Chapter 1

A large seal made its way toward shore and once looking around to make sure that there was nobody present, he transformed into a man, once he'd removed his sealskin. The man was tall, over 6 feet with black hair and brown eyes. There was also considerable bulk on his frame as he was broad of shoulder and had a deep chest.

The man gathered his clothes from where he had left them and calmly got dressed, before he made his way up the beach to a house that was sitting far from the shore. He hadn't bothered to drive as his home was within half a mile of the beach and so within 10 minutes, he was unlocking his front door.

"Just in time for breakfast, Aaron," another voice called, as he heard the door open.

"I'll be right there," the man called. The man made sure to put his sealskin in a safe place where nobody would ever discover it, because if they did, he would be their captive. A human catching a Selkie sealskin was the route to disaster. Selfish humans had been known in the past to capture a selkie's skin and when that happened it always ended in disaster. Unfortunately, selkies needed to renew their human genes every seven generations or they would be trapped in their seal forms forever. For both Dave and him that was a reality. Both needed to mate with a woman and produce selkie pups or the next generation would not be able to transform. This was a growing problem considering that this was the 21st-century, when most people didn't believe in the supernatural. Even in Ireland, where magic was more real than most other places, it was a growing problem. Both he and Dave had decided together that they would come here at the same time and try to find mates for themselves. Aaron knew that part of Dave's decision was the fact that the two of them had been best friends for a long time. The two of them had been living together for years now but had been unsuccessful in finding someone to mate with. Most people just didn't believe in magic nowadays.

Aaron arrived in the kitchen just as Dave served the plate.

"Have a good swim?"

"Yes," Aaron answered shortly, even as he sat down to eat his breakfast.

"What has you so down?" Dave asked his friend, as he dug into his breakfast.

"We've been here for years Dave," Aaron tried to explain why he was feeling so melancholy.

"I see," Dave said, and he really did understand why Aaron wasn't his usual self. "I do understand Aaron," Dave told his friend. "I too have felt the call to find a mate. I've been feeling it for a while now, but it's gotten more urgent recently."

"Yeah, it has," Aaron agreed. "Maybe we are just too picky."

"I don't think it's that's at all," Dave offered. "While we could just put a spell on whoever we wanted to mate with that wouldn't really be fair and I prefer not to. I suppose if I had no other choice, I'd put a spell on a likely prospect so that they would fall for me."

"I feel the same way," Aaron said. "You know we're only one generation away from not being able to transform. If we mated with selkie females, you know what would happen once our pups were born."

"Which is what brought us here," Dave agreed. "If we did that our children would never be able to transform into humans. They'd be stuck in seal form."

"I'm thinking that this is just a lost cause. Our race is dying out mostly because of the times," Aaron sighed. "As much as I've enjoyed human culture, I miss the sea. Taking a swim every day only does a little to alleviate that."

"I know," Dave agreed gravely. "I would say stick it out for a little while longer. I sense something in the air."

Aaron nodded and said nothing, as he finished his breakfast.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

A couple of weeks later

Aaron and Dave walked along the beach, just enjoying the cool sea breeze. The air was clean and clear. The two old friends did this on a regular basis, as it helped them just to be near their true home.

"I've noticed you've lost your melancholiness," Dave mentioned.

"I still feel it I just try not to think about it," Aaron said. "I'm trying to be positive. You're right, there is something in the air, though I'm not entirely sure what it is."

"Anticipation," Dave suggested. "That's what it feels like to me."

"Anticipation," Aaron repeated thoughtfully. "It's possible that's what it is. But what is it we're anticipating is what I'd like to know."

"Whatever it is, is probably just around the corner," Dave said seeming to believe his own words.

"Or we could be imagining things," Aaron said trying to believe.

"I don't believe so, as I have felt that anticipation in the air for several weeks. Close to a month actually," Dave denied shaking his head.

"Hopefully, you're right," Aaron said with a pensive look on his face, as he looked out over the ocean. "So, who do you think is going to get lucky me or you?"

"I don't know, but if it is the person one of us can mate with perhaps, we can share," Dave suggested.

"That's an interesting idea," Aaron said. "I'm not sure it's ever happened before among our kind."

"Of course, whoever this lady is would have to agree to it," Dave said.

"Yes, that's true," Aaron said. "Threesomes aren't exactly the usual concept in human culture either, so this lady might not agree."

"Well, if that happens then the other one will just have to find their own mate," Dave shrugged. "I don't think we need to worry about it right this minute though. First, we need to meet this lady, whoever she is, then we need to get to know her..."

"Then we need to reveal our secret to her," Aaron said. "Something that's getting harder and harder as the years go by."

"And only if she accepts will we suggest that a threesome might be the way to go," Dave added.

The two old friends were silent as they continued to stroll down the beach side by side.

The two continued to walk along the beach just enjoying each other's company silently, which was something of a ritual for them.

Selkies enjoyed being near the ocean, in their human forms if they weren't swimming in it in their seal forms. It's why their home was situated within a half mile of the beach.

"Time for an evening swim," Dave said, as he took his sealskin out of a satchel that was on his shoulder. Both Aaron and Dave were very careful about where they left their sealskins. They could be stolen and if they were, then whoever that skin belonged to could be controlled. In the past, a skin was stolen and that selkie was controlled by that person who believed in the legends. Just because it hadn't happened in a long time because the selkies were legend now, didn't mean it couldn't. It certainly didn't hurt to be cautious just in case.

Dave handed Aaron his and the other man took it. Both shed their clothes and left them far enough up the beach that they wouldn't wash out to sea.

Unbeknownst to the two men, their destiny was laying just ahead.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~