Lincoln's Pride

I decided to update an old series. This one will be a multi-chapter one. You probably want to review the previous chapters. As always, I write about Middle Eastern guys so if that isn't your thing then you won't like this. Thanks to all the messages asking me to update this!

-Emri

+++

"I have a ticket though! I'm all packed up! I need to come home!" I protested angrily and felt my hand shaking as it held the phone. I had come home for Christmas to see my family for two weeks. It was the first time I had been home since I left.

My family had just moved into the new house Samir had built for them. It was huge and had room for everyone to spread. My father was able to retire and get the medical help he needed. He looked ten years younger and the weight of the world wasn't on his shoulder. Being able to take care of them, provide for them, make them safe; it was everything to me. I felt like a man.

"I know, my love," Samir said from the other side of the world. "But it isn't safe here. The Arizen tribe has claimed our territory. Father has gone to meet with the tribal elders for their help. Our troops were overrun and outnumbered. It is fortunate no one was seriously hurt. Until this is fixed it isn't safe for white boys here. The Arizen troops are patrolling everywhere. They do not like the west. They are traditionalists. They haven't come to our compound yet, but we got the boys out just in time."

"I should be there to fight with you! It's my home too." I felt panic rising in my voice.

"You are safer there, Lincoln. It kills me to be away from you. However, My family isn't powerful because we are wealthy. We are powerful because we are tribal leaders. We have a responsibility to the people in the city. They look to us for protection, jobs, education, everything. The Arizen have been through a terrible drought. They are claiming we do not share our resources with them so they are trying to take it by force." Samir sighed.

"I don't care. Fuck them. Fuck them all! I'm not staying here while everything we love is in danger." I yelled and pushed through the kitchen door and out to the backyard.

Winter had settled in early on our mountain village. While it was sunny and warm just twenty minutes south in Los Angeles, the weather up here was biting cold with snow on the ground. I crunched across the frozen grass towards my brother's new SUV.

Samir had picked it out for him and had it delivered. It had warm leather seats, thick snow tires, and every safety feature known to man. My brother had been the one to take care of the family and push my dad to take better care of his health. In my absence he had stepped up and Samir rewarded him handsomely.

"Lincoln, you know I never want to be away from you, but I have a commitment to my people. I have to stay and fight, Ali does too. I promise I won't take any chances with my safety. You can't come here. I already canceled your ticket and travel visa. I knew you would act impulsively out of love. You will stay put as told." Samir used his fatherly tone that told me the time for arguing was over. His mind was settled.

"You canceled my visa," I sighed as I climbed into the SUV and turned it on to warm up the heater. My body shivered, but the seat quickly warmed. I laughed at that. I used to run around in the snow in shorts and a t-shirt when it was this warm.

"I had to. It is not safe for your here. Besides. I need you there. I am sending Emerson and the boys to you for protection. Ali is sending them to California until this is settled. I need you to collect them from the airport when they arrive and shelter them until the rental house is ready. You are the man now. I need you to protect them." Samir said.

Emerson, Emi as we called him, would of course be frightened and worried for his children. They would need me to step up and be the alpha here. They needed me.

"He needs me! Of course I'll protect them," I affirmed.

"Good... Emi doesn't know how to survive like you do, Lincoln. He has been sheltered in our compound. Ali is coming back here to help and we will join you there soon if it gets too dangerous. I promise we will, but if we leave too soon, the Arizen will see it as a forfeit of our territory. Our people would lose their freedoms." Samir swallowed hard at that thought.

"Rent a house? Will we be here that long? My classes!" I flared up again.

"Ali doesn't want his boys in a hotel. They are already upset at leaving the only home they have ever known. They need a quiet place to get back to their routine. The university is on a day-by-day schedule and students are being searched by the Arizen troops. Many classes have been canceled, all the ones that teach liberal subjects. The Arizen believe in only religious teachings and no females are allowed on campus. I'm pretty sure your semester is already over, my love," Samir informed.

I held out my phone in front of me and we switched over to the video chat. His face looked tired and our bedroom was dimly lit. It was late night over there and I ached to crawl into bed with him and lay against his bare chest.

"You look hot," I said and brought a smile to his face.

"It looks cold there. Why are you in the car?" he asked. From his vantage he could see the white snow behind me outside the car windows.

"I didn't want to disturb the house and I was ready to go to the airport to fly home," I laughed.

"I promise I'll be with you as soon as possible. Hopefully it's at the airport and I'm bringing you home. If not... Los Angeles isn't so bad," Samir tried to joke.

"I'm not staying here forever!" I said and sighed.

"You are my everything. We will be together again soon," he insisted.

+++

Two days later found me waiting for Emerson's flight at a juice bar near the airport. I kept refreshing my phone app to see the airplane icon make its way over Arizona. I texted Samir that their flight was coming soon.

"Please remember to be calm so the twins won't get anxious. They are smart little boys." Samir wrote. He hadn't given me any information on how things were going. He just said it would be ok and they were working on it. I tried not to text him too often, but we still did our video chat every night before I fell asleep.

When they got out of customs, the twin boys ran to hug me. Emerson looked sad and tired. He perked up when he realized he could pass off the boys to their Uncle Lincoln. They each hugged one side of me. They were growing up so fast. I could still lift them, just not both together.

"Jai didn't come with you?" I asked through sign language. Jai had been the male nanny who helped Emerson with the boys. He had been with them since the night they came home from the hospital.

"No, Ali couldn't get a visa for him. He went home to India until we can get things back together," Emerson signed back with an exhausted sigh. He came to my hug and it felt good to hold him again. He fit perfectly in my embrace. My arms always felt stronger when they wrapped around him.

"Are you hungry? It's a long drive home. We live far up in the mountains," I signed.

We drove all the way up to the valley where Emerson had grown up. He signed excitedly when he saw the exit for Sherman Way. He directed me through a series of foster homes that had cared for him until we arrived at a pizza place he loved. He hadn't been here in 8 years, but signed that the place looked the same.

We got the boys settled with their slices and Emerson shared a pepperoni pizza with me. We hadn't had it since it wasn't allowed in Satra. They had some weird beef pepperoni that just wasn't the same.

Emerson filled me in on more details from back home. The tribes were supposed to share resources and the Arizen were increasingly poor. A severe drought had laid waste to their crops and their people were hungry. Satra had ignored their cries for help and several tribal elders were accused of embezzling the financial aid meant for Arizen people. The Hamads were working to find out who took the money and prove that they had intended to share the wealth. Until then, the Arizen were roaming freely and taking what they wanted from Satran businesses, people.

"That sucks!" I signed. "What if they can't prove their innocence?"

"Then they will have to find a way to repay the Arizen, make things right plus pay penalties. I felt bad for them, they looked so hungry and angry. I felt guilty that we live so well when people just across the mountain have so little. I told Ali we have to help them. What if it were our children in need? It isn't right," Emerson signed away from his childrens' eyes.

We finished eating and then packed the boys back in the SUV and headed home to my father's house. There was awful traffic getting out of the valley and we had to stop for the boys to use a restroom. It was a tough and slow climb up the mountain. We had to stop at a police checkpoint to show that our tires could make it up the snowy roads. It was late when we got to the house.

I spent the previous day buying things they would need. I got ski suits and jackets for the boys and Emerson. They had spent vacations in Switzerland, but I knew they wouldn't think to bring those things with them. I went to an Arab specialty market in Encino to get food they would recognize from home. I wanted them to be comfortable there.

Emerson called Ali on video chat when they got settled in. He looked as tired as Samir had. He thanked me for taking care of them and then I left them to their privacy. Emerson snuggled in on the bed with one of his boys under each arm as they talked with their father. I closed the door and left them to it.

The sight of them, their little family trying to act as though things were ok, it made me miss Samir and my life back there intensely. I didn't belong here anymore.

As though sensing my thoughts, my phone rang with a videochat of my own. Samir was up, it was early morning there. He stroked his beard and peered at me with those big brown eyes.

"I miss you," I said as I settled into my bed. He wasn't wearing a shirt and I could see down to his huge pecs and pointy brown nipples.

"I ache for you," he responded as his eyes narrowed with concern. He always had to outdo me with the sweet talk. It came so naturally to him. I still felt a small hesitancy feeling that way for another man.

"You have to help the Arizen! Emi told me what's going on. They need your help!" I started to unload on him. Emerson was upset so I was upset.

"We will, Link. But they aren't always honest people and they have long desired our land, our prosperity. We have helped them for years and they squander it on building bigger mosques while their people suffer. There is much to the story and I don't feel like teaching you right now," Samir sighed.

"You look tired... did you sleep?" I asked and watched as the tension eased from his face.

"You know I can't sleep well without seeding my boy first. I need to fuck my Lincoln," Samir admitted. I watched his hand slide down his chest and I knew it was headed to his cock.

"Finish your war then... or bring me home to help," I laughed. I needed him too. My neck felt tense without his touch, our time together.

"I will, now take off your clothes. I need to see you," Samir said. I hopped off the bed to make sure my door was locked. I turned on some music so we wouldn't be heard and then returned to my bed to find he had pushed the phone away from him so I could watch him stroke his cock. I missed it, the taste, feel, smell, size. It filled my mouth, my hole, my need.

"Fuck," I whimpered at the sight of it. "I need it," I begged.

"I know, my heart, as soon as it is safe, you'll have it again," Samir assured. We spent the next hour exploring ourselves for each other to see. It wasn't the same, but it was the best we could do.

+++

I woke up to Emerson nudging me and pushing his phone in front of my face. He looked excited and signed "Read it!" It was a series of texts from his husband, Ali. It said that they had brokered a deal amongst the tribal elders and the Arizen were being ordered to withdraw. They will receive food and new housing units will be built for them along with a healthy financial sum. If the agreement held, we could go home. They would need time to see how the Arizen respond, but it looked like this could be over soon.

I searched desperately for my phone and found it under the pillow. I had a similar text from Samir, but he sounded less optimistic and was staying in Satra to make sure they left. He said a man named Bilaal was coming today to help us get set-up in the rental home.

I showed my phone to Emerson who had settled in on the bed beside me. He shivered so I pulled back the covers so he could warm up with me. I was dressed in warm pajamas so there was no reason to hide myself.

"B-I-L-A-A-L" Emerson fingerspelled to me with a questioning look. I shrugged and signed that I didn't know him. I felt bad for changing his happy mood with Samir's more melancholy assessment of the situation.

We went downstairs to find my sister feeding the twins. They liked her pancakes and she liked playing mom. She sent me off with Emerson to eat our pancakes and talk about plans.

I realized from Ali's texts that he wanted his husband calmed. He liked to control Emerson's world, keep things simple and peaceful. But Emerson wasn't a boy, and he had two children to protect. He seemed comfortable with the bubble Ali kept him in, but he seemed ready to be realistic about what we were doing here.

"I'm worried," he signed. "What if they can't work this out or Ali gets hurt? It's been so long since I've been away from him for more than a day of work. Even when he travels for business he likes to bring us along if he can't make it back before bedtime."

"I'm sure they'll work it out... I miss Samir too... but they must have a reason for keeping us here where we are safe. Is there anything you want to see today? We can see your old sights in LA," I offered.

"No. I hate it here. It was a different life, so much harder and lonely. My world is in Satra, it's my home. I never planned to return to California. It's not my home anymore," he signed with a sad look.

"There's a deaf restaurant in LA! Everyone signs. I looked it up. Why don't we go there for lunch and do some shopping? Samir put extra money in my account last night," I said.

"I know! Ali gave me new credit cards that will work here. He said they are moving money to secure accounts," Emerson signed.

We got ready and headed out. Bilaal called us while we were heading into LA. He had a hint of an Arab accent, but sounded like a polished business man. He had a very serious tone and wasn't much for pleasantries. He agreed to meet up with us for lunch and then show us the new property.

+++

"Lincoln, I recognize you from the pictures," a handsome face said to me just after we ordered lunch. He came up to our table dressed in an expensive black suit with a dark blue tie. He clapped a hand to my shoulder and smiled warmly. His dark eyes and chiseled looks matched the deep, commanding voice I'd heard over the phone.

"Bilaal?" I asked as though it weren't apparent.

"Yes, Samir sent me to take care of his family while he cannot be here," he said with a reassuring smile. He shook hands with Emerson and asked me to translate for him in signs. The two of them shook hands, and Emerson looked a little disappointed that he didn't know sign language. I guess on the short notice of war, finding a capable Arab man to look after two families who also knew sign language was a tall order.

"I apologize for not knowing your signs, but I will protect you with my life. Your husband cares deeply for you, and has spared no expense for your protection. I assure you no harm will come to you or your precious children," Bilaal said and I translated into sign language. Bilaal kept his eyes trained on Emerson with an unwavering look of strength and care.

It put Emi's mind at ease and I watched as his body released the tension of the long journey. He had an Arab Alpha in charge again and could relax. It stung me to watch. I was just as capable of protecting them. I was just as strong as Bilaal.

Bilaal went to greet the boys and spoke to them in their native Arabic. They quickly lit up as he spoke and did a magic trick for them, pulling toy cars from behind each boys ears. They were instant friends. As usual, the Hamad men provided the highest level of service for us.

"Please, enjoy your lunch while I check on things. I will take you to the new house. I took an Uber here so may I have your car keys? We have another family car being delivered to the house so we can return this SUV to your brother," Bilaal said and extended his palm.

I reluctantly gave him the keys. I was sure this was the last time I would drive for awhile. Samir didn't like me driving, and I'm sure Bilaal wouldn't relinquish the control either. I gave him the keys and he responded with a polite nod before stalking away to make his phone calls.

+++

An hour later we pulled off the freeway into Calabassas. In Spanish it means "pumpkins," but in California, it means "big rich celebrities in hiding." I hadn't been out here since my high school team played a private school. It was a place of large homes and big walls in heavily forested canyons. Every celebrity under 40 had a home or ranch out here though no one, besides the shrewdest of paparazzi, knew exactly where.

If I could have pictured a place for the Hamad family to hide out, this would be it. Bilaal pulled up to a gate and punched in a code. I watched his eyes bulge as he took in the luxury surroundings that he would keep watch over. It was a modern Spanish villa with a driveway that circled around a big fountain flanked by a huge stucco mansion.

"I'll check the perimeter for anything compromising. You boys go ahead and take the kids inside," Bilaal said when we got to the front door. He looked around as though there would be a group of Arizen assassins who had traveled across the globe to hunt us down. I chuckled at his seriousness with this mission. A poor tribe from the arabian desert would not go all the way to California to hunt us down.

I watched Bilaal play out the action fantasy in his head. He certainly was cute enough to star in it. I guessed he was from the San Fernando valley, a lower-middle-income Arab family. I was sure Samir and Ali had charmed him with big dollars for keeping their family safe. Maybe they had promised a future position in the kingdom and untold wealth for his family. He just seemed to be taking this with deadly sincerity.

Still, if it provided reassurance for Emerson and the twins, I would play along with James Bond.

Bilaal came and found me in the second master bedroom. I was trying to figure out the remote control that lifted the shades and turned on the lights. Everything was automated but a different system than the one Samir had set up in our place.

"I dispatched a team to your home in the mountains to return the SUV and pack up everyone's things," he said. He saw me fumbling and took the remote from my hand. He pushed one button and the room began to fill with sunlight.

"Oh... thanks man," I said and noticed he was uncomfortably close to me. I inhaled a healthy dose of his cologne and for some reason my cock stirred. He was about Samir's height and handsome enough in his own rite.

He looked like them, had their confidence, my body was confused.

"Lincoln," he said and tossed the remote on the bed. He put his arms around me and brought me into his chest. "You don't have to be the man here. I'm not going anywhere and I will keep you safe." He whispered this into my ear and then kissed my cheek. It was hokey and I guessed Samir had told him I was his little needy pussyboy who only looked like a muscle jock but was really fragile on the inside.