Behind the Mirror

David

I woke a few hours before dawn, Jack at my side dropping slow kisses to my skin, and curled into him with a soft, appreciative noise, revelling in the lazy decadence of being nude with him. There was no blood exchange this time, and I claimed his mouth directly, slow and warm and yearning, arching against him. It was a little strange, but at the same time wonderful, to let passion and desire build slowly as a mortal would, but it was somehow fitting, and I found myself somehow liking that there was just a little touch of tenderness in the way he kissed me. I let myself tease and torture him as I had the night before, memorizing him with touch and kisses and shared pleasure, and when we finally coupled, I was left feeling deliciously ravished and entirely sated. The perfect memory to leave with.

We showered, and I dressed in my original clothes, tossing the taxidermy antelope head that I'd stolen earlier onto the bed. Jack paused halfway through doing up his jeans, staring at it. ".... you weren't kidding about the horns, were you?"

"Of course not," I replied, admiring him shirtless. "It probably doesn't need to be both of them, though. It might be a bit awkward to stab me with an antelope head. Just break one off."

He regarded it seriously for a moment, then looked back to me in concern. "David... are you sure this is how you're supposed to get back?"

I shrugged. "I don't think the how particularly matters, not as much as the will to go. Just deciding to go was enough to make the sun rise, after all. This will do what it needs to." I pulled his switchblade from the pocket of my coat and flicked it open, pressing the tip against the tip of my index finger, just hard to pierce, to let a drop of blood bead on my skin. Then I sucked the tip of the knife clean and closed it up, looking up at him. "Jack. Come here."

He took a slow step forward, eyes not leaving my hand. "What are you doing, David?"

I gave him a soft smile. "It will protect you, just a little. Make you just a little faster, a little stronger than other mortals, a little more resilient against injury and illness. It's not enough to make you what I am or to give you any nasty side effects. But it will give me some peace of mind." I held my hand up to him in offering, palm up, and he hesitated for only a moment before leaning forward to catch the bloodied finger between his lips, eyes closing as he sucked gently at it, licking away the drop of blood with a little shiver. I smiled as he pulled back, knowing that even that touch would be quite potent to him, and used the moment to press the switchblade back into his hand. "Thank you for the loan."

He blinked a few times as if to clear his vision, giving his head a little shake and running his hand over his face. Then he glanced down at the blade, tucking it back into my pocket. "Keep it. Give me some peace of mind."

I chuckled softly, slipping my arms up around his neck and kissing him once more, rather temped to stay just a little longer but knowing it was time. The sun would rise soon. Already I could smell the effect the small taste of my blood was having on him, which was exactly the one I wanted. "Take care of yourself, my warrior," I said softly, then stepped back, stretching my arms out and raising my chin a little.

He watched me silently for a moment, obviously still conflicted, then turned away with a little nod, grabbing the taxidermy head and dropping it to the floor, using a well placed stomp to break off one of the horns. Then he pushed me back against the wall, both hands curled around the length of horn with the tip pressed to my chest, but pulled it away at the last minute, pressing up hard against me and bringing his mouth to mine hard for a fierce kiss. One hand dropped from the horn to slip around me, holding me tightly to him, almost stealing my breath with his kisses. "David...."

I gave a soft sigh against his lips, bringing my hands up to cup his head, tangling fingers in short hair. "I won't ever forget the love I have for you, Jack. You know that."

"Yeah. David... me too," he murmured, with just a touch of rawness, and let his forehead rest to mine for a long moment. I smiled, letting him take the moment than he needed, savouring the vibrant intensity of his emotion. Then he shifted, bringing the tip of the horn back to my chest. "Take care of yourself," he murmured against my mouth, giving a soft sigh, and then I felt his muscles surge, felt the pain of the sharpened bone piercing my body, and everything went black.

~~~~


"Just you!"

The words cut through the darkness, and my mind worked quickly to place myself, the scent of the sea in my lungs, cool wind whipping at my hair. My jaw throbbing....

"Come on! Just you!"

I straightened, the world around me focusing, and at the very center of it, a pair of passionate blue eyes, blazing, glaring at me with a mix of anger and a desire he didn't truly understand, not yet. The same attraction I'd seen the first time he'd spotted us on the boardwalk, watching us longingly. Watching me. My boys were there, and the little bitch, our bikes stopped on the cliff. The first test for any new boy.

He'd passed, of course. Flying colours. Ah, Michael... and this was the point I had to work from.

I held those eyes, feeling my lips turn up into a smile unbidden, but I could feel it draw him in more, strengthen the pull he felt toward me. "How far you willing to go, Michael?" I murmured, watching him shiver as my words ran through him, and I could see very clearly all the images and desires those words brought to the surface to him. He would be mine, this time. Instead of the bitterness and betrayal he'd felt before, I'd focus that passion to adoration and devotion. I wouldn't let her poison him.

We made our way to the cliffs that held our home, the caves of my Lost Boys, and I sent Michael ahead with Dwayne, keeping Star back with me with a hand clenched tight on her slender wrist. I didn't let her start down the walkway, instead pushing her up against one of the wood posts, letting the others get well ahead and out of earshot.

"You aren't welcome here tonight," I said, returning her gaze evenly, resisting the urge to smile at her shock. "Yes, I am fully aware of what you are trying to do. This one is mine, and you will not use him against me."

"But David, I love - "

"Shut up," I cut her off with a frown. "Don't take me for an imbecile, and don't lie to me. I know you don't love me, and I know you've gotten the idea in your head that we are the barrier between you and humanity. You approached Michael because you sensed my interest, and thought you could use him to get rid of me. A little prince to save the tragic, imprisoned princess. I have news for you, Star - you're not a princess, and this is your own damn fault. You chose this, you accepted the gift."

"I didn't know what it would mean," she said softly, uncertainly, the confident facade torn away by my confrontation.

I caught myself rolling my eyes. "Don't tell me you didn't know that Vampires fucking kill people. Come on, Star. If you don't want this, just say the word. I'll end it, gladly."

"I don't want to die," she shot back, eyes hard. "I want my old life back!"

"The life of a runaway about to start turning tricks on the boardwalk?" I snorted. "Be my guest, if that's truly what you want. But let me make one thing very clear." I held her gaze for a silent moment to impress my words on her. "The vampire blood in your veins is not from me. I am not your sire. Fighting against me - trying to use Michael - will not gain you back your humanity."

Her lips parted slightly, pupils wide in the darkness. "One of the others...?"

I snorted. "Hardly. No, you drank the blood of my sire. If you want your humanity, that's your mark."

"But, who..."

"You think I could tell you that even if I wanted to? He's our sire, Star." I stepped back, turning and heading for the stars. "You're on your own. And you're to stay away from Michael at all times."

"He wants me."

"You think so?" I snorted. "You know nothing."

"I want him, David."

I whirled back to her, catching her by the throat to slam her up against the post again. "The only reason you are still alive is because I do not care to kill my own kind," I hissed, tightening my fingers on her throat. "But I will not hesitate to do so if I find you anywhere near him. You are not to approach his house, his personage, his family, or the cave if he is near. You may return at dawn to sleep. If I see you in any other circumstance, I will kill you." Then I released her, leaving her to choke and gasp for breath, and started down the stairs without looking back, satisfied when she scrambled off and started back to down on foot. I snorted, quickly reaching the mouth of the cave. Little bitch wasn't even smart enough to fly.

The others had just finished lighting the trash bin fires, bathing the cave in warm light, and I sent Marko for food, but my eyes didn't leave Micheal.

For a moment, he looked confused. "Where's Star?"

"Star had a prior engagement," I told him, "And I unfortunately couldn't talk her into staying. I hope that's not too much of a disappointment."

He barely took a moment to consider this before shaking his head, attention drawn to me like a moth to the flame, and as I slowly seduced him with words and music and drugs, his mind completely emptied of Star and saw only me.

I didn't test him further as I had in the past. I didn't need to. I knew the mettle my Wendy was cared from. If the other boys found it strange, they didn't question me. They were loyal, my boys. Obedient. I didn't regret coming back to them. When the Chinese food that Marko brought back was decimated, I pulled Michael away from the rest of the group, back into one of the chasms of the cave system, picking around old junk from the fallen hotel, pulling on a lit joint held loosely in my fingers. When we were almost at my destination, the remains of a grand suite I had claimed for my own, I pressed him back against the rocks, and though his expression still held some wariness, questioning our position, he didn't try to resist, watching me instead through dark eyes, full lips parted slightly.

"You want some of this?" I asked, holding up the joint, and he watched my fingers, then gave a slow nod.

"Yeah."

"Good." I took a hoot off the joint then leaned forward with a little smirk, sealing my lips on his and exhaling the drug to him like I had to Nelson. And somehow, he wasn't alarmed at this, somehow he was kissing me even before I could instigate it, arching up against my form, drawing a shuddering breath as our lips parted.

I was already smiling at his response. "More?"

"Yes," he breathed, and I did it again, not even caring when one hand slipped up to tangle in and mess up my hair. The third time I didn't even bother with the drug, but just leaned in to kiss him, a soft, appreciative noise in the back of my throat at the taste of his mouth, at how good it was to kiss and suck on those beautiful full lips. Finally I relinquished my claim on his mouth long enough to let him recover, panting hard against my lips. "God, David... how did you know about me?"

I smiled, letting my fingers smooth over his hip and side, drinking in the feel of him pressed against me, warm and willing. "You'll find there is a good deal about myself and the boys that is not what you expect," I replied slowly. "Some things you will welcome. Others may be difficult for you to accept. Normally I wouldn't give a new boy the choice about whether or not he experiences everything - "

"I want it," he murmured, fingers clenching in my jeans. "All of it."

I chuckled despite myself, low and warm. "You don't know what all of it is."

"I can guess," he replied stubbornly, hips arching up against me just a little to prove to me that what he thought he knew was only the beginning. He was already hard against my thigh, something I found very satisfying indeed.

I tried my best to be gracious and tender with him, chuckling softly and leaned in to brush his lips with mine. "I will show you a little bit at a time, then," I replied, "and I'll make sure that you are aware of the consequences beforehand, and let you chose. But I will need you to promise two things for me, Michael. Can you do that for me?"

He hesitated, a little anxiety coming back into his expression. "What are they?"

"It's not difficult," I replied with a soft smile. "The first is that you will not tell anyone about any of this, anything you do with us, without my express permission. Not even your brother. Can you do that for me?"

He paused, then nodded slowly. "And the second?"

I felt my eyes narrow slightly. "As long as you are with me, you will be with no one else but me. No kisses, no touch, no flirting with anyone, and especially not Star. If you are mine, you are mine alone."

He looked a little startled at the request, full lips parted a little, and it was all I could do to hold myself back from leaning in and kissing the hell out of him. "Yeah," he replied, voice lowering a little, sending a shiver of desire down my spine. "Yeah, I understand. I promise."

"I knew I was right about you, Micheal," I murmured, leaning in to nuzzle along his jaw, feeling him shudder against me, and nipped lightly at his earlobe. I'd almost forgotten how intoxicating the scent of him was, and it was maddening to be so close to him and keep hold of my self control. "I'm going to feed from you," I murmured, letting him relax in the thrall of my voice. "I won't harm you. It will hurt for just a moment, and then you'll feel more amazing than you ever have before."

"Feed?" His fingers tightened in my hair, displaying only a little confusion at my words, but no fear.

"Do you trust me?" I slipped a hand to tangle in his hair, pulling his head back to press my lips to his throat. I could feel his pulse beat strong and fast under his skin and choked back a moan, drawing a shuddering breath. "Give me permission."

Michael's breath came quicker, and I wondered if it was his own desire that made it so, or if he could somehow feel how much I wanted him. "Yes," he managed to gasp, trusting even though unknowing of my attentions, and I sunk my teeth into his skin without delay, quickly pushing away the hunter and taking from him as a lover. As the rich, hot taste of his life overwhelmed me, I realized that this was perhaps the most beautiful thing my warrior had given me - the understanding of how beautiful it could be to feed in love instead of ferocity, to embrace the remains of my humanity. To let the intimacy of this act with my lover bring a greater vibrancy to life, a deeper meaning.

I took only a little from him - less than I needed, and much less than I wanted, but it was enough. When he gasped my name as I pulled back, when he pulled me to him to kiss me of his own accord, I knew I didn't have to worry about the little bitch anymore.

Michael was mine. As I'd been his the moment I laid eyes on the boy, and I wasn't afraid to admit it anymore.

~~~~


Jack Bauer

When I returned to the conference room I'd been working from, there was an envelope sitting on my desk, on top of the file full of paperwork I'd put together on Wilson from the databases and my materials. I picked it up, curious, and pulled out a boarding pass for a flight scheduled to depart in the afternoon. The arrival date and time on the pass, however, was over a year and a half in the past. I stared at it blankly for a long moment. Well... I hadn't literally expected a ticket out of this place, but it seems that perhaps it was what I'd received. The date and destination, surprisingly enough, were well in keeping with most of the scenarios I'd prepared for, and it was a bit of a relief to see that apparently I was going about this the right way.

I spent the next few hours double checking my notes, records and resources, carefully filing data into memory cards and printing things as needed. Finally around eleven, I realized I was just going over and over the same words, and forced myself to stop, packing up my laptop and preparing to leave the room. As I was about to hit the light switch however, I paused, then returned to where a certain newspaper article had been pinned up on the board. It was strange, and I wouldn't have even known it was David's had it not originally been pinned up with a series of articles on missing persons in the Santa Carla, California area. It had simply been a small article - the kind you would think of as space filler - about a local taxidermist whose home had been vandalized by gangs. Even then I wouldn't have understood its significance had David himself not pointed it out to me as being the chronicle of his death.

It had turned into a series of personals, but the first one caught my eye immediately as not being a personal ad at all.

'JB,
Home safe, all boys accounted for. Wendy still fucking
hot, everything gone according to plan. Still have your
badge, look me up if you want it back. You're still
my favourite lunch(date).
- D'

I smiled, taking the page off the wall and tucking it in with the rest of my materials, feeling unexpectedly proud of the boy. I headed out of the room, catching sight of Ben and Daniel in the second floor restaurant chatting over takeout by the window, and joined them.

Daniel glanced up with a smile as I approached. "Leaving, Jack?"

I gave a sharp nod, not moving to join them, resting my hands on the back of a chair. "Yeah. David made it out early this morning, his paperwork's changed. Brooks and Athos too. Seems it's just the three of us. And I apparently have a flight in two hours that lands in London almost two years ago."

Wordlessly, Ben picked up a bulky manilla envelope from off the table and handed it to me. "This might come in handy."

I glanced inside to find bundles of high denomination euro and dollar bills. "... what the hell did you do, rob a bank?"

"It won't be missed," Ben replied with a little smirk, and stood. "Let us take you to the airport."

I hesitated, then nodded, finding myself suddenly glad of the company.

Before long, I stood in front of the security gate, my precious paperwork and my laptop carefully packed in the bag slung over my shoulder, Ben's money tucked into the specially designed lining. Security might not be able to see me at the moment, but I rather hoped that when I landed they would, and I didn't particularly want to be held up for carrying suspicious amounts of cash. Hidden with them were several sets of identification I'd taken at the last minute, another of which sat in my back pocket, declaring my name to be John Hicox. They were good fakes, after all - it would have been a shame to waste them.

I looked at the two men who were with me with a little smile. "Well... guess this is it."

Ben nodded, stepping forward and clasping hands with me firmly. "Glad I could meet you, Jack. You take care, hey? Get done what you have to do?"

I nodded. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about waiting for me."

"We'll wait until your papers -- change," Daniel said anyway, giving me a soft smile. I offered my hand to him as well, only to have the shrink step close to throw his arms around my shoulders, the embrace quick and light and brief, but it made me smile. I'd misjudged him many times, but in the end, I rather wished I didn't have to see either of them go.

"Sure," I said with a smile. "I'll try not to take too long. Good luck, you two."

"See you around, Jack," Ben replied, echoing my soft smile, and with one last glance I turned and walked through the security gates, not looking back. It was time to get back to what was really important... and as long as I had him, I would suffer any consequences.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ben Carson


By the time we returned to the hotel, the paper that had once been Jack's full page obituary had changed to something about a terrorist group from some African country trying to infiltrate the white house. I read curiously, the talk about some high level government conspiracy, hundreds of arrests being made. And then there was Jack's name - praise for his quick action in stopping the terrorists, along with a special government operative named Tony Almeida. I hadn't asked Jack much about his past, and he hadn't been the volunteering type, but I had to stop and wonder if that was the man he'd been looking for.

"It seems a little -- fitting, doesn't it?" Daniel remarked softly, and I turned to him.

"What does?"

"This. You and I. You found me first... now it is just the two -- of us, left here."

"Yeah... there is, isn't there?" His words had a sense of finality to them, and suddenly the hotel seemed much emptier than it had moments ago. I found myself letting out a long breath. Admitting it brought with it a sense finality that I hated. It had been easy not to think about leaving, with the others still here. We could go once we'd made sure everyone else was all right. But now....

Now it was time for me to return Daniel to the one he belonged to.

I swallowed, and slipped a hand into his. "Daniel, will you come with me to see my family?"

He looked a little surprised, but I'd never revealed that I could watch them, like all the other nameless shades we passed every day on the street. "Of course I will."

"Thank you," I replied softly. It was a little nerve wracking, truthfully, to think about going back. I'd only seen them once, right after the accident that had sent me to this world, and it left me so broken that I vowed never to return. But I had no doubt that this was what I needed to address, and perhaps with Daniel by my side it wouldn't be quite so painful...

The house, when we arrived was tidy, exactly as it had always been... Amy liked to have everything in its place. But here and there I could still see a hint of green paint on the mirrors - those that remained. We'd had so many that the house almost seemed bare now, and somehow lonely.

It was quiet, and I looked around slowly as we entered, the front door unlocking easily for me with my key. It was a Saturday... where were the children?

I glanced back to Daniel, who had left his shoes at the door - entirely unnecessary, and strangely cute - and was looking at one of the photos on the wall. It was old, taken before Amy and I had separated, when I was still an officer in good standing. Amy and I, my arm around her waist, her in an elegant black dress, and myself in full dress uniform. Michael and Daisy in their Sunday best. "They are beautiful, Ben," he said softly, and I smiled, a little wistfully, remembering times lost.

"I don't think they're home," I said with a sigh, and had almost made up my mind to leave when I heard voices upstairs. Arguing? Amy's voice, and a masculine one that I didn't recognize....

I took the stairs two at a time, leaving my guest, following the voices. Then I stopped short in the doorway to her - our - bedroom.

His face was familiar, though I couldn't recall his name. Someone I'd seen at work with her, once or twice. And he was naked, in bed with my wife. I closed my eyes with a soft moan, turning my head away as if I could deny it. I couldn't stop the barrage of images that raced through my minds eye - Amy and this other man, kissing, touching, murmuring soft words of love. All the things I hadn't had from her since we separated. Still, I forced myself to listen, to pay attention to their words, their argument.

"Amy, please... its been three years. I kept this quiet at the office, even after you separated, out of respect for Ben. But I want more for us than this."

His hands on her breasts lips on her neck his body - for three years?

I felt Daniel's hand touch my elbow gently, voice soft behind me. "Ben... let's leave this place."

I have a quick shake of the head, pulling my arm from him and striding into the room, speaking even though she couldn't hear me. "Three years, Amy? Three years you've been fucking him, and you pretend that it's ME that has the problem? You keep me from my children, and you fuck this guy?! You kept me from my goddamn children!!!" I was yelling by then, and turned away from her, throwing my fist angrily into her closet mirror....

It shattered.

Amy screamed, body scrambling up into a protective ball by the headboard, staring at it in horror. "Oh god, the mirror!"

The man looked at the shards of glass in confusion, not understanding her horror, and I could see immediately that whoever this man was to her, he didn't know the truth of what had caused my death. "What the hell happened there?"

Amy got out of bed, grabbing her clothes off the floor and starting to pull them on, turning to him in anger. "Get out."

"What?"

"Get out. Get out now, Peter. Leave."

He was pulling his clothes on, confused. "Amy, I don't understand...."

"Just get out!"

His eyes narrowed, jaw set. "Fine. But you better figure out what the hell it is you want, because Ben's dead, and he's not coming back. And I'm not going to let you bully me like you bullied him." And with that, he left, breezing by Daniel and I without ever knowing the wiser.

Amy stared after him, then turned back to the mirror with a soft sob of horror, hands coming up to cover her mouth in a gesture I was all too familiar with. I stared at it as well, at her reflection thorough the cracks, and in the other mirrored door panel. Slowly, cautiously I approached her, watching her reflection alone in the mirror. Then I blew gently on her hair.

In the mirror, it moved, and she let out a shriek, jerking back. "Oh god!"

"Ben...." I turned back to Daniel's concerned gaze, and gave him a soft smile.

"It's all right. I won't hurt her. But I know what I have to do." I approached her again, carefully, taking her wrist in my hand. She wouldn't be able to feel my touch, but as long as she was in sight of the mirror, she would be able to feel me pull her arm toward the glass.

She pulled against me, gasping, crying. "Oh god, not again. Oh god no, Ben, Ben help...."

I stopped at her words, closing my eyes for a moment in agony. I couldn't keep pulling her... but I didn't let go of her wrist. I was close enough to the mirror to touch it now, and I dug my penknife out of my pocket, flicking it open, and leaning in to press it hard to the mirror's surface, trying to scratch it. I realized immediately that it wouldn't work, but the cracking noise it gave shocked her out of her hysteria, made her stare silently at it with dazed, tear filled eyes.

I tucked the knife away, pressing one hand to the mirror and leaning in to breathe on the smooth reflective surface. There was a faint handprint on the glass when I pulled it away to write in the fog I'd created, and I felt her resistance stop, saw her slowly reach out to place her palm against the print, drawing a soft, shuddering breath. ".... Ben?"

My breath had faded, so I leaned in to breathe on the mirror again, using a finger to write to her, backwards. "Love you."

She gave a little frightened gasp, yanking her hand back from the print and pulling her arms into her chest protectively, her shoulders shaking with her shuddering gasps. "No.... Oh god, no, Ben.... Ben, I'm so sorry...."

Her sorrow should have effected me more than it did. Instead, I felt strangely calm. I wrote again. "Forgiven."

Her gasps had progressed to actual sobs, shaking her head. "Oh god, Ben, why did you leave me? Oh, Ben...."

I let my breath fog the glass again. "I'm sorry." There was so much more I thought I should say, about us, about the children, about the affair I'd never known of until then, but I came to realize... that I didn't particularly want to. So I left one last message, then straightened, walking back toward Daniel with only a brief glance at my words.

"Move on."

Daniel gave me a soft smile, encouraging, and I returned it, slipping a hand into his. "Let's go."

As we reached the head of the stairs, though, I stopped, looking out toward my son's bedroom for a moment. Then I released his hand with a little squeeze and crossed to it. Michael was the one who hadn't run from the mirrors....

His room was cluttered compared to the rest of the house, something which made me strangely proud. There was a school notebook dropped on the floor by his closet, fallen open to a blank page, and I took a pencil from his desk and knelt beside it.

"Michael." I had to concentrate to remember to write backwards. But then I stopped. What could I say to a son who would grow up without his father? I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling agony now when I'd felt next to nothing with Amy. Finally, I picked up the pencil again. "You are strong and brave, and I will always love you. I am so proud of you. Please take care of Daisy and Mom for me. Love always, Dad."

Daniel was waiting quietly outside the door, and I set the pencil down on the notebook, standing and making my way back to him. Then I stopped, reaching up to cup the right side of his face curiously, staring, wondering, fingertips tracing the lines of his scars.

"Ben...?"

"It changed," I said softly, looking at my hands, at my scar. "It's not backwards anymore."

He smiled then, slow and warm, completely understanding my realization. Then he slipped his hand into mine. "Good. Lets go home, Ben."

I nodded, somehow feeling like a great burden had been lifted from me, taking him downstairs and leaving Amy behind.

~~~~~

We drove back to the hotel in silence, though I couldn't help but worry. Was there something else I needed to do, to get back? It couldn't be Amy, not with the knowledge that she'd chosen to be unfaithful far before our separation. It was unlikely I could affect anything in the past, since this was still my world....

"I think you need to get back through the -- Mayflower mirrors, somehow," Daniel mused, as if reading my thoughts. "That is where it started. I think, perhaps, with Tuning... "

"It could be why they still exist, in this place," I mused. I glanced to him as I pulled the SUV into the loading bay. "I don't think I can just walk through it..."

"No," he agreed, "but there is no guarantee that your mind -- could not take you back. I think, perhaps... I can guide you through it..." he looked down at his pocket watch, quiet for a long moment, and seemed sad when he looked back to me. "We can try tonight, if you like."

I leaned closer and reached out to cup his face gently, feeling him shiver under my touch. "Are you all right, Daniel?"

He closed his eyes. "I should be happy," he murmured. "When you are back safe, I - I can go home. But... all I can think is that I will not -- see you again."

I'd been thinking a great deal about that myself. Perhaps it was why I wasn't so disappointed when letting go of Amy did not immediately send me home. "I know," I said softly, stroking the side of his face. "I... I don't want to go yet. Tomorrow, not until tomorrow."

He managed a soft smile and nodded. "Yes. Let's go inside."

It seemed lonely somehow, with the others gone. I tried not to think on it too much, and as we reached our room Daniel pulled me close, being uncharacteristically bold as he leaned in to press his lips to mine. I pushed the door to the suite shut behind me, blocking off the emptiness outside. Then I slipped my arms around him, returning the kiss with a strange sense of both heightened sobriety and almost intoxicated desire, a heady, confusing feeling. There wasn't really anything to do about it but make love to him, something that started out warm and slow and tender and strangely possessive. But with the way he whimpered my name, soft and heartbreakingly sweet, something broke free for both of us, and suddenly I was bruising my lips against his teeth, and he was clawing up my back, crying out helplessly for me.

It was, I reflected later, the difference between making love, which we did often, and fucking, which we'd never really done before now, at least not like this - rough and vicious and frantic and desperate. It was the kind of sex that left you bruised and aching afterwards, marked with scratches and bite marks and bruises from where fingers dug into skin, voice rough and sore from yelling. He begged for it, harder, more, his cries like a drug even as he clenched at my back, as I bit at the crook of his neck. He was sobbing my name against my skin helplessly even as he came, broken and gasping, and continued to cling to me afterward, shoulders shaking silently. I'd joined him before I realized, tears soaking into his hair, stroking trembling hands over every part of him that I could reach. It drove us into a kind of delirious exhaustion, and sleep was a comfort that claimed me soon after he finally stilled in my arms.


I awoke some time in the wee hours of the morning to find him gone, the room dark apart from the light that spilled from a half open bathroom door. I could hear water running, and I climbed out of bed sleepily, finding him in front of the vanity, a sheet from one of the beds knotted messily around his waist. He gave me a soft, tired smile, watching the water pour over his palms for a moment before splashing his face, running wet hands through his hair. There was a particularly vicious looking bruise on his shoulder, and I leaned over to kiss it softly, stroking arms around his waist as he sagged against me with a soft sigh.

"I never went to -- the Opera," he said softly, resting his head against my shoulder, but turned to watch our joined reflections in the mirror. It was the first time I'd been able to see myself since I came here, and it was strangely pretty, to see our images pressed together.

"Opera?" I repeated, and he chuckled softly.

"Such things do not exist so much -- in my city. They didn't much care for the development -- of artistic talent, it did not further -- their aims. But the music, the recordings we do have... ahh. That is my..." he paused, and glanced up at me with a little sad smile. "My fourth greatest passion."

"I'll take you tonight," I said without hesitation.

He lifted his head to look at me, fingertips brushing my lips. "You need to go -- home, Ben."

"Afterwards," I replied softly, silently begging him to understand. "Tomorrow." Truthfully... part of me was terrified to leave, not knowing what I'd find when I got back, or if there'd even be anything left for me. I had little chance in hell of being reinstated after all the shit that happened at the Mayflower, and I wouldn't go back to Amy. My children were, it seemed, the only light that kept me from giving up on it all together. That... and Daniel. I knew he wouldn't leave, not if it meant leaving me alone, and as strongly as I cared for him, I couldn't let him stay.

Still... it could wait a little longer. It could wait another day.

~~~~~~~