~~~~~~

Several female students sighed as his soft, rich voice carried effortlessly across the small amphitheater of Anthropology 305. The lone figure prowled the space behind the podium with nervous energy, arms waving expressively to emphasize the point of each phrase. He looked more like a student than a professor, long, rich, dark-brown curls captured in a tail at the base of his head by a dark band, layers of loose-fitting clothing covering his compact form.

After stopping to check his notes, he raised his eyes and surveyed his audience. At least he still had their attention. Many were hastily scribbling notes. There were several more students enrolled this semester than last, he noted with pride.

"The idea of body modification as a display of power and status or even cultural orientation is alien to the twentieth-century Western world. Images of septums and labrets pierced by foreign objects send shudders down the backs of most politicians and a large part of society. Currently, physical manifestations of authority and rank are divorced from the body of the individual. Yet, in ancient Mesoamerica, and, in many other indigenous communities, these types of identifications are inherently part of and inextricably linked to the human body. After all, the power suit can hardly compare to the elaborate turquoise nose ornamental complex worn for personal involvement in pursuit of respect. In fact, the adornment and often subsequent alteration of the body in our society is strictly frowned upon."

Unbidden, the image of Jim's face, the first time he'd seen his nipple ring, flashed in his mind. He'd have given anything to have a picture of that look! Blair lips curled into a tiny smile. It had been an interesting mixture of horror and fascination.

He visibly shook himself and snapped his attention back to the issue at hand.

"In the modern age, body piercing has been ascribed to groups labeled as subversive and 'subcultures' like the miscreants of yesterday and today, and their associated followings. There has been a recent revival in the aesthetic interest of body piercing, but even this 'neo-tribalism' or 'modern primitivism' is removed from the magic-political significance of ancient practices. There are certain common themes, but from our position in time and in the West, the true power and connotations can only be assumed at best."

Jim had slipped out of bed early this morning. Blair felt him go, but had been too sleepy to do more than moan with regret at the loss of body heat. His Sentinel had placed a quick kiss on his lips and put his pillow, still warm from his body heat, next to Blair. Even in his sleep, Blair knew he had smiled at the kiss and wrapped his arms tightly around the pillow, snuggling into its warmth as he had slid blissfully back into sleep and dreams of his love.

Jim tucked the covers tightly around him before he had left the loft.

"The use of body-piercing today, or what is called 'mutilation' by the mass media, has a particularly powerful symbolic connotation-deviance, pain, masochism, self-destruction -and seems to disturb those outside the punk genre more than any of the other styles - hair, leather jackets, clothing or tattoos-combined. Body alteration can be viewed in many ways, owing significantly to the variety of reasons that participants give about why they chose to be pierced. It can be seen as a rite of passage, an expression of estrangement from mainstream society, as a means of gaining a sense of control over their bodies, enhancing sexual pleasure or enhancing their attractiveness,"

The phrase 'enhancing sexual pleasure' had acted as a trigger. At this point, the tiny ring in the nipple over his heart began to tingle and burn beneath his shirt causing a faint flush to rise on his face. Now, hot flashes from remembrances of his lover's warm, moist tongue wrapped around the aforementioned ornament kept creeping, unintentionally, into his mind creating a marked rise in the cadence of his heartbeat.

This lecture had seemed a lot more impersonal at 1:00 this morning.

"for the spiritual, erotic, social and aesthetic rewards to be gained from permanent body modification, the desire to embellish oneself in aesthetically pleasing ways or to 'carve' an individual identity in a culture that encourages conformity and discourages physical differences that deviate from the norm. Punk adornment, elaborate hairstyles, colorful clothing, facial painting, tattooing, multiple piercing, suggested non-Western forms of body art and a tribal. . ."

Blair's lecture was interrupted by the bell.

"OK, people," he raised his voice to be heard over the din, "we'll pick up where I left off in Wednesday's class. And, remember, that's chapters 27 through 31 for the test Monday."

That announcement was met with a chorus of moans.

"Sorry, people, the bad part of college life! Have a good weekend!"

As the sea of faces, eager to get away and begin their weekend activities, flowed toward the door, Blair began collecting his assorted books and papers into his back pack. He usually used this time to collect his thoughts as he waited for the room to empty.

Tonight was a bust. Simon had asked Jim over to play 'poker with the boys'. The invitation had included Blair, but a roomful of testosterone-driven individuals whose main concern was smoking while talking 'cop' didn't hold high appeal for him, so he'd begged off. Now, somehow, sitting alone in the library or the campus coffee shop or in an empty loft was just as unappealing tonight.

Gary and David were going camping this weekend. David had invited him along, but the look of horror on Gary's face told him, this time, three would be a crowd and that there was a little more on the agenda than just camping.

Everyone else he'd called was busy too, or doing something that didn't spark his interest. So it seemed like he was on his own until the game broke up.

"So, this is what you look like in action. I'm impressed, man. You really made poking holes in yourself sound interesting. They never had teachers like you when I was in school. If they had, maybe I'd've 'outted' sooner."

Blair looked up at the sound of the vaguely familiar voice. In the shadows, near the top row of seats in the amphitheater, stood a lone figure. "Can I help you?"

"I surely hope so," the individual laughed as he came down the stairs into the light.

Blair's eyes widened in surprise. "Justin?"

Young Mr. Evers held up both hands in a gesture of surrender. "Don't look so alarmed, man. It's just a social call! I come in peace."

More suspicious than pacified, Blair asked, "What're you doing here?"

"The Councilor just flew to Seattle on some kind of urgent conference and dragged Paddy with him." He hung his head in mock sorrow. "I couldn't go. Mr. Choate seemed to think I'd disrupt his concentration somehow."

"Somehow I'm surprised you let a little thing like that stop you!"

Justin barely hid the mischievous smile as he looked back up at Blair. "Paddy said if I showed my face anywhere near the city. . .and this is a direct quote, 'I'll put you across my knee, in full view of everyone, and paddle that delicious ass of yours three shades of blue.'" Even as he said it, his cheeks turned red from the blush.

"And he's serious?"

Justin shrugged. "Very." The smile brightened. "So here I am! I tried all my alternatives. Everyone else was busy or doing something totally boring, so I thought, it's been years since I was at school, why not look in on Blair."

Justin's hair fell to his waist loose and free, flowing around his body like a cape. No, more like a raven waterfall. When they'd first met, Blair had wondered what it looked like down.

He was dressed in an aqua and neon green tank top tucked into skin-tight black leather pants. The mid-calf length, kid skin boots were also black, a silver chain around the ankle and across the instep of both. He carried the black leather jacket loosely in his left hand.

With a seemingly arrogant toss of his head, he sent his hair back behind him. A delicate silver circle with a small, milky-green, teardrop-shaped gem suspended from its center, dangled in his ear. A beaten metal bracelet encircled his right wrist, while a gleaming silver watch enclosed his left.

He pulled the Ray Ban's from his face to reveal the almond-shaped, grey-green eyes Blair vividly remembered from that fateful evening, and tucked one arm of the sun glasses inside his shirt, letting them rest against his chest. The fresh tan on his olive-colored skin gave it a healthy glow.

Justin took another step towards him and Blair turned his attention to fumbling with the papers on his desk.

'Don't ruin it, Justin! I really like you!' Blair thought to himself. "So, what's up, Justin?"

The object of his discomfiture stopped in front of him. "You haven't forgiven me, have you?"

Blair looked up at him, stilling his anxious movements. "I. . ."

"You're way tense, I can see it. I don't want to make you uncomfortable, Blair. I was just. . .lonely and I thought of you. We really got off on the wrong foot initially, and I'd like to make amends." You could tell this admission took a lot out of him. "No strings, no tricks, just company, I swear," he paused, looking very young and unsure, "I. . .but you and your detective probably have plans for the weekend."

Blair relented. "Well, actually, Jim's busy tonight. I was kinda on my own."

Justin's face brightened. "Any plans, then?"

Blair shrugged. "First, to the library to do some research, afterward, a late dinner, something simple, then home to bed."

Those thick lashes shuttered the dazzling eyes once, then opened wide in disbelief. "You're kidding, right?"

"I am giving a test Monday."

Now they sparkled with amusement. "And you haven't started writing it yet?"

Blair looked startled a moment, then looked around sharply, cocking his head to one side.

Justin snorted. "What?"

"I don't know, man, for a minute there I thought I heard. . .I don't know. . ." he cringed dramatically.

Now young Evers laughed at his antics. "OK, OK, I get it! I did kind of sound like the Councilor's chief aide, didn't I?"

"Actually, it was more like a certain Cascade police detective."

Both laughed, the tension easing visibly.

"I won't tell if you don't."

"Deal!"

They laughed again.

"So, I take it you and Paddy are an item now?"

Justin's face lit with the same sappy smile Blair saw in the mirror daily.

"I guess, you took my advice, then?"

Justin began to self-consciously twist a lock of his hair between his fingers, while chewing nervously on his lower lip. " Blair, I was pitiful. I just didn't believe it could happen so I didn't try. And I'd been lusting after him, like, forever, man. Thanks for the push."

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

The sky had just begun to lighten as Jim put his key in the lock and slipped into the loft. He stood still a moment and listened, no heartbeat, no even breathing of sleep, no Blair. Glancing over to the table, he saw the red light was flashing on the machine. Jim walked over and hit the rewind, waited a second, the impatiently punched the play button.

". . .Okay, Big Guy, before you spazz out on me, man, Justin promises. . ."

"What the hell?!" Jim punched the stop button hard, then rewound the tape, making certain it went back to the beginning of the message this time, and resumed play.

"Hey, lover! Win anything? I know better than to ask what you ate for dinner. Aspirins are on the kitchen table, Alka Seltzer's in the bathroom, top shelf of the cabinet. Hope you didn't over do it too much. Oh, you'll never guess who I ran into on campus. Justin Evers. Seems we're both free for the evening and he invited me to dinner and then for a ride on his bike. You should see it, man, you'd so lose it! It's that new BMW R-something or other. The one you dragged me to the showroom to look at, remember? The one that costs more than my next three year grant proposal. Anyway, now I guess I get to find out what all the hype is about, huh? So, Justin says he knows this mountain trail, maybe we'll do a little hiking when it gets too steep for the bike. I hear it's gonna snow! Just kidding! Okay, Big Guy, before you spazz out on me, man, Justin promises we'll be back before dawn. I know you won't be done before then. If there're any changes, I'll call, okay? And keep it warm for me 'till I get back. I know I'll be hungry! Love you!"

"Damn it, Sandburg!"

The pleasant buzz he had going a moment ago vanished right along with the erotic plans for the rest of the morning. His long-haired, little flower child was too trusting by half. Damn it, Sandburg! How could you trust him after what he tried to do?

"Where are you, you little imp?" Jim punched the stop button on the machine angrily. "Since when did your sole goal in life become to give me grey hair and an ulcer?!"

'All right, Sentinel, calm down! Blair's a grown man, he has a right to do whatever he likes, with whomever he likes. . . DAMN IT, SANDBURG!'

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

Blair fidgeted nervously with his slightly rumpled clothes as they stood outside one of the more posh restaurants in Cascade. "I don't know about this, man. I'm not even wearing a suit coat."

"Will you relax?" Justin smiled as he pulled Blair inside.

"Mr. Evers!" The maitre d' was coming toward them, a huge smile on his face. "We haven't seen you or your father here in quite a while." He took Justin's hand and shook it. "What's wrong, you don't like the food here anymore?"

"No, Rick. We've just been busy, that's all. I'll bring the Council and his Aide back here soon! Say, my companion here is a little uncomfortable about his attire. Is the room in the back free?"

"Oh, Mr. Evers, I'm sorry! It is occupied for the evening. Ms. St. Cloud and party are in there. She said she didn't want to be disturbed."

Justin's smile brightened. "Darby? Darby's here? Well, that's okay, then! Darby's a friend! She won't mind if we join her! Come on, Blair."

The two walked through the restaurant to the small, intimate dining room nestled deep in the back.

Justin swung the door open without bothering to knock, "Hey, Darby, I. . ." and froze.

Darby looked up from the papers scattered across the table. Her face hardened. She was seated at the table with four other men, the one in a suit Justin recognized as her new boyfriend, Eric Jones. The three others in plain clothes were rough, angry-looking men. He didn't know any of these people. On his unannounced entry, they all turned hate-filled, suspicious eyes at him.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I can see you're busy. We'll just catch you some other time." Justin grabbed Blair and beat a hasty retreat.

"Who were those people, Justin?" Blair asked as he was tugged unceremoniously out of the restaurant. They didn't stop moving until they reached the bike.

Justin handed him a helmet. "I haven't a clue." He put his own on and climbed on the bike, starting it quickly.

Blair slid up behind him while cinching up his helmet's chin strap. "They didn't seem too hospitable. What kind of people do you run with, anyway?"

"They weren't the regular crowd Darby hangs with. I don't know them at all. Except Eric, and I don't know him all that well." He shifted his shoulders in a shudder. "They gave me the chills."

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

Chief Councilor's Aide Patrick Edward Choate turned his attention from the speaker of the floor and leaned in close to hear what the attendant anxiously whispered in his ear. "What do you mean, 'There's a lunatic on the Councilor's private line?'"

"He says he's a police officer, but, I swear, he doesn't talk like any cop I've ever heard."

"The police?"

"That's what he said."

"Nothing's happened to Justin?"

"He didn't say it had. He does want to know where he is, though. He was very insistent about that."

"Why? Is he in some kind of trouble? Did the officer give you his name?"

"I don't know and, no, he won't tell me anything. He says if he can't get anyone in authority to talk to him, he's coming up here himself. You talk to him, Mr. Choate! I, for one, don't want to meet him face to face."

"Paddy?" The conversation had gained Councilor Evans' attention. "Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing I can't handle, sir." He rose, taking the young attendant by the arm, and hastened from the room.

"This is Patrick Choate, can I help you?" he said immediately after picking up the phone.

"Where are they, Choate?" snarled the voice on the other end. "I warned you to put a leash on him! If he's hurt Blair this time. . ."

Choate recognized it immediately. "Detective Ellison? Slow down! You're not making any sense!"

If anything, the acknowledgement made Jim angrier. "He took Blair again! Damn you, Choate, you told me you had him under control!"

"Justin? We're talking about Justin? Took him? Justin took Blair? Ellison, I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't try to cover for him!"

Choate calmly replied, "I'm not. I left Justin at the Councilor's residence in Cascade yesterday afternoon."

"Blair left a message last night saying he and sonnyboy were together and they weren't at the Councilor's residence in Cascade," he said mockingly.

"And that makes you think there's something wrong?"

"And you don't?"

"No, I don't. Justin's changed, Detective Ellison. He doesn't do that kind of thing any longer."

"Sure, that's good PR, right? Feed them that line, while you cover up the truth."

"The truth is, Justin has behaved himself since the gala."

"Come on, Choate, you didn't think I'd check?"

Patrick silently prayed for strength. "And what was there, Detective, a couple of paid speeding tickets? That's all you found, wasn't it?" he sighed heavily. "That's got to count for something, doesn't it? It's only been, what, three - four months? I'm not a miracle worker, Ellison. I'm doing the best I can."

"Like you didn't cover up the rest!"

"For the last time, there is no 'rest'," he said slowly as if talking to someone mentally challenged.

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

Blair had been periodically glancing back over his shoulder for the last few blocks. He couldn't say what alerted him that something was very wrong. "We got a tail," he yelled in Justin's ear.

Justin checked his rearview mirror. "What makes you think that?"

"They've been following us for the past ten, fifteen minutes."

"Don't you think you're being a little paranoid, Professor Sandburg?"

"Believe me. I've been partner to a cop for almost two years. I think I learned a few things!"

"Okay." Justin conceded. "What do you suggest we do?"

Blair thought a minute. "Take the next right. We'll go to the police station. . ."

"Are you crazy?! And what do we tell them? We think some big, bad men are chasing us? Look at us, Blair, long hair, jewelry, what do you think they'll think?"

"Justin, I know these people, they'll help. . ."

"Or, even worse, they'll probably call your cop."

"So?"

"So?! Come on, Blair, I'm not exactly on his 'let 'em live long enough to explain' list."

"I don't know, Justin," Blair glanced back one more time. "They kinda look like the guys that were with your friend at the restaurant."

"Look. I tell you what. We'll do that mountain trail thing. If it is Darby, she hates the great outdoors. If she's trying to scare us, she'll lose interest really quick," he said as he took the next exit heading out of the city.

"I don't know, Justin." Blair repeated. "Maybe we should go to the station. It'd probably be safer."

"Safer? Safer's for the old! We'll be all right."

"But, Jim. . ."

"Can't you do anything without checking with law enforcement? Come on, Blair! Darby's harmless! She's probably bored and just having a laugh at our expense!"

"Well, I don't mind telling you, her sense of humor is, like, so totally off the mark here, man!"

"Hey, forget Darby!"

"I can't forget her," Blair grumbled. "We missed getting dinner because of her."

Justin laughed. "Say, I know this biker bar along the way. We can stop for a burger and a beer. I know it's not the same caliber as Boccaccio's, but. . ."

"Biker bar? Burgers? Beer?" Blair snorted derisively. "Damn, if I close my eyes, it's almost like a date with Jim."

"It is? Cool! Paddy'd never take me to a biker bar. And if the beer isn't imported and ice cold, it just isn't happening for him. Come to think of it, if he even suspected I went to this place, he'd have a cow," he laughed.

"So why do you go, then?"

"The rush! The edge! Doing something dark and dangerous! You know?"

Blair smiled. "Yeah, I guess I do."

"And, besides, just the thought of stick-up-the-butt Choate giving birth to a bovine is enough to send me right over the edge."

Both laughed because Blair understood that, too.

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

The place looked like a saloon from the wild West. And the sounds emanating from inside gave substance to that image. The parking lot was filled with vans, pickup trucks with gun racks and rows and rows of customized motorcycles.

"Justin. . ." Blair said uneasily, as he climbed from the parked bike. "I don't know. . ."

"What do you know then? Man, I thought we left the old men back in the city."

"I've just got a bad feeling. . ."

"It's probably hunger. Come on, it'll be all right. I've been here before. Trust me."

Inside, they found plain, wooden floors littered with sawdust and peanut shells. The walls were covered with the antlered, mounted heads of all form and fashion of dead animals, their glassy eyes staring into nothingness. Over the cash register, in a place of honor, was even a plaque bearing the head of the famous, elusive 'Jackaloupe'.

Off to one side of the room two or three couples one-stepped across a tiny dance floor to some old country western tune playing on an old, battered jukebox.

Toward the back was a slightly raised platform. Across its surface sat a HUGE pool table that several men milled around.

The bar spanned the length of the entire room. A Confederate flag stretched across the back wall. The smell of stale beer and rancid grease was heavy in the air.

Justin and Blair quickly took a seat as far away from the resident crowd as they could.

A thin young woman in faded denim and a plaid shirt came over. "What'll it be?" she asked in a bored voice.

"Burger, medium rare."

"Justin! At least order it well!" Blair hissed in a strangled whisper.

"Will you stop acting like somebody's mother and relax!" Then to the waitress, "He'll have his well, but I want mine medium rare. The works on both. Two orders of fries and two beers. Draft."

She gave the table a perfunctory wipe before turning and walking away.

It wasn't long before the burgers and beer arrived. "Enjoy." She said as she walked away.

Blair picked up the huge mound of meat and bun and tentatively took a bite. He had to admit it was good, even if he had to keep his eyes off Justin's to enjoy his.

"Is this place cool, or what?" Justin said with a huge smile and a hefty swig of beer.

Blair took another bite from his burger as he eyed the place warily. "I think it definitely falls under the 'or what' category."

Justin laughed. "Where's your sense of adventure, man?"

Blair smirked at him. "Must've left it in my other set of clothes." He swallowed and reached for a fry, again looking warily around the room. His eyes came to rest on a figure at the bar.

"What is up with you, man?" Justin asked him, following his gaze.

"That guy at the bar."

Justin took a sizable bite from his sandwich. "What about him?"

"He's been eying us since we came in."

"So?"

He chewed several times before swallowing. "So. . ."

"So," Justin took a long swallow of beer, "maybe he's just checking us out, we are some fine-looking studs, you know."

Blair bit into his own burger. "It's not that kind of look, Justin!" he said softly.

Just then the door burst open and two more rough-looking men stomped in. They joined the man Blair had said was watching them from the bar.

"Justin!" Blair whispered urgently as he set down the nearly empty glass. "Isn't that tall guy with the moustache from the restaurant?"

Justin's gaze swung around to the trio. "Say, now that you mention it, so's the little one with him. What are they doing here?"

"Maybe they heard the burgers are great here, too," Blair said sarcastically. "What do you think they're doing here?"

"You think they followed us?"

Blair gave him an exasperated look.

"Why?"

"I haven't got a clue, Justin, they're your friends."

"I don't know these people." He signalled to the waitress. "Could we have the check, please?" he said when she came to the table. "And wrap this up to go." He pushed their platters towards her.

When she returned, Justin quickly paid the bill. Blair took the grease-stained, brown paper bag and they exited the bar.

They had made it halfway across the parking lot before a loud voice stopped them. "Say, what's your hurry, girlie-girl?"

Both young men turned. The trio was standing a few feet behind them.

"You all're dressed kinda fancy to live around these parts. Where you from?"

Justin held up his hands in a 'ward off' gesture. "Look, we don't want any trouble."

"They don't want any trouble, Calvin." The heavy-set, balding one said to the tall, dark haired one with the moustache.

"That's good to know, Arliss," Calvin replied as he moved closer, circling the two young men, menacingly. "Mighty tight pants you got on there, pal. Why, in this light, with all that hair, somebody might mistake you for a girl."

"Why don't you leave us alone, ok?" Blair said, trying to back towards the bike. The little weaselly one blocked his path.

"Fat chance of that happening, Arliss," Calvin said looking at the obvious bulge Justin's genitals made in his tight leather pants, "Lookee here, he's hung! You hung too, boy? Damn, Arliss, look at this!" He pulled the back of Blair's pants with one hand, making them tighten in the front, while raising his shirt out of the way with the other. Blair yanked his clothes from the man's grasp and danced out of reach. "A waste o' meat! You stick that up your boyfriend's ass, boy?"

Arliss poked at Justin. "Maybe this is his boyfriend. Huh? Are you, girlie-girl? Betcha could pass a train through his asshole, taking a piece o' Porterhouse like that! Whatcha bet, Calvin?"

"I say we take 'em out back and see. How 'bout you, Sam?"

The weaselly-looking one laughed vulgarly. "Come on, I think I got some leftover 10-inch PVC in the truck. Why don't we shove it up both their asses, see if they can take it?!" He and Calvin grabbed Blair and Justin and began dragging them towards the rear of the bar.

Once out back, Calvin pushed Blair up hard against the wall of the building.

"Say, man, why don't you, like, just let us go, okay?"

"And why would we want to do that?" he asked, his face close to Blair's.

"We weren't bothering you, man!" Justin said as he pulled at Sam's grip until he let him go.

Calvin turned to Arliss, "He even talks like a girlie girl."

Think, Blair told himself, think! How do you get out of this? Suddenly, he softened his face and made his stance less defensive. "Okay! Okay! I get the message! All of this is about attraction! You want me, don't you?"

Calvin nearly lost his grip on Blair's shirt. "What?!"

"You saw me and liked the package. I guess I can get with that. Come on, then, I'll take you, but just you, one on one. You man enough?"

"Ooo wheee! Calvin got him a live one!" Arliss said as he grabbed Justin by the arm. "Looks like we're havin' a party!"

"Blair!" Justin cried out in shock as he unsuccessfully pulled to free himself from Arliss' imprisoning grip.

"Oh, shut up, Justin!" Blair hissed at him. "I just want to get out of this with my skin intact!"

Justin hesitated, staring hard at Blair's face, trying to read his expression. "You aren't going to. . ."

"Yes! If that's what it takes."

Calvin was all but licking his lips. "Well, come on, girlie-girl, let's get it on."

"Well, you're not going to be the only one having fun!" Arliss shifted his grip to Justin's wrist. "Come on, let's us go make nice."

"I can't believe you two! You're as bad as the perverts!" Sam said in disgust. "I'm not watchin' this! You guys do what you want to, just hurry up!"

Just then, Arliss pulled at Justin's wrist and Sam saw the glint of metal. "Wait." He roughly pulled off Justin's watch and looked closely at it in the pale light. Did the tiny letters on the face say what he thought they said?

Thinking Sam was finished, Arliss once again began pulling Justin into the surrounding shadows. "Wait, I said!" Sam reached for Justin again, pulling off his bracelet this time. Abrading the skin in the process.

"Hey!" Arliss protested.

"Hey, nothin'!" Sam snapped, angrily, "You're gettin' what you want! Let's hope it's worth it!" He started to walk away when the earring caught his eye. "And I want that, too."

"No!" Justin pulled back from Sam's grasping fingers and received a hard cuff to the side of his head for his trouble.

"Shut up, or I'll cut your ear off, faggot!" he snarled, then grabbed the earring and pulled savagely.

Justin screamed as the metal tore at his flesh. The fine wire that held the ornament in place gave way just before it could slice the lobe in two.

Sam wiped away the blood on Justin's shirt. "There, now you can have him. I'll be in the truck! I'll give you both fifteen minutes, then I'm leaving without you! Make it fast!"

Arliss muttered curses under his breath as he dragged a dazed Justin further off into the darkness.

Calvin soon had Blair pinned up against a nearby tree. "Come on!" he said, shoving his body roughly up against Blair's, causing his head to impact the coarse wood.

"Easy, man, easy," Blair said as he moved his head, the bark pulling at his hair. "We're going to have a good time."

Calvin grabbed him by the throat. "Shut up!" He shook him harshly. "Shut up! You talk too damn much! You don't have to talk to fuck!"

"Okay, okay," Blair whispered, "whatever you say."

Satisfied as to his captive's acquiescence, Calvin lowered his head so he could see to unbuckle his belt, still holding Blair up against the tree by the throat with his other hand.

When Blair saw his attention was elsewhere, he grabbed Calvin by the shoulders and pulled him towards him while bringing his knee up into his groin with as much force as he could in the confined area.

It wasn't as effective as he would've liked, but Calvin clasped both hands over his balls and went down with a muffled cry of pain. Once he was on his knees, Blair grabbed both his handsful of Calvin's hair and whacked his forehead sharply against the trunk of the tree.

Blair took a second to gloat, before turning in the direction that Arliss had dragged Justin away. As he got closer, he could hear a muted argument.

Justin's voice was pleading. "No!"

"Shut up!"

"Please, I don't want to do this!"

There was the sound of a slap. "Let go, you little cunt!"

Blair knelt down and felt along the ground, praying desperately to find something solid. . . a beer bottle! He crept up behind the two shadows struggling in the faint light and broke the bottle against the back of Arliss' head. He went down, a dead weight on top of Justin.

"I'm dead! I'm dead! I'm dead!"

"You're not dead! Come on!" Blair hissed. "We don't have a lot of time!" And together they worked to get Arliss off him. "Where's the bike, man?"

"This way!"

They raced off into the dark.

Justin managed to get the bike started and find the road. "Man, I thought it was over for sure!" he said as they turned back toward Cascade. They had gotten several miles down the highway, when Justin turned and yelled back, "Next time, give a guy some signal or something! I thought you were seriously going to do that bastard!"

"Next time?! What do you mean, next time?!" Blair screamed, then looked up just in time to see a blur flash across the road. "Justin, look out!"

Justin swerved to keep from hitting whatever it was, but the odd angle of the turn and their combined weight overbalanced the bike and they went careening off the blacktop, down and over the edge of a short rise.

When Blair came to, everything on his body hurt. He felt like he'd been used as a punching bag by a very angry gorilla. "Justin?" he whispered into the darkness. He tried to rise but a pain lanced a path from his left knee to behind his eyes. He dropped back into the dirt. "Justin, where are you?" He waited. "Justin, answer me!" He heard a low moan, just off to his left. "Justin?" He began crawling towards the source of the noise. Soon his fingers encountered leather, then warm skin. Blair felt his way up a leg to an arm, to the shoulder, neck, then the head. Well, at least everything was still attached. Blair gently shook that shoulder. "Justin?"

After a moment, Justin stirred. "Blair?" he groaned.

"Yeah."

He moaned as he slowly pulled himself up to a sitting position. "What happened?"

"I don't know. We swerved to keep from hitting what looked like a deer. But with our luck, it was probably a bear, or a mountain lion." He tried to laugh. "Anything broken?"

There was the rustle of clothing. "No, just sore. How about you?"

"My knee won't take my weight."

More rustling, then Blair felt a touch on his knee. "Justin! Damn, man!"

"Sorry. Does it feel broken?"

"No, it just hurts like hell."

Blair heard more rustling as Justin crawled away, searching for the bike. He found it not far from were they landed. Grateful the blinding darkness hid the damage to his new toy, he rummaged through the wreckage. "Well, we can't stay here."

"Justin, you go on. You can get farther without me."

Justin strapped a small bag across Blair's shoulders and pulled him to his feet hitching him up on his back, clasping Blair's hands under his chin. "You have no idea how much trouble I'm in already, do you? When Chief Aide Choate gets his hands on me, he's going to peel me like a ripe mango. I can honestly tell you, I'm really looking forward to the experience," he said caustically. "You think I want your cop mad at me, too? It's both of us or none of us."

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

They had walked until Blair's weight made it impossible for Justin to carry him any farther. Then, luckily, they found a small outcropping of rocks deep within a glade. Justin lowered Blair to a nest of tall grass, unstrapped the pack, and made him as comfortable as possible.

"Here." Justin opened the bag and handed Blair a small flask of water. "Just a sip, there isn't much. I forgot to refill it," he added sheepishly.

Blair wet his lips and let a tiny bit trickle down his throat before handing the bottle back to Justin.

"I'm going to wrap your knee up, ok?" Justin took an Ace bandage from the small first aid kit also in the bag.

Blair smiled weakly even though he knew Justin couldn't see it. "Always be prepared?"

"Actually, Paddy made me pack it." Justin said as he tore the leg of Blair's pants open. He quickly wrapped the bandage around Blair's swelling knee. "Better?"

"A little," Blair lied.

"I wish I had some ice," he muttered, "or an emergency room." Justin stood up, dusting himself off. "Okay, I'm going to scout around for some wood to start a fire."

"You think that's wise, man?"

"It's either that or freeze to death."

"Come on, freezing may be preferable to attracting the three stooges."

"These rocks are almost like a cave. If we make a small one, they won't find us."

"I don't know, Justin, that's a pretty big 'if'."

"You got a better idea?"

"We could share body heat."

"We could share body heat and start a fire. Just a little one, Blair." He paused, taking a deep breath as he considered, "I hate the dark, ok? I have since I was a little kid. I mean, I can handle it if Paddy's there, no offense. Just a small fire, Blair, something to keep the demons away. OK?"

"I hope that's just what is does, Justin, 'cuz we got real live demons out there, somewhere, man."

~~~~~~

Once they got the fire going, Justin moved closer to Blair. He deftly gathered the mass of hair trailing down his back. Dividing it into three sections, he began to braid.

"Damn, how do you do that, man? That looks like a lot of work," Blair said after watching him.

"Practice, I guess. Sometimes, it's a pain, man. It gets me into all kinds of trouble."

"Then cut it."

He smiled. "About a month ago, I got another speeding ticket. Paddy'd warned me, one more and he'd take the keys. But you know me, man, always pushing the limits."

"You let him do that?"

Justin looked at him as if he were insane. "Did the vehicle we just crash look like a Jag to you? Anyway, I got so mad at him I stormed out and went straight to Nean's salon and ordered him to buzz me."

"Bad move, man. You'd look horrible in a buzz." Blair glanced over at him across the fire. "Wait a minute! I know your hair didn't grow that long in a month."

"Nean took off about an inch before he threw the shears down on the counter and refused to cut any more. So, I grabbed them up to do it myself."

"And. . ."

"Ralph handed me the cell phone."

"And Ralph would be?"

Justin stopped braiding long enough to give Blair a 'duh' look, "The Councilor's limo driver. Paddy had my keys, remember?" Then he starting braiding again. "I had to get there somehow. Anyway, he had called Paddy."

"I'll bet he was, like, way out there."

"No, actually he sounded kind of sad. He said, 'I love your hair, Justin. If you're going to cut it all off, at least save it to bring back to me."

"So you didn't do it?"

Justin shook his head. "I couldn't after that." He sighed. "Sometimes I wonder just who has who wrapped around their little finger."

Blair laughed. "Jim likes mine long, too." He looked at Justin. "Maybe not that long. But I love his hands in it, you know?" He paused, staring into the flames. "Sometimes, when we're lying in bed and I'm too keyed up to sleep and I'm keeping him awake by talking about anything and everything that runs through my mind, he starts playing in it, just running his fingers through it, massaging my scalp. Then, damn, Justin, the next thing I know, it's morning." He looked up at Justin sheepishly, then looked away.

"I never thought of your detective as that demonstrative."

"Hey, don't sell my big guy short! Sometimes, he surprises even me."

"That's not the side of him I've met."

"He was angry. You don't think he had a reason to be? As I remember, Choate was kind of angry too."

"Don't remind me, OK?"

"So, Justin, what did go on that night after we left?"

Blair didn't think a human could blush that deep a shade of red. "Damn, Blair, you know what happened."

"Well, ain't this nice."

Both men froze at the sound of that voice.

"All cuddled up like lovebirds. Sam! Arliss! Calvin! They're over here!" He aimed his rifle at them. "You two get on your feet."

Blair struggled to stand, leaning heavily on Justin for support. The three other men came into the circle of the camp fire.

"You found them! Well, all right, Darryl!"

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

It was way past dawn and no sign or word from Blair. Choate had called Jim at seven, Justin was still AWOL, too. He'd said to dress warm and meet him downstairs in an hour, then hung up the phone.

Ellison was standing outside his loft pacing nervously back and forth in front of his truck. Only by sheer force of will had he been able to stay put and wait at all. 'Five more minutes,' he thought, 'I'll wait. . .'

Just then a sleek, midnight-blue Jeep Grand Cherokee slid up beside him. "Get in," Choate said, as he pushed open the door.

Jim climbed in. The Councilor's Chief Aide was gone. Behind the wheel sat a very dangerous man dressed in heavy black slacks and a well-worn leather jacket over a dark, long sleeved shirt, thick, woven socks and black desert boots.

Choate eyed Ellison through dark glasses, also noting the police officer's absence. Jim had also chosen sturdy slacks, dark brown, a light, short sleeved sweater, an equally as well worn, black leather jacket, thick socks and a pair of black hiking boots.

Ellison slid his sunglasses on his face. "Choate, if he's hurt Blair. . ."

The aide shoved a map in Ellison's hands. "Stop beating your chest, Detective, you're preaching to the choir." He threw the car in gear and took off in a squeal of tires.

Ellison was forced to grip the dashboard to steady himself. "But you still don't think Justin took Blair?"

"Not 'took' in the sense of 'kidnapped', no. Justin can charm water from sand when he puts his mind to it, Detective."

"You're saying Blair was coerced?"

"I'm saying Justin was probably bored and angry because I left him on his own."

"So he did this to get back at you?"

"I'm still not convinced that he's 'done' anything. He and Blair are probably just out cruising on that two-wheeled, chrome monster machine he just bought."

"Motorcycle? I'da pegged Justin as the sports car type."

Choate kept his eyes on the road, "I took that away."

That earned him a look. "Oh?" Jim paused. "Does that fall under your duties as Councilor Evers' aide?"

"No."

"So, there's more here than just doing a job?"

"Yes."

"But you think they're okay?"

"Justin is, until I get my hands on him."

"And where does that fit under your civic duties?"

Choate turned his full glare on him. "Under 'pissed off lover', how about you?"

Jim smiled as he settled back in the seat, "Right there with you, Choate, right there with you."

They were quiet as Choate drove through the city. He took the first exit leaving town.

"Do you know where we're going?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"You said Blair mentioned a trail in the mountains. Justin and I go hiking there all the time. With any luck, we can catch them on their way back."

"If you're so sure they're all right, why not just wait until they get back?"

"You don't strike me as man who likes to sit and wait, Detective." When Jim shook his head, he went on, "I didn't think so. Well, neither am I. Besides, if that little brat thinks he's going to manipulate me like this, he's got another think coming. I'm going to snatch him off that bike, find a rock in a shady spot and make what I did to him the night of the gala look like a moonlight stroll in the park." He looked at Ellison. "That won't get me arrested for battery, will it?"

The tone of his voice made Jim grin. "Probably not, since we'll likely be sharing the same rock." They drove a few more miles in silence. "You ever think, maybe, he gets off on that?"

"What? Pain? My Justin?" Choate snorted. "Hardly! He freaks at a splinter. I think he's just not use to being responsible for someone else's feelings. The Councilor pretty much raised him to look out for number one. Generally, he's pretty considerate. No, he's very considerate. Just sometimes it's like this evil imp takes over. . ."

"I think that imp has a twin."

That made Choate laugh.

After another long, thoughtful silence, Jim asked, "You think they'll ever change?"

"I hope not! I just wish Justin'd tone it down some, I'm getting too old for this. You know what I mean?"

"I know exactly what you mean." Jim smiled again.
End, part 1

****

on to part 2. . .