Hi everyone, sorry for the delay in updating, but I had been working off a flash drive because my computer kept crashing. Well, this flash drive contained all I had written on this story as well as several others, and I have somehow lost it so I have had to try and remember what scenes I could and write them down. Not sure if this will interrupt the flow of the story, but I will do my best to get it back to what I had intended as soon as I can. Hope this long chapter makes up for the wait.

Iason rubbed the bridge of his nose, annoyed by the consistent pounding behind his eyes. He didn't used to get headaches. His android body never experienced fatigue or strain and he could scan documents and data faster than even the high-end terminals. However, since his recovery and having to retrain his body, his organic mind seemed to be creating the true experience of the physical effects of stress. He glanced at his wrist unit and saw that it was already quite late. He'd been in here for six hours, after already working nearly twelve in his regular office.

A lot had happened in the time he and Riki were recovering. Many mice had decided to play while the cat was away, and trying to ascertain all the hidden routes, deviations, plots and sub-plots that the rodents had taken in order to hide their misdeeds was ridiculously tiresome.

"I'm away for a little while and everyone gets delusions of grandeur," he muttered as he squeezed his eyes closed and sat back in his chair.

He had been so focused on finding Riki and keeping him that he never considered how many would use his disappearance or apparent death to their own advantage. Actually, that wasn't entirely true, even before the incident at Dana Bahn he'd had a list of those that needed to be carefully watched, but they were all lower level Elites or human contractors. He had never suspected his own brothers would so easily turn against him.

Raoul had warned him that the resentment over Riki ran deep, and Orphe had used that prejudice as a play for support. While Iason had Jupiter's full approval, and now even sported her colors, he knew that he needed to sort this mess out himself. Hiding behind Jupiter would be considered a weakness, and one thing he was not, was weak. Besides, he had his Blondie pride to consider.

Having been reinstated as the head of the syndicate, he could not allow anyone to undermine him. He had to walk a fine line of authority, without alienating the other Blondies further. This meant of course that he had to keep a tight watch on Riki as well.

His pet, no, his lover had been particularly obedient and even helpful in maintaining his status of a quiet, obedient pet, though he knew it was costing Riki dearly. Riki was not naturally submissive, and while Iason gave him practically free reign in the condo, outside he was still restricted.

He sometimes regretted bringing Riki back here, knowing how much the mongrel hated Eos, but he realized he would not be able to deal with all of this as effectively unless Riki was at his side. He didn't have to waste energy and resources wondering where Riki was or wanting him there, so he could focus more on his work.

When he scolded Raoul for not understanding what Riki was going through, it was because Riki considered himself trapped back here again. Granted, he had some heavy social pressures of his own to deal with, but he was still a Blondie and Jupiter's favored son, so nothing significant could ever be done to him. Still, he worried about Riki. Riki who was still visibly scorned and slighted whenever he went outside. He wanted to protect the young man that meant so much to him, and enable Riki to be more comfortable here. To do that he had to straighten out the mess in Tanagura that Orphe had left behind.

Now Riki was dealing with these new memories and trauma that Jupiter had awakened and Iason was frustrated that there was so little he could do. Aside from that one moment earlier in the afternoon yesterday, Riki had closed up about the subject of his father, and that concerned Iason. He'd never considered Riki's life, before taking him as his pet, and certainly never thought about Riki having any family that he might need to eventually deal with.

I don't belong here.

The anguish and uncertainty in Riki's voice yesterday had been disconcerting. It was evident that Riki was different from other mongrels, Iason had concluded that upon their first meeting, but he had never considered that he was not Amoïan.

How had Riki come to be from another planet, and how had he ended up at Guardian? Ceres was already overpopulated with boys, which was why the institution had been created in the first place. Why would an orphanage that already had an overflowing capacity take on one more, especially from an outside source?

Scowling he sat up and glanced through the contacts in his console, finding Katze's number he instigated a link. It was late, but he knew the Black Market Dealer would still be awake.

"Yes, Iason?" The redhead greeted a second later. "How can I assist you?"

"I want you to look into Guardian."

Katze's eyebrows rose as he pulled the cigarette out of his mouth. "In what capacity?"

"Find out where they are getting their boys and let me know if there is any signs of off-world trafficking."

"I'll do what I can, but I can't imagine they would need to go that route. They have enough on their plate with the population of abandoned kids in Ceres."

"You were never in Guardian, were you?"

"No. I came from Jannin, to the west."

Yes, Katze had come from one of the outlining villages; that had been on his paperwork when he became Furniture. Unlike most boys who did not retain much, if any, of their memories prior to learning to serve, Katze was fully aware of who he had been before becoming Furniture; perhaps that was what made him so very good at his current job.

"Just see what you can find out."

"I'll let you know as soon as I have something."

Iason nodded and when Katze didn't sign off right away he asked. "Was there something you needed?"

"No." Katze lowered his eyes for a moment then pulled them back to Iason. "I…was just wondering how things were going there?"

"It's a mess, but I hope to have it sorted shortly."

"Cal…" Katze snapped his mouth shut, then straightened. "That's good to hear."

"What about Cal?"

"It's nothing. I will look into Guardian for you right away."

"Katze." Iason watched a look of discomfort flicker over the redhead's face before it was replaced by his usual blank expression. The fact that he so rarely gave away his feelings was what made Katze an excellent underworld dealer. "Has something happened to Cal?"

"Not exactly and I gave my word not to tell you, only…"

"Only?"

"He's…getting older." Katze hoped that Iason would understand the subtle reference so that he would not have to break his promise to Cal outright. He was worried about the boy, who had been far too quiet lately, even for a Furniture. "Do you remember how I was at fourteen?"

Iason searched his memories backwards to find a young, growing and awkward boy. So, Cal had reached puberty. "I see."

"He's worried that he's changed too much and that you won't want him back."

"Well, if he is anything like you were he will no longer be appropriate as Furniture," Iason conceded and steeled his fingers.

"Will you redistribute him, as you did with me?"

"Do you think I should?"

"I can't presume to know what you should do with him, Iason, he's your Furniture." Cal was also a very frightened and uncertain young man now and Katze understood that feeling all too well. "I could keep him here, working with me if that's what you would prefer."

"He is doing well there then?"

Katze nodded.

Riki wanted Cal back, this much Iason knew, and if he was honest with himself, he missed the boy as well. Bean was efficient but Riki was right, there was something lacking in the young Furniture. "Do you think Cal would accept that?"

"He will accept whatever fate you decide for him."

"I am aware. However, I am asking your opinion. Do you think Cal would be…happy staying with you?"

Katze hesitated for a long while before answering, caught between a direct question from his master and his loyalty to Cal. It was the first time, in all the years he had known Iason that the blondie seemed to actually be considering the feelings of another. It shocked him. Perhaps being with Riki had changed the Elite, although whether it was a good thing or not was still uncertain.

"No."

"I see." Well, that complicated matters, somewhat, Iason thought with an inner sigh.

He had promised to bring Cal back to Eos, but he had not anticipated the difficulty he would face in overturning Orphe's law. Not only that, but should he choose to return Cal here, some might take it as another attempt to flout the rules and he had his hands full with the resentment others felt because of all the special treatment he had given Riki.

"We will both abide by whatever you decide, Iason," Katze stated quietly. "I just thought I would give you a heads up."

"Yes." One more thing to worry about, one more problem to solve. Riki was right, they should have just stayed dead. He no longer had the ruthless drive for this sort of nonsense. "I appreciate that Katze. You should get some sleep, you look tired."

Katze smirked. "This is my natural look; more sleep won't really change anything."

Iason chuckled, more out of reflex than amusement and signed off. He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes again. "We should have stayed at the beach house, pet."

Hopefully he will have this all ironed out soon and they could get away somewhere, just the two of them. Perhaps they would even bring Cal to watch over things, assuming that he hadn't become too gangly and awkward. Yes, that felt right. He would have to find some time to do that, somehow.

As for those that had so easily betrayed him, well, he couldn't terminate them because of Jupiter's rule, but there were other ways to deal with rats. Yes, indeed there were and once he had ousted all the vermin, he would get Tanagura back on track and restore his vision of what it should be.

A knock at his door had him straightening in his chair and he opened his eyes, assuming it was Bean. "Come."

The door opened and Riki stood there in just the shorts he usually wore to bed and a simple white T-shirt. "Are you busy?" he asked quietly.

Iason's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Yes. " He was always busy lately. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

Riki crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the door jam. "I couldn't sleep."

With a mind flooded by questions from the memory that Jupiter had awakened in him, he had been unable to settle. He couldn't rid himself of this feeling of unease, which seemed to grow worse the longer he lay in bed alone. Iason was working late, he did that more often now, and he hadn't wanted to disturb him, but he couldn't settle. Arguing with himself hadn't helped, nor had reading or fiddling with his data pad. He finally swallowed his pride and came to find the Blondie.

"Does your head hurt again?"

"No."

"Are you hungry?"

"No."

Iason watched Riki shift, once, twice, and noticed his eyes seemed to be looking everywhere except at him. "Are you lonely, perhaps?"

"No!"

Iason actually had to bite his lip to keep from smiling. He held out a gloved hand. "Come."

He watched as Riki hesitated long enough to show a meager flash of rebellion, then shoved off of the doorframe and walked to him, dropped his hands to his sides and curled his fingers into fists. Ah, his poor prideful mongrel, it was so difficult for him to ask for anything, even comfort.

"I'm disturbing your work."

"I only have a few more things to do, then was about to call it a night." Iason caught Riki's wrist and gently tugged him onto his lap. "I have a headache."

Riki started to rise. "I'll get you some…" His words were cut off as Iason trapped him in his arms and captured his mouth in a kiss that immediately had his body standing at attention.

"There." Iason gently licked Riki's lower lip as he ended the kiss. "All better."

"Idiot," Riki muttered, and tried to ignore the shimmer of pleasure that danced across his chest. He shifted slightly to get into a more comfortable position and glanced at the many computer screens on the far wall, amazed that Iason was able to read and process all of the information at once.

Iason kept one hand around Riki's waist as his other moved to type in some commands on his console. "I'm almost finished, and then we can go to bed, alright?"

"Okay." Riki leaned his head against Iason's shoulder and pulled some of the Blondie's hair into his fingers. That strange feeling had disappeared and he was suddenly so sleepy. "Can I help at all?"

"Not with this, but thank you." Iason continued to type one handed, faster than Riki could type with two. "I may have something you can help me with later, if you're interested." His eyes flickered over the screens, retaining the information instantly, weighing the variables and finding several solutions. "It may be something a hacker like yourself finds beneath him…" He glanced down to catch Riki's expression at his backhanded comment and found his pet sound asleep.

"So, you couldn't sleep, could you?" With a smile, Iason ordered his data saved and shut down his console, then slowly rose, careful not to wake the beautiful young man in his arms. These little moments were fast becoming his favorite part of the day. Riki didn't often seek him out, he had never done so before they were both nearly killed, but every now and then he did something completely out of character, and every time it pleased Iason so much he felt as if he was floating on air.

He stepped out of the office, moved across the living area and entered the lift that would take them to their bedroom, Riki never stirred. Once they arrived, Iason could see by the state of the sheets that Riki had indeed been tossing and turning. Carefully laying Riki on the bed, he restored the sheets to somewhat of an orderly fashion, then undressed.

Riki woke as the last of his clothing was being removed. "Iason?" he murmured as the Blondie tossed the shorts aside and smiled down at him.

"Yes, pet?"

"W'yor doin?"

Iason did so enjoy a sleepy Riki, although such vulnerability often inspired him to find new ways to wake Riki up, he knew the mongrel was exhausted so deliberately shut down his own arousal. "Coming to bed. What are you doing?" He watched, amused, as Riki's drowsy eyes attempted to focus on him.

"Sleepin'…maybe."

"Yes, I think so." Iason slid in next to him and pulled the covers over them both. "Though you said you couldn't sleep."

"Mmhmm." Instead of turning on his side to allow Iason to spoon behind him in their usual position, Riki leaned to the right and half fell across Iason's chest while the Blondie was still on his back. "It's…okay…now."

Iason wrapped his arms around Riki and smiled as his pet half-heartedly fought to stay awake, but sleep was adamant about claiming him. "Why is it okay?" he asked softly, needing to know, to hear the answer and knowing Riki would never answer if he was fully awake.

"Here."

"Hmmm?"

"You're…here."

"Yes, and I'll stay right here beside you." Iason watched Riki's half-conscious fingers search and find a locke of blonde hair to cling to. "Always."

Iason lay his head on the pillow next to Riki and closed his eyes, preparing to shut down for the evening, when Riki whispered.

"Don't leave me."

Iason's eyes opened and he tightened his hold. "Never."

Riki's reply was ridiculously soft and almost incoherent as he started to slip back into his slumber, but Iason's keen hearing could still pick it out and he closed his eyes at the pleasure of it.

"And I you," he whispered, then one by one, set his processors on sleep mode.

Riki paused at a candy vendor and looked over their selection, trying to find the type he'd nicked a couple of weeks ago. He didn't have to steal anymore, of course, but he liked to stay in practice, plus old habits were hard to break, even after all this time. He never took anything expensive that he might get into serious trouble for, but only because that would reflect on Iason and he had promised to behave. Still, a little slight of hand here or there gave him a sense of satisfaction against the annoyingly condescending locals of EOS and their idiotic rules.

With Iason now spending full days and most evenings at his office and Bean hovering constantly, he was going stir crazy, so had decided to head to the square to loiter. It was lonely in the apartment with Iason gone so much; there was nothing to alleviate his boredom. He barely saw the Blondie lately, but he refused to admit that he actually missed him. Plus, spending so much time alone was causing him to dwell on what happened with Jupiter, and that was messing with his head.

"He's overdoing it," Riki decided aloud as he moved because the vendor had no other customers so there was no opportunity to grab anything. He moved further down the street, then paused at a stall of scarfs and sashes. "Just because he doesn't have to sleep, doesn't mean he doesn't need sleep."

"See anything you like?"

The question was almost too polite, and Riki could see the barely contained scorn in the vendor's eyes. He no doubt didn't want a pet pawing his things, but nor would he turn away a sale, especially to the pet of a very rich master.

"Nah, they all look like shit." Riki dropped the scarf he had picked up and moved on, ignoring the vendor's outraged stuttering.

He wished there was some way he could help Iason with his work, if for no other reason than to get it over and done with so they could get Cal back and he could maybe get out of Tanagura for a while. Iason promised they wouldn't have to stay here for good, and Riki had to trust that he would keep that promise. Being a pet was a pain in the ass, even without receiving Iason's giant dick up his own most nights. He hated the restrictions it placed on him, but he had given his word to behave. He realized, after the ordeal with Orphe, that he had to stop playing the victim and accept half of the responsibility in their relationship. That wasn't an easy task, since he still had so little control over most things, but he could at least responsible for himself and understand what the consequences of his actions could have on Iason and their staying together.

"Are you searching for a gift?"

Riki glanced up into a pair of sparkling green eyes, so lost in his thoughts that he was unaware that he had stopped at a jewelry cart this time. "No!"

He snatched his hand away from the broach he was fingering.

The woman smiled. "Are you sure?" She picked up the oval shaped broach in pale gold, with a brilliant blue star sapphire in the center, surrounded by gems that were so pure white they almost blinded him, now that he looked at it properly. . "Are you sure? This is a one of a kind, you know, and would make an exceptional gift to someone."

"One of a kind, huh?" Riki wasn't buying her story, although the gem in the broach was almost the same color as Iason's eyes. "How many one of a kinds do you have that look exactly the same then?"

"It's true. This was a specially commissioned piece for an Elite, but the client changed their mind and so I have to put it in with my regular stock."

Riki's dark eyes drilled through her, watched her eyes widen in surprise and then…approval at being stared down so blatantly by a pet. "How much?"

"Only three thousand credits."

"For this piece of crap?" Riki demanded, refusing to be fleeced and ready to start bargaining, but then he suddenly realized he was actually considering buying a gift for Iason. He never thought of doing that before…What the hell was wrong with him?

"This is made with one hundred percent Myrinaum!" she insisted.

"Myrinaum?" Riki sneered. "I can scrape that shit off the pipes in the toilet."

The woman's eyebrows rose. "It's finely processed Myrinaum, not the dense material used for plumbing. It's a much higher grade."

"On what planet?" Still he knew that for Myrinum never lost its shine, which was why it was so often used for fixture. "Two hundred."

She stared at him, horrified and amused at the same time. "The box for it costs more than that." She pursed her lips. "Twenty- eight hundred."

"Two fifty."

"Have you no shame?" She put a hand to her heart, lowered her eyes. "You'd take the food out of my children's mouths? Twenty- five hundred."

Riki bit down on his lip to keep from grinning, this woman was definitely not a local of Tanagura. He looked at the broach, then touched his bracelet, thoughtfully. Maybe a gift wasn't such a bad idea, it didn't mean anything really have to mean anything. He was just repaying a debt, right? For when Iason rescued him from Orphe. He was just returning a favor, because he didn't like owing anybody, and besides, that stone really was the same penetrating blue as Iason's eyes.

"Three hundred."

"Well, we're up to the price of the clasp. Twenty-three hundred."

They both jumped when the sign above her cart sparked suddenly, then started humming and flickering, effectively cutting off her advertisement and company name and replacing it with a simulated shadow video of some kind of animal's rutting.

"Oh no! Not again!"

She set the broach back in the tray, then turned to the back table of her stall and hit the small console with the palm of her hand. The sign leaped, blipped and began flashing brilliant psychedelic colors that hurt the eyes. She swore and hit the machine again, the sign went back to the matting rabbits.

Riki smirked. "Looks like you've got a problem with your sign."

"Oh! I've had a tech out to look at it twice and they claim to fix it, but some little bastard keeps hacking it again!"

He glanced down at the broach, considered pocketing it while she was distracted, but he'd already gained a little respect for her. Besides, he was having fun bargaining. "How much that cost ya?"

She paused in smacking her console and turned to him. "Excuse me?"

"How much did the tech cost?"

She opened her mouth to reply, then narrowed her eyes on him. "Why?"

He shrugged. "I'm pretty good with electronics. I bet I can fix it for you."

"You're a pet, right? What does a pet know about such things?"

Riki bristled, then willed himself to be calm because he suddenly really wanted that damn broach! "I wasn't always a pet, but…" He shrugged. "If you'd rather call a tech again, I guess we have nothing more to discuss."

She pursed her lips again and dropped her gaze to the broach. "Let me guess, you'll fix my sign for the cost of the cost of the broach?"

Again, he shrugged, but couldn't quite keep the grin from forming this time.

"No deal." She reached behind her console and hit the power switch. "I'll just turn it off until…" The sign, instead of switching off started to emit a high pitch whine that was starting to draw the attention of other people in the square. "Oh damn it! Off! Turn off!"

Riki turned his back to her, leaned against the cart and crossed his arms and ankles as he watched all the glares coming her way. "Security will come soon and shut you down."

"It won't shut off!"

"Tell them that. What's the fine for such a noise disturbance in EOS?"

The woman glared at him, frustrated, but a small smile also slipped across her lips. "Fix the sign and I'll give you the broach for two thousand."

"Nope."

"Come on! Are you trying to rob me?"

Riki noticed two security droids headed toward them. "Here they come."

"Oh for…Fifteen hundred!"

He turned. "Five hundred," he declared. "And I'll fix the sign and the console, plus set you up an impenetrable firewall that no hacker can get through, guaranteed."

The vendor bit her lower lip, glanced at the approaching droids then back at Riki. "Deal, you arrogant sonofabitch! Fix it then!"

Riki grinned, hoped over the counter into the stall, picked up her console, turned it around and pulled out a small multi-tool from his pocket. He quickly removed the back casing and started fiddling with the wires.

"You are in violation…" One of the droids began.

"Two seconds!" Riki called as he rerouted the auxiliary control to another port, crossed two of the power coupling wires then snipped a third one. The sign fell blissfully silent.

"Sorry officers," the vendor offered the droids. "It won't happen again."

After a moment's contemplation as they assessed the data and uploaded it to the main server, the droids moved off.

"How did you do that?" she demanded looking over Riki's shoulder as she watched him program something into his watch, then sealed the case back onto the console.

"I'll tell you for an extra two hundred off."

She barked in laughter and slapped at his shoulder before she could help herself, then put her hands over her mouth. It was illegal to touch a pet without permission. "I…I'm so sorry. I didn't mean…"

He smirked at her as he powered up the console and pulled her stool over to settle on. "I won't tell if you don't."

"R…really?"

"Yeah." His fingers flew over the key panel once the console was working again. "First, let's get rid of this virus and the back door your hacker is using."

"Can you really do that?"

"Sure."

She watched him, completely ignorant of everything he was doing, but understanding that it had to be complicated. The code on the screen made no sense to her. "My name's Carrie by the way." She held out her hand to him, watched him glance from it to her face, before slowly shaking it.

"Riki."

"Yeah, I know."

He sighed and went back to his programing. "Is that why you jacked up the price so much?" he demanded, feeling the spark of anger. "Because Iason's rich?"

"No, I really wanted to sell it for that much, no matter who it was too." She glanced over her shoulder and noticed a few other vendors, and even some of the pets wandering the square were watching them intently. "Will this get us into trouble?"

He shrugged. "Who knows? I can't keep up with all the rules in the damn place."

Carrie watched a security officer wander over to them, a man this time, not a droid.

"Is there a problem here?" he demanded, glaring at Riki.

"No, no problem. This kind young man offered to fix my sign for me, that's all."

"Oh? Did he receive permission to do this?"

"P…permission?"

"He's a pet, miss. He isn't allowed to offer any…" The guard sneered at Riki. "Services to anyone without his master's permission."

Riki's hands stilled, his spine stiffened and he but his lip hard enough to draw blood to prevent the angry retort that rose up in his throat.

"I…n…no I didn't get permission."

Riki rose slowly. "It's my fault," he stated. "I jumped behind before she could stop me and I forgot to…" He swallowed the foul taste that rose in his mouth. "Ask." He couldn't force the word permission through his lips.

The guard waved at Riki, indicating he come out from behind the stall. "You best come with me and we'll go see your master."

Riki slid his legs back over the front counter. "I don't need an escort."

"Well, you're getting one." The man touched the wand at his side. "Move mongrel."

Riki's hands curled into fists and he avoided looking at Carrie. "Whatever." He turned on his heel and stormed off quickly enough that the guard had to rush to catch up.

Carrie watched them go, unsure what she could have or should have said in his defence. She flinched as her sign hummed and came back on, clear and perfect with her scrolling advertisement. He had even added a beautiful flashing border to it and a soft tune that was both soft yet enticing.

"Oh my. That's better than it's ever been." She glanced down the square again, helplessly as Riki and the guard disappeared among the crowd, then gasped and looked down at the sapphire broach in her tray. "Well, damn it."

Riki slouched on the bench outside of Iason's office and crossed his arms over his chest. FUCK! Why couldn't these bastards just leave him alone? He wasn't doing anything wrong and to top it off he never even got the damn broach! This was what he got for trying to do something nice. He glared at the closed door in front of him and his temper grew hotter by the minute. The Guard had insisted on 'explaining' the situation to Iason in person, and to make matters worse, he'd seen Raoul in there with him when the guard entered.

This wasn't fair! He'd done everything he could do to remain off their damn radar, and the one time he forgot to consider…He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair.

When the door opened, he refused to rise, simply out of principle. The guard exited, looking smug and Raoul was right behind him, looking surprisingly sympathetic.

"He wants to see you."

Riki rose slowly and tried to bury the anxiety rising inside of him. He hadn't been in trouble in a long time; would Iason actually punish him?

"I wouldn't keep him waiting if I were you."

Riki shot Raoul a look that would freeze meat. "Fuck you," he growled and stormed into the office. He closed the door with a decided slam, nearly in Raoul's face, then turned, prepared for battle.

Iason sat in his office chair, his fingers steepled, his eyes pinned to Riki's every movement. "What were you thinking?"

"What does it matter? I fucked up, okay? What do they expect this time? Do they want Bean to drag my naked ass through the streets while I'm shackled?"

"As appealing as that might be, I don't believe the consequences will be quite so severe."

Riki almost stumbled; he'd been raring for a fight, prepared to rage and swear and rebel and do whatever he could to retain his pride. What the hell? "What do you mean? Aren't you gonna punish me?"

Iason sighed, rubbed his temple and turned to his console. "I haven't time for it. Just go home, Riki."

Riki felt as if he had been slapped. That was it? Wasn't Iason going to grope him, fuck him into submission? Wasn't he going to lecture him, or say he was disappointed? "What the fuck?"

"Please don't use such language here. Go home, Riki. I'm busy."

Something definitely wasn't right. This wasn't like Iason at all. He took a step towards the blondie, then pulled back again. Iason looked tired. Iason never looked tired and Riki realized that this interruption would probably cause him to stay late at the office again. He felt bad about that, but even worse, was the idea that Iason so angry he didn't even want to look at him. Why did that make his heartache and his stomach cramp? Reluctantly he opened the door, stepped out, and then before he closed it whispered.

"I'm sorry."

Iason looked up, startled just as the door quietly clicked closed. "Riki." He rose and moved to the door, but by the time he opened it Riki had disappeared. Sighing again, he returned to his work.