The rest of the day passed in a dreamlike haze. Sasha was late, a fact that neither Adam nor Jazz seemed to notice, though if they had, they undoubtedly would have appreciated his timing. By the time Sasha arrived, pounding on the door as requested, he wasn't a bit surprised to be kept waiting.

When the door opened, it was a disheveled Adam who appeared framed in the doorway. His mouth was swollen and a series of love bites decorated his neck and chest, but Adam seemed strangely none the worse for wear. "Hi."

"Hey," said Sasha, amused that he'd obviously interrupted their lovemaking, relieved that there was lovemaking to interrupt.

Adam wore nothing but the faded jeans that threatened to slip off his slim hips. He seemed to sense his lover's barefoot approach without even turning his head, and he slid an arm around Jazz' shoulders, instinctively judging how close he was. Sasha was appropriately impressed. The bond between the two young men not only seemed unbroken, but stronger than ever.

"I brought your assignments," Sasha explained, wondering if Adam was even listening.

"Thanks. I'd, um, ask you in, but-"

"No problem, man. I'm glad you two are back together."

The look that flashed between Adam and Jazz was so heated that it made Sasha feel uncomfortable. "Are you coming to class tomorrow?"

"Sure."

"Let me know if you need any help with this stuff. Some of it got a little complicated, y'know?" Sasha said, referring to his notes for the Math class they shared.

"Okay."

Sasha snorted. "You're not even going to look at this, are you?"

"Nope," Adam returned without a trace of guilt.

"Just checking."

"You'll bring me up to speed if I need it, right?" Adam asked, knowing he could rely on Sasha.

"Absolutely." Sasha coughed politely. "Guess I'll be going. I was going to ask you guys if you wanted to join me and Skye for pizza over at the Rat, but I can see you have other plans."

"You bring my sister to the Rat?" Adam asked with deceptive calm.

"Well, I don't let her drink if that's what you mean."

"But they sell beer there, man. Not to mention some of the guys are real creeps."

"Cool your jets, man. When I'm with her, no one else dares come near her, much less hit on her."

Adam broke into an unexpected smile. "You sound proud of that."

"I am. Even though I keep having to explain to Skye that it's not that no one likes her."

"I'm not sure my father would approve of your taking her there anyway. The crowd's a bit old for her, man."

"We don't go there for the crowd," Sasha replied softly. "We go there to disappear."

At Adam's raised eyebrow, Sasha continued. "We go there to get away from your kid brother Luc. I think he wants to be a spy when he grows up."

Adam chuckled. "He'd better be careful. If Faith gets her hands on him, he won't live to see 9."

Jazz yawned expansively, not bothering to cover his mouth, and Adam immediately pulled him closer. "You tired, baby?"

"I'm waiting for you to put me to bed, baby," Jazz answered pointedly.

Sasha laughed. "My cue to take off. Be well and don't forget to come to class tomorrow."

"I won't."

"I'll remind him," Jazz said at the same time.

Sasha cocked his head, taking note of the reversal in their roles. Maybe their separation had done both of them some good. He handed over the papers he'd brought and waved.

He didn't even mind when Jazz shut the door in his face.

"That was rude, baby," Adam told Jazz.

"Ask me if I care," Jazz responded, winding his arms around his lover's neck. "We're not done yet."

"We're not, huh?"

Jazz shook his head and licked his lips with what felt like unbearable slowness to Adam. "I think I missed a few places," he said, indicating the faint bruises that decorated Adam's body.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Uh huh. Your ass is mine."

Adam inhaled sharply. "You want to fuck me?"

Jazz froze. That wasn't what he'd meant, but the thought of being inside Adam, the way Adam always took him, was compelling. "You want me to?" Jazz asked hoarsely.

"Yeah," Adam whispered, trying to remember to breathe.

"But we've never-"

"Maybe it's about time."

Unexpectedly thrust into the role of aggressor, Jazz raked his fingernails up and down the sides of Adam's bare upper torso. Their bodies were so close, Jazz knew the instant that Adam grew hard again. "You like the idea," Jazz whispered, feeling vaguely stunned by the revelation.

"I love the idea," Adam murmured against his mouth.

"You'd let me…" Jazz' voice faded away as Adam kissed him, hard, urgently.

"I want to feel everything you feel," Adam said, his hands finding their way into Jazz' hair.

Adam's fingers probed Jazz' scalp, tangling themselves in the long, silky golden brown strands. "I want you to love me the way I love you," Adam breathed against Jazz' mouth.

"I do. Adam-"

"I want to belong to you."

Adam was seducing him with words and he knew it. Jazz closed his eyes and wondered if he could even make it back to the bedroom under his own power.

Somehow he did.

Adam's tongue was in his mouth and Jazz could no longer think straight. He was accustomed to being led, but this was different. Adam was taking him, taking both of them, down a path that neither one of them had needed to explore before.

It would change them. Irrevocably.

Adam was surrendering control to Jazz in a very real and significant way. Jazz couldn't help but feel empowered by that. But it scared him as much as it excited him. What if he hurt him? He couldn't bear to hurt Adam any more than he already had.

Some of Jazz' concern must have shown itself on his troubled face because Adam shifted his attention abruptly to Jazz' neck, whispering, exhorting, and finally begging for Jazz to claim him. "Please, baby…"

Jazz gave in and they fell onto the bed together in a tangle of arms and legs. Adam responded to Jazz' ardent caresses with nothing resembling his usual demeanor. He was so hot, he didn't react with fear or pain when Jazz' slick fingers probed his entrance. Suddenly Adam's dark eyes were ablaze with something that went way beyond desire and simple possession. "Do it," he cried out.

Jazz tried to turn Adam over, but Adam resisted. "I want to see your face. I need to."

When Jazz entered him, Adam's virgin channel protested, but the overwhelming feeling of finally coming home made that pale into insignificance. For long moments, Jazz didn't move, panting in rhythm with his lover at the new sensations that surrounded them. Then Adam relaxed under him, and Jazz kissed him, warm, wet, open-mouthed kisses that mimicked the act of love.

Adam could barely breathe. He felt as though all of his emotions were pent up inside him, clamoring for release at the same time. It was too much. It wasn't enough. Jazz' hands fluttered along the length of his cock and suddenly he was there, his essence hot and sticky between their already overheated bodies.

Jazz pumped furiously a few more times and came, his semen flooding Adam's snug passage until it slowly trickled out. The younger man collapsed contentedly atop Adam and lay his head on Adam's chest. Repeatedly rubbing his cheek against Adam's flat male nipple, Jazz sighed. Adam wrapped his arms around him and kissed his hair. "I love you," came the fervent whisper.

Jazz snuggled under his chin., Adam's hand branding his bare ass with its heat. "I love you, too."

Adam's fingers traced lazy patterns across Jazz' lower back. "I love having you inside me," he whispered.

Jazz' well-sated dick throbbed to life within Adam's narrow canal and Jazz groaned. "We're not going to get any sleep tonight, are we?"

"You want to sleep at a time like this?" Adam asked with evident amusement.

"Mmm…" Jazz kissed the base of his throat and settled peacefully within Adam's embrace once more. "At this rate, we'll be out of hot water by morning."

Adam kissed Jazz' bare shoulder. "We could just stay stuck together."

"Forever?"

"Yeah."

"You're being romantic again, aren't you?"

Adam tugged on Jazz' hair and Jazz looked up, receiving a tender kiss for moving with such alacrity. "I love you."

He was never going to get tired of hearing that.

"Luc, you are so dead. The minute I find you, I swear, you are so dead. You're just…*so* dead."

Faith was chanting as she patrolled the hallway, searching for her younger brother. The way things were going, it didn't look like Luc would survive childhood, much less grow up. Her head down, Faith was concentrating so hard on what she was doing that she forgot to look where she was going and plowed none too gracefully into her mother.

"Fee! Would it be too much to ask for you to actually look where you're going?"

"Sorry, Mom. I'm on a mission."

"Very funny."

"No, really. I am. Luc took my new pair of tights and used them to make a costume. A Spider-Man costume, to be exact. He thinks he can fly. I'm going to make his dream come true."

"Fee," Nikita said, attempting to stifle laughter, "throwing your brother out the second floor window would not be a good idea."

"You never let me have any fun."

"That's what moms are for."

"Speaking of not having fun, I don't have anything to wear tonight. Can I grab something from your closet?"

"Fee, I'm your mother, not the Salvation Army. You have an allowance. Use it."

"But I'm desperate," Faith wailed.

"You always are, sweetie." Nikita regarded her seventeen-year-old daughter thoughtfully. "Are you going out with Connor?"

"Yeah. We're going to the Rat."

"That noisy place with the alternative rock music and seventy different kinds of beer? Fee, I wish you'd find a better place to hang out."

"I don't drink, Mom. So don't worry."

"Oh, I'm not worried. You're underage, Fee. It's illegal for you to be there."

"Mommm! Everybody who goes to the U goes to the Rat."

"You're not in college yet, Fee. Neither is Connor."

"Sasha goes," Faith whined.

"Sasha's 19."

"Skye's not." Too late, Faith realized what she'd said and clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Skye goes to the Rat?" Nikita asked in ominously dark tones.

"Oops," Faith squeaked.

"Where is your sister now?" Nikita demanded.

"Ummm…I plead the fifth?"

"Fee, we're in France. There is no fifth amendment here."

Faith smiled weakly. Skye was going to kill her. Right after Sasha did.

"What do you want to eat?" Sasha asked Skye. Their engagement was still new enough to both of them that they held hands while perusing the menu.

Skye shook her head. "I don't know why you ask, Beast. All we ever get is pizza."

"I'm sorry, Ange. I wish I could afford to take you someplace better."

"I don't care where we go. I just want to be with you."

"Well, at least it's dark here in the corner."

"Not to mention loud."

"Do you want to leave?"

"No, I want you to kiss me," Skye declared, setting her menu aside with a snap.

"*Before* the pizza?" Sasha asked incredulously.

"Of course before the pizza. Garlic comes after."

"I don't mind."

"You wouldn't," Skye said, rolling her eyes.

"What if someone sees us?"

"Like who?"

"Like me."

Skye gasped. It couldn't be. Fate couldn't be so cruel as to put Nikita and Skye together in the same dingy rock club. "Mom!"

"The one and only. Would you care to explain what you're doing here?"

"Is that a multiple-choice question, Aunt Nik?" Sasha chimed in, trying valiantly to protect Skye from facing retribution for something he did.

Nikita ignored Sasha, addressing her daughter directly. "You're lucky I found you and not your father. I want you out of here right now."

"But Mom-"

"No excuses, Skye. I'm not moving till you get in the car with me."

"But I'm here with Sasha, Mom. That's just plain rude. Besides, I'll be coming here myself when I go to college this Fall."

"Nice try, Skye, but the last time I looked, you were still 16."

Skye made a face, but she knew she couldn't win, not against her mother. Her mother had experience holding out against her father and the man was a legend.

"I apologize, Aunt Nikita. This was all my fault," Sasha said contritely, managing to sound exactly like Eddie Haskell.

"Sasha, shut up," Nikita said gently. "You'll be lucky if I don't tell Declan."

"Jeez."

"Let's go," Nikita said to Skye. "You can stay here," she told Sasha.

Sasha stood up and withdrew some coins from the pocket of his jeans. "Thanks, but I only came here to be alone with Skye."

"How could you possibly think you were alone, Sasha? There must be close to a hundred people here."

Sasha shrugged his shoulders and gave Nikita the one look that she could never resist. Nikita called it his Birkoff Look. All big dark eyes and heartwrenching vulnerability. Nikita sighed. "Okay, you're not busted. For now."

"Thanks," Sasha said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"But find someplace else to go, Sasha. I mean it."

Sasha nodded, immediately grasping Skye's hand in his. Nikita shook her head. The two of them were helplessly enmeshed in each other's lives. It reminded her of when she and Michael first escaped Section. It didn't matter that they had nowhere to go. They had to be together.

Nikita was on her way out when suddenly she caught a glimpse of a familiar face. With a groan, she realized that she was going to experience d'jà vu. This time with her son.

Chris was facing the dance floor when he spotted his mother approaching the table where he sat with Emmy. "Oh, shit. It's Mom."

"No way," Emmy said, preparing to duck under the table. Chris grabbed her by the wrist. "What are you doing? That's the first place she'll look."

Emmy pursed her lips and did a first-rate impression of her father Declan. "Now why on Earth would she be looking under the table, Tosh?"

"I dunno. She just would. Act natural. Like you're supposed to be here."

"But I'm not. She'll tell Da and I'll be grounded forever and-"

To stop the imminent anxiety attack that was building up, Chris kissed her. But as usual, once their lips met, they were lost in a world of their own, both sensual and romantic. When they parted, Emmy looked momentarily dazed, and then pressed a hand to her mouth. Without another word, she slipped to the floor under the table and crouched there, hidden from Nikita's inquisitive eyes.

Chris tried to pull her back up to her seat, but the arrival of his mother forestalled any further action.

"You're here by yourself, Chris?" his mother asked.

While Chris debated whether or not this was a situation that called for a tiny white lie, Emmy slowly slid her hands up the insides of Chris' thighs. Chris didn't react at all, his face as inscrutable as his father's, until she reached between his legs and caressed him.

With a jump that proclaimed his excellent reflexes, Chris said, "I'm sorry, what was the question?"

Emmy grinned mischievously and proceeded to press her face against Chris' groin. Chris shifted uneasily, his jeans suddenly way too tight, and struggled to concentrate on what his mother was saying. Emmy mouthed the bulge behind Chris' zipper through the material, and all at once, Chris' hand clamped down on the back of her neck.

"You look tense. Are you all right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, Mom. Honest."

"Good. Because I want to talk to you. I realize you don't drink, Chris, but I've already had this discussion with the others. You need to find another place to hang out. Somewhere they don't sell liquor."

"Uh huh," Chris said, feeling Emmy's long, elegant fingers unzipping his jeans. Jeez, they were going to hell in a fast car and Emmy was driving.

"Are you listening to me?"

"Yessss," Chris said anxiously, praying that his mother didn't investigate the source of his sudden attack of nerves.

"Well, I'd like you to leave, Chris. Are we clear on this?"

"Absolutely, Mom. I promise. I'll…get up in a minute."

"Now, Chris."

"Now's not really a good time for me, Mom. I just want to…um, collect my thoughts a second."

Emmy's tongue touched him and he was instantly hard. Crapcrapcrap, now he really couldn't get up. At least, not without losing a vital part.

"Is something wrong?"

Chris was about to answer when he saw Sasha and Skye come up behind Nikita. Skye's eyes widened as she noticed Emmy's bag on the seat next to Chris. Immediately jumping into the fray, Skye said, "Why don't we go to the ice cream parlor?"

Sasha caught Skye's eye and nodded slowly. "Yeah, ice cream sounds better than pizza. Let's do that, okay, man?"

Chris looked trapped. He couldn't get up and he couldn't sit still. At least, not for very much longer. Emmy was relatively inexperienced, but she made up for it with considerable enthusiasm. "Okay," Chris said weakly, unable to move.

The reprieve, when it came, made them all breathe easier. Nikita smiled and fingered her car keys. "Good. I guess I can depend on all of you to keep your word and move on, right?"

"Oh, positively, Mom," Skye replied, practically falling all over herself trying to get her mother to leave.

Sasha nodded. "We're leaving right now, Aunt Nik. Promise."

As soon as Nikita was gone, Sasha turned to Chris and hissed, "Where's my sister?"

"Under the table," Skye answered for her older brother.

Forcing himself under control, Sasha barely nodded. "I don't want to know what she's doing there, man. I can guess. But I'm sure I shouldn't know these things. After all, you probably don't want to know what I do with your sister."

Skye stared at Sasha in disbelief. "You have a positive talent for making things worse, you know that?"

Chris shook his head and looked miserable. "It's okay, Skye. I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself."

"And you," Skye turned on her brother, "what do you have, mush for brains? Why would you ask Em to give you a BJ almost in front of Mom?"

"I didn't," Chris protested.

A moment later, the girl in question raised her head above table level and peered at her closest friends and family. "It started out as a joke."

"Then what? You got carried away? I think Aunt Nik was right. We do need to find another place to hang, and Skye had the right idea. The ice cream parlor is a good place to start, at least for now."

Emmy tilted her head and studied her older brother. "Don't you get tired of being sensible all the time, Sash? Don't you ever feel like just being…impulsive?"

Sasha gave his sister a somber look. "I tried that, Em. It caused us all a lot of grief for a long time, remember? Now I know what's important. Now I have what I want…" Sasha gazed tenderly at Skye. "And I'm not ever letting go of it again."

Chris surreptitiously adjusted his jeans under the table, feeling his face flame bright red. It was a good thing that it was dark and no one could see him. He couldn't find it in himself to hate Emmy for what she did. She wasn't trying to embarrass him. But she did. He wasn't ready for their sexuality to be made public, even though his parents were aware of how far their relationship had progressed.

As if she sensed what was troubling Chris, Emmy whispered, "I'm sorry, Tosh."

"I know, Em."

"I didn't mean to hurt you. I love you." Now Emmy seemed truly distraught and Chris literally could not bear Emmy in that state. What hurt her…hurt him.

"I know, Soleil." Chris bent his head and kissed her, this time more chastely, and Emmy returned the kiss with all the tenderness in her heart.

Chris buried his face in her long red hair and whispered, "Je t'aime." Emmy closed her eyes, a dreamy smile transforming her beautiful face.

Skye leaned her head on Sasha's shoulder and murmured contentedly. "That's so romantic."

Sasha squeezed Skye's hand. "You want me to speak French to you, Ange?"

Skye snuggled closer and Sasha trailed a hand over her long, pale hair. "No. You can just talk like you, Beast, and make me feel all melt-y inside."

Sasha chuckled. "Oh, yeah?"

"Mmm…"

"It's a great book, Dec. You really should read it."

"Mm…"

"Is that your way of ignoring me? Or are you just too tired to see?" Sey asked his lover.

Declan rubbed his eyes and proceeded to stretch his lean frame across the couch. The couch faced a big screen television, which the kids used far more than they did, but there was an historical drama on that neither of them wanted to miss. "Was I yawning?" Declan asked before laying his head in Sey's lap.

"No," Sey answered, stroking Declan's long red curls.

"Then how do you know I'm tired?" Declan queried sleepily.

"You feel different when you're tired."

"You're bloody kidding."

"Nope. I swear."

"You're just saying that cause you can't keep your hands off me." Declan yawned again and struggled to keep his eyes open. Sey caressed Declan's face, the late evening growth of beard slightly abrading his fingertips. "True."

"If I fall asleep before this is over, just wake me up, okay?"

Sey bent his head and kissed him. Declan shifted in his lap to face him and reached up to hook an arm around Sey's neck. With a soft chuckle, Declan pulled Sey's head back down for another kiss, this one much deeper than the first.

"Is this how you want me to wake you up?" Sey asked with a glint of amusement in his dark brown eyes.

"Oh, baby, could you?" Declan said breathlessly.

"You sure you want to go to sleep in the first place?"

"I only have so much energy, acushla. We can either watch the movie or…"

"We can catch the movie when they repeat it next month," Sey interjected before Declan could finish his sentence. Sey's hand slid under Declan's shirt to palm his nipple and his lover stirred restlessly. "Well…maybe I could find a little more energy," he said huskily.

"You're going to have to get up," Sey reminded Declan.

Declan groaned. "But I'm so comfortable where I am, acushla."

Sey began to laugh. "You want to make out on the couch like a couple of teenagers?"

"Mmm…" Declan's silvery eyes shone unsteadily as he played with an errant strand of Sey's long, dark hair. "When I look at you, I think…you haven't changed a bit since the day I first saw you. Those eyes…that mouth…that skin…"

Sey's eyes danced with merriment. "You didn't fall in love with me at first sight, Dec. You're remembering it all wrong."

"Hush, acushla." Declan's face softened as he studied his lover. They had been together for a long time, so long that now Declan couldn't imagine being with anyone else, but it wasn't comfort or convenience that kept them together. It was a love so powerful and so intense that it left Declan in awe.

"I've loved you from the moment I met you," he whispered.

"You didn't even know me, Dec," Sey corrected with a chuckle.

"I didn't have to. You were meant for me. Like I was meant for you."

"I won't argue with that," Sey agreed, absently rubbing Declan's chest with the back of his hand. Declan could feel the impression of Sey's ring finger on his bare skin; the silver claddagh ring that symbolized their commitment felt warm to the touch. Alive. Like the vibrant man in his arms.

"You never take it off."

"What?"

"The ring."

"And I never will."

"Cause you're superstitious?"

Sey kissed Declan, his hand sliding lower until it reached the waist of his jeans. "Cause you gave it to me…" Sey unsnapped Declan's jeans and slipped his hand inside to caress the warm flesh that welcomed him. "…and it's the most precious thing I own."

Declan unconsciously spread his legs, giving his lover better access, and Sey took full advantage, stroking the velvety skin he found there. "Next to you, of course."

"Of course."

Seconds went by without a single word. Only the inarticulate sound of lovemaking. Then Declan gazed at Sey with heavy-lidded eyes. "Did you say you own me?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, you are a bloody miracle, acushla. Sometimes I think I made you up. Just cause I wanted you so bad."

"No one's ever loved me as much as you do, Dec."

"And they never will," Declan said, echoing Sey's earlier words.

Finding his father in a state of undress didn't faze Sasha at all. "Hi, Da."

"Hi, kiddo." Sey instinctively moved to protect Declan from scrutiny, but he needn't have bothered.

"Don't you guys ever use the bedroom?" Sasha teased.

"Now wouldn't that be boring?" Declan replied, evidently amused. He could feel Sey's discomfiture at being discovered this way, but he refused to be embarrassed. It wasn't as if they were having sex. Declan's jeans were undone, but all that showed was a fine sprinkling of dark red hair arrowing down to his groin. After carefully inching the zipper back up, Declan leaned back against Sey's thigh, Sey's hand now possessively wrapped around his hip.

"Maybe. But I'd settle for boring right now," Sasha said, sitting down.

"What's up?" Sey asked with a frown.

"I made Aunt Nikita promise not to say anything to you, but I can't keep this to myself. I screwed up."

"What?" Sey released his lover, vaguely alarmed by Sasha's announcement. Declan sighed and sat up, the top of his jeans still wide open.

"I'll let you take care of this, love," Declan said as he stood up.

Sasha gave his other father a sheepish glance. "Sorry, Da. I didn't mean to interrupt."

"No, no, it's okay. When you have kids, they'll bloody well do the same thing to you, boyo. You can bet on it," Declan commented dryly.

"When I have kids…Jeez." Sasha looked thoughtful and dumbstruck at the same time.

Declan eyed his son with compassion. "Which won't be for a great many years, kiddo."

"I know, it's just…wow. Me with kids."

"Boggles the mind, doesn't it? That's how Sey and I feel when we look at you and Em."

Sey inquired softly, "So what did you screw up?"

"I took Skye to the Rat with me."

"Don't they sell alcohol there?" Sey asked, his face grave.

"Yeah. We don't drink, Dad. I swear. All we do is eat pizza…and sometimes…we make out."

There was such a long silence that Sasha couldn't bear it. "Say something, Dad. I'm dying here. I know I shouldn't have taken her there. But sometimes it's so hard to find a place to be…alone."

"I hear that," Declan muttered under his breath, earning him a scowl from his lover.

"I can't bring her here. I don't have a car yet. I don't know what to do," Sasha said, sounding frustrated.

"But you understand why you can't bring a 16-year-old girl to the Rat, right?"

Sasha nodded, his eyes bleak. "After Aunt Nikita made us leave, we went over to the ice cream parlor. Just to hang out. Which is great. For hanging out."

"What are you asking me, Sasha? You want my permission to do something you know you shouldn't do? That's what's bothering you, isn't it? You know it's wrong, and you still want to do it."

"Why do I feel like this, Dad? I don't want to feel this way, but I do. It's like-"

"Not having control over your feelings?" Declan interrupted.

Sasha looked positively wracked with guilt. "Yeah."

He stared at his hands and continued, "It's like before. When I couldn't be with her. When all I could think about was…well, you know."

"But she was in England. Now she's home. And it's driving you crazy, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"I understand, Sasha. I really do. But-

"You don't know what to do any more than I do," Sasha said softly.

Declan raked a hand through his long red hair. "Does that surprise you? Sometimes there are no easy answers, kiddo. And sometimes…grownups don't have any more idea than you."

"You think we should stop having sex, don't you?" Sasha asked quietly.

Declan crouched down beside Sasha's chair and put his hand on his knee. "I'm not saying that, kiddo. I couldn't do that myself. How could I ask you to? When you love someone that much, the rest of it comes naturally, and now that you've started…"

"I can't stop," Sasha declared.

"You can't bring her here," Declan thought out loud.

Sey shook his head. "Definitely not."

"And I hardly think we want you two corrupting the little critters in the woods."

"Some not so little."

"Aye. You've been there, then?"

Sasha laughed faintly. "Not me, but…"

Sey cut off his son before he could complete his thought. Sey had a pretty good idea who was making love in the woods behind the house, but he didn't want to voice it aloud. He felt very protective of Declan. As liberal as Declan could be, there were times when he was distinctly Old World in his thinking. Learning how his daughter lost her virginity this way would be far too provocative.

"Besides, the leaves in your hair would be a dead giveaway," Sey said, silently warning his son not to share what he knew about Chris and Emmy.

"Yeah," Sasha said with an imperceptible nod.

"There is a place…" Sey let his voice trail off, wondering if Declan remembered, too.

From the way Declan's pale grey eyes lit up, he did. "The farmhouse," he said in awestruck tones.

Sasha looked hopeful.

"Of course, it belongs to Michael and Nikita."

"Damn," Sasha swore, feeling his hopes dashed.

"But I s'pose, if someone had directions, they could maybe find it all on their own…"

"And take their chances?"

Declan smiled. "What's life without a little risk?"

"You asleep?" Sey asked as he entered the cozily lit bedroom he shared with Declan. Quietly closing the door behind him, he leaned on it before he went any further, taking a moment to study his sleeping lover.

He was so beautiful. Though he often likened Declan to a pre-Raphaelite angel, there was more than a little Irish devilment in him. In fact, sometimes Sey thought it was this apparent series of contradictions that made Declan who he was. A complex, complicated, charismatic man…who just happened to be exquisitely wrought from head to toe.

Mildly disappointed that Declan was already asleep, Sey padded into the bathroom and brushed his teeth. After replacing the toothbrush in its holder, Sey turned off the light and approached the bed where his sleeping lover lay.

Declan was still wearing nothing but his jeans. He would probably regret sleeping in his clothes, Sey rationalized, as he began to pull Declan's jeans down. Trying not to look at Declan's half-erect dick, Sey tugged the jeans off his lover's ankles with a grunt.

"You must be tired," Sey muttered to himself when Declan didn't even stir. Sey quickly disrobed and pulled the covers back.

Before he could hide his nakedness beneath the bed linens, Sey felt a muscular arm wrap itself around his chest. "Hey! You're awake!"

"You're lucky, boyo. I was getting bloody tired of lying here waiting for you," Declan grumbled good-naturedly.

"Too bad," Sey said, sticking out his tongue. "I'm well worth waiting for."

"I heard that about you," Declan teased, skimming a hand along the side of Sey's head. Sey's long dark hair shimmered as Declan threaded his fingers through it.

"Mmm…that feels good."

"You're such a slut, acushla," Declan whispered, tonguing Sey's ear.

"Hey, just cause I'm easy doesn't mean I'm a slut," Sey groused.

"Aye, but you love everything I do to you. Either you have no standards at all or-" Declan stopped so suddenly, Sey groaned in frustration.

"…you love me to distraction," Declan finished finally.

Sey smiled and hooked a leg over Declan's hip, bringing their groins into immediate contact with each other. "Umm…that second one."

"You're going to get me all sticky, aren't you, baby?" Declan murmured.

"I sure hope so," Sey replied, doing a slow grind of his hips.

Declan licked a path from Sey's ear down his neck, clamping his teeth down on the tender skin of his shoulder when he reached it. Sey gasped and bucked his hips. "Easy, baby. Not so fast."

Sey quieted, his breathing still erratic. They stared into each other's eyes for several seconds, anticipation building the sensual tension between them. "When I first saw you…" Declan whispered, evidently picking up where he'd left off in the living room.

"…I thought…"

Sey waited breathlessly, certain that Declan meant to compliment him yet once more. But Declan grinned, his pale grey eyes sparkling mischievously. "…that you were too short, too thin, too pale."

"Thanks," Sey said sarcastically.

"Oh, and I hated your hair. You cropped it so close then. It really didn't do a thing for you, acushla."

Sey's dark brown eyes glittered dangerously. "Oh, really?"

"Aye." Pause. "Then I took one look at your mouth and I didn't care about any of those other things. I wanted to kiss you so badly."

"Is that why you avoided me for so long?"

"I was fighting…my own desire. I knew you'd never been with a man before. I could tell. You were so skittish around me, though, and that gave me hope."

"Why?"

"Cause I could see you had feelings for me, too. Feelings that scared you. Feelings that were at odds with what you thought you knew about yourself."

Sey dropped his gaze to Declan's chest. He could feel the intensity of the initial attraction between them as though it were yesterday. "I wanted you to kiss me," he confessed. "I wanted you to just…take me over and live inside my skin."

Declan nudged Sey's lips apart with his tongue and kissed him passionately. "Oh, God, I wanted that, too. But you weren't ready to go that far. No matter how much you thought you wanted it."

"I know. I wish…we had, though."

"What?"

"Gone that far." Sey's eyes grew moist. "When I think of how much I hurt you…" His voice broke and he pressed his trembling body closer to Declan's.

"You didn't mean to, baby. I know that now," Declan soothed, stroking Sey's hair until he began to calm.

"Do you?" Sey looked up suddenly, tears glistening in his velvety brown eyes. "Do you, really?"

"Yes," Declan whispered. He kissed Sey once on the mouth, his hands fluttering upwards and through his lover's hair, lifting it off the back of his neck. With a groan, Declan buried his face against Sey's shoulder, unconsciously rubbing his cheek against the place he'd marked with his teeth.

"I forgave you for that a long, long time ago, acushla," Declan uttered hoarsely. "Even before we became lovers."

Sey placed his hands over Declan's, feeling the subtle tension in the muscles there. "I want you to take me-"

"I will," Declan promised.

"-the way you would have taken me then. If I hadn't been so totally stupid about loving you," Sey urged.

"Ah, but we can never go back, leannan. No one can," Declan said softly.

Sey's eyes filled with more tears. "But I want to make it up to you."

A flash of pain so fleeting it might not have been there passed over Declan's face. "You have. By loving me the way you do."

"But I wish we'd started sooner. I want more time with you, Dec. The few years we've had aren't enough," Sey whispered.

"Oh, my love," Declan said, pulling him roughly into his arms, their lovemaking forgotten. "Don't you know? We're going to go on forever. Love like ours doesn't fade away just because we're gone. We'll be like the bloody stars."

Sey sniffled against Declan's neck, his hand clutching at his long red hair. "You are so fucking beautiful. You know you're going to shine brighter than me, don't you?"

Declan couldn't speak. He could only hold his lover close and pray that God was listening.

"It doesn't look very…um…*inviting*."

"According to Dad, it's been in a state of disrepair for a while," said Sasha, who was beginning to wonder if this was such a good idea after all.

Skye rolled her eyes at him. "Translation, please?"

"Your Mom and Dad haven't exactly kept the place up."

"I wonder why," Skye mused out loud.

"Well, your Dad's been pretty busy at the U. Maybe he and your Mom haven't had a chance to get away."

"That's a shame. They used to be…" Skye stopped and unexpectedly colored, her cheeks suddenly bright red.

"What? They used to be what?"

"A pretty hot couple. I remember…"

"Ahem. So do I. I'd really rather not think of your Dad that way, though, okay?"

"Why ever not?"

"Think about it, Ange," Sasha said between clenched teeth. "I'm insecure enough as it is. I have almost zero control where you're concerned and-"

Skye gave him a brilliant smile that lit up her entire face. "I like that part."

"You would."

She reached up and kissed him, effectively silencing him for the moment. "I like having that kind of power over you, Beast."

"Mm," Sasha whimpered. "I'm in trouble now, aren't I?"

Skye nodded. "Just as soon as we find the bedroom."

"I hope there aren't any mice here," Skye said anxiously, scanning the entryway for errant creatures.

"It doesn't look so bad inside, Ange," Sasha chimed in cheerfully.

Skye gave him a dirty look. "If you think I'm getting on my hands and knees to clean this place from top to bottom, you're dreaming."

"Umm," Sasha said shyly, feeling his erection straining against the zipper of his jeans. "When I think of you on your hands and knees, I'm not thinking about housework, baby."

"Oh? Maybe you should get down on your hands and knees for me, Beast." Skye's tongue flicked out to moisten her lips and Sasha quivered.

"Ummm…"

Skye cocked her head, unable to tell exactly what Sasha was thinking, though if the shade of red darkening his cheeks was anything to go by, it definitely wasn't housework. "I meant to clean, of course. But you do have a nice butt," she whispered.

Sasha squeezed his eyes shut and counted to ten. That didn't help. He recited the alphabet. Backwards. That really didn't help. He was just trying the multiplication tables when Skye kissed his cheek. He opened his eyes to find her regarding him with affection.

"I won't tease you anymore, Beast."

Inwardly breathing a sigh of relief, Sasha nodded. "The stairway's over here. Maybe the bedrooms are upstairs."

"Think they're clean?"

Sasha glanced at her anxiously, as if he thought she might change her mind about making love. But he couldn't lie to her. "Probably not, Ange."

"Then maybe we will have to do a little cleaning first," she said brightly. Clearly the thought of literally sweeping away the cobwebs didn't bother her in the slightest.

By the time they swept and dusted and swept some more, the bedroom was beginning to look habitable. Sasha brought kindling inside and started a fire in the fireplace. It wasn't all that cold, but Sasha liked the idea of a fire. It transformed the dark, slightly cramped room into a cozy fire lit space.

The only problem was, all of their hard work was taking its toll on both of them. When the linens were changed, Skye collapsed on top of the bed. It had an antique headboard and it was probably the most romantic thing she had ever seen in her young life. Unfortunately, a cloud of dust surrounded Skye moments after she landed on her back, sending her into a paroxysm of sneezing.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Sasha asked, hovering over her expectantly.

"I will be," she said with a watery-eyed smile.

"Maybe we should just give up-"

Skye grabbed Sasha by his shoulders and kissed him, her tongue entering his mouth in one sinuous motion. He fell on top of her, his chest squashing her breasts uncomfortably, and she broke away, giggling uncontrollably for a few seconds. Then she sobered quickly and stared intently into Sasha's bittersweet chocolate eyes. "I love you so much, Beast."

His breath completely stolen away by the look in her light blue eyes, Sasha whispered, "I love you, too."

"Please make love to me."

"I don't think there's a force in heaven or on earth that could stop me."

When they were undressed, Sasha was glad he had built the fire. Without it, the room would have been considerably cooler. He threw himself onto his back and sprawled bonelessly across the antique bed. "Come here," he beckoned huskily.

Skye crept up the length of his body very slowly, daintily pressing kisses to his warm and exceedingly willing flesh. She lay her head on his chest, the peaks of her nipples at once sharp and silky against him. He plunged his hands through her long, pale hair, praying for the control to last long enough this time to make it good for her.

They kissed, long, slow, deep, drugging kisses that threatened to send them both up in flames. With a suddenness that took Sasha by surprise, Skye straddled him, instinctively guiding him into the center of her body. Throwing her head back, her hair almost golden by the firelight, Skye began to move, undulating in a blatantly erotic fashion. Sasha opened his eyes and cried, "The condoms!"

"Ohhh," Skye sighed disappointedly. "Just this once? I want to feel you…inside me."

"No, no, no. It's too dangerous, baby."

"You don't have to come…yet."

Before Sasha could disagree with the wisdom of that statement, he was there. He came with a groan, his hips rocking back and forth involuntarily as he held onto her tightly. She met his thrusts with powerful spasms of her own, whimpering her release even as her long blonde hair spilled across his face.

He pushed her hair out of his face and kissed her, a few wet strands clinging to the corner of his mouth. With a moan, he rolled both of them over, burying himself deeper inside her. Her arms criss-crossed his back protectively, his body a comfortable weight atop hers. "Mmm, I love you."

Sasha couldn't bring himself to leave the warmth of her womb. He wanted to stay there forever.

Then it hit him. "Oh, God, what did we do?"

Skye smiled dreamily. "Don't worry, Beast. Daddy'll forgive you if you make him a grandfather."