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A New Beginning	By : rebekahgarton Category: 1 through F > 21 Jump Street Views: 777 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I did not create 21 Jump Street, nor do I make any money from my writing. I own nothing but a healthy interest in boys who love boys and a sweet vintage pinup of Peter Deluise. Please don't sue me.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
Doug stretched himself out on the large bed, yawning as he awoke from the deepest sleep he had had in months. He felt a small surge of panic as he realized that Tom was no longer next to him, but it was quickly squashed when he heard the sounds of laughter coming from the next room. He sat up, scanning the floor for his clothing. He stood up when he spotted his jeans, wincing a little as he pulled them up over his slightly sore bottom. He smiled at the sight that was waiting for him when he entered the living room. Clavo and Tom were sitting on the couch with their feet propped up on the coffee table, laughing at the old episode of Rocky and Bullwinkle they were watching. Toys were scattered across the floor, indicating to Doug that Clavo had been awake for a while. He walked over to stand at the back of the couch, reaching a hand down to ruffle the boy’s hair.

“Hey buddy, good morning. You having fun with Uncle Tommy?” he asked his nephew.

Tom smiled as he heard the sound of his lover’s voice. He turned his head towards Doug as he responded. “We’ve been having a blast. We got dressed, had some breakfast, and then Clavo here gave me an hour long lesson on the history of the Ninja Turtles.” he said as he gestured to the pile of toys on the carpet.

Doug chuckled in response, having gotten that lesson a few times himself. “You didn’t have to do all that man, you could have gotten me up.”

Tom beamed up at the older man. “No problem at all, me and the kid had everything under control. Didn’t we Clavo?” he asked the little boy seated next to him, who nodded in agreement. “Plus, you looked so cute sleeping that we didn’t want to bother you.” he said teasingly with a sly grin on his lips.

Doug smiled knowingly at the younger man, suppressing the urge to lean over and kiss him. Luckily, the feeling subsided as a deep rumbling began to well up in his stomach. He glanced sheepishly at Tom as he realized that the man had heard the thunderous noise. Tom just laughed and pointed to the kitchen.

“I kind of figured you’d be starving when you finally rolled out of bed. We left a plate on the stove for you.” he said, returning his attentions to the cartoon.

Doug made his way into the kitchen and was pleasantly surprised to find that the plate that was left for him was piled up with a delicious looking breakfast. Bacon, eggs, hash browns and a stack of pancakes that he quickly realized were in the shape of Mickey Mouse’s head. He grabbed the plate eagerly, making his way to the small dining room that was attached to the living room. He devoured the food hungrily, not even minding that it was cold. When he had finished off the last few bites of the pancakes, he slumped back in his chair, completely satisfied. He smiled as he called out his gratitude to Tom. “That was fantastic. Where the heck did you learn to cook like that? You couldn’t even cook a hot dog without burning it before.”

Tom stood up from his place on the couch, walking over to collect Doug’s plate and deposit it in the sink. “I’m just full of surprises, aren’t I?” he replied laughingly to the man that was following behind him as he walked into the kitchen.

Doug glanced around the corner to make sure that Clavo was still focused on the TV before he reached forward to grab Tom by the waist, spinning him around as he pulled the smaller form to his own. “So am I.” he whispered as he pressed his lips firmly onto his lover’s. Tom almost melted under the touch as he returned the kiss lovingly. They pulled their lips apart after a moment, still holding each other tightly as Doug glanced around the corner again, finding that his nephew had not moved from his place on the sofa. He returned his eyes to Tom’s, smiling as he saw that the younger man’s expression was one of pure happiness. Tom leaned up to place one more quick peck on Doug’s lips before breaking their embrace, returning to his place at the sink to finish up the few dishes. Doug turned to go back into the living room when he heard Tom speak.

“Hey, why don’t you go get dressed? I wanna show you around the business before we get started on unpacking that truck.”

“Yeah, that sounds great. Just let me get ready.” Doug replied, checking on Clavo before making his way back into Tom’s bedroom. He grabbed a clean t-shirt from his bag, sliding it on over his jeans as he searched the floor for his shoes. He finally found them peeking out from under the bed. He pulled on a fresh pair of socks before slipping his feet into the worn sneakers. They were so old they were beginning to fray around the edges, but he just couldn’t bring himself to part with them. He grabbed an old flannel shirt from his bag, tying it around his waist as he stepped back out into the living room, ready to go. Tom and Clavo were waiting for him and the three made their way out of the house, crossing the lot to reach the back door of the business. Tom unlocked it, stepping aside to allow them to enter. Doug lingered just inside the door, waiting for Tom to turn on the lights. His eyes widened as Tom flipped the switch, illuminating the thirty-two lane bowling alley. It was better than Doug had expected, decorated in what could only be described as a 50’s diner motif. He scanned over the huge space, finding shining chrome and red leather at every turn. His eyes followed the pattern of the black and white tiles that lead down to the gleaming wood of the lanes. He turned back to Tom, smiling when he saw that the man was grinning from ear to ear.

“So what do you think of my little alley.” he asked, genuinely interested in the other man’s opinion.

“Tommy, I…I’m stunned. It’s amazing. Did you do all of this yourself?”

“Naw, I just fixed it up a little bit.” he lied. This place had been a dump when he had found it, buying it for a ridiculously low price due to the condition it had been in. But after three months of long days, late nights and a whole lot of back breaking labor, he had restored the building to its former glory.

“Well, whatever you did, it turned out great. I never thought I’d be saying these words, but here goes. This is one very cool bowling alley.” Doug replied, genuinely impressed by what Tom had accomplished. He glanced down at Clavo, noting the slightly bored look on his face. “So what do you think buddy, you like it?” he asked curiously. Clavo just shrugged his shoulders, seemingly disinterested until his eyes locked on something across the room. They lit up like a christmas tree as he pointed at the cluster of video game machines that filled a corner at the end of the small snack area. He jumped up and down, filled with excitement. “Uncle Doug, Uncle Doug, can I play them. Please, please, please?” he begged.

Doug smiled at the child’s enthusiasm, reaching a hand into his pocket to search for some quarters. His smile fell when he came up empty handed. But he was saved when Tom noticed the look on his face and stepped in, grabbing the little boy’s hand, pulling him gently towards the small arcade. Doug followed close behind, glancing around as he walked, still taking in his surroundings. Clavo looked like he was in heaven as he found himself surrounded by all of his favorite games.

“Hey Clavo, wanna see something really cool?” Tom asked the little boy.

“Yeah.”

“Watch this.” he commanded as he reached behind the Pac-Man machine and plugged it into the socket, bringing the game to life. He smiled at the boy as he opened the coin slot and flipped a small switch that was housed inside. The machine dinged loudly, words coming onto the screen that read FREE PLAY. Clavo laughed loudly, clapping his hands. “There you go buddy, you can play all you want and you never need to put in one quarter.”

Clavo just smiled in gratitude, hugging Tom as he exclaimed “Thank you Uncle Tommy, Thank you.”

Tom hugged the little boy back tightly. The sound of his happiness was all the thanks he needed. He stepped back to retrieve a milk crate from under the air hockey table, setting it down in from of the machine as he hoisted Clavo onto it. Clavo grabbed the joystick and began to guide the little yellow figure across the screen, grinning from ear to ear at his new found toy. Tom left the little boy to it, walking over to Doug and throwing an arm over his shoulder as he guided the larger man away from the games and into the nearby snack bar. They sat down at the counter, spinning the stools around to watch Clavo play.

“You know,” Doug said, breaking the silence, “you are really great with him.”

Tom just smiled, turning his head to meet Doug’s gaze. “Yeah, well he’s a great kid. You’ve done a great job with him.”

“Thanks. I’ve tried so hard to keep him safe that sometimes I think I’ve been too overprotective. I just don’t want anything to happen to him, you know?” Doug replied with concern in his voice.

“Nothing is ever going to happen to that boy, not as long as he has you.” Tom stated. “And now he has me too.” he added.

“Yeah.” Doug responded thoughtfully, a smile playing on his lips.

Tom reached for Doug’s hand, but was rebuffed when Doug quickly pulled it out of his reach. He froze for a moment, perplexed by the other man’s actions. He began to speak but stopped as he saw Doug begin to explain.

“Tommy, listen, I’m not sure if we should be doing this in front of Clavo. He’s just a little boy and I’m not really sure if he would understand it if he saw us together like this, you know?

Tom started to laugh, reaching over and clutching Doug’s hand despite his objections. “Um yeah, about that,” he said, still chuckling. “I don’t think he would be as surprised as you think he would be.”

Doug looked at his lover in confusion, not quite understanding what he meant. “Why would you say that?” he asked curiously.

“Well, Clavo asked me something this morning that I didn’t really know how to answer at first. He was helping me make pancakes and out of nowhere he asked me if I loved you. I figured that honesty was the best approach, so I said yes.” he explained, noting that Doug’s expression had changed to one of mild anger. He clarified the statement. “I didn’t say I was in love with you, I just said that, yes, I loved you. I didn’t really know what else to say. But then Clavo really surprised me. He looked me straight in the eye and told me that he was glad I loved you, because you loved me too. I was speechless, I literally couldn’t even think of a response to that. I finally asked him how he knew that. His exact words were “I’m not stupid Uncle Tommy, I can tell by the way he looks at you.” I asked him what he meant, and he told me that you look at me the way you look at the picture he has of his Aunt Marta. And then he told me that I look at you the same way. I tried to deny it, tried to tell him that we were just friends, but he wouldn’t let me out that easy. He told me that it was okay, that he had a friend who had two dads, and he didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. He told me how sad you were when I left, told me how he could hear you crying at night after you thought he’d gone to sleep. He loves you Doug, I think he just wants you to be happy.” he finished, slipping his fingers further between the larger ones he held.

Doug was in shock. Was he really so transparent that a six year old boy could see that he was madly in love with Tom. He glanced over at Clavo, catching the little boy’s eyes as they quickly turned back to the game in front of him, his expression one of amused guilt, like a child who had just caught his parents kissing. Doug smiled as he realized that Tom was right, Clavo knew and he didn’t care, he was just glad to see that his Uncle was happy again. Doug just laughed, wondering why he had ever been worried in the first place. Clavo really wasn’t the kind of kid to get bent out of shape easily, he rolled with whatever came his way. A wave of relief washed over him as he realized that he didn’t have to hide his feelings anymore. He could be as open about his love for Tom as he wanted to be and he didn’t have to worry about the way it would affect his child. He gazed lovingly at Tom, leaning forward to kiss him gently. He pulled back slowly, darting an eye to Clavo, noting that the boy had seen the display of affection and was smiling broadly at them. He smiled back at the boy, slipping his fingers out of Tom’s grip and wrapping the arm around his waist as he pulled the smaller man off of the barstool. Tom wound his own arm around Doug’s waist as they walked back over to where Clavo stood.

“Hey buddy,” Doug said gently when they reached the boy. “Uncle Tommy told me about the little talk you guys had this morning. Are you really okay with this?” he asked, gesturing the position in which he and Tom currently stood.

“Yeah, why not.” he replied. “You and Uncle Tommy are boyfriends, right?”
Doug choked a little at the boy’s blunt statement. Tom chuckled, amused by his lovers sudden discomfort. He answered the question for him. “Yes we are Clavo. I love your Uncle Doug very much. Is it okay with you if he wants to be my boyfriend?”

Clavo nodded as he replied. “It’s fine with me. I like you, you make Uncle Doug smile.” he said genuinely.

“Well thanks Clavo, I like you too.”

“Thanks. Oh yeah, one more thing. If you ever make him cry again, I’m gonna have to kick your ass.” he said, deadly serious.

Doug suppressed a giggle when he heard his nephew’s threat, knowing that he couldn’t let him use that kind of language. “Clavo!” he exclaimed “Where in the world did you learn to say something like that.”

Clavo grinned sheepishly. “Um, Aunt Judy told me to say it to Uncle Tommy.”

Doug chuckled at the boy’s admission. “She did, huh?” he said, shaking his head in amusement at his friend’s overprotectiveness. Tom shot him a confused look, not realizing what was so funny. Doug grinned in response, explaining the joke to his lover. “I kind of told Jude about what happened between us. When I told her that I was quitting the force, she figured out the real reason that I was moving so far away. That I was leaving to get you back.”

Tom smiled at the thought of his old friend. It was nice to see that Judy was still as feisty as she ever was. “Well I might just have to give her a call and tell her that she can come kick my ass anytime she likes.”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. She might just take you up on that offer. She was pretty pissed when you left. Something about losing her shopping partner.” Doug said teasingly.

“Hey,” Tom said defensively, “that was only a few times, and I think she only brought me along to carry her bags.”

They continued their playful bickering for a few more minutes until they were interrupted by Clavo, asking them to please keep it down, they were distracting him from his game. Doug threw his hands up in surrender, pulling Tom with him as they backed away from the boy, still laughing. Tom expression changed, suddenly remembering something very important. He grabbed Doug by the hand, leading him towards the front door of the business. They stopped just short of the double doors, Doug looking at quizzically.

“Where are we going Tommy?” he asked.

“I’ve got to show you something. You’ll love it, just trust me.” Tom said excitedly.

“I trust you babe.” Doug replied, meaning the words with all of his heart. He allowed Tom to place his hands over his eyes as he led him outside through the front doors. When Tom had positioned him in front of his surprise, he pulled the hands away, revealing the large neon sign that hung on the brick wall of the building. He could feel his smile grow as he scanned his eyes over the letters.

“McQuaid Lanes. You were right, I do love it.” he said, pulling the smaller man close. “I can’t believe you named this place after us.”

“Well, that’s not exactly how it happened. You see, when I first came here, I was so fed up with everything that I didn’t really want to be me anymore. I needed a fresh start. So one day, I was in town and this woman asked me my name. I told her that it was Tom McQuaid. I’m not even really sure why, It was just the first thing that popped into my head. I’ve kind of been him ever since. So when I ordered the sign, I just wrote down McQuaid on the form. It was sort of symbolic, you know? It was a like a new beginning for me.”

Doug leaned close, kissing Tom passionately, right there on the street, not caring if anyone saw. He broke the contact after a moment, gazing intently into the beautiful brown eyes of the man he loved. “This is a new beginning for us both. I love you Tommy.”

“I love you too Doug.”

The two men held each other tightly, gazing up at the sign that truly was a symbol, of their shared past and their new life, together, as a family.

Chapter 8

Doug stretched himself out on the large bed, yawning as he awoke from the deepest sleep he had had in months. He felt a small surge of panic as he realized that Tom was no longer next to him, but it was quickly squashed when he heard the sounds of laughter coming from the next room. He sat up, scanning the floor for his clothing. He stood up when he spotted his jeans, wincing a little as he pulled them up over his slightly sore bottom. He smiled at the sight that was waiting for him when he entered the living room. Clavo and Tom were sitting on the couch with their feet propped up on the coffee table, laughing at the old episode of Rocky and Bullwinkle they were watching. Toys were scattered across the floor, indicating to Doug that Clavo had been awake for a while. He walked over to stand at the back of the couch, reaching a hand down to ruffle the boy's hair.

"Hey buddy, good morning. You having fun with Uncle Tommy?" he asked his nephew.

Tom smiled as he heard the sound of his lover's voice. He turned his head towards Doug as he responded. "We've been having a blast. We got dressed, had some breakfast, and then Clavo here gave me an hour long lesson on the history of the Ninja Turtles." he said as he gestured to the pile of toys on the carpet.

Doug chuckled in response, having gotten that lesson a few times himself. "You didn't have to do all that man, you could have gotten me up."

Tom beamed up at the older man. "No problem at all, me and the kid had everything under control. Didn't we Clavo?" he asked the little boy seated next to him, who nodded in agreement. "Plus, you looked so cute sleeping that we didn't want to bother you." he said teasingly with a sly grin on his lips.

Doug smiled knowingly at the younger man, suppressing the urge to lean over and kiss him. Luckily, the feeling subsided as a deep rumbling began to well up in his stomach. He glanced sheepishly at Tom as he realized that the man had heard the thunderous noise. Tom just laughed and pointed to the kitchen.

"I kind of figured you'd be starving when you finally rolled out of bed. We left a plate on the stove for you." he said, returning his attentions to the cartoon.

Doug made his way into the kitchen and was pleasantly surprised to find that the plate that was left for him was piled up with a delicious looking breakfast. Bacon, eggs, hash browns and a stack of pancakes that he quickly realized were in the shape of Mickey Mouse's head. He grabbed the plate eagerly, making his way to the small dining room that was attached to the living room. He devoured the food hungrily, not even minding that it was cold. When he had finished off the last few bites of the pancakes, he slumped back in his chair, completely satisfied. He smiled as he called out his gratitude to Tom. "That was fantastic. Where the heck did you learn to cook like that? You couldn't even cook a hot dog without burning it before."

Tom stood up from his place on the couch, walking over to collect Doug's plate and deposit it in the sink. "I'm just full of surprises, aren't I?" he replied laughingly to the man that was following behind him as he walked into the kitchen.

Doug glanced around the corner to make sure that Clavo was still focused on the TV before he reached forward to grab Tom by the waist, spinning him around as he pulled the smaller form to his own. "So am I." he whispered as he pressed his lips firmly onto his lover's. Tom almost melted under the touch as he returned the kiss lovingly. They pulled their lips apart after a moment, still holding each other tightly as Doug glanced around the corner again, finding that his nephew had not moved from his place on the sofa. He returned his eyes to Tom's, smiling as he saw that the younger man's expression was one of pure happiness. Tom leaned up to place one more quick peck on Doug's lips before breaking their embrace, returning to his place at the sink to finish up the few dishes. Doug turned to go back into the living room when he heard Tom speak.

"Hey, why don't you go get dressed? I wanna show you around the business before we get started on unpacking that truck."

"Yeah, that sounds great. Just let me get ready." Doug replied, checking on Clavo before making his way back into Tom's bedroom. He grabbed a clean t-shirt from his bag, sliding it on over his jeans as he searched the floor for his shoes. He finally found them peeking out from under the bed. He pulled on a fresh pair of socks before slipping his feet into the worn sneakers. They were so old they were beginning to fray around the edges, but he just couldn't bring himself to part with them. He grabbed an old flannel shirt from his bag, tying it around his waist as he stepped back out into the living room, ready to go. Tom and Clavo were waiting for him and the three made their way out of the house, crossing the lot to reach the back door of the business. Tom unlocked it, stepping aside to allow them to enter. Doug lingered just inside the door, waiting for Tom to turn on the lights. His eyes widened as Tom flipped the switch, illuminating the thirty-two lane bowling alley. It was better than Doug had expected, decorated in what could only be described as a 50's diner motif. He scanned over the huge space, finding shining chrome and red leather at every turn. His eyes followed the pattern of the black and white tiles that lead down to the gleaming wood of the lanes. He turned back to Tom, smiling when he saw that the man was grinning from ear to ear.

"So what do you think of my little alley." he asked, genuinely interested in the other man's opinion.

"Tommy, I…I'm stunned. It's amazing. Did you do all of this yourself?"

"Naw, I just fixed it up a little bit." he lied. This place had been a dump when he had found it, buying it for a ridiculously low price due to the condition it had been in. But after three months of long days, late nights and a whole lot of back breaking labor, he had restored the building to its former glory.

"Well, whatever you did, it turned out great. I never thought I'd be saying these words, but here goes. This is one very cool bowling alley." Doug replied, genuinely impressed by what Tom had accomplished. He glanced down at Clavo, noting the slightly bored look on his face. "So what do you think buddy, you like it?" he asked curiously. Clavo just shrugged his shoulders, seemingly disinterested until his eyes locked on something across the room. They lit up like a christmas tree as he pointed at the cluster of video game machines that filled a corner at the end of the small snack area. He jumped up and down, filled with excitement. "Uncle Doug, Uncle Doug, can I play them. Please, please, please?" he begged.

Doug smiled at the child's enthusiasm, reaching a hand into his pocket to search for some quarters. His smile fell when he came up empty handed. But he was saved when Tom noticed the look on his face and stepped in, grabbing the little boy's hand, pulling him gently towards the small arcade. Doug followed close behind, glancing around as he walked, still taking in his surroundings. Clavo looked like he was in heaven as he found himself surrounded by all of his favorite games.

"Hey Clavo, wanna see something really cool?" Tom asked the little boy.

"Yeah."

"Watch this." he commanded as he reached behind the Pac-Man machine and plugged it into the socket, bringing the game to life. He smiled at the boy as he opened the coin slot and flipped a small switch that was housed inside. The machine dinged loudly, words coming onto the screen that read FREE PLAY. Clavo laughed loudly, clapping his hands. "There you go buddy, you can play all you want and you never need to put in one quarter."

Clavo just smiled in gratitude, hugging Tom as he exclaimed "Thank you Uncle Tommy, Thank you."

Tom hugged the little boy back tightly. The sound of his happiness was all the thanks he needed. He stepped back to retrieve a milk crate from under the air hockey table, setting it down in from of the machine as he hoisted Clavo onto it. Clavo grabbed the joystick and began to guide the little yellow figure across the screen, grinning from ear to ear at his new found toy. Tom left the little boy to it, walking over to Doug and throwing an arm over his shoulder as he guided the larger man away from the games and into the nearby snack bar. They sat down at the counter, spinning the stools around to watch Clavo play.

"You know," Doug said, breaking the silence, "you are really great with him."

Tom just smiled, turning his head to meet Doug's gaze. "Yeah, well he's a great kid. You've done a great job with him."

"Thanks. I've tried so hard to keep him safe that sometimes I think I've been too overprotective. I just don't want anything to happen to him, you know?" Doug replied with concern in his voice.

"Nothing is ever going to happen to that boy, not as long as he has you." Tom stated. "And now he has me too." he added.

"Yeah." Doug responded thoughtfully, a smile playing on his lips.

Tom reached for Doug's hand, but was rebuffed when Doug quickly pulled it out of his reach. He froze for a moment, perplexed by the other man's actions. He began to speak but stopped as he saw Doug begin to explain.

"Tommy, listen, I'm not sure if we should be doing this in front of Clavo. He's just a little boy and I'm not really sure if he would understand it if he saw us together like this, you know?

Tom started to laugh, reaching over and clutching Doug's hand despite his objections. "Um yeah, about that," he said, still chuckling. "I don't think he would be as surprised as you think he would be."

Doug looked at his lover in confusion, not quite understanding what he meant. "Why would you say that?" he asked curiously.

"Well, Clavo asked me something this morning that I didn't really know how to answer at first. He was helping me make pancakes and out of nowhere he asked me if I loved you. I figured that honesty was the best approach, so I said yes." he explained, noting that Doug's expression had changed to one of mild anger. He clarified the statement. "I didn't say I was in love with you, I just said that, yes, I loved you. I didn't really know what else to say. But then Clavo really surprised me. He looked me straight in the eye and told me that he was glad I loved you, because you loved me too. I was speechless, I literally couldn't even think of a response to that. I finally asked him how he knew that. His exact words were "I'm not stupid Uncle Tommy, I can tell by the way he looks at you." I asked him what he meant, and he told me that you look at me the way you look at the picture he has of his Aunt Marta. And then he told me that I look at you the same way. I tried to deny it, tried to tell him that we were just friends, but he wouldn't let me out that easy. He told me that it was okay, that he had a friend who had two dads, and he didn't think there was anything wrong with it. He told me how sad you were when I left, told me how he could hear you crying at night after you thought he'd gone to sleep. He loves you Doug, I think he just wants you to be happy." he finished, slipping his fingers further between the larger ones he held.

Doug was in shock. Was he really so transparent that a six year old boy could see that he was madly in love with Tom. He glanced over at Clavo, catching the little boy's eyes as they quickly turned back to the game in front of him, his expression one of amused guilt, like a child who had just caught his parents kissing. Doug smiled as he realized that Tom was right, Clavo knew and he didn't care, he was just glad to see that his Uncle was happy again. Doug just laughed, wondering why he had ever been worried in the first place. Clavo really wasn't the kind of kid to get bent out of shape easily, he rolled with whatever came his way. A wave of relief washed over him as he realized that he didn't have to hide his feelings anymore. He could be as open about his love for Tom as he wanted to be and he didn't have to worry about the way it would affect his child. He gazed lovingly at Tom, leaning forward to kiss him gently. He pulled back slowly, darting an eye to Clavo, noting that the boy had seen the display of affection and was smiling broadly at them. He smiled back at the boy, slipping his fingers out of Tom's grip and wrapping the arm around his waist as he pulled the smaller man off of the barstool. Tom wound his own arm around Doug's waist as they walked back over to where Clavo stood.

"Hey buddy," Doug said gently when they reached the boy. "Uncle Tommy told me about the little talk you guys had this morning. Are you really okay with this?" he asked, gesturing the position in which he and Tom currently stood.

"Yeah, why not." he replied. "You and Uncle Tommy are boyfriends, right?"

Doug choked a little at the boy's blunt statement. Tom chuckled, amused by his lovers sudden discomfort. He answered the question for him. "Yes we are Clavo. I love your Uncle Doug very much. Is it okay with you if he wants to be my boyfriend?"

Clavo nodded as he replied. "It's fine with me. I like you, you make Uncle Doug smile." he said genuinely.

"Well thanks Clavo, I like you too."

"Thanks. Oh yeah, one more thing. If you ever make him cry again, I'm gonna have to kick your ass." he said, deadly serious.

Doug suppressed a giggle when he heard his nephew's threat, knowing that he couldn't let him use that kind of language. "Clavo!" he exclaimed "Where in the world did you learn to say something like that."

Clavo grinned sheepishly. "Um, Aunt Judy told me to say it to Uncle Tommy."

Doug chuckled at the boy's admission. "She did, huh?" he said, shaking his head in amusement at his friend's overprotectiveness. Tom shot him a confused look, not realizing what was so funny. Doug grinned in response, explaining the joke to his lover. "I kind of told Jude about what happened between us. When I told her that I was quitting the force, she figured out the real reason that I was moving so far away. That I was leaving to get you back."

Tom smiled at the thought of his old friend. It was nice to see that Judy was still as feisty as she ever was. "Well I might just have to give her a call and tell her that she can come kick my ass anytime she likes."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. She might just take you up on that offer. She was pretty pissed when you left. Something about losing her shopping partner." Doug said teasingly.

"Hey," Tom said defensively, "that was only a few times, and I think she only brought me along to carry her bags."

They continued their playful bickering for a few more minutes until they were interrupted by Clavo, asking them to please keep it down, they were distracting him from his game. Doug threw his hands up in surrender, pulling Tom with him as they backed away from the boy, still laughing. Tom expression changed, suddenly remembering something very important. He grabbed Doug by the hand, leading him towards the front door of the business. They stopped just short of the double doors, Doug looking at quizzically.

"Where are we going Tommy?" he asked.

"I've got to show you something. You'll love it, just trust me." Tom said excitedly.

"I trust you babe." Doug replied, meaning the words with all of his heart. He allowed Tom to place his hands over his eyes as he led him outside through the front doors. When Tom had positioned him in front of his surprise, he pulled the hands away, revealing the large neon sign that hung on the brick wall of the building. He could feel his smile grow as he scanned his eyes over the letters.

"McQuaid Lanes. You were right, I do love it." he said, pulling the smaller man close. "I can't believe you named this place after us."

"Well, that's not exactly how it happened. You see, when I first came here, I was so fed up with everything that I didn't really want to be me anymore. I needed a fresh start. So one day, I was in town and this woman asked me my name. I told her that it was Tom McQuaid. I'm not even really sure why, It was just the first thing that popped into my head. I've kind of been him ever since. So when I ordered the sign, I just wrote down McQuaid on the form. It was sort of symbolic, you know? It was a like a new beginning for me."

Doug leaned close, kissing Tom passionately, right there on the street, not caring if anyone saw. He broke the contact after a moment, gazing intently into the beautiful brown eyes of the man he loved. "This is a new beginning for us both. I love you Tommy."

"I love you too Doug."

The two men held each other tightly, gazing up at the sign that truly was a symbol, of their shared past and their new life, together, as a family.

The End

/ So we've come to the end of our little journey. Please Please Please Review. I need the feedback. Tell me it's good, tell me it sucks. Just tell me something. Thanks. <3 /
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A New Beginning