Soulmating

S O U L M A T I N G ============================ by reid

||||||||||||||||| || DISCLAIMER || |||||||||||||||||

This story is meant to imply nothing about the sexuality of the real people involved. Anything mentioned from this point on is purely fictional and not meant in any way but the highest regard.

The lyrics used within are not meant to imply anything about the individual preferences, practices, or lifestyle choices any of the musical artists mentioned. The lyrics are not used for any personal monetary profit...

If you have any objections to my writing, then why in the name of Jesus are you reading this? I know some of you might like Hanson but I don't buy the whole "I didn't know it was a GAY STORY!" defense. So shut up and don't send me any more hate mail you stupid, obesessed little Christian girls.

As always.... Comments, Suggestions, and Criticisms can be sent to saboteur_98155@yahoo.com

I'm trying hard to stay away from the "sophomore letdown" with my second story. I hope you're all liking it and eagerly anticipating further chapters. Or you can just enjoy it and that's fine too.

WARNING!!! My stories contain mature themes and may project images or scenarios that are inappropriate for younger or sensative readers.

I can be reached on ICQ at 70639912... Or on AIM at Reid00005992...

Enjoy!

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| || Protect & Serve- Chapter 3 || ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

Sweat poured down his face as he screeched the car to a halt in the dusty parking lot. He had been driving all night long, fueled by adrenaline and glee. As he stumbled out of the car and into the bathroom of the truck stop, his heart raced with an excited glee. He had come so close! He had almost done it! But like a good judge, he had showed mercy... to both the dirty and his protector. The time wasn't right so he let them both live a little while longer, taking solace from knowing that he had taken three lives in the process, his biggest haul ever at one time. How good it felt! When he had shot those two men and then strangled that bitch who begged for the life inside her... it was glorious. He had punished them for protecting a dirty.

Slamming shoulder first into the bathroom door, he fell in and locked the door behind him. The small room was empty and quiet as he hurriedly removed the wire from his pocket and studied it, licking his lips hungrily. It was still covered with the blood of the protectors and as he licked it off slowly, his heart swelled and he felt a great power. In the small, concrete confines of the room, his wheezing laughter bounced off the walls, as he liked the wire clean again. It was a sumptuous victory feast fit for the lord.

Gradually, his laughter stopped and he laid his forehead against the mirror, suddenly very tired and worn out from the activities. Sending filthy people to their maker and down to the hot depths of hell was hard work. Leaning against the mirror, he napped in the locked bathroom, dreaming again of the day that he would wrap the wire around the neck of the dirty and pull back. He would yank so hard and hear the strangled squeaks that would come out of the throat that had felt so much sick and diseased male seed. The bones would snap and the head would fall forward lifelessly... maybe even as the protector watched, helpless and powerless to stop the cleansing.

A smile crept across his face as he dreamt... it would be so glorious... and it would be right in the eyes of the lord...

He looked so beautiful when he slept. It took just about all my self-control not to reach out and gently stroke his hair as he napped, his eyes closed and his face motionless. The way his blond hair stood out against the soft white fabric of the pillowcase and the contrast of his arm against the gray wool blanket. He looked so peaceful and undisturbed. I only wished that he could truly be undisturbed or peaceful after all he'd been through and it was a wonder that he could even fall asleep at all. After all this, I wasn't sure if even I could fall asleep ever again.

In the back of my mind, I could still feel the heat from the fire and the impact of the stairs as I came crashing down. It would be a welcome change if I felt that instead of constantly remembering the sight of my colleagues and what had been done to them. Hatch had told me it wasn't my fault and I knew it wasn't, but I still felt responsible. I had walked away from my job. If Zac hadn't hid in the closet, Romaad would have killed him too and I would have been the last disgraceful survivor of the whole ordeal. In a way, it would have been better if I'd died in the explosion.

Heaving up off the bed, I walked into the kitchen and opened up one of the many boxes that had been moved into the kitchen. They contained our rations. The first box contained several cartons of dry cereal and loaves of bread while the second and third contained general canned goods like soups and canned spaghetti. And Spam... can't do without Spam, Zac had once told me. The food that they had sent us looked decent enough, to my surprise. Experiences during training in Quantico had given me a new appreciation of those rare times that the government provided quality food. At least they didn't send us any cheap knockoff Treet brand canned luncheon loaf.

Everytime my eyes looked up from the unpacking, they saw the windows, which had been reinforced with black steel bars. Each window had been heavily lined and backed up, including both the front and side doors. Apparently the cabin was used as a pretty successful safe house for government protection and had been designed with that purpose mind. It was a one floor building with a small, surprisingly homestyle kitchen and rustic living room with two bedrooms at the back. A charming wagon wheel chandelier hung over the four person dining table. We also had a fireplace carved out of a huge rock with a tree branch frame couch in front of it. Nothing too stunning in terms of accommodations but it definitely felt safe and secure, which was the important thing.

From the kitchen, I could see through the living room and back into the bedroom where Zac was napping. If he needed anything or anything happened, I could be in there within seconds. Knowing that he was safe for now was very reassuring to me. It was becoming rapidly apparent that regardless of my emotional attachment to Zac, he had become very important to me. I had stopped thinking of him as an assignment. He had become my friend. It only made me more determined to make sure that this had a happy ending and he would go on to live the full, happy life that he deserved.

Even if it comes at the expense of yours? It was a nagging question. I knew that I could put my life on the line for Zac but I wasn't sure that if the time ever came, I could do it fast enough. If it came down to a situation where my life would save Zac's, there was still a doubt that I could react fast enough. He had humanized me so much that my robotic instincts were being clouded. I honestly didn't know if I could do it. My worry was that if it happened, would I be too concerned? Would I see the love of my life being held hostage and murdered before my eyes? I couldn't stop it anymore. I knew Zac was the one for me. That knowledge seemed to be what kept the question from behind answered in my heart.

I heard a yawn behind me and over my shoulder, I could see Zac ambling into the kitchen, pulling his hair back into a ponytail, still a bit disheveled from sleep. After we'd gotten to the cabin, he'd changed into a white T-shirt and bright orange shorts. It wasn't a "fade into the background" type outfit, in the least. I continued unpacking the foot and arranging it on the counter as he pulled out a can of Dr. Pepper from the drink box and snapped it open. Keeping a strict order in my mind, I didn't pay him much mind as he took a few gulps of the soda and let out a resonating belch.

Smiling, I looked over at him, "How do you feel?"

"Like I'm being stalked by a serial killer, Agent Reid." He said and sat up on the counter, dangling his bare feet idly.

"Other than that?"

Zac smiled, "Nothing twenty years of therapy and counseling won't cure."

"I'm sorry for all this, Zac."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for," He looked at me slightly taken aback, "What do you have to apologize for?"

"I'm sorry that you've had to deal with all this," I sighed and tossed the empty boxes into a pile, "It's the kind of thing that shouldn't happen at all."

He shrugged and took another drink, "It's not like I can control it. I couldn't control being born gay. I couldn't control being this dude's target and I couldn't control falling in love with you. It's just like I see this as all being something that's happening for a reason. God isn't going to give me more than I can handle... but I hope he sees that I'm reaching my limit."

I leaned on the counter next to him, "I think he does. I think it's going to be all right from now on."

Zac smiled at me, "So we can kinda chill out?"

"I think we can," I said, feeling the desire to kiss hitting both us. I pulled back, "He can't get very far. They'll find him. And even so, they'll find him before he finds us here."

"Whew," Zac said as he thumped his heels against the cupboards under the countertop, "In a really twisted way, I kinda don't want this to end. I mean, I don't want to lose you yet."

I smiled, " I know what you mean. We're friends."

"Just friends... at least until it's over..." Zac said, looking at me amorously.

"I thought we'd been over this." I said, tossing him a can of Spam which he promptly opened and dug into with a fork.

"Well... yeah... and I'm accepting it," Zac mumbled, his mouth full. But a boy can dream, can't he?"

"I wouldn't know." I said softly and walked into the living room.

I heard the thud of Zac hitting the floor as he followed me into the room, still stuffing himself with canned meat. We both sat down on the couch and Zac, without delay, propped his bare legs up on the coffee table and crossed them casually. Leaning on my hand, my eyes looked down on the table and caught the sight of Zac's feet, healthy and strong as they waved from side to side. It was odd that even something like his feet could catch my attention so thoroughly. Letting my head fall back, I looked up at the ceiling and the exposed beams that ran across the roof of the cabin. From Quantico to Mayberry.

"You okay?" Zac said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Yeah," I leaned forward and rubbed my face.

In all honesty, I wasn't okay at all. The toll of feeling so many new things had begun to stagger me and I didn't know how much longer I could hold up. If there weren't any super-human tests of my strength or ability, maybe things would be okay. If God just gave me a little breather from the trouble, maybe this whole thing would turn out all right for everyone involved. The straw on my back was beginning to get too heavy. The responsibility of the assignment was starting to cloud my vision and make me realize that I was too young. I wasn't old enough or experienced enough to handle something of this magnitude. A more experienced agent wouldn't have left. A more experienced agent wouldn't have fallen in love.

The scraping of the fork against the can caught my attention as Zac, with a stomach turning thoroughness, slurped the last of the Spam juice from the bottom of the tin. Shuddering slightly, my body sat back and despite how disgusting it was, I smiled. Zac tossed the can into the wastebasket and settled back against the couch, relaxing and trying to forget about everything. Despite his best efforts, I could feel the tension inside him. He was tapping his fingers on the arm of the sofa nervously, and his breath was coming quick and agitatedly.

It was hard to watch. There really wasn't anything that could be done to calm him down or pacify him in the least until Romaad was caught and he could safely enter therapy. Then he could live a long life full of relocking doors and flipping out when touched on the shoulder. It wasn't right. Very little about this world was right. It didn't take having inner walls broken down by a person for me to realize that. I had lots of experience with the world not being right and being out to screw you more often than help you out. Most of the time, with all the training and fighting for grades, there wasn't much time for reminiscing.

Or maybe I never let myself make the time.

"You want anything more to drink, Tay?"

"No thanks." Taylor said, not even really hearing what had been said, only noting the question at the end.

The past two days had been a blur. A long, unending blur of horror and pain and mystery that couldn't be figured out by the smartest man in the world. When mom had come to stay with them, he'd felt relieved but then, he'd felt even more worried and scared for Zac. Worrying about Zac had seemed to be the only thing he'd done lately. He worried when they ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner... he worried when they tried to put the problems aside and spend the day at the pool... he worried before he fell asleep and he started worrying again right after he woke up. His dreams were nothing more than twisted nightmares of hearing Zac screaming in agony while he fumbled around in the dark, trying to find out what was happening. Taylor felt worthless.

The worry built up so much that earlier in the day, as he was trying to get dressed with hands that shook like leaves, he suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his stomach and doubled over. A rush of pain and fear later, he was at the emergency room, his roaring stomach being felt and prodded by a doctor. He had given himself a stress ulcer. In three days, no less. They had wanted to keep him at the hospital, but Taylor knew that if he tried to stay there, he would only go crazy. He needed to feel like he was with his family, with the people who were going through the same thing he was.

Dinner that night had been a chore. Mackie had been eating less than a bird, prompting mom to yell at him until he cried, creating a horribly uncomfortable scene around the table. It felt like their family was falling apart. Zac not being there had torn them limb from emotional limb and there was no way of knowing how to put it all back together. Isaac had pretty much withdrawn from them all, staying in a separate hotel room on a separate floor, leaving Taylor has the "older brother". He tried as hard as he could but nothing worked. Nothing would work until Zac came home and they knew he would be safe.

Just the thought of Zac was immensely painful for Taylor. Everytime he realized the situation, he couldn't help but think of all the times he'd hissed at Zac to shut up or stop bouncing around. He knew it was normal and that he didn't have anything to be sorry for, but he couldn't stop himself from thinking about it. He had yelled at his little brother for enjoying life. It wasn't his place to tell Zac not to have such a good time... especially now when there was the terrifying possibility that those would have been some of the only good times Zac would ever have. The self-hatred continued to burn inside him until his stomach flared and he chugged Pepto Bismol like water.

When the pain hit him, tears would stream down his cheeks and he would suddenly feel ashamed. He would be ashamed for feeling so sorry for himself. There was no way that his pain could be as bad as what Zac was feeling. If he could only have one more hug from Zac... one more hug to make up for all the times he pushed Zac away... to make up for all the criticizing and nit-picking Taylor did when he was in a pissy mood and Zac was the only one who couldn't... or chose not to... run away fast enough. He just wanted to see Zac... but he couldn't.

The last time he might see Zac was the night before Zac left for the convention and he'd browbeaten him for leaving his clean clothes not perfectly folded in the dresser. The last time he would see his little brother was when he had bitched him out for not being perfect. The last words he said could have been "grow up". His wonderful, sweet, goofy little brother might die and the last words they said would have been mean. The thought was nearly enough to send Taylor into the bathroom, retching antacid and water into the toilet or sink or shower, whichever he got to in time.

Time was one thing that they seemed to have plenty of. The days passed like frozen molasses and the pain got more and more acute and unbearable every day. As Taylor crawled under the covers of his hotel bed, he sucked in his breath and clenched his eyes shut, praying to God. Pleading with him to watch over Zac. Pleading with God to give him the chance to see Zac again and hug him and apologize for every stupid thing he'd ever said or done... and give them many more years to fight and bicker like brothers were supposed to. He may have been worthless but he could always pray. Even if that sick psycho who murdered inside their home didn't believe in it... he did. And so did Zac. Just maybe, the power of their good could beat the evil.

Concussions went off all around him as he stepped forward through the rectangle of fire. Assorted voices caught his ears as he stepped forward, pumped the shotgun and fired it twice, blowing away two of them. They ran around, screaming and flailing like chickens with their heads cut off. Two more shots and he reloaded the gun, two more shots... two more... two more... blood hit the hall in abstract patterns and the scent of smoke swirled into his sinuses. Two more shots... the running became fainter as he stepped over the bodies strewn over the pathway. He continued his work, pumping the gun and putting more hot lead into them.

Once, he felt a hand on his foot. His eyes traveled downward to a bloody but alive hand grasping at his boot. With no emotion on his face, he looked down and placed the gun against its head and pulled the trigger. A hot spray of blood hit him and he wiped it away from his eyes, continuing down the hall, reloading the gun and blowing away whoever got in his way. He heard more explosions go off as he continued down the hall, firing before they could do so, killing instantly or maiming forever. Behind him, the offices looked like a warzone, blood, tissue, and brain matter covering the white walls. Somewhere in this place... it would tell him where the dirty was.

His feet shook against the floor as another one went off, shaking the building and in the distance, the irritating wail of emergency help could be heard. No need to worry, he thought. He would be long gone before they got here and anyone who could have identified him would be too busy learning how not to drool when they spoke. Kicking open a door, he stepped in and point blank, fired the shotgun directly at the spine of the lowly secretary. She went down in a heap of blood and spinal fluid as he walked even further, venturing towards the glass door.

Bracing his feet, he fired and the door came down in an almost stately rain of shattered glass. He kicked apart the remains of the door and stepped in, looking around the room quickly. There were no signs of life in the offices behind him as he walked over to the filing cabinet and easily blew away the four heavy locks that kept it shut. They hadn't been prepared for his attack. They had been so unprepared he had been able to sneak in and wire the whole damn place. It was almost pathetic how easily it had all come off and occurred with little to no resistance.

He yanked open the drawers and searched, his mind working quickly as he found the false bottom on the second drawer. Ripping it up and tossing it away, he pulled out the small lock box and with the butt of the rifle, he broke it open. Nothing inside but small pink papers but as he shuffled through them stealthily, he found what he was looking for. Written on the back of one paper was one blessed address whose residents would very soon be wiped off the face of the earth. It was the last place he would have to clean before his mission would be complete.

Tomorrow morning, he would be going to Texas. In a small, wooded town just below the border. He could bid this God forsaken state of Oklahomy goodbye once and for all. Smiling, he turned around and hurried out of the offices and down the back stairway, seconds before the SWAT team arrived. Fleeing into the afternoon, his mind raced and new, hot blood pumped through his veins. Already the location was burned into his brain and he salivated at how good it would feel. He would finally clean up the mess and end the life of this dirty... and it would be beautiful.

Cleaning a gun was a true science. Using the right amount of oil and brushing it the right way as a true challenge that took most agents years to master. As I set out my cleaning tools, I took pride in knowing that it hadn't taken me long at all. My supervisors said I had a gift for it. Cleaning your gun was a good way to get acquainted with it. I needed the chance since I'd been given a new Magnum that morning and ever since then, it hadn't felt right. Something about the way it felt just didn't seem the same as the old one. I had formed a bond with my old gun.

Over the course of the day, Zac had gotten his bearings straight and some of the tension seemed to go away. Even more so after we had dinner and he nearly gorged himself on French onion soup and Spamburgers. The food did a great deal to help him feel better and get his spirits back up... I myself didn't think that it was that great but seeing Zac enjoy his food helped me more than a little. Seeing him enjoy anything at this point was a welcome change in the atmosphere. Not too long after we'd eaten dinner, rain had begun to fall and within an hour, it was pouring down like a banshee.

"Hey." Zac said, sitting backwards on a chair at the dining table as I cleaned the gun.

"You okay?" I asked, not looking up.

"Yeah," He picked up one of the cleaning swabs and inspected it, "Anything I can do to help?"

"No. I'm a trained professional." I said as I opened a vial of bore cleaner.

"Okay." He said and rested his chin on his folded hands.

The only noise in the room, over the roar of the rain outside, was the clink of metal as I fed one of the brushes into the chamber and cleaned it carefully, scrubbing and scouring the metal, preparing it for use. It was like a science, really. It took a specific method and rhythm to strip the barrel and properly lubricate the chambers. After checking the cartridge, slamming it in with a satisfying metallic crack that made Zac smile, the gun looked ready to go. I checked the aim against an antique looking rug hanging on the wall, making sure that the sight aimed where I pointed. Everything looked fine.

"Do you ever pray, Reid?" Zac asked, fooling with the swab again.

"Pray?" I said, discharging the cartridge into my hand.

"Yeah. Like do you ever pray to God."

"Only when it feels necessary." I said as I looked down and loaded the cartridge.

"Do you believe in God?"

"Yes."

"But you don't pray?"

I cleared me throat, "Praying would mean that I believed he would hear me."

"Don't you think God hears you?"

"I try to."

"But you don't always?"

I smiled with a hint of bitterness, "It's hard for me to believe he hears me sometimes."

I slammed the loaded magazine back into the gun with such force that the crack reverberated off the walls and made Zac jump slightly. I got up and holstered the gun, hoping to avoid any further conversation about the topic of God. Moving over the couch, I sat down and looked at the fire crackling in the carved out stone. Zac got up and padded over next to me, obviously wanting to push the issue and not able to help himself from doing so.

"Why is it hard, Reid?"

"I don't want to talk about it." I said, my voice taking on an abnormal edge.

"Well, I do. Why is it hard?"

"God let me down. On several separate, non-related occasions."

Zac looked skeptical, "Like when?"

"Like when some homeless guy covered in his own vomit and piss found me. When I was two days old stuffed in a medical refuse dumpster with my umbilical cord stuffed down my throat," I said, not looking at Zac, "From that point on, something told me that maybe God wasn't all he's cracked up to be."

"Oh."

"Then came the times I hid under my bed to get away from my dad and his belt. He didn't hear me. God didn't step in and guide my dad someplace else because the bastard always found me and beat me senseless. You want more?"

"Reid..."

"No, I'll give you more," I said, turning to face him head on, "God didn't help me all the times that three guys beat me up every day when all I was trying to do was go to school. He didn't help me get out my house and he didn't help me become an agent. I may believe in God but if you asked me to trust him, I would laugh at you. God didn't hear me all the times I screamed because my skin was being torn by that belt... so why should I trust him?"

Zac looked at me, "You got hurt pretty bad, huh?"

"Yeah, I did."

"That's why you think you can't love me. Because it would hurt to lose me."

"Yeah."

He reached over and touched my cheek, "You won't lose me, Reid."

I moved away from his hand, "I'd find a way."

"Not if I promised not to let you." He slid over next to me and began touching my face again.

"This is why it would have been better," I pushed his hand away, "It would have been better if I'd just died in that fire. This whole awkward thing wouldn't be happening."

Zac looked genuinely horrified, "What the fuck do you mean?!"

"If I had died in that fire, it would have been better--"

My words were cutoff abruptly as Zac leaned in, grabbed the back of my head, and kissed me on the lips, long and hard. I squirmed and tried to get away, but the grip of his hand as well as some cosmic force held me there. His lips pressed against mine, so hard that I could feel the blood rushing through them. My ears rushed like the ocean as I heard the rain pouring outside and felt the heat of his lips and his hand as it grasped the back of my head. His bangs brushed my forehead and my body felt as though someone had injected it full of Novocain. I felt numb from his kiss.

Zac released the kiss and looked at me, his voice was thick with emotion, "Never say that again."

My mouth, still blitzed from his kiss, managed to speak, "Okay."

"I love you, Reid." He said as he cradled my face in his hands.

"Zac..."

"If this guy does kill me... I want to make love to you at least once. So I can say that I knew what it felt like to love someone and be loved deep in my heart."

My stomach sank, "Zac... we can't..."

"Please?" Zac said, looking deep into my eyes.

My mouth didn't want to work. Zac curled his fingers in the collar of my shirt and pulled me up, leading me over in front of the fireplace. I stood on weak knees and watched as he pulled a spare comforter off the pile by the door and spread it out on the floor. He laid down and slowly pulled me down on top of him, my mind reeling and the front of my pants straining awkwardly. My knees hit the comforter and Zac spread his legs under me, thrusting the bright orange tent upwards. In the soft glow of the fire, my eyes looked him over, admiring his form as he laid before me. The rain continued to storm outside as I tentatively ran my hands up his muscular legs, feeling the physique in his calves ripple under my hands.

His hand came up to my face again and he stroked my cheek again as I got my first feel of his body. Running my fingertips up and down his legs, I felt the soft golden brown hairs that fleeced his calves and had begun to dust over his thighs. Zac shivered, arching his back slightly and murmuring, allowing me my first experience with another human being. His skin was warm and velvety as I stroked it, goosebumps standing up in the heat of the fire. The last stones of the wall inside me broke down when Zac ran his hand down to the bulge in my pants and squeezed it, sending a jolt up my spine. I gasped and closed my eyes, resting my forehead on the soft fabric of his T-shirt. The Novocain had begun to spread into my spinal column as the numb pleasure continued to take me over bit by bit.

Zac ran his fingers through my hair and moaned as my lips brushed the slightly exposed skin of his stomach. I pushed the hem of his T-shirt up slowly and carefully touched the tip of my tongue to the tight skin above his belly button. Considering how little an idea I had of what to do, the noises Zac was making told me that my natural instincts were the way to go. Letting more of my tongue slide out of my mouth, I licked around his belly button, drawing a warm circle of saliva around it and making the tanned skin glisten. The back of my mind began to work again and it tried to tell me to stop, but suddenly, the voice which had once been so little suddenly stepped up. One huge mental bitch slap later, the voice went away and my impulses took over.

My hands slid up under the front of Zac's shirt and even over the rainpour, I could hear the fabric rustling as I pulled it up and over his head, exposing his broad shoulders and developed chest to my eyes. His dark nipples were hard as rocks as I leaned in and kissed each one, drawing a shuddering moan from the depths of his throat. I reached down and slowly pinched his nipples, rolling them between my fingers, and watching as his eyes rolled in their sockets. Massaging his pecs gently, my palms pressing against the muscle as my fingers seemed to be drawn back to his nipples. As I tugged at them, he arched his back again and groaned.

His whole body seemed to shake underneath me as I kissed down between his pecs and nuzzled him, suckling gently and driving him nearly mad with lust. When just the tip of my tongue barely dragged his skin, he cried out and shook, his senses being teased mercifully. Bringing my mouth back up to his nipples, I gently suckled on each one. Feeling them harden and watching as they stood up, the tiny bumps on his areola glistened and the very tip, I nibbled gently, causing him to grunt and thrash helplessly.

Hooking my fingers in the waistband of his shorts, I slowly began to pull them down and Zac gasped softly. He had spread his legs almost like the wings of a butterfly and as he straightened them, they shook slightly and quivered with anticipation. Gradually, the shorts came down his legs and his six inches of thick, uncut cock bounced up and slapped against his stomach. My hand ventured forward and my fingers slowly wrapped around the shaft, marveling in the heat and throbbing desire that it seemed to pulsate. Zac looked down at my hand on his dick, a look of pure amazement in his eyes, as he groaned and thrust his hips. His cock rubbed against my palm and a scorching steam of precum dribbled down over my fingers. Curiously, my hand explored his excited genitals, feeling the throbbing shaft and cupping the two dangling fleshy testicles that hung down loosely in the heat of the fire. They felt so... alive.

My hand returned to his penis and I watched with an almost childlike wonder as his cock swelled and in the light of the fire, I could see the slit in the top open and wink at me. Another thick glob of precum oozed out and slowly flowed down the back of my hand, feeling like thick, hot honey. Without thinking, my hand left his dick and with some clairvoyant notion, I slowly licked his precum off my hand, tasting it and marveling at the sweet, almost syrupy taste of it. Gently, with a shaking hand, Zac reached up and guided my hand back to his cock and I stroked it slowly. It swelled again and felt like a squirming animal in my hand. I stopped stroking and squeezed it, feeling it swell and throb to meet my actions as I looked down and saw Zac's hands, his fingers digging into the comforter.

Leaning down, my lips kissed his thighs and my mouth seemed to be pulled to his cock. The musky scent and the sweet taste of his precum drew me up as my hand released him and, with a little trepidation, I kissed the head of his cock gently. He whimpered and squirmed, and it reassured me in it's own way. Slowly but surely, my lips wrapped around his cockhead and took him inside. My mind raced and I couldn't believe that I was getting my first taste of him. Zac pressed his ass back against the comforter and held his dick taught as I sucked him in. He draped his legs over my shoulders and pressed his heels firmly into my lower back, holding me still. My tongue lapped over the head and I was proud of how quickly I was getting the hang of it. Peeking the tip of my tongue under his foreskin sent a jolt through his body as my hands reached up and felt his stomach.

A warm sweaty softness closed over my hands as I felt him hold them, squeezing them with his own hands, interlocking our fingers and holding them protectively. My lips traveled up and down his hard shaft, pressing against the blue vein and stopping at the rim of his cockhead. It felt hard as steel as he began to gently thrust in and out of my mouth, rubbing his shaft against my lips and bumping the roof of my mouth with his leaking head. Another thick glob of precum worked its way out and hit my tongue with a moan from Zac as he neared the edge of ecstasy.

With one final pleasured groan, Zac's cock swelled and I felt his hands squeeze mine like a vice. The first shot of his hot cum rocketed down my throat and he continued to moan gutturally as his husky voice bounced off the walls of the cabin. As he came, his hips raised up and I felt him jerk as the heat from the fire penetrated his ass and he felt it on his rosebud. The heat drove him to another orgasm as he thrust eagerly into my mouth, his cum spurting out and coating my tongue in it's salty sweetness.

Zac gasped for air and his ass dropped back onto the comforter with a soft thump. His legs flopped off my back and straightened out, his hands falling to his sides as his chest heaved and he recovered. Tasting his cum all over my mouth, I sat back and wiped my brow, not even thinking about myself. After closing my eyes and getting control of my breathing, I felt Zac's hands under my shirt as he pulled it up and off me, before tossing it back over his shoulder. My hands undid the holster and set it under the couch as I wrapped my arms around him, kissing him with an almost fanatical passion.

We fell to our sides on the comforter and continued kissing, his hands unbuckling my belt and yanking it off. He rolled me onto my back and yanked my pants down, taking my underwear with it and leaving me naked in front of him. Zac laid down on top of me and continued kissing me, driving his tongue deep into my mouth like an oil well. He licked my tonsils and explored the back of my throat as he ground his quickly renewed erection against mine, coating them both in our precum and my saliva. His hands held my shoulders against the floor and he kissed his way onto my chest, sucking hard on each of my nipples and nearly biting my skin like a horny dog.

His long, thick hair splayed out on my chest and I remembered my dream as his hands slid down my arms and onto my stomach. A moan escaped my mouth as he licked in and around my belly button before deep throating my entire dick all at once. My body jackknifed and I cried out as he sucked up and down my shaft, jamming his tongue into the slit and quickly drinking the massive precum I was pumping out. He released my cock and sucked one of my balls into his mouth, sucking on it too and stroking me with his impossibly strong yet gentle left hand. Rubbing his palm over the tip, he jerked just the head and the sensations it caused made me seriously concerned that I'd pass out right in front of him.

Zac released my cock and sat back, pulling me up by one arm and kissing me again as he pulled one of the couch cushions down onto the floor with us. The kissing halted as he propped himself up on the pillow, sitting so that he leaned back against the soft cushion of the couch and his pink puckered hole was visible in the firelight. His hard cock, once again at full capacity, stood up against his stomach and his flushed, blond-fuzz covered balls hung down between his thighs. Zac spread his legs and pulled me back into a kiss as he worked his way to my ear and chewed on my earlobe.

"Fuck me." He gasped breathlessly.

For a split second I hesitated before licking my way down his exposed chest and stomach to his thighs, suckling gently and nibbling the muscles. When my face was only about an inch away from his flexing hole, I warily sniffed the area and when it only returned a sweaty, musky scent, I felt no further inhibitions. Bringing my tongue in a slow line, it slid easily from one end of Zac's (mostly) hairless crack to the other, gliding lightly over his hole and drawing a pleasured moan. With a methodical tardiness, the tip of my tongue circled the hole and felt the flexing muscle. Tickling and lapping the tip of my tongue over his hole, it opened and squirmed, beckoning me in like a creature from outer space.

Zac's hands rested on the back of my head as I slowly pressed my tongue against his opening, feeling him tense along with it before it opened and stretched out easily. My tongue entered him with no trouble and the hot ring of his anus squirmed and clamped down onto my tongue. He moved his hips along with the pace of my tongue as I got more and more comfortable with the idea of sex with Zac Hanson. Gradually, my tongue slid back out of him and with no warning, he pulled my face to his and kissed me deeply. A moment of ickyness passed as he tasted himself on my tongue, obviously glad for the hot running water, which provided him a shower after dinner.

Gasping for air, he put his hands behind his knees and pulled them up, exposing his hole and leaving it wide open for me. I crawled forward and unsteadily pointed my rock hard erection into it, feeling him tense up and shake. He was worried. All the love in the world couldn't help him not be worried about his first time. The tip of my cock began to poke against his anus and Zac whimpered softly, wrapping his legs around my waist and biting his lower lip. Pressing my face against his neck and feeling the constraint of his legs around me, I began to ease myself forward. We were doing it. A soft slurping noise caught our ears as my cock eased into his spit-lubricated hole and his muscles opened up and pulled me in. Zac's breath caught in his throat and his arms tightened around my shoulders, and it felt like time had frozen. We were finally together.

Our foreheads rested together and in Zac's eyes, I could see a look of wonderment as my cock pushed in farther. The wet heat of his ass pressed into my shaft and sent sparkling waves of pure pleasure into my nervous system. Zac tightened his legs around me and the droplets of sweat on his face and neck glimmered. He closed his eyes and shivered as he felt my cock enter him deeply, stretching him out and delving into him like some divine sexual probiscus. The sweat on his forehead caused his head to slip and he laid it on my shoulder, moaning softly into my ear as the head of my cock rubbed his prostate gland.

My thrusts began to speed up and Zac began to moan louder, his heart pounding so hard I could feel it against my own chest. His legs squeezed me tighter and nearly took the breath out of me. In one magnificent motion, Zac whipped his head back and sent his hair flying, splattering us with sweat as a loud, animal yell came from deep in his stomach and his ass grabbed my cock like a steel drawstring. His whole body tensed up and I hugged him forcefully, burying my face into the straining redness of his neck and I could feel his cock swell between us. It swelled between the heat of our stomachs as his balls writhed and he sent a massive second load of sperm up between us. His hot cum drenched us both with its thickness as he pumped his charge, his hips bucking and his hair thrashing until he was still. Breathing hard, he leaned back and looked at me, squeezing my cock with his ass.

"Your turn." He said and kissed me, urging his tongue into my mouth.

After taking a deep breath, my cock began to slide in and out of him again, thumping his prostate and feeling his cum dribbling out of it. He flexed his ass around me, chewing on my lower lip and rubbing his still stiff cock against my stomach. As my thrusts began to speed up and I felt tightness in my balls, he chewed on my ear lobe again and began to whisper in my ear.

"You're doin' sooo good... come on..." He gasped, squeezing me with his whole body, "You're almost there... cum for me... you can do it, baby... I know you can..."

The sweetness of Zac's words combined with the lust and pleasure of the situation finally sent me over the edge. I buried my face into his willing neck and he held me as I whimpered, my cock throbbing inside him. It felt like a weight had been placed on me as my cum finally shot out, filling him and making me shake with it's intensity. My first sexual experience was actually happening... my first time... my arms held him and I squealed into his neck, hearing Zac moan softly as he felt my hot load flow through his bowels. If he weren't holding me, I would have passed out.

My brain felt foggy as the orgasm went away and my spent cock slid out of Zac. There wasn't any strength left in my body as I slumped forward onto him, shaking and covered in sweat. Zac kissed me on the cheek and straightened his legs out, holding me on his lap like a baby. Tears began to roll down my cheeks and I cried, overcome by the extreme power of what had just happened. Zac simply stroked my cheek and gently kissed my ear, whispering reassuringly. It was his turn to take care of me, apparently.

The darkness didn't leave my brain as I felt Zac lay us both down on the comforter in front of the fire as the sound of the rain still caught my ears. Weakly, I laid on my side and closed my eyes, trying to make the lightheadedness go away. With a careful consideration, Zac curled us up in the blanket and draped his left arm over me, spooning me from behind, and nuzzling the back of my neck sleepily, his limp penis resting comfortably between my asscheeks. My eyes looked into the fire as his breathing slowed down and his grip relaxed as he fell asleep. My head still spun and I couldn't even begin to make sense of what had happened, only that it felt so right.

My eyelids began to feel like lead as my naked body relaxed and gave in to sleep. The rain pouring onto the roof and trees outside was an amazingly tranquil sound to hear. Zac's soft breathing in my ear tickled my eardrum and made me smile as the sleepiness began to take over. My heart finally felt complete... it felt like it had found its place. Everything felt so perfect. Zac felt so perfect wrapped around me... it felt like this was meant to be. I came to a realization... I could love after all. It was possible for me to love... and it was possible for me to be loved.

Rain kept falling on him. He was soaking wet but he didn't care because he could see the place. The small cabin out in the woods with the electronic surveillance equipment set up around it. Inside the house, they were playing their dirty games in the light of the fire. He was close enough to hear their filthy moans and cries of passion. Just the sound of their lustful voices as they pleasured each other with disgusting imputenance, made him want to vomit all over himself. They were probably giving each other all sorts of diseases and scabs and sick, bloody festering boils.

He shuddered in the downpour and tried not to throw up. The moans inside the cabin sped up and he could hear that they were approaching their climax. Their filthy wet homosexual climax. A child rapist and a celebrity. He would be a hero when he cleansed them tomorrow. He would be lauded and cheered for ridding the world of two dirties for the price of one. It was glorious. He would get to take the lives of two dirties when he had only planned on one. It was his luck and his blessing that he would be chosen by God to do so. His fingers itched around the wire, held taught between two firm pipes.

Twisting the pipes in his hands, he fantasized over what it would be like. When he killed the rapist, choking and cutting his throat, hearing the pained cries from the other as his love was taken. Then he would drop the bloody dirty body to the floor and approach the other. First, he would grab it by its long hair and slam it face first into his knee until the face was bloody and unrecognizable. Then he'd grab its face and break the sculpted nose in shatters as he ground the tainted genitalia to a pulp with his other hand. After dropping the mangled dirty on the floor, he would stand over it and let out a yell of triumph before wrapping the wire around its neck and killing him slowly.

Murder made him shiver as he stood in the rain, listening to them. In the dark wetness, the cries stopped and they rested together, rubbing their sweat and nasty bodies together in a twisted dance of what they thought was love. They thought lots of things in their sick minds. Love between two men wasn't possible... it was sick. It was dirty. And he would clean it up. He would kill them both and send them to hell, to let them be judged and tortured for all eternity. He would see them cast into the fires of hell, screaming in pain and trying to hold one another, but being pulled away. Their hell being apart from one another.

His fingers itched as they curled around the pipes and pulled the wire taught. He wanted very badly to go in there and surprise them in their haze of filth and sinful pleasure, but he wouldn't. He would wait. He would go in there tomorrow when they were laying in one anothers arms and touching their disgusting mouths together. That's when he would kill them. They would die at the height of their pleasure. They would realize how much their night of pleasure would cost them and when he left, leaving them bloody and lifeless in the pool of their grime. Maybe... if he were lucky... they would try and hold hands one last time...

"You're crowding me."

"Awww... cuddle me, Reid."

I grumbled and tried to roll away from him, but our mummified state in the comforter wouldn't allow me much room for movement. I was stuck. When my eyes had opened and saw the sun shining into the cabin, the immediate thought that came into my head was the stale sweaty scent of my bunkmate. When I yawned and rubbed my eyes, the movement woke Zac up and the first thing he did was snuggle up to me affectionately, and his actions reminded me of what happened the night before. My stomach fluttered at the thought and immediately, I thought of how good it felt to make love to him. How wonderful he felt wrapped around me... how good his kisses tasted... how sweet his moans sounded when they hit my ears... how beautiful his body was. Wrapped inside the comforter with him, there was no escape from the thoughts.

"Pwease cuddle me..." Zac said softly right in my ear and pouted.

"You're melting me." I said, unable to keep from smiling.

"You know what to do."

My stomach fluttered again as I rolled onto my back and Zac seemed to liquefy into my arms. After laying his head on my shoulder, he sighed contentedly and murmured happily as I stroked his back. His warm body pressing against mine wasn't helping my morning hard on go down in the least and the sensation of his soft skin and his lips kissing my chest was obviously meant to get a reaction. My hands rubbed down his back and I squeezed his ass firmly, causing Zac to stiffen and moan, his own morning wood pressing against mine and creating a wonderfully erotic sensation.

After Zac kissed me, I wrinkled my nose, "Whew... morning breath."

He giggled and poked me in the stomach, "You better hope I don't have any morning gas, either."

I groaned and unwrapped us from the blanket before getting up and stretching. After pulling on my underwear and pants, I tried to go into the kitchen by Zac grabbed my leg and sobbed dramatically.

"Don't leave me, Agent Cameron!" He blubbered.

He was hard to untangle one's self from. After leaving his limp and heartbroken frame on the floor, I walked into the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee from the machine. My eyes were still a little blurred from sleep and I rubbed them with my wrists, yawning and still shaking off whatever fatigue was left over. There sure wasn't much. The night before was probably the most satisfying and well resting night's sleep I could remember. The coffee did its job and soon enough, I was awake and looking out the kitchen window into the still wet forest.

I sighed and rolled my head around in circles, feeling the cool of the morning on my bare upper body. Zac limped into the kitchen behind me and walked stiltedly across the cold tile floor. He was still naked as he wrapped his arms around my waist and hugged me from behind, nibbling at my bare shoulder and letting his hair drape over me. He yawned and I could feel his warm breath on my back as he squeezed me and rubbed his lips over my collarbone. Holding the coffee cup with my right hand, I reached down and weaved the fingers of my left hand with the fingers of his right hand. It felt so warm and natural to be with him.

"Was it wrong?" He asked timidly, hinging on my answer.

I rested my head against his, "That depends."

"On what?"

"What we're judging it on." I sipped the coffee, feeling the guilt come back as the magnitude of what we'd done hit me like a sack of doorknobs.

"If we judged it on the basis of two sexy guys who fell in love despite a really shitty situation and made each other realize that life is worth living... I think only a retarded redneck with three teeth would think it's wrong." Zac said and smiled.

"By my code of honor... it's wrong," I leaned forward on the counter, "It's wrong to get involved with someone that you're protecting or working with. Now I can never take back that I slept with you."

"Why would you want to?"

"I broke the rules, Zac. I compromised our relationship." I said, and walked away from him, back into the living room.

He followed me and talked as he pulled on his clothes, "It's not our fault that we fell in love, Reid. It happened and the best thing for the both of us is to be together and you can't try and deny that. You know that it's true."

I set the coffee cup down sharply on the table, "Damn it! No matter how much we love each other, that doesn't make it right, Zac! I made a big mistake when I had sex with you last night and it's something that will probably cost me my job. I screwed myself out of a job I worked hard for, literally. I can never go back to it knowing what I did."

"Then leave your job," Zac said softly, "Don't tell them why but leave your job. Come be with me."

"Zac, I can't. You and I will never work."

He came over and tried to hug me, and when I tried to pull away he persisted and wrapped his arms around me, "Reid, you don't know everything. I do. I know that if we give ourselves a chance, it will work."

"It's not that."

He released me, "What is it then?! If you don't want to be with me and last night was all you wanted, then just say so. I'd respect you more if you just wanted my virginity and told me so rather than come up with some bullshit story about how 'we won't work'. But just know that if that was all you wanted, for me, it was awesome and worth every second."

"Zac..."

"Which was it? Do you really love me or did you just want my virginity like some?"

"Zac... last night was my first time too."

He looked at me, "What do you mean?"

"That was the first time I've ever... well, not only been with someone but it was the first time that I had an orgasm. An awake one, at least. And I don't think I could have had one with anyone else." I said and sat down on the couch, fighting the lump back down in my throat.

"Whoa," Zac said and sat down next to me, "Is that for real?"

"Yeah, it is for real."

"I love you, Reid."

I took a deep breath, "I love you too, Zac."

Nothing needed to be said as he slid over next to me and hugged me reassuringly. Our lips found their way to each other and we began kissing, lightly and innocently, our lips mingling together and caressing one another lovingly. His hands rested on my shoulders as he laid back and held me on top of him, letting me kiss his forehead. Brushing my lips over his eyebrows, I felt him shiver and relax beneath me, the cloth of his T-shirt brushing against my bare chest.

Our kissing became deeper and more passionate as we pressed our bodies together, my hands feeling his skin and tickling his belly button. He giggled and moaned under me, gyrating his hips and nibbling on the tip of my nose as I fondled him. Zac arched his back and rubbed his crotch against mine, our returning erections mashing together. He wrapped his bare legs around my waist and ground himself against me, the musky scent of his arousal wafting up to our noses. He moaned again and I could feel he had slid his hand down between us, squeezing both our cocks together and uniting them. With a primitive lust, he pulled down first my pants and then his shorts, our erections rubbing together again.

My tongue entered his mouth slowly and he stiffened, his body shaking as he moaned deeply. His hand sped up between us as he stroked us together at the same time, his drumming toned hands sending me into orbit. I groaned into his mouth as we kissed, his precum mixing with mine as it trickled down. His fingers grew wet and slippery as he stroked, and I let my hand creep down to join his and we stroked each other together. He groaned and his cock swelled in my hand, preparing to douse us both with his hot cum.

Then we heard the loud boom outside. The first shot made us both jump and then the second shot sent us into action. Whatever was happening, it was clear that this was going to be ground zero. Jumping up off Zac, I pulled my pants up and looked into the kitchen, pulling my face back barely in time to avoid taking a bullet right between the eyes. The window of the kitchen shattered as the bullet rocketed through, hitting the opposite wall and shattering a glass picture frame. It was him. It was him and he found us. Cursing the government and their half-assed protection techniques, I hit the floor and squatted back against the doorframe. From outside, I could hear Romaad laughing crazily and it chilled me to the bone.

Keeping low to the floor, I crawled back into the living room where Zac was crouching in front of the sofa. He was shaking and his eyes were worried and unsure. Another shot came from outside and we heard it slam into the heavy side door of the cabin. Thinking quickly, I holstered the gun and grabbed Zac by the wrist, leading him into one of the bedrooms. Once we were inside, I pulled open the heavy chest and cleared out the extra linen. Zac seemed to realize and an odd look hit his face.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Zac, you have to hide."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to have a frank exchange of ideas with him," I said and gestured towards the trunk, "Get in."

"No, Reid."

"Zac," I almost whined, "Just get in."

"No."

"For me," I leaned in and kissed him on the lips, "Please get in. Just let me do my job."

He looked at me with a cold seriousness, "Don't you dare go die and break my fucking heart, Cameron."

"I won't, Zac."

"I'm not in the mood to die today, Reid."

"I know."

"You come back, God damn it." He hissed.

"I will, Zac."

"Say it."

"I'll come back, Zac."

"You love me, Reid. I need to hear you say it." He began to shake slightly.

"I love you, Zac," The words began to flow, "I love you and I know that we can be together. You make me feel and you make me want to be human. I want you to make me even more human and I want you to love me and help me learn how to be everything you want. I promise I'll come back to you. I'll never leave, Zac."

He didn't say anything else as he climbed into the heavy chest and curled up into a ball. I knelt down and began to carefully lower the lid down over him, but not before he kissed me deeply on the lips, nonverbally reminding me of what I had to come back to. The lump in my throat returned and tears rolled down my cheeks as I closed the trunk and carefully moved it back against the bed, remembering that he was inside. My love was inside. As I stood up and looked down at the chest, making the room seem as untouched as possible.

Then it was time. The gladiator inside me began to surface as I unholstered the gun and my eyes steeled over, a rush of cold, determination coursing through my body. This sick son of bitch murdered four people, one of whom was pregnant. He had harassed and tried to ruin the life of a 15-year-old boy. He had tried to ruin the love of my life. His sick games and sadistic strategy had nearly turned Zac into a hermit. And now, it was time for him to learn a lesson and maybe learn that strangling people with piano wire like a pussy wasn't exactly the way to go.

Moving quickly from the room, and noting the silence, I stayed close to the wall and surveyed the living room. Everything was motionless as I moved at a snail's pace, making sure there were no blind spots to either side of me. The robot inside me returned as I moved through the cabin with effectiveness, I had the gun ready the whole time. There was no noise inside the cabin as I rolled forward into the kitchen and spun in a circle, scanning the room and finding it empty. There was a large pile of broken glass by the door where the bullet had entered and in the door itself, two large dents had been made. The gun he was using was one of power.

Stealing a quick glance out the window, I saw that he had disabled the car. Both front tires had been blown apart as had the hood where smoke rose from the ruined engine. But Romaad was no where to be found. The whole scene was disturbingly quiet and as I looked around the kitchen again, I heard myself praying. I hoped that just once, God would hear me and answer my prayers.

"It is judgment day!" A voice boomed from inside the living room.

Instinctively, my body hit the floor just in time for a shotgun blast to plow through the wall where my head had just been. Raising the .44, I squeezed off two quick shots in the direction of the voice, but I saw that Romaad had tossed several burning logs from the fireplace around the room, filling the cabin with smoke. Coughing and wiping my eyes, I ventured forward into the room cautiously, but not seeing the rifle butt swing around the corner of the door and catch me in the stomach. My breath was knocked out as the barrel of the rifle smashed across my forehead, setting off an explosion of pain in my head and sending me sprawled backwards onto the floor.

Through the haze, I could see Romaad step forward and the gun pressed into my forehead, Acting quickly, I brought my arm up and smacked the gun away as it went off, sending a deafening blast through the cabin. My ears rung and my heat ached, but there was no time to hurt as he swung the rifle like a golf club. I rolled to the side and it just barely missed breaking my neck. He stood over me and swung the gun back down, barely missing my face as I moved my head to the side and struggled to grab the gun. A frightening laughter came from his mouth as Romaad played a demented game of whack a mole with the gun and my head before pushing it down against my neck, nearly crushing my windpipe.

I choked and gagged against the rifle as he tried to put all his weight on it and snap my neck like a twig. Seeing an opening, I used my right arm to sweep his legs out from under him and send him backwards onto the floor. To my disappointment, I didn't hear his skull crack as I coughed and my lungs burned in the smokefilled room. My lungs struggled to expand as he got back to his feet and punched me hard in the stomach, doubling me over as he slammed me into the wall, making me groan as my back hit the hard brick of the chimney. As he pulled back to punch me, I ducked and his fist went straight into the hard rock. He cried out in pain and I felt a sense of triumph. He was strong but he wasn't stronger than me.

The fire had gone out but the smoke kept filling the room as I struggled back to find the gun, searching in the haze. Suddenly, a searing pain hit my back as Romaad smashed me with the fire place poker, making my shoulders blaze with agony. Again, he brought it down on my back and he rolled me over and straddled me, pushing the handle of the poker down across my throat. I gurgled and fought with him, feeling my throat close up against the smoke and pressure. His face was only an inch from mine and he smiled dementedly.

"Dirty..." He hissed.

My right hand flailed above my head and the world began to go dark before my eyes, my mind reeling and trying to come up with something that could buy me more time. Romaad leaned down harder, pressing the poker into my throat and making me gag. He smiled and I knew he was taking pleasure in seeing my face turn an unearthly shade of purple. Just as my body was ready to give up... my hand found the gun. Not thinking clearly, I swung it straight at his head and the handle of the gun whipped him straight in the temple. He fell sideways and he yelled out in rage, his hand straight to his face as blood flowed between his fingers. His near strangle job had taken a lot out of me and my vision was still blurry and my head was light as I struggled to get back onto two feet.

Haphazardly, I stumbled over in front of the windows by the front door of the house, hacking and coughing in the stinging smoke. Using the handle of my gun, I smashed out several of the panes of glass and opened the room up, sending the smoke outside and ventilating the room a little. Still coughing and trying to get my mind in order was the only thing I could do. Leaning against the windowsill, I took long gulping breaths of the fresh air outside as the burning in my lungs and throat began to go away.

From the haze of smoke on the other side of the room, I heard an enraged scream and barely got my arms up as Romaad rushed at me, his face covered in blood. His weight plowed into me and sent us both through the unbroken glass of the window and crashing out onto the porch. My head smacked against the wood and ached even more as he got to his feet and kicked me hard in the chest, sending even more breath out of my body. I crawled backwards, looking up at him as he kicked me again and I fell backwards down the moss covered front steps of the cabin.

The ground outside was cool and wet as I rolled onto my stomach and tried to get up, my back turned to Romaad, who I heard. He walked down the front steps at a calm, methodical pace as I tried to get back onto two feet. My mind screamed crazily at me to lure him away from the cabin. Get him away, it yelled. Wiping the blood and sweat from my eyes, I tried to look out in front of me but it felt as though I'd been sprayed with mace. The outside light stung my eyes and filled them with fresh tears. From behind me, I heard Romaad pull something out of his pocket as he approached me, his feet crackling against the dried twigs on the ground.

I finally got to two feet just as Romaad came up behind me and I felt him pull the piano wire down around me. Out of pure reflex, my right hand got up in the nick of time and kept the wire from cutting completely into my neck. I hissed with pain as the wire sliced into the heel of my hand and sent a gush of blood down my forearm. He grunted in my ear and the feeling of his warm breath made me want to puke as he wrenched back, not realizing that my hand had gotten up in time.

"Hey," I gasped, smiling despite the pain, "Wanna hear a joke?"

He didn't say anything. He just spat and wrenched back harder.

"Sure you do..." I panted, "What do you get... when to you cross... a chicken with a telephone pole?"

Romaad didn't say anything as he wrenched back again, cutting into my hand and sending shockwaves of pain down my arm and into my shoulder. I smiled again and readied myself for the punchline. I licked my lips and squirmed, my left hand preparing itself.

I laughed, "A 20 foot cock that wants to reach out and touch someone."

Using my left hand as leverage, I grabbed his hip and mule kicked him with my right leg, slamming my heel right into his crotch. He cried out in pain just before I brought my hand up and whipped him forward, sending him head over heels onto the ground in front of me. Thinking quickly, I kicked him square in the jaw before running towards the porch, slipping slightly and scrambling up the steps, the mud on my clothes not lending me any traction. My feet slid against the wood as I searched in the pine needle carpeted surface for the gun, spotting it against the far wall of the porch.

Before I could make it to the gun, a heavy weight hit my back and Romaad pulled me backwards, slamming me onto the large oak table that had been moved onto the porch at somepoint. I moved my head just in time to avoid the sharp stick he brought down, nearly spearing me between the eyes. Using my battle tactics training, I hooked my hand in the collar of his black shirt and whiplashed his face forward into my elbow with my good arm. The blood ran down off my hand as I shoulder blocked him back against the outside of the cabin. After whipping him against the banister of the porch, I reached down for the gun but made the mistake of picking it up with my bad hand. Pain exploded from the gash in my hand and I dropped the gun, swearing loudly and letting my defenses down.

It was all he needed as Romaad kicked me in the stomach and punched me in the jaw, sending backwards over the banister and back onto the ground. With a catlike quickness, he followed me over and kicked me again as I tried to get back to my feet. His fingers dug into my throat as he slammed me into the cabin before punching me in the stomach and knocking whatever wind I'd gotten right back out of me. He grabbed me by the hair and my scalp burned as he dragged me around to the front of the cabin towards the car. He whipped me harshly against the side of the car and stood back for a moment as I got my first good look at him.

It was a standoff. My opponent was a six foot tall lunatic with black hair and fragile, blood soaked features holding a piano wire between two pieces of pipe. I was a government agent with a mangled hand and a nearly crushed throat. As I looked at him, it was clear that the shot I'd given him to the face with the gun had obviously injured him seriously. His eyes were glazed and I knew that he was dying. For a moment, I felt a bit of pity. But only for a moment.

Rushing forward and not thinking, I punched Romaad in the stomach with my good hand and doubled him over, then kicking him in the face. He fell backwards and tried to get back up as it became clear that I had the advantage. He groaned as I kicked him in the stomach and brought my forearm down over the back of his head, sending him onto his stomach on the ground.

"Gladiator..." He wheezed softly.

"Shut the fuck up, mother fucker!" I growled and kicked him again, hearing his ribs break with my kicks.

"Gladiator... and Caligula..." He spat again, his voice slurred from the crack in his skull.

"Shut up!" I shouted again and grabbed him by the hair, ushering him over against the wall of the cabin. Quickly, I walked over and picked up the gun from where it had fallen. When I returned, Romaad was slumped against the all with his arms crossed in front of him defensively. Calmly, I armed the gun and walked back over, standing about ten feet away from him as I aimed the gun right between his eyes. Objective Point #1.

Romaad smiled, "You win."

My finger began to pull the trigger but just as it was about the happen, Zac's voice carried from on the porch.

"Reid!?" He shouted, "Where are you?"

My head looked over and instantly, I knew I'd made a mistake when Romaad flew forward with renewed strength and wrenched the gun from my hand. It was scary how fast he moved. Smashing me several times in the head with the gun, I felt myself falling and I knew that he had gotten me as good as I'd gotten him. Maybe even worse. My head throbbed and I felt him grab me. After punching me hard in the chest, his arm wrapped around my neck and he dug the gun barrel into my forehead. It pressed so hard against me that it began to cut the skin, and I felt myself being dragged over towards the porch as my eyes blinked, feeling heavy and tired.

My heels drug against the floor and my eyes opened to see Zac standing on the front steps of the porch, looking at Romaad and I expressionlessly. He seemed to realize what was happening as Romaad tightened his grip on me and held me up, pressing the gun even harder into my head.

"Remember me, Zachary?" Romaad yelled, his sharp voice making my ear hurt.

"Oh God..." Zac said, "Don't hurt Reid."

"I'll make you a deal, Zac." Romaad said, and his voice was overlaid with a smarminess.

Zac began to step forward and a panic hit me, "Zac! Go back inside!"

Ignoring my hissing instructions, Zac walked down of the porch and onto the ground, "What's the deal?"

"I will let Reid live a little longer... long enough to kiss you one last time... if you take his place."

My heart sank and I shook my head weakly.

Zac looked at me pleadingly, "What do you mean 'take his place'?"

"I mean... you get one last kiss... but you'll have a bullet hole in your face when you get it." Romaad hissed, obviously taking a twisted delight in his situation.

"Zac... leave..." I whimpered, tears rolling down my cheeks.

Zac looked down and took a deep breath, his toes squiggling in the wet moss on the ground, "Let him go first."

All the blood left my face, "No..."

Zac continued to walk forward and held out his arm, offering his wrist to Romaad as my life flashed before my eyes. It had happened. His loyalty had become confused and he was going to die because of me. My lip shook as Romaad's grip relaxed, and I slumped forward, the wet ground feeling cold against my knees. With nearly no energy left, I fell forward onto my stomach and rolled over, pulling myself around to see Zac. Romaad had wrapped his hand around Zac's wrist and was getting ready to pull him close... Zac was going to die... and my gun was going to kill him. I still tried to get back up to help him.

"Hey," Zac said softly, "I wanted to tell you one more thing."

"What's that?" Romaad said, licking his lips.

"Someone never got to say goodbye."

"Who?" Romaad said, raising the gun and smiling.

"Jason." Zac growled.

In an instant, Zac wrenched his hand away and kicked Romaad square in the crotch with such an impact that the sound made me wince, even in my concussed state. Romaad stiffened and lurched backwards, the gun falling from my hand. It was as if the whole thing was playing out in slow motion as Zac darted to his right and grabbed me around the shoulders, pulling me backwards. My feet stumbled back as Zac pulled me as hard as he could, his arm muscles straining. Romaad, a look of fury in his eyes, raised the gun and aimed it above me at Zac. Blindly, my hand closed on a rock and I whipped it upwards, watching as it whacked him in the forehead and knocked the gun off course just in time as it fired, blowing a chunk out of one of the support posts on the porch. I had done it. I had saved Zac's life.

The first gunshot hit my ears but to my surprise, nothing hit me or Zac. Romaad's body jerked as a red fountain opened up in his chest... then a second gushed out his right eye. More fountains opened on him and his body thrashed in a gruesome dance of death. The gunshots continued as soon, Romaad's body became a spouting marionette of gore and his struggling became weaker and limper. His body pitched forward and as he fell, a final bullet struck him in the back of the head, sending skull fragments and gray tissue out onto the bushes. Zac buried his face in my neck as it happened, not wanting to watch as Romaad fell, his body falling into the bushes with a thud. And then... all was quiet.

Zac still kept his face pressed into my neck but I was curious. My eyes scanned over to see Sgt. Aker standing by the side of the cabin, his state patrol model revolver smoking still. I was overcome with relief as my body relaxed and the realization hit me that it was over. It was all over. Romaad was dead. In the seconds afterwards, a sunlight drifted down through the overhand of the forest and send a warm, yellow light onto Zac and I. My injuries burned and when Zac tried to move me, only a pained whimper came out of my mouth and I felt hot blood trickle down my neck and onto my bare chest.

"Zac... what the fuck were you doing?" I coughed, nearly choking on my own blood.

"I didn't want you to die like that." He said, sniffling and wiping his eyes before smiling at me.

All I could do was shake my head. Sgt. Aker knelt down beside me and helped Zac support my neck as I laid there, unable to feel anything below my shoulders. The light from the sky above hurt my eyes and fresh tears rolled down my cheeks as a very heavy fog began to cloud my brain. More blood filled my throat and I gagged, repulsed by the sensation and praying for it to stop. My tongue felt as though it was distending in my mouth and it blocked off my throat. The lack of air caused another dark fog to spread over my eyes and I felt more tears pour down my cheeks and somewhere, though the pain, I felt Zac caressing my cheek.

My eyes blinked as the blindness continued to take me over, "Zac..."

"I'm here, Reid." He said, his voice shaking.

"Thank you for letting me be human..."

"You're welcome." Zac whispered, his chin quivering.

My eyes looked to Aker who smiled at me respectfully. He finally respected me. He respected me because I did my job. I had saved Zac and been fortunate to love him at the same time. He held me protectively as the sun continued to shine and my nose caught the scent of the trees as a soft summer breeze blew over us. Zac's hand shook as he held my face, his fingers trembling.

"I love you, Reid." He said, nearly sobbing as he looked at me.

"I love you too, Zac." I said, barely able to get the words out as the blood continued to pool in my throat.

Zac took a quaking breath and he hugged me tightly, crying now and rocking me back and forth. The blackness continued to blanket me as the pain began to go away. My head didn't hurt anymore, my hand didn't hurt anymore, and the crack in my skull had stopped hurting so terribly. The warmth from Zac's body kept me from shivering as it felt like my body was sinking into the ground. It was being accepted into the earth. After a short time, Zac continued to rock me but I didn't feel it anymore.

Gradually, from my feet on up, a thick warmth began to cover me and when my throat closed up, I didn't worry. There was no fear. My heart and soul were at peace because I knew what it felt like to feel love. My life would have meant nothing if I didn't know what it felt like to love and to know what it felt like to have someone love me. Zac had made my life mean something and I knew that our one time was enough to change my life. His love had changed me and in a few short hours, he made everything worthwhile.

"We'll be together, Reid..." Zac whimpered, "We'll be together forever..."

Even as I slipped away, I heard him. I smiled. I smiled because it was true.

THE END