I\'m a father?

Title: I'm a father?

Subtitle: Take me home

Author: Lady Snowblossom

Pairs: Rei/Bryan, Kai/Tala, Spencer/Ian, Tyson/Max, and various other pairings

Disclaimer: Not mine!

Note: I am terribly sorry for the wait! I have rewritten this bear of a chapter at least a dozen times and have never been happy with it, so I’m offering this final version and I’ll hope for the best. For some reason, I was just blocked when it came to getting this down, and I want to thank everyone for they’re help and patience.


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"Rei is not going anywhere without me." Bryan eyed the two nurses with intense displeasure. The falcon was disgruntled to note that his deadliest glare wasn't affecting either woman. Angie gave him back one that was just as intense and said firmly. "Bryan, Rei is sick. I don't know how long you have been awake, but it has obviously been for awhile, or you wouldn't know that Tala and Rei have to leave."

"Long enough." The Russian snapped back, "and I mean it, Rei is notgoing anywhere without me."

"Bryan," Rei said quietly as he struggled from the chair and wobbled his way over to his falcon's side. "Don’t argue, please. I really don't feel good right now." Bryan looked over at his little love and gathered him against his side with one arm.

Moonlight eyes studied the sweet face before him and Bryan felt his insides crawl; Rei's expressive eyes were hazy with pain, and his golden skin had paled to a tan color. "Rei, how long have you been feeling ill? And why didn't you tell Kai or me?"

"Not now, Bry." Rei whispered as he reached a shaking hand up to cup his lover's cheek. "I had my reasons, but I don't want to talk about it now." Rei really hoped Bryan wouldn't press for answers right now, because he really didn't feel good and wasn't up to arguing with the other boy.

A familiar icy feeling crept up his spine as Bryan stared down at his tiger and he felt his heart freeze with fear. He released the rail to wrap his other arm around Rei and unable to keep his own balance without the support, began to topple over pulling Rei down with him, when a pair of strong arms caught them and a pair of solemn blue eyes gazed into his.

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Tala watched as Rei made his painful two step trip to the bed and cursed himself for not noticing sooner that the Chinese was ill. He had been so wrapped up in his own worry that he hadn't even realized that Rei was hurting for a far different reason.

"Dammit," he muttered from where he sat behind Kai, who turned his head and looked quizzically at him. Jerking his chin at the pair on the bed, he growled, "no one gets sick that fast, so what did we miss?"

"We miss?" Kai said softly. "Da, you, me, Bryan, how did we allow Rei to even show up at the stadium, when he is obviously sick." Tala said as he watched Bryan release the bedrail. His eyes widened before rocketing off the bed so fast, he nearly knocked Kai over; lunging across the space between the beds to catch Bryan as he tilted over.

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"Thanks, wolf." Bryan said as Tala lowered him to the mattress and helped Rei to settle down on Bryan's chest.

"Don't mention it." Tala replied as he pushed the button to raise the head of the bed. "Bryan, why didn't you tell Kai and I that Rei was ill?"

"Because I didn't know!" Bryan's disgust was evident, "Do you think I'd have allowed him to even thinkabout competing if I had known?"

"Nyet," Tala said quietly, his bright gaze moved to his 'brother', "you would not, so when did he become sick?"

"I’m right here, you know.” Rei said sourly, then he sighed, “It was right after lunch and honestly, Tala, I thought it wasn't anything worse than a severe headache."

"And yet, you . . ."

"I had my reasons." Rei didn't allow the redhead to complete his sentence. "And I'm not telling you what they were; because I don't feel like arguing about it."

An icy voice spoke from behind Tala. "You may not want to talk about it now, but we will discuss it later." Kai was furious, both with Rei and with himself for not noticing.

Rei flinched.

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Angie and Rachel were feeling decidedly out of the loop. From the conversation going on Rei had gotten ill some time after lunch and hid that fact from his captain and friends. And, as Angie looked at the three Russians, they weren’t very happy about it.

"Angie,” Rachel whispered as she stared gaped mouth at the four youths, “have you ever seen a comatose patient, let alone two regain consciousness that quickly before?”

“No.” She answered as she slowly reached into her pocket for her cell phone.

“Do you think we’ll have to call in security?” The strawberry blonde whispered as she frowned at the display of affection between the four.

“Only as a last resort,” Angie replied as she punched some numbers into her handset, “I’d rather try to reason with them first.” She paused, then spoke urgently into the phone, “Brenda, page Drs. White and Strongbow, their patients in four eleven have woke up. We need to know what their orders are.” She paused again and listened, “right. After you do that, please call transport and have a wheelchair sent up, we have a patient that needs to be taken to emergency. Oh, and have housekeeping send up someone with a mop and bucket.” There was another slight pause, then Angie quietly acknowledged the response and hung up.

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"All right, peeps!" Grandpa Granger waved his arms at the assemblage of boys, "let's get a moving! No need to be taking up space, when we can't do any good here!" He began to make shooing gestures and the crowd of youngsters laughed and began to hustle for the door.

Outside, the shadows were getting longer and some of the people standing around in the smoking area were discussing where they might go for dinner. Ignoring the buzz of voices, Lee sighed as he followed in the wake of Enrique and Oliver: his mind full of dark thoughts.

"What was that sigh for?" The soft voice nearly startled him out of his skin and he jumped sideways with a surprised yelp. "I'm sorry," Robert said as he reached out and steadied the lion, "I thought you knew I was there."

Sternly telling his racing heart to settle down, Lee smiled wanly at the German. "That's all right, I was lost in thought and didn't hear you." As he stood there, he was conscious of the fact that Robert hadn't released his hold on his arm and he fervently hoped that he wasn't blushing.

"If I might, could I ask what you were thinking about?" Robert forced himself to release his grip on Lee's arm, it had felt so right to be touching him. At Lee's surprised look, he added quietly, "you don't have to tell me if you don't want too."

"No, that's all right." Lee replied shrugging his shoulders, "I was just thinking that this trip hasn't turned out quite the way I thought it would." Robert's heart twisted at both the bleak tone and the dull look in the usually sharp ebony eyes. He opened his mouth to enquire further, but at that moment from up ahead of them came a sharp cry.

"Hey, why don't you warn somebody that you're gonna stop like that!"

Lee's head shot up and he and Robert both turned toward the cry. About twelve yards ahead of them stood Kevin and Steven. The short green haired neko-jin was waving his arms and snarling up at the burly American, who was regarding the shouting imp with an amused expression.

As the Chinese and German began moving toward the pair, Steve casually curled his fists on his hips and drawled lazily, "It's not my fault you weren't watching where you were going. After all, I'm kinda hard to miss." Then he gave Kevin with a considering look, then smirked, "Of course, perhaps if you'd grow a little, you might be able to see over a curb and wouldn't be having a problem with running into people."

Lee groaned. Kevin's jaw dropped. Oliver and Enrique, along with Max and Tyson started snickering. Kevin blinked, then he exploded, "Why you . . ." He lunged for the American blader, only to be brought up short by Gary's hand on his tunic collar. The larger neko-jin hefted his shorter teammate up and held him at arm's length.

"Gary, put me down!" Kevin flailed his arms and legs in a vain attempt to free himself, as Steve turned and began to walk away. "Hey!" the Monkey shouted, "you come back here! I'm not done with you!"

Lee stifled a laugh at the outraged look on Kevin's face and strode purposefully in front of the boy. "Kevin, stop that yelling. The last thing we need is you making a scene." He said sternly, as Kevin continued to struggle. "But, Lee!"

“But, what?”

"He said I was short." Kevin growled rebelliously, as he glared at the boy just boarding the bus. "Yeah, so?" Lee shrugged, as Kevin turned his glare back to his captain, "who hasn't told you, you need to have a growing spurt. Gary, take him to the bus, please." Gary silently nodded and began to carry off the monkey. Kevin growled and hissed as he was borne off, and Lee ignored the sputters and mutters as they headed for the bus. As Lee turned to watch them, he murmured quietly, "I just hope they don't kill each other."

A quiet laugh reminded him that Robert had been at his side and he flushed. “Ah, Robert,” he began embarrassed, but Robert held up a hand. “Sometime, I will have to tell you about traveling with Johnny.” The German said with a slight grimace, “you are not the only one with a teammate who has a temper.”

Lee grinned at the grimace, “Now, that would be a great dinner topic.” I could think of a better one. Robert thought, as Lee continued, “We can swap stories and see who has the bigger pain in the butt teammate.” The two captains laughed in perfect understanding as they resumed walking toward the bus, Lee’s dark mood lightening as they went.

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Before anyone else could say anything, a ginger-haired girl appeared in the doorway and smiled cheerily. “Transport!” She chirped as she maneuvered the chair into the room and paused just inside the door.

“Hullo, Tina, that was quick. We only just called.” Rachel said quietly, “just a second and we’ll have your patient ready for you.” Tina shrugged, “I had just taken someone to room four twenty-four, so they just sent me over, since I was all ready here.” Rachel nodded and moved to help Rei, but Bryan tightened his grip and brushed her hand away.

Tala frowned and he reached out and smacked his obstinate warrior upside the head. “Boris Bryan Kuznetsov, stop being an obstructive ass and let them do their job!” Bryan opened his mouth, but Tala ran roughshod over whatever he had been about to say. “I don’t want to hear it!” He snapped, then sighed as Bryan closed his mouth. Leaning closer to his friend, Tala looked deep into silvery lilac pools and said softly, ““if you have ever trusted me, trust me now. I will accompany Rei and will guard them with my life.” He watched as the moonlight eyes closed and Bryan sighed, “I hate it, when you cut to the heart of the matter like that.” Bryan said wryly.

“I know.” Tala replied smugly, “but you also know I’m right.”

“Da, but that doesn’t make it any easier.” Bryan said resignedly, “I’ve trusted you this long and I’ll trust you with this. But,” the moonlight eyes opened and Bryan fixed Tala with a deadly look. “If anything happens to them, you had better be dead, because you’ll be praying to die, before I get done with you.”

“Are the two of you done now?” Rachel asked in a tone that clearly said teenagers! Tala gave her a cool smile, but nodded. “Da. We will go with the girl downstairs.” Rachel gave him a look, but nodded back. Then she turned her attention to Rei.

“Rei, come on now.” Rachel coaxed gently, as she reached over to help the boy. Rei sighed as her hands closed on his shoulder and he obediently began to shift over, but Bryan tightened his grip and refused to let him do move than twist his hips. Rei gave his lover a quizzical look. “Bry?”
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“I want to go with you.” Bryan’s voice was colored with desperation. The falcon hated the way his body was betraying him when he needed it the most. Rei was going downstairs with only Tala for protection and that hurt; he should be the one protecting his kitten – not the wolf.

“Bry,” Rei whispered, “you can’t and you know it. But, Mr. D. told Tala and I that he was going to try and get us permission to stay with you and Kai overnight, so if that happens, unless what I have is contagious – I will come back to you.”

“You better.” Bryan whispered as he pressed a kiss to Rei’s forehead and Rei gave him a watery smile. Rachel frowned, then her eyes widened at the look on Tala’s face as he stared at her. Quickly, the strawberry blonde schooled her features into a neutral look and as Bryan slowly released his death grip, eased the Chinese away and onto the waiting wheelchair.

Tala gave Bryan’s shoulder a squeeze; then he turned from the falcon and deliberately went to Kai and tilted his head up and pressed a kiss to his lover’s lips. “I’ll be back.” He whispered and hugged the phoenix. “I know.” Kai whispered back, “take good care of him.”

“I will.” With a final squeeze of his arms, Tala spun and followed Rei and Tina out the door.

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Lee leaned back against the cool vinyl of the seat and closed his eyes. Behind him, Kevin and Steven were still having at each other, and Michael’s variously worded suggestions that the two shut up, or at least, keep it to a dull roar were only causing the volume to go up.

‘I should go help him.’ The lion thought, but he just couldn’t seem to move. Behind him, he heard the slight ‘whoosh’ of a seat cushion as a body settled on it.

“Amazing, the things people choose to do to relieve tension, isn’t it?” The voice was weighty with understanding. “Some meditate, or practice drawing a sword, or maybe even pick a meaningless argument.”

“Meaningless argument?” Lee opened one eye and tilted his head back to look up at Mr. Granger, who regarded him gravely.

“That shouting match going on back there, isn’t about height or whether a monkey can beat a bull, its about relief. Everyone has been so wrapped up in what’s been going on the last couple of days, that now that they know everything is all right, they can let their hair down and cut loose.”

“But, the All-Starz’s weren’t really involved . . .” Lee began, but Gramps cut him off with a snort.

“What does that have to do with it? The Majestic’s weren’t really involved. Yet when they saw an injustice being done, they acted.” The old man sighed. “Oh, some might say they were only trying to protect the BBA from scandal, but it goes deeper than that, Lee. What we’re talking about here is respect.

Robert could have simply passed on the information his people sent him to Stanley and been done with it, but he did more. He involved himself in correcting an injustice by seeing that people he respected were moved to someplace where they could be protected. And Michael didn’t even need to do that, but he was willing to step up and do battle if necessary to see Robert’s plan thorough.” The old martial artist shook his head and stood.

“So, instead of worrying about a little shouting, you should be grateful that they cared enough to get involved.” Then, he headed back up the aisle to return to his seat.

Never before had Lee been treated to a dose of Mr. Granger’s special brand of wisdom and the lion was thrown for a loop by the seemingly dotty old man’s perception of the way things were. He worried his bottom lip for a moment as he pondered the words the old warrior had laid on him and sighed as he saw the truth behind them and embraced it. Then he thanked the Ancestors for sending the old fellow to teach him such a valuable lesson.

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As soon as the small party was out of sight, Kai laced into the falcon warrior. "Ti Durak! Fool! Baka!”

At the lash of Kai’s angry words, Bryan’s frustration at not being able to be with his love erupted into fury: his silver eyes turned to steel and he snarled back. “Shut up, Hiwatari! Don’t you even presume to lecture me, just because YOU’RE feeling guilty!” The pair of furious bladers ignored the nurses, who stared from one to the other, Bryan hissed as he shifted around the better to glare at Kai. “Now that the tournament is over, Rei’s no longer your responsibility, I’ll take care of him. So back off!” He hissed in warning.

“Oh, like you’ve been doing?” Kai spat back, before adding maliciously, “oh, wait! We’ve all ready had this conversation.”

Glancing toward the open door, where several curious people were craning their necks to see what was going on, Angie tried to intervene. "Boys, there is no need . . ." She could have saved her breath, because neither paid her the slightest bit of attention. Kai slammed his fist down on his mattress as he continued his rant, "I must say, you are doing a wonderful job taking care of him. All we have to do is look at the floor and Tala’s boots to see how well you’re doing!”

“Sic sukam sim!” Bryan spat back, “Before you jump onto me, maybe YOU can explain why you didn’t know, since you’re . . . ” He pointed at the phoenix: who snarled at him. “Mr. I’m-so-perfect Hiwatari, who TELLS everyone that he can read his team like a damn book!”

The threat of violence was thick in the air and Angie knew she had to take control, before things got out of hand. “Boys, that is enough!” She raised her voice and waved her hands to attract their attention. When they both glared at her, she shook a finger at them and said sternly, “If the two of you don’t settle down; I’ll be forced to ask your doctors for permission to sedate the pair of you, do you want that?” The looks on both of their faces were answer enough. “I didn’t think so.” She said coolly and turned to Rachel. “Would you please go and check to see if any new orders have come through for them.”

Rachel eyed the pair of Russians nervously and she leaned over to Angie and whispered, “Are you sure you want to stay in here with them – alone.”

“I’ll be fine,” Angie reassured her co-worker, “they’re afraid and the tantrums they’re throwing is just a way to blow off steam.” She cast a half amuse glance at the glowering duo. “My grandsons act the same way when they’re in a snit; so I’ll just treat them the same way I would Kynan and Trevor.”

“How’s that?” Rachel asked curiously.

“I try to reason with them,” Angie said loftily, then she grinned, “if that doesn’t work, I squash ‘em like a bug!”

Rachel laughed, “All right, I’ll leave you to your squashing.” And she went to the door, where she eyed the gathering of patients and staff. “All right, everyone! The show’s over! Off you all go!” She made shooing motions and with lingering looks, the crowd dispersed.

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“Well, that’s taken care of.” Stanley Dickenson said to himself, just the door to his office flew open and in stormed Grandpa G. Frowning; the portly chairman of the BBA rose to meet his friend and asked. “Why are you back so soon?”

“Docs wouldn’t let us see them.” The old martial artist replied, “so we left Rei and Tala to sneak into Kai and Bryan’s room and we came back here to find out, where you were sending everyone else.”

Dickenson fingered his mustache, “that shouldn’t have been a problem. I just got off the phone with Dr. Phillips, he’s the administrator in charge of medicine at Lennox Hill and he said, he’d make arrangements for Rei and Tala to stay with Bryan and Kai, immediately!” The old man said agitatedly.

“Relax, dude, if you just got done confabbing with the head man, maybe he hasn’t had time to alert his people. I’m sure if there continues to be a problem, either the redhead or the tiger will let us know” Gramps said calmly, “now, where is my grandson and his homies staying?”

The portly gentleman paused and raised an eyebrow, “By the way, where is everyone?” “Downstairs. I left them on the bus; didn’t think you’d want ‘em wandering around the place.” Gramps G replied as he took a seat on a maroon and black chair. Mr. D nodded, “that may be for the best, anyway to get back to your question. I felt it might be a bit awkward to put them in the Fitzpatrick with the White Tigers, so I made arrangements for everyone who needs lodging to stay at the Warwick.” Dickenson said quietly, as he turned to look out the window.

Gramps G rested his hands on his stick and sighed, “you might be right about that. Knowing my grandson and his temper, it would be better to keep him away from Mariah.” The old martial continued quietly, “Lee is going out tonight with Robert, while Oliver and Enrique have offered to take Spencer and Ian to dinner. Afterwards, if they want they’ll drop them off at the hospital. Johnny and Michael are going to the penthouse and wait to see if Rei and Tala want to go to dinner and the rest of the pack are either going to the movies or back to the All-Stars facility.”

“I’m certainly glad to see that others are making an effort to include Spencer and Ian, it gives me hope for their future.” Dickenson said as he turned back to his companion. “Well, they’ve come to see that no one hates them and they’re ready to test the waters of friendship.” Gramps G replied as he leaned back in his chair. “And one day, I think you’ll find that they’ll all have flown the coop.”

Stanley took off his glasses and polished a lens with his handkerchief, as he replaced them, he answered softly, “I look forward to that day, because it will mean that they have finally put the Abbey behind them”

“And that’s a good thing,” his old friend replied, then Gramps G grinned mischievously, “So, did you get me that ticket to the “Phantom of the Opera?”

“The BBA got us both tickets,” Mr. D smiled, “and the performance is tomorrow. And since everyone else has plans, how about dinner on me.” “Sounds good to me,” his companion said, “let’s get the troops sent on home, then we can go tie on the feed bag!” A playful smile curved his lips as he rose and headed for the door. “I think I could out eat Tyson, right now!” He shot over his shoulder as he opened the door and disappeared out it.

Dickenson laughed and followed.

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Ignoring the whirl of people in the emergency room, Tala stretched his legs out in front of him, as he sat next to Rei while they waited for their turn in triage. The redhead turned over options for approaching Rei over his silence about his illness, when a startled gasp from the boy next to him had him going on alert. Sharp blue eyes scanned for a threat and then, he relaxed as he saw what had startled Rei.

A tiny little girl had grabbed the end of Rei’s braid and was playing with it, her bright bird like eyes beamed as she chirped, “pretty kitty!” Rei smiled softly at the child and opened his mouth to speak . . . “Naomi!” A brown haired woman snatched up the child and without a glance at Rei and Tala, began to scold her. “How many times must I tell you not to leave my side!” And she turned to leave, but Naomi cried, “I want to stay with the kitty!” Her mother sighed in exasperation. “Naomi, don’t be ridiculous! They don’t allow pets in the hospital!” And she bore the child off.

“I am not a pet.” Rei muttered sourly. Tala snickered and settled back in his chair, “Oh, I don’t know about that; after all, you are Bryan’s kitten.” At Rei’s indignant glare, the redhead grinned and said softly, “Well, you are!”

“Humph!” Rei snorted.

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Lee stood in front of the full-length mirror and examined himself for any flaws. The woolen suit he’d chosen was a European cut that emphasized the width of his chest, while tapering the slight thickness of his thighs. As he twisted around to look at the back, there was a knock on his door and he scowled. ’Wonder who that could be?’ He strode over to the door and yanked it open. His scowled deepened when he saw who stood there. “What do you want?” He snapped.

Startled, Mariah stood balanced on one foot, her arms full of bags. “I . . .I . . .I brought the things I bought as you ordered.” She whispered, as she lowered her foot and jerked her chin at the items in her arms. “All right, bring them in.” Lee stepped back and allowed the girl to enter. As she passed him, he closed the door. “Just put them on the chair, I’ll give everything back to Mr. Dickenson in the morning.” Lee told her as he grabbed up his brush and returned to the mirror to begin brushing out his wild mane of hair.

Mariah piled up the bags on the indicated chair and turned to watch him. “Going out?” She asked timidly. Lee growled as the brush caught a snarl, but he answered her as he ruthlessly pulled the bristles through the snarl. “Yes, I have a date with Robert in an hour.”

“Robert?” Mariah queried, “why are you going out with that snob?”

Lee turned from the mirror and fixed the girl with a frown. “And how would you know?” Lee growled, “you’ve spoken to him, what? Maybe three or four times.” He waved the brush in Mariah’s face and as she backed away, he snorted and tossed the brush on the bed, while he retrieved the black leather thong he’d laid on the back of a second chair earlier. As he tied his hair back in a thick ponytail, he resumed talking. “Anyway, Robert is not a snob. I’ve found him to be soft spoken, thoughtful and rather charming.”

“You sound like you’re in love with him.” Mariah said bitterly. “So, are you going to be like Rei and abandon both our village and our ways for a foreigner!”

Lee pivoted slowly on his heel and stared narrowly at the pink clad female. “After what you did, what gives you the right to judge anyone!” Lee hissed as he stalked toward Mariah and grabbing her by the arm pulled her toward the door. “Bryan has made a few mistakes in his handling of Rei, but he’s learning – despite his upbringing. And,” he opened the door and shoved Mariah through it. “As for being in love with Robert.” He leaned forward and snarled in her fear filled eyes, “Neither the village or least of all – you, have the right to say nay to me, if I am!” And he slammed the door.

“Bitch.” Lee snarled at the closed door and taking a couple of calming breaths started toward the bed to put on his shoes, when the phone rang. Picking it up, he said quietly, “Hello?” The phone squawked at him and he smiled, “send him on up, please.” And he hung up.

A few minutes later, there was a knock and he opened the door to find a young man wearing a suit standing at his door. “Mr. Lee Ki?” At Lee’s nod, the man continued, “I’m Stewart Lancing from Cartier’s, sir, and I have a package for you from Mr. Robert Jurgen.” He held out a slip of paper, along with a pen. “If you will just sign the receipt.” Lee scribbled his name on the slip and after examining it, Stewart handed Lee a flat white wrapped rectangular box, then he nodded to Lee. “Good evening, sir.” and left.

Lee stepped back into his room and closed the door. Walking over to his bed, he sat down and tore the brown wrapping paper off to reveal a red box with gold trim and Cartier’s printed in flowing script across the middle. Opening the box, he gasped, inside was a gold chain necklace with a lion pendant carved from amber dangling from the center. He stared down at the beautiful thing and breathed, “Robert.”

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Mariah stared at the closed door and her shoulders slumped. “Lee,” she whispered. Giving the door one last despairing look, she turned and drifted back down the hall – alone.

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The hallway outside the examination rooms was a crisp white with dark blue trim. Tala had been pacing the floor from corridor to fire exit, waiting for some kind of word ever since Rei had been taken inside. He had just reached the fire exit, when he heard a door slam and he turned just in time to see the doctor who went in to examine Rei come out. He started towards the man, who turned his head towards him and waved him closer.

"Young man," the doctor’s nametag read Frasher. "Who is Mr. Kon's legal guardian. We need to do some x-rays and he refuses to have them." Tala glared at the man and said coldly, "Rei doesn't have a legal guardian. He has been living on his own for years and answers only to himself and his lover." The doctor didn't look happy at that, "Well, where is she? Maybe, she can get him to . . ." "Her?" Tala laughed, "doctor, his mate is a man; my teammate Bryan and he's currently in bed on fourth floor." Tala crossed his arms and smirked at the look on the man's face, "so, you'll have to deal with me. Why do you want to do x-rays?"

Doctor Frasher looked distinctly unhappy at Tala's words, "he has a possible tumor on his abdomen and . . ." He stopped talking at the shaking of Tala's head. "It's not a tumor, doctor. It is a baby."

Doctor Frasher blinked at the calm words, and then he shook his head. "Young man, now is not the time for pranks! Your friend's very life could be in danger! Is there no one I can contact to persuade him to have the x-rays?"

Tala glared lethally at the man. "Why won't you listen? You would be endangering his baby!" The doctor sighed; there would be no help from the angry boy in front of him. In fact, he'd have to see that the staff psychologist checked the youth’s sanity. "Look, young man, your friend is a male and boys do not get pregnant." He said patiently.

"They can if they are neko-jins." Tala snarled back, aware that the doctor was patronizing him.

"They certainly can." Both males turned and saw an elderly Chinese man in a white lab coat standing in the junction of the two corridors; gazing calmly at them.

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Promptly at seven-thirty, Robert walked through the door of the Fitzpatrick and headed for the registration desk. “Robert!” The German looked around at the call and smiled as Lee hurried toward him.

“Lee,” Robert eyed the Chinese, then he said quietly, “did my present not reach you?” He cocked a curious brow, when Lee flushed and held out the box. “It did, but Robert, I can’t take this! It must have cost you a fortune!” Lee tried to shove the box into Robert’s hands, but the German refused to take it. Seeing that Lee was genuinely upset by his gift, Robert looked around and spotted a place, where he and Lee could talk about this.

The nobleman took his lion by the elbow and led him across the foyer to the secluded corner and releasing Lee’s elbow placed both hands on the shorter youth’s shoulders and said quietly, “Lee, the money is nothing.” He bent closer to the other and murmured, “It would give me great pleasure to see you wear it, so please don’t refuse me.”

Lee shivered at the warm brush of Robert’s breath on his neck and his flush deepened. “But, Robert . . .” A finger against his lips stopped him and he blinked as Robert took the box and opened it. The purple haired blader removed the necklace and carelessly let the box fall from his fingers. “Please.”

At first, Robert thought Lee wasn’t going to acquiesce, but then he slowly turned and the German bent down and brushed the warm ebony ponytail out of the way. His eyes widened as he felt the tremor that ran through Lee at the touch of his fingers and the German smiled in a predatory way. “The hunt is on.” He breathed as he fastened the necklace in place.

Lee couldn’t suppress the tremor as Robert’s fingers brushed a trail of fire across the nape of his neck and he thought he heard the German say something. “Pardon? Did you say something?” He looked over his shoulder at Robert, who shook his head. “No, must have been someone else.” Lee wasn’t so sure about that, but he didn’t say anything more, and Robert carefully turned the lion around and gazed down at him.

The pendant glowed as it nestled in the hollow of Lee’s throat and the sight captivated Robert. He reached out and gently fingered the lion and hid a smirk at the flush that colored Lee’s cheeks and nose. “Sie Schauen schon an”

“Now I know you said something.” Lee accused glaring at the German, “what was it?” Robert smirked and firmly took Lee by the elbow and began to steer him toward the doors of the hotel. “I will tell you sometime, but for now we must go or we will be late.’ Lee grumbled but soon forgot all about being annoyed, as he found himself enjoying the contact with Robert’s body. The pair of young men didn’t notice the various admiring glances they received as they crossed the vestibule, or heard the sighs of disappointment from several ladies, who were smart enough to realize that they were together.

Outside the night air was alive with the sounds of voices, horns, sirens and music. Lee didn’t have a lot of time to take in the view as Robert led him to a sleek little black sports car and opened the door. Lee slid in, as he waited for Robert to join him; he took in the interior of the car. The rich scent of real leather tickled his nose and he ran a hand along the smooth black surface of the bucket seat. The dashboard looked worthy of a fighter jet with a number of buttons and dials he had no idea what their functions were, then Robert was sliding in and he settled back to enjoy the ride.

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“Dr. Fen!” Doctor Frasher looked at the man askance. He had met the visiting physician at a hospital mixer and had been impressed by the man’s knowledge of alternative medicines, but now he wondered if the old man was going senile.

Dr. Fen nodded; he knew what was going on in his colleague’s mind. “Dr. Frasher, if you will permit us to enter the examination room, I will explain.” The American stepped back and indicated the door, the Chinese bowed and with a quickness that belied his age hurried into the room with Dr. Frasher and Tala on his heels. He bowed shortly to Rei, then addressed the other adult. “Neko-jin’s are a hybrid race of cat and man; their origins are so far back in time that neither China’s best minds can track their lineage, nor do the neko-jin’s themselves remember how the race began.” He looked at Rei, who shrugged and the man continued, “what is known is that since ancient times neko-jin males have been hermaphrodites.”

“But, hermaphrodites are either male dominant or female – not both!” Dr. Frasher protested. “True,” Dr. Fen agreed, “but for neko-jin’s that is not the case, the males are fully functional as both sexes; the only exception is that the males do not develop breasts, nor do they have menstrual cycles.” He smiled gently at the stunned look on Dr. Frasher’s face. “It is believe that this trait developed as a way for the race to survive if a village’s females proved to be barren or were too few in number to keep a village viable.”

“But, but, how am I supposed to treat him then?” Dr. Frasher asked in a stunned tone. Dr. Fen shrugged, “as you would a pregnant woman; there is no difference in that sense.” He turned to Rei and said something in rapid Chinese and Rei responded quietly. Dr. Fen turned back to his compatriot and said softly, “it would be acceptable to Rei if I assisted you in the examination. Would you allow this?”

Dr. Frasher was definitely feeling out of his depth and he could only nod. The elder Chinese bowed and murmured, “thank you.” He looked back at Rei and spoke quietly for a moment, and then he beckoned Dr. Frasher to his side. “We will begin the exam now.” Rei calmly laid back and allowed the doctor’s to begin to touch him.

Tala, who had been following the conversation – relaxed. He had been prepared to enter the room and barricade the door until he could reach Dickenson for help. Now, he had the feeling that would not be necessary.

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Lee took up a spoonful of his peach and hazelnut strudel and gazed out at the passing foot traffic. He had enjoyed the meal with Robert, who proved to have a droll sense of humor and now, he was dreading the end of this fairytale evening.

When they had entered the restaurant, he had noted the quiet elegance of the establishment and felt that it was so Robert in nature. The walls were pristine white with abstract paintings on the walls and the tables were small and intimate. They had been escorted to a table for two next to one of the windows and he had allowed Robert to choose their dishes. He had to admit that the lobster appetizer had been excellent and he'd never even heard of cod strudel. He'd even got to meet Kurt Gutenbrunner, chef and owner, when the man had come out to greet his guests.

"So, Lee," Robert's quiet voice broke into Lee's musings and the Chinese lion blinked. Robert smiled, "when do you return to China?" Was it his imagination but was there a touch of wistfulness in Robert's voice? "Tomorrow morning." Lee swirled his spoon in the white peach sorbet that topped his peach strudel as he avoided Robert's eyes. "The flight leaves at ten." He sighed as he peeked at Robert over his lashes.

Robert felt that sigh settle in the pit of his stomach. Gott! He had so little time! The German forced a smile to his face and signaled for the bill. “Then, it will be my pleasure to show you some New York’s most beautiful spots at night.” As Robert dealt with paying the bill, Lee rose and stared out the window; his pulse was fluttering at the thought of spending more time in Robert’s company.

I don’t want tonight to end! His heart cried and Lee silently cried with it.

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Bryan and Kai both felt intense satisfaction at their new quarters; despite the fact the only difference between this room and the one they had just left was their current quarters had four beds.

After Tala and Rei had left, two more wheelchairs had arrived and they had been moved up to the sixth floor. Once they had been settled in, the head nurse had come in and told them that Rei and Tala would be allowed to stay with them. The woman stressed how unusual that was and that if they caused any kind of a disruption then their roommates would be made to leave, so they had better behave themselves.

The two Russians had listened and promptly dismissed her. Now, they were waiting for their lovers to join them.

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Rei sighed as he watched Dr. Frasher finish filling the last vial of blood. He hated being stuck with needles; they made him feel like a pincushion! Dr. Fen looked at the relieved young man and smiled, “well, young one! That’s the last one! So, now we will send the vials to the lab and we should have the results in the next day or so!” He looked over at his younger associate, “Yes?”

Dr. Frasher nodded, “yes.” He picked up the rack containing the tiny bottles of rich red blood and said quietly, “I’ll just go and arrange for a bed.”

Tala waved an elegant hand and startled both men; he had been so quiet while they’d worked that they’d forgotten he was in the room. “You might want to check to see if Kai Hiawatri or Bryan Kuznetsov have been moved. The head of our organization was suppose to try and arrange for us to spend the night with them.”

Dr. Fen eyed the serene redhead and nodded wisely, “Ah, yes, now I remember Rei’s mate is receiving care here, is he not?”

“Da,” Tala answered, “and mine as well.”

“Very well,” Dr. Frasher said, “I’ll go check and arrange for transport.” The man exited the room, leaving the two Chinese and one Russian together.

“Doctor,” Rei whispered anxiously, “do you have any idea what could be wrong?” The tiger was worried about the number of vials taken; there seemed to be an awful lot for just a few tests. The old man patted his arm; “I have a suspicion, young one. The tests will tell me if I am right.”

“Is it dangerous, what you suspect?” Tala demanded as he skirted the foot of the bed and glared at the doctor.

“It can be if left untreated, but I do not think it will be in this case.” He patted Rei on the arm again and smiled, “I will go and see what Dr. Frasher has found out and then we can get you to bed.” A sly look entered the old man’s eyes, “And preferably in the same bed with your mate.”

Rei blushed. The old man laughed and bowed to the pair of youths and left.

“Rei,” Tala said after the door closed. He gave the tiger a long look; “you have a bruise on the point of your chin from where Bryan hit you; are you going to be angry at him for that?

“No, he didn’t know it was me.” Rei fingered the tender spot and winced, “he’s gonna go on a guilt trip, isn’t he?” Tala sighed, “you already know the answer to that.”

Rei slapped a hand over his eyes and groaned. After a moment, he peeked through his fingers at the redhead and sighed, “I suppose I could give him a matching one, then maybe he’ll get over it?”

“Won’t work,” Tala shook his head, “he tripped for six weeks after you left, so you’ll have to come up with something else.”

“Ancestors,” Rei groaned, “why does he have to be so stubborn?”

“It’s part of his charm.” Tala shrugged.

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Robert steered the car into the parking lot of the Fitzpatrick and parked. Lee watched as the German unfolded his long legs and got out of the car and came around to open his door. It had been a fabulous evening. After they had left Wallse, they had gone to Rockefeller Center and then, they had strolled down Broadway and mingled with the playgoers. All in all, it had been a wonderful experience. He smiled as Robert opened his door and he got out. Robert took his arm and they walked in comfortable silence to the front door.

Inside the lobby, it was only a matter of moments before they were on the elevator and heading for the sixth floor. Sneaking a glance at Robert, who seemed fascinated by the elevator control panel, Lee wondered if he dared to ask the German to come in for a little while.

All too soon for the lion, they came to his floor and the end of his Cinderella evening. ‘Where’s a fairy godmother when you need one?’ Lee thought humorlessly as he and Robert walked down the hallway to room sixty-two.

When they reached his room, Lee unlocked the door and then turned to his companion. “Robert, would you like to come in?”

As he stared down into ebony pools that held a silent plea in their depths, Robert knew that now was the irrevocable moment, the crossing of the Rubicon – if he walked away now, he could still be what his family expected of him. If not, then he would be whatever the Fates made of him.

“I would be honored.” He heard himself say and deep in his soul a voice said, ’the die is cast’. And he followed Lee into his room.

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Clear across town, a red headed youth glanced at a clock that read two in the morning and smiled. Behind him an amused voice asked softly, “are you finally ready to come to bed?”

Johnny rose from the black Italian leather couch and turned his smile that rapidly morphed into a lecherous grin on the speaker, “yes, I am.” And he took Michael by the hand and led him to their room.

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Bryan had been dozing when he heard the squeak of wheels and Tala’s laughter ringing out. He and Kai both sat up and both stared anxiously waiting. Seconds later, a wheelchair with Rei on board came through the door and as the light fell on the tiger’s face; Bryan gasped at the purple bruise blooming on his love’s chin.

”Oh, gods!” He winced, then looked away at the look of understanding that crossed Rei’s face. How do I face him? The falcon thought as Rei was helped into the bed just beyond his and a nurse bustled in, carrying a plastic wrapped cup, while the wheelchair was withdrawn. He remained silent, while the nurse fussed at Rei and Tala hurried over to nuzzle Kai. They look like a pair of wolves greeting each other. The lilac haired blader thought as he watched the pair, all the time knowing that Rei was waiting for him to speak.

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Rei sighed as Tala began to tell Kai what the doctor had said. Dammit, why couldn’t they have been wrong? Bryan was tripping all over the place! Brushing a strand of wayward hair from his eyes, he opened his mouth, only to shut it in surprise as Tala bounded across the room and gave him a wink.

“We need to redecorate!” The wolf declared and moving a tray table out of the way, the wickedly smirking Russian shoved Rei’s bed over next to Bryan’s. “There, that’s better!” Tala nodded, then he went over and repeated his actions with his own bed.

Rei shook his head and reached for Bryan, only to stop when a familiar icy voice hissed, “Tell me, Rei, what part of ‘even I know there are some things more important than a mere tournament’ did you not get?”

“Kai,” Rei flinched and at his side Bryan stiffened. “Can’t this wait?”

“No,” the phoenix said, “it can’t. I want to know why you risked . . .”

“I know what I risked!” Rei snapped back, “I’m not an idiot!”

“Well, your actions say otherwise!” Kai hissed crimson eyes blazing.

Rei felt the rise of his own anger, and he struggled to contain it. “You want to know why I didn’t speak up?” He snapped, “it’s because (a) I wasn’t sick when we got to the stadium! It was after lunch that I got ill! And (b) I wanted to give you and Tyson a chance to win the damn tournament!”

“You . . .Tyson . . . me . . .win . . .tournament!” Kai was so mad, he couldn’t articulate his rage. “Yes!” Rei hissed, “I had already decided BEFORE we went to the stadium that I wouldn’t compete no matter what, but since I was going LAST; I didn’t think that there would be a problem in waiting!” He paused and added; “I didn’t count on getting sick.”

Kai was so mad he went cold. “If that is the best reason you can come up with, I was wrong, you’re worse than an idiot!”

Rei snarled, but before he could retaliate: Tala reached out and slapped Kai upside the head and he glared at the pair across the room. “Enough! What’s done is done! We can argue about this until the crack of doom and it won’t change anything! Rei was wrong to let things go as long as he did, but he acted in what he thought was in the best interests of his team!” The redhead grabbed his fuming lover by the chin and forced Kai to look at him. Gazing into the dark storm of mahogany, Tala said softly, “Tell me Kai, what would you have done?”

Kai’s mouth opened, then snapped shut as a look of chagrin crossed his face. “Exactly,” Tala said in satisfaction, “so stop jumping Rei and let’s all go to sleep.” The wolf took his lover in his arms and squirmed down into their coverings.

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Across the room, Bryan laid down with his back to Rei and pulled his sheet over his head. Rei stared; hurt by Bryan’s strange silence. Then with a sigh, he laid back and stared up at the ceiling. He knew that Bryan was ashamed of having hit him earlier and he ached for the pain his beloved falcon was feeling. He sighed and rolled to face his lover.

“Bryan?”

Bryan tried to ignore the pain in Rei’s voice, but he just couldn’t, so with a sigh, he pulled down the sheet, rolled over and looked into a pair of sad eyes. “Please, baby, talk to me.” Rei begged softly, “I’m not angry about you’re hitting me, but I would like to know what you were dreaming about.”

“It’s not important, Rei. Go to sleep, I want you alert when the doctor shows up.” Bryan whispered, but Rei shook his head. “No, I explained why I did what I did, so now you have to tell me; fair’s fair.”

“Just tell him, falcon.” Tala’s annoyed voice came from the other side of the room, “ ‘cause if you don’t he’ll keep after you and none of us will get any sleep.”

Bryan sighed and reached out to touch Rei’s cheek. “And you would too, wouldn’t you.” Rei said nothing but just wrapped an arm around Bryan’s chest. The Russian sighed again and said softly, I was dreaming about the Abbey, the first time Boris . . .”

Footsteps echoed off the gray icy walls of the cell area of the Abbey and in the distance the steady drip of water spoke of a broken pipe somewhere up ahead.

“Dammit, Tala, couldn’t you have picked a better spot for a meeting than the old lab?” Bryan grumbled as he hurried along the frozen hallway towards the lowest level of the Abbey. A few minutes brisk walk brought him to the dark stairs that led down to the door of his destination.

Moving with the familiarity born of long acquaintance with the stairs, Bryan practically ran down the granite blocks. At the bottom of the stairwell, his breath emerged in puffs of fog as he scurried to the single steel door and yanked it open.

The room was empty.

“What the hell?” Bryan hissed, then spun as the door closed and a low evil laugh filled the room.

“My, my, little falcon, if I had known how eager you were to meet with me, I’d have done this sooner.” Boris stepped out of the shadows and approached Bryan with a leer on his face. Bryan backed up a step and snarled, “what do you want?”

“Why you, my beauty.” The older man purred, as he reached out to cup the boy’s cheek with a hand. Bryan slapped it away and headed for the door. A hand on his shoulder stopped him and he spun and lashed out screaming, “leave me alone, Boris!”

Bryan shuddered to a stop, “I can’t tell you the rest.” He whispered brokenly. Rei immediately snuggled closer to his love and held him tightly. “You don’t have too, I can guess.” The Chinese pressed a soft kiss to Bryan’s cheek and drew him in even tighter. “I love you, Bryan and no one will ever touch you like that again.” Rei promised fiercely as he kissed his fragile falcon again. “I love you, too.” Bryan whispered, then he buried his face in Rei’s neck and neither spoke for the rest of the night.

And none of the four slept.

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Robert stood at the window of the airport and watched as the plane bearing Lee, Mariah and the other White Tigers dwindled into a tiny speck and then it was gone. Just that morning he had woke up with Lee in his arms and they had had breakfast together and both had talked of nothing important as their short time in each other’s company ran out. Now, he felt bereft as if a part of his soul was missing.

“Robert? Are you ready to go?” Johnny’s reflection appeared at his side and the German sighed at the look of understanding the Scot gave him. “I am with you, Johnny.” The purple haired nobleman turned from the window, only to stop when Johnny rested a hand on his shoulder. “You will see him again, Robert. After all, you wouldn’t want to miss the birth of Rei’s child, now would you?”

At Johnny’s words, Robert felt his heart lift and he gave the redhead a genuine smile. “Yes, I must certainly will attend that event.” He gave Johnny an arch look, “after all, I will want to deliver my baby gifts in person and see all of our friends again.” He reached up and gave Johnny’s hand a squeeze, before ducking under it and heading off toward the airport doors.

Johnny shot the window a look and smiled, then he turned and hurried after the German.

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Dr. Fen walked into the ward and smiled broadly at the four youths. “Good morning, everyone. I have Rei’s test results.” The tiny old man held up a folder before laying it down on a bedside table and pulled a pair of glasses from his coat pocket and put them on.

Rei felt his stomach clench with apprehension as he took Bryan’s hand. Kai and Tala leaned forward on their beds and waited for the old man to tell them what was going on.

Flipping open the folder, Dr. Fen began to read, while everyone held they’re collective breaths. “Hmm, yes, just as I suspected. Not unusual really.” The old man mumbled to himself.

“Dr. Fen?” Rei said quietly. He sighed, when the old fellow gave no sign of having heard him. “Dr. Fen.” He repeated a little louder. “Doctor!”

The old man’s head jerked up and he blinked at Rei, “Yes?”

“What’s wrong with me? Is my kitten in danger?” Rei’s voice quivered, and Bryan released his hand to draw him closer to his side, not that the Russian was any less apprehensive.

“Food allergy brought on by your pregnancy.” Dr. Fen said cheerfully. “I’m surprised that your village doctor didn’t tell you what kind of spices to avoid during your pregnancy – you really should avoid dill and the like and I wouldn’t recommend getting around catnip if I were you – especially during your last trimester.”

“Why?” Rei asked faintly, as the image of Bryan putting a lock on the spice cabinet at home came to mind and having to be ruthlessly suppressed. At the same time, a not so quiet whisper came from the other side of the room.

“Kai, how much do you want to bet that whenever we eat out, Bryan is gonna demand a list of ingredients for every recipe on the menu, before he’ll allow Rei to order.”

‘I never bet on a sure thing.” Kai retorted as he struggled not to laugh at the woebegone expression on Rei’s face.

Rei sighed and returned his attention to the doctor grinning mischievously at him.

‘Does he ever stop smiling?’ Rei wondered as the old man continued, “let’s just say, I hope your mate has a lot of stamina and leave it at that, shall we.” And he winked.

Rei promptly turned maroon, while Bryan snorted.

Over on the other side of the room, Tala fell off the bed – laughing, while Kai sighed and rolled his eyes.

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Four days later Mr. Dickenson stood watching an interesting group of teenagers as they either sat or stood in the waiting area of Gate Sixteen. Kai and Tala were holding hands and edging their way toward a couple of large potted plants, while Rei was standing at the big window watching the planes and Bryan was heading toward him, after disposing of the trash from a snack he and Rei had shared.

“I’m so glad everything worked out. It would have been awful if Rei were going home alone.” The old man said as he beamed at the couple.

“Yes, it has.” Dickenson turned to smile at his old friend, who stepped to his side and watched as Ian crept over to where Tyson and Max were sitting.

“Uh-oh” the old martial artist said as he observed the snake’s hand darting toward Tyson’s unguarded sandwich. “Here we go again.” He sighed.

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‘Home.” Rei sighed with contentment, as he gazed out of the airport window. “We’re going home.’ He hugged himself and then smiled at the reflection that joined his on the glass. A pair of strong arms slid around his waist and he leaned back against the warm body behind him.

Pressing a kiss to the side of Rei’s neck and grinning at the shiver that produced, Bryan murmured softly, “a ruble for them.’ Sighing quietly, Rei turned in the protective embrace and tilting his face up, he whispered, “I was just thinking about how happy I was to be going home.” Then he wrapped his arms around Bryan’s neck and smiled as he pulled his falcon’s head down for a kiss.

Bryan was more than happy to oblige him.

When they came up for air, the falcon cupped Rei’s cheek in his hand and sharp silver eyes searched the sweet face in front of him.

“What?” Rei asked a little uncomfortable with the close scrutiny that those eyes were giving him.

“Just making sure that you are all right.” Bryan said calmly, “you have a nasty habit of hiding things from me.”

Rei flushed and ducked his head. “I said, I was sorry.” He mumbled from the general vicinity of Bryan’s chest.

“I know, love.” Bryan stroked the back of Rei’s head, then to change the subject, he said softly, “ I was thinking.”

“You were? Did you strain anything?” Rei asked in mock concern, raising his head and gazing at his lover with more than a hint of mischief in his eyes. Bryan frowned at him and growled, “ I have half a mind . . .”

“Yes, you do.”

“Rei.”

Rei couldn’t help it; he began to giggle, teasing his falcon was just so damn easy, because Bryan fell for it every time. “All right, I’ll be good. What were you thinking?”

Bryan looked out the window and sighed, “I was wondering if you wanted to have the kitten in China?”

Rei was surprised, he had assumed that Bryan would want the kitten to be born Russian. “I would like that, but why don’t you want the birth to take place in Russia?”

“Simple. To the best of my knowledge there are no neko-jin doctors in Moscow and I’m not taking any chances. I’ve had enough excitement for this pregnancy, thank you.” Bryan’s tone left no doubt about how the strain of the last few days had affected him.

Rei sighed, “I haven’t been a very good mate to you, have I? Making you worry and all.”

A firm finger pressed against his lips, “Stop right there. I don’t want to hear it. You are everything I could have wished for, had I known what to wish for back when I was in the Abbey. You are the reason I’m here today and I don’t want to hear another word about you not being good for me. Are we clear on that?’ He said firmly.

“As crystal.” Rei snuggled closer, just happy to be right where he was.

‘I’ll never be able to show you how much I love you.’ The falcon thought as he tightened his grip and closed his eyes savoring the feel of the boy in his arms. Ignoring the river of people who flowed in unpredictable eddies around them; Bryan basked in the glow of the love he had found against all the odds.

Then, the peace was shattered by: “IAN, I WAS GONNA EAT THAT! COME BACK HERE!”

Bryan sighed, as Rei pulled away from him and watched as a green streak flashed past with a blue and red blur on his heels. “Wonder what Ian snitched?” Rei bent around Bryan to keep the pair in sight as Tyson tackled the pint sized Russian and the two promptly began to roll around on the floor, fists and feet flying.

“Don’t know. Don’t care.” Bryan replied as he pulled Rei back and tucked his lover against his side. “I’m just glad we won’t be on the same flight.” He nodded to Kai and Tala as the pair went past and reaching their respective team member grabbed whichever body part presented itself and began to drag them apart.

“Kai, let go!” Tyson yelled as he struggled against his captain’s grip, “that shrimp stole my whopper!”

“You’d already had three!” Ian yelled back fighting Tala’s hold; “you could spare one!”

“SHUT UP!” Kai and Tala roared as one and there was an audible snap as two jaws clamped shut.

“I swear the two of you are going to be the death of us.” Tala growled, “Ian, I gave you enough money to buy two meals – one of you and one for Spencer, so why are you trying to steal the bottomless pit’s food?”

Ian shuffled his feet and then looked up at his glowering captain, “we ate, honestly Tala, but I’m still hungry, so I thought I’d just take one of the human garbage disposal’s . . .”

“Hey!” Tyson yelped, “I am . . .” His indignant wail was cut off, when Kai clamped a hand over his mouth. “Murmuph!”

“You are too, you just won’t admit it.” Kai said dryly, “now, shut up before I tell Kenny who hid Dizzi’s backup battery the other day.”

Tyson’s eyes bulged at the threat and when Kai removed his hand, Dragoon’s companion gulped, “you wouldn’t.”

“Only if you make me.”

Tyson opened his mouth, but the announcer chose that moment to declare, “FLIGHT FOUR HUNDERED AND EIGHTY TO MOSCOW, RUSSIA IS NOW BOARDING! ALL PASSENGERS, WHO ARE MAKING FLIGHT FOUR HUNDERED EIGHTY; PLEASE BOARD AT GATE SIXTEEN! The announcement was repeated in several different languages.

“Phew! Saved by the bell!” Tyson sighed as Kai gave him one last glare, before trailing after Tala, who was dragging Ian back to where everyone’s carry-on luggage was piled. As he began to follow the trio, Tyson looked over to where Rei and Bryan stood and waved.

Bryan and Rei both raised hand in salute; then they stepped away from the window and Bryan took Rei by the hand. The tiger looked over at his love and Bryan smiled, “ready to go home?”

A feeling of warmth and contentment washed over the neko-jin and he smiled brightly,“Yes, I’m ready to go home.”

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I’ve never claimed to be good at languages, but here are the approximate meanings. And I accept the blame for screwing up if they’re wrong.

Ti Durak – You’re a moron!

Sic sukam sim – son of a bitch

Sie Schauen schon an – you look beautiful