Mothers

"Mom!"

"And then I think you should offer to take him out somewhere nice. I can ask your uncle if he has space available to fit you in. He's just had an extention built on Madilynns, I'm sure he can get you a table."

"But Mom-"

The woman on the other end of the phone seemed to either be ignoring her son, or too lost within her own thoughts to take into account that her eldest was trying to interrupt her as she offered up suggestions of how he could get closer to his older room mate. With a heavy sigh, he placed her on speaker phone and went to make himself a cup of tea, leaving her voice to fill the lounge of the spacious apartment Kasper Walker had aquired.

Finally she said "Dawson, are you still there?"

"I'm here, Mom. You just seemed quite happy to suggest things I'm not going to do. Kass and I just don't have that kind of relationship."

"Is he there with you now?"

"He's at the hospital. Marshall needs another blood donation."

"Kass is so sweet, always donating to his adopted father. It was such luck that they adopted a boy who could help Marshall out."

Dawson sighed, giving the phone stand a small smile. His mother didn't know the truth about Kasper and the man whom adopted him. She didn't know about Vincent being a werewolf, although she had her suspicions. His aunt Ainsley and uncle Christian were adept at keeping the information from her. His father had promised never to let the secret slip when Vincent first joined the school he taught at, and wasn't going to release the information any time soon. No one outside of Kass' family other than Dawson himself knew about Marshall's 'affliction' either.

And Dawson had only found out by accident.

Kass had wandered out of the shower with a towel around his waist, not know that Dawson was home. Before that, Dawson had never seen Kass' bare torso. With a docotor for an uncle, Dawson recognised some of the scarring that marred Kasper's back.

He'd had a spinal operation. When Kass saw him looking, he didn't feel the need to hide it. That evening, he sat down and told Dawson everything. From the Institute that had bought him from his neglective parents, to some of thing things he remembered them doing to him. The lies the scientists told about him being used to help countless sick people - not one man who needed to eat human flesh to live - and then finally Marshall visiting one day to discover just where the source of his 'cure' came from. Marshall had been told it was a plant when in truth it was a little boy who was frightened and so very alone.

At age six, Kasper finally had a place to call home. Marshall took the poor boy with him. Marshall knew of a place that could properly analyse Kasper's gift, and finally they developed a 'cure' that didn't involve removing Kasper's spinal fluid. He still had to give regular donations, but at least it was blood and not something that could paralize him.

Then came the incident when Vincent escaped and attacked Kasper. The bite was still there on his arm as a faded scar. Instead of changing when Vincent did the following full moon, Kasper remained human, with the added luxury of no longer being a target for the werewolf. The same blood running through his viens that was injected into Marshall to remove the need for him to eat human flesh held the same properties for Marshall when Vincent lost control once more and attacked the one he loved.

It was because of this that Kasper felt able to move out. Had it not been for the fact the two of them could be together, even when the full moon rose, Kasper said he probably never would have left home.

Were it not for that night Dawson probably would never have found out. Kasper hated keeping secrets, but knew that there were some secrets that needed to be kept. He felt close enough and trusted Dawson to the point where he felt the younger male would keep those dark secrets. It also resulted in Dawson seeing Kasper in a whole new way.

When he told his mother the next day that he'd seen a whole different side to his room mate and felt differently towards him she took it that Dawson was interested in Kasper in a more sexual and possibly romantic way. Since then she seemed insistent that they get together. Her enthusiasm even managed to spread to her little sister. Ainsley had grown up with Vincent and Marshall - and Vincent was more to her than a mere friend - which meant that she too was interested in Dawson getting together with Kasper. She just helped her sister out in her own, more sophisticated and less energetic way.

"When do you think he'll be home?"

"Why are you so interested, Mom?" Dawson asked, sinking onto the sofa that Kasper didn't use as a gymnasts horsebox.

There was a sigh over the phone. "I want my boy to be happy, and Kass is such a sweet guy. I know I seem like I'm being too pushy, but I just want what I feel is best for my son. Its a mother-thing."

"Grandma didn't push you into being with Dad."

"Thats because your Dad was always joking with her that he'd end up with either your uncle or myself. It came more of a shock when it came true, but I always knew that I loved Roo in a way that went beyond a brotherly affection, it just took a lot of things to go wrong before things went right."

"But Mom, I don't see Kass in that kind of way."

She chuckled. "You'll find out."

"Izzy, are you interfereing again?" came a voice just noticeable in the background.

"Uncle Chris?" Dawson asked, recognising the voice speaking on the phoneline.

"Hey there Dawson!" Chris chimed. "Do you want me to distract your mother with food so that she'll leave you alone for a while?"

Dawson smiled, nodding despite the fact that neither of them could see him. "Thanks Uncle Christian."

"That's not fair and you know it Chris! No, I want to convince my son to get with the really handsome Walker boy because they'd make such a cute couple. Oh, okay, bye Dawson! I love you!"

"Love you too, Mom!" and the line went dead.

"Really handsome Walker boy?"

Dawson swung around to see Kasper standing by the door, just about to close it behind him. Trying to hide the shock that spread across his face, Dawson shifted himself on the couch, trying to hide his embarressment from the older male. "You, erm, heard that?"

Kasper grinned, finally closing the door and heading further into the apartment, shedding his coat as he went. "I know most people think we're a couple or something, but I didn't know your Mom thought that about us too."

Dawson fidgeted on the couch again, feeling a little uneasy about the whole situation unfolding before him. Kass was getting ever closer to him, unfastening the top few buttons of his shirt. The sleeves were rolled up, one arm bearing the bandage used to cover the needle wound where they removed his blood to help keep his adopted father alive. No wonder his mother liked him, Kass gave without wanting anything in return - a truly selfless person.

"My Mom has her own opinion on many things. She seems to think you're attractive," he replied, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

Kass chuckled, sinking down on the couch beside Dawson. He leaned over, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Don't you think the same?" He reached over, brushing his fingertips over Dawson's cheek. "After you saw those scars, after I told you my secrets, do you really think you'd get away with not sharing yours?"

Dawson pulled back once he realised his eyes were slipping closed and that he was enjoying the soft touch from the other. "I don't have anything to hide."

"You sing show tunes in the shower."

"That's not a dark secret."

Kasper grinned, leaning in so close that Dawson had nowhere else to go but to merge with the sofa cushions behind him. Kass' breath was warm on his face, and smelled faintly of hazlenuts and coffee. "And I know that you never complain when I wrap my arms around you, or nuzzle into your sweet smelling hair." To prove a point he reached up and stroked his fingers through Dawson's hair. "Dazzy, do you think it wrong of me to like you more than as just my friend?"

Dawson smirked. "I think I can hear my Mom cheering from here." And with that he closed the distance between them both, pressing his lips to Kass' soft pair, tasting the warmth of a freshly drunk coffee with hazelnuts still on his lips. Arms looped around the older males neck while he moved on the sofa to lay beneath Kasper who seemed to know just exactly what Dawson wanted and moved with him until they both settled in the perfect position; Kasper straddling young Dawson.

After a few minutes of kissing, the phone rang again.

"Ignore it."

"It's probably my Mom."

"Another reason why you should ignore it," Kass purred as he kissed down Dawson's neck. "Let her stew on ways of how to get us together."

"How do you know?"

"She leaves messages on the machine, and a few times I've been around while its recorded. Your uncle's place sounds quite nice, and I think I would like to visit your family for Daphne's birthday this year."

Dawson sighed, reaching out from underneath Kasper to answer the phone. "Hello?"

"Honey! I thought I'd check back with you about that idea I had. Chris said he doesn't mind letting you two-"

"Hiya Izzy!" Kasper called, cutting her off mid-sentence.

"Kasper! Hello. Dawson, you could have said I was on speaker phone."

"Izzy, I think its a great idea. Dazzy and I are free on Friday, can he fit us in then?"

"Huh? What?"

Beneath Kasper, Dawson felt himself going red and blushing redder than a tomato. Chuckling in embarrassment, he hid his face behind his hands. "Its all her fault," he muttered.

"Did you say something, Dawson?"

Kasper laughed. "He said thank you for meddling."