This is the first fic I put up here, I hope you´ll enjoy reading it. Feedback is very welcome. I uploaded this again, after having been fortunate enough to find an excellent Beta – I don´t know where I would be without her, since English is not my first language. Fiction2, you´re a LEGEND! :-)
THREE IS A VERY GOOD NUMBER
Sharron checked her watch. It was after eight o'clock in the evening and it was slowly getting dark outside – yet there was still no sign of Richard. She cast a sidelong glance at Craig who was sitting next to her. He had parked his car near Richard´s apartment so that they could have a good view of his balcony.
"Are you sure Tremayne said Richard was going to fly out tomorrow morning?" Sharron asked, for the fifth time that day.
"Yeah."
"Perhaps he was wrong, perhaps he left already..."
"Look Sharron, we´ve been through this. If Tremayne says he's leaving tomorrow morning, it´s tomorrow morning. ''Besides, you don't believe that Richard would go without saying goodbye to us…surely?'
A hint of anger had crept into Craig´s voice. Sharron studied his features, taking in the slightly wrinkled forehead and the taut line around his lips.
"I don´t know, Craig. He´s been so strange lately, I don´t know what to expect of him anymore..." She had meant to keep her emotions in check, yet couldn´t help her voice wavering slightly. Craig reached to take her hand and she squeezed his lightly in gratitude.
"We´ll soon find out. He owes us that much." His dark eyes scanned the area unseeingly. "I can´t imagine what would drive him to just drop everything, especially without telling us."
"Well..." Sharron hesitated and Craig looked at her. She hadn´t planned to discuss this with him; it was nothing more than a suspicion but, if she ever wanted to find out if there was more to it, she would have to share it with him.
"Go on."
"When we were on our way back from the oil-rig... you know, when Richard had a concussion..."
"Yeah...?"
"You were at the front driving the boat, and I had to make sure I kept keep him awake, so I tried to make him talk to me. And he did... but he was confused, mumbling a lot of nonsense..."
Craig frowned at her. She sighed before continuing. "And then he started to talk about you and me. He said that we should have told him what's going on, instead of going behind his back and that, by now, there should be enough trust between the three of us..."
"Told him what...?"
"I don´t know, he wouldn´t say, and he blacked out again so I couldn't find out any more. But you should have seen his face when he said it, he was so..." She blinked, re-living that moment on the boat, seeing the pain in Richard´s blue eyes. Craig squeezed her hand, bringing her back to the present.
"I didn´t tell you about it– I thought he was confused and didn´t know what he was saying, but now..."
Craig studied her face and suddenly realization seemed to dawn on him. He broke into a wry smile and he placed both his arms on the steering wheel, gazing straight ahead.
"You know, it´s funny he would think that..."
He turned his head to look at her. "Some time ago I thought the same about the two of you. I was never sure though..."
"What made you think that..?"
Craig gave her a speculative glance.
"The way the two of you behave around each other. C´mon, Sharron I´m not the one calling you ´sweetheart´ and ´love´ all the time. It took me a while to figure out that it´s obviously the British way... And then there was this - " He fell silent and frowned.
"What...?"
"Tell me Sharron, what do you think about this...connection we have?"
"It comes in rather handy at times. Most of the time, actually. It saved our lives more than once, not to speak of its usefulness on our missions."
"Yeah. But leaving work aside... How does it affect you?
Now it was her turn to frown. "I've never given it much thought. Most of the time it just feels like a pleasant buzz in the back of my head..."
This was only a part of the truth. In fact, for the first time since her husband´s death, she had felt connected again, making her realize how much she had cut herself off from others; most importantly, from other men. There had even been a time when she thought she would never be able to let anyone get close to her again.
Craig looked thoughtful. "Do you ever feel...something unusual...?"
"What do you mean...?" She looked at him quizzically. For the first time since she had known Craig, he seemed to be at a loss for words.
"It´s hard to explain." He sighed deeply and sank a bit lower in the driver's seat and she waited patiently for him to continue.
"Remember the assignment I told you about – when Richard let himself be abducted and was held captive in London? Tremayne and I didn´t know what to make of it, he kept on sending confusing messages. You were on leave at the time."
"Yes, I remember... he told me later that he'd wanted to wait till he had all the answers."
Craig smiled. "And he was successful with that one. I did manage to pick up his trail though. I stood right in front of the house that he was imprisoned in. I didn´t know what was going on at the time. But I did know that he wasn´t alone in there, there was a girl with him."
"Yes, Samantha…that was her name, wasn´t it?"
Craig nodded. "When I stood in front of that house, I knew he was in there, I sensed it, and I let him know. But Richard had other plans, he didn´t communicate with me, at least not directly. So while I was out there on a wild goose chase, he found a way of amusing himself..."
"Oh..."
"Yeah, that´s what I thought too. I felt like an idiot, but I assumed he knew what he was doing..."
"But how did you kn... Oh..." Sharron felt the heat creeping up her cheeks.
Craig looked at her sheepishly from out of the corner of his eye.
"Yeah, exactly. I felt it, Sharron. I didn´t know who he was with, but that´s not the point..."
She didn´t know what to reply, being overwhelmed by her own thoughts, so she stared through the windscreen instead.
"When I asked him about it afterwards, he said he was taking "preventative measures", hoping I would get the message. Well, I did..." He gave a short laugh. "Boy, did I... We left it at that..."
Craig let his fingers run along the steering wheel now, taking a sudden interest in it and Sharron forced herself to look at him. His lips curved into a little smile and he glanced at her.
"Sends your mind reeling, doesn´t it...?"
Sharron just stared at him, taking in the intense, glowing expression in his eyes. Craig dropped his gaze and the moment was gone; when he looked at her again he was once more his usual cool self.
"You look awfully pale, Sharron."
"I´m... I..."
"Yes I know. It´s hard to wrap your mind around it. I´m not quite sure what to make of it myself."
They sat there for a while, both gazing into space, until Sharron broke the silence.
"At first I thought it was only my imagination" she confessed. "There have been so many new and strange things I've had to get used to after we came back from Tibet... After a while I began to feel it, a slight...vibration in the back of my head and I knew it was my connection with the two of you. And sometimes this pleasant feeling turned into more..." She touched her forehead. "Then I would feel an emotional echo coming from one of you…and sometimes…I felt it go through my body…" She was blushing again. "But it happened so rarely…"
Craig nodded. "Same here. I suspected what was going on, but never mentioned anything - not until that assignment in London. Did you feel anything then, Sharron…?"
"Not that I can remember…"
"I wonder if we´ll ever figure out how this works…"
Sharron drew a sharp breath in as realisation suddenly dawned on her, "But of course… Craig, it works when we are in danger, when the fear is intense enough for the others to feel it. Why didn´t I think of it before, it works with every emotion strong enough, no matter what the cause..."
"Yeah..." Craig said with an angry note in his voice, "And Richard...he must have known. He deliberately used it to get his message through, to let me know he was all right... He had it figured out and didn´t tell us... " Sharron watched as Craig´s hands clenched into fists on the steering wheel.
"Can you really blame him for that...?
He looked at her with a cold expression. "No, I blame him for walking out on us without any explanation. You would think that after years of working together, after all we´ve been ´through, we deserve better."
Sharron kept silent. In her heart of hearts she agreed with Craig, yet she was unable to forget the pain in Richard´s eyes when he was accusing the two of them of going behind his back. The fact that he had a concussion at the time didn´t change that.
Craig let out an exasperated sigh. "I don´t understand why he didn´t come to talk to us."
"Perhaps he doesn´t know how to cope with it…"
"Well, do I? Or you for that matter? Richard told me the old man had cautioned him that we would have to learn how to use our powers. But he hasn´t warned us about... well, about this..." Craig raised a hand to rub his temple. "It might be very useful where he comes from, but not in our world – from what I have seen they are centuries ahead of us, Sharron."
"Perhaps that´s exactly the reason why they made us the way we are now", she said thoughtfully.
"Perhaps. But they could have left us with an instruction manual..." He smirked. "How to use ESP: A beginner´s guide..."
"Chapter one: how to send an emergency call..."Sharron said in a scholarly tone of voice.
"Chapter ten: how to shut down on your fellow mind-readers emotions. Especially when you have to work together..."Craig added.
She frowned. "I strongly doubt they have anti-fraternization rules where they come from."
"Hm. Do You think Richard still has the tape?"
"The one he recorded for Tremayne...? I suppose so..."
She had almost forgotten about it. Richard had thought it would be a good idea to tell Tremayne everything, about their crash in Tibet and what happened afterwards. Sharron had been doubtful and Craig had been against it, so Richard had recorded the whole story onto a tape, just in case.
"I wonder what he would do if he knew..." mused Craig.
"You mean, if he would still let us work together?"
He nodded.
"You know the old saying: never change a winning team. And besides, we haven´t broken any rules..." -Yet. The thought came involuntarily, and Sharon could feel it hanging in the air as the silence stretched out once more between them.
"Sharron... Have you ever thought about us that way?"
For a moment she thought she had misheard. "Us...?" she said weakly.
"Me. Richard. Either one of us." He turned his head to look at her and she glanced down, feeling her heart beat faster all of a sudden.
"Have you?" she finally got out. She flinched when he raised her chin gently to make her look at him.
"Do you think I would ask you otherwise?" he said softly.
"If I told you that...you and Richard are the two people I felt the closest to since...since..." she broke off, unable to finish the sentence.
Craig leant forward then and took her face in both hands, his warm gaze never leaving hers. Moments later he kissed her gently on her forehead and she closed her eyes, taking a shaky breath. He leant back at last and, when she looked up at him, he gave her a tiny, almost imperceptible nod.
The moment was broken by the sound of a car coming closer fast, making Craig and Sharron both jump in their seats. Turning their heads they saw a white Alfa Romeo zoom around the corner and they exchanged a glance. Richard had arrived.
Sharron immediately reached for the door handle but Craig stopped her.
"Not yet. Give him a few minutes."
She leant back and they both watched as Richard got out of his car and locked it. For a moment he seemed to hesitate, then he turned on his heel and walked towards the building. Shortly afterwards the light on the second floor went on and, through the window, they could see Richard striding through his apartment. A few minutes later, classical music could be heard coming from inside on full blast. Craig looked at his watch and frowned at Sharron.
"Mozart´s Requiem", she informed him with a smile.
They got out of the car and, arriving at the building, Craig produced his own key to the apartment from his pocket to unlock the door. They took the flights of stairs quickly, hurried upstairs, and, while they walked down the corridor, they heard the music being turned down. Finally they came to a halt in front of Richard´s apartment and Craig knocked at the door. It opened a few moments later and Richard stood in front of them, eyeing them both suspiciously.
"Hello Richard."
"Evening Craig. Sharron."
"Can we come in?" Craig´s tone was ostensibly calm and friendly.
"Sure…" Richard ran his hand across his mouth and stepped back to open the door further.
They walked past him and Craig let Sharron go ahead. The apartment was functionally and tastefully furnished. Sharron looked around with restrained curiosity as they walked around the room-divider and into Richard´s living room. Apart from the couch, the furniture had been pushed into one corner to make space for a few tea chests into which Richard had been carefully packing his belongings.
"Would you like a drink?"
"Perhaps later." Craig said and Sharron just shook her head. She exchanged a quick glance with him, in an unspoken agreement that Craig would do the talking. Feeling as shaken as she did, she was rather grateful for that. They had stopped in the middle of the room, Craig and Richard standing opposite each other.
"Are you going somewhere?" Craig motioned at the tea chests in the corner, and Richard folded his arms.
"Yes, er... I´ll fly out to London tomorrow morning."
"Tremayne didn´t tell me anything about a new mission."
"No... no, it´s not a new assignment, I´ve been transferred to the London office."
"Is that so? And when were you planning to tell us about it?"
Craig´s voice was cold and, as Richard stared at him, the tension between them could have been cut with a knife. Sharron swallowed when as she felt tears pricking her eyes.
"I was going to ring you both from the airport tomorrow morning."
Craig folded his arms. "Oh how very considerate of you Richard. Well, we can´t keep you from doing what you want. But we have a right to know the answer to one question: why?"
Richard hesitated and looked from Craig to Sharron.
"If you must know, I feel it's time for a change... Face new challenges..." he added with a smirk, which disappeared from his face when he saw Craig´s expression.
"Bullshit."
"Look Craig, I really appreciate you coming to see me but, if this is the way it´s going to be, I think the two of you had better leave..." He moved to walk past them towards the door but Craig grabbed his arm and Richard eyed him coolly.
"Get your hand off me." His tone sent shivers down Sharon´s spine.
"Not before you tell us what´s going on here."
Richard hesitated for a moment before pushing his friend's hand away but Craig would have none of it and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. "If you think you can get away with this, think again, Mister."
There was a moment when Sharron felt the air around them literally crackle with electricity and she took a step back involuntarily. Next second Richard had wriggled out of Craig´s grip and pushed him back forcefully. Craig stumbled backwards, but regained his balance and started to walk towards his friend again. "You won´t get out of this one, kiddo...!" He snatched at him but Richard blocked him and pushed him away once more.
"Don´t tell me what to do, who do you think you are...?" Richard roared, his eyes flashing dangerously.
"Who do you think YOU are, walking out on us like this? Without any explanation! You coward...!"
"Richard, no...!" Sharron yelled, but it was too late.
He had hit out and landed a blow on Craig´s chin, making him stumble backwards. Craig stared at him flabbergasted for a second, but then things happened rather quickly. He threw himself on Richard, knocking him off balance and the next moment they rolled over on the floor, each fighting to get the upper hand. Sharron stood there in shock, watching helplessly as the two men fought each other. No-one could stop them now, not unless...
Before she knew what she was doing, she let her handbag fall and ran to them. Craig was the one on top, receiving a punch to his face and raising a fist to strike back, when Sharron grabbed his wrist from behind.
"Stay out of this, Sharron...!" Craig was not looking at her, trying to wriggle out of her grip. He was strong but, using both her hands, she managed to hold him back.
"Yeah… that´s the way you like to resolve things, don´t you Stirling...?" Richard spat.
As the words were spoken she felt Craig´s resistance slacken, and she eased her grip. Richard flinched insinctively under his colleague when he let his arm fall but Craig didn´t attack him again. Instead he let go of him and got unsteadily to his feet, taking a few steps back from the other two. Sharron´s gaze darted from one to the other. Richard´s face was bruised, both men looked a mess and, for a while, their erratic breathing was the only sound in the room. Craig stared down at Richard, who pushed himself up on his elbows and ran a hand across his mouth, trying to catch his breath. His expression was unreadable. Without another word Craig turned, making his way towards the bar, and they heard him being busy with the glasses as he poured the drinks. Richard´s eyes met Sharron´s as he sat up, and a flicker of mischief crossed his features.
"There´s some ice in the freezer."
Craig didn´t respond but he walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, while Richard pulled himself up and sat on the couch.
"Are you okay?" Sharron asked and he nodded, avoiding her gaze, staring at the ashtray on the couch table instead.
Craig walked up to them, handing them the drinks before grabbing a pack of cigarettes from the shelf nearby. To Sharron´s surprise he took one out and lit it before handing the pack to Richard.
"I thought you only smoked when you´re under cover?" Richard asked.
"Yeah...and in emergencies" Craig responded dryly. "Cheers."
The whiskey seemed to put some life back into Sharron as it ran down her throat and, with a sigh, she sat down next to Richard. The doctor in her took notice of the bruise on his forehead. Slightly disturbed by her reaction, he looked at Craig instead.
"Now, where were we..." Craig began and Richard tensed somewhat under the scrutinizing gaze, turning his head away. Craig looked at Sharron then and his features relaxed a little, as if he were remembering something. When he spoke again, his voice had lost its sharpness.
"Richard. If leaving is really what you want to do, we won´t stop you. But don´t you think that, after what we´ve been through together, we deserve to know why...?"
When he didn´t answer, Sharron hesitantly put a hand on his knee. "Richard, please..." He looked down at her hand and she pulled it back."When did you stop trusting us...?" Her voice was thick with emotion now and, when he met her gaze, she saw some of her own pain reflected in his eyes.
"Trust... That´s strange, coming from you two." He emptied his glass in one gulp and put it down.
Craig frowned. "Come again?"
"You didn´t think I would figure it out, did you." He looked from Craig to Sharron, before grabbing the ashtray and putting his cigarette out, seemingly unconcerned by their puzzled expressions.
"Figure out what?"
Richard´s eyes went cold. "Did you honestly believe I wouldn´t notice? I saw you. But more importantly I..." He swallowed. "You could have come and told me, you know. It´s not like I can´t take it..!" The intensity in his eyes made Sharron shrink away from him.
"But letting me find out this way and pretending nothing has changed... Did you two stop for one minute to think about how it would affect me…?"
Craig just stood there observing him coolly and Sharron feared the moment to finally clear things up would be lost, but he caught her eye and gave her a slight nod.
"Richard, you´ve got it all wrong." he said calmly.
"Have I? When we came back from Tibet, I was, first and foremost, glad to be alive. And then all these strange things started happening but we learned to cope with our new skills, just as the old man said we would... but he never prepared us for a situation like this. I hoped I would become better at controlling it, and for a while it seemed I did, but then it all went downhill. It took me a while to figure out why..."
"Controlling what, what are you talking about...?" Sharron asked perplexed and Richard's eyes met hers.
"I can´t blame you for feeling the way you do..."Richard said and he glanced up at Craig. "But for God´s sake, couldn´t you have picked someone else..?"
They both stared at him, and he buried his face in his hands in a defeated gesture.
"Don´t you get it..." Richard paused, then spoke slowly and emphatically, "I can't – Shut – Down – On you."
The pieces slowly started to fall into place and Sharron looked at Craig. It couldn´t be – could it? He seemed puzzled and sat down next to Richard.
"And that´s the reason why you want to leave", Craig said flatly.
Richard let his hands fall, his eyes fixing on an imaginary spot on the carpet. "I thought I could deal with it, but I can´t. I just can´t…" He must have sensed the glance they exchanged over his head and rolled his eyes.
"I knew you would react like this. I don´t need your sympathy, all right. I´ll survive, so stop looking at me like that…" He turned his head to look at Craig, who was smiling at him warmly now.
"What are you smiling at me like that for…?" The indignant tone he used made Craig grin even more and Richard glanced at Sharron for help, only to see that she was smiling as well.
"Richard… Sharron and I are not together."
Richard turned his head sharply. "What…?"
Craig shook his head slowly.
"But... at the party...", Richard began.
"What happened at the party?" interrupted Craig.
Richard turned to Sharron. "I saw you... in your bedroom..."
"Craig helped me to fix my dress."
"You could have asked someone else to do that for you...like a girlfriend of yours."
"Yes, I suppose I could have, but Craig was the one who noticed I needed a helping hand."
Richard blinked. "All right. So, what happened afterwards?"
"We came out, looking for you. Craig told me that Susanne was chatting you up and that he had the distinct feeling you might not like her that much..." She smirked. " So we decided to rescue you but, when we looked for you, we found out that you left the party..."
"No, not then, I mean some time afterwards...around three a.m."
"What do you think happened...? Craig took Susanne home. That was shortly before the police arrived."
"Police...?"
"My neighbours were fed up with the noise... But why are you asking me all this...?"
He didn´t reply but, from the expression on his face, it was obvious that his mind was racing.
"Richard...?" Craig frowned at him and, as Richard leant back on the sofa still thinking, Sharon felt the American losing his patience. "C´mon Barrett, what´s the mystery?"
Richard looked up sharply, ignoring the question. "When we were in Naples...What happened after you left me at the hospital?"
"They told us it was best best for you to sleep it off, so we rang Tremayne from the hospital. Then I took Sharron out for lunch."
"Yeah, but after that...around 10 p.m."
Sharron shrugged her shoulders. "I felt tired out, so I went to bed about nine."
Craig looked a bit sheepish and Richard gave him a quizzical glance. "All right" Craig said, "I had a date that evening."
"A date...?" Richard and Sharron asked simultaneously.
Craig smirked. "Well..."
"For God´s sake, Craig. We'd only been there for three days..."
Sharron sighed. "Don´t tell me. La Cienega. The waitress..." Craig nodded and she rolled her eyes. "I should have known..."
At that Richard paled and covered his eyes with one hand. Seeing this, Craig turned serious again.
"I´m such an idiot..." Richard said between clenched teeth and they watched him take a deep breath. "Such an idiot... What a blood…er…blasted mess..."At that Sharron blinked in mild surprise. She looked at him and saw that he was peering through his fingers at her.
"Pardon the French, love..." he said and she exchanged a glance with Craig who couldn´t help grinning.
Richard seemed to have made a decision and, when he let his hand sink and looked at them, the guilt was written all over his face. "Sharron, Craig. I´m sorry. I´m so sorry I brought this up... God, this is embarrassing..."
Craig watched him thoughtfully and Sharron had the feeling that he had known all along how this would end. His dark eyes searched hers once more and she didn´t hide the relief she felt in her heart.
"See, I told you Sharron, this only goes to prove what I´ve oft-times said."
Richard looked at him. "What have you oft-times said?"
"You´re a knucklehead. And a very stubborn one too..." he added affectionately.
Richard´s eyes darted back and forth between them. "You're not upset."
"Nope."
He let out a sigh of relief and, seeing Sharron´s smile, he leant back closing his eyes, visibly relaxed.
"There is one more thing though" Craig said and Richard´s eyes flew open. "Why didn´t you come to talk to us?"
"You must be joking." He eyed Craig incredulously. "What would you have me say...?"
"You must have known that if anybody would understand, it would be us."
"I thought you knew. Especially after London, I thought you would understand."
"Yeah, I got your message. That wasn´t so bad..." He smirked.
"Not so bad...?" Richard sat up and cast a furtive glance towards Sharron. "Craig...to be perfectly honest, I´m not sure I want to talk about this."
"Relax Richard. She knows."
Richard spun around to stare at Sharron, and she couldn´t help but smile at his reaction.
"I can´t believe the two of you take this so lightly..." He eyed them both suspiciously and Craig laughed.
"C´mon Richard, do you really believe you are the only one getting a fuzzy feeling from one of us now and then...?"
"Is that what you call it, a ´fuzzy feeling´..?"
Sharron frowned at his tone and looked at Craig, whose smile faltered somewhat. Something was not quite right.
"Okay kiddo, forget about it. If I had known you were so uptight about it all, I-"
"Uptight... Are you kidding?" Richard was dead serious now. "Tell me Craig, are you enjoying this...? Waking up in the middle of the night, knowing that no matter what you do, you can´t get rid of – of..." he fell silent, obviously conscious of Sharron´s presence.
"Of what...?" Craig persisted, leaning forwards. "C´mon Richard, spill. No more secrets."
Richard stared at him unbelievingly but Craig´s expression was relentless.
"Do I have to spell it out for you? That each time you are with somebody I can feel everything...?"
Craig blinked in surprise.
"That´s right. All of it. Jesus..."Richard buried his face in his hands. "I feel like I´m fourteen again. And it´s not optional. I´ve had enough of this..."
His voice sounded desperate and Sharron just sat there watching him, understanding dawning on her. Craig´s face betrayed his own ambivalent feelings, yet his eyes scanned Richard with new fascination.
"Is that the way it feels for you..."
Richard nodded, and Sharron felt her heart beat faster when Craig looked at her. `Sends your mind reeling, doesn´t it...?´his words echoed in her mind and she suddenly really understood what he had meant.
"Then this is more of a reason for you not to leave." It was out of her mouth before she could think about it, and Richard looked up in surprise.
"Beg your pardon...?"
"Yeah. Don´t you even dare to think of leaving" Craig added. "We´re together in this."
"Didn´t you listen to me. I don´t - Need - Your sympathy." He looked from one to the other. "But I can´t work with you anymore unless I find a way to shut down on this... It drives me nuts Craig. It´s best for me to leave."
"How generous of you..." Craig was shaking his head slowly, "But you´re wrong again."
"Well, what´s your suggestion then, life-long celibacy for the three of us..?"
Craig just smiled suggestively and as he looked at Sharron, she could feel that a part of him was actually enjoying all this. Suddenly it all seemed so clear and, under his knowing glance, she felt a pleasant warmth in the pit of her stomach. Richard looked rather flustered when he faced her and she couldn´t help staring at his eyes, watching them widen in disbelief as understanding dawned on him too.
"This is crazy..." he said faintly and he started to blush, unable to hold her gaze any longer.
"Is it?", Craig said, and Richard slowly turned his head to look at him.
"Craig... Stop looking at me like that..."
Craig leant a bit closer, his dark eyes glowing. "Why..?" he whispered.
"It makes me feel...funny... " He swallowed visibly and, when Sharron raised a hand to touch his temple, he flinched.
"Richard..." He blinked at her nervously and she caressed his cheek gently. "Enough talking..."
She leant forward then and kissed him. He made a surprised sound when their lips met - it was an unhurried kiss, more like a caress. Sharron pulled back to look at him, seeing Richard´s blue eyes shine with an unearthly light. Her hand moved up his chest, and through the fabric of his shirt she could feel his heart beating frantically. The next moment his hand was round her neck and he was pulling her close, kissing her hungrily and making both of them moan as they sank back on the couch. When she finally came up for air Richard was spread out on the sofa, looking at her from under heavy eyelids. He cast a furtive glance at Craig, hardly daring to look at him, very well aware he had been watching.
Craig sat next to them and his eyes were glinting with arousal while he touched his own lips absent-mindedly. After a brief glance at Richard he leaned forward. Sharron met him halfway and they kissed over the top of Richard´s head, lips touching tentatively. She heard a sharp intake of air and, seconds later, felt herself being pushed forward. Richard´s hand had sneaked around Craig´s neck as well, urging them both to deepen the kiss. Sharron moaned when Craig´s tongue explored her mouth, doubling her excitement. She felt as if an electric current was buzzing between the three of them. Her left knee touched Richard´s thigh and his fingers caressed her there before starting to slowly push up the hem of her skirt.
Craig stopped kissing her and, seeing what Richard was doing, he laid a hand on Sharron's thigh. She understood what he wanted and slid onto Richard´s lap, feeling the hardness through his trousers. Richard's hands were under her skirt now, running along her thighs, and she bent forward to kiss him again. He responded enthusiastically, only slowing down when Craig shifted his position and started to remove the pins from Sharron´s hair. When he was done, he grabbed the hair at the back of her neck, pulling gently so that she broke the kiss with Richard to turn her head and find Craig's lips. She felt as if she were gliding through a dream...their movements seemed to intertwine effortlessly and she was floating on the sensations they were giving her. Fingers touched her blouse now, opening button after button. Richard pushed the garment back and down over her shoulders and Craig drew back from her to open the clasp of her bra.
"God, you´re beautiful..." Richard breathed, staring at her naked breasts, his hands sliding upwards, cupping them gently.
Sharron looked down at him, taking in the rapt expression on his face as he touched her, and his excitement spilled over into her, giving her a melting feeling in her stomach. She heard the sound of fabric on fabric and, when she turned her head moments later, Craig stood next to her, taking her face in his hand. He let his fingers slide down her throat and she couldn´t help staring at his athletic body, the soft, dark hair covering his chest and abdomen. He had removed his shirt and, as he stood there in only his trousers, her eyes fixed on the impressive bulge just inches away from her nose. On impulse, Sharron´s hand shot forwards and she started to unbutton his trousers, but Craig stopped her by grabbing her wrists.
"Not yet, love..." He smiled at her knowingly. "It´s ladies first... Isn´t that right, Richard...?"
Out of the corner of her eye Sharron saw him nod, and she had to smile at his expression. Craig went down on his knees then and Richard´s hands cupped her breasts once more, squeezing them gently.
"He´s right, you´re beautiful..." Craig muttered, taking in the sight of her breasts so close to him. He bent forward and she moaned when his tongue darted out to lick her nipple, gently at first and then, encouraged by her reaction, more firmly. Richard´s hand slid into Craig´s hair and Sharron watched his expression melt, knowing he felt the same maddening sensation that she did. He squeezed her other breast and she moaned once more as the feeling went through her whole body. Craig stopped for a moment, raising his head to gauge Richard´s reaction as well. He was clearly satisfied with what he saw. Richard smiled weakly as if caught out, and withdrew his hand from Craig´s hair. Sharron took in a breath of surprise when it slid between her legs and started to stroke her vulva through her panties.
"You like that, sweetheart..?" Richard asked teasingly and she struggled for an answer. Craig bent his head to work on her nipple again, sucking tenderly, and she felt blood rush to her abdomen. Richard´s slick fingers pushed her panties aside now and she shuddered when she felt them on her naked flesh as they gently probed her. His gaze searched hers as he fondled her and she gasped when his fingers found her clit. Richard stilled then, knowing he was spot on. He looked at her intently, his blue eyes suddenly serious. Craig rose and, moments later, he stood behind Sharron, grabbing her breasts and burying his face in her neck. Through a haze of lust she watched Richard licking his fingertips before he touched her clit again. He stroked her lightly, his eyes mirroring her growing excitement when he started to rub more firmly.
"Ohhh..."
"Yeah, I love to hear you..." Craig murmured into her ear while he started to rub her nipples between his fingers. She threw her head back as both men kept on touching and teasing, playing her like an instrument. Her legs spread open even more and she couldn´t keep her hips still, but suddenly Richard´s fingers were gone. Breathing heavily she looked at him and she heard fabric tear as he ripped her panties, freeing her sex completely. With nothing in the way now his fingers found her entrance and Sharron gasped when he slowly sank two fingers into her damp pussy.
"Jesus, you´re wet" Richard said, his fingers sinking even deeper, probing and rubbing while Sharron moaned under his careful exploration. He withdrew his hand and brought his fingers to his nose, inhaling deeply. "Mmmh..."
Craig´s hand was on Richard´s wrist in a second and Sharron watched as he brought his friend's fingertips to his mouth to taste. The two men exchanged a conspiratorial glance before Richard´s fingers slid back inside her, watching her reactions as he explored further. Their eyes locked when his fingertips brushed another sensitive spot. He started to stimulate it, increasing the pressure and she gasped.
"Ohhhh..." It felt like she was melting from inside, the intensity of it scared her for a moment and she tried to squirm away but Richard´s other hand moved around her back in an instant, keeping her firmly in place. The pleasure stabbed trough her, touching her at her very core. Sharron sobbed helplessly, feeling tears pricking her eyes. Seeing this he stopped and, as she tried to catch her breath, she saw his eyes were moist as well – he seemed as surprised as she was. Craig´s warmth was engulfing her from behind now, soothing her, and she sighed with relief.
"Was Richard being mean to you...?" he whispered into her ear and, despite herself, she had to smile when he started nibbling at her neck. Richard looked somewhat guilty and let his hand fall but Sharron grabbed it, and he understood.
"Lean forward, love" Craig instructed. She did as she was told, feeling his hands grabbing her hips. He lifted her up and she ended up on all fours, leaning over Richard and, seconds later, she felt Craig entering her gently, making all three of them groan. She adjusted her position a little, wanting to feel him more deeply, but Craig stilled her by putting a hand on her hip.
"Easy now, easy..." he murmured "Let´s enjoy every second of this..."
He was leaning over her now, both their faces close to Richard´s. Fora few moments all she could hear was their accelerated breathing, while she felt the invisible bond connecting them flare up once more. Richard had his eyes closed and she watched the subtle change in his face when Craig started to move inside her. A short time later his hands sneaked down to his trousers unzipping his fly and, as Craig increased his pace, Richard started to stroke himself.
"Oh no, you don´t" Craig said, and Richard opened his eyes, looking at him through a haze of lust. "Put your hands where I can see them."
To Sharron´s surprise Richard obeyed, slowly stretching his arms out to his sides with a seductive look on his face. Craig began to move inside her again and she moaned when the tip of his penis touched the sensitive spot Richard´s fingers had rubbed earlier. His thick shaft was filling her completely and she pushed back against him, urging him on, losing herself in the sensation. She felt the lust running like an electric current between the three of them and she was torn between frustration and arousal when Craig slowed down again. The same emotions were playing on Richard´s face, yet he still kept his arms obediently stretched out next to him with his fingers spread. Craig bent forward, his lips very close to Sharron´s ear.
"You like it hard, don´t you" he whispered and Sharron nodded, her heart skipping a beat. Craig inclined his head in Richard's direction. "Watch him," he commanded.
His hands slid down to her hips to hold her while pushing deeply into her, he was gaining strength with every thrust, making Sharron and Richard both gasp. Richard´s hips jerked upwards, his hardness touching her belly. All Sharron was aware of was the arousal of the two men on top of her own - it was clear that neither of them would last long. She bent down and found Richard´s lips. He kissed her back eagerly and the tiny sounds he made in his throat were driving her crazy. Again his hands moved to touch himself but, seeing it, Craig slowed down once more. His control was unbelievable.
"Hold him down, Sharron," he gasped "I want to see this..."
She struggled to obey and found Richard´s wrists, pinning them onto the couch. He didn´t put up much resistance and groaned when Craig started to thrust again, being unable to keep his own hips still.
"Oh God, ohhh..." Richard moaned and she knew he was taking both her and Craig´s sensations simultaneously; he looked as if he would faint at any moment and he threw his head back while Craig pounded into her, driving them all deeper into ecstasy. His hips bucked under her once more, his penis touching her clit this time, making her nearly come and she cried out. Richard´s eyes were unfocused now and the look on his face alone was almost enough to drive her over the edge, making her inner muscles clench around Craig´s shaft as it rubbed her from inside. The pleasure was almost too much to bear, the bond connecting them burning hot now, intensifying it. Her body was shaking under each thrust but she still pushed back against Craig, moaning uncontrollably while the sound of flesh on flesh filled her ears... She could sense Craig´s orgasm building and, when he came with a curse, Sharron joined him as she felt his semen shooting into her. A second later the wave hit Richard and she felt warm fluid on her belly as he too came with a sob.
When Sharron opened her eyes again the first thing she was aware of was Craig´s weight on top of her. He must have sensed her discomfort and she felt him slide out of her. A few moments later a soft a soft thud indicated that he had slumped down onto the floor. Her heart was still pounding when she glanced at him over her shoulder. Craig sat there, panting, leaning back on his arms and, when he returned her glance warily, they both grinned. Sharon sank back into Richard´s lap. When she turned and looked at him though, her smile faltered.
"Richard...?" No reaction. Sharron spun around to stare at Craig and he was on his feet in an instant, all tiredness gone.
"Hey, Richard..." Craig was bending over him worriedly, touching his face. He gave a relieved sigh when Richard´s eyelids started to flutter.
"Mmmmh..." Richard opened his eyes dreamily.
"Hey..." Craig smiled at him and, as Richard sat up properly, he sank down next to him on the couch. "You almost got us worried, kiddo..."
"Mmmh, what..." He looked a bit disorientated still.
"You blacked out" Sharron explained and touched his cheek gently. Richard smiled weakly, looking a bit embarrassed as his glance wandered down their bodies, noticing their nakedness. He himself was still fully dressed except for his open trousers and he gripped his shirt.
"I feel sticky" he said, making Craig and Sharron laugh.
"Yeah, no wonder..." Craig´s features took on an almost awestruck expression when he looked at Sharron and back at Richard again. "That was...amazing..." He was shaking his head incredulously. "And you didn´t even touch yourself..."
"Did it turn you on..?" Richard asked him mockingly, obviously back to his full animated self as he grinned at them both.
"As a matter of fact it did."
Richard blinked and exchanged an insecure glance with Sharron.
"Hey Richard?"
"Hm?"
Craig´s hand shot forward to touch his friend´s jaw and, when a moment later he bent forward to kiss him, Sharron thought it was her turn to faint.
"Mmphhh...!" Richard made a surprised sound as his mouth was assaulted by Craig´s lips, and he gasped when his friend finally let go of him. "Craig, I´m... I´m not..." he brought out hoarsely and Craig gave him a feral smile.
"You´re not what..?"
"Gay..." finished Richard lamely, turning a deep shade of red.
Craig smiled at Sharron. "He´s killing me..." He leaned back, looking at Richard with an amused expression. "Guess what, neither am I..."
He ran a hand through his hair, glancing thoughtfully at Sharron and she wondered what was going through his mind. His gaze searched the room until it came to a halt on the bar. "I don´t know about you... But I need a drink."
It was almost midnight when they finally crept into Richard´s double-bed. Sharron climbed in first, followed by Craig who curled up behind her spoon-fashion, while Richard climbed in last, hesitating for a moment before turning out the light. He sank back onto the pillow, keeping his distance from the other two, and stared at the ceiling. Sharron touched his shoulder and he looked at her, seeing the question in her eyes.
"This is so...strange..." he finally said and she nodded in understanding. "Hours ago I was prepared to leave Geneva for good...and here we are."
"Does this mean you´ve changed your mind..?" she asked, torn between hope and uneasiness.
"I don´t know."
His answer made Craig stir and he pushed himself up on his elbow. "What does that mean, you don´t know...?" Assuming from Craig´s tone that he was upset, Richard looked at him.
"You are aware we broke every rule of anti-fraternization..."
"Oh, get away..."
"There´s a reason why they make them, you know."
"Well, it´s a bit late for that now, isn´t it...?" Craig said matter-of-factly.
Richard didn´t answer.
"Richard..."Sharron grabbed his hand. "Are you really so worried about us working together?"
"I don´t know if it´s a good idea - especially after tonight."
"I don´t know either, but I´m willing to try." Sharron was surprised to hear the determination in her own voice.
Richard looked at Craig.
"Same here. Look...why don´t you regard it as an experiment. I know I do."
"This is our careers you´re talking about, Craig…"
"C´mon, aren´t you at all curious…?"
Richard´s lips curved into a little smile. "Sure I am." He sighed. "All right, I´ll stay..."
At that Sharron squeaked with delight and flung her arms around Richard to hug him tightly and he laughed, hugging her back. It was as if a heavy weight had been lifted off her and she pulled him into a firm embrace. Craig snuggled up behind her and put an arm around them both, and she sighed happily, feeling the two men so close.
"We better make sure nobody at headquarters gets wind of this…" Richard murmured after a while. "…Especially Tremayne."
"Yeah. He´s a sly old fox..." Craig answered sleepily. "You still have that tape you recorded in his office?"
"The one that explains what happened in Tibet? Yes... Why?"
"I want you to destroy it."
"What? " Alarmed, Richard raised his head but Craig´s hand pushed it back onto the pillow.
"It´s just a precaution…"
"But…"
"You would feel the same, had you been in that room..."
Craig´s tone was serious and Sharron knew he meant the incident where he had been imprisoned by internal security, interrogated for days, and come perilously close to betraying their secret.
"Yes, but-"
"Knucklehead...?"
"Hm?"
"Go to sleep…" Craig said, and Sharron heard the smile in his voice.
Richard sighed in surrender and Sharron felt all the tension leaving his body as he started to relax slowly. Her own tiredness overwhelmed her now and she started to drift off to sleep... Nestled in between Craig and Richard, wrapped in their warmth and love, she couldn´t help feeling that this was exactly where she was meant to be.