Title: Benevolent
Author: Nicole S. and Amy B.
Fandom: Da Vinci's Inquest
Pairing: Dominic Da Vinci/Bobby Marlowe
Rating: NC-17
Webpages: Amy -  http://joy_hs.tripod.com/Index.html
Nicole - https://members.tripod.com/Nic-S

Series/Sequel: No
Feedback:  Yes, please, to Nicole at oscar204@aol.com
and Amy at  jb7811@bellsouth.net
Disclaimers:  Alliance Atlantis owns the show and the characters.
Spoilers: minor ones for "A Cinderella Story" and bigger ones for "Blues in
A-Minor"

Notes:  We cajoled, threatened and dared this story out of each other, so
decided to write it together.  Dominic Da Vinci is played by Nicholas
Campbell, and Bobby Marlowe was played by Callum Keith Rennie (and we hope
he will be again).
Warnings:  M/M sex and a few swear words.

Summary:  We all need comfort.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Benevolent
by Amy B. and Nicole S.
11/99
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The cases with kids were always the roughest.  For the first time in many
months, Dominic Da Vinci found himself wanting to stop at a bar on his way
home from work.  The sweet oblivion that a few drinks would bring him was
mighty tempting after the last few days.  But if the mess with Regan and
Victor Marx didn't drive him back to the bottle, he wasn't going to let this
case do it either.

It would be a long time before he got Byron Mizlowski's face out of his
head, and even longer until he got Richard Zeto's out.  But as bad as he
felt about the terrible mistake they had all made in going after the music
teacher to the exclusion of everything else, he knew that Bobby felt even
worse.

As if called up out of his thoughts, Bobby Marlowe's voice called to him
quietly from behind.  "Hey, Dominic, wait up."

"Bobby..." Dom stopped on the sidewalk and let the other man catch up with
him.  "How are you doing?  You holding up?"

"Yeah, it's... I'm holding up."  He raked a hand through his already
standing on end hair, then shoved both hands deep into his jacket pockets.

Dom started to say something, but stopped when Bobby sighed and looked at
him with sad eyes and said, "I talked to Ryner Paget again.  Now he's saying
it was four men in black robes that molested him, and one of them was
Satan."

"That's rough."  Dominic winced and shifted his briefcase to his other hand.
He put his arm around Bobby's shoulders, and started walking toward his car
again.  "Come on.  You got anyplace to be?  Why don't you come home with
me?"

Bobby shook his head and hunched his shoulders.  "I got no place to go.
Wait a minute.  I thought your daughter was living with you now..."

"She's at her mother's tonight.  We'll order in and you can talk or we can
watch a game.  Whatever you want."  Dominic could tell that his friend
hadn't been sleeping well--if at all.  Dark circles made his blue eyes seem
sunken in his face.  "Come on."

"Yeah, okay.  You don't mind that I might not be the best company right
now?"

"Nah, I'm not exactly Mister Cheerful myself."  Unlocking the car door, Dom
motioned for Bobby to get in before going around and sliding into the
driver's seat.
 

*^*^*^*^*

"A beer sure would be good right now."  Bobby sank into the couch cushions
until his spread knees were higher than his waist.

"Yeah, or an entire bottle of scotch, but I don't have any.  Not anymore."
Dom set the pizza box on the coffee table and went to the kitchen, still
talking over his shoulder.  "We'll have to make do with soda.  Or I can make
some tea?"

"You don't have to go all domestic for me."  Bobby smiled slightly as he
lifted a slice of pizza out of the box.  "Soda's fine."

Dominic came back with the drinks and settled on the couch next to Bobby.
The two men ate in silence, while Dom flicked through the television
channels with the remote control.  After going through every channel at
least five times and finding nothing that caught his eye, he turned off the
television and clicked on the stereo, turning the volume low enough to be
barely noticeable in the background.

"So, Bobby...How are you really?"

"I'm...okay...I guess.  No, I'm... lonely.  Gwen...we weren't together for
long, but I miss her something awful."  Bobby wiped his mouth with his paper
towel napkin and tossed in the empty box.  "You know how you get used to
having someone there... and then they're not.  I should've kept her away
from the low track.  It was too dangerous, and I *knew* that, but I didn't
once try to stop her."

Setting his glass down, Dominic put his hand on Bobby's leg, rubbing
soothing circles over the soft faded denim.  He spoke in a low, comforting
tone as he tried to reassure his friend.  "She was a grown woman--an
intelligent woman--and she made the decision, right?  There was no way of
knowing she'd be a killer's next victim."

"I'm a cop, Dominic.  A *vice* cop."  Bobby's voice almost broke as he said
the words that nearly every cop uttered at one time or another, "I should
have known."

"Beating yourself up about it won't bring Gwen back.  You want to make it up
to her?  Get her daughter out of the life.  Get Madeline away from creeps
like Gerry Towne and back to being a normal kid."

"I want to, but she hasn't called me yet.  I'm afraid that if I go see her
again, it'll just push her further away."  Bobby shifted closer to Dominic,
pushing his thigh into Dom's hand, reminding the older man that he'd stopped
his petting.  He resumed the motion that was as soothing for him as it
seemed to be for Bobby.

"Well, you do what you have to, buddy.  Okay?"  He widened the circle his
hand was making, skimming Bobby's knee before dipping down to his inner
thigh.  He resisted running his fingers over the tempting bulge behind
Bobby's zipper, preferring to keep it simple for the moment.  "How's this?
Feel good?"

"Yeah," Bobby sighed, resting his head on Dom's shoulder.  "It's real good.
Thanks."

"It's okay."  Dom leaned his cheek against Bobby's silky blond hair, and
closed his eyes.  "I know."

"Yeah, I guess you do."  Bobby put his hand over Dominic's and said, "You
talked to Zeto, right?"  Did it make you feel any better?"

"Maybe a little.  Not nearly enough.  The poor bastard's life will never be
the same."

"I know that, and I'm sorry for it too.  But what else were we supposed to
do, given the evidence we had?  Or thought we had..."

"Well, that's the rough part, Bobby.  We did what we could...  Maybe
hindsight makes it look easier, but that would be an illusion.  You know as
well as I do that when you're in the situation, it's never easy."

Bobby turned his head to meet Dominic's gaze and said, "I really believed
Ryner.  I believed his fantasy.  How'm I supposed to trust my judgement
anymore?"

"You trust twenty years of good police work.  That's what you do.  Beyond
that, I don't know.  Why do you think I have all the answers?"

"Somebody has to have them."  Bobby smiled and Dom could see a bit of the
old charm--the old spark-- in his eyes again.  He remembered suddenly the
bright young rookie he'd met so long ago.  Bobby'd had a fire then, and
Dominic could still see embers of that passion for the job still glowing in
this much more jaded man on his sofa.  This case wouldn't be the one to
destroy Bobby.  Time would soften the blow it had dealt, just as it would
for Gwen's death.

Patting the side of Bobby's head in a move just short of a caress, Dominic
sat up straight and waited until his friend did the same. "It's getting
late, and I'm getting old.  I'm about ready to pack it in for the night.
You're welcome to stay-- either on the couch or in with me.  Your choice."

"Thanks, Dom.  I don't think I want to go home to an empty house tonight."

Dominic stood to take their glasses and dinner trash to the kitchen.  A few
steps away, he turned back and told Bobby to help himself to the bathroom.
"Just make yourself at home, okay?"

Bobby nodded absently and Dominic continued on to the kitchen, wondering
where the younger man had gone to in his head.  Not a happy place would be
his guess.  When he returned to the living room, Bobby was still sitting on
the sofa, staring into space.  Dominic left him there and went to get ready
for bed.

Nearly an hour after Dominic had gotten in bed, he heard Bobby go into the
bathroom and several minutes later come to the open bedroom door.  Looking
up from the book he'd been only half reading, Dominic watched Bobby hover on
the threshold as if unsure of his welcome.  Backlit by the hall light, and
untouched by the bedside lamp, Bobby's face was in shadow, but Dom could
feel the man's relief when he folded the covers back on the left side of the
bed.  "Come on, Bobby.  It's okay."

While Dominic closed his book and took off his glasses, Bobby walked over
beside the bed.  He kept his head bowed as he stripped down to boxers and
T-shirt.  He slipped under the covers and lay stiffly at the edge of the
bed, until Dominic reached out and pulled the unresisting man into his arms.

Nestling his face into the hollow of Dominic's shoulder, Bobby curled one
arm around the older man's middle and sighed deeply.  "I think I've missed
this the most.  Having someone to sleep next to, another warm body in the
bed."

"Yeah, I miss it sometimes, too."  He chuckled and added, "Among other
things."

"Oh yeah, I definitely miss *that*," Bobby replied, stroking his fingertips
over Dominic's T-shirt covered abdomen.  "I miss all kinds of that."

"Well, neither one of us has to miss it tonight."

Dom put his glasses and book on the bedside table, but didn't turn off the
light.  He held the cop in his arms, rubbing his back, making the same
circular motions that he had made earlier on Bobby's leg.  He knew all about
how Bobby felt.  What human being couldn't feel that way?  He had tried to
help those kids, tried to take their side.  He'd busted his ass only to get
shot down in flames.

Suddenly, Bobby's head came up and he looked at him.  Dom knew what Bobby
wanted, but he also knew he wasn't going to make the first move.  He brought
Bobby's face up to his and kissed him, soft and tender, his hands cupping
his face.  He pulled back and looked Bobby in the eye, double checking as to
what they both really wanted.  Bobby gave him a slight nod, and Dom knew it
was really okay.

Dom continued kissing Bobby, his cock starting to throb in his boxers.  He
hadn't felt like this in so long.  And Bobby...  it had been so long since
he felt this way with Bobby, almost a decade.  The last time they had been
together, both of them were drinking.  This was the first time they had
actually felt each other without a drunken haze between them.  It was good.

He rolled them over so Bobby was beneath him and quickly stripped the man of
his clothing.  Bobby had bulked up recently, and he looked good with the
weight on.  Dom removed his own clothing so their naked flesh caressed each
other.  Then he kissed him again.

Bobby's mouth was sweet and needy, whimpering whenever Dom pulled off for a
brief second.  He moved his mouth down to Bobby's neck, hearing a moan come
from the man as he licked his collarbone.  Moving lower, he let his tongue
lick the salty skin until he got to a nipple.

He could feel Bobby's cock dig into his leg as his fingers plucked the
nipples on the chest below him.  He looked up and found Bobby's eyes closed
and his hands clenched into fists.  Bobby took things so hard, took all
those kids' pain into himself so he felt it for them.  Dominic moved back up
and kissed him on the mouth again, his tongue entering briefly.  They rolled
over so Bobby was on top, and Bobby tried to roll them back again, but Dom
stopped him.

"C'mon, Bobby.  I wantcha to."

Bobby actually blushed, his eyes downcast.  "I haven't done that in a long
time."

"Well, now's your chance."

Dom left the bedroom and rummaged around in the bathroom for a minute, then
he went to the bedroom down the hall before coming back with a bottle of KY
and a condom.

"My daughter doesn't know I know, but it's kinda handy she has 'em."  He lay
down on the bed again, the lamp bathing his body in a warm glow.  Bobby
kissed him again before moving down to prepare him.

When Bobby's fingers penetrated him, Dom arched his back and closed his
eyes.  Damn, it had been a long time and it was going to be uncomfortable
for the first while.  But Bobby was gentle, stretching him slowly, caressing
his balls with the back of his hand.  When it came time for Bobby to enter
him, Dom flinched, but after a few strokes, it felt great.

Bobby leaned over him, pushing Dominic's legs into his chest to gain access
to his mouth.  Dom noticed Bobby's eyes were shut tightly, and his face was
a mask of pain, not physical pain, but the pain of all those kids having
this done to them.  Dom reached up and caressed his face.

"Open your eyes, Bobby," Dom breathed.

Bobby's eyes snapped open.

"It's okay," he whispered.  "Let me take it, Bobby, let me take the hurt
away."

Bobby stopped.  Dom looked up at him, his hand still caressing his face.
"Give it to me.  Pass it on to me."

Bobby's face changed from pain to hurt, as he started to move again.  He
buried his face in Dom's shoulder; every thrust punctuated with a cry.  Dom
stroked Bobby's back, whispering it was okay in his ear.  "Give it to me,
Bob.  I can take it."

Reaching down, Bobby found Dom's cock and stroked it until the older man
came with a hoarse cry, but Bobby wasn't done yet.  He moved his hips back
and forth, sobs coming from his mouth, tears rolling down his cheeks.  Dom
held onto him, not letting go until the cop came in a shuddering explosion
of emotions.  Bobby collapsed on top of Dom, sobbing into his shoulder.  He
cried for a long time, Dom just holding him until his tears subsided.

A few minutes later, Bobby stirred and rolled off of him.  "That better?"
Dom asked.  He moved to the side and found a box of kleenex beside the bed.

Bobby sat up.  "Yeah, it's...  thanks."

Dom cleaned them up, throwing the soiled kleenex into the waste basket.  He
lay back down and took the cop into his arms.  Soon, Bobby was asleep,
breathing heavily, his weight pushing down on Dom's body.  Dom kissed the
spiky blonde hair and sighed.  He knew that wouldn't completely take Bobby's
grief away for good, but for now it was good enough.

The End.

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