Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, I just play with 'em and hand 'em back, none the worse for wear.

Author's Notes: As always, a multiplicity of thanks to my sterling beta, ultra_chrome, and this chapter's for mickeymvt because life really sucks rocks for her lately.
Historical note: Lockheed P-39 Lightnings really did (and still do) exist and for anyone interested in the real thing, I highly recommend Martin Caidin's "Fork-tailed Devil", the definitive work on the subject. Available from ibooks Press.

Story Notes: Highlander/due South crossover, with a cameo here and there from Hellboy, Airwolf, and a few other cameos the sharp-eyed might spot.

SequelTo: Geometry: Chapter 19, Dief's Plan, Dief's Pack

It was Fraser's gentle stroking of his wilted spikes that roused Ray from restless, uneasy sleep. Even sheer exhaustion couldn't keep him down for long when his mind and heart were this troubled and on edge. Fraser's warm, sturdy bulk wrapped around him was surprisingly reassuring, the gentle strokes lulling. Ray shut his eyes again for a second and let the feel, scent, and heat of his partner brand itself into his memory. Right down deep so fifty years from now he could remember every detail. Nothing in his entire life came close to it.

"You're awake," Fraser murmured, running a thumb over Ray's eyebrow, smoothing the sleep-rumpled hairs into place. "You should try and get some more rest, Ray."

"Can't," Ray mumbled, shoving his face into Fraser's neck. "Can't sleep until it's over. Never could, on a bad case."

Remembering the Beth Botrelle case, where Ray ran on coffee and nervous energy for almost four days, Fraser forbore to argue. He shifted Ray closer and patiently dug his fingers into the knotted muscles in Ray's neck, pushing firmly against the pressure points until he felt the twisted strands release.

Ray groaned in relief and bent his head deeper into Fraser's chest, the cotton scrubbing against his stubbled cheek. The relief caused by those knots letting go was glorious. But Fraser's touch did more than soothe, now that he was awake Ray wanted his partner, needed connection to him, with him; needed to be part of Fraser right now.

"Frase," Ray muttered, his lips pressing hesitantly against Fraser's collarbone, his hands stroking the small of that wide-muscled back. "Ben. I... need you. Can... can we? Can I...?"

"As you wish, Ray," Fraser replied hoarsely, his breathing rough and hungry as his mouth moved to cover Ray's. Devoured it, comfort pushed aside by a need strong and desperate as the one driving Ray.

Ray sank into his partner's kiss and let go of everything that knotted him up in ugly snarls all day. Raw hunger flared hot and violent between them, burning away the stomach-churning doubts, the stark terror and wire-tight tension the day's chaotic events left inside him. Ray filled his hands with Fraser's shoulder blades and sank into that welcoming mouth, needing to feel the life surging through his partner. Life, heat, fire, all burning under that pale skin as Ben's mouth opened under his, Ben's tongue battled his for dominance... and Dief's low bark jerked them both up short.

The wolf was standing in the doorway to Ben's room, head cocked as he studied them curiously. Diefenbaker rumbled low in his chest as he ambled over the bed and rested his head on the bedspread, watching them.

"Dief, buddy," Ray said, reaching out and ruffling the wolf's ears; feeling another unrecognized snarl of tension unknot at the understanding look Dief gave him as the half-wolf calmly submitted to the caress. "Thanks for taking care of our girl. I owe you."

Dief's wry ear-flick, head tilt and answering affectionate growl communicated so much unspoken emotion and insight Ray wondered suddenly how he could ever have missed how smart the wolf really was. Was he just blind or had Dief hidden his disconcerting brainpower until he trusted Ray? Until Ray was pack and could be trusted with the pack's secrets? Which was another seriously weird thought; but somehow when Ray wasn't looking, Dief's trust and regard -and affection- had come to mean as much to him as Fraser's and Marina's. So this was what pack meant, Ray reflected. He hadn't really got all of what that meant before.

Dief was still growling softly, but it took Fraser speaking to drag Ray out of la-la land again.

"Of course, Diefenbaker," Fraser said immediately, his face a weird combination of worried apprehension and suppressed hunger.

Amazing, Ray thought. He could read the emotions Fraser hid behind his Mountie armor like print now and even Dief's rumbling, whines, barks and growls were starting to make sense, like learning a foreign language just by hearing it spoken to you for a long, long time.

"Diefenbaker and Doctor MacLeod would like to join us, if that is acceptable to you, Ray," Fraser told him, one hand sliding down his arm to twine his fingers through Ray's longer, narrower ones. "Apparently they have devised a plan to lure the Hunters out of hiding."

If it was acceptable? Jeez. Ray grimaced, but he'd shed most of his anger and wasn't up to winding himself into a frenzy again. Which more than anything else told Ray how really fucking wiped out he actually was. "Her name's Marina, Ben," Ray replied wearily, leaning his head back against Fraser's bicep. "And any plan that gets those bastards in my sights sounds fucking great right about now."

Ben frowned, not liking Ray's bloodthirsty attitude, but he met Dief's gaze and nodded. "And we're pack, dammit," and Ray turned his head so Dief could see him speak. "You don't got to ask, ever, about stuff like that." He dug his fingers into the soft hollow behind Dief's ear, automatically scratching the spot that made Dief's tongue loll out. "You're always welcome, buddy," he muttered roughly. "Wherever I am. Me casa es su casa and all that."

Dief huffed out a wolf-laugh and nudged Ray's hand fondly before disappearing back out the bedroom door. The wolf returned a moment later, urging Marina through the open doorway. She was biting her lip, her fingers tangled deep in Dief's ruff, holding onto the wolf like a lifeline and looking as skittish and shy as Fraser used to when Frannie would corner him in the precinct house.

Her appearance caught both Ray and Fraser by surprise. Maybe it was just finally knowing what Mina was, but the thin blue silk nightgown clinging to her hips and legs, the ancient gems shining around her neck, the long straight hair spilling down her back made her look displaced in time, an image out of a distant, long-forgotten past. The memory of the first time he saw her dance surged up at Ray; the way she felt like a piece of history come to life. His instincts were so right about her all along...

"May I come in?" Marina asked quietly, half-expecting to be refused, judging from her shuttered expression.

Ray sat up and reached out a hand; knowing without looking Fraser was doing the same thing.

The suppressed anguish in Mina eased as she took their hands and let Ben and Ray pull her down onto the bed, cradling her between them, her body fitting between theirs just the way Ray longed for.

"I'm sorry," she whispered hoarsely, burying her face in Ben's shoulder, her hands clutching his arms, her legs tangling with Ray's as he snuggled up against her back. "I'm so sorry, I should have told you, I just didn't know how. I'm sorry..."

"'S not important," Ray muttered hoarsely against the nape of her neck, kissing the paler skin there, knowing deep within himself it wasn't. "We didn't tell you nothing either. I didn't even tell you my goddamn name," he whispered, his denial of her apology turning unexpectedly fierce. What she was, who he was, all their secrets paled in comparison to this, this unbelievable connection that surged between them all when they were alone.

Marina's valiant attempt to smile bled pain and Fraser kissed her hard, unable to stand the bitter self-hatred bracketing her mouth. Only when her still-pale lips were warm and rosy again from the heat and force of his mouth did he stop, swallowing hard to throttle back the urge to rip the nightgown right off her shoulders and stroke every inch of her skin, assure himself not a trace of those horrible gaping bullet wounds remained. The scar on his back where Ray Vecchio's bullet was still lodged throbbed hard, and the fear that overwhelmed his Ray earlier swamped Fraser without warning.

"We almost lost you," Fraser whispered harshly, "dear God, if we'd lost you..." His arms tightened around her so hard it must have hurt, but for the life of him Fraser couldn't make himself let go. A second chance- for once in his life he was getting a second chance to make things right, and he would not countenance losing this love now.

"Don't let go," Marina murmured brokenly against Ben's neck, her thoughts echoing his, her breath warm and damp against his throat. "Don't let me go."

"Not a chance," Ray muttered, clutching her hard, reaching over her to wrap an arm around Ben's ribs. The need to touch was overwhelming but even as he kissed the soft hollow behind her ear, down the curve of her jaw, the detective in him latched onto Dief's comment and worried away at it like Ray was a wolf himself.

"You got a plan to catch these guys?" Ray mumbled; he'd been hard with wanting Ben but now he could have driven nails with his dick, and Ray rocked against her thighs, the pressure changing the constriction to welcome friction.

Marina nodded against his neck and Ben loosened his grip on her just long enough to tip her face up and brush the hair away so he could kiss her temples, her forehead, the thin fragile skin of her eyelids.

Mina combed her fingers through Ben's hair, luxuriating in the velvet softness. "We know Horton has a source in the Watchers' Guild," she explained, whimpering softly as Ben's hand glided over her thigh, sliding the midnight blue silk up so his thumb could stroke the hollow of her hipbone. "Methos said they won't try for me here. Even the Hunters wouldn't attack an Immortal's citadel- especially mine. They're crazy- they're not stupid."

"Why not yours?" Ben murmured. His mouth brushed over her eyelashes, warm breath stirring the tangled, gold-tipped strands.

Marina shivered and her own breath caught. "They have access to my Watcher file," she said unevenly, arching back against Ray, who groaned and covered Ben's hand with his, sliding their joined palms across her belly. "I was a covert intelligence agent for close to fifty years. During World War II, I was part of the Resistance against the Nazis in Europe and after the fall of the Axis I was an Allied partisan against the Japanese in the Pacific. It's the time of the Gathering, so any home of mine will be a fortress. They know attacking me here would be walking into a deathtrap."

Pulled briefly out of building desire by sheer surprise, Fraser and Ray swapped startled stares over her head.

"You fought in World War Two?" Ray blurted out. Odd, disparate facts abruptly cascaded into place in his head; the bulletproof glass in the windows and doors downstairs, the voice-recognition software controlling the doors and elevators, the concealed room in her pantry- put together it was a security setup that wouldn't have disgraced a major metropolitan bank. What other surprises did the wharf hide?

Mina nodded, and a shy smile crinkled the corners of her eyes as she rested her head against Fraser's shoulder. "Um, actually I was a spy," she admitted sheepishly. "Damn good combat pilot, too." She laughed, the sound wry and amused. "Believe it or not, I was an ace."

"I believe you," Fraser said quietly. Stroking Marina's cheek, he let the feel, scent and heat of her body wash over his sex-heightened senses like ebbing waves. He'd been given a second chance to know this, to feel this overwhelming love for a woman and know it was returned with fierce devotion. Strangely beautiful and at heart more than half-wild, it was no wonder Mina and Dief had found the reflection of their souls in each other. As, Fraser realized, he had found the reflection of his own in Ray. These two bright-burning hearts nestled against his chest, sharing confidences in lover's whispers. His arms tightened around them both. Amazing. More than he ever wished for, more than he could even conceive to dream of. But here they were. And he would never forget, would engrave every sense memory in his heart for all time...

Still amazed by Mina's admission, Ray asked, "How many kills?" Jesus, his grandfather fought in WWII, used to tell him stories of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Coral Sea.

"Twenty-two," Mina replied, and a trace of pride tinged her voice. She touched Ray's lower lip, tracing the outline before folding her fingers over his, caressing his knuckles against her cheek. "Back in '44 I got my hands on one of the prototype twin engine Lockheed P-38 Lightnings... you don't wanna know how."

"Fork-tailed devils," Ray interrupted, remembering one of Granddad Kowalski's stories about a pilot buddy.

"That's right." Marina's eyes went distantly amused, lost in memory, recalling those rash, heedless days in the South Pacific a lifetime ago. She'd been so young and reckless, wild to fight the tide of fascism sweeping over the world and insanely confident her Immortal blood would protect her from any harm. "It was twitchy and hard to fly until we counter spun the rotors to eliminate the torque from the twin props and even then the right engine was temperamental as Hell. The coolant system sucked and the tail assembly was always working loose, but by the time Corky and Jake were done souping it up for me, there wasn't a Zero in the sky that could touch it."

"What happened to it?" Ray asked curiously.

"I got it shot out from under me by a Japanese Shiden in the last days of the War," she admitted. "The Allies were damn lucky the Japs never got the Shiden into full production before the war ended or we'd have gotten our butts kicked all over the Pacific. That plane could out fly anything in the sky. After I got shot down, I spent five days drifting in the South China Sea before Jake found me in the Goose." She frowned a little. "I think I died twice, but I was never sure. It was kinda hard to tell after the first couple days. Damn lucky I wasn't fish food, actually. Waking up in the belly of a shark- that's pretty nasty even for an Immortal."

"Jake?" Fascinated by this look into her past, Ray let the case slide for a few minutes just to listen, understanding it was Mina's way of trying to make up for keeping this a secret until now.

Marina laughed at the memory, and for a brief instant lively merriment lit up her features. It shocked -and hurt- Ray to realize he hadn't seen Mina laugh once since her return from the dead. A miasma of somber, unspoken misery clung to her, shadowed every word and movement. He would have done anything to drive it away- Ray just couldn't figure out what the hell would.

"Captain Jake Cutter and the Gold Monkey gang- that was us," Marina explained, leaning against Ray's shoulder. "Jake and I were the pilots, Corky was our mechanic, Bon Chance Louie -everyone called him that because he escaped from Devil's Island- he was our black-market supplier and information broker, and Lady Sarah Stickney-White was our Allied contact. She was a British spy. And of course there was our mascot, Jack."

She smiled down at Dief, lying at the end of the bed watching them quietly with his head resting on his paws. "One bark for yes, two barks for no, that was Jack's trick, you know. He'd lost an eye and had a fake eyeball made out of a marble-sized white pearl. Jack was vain as hell about it, hated wearing his eye patch, but Jake kept using the pearl as a stake in poker games and losing it. Jake must have lost it and won it back a dozen times."

Sadness tinged her smile, and Ray realized these friends she was talking about must almost certainly be long dead.

"God, we were crazy, every last one of us." Mina laughed again, louder, the sound rueful and fond. "The chances we took, the stunts we pulled..." She studied Ray and Ben thoughtfully, remembrance turning her face wistful. "You two would have fit in just fine."

Dief growled a complaint and looking down, Marina reached out with a foot and rubbed his belly gently with her bare toes. "You three," she corrected as Dief pinned her foot with a heavy paw and started licking it lazily. Mina snorted and mumbled, "foot fetishist..." without ire.

"Your plan?" Fraser prompted gently, sorry to cut her reminisces short but knowing it was too important.

Mina nodded, some -but not all, Ray was glad to see- of the light fading out of her eyes.

"We know the Hunters still have a plant in the Watchers' ranks," she explained. "We don't know who it is, but for this it doesn't matter. The hunters won't try for me, but they will try for a more accessible target. Their original target- Saladin."

"He's in police custody," Ray interrupted. "The Lieu'll have him stashed in a safe house by now."

Marina nodded again. "I know, but my Watcher has them currently under observation. He's due to report in twelve hours from now. If we let the information reach the Watcher database, the mole will report it to the Hunters, and they'll make their move."

Ray sat up, startled, his hand letting go of Ben's. "Your Watcher?"

Mina nodded. "Since Methos is here with me, my Watcher automatically followed the other Immortal, Saladin."

Fraser frowned. "What exactly is Methos' connection with the Watchers... Mina?" Saying her name came easier with Marina cuddled between him and Ray, and his fingers traced the long curve under her lowest rib. It stood out in a way Ben did not like in the least and he resolved to persuade her eat at least once more before morning. Ray, too.

She rolled her eyes. "It's ironic. Methos figured out a long time ago the safest place to hide from the Watchers would be to infiltrate the Watchers. He's been the Watcher assigned to find the legendary Immortal Methos for years- and he's made sure the investigation never came close to the truth."

Ray choked on a laugh, the sound jerked out of him by sheer surprise. "You're kidding!"

Her wry half grin shared the joke. "Nope. Cunning, our Methos. No one knew about it until my kinsman, Duncan MacLeod, discovered the existence of the Watchers and eventually unraveled the mystery while searching for the ones who killed Darius."

The grin faded as she glanced away. Darius' death was barely a year old, and breaking the news to Salah made the loss heartbreakingly new again- after expecting to spend centuries learning from Darius meeting one of his former pupils touched yet another nerve she hadn't known was still raw.

"Of the Watchers," Marina went on doggedly, "only Joe knows the secret of Methos' existence. Joe's made damn sure it stayed a secret, too."

"Why?" Ben asked logically. Determined to drive back the shadows darkening her eyes again, his hand moved higher, stroking the underside of one breast. Cupping it in his palm, he brushed a thumb over the nipple and felt it rise. He began circling the peak, feeling it stiffen more under the caress.

Ben's caress jolted Marina before depression could drag her back down, and she sucked in a ragged breath and continued. "Joe knows if the rest of the Watchers discovered Methos' existence, Methos would disappear. And knowing the inner workings of the Watchers' Guild as well as Methos does, the Watchers would never find him again. Never."

Ray chewed that over, scratching his scalp with both hands to shake off the last vestiges of sleep. His wilted and rumpled spikes stood out wildly when he was done.

"So Methos slips Saladin's location to the Watchers," Ray muttered, thinking his way through the plan. "The Hunters hit the safe house, and when they do, the CPD's waiting and nails 'em all." It was risky- damn risky, but if it worked, they could get all the bastards at once.

"That was Dief's plan," Mina confirmed, and nudged Dief's jaw with her foot. Dief mock-growled and bit her ankle gently, then nudged it under his chest to keep warm and started licking her other foot.

Ray watched, weirdly amused. Dief was calmly licking Mina's toes and -even stranger- Fraser was feeling her up without a trace of shame or awkwardness. Deciding there were a lot better things they could be doing in Ben's bed than talking about tactics, Ray leaned over the edge of the mattress and rummaged through his coat pockets for his cell phone.

Explaining the situation to Welsh didn't take long, but there were a few kinks to work out. Fraser sat up and drew Marina back against his chest as Ray talked, one arm around her waist, the other hand stroking her hair, patiently finger-combing the disordered locks into long shining spirals.

It stabbed Ray unexpectedly to see them curled together like that: Fraser so somber but his touch so tender, and Mina so sad but achingly lovely in her weariness. Half freaked out again, Ray wrenched his mind back to the Lieutenant's voice on the phone.

"Welsh wants to know when can you leak the location," Ray reported, putting his hand over the phone pickup. "They'll need time to get SWAT teams in place without attracting attention."

Marina gnawed on her lower lip thoughtfully, her head resting against Fraser's shoulder. "My Watcher's due to report in again at nine in the morning. Reporting off-schedule might make the Hunters suspicious. But they'll almost certainly strike very soon after that, they won't take a chance on the CPD moving Saladin before they can attack. Will that be enough time?"

Ray relayed that, listened to the murmur of discussion on the other side of the line, and nodded. "Awright, Welsh and Commander O'Neill think this is our best chance to nail these guys all at once. Go ahead and leak the info, babe. They'll warn Huey and Dewey, get the teams in place and wait."

Marina nodded, more than a little surprised at the quick decision. The CPD must really want to close this case to gamble on such a risky venture. "All right. I'll get things going on our end."

Ray listened for a few minutes more, then snapped the phone shut. "O'Neill ain't happy about relying on a Fed, especially an ex-Fed," he told Marina bluntly. "Same time I don't think she'd go with it at all if she didn't figure you knew more'n you were telling."

Marina shrugged, not denying the implication. "It's for her own protection. The less she and the CPD know the safer it'll be for everyone. The Hunters are cold-blooded murderers, and they wouldn't hesitate a second to kill humans if it would further their cause. Horton just considers them collateral damage." Her mouth tightened angrily as she straightened. "Filthy bastard. Bad enough he means to slaughter our kind to the last, but he'll kill his own kind too."

Fraser brushed a kiss across her temple and some of the angry tension seeped out of her face as she leaned back against his chest.

Ray wasn't happy to see weary depression replace it. He dropped the phone back on the floor and glanced at the clock. Just past one on the morning- so they had eight hours, more or less, before things started going crazy again. And he could think of a lot better things to do than sleep, but first...

"You need to give Methos the go-ahead?" Ray asked Marina, unhappy at letting her out of his sight, and even more twisted up inside that maybe she wouldn't want to come back.

Dief rumbled something and heaved to his feet, stretching his muzzle out and nuzzling Mina's cheek.

Fraser cleared his throat and a slight flush crept up his neck. "Ray, Diefenbaker has offered to inform Methos of the CPD's decision and stand guard over him for the night, if we will watch over his mate. None of us should be alone at this juncture. It's entirely too dangerous."

Ray blinked- he certainly hadn't expected that. "Uh, thanks, Dief buddy," he muttered, taken aback by the offer. So the wolf apparently thought he, Ben and Mina had some making up to do, too. Hell, the furball probably was the smartest one in their pack after all. Diefenbaker aimed a decidedly amused stare at Ray, making him wonder crazily if maybe Dief was just plain reading his mind. But the wolf jumped down off the bed and ambled out without further comment.

"Wait a minute- when did Methos learn to speak wolf?" Ray asked, staring after the wolf.

"I explained one bark for yes and two barks for no to Methos," Marina explained, rueful understanding briefly lightening her withdrawn mien. "Knowing those two, they'll probably be debating nuclear physics or the nature of the universe by morning."

For all Ray cared Dief and Methos could debate any damn thing they wanted; he had other things on his mind.

"Mina," Ray said haltingly, reaching out and brushing his thumb over her cheekbone, tracing the slanting arch.

The wounded darkness crept back into Marina's eyes as she leaned into the caress, and Ray muttered a curse as he leaned forward and kissed her, hands gripping her shoulders tight. Fraser was a broad hot wall to push her against, and something about Mina was scaring the living shit out of Ray, his instincts kept yelling last kiss, last time, last night... Why he felt that way Ray had no clue; hell, maybe he was still freaking over almost losing her. God, they'd come so close, so damned close.

"Stay, baby," Ray choked against her lips, "want you. Need you. Need us," and Ray felt Fraser's arms close around him and Mina and ease them down on the bed.

Holding Mina against his chest, Frase stared hungrily over her shoulder at Ray, licking his lower lip in a silent, unconscious plea to be kissed.

Ray was all over that, he plastered his body up against Mina's, grabbed the back of Fraser's neck and pulled him into a kiss. His partner kissed back with a sudden wild urgency that told Ray Constable Fraser had left the building and Ben was in charge now. And Jesus Christ, Ben's kiss was hot, hungry and urgent, raw need driving him to plunder Ray's mouth without restraint. Marina was still chilled, but heat flowed from skin against skin, Ray's golden tan to Mina's mahogany to Ben's snowy white. Fraser hooked his leg over Ray's thigh and Ray locked his ankle around Ben's, pulling them even closer, crushing Marina between, trapping her in their warmth.

But it wasn't enough, their partners' bond was singing with the need for Mina, to reclaim her for their own. Ray sucked on Ben's lower lip one last time and they swapped an almost desperate stare. They couldn't lose her, they just couldn't. Not now... and they had to have her now.

Marina welcomed being crushed, her wild kisses against Ben's neck muffling broken endearments as her fingers clawed at his undershirt, pulling it up so she could reach the skin underneath.

Ray covered her hands with his, yanking the white undershirt over his partner's head, throwing it aside when the sweat-damp cloth cleared his head. She rained kisses down against Ben's chest, collarbone, shoulders; soft cries mingling with Ray's panted oaths and Ben's harsh uneven breathing.

Ben stroked a hand through Ray's hair where the bristling blond spikes were wilted and soft, kissing the dampness at his temples, before descending to cover Mina's lips.

"Clothes... off," Ray choked out, making a desperate effort and managing to form words other than the fuck please now screaming in his brain.

Ben took that as an order and jolted Ray and Mina by catching the edge of her gown in a capable hand and pulling it right over her head. Ray caught her thigh and rolled Mina onto his chest as Ben pulled the gown away and in a telling display of un-Mountie indifference dropped it over the side of the bed. The flimsy silk floated to the floor leaving Marina bare save for her necklace, and the soft glow of pearls, the diamonds glittering in the dim light only set off the rich red-brown of her flesh.

For Fraser, seeing the pale gold skin of Ray's hands silhouetted against that dark color was wildly, powerfully erotic. He sucked in a harsh breath seeing Marina sprawled nude on Ray's chest, seeing with the raw hunger in the sound shock through Ray.

Ray rolled toward his partner, his mouth still hot and eager on hers. Ben wrapped one arm around them both and kissed on the nearest smooth skin he could taste -Mina's shoulder- while the other hand fumbled blindly with Ray's zipper.

Too caught up in lust and need even to curse now, Ray broke off sucking on Mina's tongue. Hauling himself away for an endless second, Ray pulled off his shirt and shoved jeans and briefs off together, hating even the extra instant it took to rip off his socks so he could be as naked as she was. Ray wanted -Christ, he needed- nothing less than to feel Mina, feel Ben against every inch of his skin.

Ray fell back down beside Mina and stroked a hand down her ribs, savoring the texture of the delicate skin around her navel before tugging impatiently at Ben's waistband.

"Lose 'em," Ray husked, stealing a slick, wet taste of Ben's tongue, sucking and worrying at Ben's lower lip. "Want to see you..."

With Mina safe for the moment in Ray's arms, Fraser forced himself away from their heated flesh, pulling off his jodhpurs and boxers and shoving them off the edge of the bed, undoubtedly landing in a heap on his already discarded undershirt. It hardly mattered. They'd still be there in the morning. Truly, respect for the uniform wasn't a priority right now. Nothing mattered now but Ray and Marina.

How close had he come to losing them both today? Knowing Marina died for him would have killed Ray. Killed him slowly, by excruciating inches. A death even more terrifying and agonizing than Mina's life spilling out in a red flood on that dingy warehouse floor.

The thought of life alone again made Fraser's heart constrict, squeezing painfully tight in his chest. This love was as necessary to him as air now. More so. Stumbling back onto the bed, Fraser gathered Ray and Mina against his chest with hands that shook despite his best efforts at self-control. They reached for him together, and how marvelous was it he didn't have to explain, to even ask for reassurance? It was simply given.

Ray wrapped an arm around his shoulders, hauling his partner close while Marina brushed velvet kisses over his cheeks, forehead and brows. Their proximity soothed Fraser in a way nothing else could, and heated need overwhelmed fear. Dear Lord, the power, the passion he felt for them, with them. Nothing in his previous life encompassed the sheer gale force of it. Even his ill-fated obsession for Victoria paled in comparison.

Overwhelmed, Ben brushed a lingering kiss over Mina's lips, easing them apart, tongue stroking lightly over hers while his hands ghosted over her ribs to her nipples, calloused thumbs teasing them into sharp little points. Marina's gasp as she arched into his hands only made him hungrier. His desire -need- was so strong Ben was almost afraid he would hurt her in his desperate longing to get closer.

Dragging his hands up to her head, Fraser buried them deep in that mass of blond, twisting the strands into thick coils and binding his wrists with the pale twisted skeins, using them to pin his hands against her head, cupping the back of her skull in his palms. Only then did he sink back down into her mouth, losing all control as he devoured her return kiss.

Binding his wrists was a welcome relief, freeing Fraser to concentrate only on her mouth, sweet and hot and hungry. Marina's moth-wing kisses deepened into a slow exploration of the recesses of his own mouth as he sucked at her lower lip, caressing the soft fullness with his tongue until it ripened into that puffy curve he found so compelling. To mark his lovers, to leave the marks of his passion on another person was... sublime.

Watching Ben tie himself down with Mina's hair made Ray's breath clog in his lungs, and he brushed the last few strands away from the nape of her neck with an unsteady hand and kissed the soft, vulnerable skin there, kissed the backs of Fraser's fingers. The faint soapy floral taste of her shower gel mixed with the tang of homemade hand salve made Ray so hard it hurt, and he pushed closer, rocking his erection against Mina's thighs, his hands slipping around to grip her hipbones. God, he couldn't get close enough, Ray wanted to come in her while Frase came in him; wanted to be completely surrounded, to drown in this freaky, unexpected but soul-deep love.

"Marina," Ray muttered thickly, pressing his forehead against Fraser's hands as his fingers traced the curve of her hipbone, following the soft indentation down to her close-trimmed curls.

She shuddered and her legs parted. Taking this for permission as well as invitation Ray slipped his fingers down, combing through the curls between her thighs, parting the slick folds and stroking her gently.

"More," she moaned, drinking in the smell, the sheer heat of their bodies surrounding hers. "God, Ray, I want you... in me..."

Ray bared his teeth in a fiercely greedy grin. "Know what you mean," he husked, sinking his fingers deeper. "Can't stop thinking about coming in you while Ben comes in me."

Fraser's indrawn breath was ragged and his hands tightened on Mina's scalp. "Dear Lord, Ray," he choked out, unable to articulate how that thought aroused him.

Ray threaded his other hand through Ben's dark hair and plundered his partner's mouth, mimicking with his tongue what he wanted Ben to do in his body. "You like that?" he growled, dragging his teeth over Ben's lower lip. "Turn you on, buddy?"

Ben's answering growl was so low and deep, so savage with lust, both Ray and Mina shuddered in heated reaction. Fraser hid his wild side so well that when it surfaced it was all the more powerful for being so unexpected. But Ray only chuckled -the sound impossibly cocky, confident, unafraid- dropped his mouth down and clamped his teeth on Ben's neck, enjoying the sharp jerk running through his partner's body as the air whooshed out of Ben's lungs.

"Who's the alpha now?" Ray murmured, even in the heat of passion unable to leave off their affectionate rivalry.

Fraser couldn't help the laugh that spilled out even as his eyes darkened from the feel of Ray's teeth against his windpipe and he arched his head back, baring his throat willingly, glorying in the freedom to be wanton.

Their loving camaraderie undid the last of Marina's fragile self-control. The ugly certainty she was going to have to leave her newfound pack knifed at her heart again, a breath-snatching shock of pure pain. Momentarily undone, she hid her face in Ben's chest while she struggled to shove the hurt back down out of sight.

It did no good, Fraser and Ray sensed her withdrawal immediately and feeling their twin grip tighten around her only twisted the phantom knife deeper.

"Hey, baby..." Ray murmured, exchanging a worried glance with Fraser as he stroked her hair. "What's wrong?"

Unable to bring herself to lie any further, Marina let a portion of the truth out. "I'm so afraid I'm going to lose you, lose... this," she said brokenly. "It... it just hurts."

Their expressions softened together and Ray gave Fraser a helpless glance, begging him to find words to ease her fear.

As much as Ray wanted to reassure Marina that wasn't going to happen he damn well knew it could, and fuck if he was going to offer false reassurance. They'd all lied to each other way too much already.

Fraser cleared his throat and lifted her chin so Mina was looking him in the eye, his thumb tracing her lower lip, softening the bite mark her teeth left in the rose curve.

"All we can do is have faith," he whispered.

The laugh that escaped her was so bitter it jolted Mina even more then Ben and Ray.

"Faith? In what? In Fate? In God? In everything turning out all right?" Helplessly, she shook her head in inarticulate denial. "Sorry, Ben. That kind of faith died with Darius."

"No," Ben said gently, stroking her face. Her pain was tearing at him; he knew it so well. The visceral fear that what he loved would be ripped away, leaving him alone again. Seeing it in Marina kept conjuring up eerie echoes of all the lonely years of his previous life. The pad of his thumb traced the arch of her cheekbone as he sternly repressed a sudden surge of helplessness. "Faith in me. Faith in Ray." He brushed a kiss over her eyelids and Mina felt her eyes close involuntarily under the feather-light touch. "Can you believe in us?"

Tears stung behind her eyelids. Marina struggled for words and realized she had none, nothing that wouldn't betray the guilty knowledge weighing down her soul.

"I do," Mina choked out, everything she wasn't saying sticking in her throat until she could hardly breathe.

Ray slid a hand behind her neck and pulled her mouth down to his; whatever was ripping Mina up, Ray knew how to drive it away. He could do that much. He could love her enough to make her forget, at least for a while.

"Fuck me," he muttered against her lips. "Both of you. Now."

"R-Ray," Fraser stuttered, doubt threading through the gut-wrenching hunger Ray's hoarse plea kindled in him. "Are you sure? The initial... penetrative... process..." flushing, he fumbled for words less crude. They were making love, not having sex, and all three knew it, even if articulating it was too distressing in these most uncertain of circumstances. "The... first time... is not without discomfort. Even pain."

Ray shrugged, uncaring. "So? I want to."

The hard knot of despair in Mina's throat simply melted, washed away by the surge of absurd affection for Ray's sheer courage. That was so Ray, to just jump in and trust that his dancer's grace and Southside street-punk's guts would land him on his feet, ready to take on whatever he found.

She leaned forward and rubbed her cheek against his, catching Ray's start of surprise as the sharp edge of her misery finally eased. "Ray, have you ever done this before?"

"Not... exactly. But Stell..." Ray grimaced and looked away; his and Stella's love life was the last goddamn thing he ever wanted to drag into bed with Mina and Ben and here he was doing it anyway. "I know how to... pitch," he hedged. "So it doesn't hurt or anything. I just, uh, never been the catcher, you know?"

Mina nodded, like she'd expected this answer. "Then you know it's not that simple," she said gently, stroking the sweaty hair away from his temple. "Don't ask Ben and I to hurt you now, Ray. Not like this."

Christ knew she was going to hurt Ray soon enough, Marina thought wearily. Thank whatever gods might exist in heaven above and hell below he and Ben would have each other. Whatever happened, at least they wouldn't be alone... not like she would. Again.

"Why not?" Ray muttered, defeated by her honesty but still rebellious. Damn it, he knew what he wanted- so what if it hurt some? He could take it. "Why you and not me?"

Mina took a deep breath. "Because..." Well, she reflected, this was awkward. Amazingly so. "Duncan, Methos... when we needed... to feel close, to be connected... that's how we make love. It's been a year since I've been with anyone but you and Ben," she ducked her head and a flush tinted her cheeks pink. "But if you go slow... it won't hurt me."

Fuck, that should not be such a goddamn turn on for Ray but it was, it totally was and the thought of pushing into her warmth and feeling Ben pushing back made his cock jerk and leak, leaving a glistening smear on her thigh.

"Fuck, yeah," Ray blurted out, catching Fraser's eye, hope mixed with pure lust resonating along their partners' bond. "Can we?"

Fraser was breathing hard, almost dizzy with wanting to thrust into her body and feel Ray push back, perfect counterpoint, their duet singing in this, too.

"Yes," Fraser said hoarsely, his throat closing with the need to have this. To be truly together, at long last.

Her face buried in Ray's shoulder, sweat from the combined heat of their bodies stung Marina's eyes and made them water, surely that was the reason she could not stop the silent tears. "Yes," she breathed, suddenly, shockingly desperate to have this memory to take away with her. As desperate as she'd been the last night she, Methos and Duncan made love. Mad to have one perfect memory to take into the darkness. "Now. Please."