One Journey Ends

Tara settled Seka into one of the small bedrooms and showed her where to find extra towels and sheets for the bed. Sven had given Tara a check from a Japanese bank for the girl's boarding for the next four months, which Tara planned to put immediately into the checking account. It would help her stretch her money a little further along until the insurance check cleared. She'd done a bit of grocery shopping when she got back from the cemetery so that Seka would have food to eat. Tara rarely shopped much for herself anymore, as she was seldom hungry.

"The school . . . near?" the girl struggled with her English but Tara was able to understand what she meant to say. She knew the Japanese girl's graspthe the language would improve over the coming weeks.

"It's only a few blocks," she replied slowly so that Seka could have time to mentally translate the statement. "Sven said he made sure you were enrolled."

Seka's brow furrowed conveying to Tara she hadn't completely understood that last sentence.

"It means the school expects you on Monday."

"Oh," the Japanese girl said smiling and nodding her head graciously. Tara smiled back. She hoped she could make Seka's stay enjoyable.

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"We should talk about that," Justin said when Sven pulled away from him and paced nervously to the other side of the room. He watched the blonde man carefully, trying to gauge his reaction.

"I do not think that is necessary," Sven answered, avoiding eye contact at all costs.

"I do."

"What would you have me say?" Sven said suddenly snapping his eyes up to meet Justin's stare. "Why are you staring at me?"

"I think wth kth know why."

"I never knew you were . . ."

"What?"

"You know."

"No, I do not. Tell me."

"That way," Sven said in exasperation.

"For such a sensitive man, you are surprisingly close-minded."

Sven stopped moving, sucked in a startled breath and stared right back at his partner. Justin was chuckling inwardly but wouldn't let the blonde know just how amused he was right now. Later, perhaps.

"I am NOT close-minded," he finally exploded. "I have had several gay friends over the years."

"And yet you find it difficult to say the word unless I provoke you."

"I just never knew this about you."

"Neither did I."

The blonde man's expression became incredulous. He gripped the back of the chair in front of him and watched Justin in silence.

"It is true," Justin sighed.

"You have never had feelings for a man before?"

Justin shook his head slowly never letting his eyes fall from Sven's.

"And yet you pursue me so thoroughly," the Scandinavian man said softly.

"I do not know why I have developed these feelings for you, Sven, but they are real and very strong," the dark haired man said evenly. "My instincts tell me you feel the same."

"I have never had feelings for a man," Sven protested.

"Yet you silently watched me for almost a year before you approached me."

"That does not mean . . ."

"Then what does it mean?"

"I am not sure," Sven admitted dropping into the chair and putting his face in his hands. He was so preoccupied with his deliberations that Justin knew he wouldn't notice the darker man's movement to kneel in front of him.

"I am sure."

Startled, the blonde man looked up from his hands. Justin could see the uncertainty in his ocean blue eyes. He grasped Sven's hands in his own and pulled them away, meeting a little resistance at first but finally compliance. They never broke eye contact as Justin moved forward until their faces were less than an inch apart.

"I am relying on instant right now, Sven," he offered before covering the blonde man's lips with his own.

Sven let out an astonished breath and Justin used the opportunity to slide his tongue in to explore the blonde's mouth deeply. He marveled at how different it felt to kiss a man. Sven's mouth was as hard and unyielding as his own with a hint of stubble on his jaw line. Every nerve ending sang out as Justin deepened the kiss, intending to leave a lasting mark on Sven.

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Sven's shock was instantly replaced with a feeling of passion as Justin claimed his mouth. It was a possessive claim, too. The dark man made his intentions known beyond a shadow of any doubt. Sven wasn't sure yet how he would respond when it ended. He moved one hand up to the back of dark haired man's neck playing with the ponytail that rested there. This was indeed what the Scandinavian man had suspected would eventually happen between them. He didn't know why he suddenly found the prospect of an intimate relationship with Justin so scary, though. And he did find it frightening. This man had awakened feelings and needs Sven had thought were long dead after he'd buried Ragna. After another moment's deliberation, his own tongue met Justin's in a heated battle of control.

Justin, apparently becoming aware of Sven's change in demeanor, moaned into his partner's mouth as he grasped the back of his neck and pulled him closer. The vibrations set Sven's nerves on fire as he also deepened the kiss. Now it was impossible to figure out who was kissing whom, but neither man cared at the moment. The darker man stood pulling the blonde with him, nibbling on his neck.

"Justin, we should stop," Sven panted heavily.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because neither of us is sure where we wish to go with this."

Justin finally looked up from his task but refused to let go of Sven, tightening his arms around the Scandinavian's waist.

"I believe I am sure," he said softly, kissing Sven's forehead and sending tingles through the blonde man's skin. "But I will give you time to come to terms with it."

"Time?" the blonde man sputtered as the darker man slowly pulled away from him. "What if I do not come to terms?"

"You will."

"How do you know?"

"Instinct."

"Why are you pursuing this?"

"If you did not feel for me you would not have pursued me," Justin said with a small smile. "I have faith that this is meant to be, my friend."

Sven watched in amazement as his partner walked to the computer room and sat down. Now what was he supposed to do, he wondered flopping back down into his chair.

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"I can pick up more Japanese products in the market if yike,ike," Tara offered as she served Seka her first American dinner, which consisted of baked chicken and mashed potatoes.

"I want . . . try American," the Japanese girl said forking up some of the white mash and nibbling at it curiously.

Tara smiled as she watched her and smiled. She'd dished up a bit of food for herself and ate slowly. She really wasn't hungry but felt it would be rude to make the girl eat alone especially on her first night in the US.

"You have tomorrow off from school, so what would you like to do?"

"Shop-ping?" the girl asked tentatively.

"Sure," Tara chuckled. "We can go shopping."

Their conversation was interrupted by the phone, which rang insistently. Tara got up to check the Caller ID and saw that it was from Ben's mother. Sighing, she sat back down and picked up her fork again, knowing the machine would pick it up. She just hoped that Seka didn't understand what she was about to hear.

"Where are you, you slut?" Ben's mother's voicnallnally blasted when the machine picked up. "I know you're there. You don't even have the decency to talk to your dead husband's mother."

Judging by the slurring of her words, Mrs. Connors was very drunk. Also a regular occurrence. Tara ignored the phone and began to eat again. Seka watched her in confusion before resuming her own meal. Tara knew the girl understood some of what she heard. She supposed she would have to explain about her mother-in-law at some point. But not right now, she decided. She wasn't feeling up to it.