Chapter 1: Nights like these

Mycroft checked his watch. There was a quick knock on the door to his hotel room. So his guest had arrived, and on time as usual. The Alpha sniffed the air. The young blond Omega entered without any of the mundane pleasantries. He knew from experience when the Alpha called on him so late in the evening there was one purpose for his visit.

The Alpha appreciated this about the younger blond in the casual dark designer jeans, his black boots shined and fitted blue v neck jumper matched the dark blue of the Omega's eyes.

Mycroft loosened his own powder blue tie. The Omega moved to do this for the taller Alpha. A quick intake of breath and Mycroft tasted the clean scent of this younger man. Indeed, the young man had done everything as per the arrangements. Free of scent, Mycroft could close his eyes and allow the hands to continue to free him of his garments.

Those hands warm, gentle and seductively slow. For this night, just like the others with the procured the young man's company, he could imagine another.

The Iceman held his breath. His eidetic memory would pull forward that saved image and if the young Omega in the room did not speak, the fantasy could play out.

Mycroft Holmes would see another blond, similar in height, slightly leaner, but the eyes were a shade lighter. Sky blue, like a clear spring day just after the snow melts. There was always laughter there in the Omega's eyes, and promise. The same warmth had been fleeting, like soft breeze on a humid afternoon. It had been his, such happiness or rather the disgusting illusion of and like all things illogical and sentimental it was extinguished.

Taken from him. No. He was the master of his own mind and heart. It had been by his own hand. And just like that his world had gone cold once more.

Mycroft caught his breath as the warm mouth enveloped his hard member and all thoughts of loss were forgotten.

He could, just for tonight, pretend that the warmth had returned. He would drive himself deep into the willing mouth spending once. Only then, to turn the young man over onto his belly and push the young Omega into the soft mattress.

"John." Mycroft whispered into the ear his mouth nipped at. The blond Omega remained silent, only sighing as he responded to the stimulation of being taken roughly and almost lovingly. The blond escort knew better than to allow his own heart to fall for the older man. However, he couldn't help but wonder every time who this John was.

~0~

John took a deep breath. The soldier needed a moment to catch his breath. The desert sun had thankfully set but with it were another set of problems. He glanced skyward. The stars were out. He laughed to himself briefly.

"What is it, Captain?" One of the injured soldiers asked, leaning his back against the hard rock of the mountain they were camped on.

"Nothing, Sargent. I was just recalling a conversation about the solar system with a friend." John looked back at the small group he had managed to rescue. Just a mile down the mountain he had hidden the stolen military truck. "Here. Just drink and pass it on." Captain Watson offered a canteen to the soldier at his left. Three others were huddled near them.

"Too bad we can't start a fire." One of the men grumbled through chattering teeth.

"Sorry, Private. We can't chance it." John stood up, stretching his aching muscles.

"We are far enough away. What do you know? You're only a doctor. Why don't you do us a favor and gather some wood and start a fire like a good little Omega."

John rolled his eyes, used to this type of talk from the Army Alphas. Even ones such as this lower ranking soldier would go out of their way to remind him of his secondary gender.

"Shut it." The blond Omega snapped, "In the morning I'll hike back down and bring the truck up to collect you lot. This road was one of the backroads that will take us straight to our allies and from there we can contact-"

"Who put you in charge? What the hell are you even doing out here? You're RAMC. You're supposed to be kept well behind enemy lines, safe and sound like the delicate little flowers you are. Omegas in the army." The alpha snorted. "You don't have any business out here on the battlefield with the real men." The ungrateful private snapped.

"Right. Because saving our asses isn't enough but you have to go and talk down to the only bloody help we've received in the last five days? As far as I can tell we owe this man. Omega or not. He could have just left us in that damn cave to be tortured, starved and worse." The Sergeant hissed, turning his bandaged head towards the Private with the makeshift sling and splinted leg. "How about you not open that yap one more time and save your energy. "

"I'm in no way in agreement on the political views and gender roles of our fellow brother in arms. I am curious though, captain, how did you get so far out here?" Another private interjected almost shyly.

The Doctor was crouched down near an unconscious man, the only one of the group who had been interrogated longer and with more intensity than the other four."

"I volunteered." The Omega pulled the tarp. A makeshift blanket he had managed to find in the truck. He made sure to tuck the edges around the unconscious Alpha. Even in this darkness he recognized the face and the familiar kinscent. How his chest ached. Even now, thinking of the gray eyed Alpha that would definitely share the same shade as his brothers. John allowed his steady hands to caress the short greasy locks sticking out from the tight bandages wrapping the numerous lesions and one particular gash that John had had to stitch up after making camp.

Closing his eyes, he recalled another head of soft auburn and for a moment he was looking down at the sleeping form of an Alpha he once had loved. There was a serenity to be found watching the one you loved sleep. The Omega pulled away from the memories of soft caresses and the scent of bourbon, fresh ink and mint.

"Bloody mad you are. Volunteered?"

John turned back to the four huddled together. "Yes, Private er-Baker?" The young man with the broken fingers all carefully splintered.

"Yeah. Or Shawn if you'd like sir."

John moved towards the rocks. He had found a perfect spot to hide here on a hill where several small caves offered them a little shelter and a good view of the road.

"Shawn. Yes. A group of special forces stormed into camp and said they needed a doctor. One of their informants had taken ill and it was too dangerous to move him." John shook his head, recalling it was far from an injury. The informant was an Omega that unexpectedly decided to have a baby. The informant had been a servant in a house that catered to several top notch generals in the enemy's army. John had successfully delivered a healthy pup. The special forces had demanded information while the poor Omega was in labor. John hated how information was being traded for the security of being relocated. The unbonded Omega had been prostituted out by his eldest Alpha brother to the Generals. The special forces operatives didn't care. They had just wanted information. When they were satisfied with all they received another group whisked both pup and father away. John was left with the three betas, all patting themselves on the back for wealth of information.

It was then John learned they were being sent to find a group of men that had been taken hostage. They asked, or rather demanded, he join them to help with any injuries.

The Doctor smiled, gladly accepting the side arm and medical bag. "Why not? I don't have anything better to do today but follow you lot around." Those had been his words, and though the special ops guys were a rough group, they, being Betas, had treated him just like any other officer. It was very rare for any doctor or RAMC to be allowed out of the secured perimeters. John had been an exception. He found volunteering to be very exciting.

"We were headed south as part of a convoy looking for you five. The big wigs were worried about finding you." John hoped they didn't hear the lie in his statement. He knew now why the Special forces would be called in to find this specific group. They were looking for Sherrinford Holmes, well, John glanced at the man's tattered uniform. He was a Major, Major Sherrinford bloody Holmes. An officer. What the hell was he doing out here? He ignored his own questions, going back to his place against the rock, his eyes on the unconscious form he continued with his story.

"The convoy we were part of must have run over an IED. Then there was fire and bullets. I was thrown when all hell broke loose. I was separated from the group and we took heavy fire." John remembered dragging one of the special Ops guys towards a helicopter. There hadn't been enough room for him and he waved them off, only wishing to see the wounded to be airlifted out.

He volunteered again to stay behind with the others. There had been six of them but by, nightfall, they were moving fast. The blast of the land mine had thrown John back a few meters. One of the men in the front had stepped on it. All of them had died except Captain Watson. He was left in the rubble of a hostile city alone.

John pulled his knees under his chin. Leaning his head back, he remembered the gray eyes of an Alpha in a matching expensive gray suit. How it had felt undressing the taller Alpha, how his scent was always so delicious, always so cool and calm.

When John had first come across the group he had thought the Major was Mycroft. The sudden sinking of his heart into his stomach had nearly brought him to his knees. Then the Alpha said, "John?"

Captain Watson had known right away it wasn't Mycroft, despite the similarities in scent and those eyes. Mycroft's hair was a richer auburn, although the last time he had seen Sherrinford Holmes the man had been the owner of a head of unruly curls.

John swore under his breath. Come morning he would be free of these memories and of the blasted kinscent. How was it, all these years later, John Watson still flinched at the memory of Mycroft Holmes. The one man who most likely never even gave him a second thought. The one who broke his heart.

"Mycroft." John sighed pushing the ghost of his past away from him.