Chapter Nineteen

"Nearly there," Tucker said quietly, looking over at Leif in the passenger seat as he waited for the gate to DOMA"s motorpool to open. Leif nodded and breathed out slowly, a little pale in the face. "You"ll have to go through Rahul first, so be prepared to hold it at least long enough for a hug."

Leif groaned good-naturedly, but Tucker could tell that he was experiencing real discomfort, the unique consequence of his alcohol-based magic. He inched the nondescript van forward, then through the back parking lot as soon as there was a wide enough gap. As he pulled up to the side of the building, he saw several others already there.

Rahul was at the forefront, and he didn"t even wait for Tucker to cut off the engine before he opened the passenger door and climbed up to squeeze Leif.

"I"m glad you"re safe." A quick kiss. "I heard you were amazing!" Another bruising kiss on the lips. "Cub, don"t scare me like that again!" A smothering hug, whereby Rahul buried Leif"s face in his chest.

"Babe, at least let him unbuckle," Tucker said as he scribbled down the odometer miles in the van"s record book, leaving the final checks for a waiting technician. "And let him hit the bathroom first!"

"Yes, please. Thank you," Leif said hurriedly. "Love you, Rahul, give me hugs soon!"

Ignoring everyone else and leaving his kit in the van, Leif ducked past Rahul and nearly sprinted to the building. Rahul turned to watch him go, then back to Tucker.

"His potion drinking caught up to him," Tucker said by way of explanation. He circled around the van, and was promptly brought into a crushing hug.

"You found him," Rahul murmured. "You found him, pup. You brought him home."

Tucker didn"t say anything, just squeezed his boyfriend right back, letting the last of his worries fade away as he drank in the relief and pride emanating from the bigger man.

After a long moment, Tucker pulled back, shivering a bit in the chill wind with only his athletic shifter outfit for cover. As he watched Julia and Clairmont lead a warded Germaine indoors, he noticed Rickert hop the gate and glide in for a landing.

"Here, bro," his friend said, handing him his truck keys. "I parked it next to mine. Come on, let"s go get all this debriefing and paperwork over with."

"Sure," Tucker said. He turned to see Rahul shouldering Leif"s kit, then wrapped an arm around Rahul"s waist, leading him inside.

There were some muted cheers and congratulations to work through when they entered the main area, then an abbreviated conversation with Deimos, who still smelled dubious, like he wasn"t sure he believed it was over despite the evidence in front of him. After the last handshake, Tucker took a seat at his desk so that he could write a summary of the full evening"s events while they were still fresh in his mind. Rahul stayed at his side the entire time, sitting next to him with a hand resting on his thigh.

Tucker was in the middle of writing about engaging the sniper when he heard Leif"s specific pattern of footsteps, and he spun around in his chair to see him rounding the corner.

His blue hair was no longer the wild mess it had been from riding for miles on shifter-back to the rendezvous with Julia, and he had a few water droplets glistening in the spikes and on his face. He smiled half-heartedly when he saw them, then navigated around the cluster of desks until he was in arm"s reach.

Tucker automatically reached out, wanting to remind himself that Leif was whole and intact, and Leif grabbed his hand. He looked over, then made a motion so he could hold Rahul"s hand as well.

"How"re you feeling, cub?"

"Hmm," he said. "Kind of bleh. What about you?"

"Happy, but my nerves are wishing I hadn"t had so much coffee. Now come here." Rahul tugged on Leif"s hand, turning him around so he could wrap both arms around him. "Full cuddles will have to wait a bit longer. Now, serious question. Are you okay with sticking around a few more hours, or do you want me to take you home?"

"We can go?" Leif asked, looking first at Rahul, then at Tucker. He smelled both pensive and hopeful. "Don"t we need to do the reports and stuff?"

"The two of you are temporary consultants, not operatives," Tucker told him. "You"ll need to give a statement eventually, darlin", but it can be later on if you"re not feeling up to it now. DOMA"s top priority right now might be safeguarding and processing Germaine, but our priority is you. You were kidnapped, and that must have been awful."

"It, um, wasn"t the most fun, no."

Rahul ran a hand up and down Leif"s back. "Do you want to talk to someone professionally? There"s a psychiatrist that works with DOMA employees, we could do a walk in later today for a quick evaluation, at the least. Or call a crisis hotline, if it"s more urgent.

Leif shook his head. "I"m doing okay right now, just kind of mentally bleh, too. I think I just need sleep, and to work through these emotions when I"m less tired. Which, uh, I guess is what therapy is for. So, um, yeah, we can at least see about doing a visit later today. Or maybe tomorrow? Oh, wait, that"s Saturday, isn"t it."

"We"ll work something out," Tucker promised. "Give me a kiss before you head out, then."

"No, I"m staying," Leif said definitively. "I want this done with. If you take me home, I"ll still have to worry about coming back in, and that"s even worse than waiting. Plus maybe I"ll forget stuff. And I, um... I don"t want to be alone."

"Alright, darlin", whatever you want. Deimos is handling all the verbal debriefings by himself, so it"ll probably be awhile."

"C"mon, cub," Rahul said as he stood up, exchanging a look and a nod with Tucker. "Let"s go relax in the break room until Deimos calls for you. Puppy, here, will let us know when it"s time. And in the meantime, I can tell you all about how yours truly saved the day with land nav and paperwork!"

Leif laughed, then gave Tucker a quick kiss goodbye before following Rahul down the hall.

"Bring me back a snack, first!" he called after them, then spun back to finish his report.

Tucker"s first hour back was jam-packed with layered meetings. They discussed how they were going to handle Germaine, the police, the FBI, and the mythic council, ensuring that everyone was on the same page. Then he had to give his lengthy report to Deimos with Director Wu standing by, immediately followed by a huddle with the public relations representative—mainly a reminder to forward all press concerns to him instead of trying to answer the press themselves.

In the second hour, he sat next to Leif, holding his boyfriend"s hand while he recounted his story to Deimos and the camera, with both directors and Rahul standing by so that Leif wouldn"t have to relive it a third time. He"d heard the gist of the story during the drive back to headquarters, but with all the added details… Tucker shared a look with Rahul, and had to resist the urge to go to the detention room and bark at Germaine.

At four a.m., Tucker and Clairmont listened through a door as Director Wu politely informed several police officers that they were really quite busy with an ongoing operation, no, they absolutely could not inspect the premises, and that if Major Anderson needed a report of their activities, then he could submit an appropriate form to their interagency officer, and she"d get right on it. He could expect an answer in three to five business days, and no, they could not use DOMA"s printer to print out the form.

Then at four-fifteen, with another half-hour to go before the transfer unit arrived for Germaine, Tucker decided to take advantage of the on-site facilities and take a hot shower.

"I"ve only got the one towel, so we"ll have to share," Tucker said, turning on one of the showers in the open room.

"We"ll start with the cub, first, since he"s got the least amount of hair," Rahal said as he passed behind him. Instead of heading to his own shower, though, Rahul seemed content to stand behind Tucker and grope his ass. Tucker shook his butt playfully, earning him a kiss on the back of his head.

"It"s going to suck having to put my sweaty clothes back on," Leif said from the next shower over as he used Tucker"s loofah and body wash.

"You could wear just the towel afterwards," Rahul suggested. "Or better yet, Tucker could give you his spare long-sleeve button up! It"d be like a nightgown, and as long as you don"t shrug your shoulders or raise your hands, you"ll stay decent. Probably. You are kind of big downstairs."

Leif just shook his head, not playing along.Rahul looked to Tucker, who made a motioning gesture.

"Here, let me get your hair for you." Rahul nabbed the shampoo that Tucker held out, then gently turned Leif around until he had the spray hitting his back. Rahul began lathering up Leif"s hair, giving him a scalp massage while Leif stood there with his arms hanging limply.

Tucker gave himself a quick scrub while he watched Rahul minister to Leif, trying to decide whether silence or conversation would better help Leif"s mood. In the end, he decided to speak up.

"What are you thinking, darlin"? You"ve been quiet the last few hours."

"I"ve been thinking… that you two would never hurt me," he said as Rahul rinsed the conditioner out of his hair.

Credit where it"s due, Rahul didn"t stop his scalp massage despite the abrupt shock that Tucker could sense.

"Well, of course not. We both love you, it"d be unthinkable."

"Yeah, I know. But you could." Leif wiped the water out of his face, then reached above his head to grab one of Rahul"s larger hands in his, bringing it down in front of him. He spent a few seconds caressing the palm, then laid it against his cheek. "With this hand right here, and all the fire magic inside you."

"Cub, I would never."

Leif nodded, beginning to get the glimmering of a smile back, and Tucker moved out of his shower to stand beside him. "I know, Rahul. Even back when you were possessed by that awful spirit and I was standing in your way, you didn"t burn me. I feel safe around you. And the same with Tucker. Even the first time I saw him shift into his great big furry form, or all the times afterwards when he"s pinned me down helpless…"

Tucker mock growled, leaning down to steal a quick kiss. "Has that been bothering you, darlin"?"

No." Leif shook his head decisively, then paused. "With Germaine, I was scared. He spoke all polite and charming, but I was seriously worried that he"d go through with his threat. I went through a lot of emotions when he had me bound there, and a lot of it was anger, because how dare he!"

Leif sniffed, and Tucker and Rahul ended up sandwiching him between them, the shower forgotten. "It"s fine, I"ll be fine. It just put some things in perspective. Really, I just want to say I love and appreciate you both very much, and you"re both super awesome boyfriends, and I"m totally going to make out with you both a whole lot after I get some actual sleep."

Rahul raised an eyebrow up questioningly, and Tucker nodded, stepping back to give him room. Rahul looked deeply relieved for a moment, before swapping it out for a teasing grin.

"Just a make out session, cub?" he asked, pulling Leif back against himself and running his hands up and down Leif"s arms. "Oh, I"ll bet we could do a little more than that."

Leif looked down at the hands on his shoulders, and Tucker saw his face flush. "Um, well, yeah, sure. I like more."

"Leif, darlin"," Tucker said, grabbing his hand. "We both love you, and we need to tell you that we were scared, too.Scared we wouldn"t see you again. So, I"m going to be blunt. The two of us need a small bit of reassurance, so if you"re up for it…"

"Wait, up for what?" Leif looked up at him suspiciously, turning away from Rahul as he backed up against the wall to avoid the spray from the two showers.

Tucker stepped close, putting hands on either side of Leif. He grinned, looking Leif up and down.

"Wait, you mean here? But, um, what if someone walks in?"

"What"s wrong with someone seeing us kissing?" Tucker asked innocently.

Leif"s mouth fell open, and he blushed red all the way from his cheeks down to his chest. "O-oh. You meant… I mean, um."

"Nah, cub, we can tell you"re too tired for sex, even if you"re, ahem, obviously up for it. We"re talking just a little bit of kissing, and a lot of holding you close, and maybe just a tiny bit of grabbing your ass. Puppy will let us know if anyone enters the locker room. At least, as long as you don"t distract him too much."

Leif just breathed out, then nodded. "Okay, um. Yeah."

"Good," Tucker growled, pulling Leif against himself. "I call dibs."

"Now, hang on a minute, pup—"

"You have to finish showering first, babe," Tucker pointed out cheekily, then nodded. "But since I did get to drive him back, and you did wash his hair, you"ll get most of the time. Fair?"

Rahul grunted, then nudged Tucker and Leif out of the way so he could get started showering.

After sniffing Leif over and figuring out that his boyfriend wanted him to take the lead, Tucker lifted Leif up into his arms and began reminding Leif just how much he was loved.

And if he happened to shed any tears of relief while doing so, well, they wouldn"t be noticed among the rest of the falling water.

◆◆◆

Dressed in the spare suit he kept in his locker—far warmer than his athletics attire, and clean to boot—Tucker stood next to Rahul and Leif, waiting for Germaine to be led out of a conference room.

"We can leave, if you"d like," Tucker said, laying a hand on Leif"s shoulder. "Our duties are done."

"No, I… I don"t want my main memory of him to be me bound to a chair with him lit by the red light of a heater. I think this will help."

"I think we should listen to him, pup," Rahul said. "He"s the one with the psychology degree, after all."

Leif flushed. "Not yet, I don"t!"

"But soon, though."

"Yeah." Leif peered around past Rahul as the conference door opened briefly, letting out the mythic council representative. "So what"s going to happen to him?"

"He"s being extradited out west to the Montana Free Glades, but after that I couldn"t say."

"Most likely a token period of confinement, followed by parole and mandatory community service," the representative said as he approached. "Detective Johnson, it"s good to see you again, and under much better circumstances than last time. And to you, Rahul and Leif."

"Arbiter Hernandez," Tucker said politely.

Joseph Hernandez, druid and knight errant for the mythic council, was looking well. His black hair was longer than it had been, with carefully cultivated bangs that framed his dark eyes, and his mustache had grown in more, but he still appeared chipper and carefree.

"It will depend upon what the council judges determine, and how much of a fuss the federal government kicks up, of course," Joseph continued. "But Orlan Germaine"s geomancy talents are too useful to let go to waste in a cell, and, well, there"s all the sketchy business surrounding his case."

"Like the framing," Rahul said.

"Yes, exactly. Once he gets properly exonerated for the explosives, the only violent crime left on his record will be the kidnapping, which I hear had some extenuating circumstances?"

"I know, he thought his lover was killed in front of him," Leif said, then paused. "Objectively, I know it, but it"ll be a while before I can forgive, I think."

Joseph nodded. "That"s still gracious of you. In any case, his museum misadventures aren"t exactly a negative mark in their books as far as the mythic council goes, so he"ll be put to work restoring land that was destroyed by colonizers. There are plenty of Orcish shrines and temples that could be rebuilt, just like when he helped remove those terrible faces on Six Grandfathers Mountain, or when… ah, here we are."

The conference room opened again. Leading the way were two FBI agents, followed by a cuffed and shackled Germaine, and then two more agents. The last one held a bag with three of Leif"s Earthen Barrier potions, as a tertiary back-up in case the binding wards failed and Joseph wasn"t able to subdue him. Julia, Clairmont, and Wu followed just behind.

Germaine paused in front of Tucker, giving him a bright smile. One of the agents made a move to force him on, but his partner shook his head.

"Detective Johnson! It looks like you"ve succeeded in catching me at last. And this is Agent Basu, if I don"t miss my guess. We never met, good sir, but I did read the journal pieces about how you were oh so unjustly fired. A scapegoat for another man"s corrupt pride! We may have much in common."

Rahul just crossed his arms, and Tucker could scent his irritation. He shook his own head. "Sorry, pardner, but I don"t reckon we share your fondness for the last couple of years."

Germaine dipped his head magnanimously, then turned towards Leif and took a half-step forwards. "And my good Leif. I think—"

Germaine"s approach caused an immediate spike in Leif"s nervousness, and Tucker heard him take a step back. Growling, he reflexively put himself between the two of them, and Rahul joined him, standing shoulder to shoulder and with his tattoos glowing bright and prominent.

"Nah," Rahul said in a steel tone. "He"s not your good anything, punk. Joseph, if you"ll go ahead and take the accused away?"

"Wait," Leif said. Tucker"s growls settled into a low rumble as he watched Leif circle them until he could stand in front of Germaine, looking up at the taller man. Tucker prepared himself to simply grab their darlin" cub with Rahul and leave at the first sign of any tears.

"Mr. Germaine, I"m sorry that you were blamed for things that you didn"t do. And I"m sorry that you had to think that your partner was dead for several hours. Those aren"t things that should happen to anyone, and your… reaction afterwards, with me, was an understandable response."

"Well, that"s—"

Tucker snarled, and Rahul"s hands caught fire.Germaine desisted.

Leif lowered his head, looking down and away as he continued softly. "All the same, I"m sure you can understand why I don"t want to see you, hear about you, or think about you ever again. Um, good luck, I guess."

Tucker took note of the satisfyingly pained expression on Germaine before he was led away, then put the man out of his mind in order to focus on more important things.

Smelling calmer and no looking like he had a dagger made of stress impaled in the back of his skull, Leif turned around, crossed his arms, then looked up at him and Rahul tiredly.

"Can we go home now?"