Feedback: All comments, questions, complaints etc. are welcome
at jb7811@bellsouth.com
(still waiting for a Snickerdoodle recipe ;-)
Series/Sequel: Sequel to "Benevolent", but can stand alone
Spoilers: None really, but takes place after "Blues in A-Minor" but before "Fantasy".
Disclaimers: Barna-Alper, Chris Haddock, Alliance-Atlantis, the CBC, and most of the other taxpayers in Canada own a piece of these characters. I don't even own this computer. Characters used without permission. No condoms were harmed in the making of this fic--but this is just *fantasy*, right? Right.
Notes: I just found out that the show spells Bobby's last name "Marlow", but I've been writing it with the 'e' for so long that I can't change the habit. Callum Keith Rennie plays Bobby, and Nicholas Campbell plays Dominic.
Big huge thanks to Mouse, Nicole, and Barb for beta and making sure the guys sounded right. Thanks to Deb for early feedback/support and some interesting suggestions that I might actually use someday--maybe. ;-)
Thanks to the wacky women at the CABS site for providing the list of the "Top 10 Things You'll Never Hear in Slash." There's only one in here, but I hope to eventually work everything on the list into a story--maybe all in the same story. My essential perversity demands it. Oh yeah, I borrowed it without permission, which I'm sure is something they'd understand. ;-)
Summary: The morning after...and then some. Or...Bobby satisfies a fixation... (Sorry, I suck at summaries)
------------------------
The slight dip and bob of the mattress, a puff of cool air across his back, soft footfalls on the carpeted floor...all conspired to draw Bobby Marlowe from the oblivion of sleep. Vaguely remembering the exhaustion of the night before, he tried to drift off again, but his mind suddenly caught up with events. His eyes popped open as he realized another person had just gotten out of his bed. As he focused on an unfamiliar wall, he realized that he wasn't in his bed at all.
As he rolled over and took a deep breath, a distantly familiar scent reached Bobby's nose. The fuzzy confusion burned away in a single word, Dominic. Stretching his whole body until his spine gave several satisfying pops, Bobby smiled slightly and ran through his mental pictures of the night before... Dominic's hands comforting, his voice quietly consoling, his mouth hot, his body strong and even hotter, the wrenching release he gave Bobby both physically and emotionally... That release had, at least partially, allowed Bobby to compartmentalize all the crap he'd been through in the last few months. As long as he could put things-- events and their outcomes and consequences--into their proper little sections of his mind, he could deal with anything...eventually.
Through the closed door of the bathroom, Bobby could hear the shower come on, and he briefly considered joining Dominic. Deciding he was too cold to get up yet, he burrowed back under the covers and closed his eyes again. He was dozing lightly when a female voice called, "Hey, Dad... You up yet?"
Bobby sat up quickly, fully alert for the first time all morning, just as a perfunctory knock sounded on the bedroom door and a teenaged girl stuck her head in saying, "I was right. I can't stay with her. She's just as--"
The girl broke off when she saw Bobby and said, "Umm...who are you and where's my dad?"
Bobby hitched the fallen bedcovers higher around his middle, and glanced toward the bathroom. "I'm Bob Marlowe, a...an old friend of Dominic's. I guess you'd be Gabriella? He's talked about you a lot and shown me your pictures."
"Yeah? That's interesting since he's never mentioned you." When she continued to stand there and stare at him, Bobby felt a flush creep up his neck and over his face. His ears were nearly burning, but there was nothing he could do to escape her scrutiny. It wasn't like he could get out of the bed and put his clothes on, although he desperately wanted to do just that.
"Well, we've worked together a few times. I'm a cop." Speaking just to break the tension, Bobby wracked his brain trying to figure a way out of this with minimal embarrassment for all. "Your dad ought to be out of the shower soon. Why don't you go put some coffee on for him?"
Bobby followed Gabriella's gaze as it flickered over the rumpled bed to the nightstand where a sticky bottle of lubricant lay on its side, as if tossed by a distracted hand. He suddenly felt an odd mix of emotions, embarrassment for being caught by this kid, and resentment for feeling embarrassed. He also felt a bit of resignation for he'd reached a point where he expected the worst in every situation.
"Don't insult my intelligence by claiming this isn't what it looks like." Gabriella spoke with only the barest trace of the petulance that Bobby might have expected, if he had ever tried to envision a situation such as this one.
"The thought never crossed my mind." When he heard the shower cut off, Bobby reminded himself that he was the adult in the room. Giving the girl a stern but unthreatening look, he tilted his head in the general direction of the kitchen and said, "Coffee?"
Gabriella shot a glare at the bathroom door and sighed in that explosive 'why does everything happen to me' way that only a teenage girl could. "Fine. You do know I actually *live* here."
Bobby nodded even though she hadn't been asking a question so much as staking a claim. As soon as she was gone, he fell back against the pillows with a sigh of his own. Of all the ways he might have imagined starting the day, this wasn't even a remote possibility.
Dominic walked into the bedroom wearing an open bathrobe over boxer shorts. He was rubbing his hair with a towel, and when he pulled it away to speak, damp spikes of dark grey, dark brown, and silver poked out in random directions. A quick bolt of lust hit Bobby so strongly that he didn't catch what Dom said to him and had to ask for a repeat.
"I asked who you were talking to. I thought I heard voices." Dominic dropped the towel on the end of the bed and smoothed his hair down with both hands, and Bobby felt his insides settle as if they had been smoothed down too.
"I was talking to Gabriella."
"I didn't hear the phone." Dominic was giving Bobby that sideways look that said 'please don't say what I know you're going to say'.
"She's in the kitchen making coffee. Well, that's where I sent her, anyway." Bobby smiled uncomfortably, and brought the last of his arousal under control. "She's a real pretty girl, seems very confident and smart. You must be proud of her."
"Oh yeah, you could tell all that, huh? I'd be even more proud if she could have gotten along with her mother for just couple more hours." Dom looked exasperated, which was understandable, but Bobby thought he could detect some disappointment in the other man's eyes. Shoving that tantalizing thought away, Bobby got out of bed and gathered up his clothes.
"I'll go grab a quick shower while you explain..." Bobby almost dropped his clothes when Dominic stepped close and pressed a kiss to his lips. When the older man moved away and went to his closet, Bobby continued, "While you talk to Gabriella."
"It'll be all right. She's a good kid." Dominic was pulling
out a dark suit and crisp white shirt, not even looking in his direction,
so Bobby just turned and went into the bathroom.
After his shower, Bobby got dressed and combed his damp hair back. He borrowed Dominic's razor and toothbrush so that he wouldn't look quite so disreputable if Gabriella was still around. It was bad enough that he had to wear yesterday's clothes. Before he left the safety of Dominic's room, he straightened the covers on the bed. He'd have changed the sheets too, but he didn't feel comfortable poking through his friend's closets looking for a clean set.
Bobby knew he was stalling, so he took a deep breath and walked out to the kitchen. Dressed in one of those sharply fashionable suits he favored, Dominic was leaning against the counter sipping a cup of coffee, reading the morning paper with his glasses perched on his nose. Bobby looked around, but the two men appeared to be alone in the apartment.
"Where's your daughter?" Bobby almost smiled as Dominic jerked his head up in surprise.
"She had to go to school. I didn't hear you come in." Dominic pulled his glasses off and raised an eyebrow. "You been standing there long?"
"Feeling paranoid?" This time Bobby did smile. He felt as if all the tightness inside him had eased overnight, and he was determined to enjoy the no doubt fleeting sensation. "Can I have a cup of that coffee?"
"Oh sure. Here you go." Dom reached into a cabinet and got a cup, filling it and offering milk and sugar as smoothly as if he did it every day. Maybe he did for all Bobby knew, but he somehow didn't think so.
"I hope my being here didn't cause you too much trouble." Bobby took a cautious sip of his coffee, welcoming the warmth of the mug in his hands. "How much did you have to explain?"
Dominic set his cup down on the newspaper and said, "Not as much as I wish I did. She's a frighteningly clever girl. She put two and two together and came up with four very quickly."
Bobby nodded. "The numbers were pretty much laid right out there for her."
"We had a brief discussion of safety, both sexual and otherwise, and then she sought reassurance that this wasn't going to become, and I quote, 'some weird My Two Dads thing'. I'm not entirely sure what she meant by that, but I explained that she wouldn't be losing her place here or anything like that."
Bobby found himself quite unsure what to say to that. Sure, he and Dominic had spent the night together, but that didn't mean anything about their lives was going to change. He'd needed a friend, and Dominic had been there. They'd done it for each other before over the years they'd known each other. If Bobby were as honest with himself as he usually tried to be, he'd admit that he'd sought out Dominic last evening hoping the night would end as it did--in the morning. At the moment, that kind of honesty would just get in the way of his sudden desire for distance. "Ah. Well, I'm glad she wasn't traumatized to find another man in her Dad's bed."
"A *naked* man is how she put it, but no, your being male didn't bother her half as much as the idea that I might want to have sex at all--with *anyone*. Apparently, since I'm so old, it's an unpleasant idea, practically unthinkable." Bobby could read the amusement in Dominic's eyes as he lifted his mug for sip.
"You're getting around pretty good for an old guy. Feeling all right this morning?" Bobby spoke lightly, but there was real concern in the words. He wasn't sure how rough he'd been with Dominic last night. His memories of the actual sex were rather disjointed, with some moments as starkly clear as a crime scene photo and others so hazy he couldn't be sure they were real.
"I've got a few more aches than usual, but nothing that can't be ignored. Last night was good for me, Bobby. Don't you doubt that for a minute." Dominic stared at him intently until Bobby ducked his head and smiled.
"I got it. But I'm going to pay you back." Bobby held up a hand when his friend would have protested. "I know it's not a debt. It's more than that, and less. Just know that anything you need, all you gotta do is let me know. Anything at all."
"Bobby..." Dominic patted Bobby's arm briefly and glanced at the clock. "I've got to get to work, and I'm sure you do too. Call me sometime and we'll have lunch...or dinner. Whichever's good for you."
Bobby nodded and thought about what would be good for him. Maybe letting Dominic fuck him next time. That might be good. Now that he considered the many things they could do to each other, it all sounded good. He took the jacket Dom held out to him and said, "Yeah, I'll do that."
"The rest of this week's going to be a killer. How about sometime next week? Sound good?" Dominic shrugged into his overcoat and picked up his briefcase, turning into a busy professional on his way to the office. He didn't look like a man who'd be poking around dead bodies all day, or like a man who'd encouraged an old friend to fuck him senseless the night before.
"Yeah, sure thing." Bobby followed Dominic out the door and headed for home. If he hurried he could go home and change clothes without being very late for work. His sergeant was an easygoing fellow, so he'd be okay either way.
****
Bobby pushed the door of the cafe open and went inside. His eyes searched the room and quickly found Dominic sitting in a booth talking to someone whose back was to the door. Although he was mildly disappointed they wouldn't be alone, he walked over and sat down next to Dominic, finding himself face to face with Mick Leary, a homicide detective he'd come in contact with a few times on the job, but hadn't spent much time with.
Mick nodded a greeting to Bobby and then said to Dominic, "Look, I don't disagree with you here. I'm just saying we're gonna have to find another way around the case. We don't have a suspect yet for all that physical evidence to convict."
"Well, that's your job, isn't it? I've given you as much as I can on this one." Dominic waved the hovering waitress over, and waited until everyone had ordered before saying, "Hey, Bobby, how's it going?"
Bobby felt oddly constrained with Mick sitting there watching him and Dominic, so he just nodded and said, "It's good."
"You look like you haven't been sleeping much." Dominic said, with a concern that Bobby hoped wasn't as obvious to Mick as it was to him. Under the table, he pressed his leg against Dom's briefly before speaking.
"Haven't you heard that's overrated? I've been working a particularly time-consuming case, that's all." He turned his head slightly and blinked hard to chase away the gruesome images the case brought to mind. He'd be reliving it all in court one day soon, but for now he'd rather focus on something else. "We caught the son of a bitch late yesterday afternoon, so I spent most of last night doing interviews and paperwork."
"Was a bad one, eh?" Dominic was giving him that look again, and Bobby wished he would stop. That quiet sympathy was making him think of the comfort and solace that he'd found in Dominic's bed a week ago. He needed it again, but didn't want to ask for it. These things--these cases had never bothered him so much before Gwen's death. He'd done his job, gone home, had a drink or six, and then slept peacefully. Now that he usually skipped the drink, the sleep wasn't coming as easily as it once did.
"Yeah, bad. Not only did he rape his victims, but he also cut them first. The last one's still in intensive care." Bobby shook his head, and reminded both himself and his companions, "But we got him. We stopped him before he could hurt victim number six."
Welcoming the interruption of the waitress, Bobby picked up his water glass and drained half of it, washing away the memory of bile burning the back of his throat, to keep from losing his appetite. He was grateful when the conversation drifted to other subjects after the waitress left. He ate his lunch without much enjoyment, offering occasional comments and soaking up the warmth of Dominic's body beside him.
When lunch was over, the three men hit the sidewalk and prepared to go off in different directions, back to their respective jobs. Dominic lingered a moment at Bobby's side as Mick walked off down the street toward his car. "So are you going to be working late again tonight?"
Bobby's stomach gave a little flip, but he answered in an even voice. "No, shouldn't be. I've already racked up too much overtime lately."
"You want to do something? Go out for dinner or a drink or something? Just the two of us." A beam of sunlight chose that moment to peek around the edge of a big cluster of puffy charcoal rain clouds, striking Dominic full in the face, lighting his eyes with grey-blue fire before he squinted, diffusing the effect. Bobby was transfixed with a sensation so foreign he wasn't sure what to call it. It might have been peace, but it slipped away too soon for him to be sure.
Dominic shifted his feet and glanced at his watch, and Bobby felt a mild stab of guilt for just standing there staring at him. He mentally shook himself and said, "I don't... How about you come over to my place for dinner? I'll cook for you."
"Real home cooking? Sure, what time do you want me?" Dominic asked with an eager smile that made Bobby think of many things, but food wasn't one of them.
"Is seven good?"
"Yeah, I'll be there. You're still living in the same place?" Bobby nodded and watched Dominic hurry back to work. He had a busy afternoon of his own ahead of him but, now that he had something to look forward to, it wouldn't seem as interminable as it might have otherwise.
****
Hearing the knock at the door, Bobby glanced at the clock and wondered where the time had gone. Not sure that he was ready for this evening, he turned off the stove and headed for the living room. Taking one last look around at the hastily straightened room, he shoved a stack of newspapers, which he'd missed on his earlier cleaning blitz, under the sofa.
With extraordinarily large butterflies in his stomach, Bobby wiped his damp hands down the sides of his pants and opened the door. He greeted Dominic with a slight smile, and reminded himself that there was nothing to fear, that he'd known this man for years. Dominic was his friend first, and anything else was icing on the cake.
True to form, Dominic immediately gave Bobby a penetrating look and asked, "How you doing, Bobby? Really."
"I'm just fine, Dominic, and how are you, this evening?" Bobby spoke with exaggerated politeness to cover the fact that he was suddenly wondering how fast he could get Dominic out of that suit. The man looked much too neat, like he just stepped off the pages of GQ or Esquire. Bobby had an intense desire to mess him up a little.
"I'm good," Dominic replied, pursing his lips just a bit in a habitual expression that Bobby'd seen him do a million times before, but this time, he felt compelled to do something about it.
Crowding Dominic back against the closed door, Bobby leaned in and planted his lips on Dominic's. The butterflies immediately settled down as the rest of his body perked up. By the time he slowly sucked Dominic's lower lip between his teeth, his arms were braced against the door, trapping Dominic between his body and the hard wooden surface. While this dominating position gave Bobby a curious thrill, what thrilled him even more was that Dominic didn't seem to mind at all. Dominic's arms had come around him and his fingers were digging into the back of Bobby's shirt, as if pushing hard enough would get him to bare skin.
With their bodies pressed together chest to knee, Bobby ground his hips against Dominic's. His friend's growing arousal meeting his own through the layers of their clothes sent a jolt to his groin bringing his cock fully erect. Moaning lightly, Bobby slipped his tongue into Dominic's mouth where he was met eagerly. As far as Bobby was concerned, this was all good and more would be even better, but the thought did occur to him that he should make sure that, physical responses aside, Dominic felt the same way. Working in Sex Crimes had made him more aware of consent issues than most.
Reluctantly pulling his mouth away, Bobby opened his eyes, unable to clearly remember closing them. Dominic stared back at him, his mouth wet, flushed, and still slightly open. His hair was rumpled from Bobby's fingers, and Bobby smiled in satisfaction that he didn't look so neat any more.
"Are you sure--"
"Why'd you stop--"
They both stopped trying to speak at the same time and grinned. Bobby placed his fingers over Dominic's lips, and repeated, "Are you sure you wanna do this? We could just have dinner."
Dominic opened his mouth and took two of Bobby's fingers inside, flicking his tongue over the sensitive tips and making Bobby almost forget what he'd just asked. With one last gentle suck, Dominic released the fingers and said, "Yeah, I wanna do it."
Bobby leaned in for another deep kiss while he loosened Dominic's tie and unbuttoned his shirt. He released Dom's mouth just long enough to pull the tie up over his head and then dove right back in. Tossing the tie carelessly over his shoulder, Bobby slid his hands over Dominic's bared chest, raking his fingers lightly through the hair. He paused briefly to pinch each nipple gently before moving down to his flat stomach, where he went to work on getting Dominic's pants open without removing his mouth from the other man's.
The freedom of being with another guy was intoxicating. As much as Bobby loved women and making love with them, there was always a bit of mystery, of uncertainty. With another man, he knew exactly what he was doing, and the familiarity of having been with Dominic before just increased his confidence. When he got Dominic's pants and shorts down, he wasted little time in taking what he wanted--what they both wanted.
Lowering himself slowly to his knees, Bobby pressed kisses to Dominic's abdomen, feeling the spark of each one inside his own lower belly. Moving his mouth steadily lower, he heard a faint moan from above. He stopped and looked up, past the frame of the open pearl grey dress shirt to Dominic's face, but all Bobby could see was the underside of his chin as his head tilted back against the door. He stroked his tongue across the head of Dominic's cock and waited for a reaction. Dominic's moan, louder and sounding more heartfelt than the last, skittered over Bobby's skin like a hot breeze.
With one hand bracing Dominic's hip, Bobby wrapped the other around the shaft of Dominic's cock and lowered his mouth once more. He ran his tongue around the edge of the foreskin, absorbing the distinctive flavor of Dominic's skin. It was a saltier, more intense version of the taste of his kiss, and Bobby was entranced by the vague wildness that suggested something untamed hiding beneath the civilized veneer. He licked and savored for several moments, until a voice started to babble above him and a hand twined in his hair.
"Bobby, Bobby, Bobby, come on, quit teasing, Bobby, damn it..." There may have been more, but Bobby stopped listening when the fingers tightened painfully in his hair and the hip under his hand flexed in a barely controlled thrust. He wanted to play a little more, but if Dominic was getting too impatient to wait, Bobby'd give him want he wanted. With one last lick across the slit, Bobby opened his mouth wide and took the head of Dominic's cock into his mouth. Sucking gently, he took more and more until the cock hit the back of his throat. He swallowed and then gave a little moan, drawing another string of babble from Dominic. He did it again and got a gasping wordless cry in response. That crack in the veneer was exactly what he'd been waiting for.
Trusting Dominic not to make any sudden moves, Bobby removed his hands from Dominic's body so that he could open his jeans. He was already so turned on from giving Dominic pleasure--and satisfying his own oral fixation at the same time--that he knew he wouldn't last long if he could just get his cock into his hand instead of pressing painfully against his zipper.
Using only his mouth, he brought Dominic off as he wrestled his uncommonly tight jeans open and shoved them down his thighs. After swallowing Dominic's essence and giving him a few parting licks, Bobby climbed shakily to his feet, pushing the slightly smaller man hard against the door as he used various parts of Dominic's body for handholds. When he was finally standing, or rather leaning, he moved his hands to cradle Dominic's face. Dominic enthusiastically met his kiss, twining his tongue around Bobby's and apparently ignoring the taste of his own come in Bobby's mouth. Bobby didn't have time to wonder too much about it, as his leaking cock nestled between their bodies.
The friction of Dominic's hot sweaty skin on his aching flesh sent Bobby right over the edge. He thrust and rubbed against his partner until he came against Dominic's belly in a couple of long hard streams that seemed to pull at his spine and melt his brain. For a single moment, Bobby felt a stunning perfection that could have carried him to his grave happily. The feeling faded somewhat as he became aware of the ache in his knees and the cooling wetness on his torso.
Bobby raised his head from Dominic's shoulder, wondering how it had ended up there and when they'd stopped kissing. He could taste Dominic so strongly that it felt like they still were. He fixed his blurry gaze on Dominic and saw that the other man's eyes were still closed and he was breathing hard, almost gasping for air. He gathered the last spark of energy in his body and moved away, pulling his pants up as he stumbled the few feet to the sofa.
Collapsing on the cushions, he picked up a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the end table. He shook one into his mouth and set the flame to the end, then tossed the pack and lighter down. After drawing the smoke deep into his lungs, he released it on a long satisfied sigh. Then he shook his head and chuckled. He felt good, but just a little bit silly, like a teenager who couldn't control himself. "I swear... I really did invite you for dinner."
Still propped against the door as he struggled to right his clothes with considerably less coordination and grace than usual, Dominic looked over at Bobby and replied, "Oh yeah, that's right. What are we having?"
For a moment, Bobby couldn't remember what was in the pot on his stove. He racked his memory to come up with the answer. "Uhhh...beef stew if I remember correctly. I guess I should go heat it up again." He remained slumped on the sofa, one hand lifting his cigarette to his mouth while the other plucked his messy shirt away from his stomach. In all the excitement, he'd forgotten to take it off.
Dominic walked over to the couch and sat down next to Bobby. "You know those things'll kill you."
"So many things will, Dominic. So many things will." Bobby took another puff and rubbed his thumb over the thin red scar on his cheek. Sticking the memory back in its box without actually looking at it, he patted Dominic on the leg. "You hungry?"
"A little, but it can wait." Dominic put his hand over Bobby's and held it still when Bobby would have withdrawn it.
****
"So I've got the cuffs on and I'm putting him in the car, and this...this punk says, 'It's guys like you that make me want to stay home and play with my Billy doll.'" Bobby waited for Dominic to finish snickering before he continued. "I thought my partner was gonna dislocate something from laughing so hard." Pushing his empty bowl away, he picked up his glass and rattled the ice when he discovered it was empty. "I think I'll make some coffee. You can stay awhile?"
"Not all night. Gabriella's back from her mother's, so I have to go home and set a good example. I have time for a cup." Since that was pretty much what he'd expected to hear, Bobby nodded his understanding as he stood and went over to the sink to fill the coffeepot.
Dominic started stacking the dishes on the table, but Bobby waved his hand dismissively. "Leave them. I'll do it later. So how's your crusade going? Getting any interest from the mayor's office?"
"Ah jeeze, it is *not* a crusade. You sound like Jimmy now."
Dominic continued to expound on the advantages of setting up a red light
district, peppering his remarks with carefully worded complaints about
his boss, the mayor, and certain city council members. Bobby'd heard
some, if not most, of it before so he didn't really concentrate on the
words so much as the feeling he got from just listening. Dominic's
fire warmed him, and his presence lightened the loneliness for a while.
It was nice...comforting...and he hoped that he had done the same for Dominic.
The End.