Whispers in the Wind

"Don't be gone long, " Hudson suggested. "It looks like a storm." 
Young shook his head and went outside the small dwelling. The wind held traces of moisture. On the horizon, clouds waited. They were dark and ominous. Young looked at them for a second and then walked slowly toward the jumble of rocks and shaggy brush. From the top of the largest outcropping, he could see the faint tracing of the ocean. It took him less than half an hour to reach that special place of him. He settled down, pulled his knees up and clasped them tightly. Though no sound came out, he mouthed, "Please come, James...please come for me." The wind took the unspoken words and sent them flying from his lips. Loneliness was like a knife cutting into his soul. Desolation threatened him with it's cruel, iron fist.
How long he sat there, he didn't know. When he first heard his name called, he thought he was hearing things. Then he thought, "Hudson?" as he turned. He stared in disbelief at the firm, solid man standing at the bottom of the rocks.
"Ray?"
A silent, "James!" broke from Young's lips. He rose swiftly, hurried halfway down and stood still as remembered pain returned. 
James watched the transformation on his lover's face. It went swiftly from shock to joy to distress and suffering. Young took a step backward. James understood.
"I had to do it, " he explained gently. "You weren't safe on board my ship. Those `accidents' you had were not mere occasions for bad luck." He waited but all he received from the other man was those sad, hurting eyes condemning him. James tried again. "I couldn't continue to lie next to you night after night, holding you, loving you, knowing I'd have to say goodby before long. I had to hold myself back to keep from changing my mind and allowing you to remain on board with me. I couldn't continue risking your life. Do you understand?" Young's face worked with the sensations that surged within him. "I love you, Ray." To his immense joy, the other man started down the mass of rocks. Within a few short minutes, they were in each other's arms. "Oh, Ray..." They kissed. Lips touched lips in greeting, a touching that altered immediately to passion and long denied hunger. "Ray..."
They sank down onto the sand.
"Ray..."
They were famished for each other. Lips...hands...tongues... explored, tasted, devoured. Clothes vanished...Jamess touched... organs distended, enlarged, throbbed...waited.
There was a sound of thunder, unheeded by either man for the storm around them was nothing compared to the storm within them. Then, without warning, without visible cause, James slumped over the man beneath him. Young, confused, suffused with the passion that had overtaken them, became immobile. A motion from the corner of his eyes caught his attention. Horror froze in his heart as he saw his brother there, another man standing beside. Sticky wetness overflowed his hand. Sluggishly, he looked at his fingers. Blood... James's blood. His mouth worked but of course, no sound came out. He was numb inside and out.
The stranger beside Cedric stepped forward. It was then Young saw he was naked from the waist down, that the man's penis was huge, ugly. Panic crippled him even further as memory came back in full force to haunt him. He whimpered without sound. The man flung James to the side. He grabbed Young, flung him over.
"Fuck him until he bleeds, " Cedric ordered in hatred. "Fuck him hard! Hurt him! I want him hurt before you kill him!"
The other man only grunted. He flung his gun aside and pushed Young legs apart, settled himself between them. His fingers rammed up into the anus. Young struggled but the stranger was stronger. He was larger, heavier, meaner, and he didn't have images in his head of being small and helpless and abused to weaken him. As the stranger's hard fingers separated the cold, white buttocks, James roused. It took the sea captain agonizing moments to come to full consciousness, to realize that his lover was being raped. He struggled upward, propped himself on his elbows. He saw the gun and reached for it. Cedric noticed him. He raced toward him, tried to get the gun but James's hand already clasped it. Cedric fought to get it away. The conflict set the gun off. The bullet struck Cedric and he fell, confused, bleeding. James fired twice at the man raping Young, and the stranger too fell, coming to rest in death on Young's back.
"Ray..." Despite the pain, despite the loss of blood, James crawled over to his lover. He shoved the dead man away from Young's body. "Ray?" Young was trembling violently. He cringed from James's touch. "It's me. Ray..." He held the shivering man, soothing a loving path up and down the cold flesh. "I'm here, Ray." He held him tighter. "He's dead. I killed him." Young buried his face against James's chest and battled to regain control. "I'm here." When Young was finally calm, James asked hesitantly, "Did he..." He couldn't finish. He didn't have to. Young shook his head and then began to tremble once more. "Let's get you home." James stood up, pulled the other man up with him. He searched for clothing and they dressed.
As they passed Cedric, James paused, checked the body. He too was dead. Despite the harshness Cedric had given him his whole life, sorrow overwhelmed Young. He knelt down, touched the cold face. James gave him a moment then made him walk away.

EPILOGUE: TWO YEARS LATER...

Naked, they frolicked in the warm waters off the tiny island, laughing, splashing each other. The ship was anchored on the other side and James and Young did not fear being discovered. All on board that vessel knew the two men were lovers and no one would even think of interfering in the joy and the love the two men shared.
"God, Ray, I love you." James pulled him closer, held him tightly. He felt warm, moist lips against his throat and closed his eyes in ecstasy. It took a moment for him to realize, Young was mouthing, "I love you, " against his flesh. The captain shuddered deliciously. "All those months we were apart, I could almost hear you whispering, love me, come back for me. Every time the wind blew, I could feel your breath against my cheek...I could hear your whispers...whispers of love, in the wind."