Chapter Five

Billy and Edwin spent the next couple of days exploring the area around Monterey, taking in Carmel-By-The-Sea, Pebble Beach and Big Sur. The Marine in particular liked the expansive wooded area, more than once saying aloud that he wished that they had brought their camping equipment with them. In between their travels, the pair also managed to get in a bit of surf fishing along the private beach behind their rented cottage. It had been during one of these outings when Edwin had once again met up with Charles Foxwell, Billy having left the medic for a bit to get some beer and a pack of cigarettes. Once again, the blond man had been all politeness, graciously accepting Edwin's invitation to join he and Billy for a late lunch. Once the time had been set, the blond man had taken his leave of Lifeline, citing some important papers that had been delivered to him from his office.

Between the two of them, Edwin and Billy had reeled in some nice stripped bass and ocean perch, the medic thinking that they would be the perfect entrees for a nice lunch out on the deck. Leaving the cleaning and filleting to his lover, Lifeline made a quick trip to the local market for a few things before returning home to start preparations for the meal.

By the time he'd gotten home, Billy had the fish cleaned and filleted. He had been working methodically, his mind elsewhere. Edwin had let him know that they were having a late lunch with Foxwell, something that the Marine had greeted with cautious enthusiasm. Still, the decision seemed to please Edwin, so Billy let it pass, calming his own nerves with a drink while he worked. When Edwin finally got home, the Marine was deboning the last fillet, checking it over carefully and working with a pair of needle-nose pliers.

Setting his bags down on the counter, the medic made his way over to check on the Marine's progress. "What do you think," he inquired. "Oven or grill?"

"I don't mind grilling 'em, if you feel up to it," Billy replied looking over at Edwin and smiling a little. "After all, you cooked last night."

"Grill sounds good." the brown-eyed man said as he leaned in and gave his lover a light kiss on the cheek.

Billy smiled at that, feeling some of his anxiety melt away at the attention. "So what time's he supposed to be here?" The Marine asked, turning his head to nuzzle Edwin briefly before resuming his work with the pliers.

Edwin glanced down at his watch. "About an hour and a half," he replied. "Which means I better get a move on with everything else."

"We've got plenty of time," The Marine said, checking the fillet over again before nodding to himself and laying it with the others, tucked in foil on a bed of ice.

"Never hurts to be ahead of the game."

"Suppose there's that," Billy agreed with a nod and a faint smile.

When Foxwell finally did show, fashionably late, he apologized for the delay in his arrival. "A call came in just as I was heading out the door," He explained. "And I had to take it."

Edwin waved off the apology. "Don't worry about it." The blond man had come by way of the beach, joining the two men out on the deck.

Billy looked away from his grill, and Foxwell looked toward him, smiling a bit and nodding in greeting. Billy nodded a bit back. "Drink?" He asked the blond man.

"I wouldn't mind."

"We've got iced tea and beer at least."

"The iced tea sounds just about perfect."

It was Edwin who saw to getting Charles' drink, handing over a glass of the sun-brewed beverage to the other man. "We're glad you agreed to come over," he said as he picked up his own glass. "We don't really get to . . . entertain much."

"Busy lives, if nothing else," Foxwell said with a nod, taking the glass from Edwin and taking a sip of it. "I don't either, anymore, not really."

The medic indicated that Charles should have a seat, gesturing to the chairs set up around the round table where they would be having lunch. "I didn't ask you earlier, but I hope fish is okay. "

"Fish is fine," The blond said with a nod as he found a seat, settling comfortably. "So, have the two of you been enjoying your vacation so far?"

Edwin nodded, his brown eyes glancing at Billy as he did so, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Very much."

Billy grinned back a little, then let his attention wander back to the fish as he listened. Foxwell nodded at Edwin's response. "Excellent to hear," he said.

"It's a beautiful area," The medic remarked before putting his glass to his lips and taking a sip of iced tea.

Silence reigned for a few minutes, before Billy spoke. "So, Charles," He said. "You know what the two of us do for a living. How about you?"

Foxwell smiled a bit. "Self-employed, actually. I'm an author."

"An author? Wow." Edwin looked rather impressed.

"That's pretty impressive," Billy agreed with a nod of his own. "What do you write?"

"Mostly mysteries, a little science fiction." Foxwell took a sip of his tea. "Although it's been a while since I've had anything published."

"I read a lot of science fiction," Lifeline said. "Maybe I've read something of yours. Although I think I'd remember your name."

"Likely you've read something under one of my pseudonyms," Foxwell said.

"What names have you written under?" the medic ventured.

"Hmm . . . the one you'd have most likely seen was Mathew Barna," Foxwell said, tilting his head to the side slightly. "Most of my other releases have all been in the UK."

Edwin thought for a moment. "No, I don't think I have then," he said. "Although I'll be sure to look for it the next time I'm in a bookstore."

"Or if you like, I believe there are still a few of them with me." Charles said, and added softly. "They were William's favorites."

"I couldn't," the medic said with a slight shake of his dark head.

"If you're sure. He'd like to know they were being read, I think." The blond man smiled a bit. "He always told me I was too sentimental."

Billy had a hard time believing the man was anything resembling sentimental. "I heard a little about what happened to him," The Marine said softly. "My condolences."

Foxwell studied Billy quietly for several moments, his eyes widening behind his glasses when they lit on the Marine's tattoo. "I thought your name sounded familiar," He murmured. "Coen. Billy Coen."

"Yeah, I was in the news a few years back."

Lifeline's coffee colored eyes flicked from one man to the other. "Everything was cleared up," he interjected a bit hastily. "I'm sure you must have heard about it."

"Oh, yes. It was all over the papers," Foxwell agreed with a nod. "I remember reading about it, and thinking it would have made a fantastic piece of fiction."

Billy smiled wryly. "Does have all the makings of a Saturday night cable movie, doesn't it?"

"Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction," Edwin said. "Or so they say."

"According to what some of the papers said, you'd been rumored to have been seen around Raccoon City before the outbreak."

Billy tensed. "Maybe."

Foxwell gave a tiny, sheepish smile. "I was just wondering how long before that it was."

"Couple months beforehand." Billy took a longer drink of his beer. " 'Fraid I can't say much more than that."

"O-of course, of course," Foxwell said, his head bobbing in agreement. "Wouldn't want you to get in trouble, after all."

Again, that not quite pleasant smile twisted Billy's lips. "Appreciated, since I seem to be pretty good at doing it all on my own."

The medic watched the exchange between the two men. "How're those fillets coming?" he asked his lover, hoping to change what was becoming a tense subject.

"They'll keep for a couple," Billy said, his eyes turning to the medic.

"Maybe I should start getting everything else to the table." Lifeline rose to his feet, setting his glass down.

Once Edwin had moved into the house, Billy turned his gaze to Foxwell again. "So, about this friend of yours? Edwin didn't really tell me much."

Foxwell leaned back in his chair, and sipped his drink. "His name was William Birkin. He was a virologist working in Raccoon at the time of the outbreak."

Birkin's name made something in the back of Billy's head click, although the Marine couldn't figure out why. "Risky business, considering. I hope he wasn't at ground zero, so to speak."

Foxwell gave a thin smile. "He worked for Umbrella, Lieutenant. You tell me."

The hairs on the back of Billy's neck stood up at that; he didn't remember Edwin mentioning giving the man their ranks. His tone remained surprisingly even as he spoke, however. "And you were outta town?"

Foxwell nodded, calming a bit. "Yes, attending to some business overseas with the release of my newest book."

"I'm sorry to hear it."

"I'm grateful I was away."

Their conversation came to a standstill as Edwin reappeared, the medic bearing a mixed green salad along with two bottles of salad dressing for the three of them to choose from. If he noticed that things seemed quiet, he didn't mention it, only retraced his steps back inside to get the rest of the side dishes.

Once Edwin was gone again, Foxwell looked at Billy once more, peering at him shrewdly over the tops of his glasses. "William knew a few people in town, and he'd heard about the incident with the Spencer Mansion. I'd always wondered, did those poor S.T.A.R.S. members make it out of there all right? As I recall, one of them was quite young. A Rebecca . . . Chambers, wasn't it?"

Again, Billy felt a prickle of something down his spine. "I wouldn't know," he lied smoothly.

"Billy?" Lifeline's voice echoed from the kitchen through the screen of the sliding door. "Can you come and give me a quick hand?"

"Be right there," Billy called out, loud enough to be heard, then looked back at Foxwell silently a moment, before moving into the house, trying to shake the sudden chill he'd picked up.

The medic looked up and over as the Marine entered the house. "Can you take that bowl of vegetables out?" he asked, gesturing at the bowl of steamed mixed vegetables on the counter with his hand.

"Sure, no problem," Billy said, picking up the bowl. "Hey, Edwin, can I ask you a quick question?"

"Hmm?"

"Did you happen to mention our ranks to our guest at any point?"

Edwin's brows knit together. "I don't think so," he said with a slight shake of his dark head. "I might have, but . . . no, I don't think so. Why?"

Billy shook his own head. "Just came up in conversation, and I was wondering if you'd said it, or if he'd gotten it out of the newspaper or something."

"I don't know." the other man said. "I think I just mentioned what branches we were in."

"Okay. No big deal," Billy said, shrugging it off and offering Edwin a smile. "Thanks." And that said, he slipped out of the house to go set the bowl down outside. The medic's brows were still furrowed as he turned back to the rice dish that he had been finishing up.

When Billy stepped outside, he wasn't the least bit surprised to discover Foxwell hadn't seemed to so much as twitch, watching the Marine behind his glasses in a way that would have been creepy in a normal person. From Foxwell, it was downright unsettling, like being watched by a large, predatory snake. Shaking away that mental image before it ran away with him, Billy stepped back into the house for a plate to lay the finished fish fillets on, eager to get away from Foxwell's scrutiny.

Edwin had the last of the side dishes in a serving bowl, the brown eyed man on his way back out onto the deck when Billy stepped back inside. "I've got the last of it," he said thinking that his lover had returned to help him. "Okay," Billy said. "I'm just gonna grab a plate for those fillets, and I'll be right there." The medic gave the Marine a quick yet warm smile before he stepped back outside.

"Lunch is just about served," Edwin said as he set the bowl of seasoned brown rice down on the table.

"You two didn't have to go to so much trouble," Foxwell said with a slight smile. "This is quite the meal."

"It's kind of late for lunch and a little too early for dinner, so . . . " the medic shrugged a little. "We were planning on cooking the fish anyway."

"Freshly caught, I imagine?"

"The only way to eat fish," Edwin said with smile as he slid into his seat.

"I would have to agree," Foxwell replied, smiling at the medic as he took a sip of his tea.

"We both love to fish," Lifeline said as he picked up his iced tea, most of the ice now-melted, and took a sip.

"The both of you?" Foxwell smiled a little more. "I would never have guessed."

The other man smiled a bit. "Its a very relaxing hobby."

"I never picked up the knack for it, myself," Foxwell admitted. "Never cared much for handling them after the fact."

Edwin chuckled lightly. "That is the messy part."

Foxwell gave Edwin a shrewd look. "The part, I imagine, you let your other half take care of?"

"Sometimes," the medic replied. "One of us will volunteer to clean, sometimes we split them up if we've had a really good catch. No big deal."

Foxwell chuckled. "You are more man than I, then," he said solemnly, with a faint smile that hinted at teasing.

"Although I do tend to let Billy handle the ones with a lot of small bones – better eyesight." Edwin chuckled once again.

"Ah, a man of the needle-nose pliers deboning method?" Foxwell asked.

"No better way in the world to debone a fish," Billy replied, stepping out with the plate he'd gone looking for, and heading over to the grill.

Lifeline looked over at the Marine, a faint smile unconsciously finding its way to his lips. "The master deboner," he joked.

"Y'know," Billy remarked, pulling the fish of the grill. "There oughta be some kinda crude remark in there, but I just can't seem to find it."

"And you would look too." Edwin shot back, his cheeks coloring just slightly. The Marine shot Edwin his best lecherous grin as he came over to the table. "Of course."

The medic made a frustrated, and overly dramatic, sound, shaking his head slightly. "See what I have to put up with?" Foxwell only laughed, and even Billy chuckled at that.

Once the Marine was seated, the trio started passing dishes and bowls, Edwin giving the herb-encrusted fillets an appreciative sniff before removing a portion from the serving plate. It didn't take long for the food to get itself portioned out, and the three were relatively quiet as they ate. Billy and Edwin had skipped breakfast for the most part, the duo wanting to get in some early morning fishing though they had not set any specific plans for the afternoon until the medic had met up with Charles Foxwell.

"The two of you are quite accomplished cooks," Foxwell said approvingly.

"We get by." Edwin said, faint spots of color appearing on his cheeks.

"Unfortunately," Billy said, "You've seen the edge of my culinary expertise. I never managed much more than the grill."

"But you're a master of the grill," his lover said, the medic turning his brown eyes on the Marine. "I usually manage to burn everything, whether its gas or charcoal."

That actually drew a very faint blush to Billy's cheeks, and he hid it behind a swallow of his drink. Foxwell chuckled softly at that. "Well, that's something I never thought I'd see."

Edwin looked at the blond man curiously. Billy watched Foxwell out of the corner of his eye as the man spoke. "Oh, it's nothing, really. Just an absent-minded writer's observation," the blond said, seemingly embarrassed at having spoken aloud.

Lifeline found the cryptic remark puzzling but he let it go. "In any case, we're obviously not starving." he said giving his midsection a slight pat.

"I imagine it's rather a good thing the two of you live as active a life as you do," Foxwell replied with a chuckle. "If I ate like this every day, I'd have gained a good deal of weight."

"That really depends on what you eat," Edwin said, the brown-eyed man unconsciously falling into "medic" mode. "Actually all of this is good for you for the most part. The salad, steamed vegetables, the fish . . . even the rice. Hardly any fat."

Billy hid a snicker behind a bite of fish, amused to see Edwin "playing doctor" with their guest. Foxwell looked amused himself. "Although I've heard steaming and boiling runs the risk of cooking out a lot of the nutrients," he replied thoughtfully.

"Only if you over do it." Lifeline corrected, only to flush faintly. "Sorry," he said sheepishly. "Sometimes I can start lecturing without even realizing it."

Foxwell chuckled. "It's all right," he said. "I've always found it rather endearing, and William was far worse than you are."

"I do it to Billy all the time," the medic offered up, his gaze turning to the Marine for a moment before going back to Foxwell. "Although I think he's learned how to tune it out for the most part." Edwin chuckled lightly.

"I'm sorry," Billy said, a twinkle in his eye in spite of the blankness of his tone. "Were you saying something?"

Lifeline elbowed his lover in the ribs, that frustrated growl from earlier sounding in his throat. "Smart ass . . ."

Billy jumped a little at the elbow, and grinned. "Naturally," he replied. The medic rolled his eyes and shook his head silently. Foxwell chuckled, and the meal continued on in silence.

Between the three of them, they managed to polish off just above everything, the trio lingering at the table afterward.

As they sat, Billy still couldn't shake the uneasy feeling he was being watched, and rather than say something, the Marine decided to handle it by clearing away the dishes that were still sitting on their table. It wasn't only for the desire to get away from Foxwell's gaze, but also to discourage flies from gathering on their porch.

As the Marine set to the task quietly, starting with what little remained of the fish and side dishes, Foxwell looked to Edwin and grinned a little. "You've got him well-trained, too," he said, leaning over in his chair to say the words in a conspiritual tone, though it easily carried to Billy's ears as well.

The medic, who had been in the process of taking a sip from his iced tea, sputtered and blushed deeply. If the remark hadn't been intended for Billy, the Marine might have appreciated Edwin's reaction a little more, which was comical, to say the least. As it was, he simply gave Foxwell a dry smile. "That's me," he said. "Well-trained hired help." And without waiting for the other man's reply, excused himself into the house.

Coughing a bit, Edwin watched his lover go. Knowing Billy as well as he did, he could tell that the Marine had not taken Foxwell's comments as the the joke that they were no doubt intended to be.

"Mmm, he's a touchy one," Foxwell said thoughtfully once Billy was out of earshot.

Lifeline smiled awkwardly. "His sense of humor is just a little different than yours." He offered up, his glance once again going towards the back door that the Marine had disappeared into.

"I'll try to remember that," the blond promised, smiling a bit. "William used to tell me rather often my humor could be a little . . . off-color."

"He must not have minded it too much if he stayed with you."

"I suppose there is that," Foxwell agreed with a nod and a smile. "If you don't mind my saying so, though, you and Billy seem an . . . unlikely match."

Another blush found its way to the medic's cheeks, though this one was considerable less pronounced. "One of those cases of opposites, I guess." Edwin said softly. "It was a surprise to the both of us."

"Well, I certainly wish you the best. He seems a bit rough around the edges, but like a good person."

Lifeline smiled faintly. "He is that," he agreed. "On both counts."

"Well, I hope I haven't inadvertently soured his mood too much."

"I'm sure he knows it was just a joke," the medic said.

Foxwell gave Edwin a knowing smile. "And I'm sure you've got ways of smoothing those wrinkles in his temper well enough, hm?"

The blond man's words pulled yet another blush to Lifeline's cheeks, the dark-haired man once again smiling a bit awkwardly as he rubbed at the back of his neck. "Some more iced tea?" he asked a bit hurriedly.

"I think, actually, I'd best be wandering home," Foxwell replied with a chuckle. "The meal was quite good, but it's left me a bit sleepy, and I think a nap's in order before I try to put in my work hours for the day."

"Oh . . . well I uh . . . I'm – we're glad you could come over." Edwin said.

"Thank you very much for your hospitality," Foxwell said, gifting Edwin with a smile as he stood. "And I hope you'll give me a chance to return it before you leave."

The medic rose to his feet as well. "We'd like that," he said as he offered his hand to the blond man. "Maybe I'll catch you in the morning again for another run."

"I'd like that very much," Foxwell replied, reaching out to give Edwin's hand a firm shake.

Lifeline nodded before releasing Charles' hand. "Don't be a stranger," he added. "We're going to be here for a couple of more weeks. You're welcome to drop by."

"Thank you," Foxwell said as he let his hand drop away. "And the invitation extends to you, and your significant other, as well. I'm not very good at entertaining, but I don't mind the company a bit."

Edwin gave the other man a small smile as he walked him to the steps that led down to the beach. "Maybe we'll see more of each other then."

"I certainly hope so," Foxwell said sincerely, then gave Edwin a playful little bow, and started walking back toward his own bungalow.

The medic watched the blond for a few moments before turning away and making his way back to the table to gather up what was still left to be cleaned up and taken inside.

Billy had already tucked the left-overs away, and was in the middle of washing dishes when Edwin came in. Lifeline set the glasses he had brought in on the counter next to the sink. "You didn't have to do that." he said, leaning against the counter. "I could've taken care of those."

"It's no big deal," Billy said quietly, glancing over at Edwin and smiling a little.

The medic returned his lover's smile with a small one of his own. "The fish was great." he said as he moved to stand next to the Marine, intending to lend Billy a hand with what was left.

"Wasn't anything special," Billy said, turning his eyes to the dishes again, the smile not leaving his face. "Glad you liked it, though."

Quietly, Edwin and Billy worked their way through the rest of dishes, though the Marine had already taken care of the majority of them by the time the medic had made his way back inside. Once everything was washed and set in the drying rack next to the sink, Edwin turned away to wipe down the stove top and counter.

Billy dried off his own hands and stepped out of Edwin's way, more than willing to let the medic finish cleaning up. Once he was satisfied that everything was spic and span, Lifeline set the sponge back in the sink and folded up the dishtowel he had been using, leaving it on the counter.

Billy was leaning against a counter out of the way, smiling a little at that, but the expression slid from his face as his mind, not for the first time, replayed the conversation he'd had with Foxwell. Something about the whole situation had seemed off, and the Marine just couldn't put his finger on why.

"I think lunch went well," Edwin said as he turned towards Billy.

"Pretty well, I guess," Billy said with a nod, startled a little from his thoughts by the sound of his lover's voice.

"It's nice to have someone over and not have to worry about appearances." the medic continued on.

"Can't really argue with that," Billy said, a faint smile touching his lips. "It was a nice change of pace, that way."

Edwin leaned against the counter. "Charles seems like a really interesting man."

"That's a word for it," Billy agreed.

"Hopefully we'll get to see more of him while we're here."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," the medic replied, his brows furrowing slightly. "It's nice to be able to have a conversation with someone . . . someone other than people that you work with."

"That makes sense," Billy said with a nod. "More stuff in common, if nothing else."

Lifeline looked at his lover silently for a few moments. "I know he seems a little . . . different," he said. "Maybe it's because he's a writer, but he seems like a nice man."

"He seems like it. I dunno. There's just something . . . off about him." Billy shrugged. "It's nothing I can really put my finger on, but it's there."

The medic sighed faintly. "You're always so suspicious of everyone."

"I can't help that, Edwin," Billy replied a faint frown creasing his forehead.

"I know," Lifeline agreed softly. "But not everyone that you meet has an ulterior motive, Billy. Not everyone is out to get you. Sometimes people are just what they seem to be."

"Sometimes," Billy said. "But just because a person's paranoid, doesn't mean people aren't out to get them, either. And it seems like some people are willing to go to pretty extravagant lengths to get at me."

"I don't think Charles Foxwell is one of them." Edwin said as he pushed away from the counter.

"Maybe not." Billy sighed. "I don't know, Edwin. I've gotten by for a long time by trusting my instincts, so it's not easy to ignore them."

"Well I think they're wrong in this case." The medic said softly. "All I've gotten from Charles is that he's a slightly . . . eccentric and lonely man who lost someone he cared about in a horribly tragic way."

Again, the Marine sighed. "You're probably right . . ."

"I like talking to him," Edwin said as he softly stepped towards his lover. "And I enjoyed his company today, off color sense of humor not withstanding. I won't ask you to spend time with him if you really don't want to."

"I'm trying to get along with him," Billy replied quietly. "I really am. And if you really want me around when you're hanging out with him, I'm not going to tell you no."

"I know we took this vacation to spend more time with each other," Lifeline said as he reached out and laid his hand on Billy's tattooed forearm. "And I want to do that," his voice was soft. "I just didn't expect to meet someone that we could become friends with. All I ask is just give him and anybody else we might meet a chance."

"I'm trying." The Marine's voice was soft. Edwin smiled a bit at Billy as he gave his arm a slight squeeze.

Billy offered Edwin a very faint smile back, patting Edwin's arm before pulling away slowly. "I'm gonna go get a quick smoke," he said softly. The medic nodded and took a step back from the other man.

Billy leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to Edwin's cheek before walking out towards the back deck, sinking down into one of the chairs there with a sigh.

Lifeline watched the Marine go, the brown-eyed man sighing softly once Billy was outside before turning and heading into the living room, the medic settling down on the couch and reaching for the book he had left on coffee table the day before.