Wes, Eric, Kat, and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this.
Nick Tate, while technically canon, is mine in the form he appears in here.

Rated T: Be warned, there is some strong language and talk about sex.

This story is slash, meaning sexual and romantic relationships between men. If that's not something you're okay with, don't read it.

The Secret of BioSynth

Confession

- - -

Wes only glanced up as his door opened and shut. He wasn't sure whether to be glad that Eric had followed him back to his office right away or to wish he'd had more time to calm down and think about what he'd just seen - which he had to admit amounted to very little, just two people talking in an office. After a few moments of silence he looked up again to see arms folded, a carefully blank face, and dark eyes watching him cautiously.

"What?" he asked finally.

"I know what you're thinking, and you're wrong."

Wes shrugged. "I'm not thinking anything."

"Yes, you are. Don't jump to conclusions."

"I'm not jumping to anything. I saw Nick in your office. So what? You guys must have a lot to talk about."

"Actually, we do."

"Remembering the good old days, bringing each other up to date; you have so much history together, after all..." Wes heard the sourness in his own voice and stopped.

"Well, that was part of it." Eric was leaning against the doorframe now, looking infuriatingly relaxed. "But mostly we were talking about those notes."

"You were talking about the notes just now?"

"That's right."

"And this morning?" Wes watched for guilt or denial, and saw only a slightly raised eyebrow.

"You knew about that? Yeah, this morning I went to Nick's office because of the first note. I thought it was meant for me, that the big secret was about me and Nick, and I thought he sent it."

Wes blinked at that. "You thought Nick sent the note? Why?"

"It's kind of a long story. Then just now, he came to my office because the two of us got a third note."

"A third note?"

"Yeah. I guess you didn't get that one?"

"No. Just the two."

"Then whoever it is doesn't know about you. That's something to be grateful for."

Wes thought about it for a moment, and then chose one question out of the many that were jostling for answers in his mind. "What did this new note say?"

Eric hesitated. "I don't want to get into it here." He smiled slightly. "Someone might walk in. We have a lot to talk about, and not just those notes. It's late anyway; how about we get out of here and go to my place?"

"A lot to talk about? Sounds serious." Wes tried not to sound anxious, and failed.

Eric smiled, more warmly this time. In an unexpected and uncharacteristic move, he crossed the room, took Wes's face between his hands, and kissed him quickly but thoroughly.

"What was that for?" Wes asked, pleased but now completely bewildered.

"For being jealous. And for trying not to show it," Eric said. "Meet you in an hour?"

Confused but smiling, Wes nodded, and a moment later was watching the door close behind his partner's back.

- - -

'BioSynth must pay. If you want to keep your own secrets, don't interfere. What would the Silver Guardians say if they knew what you did in the Army?'

"BioSynth must pay..." Wes repeated thoughtfully. "Pay. Do you think this is leading up to blackmail? Whoever it is, they want a payoff?"

"I don't know," Eric said, pausing as he slowly paced his living room and casting a glance at Wes, who was seated on the couch. "They seemed to want the research to stop in the first two notes."

"Maybe it's both."

"Maybe. In Nick's version of this one, it threatens to tell his wife."

"His wife..." Wes watched for signs of reaction as he went on. "I was wondering about that. I mean that Nick is married in the first place, after you and he were..."

"He's bi. You should understand; you've been with women, and you were attracted to Jen."

"Well, yeah. But I like men more, even if it took me a long time to admit it."

"According to Nick it doesn't matter if it's a guy or a girl he's with; it's the person who's important." Eric smiled ironically. "I liked the idea. Thought it was hot."

"But - apparently he wasn't that honest with his wife. He never told her about himself."

"No." Eric paused again, looking down. "I can't blame him. Big difference between telling a gay guy you picked up in a bar that you like women, and telling a girl you want to marry that you like to have sex with men."

"I guess. Still, he should have told her before they got married."

"Yeah, he should have." Eric was quiet for a few seconds before turning to face Wes again. "I have to tell you about what happened between me and Nick. The stuff I should have told you before... and why I thought he sent that note at first."

"That was in the past. You don't owe me any explanations."

"Oh, don't be so noble. Of course I do. So just listen." He moved a few more restless paces. "I told you that no one before you meant anything to me. That they were all just sex, and no more. But that wasn't really true. Nick was... different."

Wes stifled another stab of jealousy and kept his voice neutral. "How long were you guys together?"

"Just about a year. We met while we were in the Army, like I told you. He was different from most of the guys I went with. He wanted more than..." Eric smiled at the memory, "...more than a quickie in a back alley. A lot more than I wanted. Back then I was just into sex, not the kind of relationship he was after. Maybe we just never understood each other... and that's why it ended up the way it did."

"What happened?"

"We had our problems, mostly because of me. You remember what kind of attitude I had back then. After I got with Nick I mostly stopped screwing around, but I'd still go off to the bars and once in a while pick up a little action. He didn't like that. He wanted to be a couple. Still, we worked it out okay, more or less - until my tour was up. I was getting out, and he still had six months to go..."

"It's only six months. That's nothing."

"Huh?" Eric had been only half-listening, concentrating on his reflection in the cracked hotel bathroom mirror as he got dressed and ready to return to base to start his final out-processing. He glanced through the open door at Nick, who had gotten his pants on and was reaching for his shirt.

Nick smiled at him. This had a been a special occasion, partly because it was the first time Eric had agreed to spend the entire night in a hotel room together, and partly because it would be the last time while they were both soldiers. In the morning - today, Eric realized - he would be getting out, and starting a new life. The idea was both exciting and unnerving, and had been almost all he could think about for the last several weeks.

"I said: it's only six months until I get out. You can get a job here in New York for that long, can't you?"

Eric shrugged. "I guess I could, but I'm not going to. In two weeks I'm heading back to the West Coast."

"California?" Nick looked disappointed. "You talked about it, but I didn't think you'd made any decisions."

"Well, I have now. I've got big plans." Eric smiled, although it was more an expression of determination than happiness. "And they include a job I heard about in Silver Hills. A job where I can really go someplace."

"Silver Hills... Well, there's a lot of research going on in that area. I guess I could find something."

Eric turned to stare at him. "What are you talking about?"

"About us going to California. Didn't you say that's what you want?"

"I said I want to go to California, not that you should go too."

Nick stopped buttoning his shirt and stared back. "But - I thought we'd stay together after we get out..."

Eric frowned, and turned back to the mirror to hide the expression. He had known this was coming, that Nick would want plans and commitments that he was unwilling to make, but he had done his best to avoid the subject and the inevitable argument up until now. Maybe that had been a mistake. "Look, it's been great between us. But I never figured on it lasting after the Army."

"Why not?"

"I'm taking off for California. You said you want to apply to a couple of research labs in the Midwest, and stay near your family. We want different things, in different places." He shrugged, lightening his tone. "What are we going to do, have phone sex?"

"So... I don't get it." Nick was on his feet now, confronting Eric as he stepped out of the bathroom and looked around for his shoes. "You mean - you don't even want to try? That's it? You leave and I stay here and we never see each other again?"

"Hey, I don't know. Maybe someday we'll run into each other and hook up again. Maybe not."

"But I thought we were really good together. That I meant something to you."

Eric looked up from tying his shoes. "You do. You're a nice guy and I like you. But - I'm not going to change my life so we can stick together, and neither should you."

Nick's voice turned bitter and angry as he turned his back. "So you can just walk away and never think about me again?"

Eric stood and came close, sliding his arms around Nick's waist from the back. "That's not true. I'm going to miss you, especially when I'm in the mood for a good-"

Nick jerked away and turned on him. "Dammit, I love you! I love you - and I thought you might feel the same way, just a little, somewhere in that cold, empty heart of yours!"

For some reason the description hurt. "Did I ever pretend with you?" Eric demanded. "No, I didn't. I don't love you, and I never did anything to make you think I do. Maybe you've got some weird fantasy of the two of us going off to live someplace with a white picket fence and shit, but that's never going to happen. So just get it through your head that it's over." Angry now, he reached for his jacket and started out.

"You bastard! You've got no human feelings at all, do you? Other people don't mean anything to you! You've never cared about anyone in your life except yourself, have you?"

Eric turned at the door. "You wanna know the truth? You don't want me, Nick. You want some guy you made up in your own head, and you're always trying to change me into him. You're never satisfied, always wanting more... It's going to be a relief to get away from you!"

Nick stared at him, breathing hard, and then shouted, all reason gone from his furious, pain-filled face. "I won't let you just walk off like this! I can make you pay!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'll follow you - find out where you're working... Tell them about us, tell them you're gay. I could make a lot of trouble for you! And wherever you go, I'll do the same thing so you never get that precious big career you want!"

Eric was back across the room in a heartbeat, one hand twisting Nick's collar chokingly tight, the other fist to his face. "Don't you threaten me, you piece of shit," he said in a deceptively soft voice. "Try anything - anything at all, and I'll make you regret the day you were born." He pulled his fist back - but Nick made no effort to defend himself, and the anguish he saw in the other man's face stopped him.

A moment later, Nick's voice came as he yanked the door open. "Eric, please... I didn't mean it..."

Eric threw one glance back. "But you said it." And the door slammed between them.

"Wow," Wes said quietly, after a pause. "And you never saw him again before he showed up at Bio-Lab?"

"No."

"I can see why you were surprised."

Eric snorted. "Surprised is putting it mildly. I was shocked. That's why I sneaked off to talk to him at the reception that way. I wanted to find out what he was doing here."

"I bet you did."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth. Didn't really know what to say."

"Hey, I understand."

"And you can see why I thought he might have sent that first note. But I believe him, that he had nothing to do with it. His wife..." Eric hesitated. "I hate to think she could have done it. He doesn't need the extra grief."

"You think she knows and sent the note to you as revenge? And the one Nick got as a cover-up? But how would she have found out?"

"Well... there was a letter. I had already given Nick the address where I was staying in New York for the two weeks before I came here, and he wrote to me. It was returned."

"You had left by then?"

"No..." Eric sighed, looking away. "No, I got it."

He stood at the mailboxes, clutching the letter in his hand, staring at Nick's name on the return address. It had been almost two weeks. Eric had done his best to forget about that painful last argument, and tried unsuccessfully to push the entire relationship out of his mind along with it. He had thought about leaving, finding another hotel to stay in, half expecting Nick to show up at his door, not sure if he dreaded that possibility or wanted the chance to - to what? Make up? No - it was over, what would be the point? And now this... What could Nick have to say that would be worth reading? That he was sorry? That he wanted to get back together? More likely it would be anger and bitter accusations, and maybe they were justified...

Eric's hands moved, fingers fumbling, starting to open it - and then they stopped. He had no need to read descriptions of his own faults, or declarations of a love he would never return, or plans he would never share in, or anything else that he was likely to find inside. Better not to know. And better to send his own message.

There was a mailbox on the corner. He found a pen, scratched out his address on the envelope, and scrawled 'Return to Sender' across the paper. Then, before he could change his mind, he dropped it in.

"So," Wes said slowly, "Nick got the letter back?"

"Yeah. He said he put it away somewhere, and assumed it got lost when they moved. It's possible Lyn found it, I guess. But..." He met Wes's eyes again. "He doesn't believe it's her. I really don't want to find out he's wrong."

"Maybe someone else could have found it? Someone who stayed with them sometime? Or visited?"

"Anything's possible. Someone who also knows this secret about BioSynth, whatever it is."

"One of the BioSynth scientists," Wes said. "What we have to do is find out if any of them is particularly close to the Tates, and spent a lot of time at their place. Maybe find out who helped them move." He hesitated. "Maybe it would be better if I talk to Nick myself. Tomorrow's Saturday and he won't be working, but I could go by his house and see what I can find out. Talk to his wife, too."

Eric thought about it for a moment. While he wasn't enthusiastic about the idea, it struck him that Wes was trying to spare him the embarrassment of facing his ex-boyfriend at home with his wife. Or - he just didn't like the idea of Eric being around Nick so much. Either way... "Okay," he agreed reluctantly. "Meanwhile I can track down Dr. Manx and have a talk with her. I think your father was right, and she knows exactly what secret they're talking about."

"It's something. Maybe one of them will lead somewhere."

Eric crossed the room and sat on the couch next to Wes. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Nick in the first place. It's just - it's not something I'm proud of, the way I acted with him. I didn't mean to lie or anything."

"You didn't." Wes smiled and raised a hand to run his fingers over the side of Eric's jaw. "You did bend the truth a little... but I can see why."

"You have nothing to worry about, from him or anyone else."

"I wasn't worried. Well, not much."

"So we're okay?"

"Better than okay."

Eric reached up to take Wes's hand, turned it, and pressed a kiss into the palm. He leaned forward with only a momentary flash of memory of the days he had avoided kissing as too personal - their lips meeting, then tongues, arms around each other now, bodies pressing closer...

After a while he said, "We were supposed to have dinner out tonight, weren't we? Indian, some fancy restaurant your father likes..."

"We'll order pizza. Later."

"Much later."

- - -

TBC...