Chapter 15

"Here."

Finley took the offered water bottle, feeling the moisture on it already from the hot air. "Thanks."

"Drink it all soon," Alexander told him. Finley cocked an eyebrow at him. "Don't want to cart you off to the hospital because you get heat stroke."

"Yes sir," Finley replied but he was smiling.

"You know, I never took you as a beach volleyball fan," Alexander said, then paused. "Actually I didn't know there were beach volleyball fans."

Finley chuckled. "I probably wouldn't be one except Teresa plays professionally and she talks your ear off about it if you give her half a chance. Give her long enough and she'll convert you."

Beside him Evan snorted. How he had come to be here on his day off was anyone's guess, he certainly didn't understand it. Only... Finley was letting people in, again, and Evan wouldn't turn down the invitation on that basis.

The women in sports bikinis warming up on the court in front of the stands were a bonus but the only other enjoyable one he saw. He was not a fan of beaches.

"So which is your cousin?" he asked as the match got started. Finley said he would introduce them after the match, you didn't disturb players when they were warming up.

"There, Canada 2," Finley said. "That's Thiri."

Evan looked to where Finley was pointed and saw a glimpse of dark blue eyes and dark hair. The sun made his eyes see a dim glow about her and the water reflected a thousand sparkles that were mirrored in her eyes. She tossed her long hair, wind whipping it up, and laughed, sea spray roaring up from the rocks behind her, the salt of the air in his mouth and the taste of the spray on his skin.

Evan blinked. The water was behind them, the stands, and was calm, there weren't any rocks for miles down either side of the beach. She had shorter hair, tied tightly back in bobbed pigtails and sunglasses were covering her eyes. She wasn't laughing but concentrating hard, bent in preparation for the serve, wearing a red sport bikini with CAN and 2 emblazoned on it.

"Aw, crap, they're not going to beat them. What a team to draw!" Finley was saying. "May and Walsh are undefeated for something like a hundred games now. Come on Thiri!"

Thiri got the ball, it was set up, she spiked it and the other team, in blue, dug it, tipped it over and... point May and Walsh, USA.

"At least they didn't have to take on the other Canadian team," Finley said. "They hate it when the draw sets them up to face Martin and Dumont. They train together and don't like knocking it each other out of the tournament. Not that Teresa and Julie can beat them..."

The whistle blew and Finley swore. Point, May Walsh.

The American team won, though Teresa and Julie put up as good a fight as could be fought against such titans. They hung back as the crowds trickled out of the stands, there was a crowd around both athletes' tables, getting autographs and asking for the jerseys the players had to keep for their next matches. Teresa looked for Finley in the crowd, spotted him still in the stands and waved briefly before signing the back of a volunteer's shirt. A couple people glanced in their direction and, seeing no one of interest, quickly went back to getting their autographs.

The crowd around Julie and Teresa dispersed much quicker than the one around May and Walsh but the two women didn't seem to mind much. Teresa grabbed her towel and laughed at something her volley-ball partner said as the three of them filed out of the stands but as soon as Finley's feet were on the sand she strode over and launched herself into his arms in a full body hug. He had to stagger back to support her weight.

"Hi, Thiri," Finley said, chuckling.

"You ass! You could have given me some fucking warning!" Teresa laughed. She shoved her feet down into the sand, hopped once and hugged him hard again.

"Breathing is good, Thiri," Finley told her.

That got a laugh and a hard kiss to the cheek. A kiss with a touch of teeth, Finley felt, before she pulled away and thumped him on the back as hard as any of her brothers would. "Bloody bastard! You don't write for frigging months but you show up where-ever-the-hell USA to watch me get my ass handed to me. If you didn't bring this him I've been hearing about from the gossip queens that are my brothers I'm going to have to send Chirion at you. Now which one is he?"

Teresa had turned and was studying Evan and Alexander with an intensity she normally used at art museums. That counted as quite a lot, Finley knew, she had a masters in fine art which had started as a bachelors in veterinary sciences; he had never understood the switch.

Evan took a quick step back and Finley almost laughed. He didn't need to see Teresa's eyes to know what kind of look she had there. She was the best and worst of both her parents. Her father was one of the calmest, surest men Finley had ever met, and once upon a time he had been told he was just like his uncle, but that aspect of Irving was deceptive and before you knew what hit you he had talked you, smiling, into a corner where you had to agree with him. Riling his temper made him seem, suddenly, very un-Canadian but that didn't happen often. Her mother was neon bright and just a little crazy. Their children were never a reflection of either but a mixture of both and it was, sometimes, a little scary.

Or at least it would have been had Finley not known each one of them were fierce as mother bears when it came to him. He was older than all of his cousins but from the way they protected him you wouldn't know it. It half made sense to him, they were all well adjusted members of society, or if not that at least healthy and happier than most, and he, quite simply, wasn't. They didn't need help to survive, despite how much their father worried, worried and cursed them and loved them.

"This is Alexander, Thiri," Finley introduced, stepping forward to take Alexander's hand. "My cousin, Teresa."

"I'm sure he's given you all manner of warning about me. Believe nothing he says. It's all true, but it's easier for me if you don't believe it," Teresa told him. She stuck out her hand for him to shake, Finley was in the way of giving flying hugs or brain squeezes and he knew it too, the bastard.

Alexander laughed, his eyes were smiling and Teresa decided she liked him enough to give him a wink. "I'd say I know a lot about you but Finley doesn't tell me a damn thing and my brothers know well enough to shut their big mouths when I'm around. I've had to snoop a bit. Helps that I'm bloody good at snooping. So when do I get to interrogate you?"

"Don't you have matches or something, Thiri? You know, your career?" Finley teased. He felt a bit of relief. If Teresa hadn't liked Alexander she would have been polite, quieter and without the look of satisfaction about her.

"Matched with the Brazilians at four, should be able to get a profile out of you by then," Teresa offered with a smile that bordered on predatory and teasing.

Finley winced. Not at his cousin, but for her. The Brazilians, any of them at the tournament, were a formidable team and Teresa and Julie had already lost a match. Teresa didn't seem bothered, she rarely was, her eyes were already fixed on the other man with them. Evan knew it and shifted once before straightening himself.

Teresa had no idea who he was but something about him felt warm, almost familiar, and she knew right away she was glad he wasn't Finley's Alexander. "And this is?"

Finley raised an eyebrow. Teresa caught it but ignored it. Silly man, she hadn't been phased by her father's evil eye since she was eight and her grandmother's, and that was something to contend with!, since she was fifteen. A raised eyebrow was hardly her concern when she had what looked like a cowboy in front of her.

"Evan," the man himself offered gruffly. Alexander followed her eyes to his friend and was caught unprepared for the sudden blush mostly hidden by a developing sunburn.

She launched herself at him without warning. Finley had been half expecting it and wondering absently what her father would say if he had been there. Evan, luckily, managed to catch her.

"Lovely to meet you, Evan. Call me Thiri," she offered. Evan didn't say anything but yelped as she nipped his shoulder. He did not, Finley observed, drop her when she did.

She was on her own feet again before Evan had his wits again, smiling open mouthed like a dolphin. "I've got to talk to my coach and Julie, go over the massacre quick. Give me half and I'll treat to this great little Thai place some of the Yank players have been on about. I'll meet you under the scoreboard."

She winked at Finley and Alexander, grinned at Evan, who stared at her as if she was completely nuts and was off before she got a reply, grabbing her duffle bag and towel on the way. Finley shook his head as her partner joined her and the two of them started chatting away, Julie glancing back once.

"She bit me!" Evan said, finally.

"Yeah, I probably should have warned you about that. I didn't think she'd do it yet. She greets people like that sometimes. It's like kissing someone on the cheek, I think. She likes you but didn't think you were reacting enough to her," Finley explained.

Evan stared. Finley chuckled. "No, I don't understand it either."

"She bites," Evan muttered, shaking his head.

"Are all your cousins this odd?" Alexander asked.

"They're odd. None of them are like Thiri though." Finley smiled. "I don't think anyone is quite like Thiri."

"Are they all teething?" Evan asked, rubbing at the spot her teeth had grazed. It didn't hurt it was just... weird.

Finley laughed. "No, only she does that. It's a compliment, believe me."

Evan shook his head again, looking bewildered. Finley sought out Alexander's eyes and winked at him. Alexander smiled suddenly, feeling as if Evan had just met his match. He wondered absently how long it would take him to figure it out or if Eve might have to whack him to get him to see it.

"So where are we meeting her?" Alexander asked. There were scoreboards everywhere.

"I'm assuming she meant the place where they list the matches too, under the sound booth," Finley offered. "We're out of the way there."

"Out of the way?" Evan gestured around. "There's no one here."

"The next match is a Brazilian team. It will fill up," Finley told him. "If they make it to the finals the drums are brought in."

Evan shook his head and followed Finley and Alexander to the scoreboard. It was right near the athletes' tent and medical booth. They could see Teresa chatting with her partner and coach from there. A couple players recognized and waved to Finley, two with Canadian jersey's, one with an Australian jersey. Two girls standing checking out the match schedules launched into furious whispering after a tall, lanky guy with shaggy blonde hair put his bag down in the athlete's tent.

"That's Conrad," the first, a short haired brunette with a Canada bucket hat whispered.

"Where?" the other, another brunette but with hair down to the small of her back, answered, looking around.

"There," she nudged. "There!"

"Him?" the second girl cocked her head. "Oh yeah, he looks much better in person."

"He's the most unphotogenic person in the world. He looks like a serial killer in his photos but in real life..." there was a sigh.

"He looks old, even for me, so what does that tell you?" the second teased.

"He is not, well, maybe, but I don't care. Eight years, Mandi, since I was twelve and I still want to melt into a puddle around him. You'd think that would lessen over the years, eh? He's just wonderful and lovely and his eyes..."

"So go say hi," the second challenged.

"I will. He recognizes me because I go to so many tournaments. Too bad I like his wife so much because I am legal now..."

"Wait, he's...Well hell, he does recognize you..."

The first girl, Evan noted, managed not to squee as she went over to talk with the volley-ball player of her dreams, apparently. Alexander, he noticed, was grinning and laughing under his breath.

They waited awhile, Finley getting fidgety as people streamed past them into the stands. Evan noticed Alexander had a hand on his arm, slowly rubbing circles over his wrist. Finally, Finley sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I need a smoke," he said. "They're in the car."

"Do you mind waiting, Evan?" Alexander asked. "She should be here soon."

"Sure, we'll meet you by the car then," Evan said.

Evan watched them go, leaning against the part of board that wasn't papered with results. It made him a bit jealous sometimes, Finley and Alexander, Eve and Annie, even Gail and Alan. If his sister ever found out he thought that she'd never let him hear the end of it. It was ridiculous, the wanna be romantic...

"Hiya cowboy."

Evan looked up and blinked. "What?"

"All you need is a piece of straw," Teresa told him with a giggle that ended in a snort. "Where's Fin-baby and the boyfriend?"

"Uh, Finley left his cigarettes in the car so they went to go get them," Evan answered.

"Finley went somewhere without his cigarettes? I'm shocked!" Teresa grinned. "Sign of the apocalypse! Repent now!"

Evan blinked and stared at her, a passer-by, who Evan guessed was another player judging by the... uniform, giggled and said something to her in French. Teresa replied with something Evan could tell was crude. The girl replied with another giggle and a blown kiss before she swished off.

Teresa smiled back at Evan. "Alright, not funny, over the top, lighten up, cowboy."

"You speak French?" Evan managed a grin. He had no idea what to make of this woman. "Full of surprises, aren't you?"

"Oh I'm crap at it but I had to take it in school and picked up a bit on the tour," Teresa admitted. "You want French go find Annie and Guilane they're the Quebecers. I picked up all the curses first, of course. Shall we?"

"You going to bite me again?" Evan asked without moving.

"Maybe," Teresa replied. "You might just be lucky that way."

"She's something else Fin," Alexander commented as Finley unlocked the door to their hotel room.

"She's off her fucking rocker, that's what she is," Finley corrected with a grin. "Wouldn't want her any different but she really is nuts."

Alexander laughed. "I think the last time I've seen Evan looked so stupefied was when he fell off a donkey in Phoenix."

"Is this the infamous Arizona incident?" Finley asked, shrugging off his light jacket, it was cool at night, and chucking it onto a chair. He stretched and sat on the end of the bed.

"Yes, but I'm not at liberty to say anymore. I've sworn an oath against divulging the information," Alexander told him, pulling his sweater over his head and tossing it next to Finley's jacket. "You'll have to pester Annie more."

"Or Thiri will get it out of Evan," Finley commented as Alexander knelt behind him on the bed and began kneading Finley's constantly tense shoulders. Finley gave a groan and let his head fall forward.

Alexander chuckled, "That wouldn't surprise me in the least. Evan doesn't know what he's in for, does he?"

"Not at all," Finley was quiet for a moment, his eyes closed. Thiri and Julie had lost to the Brazilians and then gone out to dinner with Finley, Alexander and Evan. Thiri had been shocked and appalled to find out Evan had understandably never heard of Great Big Sea. She had decided to remedy that, they just so happened to be playing in a town an hour away and Julie didn't really want to go anyway, did she? Knowing Thiri they wouldn't be back until morning.

"But as strong off as Thiri comes she's got as big a heart as the rest of her family. Can't help it, it's in her blood. They're different, all of them, and nuts too, but they just... love more than anyone I've ever met," Finley murmured.

Alexander said nothing but leaned forward to whisper a kiss against Finley's ear and kept massaging his shoulders, slowly coaxing the tight muscles to relax. Finley concentrated on relaxing a moment before he spoke, "My uncle wants to meet you. He wants me to come up for Christmas, because he knows Ben won't be around, and he wants to meet you."

"I think," Alexander told him, "that I'm more nervous about meeting your uncle than I was about meeting Ben."

"He's more protective of me in his own way," Finley smiled faintly. "I've always been Ben's little brother. Somewhere along the line I became my uncle's son as well, he adopted us in his head and heart somewhere along the line. He treats me like it now, has since I first went to Nova Scotia after I came back. I think it was then I started to think of him as my father too."

"I always know I'm safe with him, even when he pushes me to do what frightens the hell out of me I know," Finley continued. "I don't know what I would have happened if it weren't for Ben and him. I don't like thinking about it."

"Don't then," Alexander coaxed. "Don't."

Finley turned his head to look at Alexander as his hands moved, gently, in more of a caress than a massage against his neck, then into his hair, and kissed him softly. There had been something half unsure about their intimate touches since they had come back from Ben's. It lingered here, all that, and Finley wanted it to stop.

He kissed back, hard, with much more than comfort flavouring his touches. He had missed this, as they fell into the familiar way of touching, he had missed this way they had first known each other. He didn't want to be half unsure anymore.

Alexander drew back with a sudden reluctance. "Fin..."

"Alex, I want this," Finley murmured, eyes intent on his. "I want to feel nothing but passion when I touch you, not this lingering guilt or whatever the fuck that we've kept up. I forgave you already. I want this back."

Alexander's expression was unreadable but his hands had enough words in them to fill libraries and his lips had more as he kissed Finley, softly at first then with all the hunger of a starved man. They fell into it, both of them, until nothing mattered but the sweat of their shared bodies.

Author's Note: For those of you who didn't pick it up, Teresa "Thiri" is Lothiriel who just waltzed in and took over the place. She is based upon an amazing woman I know who actually bites people in greeting. This is also the chapter where my beta and I made a quick cameo a fangrrrls. Well I did. Conrad…sigh Conrad is a real beach volleyball player who I have been in love with for 8 years. All the beach players except Julie and Thiri are real players; I'm just using their names.

Also, I thought I should let everyone know that this story is winding up. There are only a few more chapters until the end BUT there will be a sequel after I'm done school. I have too many classes this semester to start it right away but it will be written, don't worry!

LadyJanelly: Glad you liked the flashback and no it's not bad. I'm rather fond of them myself by now!

LadyBush: Don't worry, you're making sense and I'm glad you liked it. Yes, Fin and Alex are really, finally back on track now. :-)

Liz: Boromir will certainly make an appearance but he doesn't quite do it in the way Faramir did. Remember, Boromir only ever had one dream… Mystery man was a one shot. Just flitted by and didn't even leave a name. We may see something more of Denethor and of Fin's father…and that should give you a tip to why he's like that without the palantir right there.

Chibi-Kaz: Thanks again for the fic bunny though I've managed to shoo him away for the time being!