Friends, Comforters, & Companions

Part 5: Gigolos, Assassins and the Hippocratic Oath

Tyr steps out onto the deck and scans the beach. In the distance he can see two figures, dark against the setting sun. Tyr steps off the deck and looks down, finding a few Harper-sized footprints in the sand. He follows, narrowing his eyes against the glare of the sun. The trail of prints are heading in the same direction where the two male figures are standing so close together. One is the right size for his human. Tyr quickens his pace. What is he going to say to the human? His wives behave as if he has offended Harper in some way. He can't imagine how. He has offered every proof of his regard. He's allowed Harper into his home. He's permitted Harper to escort his wives around town and to publicly appear as an accepted and valued part of his household. He spends time with the human and the human is in his bed every night. He hasn't failed a single night to claim the human at least once. It doesn't matter if Harper has scars...not to him. It will make no difference at all in how ardently he desires the human Those scars are the result of his battle to defend the family, and as such, are a badge of honor. It's not completely unknown for a warrior to allow a scar to remain as a trophy of battle. And so he will say, to anyone who dares comment about it. Tyr's eyes widen as he gets closer to the two men standing on the beach. That blond hair...is that...it can't be. Who is that with his Harper? Tyr frowns in concentration, listening closely to the voices carrying on the breeze.

"Get your hand off me." Harper glares. He's been pawed about by Nietzscheans quite enough for one day.

"I only want to ask..."

Harper twists his wrist free and steps closer to sneer at the tall Nietzschean."Oh, I know what you want. I know exactly what someone like you wants."

"You do?" Arturo smiles and steps closer. "Have you decided to give it to me?"

"I'm gonna do better than that." Harper grabs for the spy camera laced into the belt riding low on the Nietzschean's hips.

"What are you doing? Not so fast!" Arturo's hips jerk forward with the force of Harper's tug. "No. Let me. Wait!"

"Unh...oh...Huh." Harper tugs some more at the camera, trying to twist it off Arturo's belt. "It's not as big as I thought."

"It's pretty compact, but it gets the job done," Arturo sniffs indignantly as he grabs Harper's arms. His hips tilt into the kludge's rough jerks as he tries to ease the stress on his leather laces. He doesn't want a close-up of his cock to air on the news tonight and that bastard up in the control booth will gleefully do it and claim it was an accident. "Stop. Stop it!"

Harper jerks hard and the laces snap, freeing the tiny camera. Panting triumphantly, Harper lobs it into the surf. Ha! Let the nosey newsman explain that to his boss. Harper turns back, his eyes widening as he sees Arturo clutching at the leather flap loosening over the Nietzschean's groin.

"Wait. I can't." Arturo moans in disappointment as his gaze tracks the lost camera's path into the water. His shoulders slump. "Noooo..."

"Just a minor setback I'm sure." Harper smirks. "You'll be back up in no time."

"I'd like to see you again." Arturo stares behind the human and takes a step back, clutching his pants. His dark eyes widen. He takes another slow step back.

"Ain't gonna happen." Harper turns around to stalk off and stops, rocking back on his heels in the soft sand. What the hell? Just what he needs today. Another frigging Nietzschean with an attitude. "Tyr?"

Tyr takes in Harper's flushed face and quickened breathing. Is his companion so doubtful that Harper needs to find proof of desirablity with a stranger? Or is the man a stranger? The contract didn't forbid Harper additional relationships. Tyr's lips tighten. He will see that there is an addendum to the next contract stating that Harper's attentions are his exclusively. He growls. "I see you've been busy."

"What are you talking about?" Harper sighs heavily. His chest aches from wrestling the camera away. He touches the bandage. Why does Tyr's voice have that strange growly note? The Nietzschean sounds almost jealous, but what could Tyr possibly be jealous about?"

Tyr glares over the human's shoulder at Arturo. "Him, your beach lover."

"What?" Harper places his hands on his hips, staring at Tyr in disbelief. Tyr couldn't possibly think that he's out here, picking up sex partners. The very idea is idiotic. His chest hurts. He's depressed. He's tired. The last thing he's interested in right now is sex. "The guy is a newscaster."

"Really?" Tyr scans the empty beach around them and then looks pointedly at Harper. "Where is his crew?"

"He didn't have one, but he had a camera." Harper glares at Tyr. The idiot does think that he's out here with another lover. Just when he thought that he couldn't feel any worse, he finds out that Tyr thinks he's got a man on the side. Harper turns his glare on Arturo who's backing away clutching his leathers. "Tell him you had a camera."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Arturo lies as he eases softly away. Much safer for him if the Kodiak Second Alpha doesn't realize that he really is a newscaster. Tyr could have him fired within the hour. Better to risk getting beaten up by claiming to have been meeting the kludge on the side. He looks earnestly at Harper, "I didn't know you were claimed. I would never have approached you if I'd known."

"Don't be an ass, Arturo!" Harper snaps. Tyr can't be believing this. It's too ridiculous. He glances at the surf, but the camera is gone.

"You know his name?" Tyr growls.

"Well, yeah, I know his name. He told me." Harper puts his hands on his hips. "Please tell me, you're not buying his act. He is so not my type!"

"I saw the two of you. I know what you were doing." Tyr steps closer, looking down at Harper.

Harper scowls. "What do you think I was doing?"

"I've got to go." Arturo calls as he turns and dashes across the sand, disappearing behind the closest beach house.

"If you wanted a liaison on the beach under the moonlight, all you had to do was ask." Tyr cups his hand around the soft skin of Harper's nape and tilts the human's head back. He bends down, claiming his companion's mouth.

Harper parts his lips with a moan, yielding to the familar pleasure of Tyr's mouth on his. His hands clutch the long braids as he rises up on tiptoe, stroking his tongue over the damp velvet heat of his lover's. Wait. Wait. Harper stiffens as the painful realization sinks into him. He means nothing to Tyr. This is all Tyr wants from him. The Nietzschean hadn't asked the first question about his injuries. Tyr's questions had all been about Arturo. Yeah. Right. All Tyr was worried about was someone else scoring his candy. He's just a disposable fuck toy. Harper shoves Tyr away. "I'm not in the mood to play on the beach."

"You seemed completely in the mood, but a moment ago." Tyr slides his hand up into the softness of the blond hair. He urges Harper back to him as he leans down to kiss the human again.

"I was not in the mood then. I'm not in the mood now." Harper turns his head away. Tyr smells so right...so good. Why couldn't Tyr feel about him the way Harper feels about the Nietzschean?

"I am." Tyr scatters hot kisses across the human's cheek and down the line of the pale throat. He takes the human's hand and presses it to his swollen shaft.

"Right. Why am I not surprised?" Harper pulls his hand away. His shoulders droop dispiritedly. It's just as he feared. He's fallen in love with a man who sees him as nothing, but a temporary pleasure. Just another willing kludge to use and discard. He touches the bandage. Man...his chest aches. He can't deal with this right now. Maybe he should go home and take one of those pills the healer had left in case he had trouble sleeping tonight.

"You are still most desirable to me." Tyr places a gentle hand over Harper's. He bends to kiss the pale skin showing around the top edge of the bandages covering Harper's chest. "I want to lie with you...make love with you."

"NOW?!" Harper squeaks in dismay. How can Tyr want this now?

"Yes. Right now." Tyr kisses his way up Harper's throat. "I want to make love to you on this beach."

"Tyr..." Harper squirms in protest as Tyr picks him up and eases him down into the warm sand. Great. He can already feel the sand sneaking down his collar and the loose waistband of his pants. Now he's gonna have to take a shower to get rid of the sand before he can go to bed. Harper opens his mouth to protest more vigorously, but is silenced as Tyr's lips cover his and a hot, velvet tongue fills his mouth. Ummmph. Harper grips Tyr's wide shoulders. He wiggles as he feels his zipper sliding down and Tyr's hand closing around his cock, stroking him to unwanted hardness. Harper shoves hard, pushing the Nietzschean back a few inches. He stares up into the smoldering amber eyes. "Whoa. Wait. Is that all I am to you, Tyr?"

"I want you." Tyr looks at him with a puzzled air. He brushes his lips softly over the human's. "I want to sink inside you."

"Tyr..."

"I ache for you, Harper," Tyr whispers huskily against his companion's mouth.

"Right. So I'm just a piece of ass to you, is that it?" Harper looks away, trying to hide his pain.

"That's not what I meant."

"Yeah, right, of course it isn't." Harper sighs.

"I don't understand what you want me to say." Tyr obediently moves back under the relentless push of the human's cool hands.

"I know," Harper murmurs sadly as he fastens his cargo pants and sits up. He forces a smile and touches the long braids sliding across Tyr's chest. "I know you don't."

Tyr stands and gently helps Harper up. He nuzzles the human's nape. "What do you want me to say? Tell me."

"Nothing. I'm just tired." Harper shakes his head, his eyes determined. He wants no empty words from Tyr. He trudges back to the house in a gloomy silence. If the Nietzschean doesn't have any real feelings for him...well, it's time he moves on. He'd gotten a message from Beka that the Maru had cargo to deliver here. Maybe she'll want to hire him back. It didn't sound like she was any too happy with his replacement...but that'd mean having to share close quarters with Bobby again. He just doesn't feel up to dealing with the likes of Bobby right now.

"Harper." Tyr calls softly as Harper steps on the deck. What can he say to lift Harper's dark mood?

"Tyr, I just want to grab a shower, then get some sleep."

"I'll join you in the shower."

Harper stops just short of the sliding glass door. He reluctantly pulls it open. For the first time, he resents his contract. It had specified 'daily and as requested', hadn't it? Harper walks slowly into the bedroom, his head down and his hands shoved into his pockets. So he really means nothing to Tyr. He never had. Tyr just wants him to fulfill his contractual obligations. What did he expect anyway? The universe hates him. Hadn't it proved that over and over? "Sure. Sure, no problem. Just give me a moment to get out of these wet clothes."

"I'll be waiting for you." A slow smile spreads over Tyr's face. The amber eyes light with eagerness as Tyr glances over his shoulder before disappearing into the bathroom.

Harper looks up as his eyes fill with unexpected moisture. He sniffs. Must be the change in the weather. Tomorrow, he's got a lot to do. He unfastens his shirt and drops it on the floor. His hands drop to his waistband and he unzips his pants and slides them off. He wraps his arms around his ribs as an unexpected sob shakes him. Whoa, that little hike and the tussle with Arturo must have worn him out more than he thought. He squeezes his eyes tight against the dampness. What has he done? What has he done? How could he go and fall in love with someone who doesn't even see the real him or his heart? Harper roughly rubs his eyes. Must have gotten a grain of sand in there or something. He takes a deep shuddering breath and walks toward the bathroom. He might as well get this over with. Then he can get some rest. There are still some repairs to do tomorrow and Tyr's obviously not taking no for an answer tonight. Yep, better get his skinny ass in there and do his job.

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Harper wakes with Tyr curled around his back. It's still dark, but it will be dawn soon. Harper eases out of Tyr's embrace and slips out of bed. He pads into the bathroom. His chest itches like mad, but the healer had told him to expect that. He gingerly peels away a bit of tape. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Good thing he isn't a hairy guy like that baboon Bobby. Harper removes the last of the bandage and steps into the shower, soaping up his chest and rinsing away the stitches and green goo. He peers down at his chest. Not bad. Not bad at all. Just a couple of thin pink lines. From the way the healer'd been talking, he'd expected to find big, ugly scars, but this, this is nothing. Well, at least he can go for one last dawn swim in the ocean. Harper turns his face into the spray of warm water and slicks his hair back. He doesn't want to leave, but he can't stay. Last night...Harper turns off the water and steps out of the shower, reaching for a towel. His shoulders tense as he slants an unhappy look at the white tiles. He can't go through that again. He can't.

He'd followed Tyr into the shower, thinking that once would get the job done and then he could get some sleep, but it had taken three climaxes before he'd gotten out of the shower and into bed. That should have been plenty and had been more than he wanted to do, but the next thing he'd known, Tyr had been all over him again. The Neitzschean had been damn near insatiable and completely ruthless in wringing one joyless orgasm after another from him. He had only managed to perform by concentrating strictly on the physical pleasure...yeah, 'perfom' is exactly the right word. He'd felt like a holodrama actor obediently running through the lines and hitting the marks. Tyr had taken him in every imaginable position, rousing him to hardness and release again and again until he could endure no more. He had finally pleaded fatigue and escaped into sleep. Harper roughly rubs the towel across his face. Damn soap. Must have gotten in his eyes. He throws the towel across the room and pulls on his bright turquoise swimtrunks. Harper gazes at Tyr's big body sprawled across the bed in the pre-dawn light. He sighs wistfully. If only. If only Tyr cared for him just a little bit, he'd stay. Yeah...if only. He pads out into the hallway, silently crosses the dark living area and walks into the kitchen. A few weeks ago he had convinced Freya to get the chef to buy some Neu Bayren Weissbrau. One of those would be just the thing and who gives a damn how early it is. Harper opens the cooler, blinking against the sudden light and pulls out a bottle. He pops the cap and slugs back a third of the bottle. Harper rolls the cold bottle against his face and sighs. "What am I gonna do?"

"Is there a problem, Harper?" Freya asks behind him.

Harper starts and turns to face her. "Geeze!" Harper gasps. Freya looks almost ghostly with all that white skin and her pale hair flowing loose over her light peach robe and nightgown.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

"No problem." Harper smiles wanly as Freya walks past him to pull a white bowl piled high with red grapes from the cooler.

"You sound...distraught. Is it your wound?"

"No...it's..." Harper leans back against the counter and takes another drink. He can't discuss the details of his relationship to Tyr with Tyr's wife even if she did hire him to...well, do exactly what he's been doing. He shakes his head. "You wouldn't understand."

"I might." Freya nibbles on a grape.

"You know, how sometimes you can have a dream?" Harper glances shyly at Freya. His dream had felt so real, so shiny with possibility. Not a big dream, but a nice, warm, cozy sort of dream. A dream about having a place. A home. A family. The pain of the shattering certainly feels real enough. He takes another drink. "And you really enjoy dreaming it. You pull it out and polish it when things are bad. It makes you feel better just knowing that the dream is yours. You know what I mean?"

"I'm not sure I understand."

"Well, I've been living a dream here. A real one...with you and Medea and...and Tyr."

"Have you not been enjoying your time with us?" Freya asks quietly as she fingers a grape.

"No...I mean yeah, of course. I've enjoyed every minute. It's just that now..." Harper looks over her shoulder at the rising sun. "Now I'm not sure if any of it is...you know...real."

Freya abruptly sits down in a chair and places her bowl of grapes on the table. She stares up at him, her eyes wide and troubled. "Harper, you are dear to all of us."

"Whoa. Are you okay?" Harper drops into the chair across from her, studying her face closely. Is she paler than usual?

"I'm fine...just a little tired."

Harper pats her hand. "You did great yesterday. I knew you would."

"It was hard. But thank you." Freya leans back in her chair, folding her robe around her as she looks at the human. She frowns as the human briefly meets her gaze then looks quickly away. She doesn't like the sad line of his mouth or the lost way he keeps looking around the kitchen. What has gone wrong? He doesn't look in the least like someone who had just been comforted. She will get to the bottom of this and then she and Medea will have few words with their husband. This household is not losing Harper. "So tell me, what's he done?"

"Who?" Harper blinks.

"Tyr, of course...What's he done to upset you so?"

Harper glances down at the bottle in his hands and then at Freya's face. Should he tell her? What will she think? What will she say? "I'm gonna say something, but I don't want you to be mad at me or anything, okay?"

Freya frowns. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean...I mean, I'm going to tell you something, but I want you to...Hell, I don't know. How do you tell someone who's your friend that you've...." Harper sighs. He doesn't want her to think that Tyr...he can see from the way she's watching that she thinks Tyr did something to him, but it's not Tyr's fault. He didn't plan on loving Tyr. It'd just happened. Love happens or it...doesn't. It can't be willed or wished into existance. He drains the last of his beer and sets the bottle on the table.

"You can tell me anything, Harper."

"It's not Tyr's fault, not really. He doesn't have a clue how I feel."

"You're in love with him, aren't you?" Freya touches Harper's cheek, gently turning his face back to her.

Harper stiffens and his eyes widen with alarm. "How did you know? I mean...I mean I'm not saying it's true or anything, and I know this means I'll have to leave...but I just wish..."

"Harper...Harper..." Freya soothes, stroking back his damp hair. "Listen a moment..."

Harper stands quickly. He doesn't want to hear her say that he's fired. Gotta be a clause in that contract somewhere about getting rid of comforters who lost their objectivity. He'll do it for her. Fire himself. Ridiculous really to even imagine the remotest possiblity that he can stay after this. "I'm sorry. I mean....I'm talking like this to you and he's your husband and I'm sorry. Look. I'll be out of your hair as soon as I can book transport..."

"Harper..." Freya reaches for him again.

"No. No. It's okay." Harper backs away.

"Please. Talk to me Harper." Freya pleads.

"I...I think I'll go sit on the beach and watch the sunrise." Harper hurries out onto the deck and down into the soft sand. He feels a little guilty about using her phobia against her that way, but he doesn't want to hear her say that he's gotta go. Harper walks slowly toward the ocean and eases into the water's warm embrace. One last dawn swim and then he's done.

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Tyr stirs amid the wildly scattered sheets, vainly seeking the touch of his companion's cool skin. He opens his eyes and surveys his empty bed with a concerned frown. Where is the human? Tyr glances toward the glass door, seeing the slow spread of dawn rising across the beach, and the tension eases from his muscles. That explains his empty bed. Harper loves swimming at dawn. The human is probably already in the water. That's a good sign, isn't it? Last night...Tyr sighs. He doesn't know what to think about last night. Harper had responded to him, but the sense of play and joy that the human had always brought to their lovemaking was gone. Tyr rolls over on his back and frowns at the ceiling. Uncertainty curls in his stomach as he remembers. Last night...he'd done everything to reassure Harper, to prove how deeply and passionately he desired his companion, but the human had not seemed comforted by it. Nothing that he had done had erased that lost look in those beautiful blue eyes. The sadness that infused the human's every kiss, every caress had left him lying wake for hours, as he cradled his companion in his arms, troubled by the ominous sense that something desperately important was slipping away from him.

He rolls out of bed and walks over to the glass door, driven by a sharp twinge of unease to check on the human. He can see Harper bobbing about in the waves just as the human did first thing every morning, but...Tyr squints against the sun. Even from this distance, he can see that the human's movements are listless. Tyr sighs. He'd hoped that his companion would wake, renewed and happy, but something is still wrong. Despite his best efforts, last night had not restored the human's spirits. Tyr strides to the dresser and grabs a pair of maroon swimtrunks, tugging them on impatiently. He will go join Harper and insist on knowing what is troubling the human. What ever the problem is, it will be dealt with. He turns, scowling at the sound of a knock at the bedroom door. Now what? Tyr stalks over to the door and yanks it open to reveal one of the household staff standing there with her eyes downcast.

"What is it?" Tyr demands impatiently. He doesn't care if the chef just quit again. Or if the entire household staff have just quit. Whatever it is, he will deal with it later. Nothing short of his wives needing him is going to get priority over resolving whatever problem is troubling Harper.

"Forgive the intrusion, sir. Mistress Medea and Mistress Freya request your presence in the living area." The maid scurries away without waiting for a response.

Tyr sighs and pads down the hallway to see Freya and Medea sitting side-by-side on the couch. He stiffens warily as he notes their slow, narrow-eyed scrutiny. Are they angry because he spent the night comforting Harper? But...he'd approached them first and offered, and been refused. Still he can't think of anything else that might have them staring at him with such disapproval. His pace slows as he gets closer to them.

Medea points at a chair directly across from them. "Sit."

"I am not a dog to be commanded, wife." Tyr bristles. There is a limit to what he will tolerate from his wives. "You forget yourself."

"I forget nothing, Husband." Medea folds her arms over her bulging stomach. "It is you."

"I?" Tyr stares from one to the other, absently sinking down into the chair. "What have I done?"

"It would be more correct to ask what haven't you done." Medea gathers her dark purple robe more closely around her.

"What are you talking about?" Tyr demands with an impatient glance toward the deck. If they have no real grievance to bring before him, he has other matters to resolve. Important matters.

"Harper is leaving us." Medea narrows her eyes at him. "And it's all your fault."

Harper leaving? What? How can she say such a thing? He'd almost exhausted himself comforting his companion last night. Tyr draws himself up and stares coolly back at his wives. "You are not serious. I have done nothing to encourage the human to leave."

"Haven't you?" Medea toss her hair over her shoulder. "You behave as if you don't know anything."

"What are you saying?" Tyr looks from one to the other. "Know what?"

"Don't pretend you don't know" Medea sniffs and lifts her chin.

Freya leans forward. "Harper is so much more than your companion. He is a member of this family."

What is going on here? Why are they acting as he has harmed Harper in some way? He could never do such a thing. Tyr frowns at them. And he has always treated the human as a valued member of his household. "I never behaved as if he were not."

"But you've been less than welcoming." Medea runs a hand through her long hair.

Well, perhaps at first, he had not properly appreciated Harper. But his new companion had soon changed his mind on the value of male comforters. Tyr spreads his hands in bewilderment. "You got him for me to have as my comforter. I have used him as such. What more do you want?"

"Used him...used him." Medea and Freya exchange a look. Medea shakes her head and stares down at her lap. Freya sighs softly as she leans back against the couch. "You have no idea, do you?"

"None." Medea sniffs. "Tyr, there are other needs which must be met."

"Needs? Whose needs?"

"Husband...Harper loves you." Freya meets her husband's puzzled gaze.

Tyr looks from Freya to Medea and frowns. "I love him as well. Just as I love both of you."

"No, husband. Harper is in love with you." Freya adds sharply.

Tyr opens his mouth to speak then shuts it. He leans back in his chair. He isn't entirely sure that he understands the distinction, but if the way that his wives are staring at him is anything to go by, he better not admit it. "I...I..."

"You must fix this right away." Medea stands up, drawing her robes around herself in a regal manner. "Harper is a valued member of this family. We do not want him to book transport."

"He said this?" Tyr's eyes round in alarm. This unacceptable and completely out of the question. He will not have Harper leaving his household.

Freya nods. "He was upset when he told me, but, yes, he wants to leave."

"The contract..." Tyr frowns. The contract will bind Harper to him for a few months yet. Time enough to change the human's mind.

Medea hisses in annoyance. "Tyr, this has nothing to do with the damned contract. This concerns his heart which, it seems, now belongs to you."

"Tell him how much you care for him." Freya urges, leaning forward to squeeze her husband's hand.

"I do care for him." Tyr stands up. He thought the human knew how he felt. He had not missed a night with the human or failed to share a single dawn swim. He had pushed himself to exhaustion last night, trying to console Harper. How could the human not understand?

Medea nods firmly. "Tyr. You love him. Tell him that."

"I'll go talk with him." Tyr rushes out of the room.

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Harper glides through the clear blue water. Oooooh. He's gonna miss this. He's gonna miss so many things. He won't be around to see the new babies. Or to protect Freya when she has to go out. Or have trysts with Tyr in the steam room. Oh, man. He's gonna miss the steam room. Tyr didn't get it. He didn't blink when Harper had all but told him how he felt. Too suave for your own good, Harper boy. 'once you have my ass I'm your forever.' What did you think he was gonna do, pledge his undying love? Yep you should have a big 's' tattooed on your chest and it would stand for 'sucker.' But, damn it, he's gonna miss this place. The ocean sunrises. And the beach. And the babes. And Tyr. Harper sighs and glances down. Those two guys are still diving down there. They're sure taking their sweet time watching the fish. They've been at it for a while now. He chuckles to himself. Some people are easily amused. He turns and floats on his back, staring up at the sky, admiring the white clouds drifting so lazily overhead. He can feel his skin wrinkling up. He's put off going back as long as he can. Time to face up to facts. Time to do what has to be done.

He turns over and begin swimming back to shore. Harper pauses treading water. Looks like Tyr is joining him this morning. Maybe, maybe he'll stay out here a little longer. He watches as Tyr heads toward him with smooth, easy strokes. Everything Tyr does is beautiful. He's gonna miss watching him do so many things. A dark flash below catches his attention and he frowns. Oh, the two guys are leaving. Wait a second. The two divers are heading swiftly toward Tyr. Harper's eyes widen in horror. "NO! Tyr, go back!"

Damn it! Tyr can't hear him. He can't see the danger closing in on him from below. Where in the hell are those damned guards?! Harper speeds toward Tyr, recklessly burning his energy instead of pacing himself. No. No. No. He can see the drivers barreling upwards and Tyr still swimming toward him in the same smooth, easy pace. Harper puts on an final burst of speed. He's close enough now to see the beloved, dark face. Harper treads water, gasping, "Tyr, watch out! Divers..."

Tyr looks down just as one of the divers grabs his feet and yank him under, pulling him swiftly down.

"NO!" Harper yells in fury. He takes a deep breath and dives, ignoring the sting of salt water in his eyes. He can see the blurry images of Tyr wrestling with one black-clad diver as the other heads toward Tyr with flaring bone blades. Harper launches himself at the nearest diver. He hits the man's back and clings, tearing at the seals on the diver's mask and breathing tube. He manages to yank off the breathing tube and it falls away, leaking a trail of bubbles. Bone blades rake painfully along his thigh, making him lose his grip. Harper tumbles through the water, the burn in his lungs matching the burn in his thigh. He needs air, but the diver is already turning back to where Tyr and the other diver are trading vicious swipes with their bone blades. Blood is curling slowly in the clear water around them. Harper lunges for the diver again, yanking off the mask and jabbing at the diver's eyes. The diver grabs him and pulls him close, holding him in a firm grip. Harper wiggles desperately. He needs to breathe. Has to breathe. His vision blurs on the smirk spreading the diver's thin lips. The last thing he sees is the sudden surprised roundness of the diver's brown eyes.

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Tyr runs up the beach, cradling Harper's limp body carefully against his chest. He's gotten the human breathing again, but he wants a healer to look at the deep punctures in his companion's thigh. His eyes widen as he sees the familiar silhouette of a gauss gun against the window and the wedge shaped lines of a strange blond man's torso. Tyr drops silently down, tucking Harper between his body and the deck. He strokes a soothing hand over the damp pale skin as the human stirs then goes limp again. Tyr slides his hand lower over Harper's chest, feeling the reassuring rise and fall. Tyr crouches, listening as the door slides open and the deck creaks softly under the stranger's footsteps. He can see the man standing on the edge of the deck, looking toward the ocean. Any second, the stranger will spot the betraying trail in the sand leading up to the dock. Tyr surges up, grabbing the stranger's arm and flipping the man down into the sand. He plants his weight in the small of the blond's back, jerking the man's arm upward at a vicious angle that arches the stranger's chest into the sand. Tyr twists the gun from the man's hand and presses it to the blond head. "How many in the house?"

His back crawls with the sense of being exposed. If anyone else walks out onto that deck...at least Harper is lying still where the human will not be spotted unless an enemy looks directly below. He can hear no sounds of fighting. No sounds of guass guns. His house is unnervingly silent. Where are his wives? Are they alright? And his unborn children? Logic tells him that he has a better chance of taking control if he knows the situation going in, but his chest is tight with anxiety at the knowledge of what might be happening to his wives while he delays here. Tyr glances up sharply at a sound from the deck. He shoves the stranger's face firmly into the soft sand as he brings his gun up to face the new threat. He grins with relief as Medea steps through the sliding glass doorway. Her torn purple robe bares one slender shoulder and upper swells of her breasts. Her long blond hair is tied back from her flushed face with a tattered strip ripped from the hem of her robe. She holds a gauss pistol firmly in one hand. "Medea. Are you well?"

"Tyr! I'm fine." Medea lowers her weapon and hurries down the steps. Her blue eyes widen in concern at she assesses the deep cuts marking her husband's torso. She touches his head tenderly. "You're hurt, husband. How badly?"

"It's nothing. Scratches." Tyr puts his gauss gun back to the stranger's head and pulls the trigger. "What's our situation?"

"Under control. Some of the guards turned on us, but Freya and I dealt with them. Not much of a challenge. Come inside where we can tend you. Where is..." Medea gasps as she sees Harper's limp body tucked against the deck. Those damned guards! She'd known from the attack earlier at the Arts Center that they couldn't be trusted.

"You were right, my love. I had thought the pair that accompanied you to the Arts Center were merely incompetent, but thier actions must have been delibrate." Tyr growls. He stands up and cups Medea's cheek and kisses her full lips. "You are magnificent, my First. Such children we will have. Is Freya...?"

"She's fine. We're fine." Medea assures him. She watches with concern as her husband gently gathers the human into his arms. Medea touches Harper's face with her fingertips. The human looks smaller without the vivid force of his personality and energy reflecting in his expression. She can see bruises begining to shadow the pale skin and the pink of healing scars on his chest. There are new cuts on the human and those punctures on his thigh look dangerously deep. She looks into her husband's eyes and sees her own worry and concern mirrored there. "Harper...how was he injured?"

"He...he tried to warn me...tried to protect me." Tyr kisses the human's forehead as he carries Harper up the steps and onto the deck. "He fought so bravely."

Medea nods and hurries through the doorway after them. "I'll summon a healer."

Tyr takes the human into his bedroom and places Harper gently in the bed. He sets the gauss gun on the night table and strokes back the wet blond hair as he stares intently at the human's still face. He doesn't like the shallow breathing and the pallor of Harper's skin. Could the human be going into shock? Only severe trauma would put one of his own people in such a state, but humans were said to be more delicate and with this attack coming so soon after Harper's last battle, his companion has not had time to fully recover. Tyr kneels by the bed and gently nuzzles the human's throat, softly murmuring reassuring words. He looks up as Freya enters the room. Her peach robe is stained with blood and so are her extended boneblades. Her long hair falls over her shoulder in a loose braid. Tyr smiles at her. "I see you fared well."

"They were no match...Betas most likely. Medea and I managed to repel the attack."

"How many?"

"Few in number. None of consequence." Freya walks over to the bed and touches Harper's face, stroking his cheek. Harper groans and stirs restlessly on the white sheets. Freya looks down at her husband's toubled eyes. "He'll be fine. He is strong."

"He's barely breathing." Tyr lays his hand over the human's chest. His palm flattens against the silken coolness of Harper's skin. He can't seem to stop himself from touching, from seeking proof that his companion is close and safe under his protection. He must convince his companion that he is Alpha enough to protect and provide for the human. A second attack so soon after the first must leave Harper doubting him and wondering if another would be more worthy of holding the human's contract. Tyr lowers his head, seeking the human's personal scent. The mingling smells of blood, fear and panic lingering on the pale skin make his bone blades flare out in reaction. Tyr turns his head and tenderly kisses Harper's shoulder. Harper had spoken of taking transport, like a man who intends to leave entirely. Is that what his Harper has in mind...to return to the hazards of working for a petty smuggler's crew? Tyr's mouth tightens and his eyes narrow. He will not allow it.

"Did you talk to him?" Freya asks quietly. A single glance into the stricken amber eyes gives her the answer. "No?"

"I didn't get the chance. I was attacked before I could reach him." Tyr glances over his shoulder at the empty doorway and growls. Shouldn't the healer be here by now? Virginna's clinic isn't that far from his home. "Where is that damned healer?"

"I'll check with Medea." Freya strokes an affectionate hand over her husband's damp hair and walks out the door.

A few minutes later, Medea enters and walks over to the bed. She reaches over her husband's shoulder to check the pulse beating in Harper's throat. "The healer is on the way. He should be here shortly."

"He?" Tyr looks up with a frown. "Who? I thought you summoned Virginia."

"No, she could not be reached. I summoned Peck."

"That quack! I'll not have him lay a hand on Harper." Tyr snarls springing to his feet. He glares at the doorway as if expecting to see Peck there already.

Medea sighs. She doesn't like it either, but Harper needs a healer's attention. "He's the one who's closest, Tyr. Virginia is unavailable now. She's attending a birth on the other side of the province."

"Still...." Tyr glances down at the small human. He wants his companion's injuries dealt with as soon as possible, but Peck is one with no tolerance for humans while Virginia is known to find them interesting and amusing. She had done a fine job on Harper's earlier cuts.

"Harper's injuries are serious. He needs attention right away."

"I know this. But Peck..." Tyr sighs as his gaze returns to Harper.

"He'll have to put his feelings aside."

"If Peck so much as breathes wrong; I'll kill him."

Medea leans over Harper, studying the human with a frown. She touches his throat again. "He looks so still. Are you sure he's..."

"He's alive. I got the water out of his lungs. But he's so...listless." Tyr turns to face the doorway at sound of voices in the hallway. He scoops up his captured gauss gun and stands protectively in front of Harper and Medea. He lowers the gun as he hears Freya telling one of the staff to show Peck to the bedroom. Freya sounds only mildly annoyed. Tyr watches as one of the maids escorts a dark-haired man into the room. She fades silently back into the hallway as Peck strides into the room, followed by a plump assistant carrying a small bag.

"Well, what's so important that I had to rush here without stopping to refuel? Where is my patient?" Peck strides impatiently into the room. He cocks his head, eyeing the cuts on Tyr's torso. He nods with satisfaction. Nothing there he can't treat. That Virginna's been boasting at the Assocication meetings that about being called in by the Second Alpha's family whenever they need anything. Well, it's his turn now. After he treats the Second Alpha, he'll ever so casually let drop the information that he'd been called in. Looks like the Second Alpha's been in quite a fight. Peck walks toward his patient. "Oh, so it's you. You won't be sorry you called me, Second Alpha. I'll have you healed in no time."

"Here." Tyr moves aside, revealing a limp body stretched out on the bed behind him. "Him. Not me."

"Oh." Peck's face falls in disappointment. Well, he'll treat the man on the bed and then the Second Alpha if that's what Tyr wants. He bustles over to the bed only to rock back on his heels in shock as he stares down at the bare arms. His face wrinkles up in distaste. "You had me rush here for this? It's a kludge!"

Tyr growls ominously as he tightens his hand around the butt of his gun. If he didn't need Peck, he would throw the healer out the front door for that comment. "Help him."

"Sorry, I don't do kludges." Peck sniffs. Tyr glares at Peck and starts toward him.

"No, love, allow me." Medea pats her husband's shoulder as she steps past him. She raises her gauss gun, aiming at Peck's head. "Fix him or die."

"Fix him, of course. No need to use threats." Peck pales as he stares uneasily at the pistol. He draws himself up and turns to glowers at his oggling assistant. "Walter, get some warm water at once."

"Right away." Walter scurries into the bathroom.

"Madame, I have barely the tools to care for this...human. I'll do what I can. But you must leave the room."

Tyr growls, his eyes narrowing. "I think not."

"I must clean his wounds and administer medications." Peck glances impatiently at Tyr before turning back to the kludge. He steels himself to touch the creature and eases the swimtrunks further up the kludge's thigh. He frowns at the puncture wounds. Hmmm. Nasty looking. What has he got in his bag that will work on a kludge? Nanobots should take care of the possiblity of infection. Healing gel to speed things along and minimize scarring. What else? "He will be in good hands."

Tyr glares at Peck's back. "See that nothing happens to him."

"I'll do what I can."

Tyr closes his hand around the healer's nape, pulling the other man back against him. He tightens his grip, letting Peck feel the hard strength of his hand as he growls in the healer's ear, "If he dies. You die."

Peck goes very still as he stares down at the pallid kludge on the bed with greater worry. "I see."

TBC