riptide_asylum (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
riptide_asylum) wrote2009-03-30 05:17 pm
riptide_asylum) wrote2009-03-30 05:17 pm
"Ambush" (Dreamtime,1985)
Title: Ambush
Rating: R
Summary: Cody searches desperately for Nick, after a case takes a terrifying turn...
Chapter 1
There were bullets everywhere. Cody flattened himself behind the sparse brush cover, praying Nick had gotten down in time. He could see Murray, crouched in the porch of the deserted house, hopefully out of the line of fire, but Nick had disappeared around the corner of the house moments before the shooting had begun.
Cody crawled sideways, trying to spot his partner from behind the sparse bushes. Another volley of shots greeted his movement and cursing, Cody dropped flat again, scrunching himself smaller.
He wracked his brains, wondering who could possibly be shooting at them. They were here in Torrance following up what had seemed like a simple case. A run-of-the-mill background check for an employment agency, and they'd somehow walked into an ambush.
When they'd gotten no answer at the door of the small white house, Nick had said he'd try the back. Cody had headed back towards the Jimmy, and Murray had banged on the front door again.
The first shots had spattered the ground in front of Cody's feet and he'd hit the ground, shouting for his partners.
Since that moment, all he could hear was the intermittent bark of their assailant's automatic weapon, and the incongruous drone of a lawnmower somewhere nearby.
"Nobody move." The voice was harsh and unexpected and Cody flinched. He raised his head a half-inch, but whoever was speaking was out of sight amongst the trees at the edge of the lot. "Police! Lay down your weapons and come out."
Confusion mingled with relief as Cody recognized Quinlan's voice. How the hell had the lieutenant made it so fast? But at least, with the cops on the scene, there was a better chance they'd get out of this mess in one piece, and then maybe someone would explain why a suburban accountant was playing sniper in his backyard.
More gunshots mingled with the howl of sirens. Cody stayed down until the guns fell silent, replaced by confused shouting, and then a uniformed officer was grabbing his shoulder roughly, yanking him to his feet. "My partner," Cody started, but the officer wasn't ready to listen, shoving Cody roughly towards the driveway, gun at his back.
Cody raised his hands placatingly and went where he was herded. A quick glance showed Murray getting the same treatment, and he looked around wildly.
Quinlan was standing in the driveway, hands in his pockets, looking towards the house. Cops swarmed everywhere but Nick was nowhere to be found.
"Here are the others," the cop holding Cody gave him a shake and Quinlan spun around.
"Allen," he said in a tone of disgust. "Let him go, dummy. And Bozinsky, too."
The hard grip on Cody's shoulder relaxed. "But - " the cop sounded confused.
Quinlan cut him off with an annoyed handwave. "Get over there and help with the search. According to the tipoff, there's enough arms in that house to fight a war. These two idiots aren't a part of that." He turned to Cody. "Where's Ryder?"
"Cody! Lieutenant! Where's Nick?" Murray cried urgently as he joined them, anxiously clasping his hands.
Cody swallowed hard, looking from his partner to Quinlan. "He went around the side of the house, before the shooting started," he said, mouth dry with fear. "Quinlan, I've got to - "
"We got a body!" The cry rang out from the rear of the building and bile rose in Cody's throat. For a moment he couldn't swallow, couldn't breathe. His vision blurred.
"Cody!" Murray's voice came as though from a distance, shrill and anxious. Cody gasped air back into his lungs, a throbbing ache filling his chest. He realized numbly that Murray was gripping his arm so hard it hurt.
Cody concentrated on Murray's fingers digging into his flesh, clinging to the sensation. Slowly his eyesight cleared and the house came back into focus, squatting amidst its shrubby, unkempt garden as though it could hide from the hurrying, intrusive police.
He staggered forward. Quinlan made a gesture, whether of assent or denial Cody didn't stop to find out. He nearly ran down the side of the house, following the path he'd seen Nick take, Murray still holding tight to his arm.
Around the back, the yard was overgrown with long, dry grass. A cracked pavement led towards the back door and on the path lay the body of a man. One glance told Cody it wasn't Nick and, ignoring Murray's horrified gasp, he turned away, desperately sweeping the grounds with his eyes.
Forcing his breathing steady and his mind clear, Cody scanned the way he'd learned in-country, so many years ago now. First left to right across the terrain, seeking anything out of place - shapes or colors with no business in the landscape. Back again, for anything that had changed. And then the real business, searching with his eyes, scanning the area in a grid pattern, yard by careful yard.
"Cody! Cody!" Murray was tugging at Cody's arm, but Cody didn't turn his head.
A pale orange patch under a rhododendron at the end of the yard resolved itself into a frightened, huddling cat and Cody moved on. Nick was out here somewhere, he knew, and he wouldn't be distracted until he'd found him.
Suddenly, a uniformed officer appeared in front of him. "Sir, I have to ask you to move."
Cody blinked, trying to look past the young man's head, pulling impatiently against Murray's grip on his arm. "No," he said thickly, stumbling on the word. "Nick - I have to - "
"Sir, we have to clear this area." The officer grabbed Cody's shoulder and Cody's control slipped away. Without thought, he swung at the policeman.
Murray grabbed his arm as he swung, dragging him off balance, pulling him away. Cody dropped to his knees in the grass, shaking his head in confusion, and then Murray was bending over him, gripping his shoulders.
"Cody, don't do this!" Murray sounded desperate. "We'll find him, Cody. We'll find him."
"Boz..." Cody struggled to his feet, looking back towards the garden. His eyes lit on a streak of color and hope flared in his chest for a moment, until he realized it was the cat he'd seen before, startled out of hiding. He followed it with his eyes as it wove between the clumps of grass, until it finally slipped behind a crumbling terracotta planter.
"Maybe Nick went back around the front," Murray said wildly. "Maybe we're looking in the wrong place. Maybe - "
But Cody wasn't listening. The cat had reappeared from behind the planter, tail fluffed to three times its normal size, and was hurrying back the way it had come. "Come on, Murray," Cody said urgently, and started to run.
"Cody! What are you doing?"
Cody arrived at the planter in six long strides, breathless with terror. On the ground behind the inadequate cover, a man lay unmoving in a fetal curl. The back of his shirt was soaked bright red with blood.
For a terrifying moment, Cody thought it was Nick. He reached for the man, rolling him slowly onto his back, his held breath escaping in something like a whimper. The man on the ground was a stranger. Cody straightened up and turned around.
"Another body." His voice came out weak, not much more than a croak, but Murray and the officer hurried towards him.
"Cody. C'mon, Cody." Murray sounded concerned, Cody thought numbly, feeling his friend's arm go around him. He let Murray guide him across the yard, stumbling a little. The thought of Nick consumed him, making it hard to think straight, and he was running out of options. It was as though Nick had simply disappeared.
"I need your statement, Allen." Quinlan appeared in front of them and Cody looked at him uncomprehendingly. How could Quinlan expect him to give a statement with Nick missing? Cody pulled away from Murray's supporting arm and walked across the yard, his steps jerky and uneven.
"Nick." His lips formed the word without sound as he scanned the silent garden one more time. He heard Murray and Quinlan talking behind him, their voices loud but the words incomprehensible. What they were saying didn't matter anyway, Cody knew that. Nothing mattered except finding Nick.
Out of the corner of his eye, he registered police teams loading the two bodies onto gurneys. Murray and Quinlan walked away, following the gurneys away around the house, and Cody felt cold despair swell inside him.
He shivered as unbidden, an image filled his mind, Nick, cold and still, his clothing soaked with blood like the body he'd found. He forced the thought away, walking quickly towards the iron fence that ringed the yard. Perhaps Nick had scaled it when the shooting started. Perhaps even now he was making his way through the neighboring yard.
The other side of the fence yielded only another bare yard, its grass neatly manicured, its only ornament a group of gray-green succulents in a planter by the back door. Cody leaned against the fence in despair. He'd let Nick down. He'd taken the case too lightly, hadn't covered Nick's back when Nick needed him, and now Nick was gone. MIA.
Terror constricted Cody's chest, making it hard to breathe. The wartime jungle loomed close, barely held at bay by the fence under his hands, the everyday drone of the neighbor's lawnmower still cutting suburban California lawn. Nick could be anywhere in that world, broken and bloody, captured, dead.
Gone.
"Cody?"
Cody spun at the familiar voice, hope sparking in his chest. "Nick?" he managed, forcing the word past the lump in his throat.
"What the hell are you doing back here?" Limping a little, Nick hurried across the yard towards him.
"I - you - " Cody stopped, suddenly taking in Nick's torn and bloody jeans. "Nick, you got hit?"
"I'm fine." Nick grabbed hold of Cody's arms, eyes boring into his partner's. "It's nothing but a flesh wound. Cody, what's the matter? Why are you back here alone?"
"I couldn't find you." Cody took a deep, shuddering breath. "I watched you come back here, and then the shooting started and - Nick, I couldn't find you. I couldn't find you."
"Oh, Cody - " Nick looked quickly over his shoulder, then pulled Cody into a tight hug. "Baby, no, I'm sorry."
Cody leaned into his partner's body, the cold fear slowly releasing its choke-hold on him. Nick held him close. "I slipped around the other way," Nick said softly. "I was heading for you and Murray and Quinlan when a cop grabbed me and they saw I'd got hit. They wouldn't let me go til the paramedics had fixed up my leg."
Still trembling, Cody nodded against Nick's shoulder. "I let you come back here alone," he managed.
"Take it easy." Nick touched his cheek lightly and Cody raised his head. "We got separated, pal. It happens. Important thing is, we're both in one piece, you know?"
Cody nodded shakily.
"C'mon, we gotta give Quinlan our statements. He tried to stop me for mine before but I told him I had to find you first." Nick took a deep breath. "Glad I did, man."
The two of them headed slowly back towards the front of the house. Walking in step with Nick, Nick's hand resting between his shoulderblades, the last of Cody's terror finally slipped away. By the time they rejoined Murray and Quinlan he was able to manage a semblance of his usual grin, and to meet Murray's anxious look reassuringly.
Chapter Two
"I can hardly believe that something so simple landed us right in the middle of a gunfight." Murray shook his head, tapping at the keyboard resting on his lap. The Roboz, at his elbow, whirred softly, head turning as his screen lit up.
"Look at this." Murray gestured wildly and Nick got up from the couch and crossed the salon to stand beside his partner's chair.
"What is it, Boz?"
Murray pointed at the screen. "The employment agency switched the man's birthdate!" he said incredulously. "Instead of investigating Ken Rowles, accountant, birthdate 12 January 1965, we were investigating Ken Rowles, the subject of an Interpol investigation for arms dealing, birthdate 12 January 1956. A secretary wrote the year down wrong and whammo! There we were in the middle of a police stakeout, being shot at - " Murray broke off, shaking his head and tutting. "From now on, I'll insist on all incoming data being double-checked. Roboz, run the police record for Ken Rowles, DOB 1/12/65."
The little robot whirred again.
Nick patted Murray's shoulder. "Boz, why don't you take the rest of the day off?" he suggested. "I think we've all had a hard day, huh? Tomorrow'll be soon enough to check this guy out."
"Oh - oh, yeah, Nick, I guess you're right about that." Murray nodded. "You know, I was thinking of heading into town to see if I can get a sonic modulator. I want to enhance Roboz's - well, his hearing, to use layman's terms. I've spent all my time to date working on his speech recognition, and while that's interesting, there's a great deal more to be gained by working with frequency - "
"Murray, that's a brilliant idea. I can't believe you never did that before!" Nick said enthusiastically, patting his friend's shoulder. "Look, take the Vette. Here."
Nick fished the keys out of his pocket and handed them to Murray, shooting an anxious glance over his shoulder at Cody. Since they'd returned to the Riptide, Cody hadn't moved, huddled on the couch where he'd dropped, silent and tense.
"The Vette? Nick, that's really boss."
"Yeah, Murray, you have a good time, all right? Don't rush, you know?"
"I won't, Nick. It's very important I pick just the right modulator, because you know what substandard - "
"I know, Murray," Nick agreed, cutting him off. "Trust me, I know, and we don't want that, huh?"
"We sure don't. Okay, Nick, I'll see you later. Bye, Cody." Murray hesitated, looking at the blond man on the couch for a moment. "Cody?"
"Huh?" Cody roused himself with obvious effort, raising his head. He wrapped his arms around his chest. "Nick?"
"Hey, big guy." Nick was at his partner's side in an instant, a hand on his shoulder, and Cody looked up at him. His blue eyes were wide, confused and frightened. "Take it easy," Nick said softly, squeezing his shoulder. "Murray's just off to get a new sonic doodah for the Roboz, okay?"
"Okay." Cody blinked and nodded. "Bye, Murray." He swallowed hard. "Nick, you're not going though, right?"
"No, Cody. I'm staying right here with you. Don't worry." Nick turned back to Murray, but his hand didn't leave Cody's shoulder. "Boz, we'll see you later, all right?"
"Sure, Nick." Murray nodded slowly, looking from Nick to Cody and back again. "I - I might be a while."
"Take as long as you need, Murray." Nick gave him a distracted wave and as Murray headed up the stairs, turned back to Cody. "How you feeling, pal?"
Cody squared his shoulders, pulling himself together with obvious effort. "I'm feeling great," he said with forced lightness, and stood up. "I could use a cup of coffee, though. How about you, Nick? You want some coffee?"
"No." Nick stepped in front of Cody, blocking his path. "I don't want any coffee, babe. Only thing I want right now is to be with you. That okay?"
Cody hesitated for a moment, then grabbed for his partner, pulling Nick hard against his body. Nick wrapped his arms around Cody, holding him tight. "Nick," Cody whispered.
They held on hard, drawing strength from each other, letting the horrors of the day recede.
"C'mon," Nick murmured finally. Arm still tight around Cody's shoulders, Nick guided him across the salon to the stairs.
As he took the first step down, Nick yelped in pain. Cody turned to him, immediately worried, steadying him as he wavered.
"Nick, what is it?" he asked anxiously.
"My leg - " Nick cursed under his breath. "It's nothing, Cody, really. I just moved the wrong way."
"Sure you did." Cody eased his arm around Nick's shoulders. "Lean on me, buddy, and when we get downstairs I want a closer look at that."
Nick protested, but the stairs were much easier with half his weight on his partner. The wound in his leg wasn't serious, and in the salon it hadn't bothered him, but bending his knee to descend the stairs was something else. Wincing, he allowed Cody to help him to their cabin.
"Take your pants off," Cody said firmly.
Nick undid his jeans obediently and slid them off, dropping to the bunk. "Sounds promising," he said smirking.
"Don't push your luck." Cody leaned over him, and Nick sighed with relief as he saw the fear haunting his partner's eyes recede a notch.
He lay back on the bed as Cody pushed him down, lying still as Cody peered at his bandaged leg. The bullet had barely grazed him, burning a furrow across his right thigh, just above the knee. It wasn't deep, and the bleeding had already stopped, but in the way of bullet wounds, it ached unmercifully. Nick knew he was in for an uncomfortable couple of weeks. But right now, it was the least of his worries.
"Baby," he said softly. "You can't see much through the bandage. I've gotta change the dressing tonight. You can have a good look at it then, huh?"
"Yeah, you're right." Cody sat down on the bunk next to him. "Nick, I keep thinking - if I'd only gone with you - " He broke off, his blue eyes dark and troubled.
"Stop that," Nick told him, resting a hand on Cody's thigh. "Come here, all right? C'mon."
Cody hesitated a moment, then kicked his shoes off and lay down next to his partner. "Nick," he whispered.
The word held every bit of the unspoken terror Nick had seen in Cody's eyes in the salon, the look that had let Nick know in no uncertain terms that what Cody needed wasn't coffee.
What Cody needed - what they both needed - was to reconnect, to hold each other and feel the reassurance, the safety, that they found only in each other.
"I got you," Nick whispered back, gathering Cody into his arms and sliding his hands beneath his partner's shirt. "I got you, Cody. It's okay, pal."
"Nick," Cody said again, unsteadily, and Nick rubbed his back slowly, holding his friend close. He didn't speak again - his hands on Cody's skin told Cody everything he needed, spoke to him more surely than any words.
Nick lowered his head, resting his lips against Cody's cheek, tasting the salt of Cody's tears as he cried.
At last Cody moved, stretching slightly in Nick's arms, and Nick rolled onto his back, recognizing his cue. "Hey, babe," he murmured as Cody nestled into his shoulder, stretching an arm across Nick's chest and sighing softly.
"Hey." Cody took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling against Nick's ribcage. "Still feel like I let you down, buddy."
"Pal, I hurt myself worse than this when you missed that ball last March and I damn near broke my ankle trying to return Cantrell's serve. And you know what? That's the only time you've ever let me down, Cody. You got that?"
Cody sighed again, moving gently, and Nick heard the smile in his partner's voice. "Missed the ball? Pal, it was going out. If you hadn't dived for it, we'd have won that game, and I wouldn't have had to spend half the night holding icepacks on your ankle."
"Way I remember it, you didn't mind those icepacks any." Nick chuckled softly and turned his head, finding Cody's mouth. "I love you, baby."
"I love you too, Nick." Cody closed his eyes and Nick dropped a kiss on his forehead.
"Go to sleep, Cody," he said softly. "Murray'll be gone for another hour. Plenty of time for a nap before dinner. Dunno about you, but getting shot at sure takes it outta me."
Cody's answer was to burrow closer with a contented sigh, and Nick tightened his arms around his partner. Putting the ache in his leg on his list of things to worry about tomorrow, he let his own eyes close.
Rating: R
Summary: Cody searches desperately for Nick, after a case takes a terrifying turn...
Chapter 1
There were bullets everywhere. Cody flattened himself behind the sparse brush cover, praying Nick had gotten down in time. He could see Murray, crouched in the porch of the deserted house, hopefully out of the line of fire, but Nick had disappeared around the corner of the house moments before the shooting had begun.
Cody crawled sideways, trying to spot his partner from behind the sparse bushes. Another volley of shots greeted his movement and cursing, Cody dropped flat again, scrunching himself smaller.
He wracked his brains, wondering who could possibly be shooting at them. They were here in Torrance following up what had seemed like a simple case. A run-of-the-mill background check for an employment agency, and they'd somehow walked into an ambush.
When they'd gotten no answer at the door of the small white house, Nick had said he'd try the back. Cody had headed back towards the Jimmy, and Murray had banged on the front door again.
The first shots had spattered the ground in front of Cody's feet and he'd hit the ground, shouting for his partners.
Since that moment, all he could hear was the intermittent bark of their assailant's automatic weapon, and the incongruous drone of a lawnmower somewhere nearby.
"Nobody move." The voice was harsh and unexpected and Cody flinched. He raised his head a half-inch, but whoever was speaking was out of sight amongst the trees at the edge of the lot. "Police! Lay down your weapons and come out."
Confusion mingled with relief as Cody recognized Quinlan's voice. How the hell had the lieutenant made it so fast? But at least, with the cops on the scene, there was a better chance they'd get out of this mess in one piece, and then maybe someone would explain why a suburban accountant was playing sniper in his backyard.
More gunshots mingled with the howl of sirens. Cody stayed down until the guns fell silent, replaced by confused shouting, and then a uniformed officer was grabbing his shoulder roughly, yanking him to his feet. "My partner," Cody started, but the officer wasn't ready to listen, shoving Cody roughly towards the driveway, gun at his back.
Cody raised his hands placatingly and went where he was herded. A quick glance showed Murray getting the same treatment, and he looked around wildly.
Quinlan was standing in the driveway, hands in his pockets, looking towards the house. Cops swarmed everywhere but Nick was nowhere to be found.
"Here are the others," the cop holding Cody gave him a shake and Quinlan spun around.
"Allen," he said in a tone of disgust. "Let him go, dummy. And Bozinsky, too."
The hard grip on Cody's shoulder relaxed. "But - " the cop sounded confused.
Quinlan cut him off with an annoyed handwave. "Get over there and help with the search. According to the tipoff, there's enough arms in that house to fight a war. These two idiots aren't a part of that." He turned to Cody. "Where's Ryder?"
"Cody! Lieutenant! Where's Nick?" Murray cried urgently as he joined them, anxiously clasping his hands.
Cody swallowed hard, looking from his partner to Quinlan. "He went around the side of the house, before the shooting started," he said, mouth dry with fear. "Quinlan, I've got to - "
"We got a body!" The cry rang out from the rear of the building and bile rose in Cody's throat. For a moment he couldn't swallow, couldn't breathe. His vision blurred.
"Cody!" Murray's voice came as though from a distance, shrill and anxious. Cody gasped air back into his lungs, a throbbing ache filling his chest. He realized numbly that Murray was gripping his arm so hard it hurt.
Cody concentrated on Murray's fingers digging into his flesh, clinging to the sensation. Slowly his eyesight cleared and the house came back into focus, squatting amidst its shrubby, unkempt garden as though it could hide from the hurrying, intrusive police.
He staggered forward. Quinlan made a gesture, whether of assent or denial Cody didn't stop to find out. He nearly ran down the side of the house, following the path he'd seen Nick take, Murray still holding tight to his arm.
Around the back, the yard was overgrown with long, dry grass. A cracked pavement led towards the back door and on the path lay the body of a man. One glance told Cody it wasn't Nick and, ignoring Murray's horrified gasp, he turned away, desperately sweeping the grounds with his eyes.
Forcing his breathing steady and his mind clear, Cody scanned the way he'd learned in-country, so many years ago now. First left to right across the terrain, seeking anything out of place - shapes or colors with no business in the landscape. Back again, for anything that had changed. And then the real business, searching with his eyes, scanning the area in a grid pattern, yard by careful yard.
"Cody! Cody!" Murray was tugging at Cody's arm, but Cody didn't turn his head.
A pale orange patch under a rhododendron at the end of the yard resolved itself into a frightened, huddling cat and Cody moved on. Nick was out here somewhere, he knew, and he wouldn't be distracted until he'd found him.
Suddenly, a uniformed officer appeared in front of him. "Sir, I have to ask you to move."
Cody blinked, trying to look past the young man's head, pulling impatiently against Murray's grip on his arm. "No," he said thickly, stumbling on the word. "Nick - I have to - "
"Sir, we have to clear this area." The officer grabbed Cody's shoulder and Cody's control slipped away. Without thought, he swung at the policeman.
Murray grabbed his arm as he swung, dragging him off balance, pulling him away. Cody dropped to his knees in the grass, shaking his head in confusion, and then Murray was bending over him, gripping his shoulders.
"Cody, don't do this!" Murray sounded desperate. "We'll find him, Cody. We'll find him."
"Boz..." Cody struggled to his feet, looking back towards the garden. His eyes lit on a streak of color and hope flared in his chest for a moment, until he realized it was the cat he'd seen before, startled out of hiding. He followed it with his eyes as it wove between the clumps of grass, until it finally slipped behind a crumbling terracotta planter.
"Maybe Nick went back around the front," Murray said wildly. "Maybe we're looking in the wrong place. Maybe - "
But Cody wasn't listening. The cat had reappeared from behind the planter, tail fluffed to three times its normal size, and was hurrying back the way it had come. "Come on, Murray," Cody said urgently, and started to run.
"Cody! What are you doing?"
Cody arrived at the planter in six long strides, breathless with terror. On the ground behind the inadequate cover, a man lay unmoving in a fetal curl. The back of his shirt was soaked bright red with blood.
For a terrifying moment, Cody thought it was Nick. He reached for the man, rolling him slowly onto his back, his held breath escaping in something like a whimper. The man on the ground was a stranger. Cody straightened up and turned around.
"Another body." His voice came out weak, not much more than a croak, but Murray and the officer hurried towards him.
"Cody. C'mon, Cody." Murray sounded concerned, Cody thought numbly, feeling his friend's arm go around him. He let Murray guide him across the yard, stumbling a little. The thought of Nick consumed him, making it hard to think straight, and he was running out of options. It was as though Nick had simply disappeared.
"I need your statement, Allen." Quinlan appeared in front of them and Cody looked at him uncomprehendingly. How could Quinlan expect him to give a statement with Nick missing? Cody pulled away from Murray's supporting arm and walked across the yard, his steps jerky and uneven.
"Nick." His lips formed the word without sound as he scanned the silent garden one more time. He heard Murray and Quinlan talking behind him, their voices loud but the words incomprehensible. What they were saying didn't matter anyway, Cody knew that. Nothing mattered except finding Nick.
Out of the corner of his eye, he registered police teams loading the two bodies onto gurneys. Murray and Quinlan walked away, following the gurneys away around the house, and Cody felt cold despair swell inside him.
He shivered as unbidden, an image filled his mind, Nick, cold and still, his clothing soaked with blood like the body he'd found. He forced the thought away, walking quickly towards the iron fence that ringed the yard. Perhaps Nick had scaled it when the shooting started. Perhaps even now he was making his way through the neighboring yard.
The other side of the fence yielded only another bare yard, its grass neatly manicured, its only ornament a group of gray-green succulents in a planter by the back door. Cody leaned against the fence in despair. He'd let Nick down. He'd taken the case too lightly, hadn't covered Nick's back when Nick needed him, and now Nick was gone. MIA.
Terror constricted Cody's chest, making it hard to breathe. The wartime jungle loomed close, barely held at bay by the fence under his hands, the everyday drone of the neighbor's lawnmower still cutting suburban California lawn. Nick could be anywhere in that world, broken and bloody, captured, dead.
Gone.
"Cody?"
Cody spun at the familiar voice, hope sparking in his chest. "Nick?" he managed, forcing the word past the lump in his throat.
"What the hell are you doing back here?" Limping a little, Nick hurried across the yard towards him.
"I - you - " Cody stopped, suddenly taking in Nick's torn and bloody jeans. "Nick, you got hit?"
"I'm fine." Nick grabbed hold of Cody's arms, eyes boring into his partner's. "It's nothing but a flesh wound. Cody, what's the matter? Why are you back here alone?"
"I couldn't find you." Cody took a deep, shuddering breath. "I watched you come back here, and then the shooting started and - Nick, I couldn't find you. I couldn't find you."
"Oh, Cody - " Nick looked quickly over his shoulder, then pulled Cody into a tight hug. "Baby, no, I'm sorry."
Cody leaned into his partner's body, the cold fear slowly releasing its choke-hold on him. Nick held him close. "I slipped around the other way," Nick said softly. "I was heading for you and Murray and Quinlan when a cop grabbed me and they saw I'd got hit. They wouldn't let me go til the paramedics had fixed up my leg."
Still trembling, Cody nodded against Nick's shoulder. "I let you come back here alone," he managed.
"Take it easy." Nick touched his cheek lightly and Cody raised his head. "We got separated, pal. It happens. Important thing is, we're both in one piece, you know?"
Cody nodded shakily.
"C'mon, we gotta give Quinlan our statements. He tried to stop me for mine before but I told him I had to find you first." Nick took a deep breath. "Glad I did, man."
The two of them headed slowly back towards the front of the house. Walking in step with Nick, Nick's hand resting between his shoulderblades, the last of Cody's terror finally slipped away. By the time they rejoined Murray and Quinlan he was able to manage a semblance of his usual grin, and to meet Murray's anxious look reassuringly.
Chapter Two
"I can hardly believe that something so simple landed us right in the middle of a gunfight." Murray shook his head, tapping at the keyboard resting on his lap. The Roboz, at his elbow, whirred softly, head turning as his screen lit up.
"Look at this." Murray gestured wildly and Nick got up from the couch and crossed the salon to stand beside his partner's chair.
"What is it, Boz?"
Murray pointed at the screen. "The employment agency switched the man's birthdate!" he said incredulously. "Instead of investigating Ken Rowles, accountant, birthdate 12 January 1965, we were investigating Ken Rowles, the subject of an Interpol investigation for arms dealing, birthdate 12 January 1956. A secretary wrote the year down wrong and whammo! There we were in the middle of a police stakeout, being shot at - " Murray broke off, shaking his head and tutting. "From now on, I'll insist on all incoming data being double-checked. Roboz, run the police record for Ken Rowles, DOB 1/12/65."
The little robot whirred again.
Nick patted Murray's shoulder. "Boz, why don't you take the rest of the day off?" he suggested. "I think we've all had a hard day, huh? Tomorrow'll be soon enough to check this guy out."
"Oh - oh, yeah, Nick, I guess you're right about that." Murray nodded. "You know, I was thinking of heading into town to see if I can get a sonic modulator. I want to enhance Roboz's - well, his hearing, to use layman's terms. I've spent all my time to date working on his speech recognition, and while that's interesting, there's a great deal more to be gained by working with frequency - "
"Murray, that's a brilliant idea. I can't believe you never did that before!" Nick said enthusiastically, patting his friend's shoulder. "Look, take the Vette. Here."
Nick fished the keys out of his pocket and handed them to Murray, shooting an anxious glance over his shoulder at Cody. Since they'd returned to the Riptide, Cody hadn't moved, huddled on the couch where he'd dropped, silent and tense.
"The Vette? Nick, that's really boss."
"Yeah, Murray, you have a good time, all right? Don't rush, you know?"
"I won't, Nick. It's very important I pick just the right modulator, because you know what substandard - "
"I know, Murray," Nick agreed, cutting him off. "Trust me, I know, and we don't want that, huh?"
"We sure don't. Okay, Nick, I'll see you later. Bye, Cody." Murray hesitated, looking at the blond man on the couch for a moment. "Cody?"
"Huh?" Cody roused himself with obvious effort, raising his head. He wrapped his arms around his chest. "Nick?"
"Hey, big guy." Nick was at his partner's side in an instant, a hand on his shoulder, and Cody looked up at him. His blue eyes were wide, confused and frightened. "Take it easy," Nick said softly, squeezing his shoulder. "Murray's just off to get a new sonic doodah for the Roboz, okay?"
"Okay." Cody blinked and nodded. "Bye, Murray." He swallowed hard. "Nick, you're not going though, right?"
"No, Cody. I'm staying right here with you. Don't worry." Nick turned back to Murray, but his hand didn't leave Cody's shoulder. "Boz, we'll see you later, all right?"
"Sure, Nick." Murray nodded slowly, looking from Nick to Cody and back again. "I - I might be a while."
"Take as long as you need, Murray." Nick gave him a distracted wave and as Murray headed up the stairs, turned back to Cody. "How you feeling, pal?"
Cody squared his shoulders, pulling himself together with obvious effort. "I'm feeling great," he said with forced lightness, and stood up. "I could use a cup of coffee, though. How about you, Nick? You want some coffee?"
"No." Nick stepped in front of Cody, blocking his path. "I don't want any coffee, babe. Only thing I want right now is to be with you. That okay?"
Cody hesitated for a moment, then grabbed for his partner, pulling Nick hard against his body. Nick wrapped his arms around Cody, holding him tight. "Nick," Cody whispered.
They held on hard, drawing strength from each other, letting the horrors of the day recede.
"C'mon," Nick murmured finally. Arm still tight around Cody's shoulders, Nick guided him across the salon to the stairs.
As he took the first step down, Nick yelped in pain. Cody turned to him, immediately worried, steadying him as he wavered.
"Nick, what is it?" he asked anxiously.
"My leg - " Nick cursed under his breath. "It's nothing, Cody, really. I just moved the wrong way."
"Sure you did." Cody eased his arm around Nick's shoulders. "Lean on me, buddy, and when we get downstairs I want a closer look at that."
Nick protested, but the stairs were much easier with half his weight on his partner. The wound in his leg wasn't serious, and in the salon it hadn't bothered him, but bending his knee to descend the stairs was something else. Wincing, he allowed Cody to help him to their cabin.
"Take your pants off," Cody said firmly.
Nick undid his jeans obediently and slid them off, dropping to the bunk. "Sounds promising," he said smirking.
"Don't push your luck." Cody leaned over him, and Nick sighed with relief as he saw the fear haunting his partner's eyes recede a notch.
He lay back on the bed as Cody pushed him down, lying still as Cody peered at his bandaged leg. The bullet had barely grazed him, burning a furrow across his right thigh, just above the knee. It wasn't deep, and the bleeding had already stopped, but in the way of bullet wounds, it ached unmercifully. Nick knew he was in for an uncomfortable couple of weeks. But right now, it was the least of his worries.
"Baby," he said softly. "You can't see much through the bandage. I've gotta change the dressing tonight. You can have a good look at it then, huh?"
"Yeah, you're right." Cody sat down on the bunk next to him. "Nick, I keep thinking - if I'd only gone with you - " He broke off, his blue eyes dark and troubled.
"Stop that," Nick told him, resting a hand on Cody's thigh. "Come here, all right? C'mon."
Cody hesitated a moment, then kicked his shoes off and lay down next to his partner. "Nick," he whispered.
The word held every bit of the unspoken terror Nick had seen in Cody's eyes in the salon, the look that had let Nick know in no uncertain terms that what Cody needed wasn't coffee.
What Cody needed - what they both needed - was to reconnect, to hold each other and feel the reassurance, the safety, that they found only in each other.
"I got you," Nick whispered back, gathering Cody into his arms and sliding his hands beneath his partner's shirt. "I got you, Cody. It's okay, pal."
"Nick," Cody said again, unsteadily, and Nick rubbed his back slowly, holding his friend close. He didn't speak again - his hands on Cody's skin told Cody everything he needed, spoke to him more surely than any words.
Nick lowered his head, resting his lips against Cody's cheek, tasting the salt of Cody's tears as he cried.
At last Cody moved, stretching slightly in Nick's arms, and Nick rolled onto his back, recognizing his cue. "Hey, babe," he murmured as Cody nestled into his shoulder, stretching an arm across Nick's chest and sighing softly.
"Hey." Cody took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling against Nick's ribcage. "Still feel like I let you down, buddy."
"Pal, I hurt myself worse than this when you missed that ball last March and I damn near broke my ankle trying to return Cantrell's serve. And you know what? That's the only time you've ever let me down, Cody. You got that?"
Cody sighed again, moving gently, and Nick heard the smile in his partner's voice. "Missed the ball? Pal, it was going out. If you hadn't dived for it, we'd have won that game, and I wouldn't have had to spend half the night holding icepacks on your ankle."
"Way I remember it, you didn't mind those icepacks any." Nick chuckled softly and turned his head, finding Cody's mouth. "I love you, baby."
"I love you too, Nick." Cody closed his eyes and Nick dropped a kiss on his forehead.
"Go to sleep, Cody," he said softly. "Murray'll be gone for another hour. Plenty of time for a nap before dinner. Dunno about you, but getting shot at sure takes it outta me."
Cody's answer was to burrow closer with a contented sigh, and Nick tightened his arms around his partner. Putting the ache in his leg on his list of things to worry about tomorrow, he let his own eyes close.
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:: hugs ::
Would love to write more, but I have to leave for work.
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