Walker Farm - 5:15 p.m.

Sarah smiled as her two 'boys' wandered back into the house.  "Just in time," she told them.  "I have dinner ready.  Come and eat.  We need to leave in about an hour," she reminded them.  Just like clockwork, she was starting to get a little nervous now that it was almost time to go.  She consistently won a blue ribbon for her blueberry cobbler each year, but she always felt this way just before time nonetheless.  She knew it was silly - it didn't really mean all that much - but it was still a thrill when she won.

"Don't get your apron all twisted," Will kidded her gruffly as he sat down at his customary place at the far end of the table as Brian walked in directly behind him and sat down in the middle.  "You know you'll bring another ribbon home tonight, Sarah."

She blushed at how easily her husband knew her as she walked over and placed a large bowl of green beans down in the middle of the table to join the pot roast, glazed carrots, and whole wheat rolls already there.  "You don't know that for sure, William," she chided him softly as she  moved to sit, flushing with pleasure as Brian stood up and pushed her chair back for her to sit down.  She nodded her gratitude as he sat back down and she handed him the green beans.  "There could always be some new competition."

Will snorted.  "Not if they know what's good for them," he vowed.  "No one can beat your berry cobbler, Sarah."

Sarah beamed at the compliment; since Brian had come to live with them, she was slowly seeing more and more of her husband reemerging, and it filled her with cautious hope.  She cleared her throat to try and prevent the sentimental tears from falling as she nodded.

She turned to her nephew to ask, "How's the headache, Brian?  Better?"

Brian smiled over at her softly, knowing she would keep his confidence.  "Yeah, much," he told her as she nodded back at him.

"Now both of you, eat up!" she gently admonished them.   "I don't want to be late!"

"Yes, Ma'am," both Brian and his uncle said at the same time as she laughed.

hirty Minutes Later

Will walked over and handed his wife the last of the dinner dishes as she rinsed them before placing them into the hot, sudsy water in the sink.  Wiping her hands on a towel nearby, she turned to face her husband.  "Will, I want to ask you something."

Will leaned against the counter next to her, instantly identifying that no-nonsense tone of voice.  "Okay, what is it?" he asked her quietly.

"Brian and Dale are close to the same size," she began.

"I guess," her husband grudgingly acknowledged, somehow knowing where this was heading as he eyed her warily.  "So?   Why are you bringing this up?"

Sarah sighed.  "I think you know why.  Brian needs some different clothes for tonight's social.  And Dale's things are just gathering dust upstairs in the closet..."

"No, Sarah!" Will snapped.  "Leave it alone."

Sarah turned to place her hands on her hips defiantly.  "Will, be reasonable!  Brian could only bring so many clothes with him.  And I can only keep washing his work clothes over and over again before they fall apart.  They're the same build and, according to what I saw when I did his laundry, they wear the same size.  There's no reason why he can't use some of Dale's things and put them to good use, both while doing chores and tonight."

Will brushed his hand through his hair.  He knew Sarah was right; it was logical to let go of the past and move on.  But somehow it felt like a betrayal to his son; almost like he was forgetting him.  "Those were our son's things, Sarah," he feebly tried one last time, but even to his own ears the excuse sounded lame at best.

"Yes, they were," she replied stiffly.  "And the best way to honor him would be to stop treating his things as a shrine or a part of him and let his cousin get some use out of them.  They're just clothes, shoes, and belt buckles, Will; they're things, not HIM."  She reached over to cup her husband's hand over her heart.  "THIS is where Dale is, Will, here; not in a pair of boots or a cowboy hat.  Here."

 Will stared into his wife's eyes, bright with the beginning of unshed tears before he finally nodded.  "Yeah.  Okay," he whispered hoarsely as she nodded back at him.

She squeezed his hand before letting it go.  "Good.  I know that Dale is looking down on both of us in approval.  And I know he would be the first one to tell us he would never want us to forget him, but that we still have our own lives to live.  We have another young man depending on us right now, Will.  Brian's a good boy - he could be a useful, productive man, too, if we only keep providing him with the right guidance."

"Well, I'll reserve judgment on that one," Will huffed quietly, but silently he knew she was right.  Brian was slowly transforming into a responsible person, despite his previous, rebellious ways.  He had a ways to go yet, but even he could admit the boy had some good qualities that could be nurtured.  "Now I'd best be gettin' upstairs and get ready for this shindig."

Sarah reached over and quickly gave him a peck on the cheek as he turned to go.  "Thank you," she whispered as he nodded.

Quickly washing the last dinner plate, she hurried to dry it and put it away before hurrying to join him upstairs to get dressed.

Six P.M. - Taylor Farmhouse

"Justin!  We have to go NOW, or we're going to be late!"

"I'll be right down, Mom!" was the reply as Jennifer sighed.

"What is taking that boy so long?" Craig groused as he impatiently stood by the backdoor shaking his head.  "Jared was ready a long time ago," he pointed out as he looked over at their older son.

Jared smirked as he sat at the kitchen table.  "I don't need as much time to make myself look good," he boasted.  He was dressed to the nines tonight, with a dark green, long-sleeved shirt with pearl buttons, a silver bolero tie with a crossed, twin-pistol design, a pair of black jeans, and black, leather boots.  He looked quite striking with the green shirt contrasting against his darker hair, Jennifer had to admit, as she silently chided her son over his pompous attitude.  It was one thing to be confident and assertive, she thought, and quite another to be a braggart.   If Jared spent as much time trying to find gainful employment as he did preening at the mirror and bragging about himself, he would be rich indeed and Justin wouldn't have to shoulder so much of the financial responsibility.

"I'll go check on him," she offered finally as time continued to drag on.

"Well, either he's ready in the next five minutes, or we're leaving without him - family togetherness or not," Craig warned as Jennifer hurried down the hallway and up the steps toward her youngest son's room.

From his place at the table, Jared smiled.  Normally, he would have been ticked off at Justin for taking so long, because he knew what the reason had to be:  He was no doubt primping to make himself look good for Kinney.  But he was actually wasn't worried since he had drafted Emmett earlier to help him break them up.  He was going to enjoy himself tonight immensely as a result, and when Kinney went looking for a 'diversion' later, he would promptly tell him to go to hell - after he fucked his ass into oblivion so he would know what would be missing, that is.

Justin frowned as he stood in front of his dresser mirror, turning one way and then the other to observe his appearance.  He felt so damn jittery since he found out that Brian would be at the social tonight.  Normally he wouldn't spend nearly as much time worrying about how he looked, but tonight was different.

Frowning as he looked at his hair, he licked his palm to try and flatten a tuft of misbehaving locks as he heard a noise in the doorway; he turned to look sheepishly at his mother.  "Sorry, mom," he apologized.

She eyed him with a mixture of both sympathy and amusement.  "Justin...You look fine, Honey.  Let's go."

He sighed in resignation as he studied himself critically one final time in his dresser mirror.  He very rarely had to get dressed up for anything out here in the country, so he had been relegated to wearing an outfit he normally only wore for occasions such as funeral visitations or weddings.  It was a chocolate brown, rayon sport jacket, a maroon shirt with thin, gold pinstripes, and dark brown corduroy jeans.  Thankfully he had a decent pair of dark brown boots to compliment his look, a Christmas present courtesy of his parents from the past year.

"You really think so?" he asked as he bit his lip fretfully with the nail of his thumb.

Jennifer walked up to place her hands on her son's shoulders as she smiled at his reflection in the mirror.  "You look wonderful, Justin; really.  And I'm sure everyone else will think so, too.  Including Brian."

Justin's eyes widened as he turned to look into her eyes, his heart skipping a beat at the mention of the other boy's name.  "Brian? Why do you say that?"

She smiled.  "Honey, it's no secret you have a crush on him.  Why else would you have agreed to go out for a walk with him last night?  That IS all that happened, though...Isn't it?" she asked quietly, trying her best not to sound too concerned.  She knew Justin had a level head on his shoulders, but she wasn't so sure about Kinney's motives regarding her tenderhearted son.  And he was quite a bit older than Justin.

Despite his best intentions, Justin blushed in reaction to her question.  He wasn't quite willing to divulge to his mother that there was a little more to his encounter with Brian last night in addition to than just a walk under the starlight while his companion discovered the joys of corn liquor and cow tipping.  "Yeah, Mom, that's all there was to it," he told her simply.   "Really.  Don't worry; I know how to take care of myself."

She straightened out the lapels of her son's jacket, a little uncomfortable with the direction their conversation was heading as she heard Craig calling in exasperation from downstairs, grousing at them to hurry up.  "I...I just want you to stay safe, Honey," she told him as she placed her hands on either side of his neck and gazed into his eyes.

"I know," he whispered, realizing exactly what she meant.  "I promise I will be," he told her sincerely.

She nodded, knowing that would have to be sufficient for now.  "Okay; we'd better get going, then; you know how impatient your father can be."  Justin nodded as she slid her hand around his waist and they walked toward the door.  "Oh, wait just a minute," she abruptly said as she scurried out into the hall and down to her and Craig's bedroom, walking over to her custom-made, oak jewelry box to retrieve a small item wrapped in plain, white tissue paper.

Hurrying back to Justin's room and giving Craig a shout out that they were on their way down, she rushed back to Justin's side.  Holding out her hand, Justin frowned.

"What's this?" he asked curiously.

Jennifer smiled.  "Open it."

He peered over at her as she nodded in encouragement before he took the small object from her hand and carefully unwrapped it, revealing a black, leatherette bolero tie; the slider was an oval picture depicting a black, wild stallion with a white background in a gold-tone frame.

He gasped softly in recognition as he stared at it.  "This belonged to grandpa, didn't it?" he asked as one finger lovingly rubbed itself over the smooth, slightly raised frame.  "I remembered him wearing this all the time; it was his favorite, wasn't it?"  He lifted his eyes to stare over at her.

She nodded.  "Yes," she confirmed with a smile.  "And I know he planned on giving it to you one day...before he got sick and didn't get the chance.  But I promised him when I thought you were ready that I would see that you got it."  She paused for a moment to lovingly gaze over at her youngest son.  "I think you've more than earned it, Sweetheart.  I thought you might want to wear it tonight."

Justin's eyes gleamed in remembrance; he had adored his grandfather, and just the thought that he could wear something tonight that meant so much to him made his heart swell.  "I'd like that," he whispered in a choked voice as Jennifer walked over and took it out of his hand.  Placing it over his head, she pulled the slider to tighten it up and stood back to observe her handiwork.  "You look very handsome," she told her son sincerely as he blushed at the compliment.  Her eyes watered.  "You're growing up so fast."

"Mom."  He rolled his eyes as she hastily wiped the tears away.  "Come on, we'd better go before Dad blows a gasket."

She laughed softly in agreement.  "Yeah, let's go," she concurred as they finally walked side by side down the hallway to the steps, arriving at the kitchen a few minutes later.

"Finally!" Craig grumbled as he promptly pushed open the back door and went outside to go start up the truck.

Jared eyed his brother intently, feeling aggravated over how good the little squirt looked.  In his outfit, Justin actually had cleaned up quite nicely, he grudgingly had to admit.  But he still would never come up to his standards of excellence, and he would still find himself on the short end of the stick before the night was over.  Maybe he wouldn't wind up with Kinney after all, but even if he didn't, neither would Justin, either.

"Jared, will you grab that box, please?" Jennifer asked her son, indicating the small, wooden crate of homemade honey she was taking to be entered in the judging contest.  She was particularly proud of this year's product and had high hopes of getting a ribbon in the miscellaneous category.  It wasn't that any prize money would be paid to her, but the publicity and subsequent sales she could possibly generate as a result would be valuable.

Jared sighed heavily, but complied as he picked up the wooden crate and proceeded to walk over to the back door.  "Well?" he pressed as he looked over at Justin.  "Let's go, Squirt!  We're already late as it is thanks to you!"

"Oh, for the love of..." Justin shook his head in aggravation before he proceeded to follow their mother over to the door; a few minutes later, Jennifer and Craig were seated in the cab with Justin and his brother riding in the back as they usually did, sitting on a cushion of straw spread out on the floor of the truck's bed.

The two brothers rode in silence for a few minutes in the dark, starry sky until Jared asked, "What are YOU so dressed up for?  I thought that outfit was too big for you anyway."

Justin glared over at him as they hit a bump in the dirt road, causing him to grasp the cold metal of the truck bed's frame.  "Well, I grew into it," he retorted.  "What is wrong with you, anyhow, Jared?  Why have you been on my case so much lately?  It's not the FIRST time you've had to do my chores before a race."

"Yeah, I LOVE shoveling shit out of all the animal stalls and bonding with the pigs wallowing in their slop," he retorted.  "There's nothing like the smell of fresh animal dung in the morning."

Justin huffed in disgust.  "You're just pissed off because you can't work on your precious car this week," he remarked.  He paused for a moment.  'Or is it something else?  Or should I say someone else?  "

Jared bristled, deciding there was no need to disguise his jealousy any longer.  "Don't flatter yourself, Squirt.  He's just playing with you.  When he gets what he wants - and I'm sure he hasn't, because otherwise he'd be long gone by now - he won't want anything else to do with you.  He'll move onto the next guy who can give him what he wants."

"That's not true!" Justin cried out, secretly concerned that perhaps his brother was right.  "He's not like that."

Jared guffawed.  "Oh, really?  Why ELSE would he be interested in you?  He's MY age, Justin!  You know what they say - why go out and buy milk when you can get it from the cow?"  He laughed; he couldn't make out much of his brother's face, but he knew him well enough to assume if he could it would be red with embarrassment and indignation.  Up until now, he hadn't been 100% sure that his brother and Kinney hadn't already had sex, but from the way Justin was defending him, he knew now that they hadn't, and it filled him with a sense of smug satisfaction.  "Yeah, as soon as he's had his fill of YOU, he'll drop you faster than last year's John Deere model."

"You don't know what you're talking about, Jared!  Just shut the hell up!"  Justin pursed his lips tightly together in doubt, however, as his biggest fear began to rise once more to the surface.  Maybe Jared WAS right; what did he have to keep someone like Brian Kinney interested?  No, he told himself as he steadfastly refused to believe that; he wouldn't believe that, not after the kisses and talks they had shared.  There was more than that between them; he could tell.

Jared snickered.  "Suit yourself, Squirt.  Let him fuck you and get it over with.  But better enjoy it while you can, because that'll be the LAST fuck you'll get from him."

Justin's eyes narrowed in anger.  "You're just jealous," he declared flatly as he continued to hold onto the edge of the truck frame with his right hand as the truck dodged some of the ruts and potholes in the dirt road.

"Jealous?" his brother retorted in seeming disbelief.  "Of you?  You overestimate yourself."

"No, you are," Justin persisted, his voice rising in certainty.  "You're angry and you're jealous because Brian's interested in ME, not you, and you can't deal with that, can you?"

"Shut up, Justin!" Jared snarled, his eyes flashing in fury.

Now it was Justin's turn to scoff.  "I thought so.  How's it feel...Sport?"

"I told you; shut the fuck up, Justin, or I'll..."

Suddenly the truck came to an abrupt stop as both boys had to scurry to hurriedly grab onto the bedrail to keep from toppling over.  A few seconds later the driver's side door opened and slammed shut as their father came stomping over to their side.  "What the hell is going on back here?" he demanded.  He stood there with his hands on his hips as he stared at both boys.  "I could hear both of you screaming at the top of your lungs!"

"We were just having a difference of opinion," Jared told him.

"About what?"   No answer.  He turned to his youngest son then. "Justin?"

Justin knew there was no way he was going to tell their father it was over Brian, and he suspected that Jared sure as hell wasn't going to, either, so he decided to provide another plausible answer.    "He's still complaining about doing my chores."

Jared opened his mouth to quickly correct that - well, not exactly correct it, because it wasn't a lie - but he just as quickly decided not to provide the real reason, either.  He figured it wouldn't score him any points with his father if told him the truth, and frankly it would be embarrassing to admit that his little brother was more of an attraction to Kinney than HE was.  After all, he had his pride - and his reputation - to consider.  And besides, the problem would be resolved soon enough at the social.  So he wisely chose not to say anything at all.  Unfortunately, his father didn't choose the same path.

"What?!" he bellowed, his voice carrying for what seemed like miles around the quiet countryside.  "Jared, I already TOLD you time and time again that when Justin is practicing for a race..."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it!" Jared groused, still annoyed by that situation as well.  "I have to take over his chores.   That doesn't mean I have to like it, though."

The quiet opening of the passenger door went unnoticed by the three others as Jennifer disembarked form the truck's cab and, shaking her head in exasperation, walked over to Justin's side of the truck.  With the motor idling now and her window rolled partially down, she could clearly hear everything being said outside and felt it was time to intervene.  She was getting so tired of having to play peacemaker among her family - and of having her youngest son caught in the middle.

"I didn't ASK if you liked it, Jared!" Craig was saying as Jennifer sighed heavily.

"Craig!  CRAIG!" she repeated a little more loudly, catching him in between his tirade.  "Now is not the time or the place to discuss this; if we don't get going now we'll definitely be late, and I have to get the honey registered with the judges before it starts.  We've already discussed this time and time again; just tell Jared if he doesn't do as you say that you won't let him work on his car afterward."

"Mom!"

"Shut up, Jared!" Craig growled as his oldest son started to protest once more.  He could hear Justin huff in disgust across from him.  He brushed his hand through the top of his head in agitation.  "Okay, okay," he acknowledged to Jennifer as he inhaled a deep breath and let it out to release some anger.  "You heard your mother.  But if I hear one more peep out of either one of you on the way into town, I WILL turn this truck around and we WILL go home.  And before you say that's what you want to do anyway," Craig said as he turned to glare over at his oldest son in the dimness, "I WILL keep you from working on that damn car even AFTER this week is over, you got it?"   Silence ensued, except for some labored, angry breathing.  "I said - you got it, Jared?  Answer me!"

Jared let out a harsh breath.  "Yeah, yeah, I got it!  Whatever!"

"Justin, that means you, too.  No more yelling and arguing; if the both of you can't be civil and say something nice to each other, then don't talk at all.  You understand me?"

Justin huffed out an angry breath of his own.  He hadn't started it; well, not exactly anyway.  "Okay," he muttered.  "I'd rather not talk to him right now anyway."  Silently he mourned the loss of the previous camaraderie he and Jared used to share.  Until a few years ago, they had been a lot closer and used to tell each other everything.  As he had gotten older, however, and begun to recognize his sexuality a little more - and had started to attract the attention of some of the other males in town as well as achieve some recognition for his art and his racing ability - Jared's jealousy had begun to flare to the surface and their closeness had waned.  Sometimes, however, he wished they could return to the bond they used to have, but it seemed it might be irrevocably broken forever now.

"That sounds like a smart decision," Craig retorted.  "Jen, get back in the truck and let's get going."

Jennifer rolled her eyes at her husband's brusque tone before she reached over to squeeze Justin's shoulder briefly in support and walked back over to the door to get in.  Craig remained rooted in place for a few seconds before he shook his head and joined her in the truck.  The rest of the drive, not surprisingly, was made in relative silence.

Cultural Dairy Barn - Versailles

Brian's eyes widened in surprise as he and his aunt and uncle arrived in town and they began to enter a brick-paved driveway heading toward their ultimate destination.  From the way everyone had been talking, he figured this 'town social' was being held in someone's weathered, old barn; kind of like some sort of Amish-style corn husking where everyone sat around on bales of hay, chewing on a strand of straw or talking with their mouths full of a chaw of tobacco as they get caught up on what had been going on in their humdrum lives.  And while it WAS apparently in a barn, it was quite a barn.  Not that he had seen a lot of them, but THIS barn was huge; white with a gracefully, sloping, light-gray roof and a set of double-X doors.

His mouth hung open in shock.  "Holy shit," he murmured.

"Brian, language," was the instant reply from the cab of the truck; Will had the window partially open to let in some air.

Brian rolled his eyes at the expected rejoinder but had to grin slightly; he would have expected nothing less as a response from him.

A few minutes later, they pulled off into the grass and parked next to a myriad of other trucks with a few cars sprinkled in between as he hopped down from the antique vehicle.  Opening up the back of the truck bed, he reached to grab a large box holding his aunt's prized cobbler along with the stacks of deviled eggs she had made, just in time for his aunt and uncle to join him.  He gazed up at the impressive structure; now that they were closer it appeared even larger.  "That's some barn," he marveled as he took in the angles and curves along with its massive size; a large steeple jutted out of the top, and it had several windows running down the side of it.

Sarah smiled as she nodded.  "Isn't it beautiful?  It was built in the early 1900's as part of a working dairy farm for a hospital of all things, but it was abandoned a long time ago.  Several years ago, the townspeople came together and decided to convert it into a place where we could have activities.  They have a wonderful quilt show here every year, along with square dances and an antique farm machinery show and a flea market on the weekends."  She gazed at it wistfully.  "I'm so glad they didn't tear it down; you don't see barns like this anymore."

Although Brian wasn't an expert on architecture, he couldn't help agreeing that it was quite impressive just the same.  He nodded as he hefted the box a little higher in his arms and they began to walk toward the double doors at the end of the barn; several other townspeople were either mingling nearby or walking inside as his aunt and uncle acknowledged them.  Not surprisingly, his aunt seemed to receive a much warmer welcome than his uncle, even though everyone seemed to greet them with either a polite nod, a handshake or even a kiss on the cheek in his aunt's case.  Brian soon lost track of the names of everyone his aunt saw fit to introduce him to as they walked inside and he got a look at the interior.  It was lit up with several banks of recessed lighting at the top of the tall, exposed ceiling; some large, white ceiling fans slowly rotated above, providing a light breeze along with the several windows that were raised to let in some additional air.  Alongside the sides of part of the barn were wooden, staggered shelves to hold the baked goods that were to be auctioned off; toward the rear of the barn appeared to be a more open area for other exhibitions or events.  Wooden, felt-padded benches - pews actually that appeared to have been salvaged from churches - had been given new lives as places to sit and chat with other locals, and were scattered throughout the large structure in the middle and corners of the building.

A small stage was set up in the center of the building along the opposite wall with chairs facing it; a group of four men, all clad in overalls and plaid shirts and one wearing a straw hat - were already playing a lively bluegrass tune. The entire inside was alive with a hum of activity, from the music to the animated chatter and the laughter heard all around them.

"Brian, would you give that box to that woman over there by that table?" Sarah instructed her nephew, indicating a hard, plastic, white rectangular table near the front door.  "My name's already on all of the items; just make sure they give you a ticket back for them, okay?"  Brian nodded as he walked over and gladly placed the heavy box down on the table.  He had to spend a few minutes explaining his relation to his aunt - everyone seemed to want to know everyone else's business around here, he decided - before he rejoined his aunt and uncle who were standing nearby.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite baker!" a booming voice suddenly erupted from nearby as a portly, average-height, middle-aged man wearing jeans, a checkered shirt, and a pair of dark green suspenders waddled up to them.  "I was starting to get worried that my favorite dessert wasn't going to be in the judging tonight."

Sarah beamed over at him.  "Now you know better than that, Clay," she chided him with a smile.  "You know I look forward to this just as much as you do."

The man who resembled an Americanized version of an oriental Buddha clamped his hand on Will's back as he told him conspiratorially, "She's a keeper, Will.  If I had THIS little lady fixing MY meals at home, I'd weigh twice as much!"

Brian had to clamp his mouth shut to keep from make a snarky comment as Will nodded at him in agreement, choosing not to state the obvious, either.  Instead, he smiled over at his wife to reveal, "We don't eat like this all the time, Clay; but you're right," he added softly, "she IS a keeper."  Sarah's eyes lit up at the compliment as Will proceeded to introduce his nephew to the man, Brian not detecting any hint of scorn in his voice and perhaps even a bit of pride as he told the other man, the owner of the local feed mill, about the new 'addition' to their family with Checkers' new calf.

As the two men excused themselves a few minutes later to wander over and talk to a group of farmers several feet away, Brian tried to casually look around as if he were sizing up the rest of the facility, but he didn't fool his aunt at all.

"I don't think they're here yet," Sarah told him softly by his side as she looked over at him.

"Who?" he asked, trying to sound obtuse but failing miserably.

Sarah grinned.  "I think you know who; they normally get here a few minutes later than we do.  Not really sure why, but it's almost a tradition with them.  Want to come and look at some of the exhibits with me?"

Brian gave her a long-suffering look.  "What?  Of rutabagas, lettuce, and the contest over who can grow the biggest pumpkin in the valley?  No, thanks."

Sarah tried to look aghast as she replied with a laugh, "You are such a city snob, Brian Kinney!  First of all, those are all not in season right now, and second of all, we ARE a little more exciting than vegetables and hay."

Brian gave her an amused look.  "Oh, really?  Oh, yeah - I forgot about my recent role as a midwife."  He sniffed the air as he replied, "Speaking of which, I smell the distinctive aroma of cow manure.  I hope you're not going to tell me they forgot to remove some of the cows from the dairy barn, are you?  I think I've seen more than my share of those already."

She grinned.  "Yeah, between the cow delivering and the cow tipping - or at least the attempt - no doubt you've seen enough cows by now.  It's probably from the cow chip contest."

Brian guffawed as he stared over at her.  "Cow chip contest?  Is that a new ice cream flavor?'

She laughed in amusement, the wrinkles around her eyes crinkling as she told him, "I certainly hope not.  No, it's kind of like horseshoes, only with dried up cow dung instead.  There're even rules you have to follow to enter.  They're holding it out back in a few minutes out in the field before it starts to get too dark; why they don't move up the time of the town social to earlier in the day so the light isn't a problem is beyond me, but that's the time we've always done it and everyone here is very set in their ways."

"Tell me about it," Brian told her dryly as he observed his uncle chatting rather amiably with a couple of other denim-clad, suspendered men.   He watched as several men, including his uncle, began to slowly shuffle to the opposite end of the barn toward another set of double doors.  "Don't tell me HE'S going to participate?" Brian asked in surprise.

"He might," Sarah replied as she watched him walk away.  "He used to be a pretty good pitcher back in high school, as well as a great horseshoe player.  He used to bring home a ribbon quite often for it, too," she told him as her voice softened.  "Before Dale died, anyway."

Another tune started up at the bandstand as Brian eyed his aunt thoughtfully.  "Aunt Sarah..."

"Brian, please," she implored.  "Not tonight.  Not when your uncle is finally acting more like himself."

"But..."

"I know we owe you an explanation; after all, he was your cousin.  But not tonight.  Soon; when your uncle isn't around.  He's beginning to come out of the deep, dark hole he's been in - largely in part to you being here with us - but he still can't talk about it yet.  Let's just enjoy tonight and we can sit down and discuss it some other time, okay?  I promise."

Brian sighed in frustration.  Well, he was going to get to the bottom of that big mystery, one way or the other.  Perhaps he could talk to Justin about it later tonight - that is, if the little shit ever shows up.

"Okay," he told his aunt with a short nod.  "Why don't you show me around this palace in the meantime?"

She grinned in relief.  "Come right this way - and you can see the dried apple doll exhibit."

"Oh, joy," Brian replied drolly as he began to follow her down the middle of the aisle way.

Five Minutes Later

Justin's heart was hammering in his chest as they entered the barn; it hadn't been too hard to spot the Walkers' antique truck parked outside in the grass, so he knew that Brian's aunt and uncle had to be here - and he hoped Brian, also.  He had no reason to believe he had changed his mind and decided not to come, but until he could see him he couldn't be sure.

"Ooh, there it is!" Emmett exclaimed excitedly a few feet behind him; he and his Uncle Vic had arrived at almost the same exact time as the Taylors and they had walked in together.  "I can almost smell that pecan pie now!"

Justin grinned as he noticed the social's cake walk set up right where it always was each year; Emmett couldn't stop talking about the 'succulent' PEA-CON pie he had enjoyed last year after his win.  He truly thought if Em didn't have another chance to win Sophie Mason's prize-winning pie again this year, he would be thrown into an abyss of depression.

"If you boys will excuse me - and ma'am," he added in deference to Jennifer, "I think I'll mosey on over to the cake walk and scope out my chances."  He turned to look over at Justin.  "Want to come with me?"

Justin nodded with a smile.  "Sure."  Silently, he thought he could also check to see if Sarah Walker's blueberry cobbler was on display for judging; if it was, then he knew that Brian was probably around somewhere.  He turned to his parents.  "Can we just meet back at the truck later?" he asked hopefully.  The last thing he wanted to do was tag along with his parents - and even worse, Jared.  Despite the rather awkward way he and Brian had parted last night, he still wanted some time alone with him.

Craig eyed him intently; not sure if that was such a good idea, but unable to really formulate a reason for saying no; while Vic's nephew was a flighty one, he didn't appear to be irresponsible.  "11:00 sharp," he told Justin tersely.  "Make sure you're out by the truck and ready to go."

Justin nodded, knowing it wouldn't do any good to try and wheedle any extra time out of him.  "Let's go, Em," he urged the other boy as he grasped Emmett's arm and began to walk away.

Jared smiled as he watched them go; this was perfect. It was working out even better than he had hoped.  It certainly didn't hurt that Justin actually considered Emmett a friend; that would make his plan so much easier to implement.  Now all he had to do was make sure that he succeeded.

"Dad, I'm going to go watch the cow chip throwing contest," Jared told him and his mom.  "I'll just meet the two of you at the truck at eleven like Justin."

Craig nodded.  "Just see that you watch the time, Jared," he cautioned him as the older boy rolled his eyes.

"I know how to tell time, Dad," he retorted.

Craig's eyes flashed.  "Watch your manners, Jared!"

Jared sighed heavily as he held up his hands in surrender.  "Okay, okay; I'll meet you in the parking lot at 11."  He nodded and turned to go, heading off toward the back of the building where he hoped to find Brian.

Jennifer shook her head.  "You let him get away with way too much, Craig," she muttered in disgust.  "I think as soon as this next race is over, we all need to sit down as a family and figure out a redistribution of just who does what back home.  You know Justin won't be around forever."

Craig held up his hand in exasperation; was he going to have to hear the same old spiel again?  "Can we just drop the subject tonight, Jen?  Let's just try and enjoy ourselves for one night without all the bickering, okay?"

But she wouldn't be quite that easily dissuaded.  "Promise me first that we WILL sit down and discuss divvying up the chores for the boys after Saturday's race."  She left no question in her voice that she wouldn't accept anything less.

Craig sighed.  "All right; Monday morning we'll all sit down and try to come to a mutually-agreeable resolution; happy?"

Jennifer really didn't trust Craig to follow through with his promise, but she didn't see any other alternative at the moment, so she finally nodded in agreement.

Brian stood next to his uncle, his mouth slightly open as he watched several men take turns hefting a large-sized, flat, disc before they reared back to pitch it into the air like some javelin thrower at the Olympics.  At least they were wearing work gloves, but that still didn't do much to tamper his distaste.  "I can't believe this," he muttered as his uncle next to him smiled slightly at him in amusement over his reaction.

"Been doing it for years," he told his nephew.  "It is what it is, Brian; this is life in the country.  We get our enjoyment out of more simple things."

"Enjoyment?" Brian scoffed softly as the two of them continued to watch the participants; several men nearby were hooting and hollering like they were at a boxing match rather than observing farmers flinging cow dung up into the air to see how far it could traverse before it came back down to Earth.  "This is about as enjoyable as a hangnail."

Will couldn't help grinning as a particularly pungent whiff of manure suddenly filled the air and he watched his nephew's nose crinkle in disgust.  "Sure you wouldn't like to give it a whirl, Brian?  Didn't you tell Sarah that you played baseball in high school?  You'd be a natural," he teased him.

"No thanks," Brian responded dryly as he shook his head over how excited everyone was.  "I wouldn't want to take all that enjoyment away from them."  He brushed his hand through his unruly hair as he announced, "I think I'll go back inside and look around."

Will nodded, watching the proceedings in rapt attention.  "Just stay close by so we don't have to go searching for you when we leave.  By the way, there're some games over around the other side of the building you might find more interesting."  He quirked one side of his mouth up as he advised his nephew, "They usually give away stuffed animals for prizes; maybe you'll find a cow to win."

Brian snorted.  "Well, in THAT case, I'll definitely have to go check it out; all we need is one more cow for the place," he quipped as he turned to head off around the side of the building.  His uncle watched him go, lost in thought as he noticed the similarities between his nephew and Dale, before he turned his attention back to the contest.

"Well?" Jared asked Emmett a few minutes later as he caught up with him lingering near the cake walk.  "Any sign of him?"

Jared looked around, realizing he hadn't seen Justin in a while, either.  He tamped down pangs of jealousy as he wondered if they were together already as he told Emmett, "You have to go find Kinney before Justin does!  I told you what happened.  You're not backing out now?"

Emmett gazed longingly at the prized pecan pie before he shook his head, concentrating on what was most important.  "No, of course not!" he affirmed, not wanting any harm to come to his friend.  It was beginning to seem like the entire town was here now; the space was quickly filling up with scores of boisterous, happy-go-lucky townspeople catching up on their neighbors' lives.  Almost every available chair was now occupied, and the bluegrass band had struck up a bouncy, fiddler's tune.

"You have to go find them!" Jared instructed him.  "Kinney knows what I look like, or I would go with you."  He reached over to grasp Emmett's sleeve, his eyes beseeching him.  "Please, Em, I need to make sure that Justin is safe from him.  You know what to do."

Emmett nodded as his lips pressed into a determined line.  "Yeah.  I'll go find him now.  Wish me luck."

Jared nodded back at him with a smile.  "Oh, I do.  And I'm sure Justin will never forget what you did, either."

Emmett smiled as he nodded once more before hurrying away.

Jared's smile widened in glee.  "Yeah...Justin will never forget this," he murmured as he watched Emmett thread his way through the crowd.  "Enjoy him while you can, Squirt," he sneered.

Brian slowly wandered around the game and food booths, rolling his eyes at the "Mayberry-like" carnival atmosphere; there was the typical "Go Fish" booth for little kids to pluck a plastic duck out of a large, metal tub of water, a couple of shooting galleries, and even a 'Whack-A-Mole' game.  Interspersed throughout the small selection of games were some locally-run food booths benefiting such organizations as the Future Farmers of America and the Kiwanis Club, whatever the fuck that was.  Handwritten menus scrawled on displayed blackboards hawked such items as pulled-pork barbecue and beans and cornbread as he made sure to sidestep the errant puddle of water here and there in the beaten-down, grassy surface of the impromptu midway, his eyes searching for a certain someone amongst the quickly swelling throng of townspeople.  Finally, he spied a crown of shining gold several feet away standing in front of a booth munching on something apparently called a funnel cake, and his face broke out into a delighted smile.  "Gotcha," he murmured, pleased that his target was evidently by himself.  "Perfect."  In more ways than one...

Using his taller stature to keep his eyes firmly focused on his goal, he threaded his way through the crowd until he was a few feet away from the other boy, pausing for a moment to admire how Justin's pants and shirt framed his backside.  His heart began to beat a little faster in anticipation as he reached Justin's side and began to slide his arms around his waist.

Justin jumped at the surprise contact, but somehow managed to hold onto his prized treat, his adrenalin shooting sky high as he immediately realized who it must be.  He turned around in Brian's arms to stare up at the other boy and couldn't help smiling, his breath catching in his throat at how gorgeous Brian looked in his outfit.  "You are here," he marveled as Brian smirked back at him.

"Very astute of you," Brian remarked with a dry grin.  "I told you I would be here."  Dropping his light embrace of Justin reluctantly, he looked around the busy environment.  "I came specifically for the cow-chip throwing contest."  He snorted.  "I can't believe they even do that sort of thing with cow shit."

Justin giggled at the look on his face, his irritation with Brian from last night quickly dissipating.  There was just no way he could stay mad at this other boy.  "Did you take a look at it?" he asked.

Brian nodded and then shook his head in exasperation.   "They really need to find something better to do for amusements around here."

"Like cow-tipping?" Justin teased as Brian grinned back at him.

"Well, not exactly what I would do for 'amusement' after last night, but hey, it seemed like more fun than what they're doing over there," he said with a nod of his head.  His eyes glanced down curiously at the fried concoction Justin was nibbling on; it was nestled on a white paper plate and sprinkled with copious amounts of what appeared to be powdered sugar.  He grimaced. "That's a funnel cake, I take it?"

Justin grinned in amusement at Brian's expression.  "Yeah.  Best food on earth - after your aunt's cobbler, anyway."  He pinched off a sticky, surgery end and held it up to Brian's mouth, his eyes twinkling.  "Want a bite?" he asked impishly.

If Brian didn't know better, he would swear this boy was the devil incarnate as his cock twitched at the sultry tone in his voice.  He licked his lips, the initial thought of disgust over eating such a high-carb concoction quickly fading away as his mouth seemed to open almost of its own accord.

Justin's eyes widened slightly. What was he thinking?  He glanced around to see if anyone was watching them, suddenly feeling vulnerable and unsure of himself.  But he had started it, and he certainly wanted to finish it.  His slightly shaking hand belied his bold offer as he held the bite out in front of Brian's lips and slowly slid his fingers inside so Brian could rake his teeth over them to snag the sugary cake.  Justin's heart began to pound as he felt the hot wetness surrounding his fingers and Brian's tongue taking a swipe at them before he managed to pull them out, the other boy's saliva serving to make his skin feel cool against the warm breeze blowing around them.

Justin watched enraptured as Brian chewed a couple of times and then swallowed, unable to avoid staring at his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he did so.  His eyes involuntarily darkened with desire as he lifted his gaze to stare into Brian's, feeling the heat flush over his skin at the look he was receiving, one that he conjectured reflected his own at that moment.  He cleared his throat.  "Did you like it?" he found himself saying.

Brian's traditional smirk faded away as he answered sincerely, "It was delicious.  And the funnel cake wasn't half-bad, either."  He leered over at his companion, who averted his eyes as his face reddened even more.   "I wouldn't mind having some other bites," he added huskily as one side of his mouth turned up in amusement.  "Know where I can get some more just like that?" he asked.

Finding himself suddenly emboldened, all the sounds around them seemed to fade away as Justin lifted his fingers to provocatively suck them, one by one, into his mouth to try and remove the stickiness, watching as Brian's eyes widened in reaction; he found the inflection of gold and green in his pupils absolutely mesmerizing as he replied, "Yeah, I just might."  He knew it was a dangerous game they were playing - and what the eventual result might be - but he was finding it harder and harder to hold out against this incredible, magnetic force known as Brian Kinney.  If only he could be absolutely sure, though, that Brian's motives were sincere and not just focused on having his needs - and his curiosity - met.

Brian tried furiously not to give his emotions away - nor let his imagination run wild. But he clearly remembered that day at the pond, seeing Justin naked and floating so tantalizingly on the water and he hadn't forgotten how it made him feel whenever they kiss. But that last, saucy comment from his sassy, blond companion didn't diminish his desire for him; if anything, it made him want him even more.

He moved closer to Justin so they were mere inches apart as he whispered to him, "I'll definitely keep that in mind," earning a blush in return as he smiled at him.  "Now if you think you can part with that shit for a while, why don't you show me what else I might like?"

Justin marveled at how this boy could get his heart thumping in record time as he promptly threw the remainder of his funnel cake in a slightly rusty, metal container and wiped his hands between his palms to dislodge the remaining powdered sugar.  "What would you like to see?" he asked before he caught himself as Brian smirked.  "I mean, of the building, Brian."

Brian grinned as he paused.  It was crowded as hell inside, and while the makeshift midway was bustling with activity as well, at least it was more navigable.  Besides, something told him if he wanted a little time to be alone with Justin, it wouldn't occur inside, and with the rapidly approaching darkness the odds were better for that out here.  "Why don't we just talk a walk?" he finally suggested as Justin nodded in agreement.

Periodically as they ambled down the middle of the pathway, someone would call out a greeting to Justin, who would nod or smile at them in return or greet them by name.  Brian noticed that everyone seemed to genuinely like him, with several offering shouts of "Good Luck" for the upcoming race.  It was obvious that Justin was well-liked and held in high esteem by the townspeople, a fact that made Brian inexplicably proud.

Brian longed to hold Justin's hand or place his arm around his waist, but something about being in this conservative environment stopped him.  It wasn't so much that he gave a fuck what they thought, but he DID care about how they felt toward Justin, and the last thing he wanted to do at the moment was cause any more problems for him.  So he forced himself to compromise by 'accidentally' bumping up against his shoulder, as he fulfilled his need to touch him occasionally nonetheless.

They eventually stopped at a game that Brian actually recognized:  skeeball.  Justin lingered nearby as the barker tried to coax them to come closer.

Turning to Brian, Justin asked, "Didn't you say you played baseball in high school?" he asked with a grin.  "Now's your chance to impress me with your skills."

Brian leaned in to whisper in his ear.  "That's not the skills I wanted to demonstrate for you," he told him as Justin blushed just like he thought he would.  "But I guess it's a start."  He walked over to the game operator - a tall, skinny kid who appeared to be in his early twenties wearing bib overalls and a plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up - and slipped several quarters into the side slot to release a total of ten balls.  "Stand back and watch," Brian boasted as Justin walked up to stand next to him, his arms folded over his chest.

Grinning smugly, Brian hefted the first ball into a gentle arc, promptly causing it to take a hard bounce in, then out of the circled target as Justin snickered.  Pursing his lips together in irritation, Brian shrugged.  "That was a practice shot," he explained as he curled his fingers around the next one and lofted it toward the center hole.  It, too, bounced right out of the target and this time came rolling back down toward him.

Justin laughed this time.  "Well, it's going well so far," he observed dryly as Brian glared over at him.  "Maybe you'll at least win a plastic key chain."  He looked upward at the stuffed animals hanging down from the frame of the booth and told him, "And I had my heart set on one of those stuffed cows."

He guffawed at the expression on Brian's face as the other boy glowered at him.  "I've got eight more balls," he reminded him.

"Well, so far your aim with your balls is way off," Justin supplied helpfully as he covered his mouth in amusement; he was enjoying this much more than if Brian had actually MADE his targets; the look on his normally self-confident, cocky face was priceless at the moment, and it somehow made him a little more 'human' in his eyes.

"My 'aim with my balls' is just fine, thank you," Brian growled.  "This game must be rigged; you know how they are," he maintained as the booth operator ignored him; after all, he was just there for a little money for the night, not to make a career out of operating a carnival game.

He aimed one more ball toward the center only to have it wind up in the outer most ring for a score of a paltry 20 points.

Justin grinned.  "Here, why don't you take a rest and let me try a couple?" he suggested.  "After all, you ARE older than me, so I'm sure you tired more easily."

Brian rolled his eyes, but held his hands up in surrender and backed up a few feet.  "Oh, by all means, Nolan Ryan, give it your best shot."  He watched as Justin reached over to grab the next ball in the chute and lean over slightly in concentration, biting his lower lip as he focused on his aim.  He watched as Justin softly lofted the ball and watched it promptly disappear down the middle ring for the highest score.

He huffed out a breath in disbelief as Justin did the same thing to the next ball, and then the next and the next one until he had racked up enough points to qualify for a medium-sized prize.  A few minutes later, he was the proud owner of a stuffed, black-and-white Checkers lookalike; a prize he proudly presented to his companion.

"Oh, no," Brian protested in aggravation.  "You won it fair and square; I wouldn't want to deprive you of the honor.  I'm sure it will look just peachy sitting on top of your dresser back home."

Justin grinned as he grabbed Brian's sleeve and looked up at him with a playful gleam in his eye; Brian noticed how much he seemed to be enjoying himself tonight, and he couldn't help smiling back at him in return.  "Oh, no, I couldn't," Justin responded.  "Every time you look at this in your bedroom, it will be a reminder of how you saved a life the other day...and how ridiculous you looked when that steer starting chasing after you last night."  He pressed the cow up against Brian's chest and lifted one eyebrow expectantly until Brian rolled his eyes back at him and snatched it out of his hands; he held it by the end of its tail and swung it back and forth between them as he told him dryly, "I'm honored.  Let's go, Champ."

"But...I was just getting warmed up," Justin argued with a smug sort of look of his face.

"Showoff," he muttered as he tugged Justin a little more forcefully away.   "You're warm enough."

Justin laughed as he finally allowed Brian to pull him away.  "Okay...but the loser has to buy the winner cotton candy."

Brian shook his head as the cow continued to be swung lightly back and forth by its tail.  "What is it with you?  Is that all you think about?  How do you stay like that if you eat like a horse all the time?"

Justin shrugged.  "High metabolism and a lot of chores," he explained.  "Besides, it's not like my mom feeds me funnel cakes and cotton candy at home; I have to get it when I can."

"I like that philosophy," Brian said with a grin.  "And I agree with it completely."

"I meant junk food," Justin retorted as he rolled his eyes.

Brian sighed.  "I was afraid that's what you meant," he admitted as he lightly held onto Justin's elbow as they steered their way through the burgeoning crowd.  "Cotton candy, huh?"  Justin beamed up at him as he nodded.  "Okay, Nolan, lead the way."

Justin grinned as the two of them continued down the relatively short midway; banks of fat, round lights began to illuminate the dusk as they came to the end.  Justin frowned in dismay as he realized there wasn't any more.  "Where is it?" he wondered, almost pouting.

Brian laughed at his sulking.  He cocked his head toward the right.  "Well, all's not lost.  There's always fried pork rinds."  He wrinkled his nose in disdain at the thought; did those words actually come out of his mouth?

To his relief, Justin crinkled up his nose the same way.  "No way; I hate pork rinds," he disclosed with a disappointed sigh.  "Damn."

Brian shook his head in amusement.  Justin could be quite mature for his age most of the time, but right now he sounded more like a child thwarted from his most cherished toy.  "Poor thing," he cooed.  His eyes lit up as he noticed one last game located at the very end of the midway.  "Come on, I want to try that," he decided impetuously.

"Of course you do," Justin teased him as he noticed the "Strongman" game standing off by itself.  It was one of those contraptions where you tried to show off how strong you were by lifting a monstrously heavy mallet and striking a platform in an attempt to strike a bell at the very top. 

"Brian, you do realize how heavy that mallet is, don't you?"

Brian walked over to a middle-aged, balding man with a slight paunch and handed him a five-dollar bill.  "Of course I do," he assured him, slightly miffed that Justin sounded wary of him even trying it.  Well, he would show him.  He didn't stay in the shape he was in by being a couch potato.  Nodding at the attendant, he reached down to lift up the mallet, but to his consternation he found out just how fucking heavy it was; the tool barely moved.

Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Justin holding his hand over his mouth in an attempt to keep from laughing at him as he pulled on it harder, finally succeeding in lifting it up onto his shoulder with a decided grunt.  "Shit," he couldn't help exclaiming in surprise over how heavy it was.

"Brian..."

But Brian held up one hand in a silent request for him to be quiet.  Justin watched with a bit of concern as Brian stood there trying to catch his breath as he apparently tried to steel himself.  A few seconds later, he lowered the mallet and then flung it around in one fluid, circular motion to gain momentum before, like some railroad worker from the 1800's helping to build the Transcontinental Railroad, he brought it to come crashing down onto the metal platform.  Both boys watched as the guide traveled up the metal 'thermometer' until a distinctive clang was heard.

"Winner!  We have a winner!" the operator announced as Brian gratefully placed the mallet, head down, on the ground next to the contraption and breathed out a giant sigh of relief.  Deciding the tool must weigh a fucking ton, he vowed never to go near one of those ever again.

"What'll be?" the man asked him as Brian eyed the prize merchandise carefully; a grin broke out on his face a few seconds later as he pointed to a stuffed, brown-and-white horse with a flowing main of nylon hair and promptly handed it to Justin.  "Now we're even," he announced as Justin beamed and accepted the gift graciously, secretly thrilled at being the center of Brian's attention.  "Ride it in good health," he added as Justin laughed.

"That was impressive," Justin admitted as they began to walk away, each boy now holding onto their own stuffed animal.  "It's hard to ring that bell.  You're stronger than you look."

Brian didn't know why, but that comment almost made him puff out like a proud peacock.  "Yeah, I am," he told his companion.  "On both counts."

Justin grinned.  "And ever modest, too."

Brian grinned back at him as they stood at the end of the midway, parallel with the barn.  He stopped, hesitating.  Would they have to go back in now?  Despite how hokey this whole town social thing was, he was actually having a great time with Justin outside.   He once more took his elbow to steer him over to a corner of the barn, hidden from everyone else's view.

"Uh, Justin?"

Justin turned to gaze up at him so they were facing each other, both of them shadowed by the end of the building now and out of the glare of the harsh, outdoor lighting and the mob of people congregated around the food and game booths.

"Yes?" he asked as the two of them stood staring at each other.

Justin's eyes shone in the reflection of the myriad stars shining overhead as Brian's breath caught in his throat at his beauty.  He wasn't quite sure what was happening to him lately, but he did know one thing at that moment:  God, he had to kiss this boy.  "I..."

Fuck it.  Dropping the stuffed cow down onto the ground, his grasped Justin's upper arms with his hands and crashed his lips down onto his, not giving Justin any time to think about what he was doing.  He head a soft sigh escape Justin's lips as he pushed his tongue inside; moments later, the horse joined the cow on the grass as the younger boy wound his arms around Brian's back and pressed their bodies tightly together as the kiss quickly deepened into a needy, passionate one.

Justin felt the hard wood of the barn's exterior against his back as Brian assaulted his mouth, his heart thumping wildly in his chest over the feelings rushing through him.  His entire body felt like it was on fire as Brian's hands crept inside his jacket and began to roam all over him; he found himself emulating the same gestures as his fingernails scraped lightly across Brian's muscled back.  He knew if he didn't stop what they were doing and soon, he would be shamelessly humping up against Brian any second.  It took every ounce of his willpower to place his hands against Brian's chest and push back enough to separate them, desperately needing both breathing room as well as a few moments to come back down to Earth.

He could hear Brian's soft panting as well as his own as he continued to hold onto him.  "What?" Brian murmured, his voice throaty and breathless.  "Why did you pull away?"  If he didn't know Justin well enough, he would think the boy was a kind of cock tease, but he suspected it had more to do with fear of the unknown than anything else; despite Justin's apparent inexperience, however, the boy could kiss him to within an inch of his life.  He had kissed a lot of guys over the years, but Justin's kisses were in a class by themselves.

Justin was finding it hard to concentrate with Brian staring him in the face, his green, gold-flecked eyes rapidly darting back and forth as if he, too, were nervous.  Perhaps he was - but there was no way he could be as nervous as he felt.  He knew eventually he would have to decide what to do. Someone like Brian wasn't made to go without sex; the boy was too experienced to do that.  Probably just the fact that he had managed to wait this long was a testimony to how he felt about him; wasn't it?  Did he mean, though, that he was interested in something more than just a one-time deal?

"Brian..." He began, not quite sure what he was even going to say.  "I care about you..."

"Well, that's a start," Brian told him softly.  "So...?"

"I don't know, Brian," Justin told him hesitantly, his previous bravado with this boy suddenly gone.  "I want to..."  Why couldn't Brian at least tell him the same thing?  It would make his decision so much easier.

Brian was elated with that bit of information, though; at least it was encouraging.  "Then what's stopping you, Justin?" he entreated huskily.   He didn't take time to think about why it mattered to him; it never had before, but for some reason it did now.  Normally he just took what was offered him, and he didn't look back.  This time, however, somehow it was different.

Justin's face grew warm at the sultry sound of Brian's voice; he couldn't see his face too well at the moment in the shadows, but perhaps that was just as well, because the more they stood there, the more his resolve was quickly fading away.  But even if he DID want to have sex with Brian, he didn't want his first time to be here; not standing on the side of a barn with scores of people milling nearby.  "I..."

Brian huffed out a frustrated breath over his indecision.  He didn't want to scare Justin off, but a guy could only take so much, too.  "I know you want me just like I want you," Brian countered as his hands came to rest on either side of Justin's body and he braced himself, palms down, against the barn's exterior, effectively trapping his companion within his embrace.

"Justin, haven't we been playing games long enough here?"  Relatively sheltered now from prying ears or eyes, he told him, "You told me you weren't into one-time fucks, and I get that.  But I think I've been extremely patient with you, Justin.  Don't you think it's time to change things up a little?"

Justin frowned at Brian's choice of words.  "Change things up?"

Brian sighed; shit, this beautiful, enticing boy could be so infuriating at times.  "You know what I mean.  Do you realize this has been the longest period of time I've gone without sex before?"

Uh, oh.  Brian knew he had phrased that wrong as soon as he heard more than saw the reaction.

"Excuse me?" Justin replied as he bristled at the less-than-romantic words; his hands stilled on Brian's back as he growled, "Is that all this is, Brian?  Your solution to solving your sexual repression?  Is that all I am to you?  A means to an end?"  He placed his hands on Brian's chest and pushed back from him to break their embrace.  "Well, then, fuck you! Or should I say fuck yourself!"  He began to trounce away, only to have Brian snatch him by his upper arm and twirl him back around to face him.

"Oh, my God, Justin; don't be such a fucking drama princess!" Brian retorted; his level of patience and understanding quickly reaching the point of no return.  He hadn't exactly meant it the way it had sounded; he just wanted Justin so badly that he physically ached for him.  It wasn't that he didn't care for him, either.  Why was everything so difficult around this boy?  He had never been so challenged - and so frustrated in his life.

"Leave me alone!" Justin cried out as he wrenched himself free from Brian's grasp.  "I told you before!  I don't want just a one-night fuck with you!  Go find some other nameless trick to take care of your problem!" he yelled, not caring of who happened to hear him at the moment; fortunately for him, however, with the boisterous crowd noise and the further buffering from the building, no one noticed their altercation.

"Shit, Justin!" Brian yelled back as Justin stomped away.  He followed him a few steps and turned the corner, just in time to see Justin rushing away and being absorbed into the crowd; a few seconds later, he was completely hidden from his view.  He brushed his hand through his hair in disgust. How did such a promising evening suddenly go south all of a sudden?

Justin brushed the tears from his eyes as he rushed through the crowd, uncaring of where he was going.  All he knew was that he had to get out of there and as far away from Brian as possible.  Why had he thought he would be any different than any other guys who had been with Brian?  Than Jared, even?  Apparently his brother had been right; Brian didn't really care about him or his feelings.  He only cared about getting laid and his latest conquest.

He bit his lip to keep any more tears from falling as he entered the back doors of the barn, blinking to adjust to the bright light inside like a theater patron emerging into bright sunlight after watching a movie.  Crowds of people were swarming around the judging entries, especially those in the baked goods category, and Justin noticed Brian's aunt standing nearby, beaming as one of the judges awarded her yet another 1st prize ribbon for her cobbler.  Not in the mood to talk to anyone - especially either his parents or Brian's aunt and uncle - he rushed ahead, not looking in any direction and not really knowing where he was going.  He just wanted to get as far away from her as possible.

From her place nearby, Sarah accepted the well wishes of several townspeople as she suddenly noticed Justin hurrying by her; from the look on his face, it was obvious that something distressing had happened.  "I'm sorry," she quickly told those milling around her, "I have something I need to do.  Will you excuse me?" she asked as she hurried to catch up with her young neighbor.

Same Time - End of Midway

Brian tried to hurriedly weave his way through the crowd in his need to find Justin, but he was discovering it difficult to do.  As soon as he dodged one crowd standing in the middle of the walkway to catch up on old times, he found another one to impede his progress.  "Fuck!" he muttered in frustration as an older lady nearby glared at him over his expletive.  Rolling his eyes, he forged ahead a few more feet, just in time to slam into another boy of about the same height.

"Whoa!" Emmett exclaimed as he reached out to grasp Brian by the arms to steady him.  "Where's the rodeo, Tex?" he teased.  He let out a deep breath to steel himself; Jared had warned him about this boy's temper, but he forced himself to remain focused on his task:  to find a way to permanently sever this guy's relationship with his young friend.  For that, he would risk the other boy's wrath.

"Get out of my way!" Brian snapped as he reached to shove him aside; to his surprise, however, the other boy was stronger than he appeared as he refused to budge.  "Are you fucking deaf?" he snarled, his mind only on one thing at the moment. 

"Oh, I can hear just fine," Emmett assured him, not willing to let this boy bully HIM.  He didn't look that overpowering to him; of course, as with most bullies, they were more boast than brawn.  He appeared to frown as he eyed him intently.  "You're the Walkers' nephew, aren't you?"  Of course, he already knew that; Jared had pointed him out to him earlier when he had spotted Kinney and his brother together near the back entrance doors.  That's how he had known to come out here to find him.  That, and the fact that he had seen Justin rushing inside, clearly upset about something a few minutes ago.  Had this boy been pressuring him again to do something he didn't want to do?  That made him even MORE intent on making sure Justin saw exactly what sort of person this boy was, and convince him that he never wanted anything to do with him ever again.  He could do so much better than him. 

Brian eyes bored into his, dark and stormy, as Emmett stood his ground.  "Yeah, what if I AM?   Who the fuck are YOU?" 

"The name's Emmett Honeycutt; I'm Vic's nephew," he announced.  "I'm staying with him for a few weeks."

"I'm filled with utter joy," Brian quipped sarcastically.  "Now move aside." 

"What's your hurry?"

"None of your business," Brian growled.  What WAS it with these townspeople wanting to know everyone else's affairs?

"Oh, but Justin IS my business," Emmett said as the other boy brushed by him, causing Brian to stop dead in his tracks in the midst of all the hustle and bustle and turn around on a dime at the mention of his quarry's name.

Grabbing Emmett by the arm, he half-drug, half-pulled him over to the side where it wasn't as crowded as he demanded, "What does THAT mean?" 

Gotcha, Emmett silently crowed.  He had certainly had his share of exposure to bullies back in Alabama, and he always found that they were suddenly quite interested when you implied that you were about to snatch their favorite toy away from them. 

"Talk!" Brian commanded as his hands curled into fists as they grasped the cotton material of his shirt, wondering how in the hell he could possibly know that he was trying to find him.   "What does this have to do with him?"

"Justin's my friend," Emmett declared.  "And he's long gone from here," he advised, knowing that was a bald-faced lie; he had seen his friend just a little while ago, and knew there was no way Justin could leave without the rest of his family.  It was simply too far of a walk back home.  And he was counting on Jared's help in the next part of his plan. 

But, of course, Brian didn't know any of that as he eyed him unflinchingly.  This is for you, Baby, Emmett thought in determination as he took a deep breath and revealed, "I saw the two of you together earlier out here over at the skeeball machines, so I know you know each other.  But if you're trying to find him now, you're too late." 

"What does THAT mean?"

"I heard him hitching a ride back home with one of his neighbors," Emmett told Brian as his heart lurched in dismay.  "Left about five minutes ago.  So it won't do any good to go look for him." 

Brian walked a couple of steps and promptly plopped down on a weathered, wooden bench in defeat.  Shit.  What a mess!  He had fucked up big time once more by speaking before he started thinking.  He had never met a boy who both perplexed as well as enchanted him more, but all he seemed to do was keep screwing everything up.  He let out a heavy sigh.  "Fuck."

Emmett frowned; he hadn't quite expected that sort of reaction, but perhaps it was just as he thought - maybe Kinney was upset because his 'flavor of the month' had gotten away from him.  At that moment, though, the other boy didn't seem all that violent to him; in fact, he seemed rather miserable. 

Looking forward to his reward later of spending some quality time with Justin's brother, however, and figuring that Jared knew better than he regarding this other boy, he nonetheless plunged ahead with the next part of their plan.

"Well, now that you're here by yourself and I'M here by myself, what do you say we make the best of it?"