One week later found them sitting at the Vegas airport once again, waiting on a Southwest flight to the east coast. Nick felt awkward stealing glances at his fellow investigators in the middle of the crowded airport. He had barely talked with them all week. Now, he was excited at the prospect of spending four days on the road with them… in random hotel rooms. They hadn't really discussed it, but Nick couldn't stop thinking about it. He remembered the feel of each man's body under his hands, waking up completely engulfed in Aaron's embrace or with Zak resting on his chest.

Zak sat next to him, ear buds in his ears, head back on the back of the chair. Gently, Nick bumped the older man's knee with his own. Zak looked at him and smiled, nudging his knee back. Taking out his ear buds, he asked him, "What's up?"

Nick shrugged and looked down at his hands in his lap. "Nothin'."

Zak put away his ipod, glancing over at Aaron chatting on his cell phone across the terminal walkway. "Did you think about… it… at all this week?"

Nick smiled and blushed, glancing sideways at Zak. "Every day."

Zak nodded. "Me too. What did you think about it?"

This time, Nick didn't look down shyly. He looked straight at Zak, and smiled that crooked smile. "How I could get you both back in my room tonight."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Aaron felt like he was being plotted against. He wasn't sure why and he wasn't really sure how, but he just felt like it. It wasn't like it was in the lockdown. This seemed significantly more dangerous. He felt like he was an African zebra and there were two lions just on the other side of the tall grass. He wished that these two would just tell him what they were plotting already. Was he going to be left somewhere? Have some kind of new video camera taped to his forehead? What experiment was he going to be a part of this time?

Laying down on his bed alone in his hotel room, he enjoyed the quiet. Just as his eyes started to close, he heard someone knock on the next door over- Nick's room. Aaron quirked an eyebrow as he heard Zak's voice come through the wall from the next room. Shaking his head, he thought to himself, "So it continues."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"This is significantly more uncomfortable without the pot," Zak observed sitting on the bed.

Nick sat in the chair directly opposite him. His hands were shaking with both excitement and fear but he tried to hide it. "Do you just want to watch a movie instead?"

Zak shrugged, running his hand along the back of his neck. "We could start with a movie…"

Nick nodded, standing up and grabbing the remote. Zak scooted back on the giant king bed, laying against the pillows. Nick laid down next to him, his heart thudding in his chest. Their hands lay inches from each other on the bedspread. They agreed on a horror movie that neither had ever heard of before and Nick turned out the light, leaving them in complete darkness with the exception of the tv screen.

Zak kept casting sideways glances at Nick who was nervously twirling his wedding ring on his left ring finger. Clearing his throat, he said, "You know, we don't have to do anything."

Nick looked at him in the darkness. "Do you not want to?"

Zak nodded down towards his hand. "I don't want you to feel guilty."

Nick looked down at his wedding band, completely unaware that he had been nervously twirling it on his finger. Holding out his hand, looking at the gold and silver band, he made a brash and bold decision. Slowly, he slipped the ring off and held it up in front of Zak before setting it on the nightstand.

Zak's jaw dropped. "Dude…"

"For tonight, I'm not married."

Zak's mind raced as he turned back to the movie. Nick had taken off his wedding band. Friggin' taken it off. What was this turning into? A night of being stoned stupid turned into… an affair? The word "gay" kept flashing through his mind, all too vivid memories of the taunts that the kids in high school used to throw at him. Nick picked up his hand from the bedspread. Zak's body tensed in reaction.

Nick laughed slightly. "Relax, it's just me." Lacing his fingers through Zak's, he squeezed his hand and turned back to the tv.

Zak's body was still tense. He stared down at their entwined hands, Nick's thumb lightly rubbing the back of his hand. "How is this so easy for you?" he whispered.

Nick shut off the tv, leaving them in complete darkness. Zak felt the bed move and squeak as Nick turned towards him. "It's you and me and Aaron. You've been one of my best friends for years and I trust you with my life every day. If I'm going to… experiment… with my sexuality, I'd want it to be with you. That's what I spent my week reasoning out, anyways."

Zak nodded, accepting Nick's reasoning. It was just the three of them. No one else knew about it and they all had the show to lose if anything came out. Just the three of them. Not that he hadn't thought about it before… so many times. But holy shit, he was sober and this was still happening.

Nick's free hand came up to the side of Zak's face, running a thumb over a strong cheekbone. "I did always think you were beautiful."

Zak smiled, leaning into the touch. He decided he would enjoy this while he had it. Last week when he thought Nick had chosen Aaron… but he wouldn't think about that now. He felt Nick's body come closer and he closed his eyes, knowing what was coming. Soft lips brushed his momentarily before pulling back. "Are you ok?"

Zak nodded as Nick's hand moved from his cheek to the back of his neck, pulling him in for another, deeper kiss. Zak fell into it, wrapping his arms around Nick's back, pulling him down on top of him as he lay back against the pillows.

Smiling against Zak's lips, Nick whispered, "Been thinking about this since last Sunday."

Zak smiled back, recapturing Nick's lips as his fingertips edged their way up the back of Nick's shirt. There was a sense of urgency in the kiss. An untapped need had been discovered; an itch that had never been scratched and was now burning through Nick's soul. Zak cupped his face, gently pushing him back. "Slow down, Nick. Like this." Slowly, Zak craned his neck up, chastely brushing his lips against Nick's. Using the tip of his tongue, he licked along the slit, eliciting a moan.

Nick's thoughts faded in and out as Zak sucked on his lips. His pants were too tight at this point and his head was floating. His hands roamed under Zak's faded black tshirt, pushing it up his body. Zak took the cue, pulling his shirt up farther. Nick sat up, pulling his own tshirt over his head and flinging it behind him. Zak raised his arms and allowed Nick to pull his shirt off, flinging it behind them as well. In that momentary break of attention, Zak heard the snores coming from next door.

Nick's lips found his neck, sucking and teasing the tender tanned skin. Rubbing Nick's back, Zak picked up his cell phone from the night stand and started punching in letters with one hand. Nick stopped his administrations, laying his head against Zak's shoulder. Annoyance was evident in his voice, "What the hell are you doing?"

Zak set his phone down and rolled them over as he heard the snores stop from behind the wall. "Trying to get Aaron over here."