by Aiden Bates
"Emiliana knew that we could never be together. I had a vocation. And she threw an omega!" He pointed at Doug. "A creature made only to sin!"
"Who might be the child of your body. A fact that you must have known. It was you who encouraged Emiliana to have a child with her husband. And it was you who encouraged Emiliana to destroy her omega son."
"I told her that murder would be the lesser sin." He looked up at Doug. "Which was true. A thing like you should not have been born. And that man should not have countenanced keeping you under his roof. He shouldn't have interfered."
"Are you sure that you didn't encourage more? For example, in your homily from the Sunday before Emiliana's death, you spoke at length about how the line 'Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live' actually refers to omegas." Chris cleared his throat. "In the years since Emiliana's death, there have been two fatal cases of child abuse among your parishioners, and ten cases in which authorities intervened before the child was killed. Each of these children was an omega boy, recently tested, and at least one of these parents had come under the influence of your Order of Lot."
Murphy's face had gone pale. "I'm sorry. Is the priest on trial here, Mr. Maggio?"
Chris smiled, wolfishly. Doug was proud of that smile. "Not at the present time. However, there is a point to my questions. Father D'Cruze has a history of involvement with families in which a parent winds up acting out against an omega child. Emiliana acted out against her omega son. I think it's reasonable to conclude, based on the evidence presented, that the narrative presented by Douglas Morrison and by Larry Morrison is accurate. Emiliana's death was an accident. Larry Morrison should have handled it differently, and that is a criminal act. It is nowhere on the same scale as the crime for which he was initially convicted. The Commonwealth is willing to offer a reduced charge of abuse of a corpse, with a sentence reduced to time served."
"Mr. Morrison the Younger, is this an acceptable arrangement?" Murphy turned to look at the defense table.
Doug rose. "The defense is willing to accept that arrangement, your Honor."
"Mr. Morrison, senior, take the stand, please." Murphy watched as Larry approached the witness stand. "Before I make any agreements, I want to know something. I've seen the evidence. I've heard the arguments. Is this something that you want to accept? You'll have to admit to being a convicted criminal for the rest of your life."
"I did commit that act, your Honor." Larry bowed his head. "I had loved Emiliana at one point. I did, and I chose to ignore that history in favor of protecting my son's heart. I am guilty of that."
"Even knowing what you know about Emiliana's infidelity?"
"That doesn't change a thing about how I feel about my boy." Larry met Doug's eyes across the courtroom.
"Very well. The court accepts this agreement between the prosecution and the defense. Lawrence Morrison is hereby sentenced to time served." Murphy nodded to Larry. "You do realize that if you'd been honest from the beginning most of this could have been avoided."
"Of course, sir." Then he sighed. "But I'd do anything so that my boy didn't have to know all of this."
Murphy slumped a little bit in his chair. "You can speak, counselor."
Doug shook his head. "There's nothing to say. My dad has sacrificed more than enough for my sake." He held out his hands. "I just want to take him home."
It wasn't that easy. Larry couldn't be processed out of Shirley until the next day, because these things took time. Ray brought Doug home empty handed once again, but tomorrow they would be able to go and get his father and move on with their lives. The au pair suite, which had come with the house, was as ready as they could make it. There was nothing to do but wait, and be grateful.
And Doug was grateful. As soon as they got into the house, Doug threw his arms around Ray and pulled his face down for a deep, demanding kiss. "Okay," Ray said, coming up for air. "That was unexpected."
"Why so unexpected?" Doug tilted his head to the side. "We won. We won! My father is coming home, and I literally couldn't have done it without you." He kissed Ray again.
Ray gripped his hips, hard. A dark grin creased his face. "That puts you in the mood, hmm?"
"Ray, I'm always in the mood. Right now I just don't have any distractions." He let his alpha pull him in and draw them together, so that nothing got between them. "I want to go to the bedroom. Can we do that?"
Ray laughed out loud. "Absolutely." Ray led the way, holding Doug's hand.
Doug closed and locked the door behind them. He put his phone on the nightstand. "If Sean needs something he'll text," he said. "Right now, I don't want anyone to interrupt." Later, maybe, he'd process the less-than-stellar feelings he had bound up in everything that had just happened. He'd think about the missed opportunities, about all of the people who could have helped but chose not to. For now, Doug was choosing to focus on joy.
Focus had always been one of Doug's strong points.
They both removed their suits and hung them up. Then they got rid of their dress shirts and pants. Sometimes they wanted to undress one another slowly, like unwrapping a present, but right now they just wanted skin. Doug threw his clothes into the still-new laundry hamper and approached his alpha. He traced the lines of his mate's strong chest and chiseled abs. "Obviously, I'd rather that my father hadn't had to go through all of this," he said, meeting Ray's big green eyes. "But since he did, and since it's over, I can safely say that I've gotten two amazing things out of it."
"Oh yeah?" Ray ran his hands down Doug's back. Heat radiated out from every place his hands touched. "What are they?"
"Well, I'm having a baby. That's kind of incredible, now that I can take the time to sit back and appreciate it." He put a hand on his belly. "But I wouldn't have that baby if it weren't for you."
Ray backed Doug up toward the bed, and Doug let himself be toppled back onto the mattress. He loved it when Ray covered him with his body like this. He felt warm, and safe, and secure. "I did have something to do with putting it there." Ray chuckled and thrusted just a little, letting his hard cock glide against Doug's. "I don't think I've ever been so happy before." He kissed Doug again, pinning Doug to the mattress.
Doug moaned as his mate explored his body. Every time they did this still felt like a revelation. That would change, eventually, but that was okay. He looked forward to knowing Ray's body so well that he knew exactly how to get a rise out of him. They had a lifetime to do it, after all. They were a family now.
Ray took his time opening Doug up. Doug let him. Ray was the one in control right now, and Doug loved every minute of it. He propped his legs on his alpha's shoulders and let him do whatever he wanted. The feeling of his mate's probing, warm fingers inside of him, stretching him with gentle force, made him even harder than he'd been before. All that he could think about right now was pleasure.
When Ray slicked himself up and pressed into him, Doug let out a long, slow moan. This was bliss. This was heaven. His position allowed Ray to get good and deep, so deep that he was a part of Doug. Maybe Doug was part of him. It didn't matter. They were joined, and it was enough.
Ray moved when Doug was ready. Part of Doug wanted to stay still, just being split open by his alpha in that perfect moment, but he didn't ask for that. He didn't think that he could actually live with that, no matter how blissful the feeling when Ray bottomed out. He needed Ray to move, and if the cords in Ray's neck were anything to go by, Ray might well burst if he didn't get to thrust soon.
So Doug told him to move. Ray snapped his hips back and drove himself in again, and Doug grabbed the sheets in his fists and cried out in his bliss. Pleasure built inside of him with each thrust, like water behind a dam. When he thought that he couldn't take any more, he reached a hand down to give himself a little bit of friction, but Ray caught him and pinned his hands down. "Ah-ah!" he chided, face full of mischief.
Doug obeyed, cheeks aflame. Alpha was feeling dominant today. He nodded and relaxed, letting his alpha take complete control.
>
When Ray started to lose the rhythm, Ray snaked a hand between them and gave Doug a few strokes. They came within seconds of one another, panting and sweaty and messy. Only when the last of the aftershocks died down did Ray get up and pull out. He helped Doug to his feet and guided him into the shower in the master bath.
They made out lazily for a little while under the water, kissing and groping when they felt the need. It didn't lead anywhere; they were both spent and tired from the long day. It didn't have to lead anywhere. All they needed was to be together, some bit of skin in contact with the other's flesh at all times. Eventually they would get clean.
Then they returned to the bed to laze and doze. Doug had never been given to much lazing or dozing, but now that he was pregnant he was finding that naps when he could get them were a fine thing indeed. Doug curled up by his alpha's side and drifted off, Ray's scent playing in his brain.
Later, they woke up. They even roused themselves to put on clothes again and make dinner, where they shared the good news with Sean. Sean, of course, was delighted for them, and joined in the celebration.
Only later that night, as he was preparing to go to bed for real, did Doug give any thought to the things that he'd heard. Even then, it was only because Ray asked. "Was it hard, hearing everything today?"
Doug sighed. "A little. But you know what? Some of it was stuff that I knew, and just didn't think about. Some of it was… well, it was hurtful but irrelevant. It might have been different if I'd heard that stuff when I was younger, but now? I've got an alpha who adores me, and who I adore. My career is right where I want it. I've got a family. I could let myself get caught up in her, or I can enjoy the life I have." He rested his head on his alpha's chest. "With you."
Ray wrapped his arms around him. Tomorrow would begin the next chapter in their lives, the chapter after the case. Doug couldn't wait.
<<<<>>>>
Bonus Chapter: Sixteen
Ray sat in his little chair and held his son in his lap. At two years old, Dom was a squirmy little thing. He had decided that he emphatically did not like the plastic folding chairs provided by the rental company. Being on a lap was okay, although he'd wanted to switch between laps for a while before the grownups caught on. Now that Ray knew that he was just trying to find a way to run up to Doug, he firmly kept the little guy cuddled up on his own lap.
Dom didn't really mind. He was just trying to see how much he could get away with anyway, like any little kid.
The evening was beautiful. The sun was just now starting its descent on the horizon, and the temperature was warm but not stifling. People had dressed well, but not too formally, and the little bit of decor contributed to an atmosphere that almost felt ethereal.
Ray knew that the decorations hadn't cost much. Most of them had been donated. The Gay-Straight Alliance at one of the expensive private schools in town had put them up. A local theater company had put up the stage and the lights and catering companies that catered to three different faiths provided refreshments. The crowd was full, and everyone was smiling.
An older nun got up to the podium, drawing everyone's attention. Behind her were nine chairs. Two were draped in black. A chill ran down Ray's spine when he thought about those two chairs.
"Good evening," the nun said. The crowd fell silent immediately. Ray hadn't gone to Catholic school so he didn't get that whole instant obedience to nuns instinct, but most people here apparently had. "Thank you all for being here tonight. I'm Sister Ursula. I'm the director of Interfaith Projects for the Archdiocese. I'm very excited about this new facility that's being opened here, on the site of what used to be St. Anysia's Girl's School here in Needham." She paused and looked at the almost Gothic edifice behind her. "I graduated from St. Anysia's, a year or two ago." People chuckled. "I can't think of a better way to repurpose this building. Please allow me to introduce your hosts for the night, the founders of the Prism Center."
The crowd applauded as seven omegas walked out onto the stage. Doug was the oldest of them, and clearly the most comfortable in the public eye. Ray's heart surged with pride as his polished, handsome omega walked up to Sr. Ursula and shook her hand, a huge smile on his face.
"It Daddy!" Dom shrieked loud enough to be heard over the dying applause, and clapped his tiny hands in delight.
"Yes it is, sport." Doug waved a hand at Dom, who giggled. Then he turned to face the crowd. "Hi, everyone. Thanks for being here tonight. We're very excited to announce the opening of the Prism Center, which is a place for children who face violence or homelessness due to gender or sexual identity to find shelter and help."
The crowd sobered into silence. Doug allowed them to do so as his six co-hosts seated themselves, and then he continued. "My colleagues up here have asked me to speak, because I'm the most accustomed to public speaking. It's kind of a long story to tell, and I'm a lawyer in my other life, so if I start getting adversarial Andy has orders to throw a shoe at me. Wave for the people, Andy."
A twenty-year-old youth on the end of the line of chairs waved his hand.
"Awesome." Doug gripped the edge of the podium. "Round about five years ago, some of you may remember that the state police found evidence that a serial killer was hiding in your midst. That was true. About four years ago, they arrested my father for the crimes. That turned out to be not quite as true. Dad, wave for the people."
Larry rolled his eyes, but with a tolerant grin on his face. He waved, but didn't stand up.
Doug looked out over the crowd. "Some of you might remember what happened a year after that. During the investigation, we found out what had actually happened. We found out that my mother had come under the influence of a priest, now in prison and defrocked, who was part of an extreme anti-LGBT order calling themselves the Order of Lot. She'd tried to…"
Doug trailed off for a moment, going pale, and Ray winced. He should have had more faith in his omega, because Doug picked himself right back up. "She'd tried to murder me, with the full knowledge and encouragement of this priest.
"Now, it's been a while," he continued, once the crowd's shocked whispers had died down. "My friend Chris Maggio was the prosecuting attorney in the Lakeside Killer case, and he found out that my mother wasn't the only parent in the state to come under that kind of influence. It was Chris who put the pattern together. And it was Chris who got that man sent away for a satisfyingly long time.
"I filed a civil suit, because it seemed preposterous to me that the Order might be able to hang on to their assets after orchestrating murder and harm to so many children. Plus, you know, I'm a lawyer. It's kind of my first solution to every problem. I tried to sue my toaster yesterday." The crowd laughed a little, breaking up the tension of a very serious topic.
"Honestly, though. When we won that case, I sat down with the other survivors. We could have just split the money and gone our separate ways, and that would have been fine. But that didn't feel right. For one thing, Rick and Charlie, they can't take a share of the money." He gestured behind himself, at the black-draped chairs. "For another, we know that we're not alone. We didn't want to benefit while other people were going through the same thing.
"So we worked through the legalities of setting up a shelter. The assets from the Order of Lot went a long way toward helping. The Archdiocese of Boston has been incredibly helpful in so many ways, from giving us this building to putting us in touch with the interfaith alliance to yes, financial considerations. The Center is a secular organization, but we're happy to work with organizations that are open to helping children and keeping them safe.
"Through that alliance we've been able to offer more programs, and more beds, than I would have thought possible when we first started out. We have counseling services, day programs, residential programs, medical assistance — I am so proud of what we're able to offer. And it's all thanks to the good people who have stepped up.
"People have stepped up with donations. They've stepped up with materials. They've stepped up with time. They'
ve stepped up with services. We've had so many people from the community step up and volunteer as mentors, and I can't tell you how much that's worth to a young omega.
"My colleagues and I feel — we hope — that this is a better option than just splitting up the Order's horde and calling it a day. No matter what happens tomorrow, we'll have left a legacy of hope for others like us." He turned around and gestured, and the other omegas joined him at the front of the stage. "We hope that we can take something bad and turn it into something good. Thank you for standing with us."
The crowd applauded, and then the hosts vacated the stage as stage hands turned the stage for a cover band to start playing music for people to dance to.
Doug smiled and nodded, and shook hands, all the way over to the knot where his family was standing. Ray couldn't miss the constant flash of cameras, all aimed at his beautiful omega, but it didn't bother him. Doug was going home with him, and would be for life.
Doug appeared in front of him and shared a hug with his mate and son. "Was that too pretentious?" he asked, as Dominic plastered himself to Doug's side.