Memories Part 1: The Gathering

Hey Y'all - Mike again!

I'm really proud of my little brothers right now; even though they are just getting over me "moving" up here, they are trying to be strong for JJ and Kyle. Sharon is really worried about the two boys and Dan, but she feels much better knowing Teri and the boys are there for them. I did my usual and opened my big mouth; in other words I volunteered to watch over Kyle and JJ so she could concentrate on Dan. There are good and bad sides to that - the good part is watching them grow, and seeing their memories. In one case that's bad though, once I started with Kyle I saw something which I hope the others can handle once it comes out.

I better go here; Sean screwed up and left a CD in the stereo, and things are about to get VERY messy! Sometimes I wonder about that kid...

Mike

 

Sean was awakened by soft moist lips pressing against his mouth and a tongue trying to worm its way between his teeth. He opened his eyes, and was barely able to distinguish the side of a very familiar head in the soft moonlight. There was no mistaking that bright, blond hair; it was Cory.

Sean began to return the kiss, and soon a tornado could have struck the bed and not disturbed the two lovers; both had completely forgotten about the other two occupants of the bed. Suddenly they both reached a simultaneous orgasm, coating each others chest with sperm.

As soon as he was able to speak, Sean managed to whisper: "What was that for?"

"I woke up, and I just needed to kiss you." Cory replied softly.

"Wow, why's that?" Sean asked with a huge smile.

"Just for you being you." Cory replied with a glint in his eye.

Just then, they were brought back to reality by a barely suppressed giggle. If blushes could glow, the entire bedroom would have been lit by the glow from their faces! They both looked in the direction the giggle came from, and there was JJ braced on one elbow with a very evident grin on his face.

"I wonder how Kyle slept through that; you both are so cute, but noisy as heck!" JJ snickered.

"You ain't gonna freak on us, are you?" Sean asked nervously.

"Naw; the only problem I have is deciding which one of you I wish was kissing me instead of the other one!"

"So, I guess that means you're gay too?" asked Cory.

"If I had any doubts, they are gone now;" he replied. "I think Kyle is the only one who did NOT make a mess in bed tonight!"

This got quiet chuckles from the three boys, and then Sean looked over at the clock. "Man, its only 3 o'clock? We better try to get some sleep here!"

"I'd better get between Kyle and you guys, let him cuddle up to my back; just in case he decides to cuddle again tonight." JJ stated.

"He fell asleep cuddled to me, so it might be better if we switch around, that way he won't wonder too much." Cory replied.

The other two agreed, so they switched around so that Sean was laying with Cory on one side and JJ on the other. Just as they settled in, Cory heard a low whimper behind him.

"I'm right here, lil' buddy, come on and cuddle up behind me" Cory said softly.

Cory felt Kyle's young body press against him, and what sounded almost like a purr was heard, as Kyle found Cory's arm and wrapped his little fingers around it. JJ laid his arm over Cory and placed his hand on Kyle's shoulder. Shortly thereafter, all four boys returned to a blissful sleep.

The next thing he knew, Sean awoke with a start; "Dang it! I forgot to shut off the alarm on the stereo!" he muttered.

Sean had been listening to his Backstreet Boys Millennium CD the day before, and had shut it off just as the last song started. As Sean sat up and reached for the remote to turn it off, JJ grabbed his arm to stop him. Sean looked over, and saw the tears running down JJ's face, and then heard soft sniffles coming from behind Cory.

'Of all the songs that could have played,' Sean thought, 'why did it have to be The Perfect Fan?'

Sean then looked down at Kyle, and saw that he too was in tears. He laid back down on his back, and pulled a weeping Cory up close to him. When the final chorus played, there were three tearful voices singing softly along with it:

 

You showed me
When I was young just how to grow
You showed me
Everything that I should know
You showed me
Just how to walk without your hands
'Cause Mom you always were
The perfect fan

(©1999 Backstreet Boys)

 

At the very end, as the stereo went silent after the final "I love you Mom"; Cory, Kyle, and JJ collapsed in full fledged tears on top of Sean. All Sean could do was gather them in his arms and hold them to comfort them while they were releasing the pain and loss they were all feeling. Sean considered one of his own "perfect fans", Mike, and tears that had long been held inside of him suddenly came forth. The sound of Sean letting loose was the final straw, all the boys let their emotions free.

Fifteen minutes later, the tears were finally tapering off. The four boys had ended up in a massive 4-way hug, with Kyle lying on top of Sean's chest, and the other two taking opposite sides. Arms and legs were intertwined as each tried to give and receive support from the other by bodily contact.

Suddenly, Kyle whimpered and the other three noticed a sudden flow of warm fluid flowing near their midsections.

Sean looked down and saw the terrified face of Kyle. "You're okay, lil' buddy" Sean said calmly. "I'm proud of you, you made it all night. I understand it's hard to tell sometimes, but all of us crying made it harder for you to feel yourself getting ready to pee."

All three boys hugged Kyle tightly, then Cory asked; "Why don't we all go into the shower now and get washed up? When we are done Sean and I will change the sheets."

"They were due to be changed today, anyway," Sean said to Kyle. "You just made sure we actually do it for once!"

Kyle couldn't help but grin at that, "I'll have to ask your Mom what the laundry schedule is then, so I can make sure you do it when you are supposed to!"

Everyone chuckled at that, and then untangled themselves from each other to sit on the edge of the bed.

Sean got a serious look on his face, and started speaking. "Guys, the shower is just barely big enough for all of us; so I think to save time we might as well all shower at once. I don't know about the rest of you, but that crying session we just had makes me feel a little better. I know who some of you were crying for, and I can guess at the rest I think; but I thought I would answer before anyone has to ask, I was crying for Mike." He paused for a minute, and then continued. "Cory already knows this; but JJ and Kyle, I want both of you to know that anytime you need to talk, cry, or just have someone hold you I will be here for you."

Cory interrupted; "JJ, Kyle, trust me, he means it. I know you guys are just starting to see how close I am to Sean. When I heard the song, I started thinking about my mommy and also Mikey; and I realized that I needed to make sure I get better to make them happy. If you hold your hurt inside it will eat you up, you guy's dad taught me that; but I just figured out that you need to be happy too, or else you will end up being an old grouch." He looked at JJ and Kyle, and then continued. "I know right now y'all are thinking about the things you won't be able to do, but trust me, think about the good times that happened already. I had to learn the hard way you can't change what's already happened. In my case, I almost lost two people who love me in my grief. Please let Sean help you so you don't have to go through that."

As Cory finished, JJ and Kyle got up and hugged him, then went over to Sean and repeated the gesture.

"You both have helped me more than you can guess," said JJ. "I promise to let you know if I need anything, Sean, but if you see that I need a hug, or you think I need to talk, please just do it."

"That goes for me too," Kyle said softly.

The four of them joined in a group hug, and just before they broke it a warm wave of love covered them, the expressions on each one's face showed that they all felt it.

Kyle suddenly spoke up, his voice a mixture of awe and surprise; "That's Mike, he says we are all brothers now!"

The wave increased in intensity, seemingly confirming Kyle's proclamation, then slowly faded away. Sean, Cory, and JJ all looked at Kyle in wonder; it was obvious he was telling the truth, but they were shocked that he was able to know so much. At a loss for words, the three boys kissed Kyle on the forehead and then the four of them went to take a shower.

The shower was actually a little tight for all four of them to wash themselves, so JJ got an idea. "Why don't we just wash each other?" asked JJ, grinning at Sean and Cory.

"That's okay with me, what about you two?" Cory replied.

"Me too, what about you, Kyle?" Sean added.

"Well, I guess so, since you guys want to." Kyle replied quietly.

They washed Cory first; to nobody's surprise, when it came time to wash Cory's genitals there were three hands making sure EVERYTHING was spotless! The scene repeated itself with Sean and JJ, and by the time they were ready for washing Kyle, all three older boys were proudly sporting serious wood.

When it became Kyle's turn, they started at the top and worked down; but when they reached his waist, Kyle suddenly put his hands over his scrotum.

Sean had an idea what was wrong, and knew that how he responded now could make or break the trust Kyle was developing towards him. He waved the other two back, sat down in the corner of the shower on the ledge, then looked over to Kyle. "Come here and have a seat lil' buddy," he said, patting his leg. "We need to talk for a second."

Kyle sat on Sean's lap, with his legs held tightly together. He seemed on the verge of crying, so Sean wrapped his arm around him and pulled him up tight to comfort him.

"Kyle, you don't have to worry. We all know that you are younger that us, which means everything is smaller. But that's not what has you worried, is it?"

Kyle shook his head no.

"I think I know why, if I saw what I think I did last night. We need YOU to tell us for sure though, and I promise I won't laugh or make fun of you; and if either of your other brothers does I'll beat them up for you."

Kyle looked into Sean's eyes and saw the sincerity there, and then looked at the floor, speaking so softly Sean could barely hear him. "I've only got one ball; I'm a useless little eunuch who will never be a man."

Sean's hazel eyes darkened to almost black, and in a barely controlled voice, he asked, "Who was the sorry bastard who told you that?"

"My daddy used to tell everyone that before I was moved to the home."

"Kyle, I'm not mad at you at all, but I need you to look at my face for a minute while I tell you something."

Kyle looked up, and was stunned at the obvious rage that Sean was feeling.

"I swear, if I ever find that useless piece of shit that made you believe that about yourself, I will cut off his nuts and make him eat them while he slowly bleeds to death. That is a promise Kyle, no matter if its next week or twenty years from now, he WILL suffer for making you suffer."

JJ spoke up, the anger at what he had heard also evident; "Sean, there is one condition to that; you have to allow me to help you."

Cory reached up and turned off the cutout on the shower head. "You better make that both of us; that bastard has messed with the wrong kid, he messed with my little brother."

Sean stuck his right hand out flat, and Cory immediately placed his right hand on top of it. JJ followed suit, with Kyle being the last to join the group. "With God as my witness, we are brothers forever. As the saying goes from the Three Musketeers, All for One and One for All! All four boys felt a chill, as if the bathroom window had been opened."

With the show of support, Sean had calmed down enough to think rationally. "Kyle, I'm going to have Mom make a doctor's appointment for you. That way the doctor can tell you how you are going to be affected, and if there is anything that will need to be done to make sure you don't have any problems. I'm going to pay for it out of my savings, that four-wheeler I have been saving for can wait, you are more important."

The look of amazement on Kyle's face was priceless. He was speechless; all he could do was tighten his hold on Sean to express his gratitude.

"Kyle, I have and idea," said JJ, "before we wash you up, why don't you show each of us your nut and let us feel it, so that way you know for sure that none of us have a problem with it?"

Kyle thought for a minute; "Yeah, that would make me feel better, is it OK if Sean goes first though?"

"That's fine lil' bro, this is for you, not us."

All three boys checked Kyle out, commenting on how nice they though he looked. JJ took it a step further, as just before he stood up, he dove in with his head and placed a quick kiss on the smooth sac. This evoked giggles from all the boys, as they then turned the shower head back on and finished washing up Kyle.

After everyone was dried off, JJ and Kyle got another shock as Sean and Cory started combing out and fixing up each others hair. "JJ, can we do that too?" Kyle asked.

"I would love to, lil' bro; especially if it will make you happy!"

It took twenty minutes for everyone to be satisfied with the other's hair, with Cory and Sean giving JJ and Kyle pointers on how to make each other look better. When they finally emerged from the bathroom, another problem presented itself.

"You guys need some clothes to wear today!" Cory exclaimed.

"Naw, we can wear what we wore yesterday." JJ replied.

"No way! I'm sure there's still something of mine here that y'all can wear!" At that, Cory began digging through his dressers and closet, tossing out various items for the boys to wear. The boxers and shorts he tossed out to JJ fit fairly decent, and he found an old pair of drawstring swim trunks, which had been too small even before he left, that were able to be worn by Kyle without looking really out of place; they just looked like the extremely baggy style that some boys wore. He pulled a tee shirt out and tossed it to JJ, and then he suddenly stopped for a second. He slowly reached in and carefully pulled out a well-worn Chicago Cubs tee shirt. With a small smile on his face, he turned to Kyle.

"Kyle, this shirt is very special. A couple of years ago, Mikey took Sean and me to Chicago for a Cubs game. He bought this shirt for me, and it became my favorite shirt. It won't fit me anymore; but now more than ever it means a lot to me. Seeing you wear it would make me so happy, it will be as if I am sharing Mikey with you. If you say OK, it's yours, all I ask is that you take care of it the best you can; maybe someday when you outgrow it you will find someone else special to give it to."

Kyle walked over and carefully took the shirt from Cory's hands, then reached around Cory with his free arm to give him a hug. "I'll take really good care of it, Cory. It's my favorite shirt now too!"

As Kyle stepped away, Sean stepped up to Cory and wrapped him in an embrace. "This is for being the most loving, caring person I know." said Sean as he moved to passionately kiss Cory.

When they had finally managed to untangle their tongues, they turned to see JJ running for the bathroom holding his crotch, while Kyle was just standing there frozen with his jaw on the floor. Cory walked up to Kyle and gently closed his mouth.

"Hey lil' bro, are you alright with what you just saw, or do you want to talk?" Cory said softly while lightly placing his hands on Kyle's shoulders.

"I thought boys only kissed girls like that."

"Most of the time you are right, but some boys, like Sean and I, fall in love with other boys instead of girls. Does that make any sense to you?"

"Yeah, I've heard some of the older boys. But they called boys who did that faggots and made fun of them; they said they wear dresses and makeup."

"You did not know this, so I'm not mad at you; but faggot is a nasty name, its just as bad as calling someone a nigger. The right way to say it is that Sean and I are gay. As far as makeup and dresses go, a few gay people do that, but most of them dress just like the rest of the boys you know. Sean and I were born this way; it's not something we chose to be. Being around us won't make you gay, and we don't force other people to do the things we do with each other."

Kyle reached out and pulled Cory close to him. "I understand now, and I swear I will never use that bad word again, or make fun of someone like you guys."

"Thanks bud. But you need to try not to tell anyone, let us do it. There are people out there who would hurt us, just because they don't understand."

"OK, I promise. If I think someone should know I'll ask you to tell them."

"That's a great plan, buddy."

As Cory was talking to Kyle, JJ came out of the bathroom blushing fiercely. Sean took him off to the side out of hearing range.

"JJ, as you obviously figured out, Cory and I are now out to Kyle. It might not be a bad idea for you to do the same while we are all here; Cory is explaining it so that Kyle understands."

"Thanks, I've been wanting to for a while, but did not know how to do it without taking a chance of him hating me."

Sean looked over at the other two just as they started hugging. "It looks like Cory has that taken care of, sometimes he amazes me. By the way, Mom is cool with it too, so you might want to tell her so she does not worry. Tell her Kyle knows too, that should make her feel better."

"OK, will do. Dad is cool too, you want to tell him?"

"Sure, I'll do that. Thanks for telling me."

JJ walked over to Kyle and Cory. "Kyle, bro, I need to tell you something too."

Kyle looked up at JJ, paused for a second, and then smiled. "Go ahead, I bet I know now, but it's just a guess."

JJ relaxed. "Kyle, I'm gay too. I don't have a boyfriend yet, but someday I hope to find someone like Cory or Sean."

"I hope you do, JJ. I love all of you!"

Sean interrupted; "I hate to break this up, but we better get downstairs before all the food is gone!"

JJ laughed, "You're right. Dad's here, he will eat the place spotless!"

They went out in the hall, and were just getting ready to go down the stairs when Kyle spoke up. "Cory, can I PHULEEEEEEEEZEEEEEE have a ride on your shoulders?"

In between chuckles, Cory replied; "Sure, but these two are going to have to help steady us going down the stairs!"

After they were all in position, they slowly made their way down the stairs into the foyer. The adults were all in the living room, and it appeared they had been talking until they saw the kids in the foyer. There was Cory standing there with Kyle on his shoulders, while Sean and JJ all but hung off of each side of him. The way the boys were holding each other made it obvious that they were more than friends. There was a closeness and comfort level that no boy over the age of ten would ever allow if he was straight.

Sheriff John was the first to speak. "Well, I guess that answers that question. Just to get things out in the open, guys, I'll let you know I'm Bi."

"What's Bi?" asked a puzzled Kyle.

Cory had recovered from the announcement quickly, so he answered. "Bi means that he likes boys as well as girls, Kyle."

"Wow, lucky you!" Kyle replied.

The innocence in the tone of Kyle's reply made the comment too much for the adults to take, as they all fell laughing into the nearest seat. The boys were barely containing their giggles, and as soon as Kyle realized what he had said he himself was giggling.

"Thank you Kyle," John choked out, "that's the best anyone has made me feel in a long time!"

The boys entered the room, and JJ spoke up first. "Teri, Sean and I talked a bit, and he said I better tell you that I'm gay."

Sean spoke next. "Dan, just to be fair, it's best you know that Cory and I are both gay, as well as boyfriends. Kyle knows about all of us."

All the adults looked at Kyle. "Don't look at me; I'm just here for the free shoulder rides!"

Teri spoke up. "Did all you ... "

JJ interrupted; "No, we did not do anything. But, if you see me running for the bathroom when they kiss, now you know why."

Dan decided to speak too; "OK; since everyone else is out, I might as well get it in the open too; I'm also Bi."

Teri chuckled; "I love it, I'm a minority in my own home! From the looks of it, my suggestion for housing has become a need, instead of an idea. To fill you kids in, we were discussing getting a place together in Waukee. Hopefully, one with a good amount of property, so you guys can have fun. That way, Dan can travel to conferences to update his schooling, without having to worry about you clowns."

The boys rushed the adults in a frenzied hug. Cory then stepped back for a second and faced Dan. "Dan, you know how you always told Kyle and me that we needed to release our emotions to get better?"

"Yes, why?

"This morning all four of us released a lot at the same time. I know I feel better, and it looks to me like everyone else is too. I thought you would like to know so you would not be worried."

"Thank you Cory. It makes me feel a LOT better knowing you are watching out for each other. I am still here, if any of you need to talk to someone else though, as is Teri."

"Thanks Dan, we'll all remember that."

The conversation was interrupted by a soft knock at the front door.

"I'll get it, mom" said Sean.

Sean opened the front door, looked outside, and yelled "MOM; Come here QUICK, it's Tyler, and he's crying!"

Teri ran to the door "What's wrong Ty?"

Tyler handed her an envelope, then wrapped his arms around her and started sobbing on her shoulder.

Teri looked at the outside. It simply said, "Tyler, read right away." She then opened the envelope behind his back. There were two items in it: A note and another envelope. She read the note first.

Tyler:
By the time you find this, we will be long gone.
The only time you ever seem happy is when Teri baby-sits you after school, so we are leaving you with her. Take the note inside here with you, it gives her all the papers she needs.
Mom

Teri then opened the other envelope. Inside were a key, a power of attorney, and another note.

Teri:
You get along so well with the brat, you can have him!
The key and power of attorney will get you into a safe deposit box at the Firstar bank down the street.
In it will be all his important records, along with a letter giving you guardianship of him. Note that he is non-returnable, even after you see what he is really like you are still stuck with him.
Frank and Julie Cooper

John walked up just as she finished reading. "Grab your badge, John, you are on the clock starting RIGHT now; read these!" Teri growled.

John read the notes, and then knelt behind Teri so he could talk to Tyler. "Tyler, I'm Sheriff John Martin, but you can just call me John. Can you tell me when and where you found this?"

"Yes sir; I found it in a box of cereal this morning."

"Thanks, now for the hard question, then I'm done. When was the last time you saw them?"

"Friday before school, sir."

"You are safe now; I know Teri is going to take care of you. I will be back out in a minute; I have to make a phone call."

"Okay"

John grabbed Dan and dragged him into the office. He did not even take the time to close the door, so everybody heard him about a minute later. "... I don't care if he has the POPE in his chambers! I said I need to speak to Judge Lewis on an official police emergency; get Joe on the phone NOW!" Five minutes later, the two came back out of the office, Dan grinning from the show he just witnessed.

"Teri," John said, "Judge Lewis will be here in about an hour. We are going to make sure you are set up LEGALLY so they can NOT cause this little angel any more pain."

He then knelt down to be at Tyler's face. "Hey Tyler, do you want to live here with Teri and the boys from now on?"

For the first time since entering the foyer, Tyler raised his head, and a glimmer of hope appeared in his eyes. "Yes, sir! Can you do that?" Then his voice dropped; "That is if Teri wants a pain in the butt like me around."

"Ty, you are no worse than the other four in the other room," Teri replied "and I feel sorry for anyone who tries to separate the FIVE of you. When you walked in the door today this became your new home."

"Does that mean I can call you mommy?"

"Only if you want to and are comfortable with it, if not you can still call me Teri."

"Okay ... mommy!"

Teri's heart melted at the sincere trust he placed in that one word, and Teri vowed to herself that she would never break that trust; even after what had happened, the little angel had just placed his full trust in her.

"C'mon squirt! Let's go in to see your brothers. You have more than you expected!" Teri said with a smile.

Kyle's viewpoint:

It was weird! I was sitting on the love seat, facing away from the door, when Teri came in with Ty. I heard her introduce him to JJ, and she made sure that Cory remembered him; it took Cory a few seconds, just like most blonds, but then his brain started working and he remembered Ty from before the accident. It seems that Ty was already gone by the time Cory got here on weekdays while we were living at the home, so they did not get a chance to re-meet each other.

Anyways, shortly it was my turn, so I stood up and turned around to see him. Our eyes met and we both froze! My chest felt like it was gonna explode, and I was lightheaded. Ty later told me he felt exactly the same way. Standing in front of me was a boy about my age, with fine blond hair that was so bright it almost looked silver. He was about my height, but built a little sturdier, unlike me he did not have to run around in the shower to get wet!

What really caught my attention though were those steel grey eyes; I could see a loneliness and fear in them I knew all too well, but there was something deeper, a need to love and be loved, that grabbed my soul. Without thinking, I walked up to him, ran my fingers through his hair, which is almost as long as mine, and pulled him into a tight hug. I felt so happy when he immediately returned the hug!

While I have the chance, I want to thank Mikey for helping me write down what I felt. For some reason, he is able to talk to me, and he helped me figure out what to write so it made sense. I'm really glad we are all keeping these diaries now, there is so much happening I'm not sure I can remember it all!

 Everyone watched as the two boys embraced for almost ten minutes. Once they finally separated, Teri said gently; "Why don't all you boys go up to your room and talk. We are going to get everything ready for when the Judge gets here. If he needs to see you, one of us will come and get you."

She was hit with a mixed chorus of "okay, mom", "okay, Teri", and "okay, mommy". The boys then all headed upstairs to their room.

"Dan," Teri said as she walked into the office with Dan and John "don't worry about how many bedrooms are in the house when you are looking. just make sure it has lots of property. Even though I'm betting most of them won't be used for sleeping, we might as well build a whole wing of bedrooms for that crew."

"I agree, from the reaction we just saw, I think it might be a good guess to say that within the next four years you might find out you are the token straight person in the household. Are you sure you don't want to switch sides while you can?" Dan sat down with a grin.

"No way, somebody has to keep all you guys in line!" Teri laughed.

"Dan," John started, "before things get nuts again, I have something to tell you. I was going to tell you last night, but once you calmed down you fell right asleep. I made a couple of calls, and you don't need to do a thing about Sharon's funeral. The State is going to handle it all for you, including paying for it. The governor said it's the least they could do, after all the help you have given us."

"Thanks John, you just settled the one thing that was worrying me the most. As long as I can hold it together long enough to get some things from the old house today, I should be OK, with you and Teri supporting me."

"You are not going there alone; I already have guys fighting to help. Word got around quick, and I kind of slipped over the open channel and let everyone know you were going to be staying here." John grinned as he said it; obviously the slip was on purpose.

Just then the doorbell rang. John answered it, and came back into the office with Judge Lewis.

"Hello Dan; and you must be Teri. My condolences about Sharon, are you doing OK, Dan?"

"I'm holding on, Judge. Teri's two seem to be helping my two a lot, so it's easier than it could be."

"Dan, you know out of the courtroom it's Joe! Of course SOME people have been known to use that familiarity to badger a certain clerk, who for some reason does not understand what 'Police Emergency' means."

John looked up in the air, and attempted to look innocent.

"Have you eaten yet, Joe?" asked Teri.

"Actually, no. I have been running all morning."

"You mind joining us for brunch? I know five boys who must be starving. Then we can settle the rest of this mess after we have all eaten."

"That sounds great, I always think better on a full stomach, plus it gives me a chance to see all the boys in an informal setting."

Teri went to the intercom. "Sean?"

"Yes mom?"

"Get your crew together and come on down to the kitchen. We're going to set up for brunch, and I can use a few hands."

"Okay, Mom, we'll be right down."

A minute later, the five boys walked into the kitchen. Teri was pleasantly surprised to see that someone had ensured that Ty was cleaned up and groomed. Considering he and Kyle never got more than three feet apart since they met, she had her suspicions as to who that someone was!

"Okay guys. Grilled ham and cheese sandwiches sound good?" Teri asked.

She received a resounding "YES" from everyone, so she began to work.

"Kyle, Tyler; You guys are in charge of buttering the bread and putting the sandwiches together. JJ, Cory; you two get everyone drinks and set the table in the dining room. Sean, you are in charge of slicing the ham and cheese for the sandwiches."

In no time the brunch was ready. The boys made the normal amount of "mistakes"; which naturally had to be eaten to hide the evidence. The remaining sandwiches were put on a platter, bags of chips were set out for whoever wanted them, and Teri led the boys into the dining room.

John stood up. "Boys, before you sit down, come over here so you can be introduced."

"Boys, this is Judge Lewis. As long as you are not in his courtroom, you can call him Joe. Joe, you already know JJ, and I'm SURE you remember Kyle. The tall blond standing next to Kyle is Cory, the other tall one is Sean, and the young blond is Tyler."

"I'm glad to meet all of you. Tyler, do you know what? My middle name is Tyler, so that must mean you are a good person to have such a great name!" Joe said with a smile.

Ty's face turned bright pink. "Thank you Joe. I'll do my best to live up to it"

At that, everyone sat down to eat. As they were finishing up, Joe spoke up. "I'm impressed. All you boys should be proud of yourselves; I would have never expected a group that has been put together the way you all were to be so in-sync. Your parents and I need to do some work now, but I had to say how lucky they are to have kids like you. Tyler, enjoy your new home here and your new brothers. Teri, be prepared to come by my chambers on short notice, I am going to fast-track adoption papers for Ty, so we can ensure he never has to leave here."

After a chorus of thank yous, the boys returned to their room to finish getting acquainted, as the adults settled down to prepare the paperwork to protect Tyler, and guarantee his place in the household.