Author's note – Yes, this is a re-posting, since I lost my original account at Reviews are always appreciated! Swordy
Somewhere in Between
Chapter 2 – Tyler Brown
The office was particularly crowded and as a result, Ryo was finding it difficult to concentrate with the excessive noise. Drake and JJ were liaising with colleagues that had flown in from New Hampshire and Ted kept popping in since the coffee machine in his office wasn't working. Ryo was trying to read through the case files of an investigation they had been working on for what felt like forever, and the fact that he kept re-reading the same paragraph over and over because of the constant interruptions wasn't helping any. Ryo looked across to Dee who was chewing on a pencil, his own set of files untouched on the desk.
"Dee," he said, sharply. "Have you organised those witness statements yet?"
Green eyes narrowed, pulling the rest of the other man's features into a frown. "You checking up on me? Here…" he said, going into his desk drawer and tossing the files in question across the desk.
Ryo nodded and broke the eye contact, aware that for once, it was he that had gotten behind with their work. "Well thanks. I'll add them to my stuff later."
Dee knew that Ryo hadn't expected him to be so organised but didn't make an issue of it with strangers in the room. Drake and JJ left the office to dig out some files. "You want me to help you with your stuff?" Dee offered quietly when they'd gone.
Dark blond hair tumbled back and forth as Ryo shook his head. Dee acknowledged the show of pride with a nod as the telephone rang and one of New Hampshire detectives picked it up since he was nearest the handset.
"Detective McLain?" he said, glancing at the two unnamed people in the room.
"Which one?" Dee and Ryo asked simultaneously, used to this routine by now.
The man frowned and spoke the same message into the receiver. After a pause he said, "Dee."
As they freed the telephone wire so the handset could be pulled across the desk, the out of state detective grinned. "Wow, I mean, what're the odds of the two of you working together and having the same last name?"
"It's not that amazing," Dee replied, with a mischievous twinkle in his eye as he finally took control of the receiver. "After all, we are married."
He turned his back and started speaking to the caller, leaving the other detective to look at Ryo. "Straight up? You two…?"
"Yeah," Ryo replied, ignoring the old twinge of embarrassment that admitting to being gay still caused him. It was like a knee-jerk reflex; a reaction you couldn't control no matter how much you were anticipating the blow. He didn't crumple to the floor anymore; merely it was a flinch that gave away the fact that the reflex still existed at all. "Dee's my husband."
"Oh… right," the other man said, not sure what else to say, although Ryo caught the look he gave his partner and was glad that Drake and JJ returned at that moment to distract the two men. He knew the minds of straight guys; they would be thinking of the mechanics of sex between two men and would be curious and disgusted at the same time. Ryo returned to his work. Dee's conversation suddenly grew more animated with several 'you're kidding?' and 'no really?' statements before he laughed in delight and ended the call, promising to come straight over to whoever was on the other end.
"Dee?" Ryo said eventually as the other man started stuffing things into his briefcase.
"I gotta go," the younger man said hurriedly as he pulled on his jacket, freeing the material as it caught up in his shoulder holster. "I'll see you at home."
Ryo frowned at the lack of explanation, aware that the others were watching them. Waiting for a lovers' tiff no doubt. Ryo wasn't about to give them the satisfaction but he still disliked the fact that Dee was upping and leaving because of a mysterious phone call.
"Don't worry," Dee said sensing Ryo's disquiet. "It was Penguin. Just cover for me with the chief, yeah?"
Ryo nodded, wondering why the nun would call him up at work. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," Dee replied, heading for the door. "I'll explain later. Bye guys." He waved a hand at the other detectives but didn't wait for a reply as the glass-panelled door closed behind him.
"What's with him?" Drake asked, turning from the door back to Ryo.
The blond shrugged as he returned to his paperwork. "No idea."
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Twenty minutes later, Dee pulled up and sat for a moment staring out at the orphanage. The place always brought back memories for him, some good, some bad. Today would definitely be a good memory, he thought confidently as he swung out of his car, locked the door, and headed up the steps. He paused to chat with some of the children milling around the main entrance. Most of the kids were suspicious of the police but somehow, Dee always managed to retain his hero status amongst the legions of children, who rushed over to him with broad, welcoming grins.
The kids told him where Penguin could be found, pumping Dee for information about the girl that was in with the elderly nun but Dee laughed off their enquiries and hurried inside. He was excited and… nervous? Was he nervous, he wondered to himself as he walked through the orphanage's corridors, nodding greetings to others as he passed. He and Tyler had been good friends but ten years was a long time to be apart and people changed. She had left so suddenly and never gotten in contact. He reached Penguin's office and knocked tentatively, waiting for the invitation to enter. When it came, he took a deep, calming breath and pushed open the door.
Laura looked up as the door opened, knowing this, if anything, was the real test of whether she could pull off this audacious plan. She knew the face of the man that entered straight away, but grudgingly conceded that the photographs she had of him didn't really do him justice. He was attractive in his slim frame; a male model's body topped by a face that was equally pleasing. Smooth olive skin and deep green eyes, framed by dark arching eyebrows and a shaggy mop of raven black hair. The smile was slightly asymmetrical, giving him a roguish charm that she had noticed prior to meeting him in the flesh. He was smiling now, clearly not suspicious about her true identity.
"Holy…" he started to say before he saw Penguin's frown. "…place you got here, Mother." He shook his head in disbelief. "Tyler?"
Laura smiled. Time to play her ace card; the little gem of information that she had picked up from one of Tyler's old friends.
"Hey Dee, congratulations on your marriage. I guess I can't call you 'easy-laytner' anymore, can I?"
Dee's eyes went wide at the nickname Tyler had given him all those years ago. The words were like a link to the past; a connection that was re-made just by their mere verbalisation. He grinned and shook his head.
"Fraid not. I'm strictly a one guy guy now! My easy-lay days are long gone!" He was grinning broadly until he caught Penguin's disapproving glare and he sobered. "Not that I… oh jeez…" He rolled his eyes, having put his foot in it but his smile crept back onto his face as he saw Tyler grinning at him.
"Well, I have things to do," Penguin said, easing her elderly frame out of the chair. She knew her two former charges would have plenty to talk about and she sensed some of it wouldn't be for her ears. She touched Laura's face tenderly, her eyes twinkling above her smile. "Please don't be a stranger, Tyler. We've missed you so much."
The girl nodded, smiling back. "Thank you, Mother. And I won't. I'm back for good now."
Penguin looked thrilled by the news. She left the room, glancing up at the man she considered a son, her crinkled features communicating her joy, When she'd gone he studied the girl and smiled, happy disbelief his presiding emotion.
"What?" she said as the silence threatened to turn awkward. Her heart was pounding. He knows. He's toying with me.
"Dammit, Tyler, get over here!" he said, opening his arms to her.
Her smile as she left her seat was genuine; she hadn't been discovered after all. He embraced her soundly, scarcely able to believe that the question of her disappearance, something that had haunted him since his teenage years, had now been answered. When they pulled apart, he laughed.
"You look so good, girl! Man, we have so much to catch up on."
She grinned back, hand on hip, exuding sassiness. "Yeah, sounds like you've been a busy boy. I mean; you're a cop, you're married. The two things I never in a million years thought Dee Latener would end up being!"
"Yeah, yeah," he said, responding to her teasing. "I figured I better make something of myself and you know what they say about a man in uniform." He winked, emerald eyes twinkling. "So where've you been all this time?"
Laura rolled her eyes dramatically and blew a puff of air up into her fringe. "How long have you got?"
"Tell you what," he said quickly, rummaging in his overcoat for his cell phone. "Let's make time. You got any plans for this evening?"
"No, why?"
"You have now." He pushed a button on the handset and waited patiently for his call to be answered. "Ryo? Where are you? Have you started dinner yet? Good… well set an extra place will you? I'll explain when I get home. Love you, baby."
He hung up and grinned. "You up for meeting the family?"
"Do I have any choice?" she replied with a chuckle, her heart pounding furiously at the realisation that she was about to enter the home and dine with the man she had set her sights on.
"You'll just love Ryo," he said, putting his arm around her shoulder as they walked from the room. He missed her smile, which beamed of her true purpose.
"I'm sure I will," she replied, allowing him to guide her out of the building and to his car.
They made small talk throughout the short journey to the apartment. Laura had been worried that she would find it difficult to make conversation with someone she was only pretending to know, but she needn't have worried; Dee chattered incessantly, leaving very few gaps, all of which only required some sort of noise of agreement. His happy jabbering gave her chance to memorise all the anecdotes he told, every scrap of information filling in more of the blanks in Tyler's life. By the time they were home, Laura was feeling more confident about pulling off such an audacious stunt.
"Ryo! I'm home!" Dee called, as he closed the front door after showing Laura in.
"About time," came the voice from the kitchen. The sound of footsteps followed. "Now would you kindly tell me what's going… Oh, hi." Ryo smiled when he saw Dee had brought company.
"Ryo, this is Tyler. Remember me telling you about Tyler from the orphanage?"
"The Tyler that disappeared?" Ryo asked, sensing he already knew the answer from the beaming smile on his husband's face.
Laura shrugged shyly. "Guilty as charged." She watched the blond man wipe his hands on his jeans before he held one out to her. She thought she would pass out when their hands touched. He was so close.
"Pleased to meet you, Tyler. You can call me Randy or Ryo, whichever you prefer."
Laura couldn't help but notice that, unlike Dee, Ryo's smile was perfectly symmetrical, not that she'd have expected anything less from the most perfect man alive. "Randy's fine with me," she said casually.
"Great, well, dinner's almost ready. I hope you like pasta. Would you like a drink, Tyler?"
"Sure."
"Um, we have orange, water, beer or I think there's some red wine."
"Anything's fine with me." She almost jumped when Dee placed his hands on her shoulders.
"You two'll get on great. Ryo can be really indecisive too!" He walked off chuckling, pulling off his tie as he headed for the bedroom. He could hear them talking as he kicked off his shoes and he smiled as he heard Ryo laugh out loud at something she'd said. Aside from Penguin, Ryo had never met anyone from his past and so he desperately wanted them to get along. Out of his briefcase he retrieved his diabetes kit and proceeded to check his blood sugar levels before administering his insulin. From his high the other week, he was now a little low and he shook his head in frustration at the balancing act he was still struggling to achieve with his health. As he was packing his kit away, Ryo came into the room.
"Hey, love. Just letting you know that dinner's in five."
"Okay," Dee replied, pulling his shirt off over his head to save him the hassle of dealing with buttons. He grabbed a t-shirt off the pile on the floor, before changing into his jeans; creased like the t-shirt and ripped heavily around the knees.
"Ryo?"
"Yeah?"
"You don't mind Tyler coming?"
Ryo looked shocked that Dee would even ask. He crossed the room and draped his arms around his lover's neck. "Why would I mind? I know how much she meant to you when you were growing up. I'm just so pleased for you that she's turned up."
"Yeah," Dee replied, grinning in disbelief. "I still can't believe it. Man, we used to get up to all kinda shit. I remember this one time… "
Before he could continue there was a scream from the living room. The two men rushed out to find Tyler hiding behind an armchair, with Bright, who had just returned from a walk with Bicky, jumping up at her as best he could with the piece of furniture in the way. Tyler looked terrified.
"Bright! Down!" Dee growled, the dog instantly obeying him. In the two months since he'd first got him, Bright had almost doubled in size. His body was muscular, his legs long and powerful. His large jaw made him look intimidating but in reality, the dog was completely harmless. He had bonded strongly with Dee and obeyed him unfailingly. Ryo had more difficulty controlling him although he was just relieved that the beast had stopped chewing everything in sight. Even though the dog was no longer jumping at her, Tyler would not come out from behind the chair. Seeing just how scared she was, Dee ordered the dog into the kitchen. On his command, Bright shot into the other room and didn't reappear.
"Tyler, are you okay?" Ryo said, concerned that she was hurt in some way, not that he believed Bright would ever bite anyone. She was more in danger of being drooled to death.
"Uh, yeah," she replied shakily, running a hand through her hair.
"Sorry, kid. I forgot to tell you about him," Dee said before he frowned. "I thought you loved dogs?"
Laura faltered, realising her own fear of dogs had caused her to slip out of character. "I uh, had a bad experience a couple of years ago. I guess it's made me a little jumpy."
Ryo looked sympathetic. "Well his bark is definitely worse than his bite."
"Yeah," Dee agreed. "If there's anyone you need to watch out for it's Bicky here."
The blond teen shot him a glare of annoyance. "Shut up, perv," he muttered, trying to look nonchalant with a pretty girl in the room.
"Bicky!" Ryo said sharply, embarrassed that the ongoing bickering didn't stop even when they had company. "Tyler, this is Bicky, my son. Bicky, this is Dee's friend, Tyler. She's staying for dinner so I hope you'll make her feel welcome."
"Uh, hey," Bicky said, staring at his shoes. "Nice to meet ya."
"Good to meet you too," she grinned. So this must be the brat.
"You'll not be saying that in a couple of hours," Dee muttered going into the kitchen to help Ryo serve the dinner.
Throughout the meal, Dee continued to tell stories about his younger years, with Tyler chipping in with comments when he mentioned her part in his escapades. If analysed closely, it would be possible to tell that Tyler knew very little of what Dee was talking about, but she masked it well, her confidence growing with every minute that passed and her deception went undiscovered. When she did speak, she was entertaining and interesting and soon she had the two men and boy captivated. Only Bright seemed less than happy with her presence as he was banished to the kitchen for the evening; too far from Dee's feet for his liking.
Not wanting to overstay her welcome, Laura announced that she would have to go after she had insisted that she help wash up. Dee and Bicky had taken Bright into the living room while she assisted Ryo, chatting amicably while they washed and dried the plates. A couple of times she thought Ryo was about to recognise her from their very first meeting, despite the drastic changes to her appearance, and her heart hammered as his dark brown eyes studied her closely. Then he would turn back to the sudsy water and carry on chatting.
They had just finished when Dee came back into the kitchen, surveying the two as they put away the last of the plates. "I was just coming to offer my assistance," he said, winking as Ryo rolled his eyes.
"He does this all the time," the blond explained. "He waits until I've finished and then comes in."
"Sounds about right," Laura responded, hoping it didn't sound as bitter as she felt. If you were mine, Randy, I'd do everything for you.
"Hey, come on! Ryo knows my talents lie elsewhere!" Dee said, defending himself. He pulled Ryo into his arms and gently kissed his neck. Ryo blushed in response.
"Dee! Knock it off! Tyler doesn't want to see you groping me like some sex-starved maniac."
The other man laughed. "You see, Tyler? He's got me all figured out!"
Laura managed a laugh as she put away the last bowl. Inside she was blazing. "Well, I'd better go. Thanks for dinner, Randy," she said, deliberately addressing the man she knew had prepared the wonderful food.
"My pleasure," Ryo snickered, watching as she punched Dee playfully in the arm before she grabbed her bag.
"D'you want a ride, Tyler?" Dee asked, rubbing his arm ruefully, certain the girl didn't know her own strength.
"Nah, it's cool," she said, heading for the door. The two men followed her.
"Have you got an address or anything?" Dee said suddenly, realising she was leaving and he had no way to get hold of her. After so many years without knowing her whereabouts, he was reluctant to let her go.
"I'm kinda in between places at the moment, but as soon as I've got an address I'll let you know."
"Tell you what," Ryo said quickly. "Come round for lunch on Sunday. You can tell me more about what Dee got up to when he was younger." He winked and smiled as he slipped his arm under his husband's.
"I don't wanna interrupt a family meal or anything…"
"Now stop that. You're Dee's family so you're welcome any time."
Laura positively beamed as Dee nodded his agreement. She wasn't really about to turn down an invitation to spend more time with Randy. "Well okay then. What time Sunday?"
Ryo glanced across at Dee. "One o'clock? How does that sound?"
Laura nodded as she let the catch off the door. "Fine with me. I'll see you then." Suddenly, instinctively, she turned back and hugged Dee hard. "I'm glad I came back," she said sincerely.
"Me too," Dee replied as she started down the corridor, waving her hand without turning around.
Later on when the apartment was in darkness and the occupants in their beds, Ryo woke, aware of Dee moving next to him. He rolled over to find his lover awake and sat up, staring out into the darkness of the room. Ryo shifted so that he was lying on his side, now able to see the dark haired man's face.
"Can't sleep, love?"
Dee looked down and shook his head. "Seeing Tyler got me thinking about things, that's all." He reached out and gently stroked Ryo's tangled hair away from his eyes. "About family. I'm so glad I've got you, Ryo."
Ryo moved closer, wanting to give Dee some physical support, sensing this went deeper than a simple bout of insomnia. He wrapped his arms around Dee's body and laid his head on his abdomen.
"You'll always have me. That's why I married you, remember?"
"Yeah, I know," Dee replied, never ceasing to be amazed how something as simple as the warmth from Ryo's body could sooth and caress his soul. "I guess most of the time I don't think about my past, the fact that I've got no parents or that I don't know where I'm from."
In the pause that followed Ryo saw someone else in Dee's sadness. Not Dee the hard bitten cop or even Dee the wonderful husband and lover. The Dee he saw was the boy, aware of his past and uncertain of his future with no one, besides Penguin, to love and protect him. Ryo's heart wrenched at the sight.
"I was one of the children that stayed the longest. I was at the orphanage from the day after I was born until I left to join the academy. Penguin was always there for me, even when I got into trouble. Looking back, it's hard to believe I let her down so much, after everything she did for me, for all of us."
"Dee, that was a long time ago," Ryo replied, sitting up and stroking his husband's cheek. "She's so very proud of you now. The fact that you did all those things and still grew into a decent man who knows right from wrong is a testament to you and to Penguin. She told me the moment I met her that you were her pride and joy."
Dee smiled, thinking of how many times Penguin had told him that herself. The elderly nun just had a way of raising his self esteem when his unconventional life threatened to bring him down. He had no doubt that she had been instrumental in moulding him into the man he was today.
"Penguin was so upset when Tyler disappeared. We looked for her of course, but as the weeks turned into months and then years, we came to believe that something must have happened to her. Penguin felt like she'd failed her, even though it was Tyler's choice to leave. It'll mean so much to Penguin to have her back," he said, smiling at Ryo.
"Clearly it means a lot to someone else too," his lover replied.
Dee grinned at last, pulled from his melancholy by this late-night talk. "Yeah, I can't believe it."
Ryo smiled, recalling a thought he'd had earlier that evening. "You know, she looks really familiar. I just feel like I've seen her somewhere before." He pushed his musings aside, certain the feeling came from seeing different faces day in day out. "Did she say why she left or where she's been all this time?"
"Not really. We got so caught up talking about old times that it never really came up. I'll ask her another time."
"Sunday remember? She's coming round again on Sunday."
"Yeah, thanks for inviting her," Dee said, before he leant down and captured his lover's lips in a grateful kiss. He lingered, waiting to see if Ryo responded, so when the blond reached up, anchoring his fingers in Dee's thick mane of hair, he knew it would be some time before either of them were getting back to sleep…
TBC…