Chapter Twenty Two

The last thing Doc expected as he and Joe drove up to Joe’s house, two days after he killed Myron, was to find the yard, the driveway and all the surrounding area covered in cars, trucks, and people. Dozens of people. Someone had set up a marque, there were a few children running around, someone was grilling steak and sausages, and somewhere in the bedlam a baby was letting his parent know it was time for a feed. Standing in the middle of the chaos Doc spotted Ra – one of the taller men in the area. Doc climbed out of the car and reached for Joe’s hand. It seemed his precious mate was in shock.

“Doc, Deputy Joe, so glad you two finally crawled out of bed.” Ra beamed as his arms swept the crowd. “We weren’t sure what to do with all your personal bits and pieces, not that there was much left undamaged, I’m afraid. But what do you think?”

“What’s happening?” Joe’s eyes were wide. “Who…what…how?”

“We called a town meeting.” Ra laughed. “Me and the guys were sitting around the night Myron was killed, chatting like we do. Mal mentioned you were upset over the damage to your house, and we were trying to think of ways to help. It was my precious Seth who suggested we hold a town meeting and see who could pitch in. We didn’t want to disturb your mating celebrations, so we got stuck in and started doing what we could.”

“The whole town must be here.” Doc nodded at Forest who stalked past scowling with three long planks on his shoulder. “This is incredible.”

“We do hope you don’t mind.” Seth came running over, his blond curls gleaming in the sunshine. “We talked about it and realized that town meetings didn’t just have to be times when we come together to punish someone. They can be used for good too. Everyone here volunteered their time or goods, whatever we needed. It’s a great community bonding exercise.”

“I just can’t believe it.” Joe was blinking rapidly and seemed to be having trouble breathing. Doc moved closer, wrapping his arm around his mate’s waist.

“You’d better believe it,” Rocky yelled from the porch. “It’s pretty much done. But get your ass in here. Mal’s nagging me about color schemes and you know I know nothing about that shit.”

Weaving their way through the crowds of people who all seemed to have something to do, Doc saw Dan unloading wood from the back of his truck – Jenny beaming as she supervised. Brian, Roe, and Carmine were giving the window sashes a fresh coat of paint, while Mrs. Dash was trying to keep Rosie out of the paint. Mrs. Hooper was there, yelling at her boys. “Don’t think you’re going to get out of working if you fall off that damn roof.” Simon was flexing his muscles as he was hammering in some new cladding, being handed nails by a drooling Darwin. Cam had set up a bar on one side of the marque, handing out beers held in giant coolers filled with ice. 

Inside was swarming with people. Doc remembered with a pang, the tears Joe had shed just two nights before. The most prevalent memory was the stench but now there was nothing but the slight smell of lemon bleach. Seth’s mother Ella was supervising a group of female rabbit shifters in the kitchen who were restocking freshly painted cupboards with enough supplies for a month. Liam and Lucien were organizing a new book case with Gareth and Barney. From the boxes of books at their feet, it seemed Lucien had brought around half of his store. The lions’ mates, Beau, Trent and Noah were arguing about the best placement for a plastic shrouded couch that looked big enough to sleep on. Even the carpet under their feet was brand new.

And in the middle of it all stood Mal complete with a clipboard. “Thank goodness you two are here. I swear I’m going to kill Rocky one of these days and no one will blame me. Look, I’m just going to say it straight. Rocky ordered the damn thing before I could stop him and now it’s here and it’s freaking huge and…oh shit. You might as well see for yourself.” He turned and picked his way through the busy living room, heading for the bedroom.

“I told him,” Mal continued as Doc kept Joe close to his side. “I said something like this should be a personal choice. You two should have picked it for yourself. But no, that man’s got a heart of gold and he thinks with his dick. I am so sorry.” He threw open the bedroom door and stepped back so Doc and Joe could go in.

“Wow.” Doc could understand Joe’s sentiment. The last time he’d seen the master bedroom the floor was covered in blood and there was a dead body on the bed. That bed, and the flooring had been replaced along with the doors and curtains. The tang of paint filled the air. But that wasn’t the reason for Joe’s wow.

Dominating the room was the biggest four poster bed Doc had ever seen and he’d been alive three centuries. But it wasn’t the height of the bed that caught anyone’s eye, nor the nets hanging from the railings around the top and for now tied back against the four wooden pillars. It was the carvings that adorned the headboard, the baseboard and scrolled their way up all four posts.

“This is Rocky’s way of getting back at you for growling at him when you thought he’d noticed my dick,” Joe clapped his hand over his mouth as he laughed. “Look at them. Look at the carvings. What’s the main thing anyone looking at this would notice.”

“Huge dicks.” Doc shook his head as he chuckled. Because sure enough, every spare inch of wood was filled with males supporting appendages well beyond the laws of averages. And they weren’t just holding those dicks either. There was a carved mass orgy on the woodwork, with cocks stuffed in asses and mouths, sometimes more than one at a time. “Rocky!”

“You yelled?” Rocky poked his head through the open window, eying Doc nervously.

“Are you trying to set us up on pornography charges if we keep this thing?”

“That’s not pornography, that’s artistic expression. I’ll have you know it’s a collector’s item.” Rocky stuck his nose in the air.

“You heard him, babe,” Doc said to Joe. “In front of witnesses too. So Rocky, where did you get it?”

“Why? They won’t take it back. It was a commission piece.”

And probably cost a fortune, you daft, lovely man. Doc shook his head. “I don’t want to return it, I want to get a matching set of dressers and bedside cabinets.”

“Yeah?” Rocky’s face broke out in his trademark grin. “I told you they would like it, Mal. I’ve already got the set,” he winked. “I’m storing them in Ra’s workshop away from the kids.”

“Oh shoots, kids.” Joe looked over from where he was pressing on the mattress. “Doc, we can’t….”

“Yes, we can.” Doc moved over to join him, pulling him into a kiss. “This is our sanctuary, remember. And Rocky’s right. This is art. Once the kids are old enough to understand what they are seeing, they will be old enough to understand the concepts behind us having our own space. Besides, by that stage, they’ll be watching porn on the internet and that is far worse than this. I think it’s amazing and a very thoughtful gift.”

“I knew you had a kinky streak, Doc.” Rocky laughed. “I wasn’t sure about my innocent deputy, but I knew there was more to you than starched white coats.”

“I suggest you disappear, Rocky and you too Mal,” Joe said with a sexy growl. “Or you’ll realize just how much I’ve learned since Doc and I claimed each other.”

/~/~/~/~/

The sun was just setting as Joe slipped away from the crowds enjoying a meal and the evening air. He needed a few minutes to himself. Barring a few minor details, the house was completely finished and there was nothing left to remind him of the horrible confrontation he’d faced just two days earlier. Rather than disappear home, the people of Arrowtown had stayed, enjoying a chance to socialize probably more so than they ever had before. The townspeople were always friendly with each other, with a few exceptions and tonight even Mrs. Hooper was being convinced to flick her skirts as she danced around the campfire.

The whole day had been an unreal experience. Joe had always loved the town he served, but he’d never really felt a part of it. And yet, all day, he was reminded with simple words and gestures that the town not only noticed him but cared about him too. There’d been one minor incident, when Lander, who’d been stealing beers from Cam’s cooler had cornered him at the back of his house and tried to rub off on him. Joe hadn’t even realized the boy was attracted to him. But a quiet snarl from Doc had the boy running back to his friends, and Joe liked to think by morning, Lander would have forgotten the whole incident. If he didn’t, Joe was equally certain Hazel would see to it her boy didn’t cause him any trouble.

“What you said to Myron was right you know, about this being a real caring community.” Doc stepped out of the shadows and Joe went into his arms willingly. “These people care about us, no matter what we might have felt in the past. It’s quite a humbling feeling, isn’t it?”

“I always thought they didn’t see me,” Joe admitted as he freed Doc’s hair from its leather tie and ran his fingers through the gray strands. “Now I wonder if they didn’t know how to show me they did – that it was my fault because I was so aloof from them.”

“You never had a reason to trust anybody,” Doc said quietly. “I think this is a new start for both of us, don’t you?”

“We’ve got babies coming,” Joe lightly rubbed over Doc’s covered abs. “You know we’re going to be inundated with advice when that happens, don’t you?”

“It’s not a bad thing when people want to help.” Joe noticed Doc’s eyes were closing and realized his poor mate had been on his feet all day.

“How about we sneak off, go back to town. There’s no one there. You can see how loud you can make me yell your name as I’m coming.”

“Just one thing I need to know and call me hormonal or whatever you like but answer me honestly,” Doc said gently. “Are you happy my sweet mate?”

“Yes.” Joe was certain about that point. It wasn’t because his horrible family members were dead and the threat hanging over his life was lifted, or even because of the wonderful way the good people of Arrowtown showed they cared for him and Doc. For the first time in his life he had someone who loved him unconditionally and who accepted his love in return. The two babies growing in Doc’s belly were a welcome bonus he never dared dream of before. “I can honestly say, I couldn’t be happier and it’s all thanks to you.”