Something's Missing

To Guard and Protect - Chapter Seven

2009-12-15T08:34:24Z

Title: To Guard and Protect
Author: Agarwaenloth
Pairing: Gibbs/DiNozzo
Rating: Eventually NC-17
Disclaimer: Don't own it.
Summary: AU. Tony never thought Gibbs would be interested in him. He also never thought that he would be part of a secret remnant of an ancient civilization either.

To Guard and Protect

Chapter Seven

Gibbs sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. Tony followed his movements carefully. If someone were to tell Tony that Gibbs was going to be standing in front of him at a loss of what to say, then Tony would have called them crazy. Gibbs was never self-conscious, always on top of his game. There was nothing that could throw him. So to see him sitting on his bed beside him trying to find the words to answer his question was a little weird.

Okay, so truthfully he didn’t look like he was searching for words. He looked as confident as Gibbs always looked. But Tony could feel what Gibbs was feeling, which made the situation even weirder.

And, really, the fact that Gibbs was sitting on his bed was weird enough, thank you very much.

His boss was angry, that was obvious even without the something in his head feeding him that information. What he wouldn't have known without this handy feed was that he was also worried, anxious, and nervous. It was also nice to be able to feel that that anger wasn't directed at him.

“Tell me about your childhood,” Gibbs said finally.

Again that needling thing that kept telling him things was letting him know that the odd request was important, so he answered truthfully. “I don't remember much,” he replied, not meeting those blue piercing eyes. “The only memories I have only go back to when I was twelve. My parents... well, I hardly saw them. My earliest memory is of military school. I was kept there year round. I was occasionally visited by people claiming to be my parents but they just felt... wrong.”

Gibbs nodded. “That's because they weren't your parents.”

“Boss?”

“Your parents were members of an ancient race of people called Fallacians. Now, I'm not gonna give you a history lesson cause it's not really that important right now. What you need to know is that Fallacians are made up of two types of people, Guardians and Protectors. Guardians have elemental powers, they are connected to the world around them. Their abilities vary, of course, but some can control the weather, water, and stuff like that. Most have some kind of empathic powers. Protectors, on the other hand, have mental powers, telepathy, telekinesis, that kind of thing. They also have enhanced senses. Do you follow me so far?”

Tony nodded slowly, his disbelief suspended by the feelings he was sensing from Gibbs. This all was crazy, true, but Gibbs wouldn't lie to him. And he certainly didn't have enough imagination to make something like this up. “So that would make me...?”

“You are a Guardian. Normally, Guardians and Protectors work together to keep balance in the world. To do this, every Guardian is paired with a Protector. The bond that forms between them allows them to use their abilities to the fullest. The strongest bonds can be both telepathic and empathic, giving each a complete awareness of the other.”

“Thirty years ago, a number of Protectors decided they didn't want to share power with Guardians. Using their own Guardians in dark and sick rituals, they managed to commit heinous crimes against the entire Fallacian community. They called themselves the Valde. They killed some Guardians, enslaved others, forced other Protectors to work for them. Your parents were two of the Protectors forced to work for them. When you began to come into your powers, they feared the Valde would kill you. So they bound your powers and hid you.”

“They were killed for that, weren't they?” Tony inferred, closing his eyes against the sudden sorrow that washed over him. He didn't remember them, not really, but somehow the thought that his parents had died for him hit him harder than he thought possible.

Gibbs nodded. Hesitantly, he reached out and took Tony's hand. “They had a Healer help them. They were supposed to contact him to tell him where you were so that he could reverse the binding before it had any adverse effects. Unfortunately, they died before they could contact him.”

“Adverse effects?” Tony asked, sitting up in alarm and grimacing as the soreness hit him. “What's that mean?”

“Shh,” Gibbs said, easing him back down. “Everything's fine now. Don't worry about it. Now, I think that's enough excitement for right now. You need your rest.”

Tony pouted. “I feel like I've been asleep for three days.”

“More like five,” the older man quipped. “Now go to sleep.”

He started to move away from the bed but Tony tightened his grip on his hand. “The bond you talked about? Am I bonded to a Protector?”

Tony's green eyes locked with his. Gibbs could feel the younger man's anxiety. He knew the young Italian was not one to trust easily. Hell, that was why he had never stayed at any job very long before coming to NSIC. The possibility that he could be bonded to an unknown person probably scared the hell out of him.

Gibbs smiled reassuringly at him. “Yeah, Tony, you are,” he said, getting up and walking towards the door. “Just don't think that being bonded with me is going to get you any special treatment at work,” he called out behind him before leaving.

Tony smiled sleepily before settling down. Deep down, he knew that Gibbs was his Protector. He just needed confirmation. There was no one else he would ever want to fill that position. To let someone get close enough to him to know everything about him...

His eyes snapped open. Oh God, Gibbs would know everything about him. That meant he would find out how Tony felt about him.

Shit, shit, shit!

Tbc…

A Faery Tale Wedding

2009-12-14T08:33:41Z

Title: A Faery Tale Wedding
Author: Agarwaenloth
Pairing: Kirk/McCoy
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Don't own Star Trek.
Summary: Sixth in the Faery series. Bones reflects on the aftermath of the movie during a very special event.

A Faery Tale Wedding

Bones knew that, if these were normal circumstances, anyone who knew him would be frightened by the huge smile on his face, but given the current situation, no one could possibly fault him. He was walking towards Jim, the man he loved. He looked beautiful. Not because of how he was dressed, although the dress uniform seemed to sit much better on him than it did on Bones, but because of the absolute happiness radiating from his entire being.

The fact that this beautiful man was actually marrying him made him feel like the luckiest man alive. And the fact that the both of them were actually alive on an Earth that was actually still there, well, he guessed some of that faery luck of Jim was rubbing off on all of them.

He had spent the last 7 hours doing his best to minimize the damage done to Captain Pike’s nervous system, and although he was confident he had done his best, he just hoped his best was good enough. However, his mind wasn’t on that now. What he needed was to see Jim, something he hadn’t been able to do ever since he snuck him on the Enterprise.

Well, yes, he had been able to see him. He saw him quite clearly before he was running off to go orbit diving with Sulu and Olsen, got an eyeful as he was being dragged off the ship and marooned on that damn ice ball, stared frozen in fear as Acting Captain Spock nearly strangled him to death, watched helplessly as he and Spock then proceeded to go off on a goddamned suicide mission that ended up saving the whole damn Earth, and managed to catch a small glimpse of him (blessfully alive!) as he stumbled off the transporter pad supporting Pike . He actually saw quite a bit.

What he hadn’t been able to do was take him in his arms, hold him, kiss him, keep him safe! Or, if not able to keep him safe, at least able to patch him up afterwards! God, he wasn’t even sure Jim had gotten medical attention after the obvious beating he had taken aboard the Narada. Stupid idiot was probably running around trying to take care of everyone but himself.

Just because he was half supernatural being didn’t mean he was indestructible, dammit!

Jim’s face became even more incandescent (if that was possible) as they reached each other. They had opted against either of them walking down the aisle, not liking how it defined “roles” in their relationship. They also vetoed the walking down the aisle together option. Instead, they decided to meet each other at the altar by coming in from either side.

They had both wanted to veto the whole pomp and circumstance that went along with a huge wedding. If had been up to them, it would be a simple ceremony with just them and a couple of witnesses. And they wouldn’t be wearing these god-awful uniforms that made his neck feel like it was in a damn sling.

But none of that mattered. Because they were here, and it was Jim, and from now on the entire universe would know that Jim belonged to him and him alone.

“We are gathering here, to join these two men together, in the most sacred bond of matrimony and love…”

“Computer, location of Captain James Kirk.”

The response surprised him and led him to the room that he himself had been assigned at the onset of this mission. God, was that really less than 48 hours ago? All thoughts of time, however, flew out of his head as he walked in and saw his beautiful mate lying on his bed.

“God, Jim,” he said, rushing over and reaching for his tricorder, but the half-faery caught his hand before he could get it.

“I’m fine,” he assured. “I went to medical bay on my own and had M’Benga look me over. I knew you’d have my head if I neglected myself.”

“You actually sought out medical attention without being forced? It must be love,” he said sarcastically, toeing off his shoes and slipping into the small bed beside him.

Jim looked at him seriously. “I do, you know. Love you.”

Bones rolled his eyes. “Considering you literally bound your life to mine, I kinda got that impression,” he paused a moment before adding, “I love you too.”

Jim chuckled before bringing their mouths together for a deep, life-affirming kiss. “So romantic. Can’t wait to marry you.”

Bones groaned before pulling their bodies closer together. “Then let’s not wait,” he said, kissing him again. “As soon as we get back to Earth,” he murmured, moving down to nibble on Jim’s neck. “Let’s do it.”

“Seriously?”Jim said, his face lighting up before he moaned as Bones slid his hands underneath his shirt. “God, Bones, please.”

“Anything you want, Jim. So damn glad you’re here, alive, and mine!” he whispered hoarsely, capturing his lips once more in a desperate kiss. “Dammit, Jim, did you have to throw yourself into every danger during this godforsaken mission?”

“Yours, always yours,” he gasped, clutching at his mate. “Had to, couldn’t let anything happen to anyone else, ‘specially you. Please, Bones.”

“I know, dammit.” And he did know. Knew that Jim had to make sure that everyone around him was safe, especially after he had gotten the added responsibility of Acting Captain. He didn’t know if that was a faery thing or if that was all Jim, but dammit, he loved him for it, even though it would no doubt give him grey hair and worry lines.

“Bones, need you now.”

“You have me. Forever.”

“I do,” he said, smiling even wider as Jim’s face brightened at the words despite the fact that he knew what Bones was going to answer.

“I now pronounce you married. You may kiss.”

And when their lips met, Bones knew that this was the happiest moment of his entire life.

End.

Watching Over You

2009-11-29T03:24:28Z

Title: Watching Over You
Author: Agarwaenloth
Rating: G
Pairing: Sam/Callen
Disclaimer: Don't own it.
A/N: Just wanted to contribute to the NCIS:LA fandom. There's not enough out there. May add more later. This is set in the same universe as my "To Guard and Protect" story in the NCIS fandom.
Summary: Sam is guilty after the shooting.

Watching Over You

He let his hands caress the torso of the sleeping man next to him, leaving feather light touches across the creamy white skin and lightly grazing the thin leather band that hung from that perfect neck. The warm yellow light streaming from the crystal attached to the band looked harsh as it illuminated the scars peppered over the chest beneath his fingers.

His breath hitched slightly as he gazed at those hateful scars, and he fought to even out his breathing. They shouldn’t be there. The shooting should’ve never happened. He should’ve never let it happen. He was the Protector of the pair. It was his job to Protect.

G had been let down so many times in the past, the last thing Sam wanted to do was do the same. Looks like he failed.

“You are thinking far too loudly,” his Guardian said, far too clearly for someone who had supposedly been asleep. “Can you quit with the guilt trip and just lay down? Some of us would like to go to sleep.”

Sam snorted. “Like you’d have any trouble sleeping through a hurricane,” he quipped, but did as he was asked, stretching out next to G and pulling him close. He inhaled the unique scent of his Guardian and lover, reveling in the steady heartbeat that he could feel beneath his hands. “I’m sorry, G,” he murmured softly.

G turned swiftly in his arms and blue eyes were burning into his. “Stop blaming yourself. You couldn’t have stopped this from happening. You’re a Protector, not a god.”

“I’m your Protector, I’m supposed to Protect you,” he argued, bringing a hand up to cup G’s face. “I didn’t do that great a job.”

“The odds were stacked against you, Sam. You were too far away from me to get to me in time even with that precog-whatever thing you have being a Protector and all.”

“Precognition,” Sam corrected automatically.

“Whatever, and you said that you didn’t have the highest levels in that area,” G pointed out.

“But you’re my Guardian! I’m supposed to be especially attuned with you!” he shot right back.

“But I haven’t come into my powers! No one has! That means our bond isn’t completely, right? I may not have grown up around all this stuff like you did, but Gibbs taught me all about it. Now are you going to quit being ridiculous?” G asked in frustration.

Sam smiled in self-deprecation. “I know, I’m being stupid. It’s just… I almost lost you, G.”

“But you didn’t. Now shut up and go to sleep,” he ordered, wrapping his arms around Sam’s waist and burrowing his face into the other man’s neck, the soft violet light of Sam’s own crystal making his features glow faintly in the darkness.

“Goodnight, G,” Sam said, holding him close and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. With G pressed close to his side, it truly was Sam’s definition of happiness.

Fin.

Not If I Can Help It

2009-11-23T06:46:44Z

Title: Not If I Can Help It
Author: Agarwaenloth
Pairing: Gibbs/DiNozzo
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Don't own it.
Summary: Part of the Protect Your Guardian Verse. They rely on Gibbs instincts too much. Things were bound to go to hell sometime. Luckily, Gibbs won't let go.

He should’ve seen this coming. It had all happened so fast. Not even his precognitive abilities gave him any warning. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. He had had a feeling, but nothing that could have prepared him for this. It was just a routine case. Then again, it always was the routine ones that turned out the worst…

Gibbs paused as he settled into the driver’s seat. Something was wrong. He tried to clear his mind and concentrate. It wasn’t the case. The case they had against Petty Officer Johnson’s wife was sound. Everything added up and they were on their way to pick her up now. So what was nibbling at the back of his head?

“Boss?” his second command asked softly. “Jethro?” sounded in his head, his Guardian infusing more of his concern through the bondspeech. He looked at the questioning green eyes of his lover before mentally shaking himself out of his reverie. He knew Kate and McGee could only hold their curiosity in from the backseat so long. Besides, if it were a pressing concern, the feeling would have been stronger.

He nodded quickly to Tony, “I’m fine,” before putting the car in drive and pulling out.

Maybe if he had stopped for a moment longer, he would have seen this coming. Maybe he wouldn’t be sitting here, praying to anyone who would listen, whether it be Nashaw, Amerca, Zeus, Thor, whoever, for Ducky or an ambulance or someone to come.

Maybe he wouldn’t be sitting here, cradling his lover, his Guardian, his very reason for living, close to his chest. Maybe he wouldn’t have to feel the warm lifeblood of his Tony seeping through his fingers as he desperately tried to stop the bleeding while at the same time pouring all of his strength into his lover to keep him from leaving him.

He nodded to Tony and signaled for him and McGee to go around back as he and Kate took the front door. He felt the odd feeling again as Tony rounded the corner but quickly shook it off. They had a job to do. He could figure out the feeling later.

Before he and Kate had gotten to the doorstep, a gunshot rang out from the back and his blood froze.

He flew to the front door and threw it open, knowing that the quickest route to the back would be through the house. He rushed through the house like a man possessed, only to stop cold as he reached the back door.

Gibbs, the battle-hardened Marine, the tough NCIS Special Agent, the invincible Fallacian Protector, was absolutely terrified at the scene before him.

Tony. On the ground. A bullet in his gut.

A voice was calling him. It was telling him to let go. Let go? He couldn’t do that. His strength was the only reason that Tony was still alive. If he let go now, his Guardian’s body would fail and then… No, he couldn’t stop. He knew that he couldn’t last much longer, knew that his strength was almost gone. And if that happened, he would die.

That was okay, though, because he just might have given Tony enough time for Ducky to be able to Heal him. And if he had to die to give Tony that chance, then so be it. He wouldn’t want to live without him anyway.

Darkness was creeping into his vision. Tony’s face, the face his entire world had narrowed to, was starting to fade away. This was it then. He was ready.

“I love you so much, my Tony,” he whispered across the bond as he finally succumbed to the darkness.

He groaned as he inched his way towards consciousness before frowning in confusion. This wasn’t right. He was supposed to be dead. He cracked his eyes open before trying to sit up. However, his attempt was thwarted by a pair of arms tightening their grip on his waist and a face burying itself deeper into his chest.

“No, ‘ethro, is too early,” the voice he never thought he’d hear again said. Before Gibbs could say anything, though, Tony had bolted upright in the bed before launching himself at Jethro.

“Oh, God, Jethro! Don’t ever do that to me again!” he whispered harshly in his ear, tightening his hold and burrowing his face into his neck.

“What happened?”

“What happened, he asks!” Tony exclaimed, pulling away slightly to be able to face him. “You nearly died because you gave me all your strength! Dammit, Jethro, how the hell was I supposed to survive without you?”

“You think I could have fared much better without you?” he asked in response. “Ducky came in time to Heal you?”

Tony nodded sullenly. “Yeah. And it turns out that our bad guy was a crazed Guardian. Was why your mojo wasn’t working. She did something to throw you off. God, Gibbs… I nearly lost you.”

“You’re not the one had to see the man he loves with a gaping hole in his gut,” Gibbs retorted, lying down and clutching Tony to his chest. “We rely on my senses too much, and that nearly cost both of us way too much this time. We’re going to have to do better. I can’t lose you.”

“Me neither,” Tony murmured. “Love you too much.”

Gibbs smiled and kissed the top of his head. “Love you too.”

“I know.”

End.

The Fallacian Chronicles - Chapter Two

2009-10-01T19:51:45Z

Title: The Fallacian Chronicles
Author: Agarwaenloth
Pairings: Eli Manning/Jeremy Shockey, Peyton Manning/Tom Brady, Tony Romo/Terrell Owens, Matt Cassel/Wes Welker, Cooper Manning/James Shockey, Ellen Manning (nee Heidingsfelder)/Raquel-Ann McNabb (nee Nurse) Matt Ryan/Joe Flacco... That's all for now, but if you want me to throw something in, let me know and I'll see if I can work it into the plan
Disclaimer: What? Of course this fictitious country exists and of course these football players have magical powers... what? They don't? Bummer. Oh well, didn't happen. Don't sue.
A/N: Same universe as the one-shot "Protecting Your Guardian," which will end up being incorporated and expanded in this story
Summary: The next generation of Guardians and Protectors are coming of age in Fallacia, and they are about to learn that the world that they live in is not all magical.

Prologue Chapter One

Chapter Two

"Well, look who finally decided to join us," Wes smirked as Jeremy sat down at the table. "Now, you don't have a significant someone you were sneaking off to see, now do you?"

Jeremy snorted and most definitely did NOT look across the hall where Eli had just went to join another table, which did NOT disappoint him whatsoever. "And end up all lovey-dovey like you two idiots?"

Welker merely smiled pleasantly and casually leaned over to his left and planted a rather passionate kiss on his unsuspecting lover.

"Umph," Matt exclaimed in muffled surprise before melting into the kiss. After they had pulled apart, Cassel merely took a breath before blinking and turning back to his food.

"I would appreciate it if you gave me some warning next time," he said blandly. "I nearly choked on my bread."

"Sorry, Matty," Wes replied with a wicked smile. "But I had to show Jeremy what he was missing because he doesn't have what we do."

Shockey rolled his eyes. "Excuse me if I don't want to end up with a broken heart."

Matt dropped his fork at that and just stared blankly at his lap. Wes shot the blond a glare before turning to the brunette.

"It's okay, baby. He didn't mean that. Everything's going to be fine," he assured.

But Matty just shook his head. "But he's right. Hell, he would know better than anyone the risk. There is a very good chance that we won't be paired together."

"There's also a good chance that we will. You have to remember that!"

"Don't listen to me, Matt," Jeremy said helpfully. "I'm just a little bitter about the whole James situation. What the Council was thinking when the passed that stupid Marriage Act, I'll never know."

"They were thinking that it was a good way to breed stronger babies, but something's wrong," Wes stated cryptically. "Some of the first years here are results of the first marriages under the act. Can you feel it? The wrongness of some of them. Maybe wrong is not a good word for it, but they're not... something."

"It's like they don't really fit," Jeremy agreed.

Cassel just looked between the two and laughed. "Guess we know what you two are."

Shockey frowned. "Not necessarily," he argued. "Either of our intuition could be caused by Protector skills, but it could also be explained a particular adeptness at a Guardian empathy skill."

He shot a quick glance over to the table where Eli had seated himself. Seated around him were a few first years as well as a couple of older kids, one of which he recognized as Peyton Manning. As he looked between the two, he could see that they were obviously brothers. He could only hope that his argument was sound. After all, the Mannings had all been Protectors for the last four generations. A fact that he knew far too well...

But wait, why did it matter to him that the younger boy was destined to be a Protector? Why did it bother him so much that Matt said he was going to be one as well?

Unbeknownest to him, Wes and Matt had both caught him staring across the hall and shared a meaningful look.

OoooOoooOoooO

"Cutting it close, little brother," Peyton said with a raised eyebrow as Eli took the open seat between him and Tony.

Eli blushed slightly before glaring at the older boy. "I got a little lost, no thanks to a certain big brother of mine that was supposed to 'keep an eye on me.'"

The bald boy across from Peyton laughed. "Don't tell me you blew off your little brother to go get it on with your boyfriend, Peyton."

The brunette on the other side of his brother blushed before the bald boy winced after obviously being kicked in the shin. "Shut it, Hasselbeck."

Peyton smirked though. "Thought you told Mom you didn't need looking after."

Eli responded by sticking his tongue out at his brother before turning to address the boy at his other side.

"Where have you been, Tony? I looked for you earlier," he asked his old friend and new yearmate. They had known each other since they were both in diapers, with Eli's mother being the Protector of Tony's mother, and had been friends for as long as either could remember.

"I've mostly been hiding in my room," Tony replied bashfully. "Then I ran into Tim here--"

"Literally," the brown-haired boy at his side interjected. "I'm Tim, in case you hadn't picked up on it, baldy over there is my brother, Matt. And that's Matt and Joe, in case you were wondering. We're all first years."

"Eli," he introduced himself with a grin, nodding at each of them, extremely grateful to be meeting more people in his year. After all, he was going to be spending the next two years learning and working with these people, and would probably be paired with one of them. If he were lucky, he might even get matched with someone he could at least grow to love.

He found his eyes drawn to the only occupant of their table who had yet to say a word. Ellen Heidingsfelder was gazing longingly at a table across the room. He knew without looking that it was the table where Donovan McNabb and his groupies were seated. It was also the table where Raquel Nurse was seated.

He had wanted to hate Ellen on principle when she was paired with Cooper. He had seen how happy his oldest brother had been with James, had seen how devastated they had both been when James had become a Protector, had seen had they held onto hope, and had seen how that hope had been crushed when Cooper became a Protector the next year. He didn't know if it had been a blessing or a curse that Cooper hadn't been paired until the following year. It gave the two blonds more time together, but they both knew it was only delaying the inevitable.

When Ellen was matched with Cooper, she seemed like the epitome of evil to young Eli. After all, if it weren't for her, his brother could have been happy with James. But after a while, he had come to see that she was hurting as well. She, too, had to watch as her lover was paired off with someone else. The only difference was that Raquel's Protector thought of his Guardian as only a means to an end, an object to do with as he saw fit. After all, nobody told Donovan McNabb what to do.

He stole a quick look at his other brother, who was whispering something to Tom with a small smile on his face. He didn't understand how Peyton could do it. Face each day with Tom as though it couldn't all end this summer, as if the future was a certainty.

How could anyone trust their heart to another with so much heartbreak around them?

tbc...

Downward Spiral - Chapter Thirteen

2009-09-22T02:09:34Z

Title: Downward Spiral
Author: Agarwaenloth
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Eli Manning/Jeremy Shockey
Warnings: Slash (duh), angst, rape
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction that in no way depicts the lives of those mentioned. If you want to sue, my address is at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20500... (I did say this was a work of fiction)
Summary: Murphy's Law: If something bad can happen, it will happen. Murphy never mentioned that these bad things would happen at the same damn time.
A/N: A long awaited conclusion. Sorry. Previous chapters can be found HERE.

Chapter Thirteen

"So what are we going to do?" Peyton asked after leaving the room, looking at Cooper in askance.

"We are not going to do anything," he replied. "You are going to get me two bottles of tequila, from different stores, and two packs of cigarettes from different stores. Make sure to get the same brands and everything and keep the receipts."

Peyton frowned. "Why do I not like the sound of this? Cooper, you can't be serious!"

"Peyton, he raped our little brother," Cooper said fiercely, leaning against the railing of the stairs and clutching it tightly. "He's got Elisha so messed up that he's having mental fucking breakdowns. And he's threatening to ruin both Eli's and Shockey's lives. He'll get tired of his sick little game, and what then? I'm not going to let this reach its obvious conclusion."

He shook his head remorsefully. "Eli won't like what we're doing."

"Eli won't know," he replied firmly. "And there will be no we. I am going to do it. You're going to get the stuff and then come straight back here."

"But--"

"Peyton, please, for my sake, don't argue. I can't do this and worry about you at the same time," he pleaded.

"Fine, but I am not happy with being left behind."

"Duly noted."

OoooOoooOoooO

Neither of them had said anything since the other two Mannings had left. Eli was afraid to break the silence. No matter what Jeremy had said, he couldn't help but be afraid that the tight end was going to leave him. He clung tighter to the other man. He had already suggested that the two of them split up. What if he hadn't done that just to protect Eli? What if he really was disgusted with him now? What if Jeremy wanted nothing to do with him after this? God, the quarterback didn't think he could handle that.

"Eli?" Jeremy called gently. He didn't say anything. After all, if he didn't respond, Jeremy wouldn't leave him yet. He was much too good a person to leave him without a word. "Baby, please say something."

"I love you," he whispered after a moment, blinking back tears and looking up at the blond. "I know that I haven't showed it lately with all this mess, but I really do."

His heart nearly shattered as Jeremy caught his mouth in a gentle kiss. The tears slipped down his cheeks as he realized it was a goodbye kiss. He knew that he shouldn't be surprised. Jeremy had been nothing but good to him, and he had done nothing to deserve it.

"Baby, why are you crying?" the tight end asked, pulling back and pressing their foreheads together.

"I'm not strong enough," he mumbled in reply, not meeting those blue eyes.

"Yes, you are. You are going to survive this. I know you are. You are going to beat him. I have faith in you, Easy," Jeremy stated with fervor.

Eli shook his head. "I can't do it without you," he managed to say despite the fact that his throat seemed to be closing up involuntarily.

"Eli..." He brought their lips together once more, this time with much more passion behind it. "I'm not going anywhere. I swear. You're going to be fine. WE are going to be fine."

And somehow, Eli believed him.

OoooOoooOoooO

"This just in, Giants backup quarterback Jared Lorenzen was found dead this morning in his New Jersey home. Officials are saying that his death is being officially ruled accidental. Police found the Kentucky native next to a bottle of tequila. A box of cigarettes was on a nearby table. Officials are saying that there is evidence that Lorenzen had fallen asleep while holding a lit cigarette. The official cause of death has been ruled smoke inhalation."

Fin.

That's All I Ask of You - Chapter Six

2009-09-11T05:42:20Z

That’s All I Ask of You
Title: That's All I Ask of You
Author: Agarwaenloth
Rating: NC-17
Pairings: Clark/Oliver, Clark/Lex (non-concentual)
Warnings: underage rape, slash
Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville and never will.
Summary: AU. Even heroes need rescuing. When Lex Luther wants something, he takes it, and he's been taking it for years. Can Oliver be Clark's savior?

Previous Chapters

I'm baaaack! ::looks around sheepishly:: yeah, took me long enough. Hope this makes up for it but I know it won't!

That's All I Ask of You

Chapter Six

Clark sighed as he pulled away from Oliver's warm embrace and stood up. They had been sitting there for a while, silently acknowledging what was between them and just holding each other. To tell the truth, it was the safest Clark had felt in a very long time.

Which scared him because, in his experience, that meant things were due to go straight to hell.

His worry was only intensified as arms wrapped around him from behind and pulled him against a strong chest.

“I will protect you, Clark,” Ollie's warm voice whispered.

“But who's going to protect you?” he asked, turning in the embrace and pressing their foreheads together. “Lex already has it out of you. What's he going to do if you try and keep him from me?”

“That doesn't matter!” he argued, stubborn determination creeping into those beautiful brown eyes. “Believe me, if everything goes to plan, Lex is going to want my head on a platter regardless of you.”

Clark shook his head. “It matters to me! This isn't the same as ruing one of his sick projects. He is obsessed with me! He once had an entire room devoted to me in the mansion, for God's sake! Besides, you can't be with me all the time and as long as he has that damn ring, he's going to win. And even if we could get the ring from him, what then? Am I supposed to fight him off the next time he... I don't think I could control my strength in that situation. He would figure out my secret. Oh, God, Ollie...”

“Shh...” the blond soothed, reaching up and cupping his face, trying to dispel the panic in the younger man's eyes.

“I can't... No, I won't let you get mixed up in my mess,” Clark said firmly.

“It's too late for that.”

“No, it's not! I never should've told you,” he mumbled, more to himself than to Oliver. “I shouldn't have let my weakness get the better of me. I can handle this on my own.”

“You are not weak! You're the strongest person I know. But you can't expect me to just stand aside as the man I love is raped—repeatedly!” His shock at the words must have been visible on his face because Ollie's eyes softened before he leaned in to brush a gently kiss across Clark's lips. His own lips quirked into a self-deprecating smile as he pulled away. “I didn't plan on declaring that so harshly, but it's true. I do love you, Clark.”

His heart soared at the words, hardly daring to believe them to be true, but Oliver wouldn't like to him, of that he was certain. But something kept him from saying it back, something he didn't really understand.

Lucky for him, Oliver seemed to get it though. “You don't have to say anything, Clark.”

“It's not that I don't... I just can't...”

“It's okay. As long as you realize that I just can't do nothing,” Oliver reasoned.

Clark bit his lip and looked down. “Can't you see that just loving me is more than I dared hope for.”

“You are amazing, Clark,” the blond said sincerely. “You are so easy to love.”

“Show me,” he replied, making a quick decision and capturing the other man's lips in a kiss far more passionate than the ones they'd shared before.

Ollie groaned and pulled their bodies closer together. Clark moaned as the blond's tongue snaked into his mouth, and it took every ounce of self-control he had not to tighten his grip too much.

He gasped as he felt a bulge in the billionaire's pants pressing against his thigh. With a start, he realized that Oliver wasn't the only one enjoying himself. He chuckled internally. He had not had an erection in so long, he had forgotten what it felt like.

He made a noise of protest as Oliver pulled away. “Are you sure about this?” he asked, fully are of what Clark was asking. That, more than anything, was what made Clark love and trust him. Nobody had ever understood him the way Ollie did instinctively.

Clark smiled shakily. “As sure as I will ever be. The only person I've ever had sex with has been Lex,” he confessed. “But I trust you.”

Oliver kissed him deeply before tugging him towards the house. “Come on. I refuse to let the first place I make love to you to be a barn.”

Clark laughed a little as he allowed the blond to lead him to the house.

OoooOoooOoooO

Lex narrowed his eyes as he watched them enter the house. He hadn't been close enough to hear exactly what they were saying, but he had been close enough to see the kisses they had oh-so-lovingly exchanged.

He gritted his teeth as he imagined what vile things Oliver was now doing to his Clark. And Clark! What a hypocrite! He was always harping about loyalty and trust and what was he doing? Betraying Lex and making a mockery of the relationship they shared.

They would pay, though. Yes, there was no way he was just going to let this go. Oliver would learn that nobody steals from a Luther, and Clark would realize that Lex did not take betrayal lightly.

He smiled at the thought and left the property, not caring to bear witness to anything more for the day.

OoooOoooOoooO

To Oliver, it seemed like it took forever for them to reach Clark's room. Admittedly, it probably wouldn't have taken so long if he could have kept his hands and lips to himself on the way up the stairs, but with a creature as gorgeous as Clark, that just wasn't going to happen. He sighed in contentment as they finally shut the bedroom door behind them and their lips fused together once more.

His hands slipped under Clark's t-shirt and roamed the exquisite chest and back underneath. Clark groaned at the contact, momentarily breaking away and flinging the shirt off before bringing their lips together again. Super-fast hands quickly had his own shirt unbuttoned and slipped off his shoulders before Oliver even knew they were there.

He smiled at Clark's frustrated growl when he encountered Oliver's undershirt. After pulling back and slipping it over his head, he guided the younger man towards the bed, making quick work of the fastening of the brunette's jeans on the way. Kicking the jeans off, Clark hesitantly lay back on the bed, leaving Oliver to marvel once again at the trust he was being given.

Leaning down and kissing those swollen lips, he was out of his own jeans as fast as possible and slowly climbed on the bed as well, moving achingly slow and trying to calm down their passion a little. He wanted to do take this slow and do it right. Clark desired that and so much more.

Clark, however, was not so patient. He reached out to Ollie and pulled him completely on top of them, causing them both to moan as their erections brushed together separated by only the thin fabric of their boxers.

He looked down at the gorgeous man beneath him and smirked playfully before lowering his head to nip at his exposed throat. The hitch in Clark's breath told him he hadn't been expecting the move. He smiled to himself, kissing his way down, pausing occasionally to nip, lick, or suck. He stilled when he reached Clark's chest, looking up into Clark's blue-green eyes as he lazily ran his tongue around his left nipple.

Clark gasped and arched into him. He brought his hand up to tweak the other nub as he carefully lapped and nipped at the left. His ministrations caused Clark to shudder and moan and make all kinds of delicious noises. Unable to resist, he reached lower with his free hand and slowly stroked Clark through his blue cotton boxers.

Clark howled at the sensation. “Ollie... please...”

Unable to deny him anything, he pulled away and carefully removed both of their boxers. Lying fully on top of him, groaning at the delicious feel of skin-to-skin contact, he kissed his lover gently on the lips.

“You have anything to ease the way?” he asked.

Clark laughed. “You won't hurt me. Bullets can't tear through my skin, I doubt you'll be able to.”

“I'd rather not chance it,” he replied, not wanting to make any part of this experience uncomfortable for the Kryptonian.

“Top drawer.”

Finding the small tube easily, he quickly squirted a generous amount on his hand. Moving down once again, he carefully pressed one digit against Clark's entrance. Gaging his response, he slowly began to press it it, making sure not to go too fast for the brunette. Wriggling his finger deeper into the tight cavern, he bent it slightly and was rewarded with a yelp of pleasure from the younger man.

Inserting another finger, he began to slowly stretch Clark, keeping a close watch on the other's expression to ensure that he was enjoying Ollie's actions. After another finger was added and Clark's hole was sufficiently stretched, he withdrew his fingers, to a noise of protest from his lover, and spread some lube over his own aching cock.

“Are you ready?” he asked, locking eyes Clark and getting a nod in return. Oliver gently lifted his lover's legs and placed them over his shoulders and positioned himself at Clark's entrance. Taking a deep breath, he pushed in fluidly until he was fully seated, not once taking his eyes away from Clark's.

Withdrawing slightly, he pushed back in, rejoicing at the intense pleasure spreading across Clark's face and allowing his own pleasure to take over. Soon, they had settled into a rhythm that was neither fast nor slow, with Clark matching him thrust for thrust.

“Oliver, I can't... I'm going to...” Clark gasped as his orgasm approached.

“Just let go, Clark. I've got you,” he replied breathlessly, feeling his own peak looming closer and closer.

“Ollie,” Clark groaned as he spilled his seed across both of their stomachs. Two thrust later and Oliver followed, filling the younger man to the brim with white droplets dripping carelessly onto the sheets.

Oliver pulled out with a hiss and carefully rolled off the bed, disappearing for a few moments into the bathroom to get a wash cloth to clean them both off with. After that was done, he lay back down next to his dazed lover and pulled him close, folding him into his embrace and resting his chin on the top of his head.

“I love you so much, Clark, and I promise that Lex will not touch you again,” he swore softly.

“Mmmm,” was the only response he received from the now dosing brunette.

Tbc...

Okay, here's a poll for ya, do you want mpreg or not? Cause I could go either way, but it seems to be such a cliché in my stories by now.

Engaging Times

2009-09-03T03:15:21Z

Title: Engaging Times
Author: Agarwaenloth
Pairing: Kirk/McCoy
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Don't own Star Trek.
Summary: Fifth in the Faery series. A missing scene from the movie, preceded by a slightly embellished existing scene. (Yeah, the title kinda gives it away, ha.)

Engaging Times

Contrary to popular belief, Jim Kirk had absolutely no experience sneaking around girls' bedrooms. In fact, he had no experience in girls' bedrooms, period. Also contrary to popular belief, he would never put his relationship with Bones in jeopardy by cheating.

So being hastily shoved under some girl's dorm bed was new to him.

Of course, “some girl” was in actuality only Gaila, one of the very few people who knew the truth about his reputation. Not that he had told her anything. He didn't know if it was because she was Orion or just because she was a notorious gossip, but she always had an uncanny knack for knowing about the love lives of those around her. However, he knew his secrets were safe with her because she was also fiercely loyal, a fact which had annoyed Jim to know end when she refused to dish about her roommate when he had caught a glimpse of Uhura getting cozy with some Vulcan. In fact, Gaila was actually one of his most trusted friends (trumped only by Bones, of course).

That still left him hiding under her bed at a rather late hour. Shit, Bones was probably back from his shift and wondering where the hell he was.

The had decided to officially move in together at the end of the summer, though they hadn't gone about it in a blatantly obvious way that would have announced their relationship to the entire campus. They had simply transferred from the dorms to an on-campus apartment complex, a move that was quite reasonable considering they had both served the required two years of dorm-life. It wasn't that they were trying to hide their relationship, they just felt that it wasn't really anybody's business but their own.

That was one thing that he and Bones had in common—they were relatively private people, but for completely different reasons. Bones, growing up in the South with a rather large network of extended family, had always been the type to keep things to himself, which was good when anything you did became the latest gossip going around. So for Bones, it was just his nature. For Jim, however, it was survival.

Throughout his life, he had never really had anyone he could depend on, which in turn made him unwilling to let many people see the “real” Jim (disregarding the whole faery thing because, hey, he wouldn't show anyone that anyway). So while he had cultivated many casual acquaintances in social situations, his only actual friends were Bones and Gaila.

Though he wasn't sure if he could count Gaila after this.

Not that the situation was the Orion's fault. It was Jim that had used her codes to hack into the Kobayashi Maru. Of course, Gaila didn't know that was what he had done. All she knew was that he had done something. Which was probably why she cared enough to push him under the bed in favor of telling Uhura about his transgression.

Well, that at least told him he hadn't completely alienated her.

“Who is he?” Uhura asked in annoyance, breaking from her excited retelling of some Klingon transmission about Romulans or something that she had intercepted.

“Who?”

“The nose-breather.”

“You can hear me breathe?” Jim asked incredulously, crawling out and standing up.

She pursed her lips. “Kirk. Tell me, does Dr. McCoy know you are making a habit of sneaking about in girls' dormitories.”

It took a great deal of effort not to lash out at her. He knew that she and Bones were on somewhat friendly terms and that she had always considered him as something of a skirt-chasing flake (probably not without good reason). Add together, it was natural for her to use pointed barbs to make him think twice about two-timing her friend. Not that it was by any means necessary, but it was well intended.

As suck, he kept his cool and smirked at her. “You're just afraid your Vulcan boyfriend will find me here and think you've finally succumbed to my charms.”

He left before she could get over her shock at his knowledge of her love life. He laughed softly to himself as he walked out of the building. It wasn't often he could one-up the beautiful xenolinguistics major, but it was always amusing when he could.

But now, he had a hot doctor to get home to.

OoooOoooOoooO

“Bones!” the voice of his half-feary lover cried as the door opened and shut. “Sorry I'm so late. Gaila...”

He trailed off and froze in the entrance hall as he took in the scene before him. Bones waited patiently as the blue eyes he loved so much absorbed the candlelit dinner laid out before him.

He knew that Jim had been detained by Gaila, because he was the one who had enlisted her help. As soon as Jim had told him that he was taking that damn test again tomorrow, he knew he had to step up his plans. He knew it was a bit silly, but he wanted tonight to overshadow whatever success or failure the test brough.

However, the longer Jim just stood there, the more self-conscious he felt.

“Dammit, Jim, the food is getting cold,” he pointed out, motioning towards the table and moving there himself.

Jim wordlessly followed him and moved towards one of the chairs. He was finally provoked to speech, however, when Bones pulled out his chair for him.

“Okay, who are you and what have you done with Bones?” he asked as he cautiously sat down.

“Idiot,” he replied with a smile, taking his own seat. “Can't I just do something nice for you?”

“Well, you can, and have, just nothing quite so... stereotypically romantic,” he quipped, blue eyes sparkling with amusement.

“Year, well, don't get used to it,” he said gruffly.

“Wouldn't dream of it. You going to tell me the occasion?”

“Maybe later,” he responded, picking up his fork and knife and carving his steak.

Jim pouted. “Bones...”

“Eat your peas.”

The conversation gradually moved away from Bones' motives and on to a variety of topics, though he knew Jim was still burning with curiosity. After a dessert of triple chocolate cake (Jim's favorite, which caused him to be eyes suspiciously once more), Bones decided it was time to address what he had been building the courage to all night.

“Jim, you know I love you,” he began.

The half-faery stilled. “Why do I get the feeling a but is coming?”

“But... I want things to change in our relationship,” Bones stated, biting back a smile at Jim's stricken face. It was so much fun to tease his lover.

“What things?” he asked breathlessly.

“Well, we are a lot of things to each other—best friends, roommates, lovers, mates,” Bones said smoothly. “I just thought we could add fiancés to the list, which would, of course, be later upgraded to husbands.”

Jim blinked. Then blinked again. Bones was now grinning openly at his mate's stunned expression.

“I know we've never talked about it, but I know you've given me everything. I want you to be sure that I've done the same,” Bones went on.

“You don't have to,” Jim protested. “I know.”

“Yeah, well maybe I want everyone else to know it too,” Bones commented lightly. “Maybe I want to be a possessive bastard and let everyone know that you are mine.”

“That means that you're mine, too, you know,” he pointed out with a smirk.

“Got no problem with admitting that.”

Jim's smirk turned into a look of wonderment. “You really want to marry me?”

Instead of answering, Bones rose and pulled him from his seat. He caught the blond's lips in a slow, deep kiss, pouring as much of his love into it as possible and holding him tight. Jim moaned into the kiss, feeling every ounce of love and absorbing it, its power feeding his life force more satisfactorily than any meal could, candlelit or not.

Bones pulled away gently, leaving them both panting for breath. “Yeah, I really want to marry you.”

The smiled on Jim's face was nothing less than beatific, transforming his face and making it easy to believe him to by the mythical, ethereal being that he was.

Foregoing any further conversation on the subject, Jim tugged Bones towards their bedroom, reaching the bed and falling backwards with Bones landing on top. The blond brought their lips together in a passionate kiss, bringing his legs up and wrapping them around the other's thighs.

Bones groaned before breaking the kiss and chuckling. “I take it that's a yes?” he asked before leaning down to suck and nibble at Jim's neck.

“God, yes,” Jim gasped, tightening his grip.

All talking was left behind as Bones made damn sure that some stupid test wasn't what Jim was thinking about when he sat in the simulator's command chair tomorrow.

“Love you,” Jim moaned as he neared his release, and God, the thought of hearing that sound for the rest of his life hastened his own. Gasping and shuddering, they came together, collapsing in a heap on the bed.

“Love you, too.”

Fin.

Next - A Faery Tale Wedding

Not So Happily Ever After

2009-08-27T03:44:40Z

Title: Not So Happily Ever After
Author: Agarwaenloth
Pairing: Kirk/McCoy
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Don't own Star Trek.
Summary: Fourth in the Faery series. Jim discovers something about being a faery in a very tragic way.

Not So Happily Ever After

Jim groaned as the persistent beeping of his alarm broke through his peaceful slumber. Ordinarily, he'd be wide awake and cheerfully getting ready for the day, being what Bones affectionately called “one of those damn annoying morning people.” Today, however, he just wanted to sleep, dammit!

“Jim,” the concerned voice of his mate murmured. He instantly felt guilty for worrying Bones, who had born witness to this unusual lack of energy sporadically over the last couple of weeks.

“Just five more minutes,” he muttered, burying his face in the doctor's shoulder. After all, it was summer. He was allowed a few extra minutes in bed with his lover during summer.

“You have fifteen minutes to get to your first class,” Bones reminded.

He groaned again and opened his eyes, furiously blinking as the bright sunlight hit his pupils. Bones' dorm finally came into focus around him and he slowly sat up, leaning forward and cradling his head in his hands.

Ever since they had gotten together in January (had it really been just six months ago?), Jim had practically moved into the medical dorm. The arrangement had spilled over into the summer semester, with Jim still having a dorm of his own and returning to it only when he needed something. They had toyed with the idea of moving in together officially for the next semester, but nothing concrete had been decided.

“Jim,” Bones said gently, sitting up as well and wrapping an arm around him. “Maybe you should drop a class or two. You're taking twice as many hours as the standard full-time student. You're overworking yourself and it's obviously affecting your health.”

“I can't. If I can just stick it out, then I can be finished next semester and graduate in December,” he protested. “Besides, I did it last summer with lasting effects.”

“You weren't taking such demanding classes last summer,” Bones argued. “Would it be so bad to hold off graduating til May? It's still a year early.”

“But...” Jim bit his lip. The real reason he didn't want to wait was because he knew Bones would be finished with the medical program in December, despite the fact that he had opted out of summer courses. The medical program was shorter than the command track, meaning Bones would get his commission before Jim. And he wasn't sure how he would cope with Bones not being there.

“Just... think about it okay?”

“Okay,” he agreed reluctantly, moving to get out of bed. Bones stopped him and pushed him gently back down onto the bed.

“And take today off. Doctor's orders,” he said with a stern voice that was undermined by a small smile.

Jim pouted playfully but was touched and thankful all the same. “Fine. When does your shuttle leave?”

Bones pulled a face. “In an hour.”

The doctor's cousin was being baptized in Atlanta this weekend, and his aunt had insisted he be apart of the family gathering. He had, of course, invited Jim to come along, but because it would have required missing two or three days of classes, the half-faery had declined, albeit reluctantly. He knew that family had always been important to the doctor and, since both his parents were dead, all he had left was his extended family, which made being invited to an event such as this extremely special to Jim, especially since his own experience with family was wanting.

“Go back to sleep,” Bones murmured, leaning over (when had he gotten up and dressed?) and kissing him gently. “I'll be back in a few days. Love you.”

“Hmm, you too,” he mumbled as sleep overtook him.

OoooOoooOoooOoooO

He was eating lunch the next day during the thirty minute break between his morning and afternoon classes the first time it happened. He was just about to bit into his sandwich when a sharp pain caused him to gasp and clutch his stomach. The pain persisted for about a minute before finally fading away.

To be fair, he did consider, briefly and probably only because of Bones' influence, going to the hospital to get checked out because even he knew that that kind of pain wasn't normal. However, after checking the time and seeing he had ten minutes to get to his class across campus, he put it from his mind.

The next time it occurred was during his last class of the day. The same stabbing pain, the same fading away. The only different was that this time, he managed to inadvertently draw the attention of half of the class around him.

He smiled and waved off their concern, trying to brush aside the voice in his head (that sounded suspiciously like Bones) that was telling him to get his butt to the hospital right now.

He ignored the voice, resolving to go if and only if it happened again.

OoooOoooOoooO

He gasped as he woke the next morning. He was momentarily confused over what woke him as he realized it was still rather early on a Saturday morning, but the mystery was quickly solved as piercing pain shot through his abdomen, exponentially greater than both of the previous times.

He doubled over in pain and realized that his lower half was lying in something wet and sticky. He glanced down and fought down the panic as he realized the bright red staining the sheets was blood.

He blindly reached for his comm as another wave of pain washed over him. He was beginning to feel faint and just barely managed to call for a medical emergency transport before losing consciousness.

OoooOoooOoooO

When Jim opened his eyes, the last person he expected to see at his bedside was Christopher Pike. After beating down his selfish desire for Bones (he really didn't want to pull him from his family), he tried to think of any reason the captain could be there. Unfortunately, every reason he could come up with was worse than the last.

“Captain?” he said at last, as both a greeting and a question.

“Kirk,” he acknowledged with a nod, leaning forward slightly. “I'm afraid I wasn't completely honest with you when I recruited you.”

“Sir?” he asked, still groggy and confused and having no idea why Pike wanted to discuss this now.

“When I was writing my dissertation, I interviewed your mother multiple times,” he confessed. “During one of these interviews, your lineage came out, and I promised her, and myself, that I would look after you and your brother if give the opportunity. Obviously, I never had the opportunity to help your brother, though I try and keep track of him just in case. When I came across you in that bar, I jumped at the opportunity to put you in a position where I could be the most help to you. Also, I'll admit, I was curious about your kind, so I began trying to collect as much information as possible.”

Jim was now staring at Pike in apprehension. What would Pike knowing what he was do to his career? Would the captain use the information to control him now? Did he know about Bones?

“I know I should have approached you as soon as I was sure you had mated with Dr. McCoy,” Pike continued, answering one of Jim's silent questions. “But I wanted to wait until the right time. Now, it seems, I have waited too late.”

“You mean what happened to me was a result of me being half-faery?” Jim asked, pushig back all the other questions he had to focus on his current situation.

Pike nodded. “I wasn't able to find much information, but what I did find was fascinating. Apparently, male faeries who mate with other males have the ability to conceive under the right conditions.”

“Conceive...?” His eyes widened. “As in... get pregnant? Are you telling me that I'm... pregnant?”

“You were,” he replied sadly. “I'm sorry, Jim, but you miscarried.”

Miscarried... He slumped back in the bed and closed his eyes. He had been carrying a baby, their baby, Bones' baby, inside of him, and he had lost it. Bones had told him to take it easy, but had he listened? Tears pooled under his lids but he would not cry, at least not in front of Pike, but God, he had killed their baby!

“Jim, this was not your fault,” Pike assured, obviously seeing his distress. “Your human genes are likely to make any pregnancy you have unstable and risky. If you hadn't called for help this morning, you would have bled out.”

“Can I just... be alone for a while?” he asked, fighting to keep his voice steady and somewhat succeeding.

“Of course,” Pike replied, standing up. “McCoy should be here soon. He was contacted as soon as you were brought in. And Jim? I really am sorry.” Then he was gone.

Great, not only had he murdered their child, he had also managed to pull Bones from his family. Just one more thing to be guilty about, he thought as he silently cried himself to sleep.

OoooOoooOoooO

He didn't know how long he slept but when he came to, a gentle hand was stroking his hair and a voice was muttering, “Dammit, Jim.”

“Bones,” he cried softly, partly in desperation and partly in relief. He felt arms carefully lift his upper body and cradle him against a strong chest.

“I'm here, Jim,” Bones reassured, holding him close. “I'm here.”

“I'm sorry,” he sobbed, weakly gripping the doctor's shirt. “God, I'm so sorry. I should've listened to you. If I had... Jesus, Bones, I killed out baby!”

“Jim, you can't blame yourself. And you definitely didn't kill anybody. Hell, the way Pike talks, you could've died due to complications if you had gone full term,” the doctor reasoned. “We're just going to have to be more careful in the future so we don't end up here.”

Jim nodded. “I promise I will take better care of myself so that next time this doesn't happen.”

“Next time? Jim, there can't be a next time!” Bones argued. “Next time, you could die! Don't worry, I'll make sure you never get pregnant again.”

“You don't want a family with me?” he asked morosely, looking down at his lap and fighting back the tears of hurt.

“Hey,” he replied, tilting Jim's chin up and forcing him to look at him. “We don't need a baby to be a family. You already are my family. If we want kids later, that's fine, we can adopt. There is no need to endanger your life.”

Jim sighed. He really couldn't argue with Bones' reasoning, but he really wanted to. Was it really that bad to want to have Bones' baby? To want to feel a part of Bones growing inside of him? However, he doubted the doctor would change his mind and let Jim risk his life just because he wanted to. That was an argument, though, that was best saved for another day.

“Fine, but how are we going to prevent a pregnancy we know nothing about? We don't even know if traditional contraceptives will work,” he pointed out.

“Pike says that you can only conceive during the week of the full moon,” Bones explained. “So until we find out more, I figure, to be safe, we shouldn't have sex five days before or after the full moon.”

Jim quickly did the math in his head and looked at him in horror. “Eleven days? Bones!”

“You went twenty five years without,” he reminded.

“Meaning I have a lot of time to catch up on,” Jim protested.

“Jim, please,” Bones pleaded, and the half-faery relented with a pout. “And you're dropping at least two of your classes this summer. The stress isn't good for you and your body has been through enough.”

“No,” he refused stubbornly.

“Jim, one extra semester won't kill you but running yourself into the ground might!”

“But you'll be gone!” Jim cried, before grimacing, not meaning to confess his true feelings.

“Is that what this is about?” Bones asked with a chuckle. “Jim, I had already planned to schedule my classes so that I'll be here as long as you are!”

“You have?” he asked sheepishly.

“Idiot, I don't want to leave you for that long any more than you won't me gone. Now, will you drop the classes?” he asked hopefully. Jim nodded and relaxed into his mate's arms. Bones smiled down at him. “Just rest. Your body has been to hell and back. I'll be here when you wake up.”

Jim smiled softly and let his heavy lids slide shut.

Fin.

Next - Engaging Times

The Many Powers of Jim Kirk

2009-08-18T08:40:32Z

Title: The Many Powers of Jim Kirk
Author: Agarwaenloth
Pairing: Kirk/McCoy
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Don't own Star Trek.
Summary: Third in the Faery series. Jim discovers a few of his powers and sometimes, he'd just rather not have them.

The Many Powers of Jim Kirk

1. Seduction

The first time it happened, he could have written it off as a fluke. The second time could have been a weird coincidence. By the fifth, however, things were starting to get old.

“But, Jim, baby! I love you!” the busty blonde he couldn't quite remember the name of said as she hung off of his arm.

“Leave him alone, slut! He's mine!” the brunette at his other side said before looking up at him and lowing her voice to what she probably thought was a “sexy” tone. “Aren't you, baby?”

“Ladies!” a male voice cried, gently untangling them both from Jim, to his immense relief. He looked at his rescuer and recognized the older man from his advanced Andorian linguistic class. Before he could thank him though, he slung around Jim's shoulder and started leading him in the opposite direction. “Now, Kirk, what say you and I head back to my dorm to get to know each other a little better?”

Jerking free, Jim bolted, not caring if he still had two more classes that day. He ran at break neck speed towards his dorm before stopping in his tracks. Oh God, his roommate could be there! Not wanting to chance being trapped in a room within easy reach of anyone who could be affected with... whatever had come over everyone else, he quickly changed his course.

He sighed in relief as the medical dorms came into view and raced towards Bones' door, punching in the doctor's code. He sighed and leaned against the wall after the door was safely locked behind him.

“Jim? What the hell--?” Bones started to yell as he stared at Jim but cut himself off. Before he could even notice the darkening of his mate's eyes, the doctor had already crossed the room and crushed their mouths together, pressing him against the wall and bringing their bodies flush against each other's.

The fact that Bones was also affected by whatever craziness that everyone else he had come across today was crossed Jim's mind, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Not when Bones kissed him like that or pressed against him that way.

Bones broke the kiss with a groan and glared at him. “Goddammit, Jim, I have a shift in thirty minutes!”

“Hey!” he cried in protest. “I didn't start this! You were the one who pressed me against the wall, remember?”

The doctor blinked and then narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “I distinctly remember being annoyed at you when you barreled through the door. What did you do? And don't you have class right now?”

Jim sighed. “I didn't do anything! It's not my fault that everyone I come across today seems to want to jump my bones! It must be one of my weird faery powers,” he said with a pout.

Bones frowned. “Well, you better figure out how to turn it off! And you don't leave this room until you do unless you're with me!” he growled before muttering under his breath. “Not gonna let you be molested again.”

Jim smiled and wrapped his arm around the other man, leaning his head on the doctor's shoulder. “Love you, too, Bones. And I will figure this one out,” he promised.

“You better.”

2. Persuasion

“How did you get Pike to let you test out of Interpersonal Communications? That option is never given or everyone would test out of it!” Gary huffed before signaling to the bartender to send over another round. “Stupid class. Glorified sexual harassment seminar.”

Jim smirked. “You just got to know how to talk to people, Gary.”

“And have your silver tongue,” he quipped before picking up his new mug of beer. “You were good before but here lately you've been able to talk your way into or out of anything.”

Outwardly, he grinned but cringed on the inside. Faery powers rear their ugly heads once more. Damn. Had to tell Bones about another one.

3. Luck

“Sweet!” he cried, bending over and picking up a five credit chip on the ground. He grinning over at Bones who just shook his head.

“That's the third time you've found money this week,” he commented. Both his and Jim's eyes widened at the same time and they looked down at the chip.

Shrugging, Jim continued walking. “At least with this one, you can worry a little less about me.”

“Not much less,” Bones muttered, matching Jim's pace.

Jim smiled softly. “It got me you. That's enough."

The doctor rolled his eyes. “That wasn't luck. That was sadism,” he grumbled but silently reached over to hold the blond's hand.

4. Air

“Jim, what the hell?!?” Bones said, staring in wonder as his half-faery lover flipped through the pages of an antique book on his bed. The fact that he walked in with and found Jim already in his room didn't surprise him. Nor did the leather bound book with actual paper pages.

No, he was shocked by the fact that Jim wasn't touching the pages as he flipped them.

Blue eyes looked at him in confusion. “Just reading up on ancient myths about faeries. Figured I may find something of use. I haven't really yet.”

“You aren't touching the damn pages!” he cried.

Jim blinked and looked down quickly before looking back up. “Oh, didn't I tell? I found out days ago that I could move some things with by controlling air currents. Nothing big or heavy. Just light things that could be moved with breeze.”

Bones glared at him. “Dammit, Jim, you said that you'd tell me whenever you got a new power!”

“I forgot, okay?” he said in a huff. “Besides, it's not like you're my keeper or anything. Just cause you're my mate does not give you the power to control me!”

“I'm not trying to!” he exclaimed. “I'm trying to protect you, you brat!”

“You don't have to be so overprotective!” Jim shot back. “I am capable of taking care of myself!”

“You taking care of yourself would have ended with you being raped and dying! Excuse me if I don't think that's very capable!”

He wanted to kick himself as the hurt welled up in those beautiful blue eyes.

“Jim...”

“Save it, McCoy,” the slighter man said before rushing out of the room.

The sound of his lover calling him anything but “Bones” let alone using his last name is such a cold manner left him frozen for a moment. However, it didn't take him long to quickly follow Jim out of the room. He exited the building and looked around to see if he could figure out which direction the younger man had gone.

The wind had picked up and the trees were whipping back and forth, but there was no sign of Jim.

“Dammit.”

5. Flight

He sighed as he looked out at the last rays of sunlight of the day shone on the dull metal of the Golden Gate. This was his favorite place in San Fransisco, looking out across the bay from the top of a sheer cliff made all of his problems seem like they were so small. He probably shouldn't have run, but the last thing that Bones had said...

Jim knew that Bones didn't really feel like he was incapable of taking care of himself. The doctor was just a natural worrier, which was only made worse by the fact that he loved Jim. Hell, the blond knew that Bones loved him more than anything else in this world, knew it because he could literally feel it across their bond.

A sudden noise behind him found him turning around quickly because nobody knew about this place but him. However, he turned a little bit too quickly and suddenly felt himself flailing, trying desperately to regain his balance while simultaneously wondering where the hell the grace all the books about faeries he read had talked about.

He felt himself falling backwards, backwards towards the deep drop followed by the rocky ground below. His eyes met the horrified eyes of his mate before he closed his eyes as his feet left solid ground, preparing himself for the falling sensation.

It never came.

He cracked his eyes open, expecting to find that his lover had miraculously made it to him in time to pull him back.

Not the case.

He looked at Bones, who was frozen in shock about a foot away. He looked down and saw nothing but air under his feet. He began kicking and flailing his arms in panic, only to feel gravity jerk in protest. He yelped (though he'd deny it later) as he dropped an inch.

“Dammit, Jim, be still!” Bones snapped, carefully reaching out and drawing Jim away from the edge of the cliff, though he was still floating about an inch off the ground. A safe distance away from the drop that he had nearly seen his lover take, Bones pulled him down into his arms in a crushing embrace. “Jesus, Jim.”

Grateful to have firm ground under him once more because, let's face it, that was too much of a thrill of even Jim Kirk, he held onto his lover for dear life. “How'd you find me?” he asked shakily, trying not to dwell on what nearly happened even if having the power to fucking fly was probably going to be cool as hell.

“Just knew where you'd be,” Bones murmured, clutching him tighter still. “God, don't ever scare me like that again.”

“I'll do my best,” he promised, smiling softly and realizing that his favorite place in San Fransisco wasn't at the top of that cliff but rather in the arms of this man. Though, to be fair, that was his new favorite place of anywhere.

Fin.

Next - Not So Happily Ever After

Once Upon a First Time

2009-08-16T07:58:06Z

Title: Once Upon a First Time
Author: Agarwaenloth
Pairing: Kirk/McCoy
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Don't own it.
Summary: Sequel to A Faery Tale. The morning after. Bones finds out exactly how important the previous night was for Jim.

Once Upon a First Time

He moaned as he slowly woke from one of the best sleeps he'd had in a while. Hell, after coming back and stopping some asshole from raping... Well, it really wasn't a shock that he hadn't slept well. He reached out and frowned at the absence of the warm presence that he had fell asleep with last night after they had...

“Bones,” Jim gasped in his ear as the doctor's fingers worked him open. He moaned as McCoy brushed against his prostate. “Oh God, Bones!” he said, shuddering and clutching the older man tightly.

“Jesus, Jim, so fucking tight,” he hissed, hardly daring to believe that this beautiful man beneath him was, for at least this one night, his.

He groaned as he realized Jim wasn't in bed with him. Should've known that the kid wouldn't stick around for the morning after, though with how weak he had been, it would be a shock if he had gotten too awful far. Hell, he had almost believed the crazy story he had been fed the night before. Really? Faeries? Yeah right...

“Finally awake?” a chipper voice asked as the bed dipped to one side. He cracked an eye open and gazed at the bright blues eyes smiling down at him. God, he didn't think it was possible for this man to get any more gorgeous but he seemed to literally glow as he beamed down at the doctor. And when the hell had he gotten so damn sappy?

Jim panted heavily as Bones inched his way in. He threw his head back on the pillow as soon as he was all the way in, and Bones did not think he had ever seen a more beautiful sight.

“Damn mornin' person,” he grumbled, attempting to turn away from the glaring sunlight. However, his false grumpy attitude couldn't last as Jim bent down and caught his lips in a gentle and loving kiss.

“You're surprising me, Bones,” Jim commented, pulling back a little. “Figured you'd be questioning the hell out of me by now.”

“Give me a minute for it all to catch up to me,” he murmured, finally sitting up and rubbing his face with his hand. “So, you're a... faery...?

“Half-faery,” Jim said, crawling up next to him and burrowing himself into his side. Instinctively, Bones wrapped an arm around him, smiling as Jim made a noise of contentment and rested his head in the crook of his neck.

“Right,” Bones replied, still not sure if he quite believed any of this, but Jim had never actually lied to him. Exaggerated maybe. Downplayed his injured, definitely. But not lied. “And what does that entail?”

“To tell the truth, I'm not quite sure,” Jim admitted. “My mother, well, she was never really there after losing my father. Only thing she ever really imparted on me was the importance of saving myself for my mate. And she was disowned for marrying my father, so there was never really one else around to explain things.”

“Wait, save yourself? You mean last night was...” Bones trailed off, in awe of the gift he had been given and kicking himself for not realizing it at the time.

“God, Bones!” Jim gasped, legs and arms wrapped tightly around the doctor's body, shivering as the intensity of the moment washed over him.

“Jim...” Bones moaned before muffling the younger man's cries with a scathing kiss.

“My first time,” Jim confirmed.

“Jesus, Jim. I had no idea...”

The blond laughed at him. “Don't worry, Bones, you were the perfect Southern gentleman.”

“So what does it mean? Being... mated...?” he asked, for the moment willing to except the craziness of Jim Kirk being a faery because, hell, it was Jim fucking Kirk and for some reason Leonard McCoy seemed to have some kind of crazy faith in the man that must be from years of alcohol consumption or maybe caused he loved the fool, one or the other.

“Faeries need love in order to live. The bond between mates allows the love between them to sustain their lives. Without it, we die,” Jim explained.

Bones pulled away and looked down into those bright blue eyes. “You mean your very life depends on me? Dammit, Jim.”

“It's okay, though,” he insisted, reaching up and cupping McCoy's face. “You love me, so everything's good.”

“And if something happens to me?” Bones asked, dreading the answer.

Jim pursed his lips. “Nothing's going to happen to you. You're a doctor. Not the most dangerous profession around.”

“A doctor in Starfleet!” he reminded him testily.

The other man had the audacity to roll his eyes. “Believe me, the odds of you dying in the line of duty before I do are very slim.”

“Don't remind me,” he snapped through clenched teeth.

Jim smiled softly at him before kissing him tenderly. “Don't worry about it. Nothing we can do about it.”

“How did your mother survive?”

“I know what you're thinking, Bones, but forget it,” he said. “She had a maternal bond with me and Sam. That was able to keep her alive... somewhat. Not exactly possible with me, I guess.”

“Jim...”

“Bones, I love you, and you love me, and what's between us literally gives me life. Let's not think about what could happen. I'm already anxious enough,” he admitted.

“Why? You just realize that your life was tied to the life of the one person you love most in this world and if anything happens to you, he'll die?” Bones asked sarcastically.

Jim smirked. “No, that part I actually like cause it means you'll be more careful.”

Bones snorted. “Like I'm the one who has no sense of self-preservation.”

Choosing to ignore the remark, the blond continued, “No, I'm the one who's going to have to figure out whatever crazy abilities come with his heritage while at the same time keeping them secret from everyone else. I swear, if I start leaving a trail of sparkling dust wherever I go, I'm going to find a way to resurrect Disney and kill him.”

Fin

Next - The Many Powers of Jim Kirk

Worlds Collide - Chapter Four

2009-08-14T06:20:03Z

Title: Worlds Collide
Author: Agarwaenloth
Rating: NC-17
Pairings: XI Verse: Kirk/McCoy, Spock/Uhura; Prime Verse: Kirk/Spock, McCoy/Uhura
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
Summary: Two universes collide, which causes much confusion, along with lots of hurt and miscommunications.

Prologue Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three

Worlds Collide

Chapter Four

Kirk stood still and observed the people in the room that he and his crew had just materialized in. He recognized himself, of course, and Spock was recognizable next to him despite his youthful appearance. The man at the console and the one on the other side of his younger self looked familiar, but he couldn't be sure.

“Captain, I do believe we have crossed into a different universe,” Spock said stiffly, his tone telling Jim that he was ready to act should the situation turn hostile.

The younger Kirk snorted. He cleared his throat when their complete attention was turned towards him, not that it ever strayed far from him in the first place.

“Sorry, it's just, way to state the obvious there, Mr. Spock,” he quipped with a smirk. His quick blue eyes surveyed the party before him. “To be precise, it seems you not only crossed into an alternate reality, you also traveled back in time a little. Of course, I am not really an expert on how alternate realities work.”

“What is the current year?” Spock inquired, taking a minuscule step closer to his captain. Jim had to fight a small at that. Though not by any means an overt gesture, it was one of the many little things that displayed the love and protectiveness his bondmate felt for him.

“2260,” the other Kirk replied, smirking as he too caught Spock's subtle move. That made sense. If he and Spock had met at a younger age in this universe, it was quite possible that the two of them had had no reservations in forming a relationship. Of course his other self would have caught the subtle gesture.

“Captain,” the younger Spock said, addressing his other self. It was then that Jim realized with a start that he was already captain of the Enterprise in this reality. That was impossible. The man standing before him was 28 at the oldest. He should not be captain for another four years!

The other Spock continued, “We cannot be certain that these people are who they seem to be.”

The younger Kirk smirked. “You forget, Commander, that I happen to have inside information on the universe are guests seem to be from.”

The man on the other side of him snorted. “If by inside information you mean you caught a glimpse of a few stray memories when that time traveling hobgoblin mind-raped you, then yeah.” For some reason, he then glared at Spock, with the younger Spock also giving his older self the Vulcan equivalent of a glare.

The young Jim just rolled his eyes. “Bones, you really are blowing the whole thing out of proportion.” Bones? Good God, that was Leonard McCoy? He sneaked a glance at McCoy to the right of him. Yes, he could definitely see the resemblance. Though, this Bones seemed a bit less used, a little less... something. But hell, this was Bones ten years younger. No telling what the man had been through in those years.

“But to business,” the other Jim was saying. “Security will escort you all to sickbay, as I am sure that Dr. McCoy will want to thoroughly check each and every one of you to ensure you are carrying any deadly virus onto the ship. Commander Spock will secure rooms for you, but you will have a security escort wherever you go. It is a precautionary measure, of course. I am sure you will understand,” he said in a clipped tone that Jim was secretly impressed with. He was sure that at that age he had not been able to speak so diplomatically, no matter how much he wished he could say otherwise.

Clearing his throat, he nodded. “Of course. I would not expect anything less.”

OoooOoooOoooO

“I understand your concerns, Captain,” the image of Barnett replied. “But I believe it would be better if these particular... visitors... were to remain aboard the Enterprise while your search for Ambassador Spock is conducted.”

Jim clenched his jaw and took a deep breath through his nose. Understood his concerns his ass! Hell, even after two years, brass still occasionally treated him as if he were an incompetent cadet. Usually, it didn't matter. After all, most of the time, his authority was the only one that mattered on the ship. But there were times when the admiralty felt it needed to remind Jim that he was under their authority.

“With all due respect, sir, for all intent and purposes, in this universe, the entire party is made up of civilians. Even if we take into consideration that some of them have military training in their reality, there are still six civilians with them. It would be best if we were to at least leave them on Vulcan II, where they would be safe,” Jim reasoned.

“Captain, is there any evidence that you have that suggests that the abduction of the ambassador has nothing to do with the appearance of thirteen people who appear to be from his timeline?” At Kirk's terse negative reply, the admiral smirked. “Until we can rule out the two events being related, we must assume that they are. In such a case, it would be better to have them all aboard the Enterprise in case an opportunity to send them to their correct universe presents itself.”

“But their safety, sir--” Jim tried once more before being cut off by the admiral.

“Is now your responsibility, Captain. I am sure you are up to the task,” Barnett said with finality before cutting the transmission.

Jim scowled at the blank screen he was now staring at in his ready room. He had really hoped they wouldn't be stuck with their guests for long. Sure, the situation was mildly humorous, but it really hit closer to home than he would have liked.

For one thing, he was far from comfortable with having any version of his family on the same planet with him, let alone the same starship. Just the sight of his father earlier... well, he was glad that he didn't have to focus to hard on him. Of course, the older man was nothing like he expected, though that was probably because he had built this image of the man and put him on a pedestal in his mind. Hell, all of his life he'd look up to the man as if he were some kind of saint. He didn't know what would happen if that image were shattered, as pathetic as it sounded.

And shit, when it came to his mom and Sam, well, he didn't know how to handle their presence. He loved them both, always had and always would, but neither had ever been there for him. His mother had always looked the other way whenever he “fell down the stairs” or “ran into a door.” And his brother had just left as soon as he got the chance. Not that he could blame him. He had born the brunt of Frank's abuse for years before he had left.

And it wasn't as if it was only his family issues that he had to worry about. He was not sure Spock could handle seeing his mother either. He was sure that the other Amanda's presence aboard the ship would reopen the wounds left behind by his mother's death on Vulcan. Well, that was one problem that only Uhura could really help Spock with.

Of course, that brought to mind the real concerns Jim had with these people remaining on board. He knew that he was an entirely different person from the Jim Kirk that was currently being examined in sickbay. Knew that, unlike his other self, who he knew had an affinity for pointy ears and stoicism, he could never even consider being in a relationship with anyone but Bones. But the Bones from the other reality, he knew, had ended up hooking with, and eventually marrying, Uhura. And with Uhura married to Bones and him married to Spock in the same universe, it was hard not to feel as if everything was going to fall apart in this universe.

Not that he would ever even think about Spock in such a way, he could see how Bones could fall for Uhura. Hell, the woman was beautiful, smart, and not totally fucked up like he himself was. And Bones married her! The doctor had never even hinted at a desire to make the same commitment to him. Not that Jim blamed him, of course. The other man had been burned by the marriage thing once already. Why would he want to put himself through that again? Especially with someone as messed up as him.

Not that Jim had ever mentioned anything remotely resembling marriage to Bones. He had thought about it, sure, but he knew that nothing like that was likely to happen. Hell, he was just lucky Bones was in the relationship they had now. He'd take what he could get.

He just had to make sure that their trans-universal travelers didn't make Bones realize that he could do better.

Tbc...

This seems to be very true...

2009-08-13T07:16:53Z

you are khaki
#F0E68C

Your dominant hues are red and green, so you're definately not afraid to get in and stir things up. You have no time for most people's concerns, you'd rather analyze with your head than be held back by some random "gut feeling".

Your saturation level is lower than average - You don't stress out over things and don't understand people who do. Finishing projects may sometimes be a challenge, but you schedule time as you see fit and the important things all happen in the end, even if not everyone sees your grand master plan.

Your outlook on life is bright. You see good things in situations where others may not be able to, and it frustrates you to see them get down on everything.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

A Faery Tale

2009-08-10T01:17:56Z

Title: A Faery Tale
Author: Agarwaenloth
Pairing: Kirk/McCoy
Rating: soft R for dark themes kinda in the middle
A/N: Kinda crackish but it wouldn't leave me alone.
Summary: His mother was a faery. No, not the cute little tiny people that flew around in those old Disney holovids and made people fly. That was ridiculous trash and Jim wished that old Disney was still alive so that he could give him what was coming to him for propagating those kinds of ideas.

A Faery Tale

Jim Kirk is a total manwhore, everyone knows that.

He understood how such rumors got started. He studied with a girl, known for being, well, easy, alone in her dorm room one night, and suddenly the entire campus is under the impression that he has had a string of girls. He dances with a guy, a notorious slut, another night and they both leave the bar at around the same time, and it's obvious that he has been had by dozens of guys.

That was the way he planned it. After all, it would have been suspicious if he had never had any partners at all.

He never really thought that it would come back and bite him in the ass.

He stared at the calender in accusation. New Years was only two weeks away, with his twenty fifth birthday only two weeks after that. It was hard to believe that he only had a month to live.

His mother's drawn and worried face popped into his head. The last time they had talked had been three months ago, and she had been extremely concerned that he had yet to find a mate. He wished he could find it in himself to hate her at times, after all, she had never really been there for him, but it was never really her fault.

His mother was a faery. No, not the cute little tiny people that flew around in those old Disney holovids and made people fly. That was ridiculous trash and Jim wished that old Disney was still alive so that he could give him what was coming to him for propagating those kinds of ideas.

No, his mother was a faery of the Seelie Court, and while this gave her, and in turn her sons, special little powers of enchantment and a good amount of luck and cunning, it did not make her or her children that much different from the humans around them. Except for the tiny problem now facing Jim.

If he did not mate by the time he came of age (the age of full maturity, which for the fae was age twenty five), he would eventually fade away and die.

With his reputation, of course, he would probably have no problem finding some nameless guy or girl to take a roll in the sheets with him.

One little problem, though. Faeries mate for life. And while some nameless body may keep him alive for at least a few more months, the very life essence of a faery was sustained by the love it received from its mate, which was the reason why Winona Kirk had wilted so much since the death of her husband (the love of her sons the only thing sustaining her) and also the reason that James T. Kirk was well and truly fucked.

Because even though he had never had sex before in his life and was completely and utterly in love with one Leonard McCoy, Bones thought he was a stupid little flirt that couldn't keep it in his pants to save his life.

Ironic, if you thought about it.

There was no way that Bones would ever see him as anything more than his whorish best friend. And if he tried to tell him how he felt... well, this close to his birthday and the parental love that was supposed to sustain him til then what it was, he was pretty sure the rejection would kill him.

So one month was all he really had. It was really his own fault. He had made his mask far too well. But maybe... Maybe he could at least let Bones know that it was a mask. And even if nothing came of it, his best friend would at least think better of his memory.

OoooOoooOoooO

He put on his best smile and knocked cheerfully on Bones' door. He had to stop the horror from showing on his face, though, when the doctor answered. There, sitting on the single bed on the opposite side of the room, was a suitcase. A rather large suitcase, not the small just-staying-for-a-night-or-two suitcase. Was Bones going away for winter break? Oh God, the break didn't end until three days after his birthday. He knew the chances of him actually mating with the man were low, but was he to also be denied the chance to spend the last days of his life with the man he loved.

The universe hated him.

“Jim!” the other man cried jovially. “I was hoping to see you before I left. Wanted to give you your Christmas present before I headed off.” He then grabbed a bottle off of the dresser and presented it to the half-faery.

Jim smiled through his anguish at the bottle of Yridian brandy. “Thanks, Bones. I didn't know you were leaving or I would have brought yours.”

The doctor waved him off. “I didn't know I was leaving either, until yesterday's transmission from my great Aunt Martha just begging me to come home for a spell. Don't worry, though, I'm only sticking around for Christmas,” he assured, obviously catching at least some of the heartbreak Jim was going through. “I will be back for New Years, and I will definitely be back for your birthday.”

“You better!” Jim warned playfully, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief. He should have known that Bones would at least be back for his birthday. The older man knew how hard birthdays were for him, but he had no idea how hard this one was going to be.

OoooOoooOoooO

Jim sighed heavily as he nursed his beer. He looked around at the flamboyant decorations of the party and sighed. It was New Years Eve, an hour before the clock would strike midnight, heralding a new year in, and Bones had not returned.

Of course, he had never said he would be back for New Years Eve. Jim had just assumed...

With nothing better to do, he had decided to hit up the bar that most of the cadets at the Academy would be welcoming the New Year at. Not even one beer in and knowing he was garnering strange looks from everyone because Jim Kirk just did not sit alone in a corner at a party, and he was about ready to leave.

With that in mind, he was halfway out of his seat when the chair next to him was suddenly occupied.

“Hello, Kirk,” a familiar Irish brogue said, causing Jim to groan internally. Finnegan. It may have the fact that Kirk was only a second year and was already in a couple of the fourth year's classes. It may have been the instant popularity that Jim had garnered that had the other man jealous. Or it may have simply been the innate mistrust and animosity passed on to Finnegan from an ancestor that had run afoul of one of the fair folk. Whatever it was, the two had never seemed to get along.

“Go away, Finnegan,” he said wearily, finishing his half-empty beer in one gulp and quickly standing up. He swayed dangerously and gripped the table. For a moment, he thought he had simply stood up too quickly; there was no way one beer could have had this kind of effect on him. However, when Finnegan wrapped an arm around his waist and began hauling him towards the door, he realized that something much more sinister was happening.

Too bad that, by the time he realized what was going on, his limbs were basically useless and he was becoming more and more disoriented.

The rough brick against his cheek and the air brushing against his ass surprised him. It slowly dawned on him that he was in the middle of an alley with his pants pulled down and shoved roughly against the wall.

“Oh God, no... please... not like this... please no... don't...” he wasn't even aware that he was speaking he was so far gone. All he knew was that Finnegan was behind him, nipping at his neck, kissing his shoulder, about to...

His litany continued more desperately. “Please... please... stop... please...”

Tears streamed down his face. Bones... he wanted Bones. Wanted to see him one last time. He knew what happened to faeries who were raped and mated against their will. He knew he wouldn't survive this. Bones...

“Get off him!” a shout came from behind him and suddenly the oppressive weight holding him against the wall vanished.

With nothing holding him up, he instantly crumpled to the ground. Or would have if strong arms had wrapped around him, keeping him from completely falling. Gentle hands pulled his pants back to their proper place.

“Jim? Can you hear me?” Bones' face suddenly swam into focus and he teared up again.

“Bones,” he gasped in relief, doing his best to wrap himself around the man's comforting presence but unable to do more than burrow his head under the other man's chin. “Had to see you one last night. So glad you stopped him. Didn't want it to be that way.”

He knew that his babbling would confuse the other man, but he couldn't seem to stop himself. Black creeped in around the edges of his vision. No, he didn't want to lose consciousness. Bones was back. He had to spend every moment he could with the doctor. Unfortunately, his body had other plans.

“Jim? Jim!”

OoooOoooOoooO

Beep. Beep. Beep.

He furrowed his brow at the rhythmic noise that seemed determined to invade his slumber. He didn't want to wake up. The blissful blackness that surrounded him in sleep seemed to beckon him deeper, allowing him a peace he hadn't known since he realized what his fate was going to be.

He groaned and turned his head trying to escape the noise. It didn't seem like such a bad thing, fading away. It seemed so calm, so quiet. Why had he been dreading it again?

“Jim?” a voice broke through his thoughts. He knew that voice. There some something important about it. What was it again? “Jim, open your eyes.”

The voice sounded so sad, so full of pain. He didn't like the voice sounding like that. He wanted to stop that voice from sounding so sorrowful. With great effort, he managed to open his eyes.

“Jim!” the voice cried softly. A hand grasped his own and a face suddenly appeared before him.

He blinked a couple of times. Hospital, he was in a hospital. And Bones was there. And... oh God...

His panic must have shown in his eyes because Bones was quick to reassure him. “Hey, calm down. You're okay now,” he said, bringing his other hand up to stroke Jim's hair. “I got there in time. You had me scared though. Only you would have an allergic reaction to GHB. You've been out for a while.” The smile on Bones' face was forced. It was obvious that Jim had worried him.

He tried to summon enough energy to smile in return but he wasn't sure it worked very well. “How long?” he croaked before grimacing at both the rawness of his throat and the hoarse sound of his voice.

A straw was then brought to his lips and he drank greedily. “Easy. Small sips. That's good,” Bones murmured, cradling the back of Jim's head before easing him back down as he drew the cup away. “You've been out for four days. Your heart was so slow... Well, you'll be fine. You're just gonna have to take it easy for a while.”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Four days. That meant he only had ten days left. If that, judging by how weak he felt. He was pretty sure that this had nothing to do with an allergy to the drug Finnegan gave him. It really was a miracle he had woken up at all. He had no idea why he was still alive.

“When can I leave?” he asked, opening his eyes again.

“Leave?” Bones sputtered. “Jim, you can barely lift you damn head you're so weak. You're not going anywhere until you've gotten your strength back.”

“That's not gonna happen. Can't I just go rest in the dorm? I don't want to...” He had to stop himself from finishing that sentence. Apparently whatever filter he usually had in his head had stopped working with his sudden decrease in energy.

“You don't want to what? And why won't you get your strength back? Dammit, Jim, if there's something else wrong with you, you damn well better tell me!” Bones growled.

Jim turned his head away and avoided his friend's questioning glare. “It doesn't matter.”

“The hell it doesn't!” The angry tone of his voice was belied by the gentle hand that turned his face back towards the other man. “Tell me.”

He stared into the hazel eyes above him, and he knew that he couldn't lie to him. But the truth was so... unbelievable. It didn't matter anyway.

“Bones... if I tell you, will you promise to get me out of here?”

“Depends on what you tell me.”

“The hospital can't help me... No medicine can fix me. I'm dying, Bones,” he finally admitted, wanting to look anywhere but at the disbelieving eyes staring at him, but unable to look away either.

“No, you're not, Jim. And don't you dare say things like that!” he hissed, angry fire burning in his eyes.

“Don't be mad at me, Bones. And I wouldn't say it if it weren't true. Now just let me go back to the dorm and die in peace,” he mumbled, closing his eyes against those eyes. He couldn't handle this.

“Dammit, Jim, you are not going to die!” he growled.

“Bones, please,” he pleaded, opening his eyes even as he felt them tearing up. He couldn't die here. He hated hospitals. “Please, you're my best friend. Just let me go back to my room.”

“If you think I'm just going to leave you alone after you tell me you're going to die--”

“I don't want to be alone, Bones. I just don't want to be here,” Jim whispered in what he knew was a pitiful voice. He could see the resolve on Bones' face crumple.

“Fine, but at least tell me what's wrong with you?”

“It's... a family thing. I can't really explain it...”

“Jim...”

“Bones, please, I'm tired. Just get me out of here so I can rest.”

He sighed. “Okay.”

As his lids slowly slid shut against his will, he could've sworn he felt the brush of lips against his forehead.

OoooOoooOoooO

He sighed happily as he burrowed deeper into the warmth around him. The warmth then tightened around him, causing him to frown in confusion.

“Jim?”

He cracked his eyes opened and smiled faintly as he realized Bones was next to him in bed and holding him tight. “'M dreaming... don't want to wake up...”

“You gotta wake up, Jim. You need to eat something.”

“No,” he mumbled, wrapping his arms around Bones and keeping him from moving away. “Just want to lay here and pretend.”

Bones carefully untangled himself from Jim's embrace and stood up. Jim made a noise of protest and used what little strength he tried to sit up, but was gently pushed back down. He followed the doctor with his eyes as he walked over to the replicator before realizing that he was not in his own dorm. Rather, he was in Bones' room in the medical dorms.

His confusion must have shown in his eyes as Bones came back to the bed holding a bowl of what looked like plain broth. “I figured you'd be better off where I could keep an eye on you and where all of my supplies were,” he explained, setting the bowl down on the nightstand and easing Jim into a sitting position, sitting down on the bed and allowing the younger man to lean against his chest. He picked the bowl back up with one hand while his other steadied Jim against him. “Drink,” he ordered sternly, bringing the bowl to the blond's lips.

Jim dutifully sipped the broth, having no real strength to argue and not really wanting to because he was afraid that it would break whatever dream state he was in. He actually felt... loved. Which was stupid. Bones was just being a good friend.

After drinking about half of the broth, he turned his head away from the bowl.

“Jim, you have to get your strength up,” Bones pleaded, trying to get him to take more of the broth.

“I can't take anymore, Bones,” Jim whined, burying his face in the other man's chest. He felt arms wrap around him once more and he sighed gratefully.

“Jim, please, tell me what's happening,” he murmured, tucking the blond head under his chin.

“You won't believe me,” he answered wearily. “And then you'll leave. And I can't take that.”

“Dammit, Jim, you could tell me you were one of Santa's little helpers and you were dying because the world didn't have enough cookies, and I would do everything in my power to bring more cookies into the world. Would you just try me?” Bones asked testily.

The sudden image of Bones dressed as Santa Claus baking cookies flashed in Jim's mind and he snorted. “Fine, but promise me you won't leave.”

“I promise,” he whispered sincerely. “I'm not going anywhere.”

“My mother was a faery,” he began.

“Jim...” Bones said in a tone that was half exasperation, half worry. Obviously he thought his patient's mind was leaving him.

“I'm serious, Bones,” he asserted in the strongest voice he could muster. Which, pathetically, wasn't that strong at all. “You know what, forget it.”

“No, Jim. I'm sorry. Go on,” he prompted, threading his fingers through Jim's hair. “Why is your mother being a faery a problem then?”

“We come of age at twenty five,” Jim replied.

“And why is that a problem?”

Jim groaned in frustration. “I told you you wouldn't believe me.”

“No, Jim, I do,” he assured him. Blue eyes looked up at him skeptically. “Okay, so my brain isn't really processing it as truth, but if you are telling me it's true, then I believe you. Now tell me what happens when a fairy comes of age.”

“Faery,” Jim corrected. “And if they don't prepare properly... they fade away. Die.”

“And let me guess, you didn't prepare properly,” Bones said, Jim practically hearing him roll his eyes.

“It's not as easy as it sounds,” he protested weakly.

“And why isn't it?”

“Because faeries mate for life!” Jim cried, breaking out of Bones' embrace and nearly falling off the bed. Strong arms wrapped around him again and pulled him back. “Do you know how hard it is to find someone willing to stick with me for life? And even if I could it doesn't matter because I only want--”

He cut himself off. Damn, the stupid filter between his brain and his mouth better start working soon or who knew what he would let loose.

“Jim? Who? Tell me right now and I will drag their ass here, dammit,” he swore, his voice thick with emotion.

He shook his head and hid his face. “You don't have to.”

“Dammit, Jim, I'm not going to let you just die!” Bones growled.

“No, I mean, you don't have to go get anyone because... they're already here,” he admitted, closing his eyes and bracing himself for the pain of rejection that he knew was coming.

What he didn't expect, however, was for Bones to start laughing.

He opened his eyes and turned his head to as the doctor regained control of himself.

Still chuckling, McCoy turned him around completely and, without warning, brought their lips together in a tender kiss. “Idiot. Just like you to put me through all this dying mess when you could have avoided this whole thing by telling me how you felt months ago.”

“But Bones, I'm not—ummm,” he moaned as he was once again kissed. He pulled back a little and shook his head. “Bones, it's not just sex.”

This time he actually did see Bones roll his eyes. “Idiot, I love you. Now can I get on with saving your damn life?”

Jim just stared at him for a moment before eventually blinking away his shock. “By all means, doctor. Save away,” he said with a smirk.

“Thanks for the permission,” he said sarcastically before pulling Jim in for another kiss. “And before you even think it, if you call me Dr. Love, I'm gonna hurt you.”

Jim laughed as he was gently pushed down on the bed and Bones climbed on top of him.

Fin... for now...

If you like it and want more, let me know!

Next - Once Upon A First Time

Worlds Collide - Chapter Three

2009-07-30T01:31:33Z

Worlds Collide

Chapter Three

He frowned through the bars at the old Vulcan slumped against the wall. He supposed that, for a prisoner of war, he was being treated fairly well. He was being fed regularly and the only physical harm that had been done to him was that which had been absolutely necessary to subdue him. Of course, the forced reading of his mind may have caused him some distress.

It had been the Vulcan's own fault that it was so harsh, though. If he simply submitted to the Remans in the first place, it would have been painless. He would not have had to throw the weight of his own powers behind the Remans' telepathic prowess.

Of course, he was reluctant to do so, having never personally liked violence. However, in some situations, violence was necessary. Which is why he agreed to help the Remans in the first place. After all, their causes were kindred in a sense, and he knew that the time would come when he needed their help.

This really was a fascinating universe. So many new stops along the once boring highway. So familiar yet not that anything could happen, and he may not even see it coming! If only such occurrences happened on a regular basis, maybe his people would not have to endure the upcoming war. Unfortunately, red matter did not always create timeholes. Even they could not predict when it would.

All they could do was face the inevitable now.

OoooOoooOoooO

It took only a few hours to reach Pursess IV so by the time Jim had reported to the bridge for alpha duty, they were only ten minutes away from teleportation range.

“We are in communication range, Captain, shall I initiate contact?” Uhura asked primly.

Jim grinned and eased into his chair, happy to be back on duty even if Bones was standing on the bridge scowling at him. It wasn't as if he didn't enjoy Bones' presence, after all. “By all means, Lieutenant.”

The corner of her mouth twitched, but he wasn't sure if it was because she was fighting back a scowl or a smile. Either could be possible, but it didn't really matter. She nodded at him when the communication line was open.

“This is Captain Kirk of the U.S.S Enterprise. We have picked up your distress signal. Do you copy?” he said in his best “captain” tone. After two years, the persona was almost second nature to him.

A moment of silence followed before a clear voice rang out over the line. “We copy you loud and clear. This is Captain Kirk of the Enterprise.”

He frowned. Didn't he just say that? He guess he could cut the poor guy some slack seeing as how they were stranded on an unlivable planet. “Yes, it is. How many do you have to beam aboard?”

“Thirteen. Who is it that I am speaking with?”

Jim shot Bones a look that plainly said “this guy's an idiot.” He had already introduced himself, and the other guy had repeated it back to him. What the hell?

“This is Captain Kirk of the Enterprise. Who is it that I am speaking with?”

“I know who I am. I'm asking who you are,” the voice replied impatiently.

“I have already told you my identity twice,” he replied, frustrated. Then he had a thought and felt guilty. “Are you injured? Have you sustained any blows to the head?”

“No, we are all fine, and you have yet to tell me anything but my own name!”

“But I do not know your name,” Jim replied, gritting his teeth.

“I am James T. Kirk, Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise.”

Jim glared at the planet as if the voice could see him. This was getting ridiculous. “No, that's who I am.”

“I am afraid you are mistaken,” the voice replied in a clipped tone that reminded Jim of Spock for some reason.

Not to be outdone, he replied in a similar tone. “I do not believe so.”

“Captain,” Spock said in a hushed tone. “This is getting us nowhere.”

Jim switched his glare to him and gestured towards the planet. “You want to give it a go?”

The Vulcan raised an eyebrow but stood gracefully from his station and crossed over to the captain's chair.

“How is it that you came to be stranded on Pursess IV?” his first officer asked.

There was a pause on the other end before a different voice answered. “We are not certain. One minute we are on board the Enterprise in the middle of Federation space, the next thing that we are aware of is that we are here, on this unknown planet.”

Spock's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “You say you were on board the Enterprise? I believe that the captain or myself would be aware of the fact that thirteen crewmembers have disappeared.”

“The captain is among us,” the voice stated smoothly.

“I believe you are mistaken,” Spock said in a terse tone, an obvious sign of frustration.

“Forget it,” Jim said in annoyance before pressing a button on his chair. “Scotty, thirteen to beam aboard.”

“Aye, Captain!”

“Come on, Spock, Bones,” he said, rising from his chair. “Let's go meet our guests. Uhura, have Security meet us there. We're not sure what we're dealing with here.”

She nodded to him as the three of them stepped into the turbolift.

OoooOoooOoooO

Jim frowned as he felt the familiar sensation of teleportation. Whoever this captain was, he was obviously unfit to be a Starfleet captain. Who beams people up with no warning? And without properly identifying himself? This was ridiculous.

As he rematerialized, a dressing down was on the tip of his tongue for whatever young upstart of a captain he was dealing with. However, when the captain walked into the room, whatever words he was going to say died on his throat.

What he was looking at was a younger, much younger, version of himself.

Tbc...

Chapter Four

To dhh333...

2009-07-24T22:09:59Z

Okay, so I got this message from dhh333, who has her account set to private because she doesn't want to receive messages from people. So I decided to post my response here.

dhh333's message:

> You're the type of author that I really, really hate!! No creativtiy whatsoever..You have Tony's father basicaly prostituing him out and having him raped and Tony doing about it and just taking it and YOUR Tony, all he does is CRY and nobody is there to help him nor does anybody know what's going on etc..
>
> This story just sucks overall..Very lame and using Rape as the ONLY focus or MAIN focus to this story says it all..
>
> I mean, YOU don't even have the decency to put up WARNINGS for rape etc..
>
> You should just go to hell for even THINKING this story is worth reading..
>
> I hope whatever you write comes back to HURT YOU..karma can be a BITCH and YOU certainly will GET what you deserve..
>
>
> FUCK YOU!!

My response:

You know what, you are absolutely right. I have absolutely no creativity whatsoever. When compared to the amazing stories you have written on YOUR journal that have all these people salivating for more... It really makes me realize how far I've got to go.

And to have some mob boss force Tony in a situation where he has to either sacrifice himself or risk losing the people he loves is a very lame premise for a story. The fact that Tony endures all this to protect Gibbs... man, that just makes him look so weak and girly.

And karma is sure to bite me in the ass. I mean, I really need to stop lashing out irrationally at people who've never really done anything to me. It kinda makes me seem like a bitch.

Worlds Collide - Chapter Two

2009-07-24T06:22:16Z

Worlds Collide

Chapter Two

They had managed to find a suitable shelter in the form of a low cliff with a thick canopy over it. It was not ideal, of course, but it would do in a pinch. He and Scotty had been hoping to find a dry cave along the cliff, but unfortunately had been unsuccessful. The cliff wasn't really so much a cliff as it was a deposit of clay that had been worn down into cliff-shape over the years.

However, their makeshift shelter was dry, well, relatively drier, that the rest of their surroundings, so Jim thought they could have done worse.

Currently, he was leaning against a nearby tree standing watch. Being on an unknown planet, he had felt it best to set up watches so that they would not be caught unaware should something try to attack them while sleeping. Naturally, as captain, he volunteered for the first watch, which was promptly argued by his crew but he remained firm. Spock, instead of arguing, pointed out that “logically” it would be better for there to be two guards at all times and volunteered himself to keep Jim company.

He smiled as he reached out across their bond to contact his Vulcan lover. The thrill of Spock's mind forever melded with his own continued to awe and humble him. The fact that this wonderful man had decided that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Jim sent the captain flying in a way that no starship ever could, and the knowledge that Spock would outlive him and have to endure the pain of a broken bond was enough to send him crashing down.

He had tried to resist his attraction to the damn Vulcan. Tried to remember that they were best friends, brothers in arms, tried to fall in love with dozens of women he had met during their explorations. However, the love he felt for Spock would not be suppressed. Hell, it felt like it had always been there, a part of his being that he could not deny. A part he did not realize existed until he met Spock when he was appointed captain of the Enterprise.

He fingered the thin silver band on his left hand, a nod to both Jim and Amanda's cultures. No matter how they had gotten to this point, the important thing was that they were here, together.

Well, actually here exactly was a bit problematic. He had no idea what could have brought them to this planet. Perhaps some weird wormhole that they had inadvertently flew into? But then, wouldn't it have been noticed by someone before, considering they were in the middle of known Federation space?

It was frustrating as hell not knowing.

OoooOoooOoooO

He twitched at the chime, borrowing deeper into his pillow at the annoying sound. It was too early for his alarm to be going off, dammit. He was on bedrest, he should be allowed to sleep as long as he damn well pleased, thank you very much.

He frowned as his pillow moved away from him. Bones, his sleepy mind supplied, and really, the fact that his... Bones... had spent the entire night with him should not make him as elated as it did. It wasn't like it was the first time it happened, after all. They were just very careful about it not happening to often.

And damn, if whoever was chiming at his door didn't leave them the fuck alone!

Apparently, Bones was of the same opinion.

“You had better have a damn good reason for interrupting the captain's rest at such an hour,” he hissed menacingly. Jim wanted to smirk at that. He almost felt sorry for the poor soul who had chimed. He probably would have it didn't mean waking up and losing his living pillow.

“We've received two transmissions that require the captain's immediate attention,” he heard a cool, even voice reply. Spock, then, he realized. “I assure you, Dr. McCoy, if it were not urgent, I would not have disrupted the captain's rest.”

Jim could almost feel Bones' scowl even if he still had his back to him.

“Come on it, Spock,” he rasped, flipping over onto his back and easing himself into a sitting position. His first officer entered the room, the CMO frowning at him the whole way.

Spock stood at attention near the foot of the bed, looking the part of the ever-composed officer despite the other two's state of dress, or lack there of. Jim would have been embarrassed to be seen in only his boxers by Spock if he weren't so tired. Besides, he was James T. Kirk, Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise, not to mention the fact that he looked damn good in his boxers.

But that wasn't that matter at hand. Focus, he told his sleep addled mind.

“We've received two distress signals,” Spock was saying. “One is from Pursess IV. The transmission is a standard distress call issued on standard Federation frequencies, but the only Federation ship to have passed by it recently did so nearly four months ago. There have been no Federation outposts on the planet because it was deemed unlivable. Which begs the question, who or what is sending out Federation signals?”

Jim nodded. Okay, mysterious signals coming from a crazy planet. Could be interesting. He could tell that Bones did not share his thoughts as the doctor frowned at him, no doubt thinking of what all trouble the captain could get into rescuing some unknown entities from an “unlivable” planet.

“And the other?” Kirk prompted, ignoring Bones' look. They'd have a talk later, he knew, but it was his job to go into potentially dangerous situations. Bones knew that just as well as he did.

“From Vulcan II. It seems that Ambassador Spock has gone missing. While their technology isn't complete, some of their sensors did pick up some strange signals a few nights ago. They are hoping we will be able to assist,” Spock informed. If Jim did not know better, he would have thought that the Vulcan was completely unaffected by this news. However, he had learned to pick up on Spock's tells after working with him for so long, and the first officer was both puzzled and alarmed.

Jim didn't blame him. After all, the old guy had been around for about two years. He wasn't the type that could make enemies that fast. If it had been old Jim... but that was besides the point.

The only reason Spock Prime would have been taken was if someone wanted the information contained in the old guy's head.

And the guy knew a lot, about Starfleet, about Vulcan II, about various future events that may not even occur, and so many other things...

A disconcerting fact when said knowledge was in the hands of possibly unfriendly hands...

However, Pursess IV was closer than Vulcan II, and the small planet was actually very near to the system that the Vulcans had made their new home. Considering the amount of time it would take both missions, Jim made the “logically” decision.

“Set course for Pursess IV. We'll do a quick rescue before heading to Vulcan II. Shouldn't take to long to beam a few new passengers on board.”

tbc...

Chapter Three

Worlds Collide - Chapter One

2009-07-22T05:19:49Z

Worlds Collide

Chapter One

Jim bit back a groan and opened his eyes to survey his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was that the ground beneath him was soggy and the weak sunlight that was filtering down from the green sky was being mostly blocked by wide blue tree fronds.

He frowned and sat up. This was not a planet that he recognized, either from his research into known planets or in his own explorations. It seemed to be mostly swamp, or at least the area that they had landed in was. Of course, that did not necessarily hold true for the entire planet.

He felt more than saw Spock next to him, his eyes still adjusting to the suddenly dim lights as compared to the bright lights of the ceremony on the Enterprise. He jumped up quickly. What had attacked them? Was it still lurking around ready to finish them off?

He felt the brush of Spock's hand on his and also of his mind on his own, and the contact grounded him in the moment, allowing him not to focus on the panic that had momentarily threatened to overwhelm him due to an unknown and unforeseen attack while in Federation space.

His eyes finally accustomed to the light, he could see the various attendees of the bonding ceremony. It was a small group, true, with both Jim and Spock wanting to keep the actual ceremony a more private affair with only close friends and family. He could make out Dr. McCoy helping Lt. Uhura up, and Lt. Sulu and Ensign Chekov not far from them supporting each other. Mr. Scott was picking Jim's brother off the ground and brushing him off good-naturedly while Sam tried to steady himself despite the Scot's helpful ministrations causing him to constantly lose his balance. Sarek, Amanda, and T'Pau seemed rather unphased by the entire situation, standing serenely on the soggy ground as if they had planned to be there. His own parents, while confused, remained fairly calm as well.

Which, all in all, was a good thing. His crewmembers, he knew he could count on to take things in stride, following orders and coming of with ideas to survive. His and Spock's families, however, were civilians. Their reactions could prove disaster for them all if they did not keep their wits about them.

They all looked at him expectantly. Taking a breath to calm himself, he turns to Scotty.

“Mr. Scott? Any idea what brought us here?”

He shook his head. “Not ay clue, Captain,” he replied in his heavy brogue. “We weren't within a lightyear of any planet, and then the planets we were remotely near ta were known, as even I can tell this one ain't.”

“Hmmm, Spock? Anything?” he asks his bondmate, dropping the pretense of “Mr. Spock” that he had used so often in the past to downplay their relationship if need be. No need for such nonsense now, as everyone present had witnessed their bonding mere moments ago.

Spock looked up from his tricorder readings. “The planet is a class M, for sure, though just barely, Jim. Most of it seems to be covered with marsh or swamp lands. There seems to be some life force readings, but whatever is making them is either not large enough or not in range of the sensors. Whatever brough us here, we seem to be the only ones on board the Enterprise affected.”

He nodded before looking around at his crew. “Alright, people, we may be stuck here for a while. Let's see if we can't round up the basic necessities. Spock, you and Bones go and see if you can find anything edible in the area. Uhura, Chekov, see if you can find any dry wood around here that will burn. Scotty, you come with me. We're going to look for an ideal place to build a shelter. Sulu, stay with the civilians. I want everyone's comms set to emit a distress signal. Hopefully we'll get lucky and get off this godforsaken planet soon.”

Everyone nodded and went off to do their assigned tasks.

OoooOoooOoooO

“How much longer has Dr. McCoy confined you to your quarters for rest?” Spock asked serenely, moving his rook forward to capture Jim's knight.

Kirk frowned at the board and raised his eyebrow at Spock's question. “As I know you are aware, Spock, Bones will not let me out of this thrice-damned room for another day. I think he's getting a little too paranoid out here in space,” he commented, before smirking and moving his own rook.

Spock's eyebrows knitted together ever so slightly, indicating that Jim's move had not been on he was expecting. “I am sure the doctor is of perfect mental health. Perhaps he is merely worried about the physical well-being of his captain, much as the rest of the crew.”

“I'm sure,” Jim said sarcastically, trying not to laugh at the half-Vulcan's less than subtle hints. Spock, of course, was one of the very few who knew about the relationship between him and Bones, and Jim trusted him completely with the secret. Though, admittedly, when his first officer first found out, he had been scared shitless that the jig was up and Spock would see to it that the “high inappropriate” relationship would be put to an end.

Of course, that didn't happen.

Jim would like to believe that it was because of the odd friendship that had begun to form between the two of them. Bones just thought the “green-blooded hobgoblin” just didn't want to feel like a hypocrite by reporting them when he himself was shacking of with the communications officer. No matter which of them was right, the shared secret served to strengthen the tenuous friendship between Jim and Spock, and had even caused a bond of sorts to form between the science officer and the CMO.

Which mostly showed itself in shared annoyance and frustration when Jim disregarded his own well-being, much to his consternation.

“Checkmate,” Spock said after he had moved his piece.

Jim forced a smile, displeased not so much at the outcome of the game as with his own thoughts. “Good game, Spock.”

The half-Vulcan cocked his head. “You seem unwell, Jim. Perhaps you should lie down,” he said, standing and looking ready to force his captain into bed if necessary. “Should I call Dr. McCoy?”

“No,” Jim replied, brushing off his concern. “I'm just a little tired. Nothing a little rest won't fix. Thank you for the distraction from the boredom that is bedrest.”

“Anytime, Captain. I will leave you to your rest now,” he nodded before taking his leave.

Jim sighed as he sank gratefully onto his bed. The truth was that he actually was trying to take better care of himself. He had come a long way from the kid who thought so little of himself that he didn't mind getting shit-faced in some seedy bar before being used as a human punching bag after he purposely provoked the biggest guys there.

Hell, even though the Academy itself might not have done much to his self-worth, being with Bones did. The older man had always been there for him, ever since he warned him that he might throw up on him. He knew he owed it to the doctor to try and stay as safe as possible.

And if that wasn't enough, he was now, and had been for two years, responsible for an entire starship full of people. He wasn't selfish enough to put himself in needless danger when he had so many people counting on him.

The problem, though, was that it was his responsibility to look after his crew. It was his responsibility to make sure that each of them stayed as safe as possible. And if that meant taking a few extra hits himself, well, it was nothing he couldn't handle.

Bones and Spock, though, would disagree, albeit for two very different reasons.

Spock would state that, logically, he could not be held accountable for every injury a crewmember suffered. Each one of them knew when they signed on to Starfleet that there would be dangers. For a captain to try to prevent every injury, then, was impossible.

Jim liked to think, though, that even under that perfectly “logical” explanation, his first officer actually had a heart. Seriously, Uhura had to be attracted to something besides that cool logic. She was human, after all.

He thought, but that was a tangent for another day.

Bones, however, would take his “nothing he couldn't handle” bit and immediately swell up in rage. Not at him, of course, but at his “goddamned stepfather” who “had no fucking right” to “fucking touch a hair on your body.”

And yeah, Jim had a fucked up childhood, and it had certainly resulted in a lot of issues, but he was dealing fairly well with most of them. At least the conditioned tolerance of pain that Frank had given him could actually be useful in some situations.

Not that he would dare tell Bones that, he thought as his eyelids slowly drifted close.

He woke up sometime later to a rustling of the sheets and a warm body settling down next to him. He shifted and groaned as the sudden movement caused the soreness left over from his injuries to make itself known.

“Shh,” he heard Bones whisper as strong arms pulled him close. “I got you.”

He settled down once more and snuggled deeper into the embrace. It didn't matter if he did have issues, he decided. As long as they never drove this man away, he could live with anything. He had never felt as safe and loved in his life as he did when Bones held him close.

Shit, when had he become such a worthless sap, he thought before sighing sleepily. Not that it mattered, he though as sleep overcame him once more. Not as long as Bones was there.

Tbc...

Chapter Two

Worlds Collide - Prologue

2009-07-20T05:03:58Z

Worlds Collide

Prologue

Jim knew all eyes were on them as they clasped hands and strode down the rows of sharply dressed crewmembers. He didn't look at them though. For the moment, all that mattered was reaching the end of this walk. Then he could take it in. Then it would be real.

It didn't even matter that the person waiting at the end was T'Pau and, admittedly, the stern Vulcan unnerved Jim more than a little. It didn't matter though. Once he reached the end, he would be standing next to Spock, and they would be bound together for eternity.

He smiled brilliantly at the thought as they came to a halt and he was able to look into the eyes of his first officer, his best friend, his lover, and his soon to be bondmate.

He didn't think he'd ever seen Spock so expressive. Of course, nobody else would probably call anything about the half-Vulcan expressive, but they just didn't know him like Jim knew him. A fact that actually made him happy. He was the only one who should get to see that side of him, he thought selfishly.

He could see Sarek and Amanda standing behind and slightly to the side of Spock. Sarek had not been exactly happy with Spock's choice of a bondmate, but fortunately Amanda and Spock together had managed to bring him around. Jim knew that it meant a great deal to his lover that both his mother and father approved of his relationship and were aboard the Enterprise to witness his bonding.

His own parents were standing on the opposite supporting himself, which meant more than he could say. Of course, George and Winona Kirk had always been supportive of anything their boys had attempted, this relationship just one of the many things they stood behind him in. However, with his father's rather unpredictable health, he had been afraid that they weren't going to make it.

That feared proved to be unsubstantiated when they had both arrived, along with his brother Sam, a week earlier. Sam's wife had stayed behind to look after their children, not wanting to pull them out of school.

It had been a compromise for them to have the ceremony on the Enterprise, with both naturally wanting to make the other happy and have it on the other's home planet. It had been Bones that had finally gotten fed up with it and told them to just have it on the damn ship, an idea that seemed quite ideal once it was considered.

Of course, that left the problem over who was going to officiate, since both the captain and first officer were the participants, but that was solved when T'Pau graciously offered her services (more like forced herself upon them, but he wasn't going to complain... much).

So that is what led them here, to this make-shift but rather beautiful alter to finally be joined together as one.

The lights flickered above them, causing T'Pau to pause and everyone to look up puzzled. Jim shot a look at Scotty, who looked just as baffled as everyone else.

Then the harsh jar of impact came.

OoooOoooOoooO

“Bones!” Jim gasps as he brings his legs up to wrap around his CMO. The same CMO that is currently thrusting in and out of him every so slowly and driving him fucking insane! “Oh, God, Bones! Please!”

Bones doesn't take mercy on him, though, just keeps up that agonizingly slow pace, not saying a word to him. He gets like this every time Jim comes back from an away mission with a not-so-minor injury, which in the doctor's opinion has happened way too fucking often for them to only be two years into this fucking mission.

His breath catches as a thrust grazes his prostate and he realizes how long it's been. Two years since Nero. Two years since getting the Enterprise. Two years since so many of his classmates were killed...

Two years since what he's had with Bones has moved from best friends to... whatever the hell they are now. Lovers sounds too sappy, boyfriends too trivial. They were definitely in an actual relationship, so fuck buddies was out. They were just... them. And if that didn't sound sappy and sentimental, he didn't know what did.

God, what the hell was he doing thinking about this shit when Bones was inside of him and currently picking up the pace.

He arched into the ever quickening thrusts and moaned as one of those oh-so-talented hands wrapped around his weeping cock.

He bit down on Bones' shoulder as his release washed over him. He felt the other man still and felt the splash of warm fluid spill inside of him. He smiled in sleepy content as he was gently laid down and pulled into his CMO's arms.

“Love you,” he mumbled into Bones' chest.

He heard a sigh and was held even tighter. “Love you, too, Jim.”

Those words, the words he had always thought meaningless from every other mouth he had heard them come from, those words actually meant something now. Meant more than Jim could possibly explain. Luckily, Jim never had to explain it to Bones. He just knew.

Jim sighed happily before setting down to sleep. He knew that Bones would stay through the night. They may try to be discreet and try not to spend every night together for fear of discovery, but Bones always stayed when he was injured.

Sometimes, Jim doesn't want to be so damn secretive about their relationship. Wants to shout it over the ship's comm system. But Bones is a private man, and while their relationship isn't technically against the rules, it may be something that the higher-ups in Starfleet use against him. He'd rather be secretive than have his love for Bones used against him in some political game.

But that doesn't matter right now. Because right now, he's in the arms of man he loves and everything is right in the universe.

Tbc...

Chapter One

To Guard and Protect - Chapter Six

2009-07-14T03:24:19Z

To Guard and Protect

Chapter Six

Gibbs only had a second to adjust to the powerful bond that had opened completely with the breaking of the barrier around Tony's power. But the experience in that second was more intense than anything he had experienced in his entire life. However, before he could properly digest the magnitude of the bond, the pain came.

Using the techniques his father had taught him at an early age, he was able to block the mental pain away from the pain receptors in his brain, essentially allowing him to take the pain away from Tony but not damage himself. He could still feel its presence, because it was emanating from Tony and the bond was telling him that it was there, but he could no longer feel its effects.

Opening his eyes, after realizing that he had closed them to ward off the blinding light, his eyes snapped to Tony's face. He didn't even spare a glance at Abby, who he could sense standing anxiously in the corner, or Ducky, who was also focused on Tony, with his hands on either side of his head, using his powers as a Healer to help him through the Fire.

The Guardian—his Guardian, his mind reminded in awe—looked to be in more pain than he was before. If the amount of pain he himself was siphoning away was any indication, the younger man would be screaming in agony if him and Ducky weren't there. He hated to see him like this. He was supposes to Protect him for Nashaw's sake!

He blinked furiously at that thought, and began to try and consciously take away more of Tony's pain through their bond. To his surprise, it worked, with the younger man's face becoming just a tiny bit more relaxed. Not yet satisfied with his results, he redoubled his efforts, taking as much pain as he possibly could away from his second in command.

He cried out as the pain began to creep past the blocks around his pain receptors, but he didn't ease up.

“Jethro!” Ducky called in alarm, trying to keep his attention on Tony at the same time. “Stop! You're taking too much. You're going to hurt yourself!”

“But Tony...” He gritted his teeth in pain. “I have to help him!”

“What you are feeling is normal for Protectors when they're Guardians are going through the Fire, but you must back off a little. Tony's going to need you when this is over so don't you dare jeopardize yourself,” Ducky ordered.

Gibbs clenched his jaw in frustration but did as the doctor told him. He knew that the Healer knew what he was talking about; he just hated to see Tony in so much pain.

“It's almost over now,” Dr. Mallard informed softly as, slowly, the pain began to recede after what felt to Gibbs like hours but was in actuality only a little less than an hour.

“Thank Amerca,” he murmured, still clutching his Guardian's hand.

“He needs to rest now. His body was put under a lot of strain. My guess is that he won't wake up for at least a day, possibly two.

OoooOoooOoooO

It seemed, however, that Ducky underestimated the amount of recuperation time DiNozzo needed before waking up. The two day marker had come and gone, with Gibbs never far from Tony's side, even going as far as sleeping next to him in bed, wrapping his arms around the comatose man and cradling him gently, mindful of the IV Ducky had put in after the first day to keep the young agent hydrated.

He was on leave from NCIS, Morrow, being a Guardian himself, allowing him to be with Tony for as long as necessary. Didn't mean, of course, that he didn't poke his nose in the case that Kate and Pacci had caught during his absence. After all, they had seemed thrown by the case a little, which was understandable considering the fact that a dead marine had called his wife from beyond the grave. However, despite the case, he never once left DiNozzo's side.

He had panicked once the third day had past, worried that something had gone horribly wrong and Tony would never wake up. He didn't think he could ever forgive himself if that happened, though Ducky assured him that he had done everything possible to help his Guardian and that his continued unconsciousness was more than likely due to the amount of time he had spent in silent pain before alerting them that something was wrong.

Of course, this didn't really help Gibbs feel better, considering he should have known that something was wrong. Dammit, he should have been paying attention. And he claimed to care about Tony? Hell, he claimed, internally of course, to love him? What the hell was wrong with him? Tony would be better off without him.

Not that that was an issue now. Unfortunately, Tony had no choice but to be stuck with him now. Sure, in extreme cases, one or both members of the bond could petition the Council to have it broken, and he was fairly sure that this didn't count as an extreme case considering the last time the Council had granted such a thing was during the War, when it was not uncommon for a bonded Protector to join forces with the Valde and betray their own Guardian.

Which left his young Guardian stuck with an old and cranky Protector that hadn't looked after him properly and wanted into his pants.

Shit.

He promised himself right then that he would not force anything on Tony. He would do his best to hide whatever feelings he harbored towards his Guardian, and would do his damnedest to keep the other man as safe as possible.

OoooOoooOoooO

It was a full week before Tony finally groaned and cracked open bleary green eyes. He glanced around in confusion and finally was able to focus on Gibbs' face as he softly called his name.

“Boss?” he rasped and instantly wished he hadn't. The inside of his mouth felt like sandpaper. Suddenly, there was a hand behind his head, gently lifting him up, and a cup being held at his mouth. He greedily drank the cool liquid being offered to him, gulping down mouthful after mouthful in relief as it soothed his bone-dry mouth and throat.

“Easy, Tony,” Gibbs murmured, trying to angle the cup so that he only took tiny sips. “You don't want to choke.”

Tony leaned his head back after he had drunk his fill for the moment. Slowly, the cloud that had been over his mind seemed to clear up. The first and only thing he is able to focus on is not the amount of pain he had been through, nor is it puzzlement over the cause of said pain, nor confusion over Abby's nonsensical words from the night—or was it longer?--before.

No, the only thing that he cared about at the moment was the overwhelming sense of Gibbs that he now had.

And not just in the normal way. Sure, he had always been aware of Gibbs, almost overly aware of the other man, to the point of having fantasies about the man that definitely rated a triple X. However, now it seemed as if he didn't know where he ended and Gibbs began. It was as if Gibbs had somehow managed to worm himself inside of him mind and soul.

'Shame it wasn't mind, BODY, and soul,' a very dirty part of his brain commented, which he immediately shut down. After all, if he was getting this kind of reception from Gibbs, he could only imagine what he was giving off to the other man, because he was positive that this thing went both ways. Which of course begged the question...

“What the hell happened to me?”

tbc...

Harsh Realities - Chapter Seven

2009-07-12T06:30:36Z

Harsh Realities

Chapter Seven

Sharp green eyes looked at him, making him tremble in his boots. He just prayed that the boss decided not to take his anger out on the messenger.

“You are sure about this?” his slick voice inquired, his tone clearly implying that the man before him better be damn sure.

He nodded emphatically. “Yes, sir, Mr. De Luca, sir. Our contact at the FBI says they are closing in. They obviously have someone on the inside, but our contact hasn't been able to find out who.”

The older man's mouth twisted into a cruel smirk. “Oh, don't worry about that. I knew exactly who it is. Get the boys together and have them all meet here tomorrow at eleven. It's time to reinforce what exactly family means.”

The lackey just smirked as he nodded and walked out the door. He would hate to be the poor sap that De Luca was going to make an example of, but it wasn't like he felt sorry for them. After all, they hadn't just betrayed De Luca, but the entire family. And family was paramount.

OoooOoooOoooO

“What do we got?” Gibbs barked, walking into the bullpen, followed closely by Abby and Ducky. McGee and Ziva instantly jumped to attention, with Tim immediately pulling up a file on the plasma.

“Tony's mother, Tessa DiNozzo,” he stated. She was a strikingly beautiful woman in the photograph on the screen. With rich brown locks and large brown eyes, it was very easy to see where Tony had gotten his good looks. “She died of AIDs when Tony was twelve.”

“His father?” Gibbs asked.

Ziva shook his head. “No name listed on the birth certificate. He was left in the care of a Emilio De Luca at the same house listed as Tessa's address on her driver's license.”

“What do we know about De Luca?”

“Nothing,” McGee answered before hastily explaining once Gibbs' glare was directed at him. “His file is sealed for some reason. We can't access it.”

“Well, if we didn't seal it, another agency did,” Gibbs fumed, stalking over to his desk and picking up his phone. However, before he dialed a number, the elevator doors opened, admitting a familiar, disgruntled FBI agent.

“Tobias,” Gibbs greeted shortly. “Just the man I was about to call.”

“Save it, Jethro. What the hell is NCIS doing interfering with an FBI investigation?” he asked, eyes narrowed towards the images of Emilio De Luca and Tessa DiNozzo.

“If you are referring to De Luca, then the minute he abducted an NCIS agent, he became an NCIS investigation,” he ground out, wanting to punch the man for his lack of sensitivity. Hell, Tobias was one of the few people who knew about him and Tony, dammit. Hell, he and Tony had actually almost become friends over the past few months.

“And you didn't even think about to consult with the Bureau to get any possible intel before sending DiNutzo undercover? Hell, Jethro, I thought you cared about your damn team,” he accused angrily, the unspoken 'I thought you cared about Tony,' was heard loud and clear and would have pissed Gibbs off even more if he hadn't realized the misunderstanding.

“Tony is not undercover, Tobias. He's the one who's been taken,” he clarified.

OoooOoooOoooO

“You wished to see us, Father?” Dante asked as he walked into the office with Donata, trying hard to cover his apprehension. Though he never regretted the decision to betray his father, he did regret his decision to bring his sister into it. Of course, his fiery sister would tear him a new one if he ever uttered such a thought, but he knew that Emilio wasn't stupid enough not to connect the dots eventually. His only hope was that it wouldn't be until after he was safely behind bars.

Their father smiled benevolently at them. “Come in you two. Close the door behind you.” They both entered and did as instructed, Dante becoming even more nervous. Whatever this discussion was, it could not be good. He shared a look with Donata as they both sat down.

“I have decided,” Emilio began once the two were seated, “that you two need to be shown what exactly family is and what happens when you betray that family.” Dante's blood ran cold at those words. He knew. That was the only explanation. “Make sure that you are both here tomorrow night. You'll get to see first hand the consequences of disloyalty.”

Dante smirked at his father while shotting his sister a furtive, “stay-calm” look. They had a little over a day to figure out how they could get out of this alive. They could not afford to panic.

tbc...

To Guard and Protect - Chapter Five

2009-07-09T18:28:55Z

To Guard and Protect

Chapter Five

He was on fire. There were literally flames running through his veins. Or at least, that's what it felt like. To make matters worse, sharp spikes were obviously being drilled into his head because there was no other explanation for such tremendous pain there.

All in all, he felt like crap. Crap that was on fire, that is.

Gibbs! He wanted, no, needed the older man. Now! Why hadn't he called him when he was still lucid and in enough control of his movement to do so? He remembered calling Abby. Stupid, he should have called Gibbs!

Stupid. That's why he hadn't called his boss. Because this whole situation was ridiculous. Only his psyche could be fucked up enough to burn him alive just because Gibbs wasn't around. Man, how messed up was that? If he had called Gibbs, he would have never believed him. Or worse, he would have believed he was crazy and sent him away.

God, maybe he was crazy. Maybe he should have let Abby call an ambulance. Hell, maybe he should have called an ambulance instead of Abby. That way, even if he was certifiable, he wouldn't have to drag anyone else into it.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

“Oh my God, Tony!” Abby's voice broke through his feverish mind. Did she sound... happy? No, that didn't make any sense. Abby would never be happy that he was in pain. Then again, if things were normal, he wouldn't be in pain because Gibbs wasn't around either.

“Abs...” he managed to croak out.

“Tony! You're going through the Fire of Amerca! Oh my gosh! How did you do it? And why didn't you tell me you were Fallacian?” she said in an excited rush. Then she gasped. “Does Gibbs know? Wait, where's your Protector? Don't you need them to help lessen the pain? Oh, I need to call Ducky. He's a Healer. He can help. Oh, you would know this if you had told us!”

He must be getting delirious because nothing Abby said made any sense whatsoever. Then again, sometimes Abby didn't make much sense period. Either way, she was probably right to call Ducky, he figured as he watched her talk animatedly on the phone and tuned out her voice. The ME would probably be able to give him something for the pain. Or put him out of his misery. Either would be okay with him about now...

All of a sudden, the pain lessened. He let out a relieved sigh and knew that Gibbs was here a second before he walked through his bedroom door. Abby was now off the phone and standing solemnly in the corner. Obviously, whatever Ducky had told her had not been good news.

“Tony?” Gibbs called softly, sitting gently beside him on the bed. “How long have you been in pain?”

“A little over a week,” he admitted weakly, instinctively reaching out and grasping Gibbs' hand. Instantly, his pain reduced even more. “Hasn't been this bad though,” he said, not yet willing to admit that it was assuaged by his superior's presence. “Not that bad right now. Probably gone now. Nothing to worry,” he lied. “Sorry to have worried everyone.”

“Just rest, DiNozzo. Ducky will be here soon and he'll say whether it's something to worry about or not,” Gibbs replied sternly, his tone brooking no arguments.

Tony just smiled softly before settling against his pillows and closing his eyes. However, when Gibbs went to move his hand, he found it in a death grip so he let it be.

OoooOoooOoooO

As soon as the medical examiner walked through the door, Gibbs pounced. “How the hell is this possible, Duck?”

He had already deduced that Tony was Dante De Luca, and seriously wanted to head-smack himself for not seeing it sooner. No, what he wanted to know was how the hell it was possible for Tony to be undergoing the Fire without having gotten his spirit stone back. What the hell happened to the block?

The ME frowned. “I'm not certain, Jethro. The prolonged exposure to his spirit stone could have wore the block down, but not to the point of this. Unless...”

“Unless what, Ducky?” Abby asked, turning her sad gaze away from Tony and focusing on the Scotsman.

“If Tony has bonded with a Protector already, he could be subconsciously drawing on their strength to fight the block. That, combined with his exposure to his stone, could have partially broken the block,” Ducky explained. “What we're seeing now is his powers slowly seeping through whatever cracks the block has sustained. It will be even worse once his stone is returned to him, though it will be faster.”

“Will he survive?” Gibbs asked seriously, not taking his anguished eyes off Tony.

“If my theory is correct and he has bonded with a Protector, then yes, he will survive,” Ducky informed. “But his Protector must be present.”

Abby frowned in confusion. “How is he bonded if he doesn't have his stone?”

“The stone does not create the bond. It merely acknowledges it,” Ducky answered. “The person you bond with is predestined from birth. You are, in a sense, soulmates. Not in a romantic sense, of course, history has shown us that the bonds do not work that way, but in a way that best suits you to be each other's anchor and companion.”

“So the bond is always there?” she asked in puzzlement.

“No, the connection is always there,” Ducky clarified. “The bond can either form naturally, as I believe it has in this case, from prolonged contact with your Protector or Guardian, or it can be catalyzed by the connecting of the spirit stones. You see, the stones are an external extension of your soul. When two connected people meet and their stones are fully connected with them, that is, it has changed to the color of their aura, then the bright flash that is emitted from the stones at that time is basically a snapping together of the connection into a bond.”

“So basically, if you think about the connection as a thin piece of string to start with, if you're with your future bondmate, more strings are twined together between you until you have a strong rope that is your bond, or your spirit stones recognize each other and the string is instantly turned into a rope,” she smiled at her deduction.

Ducky nodded in agreement. “Or chain. There have been cases where bondmates are completely incompatible due to the fact that one or both of the souls involved have been altered by their reaction to their environments. There is actually much debate on the efficacy of the stones because of this. True, the stones allow us to identify who we are bonded with with more quickly and with more ease, but what if it's not always the best bondmate. The Council has actually—”

“If you two are done with your little discussion, could we please get back to Tony?” Gibbs snapped, his patience having endured so long only because he had been focused on the man lying on the bed. “Do you have any idea who is Protector could be?”

Ducky looked thoughtfully for a moment. “Well, it would have to be someone he interacts with often.”

“Then it's probably someone at NCIS,” Abby said helpfully. “Tony may talk about all the socializing he does, but in the end, his life is centered around the job.”

“The only other Fallacian Tony interacts with on a regular basis at work is you, Jethro,” Ducky pointed out.

“And he said that the pain wasn't always bad. If he was around you a lot, which he always is, then that would explain it,” Abby reasoned.

“And if you're wrong?” he asked, hardly daring to believe he would be lucky enough to have this amazing man as his Guardian and afraid that things between them would be ruined once Tony found out about his feelings, which would be inevitable with a bond. “If we place that stone around his neck and he dies because his Protector isn't me and isn't here?”

“If we wait much longer, it won't matter,” Ducky replied seriously. “Without the stone, his powers will slowly tear his block and him in two. The block is intrinsically bound to his soul. Without it being completely removed, his powers will kill him. The fact that he isn't writhing in agony right now is proof enough that you are his Protector, Jethro.”

Gibbs looked away from them both to gaze at Tony's still and yet pain-filled face. He could not be afraid of this now. He had to face this bond and whatever came with it. Tony would die if he didn't. And he could not let that happen.

He slowly brought his free hand up and caressed Tony's face, his heart fluttering as his expression softened even more and he leaned into the touch in his sleep. He looked at Ducky and nodded curtly.

“Do it.”

The ME carefully removed the glowing emerald stone from his own neck and gently placed it around the slumbering agent's neck.

Instantly, the room was filled with a blinding light.

Tbc...

Harsh Realities - Chapter Six

2009-07-06T04:59:50Z

Harsh Realities

Chapter Six

Dear Leroy,

The opening instantly set warning bells off in his head. That was something Tony never called him, meaning told him that someone had been looking over Tony's shoulder as he wrote this letter. Meaning that whatever Tony wanted to tell him had to be inferred instead of taken literally.

I know that you probably think I'm a coward for sneaking off like this while you're stuck in a hospital bed, but I think it's the best thing for both of us. The truth is that someone I thought I'd lost has come back into my life, and I think I want to give it a shot with him again. Our relationship is similar to the one you had with Jack, so I know you'll understand.

So obviously it had something to do with his father. He tried to remember anything substantial that Tony had told him about the senior DiNozzo in the past but it all came up a blank. Apparently, Tony had been keeping things from him, but that wasn't the issue at the moment.

Don't worry, Mario will take good care of me. You remember Mario Puzo, right? He's going to make me just like one of those girls from the Chicken Ranch. I know that would make my mother proud.

Now that was just confusing. He knew that Tony wouldn't have tacked on that last line if his mother wasn't important to the puzzle, but Mario Puzo and the Chicken Ranch? What the hell did that mean?

I am sorry if I've hurt you.

Yours forever,

Tony

“Come on, Gibbs, what's it say?!?” Abby asked frantically, unable to hold back anymore.

“I'm not sure,” he confessed. “Someone was obviously reading over his shoulder as he wrote this. I know his parents have something to do with it. Who the hell is Mario Puzo?”

“He wrote The Godfather,” McGee answered promptly. “Tony quizzed me on it after he dragged me to his apartment for a Godfather marathon after realizing I'd never seen them,” he explained off of Ziva and Abby's impressed looks.

Gibbs frowned as he looked back at the letter. “Tony calls the guy he's leaving with, who's obviously his father, Mario Puzo.”

“Does that mean Tony's father is a mob boss then?” Ziva asked, eyes wide in shock.

Instead of answering, Gibbs focused on the next piece of the puzzle. “So what's the Chicken Ranch?”

“Chicken Ranch?” McGee asked blankly. “Well, knowing Tony, it probably refers to some piece of random movie trivia.”

“Oh! I know!” Abby exclaimed. “The Chicken Ranch was the whorehouse in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.” She smiled broadly as she supplied the answer but then frowned at its implications. “Please tell me Tony said that was were he was going to go to celebrate after you found him?”

“McGee, Ziva, I want you two to dig up everything you can possibly find on DiNozzo's parents. Who his father is, what he does, and what happened to his mother! Now!”

As they scurried to follow his orders, he closed his eyes and clenched the note in his fist.

“Don't worry, Jethro, we'll find him,” Ducky assured him.

“Yeah, Bossman, he's our family too,” Abby reminded him.

'Yeah, but what is he going through in the mean time?' he thought to himself.

OoooOoooOoooO

Tony stared blankly out his window from his lounging position on the bed. His father hadn't exactly barred him from leaving the house, but he certainly didn't want to be followed by any leering guards that may decide that they wanted a share of what the boss was giving his favored ones. He shuddered at the thought. No, it was much better to stay here, alone, with no one watching. It was one of the few concessions his father had allowed him. No security cameras. Of course, this may not protect him in the long run, but until then, he was at least guaranteed privacy.

He smiled sadly as a blue bird landed on a branch outside his window. Its plumage was the exact shade of Jethro's eyes...

The thought sent spikes of anguish through him. God, he was pathetic. Would Gibbs even want him after everything was over? Sure, he would rescue him from this hell, but did it even matter if he was too damaged for Gibbs to ever love again?

This line of self-deprecating would have continued if the door to his bedroom hadn't been quickly and furtively opened and shut, admitting his half-brother and sister and starting Tony out of his thoughts.

“Can I help you?” he asked wearily, not really caring they were there and just grateful they weren't one of his father's guests.

Dante gazed at him levelly. “Who sent you?”

He quirked an eyebrow at that. “I'm not sure what you mean.”

Donata narrowed her eyes. “Don't play dumb with us. We know you're a fed. Now, why are you here?”

“Was.”

“Excuse me?” she snapped.

“I was a fed,” he explained calmly, half wondering where they had gotten their information and half curious what exactly they were after. “Our loving father put an end to that when he waltzed into my life and nearly killed my lover. If I hadn't come back, he would have finished the job.”

“What does he want you for?” Dante asked after a moment of stunned silence had passed.

Tony laughed humorlessly. “Believe me, you don't want to know.”

“Just tell us,” Donata exclaimed in exasperation. Tony would have smiled at his little sister in any other situation. She was obviously the more vocal and expressive of the two. “Everything has been kept from us our entire lives because it was better we didn't know. Why don't you try us? We can help you!”

Tony managed to muster a small, sad smile in response. “Donny, if I thought that you could really help me, I'd tell you, but the truth is that you probably can't. And if you tried, you might get in even worse trouble that whatever else it is that you two are up to will bring you, and I know you're up to something, so don't even try to deny it,” he stated before either of them could deny. “Besides, I am not going to burden you two with my problems. I have help on the way for me, and once it comes, if I can help you two, I will.”

Dante studied him a moment with serious eyes. “You will tell us if you get in over your head before your help arrives?”

“I'll make you a deal. If things get to much for me, I'll let you know, if you will do the same for me.”

The twins exchanged a look before both nodded.

“Deal.”

tbc...

To Guard and Protect - Chapter Four

2009-07-01T05:20:46Z

To Guard and Protect

Chapter Four

At any other time, Tony would have enjoyed having a woman like Paula Cassidy in his arms. True, she wasn't his number one pick, no woman held that position, but she was high up on the list. Beautiful, smart, tough. Pretty much Kate without the intangible and disturbing feeling of kissing your sister. Yes, any other time, this would be paradise. Cuban bar, tequila, and Paula.

Unfortunately, this was not any other time.

It had become steadily harder to concentrate on Gibbs while out investigating Paula, making his headache slowly creep back in. The brief respite of reporting back gave him a second wind of sorts, but his reserves, it seemed, had depleted not long after being sent back out. It was the real reason he had disregarded Gibbs' direct order, something he rarely did, and had the tequila. He had hoped the alcohol would dull the pain.

It hadn't. It had exacerbated it.

He should have known that it would. Gibbs was the only thing that could lessen it. Focusing on Gibbs seemed to help. Alcohol decreased his ability to focus. It didn't take a genius to figure out.

His phone cut off his mental tirade addressing just how stupid he was. He looked at the ID. Gibbs.

“Boss?”

“DiNozzo, get back to the house. And bring Cassidy with you.”

“On it, Boss,” he said, relieved and a little worried at how crazy he must be when just hearing Gibbs' voice was enough to take the edge off his pain. He closed the phone and looked at Paula. “Now I'm working, and you are, too.”

OoooOoooOoooO

Gibbs scowled at Paula just because he could. It in no way was because of the whispered “I'm sorry” that Tony had given her. He didn't care if the two of them developed feelings for each other apart from how it was screw up both of their performances at work. Nope, Rule Number 12 existed for a reason, and that reason was not because he just didn't want to see DiNozzo with one of the numerous people he flirted with at work.

The idea was ridiculous.

Still, there was that twinge of something in the pit of his stomach as he watched her and DiNozzo talk at the back of the plane. He refused to label it as jealousy; it was different than that. However, whatever it was lessened every time Tony glanced his way, which was not an infrequent occurrence. Not that he read anything into that, of course. After all, there was no way Tony was interested.

Besides, he had other things to worry about now than whether or not his young and attractive senior field agent wanted to take a tumble in the bed with him or not.

Dante De Luca

He had had every database he had access to (and some he didn't) running the name and all of his contacts out looking for leads. If the boy... man, now, he supposed... was out there, he would find him.

He had to find him.

OoooOoooOoooO

Abby smiled as she stepped into the garage and walked towards her hearse. Her team had arrived back from Gitmo earlier, safe and sound, and she was on her way to meet Timmy for dinner. All was good in the World of Scuito.

Her smiled broadened as she thought of Timmy. He really was everything she could have hoped for in a Protector. She had been so afraid she was going to get a prudish, stick-up-their-ass rule follower. Okay, so maybe if you didn't know Timmy all that well, you might get that kind of impression, but it was totally wrong! McGee was like a big puppy.

'A naughty puppy,' she thought with an evil smirk, thinking of the tattoo he had gotten.

She was broken out of her thoughts by her cell. She frowned and fumbled around in her purse a minute before triumphantly producing it and answering.

“Talk to me,” she said, back to smiling.

“Abby...”

“Tony?” she said, alarmed at the pain in his voice. “What's wrong?”

“Don't know... I need help... think I'm losing it...”

“Hold on, Tony! I'm going to call an ambulance. Where are you?” she asked frantically.

“No ambulance. Not crazy. Please, need you to help. Only one who might listen.”

“Alright, Tony, just tell me where you are?” she listened intently as he managed to ground out that he was at his apartment. “I'm on my way! Hold on!”

She pressed the end button on her phone. She jumped in her hearse while pressing the number 1 on her speed dial. She backed up quickly as she listened to the line ring. She threw the car in drive as a gruff voice answered.

“Gibbs! Something's wrong with Tony!”

tbc...

A/N: Okay, I know it's short, but I wanted to give you something!

Harsh Realities - Chapter Five

2009-06-03T02:08:51Z

Title: Harsh Realities
Author: Agarwaenloth
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Gibbs/DiNozzo
Disclaimer: Don't own it.
Spoilers: Hiatus
Summary: Sequel to Flowery Language. Jenny wanted DiNozzo out of her way and away from Gibbs. The fact that Gibbs can't remember him is just a bonus.

Harsh Realities
Chapter Five

Abby bit her lip as she approached the director’s front door. She hesitated slightly when faced with impressive wooden door but shook off her nerves. She was just going to see Gibbs. Nothing wrong with that. Sure, the director had made sure to supervise any visit with Gibbs personally, and had made it clear that until he regained his memory that was how it was going to be…

Abby scowled before firmly knocking on the door. Jen Shepard may be the big boss at NCIS, but she wasn’t the boss. She had no control over any of their lives, least of all Gibbs. The only one with that kind of control over their team was Gibbs himself, which was fine because the team trusted Gibbs. And while she couldn’t speak for the rest of the team, Abby Sciuto was beginning to have her doubts over whether not Shepard deserved any kind of trust.

“May I help you, miss?” an elderly gentleman asked not unkindly after giving her a once over.

She smiled brightly at him. “Nope, just dropped by to see the Bossman!” she chirped.

He frowned slightly. “I’m afraid the director is out, and she had left specific instructions that she was to be present during all visits Agent Gibbs had.”

“For God’s sake, he’s not a prisoner! Let me see him!” she exclaimed, pushing her way past the man and into the foyer. “Where is he? Gibbs!”

“Miss, I really think…” the butler, however, was cut off.

“Gee, Abby, what’s with the decibels?” Gibbs asked, leaning against the door frame leading to the living room and smirking.

“Gibbs!” she said happily, rushing over and giving him a big hug.

“It’s alright, Jeffrey, she’s fine,” he told the butler over his shoulder.

“Very well, sir,” he replied stiffly before leaving them to their own devices.

“Come on,” Abby ordered, grabbing Gibbs’ hand and pulling him into the living room and towards the couch. She pushed him down to sit on the plush sofa before settling down next to him. “Okay, spill.”

“Spill what, Abs?” he asked a smile that was fond, amused, confused, and exasperated all at the same time. The smile that told her that, even if he didn’t remember everything, he still remembered her.

“Everything, Gibbs! Like why you’re letting the director practically be your warden? Why you are even staying here still when you are clearly very close to a full recovery? When are you coming back to work? Why have you only talked to us when the director is hovering about?” Abby asked in a rush.

“I haven’t meant to avoid talking to you, Abby. I’ve just been trying to sort everything out in my head. There are some things that still… don’t make sense,” he confessed. “As for why I’m still staying here, well, Jen believes that my memories will be triggered if I’m around more familiar surroundings. Problem is, I don’t remember much of this house.”

“Well, why would you, Gibbs?” she asked in confusion. “You’ve hardly ever been here!”

He sighed and looked at her apologetically. “I obviously never told you before, but Jen and I are…were… in a relationship.”

Abby rolled her eyes. “Yeah, years ago. And from what I hear, it wasn’t so much a relationship as a we’re-stuck-together-in-a-foreign-country-so-let’s-fuck situation.”

Gibbs frowned. “Apparently, we picked it back up when she became director.”

“Bullshit,” she stated, narrowing her eyes. “Do you actually remember that? And you better think long and hard about that, mister. Cause if it’s true, I’m going to hate you for a very long time!”

He looked startled at her outburst and then put on a thoughtful expression. She knew that it couldn’t be true. There was no way Bossman would sneak around on Tony. Hell, with Tony being as high-maintenance as he was, he probably didn’t have time. Although, if Gibbs believed that he had been in a relationship with the director, it would explain a lot…

“I remember being in a relationship and having to hide it at the office. I don’t remember this house. And I don’t remember loving Jen the way she claims I did,” Gibbs said after a moment of thought. “But I do remember loving someone I worked with. If not her, then who?”

“Are you telling me you don’t remember Tony?” she cried out, not caring about any adverse affects jarring his memory might have. He’d thank her later.

“Tony…”

“Yes! Tony!” she shouted. “Tony! Your former senior field agent! Contracted the plague, stalked by a psycho rapist/murderer, loves movies, Italian food, and most of all you!”

“Tony…” he said again, in somewhat of a daze, before snapping his head to look at her. “What do you mean, former?!? What happened? Is he all right?”

Abby smirked. “So you remember him now?”

“Dammit, Abby! Tell me!” he demanded.

“He resigned, right after you woke up,” she admitted with a pout. “The director said it was because of some fight the two of you had.”

“Fight…? I don’t remember…” he said uncertainly.

“Well, it obviously wouldn’t be her first lie,” she quipped. “Seriously, Gibbs, how could you believe you could ever have something beyond physical with that woman?”

Whatever his response would have been was cut off by the opening of the front door. Shepard soon appeared in the doorway, obviously only expecting to see Gibbs. She froze at the sight of the two of them on the couch together.

“Gibbs, Abby,” she greeted, forced politeness in her voice.

“Jenny, you got some ‘splainin’ to do,” Abby said in an exaggerated accent, smirking and shaking a finger in the director’s direction.

OoooOoooOoooO

Donata nervously sat the newspaper down on the bench before opening her purse and pretending to rummage through it. She managed to keep herself from looking up as someone sat down next to her. Pulling out her cell phone, she casually stood once again and walked away, keeping her head faced straight ahead.

She nearly jumped when the phone buzzed in her hand. Looking down at it, she opened a text message.

“Photos received.”

Thank God! She breathed an internal sigh of relief. Dante and she had gone to a lot of trouble to sneak into the surveillance room and download some of the house video feed that contained Tonio’s image.

She was beginning to wonder if they were doing the right thing. She had always thought that her father’s business was something deplorable, but he was her father. All of this sneaking around was beginning to make her question herself. Her father always held family to a very high degree. Maybe she was in the wrong here…

The phone buzzed again in her hand. “He’s a fed. Will find out what he’s doing.”

She froze. A fed? But apparently not FBI. Shit, was someone else trying to get out?

OoooOoooOoooO

Gibbs stepped off the elevator with intense focus. Abby trailed after him, not really daring to say anything. She had texted McGee from the car, discreetly of course, telling him and Ziva to meet them in autopsy. She had a bad feeling that something hinky had happened to Tony and that they would need to work together on this.

Gibbs, for his part, had practically dragged her to the car once she told him that Ducky had been the last one to see Tony. They had left Shepard there, gaping like a fish, Gibbs’ glare promising her that he would deal with her later.

What he didn’t know was that Ziva and Tim had already taken things into their own hands, calling in SecNav and Assistant Director Leon Vance, apprising them of the situation and asking that the current director be brought in and detained, a recommendation that the two agreed with.

However, Gibbs didn’t know this and probably wouldn’t have cared either way. All he cared about was finding out where the hell DiNozzo had gone!

“Ah, Jethro!” Ducky greeted as he walked in, with McGee and Ziva standing off to the side looking on anxiously. “I hear you have finally recovered a good bit of your memory.”

“Tony, Duck,” he ground out, trying desperately to keep it together. It was only a week since he woke up to find that Shannon and Kelly were dead. He could not, would not, lose Tony as well. He didn’t think he could survive that.

Ducky sighed. “He gave me this before he left,” he replied, holding at a white envelope. “Was adamant that I gave it to you only after you remembered.”

Gibbs looked at the seemingly innocuous envelope, dreading what it might say but knowing that he had to find out. With determination, he took it from Ducky and opened it.

Tbc…