Witness Protection Part 35
Contingencies
Duo and I decided to get up and dress before the proximity alarm went off to alert us to our companions' return. There was no point in waiting until the last minute and risking detection--though it might have been vaguely amusing to watch Chang's face pale at the sight of us sunbathing in the nude.
"Shit--your leg!" Duo said suddenly, running a hand over the healing slash on my thigh as I was pulling up my pants. "I almost forgot that," he said somberly.
"It's just about healed," I assured him, not minding the feel of his fingers on my skin.
Indeed, the week-old wound had scabbed over nicely, and between soaking in the hot tub and the lake, had shed the scab to reveal new scar tissue underneath.
"Still--" he said with a frown. "You got shot for me, Heero. And after I screwed us all by going out clubbing."
"You didn't screw us, Duo. Hilde did--along with whoever in the precinct let Khushrenada know Winner was helping you."
He gave me a lopsided grin. "Stop," he chided. "I like the Heero Yuy who doesn't bullshit me and coddle me, y'know."
"I'm not doing either," I asserted, brushing his hand aside and finishing getting dressed. "It really wasn't entirely your fault."
He shook his head, pulling on his shirt, but leaving it unbuttoned. "Man starts throwing around the 'L' word, and he just turns into a sentimental sap..." he muttered under his breath, bringing his damp hair over his shoulder and starting to finger-comb it.
"Let me," I urged, stepping over and pulling the silky tresses back behind him, running my fingers through it until it hung smoothly down his back--and then continuing to just enjoy the sensation.
"Told ya you had a hair fetish--oh--nice," he crooned, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. "Stop it, I love it."
I chuckled, and wrapped my arms around him from behind so I could tuck my cheek up next to his. "I don't have a hair fetish; I have a Duo fetish."
"Poor fool," he sighed in mock regret. "You seriously got the short end of the stick. My prospects aren't great, ya know."
"As long as I'm here to protect you, they're damn good," I assured him. "I've never lost a witness yet."
"And how many have you protected, Detective Yuy?" Yeah, he knew watching over witnesses wasn't usually detective work.
"Counting you?"
"Mm-hm."
"One." I gave him a squeeze. "So far I'm at one hundred percent success."
"Seeing as I'm still alive, I suppose you are."
I let go of him, and he set to work braiding his hair.
I tried not to watch in rapt fascination, and so I turned my attention back to the sensor, noting a blinking signal at the farthest point on the road into the lake house. "Looks like the guys are getting back," I noted.
"Party's over?"
I looked quickly at him, getting a shy, rueful smile in return. "Nothing's over, Duo," I said firmly. "Aside from toning it down in front of Chang, I don't expect things to change between us. You know how I feel about you; and I expect you to remember that."
"It'd be hard to forget," he said in a husky voice, leaning in to steal a quick kiss before finishing off his braid and tossing it over a shoulder. "So let's get up to the house and see if they brought us something good for supper."
Our three companions were carrying bags of groceries into the kitchen as we entered the living room through the sliding doors.
"Tro'! Guess what!" Duo blurted, grabbing the bag out of Barton's arms and setting it aside on the counter. "I learned how to swim today!"
Barton smiled widely, his green eyes warming with affection as he gave Duo a quick peck on the cheek. "Good for you," he congratulated his former lover. "Maybe now Yuy will let us take you out canoeing in the moonlight."
"Or--he could do it himself," Winner spoke up, his too-knowing eyes sliding a sidelong glance at me. He turned to the refrigerator to start putting things away on the shelves. "I take it you had a nice day?"
"Yeah," Duo said eagerly, slipping past him to steal a fresh peach. "Yuy's better company than Chang any day." He smirked sweetly at my partner, who was bringing in the last of the bags. "No offense."
"None taken," shrugged Wufei, looking vaguely amused.
Apparently his good mood of that morning hadn't been destroyed by an extended amount of time with Winner and Barton. And, much to my relief, his willingness to banter was extending to Duo now, as well. He really was learning to lighten up--thank God.
"Wow, Quat--I could make you a killer peach cobbler if you wanted," Duo told his lawyer, brandishing the peach he'd just rinsed in the sink.
"That would make a great dessert," Quatre agreed. "And Wufei said you wanted to make some kind of chicken dish for dinner?"
"Yep. Secret recipe," he said mysteriously, biting into the peach, and then slurping as the juice dribbled over his fingers. "Mm--nice an' ripe," he noted. "These'll be perfect."
"Yuy--we got some small packages of trail mix, beef jerky, dried fruit, and powdered electrolytes," Chang informed me, interrupting my fascinating study of how Duo ate peaches. "Would you like to inventory them and see if we missed anything?"
"Right after supper," I told him. "Did you guys get lunch on the road, or do we need to feed you now?"
"We ate," he assured me. "You?"
"Sandwiches on the dock," I answered.
I marveled that Chang and the others seemed oblivious to the fact that Duo and I had made love virtually all day. How could they not see the faint marks on his neck, or the very obvious flushed and sated look on his face?
I did, and I thought he'd never looked so enticing. The occasional glance he flicked my way seemed to indicate he felt the same about me. At least, I hoped he did.
Duo was telling Quatre about all the swimming strokes he'd learned, while unwrapping a package of chicken parts, and Trowa joined Wufei and I at the door. "We may as well leave those two alone. I think Duo's drafted Quat to help him cook."
It was more likely Duo wanted to brag to his lawyer that he'd successfully and permanently seduced his bodyguard. But I didn't see any way to prevent that.
So Chang, Barton and I went to the living room and flicked on a news channel, catching up on the most recent events, including a brief mention that the orphanage fire covered the previous day hadn't resulted in any deaths, and was still under investigation by police.
Way to put a lid on it, Po. I was glad she'd been able to squelch the media hype and get the story shoved into a two-minute update segment. No fuss, no bother.
"No problems with surveillance today?" Wufei asked me, walking towards the computer setup.
"None at--" I stopped in horror, recalling that if Chang called up the day's recordings there'd be some wonderful footage of Duo and me on the dock. "No!" I said sharply, moving quickly to intercept.
He paused, raising an eyebrow.
"I mean--it was quiet all day. I was just going to run the logs on the long-range scanners," I told him. I gave a quick, insincere smile. "Technical stuff, Chang. Better let me handle it."
He sighed huffily. "I'm not exactly inept when it comes to technology you know, Yuy."
"Yes, I know," I assured him. "It's just--they're my devices, and I'm really the expert here, now aren't I?"
He gave me a funny look, as if I'd said something odd, and it occurred to me I must have sounded defensive. "Were you out in the sun too much today?" he asked bluntly.
Yes--stark naked under the sun with Duo. Like I'd tell Chang that?
"It's probably that he was stuck with Duo too long," Trowa spoke up from across the room. I caught a glimpse of sly green eyes under the mop of auburn hair. "You know how it is, Chang--a Maxwell overdose?"
Wufei snorted wryly, turning away from the computer and walking over to look out the sliding doors. "If we could overdose on Maxwell's abundance of personality, both Yuy and I would be dead by now."
I busied myself making a tiny window on the computer screen, and calling up the dock camera footage so I could quickly delete the entire day. Of course, I suffered a momentary pang of regret--I might've liked to watch that segment myself, just to relive some wonderful moments. But then, I had the real thing in the next room. Why waste time on a video?
After I finished covering my ass, I began going over the remainder of the vids, with specific attention to any near the house that might have overlapped the dock area.
Fortunately, there were none, though I noticed a glitch in two of the sensors I'd placed across the lake the previous day.
"Well shit," I muttered, starting a diagnostic sequence.
"What?" asked my partner, coming to stand behind me.
"Two of the newest sensors I put out are malfunctioning."
"Faulty?"
I frowned at the screen. "If it were one, I'd say 'yes' in a heartbeat. But two--?"
Chang was instantly on the alert. "Are you saying they picked up activity?"
"No--that's the problem. They shut down," I said, looking over my shoulder at him. "I don't like this at all."
Barton got up and joined us by the laptop, forgetting all about the newscast. "What are you suggesting?" he asked. "Do we have visitors?"
I shook my head. "I don't know. The sensors could shut down for a number of reasons. An animal could have found and damaged them--or moisture could have gotten inside if the casing was cracked--or an electromagnetic field could render them inoperative."
"Should we start packing?"
"That was the plan anyway," I pointed out. "But, yes. After supper, we need to each pack one bag of essentials, including some of the non-perishable food, and a second bag of things we'd like to bring along. No more than one person can carry while running, if necessary. And then I think we should load them in the SUV so we're prepared to leave at a moment's notice."
"Shit," breathed Barton, looking a bit pale.
"Don't worry," I told him. "We'll protect Duo, no matter what happens. And honestly, the sensor failure might mean nothing at all--the two that malfunctioned were older models--less durable."
I didn't mention that they were also more or less along the same trail that circled one side of the lake. No need to worry him more than necessary. I could worry enough for two people--or ten.
"One way to find out," Wufei pointed out. "We could go retrieve them and see what went wrong."
I gave a hesitant nod. "Perhaps. But it's more important that we get ready to move out. Once we're packed and have the vehicle loaded, I might be willing to go investigate."
"Might be better to just leave them and move on," Barton noted.
"That, too," I agreed. "Cut our losses. You did say your friend Catherine will be ready whenever we show up, right?"
"Absolutely."
"Good." I pushed away from the computer, restless and tense. "I'm going to grab a rifle and do a perimeter sweep," I decided. "Chang, would you square away weapons here? Get our backups all checked out and loaded?"
"Consider it done."
"What can I do?" Barton asked, a determined look in his eyes.
"Get on the deck with binoculars and check out anything that moves out there," I told him, considering any help vital at that point. "If you see something, call out. I'll be close enough to hear."
As Trowa was heading out onto the deck, Chang went to the front hallway to fetch our gun cases.
Of course, at that point Maxwell and Winner caught wind of the increased activity level, and became curious.
"What's up?" Duo asked as he stepped out of the kitchen. He came straight to me and got close enough that I could feel his body heat.
"Nothing to worry about," I told him, looking more at his lips than his eyes. "A couple of my sensors stopped working, and I'm going to walk the perimeter while Barton does some scanning with binoculars and Chang makes sure all our weapons are in order."
Winner frowned, exchanging a look with Chang, who gave a funny little nod. Somehow I had a feeling there was some private conversation I missed out on.
"Winner?"
He turned those guileless blue eyes towards me. "Can I do anything to help? Duo's got supper in the oven--so there's no need for me in the kitchen."
I shook my head. "Just--go keep Barton company. Two sets of eyes, you know?"
He gave a quick smile and headed out, and Duo started to follow him. But I put an arm out to stop him, nodding towards the kitchen. "I think you're safest in there--the windows are small and high, and there's a lot of appliances for cover."
Duo's eyes widened in alarm as he obviously recalled our last precipitous flight from a safe house. So I reached out and caught him firmly by both shoulders. "Stop," I said soothingly. "This isn't like last time. It's just two faulty sensors, and they're all the way across the lake. Even if the malfunction was caused by a human, it would take them hours to hike here, and they'd set off any number of other alarms along the way."
He looked uneasily at Barton and Winner, who were out near the railing of the deck, watching the tree line with binoculars. "God, Yuy--we should have sent them away," he murmured in a sick voice. "They aren't part of this."
"Of course they are," I chided, reminding myself Chang was only a few feet away, and I couldn't pull Duo into my arms to comfort him. "Khushrenada would have targeted them as well--they're every bit as safe here with us as they'd be back in the city."
The indigo eyes met mine, and he mustered a weak smile. "You're right," he admitted with a sigh. "And I do trust you--really. Just--I want to protect--"
"There's safety in numbers," Wufei cut in reassuringly. "As Yuy said, your friends are safest here with us. And they provide two more sets of eyes to watch for danger, and two more sets of hands to help deal with it if it comes."
I gave Duo a slight push towards the kitchen. "Why don't you go on in and make that dessert you were talking about? I'll walk the perimeter and be back by the time it's ready."
"You'll--be careful?" he searched my face with his eyes.
I gave a determined smile. "I'm always careful, Maxwell. I have no intention of dying for you." I hoped he knew the unspoken addition to that. "I want to live for you."
His answering smile told me he understood. And then his glance slid over to Wufei and he gave a little smirk.
"Good," he chirped in his usual snide tone, pulling away from me. "Wouldn't want that on my conscience." He darted a teasing look towards my partner. "I'd never hear the end of it from Chang."
"Too true, Maxwell!" came Wufei's amused reply. "It would be a tragedy. Yuy's a better man than both of us."
Duo turned his smirk to me. "I think your partner's got a little crush on you," he taunted both of us at once.
"Kitchen, Maxwell!" Wufei snapped with a scowl, though his tone lacked venom. I just could not get over his improved attitude towards all three of our companions. But I wasn't going to complain about it, either.
"Yes, mom," Duo shot back, blowing Wufei a kiss and winking at me before heading back in to work on supper.
I turned towards Chang, who was studiously cleaning and checking weapons, having never once looked up towards Duo or me. "Thanks for helping me settle him down," I said quietly.
"Part of the job, isn't it?" came the smooth reply. "Have to keep the witness happy."
"Safe," I reminded him. "And calm. I appreciate you playing along with him to get his mind off the potential danger."
"I wasn't playing," he shrugged, slipping a full magazine into one of our spare rifles. "You are the better man."
I tucked an extra Glock into the back of my pants, and walked over to smack him in the shoulder as I passed. "Sentimental ass," I chided.
"Overzealous prick," he retorted with a grin. But his dark eyes were somber as he watched me walk towards the door. "Be careful, Yuy."
"Always."
I slipped outside and headed around the corner of the house, feeling my every nerve on edge as I headed for the first of my motion sensors.
Perhaps I was being paranoid, and perhaps the threat was real--but in our situation, I could take no chances. I'd have to check each and every motion sensor and mini cam within walking distance before I'd feel remotely at ease going back to the house.
~*~
It took me two hours, by which time I was sweaty, tired, and wishing I'd had the presence of mind to nap in the afternoon after swimming with and making love to Duo all morning. Not that I had time to dwell on how pleasant our day had been; I was far too busy inspecting every trail for signs of human passage, such as a broken branch or the slightest of footprints.
I found nothing. Absolutely nothing. There was no sign of human activity anywhere around the lake house.
And that should have reassured me--but it didn't. I resolved that after we ate supper, we'd pack up our belongings and be ready to move out at daybreak. I didn't think I'd get any arguments, either.
The smell of peaches filled the foyer as I entered the house and reactivated the alarm system.
"All clear?" came Chang's curt inquiry, before I could even start drooling over the tantalizing scent.
"All clear," I sighed, laying the rifle aside, and shrugging out of my vest. "But I still want us to leave first thing in the morning."
He nodded, closing up the last weapon case. "We've got four clean, loaded rifles and six additional hand guns--all in good working order." He wiped off his hands on a rag he'd been using to clean weapons. "I checked Barton, Winner and Maxwell out on both types of guns--showed them how to aim, fire, and reload." He gave a slight smile. "Not that they didn't already have a basic understanding. But I wanted to be sure."
"Good." I sniffed the air. "Supper?"
"On the table, I think," he told me. "The others went in to set the table when they spotted you returning from your survey."
I sighed deeply. "I'm starving."
"Then let's join them."
We entered the kitchen to find the threesome busily laying out the meal. The table was already set, and they were just finishing putting the food into serving dishes.
Duo looked up with such an expression of relief washing over his face that I wanted to take him in my arms and kiss him senseless--to once again prove I was alive.
But with my partner at my side, all I could do was give a wan smile. "Told you I'd be careful."
"So you did," Duo admitted. "Hope you're hungry."
I nodded, heading for the table, only to have him catch me by the arm, his fingers warm and soothing. "Wash up," he said in a husky enough voice to send a little shiver up my spine.
He looked past me to Chang. "You, too, 'Fei-kins--you were oiling gun parts, pal."
Neither one of us offered an argument, but went straight to the sink like good little boys and scrubbed our hands.
Then we were finally allowed to take our places at the table.
I ended up directly across from Duo at the foot of the table, with Winner beside me. Chang was at the head, and Barton was between him and Maxwell. The seating arrangement was fine by me. I'd get to look at the face I loved so much throughout an entire meal.
"Find anything wrong out there?" Barton asked me bluntly, as we began passing the food around.
"No sign of trouble," I said, trying for a reassuring tone. But I caught a skeptical look from the indigo eyes across from me. And I remembered his insistence that he not be coddled. "But we're still going to ready our belongings--tonight."
No one seemed inclined to pursue the subject, and I felt a little guilty for casting a pall over such a delicious meal--and it was every bit as wonderful as the salmon had been.
"Mm--nice job on the chicken," Barton commented, preempting the compliment I was about to deliver. He held up a forkful. "Where'd you get fresh tarragon?"
"It was on the shopping list," Wufei said a bit too quickly. "I think you and Winner were making out in the frozen foods section when I picked it up."
"I don't recall seeing it on the list," I teased, sensing a hint of defensiveness from my partner.
"I added it," came his curt reply.
"I told him I make a killer tarragon chicken the other day," Duo smirked. "Said if he got the makings, I'd prove it to him."
"And you have," Wufei said graciously.
Barton chuckled. "Careful, Chang. That almost sounded like praise." He gave a sly look from half-lidded green eyes. "They do say the way to a man's heart--"
"Maxwell's not getting anywhere near my heart!" Wufei asserted quickly. "Or any of my other bodily parts!"
Damn straight! The only heart I wanted Duo near was mine. And when you came right down to it, he was so near it he was practically inside. God, I had it bad!
"Who says Maxwell wants to?" Duo chided. "I didn't make supper to get in your pants, Wu. I just wanted to impress the shit out of you and let you see what you were missing."
"I'm sure whoever marries you will be a lucky man indeed," came the sarcastic reply.
"You don't know the half of it," Duo gloated, taking a big forkful of his supper and chewing with his eyes half-closed in bliss.
I was so absorbed in watching his expression that I flinched when a foot lightly stroked the inside of my calf. I covered for the involuntary motion by coughing and taking a sip of my drink.
Duo's eyes gleamed with mischief as he pretended to be totally occupied with his meal, and simultaneously ran teasing toes along my leg and up to my thigh.
I looked at him in sudden alarm, realizing that the way we were sitting, he could reach all the way to--fuck!
When the ball of his foot settled against my groin, toes curling deliciously in a stroking motion, I nearly choked on the bite of chicken I'd foolishly taken.
Quatre helpfully patted my back as I coughed and sputtered, finally washing down the piece of food with a swig of tea.
"You okay?" Chang asked, frowning in worry.
"F--fine," I gasped out, still feeling that warm foot pressed into my crotch.
"Yes, you are," Duo piped up enthusiastically, winking boldly at me.
I couldn't even glare at him, I was so focused on not squirming in my seat.
"Maxwell, do you never tire of flirting with people who aren't interested?" Chang asked with a roll of his eyes.
"Well, if you two were interested," Duo said coyly, "it wouldn't be just flirting. It'd be fucking. And, no, I never tire of that!"
"Enough!" I growled out between gritted teeth, surreptitiously pressing my legs together to trap the offending foot. "Can we just finish supper and get busy packing our gear so we're ready to leave in case of trouble?"
"Aye-aye, sir!" Duo chirped, tugging his foot free so smoothly I was pretty sure no one else at the table realized where it had been.
He stood up and went to get the cooling peach cobbler from the counter, while I breathed a sigh of relief and finished my meal.
We all had a hefty portion of dessert, and Duo racked up a few more compliments, which he seemed to brush off with a hint of discomfort. It occurred to me he wasn't used to being praised, a fact I found a bit puzzling. Surely all the applause for his and Barton's dance act must have counted. Yet faced with sincere, one-on-one praise, he seemed uneasy.
When I looked thoughtfully at his face, he gave a wry smile and a shrug, once again seeming to read my thoughts like an open book. "Growing up on the streets, you learn not to stand out," he said quietly. "'S hard to get used to being the center of attention."
"With cooking skills like yours," Chang cut in, apparently not realizing he was interrupting a moment, "you'd better learn to take compliments."
"Or stop cooking?" Duo suggested.
"Perish the thought." Wufei spared me a glance as if to dare me to comment on his change of attitude towards our witness.
But I merely smirked back, giving him a small nod of approval. Hell, the better he tolerated Maxwell, the less he might expound on my colossal stupidity when I ever got up the nerve to confess to being in love with him.
Yeah, that'd be right after I admitted to being gay...not exactly the first order of business on my "to-do" list.
We finished our delicious meal with companionable chatter, and then Chang and I took charge of the cleanup, sending the others upstairs to pack.
When we'd completed our task in record time, we broke down the lightweight non-perishables into five piles on the table, and brought out the spare weapons, spending another half an hour discussing who should get which ones.
~*~
The sun was setting over the lake when I headed upstairs to check on our companions' progress.
"You didn't!" came Barton's disbelieving voice from the room Duo and I shared.
"Yep, I did," Duo replied.
"You played footsie under the dinner table with Yuy? Are you nuts?"
Duo chuckled. "Couldn't resist, Tro'. You know how erotic I think food can be."
"Yeah, ever since Zechs taught you how to cook," came an amused response. "Just because 'cooking' and 'fucking' have the same number of letters, doesn't mean you should do them together."
"Naw--it's the 'eating' part that really turns me on."
"Yeah, I 'm gonna miss eating whipped cream with you..."
"You mean on me."
"That too." There was a momentary pause, and then, "But I can tell you're really into your cop--and it looks like maybe he's into you, too. So--I'm happy for you."
"Thanks, Tro'. An' you know I think you and Quat are just perfect together."
"I know we are. I never felt like this before--ever. Now I know why you always talked about finding 'the one.' It's worth it...so worth it."
"Yeah," came the wistful sigh.
I couldn't help wondering if Duo's "one" had been Merquise--not me.
Well, of course it was; they'd been exclusive--they'd been planning a future. So really, when it came down to it, I was only Duo's second choice...someone to fuck until he went into relocation. It's not like he'd said "I love you" back to me.
God, that hurt.
Not enough to make me want to give him up--but enough to make my breath catch in my throat.
It was just vanity, I told myself. I'd known at the outset that Duo was bound for relocation--we both had. So it was pointless to try to believe we were destined to meet, fall in love, and stay together.
I mean, I know I'd told myself I wanted to find a way to keep from losing Duo. But what if it was just a romance of convenience--of opportunity, for him?
What would I do then? What if I never found anyone else who could make me feel the way he did? Lord knows I hadn't found it before Duo. So what were the odds of finding it after him?
How, after touching and tasting and making love to him, was I supposed to move on? I wasn't sure I could. In fact, I was pretty damn sure I couldn't.
"Fuck."
"Yuy?"
Oh, shit. I'd said that out loud.
Duo stuck his head out of our room, a smile lighting his face. "We're almost done packing up. I don't suppose we can take a hot tub break?"
"You, Barton and Winner can," I told him. "I want to pack our portable food into the five packs so we each have some in case we get separated. And Chang and I still have to plan our travel route."
He sidled out into the hall, close enough that I could feel his breath on my face, and Barton passed us with a smirk, headed down the hall to his and Quatre's room. "You okay?" Duo asked me. "You look kinda stressed."
"And I'm sure you think you could alleviate that stress, hm?" I said rather bitterly.
He stiffened, a frown creasing his forehead. "Don't back off on me now, 'Ro. I'm trying not to be a tease--trying to let you know you aren't just a joke to me--or a passing fling. But ya gotta meet me partway."
"I'm--sorry," I sighed, closing my eyes and rubbing my forehead. "This is--difficult for me."
"Yeah, I know," he said with uncharacteristic gentleness. "It must suck to be so--conflicted."
"Conflicted?"
"Yeah--you want me; but you don't want to want me. You hate what I've been an' what I've done. You want to be honest with your partner, but you have to hide part of who you are." His fingers ran through my bangs, brushing them back off my forehead. "An' I had to go and put you on the spot at dinner--goofing around. I'm sorry."
I caught his hand, looking deep into the indigo eyes. "It's not that. What I can't deal with is knowing I'll have to let you go."
He cocked his head to one side questioningly.
"When this is over...when the trial's over...you'll be relocated with a new identity. And I'll--" I shook my head. "I'll just be Detective Yuy of the 1st Precinct...with a beat-up car, nosey neighbors, and an empty apartment to go back to every night." And memories that would haunt me until my dying day.
All at once he was in my arms, holding me fiercely. "You'll never be just anything!" he whispered vehemently. "And as for the empty apartment--all ya gotta do is ask, an' it won't be!"
I grabbed him and pushed him to arm's length. "Don't promise something you can't give!" I said harshly. "You know you have to go away--or Khushrenada will keep trying. He'll never rest until he puts you in the same place as Merquise. Even if it means targeting you, the orphanage, and Barton, he'll do it as long as he thinks there's a chance he'll succeed."
Duo tilted his head, dark eyes somber. "Then maybe I should just kill him and get on with my life."
"You know that's impossible, too," I said firmly. "You don't want to end up like him. And you definitely don't want to end up in prison."
"Yeah--but I don't want to give you up, either."
"God, don't talk like that!" I looked away, not wanting to see the desire burning in his eyes. "You knew from the start of this how it'd end up. Don't pretend you didn't. But you couldn't leave well enough alone. And now--now--" I ran a hand down his cheek. "Now I love you, and in order to keep you alive, I'll have to let you go. D'you know how much that hurts?"
"Yeah, I do," he sighed, relaxing in my grasp. "But I won't let it keep me from being with you for as long as I can--as long as you'll let me."
I nodded miserably. "Just--let me get back to work for now. That'll help me clear my head--give me time to breathe."
"Okay," he conceded, backing off. "I'll go help the guys get stuff ready. I want to help, y'know. I don't want to be dead weight."
"You never have been," I sighed as he headed after Barton.
TBC...
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