Benjamin Hanson

Abatement

Chapters 25-39

Chapter Twenty Five

"Who's there?" My voice asked, wavering in and out of a false confidence. I heard a familiar laughter as a tall shadow rose in the distance.

"It's just me, don't be afraid."

I suddenly grinned, my fear falling away at the sound of Peter's voice. After the afternoon I had experienced, I didn't mind being awoke by him. With the flick of a switch the room was bathed in light, and my eyes squinted against the brightness of it. As soon as my eyes adjusted, I grinned at the older boy. He looked down at me, smiling mischievously and placed his hands on his hips.

"You chose me huh? I must say I'm honored."

I blushed and looked down at my feet. I now knew that he indeed didn't know this morning. At least he didn't seem upset or disappointed.

"Can I ask you one little favor first?"

I nodded, not knowing exactly what to expect.

"Next time you request something that requires Frederick come and visit me, give me ample warning first."

I laughed loudly. I knew very well why he didn't like Frederick and I shared those feelings. Naturally there was no way that I could have known to what depth he despised him the previous evening, but I knew it was a joke just the same. Peter walked across the room and sat on the bed next to me, turning so that we were facing each other. I immediately lunged forward, wrapping my arms around his mid-section and buried my face in his chest. His arms wrapped around me as his fingers playfully skipped across my scalp.

"I missed you." I said in a muffled tone. I heard Peter sigh contentedly.

"I missed you too."

My finger traced the contours of his chest absentmindedly. There was so much I had wanted to say, but at that point it didn't seem to matter. I was close to my friend, my love, and there was nothing else that I wanted more. Even if that was all I had accomplished that night, it would have been enough.

"I heard about what happened with David earlier."

I swallowed deeply, expecting him to yell or become angry, but it never happened. I backed away a little; my arms still firmly clasped around him, and looked into his eyes for any sign of emotion. The only thing I saw was sympathy.

"I'm not going to say that I told you so, but I want you to at least think about the fact you are a kid now. You know you can't always control what you do."

I sighed. I knew he was right, and I knew it before he even said it. I would have typically been infuriated by someone talking down to me, but from Peter it seemed appropriate.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked in a reassuring tone.

"I'm okay, thanks though."

I felt his weight shift as he motioned for me to lie on my side. As I did so he spooned me once more, wrapping his arm around my midsection and pulling me close to him. I laid my head on his free arm and turned my neck so I could watch his face. My fingers traced the contours of the arm that held me.

"Can I ask you something else?"

I could feel Peter begin to tense up. The thought of asking the unanswered questions from earlier had occurred to me, but I wanted this moment with him to be as stress free as possible. He had already revealed so much that I felt he deserved as much. He returned my question with a simple nod, but I could see dread appearing on his face.

"Where were you this afternoon?"

I felt the tenseness immediately melt away at my words. A slight smile appeared on his face as he squeezed me softly.

"Well I knew that we had to start training tonight so I figured I'd get a nap in. Sorry I wasn't there."

I smiled nervously. I was satisfied with his response but now that I knew training was to begin tonight, I felt ill prepared. The only thing I could think about were the possibilities of what that training would involve. I shrunk back into him, wishing that he would just hold me and I wouldn't have to worry about discovering what it all meant.

"You don't have to be nervous." I felt his lips kiss the back of my head as his hand rose from my side and intertwined with mine. I looked down at our hands together and felt somewhat better. I knew that Peter would never hurt me and whatever happened would be so much better simply because it was with him.

Peter's hand released mine as he rolled me onto my back, scooting back a little. His right arm propped him up so that he could look down at me. The smell of shampoo and cinnamon permeated my senses. His left hand rose, gently caressing my cheek. His beautiful eyes stared deep into mine, making it impossible for me to move.

"Did you mean what you said earlier?"

I thought for a moment about what he could possibly mean.

"That I love you?" I asked, fairly certain that it was what he was referring to. Peter nodded in return, a blank expression stretching across his beautiful face.

"Of course I did." I smiled happily. Peter's face quickly turned into one of joy, the beautiful light that seemed to surround him at all times became brighter than it ever had before. He leaned forward as he closed his eyes. I closed my eyes in turn, already expecting what was coming next. The feeling of his soft lips against mine was heavenly, and I wasn't prepared for the feelings it would inspire.

Peter gently moved his tongue past my lips as mine began to intermingle with his. His left hand remained still against my cheek, almost feeling cool against my fire hot cheek. I could feel the pressure in my pants building as my tiny member rose to its full height. The feeling of love, passion and adoration that I felt was almost enough to overwhelm me.

"What does the training involve?" I asked breathlessly as our lips finally parted.

"Practical experience." He moved downwards, straddling my body and nibbling my neck. As my penis pressed against him a wave of passion extended through my entire body. My hands, finding an unknown strength, immediately met with his shoulders and pushed him away from me. He stopped, staring at my face in confusion.

"Are you doing this because you have to?"

He had a contemplative expression for the briefest of moments. I knew that he was trying to find the best way to explain himself.

"Well I guess you could say yes and no. I didn't have to do this; Frederick can't force me to train you. Since I accepted I have to do it now, but it's because I want to." He made no more of an effort to continue as he awaited my reply.

"Oh…" Was all I could say. I had no idea how to feel about what he just said. In one way, I almost felt that he was doing it because he felt some sort of an obligation. In another way, I felt as though he had chosen to do this and I should feel honored.

"Are you doing it because you feel like you have to?" I asked. Peter almost began to laugh but his face turned serious as soon as he saw my disposition hadn't changed. I glanced at the door momentarily, considering the option of escape. If I could run away then he wouldn't have to do something he didn't want to. Maybe it would have been best for both of us. Before I had a chance to decide, his fingers moved my head back to where it was facing me. He peered in my eyes deeply.

"I don't feel like I have to do anything. I'm doing it because I love you, because I want to. If you don't want to do it we can stop. You can have James train you or whatever…" The look on his face became sadder with each word he spoke. I swallowed deeply, feeling immediately vindicated by his words.

"I want to." I said, smiling reassuringly at him. Peter stared at me for a moment before a smile crept across his lips once more.

"You sure?" He asked. I nodded in return. With a quick peck on the lips Peter moved downward once more, continuing his assault on my neck. I let out an audible gasp after I felt his hands slowly creep inside of my shirt. Each was incredibly soft, and as they gently caressed my stomach I immediately felt at ease. My penis throbbed tightly inside my pants, rubbing against Peter's stomach with each movement he made. I felt certain that I wouldn't be able to last long.

Peter's hands lowered with a practiced motion. They grasped at the hem of my shirt, pushing it upwards and towards my head. I arched my back slightly, giving him the room to remove it. As soon as it passed over my head and arms, he tossed it in the corner without a moments care. He sat back a moment, examining my bare chest and smiled hungrily up at me. I blushed intensely, not used to such attention even as an adult. I wanted to speak, I wanted to thank him for everything he was making me feel, but before I could his tongue found its way down my chest, his lips massaging my bare skin every so often.

His hands found their way into mine, pressing me down into the bed. As he moved to my left, his tongue began to lightly flick across my nipple. I let out a moan, squirming beneath his weight and enjoying the lack of control along with the sensations he made me feel. I watched intensely as his mouth enveloped my entire nipple. His tongue moved passionately across it, causing it to harden within the warm confines of his wet orifice. I felt the passion overwhelm me at once as I struggled to keep my moans to a minimum. Before I could protest, before I could beg him for mercy, he was already making his way across my chest once more, in hot pursuit of my remaining nipple.

As soon as he reached his goal, barely grazing it with the tip of his tongue, I let out another loud moan. My small body squirmed, finding it impossible to resist the feelings as they coursed through me. Everything was amplified, and the softness of his skin and tongue against me made it all the better. The days of rough hands and weathered skin were gone. Hairy arms and chests were replaced by supple, butter like masses pressing against one another. There could have been no better pleasure than the one I experienced at that moment.

With his mouth around my right nipple, I felt my mind go hazy. I thought momentarily that I may go insane. I arched my back, wanting to feel him against my member. It rubbed ever so casually against him but his control was absolute. He seemed to have no desire to hasten my moment. I heard a light giggle as he moved back toward the middle of my chest and slowly began to nibble his way down. His mouth stopped momentarily above my navel, his nose inhaling my scent deeply. Just when I thought he was done, that I wouldn't have to experience anymore, he gently circled my navel with his tongue.

I arched my back once more, my penis firmly planted on his chest now. I let out a gasp, my breath quickening by the moment. He moved downward once more, finally reaching my waist. I held my breath for a moment, expecting him to remove my pants immediately, but he simply nibbled casually across my exposed waistline. I tried to remove my hands from his, to move them downwards and free myself, but he refused to relent. He held me tight against the bed and I had little ability to escape.

He stopped, momentarily, and looked up at me. I knew that I was bright red; I was already exhausted from the encounter and my lack of sleep. He smiled up at me mischievously, as though I were some toy in his complete control.

"Do you promise to be a good boy if I let your hands go for a minute?"

I nodded. There was no way that I would be able to stop now even if I wanted to. Ever so slowly, ever so methodically, he released my hands from his grip and slowly moved the tips of his fingers down my arms and across my chest. As he lowered them towards my waist I felt my arms willing themselves downward. I wanted to feel release, and apparently Peter had noticed.

"You promised to be a good boy." He giggled teasingly. I nodded, forced my hands upwards and trapped them behind my head. Satisfied with what he saw, Peter's fingers began to move once more. I waited with great anticipation as they finally passed over my belly button. He stopped once more spreading his fingers across the waistband of my jeans as he only barely pushed them inside.

I wanted to gyrate against him once more but there was nothing left to gyrate against. He was left between my legs, his face dangerously close to my crotch. His fingers played wistfully with my skin, trying to provoke me into another bad boy moment. I refused him the privilege, assured of my own self control despite by feelings to the contrary. When he saw that there was no hope, his fingers finally retracted and headed towards the clasp that held my jeans against my waist. My breath quickened once more, I knew that I would soon feel the greatest pleasure of my life.

As soon as the clasp released I felt a great sense of relief pass over me. His fingers seemed to have a tireless attention to detail as he pinched the zipper, pulling on it ever so gently just to tease me. I was watching each movement, and he was fully aware. With the quickest of motions he finally grabbed my zipper tightly, forcing it down and exposing my underwear for all to see. He reached his hands inside, grabbed my jeans tightly, and began to pull downwards. I raised my hips into the air, simplifying the process.

As soon as he removed them and threw them in the corner to join my shirt, he casually spread my legs open with his hands. Each hand passed gently over my inner thighs, sending shivers up and down my spine. I fought with my hands once more to remain still, staring at the tiny tent on my underwear. I watched as Peter moved further downwards, his tongue gently flicking the soft skin of my inner thighs. He began at the knee of my right leg, moving upwards slowly towards the top. He stopped occasionally to nibble, inhaling my essence several times more. Once he reached the crease where my thigh met my groin, he ran his tongue gently across it.

My hands immediately shot downwards of their own accord and began to intermingle with his hair. It was impossible to keep them out of the action, but I wasn't going to ruin the pleasure only he could give to my member. He giggled lightly, moving to my other leg and repeating the same process as before. As his tongue once again ran across the crease joining my thigh and my groin, he rose up, breathing warm air onto my scrotum through the tight confines of my underwear. I nearly yelled out in pleasure.

Finally the moment I had been waiting for so long had arrived. His hands rose gently and found themselves inside the waistband of my underwear. My hips rose once more as he pulled them down, across my feet and onto the floor. With a ravenous delight that ran counter to every move he had made over the course of the evening, he immediately enveloped my penis with his mouth. The pressure of his sucking was nearly unbearable, and his tongue ran casually over the bottom length of my shaft.

This time I wasn't able to contain myself. I grasped at his hair violently, audibly yelling in response. A strong tingling sensation washed over my entire body. As he began to bob his head up and down in a quick motion, his hands found their way beneath me, taking each globe of my soft ass into their grips. He kneaded each gently, making sure that neither was left in want. He occasionally forced them upward, plunging my tiny member even deeper into his velveteen mouth.

As my hands fought violently with his hair the familiar sensation from the previous evening began to return to me. The tingling began in my stomach first, the overwhelming need to pee becoming ever present. The sensation moved downwards quickly, beginning at the base of my shaft and slowly moving its way upwards. My hands simply latched onto his hair as though they were glued, I was paralyzed by the feelings.

"I'm going to cum!" I shouted loudly, but Peter simply continued his assault. I pushed my hips upward as the mighty crescendo of pleasure overtook me. The tingling washed over my entire shaft, across the rim of my head and over the tip. My cock fought violently within the confines of his mouth, seeking to release fluids that didn't exist. My stomach was tense, each muscle in my body tightened to the breaking point.

Just when I thought I was going to pass out from ecstasy, I felt the amazing end of my symphony begin. The tingling began to diminish, the sweat poured ravenously off of my body. My penis began to slow and so did the pace of Peter's sucking. My still erect penis finally fell away from its pleasure entirely, leaving my entire body sore and my skin incredibly sensitive to the touch. Peter backed away, sitting upright and let his hands fall to his sides. He examined my exhausted frame and smiled confidently. He had accomplished everything he wanted to.

"I love you." I whispered, still trying to catch my breath. Peter smiled more deeply than before, laying his index finger across my lips.

"I love you too."

Peter maneuvered my body so that he could pull the blanket down beneath me. After covering me up, he slipped beneath the confines with me and pulled me close to him. His arm wrapped tightly around me, his face buried deep inside my hair. In my moment of post coital bliss, so much more powerful than anything I had ever experienced before, I began to slip away into a wonderful sleep. Within the arms of my lover and my friend, nothing could go wrong.

Chapter Twenty Six

"I thought you'd never wake up," Peter murmured, taking a momentary break from his lip based massage. I smiled, unwilling to respond too quickly. The wonderful things that Peter caused me to feel felt so surreal, so very much like a dream. If there was any chance this was anything other than reality, I wanted to savor it as long as possible.

"Play dead, that's fine. Although I do have my ways of making you talk!" With the last word his once seductive voice became childish once more, and I leapt in surprise as I felt his fingers bury themselves into my exposed flesh. With fiendish speed, they managed to penetrate every part of my body that could be tickled, and I writhed, laughing loudly and pleading for him to stop. The look in his eyes, when I was able to catch an occasional glance, was gleeful, yet committed to the task at hand. When at last I managed to scoot away enough to free one arm and return the assault, the sound of the door opening shot us both back into reality.

"Why don't you want to play with me anymore?" The usually soft and boyish voice of David trembled with remorse, with jealousy, with sadness. Almost immediately after he spoke, he slammed the door roughly, causing me to jump a bit in surprise. I began to feel tears rise in my eyes as I fought them as best as I could. I immediately jumped up, and began to look for my discarded clothes from the previous evening. Before I had a chance to advance on them once I discovered them in the far corner by the window, I felt Peter's grasp firmly upon my arm.

"Don't," he said firmly. His voice was clear, more adult than it ever had been. I at once felt afraid, but at the same time committed to my ideals. I felt horrible for the way I had treated him, and he had chosen to talk to me just the same. Here I was, the worst of people, and there wasn't anyone that was going to keep me from salvaging what was left of this temporal relationship. I jerked away quickly, grabbed my clothes, and began to dress. I glared at Peter in forced disdain.

"I can't do this anymore. I know that I won't know him for very long, but that's not his fault! I can still be his friend!" I yelled forcefully, despite my constantly evolving emotions. By the time I managed to pull my shirt over my head, Peter had jumped from the bed and blocked the door to the hallway.

"I forbid you to take one damn step out of this room. If you love me you will do what I ask you to." I immediately paused as his words flooded into my barely comprehending mind. I knew that I loved Peter; I had never felt this way about anyone before. I almost considered what life would be like if I accepted the fate this interaction had created. Surely I would feel bad, but David would move on, would heal. It was an impossible thought. It just wasn't in me to accept that.

"I'll never love anyone like I love you, but I can't accept this!" With force that I didn't realize I had, I managed to push him onto the floor. Without a moments glance, I quickly wrapped my hand around the door knob and turned it, pushing the door outward. I flew as fast as my feet would carry me down the stairs, as I heard another pair of feet in hot pursuit a few leaps behind me. My eyes managed to catch a glimpse of fiery red hair beyond the entrance door, and I followed it immediately knowing its owner. By the time I had managed to escape, the slam behind me that I expected came much later, followed by the same familiar footsteps behind me. I didn't care if he followed me, he wouldn't stop me now.

"David!" I yelled out, seeing the young boy a good twenty feet [6 m] ahead of me. He immediately turned, stopped and stared at me. He didn't seem angry, merely upset, and while he wasn't crying it was fairly obviously that he had been. I cleared the distance between us quite quickly, but before I could begin to speak, Peter shoved me aside, almost causing me to lose my balance.

"Now you listen to me you insignificant pile of shit. You are going to go off and live with this… this Michael and Melinda couple, and it's not fair for you to expect anyone to feel the same about you. You obviously hurt Ben; there isn't any way around that. You are worthless, you are evil, you are just a selfish little kid and there is absolutely nothing you can do to change that. You need to leave him alone, and if I ever see you again I will personally kick your ass!" As the words flew out of Peter's mouth I knew at once that they were said to protect me, but I felt two emotions despite that. At once I was angry, I couldn't believe that anyone, especially Peter, would talk to a little kid like that. I also felt shock that it was him, that it really was Peter saying such things. It was impossible for me to accept this treatment, but almost as impossible for me to believe it had occurred.

David burst into tears once more and began to run back towards the house. I momentarily turned, prepared to run after him, but I stopped. My feet planted themselves firmly in the ground as I felt my fists tighten at my sides.

"Listen, it's over. Let's just drop it and get on with our lives." Peter's voice was calm once more, familiar. As much as I wanted to trust it in that moment, my rage had overcome me. Peter's hands gently formed their way across my shoulders, preparing to console me, but I felt my body begin to move without my consent. My arms reached out, hands extended, as I pushed Peter forward. His face was suddenly frozen in shock, as my arms took control of themselves once more. My left hand flew with nearly archer-like accuracy, and planted firmly against his cheek.

I stared at Peter whose eyes began to well up with tears. The look on his face was one of the saddest I had seen, possible as sad as the look on David's face mere moments ago. I felt bad, I truly did, but I couldn't control myself. It was Peter that had wrought this judgment, not I. I was in the right, or at least I felt I was. I knew that I wasn't in a fit state to speak, or to think, so I immediately turned and began to run. Each foot pounded the ground swiftly as I found my arms flailing by my sides. The familiar slopes of the grounds disappeared and became replaced by fallen leaves, by bramble, by branches, by trees. Within a matter of a few minutes, I found myself deeply within the very woods that I once feared. As lost as I knew I was, and the more lost I would become, stopping was not an option.

My breath quickened, youthful vigor only sufficient for so much. The pain that coursed through my exhausted frame felt invigorating, felt vindicating. I wanted to focus on the two problems I had, but my mind refused. All it wanted was to feel this life giving moment, my legs aching, my lungs begging for more oxygen than they could handle. I ran, and ran for what felt like an eternity, until finally a misplaced step sent me flying through the air. I landed fairly softly on a pile of leaves, and as I stared at each one and the scent of the forest permeated my being, I stopped. My mind slowed, and the pain that racked me began to cease. With the ability to think, I began to feel something else, something other than anger. I suddenly burst into tears, not because I thought of what had happened with David, or what had happened with Peter, but because I just wasn't capable of doing anything else. My hands grasped the leaves around me as I hugged myself to them, comforting my shaking frame with the earth below me.

It was, at the very least, permanent. It would not change, it would not forsake me. I didn't have to think about the fact there were leaves and dirt beneath me, it was just there. It was in that simplicity that it was comforting, and nothing more. As I felt tears that I didn't know I had escape me, and my lips trembled in time with each stream, my body became cold. I looked ahead of me at the seemingly endless path of trees, the unfamiliar sound of nothing. My hands firmly planted on the ground, preparing to push my frame from its position, but I suddenly stopped, allowing my exhaustion to overcome me. I fell back onto the ground, my face buried in the leaves. My tears had ceased, but soft sobs replaced them.

"I love you," I said softly. I wasn't entirely sure who I said it to, but it felt the appropriate thing to say. The cold earth beneath me caused me to shiver, and I accepted it in my moment of defeat. My eyes closed tightly, and I allowed myself to float away. Within moments, I was asleep.

Chapter Twenty Seven

I sat up, trying to figure out the hour. It seemed to be morning, but how I slept so long was beyond me. The floor felt cold against my feet, and I shivered a little at its touch. I stood, gaining my balance, and my hands went straight to my head. I tried my best to remember every headache I had ever had, and it seemed as though each one had decided to make a last stand at that moment. My temples throbbed, my eyes fought to keep their focus. As much as the light was unkind, and as welcome as the bed seemed despite the many hours I had just slept, I knew that I had to find Peter.

As I crept out into the hall, the complete silence that surrounded me confirmed my suspicions about the hour. There were no showers as the day winded down, or final games being played below me. I climbed the stairs to search the corridors of the older boy's rooms. As I passed each door I listened intently for some sort of sign of where he could be, but it was of no use. I wasn't entirely sure which room belonged to Peter, and I couldn't just open each door at a whim. Without any leads to go on, I crept down the stairs and to the main level. Except for the ticking of a clock on the wall, there was nothing; a lifeless vessel that in a few hours become filled with the sounds of yelling children, and the smell of Bessie's cooking. As much as I knew searching any further was a worthless endeavor, there was one more place he could be, no matter how remote a possibility it was. I walked over towards the entrance, slipped on a pair of flip flops, and walked out onto the porch.

The morning air felt good against my throbbing head, and as I walked into the dew covered grass, my eyes found nothing. I wanted to reach out and create Peter from nothing, or to yell to the top of my lungs, but it was impossible. I knew he was mad, he had every right to be, but my anger had long since dissipated. I wanted to hate him for what he did to David but it just wasn't possible. He loved me so much that he would be willing to put his life and reputation at the orphanage on the line for me. Even if I felt it was a wrong move, he did it all because of me. How could I stay mad at that? There had to be some way to make it up to him, and as much as I wished I had the answer to what that was, I simply didn't. There was always the possibility of talking to James or Colby, but both boys hated Peter. Talking to Bessie was almost as fruitless since there was no way I could blow my cover, or cause any concern at the orphanage that would have me singled out. As my mind raced to think of someone to talk to, I immediately paused on a remote, but seemingly valid possibility – Wesley.

I immediately walked back into the house, ascended the stairs, entered my room, and flew to where the jeans I had worn a couple of days ago was. I panicked, holding my breath as I discovered they weren't there. Of course it wasn't such a huge surprise, Bessie was a dutiful housekeeper, but this one time it was a great inconvenience. I immediately ran out of the room, down the stairs, and into the kitchen where the laundry area was. After reaching the closet and gazing on a rather large pile of dirty clothes, I swallowed deeply.

"Hope springs eternal…" I muttered to myself as I started to make my way through dirty shirts, pants, underwear, socks, and all manner of garments. I tried my best to hold my enthusiasm back as much as possible, but my youthful mind battled me for control. I didn't have any long standing desire to clean up a huge mess, but I knew if I was caught I might be in trouble. When it seemed as though finding that particular pair of jeans would be impossible, I stopped. The sound of crinkling paper inside fabric immediately reached my ear, and hope began to rise inside of me. I grabbed the pair directly below where my hands had been, reached in the offending pocket, and pulled out a small sheet of paper.

"Yes!" I yelled, a little too loudly and paused for a second to listen. Thankfully it appeared as though no one had heard me. I quickly set about piling the clothes into a single pile once more, and quietly crept out of the kitchen and back into the foyer. On the far wall by the stairs a single table sat with a telephone on top. As I approached it, hands shaking, I grabbed the receiver and pressed it to my ear. After dialing the numbers I waited, for what seemed like an eternity, until the phone began to ring. By the time the third ring had arrived, I began to lose hope and almost began to lower the phone from my ear, when muffled groans could be heard on the other end.

"Mmmm… Hello?" The tired voice of Wesley spoke through a stifled yawn.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" I asked, immediately hitting myself in the forehead. I hadn't even stopped to think of how early it was.

"It's fine… Is this Ben?"

I paused for a moment before answering, my index finger quietly playing with the cord that led the phone to its base. I felt bad to ask him to come over so early, but he had openly offered to come anytime I needed. I supposed that sometimes it was necessary to ask for help, especially when one was only nine.

"Yes. Did you mean what you said the other day? That I could call you whenever I need you?" I breathed heavily as I spoke, unsure of myself, and sounding much more childish than I wanted to.

"Sure I did." Wesley replied, straining to sound awake as I heard shifting on his end of the receiver.

"I need you." I laughed a little, still tangling the cord around my finger.

"Oh you do huh? Well do you want me to come over?" He sounded happy to oblige, as bad as I felt asking him to.

"Please." I replied simply.

"How about you give me two hours? I need to take a shower and get some stuff settled around here."

"Sounds great! I mean… that'll work." I laughed nervously. I wasn't sure why I was so excited, maybe it was the possibility to get relevant advise about Peter and make things right.

"Alright kiddo, see you then." As he finished speaking I could hear him hang up on his end, and I did the same. I sighed for a moment, staring at the stairs next to me. My mind returned to my headache, and my stomach begged for sustenance. I momentarily thought about raiding the kitchen for drugs and cereal when the familiar shifting of Bessie's feet came.

"What're you doing up so early honey? Couldn't sleep well?" Bessie asked with concern, laying her hand gently on my shoulder. I smiled up at her, turning to look at her aging face. She truly was a kind person.

"My head hurts, and I'm hungry." I said simply. I could have discussed that my mind was full of chaotic matters, but somehow my base needs won out.

"Well we'll just have to take care of that won't we?" Bessie gently squeezed my shoulders as she spoke, and led me into the kitchen. I smiled contentedly, maybe things were going to look up?

A couple aspirin and a full breakfast later, I was disappointed to once more not see Peter. I hoped silently that he was just sleeping in from the previous evening's work, but realized that he was probably still mad. I went outside and sat on the porch, my headache nearly gone, and waited for any sign of Wesley. While I wasn't sure how long it had been, it felt like a small eternity, the sound of distant gravel being shifted finally reached my ears. I stood excitedly, standing on my tip toes for any sign of Wesley's car. Within a few minutes what I had been waiting for finally came to fruition, Wesley was here.

As I ran up to the side of his car, eagerly waiting for him to get out, I saw him laugh happily. Whatever possessed Wesley to take an interest in me was greatly appreciated at that moment. As he swung the door open, I stepped aside long enough for him to get out, and immediately wrapped my arms around his waist hugging him tightly.

"Well it's good to see you too!" Wesley chortled as he bent down and returned the hug. I smiled brightly as I stared into his eyes, feeling a strong affinity for him in that moment. Wesley was real, unattached to the orphanage, had a legitimate interest in my wellbeing, and knew nothing of my dark secrets. He was, for lack of a better term, my messiah.

"Care to go for a walk?" Wesley asked. I nodded, finally releasing him and stepping back. Wesley began to walk across the yard and towards the woods; I followed closely by his side. Wesley reached down, offered his hand, and I gladly took it. It was nice to feel someone else's touch. We quickly found our way onto the familiar path that led to my introduction to David and Jack. I attempted to push the idea of David from my mind, but it was difficult since it was at the basis of my argument with Peter. My eyes surveyed each leaf we passed, trying to remember its color, its texture, anything that wasn't associated with the problems I was facing.

"What's bothering you?" Wesley asked, gently swinging his arm a bit, jostling my own. I looked up and over at his face, smiling a little. His eyes were glued on me, waiting for any sort of a response.

"It's a long story…" My voice trailed off as I spoke. I wanted to go ahead and blurt it out, but there was a side of me that knew I had to be kind, to be considerate. If Wesley was kind enough to come to see me on a whim, I had to be kind enough to not load him down so readily.

"Looks like a long walk to me. Go for it, if you want." Wesley squeezed my hand gently as he spoke. I sighed, took a deep breath, and prepared to dump my feelings into the early summer air. I begged my mind to stay as adult as possible, at least so I could get my point across clearly.

"When I first came here I met a boy named David who is younger than me. We became friends, and when the adoption day came, he met a great family that is probably going to adopt him and his twin brother. Well, my other friend Peter who is older than me, he is really nice and didn't want me to get hurt so he told David that we can't be friends anymore because he's leaving and I'm not. I told Peter that I just wanted to stay friends with David even though he's leaving, but Peter said he didn't think that would work out because it would hurt too bad. I mean, I know he's right, but I still don't want to hurt David even though him leaving really hurts me."

Each word that I spoke felt like sweet redemption from some egregious crime that I had committed. I knew that the explanation was childish, but it was more coherent than I thought it would be.

"I see… So David still wants to be friends and Peter doesn't think you should be." Wesley summarized the statement fairly easily. I nodded, sighing audibly.

"Well there definitely isn't a problem being friends, but I understand why it hurts to see him leave. He was one of the first friends you met here, he's going to have a family that I'm sure you want to have as well, and you are just stuck in the middle holding all the pieces."

As complex as my feelings on the subject were, Wesley made a pretty easy task of deciphering them. He had been adopted as well, so naturally he had experienced these sorts of things before.

"Yeah… I guess I understand that I can't be friends with David forever, but I don't want Peter to be mad at me anymore. I just want to fix it. If David leaves and Peter is still mad at me, then I don't have anyone anymore!" As I yelled the last part of my reply, I began to feel tears well up in my eyes. I fought hard to hold them back as I stopped where I stood, released Wesley's hand and squeezed my fists tightly. Wesley stopped as well, kneeling down until we were eye level, and placed his hands on my shoulders.

"If Peter cares enough about you to look out for you with this, well this situation with David, then he isn't going to just stop being your friend. You need to tell him how you feel, that you appreciate what he's trying to do, and that you don't want to lose him as a friend. I don't think he'd do all this for you if he wanted to lose you as a friend either."

I nodded, using my hands to wipe the collection of tears that were just appearing on my lower eyelids. I managed to stop anymore from coming, bit my lower lip, and contemplated his words. What he said was absolutely true. Peter loved me, I knew as much, so why would he stop being there for me just because of a singular incident? He did come into the woods and save me after all, well, most likely anyway.

"You're right, thanks." I smiled, looking into his large brown eyes.

"Anytime kid." Wesley hugged me tightly and I returned the favor, wrapping my arms firmly around his neck. I nuzzled my face into his hair for a brief moment, breathing in his scent and momentarily forgetting myself. It was somehow comforting to be in the arms of a man, somehow familiar to how it was to be with Peter, even if he physically was a child.

"Since we've solved all the problems of the world, how about a bite of lunch in town? My treat!" Wesley laughed as he leaned back, releasing me from his grasp. I smiled, letting my arms fall back to my side and recomposing myself.

"Sure!"

Wesley took my hand once more as we began to walk back towards the house.

Chapter Twenty Eight

"So when we're through here, I know this great arcade down the straight that you'd love." Wesley broke the silence with a feigned expression of excitement etched across his face. I groaned internally, but kept a fairly solid face on the outside. It had been many years since I had played or enjoyed video games, and I doubted that even regression was going to fix that. Just the same, if it made Wesley happy to see me happy, then I would oblige him.

"Cool!" I said simply, my voice rose a bit as the word finished forming. I smiled, forcing as goofy an expression as I could. Wesley seemed to take the response as sincere, and closed his menu. I knew that he had only been looking through it to pass the time; he had been here countless times before. When the waitress finally arrived, we ordered our food, received our drinks, and fell into a staring contest.

"Boo," Wesley grinned, as I sat back a little, startled. I guess I had been staring at him for quite some time, but it never occurred to me. I had so many things running through my mind that everything else seemed secondary. Wesley laughed.

"Sorry! Didn't mean to startle you. Still worried about Peter?"

I sighed, blowing bubbles into my soda.

"More or less."

"Understandable, but it'll work out, I promise." Wesley reached across the table, laying his hand over mine. I blushed a little, looking down into my soda once more. I knew that it was just a kind gesture, but the adult side of me saw such contact as more so, as being intimate.

"Oh great timing!" Wesley proclaimed as the waitress arrived with our food. We both had burgers, again, and Wesley made quick work of tearing into his. I followed, at a relatively lower pace, but truly enjoyed the taste of the meat and grease as it made its way into my stomach. There were some pleasures in life that nothing could take away from me, apparently junk food was one of them. My relatively small breakfast left me wanting more, and in no time I had managed to finish everything on my plate. It came as a shock to me, but I supposed it was good to eat after everything I had been through recently.

Wesley extracted his wallet, laid the payment on the table next to the ticket, and began to rise, beckoning me to follow. As soon as we exited the restaurant I turned to walk towards the car, but Wesley was already walking in the opposite direction. I stopped, suddenly remembering the arcade, and turned to follow him instead.

"Got a little lost, huh?" Wesley teased as he jostled my hair. I giggled, temporarily forgetting myself, and followed in silence. Wesley was definitely right about the proximity, hardly two blocks in and I could already see the garish sign that marked the exterior. As we approached I saw several posters for games both old and new, and found myself fairly impressed at how large the arcade was. When I grew up arcades were on the decline, almost every kid had their own video game system in their home. I knew that was still the case, but despite that, in the middle of nowhere, was this museum of video gaming days gone by. I'd say it was nostalgic, but since it was something I had never really experienced before, it was all new to me.

As we walked inside and Wesley approached the attendant to see about getting some change, I paced slowly, looking at each glowing screen with wonder. The graphics had certainly improved since the last time I had played a video game, and everything in here seemed positively amazing. There were racing games, fighting games, first person shooters, even some sort of a game where you were to tend your own farm. There didn't appear to be anyone else there, but even if there had been, I probably wouldn't have noticed. I was in heaven.

"What's it going to be first?" Wesley asked as he walked up beside me, causing me to jump and yell in surprise.

"Don't scare me like that!" I said, voice wavering as I turned to look at him. Wesley laughed heartily, holding his gut.

"You are so adorable when you're scared!" Wesley's face was turning red from laughing so hard, a shade I wasn't entirely sure an Asian's face could turn until that moment. I giggled, both because of Wesley's reaction and my own jumpiness. Being around Wesley made me the happiest I had been around an adult in years, and I didn't have a problem laughing at myself around him in return.

"Well now that that's over." Wesley sighed, rubbing his face and regaining his composure. "What's first on the agenda?"

My face formed into a devious smirk as I turned, looking at all the glowing screens that surrounded me. Finding the first one would be difficult, but I tried to keep in mind that it wouldn't be the only game I played that day. Within moments I had whittled the decision down to three, and turned wildly with my eyes closed before stopping and pointing. The shooter would be my first objective, and I would move on from there.

"So it begins." Wesley winked as he moved forward, deposited coins into the machine, and watched as I began an odyssey of fun that I hadn't experienced, well, ever.

I moved through each machine fluidly, finding more enjoyment with each game as I played it. I wasn't particularly good at any of the games, but just taking part in the experience was enough. My eyes were illuminated, and I stayed glued to the experience for as long as I could. After awhile, however, the coins dwindled and so did our time. When Wesley finally shocked me from my video game induced intoxication, it had already been three hours.

"Time to go kid, we'll come back another time." Wesley said kindly. I wanted to protest, to beg for more time, but I knew he had already been generous enough. Wesley hardly knew me but had spent more money on me than anyone else had in recent memory. I sighed, remorseful at first, but managed to force a smile on my lips. I leaned in and hugged him tightly, drawing his waist close to me.

"Thanks, for everything." I said simply. I didn't care who saw me, I was nine after all. I truly was grateful, not just for the games, but also for the food, and the advice. Wesley patted my head and returned the hug.

"Anytime."

As Wesley and I walked towards the car and began to drive back towards the orphanage, I found myself a flurry of conversation. I talked about each video game, how exciting it had been to play, what I liked and disliked about the particular game I was talking about, and even how the graphics looked compared to what I had played before. Thankfully Wesley never questioned the last bit of observation, but instead listened intently to each word as though it were somehow the most important he had ever heard. I looked down at my feet in the floorboard and sighed, contented, remorseful to return, but hopeful for the future.

"You really are an amazing kid, you know?" Wesley asked as his hand patted my knee. I smiled at him, closed my eyes, and laid my head back. I began to wonder if I would see David when I returned, and what I would say to him. I even pondered as to whether he'd find the video games as appealing as I did, and whether I could convince Wesley to bring him along next time. I merely choked on how childish the idea was, when I became aware of a very unchildish thing occurring outside my mind.

Wesley's hand had remained firmly planted on my leg as I thought, and had begun to rise gently upwards. By the time I regained my composure and became aware of my surroundings, he was already dangerously close to my crotch. I stopped, held my breath, and silently waited to see what would happen. I glanced at Wesley whose eyes were intent on the road, his breathing steady but shallow. I noticed a sizable tent in his pants that confirmed everything I needed to know.

His hand rose, pushing under my shirt and into the waistband of my jeans. I wasn't sure what to say, what to do, I was shocked into complete silence as my eyes fell on his hand once more. His fingers pushed their way inside my pants, and then inside my underwear. Within a few moments, I felt his warm touch as the tip of his index finger brushed against my tiny member. I shuddered, my penis became erect against its own will, and I gasped audibly as his fingers wrapped around it. He began to move his hand up and down in a fluid motion, my own cheeks becoming flushed, matching his own. My toes curled as I fought the desire to continue against my own common sense. The feeling of Wesley's hand was warm, was kind, was good, but it wasn't his hand. It wasn't Peter.

"What're you doing?" I managed to stammer, still staring at my pants as they rose and fell with his hand's motions.

"Sorry…" Wesley spoke as he quickly withdrew, placing the offending hand back on the steering wheel. I turned my head and stared out the window, wishing my own member to diminish in size. My mind fought between wanton passion, disdain, remorse, and Peter. I didn't know what else to say, and apparently neither did Wesley. The remainder of the car ride was uncomfortably silent.

When at last we made it to the orphanage and parked outside, Wesley's eyes seemed intent on the windshield, not once glancing at me. Perhaps I had been a little angry at first, but I knew that Wesley was a good person deep inside. I was eternally grateful for everything he had done for me, and I didn't want our friendship ruined because of this incident. I knew that I couldn't express myself properly; I had to feign innocence as a child is ought to do, but I had to say or do something. I leaned over, wrapped my arms partially across Wesley's side, and hugged him.

"Thanks again." I said silently before opening my door and stepping out. Before I could close the door Wesley suddenly turned, his eyes glistening with tears.

"I'm sorry, I really am. I really hope you can forgive me."

I smiled at him, genuinely. There wasn't any side of me that felt angry for what he did, at least not anymore.

"I think you're a good friend." As I said the words I knew they were true, and thankfully Wesley seemed to realize as much. He smiled back at me, the tears fading back into him.

"Call me sometime, if you need me for anything okay?"

I nodded, closed the door, and turned to walk back towards the house. As I heard Wesley drive out of sight, a familiar person caught my eyes.

"Peter!"

Chapter Twenty Nine

"I thought you decided to go out on your on! I was so worried! I didn't know what I was going to do without you." His eyes watered as he spoke, and our hands held each other's tightly.

"I thought you were mad at me and I'd never see you again. I'm sorry; I had to do anything I could think of to get you back." I sniffled, stifling my own tears from re-arising for the umpteenth time that day.

"I'm just so happy, can you forgive me?" Peter smiled, looking into my eyes with genuine remorse.

"No, I'm the one that should be sorry. I know that being friends with David just, well it hurts me. I know you did it because you love me."

"I do love you." Peter smiled as he cupped my face, looking longingly into my eyes. I returned the gaze for a moment, before turning red and looking down.

"Sorry, I um, we probably shouldn't be caught like this."

Peter laughed, letting go of me and stepping back a bit.

"So what were you up to today?"

I rolled my eyes and sighed, glad to have a semi-normal conversation. I explained to him each detail of the day; how I woke up and tried to find him, how I called Wesley to get some advice, how we talked about him, what he said, how we went to the diner, played video games, and even his indiscretion on the way back.

"Fucking pervert…" Peter grumbled as he kicked the ground angrily. I giggled a little, enjoying this protective side to him.

"What's the difference between that and what you did to me?"

Peter blushed as his hand rose and tussled his hair.

"We're both kids, well, adults, I mean… What I mean is…"

I giggled, enjoying watching him stammer for the first time. I hugged him once more as he finally fell into silence again.

"I missed you." He said as he kissed my head gently.

"I miss you too." I replied, sighing and breathing in his odor.

"So about that whole perverted thing…" Peter smirked, grabbing my shoulders and holding me back a bit. I blushed in response, but grinned impishly.

"Sure." I said simply as Peter reached his hand into mine and held it firmly. We both walked back towards the porch, and into the entrance. The inside was fairly normal, a few kids were playing in the game room and we apparently hadn't caused any unwanted attention. As we ascended the stairs, quickly finding our way to my landing, I felt myself beginning to become excited at the possibility of what we were going to do next. Each interaction before that point had been fraught with nervousness, but this was at the end of an argument. I mused to myself that I was finally going to participate in make-up sex; it just took an age regression for it to happen. As soon as we walked inside, Peter shut the door and walked over to me. He wrapped his arms tightly around me and pressed his lips to mine, his tongue immediately invading my mouth.

I felt weak and excited at his touch, becoming butter in his hands. My tongue fought with his, my face became flushed with passion. Within mere moment I felt Peter's hands began to grab my shirt and pull it upwards. I sighed, feeling the release of his lips from mine and the cold air against my warm skin. Peter quickly grabbed his own shirt and tossed it aside as well, before allowing his hands to grapple with my pants. His fingers made quick work of releasing the button, and he slid them down my legs with expert grace. As soon as I stepped out of them, Peter stood back for the briefest of moments, examining my body in just underwear.

"You are so beautiful." He said. It was an honest statement, as best as I could tell, and every crevice of his face shined with adoration. I smiled, blushing a little beyond the red that already covered my face, and mouthed a silent thank you in response. I inserted my thumbs into my waistband and pulled them down, stepping out. My hard two inch [5 cm] member stood rigid against my milky frame. Peter smiled happily, removing his own pants and underwear. His larger member stood proud, still hairless, and still perfect against his pristine body.

Peter grabbed me once more, our nude bodies pressing together as his tongue slipped into my mouth once more. As we moved over to the bed, I felt Peter's hands grab my sides and guide me down until I was lying on my back. He shifted himself next to me before climbing on top, his lips never leaving mine. My hands began to move slowly down his back. Feeling his soft, supple skin against my flesh sent electricity flying through me. I stopped at the small indentation of his lower back and hovered for a moment before continuing, lowered my hands more and grasped his ass tightly.

Peter's lips released from mine as he let out a low moan, lowered himself, and kissed my neck passionately. I let out a moan of pleasure in response, my hands kneading his globes as though my life depended on it. The reach was difficult, considering our differences in height, but the feeling of his body, his lips on my neck, it was absolute ecstasy.

"I want you to be mine." Peter breathed in between kisses, his hands gently passing over my sides.

"I want to be yours." I squeaked out, trying to be as quiet as humanly possible. My penis jerked wildly each time it brushed against Peter's stomach.

"You will be." Peter rose up once more, his lips locking with mine. As we kissed deeply, I felt his hands lower to my thighs and lift them, as he slid himself between my legs. The heat of our bodies in that position was intense, and having a good idea of what would happen next, I began to become nervous. My hands removed themselves from Peter's ass and wrapped tightly around his torso. Apparently sensing my trepidation, Peter's lips parted from mine once more as he gazed into my eyes.

"If you don't want to, that's okay," he said, a kind look etched across his face as his hips thrusted back and forth, rubbing his cock against mine.

"I do." I breathed. I was fearful; this would be the first time I had done this, well, ever. I knew that if it was my option to choose who would be the first, it would definitely be Peter. I was finally met with the opportunity and I knew that the decision I had made was right.

"Take me." I said, arching my back and closing my eyes tightly. Peter began to kiss my neck and shift himself downwards. His arms pushed my thighs up further until I could feel the tip of his penis against my bottom. I began to breathe heavily, my own cock twitching violently in response to the passion that raptured my tiny frame. I heard Peter as he spit into his hand, lowering it beneath me.

"Are you ready?" He asked as his frame heightened. My eyes shot open, staring into his as I nodded. I was, at least as ready as I could be. As Peter began to press himself forward and the head of his cock pressed against my virginal hole, I immediately tensed. Peter waited, feeling out my body, and he managed to position himself to where his left hand could gently caress my cheek.

"Relax," Peter whispered. I nodded, and swallowed deeply as I did what he asked. Within moments Peter began to lurch forward. I felt the head of his penis begin to penetrate me, and I immediately bit my lower lip. I fought the urge of my sphincter to fight the intrusion, and managed to remain fairly relaxed despite how my body appeared. Peter pushed forward once more, securing two inches [5 cm], and roughly half, of his girth into me. I let out a sigh. I knew that if Peter had been an adult, this would have been an excruciatingly painful experience. Despite his small size, I was fairly small in comparison to him, so there was some mild discomfort. The feeling of Peter as he became a part of me, his flesh merging with mine, made the discomfort seem all too bearable, even enjoyable.

"You ready?" Peter asked gently as he paused. I nodded, more certain that I was ready than ever. Peter nodded back, and pushed himself the rest of the way in. When his crotch met with my cheeks, I grasped him tighter than I ever had.

"I love you so much," I cried out. It didn't hurt, it was uncomfortable certainly, but I cried out for a different reason entirely. Being this close to Peter, sharing this moment with him, was the most amazing thing I had ever done. I meant that I loved him, I knew that before this moment, and most certainly knew it now. No amount of sexual passion could mask the truth of my feelings beneath.

"I love you too," Peter moaned as he began to pump in and out of me, slowly, taking measure of what I could handle. I knew that he stretched me to a certain extent, so the pleasure for Peter must have been immense. As we stared into each other's eyes, communicating silently between us, Peter began to pick up pace and the friction between us strengthened. With each pump I became more and more relaxed, more impassioned by the actions that were taking place. While I was beginning to derive pleasure from the act, Peter was prepared to take it to the next level.

I watched as Peter's hand lowered, taking my own tiny member into its grasp. He began to pump it up and down in rhythm with his own movements. I cried out, stifling the climax of my exclamation for fear of being caught. The feeling of his cock inside me, his skin against mine, and his hand jacking me to a rapid climax was almost too much to bear. My hands rubbed Peter's back in quick escape, unable to know what to do with themselves.

"I think I'm going to cum," Peter groaned as his pumps became more urgent, and his pace on my cock picked up as well. I nodded, moaning more quickly as his words escaped his mouth. As he began to pound me harder, his cock beginning to develop a noticeable twitch, I began to feel a familiar tingling sensation within my stomach. It began at the base, and quickly moved up my shaft. I had become accustomed to the process taking some time, but in this moment of passion it was quick, and ready to overcome me. Before I had a chance to exclaim, the tingling shattered through my shaft and my member began to dance wildly.

Peter bit his lip hard as his own member twitched violently inside of me, my own member twitched in rhythm inside his hand. Our bodies fought hard for fluids that they could not produce, and the sheer miracle of instantaneous climax brought more pleasure to me than I could ever express. By the time Peter began to calm I did as well, and as he slipped out he collapsed onto my chest, breathing hard.

I smiled, gently wrapping my arms around him as I held him close. Our hearts, for the moment, beat quickly in the same rhythm. It was as though this moment had been fated forever.

"I can't believe…." Peter began.

"I know!" I finished. I felt more alive than I ever had, and had experienced more pleasure than I knew could be experienced. We both laughed together, kissing briefly before collapsing back into our previous positions.

"I love you," I said, examining Peter's fingers as they sat between my own.

"I love you too," Peter responded. At once, everything was right with the world.

"You about ready to get dinner?" Peter asked, causing me to groan.

"Do we have to?" I asked, completely forlorn. My only desire was to stay in his arms the rest of the night.

"I think it would be suspicious if we didn't," Peter mused, propping himself up on his arm.

I sighed as I stood up, collected my clothes, and began to get dressed. For once I was grateful to be so young, not having to clean up after sex had its advantages. As I pulled on my shirt and pushed the wrinkles down with my hands, I gazed at Peter who was already ready to go.

"So I was thinking," Peter spoke as we exited the room together, shutting the door behind us.

"About what?" I asked as we descended the stairs together.

"After dinner, I think we need to have a talk in the woods."

I swallowed deeply at his words, already knowing what was going to be discussed.

"Okay." I said simply as we walked into the dining room together.

Chapter Thirty

I could feel eyes boring into our heads from behind. It wasn't proper to leave the table until Bessie had given chores, and I was afraid that she would say something. As we reached the exit however, and with no response following us, I was certain that we were safe. I wasn't sure whether it was luck, or Bessie's forgiving nature, but in either scenario I was eternally grateful. We each slipped on a pair of flip flops and walked outside, shutting the door behind us. As we paced across the lawn in lock and step, his hand reached down and encircled mine once we were at a safe distance. I smiled a little, despite my tumultuous emotions, and I quickly found myself being led into the forest for the second time that day.

As we walked through the long line of trees I wanted badly to speak, but I knew it wasn't in either of our best interests. We had to get as far away from the orphanage as was humanly possible. Purity was listening, and I wasn't about to give them any leads, regardless of what I decided to do.

"Where are we going?" I finally asked when I felt that we were at a comfortable enough distance for at least unrelated conversation.

"You'll see," Peter responded. We both knew that we understood what the conversation was about, but as far as our destination was concerned, I was unsure.

Each step seemed like it took an eternity as my body anxiously awaited another emotional rollercoaster. Wherever we were going, it was a considerable distance away. I supposed that it was better to be safe than sorry, but my legs were already weak from the activities I had participated in a mere thirty minutes prior. Just when I was prepared to ask how much longer it would take, we came to a clearing, one that was all too familiar.

"Remember this place?" Peter asked as he plopped down on the mattress we had shared on the first day we met.

"How could I forget it?" I smiled, plopping down right next to him. I couldn't think of a more appropriate place to be. This was where we had gone the first day we met; the place that Peter first confessed that he had feelings for me. While it was a safe place, it was also a romantic place. I had never really taken Peter for being a romantic, but at that moment I was sure that he was.

For a moment there was silence, and not a word was spoken. We both were fairly sure Purity couldn't hear us here, but neither one of us wanted to discuss what we knew had to be discussed. As was usually the case, Peter was first to break the silence.

"Listen, I love you more than anything. I can't even begin to imagine what life would be like without you. What they have planned for you, I'm just not going to let it happen. You belong to me, and I belong to you."

I smiled as our fingers intertwined once more. I examined his cuticles before I managed a reply.

"I love you too Peter, but we have to think about this. I mean, what if we do get away successfully? Then what? We both are stuck as nine and twelve forever, and what if I start to regress more? What if I completely forget myself? What if you do?" No matter how hard I tried, I found it impossible to look at Peter's face as I spoke. I knew if I did I would relent, and while there was a large part of me that wanted to, there was another side of me that knew it was a dangerous endeavor.

"I just don't care Ben! I don't care! There isn't any threat, any possibility that would keep me apart from you. I know now that I have someone that's meant for me, that's made for me, and it's you. I'm willing to put my life on the line so you can have yours, so we can share this life together. I'd rather be homeless, and be with you, than have a million years of security."

I sighed, moving my gaze from his nails and towards the earth beneath us. He was right, how could he not be? It simply wasn't an option to stay. There was a side of me that didn't want to get him involved, but I didn't want to live without him either. Our fates were intertwined, and I couldn't deny that. I leaned over, wrapping my arms around Peter as we lay down on the dirty mattress. I rested my head on his chest, just listening to him breathe for a few moments. As much as I wanted to follow my passions, I knew there was no escaping logical reality. I just needed to find an alternative, and I needed time to find it.

As soon as I reached my decision I sat up. I looked down at Peter, finally locking eyes with him for the first time since we had arrived.

"I'll think about it," I said simply. It wasn't in me to say no, I knew that I would probably say yes eventually, but at that moment I wasn't ready.

Peter stood to his full height, sighed, and shook his head. Breathless, he looked away for a moment. I sighed, turned, and prepared to lead the way back to the orphanage. Before I could take a step, I felt Peter's hand grasp my arm and turn me around. As he leaned forward, I closed my eyes, and our lips locked once more. His sweet taste began to melt away my nervousness, my logic, and my stomach began to calm. There was no doubt that Peter had an effect on me.

As our lips parted Peter's hands slipped into mine once more; he pressed the combined sets against my chest, his eyes looking into mine with a pleading expression. I smiled, unable to make my eyes move from his.

"When do we leave?" I asked, the words escaping my mouth before I had a chance to recall them.

"Tonight," he replied, his expression serious, yet confident.

I nodded in response. It was all I could do. Our left hands released and our right hands remained intertwined as we turned to stand side by side. Slowly, ever so surely, we began to walk back towards the orphanage. My eyes surveyed the skyline above the canopy of trees, covered by the waning twilight. It wouldn't be long now.

Chapter Thirty One

I turned over, staring at the wall blankly. I wasn't sure how much longer it would be until we left, but I was certain I wouldn't have long to wait. After we returned from the woods, Peter and I didn't say much to one another. We knew what would transpire; there was no reason to speak it. I shut my eyes, trying to will sleep that wouldn't come. My hands absentmindedly played with a string that had frayed from the edge of my comforter. Just as I began to entertain the idea of getting up to see what time it was, I heard my door knob slowly turn, as the light of the hallway flooded my small room. I turned over, propped my head up on my hands, and just gazed at the silent form of Peter. He closed the door behind him and walked over.

I smiled gently as he bent over, pressing his lips against mine and kissing me wordlessly. I could see his love for me in his eyes, and that was enough. I pushed the comforter down to the end of the bed as his right hand encircled mine, squeezing lightly. As I sat up, my hand still locked in his, he sat next to me. He placed his arm around me, squeezing me gently, his left hand attempting to make sense of my messy locks. I inclined my head towards him when he had finished, staring deeply into his eyes. We both nodded in unison, and stood together. As we exited the room, closed the door behind us, and walked to the bottom of the stairs, I stopped for a brief moment. I turned towards the stairs that led to the basement, to where David was doubtlessly sleeping. I felt a pang of regret.

Peter's hand rose to gently squeeze my shoulder. I knew that he wanted to comfort me, to tell me it was alright, but we couldn't speak just yet. I sighed, allowing a single cheer to escape my eye and cascade down my cheek. Peter once more wrapped his hand in mine, and we quickly slipped on a pair of shoes, opened the door, and escaped into the cool night air. Our steps were quick as we made our way towards the woods. By the time the grass gave way to the dirt floor beneath, our pace quickened into a run, and the sounds of the trees rustling in the midnight breeze encircled us. With each pounding of my foot against the earth, I felt my fear intensity.

Would they know that we were gone just yet? How long would it take them to figure it out? Where exactly were we going to go? There were a million unanswered questions, but only one thing that I felt for sure. I knew that I loved Peter, and being apart from him was just not an option. Even if escaping with me endangered his life, I felt it was worth it. I didn't feel guilty for having him come with me on this journey, because we were one, we were soul mates. Without Peter I could hardly breathe, without him life had no real reason. What other option was there than to be with him? There wasn't one that I could ascertain.

My youthful energy in the face of how long we had run, and the exhaustion that racked my tiny frame, had been spent. Each stride of my legs was driven by fear, by worry, by necessity. My breath was quick and ragged, and my legs tingled with pain. We had run for what felt like hours, but I was fairly certain it had only been twenty, thirty minutes at most.

"Where are we going?" I asked, finally breaking the silence. If we weren't far away enough to escape the ears of Purity, then we never were going to be.

"I don't know, we'll think of something," Peter said comfortingly, squeezing my hand as we continued to run. His own breath was certainly quickened, but perhaps not as ragged as my own. Had he been able to nap? Was he not as worried as I was? I felt somewhat comforted, somewhat betrayed by the concept. I decided to push it from my mind.

"My side hurts," I whined suddenly, realizing that a stitch had begun to form in my side. My legs flailed, struggling to keep up with Peter's longer stride. I began to feel tears of pain form in my eyes.

"We have to keep running; can't you last a little longer?" Peter asked, a concerned but insistent tone to his voice. I shook my head, biting my lower lip and feeling the stitch grow stronger. My legs were spent, and they felt as though they were made of jelly. All I wanted was to stop, to rest, and none of the urgency of what we were doing seemed to combat the urges of my body to give out. I let out a shout, my tears flowing freely, as I tripped on a limb and sailed to the ground beneath us. I lay there for a moment, my hands entangled in weeds and twigs, and felt my knee burn as dirt mingled with blood.

"Are you okay?" Peter asked urgently, stopping and bending down to check on me. He turned me over and lifted my leg into his lap, examining the wound.

"It's not too bad, I think it's going to be okay," he spoke gently as he used the edge of his shirt to dab at the wound, to collect some of the blood that had flown down my leg. I merely sniffled, fighting my tears from continuing on.

"I wanna go home," I said through red, puffy eyes. I selfishly wanted nothing more than to return, than to end this futile effort to escape. In my moment of exhaustion, my mind had begun to regress, and I sounded more childish than I had wanted.

"You know we can't do that…" Peter's voice trailed off as he let his blood stained shirt return to his side. He stood, reaching down to grab my hands and help me to my feet. My hands turned into fists and wiped away some of the tears that sat solemnly against my cheeks, leaving a trail of mud behind. Peter sighed, positioned himself in front of me, and bent down.

"Hop on, I'll carry you."

I sniffled and nodded, wrapped my arms around his neck, and jumped a little so he could catch my legs beneath his arms. As the skin of my knee stretched, the stinging returned full force and I shouted out once more. Peter began to run as quickly as he could with my weight bearing against him. Despite the size difference, Peter was only physically twelve, and only had so much strength. Within a short period of time, his running turned into a hastened walk, and I found myself resting my face in his hair, inhaling his scent.

"I think we're just going to have to walk…" Peter said finally, stopping and letting me slide off his back. He turned to face me, hands resting on his knees as he fought to catch his breath. I was impressed that he managed to carry me as long as he did. I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"Thanks…" I whispered into his ear. He didn't have to carry me; we were both in as much danger at this point. I had been the one that had fallen, not Peter. Despite that, he loved me enough to try, to push his body beyond its own limits.

"It's fine, but we really need to get going." Peter nodded, taking my hand once more as we began to walk together. Thankfully my ankle seemed to be fine, and aside from an occasional breeze causing my knee to sting, I found it fairly easy to walk. From the thickness of the trees that surrounded us, I was fairly certain that we had already traveled a great distance. Even though I didn't really know the woods all that well, I was sure that I had never been in this part before.

"Do you know where we are?" I asked, looking over at Peter's face. It was pale, illuminated by the moon as it shone through the canopy above.

"Nope, I've never gone this far before. I figure if we're lost, it'll be harder for them to find us… At least I hope so," he breathed a sigh as the last words escaped his mouth. I knew he was uncertain, uneasy. Strangely enough, I found it comforting. It was nice to not be the only one without any idea as to what to do.

"I think we'll be okay. I mean, yeah we're lost, but we have each other," I smiled happily, squeezing Peter's hand. Even if we had to spend the rest of our days wandering the forest and rummaging for food it would be fine, as long as he was there.

"Yeah we'll be fine, as long as THEY don't catch up with us anyway." Peter replied. The look on his face was fairly blank. I had expected to see worry, exhaustion, anything really, but there just didn't seem to be anything there. I wondered if he was trying to stay strong for me, or if it was just a coping mechanism.

"Do you miss David?" Peter finally asked after a particularly quiet space of time. My eyes had been staring at the ground, my mind so spent that it simply couldn't think anymore. A vision of the tiny red haired child immediately surfaced. I felt a pang of regret once more.

"Yeah…" I whispered. I felt bad for missing him, but I just couldn't help it. I loved Peter will all of my heart but David was my friend, the first friend I had made after I regressed. I silently wondered if he would miss me, and whether he would be alright.

"You'll forget about him eventually. Just try not to think about it, he's going to be living with a new family soon and he'll be really happy." Peter's words were encouraging, but final. I immediately realized that I would probably never see David's face again. The last experience we shared was painful, and that would forever be his memory of me. I bit my lip, trying to force the thoughts from my mind.

The sounds of the various insects chirping and calling around us had begun to fade, and the once dark sky gave way to colors of orange, red, and midnight blue. The sun was beginning to rise, and with it came a new sense of exhaustion that seemed to cover both of us. Peter finally stopped, staring at a particularly large tree to our left.

"I think we'll be alright to stop for the night, we have to get some rest."

I nodded, looking at the tree as well. The collective of leaves beneath it seemed more inviting than I could express. As I stood there, my legs tingled, and I knew that sleep would come all too easy. We both walked over to the tree and plopped down, Peter spooning me from behind and offering his arm as a pillow. As I stared at the endless collection of trees around us, the thoughts of the unknown faded into oblivion. I was too tired to think, to feel. The only thing that mattered was Peter's arms around me, and that I was free. My eyes closed and I fell away into a deep slumber, warm in Peter's embrace.

Chapter Thirty Two

"Are you okay?" I asked, breaking the silence of our awakening.

"Yeah I'm just cold." Peter shivered, wrapping his arms tighter around me and burying his face in my hair. The once long summer days had given way to an early autumn as was typical for Maine.

"How long have you been awake?" I asked, turning around and embracing him, my hands flying across his back in an attempt to warm him.

"A couple hours." Peter's teeth chattered as he spoke. I froze, feeling bad. He had wanted to let me sleep, to rest, and had sacrificed his own warmth to see that accomplished.

"I'm sorry…" I whispered, grabbing his shirt tightly with my left hand. Peter merely laughed, his shivering subsiding a bit.

"Don't worry about it, did you sleep well?"

I nodded despite myself. I had slept remarkably well. Although considering the level of exhaustion I had reached the previous morning, I probably could have slept on a bed of nails.

"I think we need to get moving if you're awake." Peter said, finally sitting up and rubbing his hands together. I nodded, sitting up as well and staring at his face. We were both dirty, and small particles of dead leaves clung to Peter's oily hair.

"I'm hungry." I suddenly commented, becoming increasingly aware of the rumblings in my stomach. We hadn't eaten since yesterday, and it was mostly likely the afternoon by now. I knew there was little hope for eating anytime soon, but I couldn't deny the feeling just the same.

"I know; me too. We'll find something." Peter comforted as he stood and offered his hand. I grabbed it and rose, and we began to walk once more through the woods towards an unknown destination. I looked down at my knee which had dried over the course of the morning, and had begun to scab over. I kept my strides to a minimum, trying my best not to stretch the skin anymore than I had to.

"I think we should try to find a town, maybe we can get a bit to eat and figure out what we're going to do next," Peter spoke urgently, trying to regain his resolve. I nodded, squeezing his hand tightly. It was better than any ideas I had. It was beyond me to know how we would find a town, but I hoped that something would become apparent. After about ten minutes we happened upon a stream, and for the first time since our journey began, I saw a look of delight cover Peter's face.

"If we follow the stream, it might lead us to a town! Come on!" Peter's voice quivered with excitement as his own pace began to quicken. I followed next to him, wincing as the skin on my knee stretched, but was pushed on by the feelings of hunger in my stomach. The sound of the water as it traveled down the stream was calming, but made me aware of how parched I was. I tried to will saliva to appear in my mouth but it was of no use, it was as though I had swallowed a desert.

We walked for what felt like an eternity, and I began to lose hope concerning Peter's plan. All that I could see around us were woods, and while the stream continued to stretch out into unforeseen distances, it didn't appear to be getting us any closer to a town. I glanced over at Peter, prepared to voice my concerns, but his face was still hopeful, still happy. I bit my lip, unwilling to break his mood. I stared at the ground beneath us, trying my best to avoid the various rocks, branches, and dips as they came. Just when I was about to suggest we rest for a bit, Peter suddenly stopped, dropped my hand, and jumped gleefully into the air.

"Look! I knew it would work!" Peter exclaimed. My eyes fought hard to look beyond us, and suddenly became large. Sure enough, I could see a few buildings in the distance, along with a road. Peter had been right all along. I smiled toothily, genuinely happy, my hand falling to rub my stomach.

"It won't be long now!" I giggled, speaking to my stomach, but also partially to Peter's as well. Peter giggled as well, grabbed my hand, and began to bound towards the buildings beyond us. I found it hard to keep pace, but managed despite the pain that racked my knee. It gave me intense pleasure to see Peter so happy, and I wasn't going to steal that from him. Below the buildings and the town above was a rather steep hill, and as we began to climb it, I found myself fall behind Peter quite quickly.

Peter turned, laughing impishly as he did, and grabbed my hand, attempting to pull me along with him. I managed to keep up, maintaining my footing despite there not being much to work with. When at last we crested the hill, Peter finally stopped, grabbed his knees, and caught his breath. I joined him, happy to see civilization, but duly exhausted.

"So what do you want to do first?" Peter asked after finally collecting himself. I laughed, realizing how awkward it would be for two young boys to just walk into any building and demand services. Peter was most likely well aware of the same, but the hope we both shared in making it this far was impossibly tangible.

"I, uh, well I had an idea." I scratched my arm nervously as I waited for Peter to reply. I knew that my idea wouldn't be what he wanted to hear, but with little hope remaining, it was better than nothing.

"Sure." Peter said, grinning from ear to ear and waiting to hear it. My fingers fell to my side and prodded at my pocket, the familiar sliver of paper containing Wesley's number crinkling in response.

"I think we should call Wesley." I said simply, my cheeks turning red beneath their dirt covered fa�ade. I watched as Peter's once gleeful expression turned into one of annoyance.

"That perv? No way!" He exclaimed, turning and crossing his arms. I sighed, I knew he wouldn't be terribly keen on the idea, but he was really the only adult we knew that wasn't under Purity's thumb.

"Do you have a better idea?" I asked, crossing my own arms and feeling somewhat superior.

"We can go steal some food and keep walking in the woods." Peter said simply, his stubbornness remaining strong. I rolled my eyes.

"Do you want to get caught and end up being sent back to the orphanage? Maybe we can get some food, some sleep in a real bed, and then head out with a better plan." I said, attempting to justify my idea. Peter groaned, his right index finger and thumb pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Fine, call him, but if he tries to touch you again I'm gonna kick him in the balls."

I giggled, glad that he had listened to reason. I hugged him tightly, his arms lay lazily at his sides.

"It'll be great, I promise." I remarked as I grabbed his hand and we began to walk between the buildings and towards the street.

At the sight of people I began to feel my heart quicken, and worry wash over me. Would Purity be looking for us? Would there be any missing person's reports? I felt fairly certain there wouldn't be any contact with the police, considering our illegal nature to begin with, but I wasn't so sure what Purity was capable of. My eyes managed to fall on a phone booth nestled next to a gas station, and I grinned happily.

"There!" I called, grabbing Peter's hand tighter and running across the empty street. As soon as we approached I removed the phone and pressed it to my ear, noticing its weight at once. I extracted the paper containing Wesley's number from my pocket and sat it on the ledge, suddenly realizing that I was without change. I glanced at Peter who stared at me blankly.

"I don't have anything." He said, suddenly grinning in an evil sort of way. I grumbled, turning to the phone and dialed '0' for the operator.

"Operator, how may I connect your call?" The voice immediately replied on the other end. I gave the lady Wesley's number, and the phone began to ring. Within moments I could hear Wesley's groggy voice on the other end.

"You have a collect call from Ben, do you accept the charges?" The woman asked, to which Wesley accepted.

"Hello?" Wesley breathed, finally sounding more aware.

"Hey!" I shouted out, glad to hear his voice.

"Hey kiddo! I was worried you wouldn't call me so soon. What's up?" He asked. I could hear him moving in the background.

"Look I don't have a lot of time to explain, but I was wondering if you could pick me up?" I asked, my hand gripping the phone tightly. I didn't have time to answer a flurry of questions, and I only hoped that he would just do as I asked. After a moment of silence, Wesley began to speak.

"Are you at the orphanage?" He asked. I sighed, shaking my head no as I spoke.

"No, I don't know where I am." I said truthfully.

"What's around you?" Wesley asked; his voice emotionless. I was just glad it wasn't angry.

"We're at a gas station called… called…" As I stared at the sign I began to feel my heart race once more. I saw the name, but my mind couldn't wrap itself around the correct way of pronouncing it. As I fought for my adult reading comprehension, it failed me. I felt like crying, like running away, but I knew I had to fight. I turned and stared at Peter in terror, who smiled reassuringly, patting my shoulder.

"Marjorie's." He said simply. I nodded thanks, and spoke the name into the receiver.

"And across the street there's…" Before I could continue I was cut off.

"I know exactly where you are, stay put. I'll be there as soon as I can." Wesley immediately hung up the phone on his end as I returned mine to its home.

"He said he'll be here soon," I told Peter, speaking as reassuringly as I could. My mind immediately returned to my difficulty in pronouncing the name of the gas station, and I grabbed Peter's arm, looking into his eyes with concern.

"The name…" I whispered. He knew exactly what I meant as he sighed.

"It's a part of the regression; you start to forget things after awhile. Since I'm older than you it's not a problem for me, but I can't remember everything all the time." Peter said simply. His tone was apologetic, but the fact worried me just the same. If regression's effect was not only limited to the way I felt and reacted to the world, then what else did it change about me? Could I even trust my own judgment?

"Okay," I said, unwilling to ruin the good news of Wesley's impending arrival. It was the first bit of good hope we had. We sat down on the curb and waited, both of us lost deep in our thoughts. After a fairly lengthy portion of time, the silence was broken by the sound of a horn, and we both looked up to see Wesley coming to a stop across from us. I smiled, jumped to my feet, and ran to the car with Peter close behind me.

Chapter Thirty Three

"So what's your name?" Wesley asked Peter. I glanced at him through the mirror above and noticed that he was staring at the floor, a disgruntled expression crossing his face. Since I knew he wouldn't soon answer, I took the opportunity.

"That's Peter, don't mind him, he's grumpy," I giggled, trying my best to lighten the mood. Peter shot me a slightly perturbed look.

"I see. Well it's good to meet you Peter." Wesley smiled into the mirror, turning around the block and circling around.

"So are you guys hungry?" He asked, maintaining his genial demeanor.

I nodded quickly, finally remembering my stomach. I was absolutely starving, and at this point I would eat anything.

"How about the diner?" He asked, turning once more and heading deeper towards town. Peter and I spoke in unison, apparently having the same thought on our minds.

"No!" We both yelled out. If having contacted Wesley hadn't already given away our whereabouts, then parading around in public certainly would. We had only made it to the town down the hill from the orphanage, and that wasn't nearly sufficiently far enough away.

"Alright…" Wesley's voice trailed off as he turned into a parking lot and turned around, starting to drive into the opposite direction from whence we came.

"Can we go to your house?" I half pleaded, half asked. I wasn't so sure that being in the car was safe. I wanted to get away from civilization as soon as was humanly possible.

"Sure," Wesley said simply, patted my leg, and quickly removed his hand. Peter's eyes remained glued to his hand the whole time, only causing me to giggle.

After a few miles the car turned onto a long dirt road that caused the car to bounce unnervingly with each rotation of the tires. It seemed as though each pot hole, dip, and rock was amplified throughout the body of the car. I held my stomach, willing it to calm, as I tried to focus on the trees outside instead of the sick beginning to rise within me. Just when I thought I was going to barf all over the place, Wesley turned onto a gravel driveway that led to a small cabin nestled on a hill. Upon reaching the top he put it in park, and swung open his door. I gazed at the long porch that encircled the cabin, and the relative plainness that surrounded it. There were trees everywhere and no sign of civilization. I smiled a little, it was almost perfect.

Peter opened his door first and I quickly followed, both of us closing them in unison. We followed Wesley to the porch and waited patiently as he unlocked the door, sliding it open. When we stepped inside the smell of vanilla and cedar reached our noses, and the warmth of a dying fire still filled the room. I sighed contentedly, and plopped down on an overstuffed red sofa that sat across from the fireplace. Peter sat next to me, took my hand in his, and held it firmly.

Wesley shut the door, placed his keys on the mantle, and sat in a tall winged back chair facing us. He sat in silence for a moment, a contemplative expression covering his face, and we waited. I knew that the long awaited questions were going to come, but I was hopeful that he wouldn't pry too much.

"I won't ask why, but…" Wesley's voice trailed off for a moment before he continued. "Did you run away?"

Peter looked at me for a moment as I fought for a fitting reply. Should I lie? There really didn't seem to be a reason to at this point.

"Yes," I finally replied, returning my gaze to Wesley. He didn't seem to be angry, and he didn't seem to have very many more questions to ask. He sat back, rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and stood up.

"I'm going to go make you some sandwiches… Do you want anything to drink?"

"Pepsi… please," I said. Peter sighed, replying the same. Wesley simply nodded and walked deeper into the home, presumably towards the kitchen. I looked at Peter who had sat back, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Maybe we should tell him the truth, you know, about us being who we are." I said, to which Peter's eyes became large.

"Are you crazy? Even if we could trust this guy, it's not like he'd believe us!" Peter exclaimed, apparently appalled by the idea. I sighed, accepting that he was probably right. Why would he believe us? I hardly believed it, and I had experienced it firsthand.

"Listen, I know you like him and everything but there's something about him I just don't like. I say we ask him for money and leave." Peter spoke with a definitive tone to his voice. My face contorted into one of shock.

"He's being so nice to us! How can you say that?" I attacked, despite my better judgment. I was grateful about how nice Wesley was being, and no amount of stubbornness on Peter's part would take that away from me.

"Trust no one." Peter murmured as we were both stricken silent by Wesley's return. He sat down two plates containing cut up bologna sandwiches, chips, and two sodas across from us. He returned to the winged back chair across from us and simply watched as we both dove into our food. We were ravenous, as was apparent, and it didn't take long for our dirty hands to clutch the sandwiches and hungrily deposit them in our gullets. Each bite felt heavenly, and as the chewed up meat and bread slid down my throat, I felt a bit of joy return to me. Peter and I managed to keep a relatively similar pace, and within a matter of a few minutes, we had both finished off the contents of our plates.

"I'm glad to see you liked your sandwiches so much!" Wesley laughed, having watched the whole process of our eating with mild amusement. I grinned up at him, wiping my mouth on my hand.

"Thank you!" I said. Peter remained silent so I prodded him in the ribs with my elbow, causing him to mumble a silent word of gratitude.

"Don't mention it." Wesley said, smiling at the two of us and letting out a sigh. He propped his feet up on a mismatched ottoman as the tone of his face turned serious.

"I really think you two should go back to the orphanage."

Peter's hands balled into fists as I felt him tense beside me.

"That isn't an option," Peter stated with a callous tone. I reached my hand over and grabbed his shoulder, squeezing it lightly.

"I can't really tell you what's going on, but I promise we can't go back. Please don't call anybody and tell them." I pleaded, looking into Wesley's eyes with the most desperate expression I could muster. Wesley looked momentarily uncomfortable, but finally sighed, shaking his head.

"Against my better judgment, I won't. You're more than welcome to stay here as long as you need, but you know you can't be here forever… as much as I'd like that." There was a slight delay as he spoke those last few words. I felt an aura of remorse fall over him as he did. I blushed, looking at Peter who seemed calmer than before.

"Look, can we just get some money from you? We'll be out of here tonight and you won't have to worry about it anymore." Peter spoke with a cold tone. I glared at him, a look of scolding crossing my face. Wesley laughed a little, not because he was amused, but because there really wasn't any other response to be had.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, but like I said, you can stay here all you'd like. I can even give you a ride somewhere if you need."

Peter groaned and stood, looking down at his dirty clothes.

"Can we take a bath?" He asked, looking at Wesley with the same look of distrust from before. Wesley nodded, stood as well, and smoothed a few wrinkles out of his pants.

"Yeah both of you come on, I'll get you some towels and some clothes to change into while I wash what you have."

We both followed Wesley deeper into his home, down a dark hallway, and into a surprisingly large bathroom with blue tiled walls, a large tub, and a pedestal sink. He made quick work of grabbing a couple towels from a linen closet across the hall, and took two t-shirts from a separate room and laid them across the sink atop the towels.

"If you leave your clothes in the hallway I'll make sure to get them in the wash as soon as the door is shut. I know the shirts are a little big, but it's the best I can do for now."

I thanked him quietly as he left us alone. We slipped out of our clothes, into the tub, and washed as quickly as we could. Neither of us said much to the other. I could tell that Peter was deep in thought, and I was slightly perturbed at him for the way he was treating Wesley. When at last we rinsed, dried, and pulled the shirts over our heads, I collected our clothes and deposited them outside the door. We began to walk down the hallway and were greeted by Wesley halfway.

"Do you want to take a nap?" He asked, looking at the two of us with wet messy hair, and shirts that were obviously too big for us. Peter's shirt stopped just above his knees, and mine came down a bit further. I had to push the right shoulder back up as it kept trying to fall down my arm. We both nodded, glad to have the opportunity to get a bit of decent rest, and Wesley led us into a spare bedroom. After bidding us a good rest, he turned and shut the door. I listened intently as I heard him scoop up our clothing and head back down the hallway. By the time I had turned around, Peter had already pulled the covers down and was crawling underneath.

"I guess we'll figure it out after we sleep a bit." Peter said, finally resigning himself to accepting Wesley's hospitality. I smiled, climbed into bed with him, and clung tightly to him. The bed felt nice and the warmth overtook me quite quickly. Within moments we both fell into a much deserved slumber.

Chapter Thirty Four

"You alright?" I asked, silently kissing his cheek. Peter was rigged, seemingly unfazed by my act of affection.

"If he isn't going to give us money, then we need to make some ourselves. We can't get out of town without anything." As Peter spoke I became aware of the fact he had probably been awake for some time. I sighed, buried my face in his back, and squeezed him tighter. I was safe and warm in a bed, and I wanted so desperately to just ignore our problems for a bit more.

"What do you suggest?" I finally asked, wanting to support and realizing ignoring our problems wouldn't make them go away.

"Well, we prostitute ourselves," Peter said with a very matter of fact tone. I immediately released him, slid to the edge of the bed, and stared at him in horror.

"The whole point of this is so we can be together! I thought we were trying to avoid having to do that anymore!" I half yelled, half whispered so as not to wake Wesley. Peter's face contorted into one of slight anger.

"Listen, I know that, but it's the only thing we can do. It's not like we're old enough to get jobs. I promise it's not that bad after a few times…" His voice trailed off as his face fluttered from angry to remorseful. I knew that at his core there was no way he wanted to ask me to do it, but at the same time it seemed the only option he had.

"Look, I know it seems like a good idea, but we don't have Purity here to protect us. Anything could happen." I said with words that were wiser than my present years. Peter turned a little, his face turning into one of rage, his hands balling into fists.

"You have no idea! You've never been out on those streets; you've never had to turn tricks! I know what I'm doing damn it!" His voice quaked with each word, and the level of anger that rose up within him was penetrating. As upset as seeing him in that state was, my own anger began to boil and I just couldn't hold it back no matter how hard I tried.

"I know I haven't, okay? I know I have never been out there. I'm so sorry that I haven't had to do that yet, but I'm not stupid enough to think that a twelve year old and a nine year old can fight off an adult!" I said, completely enraged. I knew deep inside that he was doing what he felt was right, but I knew I was right. I knew that it would be dangerous just going out there and soliciting sex without any real plan or protection.

"Why don't you just go back to the orphanage and wait to go live with Mr. Terrance? I'm sure he'll be more than happy to take care of you! You don't want to do anything I want to do you… you… you dummy!" I could tell that the anger and desperation inside Peter had caused him to regress a bit, and the final words confirmed it. Before I had a chance to respond, he had already risen to his feet and grabbed his freshly laundered clothes from the dresser across the way, apparently having been placed there while we were sleeping. He quickly slipped into them, throwing the oversized t-shirt across the room, and started to slip on his shoes.

"Where are you going?" I asked in fear, my eyes beginning to fill with tears.

"Away from you!" Peter said, finally managing to slip on the last shoe and standing back to his full height. Before I had a chance to protest, to beg him to stay, he had already cleared the journey to the door, slammed it behind him, and the sounds of his feet could be heard quickly moving down the hallway. I wanted to yell out, to beg him to stay, but the sound of the front door opening and closing behind itself met my ears. I immediately burst into tears, fell onto the bed, and bunched the blankets up in my fists. I had no idea what to do, I had pushed him away. I knew I was right about the dangers, but at what cost? The whole point of our escaping was so we could be together, and now Peter was gone. What was I going to do?

"Ben…" Wesley spoke as he opened the door, apparently having been jarred awake by Peter's less than quiet departure. I didn't look up as I sobbed uncontrollably into the comforter. Wesley sat down, laying his hand gently on my back to comfort me, and remained silent for a moment. Desperate for someone to cling to, I sat up, and immediately wrapped my arms around Wesley, burying my face into his chest. Wesley remained silent, simply wrapping his arms around me and rocking me slightly, trying to console me.

"He's gone!" I managed between sobs, my arms wrapped as tightly around Wesley as I could muster. I didn't know what to do, and all I wanted was for him to come back. I knew there was no chance of that now, he was angry, and even if he returned it wouldn't be for awhile. Wesley gently ran his fingers through my hair, his strong arms feeling warm and comforting in my time of need. When at last I managed to calm my torrent of tears into sporadic sobs, Wesley began to speak.

"What happened?" He asked with a tone of genuine interest. I knew he was worried, and I knew that he would help in any way he could.

"He got mad at me and ran away," I said, sniffling and wiping my nose on the oversized shirt that draped over my shoulder. It was the truth, but I really didn't feel like explaining the details at that moment.

"Listen…" Wesley began, still holding me tightly as I sobbed. "I really want to help you, but I am so confused. Please, please, just tell me what's going on." As he finished speaking the words were stressed, insistent, urgent. I sighed, knowing that it couldn't be avoided. Whether he believed the truth or not was another story, but I wouldn't hide it anymore. I sat back, on my knees, and stared up at him through my puffy eyes. Wesley's hands rose and wiped the tears away, a comforting smile appearing on his lips.

"Do you promise, whatever I tell you, that it will be a secret?" I asked, knowing that he could handle that much. Wesley simply nodded, his hands resting on his knees as he faced me.

"And do you promise that no matter how crazy what I say sounds, you'll believe me?" Wesley nodded once more, his face seeming genuine. I sighed once more; almost certain he would have to break that last promise.

"Here goes…" I began, speaking mostly to myself but also partially to Wesley. My hands grabbed the hem of my shirt and began to twist it nervously, as I fought for the courage to speak. When at least it arrived, I tried to explain myself as best as I could.

It became immediately apparent that whenever one was emotional, the regression worked against you the most. As I explained the details of my former life, that fateful night in the alley, my regression, Mr. Terrance, and Purity, I fought with my childish mind to formulate the words correctly. I kept going off onto tangents that really weren't relevant to the topic at hand, and I always struggled to maintain coherence throughout the entire explanation. When at last I had managed to finish my explanation, not entirely sure if I had succeeded in being able to be understood or not, I stared into Wesley's eyes for any sign of his believing me or not.

The look on Wesley's face was indiscernible, and the silence between us was almost deafening. I had expected complete disbelief, or confusion, but neither seemed readily apparent. As I waited for some kind of a response, I kept trying to think of ways to prove my actual age; my birth year, the company I used to work for, anything that only an adult would be able to immediately say. Before I had a chance to start, Wesley finally spoke.

"I believe you," Wesley said solemnly. I was struck completely silent as I stared at him. He seemed completely genuine, and I felt both glad and surprised. My hands released the shirt, allowing it to fall back down, and I stretched my legs out in front of me. As calmness retook my mind, so did my mental coherence.

"Thanks," I said, gazing out the window at the impenetrable night.

"Then the other day, when I…" Wesley's voice trailed off. I smiled a little, patting his hand.

"It felt nice, but unfortunately I can't help but fall into my childish mind at times. It's kind of scary having an adult touch you there when you're nine."

Wesley nodded, shook his head, and then planted his face in his hands. I scooted over next to him and wrapped my arm around him.

"You aren't a bad person Wesley, you aren't. Please don't feel bad about what you did." I tried to encourage him as best I could. Wesley sighed, finally allowing his hands to drop, and turned his gaze towards me.

"Thanks."

I nodded.

"Don't mention it."

"Listen, I'm going to help you. No one deserves to be enslaved. As for now though, it's one in the morning and there isn't a whole lot we can do."

I laughed a little, finally feeling at ease. I was now completely open with Wesley, and found an ally that I could trust. He was an adult, overcoming the one limitation that Peter and I had.

Peter… As the thought of him returned to my mind I began to become sad, but tried my best to push it from my thoughts.

"I really don't think I'm going to be able to sleep… Care for some milk? Err… coffee?" Wesley laughed nervously, still viewing me as a child in his mind. I simply smiled and nodded.

"Milk would be great."

Chapter Thirty Five

As much as I was pleased with the plans, and Wesley's selflessness throughout, I knew that despite his willingness to leave in haste, we couldn't leave without Peter. He was the primary reason that I had chosen to run away, and I couldn't begin to imagine my life without him.

"I really appreciate what you're doing, but I just can't leave without Peter." I finally said, finishing my last glass of milk and staring at the wood grain on his kitchen table. Wesley smiled, tapping his fingers on the table a bit.

"I figured as much, although we can't wait too long. Let's go into town and see if we can find him. Hopefully we can pick him up, come back here, pack some things, and hit the road before it gets too late. I really don't want to be leaving here any later than tonight."

I nodded, completely understanding even if I was willing to take the risk of waiting as long as was needed for Peter to be returned to me. I had constantly worried throughout the morning that he had already been caught, but I knew Peter well. Despite his regressed state he was still intelligent, and resourceful. If anyone could avoid being caught, it was him. Wesley took the empty glass away from me, washed it, and went into the back to get changed. I followed, grabbed my washed set of clothes from the room I had slept in with Peter the night before, and changed quickly. Just as I was setting about slipping my shoes on, Wesley walked in.

"Are you about ready to go?" He asked, observing me as I slipped the last shoe into place.

"Yep, let's go."

I slid off the edge of the bed and followed Wesley outside. As we piled into the car and made our way down the driveway, and back onto the dirt road, my eyes rapidly danced around us. Gone was any focus I had on the car's wild bouncing as it hit each imperfection of the dusty trail, causing me to nearly vomit the day before. It was now replaced by genuine concern, and a desire to find Peter no matter what. When at last we made our way to the main road without any sight of Peter, and the car calmed to a steady crawl, I sighed and sat back.

With each tree, home, and road that we passed, my eyes surveyed everything. Each person that I saw I found my breath getting caught in my throat, only to be met with disappointment each time. When at last we made it back into town, my concern was beginning to mount. What if we never found Peter? What if he had been caught? There was no way I could leave without him, no matter what

Wesley said. As we turned down another street and the sight of a few more people came into view, I felt my breath catch within my throat once more. It was Horace.

"Quick! Step on it!" I pleaded as I sunk into my seat. Wesley seemed confused, but pressed the accelerator pedal down a bit, turning down another street, and driving further into town.

"What's wrong?" He asked with mingled concern and breathlessness. My urgency had obviously caused him worry.

"H…H… Horace! He's here! I saw him!" I said, tears beginning to come to my eyes once more. I shut them tightly and willed them away; this wasn't the time to get emotional.

"Are you sure?" Wesley asked with the same air of urgency from before. I swallowed deeply and merely nodded, not willing to speak the horror.

"Alright," Wesley said as he turned another corner and began to speed up. Within moments we were propelled back onto the main road, and started heading out of town. As my eyes opened and I saw the buildings begin to fade into trees, I looked at Wesley aghast.

"What're you doing?" I asked in horror.

"We're leaving now, we can't wait anymore. If they catch us you're as good as dead." Wesley said firmly, his eyes resolute and focused on the road. I began to shake, to shiver.

"No! We can't leave without Peter!"

"Listen, I know you want Peter to come but we can't wait anymore! If you really saw Horace then we're in deep trouble." Wesley's voice shook as he spoke. My mind knew well that he was right, that if I was going to survive we needed to leave now, but my heart refused to listen.

"Stop the car!" I demanded, pressing my own foot down as though I had the pedals beneath me. Wesley ignored me, simply continuing on his path out of town. I began to feel the tears encroaching again.

"Please… Please stop the car!" I pleaded, feeling my lips tremble. Wesley, once more, did not respond. I swallowed deeply, my hands curled into fists. I felt bad before I did it, but I knew that it had to be done. I wasn't going to leave without Peter. I leaned over, opened my mouth, and bit Wesley's arm as hard as I could. He let out a yell, pulling the car over to the side of the road, and I took the opportunity to open the door and swing it open, tumbling out while the car was still moving, albeit it at a slow pace.

As my knee hit the dirt below, my wound reopened, and I gnashed my teeth in agony. It didn't matter now; there wasn't any time to wait or to focus on the pain. I managed to scramble to my feet as I started to run as quickly as I could back towards town. I could hear Wesley behind me, yelling my name, and the sound of his feet hitting the pavement quite a few feet beyond me. My arms flailed, fighting to carry me faster and faster as I resolutely ran more quickly than I ever had before. Before I knew it, the sounds of Wesley's calls and of his feet became a distant memory. I had escaped, and I was alone.

I had no idea how far away I was from town, but it didn't matter. The only thought that permeated my mind was of finding Peter, and with each stride of my legs, I felt myself coming closer to that possibility. I wasn't sure how much time had passed, or how much ground I had covered, but as buildings began to come into view, I knew I had made it back into town. My mind mingled with fear of being caught by Horace, and of Peter already being caught. I had no idea what I would do in either of those situations, but the alternative of leaving and never seeing Peter again just wasn't feasible. Even if I was caught, even if Peter was already caught, then death would be a better alternative than never seeing him again.

As I passed several people, running deeper and deeper into town, I heard several adults yell out for me to slow down, or to watch where I was going. I didn't care, no one else mattered anymore. As I rounded another block, heading down a way that seemed familiar but whose actual location didn't immediately come to mind, I caught a stitch in my side and had to stop. As I bounded up to the side of a building, leaning against it, I fought hard to catch my breath as my hand gently nursed my side. I had never run so hard before, not even the other night, and my body had been run ragged by inconsistent sleep, rapid emotions, and desperation. I collapsed onto the ground, staring out at the area around me. There was no sight of Peter, and I had no idea what to do.

For the first time since I had escaped Wesley's car, I felt at a loss. As much as I wanted to find Peter, there was only so much ground I could cover, and my body was completely wasted. How could I find him in this town? Where would I look? It wasn't as though we had been here before countless times, with memories of favorite hangout spots. I wasn't even entirely sure whether Peter had ever been here before, or whether he knew where anything was. I began to lose hope, to feel as though I had lost Peter forever. Perhaps not listening to Wesley would be my undoing; surely he was through with me now. I stood, legs wobbling, as I began to consider just turning myself in to Purity and accepting my fate. What was the point if Peter wasn't with me anyway? I turned, facing the street I had just run down, and just when I was going to start walking and consider my options, a pair of arms flew around my back, nearly causing me to collapse. I yelled out, certain that I had been captured.

"Ben!" A familiar voice called, causing my body to freeze in place. I let out a gasp of surprise, tears cascading down my cheeks.

"Peter!"

Chapter Thirty Six

"Listen, we need to leave…" I began, to which Peter smiled, wiping a few errant tears from his eyes.

"We will, we just need to figure out some way to make money. I'm sure we'll think of so…" before he could continue I cut him off.

"Listen, Horace is here. I saw him. We need to go NOW!" I exclaimed, placing as much emphasis on the word 'now' as I could. Peter's eyes grew large as we both turned on our heels and began to run; as tired as I was, as much as my legs ached, having Peter by my side gave me a new resolve to not only run, but also to live. I couldn't believe that mere moments before, I was considering turning myself into Purity. Now with Peter back in my life I knew I had to escape, no matter the price.

As we returned to the main road, my body struggling to keep an even pace with Peter, we turned the corner and began to head back the way Wesley had taken me earlier. I was certain that I would never see him again, but I knew we were headed into the wilderness, away from town, away from Horace. I wasn't sure what we would do next, but anything was better than being here. Peter glanced over at me, his breath quickened and his eyes dark from lack of sleep.

"Your knee…" He began, a look of remorse covering his exhausted eyes.

"Wesley was trying to take me out of town, I couldn't leave without you," I stammered, trying to get the words out between my ragged breaths.

"Why… Why didn't you save yourself?" He asked, a look of surprise and disappointment appearing.

"Cause… I love you," I said simply. I had said it before, but at that moment it felt most profound. Peter smiled, his hand encircling mine, as we continued to run together. He looked the happiest he had in days.

"Thanks," he whispered, to which I said nothing. There wasn't anything to say. We both understand how much we meant to one another, but I was despondent that he felt I would actually leave without him. Thankfully I had proven myself faithful, even in the face of his less than even temperament.

I began to feel as though we may have a chance; that we may be able to escape unscathed, when the sound of tires screeching to a halt sounded behind us. I felt the blood run from my face; my lips began to quiver in fear.

"Run!" I exclaimed, as Peter and I began to dash into the woods. Before we managed to get inside however, a familiar voice boomed across the road.

"Get in this car, NOW!"

We immediately stopped at the sound, turning on our heels. My face quickly regained its color, my lips formed into a grin.

"Wesley!" I exclaimed in my joy. Wesley, for the first time since I had known him, looked none too pleased.

"Listen, as much as I'd love to have this emotional reunion with you guys, we need to go… NOW!" As the last word escaped his lips he flew back into the driver's seat, and Peter and I ran to the car in haste. I once more slid into the passenger's seat, and Peter into the seat behind me. Before we could shut our doors entirely, Wesley had put the car in drive, pulled off the shoulder, and back onto the road. I sighed, sitting back for a brief moment before I was roused from my momentary serenity.

"What the hell were you thinking? You could have died! If you ever do that again I'm going to kick your ass personally!" Wesley yelled, his voice shaking in anger. I blushed, looking down at my feet. I fought for the words to defend myself, to explain how my love for Peter was worth more than my own life. Before I could speak however, an unfamiliar sound filled my ears.

"I'm sorry," Peter replied, his voice genuinely remorseful. For a moment I was confused, as I glanced over at Wesley who was staring at Peter angrily through the rearview mirror. I had assumed that he was scolding me, but he wasn't, it was Peter. I felt bad at once for him, but knew well why Wesley was mad.

"I told him, everything," I said suddenly, once more returning my gaze to the floor board. I heard Peter stammer before he replied.

"What? Are you serious?"

"Yes, and I believe him," Wesley said in immediate response. Peter went silent, as my eyes rose to survey him through the rearview mirror. He seemed conflicted, mulling over his thoughts as they formed in his mind.

"Thanks," Peter finally said, placing his hand gently on Wesley's shoulder. Wesley's face began to melt from its previous anger into a calmer tone. I felt relief, and genuine surprise.

"Truce?" Wesley asked in earnest.

"Truce," Peter replied, a smile appearing on his lips. The look on my face was likely the most confused it had ever been. Had someone told me yesterday that Peter and Wesley would be friends, well, I would have never believed them.

"It was THAT easy?" I asked in confusion, causing both Peter and Wesley to laugh.

"Well, yeah, he saved our lives," Peter said, rather matter-of-factly. I just shook my head in disbelief. I sat back as the car fell silent once more, and I surveyed the road as it seemed to extend out forever. I began to feel hope, hope that perhaps we would be alright. With Wesley on our side, it felt like nothing could go wrong.

When at last we managed to reach 95 and Wesley felt comfortable enough to return to the speed limit, I let out an audible sigh. I was certain we were headed for New York, away from Purity, and more importantly away from Horace. While I was frightened of the organization, Horace had this aura about him that sent shivers up my spine whenever I thought about him. He was the one, after all, that had taken me down the night I was doomed to regression. A small smile covered my lips as I thought about it, strangely grateful that he had. Even though my life had turned into something chaotic, it had given me Peter, it had given me Wesley. Peter noticed my smile, and leaned forward.

"Whatcha thinking about?" He asked.

I simply sighed before replying. His hand lay on my shoulder as my fingers danced across it momentarily, admiring the soft skin that was its glove.

"I'm just happy to have you in my life, and you too Wesley." I grinned as I spoke, brightly. I knew that I looked incredibly childish, but it was alright. I was genuinely happy, and nothing could take that away from me.

"Me too," the two said in unison, causing them to look at each other momentarily before laughing. Life was good.

Chapter Thirty Seven

"We're going to visit my friend in Worcester for the night. We need to get some rest."

I nodded as he finished speaking, and looked behind me at Peter who was curled up in the back seat, fast asleep. I knew that he had been traveling all night, and was likely more exhausted than we were. The car veered from the highway finally, taking an off ramp, and we began to travel deeper into the unfamiliar city. I placed my index fingers and thumbs together, retracting them, and then bringing them back together over and over. I was nervous about stopping, especially in such a big city, but we were far away from Jackman, from the orphanage, from Purity. I sighed, gazing out the window as we pulled up to a large, white, craftsman style house and parked. Peter finally stirred, sat up, and began to rub the sleep from his eyes.

"Where are we?" He asked, looking impossibly adorable.

"Worcester, we're going to stay with a friend for the night. I told him you guys were in trouble, and his parents are the ones that own the cabin we'll be staying in for a bit. Don't worry, he doesn't know anything more than what he has to," Wesley finished as Peter's face roused a bit in concern. He seemed contented with the clause as everyone opened their doors and stepped out into the brisk autumn air.

We followed Wesley closely, as we walked onto the porch, and he knocked on the door firmly.

"Wes!" A tall black man with short hair, and a pair of silver, wire-rimmed glasses perched on his nose exclaimed, sliding the door open to greet his friend. The two embraced momentarily as Peter and I turned to stare at one another.

"That sweater," Peter mouthed silently, causing me to giggle. I knew exactly what he meant as soon as he mouthed the words. The man's sweater was a variety of colors, ranging from blue, to green, to orange, to yellow. To say that it was tacky was an understatement; to say that it looked like someone massacred a box of crayons on a sweater seemed more appropriate.

"Come on in boys!" The man exclaimed, stepping aside and ushering Wesley, Peter, and myself inside.

As soon as we stepped into the living room, I felt a sense of relief fall over me. The air was warm, with the smell of cinnamon dancing lightly across my nose. He had a large cream colored sectional that filled the majority of one wall, and an extremely large television on another. There were several photos on the walls, including one of a young Asian and African American boy that I assumed to be Wesley and the man. I stopped to stare at it, admiring a younger Wesley than I currently knew.

"Like that?" Wesley asked as he came up behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders.

"I was probably about your age then."

I laughed a little, in spite of my current state. Thinking of Wesley at that age was a strange concept.

"Yeah those were some good times. Sure am glad you managed to turn out alright," the man said with a booming voice, patting Wesley's shoulder heavily. Peter and I finally took a seat on the sectional, managing to get as close to the other as was humanly possible. Wesley sat a couple cushions over and the man sat next to him, gazing at us with a concerned expression for a few moments before speaking.

"So this must be Ben and Peter. My name is Charles. It's good to meet you."

I smiled a little, nodding my head as Peter did much the same.

"Good to meet you…" I whispered, finding myself incredibly nervous in his presence. I could tell that he was a nice man, but his size was daunting. Wesley chuckled to himself, causing Peter and I to stare.

"No reason to be scared, Charles and I have been friends since the orphanage." As the words escaped his mouth it suddenly made sense to me. Peter, however, looked genuinely confused.

"You were in an orphanage?" he asked, looking at Wesley with one eyebrow arched.

"Sure was." Wesley said, causing Charles to chip in.

"Yeah, although I was there long before him and managed to stay long after he left. We managed to keep in touch though."

I smiled, thinking momentarily of David. I knew our situation was far from similar, but it did seem possible for childhood friends to remain close into their adulthood. Although I didn't know the ins and outs of their relationship, Wesley and Charles seemed as close as two men could be.

"Well I don't know about you boys, but I sure am hungry!" Charles finally said, eliciting smiles from Peter and myself. I hadn't really paid attention to my stomach the whole ride there, my mind writhe with thoughts that meandered from the mundane to the complex. I often thought of my overactive mind as being a problem, but at least it let me ignore my hunger. I was grateful for that at least.

"Me too!" Peter and I said in unison, causing both Wesley and Charles to laugh. Within moments Charles had picked up his phone, ordered a pizza, and given them the address to where we were. Wesley and Charles caught up happily, as Peter's eyes fell on my knee once more.

"Does it hurt?" He asked. I merely shrugged, not really feeling it, but noticing how nasty looking it had become.

"It's okay I guess." I responded as quietly as I could. I didn't want to interrupt Wesley and Charles' conversation, but apparently it couldn't be avoided.

"Hey Chuck, do you mind if I take Ben to the bathroom real quick? I need to take care of this knee."

"Sure, sure," Charles responded quickly, his own eyes darting towards my knees. I blushed, looking at Wesley as he extended his hand towards me. I reached up and grabbed it, following him towards a set of stairs that led to the second story of the white craftsman. Once we reached the top of the stairs, Wesley slid open a door that revealed a small, but cozy bathroom that was painted a pale yellow.

"Have a seat." Wesley inclined his head towards the toilet as he began to search through the medicine cabinet for something to doctor my knee with. I relented, sitting silently and staring at Wesley as he rummaged. He extracted a bottle of alcohol and some cotton balls, kneeling beside me and smiling.

"Do you like Charles?" He asked, unscrewing the cap and placing the cotton ball atop the opening of the alcohol's container.

"He's nice," I winced nearly as soon as I said it. Wesley was dabbing my knee and the chemical caused a stinging sensation to dance across the wound.

"Yes, he is." Wesley remarked, finishing the ritual and blowing my knee a little to help with the stinging. I smiled, thinking what a wonderful father he would be.

After replacing the lid on the alcohol, putting the cotton balls in the trash, and extracting some band aides from the medicine cabinet, he looked at me calmly. He spoke as he affixed a couple band aides to keep the wound from being exposed to more germs.

"You know I'd do anything to protect you right?" He asked, looking at his job with a sense of accomplishment when it was finished. I nodded, I knew he would.

"Yeah," I replied. I wanted to thank him for everything he had done, for his generosity, but the words escaped me.

"Good," he said, smiling and rising to his full height. I followed him out of the bathroom and back down the stairs as he turned the light off. Once we reached the bottom I glanced at Peter who was giggling uncontrollably.

"Stop it!" He exclaimed, to which Charles merely laughed. I smiled, plopping down on the sofa next to my love once more.

"I knew Peter wouldn't be able to last too long." Wesley laughed, taking his place again next to his friend. I looked at the two in confusion, but it was Peter who spoke first.

"Charles is really funny. He kept telling me these awesome jokes!" He exclaimed. The look on his face more childish than it ever had been. I grinned, happy to see Peter happy, and being genuinely happy myself. Peter did his best to retell some of the jokes, but typically either got the punch line wrong, or forgot a crucial element. I giggled just the same, not just to make Peter feel better about his failed attempts, but because seeing him acting like a kid was delightful. We were safe, at least for the moment, and life could afford to be normal for a bit.

When at last the pizza arrived, everyone dug in and we found it all too easy to finish off a sizable portion. I kept making faces at Peter, only causing him to laugh again, and even managed to make him expel cheese from his nose. Wesley and Charles teased him naturally, but thankfully Peter took it all in good humor. When at last dinner was done, and the full feeling in the pit of our stomachs, combined with the warmth of the home around us caused us to become aware of our exhaustion, Wesley excused us and took us upstairs.

"Do you need anything before you go to sleep?" He asked the two of us, tucking us beneath a large quilt that warmed me to my very core.

"I'm good," I said, turning to look at Peter who smiled.

"I'm fine, thanks."

"Alright then, you two get some sleep. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

We both grinned and nodded.

"Night!" We both said in unison, causing Wesley to smile as he closed the door behind us. The darkness in the room blanketed what parts of us weren't already covered by the quilt, and Peter spooned me from behind.

"I love you," he whispered sleepily into my ear, nuzzling his face into my hair.

"I love you too," I replied, placing my hand on his arm as it surrounded me. As soon as I closed my eyes I knew that sleep wouldn't be far away. As I drifted off, my mind clear for the first time in weeks, I began to dream of a life with Peter that was free of running, of fear. I dreamt of a life where endless possibilities existed, and no harm could befall us. Sadly, it was just a dream.

Chapter Thirty Eight

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" The familiar voice called out. It wasn't angry, more inquisitive, but since it belonged to whom it did, I knew it didn't bode well for us.

"Are you going to speak or not?" The voice spoke once more. I felt Peter tremble in my embrace.

"Fine," Frederick finally said, switching the light on, and bathing each corner of the room in light. I slid next to Peter so I could look at him, his body previously obscured by Peter's slender frame. His hair was a mousey brown, tousled lazily atop his head. His eyes bore deeply into mine as he gazed at me, his fingers lightly playing with his bald chin.

"You made me break a promise Benjamin, I'm none too pleased." He said, a slight smirk covering his lips. I swallowed deeply, fear welling up inside of me.

"Well this is a delightful little home isn't it?" Frederick commented as he removed a vase from atop the chest of drawers in the far corner. He turned it around in his hands, examining the pattern that covered it, before allowing it to drop and shatter on the hard wood floor below.

"Whoops! Butter fingers," he said, with a menacing expression covering his lips.

"Leave us alone!" Peter finally managed to exclaim, grabbing my arm tightly and clinging me to his side. I sat silent, unable to move, unable to breathe. Frederick merely laughed in response, removing a pair of leather gloves from his hands and pushing them into the pocket of his tan colored pea coat.

"I just, well, I have to know. Why exactly are you of all people protecting him? I thought all you cared about was yourself." Frederick spoke lazily, his eyes dancing on the ceiling above. Peter trembled before he spoke.

"I love him," he said simply, causing my heart to warm in spite of our situation.

"Remarkable… I didn't think you had the capacity." Frederick said simply. My once fearful expression began to turn to one of anger.

"Leave him alone!" I yelled, feeling my blood boiling inside of me.

"Feisty! I've not seen this side of you, since, well since that first night." Frederick mused as he moved to the right a bit, the doorway becoming exposed. My confidence began to wane as Horace walked in, depositing Wesley's body on the floor beneath him.

"Wesley!" I yelled out, attempting to leave the bed but being kept still by Peter's grasp. Wesley contorted his head, looking up at us with a slight smile. His eye was black, lower lip busted. He had been beaten, and beaten hard.

"It's going to be okay." Wesley said weakly, his breath shallow and raspy.

"You fucking asshole!" Peter yelled at Horace, causing the muscular man to smirk. He made his advance towards Peter, spitting in his face.

When it happened, I was at a loss for words to explain it. My body moved without command, without my brain having the time to understand it. I flew off the bed, straight at Horace, and my arms flailed as I attempted to cause the older man some form of pain. The tears flew from my eyes, not because I was sad, but because I was frustrated, I was angry. What they had done to Wesley was inexcusable, what they had done to us was nigh unforgivable, but Horace spitting in Peter's face, well, that was simply unacceptable.

I knew that each time my fists made contact with his rock solid legs and stomach that it was a futile attempt. The larger man laughed above me, his icy eyes watching me in the same way someone looks at an insect they're about to kill. I felt his large, warm hand extend down, and grab the neck of my shirt, raising me up to eye level. I swung in the air, too far away to reach, choking to catch my breath as the shirt suffocated me.

"Intriguing…" Frederick mused, watching us with intense interest. I managed to gaze at him through my bloodshot eyes, the tears still flowing, and my cheeks flushed violently red.

"Let him go," Frederick finally said as Horace began to raise his fist.

"But…" Horace began, looking very much like a child who just had his favorite toy taken away.

"Now," Frederick said simply, causing Horace to sigh and finally release me. I fell on the floor, gasping for breath as I grabbed the collar of my shirt, pulling it away from my neck. Peter fell immediately to my side, taking me in his arms.

"Are you okay?" He asked between tears as I clung tightly to his chest. My moment of insanity had passed, and clarity was beginning to return to me.

"So what do you feel your punishment should be?" Frederick finally asked, gazing at us mingled on the floor. Peter smirked, looked up at him, and wiped the errant tears from his face.

"Maybe you should just let us go." His tone was sarcastic, but definitive. I felt bad at once for him having said it, knowing that it was an impossible request. Our lives were as good as through.

"Cute, really cute, but we do have some matters to discuss." As Frederick finished speaking he inclined his head towards the bruised and battered Wesley. Horace walked over, grabbed him by the back of his shirt, and lifted him into the air as though he were a small dog.

"We'll be back," Frederick grinned and waved his fingers at us, following Horace into the hallway and closing the door behind them. I sighed, breathing deeply at the relief of his departure. I couldn't bear to think of what they were going to do to Wesley, but at least I had a moment alone with Peter.

"How did they find us?" I voiced my thoughts, still struggling to accept what was happening as real. Peter sighed, taking my hands into his own, and holding them firmly.

"I don't know," he replied, barely audible. We were both at a loss, unable to know what to do. My mind flittered with the idea of escaping, but I knew it was of no use. If they found us here, then they could find us anywhere. Even if we wanted to try, it would mean leaving Wesley behind, and that simply wasn't acceptable. He had done so much for us, was as much a part of this family as we were.

"I'm going to miss you," I said finally, surprisingly finding no tears to follow the words. I had cried so much that I simply had no tears left. Peter looked at me, his face completely blank as his mind mulled over the words.

"Not yet, not yet Ben," he said, willing me to take them back. I sighed, looking at the floor and counting the hours we had spent free. It had been a good attempt, fraught with difficulty, but it was over now.

"Promise me you'll wait for me?" Peter asked, looking at me with a resolved expression. I felt confused, and queried as to his meaning.

"In heaven I mean, promise you'll wait for me? Even if I have to fight all the demons in hell, I'll come for you." His words were deep, penetrating. He saw himself as a flawed creature, his sins unforgivable. The fact he saw me as deserving of heaven was sweet, but I felt incorrect.

"I don't think you'll have to worry about that." I laughed a little, certain that I wouldn't be going to heaven. Certainly I hadn't lived a horrible life, but the acts I had committed since my regression, well, I felt them pretty unforgivable.

"Eternity in hell would be like heaven as long as you're there," Peter breathed, looking into my eyes, the reflection of my own melting into his. I smiled, squeezing his hands.

"Yeah," I said simply, finally accepting our end. I leaned over and grabbed him as our frames laid together on the cold, hardwood floor. Peter wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close.

"I love you," he finally said as we lay there, shivering against the cold of the floor.

"I love you too," I replied, certain it would be the last time I spoke those words.

Chapter Thirty Nine

"Any other time you'd have just cause to be afraid, but sadly, this isn't that time." Frederick spoke simply, closing the door, and leaning against it. As he propped his foot up on the wooden frame behind him, Peter and I looked at each other in confusion.

"There has been a change of plans," Frederick finally said, breaking the endless silence. Peter was first to speak, his lips trembling as he did.

"I don't understand," he said. It was the only statement that could be made, and certainly what I felt.

"It would seem as though Mr. Terrance wasn't as careful as he felt he was. He was picked up by the Feds a few nights ago, and I was on my way to the orphanage to tell Ben as much the night you two decided to run away."

I felt a sense of impossibility and relief wash over me. I wouldn't have to be with that evil man, that possibility was removed forever from my life. I couldn't believe how fortunate I was, and the timing, well, it almost seemed more impossible.

"However, Purity has very strict rules when it comes to what you did. Both of you are worth a lot of money, and when you misbehave, there are consequences." Frederick spoke with a firm tone, causing our bodies to tense once more. What relief we had felt before was now completely missing.

"In this particular instance, the punishment would be death," Frederick continued, my face draining of its color. I knew that it was coming, I had felt it. As Peter sat next to me, solid, frozen in place, I knew that it was only a matter of time. This would be it. Our attempt to escape was for nothing, we would have been fine, but we didn't know any better at the time. Hindsight is twenty-twenty as they say, but I still felt no regrets. Certainly life at the orphanage was fine, it was a great way to live, but at what point did I sacrifice my desire to be with Peter, and Peter alone, for temporal security? I didn't want anyone else to sleep with me, or to sleep with Peter for that matter. What I shared with Peter was deeper than that, and even if death was the only way of avoiding it, that was fine.

"Despite all of that…" Frederick began, walking across the room and staring out the window at the street lights below.

"I'm a sucker for romance. I can't deny what you two have, and while I felt it was impossible, apparently Peter does have a heart."

As the words escaped his mouth, Peter and I glanced at each other once more, our former confusion returning. We had no idea what to think or feel at that moment.

"I'm not going to kill you," Frederick said finally, turning on his heels and clasping his hands together in delight. We stood, backed against the wall, and stared at him. It was too good to be true, surely he was lying.

"I don't understand," I said, speaking the words for us this time.

"I don't expect you would, and neither do I really. You are free, free to live your meaningless, finite lives as you so please, with a couple minor changes of course." He stressed on the word minor, causing me to swallow deeply.

"What do you mean?" Peter asked, once more asking the question that kept my mind.

"Wesley has agreed to be your caretaker, which is all well and good, but we can't simply allow you to remember your time with us and go on as you are, that would be an extreme liability." As he spoke I began to feel nervous once more. Could he take away our memories? Would he? I couldn't accept it. If I had no recollection of Peter, then what would my life mean? I couldn't imagine living without my love, without memories of who he was.

"You will have your memories removed, and you will become toddlers. You will age just as typical children are ought to do, and you will live a normal life," he spoke the words calmly, as though it were a simple and gracious task. As much as I knew it was gracious, it just wasn't enough for me. I blurted out the words before I could stop myself.

"You can't take away my memories! If we don't remember our time together, then how will we still love each other?" I asked in a rather childish tone, unable to contain myself. I wasn't willing to forget Peter. Frederick took a few paces back and forth, his feet echoing through the room before he finally spoke.

"If your love is as strong as I believe it to be, then it won't matter," he said with a sense of finality. I sighed, thinking about the love that I had for Peter. It certainly was strong, strong enough for me to be willing to die instead of parting from him. While I would miss the memories of the time we had shared, the sacrifices he had made, the journeys we had traveled, I felt at once that it was possible to still love him beyond those memories. Perhaps it was enough to just feel, and not know. Peter squeezed my hand gently, smiling at me.

"It'll be okay," he said with a calm tone to his voice. I smiled back, squeezing his hand in return, and nodded.

"Okay," I said in response. Frederick walked over and began to extract two syringes from his coat.

"When you wake up, this will all have been a bad dream," as he spoke he began to flick the tube of the first syringe, causing the air bubbles to recede. I immediately turned, embracing Peter tightly.

"I love you," I said, smelling the sweet scent of his hair.

"I love you too," he replied, squeezing me as tightly as he could. When at last we released and we turned to face Frederick, he grabbed my arm and turned it over, pushing my sleeve up past my shoulder.

"This time I will keep my promise, this will be the last time you ever see me," he said as the needle penetrated my skin, causing me to wince.

"Thank you," I said, as I felt a burning sensation travel up my arm, and my eyelids begin to droop. I looked at Peter whose arm was beginning to be turned over by Frederick when the world around me became dark. I tried to speak, to say something to Peter before I passed out, but it was too late. It was over.

Epilogue - Five years later

I watched as Ben ran up to one of the red headed boys, embracing him tightly.

"Thanks for coming David!" He exclaimed, a toothy grin crossing his angelic face. He had lost a tooth a week ago so he definitely looked his age.

"Anytime," David said, hugging back. He always seemed to have this strange look on his face whenever Ben hugged him, like they had known each other for some time.

"I think it's about time to open presents," I said finally, looking over at Charles who was taking snapshots of the kids running around. He finally had a child with his longtime girlfriend. Her name was Amelia, and she was running around teasing the boys.

"Alright!" Ben and Peter exclaimed together, running over to a table in the far corner that was covered in brightly colored gifts, stacked well beyond their reach. Even though they had no memory of their former lives, they were inseparable. Most boys their age were fighting, and since I had raised them as brothers one would expect as much, but somehow it never happened. Even when they were only two or three they were very considerate of one another, always sharing their toys and their experiences.

"Can I open them now Dad?" Peter asked, turned, and grinned at me happily. My heart warmed whenever I heard their voices, especially when they called me Dad.

"Absolutely," I said, watching intently as they began to tear in. With each open present they were happy, and properly thanked each person that gave it to them. They were incredibly well mannered, and grateful. They didn't have a rough life, but I didn't dote on them as much as I wanted to. I wanted to make sure they weren't spoiled, and so far I appeared to be succeeding.

When at last all the presents were open, the people thanked, and the moment of excitement allowed to flow into another, the kids gathered outside to play. I had assembled a large collection of games, but it was the pile of leaves in the corner that received the most attention. I laughed, grateful that they were still young enough to enjoy simple pleasures, and smiled when Charles handed me a cup of coffee.

"It's pretty great huh? Being a Dad," he said, watching Amelia as she ran around Ben and Peter, pointing and laughing happily. I nodded, taking a sip of the coffee and smiling genuinely.

"The best," I said, as truthfully as I could. The pair had changed my life forever and certainly for the better.

"I'm glad I got to make it up here, Amelia sure did miss hanging out with those boys," Charles stated, the pair of us still glued to the festivities.

"They really like her, I think they consider her a little sister," I replied. Taking another sip of my coffee and placing it down on the empty table that once contained the great pile of gifts.

"Well no sense in waiting inside all day, let's go have some fun!" Charles exclaimed, clapping his hands together and doing a little jig as he escaped into the backyard. I laughed, grabbed my coat, and shrugged it on over my shoulders.

"On my way," I said, following him outside. Ben and Peter at the sight of me immediately ran over, wrapping their tiny arms around my legs and hugging me tightly.

"We love you Dad!" They said in unison, their faces equally as pleased to see me.

"I love you too my boys," I said simply, happy to see them enjoying themselves.

"Now get out there and have some fun!" I shooed them away playfully, watching them giggle and run off as I did. I walked over to David who was watching them from against the fence, and laughed a little as he looked up at me nervously.

"You alright?" I asked, noticing that he wasn't taking part in the leaf attack.

"Yeah, just watching them," he said simply, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"Aren't you going to play?" I asked, wanting to get him involved somehow.

"Playing in leaves is for babies." He said with a disgruntled tone, echoing the voice that would travel from him through his teenage years. As he shoved his hands in his pockets, I laughed.

"I'll tell you what, you can run and have fun today, and I promise I won't tell anyone. Deal?" I extended my hand, causing David to turn and examine my face for a brief moment. He finally extended his, wrapping his fingers around mine, and shook firmly. His once curious gaze turned into one of excitement as he ran towards the leaves with wild abandon.

"Hey Ben, watch this!" He cried as he jumped into the leaves, causing the younger kids to laugh and pile on top of him.

Charles walked over with a football in hand, slamming it into the other a few times.

"Care to throw the old pig skin around a bit?" He asked, a happy expression still lighting his face. I nodded. It had been several years since we had done this. I backed away a bit, and he threw the ball at me. I easily caught it, sending it barreling back with a perfect spiral.

"Good one!" He shouted before spiraling it back towards me. We played for quite some time before parents started to arrive and the party broke up. When at last all that was left was Charles, Amelia, Ben, Peter, and me, I set forth on the task of cleaning up.

"Let me help." Charles said, joining me in the kitchen, and rinsing the dishes as I handed them to him. I nodded in gratitude, happy for the help. We talked about how successful the party had been, what an exciting day it was, how we really had to get together more often. When at last we ran out of things to talk about, the dishes were done, and we walked back into the living room to find the kids.

Amelia was out like a light, sleeping silently on the loveseat with her pig tails covering her face. Ben and Peter were on the floor, tangled together, fast asleep beneath her. Charles and I laughed, knowing full well what a busy day they had.

"I'll take Amelia to the guest room," Charles said, picking up his daughter and throwing her over his shoulder. As he disappeared out of sight, I bent over, removing a couple toy cars from Ben and Peter's hands, and managed to shoulder both of them. I knew from their weight that it wouldn't be much longer before I couldn't do this anymore.

When at last I managed to slip them into their beds, pull the covers up to their necks, and kiss each of their foreheads, I stood there for a moment in thought. It was hard to believe that it had only been five years; I found it impossible to remember my life before the boys. I sighed, happily, and walked towards the door, flicking off the light.

"I love you," I said quietly so as not to wake them. Ben rolled over, his arm falling onto Peter as the two breathed deeply in their slumber. I walked out into the hallway, cracked the door, and made sure the hall light remained on so that they weren't in complete darkness. They would sleep for now, and in the morning we would begin another adventure. An adventure that I hoped would last forever.

The End