New Jersey “Where the hell is House?” Cuddy demanded as she slammed into the room where the three ducklings were working. “And what the hell happened to his office?” “House, the rules strictly forbid…”
“I think you’ve got the answer there in your hand,” Chase said, still upset that Cuddy refused to listen to him. “I’ve got some tests to run.”
“You know more about this than you’re letting on,” Cuddy said following him out into the hall.
“House asked me to drop that letter off because he can’t walk right now,” Chase said. “He didn’t tell me what was in it or what happened.”
“Cuddy,” Wilson called, “can I talk to you for a minute? Chase, how’s House?”
“Hopefully he’s unconscious,” Chase said coldly and walked off towards the elevator.
“What’s his problem?” Cuddy asked.
“That’s part of what I need to talk to you about,” Wilson sighed. “But I really don’t know how we’re going to fix this problem.”
********************
“I still can’t believe Cuddy wouldn’t listen to me,” Chase said the next morning. He was stretched out on their bed watching his lover pack.
“I hate to say I told you so,” House replied.
“No you don’t,” Chase said. “You love it.”
“You’re right, I do,” House grinned. “What else happened?”
“She spent the rest of the day in diagnostics glaring at me and fawning over Foreman. I think he’s gonna get the department.”
House snorted. “I always knew Cuddy was crazy,” he said. “What about Wilson? Is he looking like a lost puppy yet? And when did we move into Grand Central Station?”
“Do you want me to get it?”
“It might be Wilson again, this could be fun.” House made his way carefully down the hall to the front door and opened it.
“Why aren’t you at work?” Cuddy demanded.
“Gee, I don’t know, maybe it’s because you suspended me,” House replied. He tried to block her, but his leg was still too tender to risk not having the cane for support. “You should have received a letter from me.”
“Giving me your resignation,” Cuddy exclaimed. “Don’t you think you’re overreacting just a tiny bit?”
“No,” House said. “I didn’t screw up, Cuddy, Foreman did. But because you want me gone you refuse to even consider that there might be another option here.”
“Wilson said…”
“Oh, Wilson said; since when is Wilson the head of Diagnostic medicine?” House asked. “Did he sit in on our differentials? Did he know the background of the case? Had he read the folders? He just happened to be with me because we’d been at lunch. Foreman deliberately withheld vital information on a patient and altered her chart to cover his manipulation.”
“I refuse to accept it,” Cuddy said as she followed him down the hall.
“What, my resignation or the fact that Foreman is a manipulative bastard?”
“He learned from the best.”
House paused and turned around, eyes wide in mock shock. “Wow, that almost sounded like snark,” he said. “But it wasn’t biting enough. You need to actually want to hurt the other person. And you don’t have a choice; I sent copies of the letter to the board along with a small explanation of the circumstances.”
“You’re being childish.”
“Am not.”
“You are too.” Cuddy paused for a second. “I cannot believe I just said that.”
“It’s my choice when I leave, Cuddy,” House said. “You can’t force me to keep working for you. Have fun with your new department head.”
“What is Dr. Chase doing here?”
Chase was still on the bed, propped up on several pillows. He glanced up from the medical journal he was reading. “Is that a trick question?” he asked.
“I guess we were too subtle at work, dear,” House said. “I told you we should have held hands more.”
“Or made out in your office,” Chase grinned.
“He lives here,” House said, turning back to Cuddy. “And has for the past year and a half. And seeing as it had no impact at work there’s nothing you can do about it.”
“Greg’s an equal opportunity bastard,” Chase said.
“Oh just stop,” House said. “I don’t work for you any more so the rules don’t apply. You wouldn’t have even known if you hadn’t come nosing around today. I’m leaving. Deal with it.”
“Where are you going to go without a letter of recommendation?”
“That’s my affair and I don’t need one,” House said. “Do you know how many hospitals would hire me based on reputation alone?”
“Which one?” Chase asked turning the page.
“Quiet, you,” House replied. “I think you know the way out, Dr. Cuddy. And call off Wilson; he’s not going to change my mind.”
Chase stood and followed Cuddy back towards the front door. “Really a year and a half?” she asked.
“Closer to four,” Chase replied. “I’ve only been here a year and a half. Greg doesn’t let people into his personal space easily.”
“Where’s he going?”
“No idea.”
“He’s your lover,” Cuddy said. “He’s not just going to walk out and leave you.”
“Still doesn’t mean I know where he’s going.” Chase shut the door and quickly locked it.
“She’s not going to give up,” House commented from the bedroom. “She’s going to keep hounding you until you slip up and tell her.”
“Then I’ll just have to say you went to Australia to take up shark diving,” Chase said. He took the suitcase off the bed and hopped on. “Come on, Greg, nap time. You need to rest your leg so you can fly tomorrow with minimal pain.”
“Slave driver,” House grumbled. He kicked off his shoes and joined his younger lover. “Bobby, did I ever tell you what happened with Stacy?”
“No,” Chase said, surprised. He knew that House’s ex was still a sore spot.
“We had been together five years when the infarction happened. She sided with Cuddy for amputation, but I refused,” House said softly. “I insisted that they remove the clot and restore the blood flow to the damaged area. I thought I could handle the pain from the toxins washing out.”
“Greg, that could’ve killed you,” Chase said as he ran his hand up and down House’s back.
“It did, they had to shock me back,” House sighed. “I asked Cuddy to induce a coma until my leg was better, and she did. When I woke up I found out that Stacy had talked with Cuddy and they had taken me back into the OR and this was the result.”
Chase was shocked, not only by the betrayal of trust on Stacy’s part, but also that Cuddy would do something like that. It also told him where so many of House’s trust issues stemmed from. “Greg, how long did Stacy stay after you woke up?”
“Two weeks,” House replied. “When they told me I’d have to use a cane for the rest of my life and I’d be in constant pain. She went home for the night and I never saw her again.”
“I’m sorry,” Chase whispered. He kissed his lover gently. “Greg, how long do I have to wait to come join you?”
“Can you last two weeks?”
“Yeah. Cuddy is going to have a fit when she finds out I’m leaving too.”
They both looked up as the front door closed. “Remind me to take Wilson’s key back,” House muttered as he closed his eyes.
Chase snorted and pulled the covers up over them so House’s face would be hidden. He didn’t blame his lover for wanting to hide and was wiling to do whatever he could to help.
“I am never going to get used to that,” Wilson said as he stepped into the room. “I brought you guys some dinner.”
“Thank you,” Chase said.
“House, I know you’re awake,” Wilson said with a small sigh. “Look, I know I screwed up and you will probably never forgive me, but I tried. I spent an hour in with Cuddy today, but she wouldn’t listen to me. Just, look, just give me a call some time when you get settled so I know you’re alive.”
“Now he looks like a lost puppy,” Chase whispered. “Either a basset hound or golden retriever, it’s hard to say which.”
House snickered and sat up. “I’ve never been able to stay made at you, Wilson,” he said.
“What about the time you switched the sugar and salt in my coffee for a week?” Wilson asked.
“When did I do that?”
“Right after you came back to work following your surgery.”
“Oh yeah, that was for giving me a rubber cane in therapy,” House said. “Payback is a bitch, Wilson.”
“So you forgive me?”
“No, but I probably will,” House said. “Keep an eye on Bobby for me. Cuddy stopped by today and found out about us. I don’t want anything bad to happen to him before he leaves.”
“He’s leaving too?”
“Apparently he loves me enough to follow me to wherever I end up,” House said. “I don’t know why. I’m bitter, sarcastic, manipulative, heartless, crippled.”
Chase put his hand over House’s mouth. “That’s what I love about you,” he said. “Do you want to eat in here or in the living room?”
“You mean I have a choice, Doctor Chase?”
“Not if you keep acting like this.”
“Fine, living room,” House said.
“Wait, you’re both dressed,” Wilson said, frowning.
“Yeah, it’s this amazing new type of sex,” House replied. “You have to be completely dressed and you’re not allowed to touch the other person.”
“Sounds dull,” Wilson said.
“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it,” House smirked. He grabbed his cane and limped out of the room.
Wilson stared after him. “He’s kidding, right?”
“About what?” Chase asked.
“The sex.”
“No, last time I couldn’t walk right for a week.”
********************
“You know, you left evil off your list of things to love about you,” Chase said later that night once they were alone.
“What?”
“Wilson. You’ve got him believing that some of our hottest sex has been when we’re completely dressed and not touching each other.”
“I know, fun, isn’t it?” House smirked. “I wish I could be there to see Julie’s face when he tries to explain it to her.”
“Greg, why not just tell him you’re still mad at him?”
“Because this is so much more fun,” House replied. “All right, fine, if it’s going to bother you that much, tell him the truth tomorrow.”
“It’ll be too late then,” Chase said.
“No, it won’t. Julie won’t talk to him tonight,” House said. “She hates it when Wilson spends time with me. You’ll have plenty of time to set him straight. Now, I think we should go to bed and try some of the naked kind of sex.”
“Is your leg up to it?”
“No, but the rest of me is.”
Miami “Okay, nothing has happened with Gil and the others,”
Greg woke up and reached over Horatio to the phone that was on the far side of the bedside table. “’Lo?”
“Is Horatio there? This is Aaron Hotchner. There’s something wrong with Spencer and all the dragons are gone.”
“Hang on.” Greg leaned back and shook his dragon’s shoulder. He wasn’t surprised Horatio was still asleep; they’d been pretty active the night before. “H, wake up.”
“What’s wrong?” Horatio asked, stretching.
“It’s Aaron Hotchner,” Greg replied. “He says something is wrong with his dragon.”
Horatio sat up and took the phone. He felt cold and hoped that the young dragon Gil had become so attached to hadn’t had a relapse. “Hotch?”
“I need your help,” Hotch said. “I would’ve called sooner, but Nick and Tony thought they could handle it. Spencer had a feeling that there was something wrong while we were at General Hammond’s house and it became worse when he focused on Nick, Tony and Megan. But we’ve picked them up, we’re all safe and the feeling just won’t go away. It’s making him sick.”
“Let me talk with him, please,” Horatio said.
“H?”
“I might have to go talk with Gil,” Horatio said. “Spencer is having trouble.”
“I’ll go make the coffee.” Greg slipped out of bed and pulled on a pair of sleep pants before leaving the room.
“Hello?”
“Spencer, it’s Horatio Caine; can you tell me what’s wrong?”
“I don’t know,” Reid said softly. “I just feel like the missing girls aren’t here and they’re in danger. We’re all in danger.”
“One step at a time, Spencer,” Horatio said. “Is the feeling of danger for all the bond pairs or specific dragons?”
“I don’t know,” Reid replied.
Horatio took a deep breath. “Hey, its okay, Spencer. It’s okay,” he said. “You need to calm down. I know its hard, Spencer, and you’re feeling like you’re being pulled in two different directions, but I need you calm. Okay?”
“I’ll try,” Reid said.
“Okay, Hotch told me you’re all safe. Where are you?”
“At Cheyenne Mountain where the Stargate is,” Reid replied.
“Good, if you and all the humans are safe then you’ll be able to focus more on the deeper feeling,” Horatio said. “Take a deep breath for me and focus on what you’re feeling. I need you to tell me if what you’re feeling is danger for everyone or specific pairs. Start there, Spencer, and let me know if I need to talk with someone here.”
“It’s vague,” Spencer said and Horatio was relieved to hear that the young dragon sounded calmer. “I can’t pin it down, Horatio.”
“That’s okay,” Horatio said. “Tell me how you know the young girls aren’t in Colorado.”
“I don’t know, I just do,” Reid said. “They’re to the east of us, maybe in New York or DC.”
Horatio blinked a few times and glanced over at his human, who had just walked back in the door. “Greg, go and get Mandy, please,” he said. “Spencer, I want you and Hotch to come back to Miami. I’ll hop up and tell Gil what’s going on, but I’m fairly sure he’ll agree with me on this one.”
“But that will leave everyone here without a dragon,” Reid said.
“You said they’re all in a secure place?”
“Yeah, but I don’t want to abandon them.”
“You won’t be, Nicky and Tony will be able to keep everything together until the dragons get back,” Horatio said. “We need to figure out what’s going on with you, young one.”
“I’m sick again, aren’t I?” Reid asked.
“No, you’re not. If anything, it sounds like you’re healthier than the rest of us,” Horatio replied. “Tell Hotch I want you both back in Miami as soon as possible, okay? And I promise I’ll let Gil know what’s going on.”
“Thanks, Horatio,” Reid said and hung up.
“Isn’t that rather uncomfortable?” Mandy asked leaning against the door frame.
“What?” Horatio made sure the covers were in place.
“Sleeping in your collar,” Mandy replied.
Horatio’s hand went to his throat. He had forgotten that he’d let Greg collar him the night before. It hadn’t come out since Ray had come to live with them and Horatio wondered if he should be worried about how natural the soft leather felt around his neck. “As long as it’s not too tight, it’s not bad,” he said. “I’ve got a question for you, Mandy. Can you meet me in the kitchen?”
“Sure,” Mandy grinned.
“Sorry, H,” Greg commented as he slid back onto the bed. “I forgot about it too.”
“Mandy’s seen me in it before,” Horatio said. “She won’t tell anyone.” He cupped the back of Greg’s head and pulled his human in for a deep kiss. Greg moaned softly and leaned in. “We can’t Greg. I’ve got to be the leader here and get some stuff taken care of.”
“What can I do to help?” Greg asked as he caught his breath.
“Find Don Eppes, Flack and the Winchesters for me, please.” Horatio kissed Greg again and got out of bed. He crossed to the dresser and pulled out a pair of black jeans. “Anyone else who wants to join us can, but those are the primary pairs I need for this.”
“You got it, H.” Greg reached up and undid the collar around Horatio’s neck. “I still love the sight of you with the black leather against your white skin.”
“I know,” Horatio smiled. He kissed Greg again. “Go on, if you don’t leave now, I’m going to pin you back to the bed and then Gil will be mad at me.”
“I think he’d understand,” Greg grinned. He dodged the swat Horatio aimed at his ass and left the room.
“Brat,” Horatio murmured fondly. He sat down on the bed and closed his eyes. A few deep breaths and when he opened them again, he was on Pax Draconis.
“You look like a ghost,” Gil commented from the rock he was using as a chair. “I suppose we’ve never noticed before because we all looked the same.”
Horatio sat down next to Gil. “I guess that explains why we can’t Change when we come here this way,” he said. “We can figure that out later, Gil. There’s something wrong with Spencer. I’ve got them flying back to Miami, but he and Hotch are worried he’s sick again.”
“What did you tell them?” Gil asked.
“That Spencer is perfectly healthy,” Horatio replied. “I’ve got Mandy awaiting me in the kitchen, but it honestly sounds as though Spencer’s talent decided to manifest early, and that’s what’s making him feel so sick.”
“He’s only been Changed for about a week,” Gil said. “There’s no way in hell his talent is manifesting this early. There has to be another explanation.”
“Gil, he says that the missing girls are on the east coast, maybe New York or DC and the only thing he has to go on is a hunch,” Horatio said. “Not to mention that he’s sensing danger for at least one if not all bond pairs, but the feeling is still too vague to do anything about it right now.”
“Is it possible for a dragon to Change and blend at the same time?” Gil asked. “And if he did, would he still suffer from bond sickness?”
“I’ll ask Mandy,” Horatio replied. “There’s still a lot we don’t know, Gil. This might just be something we have to learn from, not solve.”
“And Spencer just has to suffer through it?”
Horatio put a hand on Gil’s shoulder. “No one likes to see their child suffer,” he said softly. “But sometimes there’s nothing we can do to help them, only support them until things are better.”
“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Gil said. “Let me know what Mandy says and what you guys end up doing.”
“Depending on where the kids are, I’m going to dispatch bond pairs to various cities and we’re going to get them back,” Horatio said. “Then we’ll wait for you guys to come home before we all go back to our respective cities.”
“Tell Spencer I want to see him before he goes home,” Gil said. “If only to just talk with him for a bit.”
“Okay, how are things going up here?”
“Time definitely runs differently here than it does on Earth,” Gil snorted. “We’re still just waiting for the gate to activate again and then we’re all going to Change and wait for the teams to come through. Jack and Gibbs are working on some sort of military something or other and Larry is talking with Chrysalis.”
“So why are you over here?”
Gil grinned. “I’ve been trying the whole jump thing in reverse,” he said. “It makes sense if we can come here from Miami then we should be able to go to Miami from here.”
“You’re not having any luck, are you?” Horatio asked.
“None, there has to be something here that helps us with the jump,” Gil replied.
“Probably these,” Horatio commented, his pendant resting over a finger. “Greg thinks that’s a dragon scale in there, most likely from Chrysalis. It’s likely that the pendant adds to our innate power and brings us up here.”
“So the stone and scale combination is like a movie projector,” Gil said. “That’s makes sense; I’ll ask Chrysalis about it.”
“It’d be fun to find out if Greg is right,” Horatio said. “I’d better get back, Gil, everyone is waiting for me.”
“Keep me updated,” Gil said.
“I will.”
When Horatio opened his eyes he found Greg stretched out next to him on the bed, one foot waving almost idly. “Everyone is out on the beach.”
Horatio said. “I hope Mandy can answer these questions without her books. I have a feeling that at least two lives might depend on it.”
New Jersey
“At least let me take you to the airport,” Chase said.
“I’ll take a cab, Bobby; you need to get to work,” House replied. “When are you going to tell Cuddy?”
“After I’m done at the clinic,” Chase said. “Call me tonight and we can have phone sex.”
House licked his lips. “I promise,” he said. “But it might be late. Alexx is going to want to get caught up and it could take a while.”
“How did the two of you meet, anyway?”
“We were at a conference on a debate panel,” House said. “I don’t even remember what the two of us were debating, only that we were on opposite sides and we had so much fun that we met for supper afterwards and I’ve had a standing invitation to visit her ever since she moved down to Miami.”
“Does anyone up here know about her?”
“Wilson might if he thought about it, but everyone thinks he’s my only friend,” House smirked. “Or was my only friend, anyway.”
“I am going to tell him the truth about the whole clothing on sex thing,” Chase said.
“Spoil sport.”
Chase went easily into House’s personal space and started nibbling on his neck. House moaned softly, pulled his young lover in closer and tilted his head to the side. He didn’t know exactly how he was going to get through the next two weeks without touching Chase. It was almost like asking him not to breathe, or to be nice to people.
“Let me come,” Chase murmured.
House moved them towards the sofa and tumbled Chase down onto his back and sat down next to his hip. “Give me a second and you won’t remember your own name,” he said.
“No, Greg, I meant let me, oh god.” Chase tensed up as House leaned in and started sucking on his erection.
House closed his eyes and tried to memorize everything – the noises Chase was making, the weight and feel of him on his tongue and how he tasted as House worked him. Chase reached down and ran his fingers through House’s hair as he struggled not to thrust. He knew how much his lover liked to be in control at certain times and gave in whenever he could. House hummed his approval and pressed down to keep Chase in place as he took him deeper.
“Greg, close,” Chase gasped, his eyes closing.
House responded by pulling back until just the head was in his mouth and started flicking his tongue at random places, then sucking as much as he could back into his mouth. He had just pulled back for the third time when Chase cried out and came. House swallowed as much as he could and then licked his lover clean.
“I meant let me come to Miami with you,” Chase murmured, petting House.
“Oh, well, this was more fun,” House said with a smile. He reached under the sofa and pulled out a box. “And it can be better. How would you feel about carrying part of me with you today?”
“What is this?” Chase asked.
“A new plug,” House replied. “And a ring. One is for your ass; the other is for your finger. You’re too damn cute for your own good and since I’m not going to be here to keep the women away, I thought this might.”
“You’re asking me to marry you?”
“No, I’m just possessive.”
Chase was good enough at speaking House at that point that he just smiled and held out the ring. “Yes.”
House took the ring and slipped it onto Chase’s left ring finger. “Good,” he said. “Now, what about the plug?”
“That, I’ll admit, has me puzzled,” Chase admitted.
“Its simple, you let me come in your ass, we slip this in and it will keep my semen inside you,” House said. “Then you go to work and I, unfortunately, leave for Miami.”
“Sounds messy,” Chase said. “But hotter than hell.”
“Is that a yes?” House asked.
“What do you think?” Chase murmured as he leaned up to kiss his lover.
********************
Chase was still feeling every thrust House had made into his body while he went through his clinic hours. He could see his lover’s opinion of the patients more than normal and wondered how the hell he was going to get through the next two weeks. He was busy filling out a chart when he heard Wilson’s voice mention his lover’s name.
“I’m sorry, Stacy, but House isn’t here,” Wilson was saying.
“Is he sick? Greg’s always at work,” the woman said. “He’s the only one who can help my husband.”
Wilson sighed. “House is home sulking because of a mistake here,” he said. “Dr. Chase, would you call House and let him know that Stacy is here and needs his help?”
“No,” Chase said. He flipped his folder closed and reached for the next one.
“I think House has rubbed off on you,” Wilson sighed.
“Many times,” Chase muttered. He reached into his lab coat pocket and pushed the button that would send the call to voicemail. “It won’t work, Wilson. He’s not at home and he doesn’t have his cell phone.”
“So why do you have it?” Wilson asked.
“Because he asked me to,” Chase replied. “I don’t have to explain anything to you.”
Stacy slammed the folders she was holding down onto the counter. “Can someone please just tell me where Greg is? I need his help. My husband is sick and no one can find anything wrong with him.”
“Dr. Chase,” Cuddy said as she joined the group, “tell me where Dr. House is so I can get him back to work.”
“No,” Chase said.
“That wasn’t a request,” Cuddy said.
“Dr. House resigned and isn’t your concern any longer, Dr. Cuddy,” Chase said icily. “And why would he want to see the bitchwhore who betrayed, crippled and then deserted him, let alone help her with anything?”
Three shocked faces stared at him. Chase dug in his pocket and pulled out a letter. “I was going to do this in a less public place, but I think this is better,” he said. “Dr. Cuddy, I’m officially tendering my resignation.”
“What?” Wilson exclaimed. “Chase, be reasonable. Don’t throw away everything you have for House. The only things he loves are his pills and manipulating people. He doesn’t give a damn about you.”
Chase punched Wilson hard enough that the other doctor went over backwards out the clinic door. “I was going to stay for two weeks, Cuddy, but I think I’m just going to leave today. Good luck with Foreman.”
“What the hell was that all about, Lisa?” Stacy asked.
“That’s House’s boyfriend,” Wilson said as he rejoined the group. “He’s got a good right too.”
“Did he break anything?” Cuddy asked.
“Just my pen,” Wilson replied. “I should have seen that coming.”
“Greg turned gay after I left?” Stacy asked.
“He claims he’s bisexual,” Wilson said. “I’m sorry, Stacy, there’s no way to track House down at this point. Maybe Foreman and Cameron can help you out.”
“That’s a good idea,” Cuddy said. “I’ll make some phone calls and see if I can figure out where Chase is going.”
Wilson sighed and rubbed his chin. “You should let it go, Cuddy,” he said. “Neither of them are idiots. They’ll know we’re trying to track them.”
“Not to mention it’s illegal,” Stacy said. “What the hell happened with Greg?”
“It’s a long story,” Wilson sighed.
********************
Miami
House stretched out on his hotel bed with a groan and put the heating pad back on his leg. He hated flying, even when the plane was empty enough for him to put his legs up. His thigh always cramped and it was worse because he hadn’t fully recovered from the stress cramp. He took out his new cell phone and called Alexx, letting her know his room number and that there was a key waiting for her at the front desk. Then he called his lover.
“I punched Wilson in the clinic,” Chase said.
“I’m sure he deserved it, but why?” House asked.
“Stacy showed up looking for you and they were all trying to get me to tell them where you are,” Chase replied. “When I told Cuddy I was resigning, Wilson told me that I was being stupid and you didn’t care about me.”
“I hope you broke his damn jaw,” House growled. “I love you, Bobby. I want nothing more than to have you here curled up with me.”
Chase smiled. “I don’t think anything is broken, but I did call Stacy a bitchwhore,” he said. “She looked a little stunned.”
“What the hell does she want?”
“For you to treat her husband.”
“Nice,” House snorted. “So I’m guessing things didn’t go that great with Cuddy.”
“I bought my ticket with cash so she won’t be able to trace me,” Chase said. “Like she was talking about doing. I’ll be in Miami this time tomorrow.”
“Good, I didn’t realize how hard this would be,” House said. “I don’t know what we’re going to do for jobs, Bobby.”
“As long as we’re together, it doesn’t matter,” Chase said. “And I think you promised me phone sex. I still have the plug in.”
“Just for you, my leg is all cramped up,” House admitted. “I’ve got the hot pad on it and I’m waiting for the pain killers to kick in.”
“Then I can wait,” Chase said. “Or come up with something on my own.”
“Thank you,” House said softly.
Pax Draconis Larry put the man he was holding back on the ground, but only loosened his grip once the P-90 was safely in Daniel’s hands. The others followed Larry’s lead until all six men were kneeling on the ground, hands behind their heads and three of the dragons were back in human form – Gil being tended to by Nick. Jack stayed in true form. “There’s a reason we call you jarheads,” Jack said as he Changed back to his human form.
Miami House froze in the entryway to the den and just stared at the group for a long moment. Then he limped forward and took Reid’s wrist in his hand. “Have you been sick?” he demanded. “Oh come on, it’s an easy enough question; have you been sick? High fever, chills, chest and stomach pain? Weird feelings you can’t explain?”
“Thank you, again, for coming to our aid,” Chrysalis said as Gil rejoined the group. “We didn’t know what to do after Jack first told us of the problem.”
“It’s our pleasure,” Gil said. He settled down on a rock near Chrysalis. “I was trying to make the trip home to Miami and couldn’t do it.”
Chrysalis grinned, his fangs showing. “I would’ve been very surprised if you had been able to do so. The scale in the center of the orb of your pendant is what allows you to return here. We believe that repeated trips would be impossible otherwise, even at your level of power.”
“So Greg was right, it is the pendant that allows us to travel here,” Gil said. “So what would happen if we were to take pendants home to the others? Would they be able to make the trip here?”
“I don’t know. I suppose we could try and see what happens. I’ll go and get some pendants for you to take home with you,” Chrysalis said. “Make sure that only blended dragons obtain them.”
“Where’s he off to?” Gibbs asked as he sat down next to Gil.
“We’re going to try an experiment,” Gil replied. “He’s going to give me pendants for everyone else. It’s possible that we’ve been too limited in our ideas about this place.”
“Huh, that’d make Mandy happy,” Gibbs said.
“Speaking of, there’s a development at home. Horatio came up to see me. It seems that Spencer is manifesting his talent,” Gil said.
“That’s impossible,” Gibbs snorted.
“Based on what we know, yes, but what’s to say we don’t know everything?” Gil asked. “This is such a large world, how do we know we know everything about it? Even with Mandy around to answer questions for us.”
Gibbs sighed. “I suppose you’re right,” he said. “So do you need to go back?”
“No, Horatio and the others have it well in hand.”
“Hey, here we go,” Jack called. “Remember what I said about staying back when the gate activates.”
“Should we Change now?” Larry asked as the gate fountained out and started shimmering.
“Yep, spread out and let’s get ready,” Jack said.
Gil, Gibbs and Larry counted off from Jack and all four Changed to true form. Jack had briefed them on Daniel and the team’s experiments to try and hurt Jack while he was in true form. He was positive none of the weapons the geologic teams would carry would be able to hurt them.
The first people from the SGC through the gate were members of the Marine group SG-3. Jack wondered why they were there as there was no reported threat to the scientists. Then he realized that Hammond had considered Jack and the other dragons a tangible threat.
“I’m insulted,” Jack said as he stood up and flexed his wings.
“Jack?” Gil asked as six P-90s were aimed at them.
The purple dragon didn’t answer, but reached out and picked up one of the Marines. “What are your orders, Roberts?” he demanded.
“O’Neill?”
“Just answer the damn question. What are your orders?”
“To get the planet ready for the mining teams,” the trembling man replied. “Please don’t eat me.”
“Oh for crying out loud, I’m not gonna eat you,” Jack said. “Who did your orders come from?”
“Don’t even think about it, sonny-boy,” Gibbs said to one of the other Marines. “You won’t do anything other than piss us off and I’m guessing you really don’t want to do that.”
A gun fired and the bullets ballooned out and tore through Gil’s wing membrane, shredding it. “Son of a bitch,” Gil growled. He picked up two of the Marines, including the one who shot him. “That. Hurt.”
“They’ve been supplied by hunters,” Gibbs barked. He grabbed two and Larry nabbed the remaining one. “Maybe we should eat them after they tell us who the hell sent them here.”
“It wasn’t Hammond,” Jack said. “Great, now I don’t know what to do. With hunters involved we can’t let them get back to the SGC, but they’re my friends. I can’t just kill them.”
“I can,” Gil said. “Do you know how long it takes membrane to heal properly? I won’t be able to Change again for months.”
“We need to know who gave them their orders and who supplied them,” Gibbs said.
The gate activated again and caught everyone’s attention. The dragons all breathed a sign of relief when Daniel, Nick, Tony and Megan came through – all of them armed.
“Jack, we need to talk,” Daniel said.
“No kidding, Danny,” Jack growled. “Starting with what the hell is going on here and work our way up from there. These guys are all armed with hunter ammo.”
“You’re serious,” Daniel said.
“Gil!” Nick yelled.
“I’m okay, Nicky,” Gil replied through his fangs. “But these two are a squeeze away from death. I am not in a good mood right now.”
“There’s no good outcome for this situation,” Jack said. “Danny, get their guns. If you don’t drop them the second your feet touch the ground, you’re dead Marines. Am I clear?”
“Yes sir,” the men said.
“One at a time, put ‘em down,” Jack continued. “Danny, Nick, Tony, cover them while we Change back to human form and we’re all going back to the SGC.”
“Jack, Hammond is missing,” Daniel said. “We went to his house and it was a mess. Whoever took the girls went back for him.”
His purple head lowered until it was level with the members of SG-3. “How ‘bout it, boys? What did you do to General Hammond?”
“Nothing, we haven’t been off base in three days,” Roberts said.
“Why don’t I believe you?” Jack asked. “Daniel, dial us home. Are Carter and Teal’c in the gate room?”
“Yeah, we have everything under control there,” Daniel said.
“Good enough, dial it up. We’re sticking these clowns in an ice tank and calling Paul,” Jack said. “And then we’ll find some answers.”
“I need to get home,” Gil said through his teeth. In human form the wing membrane correlated to the shoulder blade.
“Not until you get that looked at,” Jack said. “Our doctor has patched me up enough times that she knows what she’s doing.”
“No you don’t, bucko,” Gibbs snarled. He hit the Marine who had lunged towards Tony with the butt of the gun he was holding. “I hate doing that.”
“What?” Roberts asked. “Is Phillips okay? His wife just had their first kid.”
“He’ll have one hell of a headache when he wakes up,” Gibbs replied. “Anyone else want to be stupid? Thought the Corps trained you better than this.”
“Watch it, flyboy,” Gibbs growled, but he was smiling.
“Larry, can you get the pendants from Chrysalis?” Gil asked as Nick and Tony took him up the ramp towards the gate.
“Absolutely.”
********************
Colorado (SGC)
“So we have a missing general, an SGC team suddenly armed with hunter weapons and no one willing to talk,” Jack said once everyone was back in the SGC and Gil was in surgery – Nick asleep in a guestroom.
“Is it safe to assume that whoever has the girls has Hammond?” Daniel asked. “And that maybe this isn’t the NID after all, but an offshoot or maybe rogue group?”
“Do two rogues make a right?” Tony asked. “Ow, sorry boss.”
“You should be,” Gibbs said. “Jack, I know I’m on your turf, but I’d like a hand in the interrogations. Gil’s my friend.”
“I was gonna ask anyway,” Jack said. “I heard that your talent is as a human lie detector and I don’t know about you, but I’m not in the mood to be lied to right now.”
Carter poked her head into the room. “Major Davis is on the phone for you, sir.”
“Good enough,” Jack replied. “Carter, I want you and Teal’c to work with Siler and figure out if we’ve had any hostiles come through the gate in the past two weeks. Also, lock and delete Pax Draconis from the computer. I don’t want anyone going back there. And erase your tracks. There’s no way to know how far this goes and I want it all on me.”
“Yes sir,” Carter replied and ducked out again.
Jack looked at the group. “Let me talk with Paul about a couple of things and then we can start questioning SG-3.”
“What are you going to do, Jack?” Daniel asked. “I mean its one thing to threaten to kill them on Pax Draconis when they were a tangible threat. These are our friends. We can’t just kill them here in cold blood.”
“I dunno, Danny,” Jack sighed. “I guess it really all depends on what kind of answers I get. The fact that they had hunter ammo, weren’t surprised to see us, and shot Gil makes me really nervous.”
“One of us should call Miami,” Tony commented.
“I’ll do it,” Gibbs said. “We need to break up the meeting and get everyone home again as soon as possible. The last thing we need is for these dirt bags to get wind of where our families are.”
“Do it,” Jack agreed. “I’ll be ready in half an hour, Gibbs.”
“I’ll be waiting,” Gibbs grinned.
Horatio and Greg had just joined everyone on the beach when Horatio’s cell phone rang. “Yeah, Horatio.”
“It’s Gibbs; we’ve been attacked by members of Jack’s organization. They had hunter weapons.”
“Are you all okay?” Horatio asked.
“Gil’s in surgery, his wing membrane was ripped,” Gibbs said. “Horatio, you need to send everyone home and lock down the communities. We don’t know how far this goes or if we’ve been found out.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to keep everyone here where we know they’ll be safe?” Horatio asked.
“We’re flying blind here,” Gibbs admitted. “Tony told me what happened with Reid and I’m hoping that feeling he got was just the warning that Gil was going to be shot. But Jack and I agree that we need to break up the meeting ASAP.”
“I understand,” Horatio said. “I was going to dispatch bonded pair teams to track the missing girls.”
“Good thinking, do we know where they are?”
“NY or DC; I was going to see if Spencer could pin it down any closer once he was here,” Horatio said. “Tell Gil I’ve got everything under control here and we’ll break as soon as we can.”
Gibbs sighed. “Can you keep Faith in your community?”
“I’ll take her to Alexx’s when I go to pick Spencer and Hotch up at the airport,” Horatio said. “I’ll call when I know more, Gibbs.”
“So will I.”
Horatio put his phone down with a small sigh. “We don’t have a lot of time,” he said. He quickly outlined his conversations with Hotch, Gil, and Gibbs. “While I’m gone, I want everyone to start packing. We’re going to need feds in every city so I need someone to call the BAU and talk with Gideon, please. When I get back, we’re going to work.”
********************
House wasn’t fond of kids. He could understand the need for them on some level, but he really just didn’t like them. Babies were messy, kids tended to stare at his cane and ask stupid questions about his legs, and teenagers were just plain stupid. When he accepted Alexx’s invitation to lunch he didn’t know she was baby-sitting for a coworker. So he stood and glared down at the kid when Alexx introduced them.
“Do you play video games?” Ray asked.
“Do I what?” House asked, not entirely sure he’d heard the question correctly.
“Play video games,” Ray repeated with a grin. “I’ve already beat everyone else here.”
Alexx smiled. “Ray’s a whiz when it comes to games,” she said. “I won’t mind if you play a couple of rounds with him, Greg. And you’d probably be more comfortable in the den too.”
“You don’t want to ask me anything else?” House asked suspiciously.
“Nope, Uncle Horatio says that no one can help how they’re made or what happens to them and that I should treat everyone the same unless they specifically ask for my help,” Ray said, dismissing House’s cane and limp easily. “I’ll let you choose the game.”
“You’ll find things are different around here,” Alexx commented patting House on the arm. “I’ll call you both when lunch is ready.”
********************
Horatio was leaning against the Hummer, door open so Faith could enjoy the breeze, when Hotch and Reid walked out of the airport. The younger dragon walked right over to Horatio and wrapped around him, shaking. “It’s gone,” Reid whispered. “The feeling of danger just vanished. I’m scared.”
“You’ll be fine, young one,” Horatio replied. He rubbed Reid’s back. “I know why it’s gone and what happened. We need to stop at my ME’s house to drop off Faith and then we’ve got work to do.”
“What’s going on, Horatio?” Hotch asked as he climbed into the Hummer next to the car seat.
“Gil was shot by, if not hunters, people working for them,” Horatio replied as he maneuvered Reid into the front seat. “He was hit in the wing. It’s painful, but with rehab he’ll be fine.”
“Where is he?” Reid asked. “Can I go see him?”
“He’s still in Colorado, but he’ll be home as soon as possible,” Horatio said. “Gibbs called and gave the order to break up the meeting, which is what we’re going to do. Only instead of running back to our cities we’re going to find the missing girls.”
“Which is another reason you needed me here,” Reid said. “They’re not here. They’re to the north. I’m still thinking New York or DC.”
“It’ll be easy enough to check,” Horatio said. “And you can come back as soon as Gil is home again and resting.”
Hotch nodded. “You need us to go along as a type of homing beacon,” he said. “Spence, do you feel up to this?”
“I’d really like to talk with Gil, just to be sure he’s okay, and then yeah, I’m up for anything,” Reid said. “I want to get General Hammond and his granddaughters home and back together again. Just, do you think we could get the bureau plane? We’re going to need to be able to move quickly once we do find them.”
“You’re a marvel, Spencer,” Horatio commented.
“That he is,” Hotch agreed. He leaned forward and put a hand on his dragon’s shoulder. “That he most definitely is.”
********************
“So you live with your uncle?” House asked once he and Ray were settled and playing Lego Indiana Jones.
“Yeah, he and Uncle Greg kinda adopted me when my mom started having trouble,” Ray replied.
“You do know you shouldn’t tell strangers everything,” House commented as he broke through a wall to a cave full of enemies.
“You’re not a stranger,” Ray said. “Aunt Alexx obviously trusts you so that means you’re a member of her family. She’s part of my family, so that makes you a part of my family. Besides, you asked.”
House snorted, trying to hide how amused he actually was. Ray was enough to make him reevaluate his opinion of kids. “How does that work, exactly?”
“You open your mouth and words come out,” Ray replied.
“You’ve got possibilities, kid,” House said.
“Thanks. Uncle Horatio and Uncle Greg both let me speak my mind, not like my mom or her boyfriend Rick. They would’ve hit me if I said something like that to an adult.”
“Life is harder if you always say exactly what you are thinking,” House said. “It can lose you friends, jobs, respect…”
“But that never stopped you, did it Greg?” Alexx asked as she joined them.
“I didn’t have anyone tell me how stupid it was,” House replied. “I just thought the kid should have some warning.”
“Ray, go wash up, please,” Alexx said. “Lunch is in five minutes.”
“Okay Aunt Alexx.” Ray paused the game and left the room.
“He’s been abused, hasn’t he?” House said softly. He pushed himself up off the floor and into one of the chairs.
“By his mother and her boyfriend,” Alexx replied just as softly. “Horatio had to threaten to take them to court to get full custody of Ray.”
“This Horatio sounds almost too good to be human,” House said. “Do you know how rare it is for kids that age to completely ignore my cane?”
Alexx laughed. “You’ll get a chance to find out for yourself. He’s coming by to drop off a friend’s daughter,” she said.
“What is this, a day care?”
“I help out why I can and with my own at my parents’ house, its nice to have kids around,” Alexx said mildly. “I don’t think Faith will bother you too much, Greg. She’s only three or so months old.”
“They’re even worse at that age. They can’t tell you what they want or what’s wrong with them.”
“Their wants are fairly simple; food, clean diapers, and to be held,” Alexx said.
“This is your way of compensating for your job,” House said. “Your way of giving something back.”
“Honey, you’re not going to get an argument out of me when the kids are around,” Alexx said. “There’s no law against loving kids unconditionally and wanting to help them any way you can.”
“I’m pretty sure there’s a law against being an optimistic, sugary, party-pooper,” House said.
“Or a negative, pessimistic, kill-joy,” Alexx replied mildly. “You’re not going to get a rise out of me, Greg.”
They were interrupted by the sound of the front door opening. “Hello?”
“Uncle Horatio,” Ray exclaimed.
“Here’s your chance,” Alexx said. She stood and went out into the hall. “Hey Horatio, is everything okay?”
“We’re working on it,” Horatio replied. “Alexx Woods, this is Aaron Hotchner and Spencer Reid from the FBI. Guys, this is my ME, Dr. Alexx Woods. And this is my nephew, Ray.”
“It’s nice to meet you both,” Alexx said. “Is this Faith?”
“It is, and Gibbs said to thank you for watching her,” Horatio smiled. “Ray, I’ve got to go out of town with Mac and Danny for a couple of days, okay? Greg’s going with me so I need you to stay here and help take care of Faith.”
“Okay,” Ray said. “Aunt Alexx was going to start teaching me anatomy.”
“Who the hell teaches a kid anatomy?”
“This is Dr. Gregory House,” Alexx said. “He’s an old friend in town for a couple of weeks. And I do, Greg.”
“Dr. House,” Horatio said, warning clear in his tone and posture.
“Yeah, yeah, I know, hidden world, danger, not going to admit it to a complete stranger,” House said as he looked at Reid’s eyes. “Alexx, do you have any vitamin C, A, and E around here?”
“Of course,” Alexx replied. “But why?”
“What, haven’t any of you heard of draconis neuromytosis before?” House snapped.
“What’s going on out there, Jack?” Major Paul Davis asked once he and Jack were talking on a secure phone line.
“Where do you want me to start?”
“The beginning.”
Jack took a deep breath. “It started when we got back from DC,” he said. “Hammond sent us on a recon mission where we met the lore master dragons.”
“You know I still can’t get over that,” Paul said. “We think you’re the only one for years and suddenly all these other dragons just show up.”
“Tell me about it,” Jack snorted. “When we got back from Pax Draconis I tried to tell Hammond to tank the mining mission for the planet and he refused. We got into a fight over it and I left before I hurt him. But I knew something wasn’t right so I went to his place to try again. The NID had Kayla and Tessa.”
“When did they get active again?” Paul asked.
“Looking back, I don’t think they have,” Jack replied. He outlined his trip to Miami, what the FBI agents had found out and the events on Pax Draconis. “I have people I trust working on things here, but Hammond is officially MIA at this point.”
“What do you need from me?”
“Help, if the search gets into DC. I think the SGC needs to be involved in this,” Jack said. “And I’m gonna be talking with SG-3 to find out who the hell told them to shoot my ass and gave ‘em the weapons to do it.”
“Be careful, Jack; General Hammond is going to want you in one piece when this is all over with.”
“Yeah,” Jack snorted, “so he can kill me himself.”
********************
“It’s been a while since I’ve done this,” Jack admitted as he, Gibbs and Tony made their way towards the room they were planning to use as an interrogation room. “Are you sure you want Tony along for this?”
“Yep, he knows my style,” Gibbs grinned. “Jack, no offense but it might be best if you were behind the wall while I get this going. They know you and that can be used against us.”
“Not to mention you’re more or less running this place right now,” Tony added. “It’ll work better if we’re not interrupted.”
“I don’t like it, but okay,” Jack sighed. “Good luck in there.”
Gibbs grinned. “It ain’t luck, flyboy, its pure skill and cunning,” he said. “And I just happen to be a bastard.”
“He takes pride in it,” Tony said. “Ow. Sorry boss.”
********************
“How’s it going?” Daniel asked an hour later when he joined Jack in the smaller room behind the mirrored glass.
“Gibbs is good,” Jack replied. “He started off at the bottom and is working his way towards Roberts. Beckett and Smith didn’t know a thing and were almost in tears by the time Gibbs was done with them.”
“So much for Marines being tough,” Daniel grinned. He locked the door and wrapped his arms around Jack. “I know now may not be the time, but I really need you.”
Jack turned his head and kissed his human gently. Daniel moved forward until he had Jack pressed up against the wall and then leaned further over Jack’s left shoulder trying to deepen the kiss.
“This would be more comfortable if you let me turn around,” Jack murmured. “Not to mention easier.”
“I guess I wasn’t really thinking,” Daniel grinned. He took and step back and moved in again once Jack’s back was against the wall. Jack initiated the took control of the kiss, slowly thrusting his tongue in and out of his human’s mouth, being sure to caress and rub Daniel’s tongue each time. Daniel moaned softly, the sound almost muffled by Jack’s mouth, and started to thrust, rubbing his erection on Jack’s hip. Jack ran his hands down Daniel’s sides and stilled his hips.
“We need to be quick, Danny, but not that quick,” Jack said. He kissed his human again and turned him around so their initial positions were reversed. “I hope you brought something slick with you.”
“In my left pocket,” Daniel said. “Claim me?”
“Need a bed to do that properly,” Jack grinned. He undid Daniel’s blue uniform pants and pushed them off. “This is new.”
“Thought it’d be quicker. They’re in my office.”
“Nice.” Jack slid two slick fingers into Daniel and started spreading the lube around. “Maybe this should be our new rule whenever we’re on base or at home.”
“I’m not going off-world like this,” Daniel said, the last word trailing off into a moan as Jack twisted his fingers and hit Daniel’s prostate.
Jack snorted and started to undo his own pants and belt. “I wouldn’t want you to, Danny-boy. I have a hard enough time concentrating as it is. The thought of you running around like that would fry what’s left of my brain.”
“Oh yeah,” Daniel moaned as Jack sank into him. He braced his hands on the wall as his dragon started to thrust, biting his lip the whole time to keep from crying out when Jack found the right angle of penetration the first time. Jack growled softly and braced himself so he could thrust sharper and harder into his human. He knew that he really should be listening to the interrogations, especially as SG-3 was his responsibility until Hammond was recovered, but Jack really couldn’t bring himself to care. He buried his face against Daniel’s neck and inhaled sharply, craving his human’s unique scent.
Daniel was arching and pushing back as best he could, trying to get Jack deeper into him. Jack growled again and nipped at Daniel’s neck. Daniel took the hint and stilled until one of Jack’s hands wrapped around his cock and started stroking him roughly. The extra stimulation was all it took – Daniel tensed and came over the wall and Jack’s hand.
Jack kept thrusting and lifted his hand up to his human’s mouth. Daniel hummed contentedly in the back of his throat, wrapped his long fingers around Jack’s wrist and started licking his hand clean. The feel of Daniel’s tongue on his fingers was all it took to pushed Jack over the edge as well. He slumped down against Daniel with a sigh.
“Gil’s awake,” Daniel said licking his lips.
“Stay here and let Gibbs know when he’s in-between interrogations,” Jack replied. He turned Daniel around and kissed him again. “I’ll go down and check on them now. His community has to be freaking out.”
********************
Gil was lying on his stomach, right arm completely immobilized in some kind of a metal and canvas contraption. Nick was sitting near the head of the bed holding Gil’s free hand and the LA beta pair was perched on the next bed where Gil could see them.
“Gibbs called Miami,” Larry said. “And I believe everyone is heading out, if not home, in the next day or so.”
“Probably the safest move,” Gil said. “What about Spencer? Is he okay?”
“We haven’t heard anything,” Megan replied. “But Hotch promised to call as soon as he knew anything.”
Gil sighed carefully. “Dr. Frasier says I’m not leaving for a couple of days at least…”
“That’s right,” Janet commented as she walked past the bed.
“But that doesn’t mean I want to be completely out of touch,” Gil continued. “Especially as Spencer is involved with this. I hate that I can’t be there with him.”
Nick ran a hand through Gil’s hair. “Horatio and the others will take good care of him. You just focus on getting better.”
“How are you doing, Gil?” Jack asked as he walked in the door.
“We cleaned out the smaller bone fragments and fused what we could back together,” Janet replied. “Donor bone and wire will help everything grow back together, but he has to stay horizontal for at least a week and rest for at least a month after that. It almost would’ve been better for him to stay in dragon form because I could’ve just stitched up the membrane and then immobilized the arm.”
“I wasn’t thinking too clearly at the time,” Gil pointed out dryly.
“Well, I guess we know for next time,” Jack said. “Gibbs and Tony are still interrogating SG-3, but so far no one knows nothing.”
“I’m a little suspicious of that Roberts guy,” Gil said. “Nicky, may I have some water please?”
“We haven’t gotten to him,” Gibbs said walking in. “He’s next but I thought I’d let him stew a bit more. How ‘bout it, Gil? Are you gonna be able to fly again?”
“In a year or so,” Gil grinned. “That kid who shot me is lucky you guys were there. I probably would’ve killed him if I’d been alone.”
Gibbs snorted. “I think we got lucky, Gil,” he said. “That whole situation could’ve ended badly for us or them. I can’t help but think this was a test of some sort, and I don’t know if we passed or not.”
“We probably won’t know until we’re done here and Hammond is home again,” Gil said. “Jack, would it be possible for someone to call Miami for me and check on Spencer? I’m really worried about him.”
“I’ll do it, Gil,” Nick said. “The next time we wake up.”
Gil sighed. “I’m sorry, Nicky.”
Larry and Megan moved so Nick could get settled as Janet came over with Gil’s medication. “I thought alphas were supposed to fight,” Larry said in an undertone to his human.
“Maybe it’s because they’re all facing the same enemy,” Megan said.
“Just don’t push us,” Gibbs said. “Megan, I’d like you to at least listen in on this last interrogation.”
“Why?”
“You’re the only profiler we have and I can only tell when someone lies. You might be able to figure out the why for me.”
“I’ll do my best,” Megan said with a grin.
“All righty, let’s go.”
Miami “Am I going to die?” Reid asked softly. Unknown warehouse Plane to DC and New York New Jersey Colorado
Washington DC (airport) It was a black-eyed Don that grabbed Charlie the moment they were alone and pulled him into a fierce kiss. Charlie opened immediately and surrendered to the waves of emotion rolling through him. It still amazed him that he could crave Don’s touch so much, when he’d been raised with the belief that to crave the touch of one’s sibling was so very wrong. And yet if felt so very right. Charlie gripped his dragon’s head as he tried to take control of the kiss and get closer to his dragon at the same time.
Everyone in the hall froze at House’s words. Finally Reid broke the silence. “I’m sick again?” His voice broke on the last word.
Hotch stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his young dragon. “Breathe, Spencer,” he whispered.
“Dr. House, please explain yourself,” Horatio said.
“Oh for pete’s sake, don’t you know anything about the care and feeding of pet dragons?” House asked. “Alexx, go get the vitamins for him. Now be a good dragon and say ahhh.”
“What’s wrong with him?” Hotch asked.
“Don’t you know its dragons who are supposed to get all panicky about their humans, not the other way around?” House asked. He thrust his cane at Horatio. “Hold this.” He reached up and started palpitating Reid’s lymph nodes. “How high was your fever and how long did it last?”
“My entryway isn’t exactly an exam room,” Alexx commented as she came back. She shifted the bottles to one arm and put a hand on Horatio’s shoulder. “Just ignore the snark, sarcasm and attitude, Horatio. He’s always like this, but he’s also the top in his field.”
“104 and two hours,” Hotch said. “What’s wrong with him, Dr. House?”
“I told you,” House said. He took his cane back and looked at Alexx. “1000mg of each now and 200mg a day after this.”
“Dr. House,” Horatio said, his tone soft and deadly. “Tell us what’s wrong with Spencer.”
House met a blue gaze that was more intense and powerful than his own. “I’ll make a deal with you,” he said. “You take me to your leader and I’ll spill on the condition.”
“No, you’re not even sick,” House replied. “Gees, are all dragons so uptight about everything?”
“So he doesn’t have draconis neuromytosis,” Horatio said.
“No, he does have that,” House said. “Along with two really overbearing protectors hovering around him. Let the poor kid breathe why don’t you?”
Horatio took House’s left arm and, mindful of the limp, led the snarky doctor back into the den. “I don’t know what kind of games you like to play, Dr. House,” he said softly. “But young Spencer almost died when he Changed the first time and is still trying to find his place in our world.”
“That’s not my problem,” House said. “I told you, take me to your alpha and I’ll explain everything.”
“Gil is currently out of town so I’m the acting alpha for our community,” Horatio said. “And I would appreciate it if you would tell Spencer exactly what his condition entails and what needs to be done to treat it.”
“Gee, how can I resist such a threatening offer?” House asked. “Still need to meet your alpha, so I’ll just come hang out.”
“You are about one step away from becoming dinner,” Horatio growled his eyes starting to glow.
House snorted. “Drop the tough act; I know that dragons can’t eat humans. It makes your tummy sick.”
“At this point that’s a risk I’m willing to take,” Horatio said. He turned and went back into the hall. “Alexx, thanks again for watching Ray and Faith.”
Reid brushed his hair out of his eyes. “Did you find out what’s wrong with me?”
“No, but we’ll ask Mandy when we get back to the community,” Horatio replied. “We’ll take care of you, Spencer.”
“Oh spare me,” House said as he limped past them. “He doesn’t need to be babied, he needs to grow up and learn to protect his human.” House swung his cane at Hotch’s head. Reid grabbed it with a growl, his eyes glowing. “Much better. Now, are we leaving or what? I’ve never seen a community before.”
********************
The number of bond pairs had dwindled since Horatio left for the airport – Sam and Dean had taken off to drop the books off at Mandy’s apartment in New York. Ryan had finished blending the night before so he and Lindsay had gone back up to get back to work, and the rest of the Miami community had gone to the lab.
“Who’s this?” Mac asked when he caught sight of House.
“I’ll explain in a minute,” Horatio said with a small sigh. “Mac, take the Eppes brothers with you back to New York. Flack, you take Spencer and Hotch to DC. If the girls aren’t in DC, Spencer, I want you and Hotch to fly to New York and join the hunt there.”
“What about you, H?” Mac asked.
“I’m going to stay here and deal with this new development,” Horatio sighed. “Everyone be extremely careful. Gil’s already been attacked by hunters. We have no guarantee that the kidnappers aren’t hunters who only want to lure us out.”
“We’ll call,” Don Eppes said.
“Mandy, a moment,” Horatio said as everyone went to get their bags – everyone but Reid and Hotch.
“What is it, Horatio?” Mandy asked.
“Have you ever come across a reference to draconis neuromytosis in your books?”
“No, I’ve never heard of it,” Mandy said with a small frown. “Where did you come across it?”
“Dr. House says that Spencer has it,” Horatio replied. “But he won’t give us any details until he gets to meet Gil.”
“Which with his injury will be a week or more,” Mandy said. She turned to House. “What kind of doctor are you if you won’t tell someone what’s wrong with them?”
House looked over. “Obviously a bad one,” he said. “But I’m a better doctor than you are historian. At least I’m familiar with the condition.”
“I manage,” Mandy said. “Although I prefer to be insulted by people I know rather than complete strangers.”
“Dr. Gregory House at your service.”
Mandy narrowed her eyes. “Somehow I doubt that.”
“Oohh, she snarks back,” House said. “I’m impressed.”
“Enough to tell us what’s wrong with Spencer?”
“That should be obvious. You’re all smothering him,” House said. “The boy is a dragon, not a human or some other weak creature in need of constant protection. He’s never going to get the confidence he needs if you’re always looking over his shoulder.”
Reid growled softly. “I’m stronger that you seem to think,” he said. “What’s wrong with me?”
“Finally!” House exclaimed. He sat down and patted the bench next to him. “What’s your IQ?”
“187,” Reid said as he sat down. “And I have an eidetic memory too, but I don’t understand.”
“Draconis neuromytosis only strikes dragons with high IQs, 180 and higher,” House said. “Your eidetic memory doesn’t have anything to do with it, or it shouldn’t. What happens is similar to a blending, but without the waiting period. Your dragon mind literally forced itself into your human mind and fused them together. The bonding sickness will have retarded the process a little though. Have you been tired and sleeping a lot since your first Change?”
Reid nodded. “Yeah, it seems like just going to the bathroom makes me sleep for an hour.”
“So Spencer blended at the same time he Changed?” Horatio asked softly.
“No.”
“I think I get it,” Mandy said. “When a dragon hits the blending period after six months they Change to true form and gently meld the two minds together.”
“Right,” House said. “It’s pretty much the difference between rape and making love with your partner. One is fast, violent, and all about power while the other one is generally slow, caring and about joining together.”
“That’s a rather disturbing visual,” Hotch said.
“I like metaphors,” House replied.
Horatio rubbed his eyes, wishing Gil was there to take care of everything. “So Spencer will still have to blend in six months?” he asked.
“No, he’s essentially a blended dragon, with all the cool perks that go along with it,” House replied. “But he will need to sleep as much as possible for the next few weeks, take the vitamins along with iron for the rest of his life and he’ll need fairly regular checkups to make sure he’s okay.”
“Does this mean his talent could have manifested?” Hotch asked.
“Yeah, and from the sound of things its pretty cool tool,” House replied. “Now run along and be the big bad hero.”
Reid blinked a couple of times. “So why wouldn’t you tell me this before? Why all the runaround?”
“You didn’t ask,” House said.
“Yes I did.”
“No, you asked if you were sick again and if you were going to die,” House said. “They asked what was wrong with you.”
“Hey Hotch, Reid; we’re ready to go,” Mac called.
“Yes you’re fine to travel,” House said before anyone could ask the question.
Horatio looked over at House once everyone but Mandy had cleared the deck. “You said the dragon mind forced the human mind to blend with it. What happens if the human mind rebels?”
“It won’t be able to.” House twirled his cane between his hands. “The two minds are fused together, probably more tightly than a normal dragon’s would be. His minerals are going to be out of balance which is why he needs to be watched. He’ll live a long, happy life.”
“How did you manage to practice medicine like this?” Mandy asked.
“People make exceptions for geniuses,” House replied. “I had underlings to do the dirty work, of course. I make it a point to avoid people as much as possible.”
“Once they meet you, I imagine that’s not hard to do,” Mandy said.
House laughed. “I haven’t had this much fun in months,” he said. “And I was serious about the at your service part. You’re welcome to pump me for information on dragon medicine.”
“You’re on,” Mandy said. “But I still don’t trust you.”
General Hammond struggled against the bonds that secured his hands, feet and torso to a chair. He still wasn’t sure what had happened, when he had lost control of the situation, but he had. He only hoped that SG-1 would be able to figure out his location and rescue him. His granddaughters had been returned to him, both unconscious and strapped to chairs in much the same way he was. Hammond didn’t know what he would do if they woke up before help arrived. He knew that Jack and the other members of SG-1 were really his only hope of getting out of the situation alive.
********************
Hotch wasn’t sure who had gotten the plane to Miami – not to mention Gideon – but he was relieved that they were on a private plane flying north. “I wish I could tell you exactly how proud I am of you,” Hotch commented quietly once he and Reid were settled in the back of the plane.
“I’m different here too, Hotch,” Reid sighed. He rested his head on his human’s shoulder and sighed as arms wrapped around him. “It seems that no matter what I do or where I go, I’m always different from everyone else around me.”
“That’s because you’re so special, Spencer,” Gideon said. He sat down at the table across from his friends.
“But do you know how hard it is?” Reid exclaimed. “All my life I’ve been trying to find somewhere to fit in, to belong, and I’ve never found it. Not at school, at home, or even in the BAU. People either use me because I’m so smart or they’re scared to get near me. And even now I can’t fit in with the other dragons.”
“That’s not true,” Mac called from his seat nearer the front of the plane. “We don’t give a damn what happened when you Changed the first time or what your talent is. All we care about is how you treat your human, your bond and how you help your community.”
“And Mandy won’t tell no one what’s going on if you don’t want her to,” Danny added. “If you want to keep something secret that’s your business. We ain’t gonna pry.”
“Horatio, Mandy, Dr. House and I are the only ones who know,” Hotch said quietly. “We can keep this a secret, Spencer.”
Reid shook his head and wiped his eyes. “No, there are two girls out there who need my help,” he said. “I’ll deal with this, Aaron. I’ve been dealing with it my whole life.”
“You’re braver than I, Spencer,” Gideon said with a smile.
“According to Dr. House I managed to more or less blend when I Changed for the first time, which means my talent has also developed,” Reid said. “I can sense where our victims are. That’s how we knew they weren’t in Colorado anymore. And it’s also why I have to go on up to New York if I don’t believe the kids are in DC.”
Don Eppes looked a little stunned. “Doc, do you realize how useful a talent this is going to be?” he asked. “The impact on investigations aside, you’ll be able to save more lives.”
“But how do we convince a judge to allow a search warrant based on a feeling?” Gideon asked. “Just because we know that Spencer is correct about the victim’s location doesn’t mean we’ll be able to cut corners no matter how much we may wish to.”
“Jason has a point,” Hotch added. “We’ll still need hard evidence in order to legally obtain search warrants and enable law enforcement and prosecutors to close and try the cases.” He ran a hand through Reid’s hair. “All that aside, however, this gives us an edge we didn’t have before. And I truly believe that you’ll learn to use it to your best advantage, Spencer.”
Reid nodded. “I’m about to fall asleep on you,” he mumbled.
“Go ahead. Dr. House said you’d need more sleep,” Hotch said.
“Aaron, you do know you’ll have to be extra careful once you’re back at work,” Gideon said. He watched Reid curl up with his head in his human’s lap. “I don’t know how supportive Morgan and Elle will be.”
“They’re going to figure it out,” Hotch sighed. “At least our relationship. I don’t think either of them will come to the conclusion that Spencer is a dragon.”
“What will you do if they do?” Gideon asked.
“Make sure they know it’ll mean Spencer’s death as well as my own if they tell anyone,” Hotch replied. “I doubt it’ll cause any major problems. Morgan and Elle, and JJ and Garcia for that matter are just as protective of Spencer as you and I are. I don’t think they’d do anything to hurt him.”
Gideon and Hotch looked up as Don Eppes joined them. “Speaking from experience, Hotch, it’s easier if the whole team knows,” Don said softly. “Charlie and I didn’t have a choice in telling my team, but I’m glad we did as it means more eyes on the lookout for problems.”
“And I imagine they can help you hide your relationship,” Gideon said. “I suppose it’s something to consider, Aaron.”
“I’ll mention it to Spencer. I don’t know if he’ll want anyone else to know the truth right now. He’s right that he’s always seen differently, Jason. Even I’m guilty of it at times.”
“But now we know how he feels,” Gideon said. “And we can be more aware of our behavior in the future. Spencer is a special man and I don’t know that he believes that means he deserves to have people acknowledge him for that.”
Hotch ran his fingers through Reid’s hair again knowing that it would help the young dragon relax. He could feel the need to reconnect with his dragon growing, but didn’t know how to bring the topic up. “Donnie, when we land in DC can we take a quick break?”
Don grinned. “If its bad, use the bathroom here,” he said. “If not, yeah, half an hour sounds like a good idea for all of us.”
“The bureau is not going to buy us a plane with bunks,” Gideon commented dryly.
“We were caught off guard today,” Hotch said. “I’ll make sure that reconnecting is something we never have to do on the plane, Jason. If only to spare everyone the embarrassment.”
“Thank you,” Reid muttered and nuzzled in closer to his human’s stomach.
********************
Chase was amazed at how empty the apartment was without his lover in it. Even if House was just sitting on the sofa watching the TV, he still had enough personality that it spilled out into the space around him. He was glad there was only another hour until he could leave for the airport. He just wanted to leave New Jersey behind and start over as best he could. Chase knew it would be hard for him to find another position without a letter from Cuddy, but he honestly couldn’t find the energy to care.
He sighed at the knock on the door. Since he’d come home the day before he had been visited by Cuddy, Foreman, Cameron and Stacy. He’d talked to everyone but Stacy – he’d just shut the door on her. Every single one of them wanted him to stay for some selfish reason, but no one wanted him to stay because of who he was.
He had a feeling he knew who was at the door this time and Chase really didn’t feel up to the conversation, but also knew that the man wouldn’t go away until they talked.
“Wilson,” Chase sighed as he opened the door.
“Can I come in?” Wilson asked.
“Why not? I’m sure you’ve got some trite reason you want me to stay here,” Chase replied.
“What?”
“Let me see, Cuddy doesn’t want me to ruin my career, Foreman doesn’t want to lose me on the team, and Cameron says my relationship with Greg isn’t healthy and I’m killing myself by leaving,” Chase listed. “I’m actually not sure what Stacy wanted.”
Wilson blinked a few times. “Stacy came here?”
“Yeah, last night after supper. I didn’t even give her a chance to say anything because I’m not the one it needs to be said to and I’m not a carrier pigeon. So what do you want?”
“To apologize. I had no right to say what I did about House. I’m just worried about you.”
Chase sighed. “I’ve been with him four years and he asked me to marry him,” he said. “Do you really think I don’t know what he’s like? That I don’t know how to handle his moods? I know Greg loves me and that’s all I care about.”
“I still don’t understand or feel like I can support you, but I can do something,” Wilson said. He opened his briefcase. “Here’s a letter for each of you. It won’t carry nearly as much weight as a letter from Cuddy, but it’ll help. And as your immediate supervisor House can write you a letter as well so you can find another job. You’re too good a doctor to just walk away completely, Chase.”
“Thank you,” Chase said. He really wondered exactly how much guilt Wilson carried around on a daily basis.
“And House will need these,” Wilson continued. He held out a bag of pill bottles. “It really wasn’t easy to get a hold of this.”
“Wilson, no,” Chase said. “I’ll have a job before House needs a refill. You can’t take a chance like this.”
“I want to,” Wilson insisted. “I wasn’t there to help him when the infarction happened or else I would’ve stopped Stacy. I failed him then and have been ever since. I need to do something to make up for it.”
“I’ll tell House I robbed the pharmacy before I left,” Chase said. “I won’t tell him where they came from.”
“He’ll know,” Wilson said. “Trust me. He’ll know. Take care of yourself, Chase. And take care of House.” He closed his briefcase and left, leaving Chase alone in the middle of the living room wondering what the hell had just happened.
Gibbs didn’t look up from the folder he was reading when Roberts was brought into the interrogation room. He could almost smell the fear rolling off the other man and snorted softly to himself. “Go ahead.”
“What?” Roberts asked.
“Go pound on the door like a little girl and scream at them not to leave you alone with the big bad monster,” Gibbs replied finally looking up. “For all your act on Pax Draconis, you knew exactly what we are and what you were going to have to deal with up there. I want to know who told you and who supplied you.”
“I don’t have to tell you anything?”
“No?” Gibbs’ eyes started glowing. “You seriously injured a very good friend of mine, so I’m not in the best mood right now.”
Roberts slid back until his chair was up against the far wall. “Please don’t eat me,” he whispered.
“Eat you?” Gibbs asked. “Are you a virgin, sissy boy? Hey Tony, I think we got us a scared little momma’s boy who’s never scored.”
Tony, who had been standing in the corner of the room, grinned. “I wonder if his friends know. Or if he just acts all tough in the locker room so no one will be able to figure out all he’s ever felt was the touch of his own hand.”
“Might be tasty then,” Gibbs leered, licking his lips slowly. “I bet I wouldn’t even need two mouthfuls to get you down my gullet, boy. Tell me what I want to know and I won’t send my human here for the barbeque sauce.”
“No, please,” Roberts whimpered with another glance at the door.
“Do you think you could escape?” Gibbs smirked. “I dare you to try it, momma’s boy. You’re an embarrassment to that uniform you’re wearing. And I know every trick you’ve been taught, you’re talking to an old gunny. Names, now, sissy, or you’ll get to see my fangs all up close and personal.”
“I don’t know his name. He came through as part of an inspection group from the Pentagon,” Roberts said.
“And he just happened to have enough hunter weapons for you and your team, picked you out of all the teams in this place and told you what to do?” Gibbs asked. “I don’t buy it.”
“I swear it’s the truth,” Roberts said with another glance at the door. “He said he was given my name by someone at the Pentagon.”
Tony pushed off the wall. “Nice going, idiot; you got your general and his grandkids kidnapped, assaulted an unarmed civilian during a military operation and nearly got your team killed. You’re batting a thousand today, you know.”
“Any ideas, Colonel?” Gibbs asked.
Roberts looked confused until the door opened and Jack walked in with Daniel. “I should shoot you where you’re sitting, Roberts,” O’Neill growled. “How the hell could you betray General Hammond, Kayla and Tessa like this? Those girls are innocents and I swear if anything has happened to them, being Gibbs’ supper will be the least of your worries. I will personally take out every moment they suffered from you pathetic hide.”
“He told me the creatures we were going to meet were planning to come back through the gate and invade Earth,” Roberts said. “What was I supposed to do? What would you have done?”
Jack slammed his hands on the table and leaned forward. “I would’ve stood down the instant I recognized a friend and found out what the hell was going on,” he shouted. “And I would’ve kept my team under control so they didn’t go around shooting innocents.”
“What happens now?” Roberts asked.
“Daniel, go get the name of that group that came through here and get Major Davis on the phone,” Jack snarled. “Roberts, you and your team are going to stay in the lock-up until I find out exactly how badly Hammond and his grandkids are hurt. And I swear I will hurt you if they are even bruised.”
********************
“Gil, what did you want me to do with these pendants?” Larry asked when Gil swam back to full consciousness.
“Let Nicky have them,” Gil replied. “Thank you for grabbing them. Chrysalis and I want to see if the pendants will give the non-alpha and beta pairs enough of a boost to travel to Pax Draconis.”
Nick leaned over and looked into Gil’s eyes. “You are way to coherent for a man who just came out of sedation.” He kissed Gil’s nose. “Horatio apparently called and wants to talk with you.”
“Is everything okay?” Gil asked.
“Megan is the one who spoke with him,” Larry commented, “and said that all Horatio would say was that it’s vitally important. And now, I think I’m going to go track down my missing human. If you’ll excuse me.”
“Thanks again, Larry,” Gil said. “Nicky, would you find my cell phone for me, please? I need to talk with Horatio.”
“In a minute,” Nick said. “Gil, you’re going to be in this contraption for a while. How are we going to manage sex?”
Gil blinked a couple of times. “I honestly hadn’t thought about that,” he said. “What about putting me on my back?”
“Not for a while,” Janet said. “Dr. Grissom, there was only so much I could do to fix your shoulder blade. You’ll have to stay on your stomach for a couple of weeks minimum.”
“That’ll kill both Nicky and me,” Gil said. “A bonded pair has to be intimate as often as possible or both human and dragon will get sick and die.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” Janet said.
“There’s no reason you should have,” Nick commented. “You just had Jack and Daniel here and they’re still learning about our world. What about a swimming pool or the ocean? The water would support Gil’s weight and keep the shoulder in place.”
“We can try it,” Janet said. “How soon do you need to get together?”
“The sooner the better,” Gil said. “Nicky and I were apart a couple of days before we came out here and didn’t have much time to reconnect with each other.”
“Is there some kind of dragon medical text?” Janet asked.
“There should be,” Nick said. “But not that I know of. We’ll have to see about writing one.”
Janet nodded. “I’ll get a couple of orderlies to take you to the pool in the gym,” she said. “And track down Teal’c. He’ll keep everyone out until you’re finished.”
“Thank you,” Gil smiled. “Nicky, while we’re waiting, would you call Horatio for me?”
“Are you getting a feeling?” Nick asked.
“Yeah, that Spencer is in trouble,” Gil replied. “I just need to be sure everyone is okay.”
********************
“Daniel?” Jack asked when his human walked into the General’s office. He hated running the SGC and wanted nothing more than to get Hammond back.
“The last group of visitors from Washington was from the finance committee,” Daniel replied. “And there’s only one name on the list I don’t recognize.”
“How do you know any of them?” Jack asked.
“When I tried to justify an assistant a year ago, these were the creeps who shot me down,” Daniel said. “So I’m thinking the unknown is probably the one who supplied Roberts.”
“Roberts is damn lucky I didn’t kill him in that interrogation room,” Jack growled.
“There’s still time,” Daniel said. He walked around the desk and claimed Jack’s mouth with his own. “Now be a good dragon and call Paul. We need to get this stopped and, as far as these guys know, we’re all dead.”
“Strategically it’s a good place to be, unless they have another snake here,” Jack said a little breathlessly. He loved it when Daniel got aggressive.
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
Jack smiled. “You’re still too innocent, Danny. Go get Gibbs for me, will you? I want him to head back to DC and hook up with Paul. These bastards are coming back here and we’ll take care of them.”
“You want to kill them?” Daniel asked.
“I want them to suffer for what they did,” Jack said. “And it’s a safe bet these creeps in DC are hunters and, if they’ve found us, they need to be taken care of before they can get back up here.”
Daniel sat on the desk and started running a hand through Jack’s hair. “This is the side of you that scares me, Jack,” he said. “The part of you the military took and made into a killer. I know you’ll never hurt me, our family or friends, but to know that you can kill in cold blood scares me.”
“Danny, come here.” Jack pulled his human into his lap and hugged him as tight as he could. “I never let anyone see this side of me before. I always kept it hidden because I didn’t want the darkness in me to contaminate the ones I love.”
“What changed?”
“The ones I love are the ones I work with. My human is the one who stands next to me through everything,” Jack said. “He knows me better than anyone and I would’ve done anything to keep him innocent.”
“I know, Jack,” Daniel smiled. He knew he was the only one who got to see that side of Jack. “And I know we need to take care of the threat, I just don’t have to like it.”
“And I’ll keep you as far away as possible,” Jack murmured. “Go get Gibbs for me and let me make the calls. I think Paul will be more than willing to help out with this.”
“Okay, I’ll be right back.” He kissed Jack again. “Love you, Jack.”
“I love you too, Danny,” Jack said. “I love you so much.”
Hotch was surprised when the plane bumping onto the runway didn’t wake Reid. Normally the young profiler awoke during their final approach and was ready to go when the door opened. He sighed softly and kept running his fingers through Reid’s soft hair.
“This is really being hard on him, isn’t it?” Gideon asked, echoing the thoughts in Hotch’s mind.
“Dr. House said he needed as much as he could get, but how are we going to explain this to the team?” Hotch asked.
“We’ll think of something,” Gideon said. He put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “They won’t judge you, Aaron. Everyone will be happy for you. Yes, they’ll be shocked, but they’ll be happy for both of you.”
Don Eppes looked back. “Hey, Hotch, we need to know if our missing people are here and then half an hour to reconnect with our humans while the plane refuels.”
“Right,” Hotch said. He shook Reid’s shoulder. “Spencer. Spence, you need to wake up.”
Reid stretched and blinked up at Hotch a few times. “They’re not here,” he said. “They’re north of us.”
“I always forget that you listen in your sleep,” Hotch smiled. “Do you think they’re in New York?”
“That’s the next logical stop,” Reid said.
“Then its time to split up,” Don Eppes said. “The DC half of the community and Gideon should stay here and wait for a phone call. The rest of us will go north and find our missing people, then we’ll regroup and move from there.”
“Flack, call Gibbs and Horatio; let them know what’s going on,” Mac added.
“Yeah, you got it, Mac,” Flack said.
“We need to let the pilot get the plane ready to head up to New York,” Hotch said. “There are bathrooms and waiting areas in the building. We should be safe there to reconnect while we’re waiting.”
“They’re still alive,” Reid muttered as they were leaving the plane. “We still have time.”
“Do you know how amazing you are?” Hotch asked as he followed Reid towards one of the private bathrooms.
“I’m not all that special, Hotch,” Reid said.
“Yes you are and I’m going to keep telling you exactly how amazing, special and loved you are until you believe me.” Hotch locked the door and leaned back against it. “Now, I suspect if I’m craving your touch then it has to be twice as strong for you.”
Reid’s eyes started to glow as he took in the form of his human leaning against the door. Hotch was dressed far more casually than Reid had ever seen before in jeans and a red polo shirt that hugged and showed off Hotch’s body. “I can’t wait to get you in bed, Aaron,” he growled as he moved closer. “I’m going to take the time to touch and lick every inch of skin and learn where all your hot spots are.”
“Spencer,” Hotch moaned as a flash of heat shot through him. “Need you so bad.”
“I can tell.” Reid reached out and ran a finger over Hotch’s growing erection.
Hotch moaned again as his hips moved forward seeking his dragon’s touch. He was still amazed that he was so turned on by just standing near Spencer; that he could crave another’s touch so much. Reid finally closed the last little distance between them and sealed his lips to Hotch’s. His hands went immediately to Hotch’s waist to start undoing his human’s jeans, wanting to be able to feel hot skin against him. “Help me, Aaron,” Reid whispered between kisses. “Help me get ready for you.”
“Spence,” Hotch managed. He fumbled a little with Reid’s belt, his hands shaking with anticipation, but finally managed to clear all the obstacles away and wrapped his hand around Reid’s erection. “Lube?”
“In my shirt pocket,” Reid said. He groaned softly as Hotch spread the slick substance over him and pushed Hotch’s hips to turn him around. It took a couple of tries in the unfamiliar position, but Reid was finally able to slide into his human’s body, both of them moaning at the bond flare and sense of completion that filled them
“Needed this,” Hotch said, pushing back in an effort to get Reid to move. “Needed you so bad.”
“Always going to need you,” Reid murmured. He leaned in and started kissing along Hotch’s neck as he pulled back and pushed forward again, starting a slow and steady rhythm. “Always going to protect you.”
“I know you will,” Hotch said. He braced his weight and turned his head asking for a kiss.
Reid grinned and kissed his way up to Hotch’s mouth and took it in an awkward kiss. He increased his speed a little and snuck a hand around to Hotch’s erection. He was amazed at exactly how much he enjoyed the feel of his human’s cock in his hand. He started stroking with as much coordination as his naturally awkward nature let him.
Hotch moaned into the kiss and started rocking his hips, pressing forward into Reid’s hand and back, taking his dragon’s cock deeper in his body. He didn’t know exactly how he managed to deny he needed Reid’s presence in his body, both physical and mental, but he never wanted to be without it again.
“Come for me, Aaron,” Reid whispered. “Come apart under me and take me flying over the edge with you.”
Hotch had never heard that level and tone of command in Reid’s voice before and his body responded to it on a level he couldn’t control. He cried out as his climax swept through him, the moist heat filling him only added to and prolonged his pleasure. “Spencer,” he gasped.
“I’ve got you,” Reid whispered.
********************
Charlie would never forget the first time he’d seen his brother in true form. Don had looked more like a snake with wings poised to strike than a dragon, all his attention and focus on protecting Charlie – his human. And Charlie was also extremely good at picking up when the dragon was more to the fore than not. It happened when Don was nervous, upset, worried or away from Charlie for more than a few hours. Then his eyes would change just a little, the iris going just as black as the pupil before they started to glow. And that was when Charlie would hurry over to and cuddle up to Don if he could. It was a problem weighing on Charlie’s mind because he wasn’t able to cuddle when their father was around and a simple touch didn’t always work. He suspected he was picking up on Don’s concern about their father, but neither of them knew exactly what they could do. Charlie hoped that they never had to find out how their father would react to their true relationship.
Don growled a warning deep in his throat and Charlie suddenly found himself on his back staring up into a pair of glowing eyes. He shivered, feeling both protected and loved and reached up to run a finger along Don’s cheek. “Now?”
“Now,” Don agreed and thrust into Charlie, making him wonder exactly when he’d been stripped. Don moaned as Charlie’s body clenched around him, trying to pull him deeper. He leaned up and caught Charlie’s mouth with his own as he started thrusting. He knew that they didn’t have a lot of time and he needed to get them both taken care of as quickly as possible.
Charlie started moaning Don’s name, breaking the kiss to gasp for air as he drew closer and closer to his climax. His body spasmed when Don leaned in and nipped his collar bone, coming without being touched. Don braced his weight and kept thrusting, feeling Charlie go limp and boneless beneath him. He looked down into his human’s eyes and saw both love and trust shining there. That’s what pushed him into his own climax.
“I didn’t hurt you, did I buddy?” Don asked as he caught his breath.
“Of course not,” Charlie replied. “But this floor is pretty cold.”
“Come on then, let’s get cleaned up and back on the plane. We’ve got kids to find.”
********************
Hotch and Reid were the first ones back on the plane. Reid curled up on the sofa with his head in Hotch’s lap and quickly fell back asleep. Hotch ran his fingers through Reid’s hair, both amazed and concerned about how much the young dragon was sleeping. He knew that Dr. House said that Reid would need to sleep as much as possible, but he wasn’t sure that sleeping close to 20 hours a day was healthy. He made a mental note to call the Miami community to track down Dr. House as soon as the case was over.
“How is he?” Mac asked sitting down across the aisle.
“Apart from sleeping all the time, he seems fine,” Hotch replied. “I know he’s worried about what’s going to happen when we’re finally home and I tell my wife I’m leaving her.”
“I won’t lie and tell you it’ll be easy,” Mac said. He smiled at the sleeping dragon. “But I can promise you’re making the right choice and everyone in the communities will support you.”
“To be honest I don’t care what Haley says, but I don’t want to lose my son,” Hotch said. “He’s only two months old and I don’t want to be forced out of his life.”
Mac patted Hotch’s free hand. “I’m sure you won’t be,” he said. “Now I do have some good news.”
“What’s that?” Don asked as he and Charlie re-boarded.
“Flack caught up with me and gave me the updates. Gibbs managed to find out who supplied the Stargate team with weapons,” Mac grinned. “He and Tony are on their way home to DC to meet up with a friend of Colonel O’Neill’s and they’re going to hunt down the hunters.”
“Will they need back-up?” Don asked.
“If they do, they’ll call down to Miami,” Mac said. “Our job is to find General Hammond and his granddaughters. And then get back to our cities and lay low until we work out how badly we’ve been compromised.”
Reid stirred. “I still want to see Gil,” he murmured.
“We will,” Hotch said. “Just as soon as possible.”
“Good, I need him to be okay.”
Charlie shook his head. “If Spencer is anything like me, his mind doesn’t shut down when he’s asleep. We should all be quiet until we get to New York. The silence should help him sleep better.”
“I never even thought of that,” Hotch said softly. He shifted around carefully so he could curl up behind his dragon. “Wake me when we get to New York.”
Danny glanced back at Mac. *Do you get the feeling there’s more going on with them than we know*
*Yeah, but Gil and Horatio have it under control* Mac said. *And a quick nap doesn’t sound like a bad idea, really. Especially if we’re going to be fighting soon*
*These seats ain’t exactly made for cuddling*
*I’d be worried if they were* Mac snorted.
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