cunt girlfriend until she begs for more," and then he tried to catch Mason off guard by taking a swing at him.

However, Mason quickly locked the guy up in a standing arm-bar, and while maintaining a strong, unbreakable hold on the guy's arm, he spun around to his right, with the loud snapping of the bone being very audible, Mason broke the guy's humerus, dead center between his elbow and his shoulder, making him scream bloody murder.

All of a sudden Heather yelled, "MASON, LOOK OUT," just in time to make Mason turn to see the guy's partner coming at him with a broken beer bottle in his right hand, yelling, "I'M GONNA KILL YOU, YOU MOTHERFUCKER," And of course after grabbing hold of the guy's hand that was holding the broken beer bottle, Mason delivered a swift, hard, roundhouse kick to the guy's open, left temporal side, dropping him like a hot potato, and leaving him on his back, out cold.

Of course someone had called the police, and no less than ten seconds later, two police cruisers came to a screeching halt, as both officers immediately jumped out of their cars, demanding an explanation...

~~~~~~

It was a good thing that there were more than plenty of people who saw what happened, because Mason was exonerated of any wrong doing on the spot, as witnesses all told the police that he'd been forced to react the way he had and that it was self defense, pure and simple. However the two idiots in question, who both attended the same college as Heather and Mason, were arrested on attempted rape, as well as attempted murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charges. 

"You're gonna pay for this, motherfucker," the guy who'd pulled the broken beer bottle said, after he's been awakened and as he was being led away, "We're both PIKES (Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity members); and my brothers will avenge us, you little sonofabitch."

Mason just laughed and shook his head as he told Heather, "Come on baby; let's get out of here. I've had about all the excitement I can handle for one day. What about you?"

"You saved me again, baby," she sniffled, "Can we just go home?'

"Of course we can," he softly replied, escorting Heather, who was visibly shaken by this time, back to their truck, "Come on, sweetheart, you're safe now."

~~~~~~

The two guys who'd been involved with molesting Heather were named Biff Howard, and Tad Cummings.

"Biff and Tad," Mason laughed, when he found out, "They even sound like your typical "college boy" jerks."

"Mason," Heather scolded him, not being able to help but laugh, "That's not nice, and you know it."

"Maybe not," he viciously spat, "But neither was pulling your top off."

"You're right," she replied, "Thank you for being there to save me."

"I had to save you," he softly told her, "I love you..."

When the graduating class walked across the platform that year, Mason was there to cheer some of his friends, and a couple of his fraternity brothers on. However, little did he realize what the word brotherhood would truly come to mean during the beginning of his senior year the next year? 

~~~~~~

During that summer, Mason and Heather began to explore the true depth of their love. And in doing so, they discovered how much they were, beyond doubt, destined to be together.

Biff Howard and Tad Cummings had been advised by their attorneys to stay out of trouble until their impending trial date, and because of it; Mason had almost forgotten about it. That was until he got a phone call from the district attorney's office two weeks before classes were scheduled to begin.

"Mister Markinson," Assistant District Attorney, Jane Hamilton, said, "I'd like it if you and Miss Winters could come in to our office so that we can go over your testimony, if you don't mind."

"No, ma'am," Mason cheerfully smiled, "When would you like us to be there?" 

"Would tomorrow morning at nine o'clock be alright?" she politely asked.

"Yes, ma'am," he told her, "We'll be there. Your office is somewhere in the courthouse building, yes?"




Blessed are the Meek



"Yes, it is," she smiled, "I'll be down in the lobby to meet you two when you get there, and we'll go to my office from there, okay?"

"Good enough, Ms. Hamilton," Mason respectfully replied, "We look forward to it," and then he hung the phone up.

~~~~~~

THAT EVENING 

Mason and Heather were sitting together at their kitchen table talking right after they'd finished doing the supper dishes, when Heather looked at him and dreadfully said, "I don't know about you, baby, but I'm afraid."

"Why are you afraid, sweetheart?" he asked, gently taking her hand, "There's no reason to be."

"Biff and Tad are going to be in court," she said, "And I'm scared that something might happen."

"Aw, come on now, baby," he gently soothed her, tenderly taking her into his arms, "Don't you know by now that I'm not about to let anything happen to you?"

"I know that," she sweetly grinned, "I just don't want to have to look at those two assholes in court, that's all."

"I don't blame you," Mason softly replied, "But you know that the law says that the defendants have the right to stand before their accusers, right?"

"Of course I do," she replied, "I just don't want to ever look at those two creeps again."

"Don't worry about it," he reassured her, "It's not going to be as bad as you think, my love; and I'm going to be right there beside you, okay baby?"

"Okay," she smiled, hugging him and tenderly kissing his lips,, "I love you, Mason."

"Mmm, I know you do," he smiled, returning the kiss, "And I love you, too."

~~~~~~

THE FOLLOWING MORNING

TRAVIS COUNTY COURTHOUSE

AUSTIN, TEXAS

9:00 AM

"Good morning, Mister Markinson, Miss Winters," Assistant District Attorney Jane Hamilton smiled, as she greeted Mason and Heather in the lobby of the Travis County Courthouse, "I'm glad that you two could come. Would you follow me to my office please?"

"We'd be happy to," Mason politely replied, "If you'll lead the way, please."

~~~~~~

"Thank you again for coming," Miss Hamilton told them, once they were seated in her office, "And I want you to call my by my first name, Jane. Do you mind if I call you by your first names? It makes for a more comfortable working atmosphere for me."

"Of course, Jane, that's also my mother's name so; it'll be easier to remember," Mason charmingly grinned, "Plus, Mister Markinson was my father. My name is Mason, and this is my fiancée, Heather."

"Perfect," Jane smiled, "We need to go over a few things and iron out any problems before the trial of Biff Howard and Tad Cummings starts next week."

"What problems," Mason asked, "They tried to rape my girlfriend, and then they attacked me when I tried to stop them."

"They've hired a very well known defense attorney," Jane said, "His name is Terrance Redmond, and he's never lost a case."

"Maybe not," Mason assuredly told her, "But he's going to lose this one."

"I'm warning you, Mason," Jane forebodingly replied, "This guy is no idiot. Not only will he try to make you look like a brawling monster, but he'll also try to make Heather look like a tramp in front of the jury."

"Let him try," Mason said, "The difference between him and us is that we've got the truth on our side; and like my grandfather says, the truth will set you free when the rest of the world is on fire. Besides; we've got several witnesses who're all willing to testify in our behalf."

"That's the thing," she regrettably told them, "Only three of them are willing to come forth to testify."

"Are you kidding me?" Mason incredulously asked, "There were more than thirty people who saw what happened that day."

"It doesn't matter," Jane said, "The jury is going to believe what they believe is the truth, and James Redmond has been known to discredit every witness that he's ever questioned in open court."

"I don't care," Mason angrily replied, "We did nothing wrong, and that's that..."

~~~~~~

Chapter Four

There were only two days left until the trail began, and because Jane had supplied Mason with a copy of the police report, which included the names and addresses of every witness who'd given their statements to the police that day; Mason had spent the past week and a half going door-to-door, begging those same people to come forward and testify in his and Heather's behalf. But no matter how polite he'd been when asking for their help, they'd basically slammed the door in his face every time.

"I've done everything I know to do," Mason sadly told Heather that evening, "What's wrong with these people? They're going to let these animals go free by not testifying," and then his eyes filled with tears of anguish, making him shake his head in shame, as he told her, "I'm sorry, baby. I did the best I could, I swear I did."

"It's going to be okay, Mason," Heather sniffled, "I still love you anyway, baby, and that's never going to change. Do you hear me?"

"NO, it's not," Mason replied, suddenly becoming angry, "Those two assholes are going to be set free; and then they'll come looking for payback, and I'll end up going to prison, because, I'll kill them, as God as my witness, I swear I will."

"Easy baby," Heather softly said, gently pulling him into her arms, "You're not going to do anything of the kind, Mason...you're not like those two guys, and you know you're not."

~~~~~~

TRAVIS COUNTY COURTHOUSE

AUSTIN, TEXAS 

TWO DAYS LATER

10:00 AM

After the defendants had entered their pleas of not guilty, opening statements were heard from both the defense and the prosecution. The first two witnesses that were called to testify by the prosecution were the responding Police Officers, Sergeant David Parron, and Officer Thomas Glades took the stand and gave their statements. 

When Jane individually questioned the two Policemen, she was brief, concise, and to the point. However, when the defense attorney, Mr. Terrance Redmond, began his questioning, both times he tried to twist their testimonies around to discredit them, and both times he received a warning from the Judge for it after the second time; telling him that he would be found in contempt of court if he did it again.

"I apologize, Your Honor," Redmond respectfully replied, "It won't happen again."

"It better not," Judge William Anderson growled, "Or else you'll find yourself in jail. Do you understand me, Mister Redmond?"

"Yes, Your Honor," Redmond replied, "My apologies to the court, sir."

"Accepted," Anderson glared, "Now sit down and shut up until the prosecution calls its next witness."

Jane stood and announced, "The prosecution calls Miss Heather Winters to the stand, and then she turned and smiled at Heather and said, "Miss Winters?"

Heather took the stand, was sworn in, and once she took her seat, Jane began her questioning.

"Miss Winters," Jane said, "Would you tell us, in your own words, what happened on the afternoon of July, Thirteenth, Nineteen-Eighty-Five?"

"Yes, ma'am," Heather began, "My finance and I were at Lake Travis laying out in the sun, and minding our own business, when I got thirsty. I went to our vehicle to get a small cooler full of soft drinks that we'd put there before we left from home. I hadn't been there for more than a minute or two, when the two guys who were drunk approached me and started using suggestive filthy language."

"Are they in the courtroom today, Miss Winters?" Jane asked, "And if so, would you point them out, please?"

"Yes. Ma'am," Heather replied, "They're sitting right over there," and then she pointed her finger at Biff Howard, who had his right arm in a cast, with a sling holding it close to his shoulder; and also Tad Cummings, both of whom were seated next to Terrance Redmond at the defendants table.

"I ask that you please let the record show, Your Honor," Jane announced, "That Miss Winters recognized the two defendants Biff Howard and Tad Cummings as her assailants."

"The record will show that Miss Winters recognized the defendants as her assailants," Judge Anderson replied, "Please continue Ms. Hamilton."

"Alright, Miss Winters," Jane continued, "What happened after that?"

"I politely asked them to please leave me alone, but they wouldn't, Biff Howard tried to put his arm around me but I pushed him away so; he reached over and ripped my bathing suit top off of me. When that happened, I screamed for my fiancée, as Biff Howard laughed and said, "Come on, baby, all we wanna do is suck on those hot ass tits of yours". When my fiancée got there, he threw me a sweatshirt that was inside our truck, and then he politely asked Biff Howard and Tad Cummings to leave me alone and..."

"Objection, Your Honor," Redmond interrupted her, "That's hearsay and..."

"That is not hearsay, Mister Redmond," Heather growled at him, "And don't you dare call me a liar, because it actually happened. Besides, everybody knows that all defense attorneys do is lie for a living so; you don't have the right to say anything to me until it's your turn."

"Please, Your Honor," Redmond said, "The witness is way out of line."

"I believe you heard what the lady said, Mister Redmond," Judge Anderson laughed, giving Heather a wink of approval. Then he looked back at Redmond and growled, "Objection overruled."

When Jane finished questioning Heather, it was Redmond's turn to cross-examine her, and in doing so, he told her, "Good morning, Miss Winters. How are you this morning?"

"You don't really care about how I'm doing, Mister Redmond," she defensively replied, "So; why are you even asking me?"

"Your Honor," Redmond told the judge, "Please instruct the witness to answer the questions she's asked."

"I believe she just did, "Judge Anderson laughed, "It's not my fault that you tried to call her a liar...next question, Mister Redmond."

"Alright then," Redmond replied, clearly upset with the way things were going, "Would you please tell us what happened on the day in question, Miss Winters?"

"She already did that too, counselor," Judge Anderson intervened, "Are you going to ask this witness anything pertinent to this case?"

"What kind of bathing suit were you wearing on the day in question, Miss Winters?" Redmond asked.

"I was wearing my new bikini," Heather replied.

"I see," Redmond said, "And would you say that it's provocative in its design?"

"No, it's not," Heather replied, "It was just a normal bikini until your two clients ripped the top to shreds when they were tried to sexually assault me."

"Your Honor," Redmond objected, "The witness is making accusations with no proof."

"You want proof?" Heather heatedly asked, pulling her shredded bikini top from her side dress pocket and then throwing it into Redmond's face, "There's your proof, you imbecile," causing not only did the jury to hysterically laugh, but also Jane, and Mason, as well as the rest of the people in the courtroom.

"ORDER IN THE COURT," Judge Anderson loudly replied, banging his gavel with a smile on his face.

"Your Honor," Redmond objected again, pulling the clearly torn garment off of his face, "Please instruct the witness about the proper procedure in the courtroom."

"He's right this time," Judge Anderson gently replied, "Please don't use that kind of language in the courtroom."

"I apologize, Your Honor," Heather quietly replied, "He just made me so mad."

"I can understand that, Miss Winters," Judge Anderson grinned, "He has that effect on a lot of people," the he turned to Redmond and instructed him to bring the item of clothing to the bench, and as he did, Jane also approached the bench to examine it for the sake of the prosecution.

"Your Honor," Jane immediately said, "With your permission, I'd like to enter this piece of evidence into the court and label it Exhibit A".

"Permission granted"," the Judge replied, "Next question, Mister Redmond."

Redmond then glared at his clients and defeatedly replied. "I have no more questions, Your Honor."

"That will be all, Miss Winters," Judge Anderson kindly replied smiling, "You may step down now."

"Thank you, Your Honor," Heather sweetly replied; however, as she stepped down from the witness stand, the glare that she gave Terrance Redmond, and the two animals he was representing made their blood suddenly run cold, almost as it someone had stepped across their graves.

Then Judge Anderson looked at his watch and announced, "This court is in recess until One O'clock," and then stood.

"ALL RISE," the bailiff announced, as Judge Anderson left the courtroom.

"Holy Moses," Jane excitedly told Heather, "I think you missed your calling, young lady. You would make one hell of an attorney. You've got Terrance Redmond sweating bullets, girl."

"I don't trust him one bit," Heather quietly replied, then she leaned over and hugged Mason as she quietly told him, "Be careful, baby; he's gonna come after you next."

"Let him come," Mason softly, yet defensively growled, "I'm not afraid of that piece of shit...not one bit."

~~~~~~

While the court was in recess, Heather and Mason decided to have lunch at a quaint Italian restaurant, called Pataglia's, which was located about two blocks north of the courthouse. Per Heather's request they'd been seated at a table that was on the patio outside. Suddenly; some woman, who was obviously a television reporter because a man carrying a camera seemed to be following her every move; approached their table, and began to ask them questions.

"You're Heather Winters and Mason Markinson," she inquired, "Aren't you?"

"I don't know," Mason unsociably, almost hatefully replied, "It all depends on who wants to know."

"I'm Sharon Langston," the lady replied smiling, "And I'm with KTBC, News Channel Seven."

"I'm only going ask you this one time," Mason said, "And I'm trying my best to be as nice as I know how so; would you please turn that camera off and leave us alone?" 

"I'm a newswoman," the woman insistently replied, "And the first amendment to the constitution of The United States guarantees me freedom of the press."

"Not when it infringes on the personal freedoms of someone else," Heather spat, "Leave us alone, dammit."

"Come on, baby," Mason said, gently taking Heather's hand and walking back inside of the restaurant, "Let's go."

As the woman went to follow them into the restaurant, the restaurant owner, Mr. Joseph Pataglia, stopped her and her cameraman at the door, not allowing them to enter.

"You don't want to do that," the woman accusingly smiled, "I have friends in the health department."

"And I have friends in The District Attorney's Office, Ms. Wentworth," Jane Hamilton smiled, coming up behind the woman, with her credentials in hand, "And for doing what you just did, I'm going to not only personally bring you and your employer up on charges for illegally making personal threats to a business owner, but I'm also going to see to it that you lose your job for harassing innocent people. In the mean time, I suggest you get out of here now."

"You'd better not," she told Jane, "You forget that I can either make or break your career, Miss Hamilton."

And then smiling at the two police officers who, unbeknownst to Sharon Wentworth, were standing directly behind her, Jane gave an evil grin and politely said, "Officers, would you please arrest Ms. Wentworth, and her cameraman for threatening a public official?"

"Gladly, Miss Hamilton," the officer smiled, as he handcuffed the reporter as well as the cameraman, reading them their rights in the process.

Then Jane smiled at the restaurant owner, and said, "Have you got a table in the back, Joey?"

"Please, allow me, Ms. Hamilton," he happily chuckled, extending his arm "I'd be honored to seat you myself."

~~~~~~

"Have you two got room for me?" Jane asked, as she passed by where Mr. Pataglia had reseated Heather and Mason.

"Jane," Mason smiled, standing up and pulling out a chair next to Heather, "Man, are you a sight for sore eyes?"

"Hi, Jane," Heather brightly smiled, "Thank you for letting us sit back here, Mister Pataglia."

"It was my pleasure, little one, the kindly old man smiled, "How is your Chicken Parmesan, huh?"

"Are you kidding me?" she giggled, "This is the best I've ever had."

"Oh, that sounds good," Jane smiled, "I believe I'll have the same thing, Joey."

Anything for you, m'lady," Joe teased, as he'd always done with Jane, ever since she began working for the D.A.'s office, "Coming right up," and then he disappeared into the kitchen.

"So," Jane smiled, "How're you two holding up?"

"I'm not worried, Jane," Heather quietly laughed, "Terrance Redmond is such an asshole."

"He certainly is," Jane smiled, "But I wanted to commend you on how well I thought you handled him this morning."

"I'm not worried about him," Mason said, "But I've also got a feeling that we haven't seen all of that asshole's tricks yet either."

"And you're a very wise young man, Mason," Jane proudly smiled, "But I'm pretty certain that you've heard that before."

"I don't know about all that," he smiled, "I just prefer to mind my own business, that's all."

"Maybe so," Jane knowingly grinned, as Heather reached across the table and gently took her love's hand, "But my cousin said that she saw you fighting at the National Karate Tournament, and let me just say that I'm glad you're on the right side of the law."

"That's the thing," Mason humbly replied, "I always have been, and I always will be."

~~~~~~

Once the court was back in session and everyone was seated, the prosecution called its next witness.

"The people call Mason Markinson to the stand, Your Honor," Jane respectfully announced, as Mason made his way to the witness stand; and once he'd been sworn in, Jane began her questioning.

She asked Mason to give his account of what had happened on the day the two defendants were arrested, and in doing so, his testimony perfectly coincided with the testimony that Heather had given earlier that morning. 

Once Jane completed her line of questioning, she looked at the judge and said, "I have no more questions for the witness, Your Honor."

"Your witness, counselor," Judge Anderson told Mr. Redmond.

"Thank you, Your Honor," Redmond replied, as he stood and approached Mason, who, unbeknownst to him, had prepared himself for this long before that day.

"Good afternoon, Mister Markinson," Redmond said, in an attempt to try and disarm Mason, "How are you doing today?"

"Can we dispense with the pleasantries, Mister Redmond?" Mason respectfully replied, "You're wasting the court's time," causing a barrage of quiet snickers to emanate throughout the courtroom

"Alright then," Redmond sneered, "You're a student at The University of Texas, correct?"

"Yes, sir," Mason said, "I'm majoring in engineering ."

"You're also a fighter, too," Redmond stated, "Aren't you?"

"No, sir," Mason told him, "I'm an athlete."

"Come on, Mister Markinson," Redmond laughed, "Everyone knows that Karate is nothing more than fighting, pure and simple."

"And I'd say that calls for speculation," Mason curtly replied, "Wouldn't you, Counselor?" 

"Oh, so I see you think you know about the law, Mister Markinson," Redmond spat.

"Hardly, that would make me like you," Mason grinned, "And God knows I'd hate for that to happen."

"Objection, Your Honor," Redmond said to Judge Anderson, "Would you please instruct the witness to keep his opinions to himself."

"Overruled," Counselor," Judge Anderson loudly chuckled, "You were the one who opened this line of questioning so; I suggest you either move on to something else, or let the witness stand down."

"Fair enough," Redmond replied, then he turned back to Mason and growled, "You savagely attacked my clients, didn't you, Mister Markinson."

"NO, I did not," Mason growled back, "Your clients, as you call them, brutally molested my fiancée, and then Biff Howard threatened to kill me, and Tad Cummings tried to shove a broken beer bottle into my back. According to the laws in this state that concern the deadly application of the martial arts, I would've been well within my rights to kill both of those animals, but instead I showed a lot of restraint, hence the reason they're still alive. If you don't believe me, you can look it up yourself, Counselor!" and by this time everyone in courtroom, the jury included, were all standing on their feet applauding Mason, while he sat in the witness booth with a content smile on his face. 




Blessed are the Meek



"ORDER," Judge Anderson yelled, banging his gavel, "ORDER IN THE COURT!"

"You can quote statutes from the law library all that you want, Mister Markinson, "Redmond hatefully sneered, "But the fact remains that you're still a trained killer, you just said so yourself."

"And you're a coward, Mister Redmond," Mason spat, "You hide behind the law in order to try to pick on people and make them look like idiots in order to free animals just like your clients."

"You need to watch your mouth, boy," Redmond growled, "You're about to open yourself to a slander suit."

"And you should take your own advice, counselor," Judge Anderson intervened, "This man is simply defending himself. Besides, he hasn't broken any laws that I know of...do you have any more questions for this witness?"

"Yes, Your Honor," Redmond evilly smiled, "As a matter of fact, I do."

"Then I suggest you get on with it, Counselor," Judge Anderson said, "I'm growing tired of your antics."

"You won the National Karate Tournament recently, Mister Markinson," Redmond stated, "Is that correct?"

"Yes, sir," Mason proudly replied, "That's correct."

"Did you, or did you not win your preliminary fights in the first round?"

"Yes, sir," Mason replied, "But that doesn't mean it was easy."

"Okay," Redmond said, "Would you mind telling us how you did that?"

"I attacked first," Mason said, "Just like my Coach instructed me to do."

"So, it's safe to say that by attacking them first, you caught them before that could defend themselves," Redmond said, "Isn't that right?"

"Once again, that calls for speculation," Mason replied, not budging in inch, "Have you ever fought in a Karate tournament, Mister Redmond?"

"No, I haven't." Redmond replied, "I didn't have the time."

Then reaching into his inside coat pocket, Mason pulled out the stat sheets on the opponents that he'd faced, and then handing them to Redmond, Mason told him, "If you'll take the time to look at those stat sheets, you'll clearly see that every single one of my opponents not only out weighed me by at least fifty pounds or more, but you'll also see that each one of them had anywhere between eight to ten inches of height on me as well, just like your clients."

"Fair enough," Redmond said, "But what does that have to do with this?"

"Just this," Mason softly replied, "I'm not the monster you're trying to make me out to be. Your clients were clearly in the wrong. They were bullying someone weaker, and/or smaller than them; and if there's one thing in this world that I will not, and can not allow is to let someone to be bullied, just because they're smaller, or weaker, or maybe they don't have as much money as someone else. Besides, Mister Redmond, I'm willing to bet that somewhere down the line in your life, someone probably bullied you; otherwise you wouldn't be doing the job that you're doing, and we most certainly wouldn't be here today."

Everyone in the courtroom had been clearly moved by what Mason had just said, and Terrance Redmond was no exception. As Mason looked at Heather, who was seated behind the table where Jane and her assistants were seated, he could see tears running down her beautiful face as she looked at him and silently said "I love you."

"Your Honor," Redmond sincerely said, "May I ask the court's indulgence to recess long enough to confer with my clients, please sir?"

"You've got fifteen minutes," Judge Anderson replied, "In the mean time, Mister Markinson, Miss Winters, would you two and Ms, Hamilton meet me in my chambers?"

"Yes, sir," Mason replied.

~~~~~~

Chapter Five

Mason, Heather, and Jane sat talking with the Circuit Court Judge, the honorable William Anderson in his chambers while the Defense Attorney, Terrance Redmond, conferred with his two clients, Biff Howard and Tad Cummings.

"You handled yourself rather well this afternoon, Mister Markinson," Judge Anderson smiled, "Let me be the first to commend you."

"Thank you, sir," Mason graciously replied, "It means a lot to me to hear that, especially when it's coming from someone like you, Judge." 

"You're a nice young man, Mason," Anderson smiled, "And I wish there were more guys like you in this world."

"He really is, sir," Heather smiled, taking Mason's hand, "Maybe now ya'll can see why I love him so much."

"I'm nobody special," Mason humbly replied, "I'm just a guy who's trying to get along in the world, that's all."

"I wish you could've seen the faces of the members of the jury when you told Redmond what you did about being bullied," Judge Anderson proudly smiled, "Hell son, I thought that Terrance Redmond was going to break down and cry right there. I don't care who you think you are, my young friend, you made a very powerful impact on everyone today, And I for one, am proud to know you, son."

"I thank you, Judge Anderson, sir," Mason humbly replied, "I'm proud to know you, too, sir."

~~~~~~

Once court had reconvened and Judge Anderson was seated, Terrance Redmond stood and said, "After conferring with my clients, Your Honor, they would like to change their plea to guilty and are willing to throw themselves upon the mercy of the court...with your permission, Your Honor.

"I accept their plea of guilty, and do hereby dismiss the jury," Judge Anderson replied, "However, before I pass sentence on Mister Howard and Mister Cummings, I would like to speak Miss Winters once the jury box is empty...

~~~~~~

"Miss Winters," Judge Anderson said, "Before I pass sentence on the two defendants, I would like to hear what you think I should do with them."

"I don't really want to see anybody go to jail," Heather told the Judge, "But I also don't think they should be let go free and clear either."

"Mister Markinson," Judge Anderson said, looking across the courtroom at Mason.

"Yes sir," Mason said, standing up, "What can I do for you, Your Honor."

"I ask you the same question," Judge Anderson said, "What do you think I should do?"

"I can only give you my opinion, Your Honor," Mason humbly replied, "But Mister Redmond said that the two defendants were throwing themselves at the mercy of the court, therefore I think the word mercy is in order, sir."

"I see," Judge Anderson knowingly smiled, "I'm interested in how you think that mercy should be applied?"

"It's like this, sir," Mason began, "Biff got his arm broken and Tad got a concussion because they were both being stupid. I believe that everyone has the right to be stupid at least once in their lives. Therefore, and this is just my humble opinion, sir; I think that maybe probation accompanied by a very stiff fine would be in order here; because like my fiancée, I don't want to see these guys go to jail either. Id like to see them finish college and clean up the mess they've made of their lives before it's too late. But like I said, Your Honor; that's just my opinion, sir."

"You're a very wise young man for your age, Mister Markinson," Judge Anderson smiled. Then he looked at the defendants and said, "You two will rise as I pass sentence on you."

Once the two boys were standing, Judge Anderson said, "I find the both of you guilty as charged; and I sentence you both to ten years of supervised probation. You will be tested randomly for drug use, and if either on of you fail, the both of you will go to prison for a term on no more than fifteen years, and no less that ten. Also, you will pay the court a fine of no less than ten thousand dollars. Do you both understand the terms of your probation?"

"Yes, Your Honor," Redmond said, They fully understand everything you just told them."

"Is there anything else, Ms. Hamilton?" Judge Anderson asked, and when she shook her head, he smiled at Mason and said, "In that case, court is adjourned."

"ALL RISE," the bailiff announced, as Judge Anderson made his way out of the court room.

~~~~~~

That evening, after all the dust had settled and the day's events had come to a close; Heather and Mason were back at our apartment. He was in the kitchen making dinner when he heard a knock at the front door, and after a few moments, he heard Heather calling his name, asking that he come into the living room.

The moment he walked into the room Mason saw Terrance Redmond standing there with a warm smile on his face.

"I hope you don't mind that I just showed up like this, unannounced," he replied, "But I came to offer not only my most sincere apologies, but also my warmest thanks."

"Your apology is accepted," Mason smiled, "But what are you thanking me for?"

"Its going to take a few minutes to explain," Redmond replied, "Do you mind if I sit down?"

"I've got a better idea," Mason replied, winking at Heather, who, she herself was grinning from ear-to-ear, "Have you eaten yet?"

"No, not yet," he replied, "Why do you ask?"

"We were just about to sit down for dinner, "Mason warmly smiled, "And we'd be honored if you'd join us."

"Oh, no," Redmond tried to beg off, "I really couldn't."

"Please, Mister Redmond," Heather sweetly asked him, "There's more than enough...please?"

"Are you sure?" Redmond asked, "I don't want to impose."

"Please," Mason smiled, "You're not imposing on us, Mister Redmond."

"Okay," Redmond grinned, "I'll join you if you'll call me Terry, okay?"

"Good enough, Terry," Mason chuckled, "Heather, would you set another place at the table for our guest, sweetheart?"

"Of course I will," Heather grinned, taking Redmond by the hand, "Right this way, Terry."

~~~~~~

"Holy cow," Terry grinned, once they'd finished eating, "I don't know who cooked this roast beef, but they did a damn fine job, if you'll excise me for saying so."

"I cooked it," Mason chuckled, "I'm glad you liked it."

"I'm impressed, Mason," Terry smiled, "It seems that you're a man of many talents."

"Nah, not me" Mason humbly replied, "I was lucky enough to have a girlfriend that cooks better than I do, and she showed me how."

"Seriously," Terry said, "You kicked my ass in court today, Mason, and that's never happened, not once in the fifteen years that I've been practicing law."

"I wouldn't go so far as to say that I kicked your ass," Mason knowingly smiled, "I just wasn't about to let you get me rattled, that's all."

"Either way," Terry honestly told him, "You were a great witness, and I've got the feeling that you'd make a fantastic attorney. What do you think?"

"Maybe," Mason replied, "But if I were to go into law, I would want to be the kind of attorney that put bad people in jail."

"I understand that and I can appreciate it, too," Terry told him, "But you'd make more money being a defense attorney."

"I mean no offense Terry," Mason said, "But the money doesn't matter to me. I still have to be able to look at myself in the mirror every morning, and being a defense attorney, I wouldn't be able to do that because my conscience would eat me alive."

"I'm not offended at all, Mason," he said, "And that's the reason I came here to thank you this evening."

"You lost me," Mason said, "I don't understand what you mean."

"Look, Mason," Terry explained, "I've made enough money in fifteen years to retire a hundred times over. What I'm trying to tell you is that you opened my eyes up today, and made me remember why I wanted to become an attorney to begin with."

Okay," Mason replied, "So what're you going to do now?"

"I don't want to work for the D.A.'s office," Terry laughed, "Because as you can clearly see, old Judge Anderson hates my guts so; that's why I'm going to go into corporate law instead. Besides, I always did well with contracts, much better than what I'm doing now, and that way, I can still practice law keep a clean conscience in the process."

"Good for you," Heather smiled, "I know that you'll do well."

"I think so, too," Terry grinned, "Now, I want to know when you're going to fight in another one of your Karate Tournaments, Mason. I can't wait to see if you're as good as I hear you are."

"My fighting days are over with, my friend," Mason humbly grinned, "I think that I might become a teacher instead."

"Oh, wow," Terry excitedly smiled, "Are you going to open up your own school? Because if so; I want to be one of your students." 

"I don't know," Mason smiled, "I need to graduate from college first."

"I can understand that," Terry chuckled, "Let me know when you do, and I'll do anything I can to help you, Mason. I mean that..."

~~~~~~

TWO MONTHS LATER

Mason and Shaun Powel were walking down the hall of the English building having just finished class. Mason was supposed to meet Heather back at their apartment in an hour so; figuring he had enough time, he took time to talk with Shaun for a few minutes. After all, not only was Shaun one of his fraternity brother, but he'd also become one of three of Mason's best friends that year. The two of them were walking and talking, when all of a sudden; Mason felt someone shoving him hard enough to knock him to the ground.

When he got back to his feet, Mason came face-to-face with a guy named Alvin Townsend, president of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity, who had eight other guys, all the same size, standing behind him.

"What's your fucking problem?" Mason angrily asked

Alvin stood at a height of six feet five inches tall, and weighed at least two hundred and sixty pounds, as he looked at Mason and growled, "You're my problem, you little bastard. Because of you and your little slut bitch, two of my brothers are doing ten years probation, plus they had to pay fines that were so stiff, it almost bankrupted their families. Now the time has come for you to pay for it, asshole."

"Is that right?" Mason confidently laughed, "And I suppose that you're the one who's going to make me pay?"

"That's right," he sneered, "Meet me at Hippie Hollow, tonight at midnight, and you better God damn well come alone, you little punk."

"Look, man," Mason tried to reason, "I'm telling you right now; you don't want to do this."

"And I'm telling you," Townsend growled, "You'd better show up, or the next time we meet, I'm going to blow your fucking head off, asshole...Hippie Hollow, midnight tonight...and don't be late, asshole, or else your next breath will be your last."

"I'll be there," Mason growled, "But if you wanna do this, it's going to be hand-to-hand, man-to-man. The first time you pull a weapon, you're a dead man. Do you understand me, asshole?"

"Whatever, fuck face," Townsend laughed, "Just make sure you're there, or else," and then he turned around and walked away.

"Jesus Christ, Mason," Shaun gasped, "I'm warning you right now, you don't want to fight that guy. He's an asshole that fights dirty, and he's dangerous."

"I want you to do me a favor, man," Mason said, "Please?"

"Of course," Shaun agreed, "I'll do whatever you want, bro; you know that."

"Thanks, man," Mason replied, "I need you to go pick Heather up and take her to the frat house. I'll meet you both there..."

~~~~~~

"YOU'RE GOING TO DO WHAT?" Heather asked, tears beginning to fill her eyes.

"I don't have a choice, baby," Mason replied, "If I don't he said that he was going to kill me, or God forbid, maybe even you...and I WILL NOT allow that to happen."

"I know who he is, Mason," Heather cried, "And he's dangerous, please don't do this...please, baby."

"Whoa, wait a minute," Mason said, "How do you know who he is?" He didn't do anything to you, did he?"

"No, not me," Heather told him, "But do you remember my friend, Shelley Gladston? She was the girl who dropped out last year." 

"I remember her," Mason said, "Didn't get hurt riding horses, or something?"

"She got hurt, alright," Heather quietly replied, "But it wasn't from riding horses...not like she told everybody anyway."

"Then how did she get hurt?" Mason insistently asked, "And I want the truth."

"Well, she got invited to a party over at the PIKE (Pi Kappa Alpha) house," Heather began, tears starting to fall down her pretty cheeks, "And then someone slipped something into her drink...and they pulled a train on her, Mason."

"A train," Mason asked, "What the hell is that?"

"A gang bang," Heather cried, "She was the victim of a gang bang," and then she continued to cry, making Mason take her into his arms as she continued, "And Alvin Townsend told her that if she told anyone that he'd kill her whole family. That's why I don't want you to do this, because they'll end up killing you, baby...please, don't go."

"Fucking animals," Mason angrily growled, "Townsend's days of terrorizing the girls on this campus have come to an end."

"Holy shit, Mason," Shaun gasped, "What're you gonna do, man?"

"If I don't tell you," Mason said, "Then you can honestly say that you didn't know anything, Shaun."

"Oh, no," Heather began to hysterically cry, "You're gonna kill him, Mason...no, please, baby. Don't do this, baby."

"Relax, my love," Mason quietly soothed her, "I promise you that I won't kill him...but I'm going to make damn sure that he'll never be able to use his dick again, that much is certain."

~~~~~~

The time had arrived, and Mason stood alone, waiting at the appointed time and place that Alvin Townsend had told him.

"Where in the fuck are you," Mason called out, "You piece of shit?"

"I'm right here, asshole," Townsend growled, stepping from behind a tree, revealing himself to Mason, "It's time to meet you maker, motherfucker."

"Fair enough," Mason spat, moving into a defensive posture, "Come on, then."

Townsend made the first move, taking a swing with his left hand, and of course Mason sidestepped him, delivering a hard side kick straight of Townsend's ribs, knocking him to the ground.

"Get up, asshole," Mason growled, "We're not done yet."

Townsend tried to throw a handful of dirt into Mason's eyes, however, he was ready, and stepped back far enough to kick Townsend in the face, knocking out his two front teeth.

"YOU KNOCKED OUT MY TEETH, YOU MOTHERFUCKER," Townsend screamed, "YOU'RE A DEAD MAN," pulling a knife from his belt behind him, as he took off at a dead run, waving the knife in front of himself in order to kill Mason.

"You just gave me the excuse I was looking for, asshole," Mason laughed, "It's over now, motherfucker," and then he ducked underneath Townsend, and delivered a hard uppercut, knocking Townsend backward into the air, landing on his back with the wind knocked out of him.

While Townsend was lying on the ground trying to regain his breath, he managed to cut Mason's arm when he got too close. Of course Mason took this opportunity to not only disarm Townsend, but also roll him over onto his face, and then Mason jumped straight up into the air, and landed hard, with both of his knees in the center of Townsend's Lumbar vertebrae, crushing every bone between the L-5 and L-1 levels, permanently crippling him from the waist down and making him scream as if her were being murdered.

All of a sudden, Mason heard a loud, resounding, BOOOM!!!, getting his attention long enough to see ten guys, one of which was holding a shotgun, trained on him, but all of them wearing the red, with white piping, tee-shirts, indicating that they were, each one of them, members of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity.

"Don't fucking move, Markinson," the guy holding the shotgun said, looking at Townsend lying on the ground, screaming in pain, yet not moving from the waist down.

"You motherfucker," the guy wielding the shotgun, who later was identified as Randy Ponder, fearfully said, "You've killed Alvin, you asshole."

However, before he could make another move, Mason saw a hardball come sailing through the air, hitting Ponder right between the eyes, and dropping him to the ground, and then suddenly, fifty Alphas, his brothers, all appeared out of nowhere, each one wielding a club, a baseball bat and/or a tire tool.