Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2001 18:00:24 -0800 (PST)
From: Reid <saboteur_98155@yahoo.com>
Subject: Protect & Serve- Chapter 3 (gay male/celebrity/soulmating)

S  O  U  L  M  A  T  I  N  G
============================
by reid


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|| DISCLAIMER  ||
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This story is meant to imply nothing about the
sexuality of the real people involved. Anything
mentioned from this point on is purely fictional and
not meant in any way but the highest regard.

The lyrics used within are not meant to imply anything
about the individual preferences, practices, or
lifestyle choices any of the musical artists mentioned.
The lyrics are not used for any personal monetary
profit...

If you have any objections to my writing, then why in
the name of Jesus are you reading this? I know some of
you might like Hanson but I don't buy the whole
"I didn't know it was a GAY STORY!" defense. So shut
up and don't send me any more hate mail you stupid,
obesessed little Christian girls.

As always.... Comments, Suggestions, and Criticisms
can be sent to saboteur_98155@yahoo.com

I'm trying hard to stay away from the "sophomore
letdown" with my second story. I hope you're all
liking it and eagerly anticipating further chapters.
Or you can just enjoy it and that's fine too.

WARNING!!! My stories contain mature themes and
may project images or scenarios that are
inappropriate for younger or sensative readers.

I can be reached on ICQ at 70639912...
Or on AIM at Reid00005992...

Enjoy!


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||  Protect & Serve- Chapter 3                      ||
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      Sweat poured down his face as he screeched the car to a halt in the
dusty parking lot. He had been driving all night long, fueled by
adrenaline and glee. As he stumbled out of the car and into the bathroom
of the truck stop, his heart raced with an excited glee. He had come so
close! He had almost done it! But like a good judge, he had showed mercy...
to both the dirty and his protector. The time wasn't right so he let them
both live a little while longer, taking solace from knowing that he had
taken three lives in the process, his biggest haul ever at one time. How
good it felt! When he had shot those two men and then strangled that bitch
who begged for the life inside her... it was glorious. He had punished them
for protecting a dirty.

	Slamming shoulder first into the bathroom door, he fell in and locked the
door behind him. The small room was empty and quiet as he hurriedly
removed the wire from his pocket and studied it, licking his lips
hungrily. It was still covered with the blood of the protectors and as he
licked it off slowly, his heart swelled and he felt a great power. In the
small, concrete confines of the room, his wheezing laughter bounced off
the walls, as he liked the wire clean again. It was a sumptuous victory
feast fit for the lord.

	Gradually, his laughter stopped and he laid his forehead against the
mirror, suddenly very tired and worn out from the activities. Sending
filthy people to their maker and down to the hot depths of hell was hard
work. Leaning against the mirror, he napped in the locked bathroom,
dreaming again of the day that he would wrap the wire around the neck of
the dirty and pull back. He would yank so hard and hear the strangled
squeaks that would come out of the throat that had felt so much sick and
diseased male seed. The bones would snap and the head would fall forward
lifelessly... maybe even as the protector watched, helpless and powerless to
stop the cleansing.

	A smile crept across his face as he dreamt... it would be so glorious... and
it would be right in the eyes of the lord...

	*      *      *      *      *

	He looked so beautiful when he slept. It took just about all my
self-control not to reach out and gently stroke his hair as he napped, his
eyes closed and his face motionless. The way his blond hair stood out
against the soft white fabric of the pillowcase and the contrast of his
arm against the gray wool blanket. He looked so peaceful and undisturbed.
I only wished that he could truly be undisturbed or peaceful after all
he'd been through and it was a wonder that he could even fall asleep at
all. After all this, I wasn't sure if even I could fall asleep ever again.

	In the back of my mind, I could still feel the heat from the fire and the
impact of the stairs as I came crashing down. It would be a welcome change
if I felt that instead of constantly remembering the sight of my
colleagues and what had been done to them. Hatch had told me it wasn't my
fault and I knew it wasn't, but I still felt responsible. I had walked
away from my job. If Zac hadn't hid in the closet, Romaad would have
killed him too and I would have been the last disgraceful survivor of the
whole ordeal. In a way, it would have been better if I'd died in the
explosion.

	Heaving up off the bed, I walked into the kitchen and opened up one of
the many boxes that had been moved into the kitchen. They contained our
rations. The first box contained several cartons of dry cereal and loaves
of bread while the second and third contained general canned goods like
soups and canned spaghetti. And Spam... can't do without Spam, Zac had once
told me. The food that they had sent us looked decent enough, to my
surprise. Experiences during training in Quantico had given me a new
appreciation of those rare times that the government provided quality
food. At least they didn't send us any cheap knockoff Treet brand canned
luncheon loaf.

	Everytime my eyes looked up from the unpacking, they saw the windows,
which had been reinforced with black steel bars. Each window had been
heavily lined and backed up, including both the front and side doors.
Apparently the cabin was used as a pretty successful safe house for
government protection and had been designed with that purpose mind. It was
a one floor building with a small, surprisingly homestyle kitchen and
rustic living room with two bedrooms at the back. A charming wagon wheel
chandelier hung over the four person dining table. We also had a fireplace
carved out of a huge rock with a tree branch frame couch in front of it.
Nothing too stunning in terms of accommodations but it definitely felt
safe and secure, which was the important thing.

	From the kitchen, I could see through the living room and back into the
bedroom where Zac was napping. If he needed anything or anything happened,
I could be in there within seconds. Knowing that he was safe for now was
very reassuring to me. It was becoming rapidly apparent that regardless of
my emotional attachment to Zac, he had become very important to me. I had
stopped thinking of him as an assignment. He had become my friend. It only
made me more determined to make sure that this had a happy ending and he
would go on to live the full, happy life that he deserved.

	Even if it comes at the expense of yours? It was a nagging question. I
knew that I could put my life on the line for Zac but I wasn't sure that
if the time ever came, I could do it fast enough. If it came down to a
situation where my life would save Zac's, there was still a doubt that I
could react fast enough. He had humanized me so much that my robotic
instincts were being clouded. I honestly didn't know if I could do it. My
worry was that if it happened, would I be too concerned? Would I see the
love of my life being held hostage and murdered before my eyes? I couldn't
stop it anymore. I knew Zac was the one for me. That knowledge seemed to
be what kept the question from behind answered in my heart.

	I heard a yawn behind me and over my shoulder, I could see Zac ambling
into the kitchen, pulling his hair back into a ponytail, still a bit
disheveled from sleep. After we'd gotten to the cabin, he'd changed into a
white T-shirt and bright orange shorts. It wasn't a "fade into the
background" type outfit, in the least. I continued unpacking the foot and
arranging it on the counter as he pulled out a can of Dr. Pepper from the
drink box and snapped it open. Keeping a strict order in my mind, I didn't
pay him much mind as he took a few gulps of the soda and let out a
resonating belch.

	Smiling, I looked over at him, "How do you feel?"

	"Like I'm being stalked by a serial killer, Agent Reid." He said and sat
up on the counter, dangling his bare feet idly.

	"Other than that?"

	Zac smiled, "Nothing twenty years of therapy and counseling won't cure."

	"I'm sorry for all this, Zac."

	"You don't have anything to be sorry for," He looked at me slightly taken
aback, "What do you have to apologize for?"

	"I'm sorry that you've had to deal with all this," I sighed and tossed
the empty boxes into a pile, "It's the kind of thing that shouldn't happen
at all."

	He shrugged and took another drink, "It's not like I can control it. I
couldn't control being born gay. I couldn't control being this dude's
target and I couldn't control falling in love with you. It's just like I
see this as all being something that's happening for a reason. God isn't
going to give me more than I can handle... but I hope he sees that I'm
reaching my limit."

	I leaned on the counter next to him, "I think he does. I think it's going
to be all right from now on."

	Zac smiled at me, "So we can kinda chill out?"

	"I think we can," I said, feeling the desire to kiss hitting both us. I
pulled back, "He can't get very far. They'll find him. And even so,
they'll find him before he finds us here."

	"Whew," Zac said as he thumped his heels against the cupboards under the
countertop, "In a really twisted way, I kinda don't want this to end. I
mean, I don't want to lose you yet."

	I smiled, " I know what you mean. We're friends."

	"Just friends... at least until it's over..." Zac said, looking at me
amorously.

	"I thought we'd been over this." I said, tossing him a can of Spam which
he promptly opened and dug into with a fork.

	"Well... yeah... and I'm accepting it," Zac mumbled, his mouth full. But a
boy can dream, can't he?"

	"I wouldn't know." I said softly and walked into the living room.

	I heard the thud of Zac hitting the floor as he followed me into the
room, still stuffing himself with canned meat. We both sat down on the
couch and Zac, without delay, propped his bare legs up on the coffee table
and crossed them casually. Leaning on my hand, my eyes looked down on the
table and caught the sight of Zac's feet, healthy and strong as they waved
from side to side. It was odd that even something like his feet could
catch my attention so thoroughly. Letting my head fall back, I looked up
at the ceiling and the exposed beams that ran across the roof of the
cabin. From Quantico to Mayberry.

	"You okay?" Zac said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

	"Yeah," I leaned forward and rubbed my face.

	In all honesty, I wasn't okay at all. The toll of feeling so many new
things had begun to stagger me and I didn't know how much longer I could
hold up. If there weren't any super-human tests of my strength or ability,
maybe things would be okay. If God just gave me a little breather from the
trouble, maybe this whole thing would turn out all right for everyone
involved. The straw on my back was beginning to get too heavy. The
responsibility of the assignment was starting to cloud my vision and make
me realize that I was too young. I wasn't old enough or experienced enough
to handle something of this magnitude. A more experienced agent wouldn't
have left. A more experienced agent wouldn't have fallen in love.

	The scraping of the fork against the can caught my attention as Zac, with
a stomach turning thoroughness, slurped the last of the Spam juice from
the bottom of the tin. Shuddering slightly, my body sat back and despite
how disgusting it was, I smiled. Zac tossed the can into the wastebasket
and settled back against the couch, relaxing and trying to forget about
everything. Despite his best efforts, I could feel the tension inside him.
He was tapping his fingers on the arm of the sofa nervously, and his
breath was coming quick and agitatedly.

	It was hard to watch. There really wasn't anything that could be done to
calm him down or pacify him in the least until Romaad was caught and he
could safely enter therapy. Then he could live a long life full of
relocking doors and flipping out when touched on the shoulder. It wasn't
right. Very little about this world was right. It didn't take having inner
walls broken down by a person for me to realize that. I had lots of
experience with the world not being right and being out to screw you more
often than help you out. Most of the time, with all the training and
fighting for grades, there wasn't much time for reminiscing.

	Or maybe I never let myself make the time.

	*      *      *      *      *

	"You want anything more to drink, Tay?"

	"No thanks." Taylor said, not even really hearing what had been said,
only noting the question at the end.

	The past two days had been a blur. A long, unending blur of horror and
pain and mystery that couldn't be figured out by the smartest man in the
world. When mom had come to stay with them, he'd felt relieved but then,
he'd felt even more worried and scared for Zac. Worrying about Zac had
seemed to be the only thing he'd done lately. He worried when they ate
breakfast, lunch, and dinner... he worried when they tried to put the
problems aside and spend the day at the pool... he worried before he fell
asleep and he started worrying again right after he woke up. His dreams
were nothing more than twisted nightmares of hearing Zac screaming in
agony while he fumbled around in the dark, trying to find out what was
happening. Taylor felt worthless.

	The worry built up so much that earlier in the day, as he was trying to
get dressed with hands that shook like leaves, he suddenly felt a stabbing
pain in his stomach and doubled over. A rush of pain and fear later, he
was at the emergency room, his roaring stomach being felt and prodded by a
doctor. He had given himself a stress ulcer. In three days, no less. They
had wanted to keep him at the hospital, but Taylor knew that if he tried
to stay there, he would only go crazy. He needed to feel like he was with
his family, with the people who were going through the same thing he was.

	Dinner that night had been a chore. Mackie had been eating less than a
bird, prompting mom to yell at him until he cried, creating a horribly
uncomfortable scene around the table. It felt like their family was
falling apart. Zac not being there had torn them limb from emotional limb
and there was no way of knowing how to put it all back together. Isaac had
pretty much withdrawn from them all, staying in a separate hotel room on a
separate floor, leaving Taylor has the "older brother". He tried as hard
as he could but nothing worked. Nothing would work until Zac came home and
they knew he would be safe.

	Just the thought of Zac was immensely painful for Taylor. Everytime he
realized the situation, he couldn't help but think of all the times he'd
hissed at Zac to shut up or stop bouncing around. He knew it was normal
and that he didn't have anything to be sorry for, but he couldn't stop
himself from thinking about it. He had yelled at his little brother for
enjoying life. It wasn't his place to tell Zac not to have such a good
time... especially now when there was the terrifying possibility that those
would have been some of the only good times Zac would ever have. The
self-hatred continued to burn inside him until his stomach flared and he
chugged Pepto Bismol like water.

When the pain hit him, tears would stream down his cheeks and he would
suddenly feel ashamed. He would be ashamed for feeling so sorry for
himself. There was no way that his pain could be as bad as what Zac was
feeling. If he could only have one more hug from Zac... one more hug to make
up for all the times he pushed Zac away... to make up for all the
criticizing and nit-picking Taylor did when he was in a pissy mood and Zac
was the only one who couldn't... or chose not to... run away fast enough. He
just wanted to see Zac... but he couldn't.

The last time he might see Zac was the night before Zac left for the
convention and he'd browbeaten him for leaving his clean clothes not
perfectly folded in the dresser. The last time he would see his little
brother was when he had bitched him out for not being perfect. The last
words he said could have been "grow up". His wonderful, sweet, goofy
little brother might die and the last words they said would have been
mean. The thought was nearly enough to send Taylor into the bathroom,
retching antacid and water into the toilet or sink or shower, whichever he
got to in time.

Time was one thing that they seemed to have plenty of. The days passed
like frozen molasses and the pain got more and more acute and unbearable
every day. As Taylor crawled under the covers of his hotel bed, he sucked
in his breath and clenched his eyes shut, praying to God. Pleading with
him to watch over Zac. Pleading with God to give him the chance to see Zac
again and hug him and apologize for every stupid thing he'd ever said or
done... and give them many more years to fight and bicker like brothers were
supposed to. He may have been worthless but he could always pray. Even if
that sick psycho who murdered inside their home didn't believe in it... he
did. And so did Zac. Just maybe, the power of their good could beat the
evil.

*      *      *      *      *

Concussions went off all around him as he stepped forward through the
rectangle of fire. Assorted voices caught his ears as he stepped forward,
pumped the shotgun and fired it twice, blowing away two of them. They ran
around, screaming and flailing like chickens with their heads cut off. Two
more shots and he reloaded the gun, two more shots... two more... two more...
blood hit the hall in abstract patterns and the scent of smoke swirled
into his sinuses. Two more shots... the running became fainter as he stepped
over the bodies strewn over the pathway. He continued his work, pumping
the gun and putting more hot lead into them.

Once, he felt a hand on his foot. His eyes traveled downward to a bloody
but alive hand grasping at his boot. With no emotion on his face, he
looked down and placed the gun against its head and pulled the trigger. A
hot spray of blood hit him and he wiped it away from his eyes, continuing
down the hall, reloading the gun and blowing away whoever got in his way.
He heard more explosions go off as he continued down the hall, firing
before they could do so, killing instantly or maiming forever. Behind him,
the offices looked like a warzone, blood, tissue, and brain matter
covering the white walls. Somewhere in this place... it would tell him where
the dirty was.

His feet shook against the floor as another one went off, shaking the
building and in the distance, the irritating wail of emergency help could
be heard. No need to worry, he thought. He would be long gone before they
got here and anyone who could have identified him would be too busy
learning how not to drool when they spoke. Kicking open a door, he stepped
in and point blank, fired the shotgun directly at the spine of the lowly
secretary. She went down in a heap of blood and spinal fluid as he walked
even further, venturing towards the glass door.

Bracing his feet, he fired and the door came down in an almost stately
rain of shattered glass. He kicked apart the remains of the door and
stepped in, looking around the room quickly. There were no signs of life
in the offices behind him as he walked over to the filing cabinet and
easily blew away the four heavy locks that kept it shut. They hadn't been
prepared for his attack. They had been so unprepared he had been able to
sneak in and wire the whole damn place. It was almost pathetic how easily
it had all come off and occurred with little to no resistance.

He yanked open the drawers and searched, his mind working quickly as he
found the false bottom on the second drawer. Ripping it up and tossing it
away, he pulled out the small lock box and with the butt of the rifle, he
broke it open. Nothing inside but small pink papers but as he shuffled
through them stealthily, he found what he was looking for. Written on the
back of one paper was one blessed address whose residents would very soon
be wiped off the face of the earth. It was the last place he would have to
clean before his mission would be complete.

Tomorrow morning, he would be going to Texas. In a small, wooded town just
below the border. He could bid this God forsaken state of Oklahomy goodbye
once and for all. Smiling, he turned around and hurried out of the offices
and down the back stairway, seconds before the SWAT team arrived. Fleeing
into the afternoon, his mind raced and new, hot blood pumped through his
veins. Already the location was burned into his brain and he salivated at
how good it would feel. He would finally clean up the mess and end the
life of this dirty... and it would be beautiful.

*      *      *      *      *

Cleaning a gun was a true science. Using the right amount of oil and
brushing it the right way as a true challenge that took most agents years
to master. As I set out my cleaning tools, I took pride in knowing that it
hadn't taken me long at all. My supervisors said I had a gift for it.
Cleaning your gun was a good way to get acquainted with it. I needed the
chance since I'd been given a new Magnum that morning and ever since then,
it hadn't felt right. Something about the way it felt just didn't seem the
same as the old one. I had formed a bond with my old gun.

Over the course of the day, Zac had gotten his bearings straight and some
of the tension seemed to go away. Even more so after we had dinner and he
nearly gorged himself on French onion soup and Spamburgers. The food did a
great deal to help him feel better and get his spirits back up... I myself
didn't think that it was that great but seeing Zac enjoy his food helped
me more than a little. Seeing him enjoy anything at this point was a
welcome change in the atmosphere. Not too long after we'd eaten dinner,
rain had begun to fall and within an hour, it was pouring down like a
banshee.

"Hey." Zac said, sitting backwards on a chair at the dining table as I
cleaned the gun.

"You okay?" I asked, not looking up.

"Yeah," He picked up one of the cleaning swabs and inspected it, "Anything
I can do to help?"

"No. I'm a trained professional." I said as I opened a vial of bore
cleaner.

"Okay." He said and rested his chin on his folded hands.

The only noise in the room, over the roar of the rain outside, was the
clink of metal as I fed one of the brushes into the chamber and cleaned it
carefully, scrubbing and scouring the metal, preparing it for use. It was
like a science, really. It took a specific method and rhythm to strip the
barrel and properly lubricate the chambers. After checking the cartridge,
slamming it in with a satisfying metallic crack that made Zac smile, the
gun looked ready to go. I checked the aim against an antique looking rug
hanging on the wall, making sure that the sight aimed where I pointed.
Everything looked fine.

"Do you ever pray, Reid?" Zac asked, fooling with the swab again.

"Pray?" I said, discharging the cartridge into my hand.

"Yeah. Like do you ever pray to God."

"Only when it feels necessary." I said as I looked down and loaded the
cartridge.

"Do you believe in God?"

"Yes."

"But you don't pray?"

I cleared me throat, "Praying would mean that I believed he would hear
me."

"Don't you think God hears you?"

"I try to."

"But you don't always?"

I smiled with a hint of bitterness, "It's hard for me to believe he hears
me sometimes."

I slammed the loaded magazine back into the gun with such force that the
crack reverberated off the walls and made Zac jump slightly. I got up and
holstered the gun, hoping to avoid any further conversation about the
topic of God. Moving over the couch, I sat down and looked at the fire
crackling in the carved out stone. Zac got up and padded over next to me,
obviously wanting to push the issue and not able to help himself from
doing so.

"Why is it hard, Reid?"

"I don't want to talk about it." I said, my voice taking on an abnormal
edge.

"Well, I do. Why is it hard?"

"God let me down. On several separate, non-related occasions."

Zac looked skeptical, "Like when?"

"Like when some homeless guy covered in his own vomit and piss found me.
When I was two days old stuffed in a medical refuse dumpster with my
umbilical cord stuffed down my throat," I said, not looking at Zac, "From
that point on, something told me that maybe God wasn't all he's cracked up
to be."

"Oh."

"Then came the times I hid under my bed to get away from my dad and his
belt. He didn't hear me. God didn't step in and guide my dad someplace
else because the bastard always found me and beat me senseless. You want
more?"

"Reid..."

"No, I'll give you more," I said, turning to face him head on, "God didn't
help me all the times that three guys beat me up every day when all I was
trying to do was go to school. He didn't help me get out my house and he
didn't help me become an agent. I may believe in God but if you asked me
to trust him, I would laugh at you. God didn't hear me all the times I
screamed because my skin was being torn by that belt... so why should I
trust him?"

Zac looked at me, "You got hurt pretty bad, huh?"

"Yeah, I did."

"That's why you think you can't love me. Because it would hurt to lose
me."

"Yeah."

He reached over and touched my cheek, "You won't lose me, Reid."

I moved away from his hand, "I'd find a way."

"Not if I promised not to let you." He slid over next to me and began
touching my face again.

"This is why it would have been better," I pushed his hand away, "It would
have been better if I'd just died in that fire. This whole awkward thing
wouldn't be happening."

Zac looked genuinely horrified, "What the fuck do you mean?!"

"If I had died in that fire, it would have been better--"

My words were cutoff abruptly as Zac leaned in, grabbed the back of my
head, and kissed me on the lips, long and hard. I squirmed and tried to
get away, but the grip of his hand as well as some cosmic force held me
there. His lips pressed against mine, so hard that I could feel the blood
rushing through them. My ears rushed like the ocean as I heard the rain
pouring outside and felt the heat of his lips and his hand as it grasped
the back of my head. His bangs brushed my forehead and my body felt as
though someone had injected it full of Novocain. I felt numb from his
kiss.

Zac released the kiss and looked at me, his voice was thick with emotion,
"Never say that again."

My mouth, still blitzed from his kiss, managed to speak, "Okay."

"I love you, Reid." He said as he cradled my face in his hands.

"Zac..."

"If this guy does kill me... I want to make love to you at least once. So I
can say that I knew what it felt like to love someone and be loved deep in
my heart."

My stomach sank, "Zac... we can't..."

"Please?" Zac said, looking deep into my eyes.

My mouth didn't want to work. Zac curled his fingers in the collar of my
shirt and pulled me up, leading me over in front of the fireplace. I stood
on weak knees and watched as he pulled a spare comforter off the pile by
the door and spread it out on the floor. He laid down and slowly pulled me
down on top of him, my mind reeling and the front of my pants straining
awkwardly. My knees hit the comforter and Zac spread his legs under me,
thrusting the bright orange tent upwards. In the soft glow of the fire, my
eyes looked him over, admiring his form as he laid before me. The rain
continued to storm outside as I tentatively ran my hands up his muscular
legs, feeling the physique in his calves ripple under my hands.

His hand came up to my face again and he stroked my cheek again as I got
my first feel of his body. Running my fingertips up and down his legs, I
felt the soft golden brown hairs that fleeced his calves and had begun to
dust over his thighs. Zac shivered, arching his back slightly and
murmuring, allowing me my first experience with another human being. His
skin was warm and velvety as I stroked it, goosebumps standing up in the
heat of the fire. The last stones of the wall inside me broke down when
Zac ran his hand down to the bulge in my pants and squeezed it, sending a
jolt up my spine. I gasped and closed my eyes, resting my forehead on the
soft fabric of his T-shirt. The Novocain had begun to spread into my
spinal column as the numb pleasure continued to take me over bit by bit.

Zac ran his fingers through my hair and moaned as my lips brushed the
slightly exposed skin of his stomach. I pushed the hem of his T-shirt up
slowly and carefully touched the tip of my tongue to the tight skin above
his belly button. Considering how little an idea I had of what to do, the
noises Zac was making told me that my natural instincts were the way to
go. Letting more of my tongue slide out of my mouth, I licked around his
belly button, drawing a warm circle of saliva around it and making the
tanned skin glisten. The back of my mind began to work again and it tried
to tell me to stop, but suddenly, the voice which had once been so little
suddenly stepped up. One huge mental bitch slap later, the voice went away
and my impulses took over.

My hands slid up under the front of Zac's shirt and even over the
rainpour, I could hear the fabric rustling as I pulled it up and over his
head, exposing his broad shoulders and developed chest to my eyes. His
dark nipples were hard as rocks as I leaned in and kissed each one,
drawing a shuddering moan from the depths of his throat. I reached down
and slowly pinched his nipples, rolling them between my fingers, and
watching as his eyes rolled in their sockets. Massaging his pecs gently,
my palms pressing against the muscle as my fingers seemed to be drawn back
to his nipples. As I tugged at them, he arched his back again and groaned.

His whole body seemed to shake underneath me as I kissed down between his
pecs and nuzzled him, suckling gently and driving him nearly mad with
lust. When just the tip of my tongue barely dragged his skin, he cried out
and shook, his senses being teased mercifully. Bringing my mouth back up
to his nipples, I gently suckled on each one. Feeling them harden and
watching as they stood up, the tiny bumps on his areola glistened and the
very tip, I nibbled gently, causing him to grunt and thrash helplessly.

Hooking my fingers in the waistband of his shorts, I slowly began to pull
them down and Zac gasped softly. He had spread his legs almost like the
wings of a butterfly and as he straightened them, they shook slightly and
quivered with anticipation. Gradually, the shorts came down his legs and
his six inches of thick, uncut cock bounced up and slapped against his
stomach. My hand ventured forward and my fingers slowly wrapped around the
shaft, marveling in the heat and throbbing desire that it seemed to
pulsate. Zac looked down at my hand on his dick, a look of pure amazement
in his eyes, as he groaned and thrust his hips. His cock rubbed against my
palm and a scorching steam of precum dribbled down over my fingers.
Curiously, my hand explored his excited genitals, feeling the throbbing
shaft and cupping the two dangling fleshy testicles that hung down loosely
in the heat of the fire. They felt so... alive.

My hand returned to his penis and I watched with an almost childlike
wonder as his cock swelled and in the light of the fire, I could see the
slit in the top open and wink at me. Another thick glob of precum oozed
out and slowly flowed down the back of my hand, feeling like thick, hot
honey. Without thinking, my hand left his dick and with some clairvoyant
notion, I slowly licked his precum off my hand, tasting it and marveling
at the sweet, almost syrupy taste of it. Gently, with a shaking hand, Zac
reached up and guided my hand back to his cock and I stroked it slowly. It
swelled again and felt like a squirming animal in my hand. I stopped
stroking and squeezed it, feeling it swell and throb to meet my actions as
I looked down and saw Zac's hands, his fingers digging into the comforter.


Leaning down, my lips kissed his thighs and my mouth seemed to be pulled
to his cock. The musky scent and the sweet taste of his precum drew me up
as my hand released him and, with a little trepidation, I kissed the head
of his cock gently. He whimpered and squirmed, and it reassured me in it's
own way. Slowly but surely, my lips wrapped around his cockhead and took
him inside. My mind raced and I couldn't believe that I was getting my
first taste of him. Zac pressed his ass back against the comforter and
held his dick taught as I sucked him in. He draped his legs over my
shoulders and pressed his heels firmly into my lower back, holding me
still. My tongue lapped over the head and I was proud of how quickly I was
getting the hang of it. Peeking the tip of my tongue under his foreskin
sent a jolt through his body as my hands reached up and felt his stomach.

A warm sweaty softness closed over my hands as I felt him hold them,
squeezing them with his own hands, interlocking our fingers and holding
them protectively. My lips traveled up and down his hard shaft, pressing
against the blue vein and stopping at the rim of his cockhead. It felt
hard as steel as he began to gently thrust in and out of my mouth, rubbing
his shaft against my lips and bumping the roof of my mouth with his
leaking head. Another thick glob of precum worked its way out and hit my
tongue with a moan from Zac as he neared the edge of ecstasy.

With one final pleasured groan, Zac's cock swelled and I felt his hands
squeeze mine like a vice. The first shot of his hot cum rocketed down my
throat and he continued to moan gutturally as his husky voice bounced off
the walls of the cabin. As he came, his hips raised up and I felt him jerk
as the heat from the fire penetrated his ass and he felt it on his
rosebud. The heat drove him to another orgasm as he thrust eagerly into my
mouth, his cum spurting out and coating my tongue in it's salty sweetness.


Zac gasped for air and his ass dropped back onto the comforter with a soft
thump. His legs flopped off my back and straightened out, his hands
falling to his sides as his chest heaved and he recovered. Tasting his cum
all over my mouth, I sat back and wiped my brow, not even thinking about
myself. After closing my eyes and getting control of my breathing, I felt
Zac's hands under my shirt as he pulled it up and off me, before tossing
it back over his shoulder. My hands undid the holster and set it under the
couch as I wrapped my arms around him, kissing him with an almost
fanatical passion.

We fell to our sides on the comforter and continued kissing, his hands
unbuckling my belt and yanking it off. He rolled me onto my back and
yanked my pants down, taking my underwear with it and leaving me naked in
front of him. Zac laid down on top of me and continued kissing me, driving
his tongue deep into my mouth like an oil well. He licked my tonsils and
explored the back of my throat as he ground his quickly renewed erection
against mine, coating them both in our precum and my saliva. His hands
held my shoulders against the floor and he kissed his way onto my chest,
sucking hard on each of my nipples and nearly biting my skin like a horny
dog.

His long, thick hair splayed out on my chest and I remembered my dream as
his hands slid down my arms and onto my stomach. A moan escaped my mouth
as he licked in and around my belly button before deep throating my entire
dick all at once. My body jackknifed and I cried out as he sucked up and
down my shaft, jamming his tongue into the slit and quickly drinking the
massive precum I was pumping out. He released my cock and sucked one of my
balls into his mouth, sucking on it too and stroking me with his
impossibly strong yet gentle left hand. Rubbing his palm over the tip, he
jerked just the head and the sensations it caused made me seriously
concerned that I'd pass out right in front of him.

Zac released my cock and sat back, pulling me up by one arm and kissing me
again as he pulled one of the couch cushions down onto the floor with us.
The kissing halted as he propped himself up on the pillow, sitting so that
he leaned back against the soft cushion of the couch and his pink puckered
hole was visible in the firelight. His hard cock, once again at full
capacity, stood up against his stomach and his flushed, blond-fuzz covered
balls hung down between his thighs. Zac spread his legs and pulled me back
into a kiss as he worked his way to my ear and chewed on my earlobe.

"Fuck me." He gasped breathlessly.

For a split second I hesitated before licking my way down his exposed
chest and stomach to his thighs, suckling gently and nibbling the muscles.
When my face was only about an inch away from his flexing hole, I warily
sniffed the area and when it only returned a sweaty, musky scent, I felt
no further inhibitions. Bringing my tongue in a slow line, it slid easily
from one end of Zac's (mostly) hairless crack to the other, gliding
lightly over his hole and drawing a pleasured moan. With a methodical
tardiness, the tip of my tongue circled the hole and felt the flexing
muscle. Tickling and lapping the tip of my tongue over his hole, it opened
and squirmed, beckoning me in like a creature from outer space.

Zac's hands rested on the back of my head as I slowly pressed my tongue
against his opening, feeling him tense along with it before it opened and
stretched out easily. My tongue entered him with no trouble and the hot
ring of his anus squirmed and clamped down onto my tongue. He moved his
hips along with the pace of my tongue as I got more and more comfortable
with the idea of sex with Zac Hanson. Gradually, my tongue slid back out
of him and with no warning, he pulled my face to his and kissed me deeply.
A moment of ickyness passed as he tasted himself on my tongue, obviously
glad for the hot running water, which provided him a shower after dinner.

Gasping for air, he put his hands behind his knees and pulled them up,
exposing his hole and leaving it wide open for me. I crawled forward and
unsteadily pointed my rock hard erection into it, feeling him tense up and
shake. He was worried. All the love in the world couldn't help him not be
worried about his first time. The tip of my cock began to poke against his
anus and Zac whimpered softly, wrapping his legs around my waist and
biting his lower lip. Pressing my face against his neck and feeling the
constraint of his legs around me, I began to ease myself forward. We were
doing it. A soft slurping noise caught our ears as my cock eased into his
spit-lubricated hole and his muscles opened up and pulled me in. Zac's
breath caught in his throat and his arms tightened around my shoulders,
and it felt like time had frozen. We were finally together.

Our foreheads rested together and in Zac's eyes, I could see a look of
wonderment as my cock pushed in farther. The wet heat of his ass pressed
into my shaft and sent sparkling waves of pure pleasure into my nervous
system. Zac tightened his legs around me and the droplets of sweat on his
face and neck glimmered. He closed his eyes and shivered as he felt my
cock enter him deeply, stretching him out and delving into him like some
divine sexual probiscus. The sweat on his forehead caused his head to slip
and he laid it on my shoulder, moaning softly into my ear as the head of
my cock rubbed his prostate gland.

My thrusts began to speed up and Zac began to moan louder, his heart
pounding so hard I could feel it against my own chest. His legs squeezed
me tighter and nearly took the breath out of me. In one magnificent
motion, Zac whipped his head back and sent his hair flying, splattering us
with sweat as a loud, animal yell came from deep in his stomach and his
ass grabbed my cock like a steel drawstring. His whole body tensed up and
I hugged him forcefully, burying my face into the straining redness of his
neck and I could feel his cock swell between us. It swelled between the
heat of our stomachs as his balls writhed and he sent a massive second
load of sperm up between us. His hot cum drenched us both with its
thickness as he pumped his charge, his hips bucking and his hair thrashing
until he was still. Breathing hard, he leaned back and looked at me,
squeezing my cock with his ass.

"Your turn." He said and kissed me, urging his tongue into my mouth.

After taking a deep breath, my cock began to slide in and out of him
again, thumping his prostate and feeling his cum dribbling out of it. He
flexed his ass around me, chewing on my lower lip and rubbing his still
stiff cock against my stomach. As my thrusts began to speed up and I felt
tightness in my balls, he chewed on my ear lobe again and began to whisper
in my ear.

"You're doin' sooo good... come on..." He gasped, squeezing me with his whole
body, "You're almost there... cum for me... you can do it, baby... I know you
can..."

The sweetness of Zac's words combined with the lust and pleasure of the
situation finally sent me over the edge. I buried my face into his willing
neck and he held me as I whimpered, my cock throbbing inside him. It felt
like a weight had been placed on me as my cum finally shot out, filling
him and making me shake with it's intensity. My first sexual experience
was actually happening... my first time... my arms held him and I squealed
into his neck, hearing Zac moan softly as he felt my hot load flow through
his bowels. If he weren't holding me, I would have passed out.

My brain felt foggy as the orgasm went away and my spent cock slid out of
Zac. There wasn't any strength left in my body as I slumped forward onto
him, shaking and covered in sweat. Zac kissed me on the cheek and
straightened his legs out, holding me on his lap like a baby. Tears began
to roll down my cheeks and I cried, overcome by the extreme power of what
had just happened. Zac simply stroked my cheek and gently kissed my ear,
whispering reassuringly. It was his turn to take care of me, apparently.

The darkness didn't leave my brain as I felt Zac lay us both down on the
comforter in front of the fire as the sound of the rain still caught my
ears. Weakly, I laid on my side and closed my eyes, trying to make the
lightheadedness go away. With a careful consideration, Zac curled us up in
the blanket and draped his left arm over me, spooning me from behind, and
nuzzling the back of my neck sleepily, his limp penis resting comfortably
between my asscheeks. My eyes looked into the fire as his breathing slowed
down and his grip relaxed as he fell asleep. My head still spun and I
couldn't even begin to make sense of what had happened, only that it felt
so right.

My eyelids began to feel like lead as my naked body relaxed and gave in to
sleep. The rain pouring onto the roof and trees outside was an amazingly
tranquil sound to hear. Zac's soft breathing in my ear tickled my eardrum
and made me smile as the sleepiness began to take over. My heart finally
felt complete... it felt like it had found its place. Everything felt so
perfect. Zac felt so perfect wrapped around me... it felt like this was
meant to be. I came to a realization... I could love after all. It was
possible for me to love... and it was possible for me to be loved.

*      *      *      *      *

Rain kept falling on him. He was soaking wet but he didn't care because he
could see the place. The small cabin out in the woods with the electronic
surveillance equipment set up around it. Inside the house, they were
playing their dirty games in the light of the fire. He was close enough to
hear their filthy moans and cries of passion. Just the sound of their
lustful voices as they pleasured each other with disgusting imputenance,
made him want to vomit all over himself. They were probably giving each
other all sorts of diseases and scabs and sick, bloody festering boils.

He shuddered in the downpour and tried not to throw up. The moans inside
the cabin sped up and he could hear that they were approaching their
climax. Their filthy wet homosexual climax. A child rapist and a
celebrity. He would be a hero when he cleansed them tomorrow. He would be
lauded and cheered for ridding the world of two dirties for the price of
one. It was glorious. He would get to take the lives of two dirties when
he had only planned on one. It was his luck and his blessing that he would
be chosen by God to do so. His fingers itched around the wire, held taught
between two firm pipes.

Twisting the pipes in his hands, he fantasized over what it would be like.
When he killed the rapist, choking and cutting his throat, hearing the
pained cries from the other as his love was taken. Then he would drop the
bloody dirty body to the floor and approach the other. First, he would
grab it by its long hair and slam it face first into his knee until the
face was bloody and unrecognizable. Then he'd grab its face and break the
sculpted nose in shatters as he ground the tainted genitalia to a pulp
with his other hand. After dropping the mangled dirty on the floor, he
would stand over it and let out a yell of triumph before wrapping the wire
around its neck and killing him slowly.

Murder made him shiver as he stood in the rain, listening to them. In the
dark wetness, the cries stopped and they rested together, rubbing their
sweat and nasty bodies together in a twisted dance of what they thought
was love. They thought lots of things in their sick minds. Love between
two men wasn't possible... it was sick. It was dirty. And he would clean it
up. He would kill them both and send them to hell, to let them be judged
and tortured for all eternity. He would see them cast into the fires of
hell, screaming in pain and trying to hold one another, but being pulled
away. Their hell being apart from one another.

His fingers itched as they curled around the pipes and pulled the wire
taught. He wanted very badly to go in there and surprise them in their
haze of filth and sinful pleasure, but he wouldn't. He would wait. He
would go in there tomorrow when they were laying in one anothers arms and
touching their disgusting mouths together. That's when he would kill them.
They would die at the height of their pleasure. They would realize how
much their night of pleasure would cost them and when he left, leaving
them bloody and lifeless in the pool of their grime. Maybe... if he were
lucky... they would try and hold hands one last time...

*      *      *      *      *

"You're crowding me."

"Awww... cuddle me, Reid."

I grumbled and tried to roll away from him, but our mummified state in the
comforter wouldn't allow me much room for movement. I was stuck. When my
eyes had opened and saw the sun shining into the cabin, the immediate
thought that came into my head was the stale sweaty scent of my bunkmate.
When I yawned and rubbed my eyes, the movement woke Zac up and the first
thing he did was snuggle up to me affectionately, and his actions reminded
me of what happened the night before. My stomach fluttered at the thought
and immediately, I thought of how good it felt to make love to him. How
wonderful he felt wrapped around me... how good his kisses tasted... how sweet
his moans sounded when they hit my ears... how beautiful his body was.
Wrapped inside the comforter with him, there was no escape from the
thoughts.

"Pwease cuddle me..." Zac said softly right in my ear and pouted.

"You're melting me." I said, unable to keep from smiling.

"You know what to do."

My stomach fluttered again as I rolled onto my back and Zac seemed to
liquefy into my arms. After laying his head on my shoulder, he sighed
contentedly and murmured happily as I stroked his back. His warm body
pressing against mine wasn't helping my morning hard on go down in the
least and the sensation of his soft skin and his lips kissing my chest was
obviously meant to get a reaction. My hands rubbed down his back and I
squeezed his ass firmly, causing Zac to stiffen and moan, his own morning
wood pressing against mine and creating a wonderfully erotic sensation.

After Zac kissed me, I wrinkled my nose, "Whew... morning breath."

He giggled and poked me in the stomach, "You better hope I don't have any
morning gas, either."

I groaned and unwrapped us from the blanket before getting up and
stretching. After pulling on my underwear and pants, I tried to go into
the kitchen by Zac grabbed my leg and sobbed dramatically.

"Don't leave me, Agent Cameron!" He blubbered.

He was hard to untangle one's self from. After leaving his limp and
heartbroken frame on the floor, I walked into the kitchen and poured a cup
of coffee from the machine. My eyes were still a little blurred from sleep
and I rubbed them with my wrists, yawning and still shaking off whatever
fatigue was left over. There sure wasn't much. The night before was
probably the most satisfying and well resting night's sleep I could
remember. The coffee did its job and soon enough, I was awake and looking
out the kitchen window into the still wet forest.

I sighed and rolled my head around in circles, feeling the cool of the
morning on my bare upper body. Zac limped into the kitchen behind me and
walked stiltedly across the cold tile floor. He was still naked as he
wrapped his arms around my waist and hugged me from behind, nibbling at my
bare shoulder and letting his hair drape over me. He yawned and I could
feel his warm breath on my back as he squeezed me and rubbed his lips over
my collarbone. Holding the coffee cup with my right hand, I reached down
and weaved the fingers of my left hand with the fingers of his right hand.
It felt so warm and natural to be with him.

"Was it wrong?" He asked timidly, hinging on my answer.

I rested my head against his, "That depends."

"On what?"

"What we're judging it on." I sipped the coffee, feeling the guilt come
back as the magnitude of what we'd done hit me like a sack of doorknobs.

"If we judged it on the basis of two sexy guys who fell in love despite a
really shitty situation and made each other realize that life is worth
living... I think only a retarded redneck with three teeth would think it's
wrong." Zac said and smiled.

"By my code of honor... it's wrong," I leaned forward on the counter, "It's
wrong to get involved with someone that you're protecting or working with.
Now I can never take back that I slept with you."

"Why would you want to?"

 "I broke the rules, Zac. I compromised our relationship." I said, and
walked away from him, back into the living room.

He followed me and talked as he pulled on his clothes, "It's not our fault
that we fell in love, Reid. It happened and the best thing for the both of
us is to be together and you can't try and deny that. You know that it's
true."

I set the coffee cup down sharply on the table, "Damn it! No matter how
much we love each other, that doesn't make it right, Zac! I made a big
mistake when I had sex with you last night and it's something that will
probably cost me my job. I screwed myself out of a job I worked hard for,
literally. I can never go back to it knowing what I did."

"Then leave your job," Zac said softly, "Don't tell them why but leave
your job. Come be with me."

"Zac, I can't. You and I will never work."

He came over and tried to hug me, and when I tried to pull away he
persisted and wrapped his arms around me, "Reid, you don't know
everything. I do. I know that if we give ourselves a chance, it will
work."

"It's not that."

 He released me, "What is it then?! If you don't want to be with me and
last night was all you wanted, then just say so. I'd respect you more if
you just wanted my virginity and told me so rather than come up with some
bullshit story about how 'we won't work'. But just know that if that was
all you wanted, for me, it was awesome and worth every second."

"Zac..."

"Which was it? Do you really love me or did you just want my virginity
like some?"

"Zac... last night was my first time too."

He looked at me, "What do you mean?"

"That was the first time I've ever... well, not only been with someone but
it was the first time that I had an orgasm. An awake one, at least. And I
don't think I could have had one with anyone else." I said and sat down on
the couch, fighting the lump back down in my throat.

"Whoa," Zac said and sat down next to me, "Is that for real?"

"Yeah, it is for real."

"I love you, Reid."

I took a deep breath, "I love you too, Zac."

Nothing needed to be said as he slid over next to me and hugged me
reassuringly. Our lips found their way to each other and we began kissing,
lightly and innocently, our lips mingling together and caressing one
another lovingly. His hands rested on my shoulders as he laid back and
held me on top of him, letting me kiss his forehead. Brushing my lips over
his eyebrows, I felt him shiver and relax beneath me, the cloth of his
T-shirt brushing against my bare chest.

Our kissing became deeper and more passionate as we pressed our bodies
together, my hands feeling his skin and tickling his belly button. He
giggled and moaned under me, gyrating his hips and nibbling on the tip of
my nose as I fondled him. Zac arched his back and rubbed his crotch
against mine, our returning erections mashing together. He wrapped his
bare legs around my waist and ground himself against me, the musky scent
of his arousal wafting up to our noses. He moaned again and I could feel
he had slid his hand down between us, squeezing both our cocks together
and uniting them. With a primitive lust, he pulled down first my pants and
then his shorts, our erections rubbing together again.

My tongue entered his mouth slowly and he stiffened, his body shaking as
he moaned deeply. His hand sped up between us as he stroked us together at
the same time, his drumming toned hands sending me into orbit. I groaned
into his mouth as we kissed, his precum mixing with mine as it trickled
down. His fingers grew wet and slippery as he stroked, and I let my hand
creep down to join his and we stroked each other together. He groaned and
his cock swelled in my hand, preparing to douse us both with his hot cum.

Then we heard the loud boom outside. The first shot made us both jump and
then the second shot sent us into action. Whatever was happening, it was
clear that this was going to be ground zero. Jumping up off Zac, I pulled
my pants up and looked into the kitchen, pulling my face back barely in
time to avoid taking a bullet right between the eyes. The window of the
kitchen shattered as the bullet rocketed through, hitting the opposite
wall and shattering a glass picture frame. It was him. It was him and he
found us. Cursing the government and their half-assed protection
techniques, I hit the floor and squatted back against the doorframe. From
outside, I could hear Romaad laughing crazily and it chilled me to the
bone.

Keeping low to the floor, I crawled back into the living room where Zac
was crouching in front of the sofa. He was shaking and his eyes were
worried and unsure. Another shot came from outside and we heard it slam
into the heavy side door of the cabin. Thinking quickly, I holstered the
gun and grabbed Zac by the wrist, leading him into one of the bedrooms.
Once we were inside, I pulled open the heavy chest and cleared out the
extra linen. Zac seemed to realize and an odd look hit his face.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Zac, you have to hide."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to have a frank exchange of ideas with him," I said and
gestured towards the trunk, "Get in."

"No, Reid."

"Zac," I almost whined, "Just get in."

"No."

"For me," I leaned in and kissed him on the lips, "Please get in. Just let
me do my job."

He looked at me with a cold seriousness, "Don't you dare go die and break
my fucking heart, Cameron."

"I won't, Zac."

"I'm not in the mood to die today, Reid."

"I know."

	"You come back, God damn it." He hissed.

	"I will, Zac."

	"Say it."

	"I'll come back, Zac."

"You love me, Reid. I need to hear you say it." He began to shake
slightly.

"I love you, Zac," The words began to flow, "I love you and I know that we
can be together. You make me feel and you make me want to be human. I want
you to make me even more human and I want you to love me and help me learn
how to be everything you want. I promise I'll come back to you. I'll never
leave, Zac."

He didn't say anything else as he climbed into the heavy chest and curled
up into a ball. I knelt down and began to carefully lower the lid down
over him, but not before he kissed me deeply on the lips, nonverbally
reminding me of what I had to come back to. The lump in my throat returned
and tears rolled down my cheeks as I closed the trunk and carefully moved
it back against the bed, remembering that he was inside. My love was
inside. As I stood up and looked down at the chest, making the room seem
as untouched as possible.

Then it was time. The gladiator inside me began to surface as I
unholstered the gun and my eyes steeled over, a rush of cold,
determination coursing through my body. This sick son of bitch murdered
four people, one of whom was pregnant. He had harassed and tried to ruin
the life of a 15-year-old boy. He had tried to ruin the love of my life.
His sick games and sadistic strategy had nearly turned Zac into a hermit.
And now, it was time for him to learn a lesson and maybe learn that
strangling people with piano wire like a pussy wasn't exactly the way to
go.

Moving quickly from the room, and noting the silence, I stayed close to
the wall and surveyed the living room. Everything was motionless as I
moved at a snail's pace, making sure there were no blind spots to either
side of me. The robot inside me returned as I moved through the cabin with
effectiveness, I had the gun ready the whole time. There was no noise
inside the cabin as I rolled forward into the kitchen and spun in a
circle, scanning the room and finding it empty. There was a large pile of
broken glass by the door where the bullet had entered and in the door
itself, two large dents had been made. The gun he was using was one of
power.

Stealing a quick glance out the window, I saw that he had disabled the
car. Both front tires had been blown apart as had the hood where smoke
rose from the ruined engine. But Romaad was no where to be found. The
whole scene was disturbingly quiet and as I looked around the kitchen
again, I heard myself praying. I hoped that just once, God would hear me
and answer my prayers.

"It is judgment day!" A voice boomed from inside the living room.

Instinctively, my body hit the floor just in time for a shotgun blast to
plow through the wall where my head had just been. Raising the .44, I
squeezed off two quick shots in the direction of the voice, but I saw that
Romaad had tossed several burning logs from the fireplace around the room,
filling the cabin with smoke. Coughing and wiping my eyes, I ventured
forward into the room cautiously, but not seeing the rifle butt swing
around the corner of the door and catch me in the stomach. My breath was
knocked out as the barrel of the rifle smashed across my forehead, setting
off an explosion of pain in my head and sending me sprawled backwards onto
the floor.

Through the haze, I could see Romaad step forward and the gun pressed into
my forehead, Acting quickly, I brought my arm up and smacked the gun away
as it went off, sending a deafening blast through the cabin. My ears rung
and my heat ached, but there was no time to hurt as he swung the rifle
like a golf club. I rolled to the side and it just barely missed breaking
my neck. He stood over me and swung the gun back down, barely missing my
face as I moved my head to the side and struggled to grab the gun. A
frightening laughter came from his mouth as Romaad played a demented game
of whack a mole with the gun and my head before pushing it down against my
neck, nearly crushing my windpipe.

I choked and gagged against the rifle as he tried to put all his weight on
it and snap my neck like a twig. Seeing an opening, I used my right arm to
sweep his legs out from under him and send him backwards onto the floor.
To my disappointment, I didn't hear his skull crack as I coughed and my
lungs burned in the smokefilled room. My lungs struggled to expand as he
got back to his feet and punched me hard in the stomach, doubling me over
as he slammed me into the wall, making me groan as my back hit the hard
brick of the chimney. As he pulled back to punch me, I ducked and his fist
went straight into the hard rock. He cried out in pain and I felt a sense
of triumph. He was strong but he wasn't stronger than me.

The fire had gone out but the smoke kept filling the room as I struggled
back to find the gun, searching in the haze. Suddenly, a searing pain hit
my back as Romaad smashed me with the fire place poker, making my
shoulders blaze with agony. Again, he brought it down on my back and he
rolled me over and straddled me, pushing the handle of the poker down
across my throat. I gurgled and fought with him, feeling my throat close
up against the smoke and pressure. His face was only an inch from mine and
he smiled dementedly.

"Dirty..." He hissed.

My right hand flailed above my head and the world began to go dark before
my eyes, my mind reeling and trying to come up with something that could
buy me more time. Romaad leaned down harder, pressing the poker into my
throat and making me gag. He smiled and I knew he was taking pleasure in
seeing my face turn an unearthly shade of purple. Just as my body was
ready to give up... my hand found the gun. Not thinking clearly, I swung it
straight at his head and the handle of the gun whipped him straight in the
temple. He fell sideways and he yelled out in rage, his hand straight to
his face as blood flowed between his fingers. His near strangle job had
taken a lot out of me and my vision was still blurry and my head was light
as I struggled to get back onto two feet.

Haphazardly, I stumbled over in front of the windows by the front door of
the house, hacking and coughing in the stinging smoke. Using the handle of
my gun, I smashed out several of the panes of glass and opened the room
up, sending the smoke outside and ventilating the room a little. Still
coughing and trying to get my mind in order was the only thing I could do.
Leaning against the windowsill, I took long gulping breaths of the fresh
air outside as the burning in my lungs and throat began to go away.

>From the haze of smoke on the other side of the room, I heard an enraged
scream and barely got my arms up as Romaad rushed at me, his face covered
in blood. His weight plowed into me and sent us both through the unbroken
glass of the window and crashing out onto the porch. My head smacked
against the wood and ached even more as he got to his feet and kicked me
hard in the chest, sending even more breath out of my body. I crawled
backwards, looking up at him as he kicked me again and I fell backwards
down the moss covered front steps of the cabin.

The ground outside was cool and wet as I rolled onto my stomach and tried
to get up, my back turned to Romaad, who I heard. He walked down the front
steps at a calm, methodical pace as I tried to get back onto two feet. My
mind screamed crazily at me to lure him away from the cabin. Get him away,
it yelled. Wiping the blood and sweat from my eyes, I tried to look out in
front of me but it felt as though I'd been sprayed with mace. The outside
light stung my eyes and filled them with fresh tears. From behind me, I
heard Romaad pull something out of his pocket as he approached me, his
feet crackling against the dried twigs on the ground.

I finally got to two feet just as Romaad came up behind me and I felt him
pull the piano wire down around me. Out of pure reflex, my right hand got
up in the nick of time and kept the wire from cutting completely into my
neck. I hissed with pain as the wire sliced into the heel of my hand and
sent a gush of blood down my forearm. He grunted in my ear and the feeling
of his warm breath made me want to puke as he wrenched back, not realizing
that my hand had gotten up in time.

"Hey," I gasped, smiling despite the pain, "Wanna hear a joke?"

He didn't say anything. He just spat and wrenched back harder.

"Sure you do..." I panted, "What do you get... when to you cross... a chicken
with a telephone pole?"

Romaad didn't say anything as he wrenched back again, cutting into my hand
and sending shockwaves of pain down my arm and into my shoulder. I smiled
again and readied myself for the punchline. I licked my lips and squirmed,
my left hand preparing itself.

I laughed, "A 20 foot cock that wants to reach out and touch someone."

Using my left hand as leverage, I grabbed his hip and mule kicked him with
my right leg, slamming my heel right into his crotch. He cried out in pain
just before I brought my hand up and whipped him forward, sending him head
over heels onto the ground in front of me. Thinking quickly, I kicked him
square in the jaw before running towards the porch, slipping slightly and
scrambling up the steps, the mud on my clothes not lending me any
traction. My feet slid against the wood as I searched in the pine needle
carpeted surface for the gun, spotting it against the far wall of the
porch.

Before I could make it to the gun, a heavy weight hit my back and Romaad
pulled me backwards, slamming me onto the large oak table that had been
moved onto the porch at somepoint. I moved my head just in time to avoid
the sharp stick he brought down, nearly spearing me between the eyes.
Using my battle tactics training, I hooked my hand in the collar of his
black shirt and whiplashed his face forward into my elbow with my good
arm. The blood ran down off my hand as I shoulder blocked him back against
the outside of the cabin. After whipping him against the banister of the
porch, I reached down for the gun but made the mistake of picking it up
with my bad hand. Pain exploded from the gash in my hand and I dropped the
gun, swearing loudly and letting my defenses down.

It was all he needed as Romaad kicked me in the stomach and punched me in
the jaw, sending backwards over the banister and back onto the ground.
With a catlike quickness, he followed me over and kicked me again as I
tried to get back to my feet. His fingers dug into my throat as he slammed
me into the cabin before punching me in the stomach and knocking whatever
wind I'd gotten right back out of me. He grabbed me by the hair and my
scalp burned as he dragged me around to the front of the cabin towards the
car. He whipped me harshly against the side of the car and stood back for
a moment as I got my first good look at him.

It was a standoff. My opponent was a six foot tall lunatic with black hair
and fragile, blood soaked features holding a piano wire between two pieces
of pipe. I was a government agent with a mangled hand and a nearly crushed
throat. As I looked at him, it was clear that the shot I'd given him to
the face with the gun had obviously injured him seriously. His eyes were
glazed and I knew that he was dying. For a moment, I felt a bit of pity.
But only for a moment.

Rushing forward and not thinking, I punched Romaad in the stomach with my
good hand and doubled him over, then kicking him in the face. He fell
backwards and tried to get back up as it became clear that I had the
advantage. He groaned as I kicked him in the stomach and brought my
forearm down over the back of his head, sending him onto his stomach on
the ground.

"Gladiator..." He wheezed softly.

"Shut the fuck up, mother fucker!" I growled and kicked him again, hearing
his ribs break with my kicks.

"Gladiator... and Caligula..." He spat again, his voice slurred from the crack
in his skull.

"Shut up!" I shouted again and grabbed him by the hair, ushering him over
against the wall of the cabin. Quickly, I walked over and picked up the
gun from where it had fallen. When I returned, Romaad was slumped against
the all with his arms crossed in front of him defensively. Calmly, I armed
the gun and walked back over, standing about ten feet away from him as I
aimed the gun right between his eyes. Objective Point #1.

Romaad smiled, "You win."

My finger began to pull the trigger but just as it was about the happen,
Zac's voice carried from on the porch.

"Reid!?" He shouted, "Where are you?"

My head looked over and instantly, I knew I'd made a mistake when Romaad
flew forward with renewed strength and wrenched the gun from my hand. It
was scary how fast he moved. Smashing me several times in the head with
the gun, I felt myself falling and I knew that he had gotten me as good as
I'd gotten him. Maybe even worse. My head throbbed and I felt him grab me.
After punching me hard in the chest, his arm wrapped around my neck and he
dug the gun barrel into my forehead. It pressed so hard against me that it
began to cut the skin, and I felt myself being dragged over towards the
porch as my eyes blinked, feeling heavy and tired.

My heels drug against the floor and my eyes opened to see Zac standing on
the front steps of the porch, looking at Romaad and I expressionlessly. He
seemed to realize what was happening as Romaad tightened his grip on me
and held me up, pressing the gun even harder into my head.

"Remember me, Zachary?" Romaad yelled, his sharp voice making my ear hurt.

"Oh God..." Zac said, "Don't hurt Reid."

"I'll make you a deal, Zac." Romaad said, and his voice was overlaid with
a smarminess.

Zac began to step forward and a panic hit me, "Zac! Go back inside!"

Ignoring my hissing instructions, Zac walked down of the porch and onto
the ground, "What's the deal?"

"I will let Reid live a little longer... long enough to kiss you one last
time... if you take his place."

My heart sank and I shook my head weakly.

Zac looked at me pleadingly, "What do you mean 'take his place'?"

"I mean... you get one last kiss... but you'll have a bullet hole in your face
when you get it." Romaad hissed, obviously taking a twisted delight in his
situation.

"Zac... leave..." I whimpered, tears rolling down my cheeks.

Zac looked down and took a deep breath, his toes squiggling in the wet
moss on the ground, "Let him go first."

All the blood left my face, "No..."

Zac continued to walk forward and held out his arm, offering his wrist to
Romaad as my life flashed before my eyes. It had happened. His loyalty had
become confused and he was going to die because of me. My lip shook as
Romaad's grip relaxed, and I slumped forward, the wet ground feeling cold
against my knees. With nearly no energy left, I fell forward onto my
stomach and rolled over, pulling myself around to see Zac. Romaad had
wrapped his hand around Zac's wrist and was getting ready to pull him
close... Zac was going to die... and my gun was going to kill him. I still
tried to get back up to help him.

"Hey," Zac said softly, "I wanted to tell you one more thing."

"What's that?" Romaad said, licking his lips.

"Someone never got to say goodbye."

"Who?" Romaad said, raising the gun and smiling.

"Jason." Zac growled.

In an instant, Zac wrenched his hand away and kicked Romaad square in the
crotch with such an impact that the sound made me wince, even in my
concussed state. Romaad stiffened and lurched backwards, the gun falling
from my hand. It was as if the whole thing was playing out in slow motion
as Zac darted to his right and grabbed me around the shoulders, pulling me
backwards. My feet stumbled back as Zac pulled me as hard as he could, his
arm muscles straining. Romaad, a look of fury in his eyes, raised the gun
and aimed it above me at Zac. Blindly, my hand closed on a rock and I
whipped it upwards, watching as it whacked him in the forehead and knocked
the gun off course just in time as it fired, blowing a chunk out of one of
the support posts on the porch. I had done it. I had saved Zac's life.

The first gunshot hit my ears but to my surprise, nothing hit me or Zac.
Romaad's body jerked as a red fountain opened up in his chest... then a
second gushed out his right eye. More fountains opened on him and his body
thrashed in a gruesome dance of death. The gunshots continued as soon,
Romaad's body became a spouting marionette of gore and his struggling
became weaker and limper. His body pitched forward and as he fell, a final
bullet struck him in the back of the head, sending skull fragments and
gray tissue out onto the bushes. Zac buried his face in my neck as it
happened, not wanting to watch as Romaad fell, his body falling into the
bushes with a thud. And then... all was quiet.

Zac still kept his face pressed into my neck but I was curious. My eyes
scanned over to see Sgt. Aker standing by the side of the cabin, his state
patrol model revolver smoking still. I was overcome with relief as my body
relaxed and the realization hit me that it was over. It was all over.
Romaad was dead. In the seconds afterwards, a sunlight drifted down
through the overhand of the forest and send a warm, yellow light onto Zac
and I. My injuries burned and when Zac tried to move me, only a pained
whimper came out of my mouth and I felt hot blood trickle down my neck and
onto my bare chest.

"Zac... what the fuck were you doing?" I coughed, nearly choking on my own
blood.

"I didn't want you to die like that." He said, sniffling and wiping his
eyes before smiling at me.

All I could do was shake my head. Sgt. Aker knelt down beside me and
helped Zac support my neck as I laid there, unable to feel anything below
my shoulders. The light from the sky above hurt my eyes and fresh tears
rolled down my cheeks as a very heavy fog began to cloud my brain. More
blood filled my throat and I gagged, repulsed by the sensation and praying
for it to stop. My tongue felt as though it was distending in my mouth and
it blocked off my throat. The lack of air caused another dark fog to
spread over my eyes and I felt more tears pour down my cheeks and
somewhere, though the pain, I felt Zac caressing my cheek.

My eyes blinked as the blindness continued to take me over, "Zac..."

"I'm here, Reid." He said, his voice shaking.

"Thank you for letting me be human..."

"You're welcome." Zac whispered, his chin quivering.

My eyes looked to Aker who smiled at me respectfully. He finally respected
me. He respected me because I did my job. I had saved Zac and been
fortunate to love him at the same time. He held me protectively as the sun
continued to shine and my nose caught the scent of the trees as a soft
summer breeze blew over us. Zac's hand shook as he held my face, his
fingers trembling.

"I love you, Reid." He said, nearly sobbing as he looked at me.

"I love you too, Zac." I said, barely able to get the words out as the
blood continued to pool in my throat.

Zac took a quaking breath and he hugged me tightly, crying now and rocking
me back and forth. The blackness continued to blanket me as the pain began
to go away. My head didn't hurt anymore, my hand didn't hurt anymore, and
the crack in my skull had stopped hurting so terribly. The warmth from
Zac's body kept me from shivering as it felt like my body was sinking into
the ground. It was being accepted into the earth. After a short time, Zac
continued to rock me but I didn't feel it anymore.

Gradually, from my feet on up, a thick warmth began to cover me and when
my throat closed up, I didn't worry. There was no fear. My heart and soul
were at peace because I knew what it felt like to feel love. My life would
have meant nothing if I didn't know what it felt like to love and to know
what it felt like to have someone love me. Zac had made my life mean
something and I knew that our one time was enough to change my life. His
love had changed me and in a few short hours, he made everything
worthwhile.

"We'll be together, Reid..." Zac whimpered, "We'll be together forever..."

Even as I slipped away, I heard him. I smiled. I smiled because it was
true.

THE END