Chapter 9

"How much has he had to drink?" Aeko asked Vic with a sigh, steering Daggon into a free seat and resting a gentle hand on the back of his neck.

"Too much, obviously," Vic grumbled, glaring at the Cirronian. "Man, what were you doing to her?" he demanded.

"You get him drunk and you get surprised that he suddenly becomes affectionate?" Aeko shook her head. Maria had hurried after Mel to make sure she was okay, so she took the chance to speak freely. "He's shit-faced, Detective Bruno. I need to get him home before he starts glowing."

"Did you say…"

Aeko nodded shortly. "It's what they do. Alcohol impairs fine-motor coordination, makes it hard to control his luminosity."

Vic shook his head in disgust. "He might have mentioned that."

"I doubt it occurred to him that it'd be a problem in this body."

"I'll get him home," Vic said.

"No, I'll get it. You see to your friend. She's probably a little shaken. I doubt she's ever been on the receiving end of anything quite like that before."

"What was it? What was he doing?"

"She needed… comfort," Daggon explained quietly, yawning.

Aeko's eyes widened and she let out a relieved sigh. "Oh, thank the gods. For a second there I thought it was foreplay."

Vic stared at her. "Yeah, definitely time for someone to go home," he told her.

Aeko nodded and hauled Daggon to his feet, pulling his arm around her shoulders. "Come on, boss. Let's get you tucked in."

He looked down at her with a goofy smile. "Did you see her? She was so morah…"

"She was beautiful," Aeko agreed gently. "If you're in to mammals."

Vic blinked at that statement, but pushed it from his mind in favor of another consideration. "Um… how did you know where we were?"

"You kidding? This is the fourth cop-bar I've been to tonight. But it occurred to me that you'd probably bring him drinking and I thought I'd better rescue you before he goes nova on you."

"He going to be okay?"

"Yeah, he just needs sleep."


"He doesn't sleep."

"Tonight, he does." Aeko gave him a gentle smile and a wink. "You have a good rest of the evening, yeah?"

"Uh, yeah." Vic nodded. There was a time in the not too distant past when he would not have trusted the Dessarian alone with Daggon in this state, but now he knew better. She had willingly put herself into harm's way just last week to catch a Nodulian assassin who was making women sick, using herself as bait over Daggon's objections. It had not been the first time that she had put her neck on the line either. She had made mistakes in her life, no doubt, but she had a good heart and an honest desire to make amends. Daggon would be just fine with her. "You have my cell if you need help with him?"

"I have it but I won't. Drunk Cirronians are easy. If he were Vardian, I'd probably need you and the rest of your city's police-force as backup. You and your friends have a good rest of the night, Detective Bruno." She inclined her head politely, then led Daggon off, half-carrying him.

Shaking his head, Vic poured himself a drink, then went to join Mel and the others.

***

"What the bloody hell was that all about?" Jess asked as Mel returned to the bar, looking almost as unsteady on her feet as the man who had been touching her.

"I don't know," Mel told her honestly. "But if I'd had anything to drink tonight I'd be ready to write it off to that." She shrugged and rubbed her throat thoughtfully. It was still tingling where his callused fingertips had passed. Julius had never been able to manage any sort of lasting after-effect.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Jess asked, alarmed. He had seemed so sweet, too, not at all the type to try something like that.

"Oh, no, Jess, nothing like that," Mel assured her gently. "He was just a little out of it."

"I'll bet. Vic told me that this is the anniversary of the murder of his wife."

"Wife and daughter," Maria corrected Jess, joining them. "They were both killed."

Mel winced. "God, poor guy."

"Melanie, are you okay?" Maria asked, looking her over.

"Fine, Maria," Mel assured her, nodding. "What about your friend?"

"John? He's…" She paused as she watched Daggon's young friend haul him to his feet and steer him from the bar. "Obviously ready to call it a night."

"I'd say he was ready to do that a few drinks ago," Vic contributed, joining them. "But Aeko'll take good care of him. You okay, Mel?"

"I'm fine. How is John, though?" Mel asked, unable to tear her mind from Vic's friend. Part of her ached to find him and hold him in her arms until the pain was gone. She had been able to feel that pain like a living entity with a mind of its own, tormenting the gentle man. Her heart felt ready to break on his behalf. "Will he be okay?"

"I think so." Vic nodded. "I'll keep a close eye on him the next few days."

"Might want to keep him out of the bars, too," Mel suggested quietly.

She could have kicked herself for the suggestion since it meant that she might not see him again, but a man who drank as much as John obviously had tonight did not belong in a bar. Besides, what was she doing hoping to see him again? Truth was that she wanted a lot more than to just see him again, and it scared her. She was not used to being in the middle of a committed relationship and suddenly falling for a guy out of the blue. That one, though, had been one of a kind, easy to fall for.

"I think you're right, Mel," Vic agreed, sighing and shaking his head. "I honestly didn't think it'd go down like this. I figured we'd have a few rounds, commiserate a little…"

"We know, Vic," Maria assured him gently, patting his shoulder. "It's okay. We understand. His little friend going to be able to handle things with him?" she added.

"Yeah, she's cool."

"She know enough to call an ambulance if he gets sick?"

Vic nodded. "She's a smart kid, Mar. He's in good hands."

Maria considered. "So, am I driving you home or buying you another round?"

Vic closed his eyes and was assailed by a mental image of Daggon with his hands on Mel's throat. Aeko's comment about foreplay… He might have been feeling protective at the time, but he was not going to bother denying that Mel had enjoyed Daggon's touch. She had been wearing that shocked look of hers, not so much shocked at having been touched, but shocked at having enjoyed it. He had seen it a lot in their own relationship. The thought made it very easy for him to decide that a few more rounds were in order.

***

"Drink," Aeko ordered, handing Daggon another glass of water. The lights were off in the war-room, but it was still brilliantly lit by a very intoxicated Cirronian Tracker.

"Aeko, this is the… fifth glass you've made me drink!" he protested, shaking his head. "Enough!"

"Just drink it and then we'll get you into bed."

Fortunately, the war-room had previously been a guest-room, and it still had a bed. Aeko slept there from time to time when they were working on something important.

Daggon sighed and nodded, draining the glass. "Happy? Don't know what the point is of making me empty my stomach if you're just going to fill it up again…"

She shook her head. "Didn't want any more alcohol finding its way into your bloodstream. You should have known better than to drink in the first place with your metabolism," she added. "You know it hits your people funny… Currently, I am just trying to keep you from getting dehydrated." She removed the glass from his hand and pulled off his shirt. "You know what your problem is, sir?" she asked with a sigh.

"Why don't you tell me, Doctor Aeko," he grumbled, letting her push him back onto the bed and unbuckle his belt.

"You don't do anger."

"Anger is counterproductive."

"Anger is natural," she corrected him, pulling off his pants. "Love of the gods, sir, have you looked around you lately? What sane person can live in a universe like ours and not feel angry about things? Cirronians deny their anger like it's an evil thing. Only it's not…" She sighed and pulled back the covers. "Look, get some rest, sir. You need it."

"I know," he yawned, climbing under the covers. He watched her slip off her shoes, frowning. "What are you doing?"

"Joining you. Someone's got to stay and watch you. However, I also need sleep. So, in absence of a nice warm basking rock, I'm going to have to settle for a nice warm Cirronian." She pulled off her shirt. "Or have you been spending enough time with the humans that the thought offends you?"

"Why would I care where you sleep?" he yawned as she pulled the rest of her clothes off and slid under the covers next to him.

"Get some rest now, sir."

"Since when do you give the orders?"

"Just this once, I hope. You need to talk?" she offered.

"Yes."


Aeko rolled to face him. "So talk," she advised gently.

***

"Thanks for seeing me in, Mar," Vic said as they entered the dark living room. "But I'm not drunk any more and it really wasn't necessary."

"I know. Maybe I'm just a bit concerned about John and want to check on him?" Maria suggested quietly.

"That so? So John is the reason you're in my home at this hour?" he teased. Five years with Maria as a partner was starting to rub off.

"I am concerned about him, yes," she replied evasively.

"I see." Vic raised an eyebrow, imitating an expression she often threw his way.

"We do still need to discuss some things," she pointed out.

"In the morning," Vic said firmly. "Look, you take my bed, I'll grab the couch."

"Your bed's a King. No reason we can't share…"

Vic gave a nervous chuckle. "Ah, Mar…"

"Only a come-on if you want it to be one," she told him gently, patting his cheek before stepping around him into the hallway. "Likes them young, doesn't he?" she asked as Vic was still trying to make heads or tails of her previous comment.

"Huh?" he asked, following.

He looked into the 'guestroom' at whatever had Maria's attention and did a double-take. Daggon was sound asleep with a naked Dessarian sprawled on top of his bare chest. She opened her eyes and turned her head, staring at them in the darkness. Her eyes almost seemed to glow as they reflected the hall light.

"Don't wake him," she whispered, holding one finger over her lip.

Not that waking the Cirronian looked like much of a possibility at that point. He was out like a light and, from the smile on a face that sleep had rendered boyish, he was enjoying whatever it was that Cirronian Trackers dreamt about very much indeed.

"I just got the poor baby to sleep a few minutes ago," Aeko explained. "We've been talking for hours."

"He going to be okay?" Maria asked quietly.

"He'll be fine, Detective Cruz," Aeko assured her. "He's never cried for them before, never yelled or cursed or vented… he's done those things now. He can begin to heal." She looked down at the Cirronian for a moment, smoothing back his hair and shaking her head, her pretty features marred by a sad expression. "He'll be fine. Good night, Detective Cruz. Good night, Detective Bruno."

"Night, Aeko," Vic murmured, closing the door.

"I didn't know they were involved," Maria said quietly, steering Vic towards his own room.

"Neither did I." Vic let himself be steered down the hallway but stalled at the door when she tried to maneuver him inside. "Uh… Mar?" he began uneasily.

Maria regarded him thoughtfully for a moment, then shrugged and gave him a crooked grin. "Night, Vicky," she whispered, peeking him on the cheek and turning.

"Where are you going?"

"Home. Where else?" she asked, not turning around.

Vic saw her shoulders slump as she walked down the hall and winced. Shaking his head, he followed, catching up with her in the living room. The hand on her shoulder, gently restraining her, was shaking. When she did not turn to face him, refusing to meet his eye in the dark living room, he knew she was in earnest. She was not a woman who freely bared her emotions, the reason for most of her teasing. She had gambled by following Vic inside tonight and perceived a loss.

"How long has this been going on?" he asked finally.

"Too long, not long enough… somewhere in that range."

"Help a guy out, Mar!" Vic protested, spinning her to face him. "Damn it, Mar, would you look at me?" he whispered when she fixed her gaze on her flats.

More spat out that spoken, "Why?"

"So I can see your beautiful eyes?" Vic suggested.

Her head shot up, but her expression was mistrustful.

"Mar, I am not a guy who's in the habit of playing games with women," he pointed out gently.

"I know." She nodded shortly. "It was my play. And I fumbled."

"No…" He shook his head. "Mar, come on. In case you didn't notice, you surprised me just a little." Understatement, but he was not about to tell her so. "Come on, partner. I'm as jumpy around most women as you are around men and you know it." He shook his head and walked into the kitchen. "Damn, Mar, if you knew how long I've been trying to ignore the fact that you're a beautiful woman in addition to being a damned good cop, you'd probably slap me…"

Maria regarded him dubiously for a moment before seeing the truth in his words. "Okay, fair enough." She sighed and joined him in the kitchen, watching him as he pulled down a pair of teacups from a high shelf, stretching a little. She smiled faintly at the view. "Although for some odd reason I am currently feeling somewhat more inclined to spank you than to smack you."


"Spank me?" he repeated with a laugh, shaking his head and turning to face her. "I see. Chamomile?"

"Please." Maria smiled at him. "And yes, spank you. If you're a cooperative boy, I won't even have to use my handcuffs. Unless you want me to," she added mildly.

Vic nearly spilled boiling water on himself at her handcuff comment, he was laughing so hard.

"Ah, better let me take over," Maria suggested, relieving him of the teakettle. They stood in comfortable silence for several minutes, sipping their tea, until Maria asked quietly, "Do you still love her?"

"Oh, not a fair question," Vic protested, shaking his head.

"No, but an honest one."

"Yeah, I guess I kind of do." Vic sighed and shrugged. "I've always had a weak-spot where Mel's concerned and I think I always will. I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Maria had known the answer before she had asked the question. It had not even been a matter of confirming her suspicions. "Thank you for being honest. It means a lot."

Vic sighed and nodded. "Yeah."

"It does." She smiled up at him, shaking her head. "Christ almighty, Vicky, you think I'm one of those women who asks a question, knowing the answer, and still gets pissed to hear it?"

"No." He shook his head quickly. "I just don't see why you brought it up, knowing the answer."

"Just wondering if you knew it." Maria reached up and gently caressed his cheek for a moment before dropping her hand. "I worry about you, partner. Whatever else is now or ever will be the truth about us, I worry. A lot."

"Sure you do. That's what friends and partners do."


"Yes, it is. That and sharing with each other. So why don't you tell me what's really going on with John?"

"I can't do that, Mar. Not yet." He shook his head. Until he could be sure that she would not freak and expose Daggon in a moment of panic, he could not tell her the truth. "You've been talking to Jenny, you know he's cool. And I know that you are… not really sure what to make of him, but… he is a good guy, and he is one of us. That's all that should matter to you."

"That language he was speaking--"

"Was probably as slurred as hell by the twenty-odd drinks he had just consumed."

"You're a terrible liar, Vicky," Maria sighed, shaking her head. "But… if you trust this guy unreservedly…"

"I absolutely do, Mar." He nodded firmly. "And I will tell you the full story as soon as I can. Very soon, I hope."

"Fair enough." She nodded and placed her empty cup in the dishwasher. "See you at work," she said, turning to leave.

"Mar," he began, catching her arm.

"See you at work," she repeated more firmly, smiling up at him. "Night, Vicky," she added before pulling him down for a long kiss.

Smiling to herself, she left her partner swaying on his feet in his kitchen.