178For most of Wednesday afternoon, John drifted in and out of a drug-filled haze. Whatever they had used to knock him out that morning served as a hazy filter between his brain and the real world. At one point, he thought he saw his brother Jay's face hovering over him, but a moment later the vision disappeared and John passed it off to a dream.
"How is he doing?" a semi-familiar voice asked. John blinked as most of the fog seemed to finally recede.
"He's waking up." There was no sense if familiarity attached to the second voice. "He should be just about ready to wake up all the way. That stuff lasts for about eight hours, and he hit that about twelve minutes ago."
"Good," the first voice said back. "You two can go ahead and leave. I can handle it from here."
"You sure, boss?" a third voice asked.
"I'm sure. Your money is in the glove box of the van."
"Thanks!" the third voice said, and then there was silence.
John opened his eyes and sat up. The lights were rather dim, but he could make out some details. By the size of the building, he was in a warehouse of some kind. He found it surprising that he wasn't restrained, but he was grateful that he wasn't bound to the table beneath him. He scooted tot he edge and slid off carefully, still feeling the drowzy after-effects of the drug.
"Ah, Johnny-boy! Glad to see that you're awake." John turned his head sharply, eyes widening when he saw his brother staring back at him.
"Jay?" he asked quietly. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to make sure that you don't go back to Richards before tomorrow. Tell me, John. Was it a coincidence? Or did Daddy set it up for you?"
John frowned at him in confusion. "I don't know what you're talking about."
His brother made a considering sound. "Maybe you don't. Go ahead and climb back up on the table, Johnny. I have a story to tell you, and I think you might want to be sitting when you hear it."
They stared at each other for a moment, brothers separated by a measly four years of age, but twenty-plus years of dislike. Finally, John's shoulders slumped and he climbed back on the table.
Jay smiled condescendingly. "Good boy! Now, be silent while brother-Jay tells you all about Templeton Richards."
^*^*^*^*^
It was the end of the work day when Ten finally figured out the reason for the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Once the feeling started, he couldn't get rid of it, which was probably for the better. He went in search of the cause for the feeling, recognizing it for what it was: a natural instinct for when things went wrong.
He called Fillmore into his office. His assistant had been busy running around all day, and they hadn't had opportunity to talk since that morning.
Clarice opened the door, face set. "You wanted to see me?"
Ten was standing at the window and looking out over the city, one hand pressed against the glass and the other against his stomach. "He knows, Fillmore."
"Who does, sir?" she asked, confused. She was shocked when Ten turned around and pinned her with a dark, hagard look.
"Jameson. The father. He knows. He's not a fool, Fillmore, and I've been acting as if he is. He has to know. Jay is pretty good at what he does, but even he can't run that kind of dupe on his father. If Jameson was that easily fooled, he wouldn't have been in power this long."
Clarice's eyes narrowed. "And you're just now realizing this? Where has your head been, Ten?"
"It gets worse," Ten warned. She snapped her mouth shut and waited. "If he's let us get this far without stopping us, he must have a back-up plan."
"You've been watching our stocks. We're still the majority, the holding power. All of our assets are safe. What can he have?" Ten closed his eyes and turned back to the window. In that instant, she realized the path his own thoughts had taken. "But he's with Jay, Ten. Jameson can't use John to get to you."
"If he knows about the deal, and I'm sure he does, then he knows about John, and he knows where John is."
"He won't hurt him, though. He wouldn't do something to his own son."
"Wouldn't he?" Ten responded darkly.
Clarice frowned sadly at the thought "There's only one option, then."
He nodded. "I put it into your hands, Clarice."
"Just handle Jameson tomorrow, and I'll find your lover and bring him home."
^*^*^*^*^
John sat hunched on the table, his hands covering his face as Jay concluded his story. "And then there's you, Johnny. I was a bit confused at first. I mean, you're -far- from the type of person Ten normally plays with, and then I realized that there -was- a reason for him to court you.
"You would be the final nail in the old man's coffin. Not only will Ten be taking the empire from the old bastard, but he'll be doing it with the runt on his arm. Elevating the walked-on, and stepping on the former king. Kind of poetic, huh?"
"Except it won't be that way," a loud voice rang out, startling them both. John peeked through his fingers with red-rimmed eyes to stare at his father as Jay backed up several steps, face paling. "Well, well, boys Here you both are. How amazing. My son the betrayer, and my son the queer. At least I had one that turned out to be worth something."
"Dad," Jay started, only to be stopped by a back-handed slap from his sire.
"Shut up, Jay. The only reason I'm keeping you alive is because you did manage to do one good thing. I was a little concerned at first when I realized that your brother was no longer with Richards, but then I realized that I could use this new turn of events. However, my mercy does not extend to keeping you around. You have until midnight tonight to get anything you want from the house, and then I don't want to see you ever again. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," Jay answered quietly, head bowed.
Their father turned to John and smiled. "My son. You have an opportunity to help me out in a way even -I- never dreamed. It will guarantee your place in the family. You'll replace your brother as one of my advisors. What do you say?"
John stared at him, then looked at Jay, who's form was still bent in shame. Finally he looked back at his father and, ignoring the sick feeling in his stomach, asked, "What do I do?"
^*^*^*^*^
Ten didn't sleep much that night. He fell asleep around one in the morning, but only after he gave into temptation and curled himself around John's pillow. He was awake again at four.
He finally conceded defeat on that front and moved to sit in the living room, contracts and reports spread out in front of him on the floor. The plan for the day was to arrive at a lawn party being thrown by Jameson. The party started at ten, and Ten had decided to get there no later than ten-thirty. He would socialize for an hour, and then he would corner Jameson in as front of as many people as possible and announce the take-over.
His only worry was John. He didn't know how his lover was going to be used, or if he was even correct in worrying about such an eventuality.
^*^*^*^*^
John stared at himself in the mirror. It was nine-thirty on Thursday, and his fathers event would start in thirty minutes. Why his father had decided to have it on a weekday was beyond John.
He was dressed in a pair of white pants, a white dress-shirt, and a light blue blazer. His father had picked the outfit out for him, right before patting John on the shoulder.
It made John's heart ache to think of all the years he had wanted the old man's attention and had only received scorn, and now that his father needed him, he was accepted. He turned from the mirror, hating the reflectin that gazed back at him. All the years he had wasted trying to get in his father's grace, and it finally came down to selling his soul to earn it.
His thoughts turned to Ten and he choked back the disgusted feeling in his throat. It seemed his only choices were to be used by one or the other, and that was no choice at all.
^*^*^*^*^
Ten handed his car keys to the valet working the Jameson function at ten twenty-three. He made his way around the house to the back lawn, where the other guests were assembled and mingling.
He came to a stop almost immediately. John was leaning nonchalantly against the wall, just a few feet away. John looked up, blue-gray eyes finding Ten's immediately. He smiled slightly, looking more confident than Ten had ever seen him. "Hello, Ten."
John pushed away from the wall and walked towards the older man. A look of surprise flitted across Ten's face, only to be replaced by a charming smile. "John. How pleasant to see you here."
"I -live- here," John replied, pushing away from the wall and walking towards Ten. "Tell me, Ten. Do you want me?" He couldn't help the edge of doubt that creeped into his voice, which was probably best, since it earned an honest reply to John's question.
"Very much," Ten answered. John smiled slightly. His father had told him exactly what to say with that opening, and John briefly wondered how his father had known.
"You can have me, Ten. But first, you have to sell my father all of his stock back. At half price." There was a challenge in his voice and his eyes.
Ten crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. "No."
^*^*^*^*^
It was short compared to the other chapters, but that's because I'm evil. My choices were to make this chapter short so that I could leave the ending a chapter of its own, or to make this chapter -really- long. And while I'm sure the latter would have been appreciated, I have other things I need to write. John and Ten will return soon, I promise.
Remember: Happy Ending! I promise
Thank you's:
Aldura: I didn't -let- anything happen. I'm telling you, it's all Ten's fault. I love your phrase, by the way: 'because Ten's penish comes with a rule book'. *giggles* You should be able to love Ten by the end of this.
Silver (pyrrha): Big meanie... yeah, he is. Yes, there -will- be a happy ending. I thank you for reviewing this chapter, and I hope you like the ending (when we get there).
Lira-chan: I'm sorry I stole your hyphens. Sorry about your name. Thank you for reviewing! I'll look at the first part of 9 later. I'm in a mood to write -new- chapters of things... I'm really proud. This is the second chapter (of two separate stories) that I've managed to write today, and I'm hoping to get in a third so that I can update "Changing" as well.
Angelic Hooligan: Thank you for reviewing. Ten eventually wisens up... kind of. And everything works out, so... Can't wait to read more of your stuff!
Karasu Tendo: And the same goes for you! more, more! I'm glad yo uliked it!
redrose2310: What an odd little number that is. I'm glad you liked it. They didn't hurt him, obviously. At least, not physically. They excel at emotional abuse, though.
redredredred: I'm a god? Cool! I'm glad you liked both of my stories. I'm sure my charas like being called gorgeous, and I know -I- appreciate the accolades. And it's ecstatic. Funny spelling. Thank you! (British accent? Kind of, in the first chapter when he starts of speaking kind of formally-like. Not in the later ones, though)
Thank you to everyone who has read my story. I hope you -all- like it, and I apologize one last time for the shortness of this chapter. The next one will be the last, and it will be longer and happy. Eventually happy, that is.