Somewhere in Between

Chapter 4 – Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts.

Unsure how to pass the agonising minutes until they came out, Ryo went and sat on the couch. Bright, prompted by some canine instinct, rested his head on Ryo's knee, his different coloured eyes looking up at his master's partner sadly. His soulful expression made Ryo smile weakly as he stroked the dog's head, and he could see why Dee loved having such a faithful companion. When the dog wandered away, his eyes turned to a collection of photographs on the coffee table.

One image had long been his favourite. He had taken it in the apartment when he had been finishing off one of the rolls of film from their honeymoon. In the picture, Dee and Bicky had just returned from a Knicks game, one where their team had trounced the opposition and man and boy were on a high as a result. Ryo had snapped them the moment they had returned, capturing their shared elation for posterity. In a rare moment of unity, Bicky had his arm slung around Dee's shoulder and both were grinning madly. They looked so alive… and happy. Ryo felt a lump forming in his throat that someone could think that Dee could possibly cause the boy harm.

Suddenly there was a loud exclamation from Bicky's room. Presumably Mrs Swanson had just explained the purpose of her visit. He had to fight his emotions as he heard Bicky vociferously defending Dee. The boy was clearly horrified by the allegations too. It wasn't long before Bicky's bedroom door opened and he emerged with Mrs Swanson. The boy had a deep frown etched into his features but the woman was smiling as they both came and joined the detective in the living room. Bright appeared and leapt onto Bicky's knee, licking the boy furiously as if he hadn't seen him for years.

"Ryo, what the hell is going on?" he complained loudly, pushing the dog to one side so he could see the man better. "Who's saying this stuff?"

"I don't know, Bicky," Ryo said, shaking his head. "Mrs Swanson?"

"As I said, the allegations were made anonymously. When I saw the report, I decided to deal with it personally because I knew you all. Frankly, I didn't believe it for a minute, but policy is policy after all."

Ryo nodded but Bicky looked less forgiving.

"Have you any idea why someone would want to make these accusations against Dee?" she continued.

Ryo shook his head, a twinge of fear causing a tightening in his stomach. Dee had been through so much during the Goldsmith affair last year, he wasn't sure they could take anything like that again.

"We've made some arrests recently so it may be linked to that. Also, our names were in the newspaper because of those arrests, nothing spectacular but they always add some comment that Dee and I were the gay cops with a child after all the media interest in us last year." He made a face, recalling the memory. "We received some pretty obscene hate mail from people who thought homosexuals shouldn't be parents."

Mrs Swanson nodded understandingly and sighed. "Unfortunately some people have very clear ideas about who should and shouldn't be parents. I was confident these accusations were just malicious and I'll ensure that if we receive any further allegations we'll do our best to find out who is behind them."

Ryo managed a small smile. "Thank you, we'd appreciate that."

Mrs Swanson stood and picked up her briefcase. "Well, I'll not take up any more of your time. Thank you again for being so understanding. I know this couldn't have been easy."

Ryo showed her out before he returned to where Bicky was sitting, hunched up in the armchair. The blond man sank into the other chair and sighed heavily as he ran his hands through his hair.

"Ryo? I told her it was bullshit. I know me and Dee don't always get along but saying he abuses me… that's crazy."

Ryo looked up and smiled weakly. "It's okay, Bicky. You don't need to explain. I'm just trying to get my head around the fact that someone would do something so malicious to us. Occupational hazard I guess."

"Are you going to tell Dee?"

Ryo looked thoughtful for a moment. He was loathe to put his lover through anymore trauma by worrying him with this news. Goldsmith was in jail and there had been no more repercussions since their commissioner had taken an almost fatal beating. He couldn't bear to think that that particular chapter of their lives wasn't completely closed. It seemed more likely, as Mrs Swanson had assumed, that the mention of their names had simply reignited the hatred of someone who detested the idea of gay men parenting a child. Either way, it wasn't a pleasant thought.

"I have to tell him, Bicky. He'll know something's wrong and I can't lie to him."

"But we've dealt with it," Bicky argued. "I don't want Dee to think that someone's said all this because of something I've said."

"Bicky," the blond man said gently, going over to the boy and putting a supportive hand on his shoulder. "There's no way on God's earth that Dee would think you played any part in this. Remember, he's been 'out' a long time; he's seen a lot of prejudice against homosexuals and the things that people will do to hurt them because they don't approve of alternative lifestyles to their own. He'll see this for exactly what this is, but I have to tell him."

The boy didn't look convinced, so Ryo continued. "We agreed never to keep things from each other, Bicky. That's part of marriage but also, since Dee was diagnosed with PTSD, it became especially important. I know he's much better now but he can still be prone to paranoia if he thinks I'm hiding something from him. Do you understand?"

Bicky nodded. Ryo understood Dee's psyche much better than he; he'd just have to trust that Ryo knew what he was doing. "Is it okay if I go round to Cal's?" he asked.

Ryo smiled, patting the boy's shoulder. "Sure, just don't be too late, okay?"

When Bicky had left, Ryo forced himself to return to his original plans for the evening. He ate, bathed and read, but all the while his mind kept betraying him and he would find himself dwelling on Mrs Swanson's visit. Who in their right mind would be so bitter as to accuse Dee of something so heinous? Aside from a criminal connection, it could only be someone that bitterly opposed their lifestyle. Ryo knew people like that existed. Ever since he and Dee had been together, there had been incidents when people had realised they were a couple. He'd grown stronger over the years; the black looks and muttered comments he could cope with, but this was entirely different. Trying to split apart his family for no better reason than prejudice was indescribably evil.

Bicky returned just after nine and went straight to bed. He didn't mention the events of the evening, but Ryo could tell from his slightly subdued demeanour that it was still on his mind too. Ryo himself was still mulling over what had happened when the key went in the lock and Dee burst in through the door, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey, baby," he said happily, his gaze distracted by Bright, who bounded in from the kitchen to investigate the noise. He jumped at Dee excitedly; always pleased to see the object of his loyalty. Dee laughed as the dog tried in vain to lick his face. He turned, expecting Ryo's usual disapproving expression but instead was met by worry. The dark haired man frowned, almost overbalancing as the dog jumped at him again and caught him off guard.

"Bright, down," he said firmly, eliciting instant obedience. "Ryo? What's wrong, baby?"

Ryo smiled weakly. Although he hadn't planned to hide the night's events from his lover, he should have known that Dee would have sensed there was something the matter; the man was uncannily accurate at reading his moods.

"Don't worry, me and Bicky are fine. Can you come and sit down for a minute?"

Dark eyebrows knitted together, but he came and joined Ryo on the couch. "Baby? You're worrying me…"

Ryo took Dee's hand in his; physical comfort to soften the blow. "Tonight we had a visit from Mrs Swanson."

"Mrs Swanson the social worker?" Dee asked, mentally placing a face to the name.

"The same."

"What did she want? I didn't think she was still checking on Bicky."

"She isn't. She came because somebody had made a call to the Welfare Department and she was obliged to follow it up."

"A call?"

Suddenly Ryo could understand why Mrs Swanson had looked so uncomfortable at having to break this news. He almost felt sick. "Someone had made an allegation that you… that you are abusing Bicky."

He watched as Dee's expression morphed from confusion to shock to disbelief and finally anger. "What? Who?"

"I don't know. It was made anonymously."

"Abusing him? As in?"

"Physically," Ryo clarified, not that that made it any better.

"Fuck no… were they serious?" He knew they were, but shock prompted him to ask the obvious.

"Mrs Swanson talked to Bicky and she was satisfied with what he told her, not that she really believed the allegations anyway."

Dee didn't look comforted, despite the show of confidence. He shook his head in disbelief. "Who would do this, Ryo? What the fuck have I done to deserve this?" He suddenly looked angry.

Ryo stared down at his hands. "Bicky is worried that you'll think he's somehow responsible…"

Dee looked stung. "He can be a shit but I know he'd never accuse me of anything like that."

His conviction caused Ryo to smile, having heard the same certainty from the boy's lips when asked about Dee. "I'll talk to him in the morning," Dee said resolutely, his anger subsiding through his need to show Ryo that he was strong again; that he was the old Dee who could brush off even the worst life could throw at him. "I guess this is just another hazard of not conforming to society's norm."

Ryo felt a surge of relief at Dee's reaction, and vowed to follow his example and not dwell on it either. "Come on," he said, reaching up and stroking Dee's smooth olive cheek. "Let's go to bed."

Dee caught his hand and brought it up to his lips. He kissed it as his eyes met Ryo's. "No one will break us, Ryo. No one. For better or worse, right?"

The blond nodded. "For better or worse," he repeated, squeezing Dee's other hand as he spoke.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Laura was waiting for the fallout of the phone call she had made. For a couple of days, she heard nothing, then Dee contacted her on her cell phone, asking to meet up. She'd been surprised that he'd sounded so buoyant as they made the arrangements to meet at a coffeehouse not far from the precinct. Had Ryo not thrown him out?

Her boss had been annoyed when she'd told him she was leaving early, but she'd lied and said it was for a doctor's appointment. He'd reluctantly agreed to let her go, but she doubted he really believed her. Since she'd turned up that day with her hair dyed dark and a silver stud through her tongue, she'd been the talk of the office. The rumours were that she'd met someone; the office girls assumed that such a radical change in appearance could only be due to romance. Laura loved the intrigue, and she fuelled it further by dropping hints that they were correct. Now they had the name 'Randy', but she was tight-lipped about any more of the details, loving the powerful feeling of withholding information that others were desperate to know. They could speculate all they wanted.

She had been waiting barely five minutes when he entered the shop, looking around until he saw her waving. He smiled at a couple of women who caught his eye as they studied him appreciatively. Laura saw the look they gave him.

"Man, is there anybody whose head you don't turn?" she said, turning it into a joke. Go on, admit you're tempted. They're both pretty.

Dee grinned as he dropped into the seat across from her. "Ah, but no one can turn my head, except Ryo of course."

"Of course," she replied, secretly disappointed by his response. Dammit, he looks too happy. "So, what've you been up to, McLain?"

Dee settled back in his chair, nodding to the waitress who was looking enquiringly in his direction. The staff knew a lot of the cops from the precinct, particularly those like Dee who were creatures of habit when it came to how they took their coffee. She'd delivered the drink before Dee had even begun to answer Tyler's question.

"We've done a few double shifts, been able to wrap up a couple of homicides, finally." He rolled his eyes. "Man, I'm looking forward to this weekend. We're both off and Bicky's away at camp so… well I'm sure you can imagine the rest." His eyes twinkled mischievously as he put a cigarette between his lips and lit it. "Mmmmm, ain't I the luckiest guy in the world?"

Laura forced a smile. "Life's just peachy for you, ain't it?"

Dee cracked his knuckles before flicking his cigarette into the ashtray between them. He took a drink of coffee before he replied. "It's not all a bed of roses, you know. Last Monday is proof of that."

Laura raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued. "Oh?" She waited patiently for him to draw on his cigarette and blow out the smoke.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. The women on the other table smiled and whispered something to each other. "Someone who clearly doesn't approve of two men being together or adopting a child or something, contacted the welfare office to report me for abusing Bicky. I mean, can you imagine it? I'd no more abuse Bicky than I'd…" He paused while he searched for something equally ridiculous, "… than I'd cheat on Ryo."

"Shit… that's really bad," Laura replied, her eyes wide over the rim of her coffee cup. "Any idea who it was?"

Dee shook his head. "Anonymous. Not that they'd tell us even if they knew. Fortunately, the staff at the welfare office know us well, what with Ryo fostering and then adopting Bicky, so they didn't believe a word of it. You gotta laugh at the balls of some people though."

"That's pretty serious, Dee," she said, shocked that he could seem so blasé.

"I know, hell, allegations like that could destroy a weaker relationship, even if they weren't true." He smiled eventually, his expression a look of triumph. "Guess they picked on the wrong guys, huh?"

Before Laura could respond, the two women that had been studying Dee shouted, "See ya, Sexy!" as they got up to leave. Dee turned and grinned as they exited the coffeehouse in a fit of giggles, oblivious to the furious look that Laura shot at the back of his head.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The glass hit the wall and splintered into thousands of pieces. The sound was followed by a scream; an angry, hate-filled noise that attempted to achieve what the shattered glass had not. It didn't work – the rage was still consuming her. Her plan to cause some mistrust between the lovers had clearly not worked. In the months of preparation when she'd been thinking up ways to hurt them, this had been a strategy she'd been certain would succeed. Randy was obviously a deeply caring individual – after all, he'd taken in a troubled orphan. She'd been certain that his protective parental instinct would override whatever the feelings were that he held for Dee.

She'd told the person she'd spoken to at the Welfare Department that Bicky would probably deny it, fearful of repercussions. Bicky obviously had denied the claims, and the stupid fuck of a social worker had chosen to believe him. More importantly though, Randy had believed him. He knew Dee had a temper. He knew that Dee argued with Bicky almost as often as they took meals. Why was it so absurd that physical abuse could have taken place? Obviously it was Dee, able to sweet-talk his lover into believing whatever he told him.

"Bastard," she growled, her eyes flicking back to the photograph on her dresser. Dee had given it to her a couple of weeks back, when they had all gone bowling together. 'Your new family' he'd said proudly as he gave her the image of the new people in her life. Bicky and Cal were grinning stupidly like the pathetic teenagers they were while Ryo and Dee were shoulder to shoulder, smiling broadly.

In no way placated by her show of ire, Laura plucked the photo from the dresser and sat cross-legged on the floor. Slowly and carefully, she began to rip the picture until only Ryo remained. That part she placed almost reverently back next to her mirror. Next, she threw Bicky and Cal in the trash can before turning her attention to what remained.

"You won't win," she muttered at the image of Dee, still grinning back at her from the glossy paper. She started to tear, ripping again and again until he was completely obliterated. A sense of calm overcame her as she raised her arm and let the pieces scatter around her, creating a snowfall of senseless destruction.

"This is only the beginning, Dee," she warned ominously. "You think you weathered this storm? Well, you haven't seen anything yet."

She needed to get closer. Visiting them wasn't enough to learn about them and know where to attack. The Greeks, frustrated by their inability to defeat the Trojans, resorted to stratagem to get inside the enemy's gates. She would do the same.

Tyler Brown had now become a Trojan Horse.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Mmmmmmm, that's so good," Dee murmured into the pillow as expert fingers kneaded the flesh of his back. "Just a little lower… ah, that's it!"

Sitting astride the lithe olive body of his husband, Ryo smiled. He loved doing this. Even a hardened, quick-talking cop like Dee could be reduced to jelly with a backrub, and he was only too happy to oblige. Since Friday evening when Bicky had been shipped off to camp, the two men had been making the most of the rare time off with a whole weekend together to indulge themselves.

Bright was in the kitchen, happily gnawing on a large bone that Ryo had bought for him. He was worn out. The two men had taken him on an exhausting three hour walk to ensure that when they returned home, he would sleep the day through rather than pestering for them to play. With Bright occupied, they had taken a bath together, laying amidst the foam with glasses of wine before they had moved into the bedroom, renewed and refreshed.

Knowing how much Dee loved massages, Ryo had gotten out some oil and worked his lover's back until the other man was almost asleep. He had long since lost the power of speech. Only the contented grunts told Ryo that he was even awake.

"This is great," Dee said eventually, when Ryo's shifting weight seemed to awaken him. "Maybe we should send Bicky to some kind of residential school…."

"Dee!" Ryo exclaimed, swatting the dark haired man lightly across the head.

"What? It was just a suggestion."

"Maybe we can send Bright with him," Ryo remarked thoughtfully, waiting for the inevitable reaction.

"Hey! What's my little guy ever done to you?" Dee said indignantly, trying to twist around so that he was looking up at Ryo.

The blond chuckled. "Besides eating our furniture, peeing all over the floor, jumping on anyone that comes to the apartment, drooling all over the place…"

"Yeah, those are his good points."

Ryo laughed and playfully smacked him again. "I swear you and that dog were created from the same mould."

"But I'm better looking, right?"

Ryo leaned in and kissed Dee gently on the nose. "Maybe with surgery."

Dee pouted. "Fine husband you turned out to be."

"Wanna trade me in?" Ryo said whilst suggestively trailing a finger down Dee's bare chest. He knew it would work and he wasn't disappointed as Dee's eyes narrowed.

"Trade you in? Hell, I'd clone you if I could!" He reached up and took Ryo's face in his hands, before kissing it hungrily.

"You sure know how to flatter a guy," Ryo replied huskily as they eventually broke the kiss.

"Would you be flattered if I told you I wanted to make love to you right now?"

The blond sighed happily as a hand reached between his legs, stroking his smooth thighs, the touch wandering ever closer to its goal. He closed his eyes as he rested on his elbows, leaning into Dee's teasing fingers.

"I guess it's true when they say that flattery gets you everywhere," he replied, just as the phone started to ring.

"Leave it," Dee said quickly, his lips brushing Ryo's chest as he spoke. Eventually the shrill ringing stopped. "Now, where were we?"

Ryo was just starting to relax when the interruption started up again.

"Fuck!" Dee growled angrily, "I bet it's Bicky. I swear that kid's got a sixth fucking sense that tells him when we're getting it on! Man, it's amazing that I'm not impotent because of him!"

Ryo rolled his eyes at Dee's melodramatic outburst. Before he could move to answer it however, the answering machine clicked on. They both kept silent, wanting to hear who had interrupted their moment of intimacy, and were surprised when JJ's voice came on the line.

"Uh, Dee? Sorry to disturb your weekend off but, um, well you might want to come down to the station. Some of the guys were called out to investigate a street robbery and the victim says she knows you. Physically she's fine, but she's pretty shaken up. Her name is…" There was a pause, filled by the rustling of paper, presumably as JJ searched for the name he had written down. "Tyler Brown. She's really upset and is asking for you, Dee. I said I'd try and get hold of you. Anyway…"

They didn't hear the last part of the message as Dee unsnaked himself from Ryo's embrace and grabbed the crumpled up pair of jeans on the floor. He buttoned them hastily as Ryo handed him a t-shirt.

"Do you want me to come too?" Ryo asked, the bed sheets pooled around his naked form.

"S'okay," Dee said distractedly as he dragged the t-shirt over his head and snatched up his car keys and cigarettes. "You stay here, I'll call you as soon as I can."

Ryo nodded, studying Dee's grim expression, his features set in hard lines as he raced to the door, their afternoon of rest and relaxation forgotten in an instant. Then he was gone. Ryo fell forward into the empty bed and sighed, the warmth of Dee's body disappearing as quickly as the man himself.

TBC…