Author: Clash

Title: Layer Cake

Pairing: Foxney…with a side of JR. ;)

Genre: Crossover(AMC)

Rating: {{Contemplates}}…R

Summary: Fox, Whitney, and J.R from 9 to 29 years old. How they fell in love and what they're going to do about it.

Warnings: Threesome, M/M slashiness, M/F/M, and M/F. Whew{{wipes forehead}} that’s a lot of warnings.

Author’s Note: Blame it on CocoTapioka, well her and Hetairai for telling me this was a good idea, but especially CocoTapioka. Her awesome fic, ‘Life isn’t fair,’ inspired me to write a JR/Whitney fic. But I couldn’t have her cheating on Fox so I thought ‘I’m writing a Threesome fic ya’ll!!!’ I’m scared, excited and proud so give me feedback. P.S.-Everything without a date takes place in 2005 and they’re all 29.





Thank you so much for the banner WhitBrookFan4Life!!! It's gorgeous and I love it.



Brown sugar how come you taste so good
brown sugar, just like a black girl should
-The Rolling Stones (Brown Sugar)



{Whitney Russell: 1500 ft.}

Whitney Russell checked her watch for the fifth time in so many minutes and ran her hand through her long chocolate colored mane with frustration. She’d been on this damn plane for 6 hours and her patience was wearing thin.

“Excuse Miss,” she asked politely, completely covering her tenseness, “How long before we land?”

The harried stewardess glanced at her watch, “30 minutes Miss.”

“It’s Mrs…,” she stopped mid-correction., no, she wasn’t a ‘Mrs.’ anymore. Her divorce from rich, successful, and ‘All-Around-Good-Guy’ Chad Harris had become final the week before. The stewardess looked at her, waiting for her to finish her thought.

Whitney shook her head, “I’m sorry, Thank you for the time.”

The woman looked annoyed, like she wanted to say something, but she nodded curtly and walked away instead.

She was going home.

She was on her way back to Harmony, on her way back to Fox and J.R. Even the thought of them both relaxed her and made her want to jump a plane back to L.A. and her law practice as soon as the plane landed. They were her best-friends, the only people in the world who could read her with a look, but they were also, if she was being honest with herself, something much more.

“Excuse me darling.”

The quick glimpse of blonde hair and a flirtatious voice brings her back to times she’d tried to forget.



{Russell Estate: 1985(9)}

“Come on Whitney,” J.R. teased, all three hiding in the bushes in the backyard of her house, “all you have to do is stick out your tongue.”

She looked at him with a grimace, regretting that she’d talked Fox into letting him into their group 2 years ago when he’d moved to Harmony with his mom, Dixie, and his step-dad, Tad, from some place named Pine Valley. He was more trouble than he was worth.

She watched him watch her with a big smile and felt her tummy flip the way it only ever did when he or Fox looked at her. Sometimes, he was more trouble than he was worth…sometimes.

She looked at Fox, pleading for him to take her side, but he only smiled.

“Don’t be scared Whit,” he whispered, “I’ve seen Ethan do it and he’s still alive and well.” He paused for a moment, “You’re not even curious?”

She looked between him and J.R.; yes, she was indeed curious.

He could see her resolve breaking and pounced on it, “All we do is stick out our tongues and move toward each other until they touch.”

That’s a French Kiss,” J.R. added with authority.

They all sat up Indian style with their knees touching.

“You guys ready,” he asked with sudden nervousness.

They nodded and slowly began to move in toward each other. When they finally connected, her first instinct was to pull back, but she hung in there and relaxed against the new feeling. She wiggled her tongue against theirs experimentally and welcomed their smiles with one of her own. Her eyes narrowed with concentration, they tasted like…like…

“WHITNEY!!!!!”

They reared apart at Eve Russell’s call and scattered out in different directions across the yard, all laughing.

The 30 year old woman looked at their retreating backs with a quizzical half smile and thought, ‘what was that about?’


{Crane Barns: 1995(19)}

Whitney wandered into the barn and looked up into the hay loft.

“Fox…J.R,” she paused for a moment and put her hands on her hips, annoyed by the knowledge that she was sweating through her white tank top, when Fox’s head appeared from behind a blanket tacked to the ceiling, “for privacy,” he’d replied with a smirk when she asked him why he was putting it up two months ago, with a smile.

“You coming up?”

She nodded curtly and started up the ladder, angry that she had had to look for them and even angrier now that she had found them and was expected to hang out in this hot ass barn. She pulled herself into the loft with a grunt, sighed when she remembered how low the ceilings were, and realized she would have to crawl to them.

J.R. smiled and stated quietly, “Look its twins,” before wiping his brow and taking a healthy swig of some clear liquid.

She looked at Fox’s white tank and dark blue jeans and idly thought about how dissimilar the same outfit could look on two different people before shrugging and leaning against the wall.

They sat in silence, passing around the bottle Fox had stolen from his father Julian, until Whitney broke the quiet with a giggle.

“What is it?”

She glanced across the space at Fox, who was lying bonelessly against the wall with a drunken smirk, “You guys remember when us three used to come up here and jump down into the hay on the first floor?”

J.R. snorted, where he lay on his back between them, and looked out from under his forearm, “That was so much fun.”

She crawled to the blanket and pulled it back so she could look down onto the floor of the barn, “that was stupid, we could’ve broken our necks.”

“But we didn’t and that made it even more fun,” Fox replied idly. She smiled slowly and crawled back toward them to take another sip of what she had discovered to be Vodka, probably Grey Goose knowing Julian.

She kneeled in front of him and held her hand out saying, “Give me some,” only for him to smile and teasingly hold the bottle out of her reach. He slouched back further against the wall, letting his knees slip apart, “Come and get it.”

Whitney rolled her eyes and crossed her arms defensively. She had a million reasons why going along with his flirting was stupid, they were friends, and boys have been known to get the wrong idea during a little good-natured flirting. She looked back to see J.R.’s smiling face and shrugged, if something happened, she’d blame it on the alcohol.

Whitney grabbed his knees and rolled up his body like a wave, starting at the pelvis, and not stopping until her whole upper body was covering his. She looked into his eyes that were suddenly dark with a look she had been seeing there a lot more lately.

“That was sexy,” he replied, totally taken aback that she had actually taken his come-on.

She chuckled loving his reaction, and took the bottle out of his hand, taking a deep slug and sitting it down beside them when it made her feel slightly dizzy. He pushed his hand under her hair and waited until she looked up at him, “Can I kiss you?”

She should have gotten off him right then; instead, she nodded slightly and let him pull her mouth to his. She kept her upper body flat on his but put her knees under her, and took his face into her hands so she could have more control.

She let her tongue touch his and almost laughed out loud; that, J.R., was definitely not a French Kiss, before pulling away at the feel of someone else between Fox’s knees and pressed up against her back, breathing hard on her neck.

Of J.R. pressed up against her back.

She shivered at the thought of being trapped between them and gasped when he took her earlobe in his mouth and sucked. She didn’t notice when he took her dangly heart earring out of his mouth, but she definitely noticed when he pushed it deep into her pocket and closed his hands together low over her abdomen. Not that low, but too low to be friendly.

Fox looked at the two of them with something hot in his eyes and J.R. moved one of his hands from her to his neck. His breathing ratcheted up a little and she watched, suspended in anticipation of something she wasn’t sure she wanted to see.

She watched Fox gaze at him for a few tense moments, and she wished more than anything that she could see J.R.’s face too, before they lurched towards each other quickly and did something that was a little less kiss, a little more mash, and was a lot astonishing.

Kinda hot too.

She jerked back, surprised at that thought, and broke them apart accidentally.

They stood absolutely still for a moment before J.R. slid one of his hands up to her breast and squeezed. She could only see Fox’s suddenly soft face and that, combined with the knowledge that J.R. was tight against her back, made her shiver.

“You jealous,” he whispered into her ear.

“Of course not,” she answered angrily, even though she realized she was a little.

He cradled his face in her neck and he must have been eyeing Fox because he started to smile.

“Of course you were,” J.R. murmured.

“You wanted us both to only want you, to fight over you, right,” Fox asked, trying to look innocent.

“That’s dumb,” she replied lowly, even though she found the thought of them both wanting her…interesting.

J.R. moved his free hand to her neck and turned her face to the side.

“Wanna know a secret?”

She nodded as if under a spell, under his spell. Her eyes darted to Fox’s rapt face, their spell.

“I was a little jealous when you two kissed too, how about we give Fox a taste of his own medicine?”

She was about to say yes but he didn’t wait for an answer, just pushed up even tighter against her and covered her mouth with his own. She closed her eyes and reached her hand over her shoulder because she wanted to touch him and he sighed and pushed his tongue into her mouth.

They broke apart, gasping for air, and looked at Fox. He was breathing deep with two spots of red high up on his cheeks from lust and jealousy and Whitney thought she had never seen him look more handsome.

“I don’t think he liked it,” she said slowly, relaxing into J.R., milking the moment, inviting whatever came next.

“Oh I think he loved it,” he replied slowly. Fox narrowed his eyes then and pushed forward until they were all up on their knees and almost the same height.

“Hold up her arms,” he said slowly and J.R. was quick to respond. He took the hymn of her shirt in his hands and began to pull it up when she stopped him, “I’m not…”

“Wearing a bra,” he finished for her, “I’ve known that since you climbed up here, I’m sure J.R. has too.”

“You knew we’d notice when you decided to go without one this morning didn’t you,” J.R. asked behind her with knowledge in his voice. Fox was smiling too and she didn’t answer the question because it was the truth and they knew it.

“You won’t need one for what we’re about to do anyway,” Fox said, trying to be reassuring and failing miserably. They pulled off her shirt and jeans, and their own not long after, before laying on their backs in the hay, each boy flanking her.

She laud there for a moment, breathing hard, trying to think if she should put their 12 year relationship in jeopardy because once they did this, there was no turning back.

“You ready,” Fox asked them.

She turned her head to glance at J.R., ready to say no, before breathing out a , “Yes.”

Then they rolled onto their sides and Fox moved up close to her front and J.R. sidled up to her back and…


“Are you O.K. Miss?”

Whitney jerked from her thoughts and looked at the woman, “excuse me,” she asked, scratching at phantom hay.

“The planes landed, it’s time for you to exit the cabin.”

She nodded without thought and got up. Whitney was on her way to the Crane Mansion. Back to her friends and the memories she could not forget.

Your faith in me brings me to tears
Even after all these years
And it pains me so much to tell
That you don’t know me that well
-Nelly Furtado(I’m like a Bird)





{Nicholas Foxworth Crane: Bennett Estate}

Fox Crane laid next to his sleeping girlfriend of 3 years and tried hard not to contemplate the two people who’d taken up most of his thoughts for all of life: Whitney and J.R.

They were coming back to Harmony.

They were coming back to him.

She snored lightly and rolled toward him, tangling him up in her arms and legs. Usually he liked this part. The part after sex when she was quiet and asleep and nothing was happening, but right now he was trying his best not to push her off of him and run back to the mansion.

He wondered idly if the other two had ever felt like they were cheating when they were with their significant others.

“Fox.”

She said his name like it was a question and he had to forcibly hold back a sigh at the knowledge that she was awake.

“Yeah Kay?”

He rubbed her arm gently, she sighed, and he suddenly felt amazingly guilty. Guilty for thinking about them when he had a naked girl in his arms who was totally in love with him. Guilty that he’d rather be doing anything with one of them, preferably both, than making love with her.

“You thinking about your friends?”

He looked at her quickly, mouth slack and eyes wide, but she was too busy stretching and yawning to notice his reaction to her innocent question.

“They’re coming into town late tonight aren’t they?”

Fox relaxed slowly and swept some of the hair out of her face with his hand, “Yeah, they’re coming in tonight.”

She giggled, and when he looked at her questionably, the giggle turned into a strait up belly laugh, he couldn’t help but smile and wonder.

“What’s so funny?”

She looked at him for a second, debating on whether or not she should tell him.

“Promise not to get mad?”

He nodded his head and she rolled on her side toward him and started to whisper, “when we were younger, like in grade school and high school even the first couple of semesters of college, everyone thought you three…”

She looked at him for a second before shaking her head and bursting out in another fit of laughter, “never mind, it’s too stupid.”

He grabbed her shoulder gently before she could roll away from him, “What’s too stupid?”

She licked her lips and narrowed her eyes at him, “you sure you want to hear this?”

He nodded, already frustrated by this game.

“Well, everybody, even the adults, thought you three had…something going on.”

He felt like he had to concentrate to keep breathing, that’s how startled he was to hear that the whole damn town had been suspicious of them. How could they have known? He ran over the few times he’d been with them in his mind and came up empty. They hadn’t been too careful, but they’d always been in secluded areas.

“Why would anyone think that,” he asked cautiously.

“You three were always hanging out and sleeping by each others houses,” she snorted a little at her next confession, “even I was starting to believe it. I mean you guys went out with other people but it was almost like you did it so no one would suspect, you know?”

He nodded, oh he most certainly did know. They hadn’t dated other people to intentionally cover up how they felt about each other, whatever those feelings had been. It was just another one of those unwritten codes they never talked about. They dated people but they never felt the way about them that they did about each other.

“Everyone thought that you three were in L-O-V-E.” she sang the words letters teasingly, “but that was stupid because J.R. got married and left, Whitney got married and left, and you,” she hugged him tight, “stayed, are working at Crane Industries and got me.”

He tried very hard not to cringe.

She yawned loudly, “That was stupid though. Whitney’s way too strait laced for a threesome and you and J.R. are the most heterosexual guys I know.” Kay yawned slowly, “let’s go back to sleep.”

He nodded absently and rolled over until he got comfortable. Fox pushed all thoughts of rumors from years ago out of his mind, and in no time felt his lids heavy with slumber. He was asleep not long after that and he would dream dreams of their shared past that he won’t be able to recall when his cell phone wakes him early tomorrow morning.


{Martin Estate: 1993(16)}

Fox fell through J.R.’s window into an elegant heap and jumped to his feet when he saw him watching.

“What are you doing here?”

The taller boy shook his head slightly, “You sounded weird over the phone,” he paused for a second to gather his thoughts; “I was worried about you.”

J.R. shrugged, non-committed, “Nothing to be worried about man.” He moved across the room slowly and slouched down into a brown leather chair in the corner.

“Did you know my mom died,” he added smoothly, without much feeling. As is he were asking the time or for directions.”

Fox looked at him in shock, mouth falling open and closed like a fish, until he finally got out a wobbly, “what? When did this happen?”

He sat back until a streak of darkness hid his face, “About 6 hours ago. She was flying back from Pine Valley and the plane crashed. They found her and called us about an hour ago.”

He walked toward him and kneeled in front of the chair, “I am so sorry J.R.; I know how much you loved her.”

He squeezed the arm of the chair tightly and laughed, “What are you sorry for, it’s not like you crashed it.”

Fox put his hand over his friends and held it even when he tried to pull away, “I’m sorry because one of my friends lost their mother.”

J.R. quickly pulled himself out of the chair and went to sit on his bed.

“Do you think it hurt?”

Fox startled at his voice, “what?”

“When the plane crashed, do you think she knew what was happening when she hit the pavement,” he asked, as if in a daze.

“I doubt it,” he answered, trying to be as truthful as possible without being morbid.

He nodded absently and leaned sideways until he was laying down, “She’s the only person who ever loved me.”

“Shut up,” Fox replied indignantly without thinking, wrenching J.R. from his stupor.

“Excuse me?”

He rounded his shoulders and stepped closer to his friend, “I said shut up, that’s the dumbest thing I ever heard. You know Tad loves you, Adam acts crazy sometimes but he loves you too, and Whitney. You guys have disagreements but she loves you like…I don’t know what, a whole lot; so don’t ever say nobody loves you.”

J.R. watched him breathing hard from his tirade, “What about you?”

“What about me what?”

He didn’t reply, just looked at him until he got the message and looked away, more embarrassed than he probably should have been.

“We’ve been friends for almost 10 years, of course I do,” he sighed, “You and Whitney are the only people I’ve got.”

"Are you going to cry?"

J.R. shook his head no slowly, "No with you here."

He wanted to tell him it would be Okay if he did but it wouldn't so he decided to drop it. He turned toward him to say something but stopped.

Fox looked at his childhood friend from the other side of the room, lying diagonally across his bed, only 16 but in a full three piece suit; watched the way the moonlight filtered through his hair and looked at his face. Really looked at him for the first time in their friendship and took a step back at his next thought, ‘He’s beautiful,’ and took another step back when he thought, ‘I wanna kiss him.’

And J.R. knew because his face was suddenly registering surprise, then curiosity, and Fox was making his way to the window before he could see the next look.

“Have you told Whitney,” he asked without turning away from his escape route.

“No, she couldn’t come home from school and I wanted to tell her in person.”

Fox stood at the window for a second, fighting with himself, “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Of course.”

And just like that the tension between them was gone and they were just best friends again, but Fox hadn’t forgotten the mood of the moment before and nearly fell out of the window trying to make his escape.


{Harmony Mall: 1994(17)}

“What are you two fighting about now?”

“He forgot my birthday, he acts like he hasn’t known me for ten of them.”

“It’s J.R. Whit, he forgets his own birthday.”

She moved into his path, arms crossed over those beautiful breasts that had appeared about 5 years ago but had started to look really good about a year back, and scowled.

“So that means I should forgive him?”

Fox walked up to her and slung his arm around her shoulders, “Of course not, hate him for the rest of his life, and give up a ten year friendship because he didn’t a send a card from boarding school.”

“You did.”

He took his arm from around her and shrugged, “we’re different people.”

She rolled her eyes, "You can say that again," but smiled and took his arm to put it back around her shoulders and they started walking again.

“You know he’ll be sorry when he comes home and I tell him what he did.”

She smiled coquettishly, “I know, that’s why I haven’t broken up with him yet.”

“You ever gonna to break up with either of us?”

She sniffed, “Course not, I’ve got the cutest two boyfriends in school.”

“Better not let Theresa hear that, you know she already doesn't like our little threesome.”

Whitney laughed, “If you call us a threesome in front of her I can understand why she wants you away from us two.”

“I’m never leaving you guys,” and he stopped and made her look at him so she’d know he was serious.

She touched the side of his face, “I know,” then she grabbed his hand and started dragging him to the food court, “I want some pizza.”

He let her drag him and almost ran into her back when she abruptly stopped.

“What’s wrong?”

She pointed slowly, obviously amazed by whatever it was, and when he finally followed her line of sight and saw it was one of those photo booths. He put his hands up, “No Whitney.”

She turned toward him with a smirk and bodily dragged him to it, “Come on Fox, you look so handsome today and it’s my birthday goddammit.”

He wanted to walk away but it was her birthday, “Fine.”

She pumped her fist with victory, pulled him onto the stool, and sat on his lap. He groaned, “You’re trying to get me in trouble.”

“No the manufacturer is trying to get you in trouble, there’s only one seat, deal with it.” She put out her hand and wiggled the fingers so he reached in his pocket and pulled out a dollar, “That’s too much money, this is highway robbery.”

“You’re part if the richest family in Harmony," she said while putting in the money and getting back into position, "I think you can spare a dollar.”

He looked at her, pouted, and she pinched his cheek; both were startled by the flash and Whitney cursed, “Get ready for the next one.”

They moved in close, smiled, and started the next pose after the flash. She wrapped her arms around his neck for one; they stuck their tongues out for the next, and for the last picture she turned into him, “Let’s look like we’re in love with each other.”

He put his palm against her face and tilted his head lovingly and she wrapped her arms around his neck like she’d die if she ever had to let go and they looked into each others eyes and he suddenly didn’t feel like smiling.

Fox put his other hand to her face and pulled her toward his mouth when the flash went off and she pulled away, startled.

He shook his head, mouth still tingling from the phantom heat of her lips; they’d been so close…almost. He looked at her wide eyes, as surprised by his behavior as she was, “Whitney…”

She opened her mouth to say something when there was a loud ringing sound and…



Fox woke up abruptly from a dream he couldn’t quite recall and looked at his cell on the bedside table. He sighed and wiped the sleep from his eyes before he reached over to pick it up.

“Hello?”

Author’s Note: Holla!!! Long time no see huh? I guess distance does make the heart grow fonder because this chapter is a MONSTER. 11 pages long on Word, I usually shoot for 5 to 7, and this is as good as you were all hoping for, hopefully. I also mention a few things that occurred on AMC sometime last year when I was still watching so the Ryan thing and the mention of his other scrapes is totally true. I’m still thinking about whether or not I wanna finish “Bare Knuckle” but I will definitely be finishing this. Please review if you like what you read. This is the first thing I’ve written in a year so be nice, but truthful.

This chapter is PG-13 for language



When we first met
I was surprised to get
That feeling,
That feeling
The kind that don't wash away with soap
-Jill Scott(Not Like Crazy)


{Adam Chandler Jr.: Somewhere between PineValley and Harmony}

…I can’t get to the phone right now but… J.R. let out a frustrated sigh and angrily slammed his sleek black Razr shut on Babes upbeat out going message. At least that’s what most people would call it, up-beat, but he knew what she was really saying. “…well f%^$# you too sweetheart.” They’d only been married a year before she left him for his brother…Jaime. Even thinking about them made him clench his jaw and flex his fists on the cushioned steering wheel he was currently using to guide him home. He knew he had to pay attention, he didn’t normally drive this car, but he couldn’t stop thinking of them. Not because he still wanted her, he couldn’t hate her more actually, but because of their betrayal. Seemed like everywhere he looked lately there was disloyalty.

“Would the black Cadillac please pull over to the shoulder of the road?”

He was jerked from his thoughts by the megaphone of the police car that had materialized from nowhere behind him.

“Great,” he mumbled through tight lips as he guided the vehicle over, “just what I need, someone else on my ass.” He watched the police man approach and rolled down his window with an open look and pep in his voice he didn’t feel.

“Good morning officer, it’s shaping up to be a pretty day isn’t it?”

The officer, J.R. squinted at the shield on his shirt, Office Ramon, grunted back at him, “Drivers License and registration please.” The cop looked up when he didn’t move.

“I’m J.R. Chandler.”

The man nodded slowly to this piece of un-needed information and repeated his request.

When he saw no flicker of recognition, J.R. swallowed his ego and continued, “Adam Chandlers son.”

Officer Ramon tried to hold back a sigh, why did he always have to stop the crazy’s, and smiled placatingly, stopping just short of mussing the top of J.R.’s six hundred dollar haircut with his palm.

“That’s very nice for you, now may I see your drivers license and registration please.

He clenched his jaw and leaned toward the glove compartment, giving up on trying to get out of the ticket and ready to be on his way, making a concentrated effort to ignore the little flip his heart gave at that thought. The Chandler name obviously didn’t hold much sway in this little shitsplat town anyway.

“I had been trying to flag you down for a few miles before I used the megaphone.”

“Oh really,” JR replied absently, his mind already 200 miles in the future when he would be seeing the sign that had seemed so innocuous when he’d first seen it 22 years ago but had completely changed him.

‘Welcome To Harmony’

“Maybe next time, you ought to pay more attention to what’s going on around you son, you have to pay attention to the road when you drive.”

He stared down in astonishment, who did this small town po-dunk cop think he was dealing with? Then a familiar stillness settled over him, maybe he’d just have to teach Officer Ramon the same lesson he’d used that pipe to teach Lavery, The lesson he’d used his fists and many blunt objects to teach a few others over his lifetime. His heart rate ratcheted up as he thought over his options: ‘just get the ticket and have it removed later,’ two suspiciously familiar voices whispered but he was J.R. Chandler, son of Adam Chandler, the most rich, well-known man on the eastern seaboard and he could do whatever he wanted. He’d done it before, more than once actually, and gotten away with it.

The question was: could he do it outside of PineValley, to a cop no less, and get off? He clenched his fist and let the tip of tongue touch the bottom of his top lip. Well he would see wouldn’t he?

“Are you alright Mr. Cameron?”

J.R. breathed out slowly and reached for the glove box, “its Chandler and yes officer.” He answered lowly through clenched teeth, “I’m just fine.” He sat up and handed him his papers. Ramon turned away with them and while he was looking them over, making sure every word was in order because he seemed like that kind of cop, J.R. would just reach his hand over and…That’s when he saw it. Poking out of his Cadillac manual and shoved under some napkins was a picture he’d pushed in there more than 2 years ago and forgotten about until this very moment.

He straitened up even further, staring into space, as he went back to that night.


”All you ever do is moon over that stupid picture,” she screamed stomping towards him. He shoved the photo in his pocket and crossed his arms over his chest as he turned to her.

“I wasn’t mooning Babe, don’t worry, I don’t want anyone but you.”

He swallowed the lump that came in his throat after that statement it hadn’t been exactly true but it wasn’t a lie either. [i]They weren’t together anymore, if they ever really had been in the first place, and he hadn’t spoken to either of them in months anyway. Another of their unspoken rules: They would only contact each other if absolutely necessary. They knew no relationship would last if they continued their ‘friendship’ the way they had been, even before The Barn.

“There you go again,” she seethed waving her hand in his general direction. “You look at that picture and you get all moody and quiet.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, unconsciously mimicking him, “Maybe there’s something you’re not telling me about those two.”

“Shut-up Babe,” he said tightly, “you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Because you won’t tell me,” she fairly shrieked, “If we’re going to married you have to tell me the truth.”

Her voice had lowered through the second part of her sentence until by the end she was whispering.

“Please, you can tell me anything J.R.”

“There’s nothing to tell,” he sighed, suddenly tired, “you wouldn’t understand anyway.”

With that he put the picture away, forced himself to forget about it, married Babe, divorced her, and now here it was again.

“Sir,” officer Ramon sounded like he was getting angry so J.R. handed over his license and registration without any fuss, all but forgetting his plan in the face of that photograph. When he realized that he was almost scared to touch it, J.R.’s arm darted for it and laid his eyes on a piece of his soul that he’d denied to himself for 9 years..

It was all three of them, Whitney in the middle of course, on a park bench outside the coffee house. They were all smiling and she had her thin arms thrown around their necks. They’d been all of 17 then, finally starting to fill out, to look like the beautiful 29 year olds he imagined her and Fox to be today.

Looking at this photo made him think of something else that had happened years ago 2 memories that he hadn’t revisited in more than a decade…




{Outside Harmony High: 1993(17)}

“What are you doing here?”

He looked over at the window and rolled it down at her tap, “I’m here to pick you up of course.” He got a little red in the face and looked away, “Fox told me I forgot your birthday last week so I broke out of jail and decided to show you a good time.”

He took in her open mouthed gaze and beamed, happy that he was still capable of surprising her after 10 years of friendship, while reaching over to open the passenger side door.

“We’ve got to move Whit, hurry up.”

She walked around the car slowly and sat inside, closing the door behind her.

“How did you get me out of school exactly, and yourself too.”

He smiled cockily and pulled the ’57 red mustang out of the parking lot.

She touched the familiar white interior with red piping, “And isn’t this Ethans car?”

He wagged his finger at her, “One question at a time.” She rolled her eyes but she was smiling so he was pretty sure he wasn’t completely in the doghouse anymore.

“Well, your receptionist, Mrs. Williams has a son named Harland who applied for a job with Chandler Enterprises…” He let his sentence trail off and watched with mounting glee the horror dawning over her pretty features.

She hit his shoulder, “You didn’t?!?” He only shrugged non-committedly, “I got us out didn’t I?”

“But…”

“But nothing, we’re free,” he glanced over at her, smile big in the bright afternoon sunshine, “enjoy it.”

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye while she relaxed her rigid stance and started to softly smile at nothing in particular. “How did you get out of Boarding school?”

He smirked at her and watched as she quickly looked away with interest, he studied the side of her face before answering, “That old Chandler gumption.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, “you bribed someone.”

“No, I threw the reading chair they give each student through the window and climbed out. I walked to the bus stop from there.”

“Should have known,” she said with a smile in her voice, “If you can’t bribe them into submission, you beat them into it.”

And just like, the good mood was gone, he tensed up. Did she really see him like that, as someone out of control, someone violent, was she afraid of him? He’d gotten into a few scrapes over the years, okay, a lot of scrapes but he’d never considered that she might fear him for that.

She touched his hand and he tried to pull away but she wouldn’t let him, “It was just a stupid joke, I’m sorry.”

He was breathing hard, trying to regain control of his galloping heart from his worry and from her unexpectedly tender touch.

“You’re not a violent guy.’

He jerked to face her at that and she smiled, knowing that she’d read his thoughts. “You’re just….passionate, and you lack impulse control.” She crossed her arms over her chest, “You’re also pretentious, selfish and yet self destructive and you feel you’re entitled and deserve everything you ever wanted simply because you want it.”

He pulled over onto the shoulder and crossed his arms over his chest, swiveling his upper body into her direction, “Oh really Dr. Russell, please tell me more.”

She shrugged, “That’s all I’ve got for now.”

“Well I have some Diagnosis for you.”

She shrugged so J.R. continued, “You’re scared, of everything. Of disappointing your parents, of being yourself, of your own goddamn body…”

“How would you know that J.R. how would you have any idea about that…especially the last one?”

The look in her eye screamed challenge and he tensed, she knew he was attracted to her and she was using it to try and get him to back down, well she had another thing coming.

“I guess I wouldn’t know about that last one. Only what I heard from Miguel last year,” he ignored her gasp at that revelation and continued, “and what Fox told me about last week.” He watched her become apprehensive but didn’t stop questioning her, “He said he tried to kiss you but before he could say anything you ran away from him. That true?”

He knew it was, but a part of him was hoping it wasn’t. He didn’t like the idea of them going out by themselves, having moments, laughing, and joking without him. And that last thought confused him so much he didn’t want to think about it anymore. Why should he be jealous that his friends didn’t stop seeing each other when he was away?

She looked down at her hands, “I didn’t run away because I was scared, I ran because it felt like something wasn’t right…like something was..”

J.R. looked at her intensely, “..missing?”

He was breathing hard again and didn’t quite understand why but he wouldn’t question it. He felt like he was standing on the edge of something huge, something massive, something that had the capacity to eat them all whole and he’d never felt more vibrant and alive in his entire life.

“What are they going to do to you when you get back?”

He blinked at the abrupt change in conversation, “excuse me?”

“The school, you not only broke a window, you left the grounds.”

He looked at her for a moment gauging whether or not he should push what they were talking about before or go along with her change of subject.

“Well?”

She looked edgy, uncomfortable, and he decided to drop it…for now.

He sat back in his seat with a wistful expression, “Well, I already have 25 demerits; this little incident will probably shoot me into the stratosphere. There’s corporal punishment so I’ll be getting that and at least one month of no privileges. That’s if they’re nice, they might just kick me out for this one”

“They’re going to beat you? Kick you out of school?”

He shrugged but she was angry, “Why did you come out here then? Why didn’t you just call me? Why not wait for the weekend? We could have done this anytime J.R. Why…”

He had her chin between his fingers before she could finish her thought, “Because I had my phone privileges taken yesterday. Because my girl only turns 17 once and I couldn’t stand to wait one more day to tell her happy birthday.”

She caught her breath for a minute and his eyes dropped to her mouth. He knew he could kiss her now, that she wouldn’t run not only because she was stunned by his unusual confession but because she had nowhere to run to. He could put his mouth on hers and afterwards they would be different. They’d never be able to go back to Whitney and J.R: “Mostly friends, sometimes enemies” so even though he would have given anything to just say, ‘f%^$# it’ and take as much of her as she would give him in the front seat of the car he stole from his brother. He wouldn’t, if he went with his first instinct, the half formed thought that was in his head would never work, or at least take a much longer time to. J.R. shook it off, let go of her face and turned the engine back on.

“Let’s go watch movies at the mansion, I’ll make you a birthday banana split, and then we’ll go pick up Fox when schools over.”

She looked like she wanted to argue for a moment, but thought better of it and nodded. Whitney looked over at him with a smile as he pulled away from the curb and turned the car around, “You mean you’ll get Mrs. Janice to make me a birthday banana split.”

He shrugged good naturedly and she continued, “Why didn’t you get Fox when you got me?”

J.R. smiled, “He already got his private birthday time, and it was my turn.”



{Martin Estate: 1993(17)}

“Heard you were expelled.”

J.R. turned from the window he had been staring out of for the past day to look across the barn at the boy covered in shadows who had yelled to him.

“There’s no need to yell Fox,” he answered lowly, “We’re alone, and you’ve heard right, Stalsworth Academy has decided not to allow me to finish out my senior year.” When he focused on him again, the taller boy was climbing up to the hayloft to join him.

“That sucks,” he replied, real sympathy showing through in his words as he settled down next to him. “Whitney e-mailed me about what happened and I decided to take some time and come back to see what trouble my two babies were getting into.”

J.R. rolled his eyes and tried not to smile at the nickname Fox had taken to calling him and Whitney after he realized he was oldest, therefore; in his own mind at least, the smartest in the group. She was 10 days behind him and J.R. was the littlest baby at 5 months.

“Stop calling me that and no worries, I’m sure my dad will build a new wing onto the school and the dean will…rethink his opinion of me.”

They sat quietly for a minute before Fox spoke up, “You’re not drinking, I’m surprised.”

J.R., touched the side of his head and groaned against what was becoming a killer headache, “Not for lack of trying, Tad’s pretty smart. After that time when we were 13, he brought a liquor cabinet and never left the key alone once. I know because I’ve been watching his every move for four years, waiting for him to slip up,” he sighed dejectedly, “he hasn’t yet though.”

Fox laughed, “I would’ve brought some over but you don’t need that stuff, don’t want it to become a crutch.”

J.R. grunted, wondering whether or not he should tell how much of a crutch it already was, he wasn’t at Tads house 24/7. Quickly deciding against it he went on.

“Adam banned me from seeing Whitney.”

Fox turned to him with shock written across his features at that announcement, “What did you have to say to that?”

“f%^$# you; I’ll see whomever I want.”

“And?”

“He called her parents, told them about what happened and now she’s grounded until God knows when. You know how psycho her father is,” J.R.’s voice lowered when he said this even though Whitney wasn’t anywhere she might hear. Fox nodded and they were quiet before he spoke out again, “You got Whit suspended and Mrs. Williams fired.”

J.R. looked at him with no expression what so ever, “Oops?”

When Fox frowned at him, he sighed and continued, “Harland got hired, and he’ll be able to take care of her. An old lady like that shouldn’t be working anyway,” he looked down at his hands, “I really am sorry about Whitney though, it wasn’t supposed to turn out this way for her.”

They had been sitting in companionable silence for maybe an hour when J.R. made up his mind to go for it. He was never, and never would be more comfortable around any girl than he was with Whitney. He glanced at the side of Fox’s face, watched the way the moonlight highlighted his cheekbones, threw the rest of his face into shadows, and felt his chest tighten; here was where the problems came in.

He’d begun noticing Whitney as more than the only girl he knew without cooties when he was around ten. He started to realize she was hot around 12 and he’d started to understand he didn’t only love her, he was in love with her around 14. That’s when he saw Fox seeing her too and he became aware of the fact that he would probably have to fight him for her one day.

Then, when he was about 15, he watched him pushing her on a swing in the park and knew in that instant that he couldn’t try to take them away from each other. That he didn’t want to be taken away from them either and that maybe…they belonged together He still remembered how that knowledge had hit him, how the summer heat had felt on his shoulders, how they had looked in the sunshine, laughing. Yes, he loved them both and they, all three, belonged together.

J.R. came back to reality slowly and a bit nervous but pressed on anyways and decided to tell him what else Adam had said.

“Adam said our relationship was sick. Not just me and Whitney but all three of us.” He watched Fox first startle at hearing him speak after so long then how his face changed as he continued, “He said there was something wrong with us but he couldn’t put his finger on what exactly it was.”

“There’s nothing wrong with us,” he replied lowly looking like he knew what was going on and wanted to run but couldn’t quite bring himself to look away.

“You’re right, not wrong, but not exactly…normal either.”

He watched Fox’s head swivel from side to side looking for something, probably an escape and decided to move the conversation to ground he would feel more comfortable on.

“You’re attracted to Whitney.”

It wasn’t a question but Fox visibly relaxed as he answered, “Of course, she’s smart, funny, and beautiful. What isn’t attractive about that?”

J.R. silently agreed, she was all those things, but he needed Fox to admit something else. Something he was probably going to find far more difficult to do.

“To me too though right?”

Fox tensed up again and he looked away, “No man, I’m not gay.”

“I didn’t ask you if you were,” he changed gears again in mid sentence, “You were that night though weren’t you, when my mom…”

He turned toward him angrily, lips thin, eyes narrowed. J.R. had stilled himself against the punch he knew was coming but never did. He watched instead as the fight slowly drained from Fox’s face and he slumped forward.

“Nothing happened that night,” he sighed.

“Because you ran.”

Fox ran his hand through his hair in frustration, “I didn’t leave because I…because of that. I left because something wasn’t right,” he put his hand to his head trying hard to think, “something was…”

“…missing,” J.R. finished for him, almost afraid.

Fox looked at him and nodded slowly, “yeah, that’s exactly what it was. I couldn’t…” he stopped mid thought and looked down at his hands in his lap.

“You never answered my question,” J.R. asked, his voice suddenly hoarse.

Fox looked at him from the corner of his eye but didn’t answer. J.R. was suddenly desperate, he needed him, he needed them both and he knew they did too but they were both so stubborn.

“It’s just us two,” he whispered, trying to smother his fraught nerves, “you can tell me the truth.”

When Fox still didn’t answer J.R. blew up and screamed, “What are you so afraid of? I love you…”

“Yes,” he cut in suddenly, stopping him mid-tirade, “I’m,” Fox hesitantly brought his hand up to J.R.’s shoulder and gathered more confidence as he let it glide to the side of his neck, “I’m attracted to you.”

If he were more open, or maybe drunk, J.R. would have wept with relief. He was finally making some headway. His thoughts strayed to last week, but not enough.

“Both of us?”

Fox looked at his face questionably, “huh?”

“Both of us right?”

He didn’t need to say more because the look on his face said that not only was he, he had been thinking what J.R. had been for maybe just as long. Then he went blank and pulled away.

“That’s sick. This is bad enough,” he commented, pointing between the two of them, “but that’s just…disgusting.”

“Who says?”

“It’s not right,” he hissed and, “you know it.”

J.R. shrugged, “if it makes us happy, isn’t that enough?”

Fox crossed his arms and looked into the barn below them. We can’t do this J.R. normal people don’t live like this.”

He shrugged, “Who cares about being normal?”

Fox’s face was pinched with worry and confusion, but also set with determination, “She’ll never go for it, we’ll never be able to convince her and I don’t want to do this without her.”

He nodded his assent, “I don’t want to do this without her either and you’re right, we won’t be able to convince her that this would be right even though I’m sure she’s thought about it. Girls aren’t like boys, you can’t reason with them.”

“Then how are we going to get her in on this?”

J.R. watched how Fox relaxed against the wall. Probably getting used to the idea that he’d admitted to wanting to be with his two best friends, one of which was male, and realizing that maybe it wasn’t so bad.

J.R. moved so they were shoulder to shoulder and put his hand on fox’s knee and when he smiled at him softly, he smiled back.

“We’ll just have to wait for her. She’ll figure it out on her own.”




“Are you alright sir?”

J.R. jerked back to the present and looked at Officer Ramon, looking back at him with suspicion.

“Yes I’m fine, my mind just wandered for a second.”

He waited impatiently as the cop stared at him for a moment longer before handing him back his papers.

“Drive safe now okay.”

J.R. nodded quickly and pulled away from the curb, suddenly more excited about going home. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and started to dial, he had a call to make first.



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