Flea Market Sausage

Sometime later, the teens awoke to voices outside their tent. One of the voices sounded younger, impatient, and vaguely familiar to Bastian. The teens got up and dressed as quickly and quietly as they could, but not without some moments of staring and appreciating each other's body. When they finally opened the flap, a giggling little boy suddenly tackled Bastian at the waist.

"Zane, sweetheart, let the boys come out of their tent," a woman called out. Bastian looked up and saw the mother of the boy attached to his leg. "Bastian, it is good to see you again. We had to come thank you. Zane told me another secret after we left you guys at the flea market the other day." Now it was the mother that came over and attempted to hug Bastian to death, as she wept.

"Bastian, Mrs. Henry was telling us earlier that you had advised Zane to never keep secrets from his parents, so he told her about the things that had been going on at his daycare center," Lindsay told him. "You have helped put a stop to a lot of pain for quite a few children."

"You're a real hero in my book, young man," Mrs. Henry sniffled as she stepped back. Zane was still clinging to the older boy and grinning like… well, like a happy little kid.

"I'm no hero," Bastian said with a blush. "Atreyu here, and his dad, they're the heroes."

"They told us some bad men tried to hurt you," Zane said seriously, looking up into Bastian's face. "Did you tell your mom and dad too?"

"Well, I wasn't able to tell anyone, but Atreyu did it for me," Bastian answered. The little boy peeked around Bastian's leg to stare up at Atreyu, who smiled at him. "He and his Dad came and rescued me from the bad guys."

"Wow, no wonder you were hugging him when I peeked in your tent," the little boy said in an awed voice.

"ZANE MICHAEL HENRY!" the boy's mother gasped. "We do NOT peek into other people's windows."

"Yes, ma'am," the boy said quietly. Then he brightened up and said, "But momma," and here he pointed at Atreyu, "he gets dressed just like Daddy does. He pulls everything up all at once. Bastian gets dressed like I do, undies then pants."

"I think we have managed to embarrass enough people now, Zane." The boy's mother was almost as red as the teenagers. "We should go home now."

"But Momma, you said I could get another snow cone today," Zane pouted.

"We can take him down to the booth and make it for him," Atreyu offered. "It will only take a couple of minutes to get back."

"You think that because you haven't walked through a place like this with Zane before," Mrs. Henry laughed. "I had better come along with you so you can escape when he gets too much for you."

"You can come along if you feel like you should, but I promise he won't be any trouble for us," Bastian told her. "I would enjoy seeing the world from his point of view for a bit. I think it might be good for me today."

"Pleeeeease Mommy?" the little boy pleaded.

"All right, Zane, you go get a snow cone with Bastian and Atreyu and I will come get you in a couple of minutes. Be very good for them and stay right with them." Zane grabbed Bastian and Atreyu's hands in his own and started dragging the boys away from the campsite.

"Hold up, little buddy," Atreyu told the little boy. "I have an idea so you can see better where we are going." He reached down, scooped Zane up, and swung him further up and onto his shoulders.

"WOW!!! I'm as tall as a grown up now!" Zane exclaimed. "This is super cool!"

"Do you like it up there?" Bastian asked.

"This is fun, but… could I still hold your hand maybe?"

"Of course you can, little buddy," Bastian smiled.

The three of them started away from the camp and soon reached the start of the games section of the fair. Atreyu quickly learned that Bastian and Zane were both extremely easily distracted by the lure of the barkers. The number of those games people who gave the three of them the royal treatment, as in free games, surprised both Bastian and Atreyu. At almost every booth the boys were greeted with calls to the heroes of the fair. Several of the carnival people told Bastian and Atreyu that they had long suspected bad things of Tom and Bobby, and were glad to see the pair get what was coming to them. One woman simply grabbed them and hugged them as she wept.

"Thanks to you boys, I can bury my son," she finally said. "I always thought that Tom and Bobby had something to do with him disappearing. He hadn't never talked about running away, and then one night he was just gone."

"The bad guys that Atreyu fought took your son?" Zane asked her.

"Yes, they did, little one," the woman confirmed. "The police found pictures of the things that they did to my boy in that trailer last night, terrible, awful things. When they were done hurting him, they killed him and dumped his body in a river. If it weren't for these two boys, I would never have known what happened to him." She started crying hard again, and Zane came over and hugged the woman.

"I'm sorry your little boy got hurt," he told her.

"Thank you, little one," she whispered. She turned quickly and said something to the girl that was running the game behind them. A moment later, Zane was practically buried under a blue teddy bear that was every bit as big as he was. "You take good care of my friend Mr. Bear, little one. He says that you are just the little boy he has been looking for to go home with." She looked up to the teens then and added, "As for you two, I plan on being at a wedding party next month, and I'll have a present for you then." She laughed at the shocked expressions on their faces. "Carnival mothers talk to carnival mothers, you know."

"Mom," Atreyu practically growled.

"Oh now, don't you spoil Lindsay's fun," the woman told him. "She's as happy and proud as a mother can be right now. She can't help bragging on her two good looking boys."

"Basty… help, please." The teens looked around to see that Zane really was buried under the bear now. The little boy was on his back on the ground under the giant stuffed animal. Atreyu picked up the bear and Bastian picked up Zane. Instead of putting Zane on his shoulders like Atreyu had done, however, Bastian cuddled the boy as if he were an infant, then kissed him on the nose and asked if he was ok after being squashed by a giant bear hug. The boy giggled and nodded.

"Are you sure you're OK?" Bastian asked again. "I think you need a tickle to make sure." He then started tickling Zane until the boy begged him to stop. "Yup, I think he's OK, Atreyu."

Zane spun around in Bastian's arms and wrapped his arms tightly around the teen's neck in a hug.

"You're the best friend ever," Zane cooed as he held onto his hero as if his life depended on it.

"So are you, little buddy," Bastian replied. "Now let's go get that snow cone. What flavor is it going to be today?" he asked as he walked away with Zane sitting on his hip, the little boy's arms still wrapped around him and his head resting on Bastian's shoulder. Just then, they arrived at the rides section of the fair. Zane spotted the double Ferris wheel.

"Can we ride that? Please? Pretty Please?" Zane asked.

"Wow, we got a 'pretty please'," Bastian pointed out to Atreyu.

"We'll have to see what your mom says about that," Atreyu responded.

"You sound like my dad," Zane said with a little pout.

"I was just thinking the same thing," Bastian giggled.

"So was I," Atreyu admitted with a sheepish grin. "But we really would have to get your mom's permission to take you on any rides, little buddy."

"That's ok," Zane said sadly. "I can just watch them."

"If you guys are brave or dumb enough to take him on that thing, be my guests." The three of them turned to see Zane's mom behind them. "I know he wants to ride it, but I am terrified of them. I would never be able to get on that with him."

"Thanks, Mom!" Zane squealed as he hugged her legs tightly, almost knocking her down. He then grabbed Bastian and Atreyu by the hands and dragged them to the line for the ride. A little later he came back to stand by his mother with his hands clamped over his mouth.

"Honey, are you ok? Are you going to be sick?" she asked as she knelt beside her child.

"I'm fine, Mom," the boy replied, but again slapped a hand over his mouth. He did point in the direction of the ride though. His mother looked and saw Bastian walking toward them practically holding Atreyu upright. Atreyu looked decidedly green. She looked back down at her son questioningly. "You said if I laugh at someone else who gets hurt or doesn't feel good, it would hurt their feelings, Mom."

"So you have your hand over your mouth to not laugh at Atreyu?" she questioned. The boy just nodded, keeping his hand over his mouth.

"He was scareder than me and Basty both," Zane said, then giggled a bit. He then clamped both hands over his mouth.

"It's ok, Little Buddy," Atreyu said weakly. "Sometimes being scared is funny. I have ridden that thing hundreds of times since I was your age, and never been afraid before."

"Did you have two people you felt protective over up there with you?" Mrs. Henry asked him. "At least one of them being someone you love very much?"

"Well, no, I was always alone," Atreyu replied, and then the woman's words sunk in on both teens.

"Don't worry, boys," Mrs. Henry told them quietly. "I don't have any fears about you doing anything to my son. My brother is gay as well."

"You guys are like Uncle Tobi?" Zane asked wide eyed.

"Yes, Zane, they are," the boy's mother answered for them.

"Cool!" Zane grinned. "Does that mean that you are boyfriends like Uncle Tobi and Uncle Chris?"

"Well, I don't know about your uncles, but yes, we are," Bastian told the boy with a smile.

"Wait, a minute!" Mrs. Henry called out. "Tobi never told me that he and Chris were serious."

"I'm sorry, Mommy. I didn't know I was keeping a secret from you about Uncle Tobi."

"It's not your fault, Zane," his mom assured him. "But your Uncle Tobi is going to have some explaining to do. How do you know they are boyfriends?"

"Cause I saw them kissing like you and Daddy," Zane giggled. "They were in the kitchen at Grandma's house last time we were there. They didn't see me, though. They were busy putting rings on each other's fingers."

"Tobi… you are in big trouble, little brother," Mrs. Henry growled with a mischievous grin. "Zane, sweetie, let's hurry up and get that snow cone for you, so we can go see your Uncle Tobi." The little group made their way to the snow cone booth with only a minor distraction at the cotton candy vendor, and then the Henry's left for home after more hugs from Zane and his mom.

"Atreyu, will you show me around the fair?" Grandfather asked suddenly. "I believe I would like to see some of the sights." Atreyu looked over at Bastian for a moment. "I will not keep you away from Bastian too long, I promise. I may be old, but I still remember young love."

"No more details," Atreyu said, quickly covering his ears.

"I really am feeling much better now, Daddy Jack. I promise I will be ok working the machine now," Bastian said after Atreyu and his grandfather walked away.

"Daddy Jack?"

"Well, I already have one Dad, and Father is too formal," Bastian said with a blush.

"Does that red face also mean what I think it does?" Jack prodded gently. Bastian's blush quickly resembled a thermonuclear reaction. Jack smiled ear to ear for a second, then grew very serious. He bowed deeply to Bastian. "I am honored to call you my son, Bastian."

Bastian returned the bow and said formally, but very sincerely, "It is my honor to be a part of your family." He then hugged his new father-in-law tightly. "Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?" Jack grinned. "You brought a smile to my son's face, and a light to my wife's eyes, that every father and husband dreams of seeing. You bring the sunshine to my family, Bastian."

Without breaking his embrace, Bastian looked up into Jack's face. "Thank you for helping to rescue me. Thank you for having Atreyu. Thank you for making him such a wonderful guy."

"I'm his father, Bastian," Jack said quietly. "That means I made him, but you are the one that makes him wonderful to be around."

"He makes me feel pretty special too," Bastian admitted with a dreamy smile. He still had that smile on his face when his mother and Atreyu's mother both came running up to him and hugged him at the same time. The smile faded as he started having trouble breathing. "Mom… Momma Lindsay... need air!"

"Did you hear that? He called me Momma Lindsay… Awww, that's so sweet," Lindsay gushed and hugged him even tighter.

"Customer," Bastian wheezed.

"Where?" Lindsay asked as she turned around to the snow cone stand.

"There's bound to be one out there somewhere," Bastian grinned after he took an unnecessarily loud and over dramatic deep breath.

"You little ham," his mother teased.

"Hey, at least it got me some air," Bastian replied with a grin.

"Where is Atreyu? I want to welcome him to our family too," Leslie said, looking around.

"He went off with Grandfather to show him around the fair," Bastian answered. "They've been gone quite a while."

Right after Bastian said that, Atreyu and his grandfather walked back up. Atreyu walked right up to Leslie, but before she could grab him in a hug, he bowed very formally and respectfully and then knelt down in front of her. Realizing something important was happening, Leslie stood still and let him speak.

"Mother of Sunshine, please forgive me for not presenting you with a gift before marrying your child." Atreyu looked up to Leslie's face as he held out a rolled up piece of paper. "Grandfather has told me that the gift I present to you as the mother of the one I love should be something that shows both my respect for you, and my understanding of what I ask you to give me, your own child." Here, Atreyu blushed a bit before explaining. "I don't have a favorite horse to give you like grandfather gave his mother-in-law, and I don't think you would have much use for my scooter." Leslie laughed softly and shook her head at that idea. "So I thought of what I value most in the world besides Bastian; my family. I present you with a drawing I did last summer of my parents in their traditional dress for the pow wow."

Leslie took the rolled up paper from Atreyu and smiled warmly at him as he stood up. When she unrolled the picture, however, she gasped in pleasant surprise. "This is beautiful, Atreyu," she whispered. Lindsay leaned over to look at it as well.

"Atreyu, you never told me you drew this," his mom said quietly. "This is definitely the best work I have seen of yours."

"May I see it too, Mom?" Bastian asked. She handed it over to him and he gasped quietly. "This is awesome, Atreyu. I can't believe the detail you got into this. The expressions on your parents' faces as they look at each other are…. I see now how you learned to look at me that way," Bastian added as he blushed.

"Maybe I'd better look at that picture again," Lindsay said with a laugh.

"Don't worry, Lin," Leslie told her. "I won't put this up in the living room."

"Why not, Mom? You never let anyone go in there anyway," Bastian teased. "It's the one room in the house you can be sure no one would see it because they might get something on the carpet or the sofa."

"Just when I thought my little boy was growing up," Leslie joked as she swatted Bastian playfully on the arm.