Dave knew as soon as he opened the door. Sitting on the couch, Shane looked up at him with a shocked and dismayed expression.

"They did it," he said, his voice shaking.

Sighing, Dave slipped off his coat and dropped it across the back of a chair. "I know. I heard it on the radio."

He went to sit beside Shane, sparing only a disdainful glance at the television. The sight of the map, more red than blue, made his jaw clench. He forced himself to look at Shane, to cool his temper.

Tears were shining in Shane's dark eyes. "We can't get married," he said.

Unable to think of any words to ease his lover's pain, Dave just opened his arms. Shane threw himself into them, finally breaking down into wrenching, painful sobs. There was nothing Dave could do but hold him and rub his back.

He knew that this was at least partly his fault. A few weeks ago, while they were curled up on the couch watching the news, Dave had mentioned that someday they should get married. Shane had absolutely lit up at the idea. He talked and talked about what kind of ceremony they might have, who'd be invited, what he'd wear. After that, he'd thrown himself completely into the upcoming election, even asking Dave permission to volunteer with one of the groups lobbying against the gay marriage ban.

Watching him all that time, Dave had been very pleased by his lover's newfound passion and sense of purpose, but worried, too. Shane might have been too caught up to look realistically at the polls, but he hadn't. He knew that their chances were slim, and he'd been afraid of what would happen when the ban passed.

"I'm sorry, sugar," he murmured into Shane's hair. "I know how much this meant to you."

"I just wanted us to be together forever."

"We will be. We don't need a piece of paper for that."

Shane took a deep breath and pushed back to look up at him. "What happens if you get hurt and you're in the hospital, and I can't even come see you? What if…"

"Hush." Dave said firmly. "No 'what ifs'. Don't think about things like that."



Ducking his head, Shane leaned against him again. "Sorry, master."

The pained, defeated tone in his voice was too much for David. Closing his eyes, he held Shane tightly and stroked his hair.



"It's all right, sugar. This doesn't change anything between us. You're mine now, and you're going to be mine tomorrow. That's all that matters."

After a long time, Shane seemed to run out of tears and relaxed in Dave's arms. Dave grabbed the remote without releasing him and turned off the television. In the now darkened room, he kissed Shane softly, then scooped him up to carry him toward their bedroom.

Dave undressed him tenderly and tucked him into bed. After a quick circuit of the apartment, making sure the windows were closed and the door was locked, he stripped off his own clothing and joined him. He held him close, kissing his damp cheeks.

"We could still do it, you know," he whispered. "There are lots of places we could go and get married."

"But when we came home again we wouldn't be married anymore."

Dave sighed. "We would if we moved someplace else. Someplace where it's not illegal."

"It won't matter." Shane said sadly. "Eventually it'll won't be legal anywhere. It'll be in the constitution."

"We don't have to stay in the States. We could always move to Canada, or someplace in Europe."

In the dark, Dave saw Shane's eyes widen. "I couldn't ask you to do that, master. All your friends are here, and your work."

Dave kissed him once more. "I could work anywhere, and the way things are going, my friends might not stick around much longer, either. Did I tell you that Sean is thinking of moving to Japan permanently?"

Shane shook his head.

"I don't care where we live, sugar. So long as I have you."

"You'll always have me." Shane swore, pressing closer to him. "Always."

Dave kissed him some more, letting his fingers trail across his soft skin, inhaling the warm and sweet scent of his skin. He let the desire in him simmer and catch Shane, until the smaller man was moaning under his kisses, writhing against him. When he finally took him, it was on his back, going so slowly that Shane was soon begging him for release.

Looking down into his face, Dave felt a surge of warmth go through him. "I love you, Shane," he whispered. "Nothing and no one on this earth is ever going to stop me from loving you."

The End

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