Author's note – Apologies to 'damn it' who feels I am reposting too slowly. I would have preferred not to have to repost at all, but hey, I got wiped, that's life. I am re-posting a chapter a day though…

Kitty in the Box – Thanks for your kind words. I'm re-posting because my account got deleted, not because I thought there was anything wrong with it first time round! I'm glad you're still reading though.

And Dyna – Thanks for just being you, hon.

Somewhere in Between

Chapter 7 - Scientia est Potentia

The following day was spent around the apartment; resting, relaxing and catching up on necessary jobs like washing and shopping for groceries. In the afternoon, Dee took Bicky to his basketball practice, Bright going with them happily, leaving Ryo and Tyler alone in the apartment.

They sat and chatted after they had returned from the grocery store, their conversation mainly about the detectives' trip to England. As well as poring over the photographs that had just been developed, Ryo told the girl how the event they'd gone for, David's Christening, had been wonderful, describing the child himself as 'adorable'.

"You're really good with kids," Laura remarked as she studied a photograph of Ryo holding the baby.

Ryo smiled. "You sound just like Dee." He paused before continuing, feeling comfortable confiding in Tyler. "I think seeing me with Danny's baby made Dee a little worried that I wanted one of my own."

"And you don't?" she asked, drawing her legs up underneath her.

Ryo shook his head, his answer momentarily delayed as he sipped his tea. "No, I don't."

"Really? God's honest truth?"

Ryo sighed. "Obviously I always thought I'd have children, but that was before I knew what I really wanted. I'll admit, I was a little overwhelmed by Dee's attentions at first, but it wasn't the first time I'd contemplated that I might be gay. Dee just… made me think about it a little more thoroughly." He smiled, recalling his lover's insistent pursuit over the years. "Funny thing was, I really, really liked him too. I thought he was gorgeous but I guess I was still in denial about my attraction to him. Dee and Bicky are all I've ever wanted. I have my family; I don't need a baby to complete it."

"Okay… I hear you," she replied, and for a moment Ryo thought she seemed upset. He wondered whether she felt he was flaunting his happiness, and if he should apologise, but her mood seemed to pass before he could comment.

Unbeknown to Ryo, Laura was more than a little upset. Up until then, she had never heard Ryo talk so plainly about his attraction to Dee and it had been easy to tell herself that the relationship was one-sided, that Dee's constant pursuit had been responsible for grinding down his partner's resolve. Ryo had accepted the relationship because it was easier than dealing with the constant hassle of rebuffing Dee's advances. But to hear him confess his own desire was too much.

She had had enough.

The words were out of her mouth without a moment's hesitation. "You know, Dee did say something earlier." She was right; he had, but it had been nothing more than the observation that Ryo was good with kids.

"What did he say?" Ryo asked, looking concerned.

Laura made a face, like she was about to tell tales and didn't like it. "It wasn't anything really; just that he's worried that you want kids and being with him has prevented that."

Ryo looked both wearied and hurt. "We've talked about this so many times, Tyler. I just don't know how I can get him to believe me."

The girl held up her hands. "Hey, maybe I was wrong…"

"No," Ryo assured her. "You're probably right. This just seems to be one of those things that I can't get through to Dee about."

She nodded sympathetically, although she was already formulating the next part of her plan. Later on, when Dee and Bicky returned, she sensed Ryo's unhappiness in his actions and gestures – nothing overt, but she knew he was still brooding about what she had said. Dee had obviously noticed it too, but his attempts to find out if his partner was okay were repeatedly met with the same adjective – 'fine'.

She didn't even have to raise the issue later on when Ryo left to drive Bicky over to Cal's place. As soon as he was out of the door, Dee was ready.

"Is Ryo okay, Tyler?" he asked the girl as he emptied the contents of a tin into Bright's dish, the dog looking on eagerly. "He seems a bit distracted."

Laura turned, pausing momentarily as she dried the saucepan. "I didn't notice. Why'd you ask?"

Dee straightened up, frowning as his knee joints clicked in protest at the movement. "He just seems… quiet. Have I done something I don't know about? He seemed okay this morning. Did he say anything while I was out before?"

Laura made a thoughtful face before she shook her head. "Not that I'm aware of. We were just talking about your trip to England. Randy was telling me how gorgeous Danny's baby is and how envious he is of him."

A frown creased Dee's forehead. "Envious?"

"Yeah," she replied, going back to drying the dishes to give the impression that what she was saying wasn't such a big deal. "He said he'd love to be in Danny's shoes, you know, creating new life, own flesh and blood, etcetera."

"He said that?" Dee questioned, his tone of voice indicating dejection.

Laura knew she couldn't pretend to be oblivious to his hurt forever, even though she was enjoying it immensely. "Dee, have I said something wrong? I hope I'm not speaking out of turn or anything…"

"No, no," he reassured. "I'm glad you have told me. At least I know how Ryo really feels, even if he constantly tells me different."

The girl put down the serving ladle she was holding and walked over to him. She laid a supportive hand on his arm as he looked at her miserably.

"Why won't he just be honest with me, Tyler?"

 "Because he loves you and doesn't want to hurt you." She offered him a sympathetic smile, despite the triumph which burned within her.

"But I'm more hurt knowing he won't tell me the truth."

"Look, he probably just got a bit broody seeing the baby an' all. Give it a few days, it'll pass and things will go back to the way they were."

"You think?" he replied, dubious of her optimism.

"Sure." But not if I can help it.

Her separate dialogues with the two men hung like a malingering presence over them as they retired to bed. Ryo went first, announcing his plans to his husband, who stated that he would come when he had finished watching TV. Ryo watched him for a moment, lying on the couch with Bright draped across his stomach, before he headed for their bedroom, hurt and confused that something seemed to be affecting their normally uncomplicated relationship. Communication had broken down, and Ryo's natural instinct was to try and fix it, but he had long since learnt that Dee was also responsible for calling a cease-fire. He wanted Dee to do it on this occasion, since he was hurt that his lover still didn't believe him about not wanting a baby, but Dee's attitude towards him over the course of the evening had indicated that he would do no such thing. Frustrated at the stalemate situation, Ryo decided to go to bed alone.

The tension continued for the next couple of days. There were lots of circular conversations – 'What's up with you?', 'Nothing's up with me, what's up with you?' – and so on. Bicky and Cal sensed it too but said nothing, knowing that the underlying tension was a private matter between the two men. Only Laura enjoyed the awkwardness. On the face of it she was sympathetic, a good ear for when either one of them needed to unburden their frustration about the situation that neither man would admit to, or even talk about. Their lack of communication meant that her lies about what the other had said never got called into question. It had been a gamble, but it appeared to be paying off.

She was gleefully starting to wonder whether she had done all she had to when a truce was unexpectedly called. From what she could gather, it happened inadvertently – situation had drawn them back together rather than any actual negotiation. Three days after their falling out, Laura received a phone call from Dee to say that they were finishing their shift early because Ryo had been hurt. He didn't elaborate, other than to say his husband had been checked over at the hospital and released, but only on the condition that he went straight home. Since it was her precious Randy, her anxiety wasn't feigned as she held the door open for them when they arrived home.

Dee smiled anxiously as they passed, his arm supportively encircling Ryo's waist as he guided him into the apartment. The other man looked ashen, and part of his forehead was obscured by a bandage – the only obvious clue as to what had happened.

"Here… Lie down," Dee instructed, helping Ryo remove his jacket before he manoeuvred him onto the couch.

"What happened?" Laura asked as she watched Ryo settle onto the piece of furniture and close his eyes.

Dee glanced up at her as he tenderly loosened his lover's tie and slipped it from around his neck; his movements careful so as not to jolt the injured man. "We were assisting with a drugs bust. One guy made a break for it and managed to clean Ryo out with a baseball bat on the way." He paused and shook his head. "I knew we should have stayed together."

Ryo reached for his husband's hand. "We did what we thought was right at the time, Dee. No point dwelling on it. I'm okay aren't I? Don't worry."

Dee didn't look comforted. "Baby, you were knocked out for over two hours and you have a concussion. How can you expect me not to worry?" He stood and ran a hand through his hair in frustration, his medical alert bracelet jangling noisily. "I'm going to get changed. Tyler, make sure he doesn't move off that couch, got it?"

She nodded her acceptance of the task, before he turned and disappeared into the bedroom.

"So how you feeling?" she asked when Dee had gone.

"A bit sick," Ryo admitted. "With a banging headache of course."

"Can I get you anything?"

He smiled tiredly. "Just make sure Dee eats something. He's been sitting in the hospital for several hours while I was out of it so I don't know whether he's had anything. He tends to forget his routine when he's agitated."

"Can't blame him though," she replied, storing that information for later use whilst trying to appear sympathetic.

"No, but the last thing we need is him going hyper or hypo on us."

"Agreed," she said covertly as the bedroom door opened and Dee emerged, dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt. Grudgingly she moved aside as he came and knelt down beside his wounded lover, the dark-haired man gently pushing golden strands away from the swollen flesh of Ryo's forehead.

"Hey, baby," Dee said softly, as dark eyes flickered to study him drowsily. "Still with us?"

"Just about," came the reply. "Although I've got one bitch of a headache."

"I bet," Dee said, smiling gently. "That bastard really whacked you one. Still, I gave him a little something to remember us by before they hauled him away."

Ryo tried to frown but the action pulled on his damaged skin and he grimaced instead. "You shouldn't have, Dee. You'll end up getting fired."

"He ran into my fist!" the dark-haired man protested innocently. "Not my fault he didn't watch where he was going."

Ryo rolled his eyes, knowing he would never succeed in curbing Dee's impulsive outbursts, especially where he was concerned. "Well, I'm okay, so there's no need to get upset."

The response was a snort as the other man stood and moved into the kitchen to start on the evening meal.

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To say Laura was frustrated was the understatement of the year. She'd had high hopes for the rumours she'd spread. Clearly the idea of a baby was a sore point between the two men and she'd been pleasantly surprised that she'd been able to exploit it. Things had been looking up. Randy's being injured had put paid to the progress she'd made and for that, she could only blame Dee. She'd heard him – 'If only we'd stayed together' – it had probably been his stupid idea to split up, no doubt ignoring Randy's sound advice of safety in numbers.

Two weeks passed and life in the McLain household eased back into a comfortable pace. As planned, Laura went and got herself a job – nothing spectacular – but it was in keeping with the persona she was living. She knew Tyler Brown had been notably absent from school during most of her high school years and had disappeared before graduation, so she felt it would have been too out of character if she had pitched up claiming to have gained a decent education while she had been gone. It was only handing out flyers for a nightclub, but given her lack of identification in the other girl's name, under the table work was about all she could consider. More importantly, the poor pay meant there was no question of her moving out. The two men, although pleased that she was trying to get back on her feet, insisted that she had by no means outstayed her welcome.

It was all well and good being close to Randy, but the distance between them was still immeasurable, with Dee being the maintaining factor. Just as she was going back to the drawing board about how she could force them apart, the ace card was delivered right into her hands…

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"Guess what?" Dee said, grinning broadly at his lover as he put the phone down and almost danced into the kitchen where Ryo was making lunch.

Ryo stopped what he was doing and looked over his shoulder, his head cocked to show he was thinking. "We've been given a raise? President Bush wants to meet us personally?"

Dee's smile disappeared and was replaced by a look of disbelief. "Now you're just being ridiculous…"

Ryo chuckled. "Okay, I give up. Tell me."

"That was Danny. He and Lisa are coming over here in a few weeks. Seems Lisa's parents had booked some flights but her dad isn't well so they can't go. Instead of cancelling, they've given the tickets to Lisa and Danny. They just need to find somewhere to stay."

Ryo's expression brightened. "That's great, but I hope Lisa's father is okay."

There was a pause as he waited for Dee to light a cigarette. "Yeah, he's fine, just not well enough to fly." He blew out a long stream of smoke, his expression indicating deep thought. "We can't expect them to stay here. They'll need room, what with the baby and everything."

"When are they coming?"

"In just under three weeks."

"Okay… we'll have a think about it. I'm sure two intelligent cops can come up with something."

Dee looked at him comically. "What about one super intelligent, super handsome cop and one half-wit?"

Ryo shook his head at Dee's self-depreciating sense of humour. "Dee…you're…"

"The intelligent one, I know," his lover interrupted, winking at Ryo as he prepared to make a hasty retreat.

Ryo feigned shock. "Right, that's it!" he warned, chasing after the other man who ran into the living room, waking Bright who clearly thought it was an invitation to play. Ryo caught him eventually, and before long he had Dee pinned down on the floor, the excitable dog barking at his side. They were both laughing breathlessly when the door opened and Laura walked in, her eyes immediately drawn to the scene on the floor.

"Tyler!" Ryo exclaimed, blushing instantaneously at the thought of how their position could be misconstrued. "We were just…"

She held up her hands to stop him, forcing a smile that looked amazingly natural. "You don't have to explain. It's your apartment, after all."

Ryo stood and helped Dee up off the floor. "Well, lunch is almost ready, then we're off to work."

"Okay," she responded, noting that as soon as they had gone she would have to do some serious thinking so she would never have to witness a scene like that again.

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Drake sighed and dropped the sheaf of papers back onto his desk. It was hard not to get depressed by the number of unsolved cases he and JJ had been asked to dig out, but when was solving crimes ever easy? The cases that bore a resemblance to the recently solved Anderson murders had started to reach double figures; all of which would require them to re-interview witnesses and, more importantly, visit the maximum security part of Sing Sing Prison to speak to Waylan Anderson about his whereabouts during those murders.

Drake mentally grimaced at the thought. Waylan Anderson was undoubtedly the sickest puppy he had ever had the misfortune to meet. He had been present when Anderson confessed to the four crimes he had been arrested and then convicted for, and he was certain that the memory would stay with him forever. To hear the man gleefully recount how he had killed and dismembered several people for no better reason than 'he knew it would be fun', was deeply disturbing. Anderson clearly did not discriminate; his victims were all ages and colours, had come from all walks of life. He had despised them equally and shown the same contemptuous regard for their lives as he dispatched them without remorse or pity.

Drake had hoped beyond hope as he and a rather ashen-faced JJ left the interview room that they would never have to clap eyes on that repulsive specimen of a human being ever again.

Fat chance!

At the time, they'd unanimously agreed that Anderson was capable of more than just the four murders he had been convicted for. Bizarrely, considering he was going nowhere for the rest of his life, he would not admit to any further crimes when they posed the question, although there had been a twinkle in his eye and a smirk that had indicated otherwise. Drake hated him with every fibre of his being at that moment. The thought of having to replay that unpleasant encounter was wearing to say the least.

"Bad day?"

Drake looked up to see Ryo studying him from across the desks, his jacket and briefcase in hand. He hadn't even seen the other man enter the office.

"Oh hey, McLain. You just got here?"

Ryo smiled. "Would you have noticed if I said I'd been here a while?"

Drake grinned back, throwing his well-chewed pencil on top of the large pile of papers. "That obvious, huh?"

"Well I'd say you were at least a million miles away just then. Is it the Anderson case?"

"Case, plural."

Ryo made a sympathetic face as he sat down. "Where's JJ?"

"Vacation; he already had it booked." Drake rolled his eyes. "Lucky bastard."

"I thought you had some vacation time booked?" Ryo asked, flicking the catches on his briefcase and opening it before he pulled out the case files he had taken home to read the previous evening.

Drake stretched, barely stifling a yawn. "I have, but not for a couple of weeks. Can't come too soon, I can tell you."

The two men turned as the door opened and a detective from narcotics stuck his head in. They said their hellos before the other man spoke. "Just a quick heads up, guys, since you weren't at this morning's meeting. Rose is coming back to work next month."

"Really?" Ryo said, mirroring Drake's surprise. "He's well enough?"

Collins, the other detective shrugged. "Apparently so. I think he's gonna come back part-time at first. The powers that be were trying to pension him off but he's having none of it. Anyway, I just thought I'd let you know."

The two homicide cops thanked him for the information before he left, closing the door and leaving them alone once again.

"Well, what d'you make of that?" Drake asked, leaning back in his chair, which creaked in protest under his weight.

Ryo looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'm pleased for him. It's obvious how important Rose's job is to him. I didn't think his injuries could keep him away forever."

"Mmmm," Drake nodded his agreement. "I wonder if he ever got around to proposing to Diana?"

"Don't know, but he should. I don't know how he'd have got by without her. I mean, she took a permanent transfer to care for him. If that doesn't indicate dedication, I don't know what does."

"I'm with you on that one," Drake replied. "So where's Dee?"

Ryo rolled his eyes. "He's making his own way in. I left him on the computer looking up prices for hotels here in New York."

Drake raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "You two planning a dirty weekend or something?" He was amused to see Ryo colour slightly at the suggestion.

"No! Dee's friend from England was given some plane tickets so they're coming over for a few days. Dee's trying to find them somewhere to stay. It would have been nice for them to stay with us but unfortunately, 'Hotel McLain' is full to capacity at the moment."

Drake smiled at the joke. "When they coming?"

"Two weeks on Wednesday. They fly home the following Monday."

There was silence for a moment as Drake put his thoughts in order. "They can stay at my apartment. I'm going to see my sister for the week over in Buffalo. My place will be free so they're very welcome to stay there. Saves spending money on a hotel."

"Well it would, but only if you're sure."

"Sure I'm sure." Drake grinned. "Means you don't have to go around and water my plants."

Ryo chuckled as he picked up the phone. "I'll ring Dee and give him the good news."

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Danny, Lisa and baby David arrived as planned, their flight landing on time at JFK airport. Dee picked them up in Ryo's car, the white Honda in much better condition than his own vehicle. He pointed out sights as he drove them back to the city of his birth, talking animatedly about where they could visit while they stayed. The couple were enormously grateful that Dee's colleague had offered them a place to stay, and despite the American's protestation to the contrary, they insisted that they would buy Drake a gift to thank him for his hospitality.

They dined as a foursome at an Italian restaurant that evening with Tyler, Cal and Bicky babysitting for David after they had all been introduced. The following morning, they met up at Drake's apartment to make plans for the day. They set out as a group but in the afternoon, they decided to split when Ryo offered to take Lisa to the Metropolitan Art Museum. Dee and Danny had pulled similar faces at the suggestion, and so they stayed home with David while Ryo, Lisa plus Cal and a grudging Bicky went to indulge in an afternoon of culture. Tyler had bowed out of the trip, claiming she was working.

She did just that for barely an hour before a headache and the poor weather drove her home. She entered the apartment to find it empty and, after grabbing a soda, she decided to go and have a lie down. Feeing it was unfair to Bicky, she had insisted that if she were to stay, he should have his room back and so her cot was now a camp bed made up in the smallest bedroom-cum-office. She entered the room and closed the door behind her before flopping onto the bed and kicking off her boots.

She assumed she must have fallen asleep because the next thing she knew, the sound of voices was rousing her from slumber. It was Dee and Danny returning from wherever it was they had taken David after they had split from the others.

"Guess no one's home," she heard Dee say. "D'you want a beer?"

"Sounds good," came the reply, as footsteps disappeared in the direction of the kitchen. The conversation became unintelligible at that distance and for a moment, Laura wondered whether she should go out and make her presence known. Then the voices grew louder as the two men came back into the living room and she decided to stay put.

"He's sleeping," Danny commented, presumably referring to his son. "I'll just put his pram over here so we can smoke."

Sensing the conversation could prove to be interesting since Dee thought they were home alone, Laura settled back onto the bed and prepared to listen. She knew the two men had become friends through the PTSD programme; perhaps their conversation would help her understand better the man she was supposed to have grown up with.

A good ten minutes had passed and Laura was beginning to regret her decision. The talk had been nothing more interesting than general chitchat – how the cities they lived in compared, sports, music, their families. Only when talk turned to remembering their companions on the PTSD programme did Tyler's interest pique.

"I heard that Kieran's doing okay," Danny announced after they had discussed the more popular members of the group. "He phoned Jack to say he was getting married so I guess things must have worked out with him and his girlfriend."

"That's good," Dee replied, remembering the surly Irishman. "Even he deserved to get there in the end."

"Yeah."

There was a natural hiatus in the conversation, where both men seemed to sense that the topic was shifting into more serious territory. Dee was first to break the silence.

"So how was it being back at work?"

Danny smiled as he reached for the ashtray and stubbed his cigarette out. "Weird… but not as terrible as I thought it'd be. Jack also suggested I went to see the families of my friends that were killed. I'll admit I was reluctant, but it really did seem to help. Part of what keeps me going is the knowledge that I can honour their names by doing the job that they loved, you know?"

Dee nodded, glad that his friend had come to that conclusion. Danny certainly seemed to have grown stronger.

"I told Lisa," Danny continued. "About what I almost did. She was understandably upset, but didn't get angry with me. We talked it through, which has helped me move on." He smiled suddenly to prove his point. "I know I don't have to feel guilty about being happy any more. So what about you? How have things been?"

Dee swigged some beer before he answered. "Things are good here too. No more panic attacks… in a way it kinda feels like nothing ever happened."

"Did you tell Ryo about…?"

"No." Dee sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I couldn't, Danny. Could you imagine what it would do to him? Ryo was carrying a lot of guilt that I'd been abducted in the first place. It took him a long time to get over that so to find out I was sexually assaulted too would be even worse."

In her room, Laura's jaw dropped. Dee was keeping something like that a secret from Ryo? "Holy shit," she muttered under her breath as she sat rigid, terrified of being discovered.

"Besides," Dee continued. "Can you imagine how Ryo would feel if he found out now? I don't think he'd ever forgive me for keeping it from him. No, it's water under the bridge, Danny. It's pointless dredging up the past."

Laura sat back stunned, as the conversation in the other room moved onto less explosive subjects. As her shock wore off, she began to realise the potency of what she had just learnt. She'd heard him; Ryo would be devastated to find out that Dee had kept such a life changing event from him. So devastated that he probably wouldn't be able to trust him again…

TBC…

Scientia est Potentia – Knowledge is Power

Apologies for not explaining chapter 6's title; 'Mi casa es su casa' for those that don't know, means 'my house is your house' in Spanish.