Same Time

Brian hurriedly programmed some preliminary travel information into his phone as he and his father walked back over to the RV.  “We’ve got to get going soon or we’re going to be ‘unfashionably late’ for your first campaign stop,” he warned his father as he quickened his pace.

Fin smirked; something told him his son was going to be a taskmaster when it came to keeping them on time, but he didn’t have a problem with that.  Somehow he didn’t think being a sloppy timekeeper was a good trait to have when he was trying to project himself as an efficient, no-nonsense but radically different gubernatorial candidate, an angle that Brian and he had discussed earlier in the week.

As Brian swung the RV’s door open, the two men were immediately assailed with the odd smell of sausage and something else he couldn’t quite put a handle on.  As they climbed up into the vehicle, however, Brian wasn’t surprised to see Justin standing in front of the stove, already making use of the gourmet appliance.  He rolled his eyes a little as Justin smiled back at him and shrugged his shoulders.  He noticed that Tony was setting the small eat-in table with some everyday dinnerware as he looked over at his father who had a similar look of amusement on his face. 

“Isn’t this quaint?” Brian quipped as he walked up to Justin and gave him a quick kiss on the neck from behind.  “The happy little housewives preparing a home-cooked meal for their hard-working hubbies.”

“Fuck you, Kinney,” Justin retorted playfully as he reached his hand back to smack Brian on the butt.  In his best June Cleaver voice, he said, “Now you boys go wash up – breakfast will be ready soon.” 

Brian chuckled softly as he said, “Yes, Dear,” and walked off toward the bathroom, unbuttoning one button of his dark-gray linen dress shirt as he went.  In keeping with his and Fin’s decision to project a more business casual but still efficient image during the campaign, both men had forgone wearing suits and ties, deciding instead to wear button-down dress shirts and designer pants.  Brian was more than glad to do without the constrictions of a suit jacket and tie any day.  He did not want either he or his father to come off as being some stuffy, unapproachable type, especially since he figured their opponent, Turner, being a long-time businessman, was going to no doubt be doing the same thing.  From what Brian had found out in his research so far, Turner was taking the tact that one of his biggest assets was his lack of political career, emphasizing instead his many years in the business world and his untarnished influence from the long, far-reaching arms of lobbyists.  He was no doubt going to take the angle that his lack of experience in the political arena actually made him a better (read:  honest and unbiased) candidate.  It would be up to Brian, then, to work on projecting his father as the better of the two and non-affected,also, by the typical lobbying pressures that normally influenced a politician’s policy decisions.  He was confident he would be able to do that, too, because from what he had read about his father and from what Fin had told him directly, his father wasn’t swayed by the money and opinions of others, choosing instead to use his own accumulated wealth if need be to push for causes he personally supported.  Fin had acquired enough money over the years through shrewd investments not to have to depend upon questionable pundits for his viability.  He could stand on his own as a result, and also stay true to his own principles.  And truthfully, Brian wouldn’t have wanted to support him if it had been any other way, because if there was one thing he despised, it was someone without any backbone to stand up for his own beliefs. 

Fin walked over to Tony as they gave each other a quick kiss on the lips.  “How did the meeting go?” he asked as he placed the last of the plates down on the table.  

“Fine,” Fin told him cryptically as Tony arched one eyebrow at him.  He sighed; his partner was too good at reading his emotions.  “Really – it went fine.  I can tell Brian’s going to be a good organizer and an excellent strategist for me.”  He smiled fondly at his partner.  “As usual, you were spot on in your assessment about him, Counselor.”

“Then why the hesitation in your voice?” Tony asked him pointedly as Justin eyed them silently from nearby, hoping there hadn't been any unforeseen problems.

“It’s not Brian,” he reassured both men as he sat down in one of the small table’s chairs and Brian opened up the fridge to retrieve a bottled water.  “I’m just a little edgy, I guess.  I’ve never had to take a campaign on the road like this before or participate in town meetings on the fly, and it’ll be the first face-to-face meeting I’ve had with the public since my announcement about… You know, you and me – and about having a son I never knew about.”   He grimaced.  “From what I’ve seen on the news and heard from some of my colleagues, these town meetings are not exactly what I would call civilized.”  In fact, from what Fin knew, they were known to be downright rowdy and contentious, with little order or protocol.  It definitely encouraged the free sharing of opinions, but it also fostered hostility and rudeness.  His greatest fear was that his attempt to be open and honest with the public would turn, instead, into some sort of free-for-all.  He and Brian had discussed that possibility at length, and had ultimately decided that it was worth the gamble.  While Fin was well-known and respected in his district, outside his constituent base he was still relatively unknown.  With the incumbent, Republican governor not able to run due to term restrictions and his expected, eventual backing for the party’s candidate – Turner – it was important that Fin get out among the masses and start gathering support for his campaign.  That meant taking some chances along the way, including opening himself up to exposure. 

Tony was surprised by his partner’s lack of confidence; normally Fin was unflappable and self-assured in every situation.  That had been one of the qualities that had attracted him to the gorgeous-looking, assertive Senator when they had first encountered each other so long ago at the courthouse.  They had been drawn to each other like two horny magnets and Fin has pursued him tenaciously until he had finally broken down his resistance and agreed to go out to a quiet dinner with him – on the sly, of course.  Back then they had to be careful – very, very, careful – about their relationship even though Tony hated it at the time.  Thinking about it, though, if he was honest, he hadn’t put up much of a fight from the outset; he thinks he probably fell in love with Fintan O’Connor the moment he first laid eyes on him, but oh what fun it had been pretending that he wasn’t that interested at first!   It had definitely made for some hot nights of pursuit on Fin’s part until Tony had simply admitted he wasn’t trying to get away from him at all – far from it.  It was great having their relationship out in the open now, but he was a little concerned by the sudden lack of conviction in his partner’s voice.

He knew, though, that this was a different sort of campaign.  This wasn’t another ‘shoo-in’ election as Senator in a district that knew him well and supported him.  They had to engage in a state-wide endeavor for Fin to become Governor to obtain the votes of people who didn’t know him at all – and only had his record on paper and his recent disclosures regarding his personal life to evaluate him with.  That was why Brian had said it was so important for Fin to get out and actually mingle and interact with the voters; only when he was front and center and could display the drive, boldness, and charisma that he possessed, and outline his platform so passionately as only he could do would the voters be able to make an educated, responsible decision.  As Tony looked sympathetically over at his partner, however, he silently wished that they could have done it in a more structured manner, at least at first, but he nevertheless understood the need to do what they were doing.  He just prayed that it wouldn’t turn into a major fracas of some sort.

He walked over to the coffee maker to grab a couple mugs and pour some coffee into them, black, before he joined Fin at the table.  Placing one mug in front of his partner, he sat down next to him and reached for his hand.  Fin’s eyes lifted to meet his and as usual his heart lurched in response.  Somehow he knew that no matter where life took them in the future, he would always be firmly by this magnificent man’s side. “You’re going to be great out there,” Tony told him confidently with a soft smile.  “Fabulous… Stupendous… Wonderful…Amazing…”

Fin grinned, his eyes expressing the love he felt for this man who supported him at every turn.  “Okay, Counselor, I think my head’s big enough,” he said as he squeezed Tony’s hand.

“It certainly is,” his partner replied playfully as Fin rolled his eyes at him before the blond broke out into a wide grin of his own.  “No problem there.”  Fin shook his head in amusement as he leaned over to bestow another quick kiss on Tony’s lips before he stood up.  “I’m going to go wash up,” he said as he observed Brian returning from the back of the RV and nodded at him in passing.  “Try to save some breakfast for me until I get back, okay, Justin?” he called back.  “Don’t let Tony around the food unattended for long or it will be all gone in no time.”

“Fuck you, Big Shot,” Tony promptly shot back as Fin laughed.  The two shared a knowing smile between them before Fin disappeared out of sight.

Brian snorted silently; his father apparently had forgotten about Justin’s devouring of their wedding reception food several months ago, or he would have known the same statement could have been applied to him.  Brian walked over to the stove to observe Justin finishing up their breakfast and had his first chance to see exactly what it consisted of.  He noticed what appeared to be black spots on what normally would have been called pancakes.  “What are those specks in there, Sunshine?  Do we have cockroaches in here already?”

“Ha, ha,” Justin quipped.  “These are one of my specialties you never let me fix for you,” he announced proudly.  “I do it only for Gus; chocolate-chip pancakes.”  He picked up the plate stacked high with the flat discs, along with an abundant supply of sausage as he asked Brian, “Can you grab a couple cups of coffee?”

“I think I’m going to be ill,” Brian remarked as he walked the few steps over to pour a couple more cups of coffee into two dark blue porcelain cups and hunted in the overhead cabinet for some sugar.  Locating a cylinder of it, he poured a generous amount into his cup and a lesser amount into Justin’s before walking over to join the other two men at the table.  He wrinkled his nose at the sight of what must have been a dozen pancakes stacked high on one of the plates.

“Chocolate chips…” he muttered as he shook his head and stared at them as if they were miniature cow patties instead.  He picked up a link of sausage and bit down on it, trying hard to somehow overcome the aroma of sweetness permeating the air.  Breakfast was meant for eggs, whole wheat toast, and an occasional slice of meat; not prissy food like chocolate and whipped cream.

As if reading his thoughts, Justin jumped up.  “I forgot the whipped cream and strawberries!” 

Brian groaned while Tony enthusiastically agreed.  “Bring the Hershey’s syrup, too!” he called over to Justin, who nodded.  A few seconds later, the three items were lying on top of the table as Brian tried furiously not to get sick.

“This isn’t a fucking sundae bar, Justin!” he retorted in disgust.  “You want me puking my guts out just before Fin’s scheduled to make an appearance at the school?”

Justin rolled his eyes at his husband’s prima donna display.  “So just face the other way,” he said reasonably as Fin walked up with an amused look on his face.  "And hold your nose."

“They’re ganging up on you already?” he quipped as he sat down next to Tony; he smiled as he recognized their breakfast item.  “Ah… chocolate-chip pancakes; pass the whipped cream.” 

Justin laughed in delight at Brian’s look of astonishment.  “Are you shitting me?” Brian asked his father.  “You actually LIKE those?”

“Are you kidding?” Tony responded as Fin heaped three of the pancakes on his plate and promptly squirted a generous dollop of whipped cream on top.  His partner obediently passed him the Hershey’s syrup without so much as skipping a beat as he squirted some on top of the mountainous food, followed a few seconds later by some fresh, sliced strawberries.  “He loves them, right after chocolate-chip cookies.”  All three men turned to look at Brian with an almost identical look of confusion at his reaction as he let out an exasperated, resigned breath.  He felt decidedly in the minority at the moment and it was not a feeling he was accustomed to.

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath as he took a sip from his coffee and averted his head to stare out the window.  “This is going to be a long road trip.” Justin chuckled at him as he shook his head in defeat.  “I think I’ll leave you sweet-tooth weirdoes to yourselves,” he growled as he scooted back from his chair; he could distinctly hear snickering behind him as he grabbed his coffee and cell phone to walk over to one of the two couches and plop down unceremoniously as far away from the kitchen table as he could get.  Unfortunately in an RV, that wasn’t very far, but it was far enough to avoid some of the sickeningly-sweet smell.  “I have some work to do anyway,” he grumbled.He flipped his phone open and began to pull up the internet as the three men savored their pancakes.  A few seconds later he let out an expletive.

“What?” Justin asked him curiously as he swirled a bite of pancake in the chocolaty syrup and turned to gaze at his husband.  Even if Brian hadn’t uttered a word, it was obvious he was clearly agitated by what he was reading.  He was actually used to Brian’s occasional grunts and other editorial comments as he looked over the day’s headlines, so the reaction wasn’t exactly unexpected, but he could tell this was not his standard diatribe.

“I’m looking at the front page of the Reading Bulletin,” he told Justin, keeping his eyes craned on the screen in front of him.  “There’s a very impressive photo of Fin plastered all over the front page.”

“That’s good,” Justin answered tentatively, puzzled by the tone of Brian’s voice as all three men turned to peer over at him.

“Yeah… Except for the headline underneath it.  Is Pennsylvania Ready for a Gay Governor?  That’s just fucking great,” Brian growled.  “They don’t want to look at his record or his platform; all they care about is that he’s queer.”  He snapped his phone shut and looked over at the others.  “About what I expected, though,” he decided.  “That’s why we have to do what we’re doing.  This is such a conservative state; it’s up to us to make them realize who we fuck doesn’t mean a goddamn thing when it comes to who’s best qualified.”  He brushed one hand through his hair in agitation and sighed.  Some day he hoped that a person’s character and deeds would mean more than who they slept with at night. 

“It’s time to get this show on the road,” he decided abruptly as he flipped his phone back open and made a quick call to the bus parked nearby.  Receiving confirmation that all of Fin’s staff was back on board and ready to leave, he rose from the couch and walked over to sit in the leather driver’s seat.  Turning the ignition on, the RV’s powerful engine roared to life. 

Despite his earlier disgust, Brian couldn’t help smiling just a little as he placed his hands on the steering wheel; this was definitely much different than the ‘Vette he normally drove and it made him feel powerful and invulnerable.  As if reading his thoughts, he felt Justin’s hands on his shoulders from behind and heard him whisper in his ear, “Just remember – no mowing down the opposition,” before he sat down next to him in the other chair.

Brian grinned over at him.  “You take all the fun out of it,” he quipped, curling his lips under.  He twisted his head to observe Fin and Tony standing side by side at the sink like some happily-married lesbo couple, Tony rinsing off the dishes under the faucet while Fin obediently placed them in the soapy water.  “Shit – they’re worse than WE are,” he muttered to Justin under his breath.  At least Justin didn’t expect him to help rinse off the dinner dishes at night, although he was known to snap a kitchen towel or two at his husband’s perky little ass from time to time to get some ‘after-dinner entertainment’ started. 

“I heard that,” Tony called over as Justin laughed.  “Justin just doesn’t have you trained properly yet; it’s called a plea bargain deal.”

Brian snorted.  “It’s called being a pu…”

“Brian,” Justin warned him before he could complete his sentence.  “Let’s get going,” he urged him.  “Looks like the bus is leaving already.”

Brian sighed.  “Yes, Boss,” he replied as he put the large vehicle in gear and slowly pulled out of the dealer’s lot.  A few minutes later, they were following along behind the bus at a steady clip on I-70 east toward their destination. 

As Tony and Fin relaxed temporarily on one of the couches, Justin simply enjoyed sitting in the passenger chair from his perch up high, observing the rolling scenery and marveling at their ability to see practically everything from such an elevated position.  A few truckers passed them along the way on the multi-lane road, turning their heads to peek curiously into the luxurious-looking vehicle.  He noticed some of them quickly returned their eyes back to the road if they noticed Brian staring them down, some smiled slightly or nodded, while others had that contemptuous, homophobic look on their faces, clearly recognizing who was riding inside from the banner displayed prominently on the side of the RV and not happy at all about it.  One man, however, looked over at Brian and gave him a thumbs up, which made Justin smile back at him and wave. 

“Well, at least he has one supporter,” Justin stated, as Brian sped up a little to pass the truck by.  “Did you see the thumbs up he gave us?” 

“He was flirting with me,” Brian decided.  “After all, I AM irresistible.”

Justin snorted.  “How do you know he doesn’t have a thing for blonds?”

Brian stared straight ahead as he replied, “Well, unless you want to change your occupation to truck stop rent boy, maybe you’d better quit encouraging them, then.  They couldn’t afford MY price.” 

“Oh, brother,” Justin muttered as he heard Tony and Fin laughing at them from their places on the couch.  “Tell me again why I agreed to come along on this expedition.”

“Because you can’t live without me,” Brian replied easily.  “And because without ME, you have no way of relieving your stress while I’m gone,” he said, his voice a husky octave lower.  The meaning was clear to his husband.  No Brian, no sex.  To emphasize his point, Brian reached over and gave Justin’s crotch a squeeze, evoking a soft groan in return.  “As the good attorney would say, case closed,” he replied as he shrugged and turned his eyes back to the road.

“Man’s right, Justin,” Tony called out from behind them.  “Open and shut case; he’s got you dead to rights.  Trust me – a week without sex is worse than a week behind bars; or so I heard, anyway,” he hastily added as Justin arched his eyebrows at him. “Hey, I go to visit clients, not sleep over.” 

Justin grinned as he stood up and stretched his arms high over his head.  He yawned as Brian remarked, “What’s wrong, Sunshine?  Had to get up at a decent hour for a change?”  They had had to wake up before six to make sure they were ready to leave this morning on time.  “Not enough beauty sleep?” 

“I’m always beautiful,” he quipped as Brian smirked at him.  “Just like you’re always irresistible.”  He walked over and kissed Brian on the cheek before turning to walk back and sit in one of the overstuff chairs next to Fin and Tony’s place on the couch.  “So, how do these town meetings work, anyway?” he asked Fin, who was studying some notes on his laptop. 

Fin glanced over at Justin with a grimace.  “I wish I had a magic ball to answer that question,” he stated.  “That’s just it – from what I’ve seen and what I’ve been told by some of my colleagues who have endured that unique experience, you never really know what you’re going to run into until you get there.  They could fawn all over me or spit in my face.  I DO know one thing – they’re not known to be civilized discourses most of the time, so I need to be prepared for some conflict.”

“You’re not really worried about that, though, are you?” Tony asked him, still a little concerned about his partner’s preoccupation for what they would be encountering.  It wasn’t like Fin to back down from a challenge; on the contrary, he normally flourished in those situations.

To his relief, his partner responded firmly, “Hell, no!  I mean, it’d be nice to really know what to expect because I don’t like going into ANY situation blindsided.  But I’m not going to change any of my platform or beliefs just to make voters happy, or change what I want to say.  If they don’t believe in what I stand for, then I’d rather not have them vote for me anyway.  It’s not like I can’t continue making some effective changes as Senator if worse comes to worse,” he pointed out. 

Tony reached over to grasp his hand and squeeze it as he smiled at him softly.  “No, it doesn’t,” he agreed.  “But just think of how much more you could do from the Governor’s mansion.”  He grinned.  “And there’s also free room and board to consider, too – for both of us.” 

Fin snorted.  “You’re not fooling me, Cassinelli; I know you’re not going to like the invasion of privacy one little bit.  If you think it’s bad now, just wait until you wind up as the live-in partner of Pennsylvania’s first gay Governor.  You’ll have to use ALL your disguises then, maybe even some new ones.”

Justin wrinkled his brow as he looked at the two older men.  “Disguises?”

Fin grinned.  “Yeah – you’re looking at the best-looking drag queen attorney in Pennsylvania; at least until recently.  If Tony hadn’t gone into law, he could have been one hell of a makeup artist; he came up with some real doozies to fool the press – and it worked, too,” he said, his voice reflecting a mixture of both pride over his partner’s ability to put one over on the media, but also a tinge of regret that Tony had been subjected to enduring such subterfuge at his expense.  He was relieved that their relationship was finally out in the open, but from now on they were definitely going to pay the price for their openness with a definite lack of freedom and privacy.  He suspected that it would be the same for Brian and Justin, too. 

His face sobered as he told his partner softly, “I’m sorry you had to go through all that, Tony; you deserved better from me.” 

Tony squeezed his hand once more.  “It’s all in the past now, Fin.  Let it go.  I have.”  He looked over at Justin, who nodded, before he added, “It’s time to do battle with the homophobes and the right-wing wackos, and if anyone can do it, I know you can.  And we all need is to put up a united front to do battle with them.”

Fin felt his throat tightening in gratitude; how had he gotten so lucky to have found this magnificent, fierce spitfire of a man?  Tony had never pulled any punches with him, had never coddled him or tried to mask how he really felt.  He had always been brutally honest with him, no matter how painful it had been, and it was – and had been – just what he had needed.  He would forever be grateful to Tony for that because it only made him stronger, and his love for this man grew deeper and deeper every day.  He bolstered him, he encouraged him, he made him strive for dreams he might have deemed unattainable on his own. 

From his position in the driver’s seat, Brian listened attentively to the conversation going on behind him.  He had been fortunate that he and Justin had never had a reason to hide their relationship or sexuality from others, unlike Tony and Fin.  Once Justin had disclosed his sexual orientation to his family, he had never gone back ‘into the closet,’ nor would he have agreed to.  Justin’s father had been an outright prick about the whole thing – discarding his son like a wad of chewed-up gum not worthy of stepping on once he had found out he was gay – and his own parents had condemned him to a perpetual hell for what he had allowed himself to ‘become,’ as if he had had a choice in the matter.  But at least he and Justin had never had to hide who they truly were from the rest of the world, even though it had created havoc in his husband’s life, especially, at times.  It had also made Justin one tough-minded, determined man, though, a man that Brian both admired and loved dearly and was proud to call his husband. 

Justin reached over and placed his hand on top of theirs.  “I couldn’t agree more,” he said softly.  “We’re in this together.  And Turner’s not going to know what fucking hit him,” he vowed confidently. 

Tony and Fin placed their over hands on top of Justin’s in a show of solidarity briefly before they all broke apart with identical grins on their faces. 

Brian rolled his eyes from his place behind the driver’s wheel.  “Don’t expect me to change your campaign slogan to All for One and One for All anytime soon, d’Artagnan,” he replied in a snarky tone to his father, almost expecting one of them to be calling out ‘break’ from their huddle soon before they all broke apart from their mutual admiration society.  “It cost your campaign a fucking mint to have those new banners and print ads produced.”  Brian had secretly cut his father’s campaign a break when Kinnetik had produced them; he hadn’t told his father that, however.  That smacked too much of sounding too touchy-feely for his taste, and he and his father weren’t going to be nominated for any father-son of the year awards, at least not yet.  He and Fin were more cordial toward one another now, and Brian silently hoped that their relationship would continue to evolve, but you didn’t wipe away a lifetime of ignorance about each other in a few short months’ time.

“Don’t worry… I LIKE my new slogan,” Fin reassured Brian.  He leaned over to give Tony a kiss on the cheek in gratitude, though, for his support before his partner stood up.  “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go check my emails for a minute,” the attorney told the other two men who nodded; he walked back toward the rear of the vehicle to retrieve his laptop from his and Fin’s bedroom.  His two-week separation from the office would be anything but a vacation; despite handing some of his caseload over to his associates temporarily, he had made it clear he wanted to stay in the loop on all his more critical cases.  Fortunately, it would be relatively easy to do between email correspondence, cell phone calls, and Skype conferences. 

Justin watched his friend go with admiration.  “He’s really something, Fin,” he told his father-in-law.  “You know, if it hadn’t been for him I never would have been able to gain access to you.”  He grinned.  “At the time, though, I thought he was either a nosy, inventive reporter who just happened to know the secret passages inside the building, or else he was some political groupie or lobbyist.  But when he came in through that janitor closet and straight into your personal suite, I didn’t know WHAT to think.”

Fin smiled.  “Yeah, he’s a master of disguises in a LOT of ways.”  He peered over at Justin.  “He keeps me honest and doesn’t take any bullshit from me.  Sometimes I think he knows me even better than I know myself.  But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”  Fin knew all too well how close he had come to losing Tony, and if he had, it would have been the biggest fucking mistake of his life.  He couldn’t imagine ever living without his partner and no matter what happened, he firmly intended for Tony to always be by his side.

He turned his head as he heard a soft snort come from the front of the vehicle, following by Brian saying softly, “Sounds like someone else I know.” 

Fin grinned at Justin as he leaned over to whisper to his son-in-law, “And he also knows how damned lucky HE is, too, trust me.”  He rose from his place at the couch to join Brian up front, sliding his long, lean body into the seat previously vacated by Justin.  Peering over at his son, his asked, “How long until we get to Reading?”

“About half an hour,” Brian told him as he eyed a small, red compact car that raced by them at twice their speed; he felt like he was driving a dinosaur at the moment.   As a matter of fact, he could never recall a time where he had ever read about an RV getting a speeding ticket – now he knew why.  “This is the slowest damned thing I’ve ever driven,” he muttered in disgust, the ‘glamour’ quickly rubbing off now. 

Fin chuckled.  “Goes against your nature, does it?” 

Brian glanced over at father as he replied, “Well, I prefer quick and efficient, not slow and sluggish any day.” 

Fin grinned at him, knowing Brian wasn’t talking just about vehicles anymore.  “Well, let’s see how ‘quick and efficient’ this town hall meeting is when we show up and we’re surrounded by a wall of media.”

“You’d better hope that we are,” Brian told him flatly.  “As much as I hate those snakes, that’s one of the reasons why we’re doing this in the first place.  We need to get your name out there as much as possible, and then we can focus on getting your viewpoint across.  The two have to go hand-in-hand; you’re not going to win any campaign without publicity or the backing of your constituents.” 

Fin turned to stare at his son with respect.  “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you did this for a living.  Sid was never this organized.”  As Brian glanced over at him in puzzlement, he explained.  “Sid was my campaign manager for all my senatorial races; he’d been with me ever since my first campaign.  We met in college – we were in the same fraternity.”  Fin smiled.  “And believe me, we did a LOT of fraternizing; we got kicked out of more bars back then.”

“What?  No panty raids?” Brian quipped.

Fin smirked.  “I was more interesting in checking out the guys in the showers than stealing women’s underwear, although no one else knew that.”  He sobered as he added, “Back then, I was too fucking nervous to tell my fraternity brothers that I was gay.”

“Why?”  Brian knew that Fin had hid his being gay from the voters for years; he supposed he shouldn’t be too surprised then, that it had been the same in college as well.

“You have to remember, Brian.  I wasn’t like you; I was too concerned back then with what it might do to my possible political career.  I ran for Senior Class President my final year and won; that was the start of a long string of campaigns ever since.”

“I know,” Brian replied. “All wins, too.  Seventh District Congressman twice, State Senator the past ten years, Chairman of the State Budget Committee, Member of the Environmental Resources & Energy Committee, and Co-Chairperson of the Finance Committee.  Did I miss any?”

Fin smiled warmly, impressed that his son had done his homework thoroughly.  “Just one:  I was secretary-treasurer of my 12th-grade mock Democratic Convention that was held in the gym.  We had a roll call and everything.  Of course, our candidate lost that year to the Republicans.” 

Brian smiled as he watched another trucker drive by on his left; just like all the others, the man, a burly, tattooed redhead, couldn’t help glancing over at the two men seated at the front of the vehicle.  He seemed to recognize Fin as he gave him a lopsided grin and a nod before accelerating out of range.

“I never noticed how many trucks were on the road until today,” Brian remarked as he shook his head before he returned to their conversation.  “So where DID you go to college?”

“Carnegie Mellon.”

“You’re shitting me.”  He was surprised with the amount of research that he had done that he had never uncovered that tidbit of information.

Fin shook his head.  “No – it was always my first choice ever since I was in junior high; I was always into history and political science and it stood out as the obvious place to go after I did my checking into their majors and overseas study opportunities they offered.  I wanted to stay in the state and to me, it was the best.  But my parents didn’t see it that way; it was either go to their alma mater in town or come up with thousands of dollars to go where I wanted to go.  They just didn’t have enough money to afford the tuition there, and didn’t see the real difference between going to a state college or attending a prestigious, private one.”  He let out a whoosh of air as he recalled, “I had to work my butt off to go there, even with the partial scholarship I managed to snag. But it was worth every hard-earned penny.”   He noticed Brian staring at him strangely.  “What?”

“Well, I did a lot of research on you, but apparently you didn’t on ME; that’s where I went, too.”

Now it was Fin’s turn to gape.  “You’re kidding.”

Brian shook his head.  “No, that’s where I went, all right.  But unlike YOU I enjoyed my additional extra-curricular activities.  The guys were really hot there.”

Fin’s mouth twisted up wryly in one corner.  “Yeah… they were when I was there, too.  But I think you enjoyed them more than I did.” 

“I’m sure I did,” Brian assured him, knowing it must have been hard for his father not to act on his true feelings.  “You missed out.”

“Yeah,” Fin told him solemnly.  “I did.  I missed out on a lot.”  Including watching you grow up and be a part of your life.  “But I’m not retreating now,” he told him as he glanced back to see Tony emerging back into the living room area.  “It’s full steam ahead and damn the consequences.” 

“Good,” Brian told him.  “Because I expect – and demand – nothing less or I wouldn’t be doing this.”  The two men sat in companionable silence for several seconds, the lack of noise inside the RV permeated only occasionally by Tony and Justin talking quietly behind them, until Brian asked, “Did you look over the notes I made for you on your laptop?”

Fin nodded.  “Yeah.”  He eyed him intently.  “You’re very thorough.” 

“Damn straight I am; it’s either all the way or don’t fucking bother at all.”

Fin nodded again.  “I’m glad you agreed to do this, Brian,” he said softly.  “And not just because a couple of blonds co-conspirators decided you would be good at it.”  He looked down at his lap, suddenly a self-conscious father and not a self-assured, confident politician as he explained, “I’m glad we’ll have a chance to get to know each other better.”  He lifted his gaze to notice Brian peering over at him briefly before he watched him turning his eyes back onto the road.  “I know I have a lot of making up to do.” 

Brian shrugged, feeling a lump in his throat all of a sudden.  “You didn’t even know about me, Fin,” he pointed out.  “It is what it is.”

“That doesn’t mean I don't regret it or it can’t be better, though… If that’s what you want, too.  Is it?” he asked quietly, not realizing he was holding his breath as he waited for his son to reply.

Brian considered that question; what exactly did he want to gain from this road trip and being Fin’s campaign manager?  He knew this wasn’t just some interesting challenge for him, although the thought of leading such a powerful campaign did certainly appeal to him.  This was such a big high for him – being handed this awesome responsibility – but if he were truthful with himself, it just wasn’t being able to command such an important undertaking.  He really did long to get to know his real father better, and when he had arranged the RV for their mode of transportation, the thought had crossed his mind that in such close quarters he and his father would have to get to know each other better; it was inevitable.  Whether it would lead to them becoming closer or merely being more cordial and polite to one another, though, it remained to be seen.  But he had to admit; he admired his father’s convictions and his willingness to step outside his comfort zone.  While Fin may have been less than courageous in admitting his sexuality earlier, he was trying furiously to make up for it now, no matter what the consequences were or the eventual outcome.  If his father did lose – and Brian had every intention of seeing that that didn’t happen – at least he will have given it his best shot.  While that wasn’t the most optimal outcome, it wasn’t one to be ashamed of, either.

“My job is to get you elected Governor,” he began as he glanced over at Fin, noticing a cloud appear on his face; was it disappointment?  Sorrow?  Regret?  He suddenly felt out of his element; he wasn’t the most forthright person when it came to indicating his innermost emotions to others and this was no exception.  Even with his willingness to be more open with Justin now, telling anyone else how he really felt was still so difficult for him.  As he looked over at his father, however, who clearly was showing interest in what he had to say, he felt compelled to add softly, “But if it should result in us getting to know each other better, too… that might not be all that bad, either.”

The smile that broke out on his father’s face just then was such a genuine one, it made his own heart flutter in response.  It was the first time that any of his ‘parents’ had ever shown any real interest in wanting to get to know him for who he truly was, not for whom they wanted him to be, and he found that he liked it.  It was an odd feeling, an alien feeling, but it was kind of nice.

Fin nodded.  “Good,” he said simply, before he slid off the captain’s chair.  He hesitated for just a moment before he reached over and squeezed Brian’s shoulder briefly from behind.  “I’ll be in the back, getting ready for the town meeting,” he said as Brian simply nodding, suddenly not trusting his voice to speak.  Why had that choked him up so much?  He wasn’t sure, but it had. Swallowing hard, he gripped the steering wheel tightly, his thoughts a swirl of emotions as they neared their destination.

Fifteen minutes later, Brian slowed the cumbersome vehicle down to navigate a curve in the road; they were less than three miles now from the elementary school where he had arranged for Fin to meet with his first group of non-district constituents.  This first meeting, heralded as a ‘talk and mingle,’ casual sort of give-and-take session, had been publicized widely throughout the Reading area, along with a more general press release to the major Pennsylvania newspapers and web sites in hopes that there would be state-wide coverage as well. 

As they neared the speaking site, Brian’s grip on the steering wheel tightened and his body tensed up.  Normally, unknown equations didn’t faze him; in advertising, he knew his territory well and was never nervous about what he would encounter, confident that he could handle any unexpected issues that might arise.  This, however, while similar in nature to selling a product, was in an entirely different arena, and he found himself feeling inexplicably nervous the closer they got to their location.  At this point, he really had no idea how many people would show up, but he had already contacted the local police department to have private security arranged for the area immediately surrounding the stage from which Fin would be speaking just in case.  He didn’t know how receptive the audience would be to his father’s appearance, but he did know from what he had read in the local paper, as well as other online sources, that Fin’s first stop had been widely covered and would in all likelihood be heavily attended as a result of the media’s reporting of it.

The ringing of his cell phone jolted him slightly as he reached in his pocket to flip it open.  He recognized the number as one belonging to Don Meyers, Fin’s old college chum.  “Kinney,” he replied into the phone.

“Brian, it’s Don Meyers.  Just a heads-up; you’d better park the vehicle around the back.  There’s a shitload of people out front, including all kinds of media...”

“Press coverage is a good thing,” Brian interrupted him a little impatiently; the man was hired by Fin to help with security, not publicity.

“Yeah, it is,” Meyers retorted, a little miffed Brian hadn’t let him finish.  “But not so much the picketers and hate-mongers.” 

Justin walked up just then to place both of his hands on Brian’s shoulders from behind, feeling the hard, rigid muscle underneath.  He silently began to knead his husband’s shoulders to try and relieve some of the stress as he listened in to Brian’s side of the conversation.  He turned his head slightly as he heard Fin and Tony joining him; it seems they were all curious about the reception Fin's appearance was engendering.

“Picketers and hate-mongers?”  Brian echoed, feeling a slight pit in the bottom of his stomach.  That was not good, but on the other hand, it was not totally unexpected, either.

“Yeah,” the other man replied, the disgust apparent in his voice.  “I think the tamest sign they were carrying was one that said, Queers Go Home.”

Brian rolled his eyes.  “Lovely,” he commented dryly.  “Will these people never think up something original?”  He sighed in disgust.  “All right; I understand.  We’ll see you in a few minutes.”

“Okay… I’ve got the police blocking off the back entrance so no one else can enter; we’ll keep an eye out for you and Fin.” 

“Understood.”  Brian flipped his cell phone shut with a snap with one hand and placed it back into his pocket as he turned to look at his father, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel.  “That was your buddy Don.  He told me members of the Queer Haters Fan Club were parked outside the front of the school with their latest art projects.  At least that’s what I would call them, anyway.”

Justin and Tony locked gazes, both worried for Fin and Brian’s safety.  “Brian…”

“It’s okay, Justin,” Brian told his husband.  “We’re going to park at the rear of the building now, and the police have that access blocked off already.  We’ll just have to mow down a few protestors out front to get past our admirers, that’s all.”  As Justin walked around the seat to stand next to him, Brian noticed Justin wasn’t amused one iota by his teasing assessment of the situation.  “It’ll be okay,” he repeated softly.  “We all knew this was to be expected.  I’ve got plenty of security to keep an eye out for him.”

“What about you?” 

Brian reached over to clasp his husband’s hand firmly in reassurance, feeling just the slight tremor of nervousness underneath.  “I’ll be fine.  Fin’s the one everyone will be concentrating on, anyway, not me.”

Justin licked his lips a little anxiously.  He knew Brian was right – Fin was the one going to be in the spotlight, and this reaction wasn’t totally unexpected; in fact, all of them had pretty much been counting on something like this to happen, at least to some degree.  But now that they were about to go from the frying pan into the fire, his heart was beginning to race with worry for the man he loved, as well as for Brian’s father.  As he looked over at Tony, he knew he was no doubt thinking the same thing; he could read it all over his face.

He breathed out a heavy breath as he noticed Tony silently reach over to clasp Fin’s hand as well.  He felt a little foolish for both of them, as if they were anxious Army wives waiting for their husbands to go into battle, but he couldn’t help it.  It felt the same way to him.  This was a battle – a battle against foolish fears, bigotry and hatred.  He just wished it was one they didn’t need to undertake, but they did. 

“Here we go,” Brian murmured as he observed a glass marquee sign on their immediate right that read Elmwood Elementary School across the top.  Per his instructions, the lawn had been blanketed with a large awning to shelter the attendees from the bright glare of the sun and provide shade while Fin spoke from the brick steps at the front of the building.  One of the new campaign banners, a much larger version of the same vinyl one hanging from both the campaign bus and the RV, was hanging down from the top of the school’s rooftop just as he had instructed, broadcasting the new tone and message he was hoping to convey for the rest of the campaign.  He wanted his father’s strategy to be one that would paint him as new, fresh, innovative, and no-nonsense, nothing like the jaded, predictable, boring, and inefficient politician that everyone had had to endure under the present incumbent governor’s term.  Governor Dwight Madison, a Republican, was expected to endorse Turner soon as his choice for the next Governor, but he was being noticeably quiet about doing so.  Brian had made it one of his goals to thoroughly investigate why there appeared to be a holdup in the man’s endorsement of his Republican heir-apparent; was there a rift of some kind brewing there?  If so, it might just work to their advantage.  For now, though, as he turned the bus into the blacktop drive and noticed the horde of media, protestors, and just plain curious people packed onto the lawn, listening to some no-name, local band that Brian had advised Mark Leon to secure for entertainment purposes prior to their arrival, he knew there were more urgent matters that needed to be addressed first.

As he pulled into the semi-circular drive, he was forced to slow down even more as their presence was noticed and several media types rushed toward the bus to be the first ones to record his arrival.  “Shit!” he growled as one man came perilously close to fulfilling Brian’s threat earlier; the man came within a hair’s breadth of being hit by the front left quarter of the bus as he practically walked into their path in his determination to be first.  “Don’t tempt me, you shithead!” Brian exclaimed as he slowed down to avoid hitting the man.  He heard Justin gasp beside him as the man barely missed being injured when he jumped back just in the nick of time. 

“This is fucking crazy!” Tony exclaimed in shock as he peered out at the sea of faces.  He had hoped that his partner’s appearance at his first impromptu town meeting would draw a crowd, but it seemed like the entire town of Reading had traveled here to hear him speak.  The front parking lot, which must have held at least a couple hundred cars, was filled to capacity, and there were at least six or seven satellite media trucks with camera booms parked in the grassy area on the opposite side of the parking lot to the right of the school’s front entrance.  He recognized several call letters from out-of-town stations, including one from their home town of Harrisburg and a couple from Pittsburgh.  Obviously, Fin and Brian’s hope that the event would be publicized state-wide and widely attended had been more than fulfilled. 

What concerned him, though, were the other attendees.  Several people were gathered along the drive, many holding up signs and chanting something he couldn’t quite understand through the closed windows of the RV.  From the messages they were carrying, however, it didn’t take a lip-reader to know what sort of vitriolic nonsense they were shouting.  He noticed a couple of signs that appeared to be spray painted in multiple colors of the rainbow that said Queers Rot in Hell, and another one that said, No Fags for Governor. Still a third one said, Marraige is between a man and a woman, not Adam and Steve.

As Brian navigated through the rowdy crowd, and a policeman waved them through the iron gate that prevented others from following, he heard his father sigh beside him as he slowed the RV down to park next to the campaign bus directly behind the school’s back entrance.  “This is going to be their main focus on who does and who doesn’t become their next governor?” he muttered to the others. 

“Not unless you let it become that,” Brian told his father as he stood up and stretched his upper body backward to get some of the stiffness out. 

“Well, I won’t,” Fin told him defiantly.  “There’s much more to me and what I want to do as Governor than waste my time with defending who my partner is.”  He glanced over at Tony, whose eyes were watering sentimentally, and he felt his heart soften in response.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Brian told him as he noticed the other members of their entourage walking over to join them.  “But you’re still going to have to acknowledge it.”  As much as it pained him, Brian knew the issue of Fin's sexuality would continue to plague them until they hit it head on.

“Oh, I plan on it,” Fin replied curtly as Tony walked over and grasped his upper arm in support.  “There’s no way that I can NOT address it – not with those homophobic assholes out there shouting at the top of their lungs and waving those hateful signs.  But it will be dealt with and then I plan on moving on.  I’m not going to give them anymore face time than absolutely necessary, and I’m NOT going to allow them to dictate what my campaign is all about.  It’s about making some major policy changes in this state to improve things and make them better, not worrying about who someone is sleeping with at night.”

Brian found himself looking at his father with approval; perhaps he did get his balls from his father after all, because that was precisely the way he would play it as well.  He slid his arm around Justin’s waist as his husband leaned into him and he said, “I couldn’t have said it better myself.  Now let’s get this show started – we’ve got a few dozen homophobic pricks to take care of – and a campaign to win.”

Fin grinned at him and nodded, pleased to get his son’s approval.  He pushed a nearby button that automatically opened the side door as the rest of their group stepped inside.  Even from the relative privacy and quiet of the rear part of the building, Fin and his supporters could hear clearly the shouts of protestors out front, confirming just how vocal they were being.

“Well, they have a good set of lungs on them, I’ll give them that much,” Fin remarked as he turned to look at Kirk, his speechwriter. 

Littleton seemed concerned as he asked, “You want me to jot down some possible rebuttals to their protests?”

Fin shook his head.  “No… I can handle them.  I’ve handled difficult and stubborn people before; this really isn’t any different.  It’s time I showed them that their bigotry and ignorance isn’t going to make me back down; in fact, it’s going to make me even more resolved to get my issues and platform across so everyone can make a decision based on qualifications, not on fear or hatred.”

“But it still might be a good idea to…”

“No,” Fin told Kirk firmly.  “I don’t want everyone thinking I need to rehearse what I’m going to say to those people.  I want my responses to come from the heart, not from a pat, prepared speech.”

Kirk nodded his reluctant agreement; he respected his boss for his stance, and understood his position.  He knew normally Fin was easily capable of speaking on the fly and quite spontaneously; he silently hoped, though, that his normally unflappable, glib boss’s gift wouldn’t fail him in what would be the most crucial of times.  “Okay,” he told Fin.  “We’ll go with what we prepared, then, for your opening remarks and just roll with the punches.”

Fin winced.  “Maybe punches isn’t the best word to use,” he said as everyone smiled at the tension breaker.  He turned to look at his executive assistant’s son, who was noticeably quiet.  “Everything in place, Adam?  Looks like your men did a great job of preparing the school for the meeting.” 

Adam forced himself to plaster on a professional-looking game face as he nodded.  “Thanks,” he told Fin.  “Everything’s ready to go; I checked the sound system just before you got here to verify we’re live whenever you’re ready to begin.  You’ll be entering from the rear of the school.”  As he watched Fin nod in understanding and the group slowly disembarked from the RV, however, he unobtrusively hung back out of sight, his blood pressure rising as he seethed inside.  The man’s audacity never ceased to astound him; he was treating the whole issue of his homosexuality as if everyone else was the prejudiced bigot and in the wrong, when FIN was the perverted one.  HE and his so-called partner, along with Kinney and his ‘homo husband,’ were the minorities, the degenerates.  His father, a Methodist preacher, had taught him clearly what was right and normal, and Fin and his group were the antithesis of that belief. 

When he had first agreed to join O’Connor’s staff at the urging of his mother, he had had no idea that the man he had frequently seen in the senator’s office had been nothing but a good friend.  After all, O’Connor hosted numerous guests in his office, whether they were old buddies, former and present colleagues, or lobbyists.  Even the President himself had visited a few times, along with some well-known non-political celebrities.  He had found the environment both stimulating as well as exciting.  How naïve he had been, he thought now with derision.  He had actually felt honored and fortunate to be working amongst one of the most influential, respected senior members of the State Senate, basking in being a member of a dedicated group of idealists determined to promote much-needed changes in the State.  And he had actually agreed with the majority of Fin’s proposals regarding the environment, the disabled, and the less-fortunate, all issues that his own father had espoused as being worthy of assistance in his many sermons. 

But that had all flown out the window once he had learned that O’Connor was a queer, an abomination.  Everything he had been taught about right and wrong from his father had promptly been scorned and ridiculed by the man he had grown to actually admire, and the knowledge filled him with both contempt as well as shame over being so easily manipulated and fooled.  The worst part of all, though, was the fact that his own mother tolerated the man’s perverse lifestyle, even accepted it.  He knew that she and his father had had numerous verbal donnybrooks regarding her insistence on continuing to work for a man who stood for such diametrically opposed beliefs as her husband’s, but she had steadfastly refused to resign from her job, stating that her boss was a man of great character and resolve that she actually admired.  She had no intention, either, of sacrificing several years’ worth of pension and retirement benefits merely because of her husband’s 'stubborn one-sidedness.'  The result had been his parents separating; soon, their marriage of 33 years would be dissolved completely, and Adam placed the blame squarely on Fintan O’Connor’s arrogant shoulders. 

Deciding that he had to make O’Connor pay for his role in the breakup of his parents’ marriage, as well as do his part to prevent the man from becoming their state’s next Governor, he set out to achieve his goal in the most effective way he knew how:  going to work secretly for the opposition.  Now, as he watched the members of his group walking over toward the back entrance of the school in preparation for the town meeting, Adam smiled.  The beginning of Fintan O’Connor’s downfall was about to begin.