Copyright © 2021-2026 DouglasDD. All Rights Reserved.
Greetings Readers and welcome back. The cruise is coming to an end as the boys (and adults and a girl) enjoy their last day on the “Saphire Princess”.
Help the characters keep traveling by donating to the Fort Family site.
This chapter was written by Larry. He’s gained quite an affinity for the characters. I thank him for the help and for the great job.
CHAPTER 50
CRUISE DAY 7 - VICTORIA
FRIDAY, AUGUST 14
Today isa the final day of the Alaska cruise and the Bledsoe and Randall families have made special plans for it. The ship is docked at Victoria, British Columbia. There is no need for an early breakfast because the excursion into Victoria won't be happening until 7:00pm so the two families have planned to meet at the elevators at 11:00am, go to the breakfast buffet, and then spend the afternoon relaxing before taking the excursion into Victoria. Naturally the four teenage members of the two families plan to take advantage of the situation by sleeping in.
<9:00am>
<Blake and Bryce’s Cabin>
The twins had first awakened at about 7:30. They both took a piss then decided it was way too early for a pair of thirteen-year-old boys to be out of bed. It was 9:30 when they woke up again.
They stayed in bed chatting about how they were going to get Pierce and Drake together on the stairway for another kissing session. They knew they might not have time to do it on Saturday morning so today had to be a major event hopefully including some serious groping. Bryce rolled over and gave his brother a quick kiss.
"So have you made any more teenage resolutions?" he asked.
"The only resolution I've made today is to meet Drake on the stairs this morning, stuff my hand into his pants, and cop another feel like I got yesterday."
"Sounds like a plan," Bryce said. "You do Drake and I'll do Pierce and we'll both be happy."
"I'm serious, dude," Blake said. "The day's gonna come when I'm gonna fuckin' suck Drake's cock. You can call me gay if you want but I guarantee you it's gonna happen some time some place."
"No way I'm gonna call you gay, bro," Bryce said firmly. "Just do what you want and do what makes you feel good and forget about the gay shit."
As they talked, Blake felt a buildup of intestinal gas pressure. Being the wicked-minded teen that he was, he broke wind in a very noisy, decisive manner.
Bryce threw off the covers, jumped out of bed, and ran around the room holding his nose. "Oh, my God," he ranted. "You are so dis-fucking-gusting!"
Blake couldn't stop laughing. "Yer such a wimp," he giggled. "I do one little fart and you gotta make a federal case out of it."
"One little fart??" Bryce retorted. "That wasn't one little fart - that was one big odorous explosion!"
"Whatever," Blake said. "Let's hit the shower and get cleaned up."
"You're the one that needs cleaning up."
Blake offered Bryce his middle finger. "If we want to meet the big teen studs for breakfast, we gotta get showered and dressed.”
Blake hopped out of bed and the two teens crowded into the little shower, washing themselves and each other while rubbing their morning boners together. “I’ll tell you one other resolution,” Bryce said as Blake shut off the shower.
“Go for it.”
“That I see a naked girl before I’m fourteen.”
“Yeah, you mentioned that earlier this week," Blake said. “Hell, I'm still betting we can get Linda to show us her naked bod before the cruise is over.” The boys dried themselves and headed back into the main cabin.
“And, yeah, I'm still keeping us doing IT on my list, too," Bryce said.
They dressed quickly and Blake called Pierce. They agreed to meet at the elevator by 11:00 and head up to the buffet with the parents for a filling breakfast.
<Pierce and Drake's Cabin>
Pierce and Drake were out of bed and into the shower at 9:45am. Walker and Christian had showered earlier and left their cabin for what had become their usual morning stroll around the deck.
"I'm interested in this country music dance event this afternoon," Drake said as the boys stepped out of the shower and dried their hair. "There's a couple dudes at the deli where I work that love country music and lotsa times they have it playing in the kitchen. A lot of the songs have pretty much the same beat as rock and roll." Drake ran a towel over Pierce's back.
"Interesting," Pierce replied as he took the towel and dried Drake's back. "I'm looking forward to seeing Lance and Royce again. Those two are hot as fuck and they're awesome dancers, too."
"So do you think the gingers are going to want to take the stairs instead of the elevator again this morning in order to get some lip lock action?" Drake asked. He gently fondled Pierce's cock.
"I think you can count on it," Pierce replied.
"Blake did a pretty good feel-up job on me yesterday when we went in the bathroom next to the swimming pool. It was skin-to-skin big time and then he pulled down his Speedos and came all over our bellies."
"I figured that's what happened," Pierce said with a grin. "Sounds like you gave him a thrill."
"Well, he had big smile on his face."
"Yeah - you did too when you came out of there," Pierce chuckled as he fingered Drake's constantly thickening growth of pubes. "If he ran his hand around this bush of yours, he probably wondered what kind of beast it belonged to."
Drake fingered Pierce's pubes. "Dude, you got no room to talk."
"I still think I need to give you a trim."
"Tell you what," Drake said. "When we get home, I'll lay down on the bed and you can give me that trim you keep talking about."
Pierce kissed Drake gently on the lips. "You mean you'll LIE down on the bed."
Drake returned Pierce's kiss and hugged him. "Okay, smart ass - so you got straight A's in English. I'm just saying that I plan to return the favor when Blake and I get to the eleventh floor."
"How do you mean?"
"I mean that I plan to stuff my hand into that kid's pants and get some skin-to-skin myself."
"What do you think you'll find in there?" Pierce asked seductively as he ran his hand over Drake's body and fondled his dangling cock.
"I don't know but I plan to do some feeling around and maybe get a handful of his sweet young cum," Drake laughed. "He didn't hesitate to pull down his Speedos yesterday and he was already hard as a rock. Kid's got a nice dick on him, too. Shit, Pooka, that redhead is so horny he could honk."
"Tell ya what, Duck," Pierce said with a leer. "Let's make it a double. You stuff your hand into Blake's pants and I'll stuff mine into Bryce's at the same time and maybe we can both get a handful."
"Pooka, I like the way you think."
Drake tore one sheet of paper towel off the roll and stuffed it into his back pocket. "Just in case the dude gets so excited he makes a mess, I'm planning to be ready to offer him a towel to wipe it up."
"You're not planning to wipe your own hand with it, are you?"
"Come on, dude, give me an ounce of credit. My tongue will take care of wiping my hand - no way his jism is going to waste. It'll be sort of a breakfast appetizer."
Pierce burst out laughing. "Damn, Duck, you are prepared if nothing else."
Just then Pierce's phone chimed. It was Blake calling.
"Hey, dude," Pierce greeted. "Are you and Bryce up and at 'em?"
"We sure are," Blake replied. "Are you guys going to the buffet for breakfast?"
"We're ready - meet you at the elevator?"
"Works for us. See you there."
----------
When the Randall family arrived at the midship elevator foyer they found Pierce and Drake along with Christian and Walker.
"Good morning, Randall family," Walker said as he pressed the "UP" button for the elevator. "We're getting to be old pros when it comes to having breakfast at the buffet."
"Good morning to you as well," Helen said. "The food is always delicious and such a great variety."
"I love their omelet station,” Margaret said, referring to the station where a person can order a fresh omelet made with their choice of fillers. “That will be my first stop after we find a table. Bacon and tomato sounds good.”
"Don't forget they stop serving breakfast at 11:30 so we need to keep moving," Jeff said.
"Betcha Bryce and I can take the stairs and beat you guys up to 14," Blake said to his parents with a gleam in his eye.
“And we can follow them,” Drake said. “See you up on 14.”
The four boys started up the stairs before the adults were on the elevator. When they reached the Deck 11 foyer, Blake and Bryce stopped.
"Time for some quick good morning kisses," Blake grinned.
"I kinda figured that's what you dudes had in mind," Drake said.
Drake wrapped his arms around Blake's body, pressed him against the wall, and planted a passionate kiss on his lips. At the same time, he pushed his hand past Blake's waistband and let his fingers explore. Blake was already hard as a rock.
Pierce did the same with Bryce - pressing him against the wall and to the right of his twin. Bryce immediately began French kissing Pierce and their tongues battled.
Drake ran his fingers over Blake's just-starting-to-develop growth of pubes and felt the head of Blake's cut 4 1/2 incher. He looked at Pierce. "Shit, Pooka, I think I got close to 5 inches in here." Drake knew he was being generous in his estimate of Blake's size but, he wanted the barely-thirteen-year-old to feel good.
"Same here, Duck. This one's already hard as a rock. Really drippin' precum, too."
Bryce felt his orgasm building fast. "Oh, shit," he murmured. "I'm gonna shoot." Bryce's left hand felt around and located his brother's right hand. The twins grabbed each other's hands and somehow an energy flowed between them.
"Precum starting here, too," Drake said. He felt Blake's cock stiffen. "I can't believe how hard this kid is."
"Holy fuck," Blake gasped. "I'm gonna cum!" He grabbed Bryce's hand tighter and was somehow able to feel his twin's orgasm simultaneous with his own. Both Drake and Pierce felt the warmth of the twins' ejaculate coat their hands.
All four boys breathed deeply. Drake and Pierce relaxed their pressure against the twins' bodies and withdrew their hands from the boys' pants. Drake and Pierce slowly licked their hands.
"Sweet as honey," Drake said with a grin.
"Same here," Pierce said.
"Well, they are twins after all," Drake said.
"Can I have some?" Blake asked.
"Sure," Drake said.
"No, I mean of my brother's," Blake said to Pierce.
Pierce held out his hand. "Slurp away," he laughed.
Just then they heard the elevator ding and it stopped at Deck 11.
"Shit, somebody's coming," Drake whispered. "We gotta get outta here."
The four boys raced up the remaining stairs to Deck 14. Walker, Christian, and the Randalls had just stepped off the elevator. They never did find out who got off the elevator at Deck 11.
“You guys were a little slow today," Walker said with a smile. "Normally you beat us up here with time to spare." Both Walker and Christian knew exactly why the boys wanted to take the stairs.
“I stumbled and fell on the way up here," Blake lied, "and it took me a few seconds to get up and climb the rest of the stairs."
"Did you hurt yourself?" Helen quickly asked with typical mother's concern.
"No problem, mom," Blake said assuredly. "I'm fine." He glanced at the other boys and the looks in their eyes said, 'Thanks, Blake - you saved our asses that time.'
<11:00am>
As they walked to the breakfast buffet area, Christian took Walker aside briefly.
"I could swear I smelled cum on those boys," he whispered.
Walker smiled. "I think your nose is very accurately attuned," he chuckled. "They do have a reason for taking the stairs, you know, and I think we now know why they were a little late getting to the top of the stairs today." Christian smiled and nodded and the two men bumped fists.
Before walking into the buffet, the group stopped at the two wash sinks to wash their hands. Walker and Christian smiled at each other as they noticed all four boys take the opportunity to succinctly and thoroughly wash the cum off their hands. The attendant, whose name badge read 'Katrinka', greeted them pleasantly. Pierce checked the buffet entrance - he was hoping to see Bayani one more time before the cruise ended.
"Good morning, Katrinka," Pierce said. "Is Bayani hosting in the buffet today?"
"Yes, he is," Katrinka replied. "He'll be glad to seat you."
Jeff led the group into the buffet and said he had a party of ten. Bayani greeted them pleasantly and led them to a pair of tables that had been pushed together. The group was an old hand at the breakfast buffet but they still enjoyed exploring the food options which varied from day to day. Today the Belgian waffles and scrambled eggs with sausage looked especially appetizing. And as always there was a large selection of juices and fresh fruits. Drake was a biscuits and gravy lover and he filled his plate with a generous serving topped with plenty of fresh ground black pepper.
"I know tomorrow is our day to leave the ship," Pierce said. "What will our procedure be tomorrow morning? Is it sort of like boarding the ship, except in reverse?"
William smiled. "Well, sort of. But there are important differences. Last night a packet should have been left in your cabin containing luggage tags and a list of all the disembarkation times. Your luggage tags have a number and color code - just match the number and color code with the information on the list and you'll know when your disembarkation time is."
"Sounds simple enough," Blake said.
"Drake and I have our packets," Pierce said.
"Blake and I do, too."
"One of the first things you need to do is have your luggage packed with everything except the clothes you'll be wearing for the rest of today and tomorrow morning and your toilet articles and personal possessions - you can pack that stuff in a backpack or carryon. Tag your luggage and put it outside your cabin door sometime this afternoon or evening. Don't forget to tag your luggage - if you forget, you may never see your luggage again."
"Don't worry, Grandpa, we won't forget," Blake said in a give-us-a-break-we-aren't-little-kids-anymore tone of voice.
"I know," William chuckled. "I'm just sayin'".
William then went on to describe the disembarkation procedure and then, after they were off the ship, the baggage claim procedure and the customs clearance procedure.
"When you're down on Deck 7, you'll tap your medallion as you leave the ship and start down the gangway," William stressed. "That's the only way the system knows you're off the ship. Everybody has to be off the ship before new passengers can start boarding so it's important."
"We keep our medallions, right?" Blake asked.
"Yes, absolutely," William said. "There will be a lot of people, probably close to three thousand, leaving the ship. There'll be ship's personnel available to help - and the port has customer service personnel working in the terminal. It may seem complicated, but we'll make it through ok."
"I have to say what a pleasure it's been to meet Walker, Christian, Pierce, and Drake," Jeff said. "We've had some great times together - the train ride stands out in my mind. Blake and Bryce have had nothing but good things to say about Pierce and Drake. I think it's safe to say they have become lifelong friends."
"It was awesome to have P&D with us for our birthday party," Bryce said. "That was a blast."
"And with us for the lumberjack show in Ketchikan," Blake added.
"I hope we can stay in touch and meet up again sometime, somewhere," Helen said.
"I'm sure it will happen," Walker said.
Drake was seated next to Margaret and he knew she got a kick out of his riddles. "I heard a new riddle today," he said with a grin.
"Okay, I'm ready," Margaret said with a smile.
"What do you call a typo on a headstone?"
"I give up."
"A grave mistake."
Margaret and all the others groaned.
"I got another one," Drake said with a grin. "What rock group has four guys that never sing?"
"Ok, now I've heard this one," Margaret said, "so somebody else needs to take a guess."
After about fifteen seconds, Helen said, "We give."
"Mount Rushmore."
It took a few seconds for the group to respond. The twins were the first to react with hearty giggles then everybody else joined in the laughter.
Drake couldn't resist offering another. "I own a manatee named Hugh. We built him a house and call it a Habitat For Hugh Manatee."
Walker and Christian roared with laughter. "That's new one on me," Walker said.
Drake was really on a roll. "Here's another one," he said. "Do songbirds get mad at hummingbirds because they don't know the words?"
"Ok," Pierce said in a well-I-think-we've-heard-enough-of-Drake's-jokes-for-one-day tone of voice. "I'd say that's enough of the Duck's humor."
"I'm still laughing at the Mount Rushmore one," Helen said. "That one's clever."
The families finished their breakfasts and thanked Bayani for delicious food.
"I want to stop at the Photo Shop on Deck 7 and check to be sure the discs of the pictures Sherm took of us and the Colsons on Sunday are ready," Walker said. "I need to text Don Colson and let him know he can pick up the copies for his family."
"I'll go with you," William said. "I always love browsing through that shop."
"What are you guys gonna do now?" Blake asked Drake.
"Pierce and I are going to go up to the Teen Center and play games until the country music dance party at 3:00."
"Ok," Bryce said. "We're gonna go back to our cabin and change into our shorts. We'll see you at the Teen Center."
"No wonder they need to change into their shorts," Drake chuckled as he grabbed Pierce's hand and they headed for the Teen Center. "Their pants are full of dried cum."
"I don't know about you but I got a handful-and-a-half outta Bryce," Pierce whispered.
"And I got a nice load out of his brother."
"Oh well - that's what puberty will do to you."
<1:00pm>
When they walked into the Teen Center, Pierce and Drake were immediately greeted by their friends Gary and Dennis.
"Hey, dudes, what's up?" Gary greeted as he gave both Pierce and Drake a solid hug. Dennis hugged them both, too, although his hug to Pierce included a rather prolonged good morning kiss.
"We just finished a great meal at the breakfast buffet," Drake replied. "How about you guys?"
"Dad ordered breakfast to the cabin this morning," Dennis said. "It was really very good."
"I tried their biscuits and gravy," Gary said. "Some of the best I've ever tasted. The biscuits had to have been fresh baked."
Drake's eyes lit up when he realized he'd met another B&G lover. "I had their B&G this morning, too. I totally love it. I'm a monstrous B&G fan. My mom used to work in a deli and she's got a recipe for B&G that's killer."
"That's one place where Drake and I differ," Pierce said. "I'm not a B&G fan. I'm not saying I totally, utterly detest it but it's not on my favorites list."
"Same here," Dennis said. "If there's other stuff on the menu, and there usually is, I'll pass on the B&G."
"Where are your ginger friends?" Gary asked.
"They should be here any minute," Drake replied.
As if on cue, Blake and Bryce walked into the Teen Center. They greeted Gary and Dennis and suggested they play a game of golf on the Golden Tee machine.
About halfway through the game, Bryce realized he'd left his phone in the cabin.
"Crap," Bryce said. "I forgot my phone. I gotta run down to the cabin and get it."
"Ok, hurry up," Blake said. "We'll hold your turn for you."
Bryce left the Teen Center. To avoid waiting for an elevator, he raced down the steps to Deck 10 and approached his cabin. He was just getting ready to tap his medallion to open the door when Linda Haladay came out of her cabin.
"Hey, you, whatcha doing?" she asked.
"I was up at the Teen Center with Blake and realized I'd left my phone in the cabin," Bryce explained. "I came down here to get it."
"Let's go inside and have some quick fun," Linda said invitingly.
Bryce was left with a moment of decision. "Well, ok, just for a minute." He had a feeling that what he had just said was against his better judgement.
Inside Bryce's cabin, it didn't take Linda long to prove that she was no amateur when it came to dealing with boys. For a 12-year-old, Linda was well on her way to becoming a young woman. Less than thirty seconds later, her t-shirt, shorts, and panties were on the floor and she was busily disrobing Bryce who found himself getting incredibly turned on in the presence of the girl. A few seconds later, they were stark naked in front of each other.
"Ooooh, this feels good," Linda purred as she fondled the precum oozing from Bryce's rapidly hardening cock. "It's starting to get all sticky."
Bryce's young male instincts were rapidly taking over. His hands were all over Linda's boobs and body. He quickly realized she was giving him an expert hand job.
Linda planted a passionate kiss on Bryce's lips. "You're so fucking hot," she whispered. "I want you to cum."
All of a sudden, Bryce realized Linda was stroking him in rhythm with his own instinctive thrusting. He had never been so turned on in his life and he saw stars as he came into her hand. Bryce felt Linda's body shake as she orgasmed. She raked her fingers through Bryce's red hair and kissed him again.
"Holy shit, dude, you're beautiful," Linda gasped.
"Oh, my God," Bryce said. "That felt awesome." He didn't want to admit to Linda that it had been the first time he had cum in the presence of a girl.
"Give me another kiss," Linda said.
Bryce was still trying to catch his breath. "I can't. I gotta… I gotta get back… get back up to the Teen Center," he stammered as he gathered up his clothes, got dressed and grabbed his phone off the counter.
"Chill out, dude," Linda said as she got dressed. "Forget the Teen Center."
"We gotta get out of here," Bryce said. He opened the cabin door and rather brusquely ushered Linda out. "I'll see ya. Thanks." He wasn't really sure why he said thanks - he figured it was his always-thank-people upbringing that did it.
Bryce headed back up to the Teen Center harboring a couple of feelings. He wasn't at all concerned about telling his brother or Pierce or Drake what had happened - he was actually looking forward to it. What concerned him more was the fact that he had to admit to himself that he had actually liked being with a girl and having her bring him to orgasm. He was still doing a lot of wondering when he walked back into the Teen Center.
"Damn, dude, where ya been?" Blake exclaimed. "Dennis has been playing your turn and it's your turn now."
"Long story," Bryce said. "I'll tell ya in a minute."
After the game was over, the six boys sat together at one of the tables.
"Ok, bro," Blake said. "Come on. Spill it. What happened?"
"I was just getting ready to go in the cabin when Linda came around the corner."
Gary, Dennis, Pierce, Drake, and Blake all got evil grins on their faces. "Oh, my God," Blake laughed as he punched Bryce on the shoulder. "I'm ahead of you already. But go ahead - give us the details." All six boys lowered their voices in anticipation of Bryce's tell-all.
Bryce knew his audience was waiting breathlessly to hear his story and he wanted to be sure to tell it using his best one-guy-to-other-guys style of language.
"We went in the cabin and she was naked in about fifteen seconds," Bryce began.
"Does she have boobs?" Drake asked.
"Well, let's just say she wasn't at the back of the line when they handed out the knockers."
Blake burst out laughing. "Then what?"
"She had me undressed in less time than it takes to tell about it. This chick is a wildcat."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah?" Blake said. The other four boys were chuckling mightily. "Go on."
"We had our hands all over each other and she Frenched me and I Frenched her and then she gave me one of the best hand jobs I've ever had."
"Are you for real?" Drake asked.
"I'm totally for real."
"Then what?" Blake asked.
"I told her I had to get back up to the Teen Center so we split."
"What'd you do that for?" Gary laughed. "You shoulda stayed - we would've understood."
"Like hell you would have," Bryce laughed. "You'd have been down there looking for me."
"Well, that might have been interesting, too," Dennis laughed. "They do call these ships Love Boats."
"It sounds to me like you achieved one of your teenage resolutions," Blake said with a wink.
"Yeah, I kinda think I did," Bryce admitted. "So do ya want to play another game of golf?"
"You're on!" the other boys said in unison.
<2:30pm>
<Lance and Royce's Cabin>
Lance and Royce, the two young men from Portland that Pierce and Drake had met at Wednesday's Fabulous Fifties dance party, had just returned to their cabin from the casino where they had spent an hour trying their luck. It had been a mixture of good and bad and they had basically broken even. They were ready to change into their country and western attire and head to the Piazza for the Classic Country dance party where they hoped to see Pierce and Drake again. Their work as landscapers had given both of them very solid, muscular bodies.
"I hope Pierce and Drake decided to take in the country music event," Royce said as he and Lance stripped naked. "They are so damn cute. I'd like to yank Drake's doodle - he looks so dandy."
"And they are damn good dancers, too," Lance chuckled. "I think they'll be there."
"And yes, I remember what you told me Wednesday," Royce said somewhat wearily. "I know they're just kids but it sure would be nice if they were about five years older."
"We gonna wear our John Deere green t-shirts?" Lance asked as he ran his hand over his husband's furry chest.
"Works for me," Royce said. "Hats, John Deere t-shirts, Levis, cowboy boots with taps, and we'll be all set."
"We gotta get our luggage packed and tagged and put out in the hall sometime this afternoon," Lance said. "Let's wait until we get back from the country dance event so we can pack our hats and boots and other cowboy stuff in our luggage and wear sneakers the rest of the day and tomorrow."
"You are the usual master planner."
Five minutes later, they were dressed and ready to head to the Piazza. "This is gonna be a good time," Lance said. He kissed his husband and the two of them left the cabin.
<2:45 pm>
Pierce and Drake left the Teen Center and headed to the Piazza Atrium to await the start of the Classic Country music dance party. Lance and Royce had already arrived and taken a table and when Lance saw Pierce and Drake arriving, he and Royce stood up and walked over to meet them. The four young men exchanged hugs and kisses.
"Hey Pierce - hey Drake," Lance said. "Awesome to see you again. We were hoping you'd be here. Are you ready to do some dancing?"
"We're totally ready," Pierce said. "You guys are looking hot. Those are kick ass t-shirts."
"Yes, and those jeans look like a perfect fit," Drake said as he winked at Royce.
"We knew there was going to be a country music event on this cruise, so we brought our country duds," Royce explained with a grin as the four of them sat down. "You guys are looking fine, too."
As the four walked back to the table, it was obvious from the sound that Lance and Royce were wearing their tap boots.
"You told us at the fifties party that you'd be wearing your tap boots for this event," Drake said. "I can tell you are."
"We won't be the only ones wearing them," Lance said. "I'm sure there will be several songs in the program where we do line dancing and having the tap sounds during those dances just adds to the fun. You'll see what I mean later."
There was country music playing in the background and a large, mixed-age, crowd was gathering. The ship's staff had arranged tables and lots of chairs around three sides of the dance area.
"This is going to be so much fun," Pierce enthused.
At 3:00pm, the Cruise Director welcomed the audience to the "Classic Country" dance party and encouraged everyone to dance and have a great time. He introduced the DJ as Jimmy Dee and turned the event over to him.
Jimmy Dee was tall and lanky with long blond hair, a winning smile, and a classic aw-shucks Texas drawl. He was wearing a beautiful white cowboy hat, a plaid shirt with pearl buttons, snug fitting Wrangler jeans, and silver-trimmed white cowboy boots.
"Holy shit, he's hot," Drake whispered to Lance.
Lance nodded. "No kidding. I wouldn't turn him away."
Jimmy greeted the audience enthusiastically and led off his program with a rousing dance version of John Denver's "Thank God I'm A Country Boy" which instantly filled the dance floor. Pierce and Drake were amazed at how fast the dance floor filled up. There was no hesitation - literally everyone in the audience was up and dancing immediately. They sat at the table for about a minute but ultimately couldn't resist the rhythm of the song and joined the other dancers. After his opening song, Jimmy segued into the club mix of Alan Jackson's "Chattahoochee" which had the kind of rock and roll beat that Pierce and Drake loved.
It didn't take the boys long to realize that the rhythms in many of the country songs were almost the same as the beats they enjoyed in old time rock and roll and they found themselves on the dance floor loving every minute of it. They also discovered that many of the country songs had choreographed dance moves and patterns that were imitative of the video that had accompanied the song.
The first line dance song Jimmy played was Billy Ray Cyrus' "Achy Breaky Heart". Pierce and Drake sat at the table and watched with amazement as literally everyone at the event assembled into the proper line dance formations and did every dance move perfectly. It was obvious they had done it many times before. As Lance had said, many of the dancers were wearing taps and the sounds mixed smoothly with the music.
Tim McGraw's "I Like It, I Love It, I Want Some More Of It" and Brooks and Dunn's "Boot Scootin' Boogie" packed the dance floor as did several other songs.
William and Margaret had been strolling around the ship and heard the country music playing - they walked over to the Piazza to check it out. Pierce and Drake saw them coming and waved to them.
Jimmy Dee's first country ballad of the afternoon was Charlie Rich's "Behind Closed Doors" and William and Margaret couldn't resist joining the dancers. For his next song, Jimmy played Willie Nelson's version of the jazz classic "All Of Me". Pierce had never heard Nelson's version of the song but the easy swinging rhythm was irresistible to him and he went to Margaret and offered her his hands. The older lady and the young teen put on a show of fox trot dancing that had everyone watching.
Alan Jackson's "Little Bitty" and Big & Rich's "Save A Horse Ride A Cowboy" had the dance floor packed again, the latter with a line dance routine. Both Pierce and Drake had heard Garth Brooks' "Friends In Low Places" before and when Jimmy played it, they couldn't help laughing and singing and dancing to the song with everyone else.
One of the well-known country music ballads is Anne Murray's "Could I Have This Dance". The song is a waltz, has typically sentimental country lyrics, and was featured in the film "Urban Cowboy." Pierce and Drake and Lance and Royce were excellent waltzers and during the song they changed off with each other for a while with Pierce dancing with Royce and Drake dancing with Lance. When they returned to their table after dancing to the song, Pierce had tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Damn, Pierce, what's wrong?" Lance asked with a tone of concern.
Pierce smiled and wiped his eyes. "Nothing. I'm OK. I let myself get too emotionally affected by songs that have lyrics like that, especially when Drake and I are dancing close. I loved the line 'Would you be my partner every night' and then when she sang 'When we're together it feels so right' I lost it because it's so true. I love Drake so much I couldn't help it."
Drake put his arm around Pierce's shoulder and hugged him. "Pierce is a hopeless romantic," he explained. "We'd never heard that song before. They're great lyrics - and we love to waltz."
Pierce slyly groped his boyfriend. "And just so you know," he said to Lance and Royce with a wink, "it DOES feel so right."
"That was Anne Murray," Royce said. "'Could I Have This Dance' was one of her biggest country hits - and it was a pop hit, too. If you've ever seen 'Urban Cowboy' you heard it. And I'd say you two were doing the best waltz of anyone on the floor."
Jimmy Dee closed his program with Joe Diffie's "Prop Me Up Beside The Jukebox If I Die" and accepted a rousing round of applause from the audience at the end of the song. He had noticed Pierce and Drake dancing with each other and with Lance and Royce and came down from his platform to chat with them.
"Who was the lady you danced to "All Of Me" with?" he asked Pierce. "I have never seen anyone fox trot to that song as beautifully as you two did."
"Well, it's kind of a long story," Pierce said. He went on to describe how both he and Drake loved swing dancing, how the Bledsoe family had met the Randall family, and how both he and Drake had come to love dancing with Margaret. "The song we danced to here had that easy swing that Margaret and I love," he told Jimmy.
"You sure did it beautifully."
"I'm far from giving up on doing rock and roll oldies and swing songs," Pierce said, "but after listening to your program I gotta admit there's some good country music out there."
<7:00pm>
By 6:30pm both families had enjoyed pizza at Alfredo's and got their luggage packed, tagged, and placed outside their cabin doors. It turned out that the only people who took the excursion to Victoria were Walker, Christian, Pierce, and Drake. William, Margaret, Jeff, and Helen decided to remain on the ship and watch a movie being shown on the big screen in the atrium. Blake and Bryce had met some new friends in the Teen Center and they decided to spend the evening with them playing games and just generally having fun.
The Bledsoe family tapped their medallions and headed down the gangway to the Victoria dock.
"Have you ever been to Victoria before, Dad?" Pierce asked.
"Yes, although not as part of a cruise," Walker replied. "I was here about two years ago working with the city regarding software for their transportation system. I flew up here on that occasion."
On the dock, they climbed onto a shuttle bus marked DOWNTOWN and arrived in the downtown area about 10 minutes later.
As they stepped off the shuttle bus, Drake couldn't help noticing the huge number of bicycles present. "Damn, this is a town of bikers," he remarked. "I'm seeing some high end bike brands, too."
"Victoria is very focused toward biking," Walker said. "They have miles and miles of bike lanes and I think every bus has a bike rack on the front that will hold two bikes."
As they strolled down the street, the boys saw two young men approaching. They were holding hands and smiled at Pierce and Drake as they passed.
Pierce grinned and kissed his boyfriend. "Well, I'm now fully convinced that we're not the only pair of boyfriends in town," he remarked as he grabbed Drake's hand and squeezed it.
"I'd like to stop in here," Walker said as they approached a small confectionery shop marked “Sophia's Own”.
"And I'd like to go into this gift shop right next door," Pierce said. The shop was called “Canterbury Gifts”.
"Sounds good to me," Walker said.
Walker and Christian went into the confectionery. There was a large number of specialty and imported coffees and teas available, assorted preserves, and a candy counter loaded with what were obviously homemade candies. The shop was filled with the fragrances of the various teas. A nice-looking blond in his early thirties greeted the two men and introduced himself as John. His wristband sporting the colors of the rainbow flag was somewhat of a giveaway.
Walker selected several coffees and teas for purchase then checked out the candy counter. The soft version of the Chocolate Nut Toffee particularly interested him and he bought a piece.
"This has got to be some of the best toffee I've ever tasted," he told John.
"Thank you, sir," John replied. "It's my mother Sophia's invention. We've sold it for years and it's been one of our biggest hits. We have both a chewy and a hard version."
"I've tried making toffee at home and it actually takes a lot of work and attention and stirring to keep it from burning."
"Yes, it does. We make it in fifteen pound batches. We do have specially made pans and temperature-controlled equipment that helps us make it consistently but, as you found out when you made it, the critical thing is to keep an eye on the candy thermometer."
"I'd like two pounds of the chewy version and a pound of the hard version," Walker said. "And also a pound of your peanut brittle. My son loves peanut brittle."
John packaged Walker's purchase. "Thank you, gentlemen," he said. "Make it a great weekend."
"You're welcome - we will," Walker replied.
Meanwhile, in the Canterbury Gift Shop, Drake and Pierce were browsing what was available. They had already decided to buy a pair of "See Victoria BC" wristbands as a souvenir of their trip.
Drake was looking through various pieces in the jewelry area of the gift shop when he spotted a puka shell necklace in a display on the counter.
"Hey, Pooka," he called to Pierce. "Come here and check this out."
Pierce joined his boyfriend and Drake showed him the necklace. "A puka shell necklace for my Pooka. I'd like to get this for you. Do you like it?" Drake asked.
"I love it," Pierce said. "It's beautiful."
Drake took the necklace off the display and tried it around Pierce's neck. The fit was perfect - not too tight and not too loose.
"It looks perfect on you," Drake said approvingly. "Consider it yours."
"I love you," Pierce whispered as he gave Drake a quick kiss. He realized that this was the first time Drake had ever bought him something that had a very personal and symbolic meaning to it and he would always remember the moment. They paid for their purchases and headed outside to join Walker and Christian.
The Bledsoe family spent another half hour or so walking through the downtown area then used the shuttle bus to return to the dock. They were back on the ship by 9:30pm.
<10:00pm>
<The Bledsoe Cabin>
After spending half an hour watching SportsCenter, Walker yawned and stood up. "Time for me to call it a night."
Pierce stood up and hugged his dad. "Good night, dad."
Walker hugged Pierce tightly. "I'm so proud to call you my son," he said quietly. "I love you very much."
Pierce's blue eyes filled with tears. "I'm proud to have you as my dad," he whispered with a smile. "You've done so much for me and helped me so much. I don't know where I'd be if you hadn't scooped me up that night."
Walker smiled broadly. "That was quite a night, wasn't it?"
"It was the beginning of a whole new life for both of us," Pierce said.
"No question about that," Walker agreed. "Well, I'm going to head for bed. See you in the morning. I love you."
"Good night, dad."
Walker headed to his bedroom while Pierce headed to his.
Christian had already brushed and flossed and was lying naked on the bed.
"Damn, I love that kid so much," Walker whispered as he stripped naked and took care of bathroom things.
"Once in a while I see advertisements promoting the concept of adopting a teen and how rewarding it can be," Christian said.
"I'm certainly a living example of it," Walker said. He snuggled into bed next to Christian. "I've loved having you with me. I hope we can do this again."
"Thank you for having me," Christian replied. "I hope we can do it again, too." He came close to saying "I love you" but decided, for now anyway, it was best to just leave things as is.
----------
Pierce and Drake had both finished brushing and flossing. Before getting into bed, they stood naked face to face for a few moments looking into each other's eyes.
"I love you so much," Drake whispered. He gently pressed his lips to Pierce's.
"I love you, too," Pierce said. He ran his fingertips lightly over Drake's nipples feeling them harden in response. "Thank you so much for buying me a puka shell necklace. I've seen them before and I've always admired them."
"So are we planning some kind of welcome home party?" Drake asked.
"I know I recall Chase saying he wants to get one organized," Pierce replied. "But he wants to have it at my place so there won't be any issues about skinny dipping. We'll check with him when we get home. I'm sure it would be the usual lunch and swimming party."
"And I remember us talking with Vance and Cable Preston at the pool last Saturday about catering it."
"You're right, we did talk with them about it," Pierce said.
"When you send the invitations, you should call it a 'luncheon' instead of a 'lunch'."
Pierce stared deeply at the twinkle in Drake's expressive brown eyes. "What are you talking about?"
"Well, calling it a 'luncheon' makes it sound like a special event. You know - exclusive, unique, classy, hoity-toity." It was all Drake could do to keep from bursting out laughing at his own words as he spoke.
After a couple seconds, both boys burst out laughing. "You're so fulla shit!" Pierce laughed. "It'll be a LUNCH, not some fucking fancy-ass luncheon."
"Served up by naked caterers to naked boys and followed by an afternoon of naked boys grabbing ass in the pool."
"Now you're talking my language," Pierce said. They hugged and kissed again, snuggled into bed, and got into their usual Pierce-spooned-into-Drake sleeping position. It took them less than five minutes to fall asleep.
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