by Angel, Orithain and Rina
The young woman sighed, rolling her eyes heavenward as she walked toward the
reservoir's entrance. Honestly, what would either of her partners do without
her?
Once inside the door, she stripped off her gloves and unbuttoned her coat,
listening to her footfalls echo in the corridor as she headed toward the
briefing room. As usual, Li Ann was early for work; it was a trait she
prided herself on, and one she had utterly failed to instill in Mac when
they were together. Victor now, he had been more dependable. If only there
had been a way to combine the two men, that would have been perfect. Mac's
carefree daring tempered with Victor's dependability, and the result
certainly wouldn't have been hard on the eyes either.
As it was, she was content with things as they were; keep both dangling with
infrequent hints that she felt something more, but never giving either
anything concrete. The Director may have been a bitch at times, but she was
also an excellent teacher, and Li Ann was proving an apt pupil.
Breezing through the conference room's door, she raked a hand through her
hair, settling the wind-blown strands into place as her eyes settled on the
man sitting at the long table. Good, Vic was alone; now she could find out
what he thought he had been doing down there.
Pulling off her coat, she set it on the back of one of the chairs, giving
Vic a stern look when the slight noise made him turn toward her. "Just what
were you thinking, letting yourself get kidnapped like that?" she asked, a
hard edge to her voice to cover her concern for her former fiancé's welfare.
"Honestly, Victor. I'd expect something like that from Mac, but from you?
Vanishing like that without a word—talk about irresponsible!"
Vic chuckled as he washed his hands in the fountain of the men's washroom.
Alex seemed to have a definite thing for bathroom sex—first the plane and
now not fifteen minutes ago up against the wall of the stall. Thank god
Dobie or Nathan or, fuck, Mac hadn't walked in! It was bad enough that it
was probably on tape somewhere in the Director's taloned hands!
Rinsing his hands one last time, Vic did a quick check to make sure his
clothes were in order and he didn't look totally and completely fucked, even
though he certainly felt it, and headed to the conference room.
Alex's eyes narrowed at the condescending greeting. The woman, though
attractive physically, was extremely annoying. If this was Li Ann, Vic's
former fiancée, it was no wonder that his lover was more than a little
insecure. He'd be willing to bet money that she spent a lot of time
belittling Vic and tearing down his confidence.
With that in mind, he decided to have a little fun and get some back for
Vic. "Well, gee," he drawled sarcastically, "I thought it would be fun to
let an assassin drag me off and almost kill me. How inconsiderate of me not
to think that it might inconvenience you."
Green eyes watched her coldly. Despite his best efforts to make her believe
that he was Victor, he couldn't pretend to feel anything but dislike for
her. But he had a feeling that she was one who saw what she wanted to, so he
wasn't worried that she might realize who he was, or rather wasn't.
Li Ann's expression changed to one of shock at the response, and her chin
rose a fraction of an inch. "I didn't say that, Victor. What I was talking
about was the fact that you were obviously fine, and yet you didn't bother
to check in. Did it ever occur to you that we might be worried about you?"
"'Irresponsible,'" Alex repeated coolly. "That sounds more like annoyance at
being put out than worry over my fate." Tiring of the game and her
self-importance, he continued, "But you can stop 'worrying' about Vic any
more, lady. He's my concern now. And if you ever hurt him again, I'll kill
you." He shrugged indifferently at her expression of incomprehension. "Keep
that in mind. You mean nothing to me."
"Victor, what on earth are you talking about? I think you need to go see the
doctor. Maybe it's some sort of post-traumatic stress thing..." Dark eyes
narrowing, Li Ann stared hard at her partner and former fiancé, wondering if
Dr. Frye had gotten to him or if he really was developing schizophrenia.
The door opened behind her, and she let out a sigh of relief. "Mac, do you
know what's wrong with Victor? He's talking about himself in the third
person, and he threatened me."
Mac tilted his head slightly so that he could look over the top of his
sunglasses, then rolled his eyes. He may have only have seen Alex Krycek a
few times so far, but he had developed a kind of sixth sense when it came to
telling him and Vic apart—maybe it was the fact that he wanted to tear the
mother-fucker limb from limb then feed his parts to wild boars—not that
he'd give the other man the satisfaction of letting it show.
"That's not Victor, Li Ann." He turned to look over his shoulder when the
door was pushed open again. "That is. Take a good look now; it's not often
you see them when they aren't drooling all over each other."
For once at a loss for words, Li Ann looked from one identical man to the
other, dumbfounded.
"Thanks a fucking lot, Mac," Vic muttered as he walked by the younger agent.
"So much for me being one of your closest friends. Next time you need a
best man, ask one of the Cleaners since you seem to care more about their
happiness than mine!"
Completely ignoring both of his lover's irritating partners, Alex stood up
and moved over to Vic, pulling the other man into his arms. "Hi, beautiful.
I missed you." He covered Vic's mouth with his own, kissing him hungrily,
his hands moving over his lover's body as he pulled him closer. Only when
they were both panting for air did Alex raise his head again, though he
continued to hold Vic against him.
Hot green eyes cooled to chips of ice as they gazed at Li Ann. "Like I said,
Vic's my concern now. And if you're wondering, yes, I am the assassin." He
bared his teeth in a smile that more closely resembled a snarl.
"Missed you too, 'Lex," Vic grinned, thoroughly enjoying the Alex and Li Ann
show. He decided that since both his partners seemed ready to look down
their noses at his new relationship and cast Alex in a bad light, Vic would
just do whatever the fuck he wanted. And what he wanted was to mold himself
to his lover as close as a second layer of skin and try and remove Alex's
tonsils again.
"See, aren't we lucky?" Mac muttered to his sister under his breath. Pushing
his sunglasses back up his nose, he sauntered over to the table and dropped
gracefully into a chair, propping his feet up on the black surface and
lighting a cigarette, blowing a long plume of smoke toward the ceiling.
"Free shows whether we want 'em or not."
"Obviously he's had a detrimental affect on Victor," Li Ann answered, unable
to tear her eyes away from the two men though she managed a creditable sneer
at their public display.
Alex snorted, arms still firmly around Vic as he steered them toward the
chair at the opposite end of the table from Mac. "Jealousy will get you
nowhere, kiddies. You were stupid enough to throw him away; I'm not." He
kissed Vic quickly in apology for talking about him as if he weren't there,
then sank into the chair, pulling his lover down onto his lap.
Mac murmured something to Li Ann in Cantonese that had the young woman
laughing before settling herself into a chair, smirking.
Vic looked stricken at Mac and Li Ann, the two most real people in his life
until Alex had come along. "So much for 'family' he muttered. "Thanks for
reminding me yet again that I never really fit in."
Turning back to Alex, Vic washed his hands of it. If his so-called
friends couldn't take him the way he was, couldn't be happy for him,
then fuck them. He had Alex and Allegra; he had all the family he needed.
So what if having Mac turn on him hurt worse that getting shot ever had;
he'd learn to live with that too, he hoped.
The door opened again, this time with a bang. "Cool! Everyone's here!"
Jackie bounced into the conference room, then stopped, staring hard at
Victor and whoever the guy who was with him was. "Whoa! Deja vu or
something. Isn't that, like, incest?"
Alex glanced over at the snickering twosome and wondered if they really
thought something as juvenile as whispered remarks and laughter would bother
him when he had Vic in his arms. The blonde's arrival was a nice
distraction, and he smiled at her. She was rather refreshing after all the
snide remarks from the other two.
"It would only be incest if we were related, but we're not, so it isn't," he
offered, somehow knowing Jackie would appreciate the comment. "You must be
Jackie, and I'm Alex." He smiled at her, the first time he'd smiled since
meeting Li Ann.
"Hey," Vic punched the older man's shoulder. "No flirting with the tie-dye
blonde; if you think you get nuts..." he trailed off with a smirk. "I wish
she'd show up. I wanna get the hell out of here; there's nothing here that
I really feel like hanging around for, not anymore at least."
Alex frowned, reading Vic easily and angry that these people were hurting
him. "We'll do something special tonight, beautiful, just the two of us." He
looked around in irritation. "I suppose we have to wait for the uberbitch
before we can get out of this place?" He shuddered slightly, for a moment
reminded of that damned underground complex and silo.
"If the Dragonlady gets here, tell her I called in sick," Mac said to Li
Ann, steadfastly ignoring the other two men, knowing that was the only way
he could make it out of there without doing or saying something he'd regret.
Yeah, Vic, you go, he told himself as he stood and swung his coat over his
shoulder, trailed by the smoke from his cigarette as he walked out of the
conference room.
Like it mattered what any of us thought anyway. Like you've thought of
anyone but him since you got back, like you've had time to talk to anyone
but him. Like I care any more. That was the problem, of course, but damned
if Mac would let any of them know that. Let Vic have him, fine with Mac,
plenty of other things to do.
"Going somewhere, Ace?" Dobrinsky's smirk sent Mac over the edge, and the
big, bald man found himself thrown into the wall and flipped to the floor
with Mac hardly breaking stride as he made his escape.
"Like, what's wrong with Mac?" Jackie asked, glancing around the group in
total confusion before grinning at the picture Vic and Alex made together.
They were just too cute!
Vic's eyes clouded unhappily as he stared after his friend. "I don't
understand; why can't he be happy that I'm happy?" he sighed before
extricating himself from Alex's arms and taking the seat next to his lover.
"I've always, well almost always, supported him with his harem of women. He
never said he was homophobic."
Turning to Jackie, Vic continued. "Mac's not overly fond of my choice of
life partners, Jackie. Guess that shouldn't surprise me; he apparently was
never very fond of anything I did."
"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about that, Victor. Haven't you ever noticed
that our little Mac doesn't wear green well?" the Director purred as she
slunk down the stairs. "The uberbitch has arrived; class can come to order.
You, Mr. Krycek, can stay after class for your naughty remark. Mr.
Dobrinsky will be responsible for your punishment."
Even as she turned her attention to the Director, Li Ann couldn't help the
slight expression of disdain and disgust that twisted her mouth before
turning into a tiny smirk at the thought of what Dobrinsky would have in
store for that utterly rude newcomer.
"Ummm, that might not be the best idea," Vic suddenly piped in, thinking of
Dobrinsky and Alex alone together. "You might need to find yourself a new
assistant if, well, if things get ugly," he admitted honestly, looking over
to Alex to offer a silent apology for stating the obvious.
"And Mac looks fantastic in green," the ex-cop continued, blurting out the
statement before thinking about what he said and completely missing what the
Director had implied.
Alex had simply smirked at Vic's first comment, but the second sent his
eyebrows winging upward. It was beginning to sound to him like Mac's
interest in Vic wasn't entirely unrequited. A flash of jealousy pierced him,
but he knew he didn't really have anything to worry about. Vic was his, and
nothing would ever change that. Still, Mac was pretty. Hmm.....
With a sigh, Mac lifted his glass, watching as the light behind the bar
reflected through the amber liquid, turning it golden as the afternoon light
outside. He'd commandeered this stool at the bar several hours ago, and try
as he might, he hadn't been able to get drunk yet.
Stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray by his left elbow, he set his
drink down and automatically lit another one, inhaling deeply. The whole
point in leaving the Agency earlier had been to get away from everything
about his partner and his lover; only problem was no one had told Mac's
brain that, so he'd spent the day alternating between anger and guilt until
finally guilt won.
It wasn't Victor's fault that he'd fallen in love with someone that Mac
wouldn't trust any farther than he could throw him. It wasn't Vic's fault
that Mac had fallen for him, and it wasn't Vic's fault that Mac was so
jealous of him and Alex that seeing them together made Mac want to scream or
break things—or people.
None of it was Victor's fault, and Mac had to learn to live with that, and
with the other two men, before he went crazy—or crazier than he was
anyway. Li Ann wasn't going to be any help; she'd called him twice today to
vent her disgust and anger over what their partner had done. He had to admit
that he'd egged her on at first, but after listening to her tirade on how
sick and perverted the whole idea was, he'd broken in, saying his battery
was dying, and simply turned his phone off.
So, how to attempt to make amends? Things would never be the same, no more
hanging out, cracking jokes and dissing each other. No more half-drunken
talks that turned all too serious in the wee hours of the morning. No more
Victor. Now there was Victor and Alex—and Mac would have to deal.
Pushing off his stool, Mac headed for the door. What he had in mind might
not help, but it was all he was going to be able to manage in the way of an
apology. He made several stops, arranging his purchases in a large basket,
then drove to the apartment the two men shared.
Getting in the outer door proved no problem, and, on the elevator ride up,
Mac scribbled a few words on a piece of notepaper. "They throw this out
because they think I did something to the Dom, I'm going to be all kinds of
pissed," he muttered to himself as the elevator stopped and the doors slid
open.
Hitting the button to hold the car on the floor, Mac stepped out and headed
down the hall. Reaching Vic and Alex's door, he shifted the basket to one
hip, raising his hand to knock, when he paused. What was the point?
Setting the gift down in the doorway, he rapped lightly at the door, then
turned and walked back toward the elevator, hitting the button and waiting
until the doors slid shut to turn around.
"Well, that's done. What do you want to do tonight, Mac? Gee, I don't know,
Mac, get drunk? Get high? Get laid? Such wonderful choices all of them. I
know, let's go for all three. Good idea, old boy, good idea."
Hearing the doorbell, Alex left Vic in the kitchen to watch dinner while he
went to answer it. By the time he got there though, the only sign of whoever
it had been was the closing elevator doors. He frowned and looked down at
the basket lying at his feet, inspecting it carefully for booby traps before
picking it up and bringing it inside.
"Hey, Vic, someone left us a gift at the door. A rather nice one at that:
Dom Perignon, a pair of Waterford flutes, and some blues CDs. Very nice," he
approved, opening the note. "Holy shit." Alex glanced over his shoulder,
seeing that Vic hadn't come out of the kitchen yet. Guess I underestimated
you, Macky boy. Maybe you really do love him.
When Vic joined him, he handed him the note wordlessly.
Taking the note from Alex, Vic read it silently. 'Congrats, always remember
how lucky you are.' "Mac, you arrogant, childish, sweet idiot, you," Vic
murmured, blinking hard to clear his eyes of the moisture that formed. "I
think we just got a peace offering, 'lex. Mac definitely does things with
style, doesn't he?"
Knowing that he wouldn't get an answer regardless of what number he phoned,
Vic picked up the portable and dialed Mac's condo number from memory. "Mac,
I..." Vic began, clearing his throat due to emotions threatening to burst.
"Thanks, partner, it means the world to me, Mac. It really does. Thank
you." Hanging up the phone, the ex-cop turned and walked straight into
Alex's arms.
"He's got his moments, doesn't he?" Vic laughed softly, eyes glistening. "I
love you so much 'lex, but this—he was, is my best friend. I would trust
him to watch my back over Jackie and Li Ann any day. It hurt that he wasn't
happy for me, for us. I guess—it's nice to have approval from the people
you care most about, you know?"
Remembering his own happiness when Pauline not only approved of Vic but also
welcomed him into her family with open arms, Alex could only nod. He was
beginning to accept that Mac was an even bigger part of Vic's life than he'd
first thought, and though he'd never admit it, the brash ex-thief was
growing on him as well. He was going to have to think long and hard about
how to handle this, but...
The smell of something burning sent him running for the kitchen, cursing.
After tossing the remnants into the sink and turning the water on them, then
opening the window to let the smoke out, he sighed and turned to Vic with a
wry grin. "What do you want to order?"
Disapproval
i Ann Tsei stepped out of her car and flipped the collar of her coat up,
shielding her neck and face from the brisk wind. As cold as it was, however,
winter in Toronto had nothing on Greenland, which was where she had spent
the past two weeks. As if the so-called training assignment hadn't been
horrendous enough, the fact that she'd been sent to the frozen north because
of something Mac had done had not sat well with her at all. And then Victor
went and got himself kidnapped off the streets of New Orleans!
