Bodie had been walking for hours. It was in the dead of winter, rain was pouring from the sky, and he was soaked to the skin. All he wanted to do was go home and take a long hot shower. But he couldn't, Ray was there. The fight had been one of many they'd had in the last few weeks.

Something was eating at Ray, and for the life of him Bodie couldn't find out what it was. Doyle could be a closed mouthed sod when he chose to be, and this was apparently going to be one of those times. He'd been short tempered and irritable for almost a month and Bodie'd taken just about all the abuse he was going to.

The time they spent together in bed was more like a wrestling match than lovemaking. Bodie was still smarting in some very sensitive spots from the night before. Ray had been like a man possessed. No sooner had they walked into the flat than Doyle had him up against the door, tearing at Bodie's clothes.

Bodie had tried to slow things down a bit, but Doyle would have none of it, knocking Bodie's hands away as the dark man reached to caress his partner. Ray was like a complete stranger to him. He'd take what he wanted and before Bodie had a chance to catch his breath, Doyle would be dressed and out the door.

Where he went Bodie had no idea. They'd been sharing the flat for six months. Cowley had been more than happy to save CI5 money and have his top team split expenses. But that meant that when Ray slammed out of the flat, he had nowhere to go. At least nowhere that Bodie knew of, and that worried him. Finally looking up to see where his rambling had taken him, Bodie was shocked to see he was a few blocks from CI5 HQ. Shaking the water from his eyes, he stepped off the curb and headed towards the building that housed his home away from home. At least here he could get a hot shower and a change of clothes.

Exiting from the lift, he headed down the corridor to the gym and his locker. As he stripped, his thoughts were once again centered on Doyle and their fight. Bodie wasn't even sure what had started it. The day had gone reasonably well, they both made it through without getting hurt, and with the way things were going between them, that was a minor miracle.

They had reached the flat a little after six. Doyle had gone straight into the bathroom and Bodie had headed to the kitchen to put the kettle on. The ringing of the phone had interrupted him before he could complete the task. The call had been from Murphy. Cowley had changed the schedule and Bodie and Doyle didn't have to report for work until two hours later than had been posted.

Bodie had thanked Murphy for the call and told him he'd see him later, before hanging up and starting back into the kitchen. He hadn't heard Ray come into the room and therefore almost tripped over him when he'd turned from the phone.

"Who were you talking to?" Ray said quietly, his gaze intent on Bodie's face.

"Murph, he called to tell us we get to sleep in for a couple of extra hours tomorrow." Bodie answered as he sidestepped his partner's tense body.

"Oh really, how nice of him." Doyle's tone was at its nastiest.

"Yes, really; Ray, what's gotten into you?" Bodie asked the question a little more sharply than he'd intended.

"More to the point, what's gotten into you, or should I say who?" His lover's green eyes were blazing.

"What?" Bodie exclaimed. "Alright Doyle, that's it. I've had it up to here with your snarky comments. Are you going to tell me what this is all about?" Bodie's patience was wearing very thin.

"Oh come on, Bodie, don't act the innocent with me. You think I'm blind or something? I can see well enough what's going on right under my nose, mate!" Doyle spat the words at Bodie, who reeled under the attack.

"What the fuck are you nattering on about, Doyle?" Bodie managed to say between clenched teeth.

"You make me sick! Do you know that, I can't stand to look at you anymore." As Doyle said those words Bodie's control snapped.

"Well that's easily fixed, lover! I don't know what's going on inside your fevered brain, but you'd better be ready to talk when I come back. If I come back!" While those parting words still bounced off of the walls, Bodie slammed the door as he left the flat.

Getting out to the sidewalk he realized that Ray had the keys to the motor. He'd grabbed his jacket as he walked out, but that proved to be little enough protection against the driving rain. Not that it mattered in his present state. He'd set off down the street with no particular destination in mind.

So here he was, his wet clothes piled at his feet and his mind a thousand miles away. Shaking himself out of his reverie, he realized he was shivering. Closing the metal door on his locker he headed towards the showers.

The steam and hot water made him feel a little more human than he had just moments ago. How long he stood under the soothing flow he couldn't say. But by the time he reached for a towel, the tension in his shoulders was all but gone.

Not really paying much attention to his movements, he forgot to watch where he was going. Catching his toe on the small step that kept water inside the tiled room, he took a fall, banging his head on a bench as he went down.

The next thing he knew he was lying on his back on the examining table inside the infirmary with the doctor flashing a pin light into his eyes. His head was pounding and the room was spinning around him crazily.

"What happened?" his voice rasped. "Very original, 3.7, I'd have thought you could've come up with something better than that." The doctor laughed at his own joke, causing Bodie to wince in pain as the noise slammed into his brain.

"Well, that's what you get for thinking, Doc. How is he?" Murphy's voice was quietly concerned.

"He'll be fine. A head this hard would need a lot more than a little knock to damage it severely," Dr. Simons stated, before he continued. "I've cleaned it out but it's going to throb for a couple of days. Here are some pills to take the edge off, but don't expect the pain to be gone completely." The doctor stepped away from the table and Bodie took the opportunity to sit up.

He was instantly sorry he had. Hanging onto the edge of the table it took a few minutes for him to realize that Murphy had rushed over and taken hold of him to stop his second spill on the floor. The strong hands held him firmly about the waist and while he was trying to get his breath back Bodie rested his hands on the dark agent's shoulders. Unaware of the door opening up behind him, Bodie rested his forehead on top of his hand that was still resting on Murphy's shoulder.

"Get your fucking hands off him!" It took only a second for Bodie to recognize the harsh voice of his partner.

"Now hold on Ray..." Murphy never got the chance to finish his sentence.

Doyle was in the room and on top of Murphy within seconds. The fight didn't last long. The doctor, who had left the room briefly, came barreling back in to break it up, even before Bodie could.

"What the bloody hell is going on here?" the doctor demanded. "I should report you all to Major Cowley, do you know that?" The blond shook his head in exasperation. "I'll never understand you guys. Don't you get enough fighting out on the streets? Now get out of here before I change my mind and call for security," he said disapprovingly.

Without another word to anyone, Doyle turned and left, wiping the blood from his nose as he went. Calling out to him, Bodie felt depression sit heavily on his shoulders as Ray kept on walking.

"Come on, mate, let's get you dressed and take you home," Murphy said gently.

It hadn't registered that Bodie was still naked. But it made sense, he'd fallen getting out of the shower. Who would have taken the time to dress him before calling the doctor to see him? Allowing the other agent to help him off the table, Bodie stood by and watched as Murphy unfolded the track suit Bodie kept in his locker.

"Do you need any help, 6.2? If not, I'll go back to writing up my report." The doctor waited for Murphy's nod before leaving the room and closing the door quietly behind him.

"You want to tell me what's going on?" the tall agent asked.

"I would if I knew myself, Murph. I don't have the slightest idea. He's been like this for weeks. He won't talk to me, and the strangest things set him off. I can't figure it out." Bodie's voice sounded lost even to himself.

"Okay, let's start with the easy stuff. Why were you here with a pile of wet clothes sitting by your locker?" Murphy wanted to know.

"We'd had a fight. I stormed out before I realized I didn't have my keys. So I just started walking. The next I knew I was standing out front and longing for a hot shower." Bodie sighed as the explanation came to a halt.

By this time he was dressed, with Murphy on his knees tying the laces on Bodie's trainers. Murphy looked up as he completed his appointed task and smiled. His smile turning into a grimace as the lip Ray had split gave him grief.

"I'm sorry you got caught in the middle of this, Murph. I just don't know what's gotten into the little sod." Bodie's whole demeanor was one of defeat.

"So when did this start, you know, Ray's blue moods and all?" Murphy asked as Bodie levered himself off of the side of the examining table and tried to stand on his own two feet. "Few weeks ago, right after the Robinson case folded up. I thought at first that it was because he was so upset at the way the case went, but he never seemed to get over it." Murphy collected the bottle of pills the doctor had left and shepherded Bodie towards the door.

Nodding to the man who was still working at his desk, the two agents moved on out into the hallway. Avoiding any other members of their organization, they made it down to the carpark without incident. By this time Bodie was relying on Murphy for his support in keeping him from falling flat on his face again.

Sitting back in the seat of Murphy's car, Bodie sighed. He had no idea where the other agent was taking him, nor did he care, he told himself. So he had no one to blame but himself when they pulled up outside of the flat he shared with Ray.

"Murph, take me to a hotel or something. I can't face another round with him tonight," Bodie said, refusing to move from the car. "Come on, Bodie, the two of you need sorting out, and I for one refuse to stand by and watch one of you get killed because you're mad at each other. You're slowly destroying everything you've worked for and I can't let you do that." Murphy's voice was stern.

"Murph..."

"Shut up Bodie! Now I'll admit I wasn't very happy when this thing between you and Ray happened. And I don't mean these fights, I mean when you started sleeping together. You know how I feel about you, have felt about you for some time now. Well, so does Ray. I think he's gotten it in his head that there's something going on between you and me." Murphy had turned his head and was looking out at the rain soaked streets as he spoke to Bodie.

"Why would he think that?" Bodie was completely confused now; he'd never once given Ray any indication that he was interested in anyone other than Doyle.

The silence in the car lengthened as Bodie waited for Murphy to explain the statement that he'd made. It hurt him to think that Ray could suspect him of being unfaithful. When did he ever have the chance, let alone the stamina to prowl around? Finally, the other man broke his silence and after heaving a deep sigh, began to speak.

"Do you remember the night the Robinson case fell apart?" The question was softly spoken.

"Yeah, you and I were working across town keeping an eye on that contact of Robinson's. After we got the word from Ray in Coventry that the case had gone down the tubes, we went to HQ, filled out our reports, and went to the pub to unwind." Bodie laid his head back and closed his eyes as he finished speaking.

"What happened after that?" Murphy asked.

"Oh come on, Murphy, you were there, why don't you tell me?" For a second time today Bodie's patience was being sorely tested.

"Okay, after drinking more than our fair share of booze, we went back to your place. We took a cab, because neither one of use wanted to get done by Cowley for driving while intoxicated." Bodie opened his eyes to look at Murphy's profile.

"Yeah, so?" The pain in his head caused him to snap at the other man.

"Let me finish, will ya?" The tension in the tall agent's body finally communicated itself to Bodie.

"Sorry, go ahead," Bodie said, closing his eyes once again.

"Anyway, we got back to your flat, drunk off our asses. Do you remember this so far?" Murphy paused and waited for Bodie's response.

"Vaguely, go on." Bodie kept his eyes closed, hoping the throbbing would start to dull.

"After a while, I stretched out on the settee and you staggered into the bedroom. Sometime during the night I went to the loo. The thought of trying to go back to sleep on that instrument of torture you laughingly call furniture was out of the question. So I decided to share the bed with you." The explanation ground to a halt, but Bodie just waited for him to continue.

"I didn't think it would be a problem, I guess I just wasn't thinking at all. You didn't even twitch when I crawled in beside you. In fact, you kinda cuddled up next to me. I just laid there for a few minutes, soaking in the feel of you laying against me. I must have fallen asleep, because I woke up with a start when I heard a noise in the other room. Just as I was getting up I heard the front door close. I grabbed your gun, because mine was still in the lounge, and raced in to see what was going on. After checking quickly and not finding anyone, I heard a car start up outside. Going over to the window, I looked out as Ray's car took off down the street." The monologue stopped when Bodie opened his eyes and sat up too quickly.

"What?" He almost yelled the words. "Why didn't anybody say anything to me?" Now Bodie was really getting angry.

"I got dressed, called a cab, left you a note, and headed home. I figured that the two of you would work it out. It must've looked pretty compromising. I remember when I started to get up, your arm was laying across my chest." He paused and then began talking again. "When it looked like you guys hadn't talked about it, I approached Ray and tried to explain." Murphy's voice trailed off, and then picked up once more. "He wasn't having any of it."

"You mean he didn't believe you?" Bodie questioned, his heart in his mouth.

"No, I mean he wouldn't even listen to me. Told me if I ever came near you again, he'd kill me. I guess he meant it." The tall agent brought a finger to his lip and touched the cut Doyle had given him earlier in the evening.

"Why didn't you say something to me, Murph? I could have had this thing sorted out in no time. I can't believe you tried to keep something this important away from me." The tone of voice he used caused the man sitting next to him to flinch.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I thought that since the two of you are so close you would have explained everything when he confronted you with it. I never suspected that he wouldn't ever say anything to you." After his words died down, the silence in the car stretched once more.

"Well, I'd better get in there and see what the damage really is," Bodie stated as he began to open the door of the car.

"Do you want me to go in with you?" Murphy asked, reaching for the door handle next to him.

"No, I think I'd better go it alone. Thanks for the offer, though." Bodie stepped out of the car and into the rain. Heading for the door of the building, he stopped when Murphy called his name.

"If you need anything, you know where to find me. I really am sorry this got so far out of hand. Call me if you need to." And with that Murphy started the car and merged with the other traffic on the street.

Taking a deep breath and rolling his shoulders to relieve some of the tension there, he opened the door and stepped inside. Thankfully the lift was in working order; the thought of three flights of stairs was more than he could bear at the moment. Coming to a stop on his floor, he fished in his pocket for the keys to the flat before he remembered he didn't have them.

Hoping for the best, he knocked on the door, not really expecting Ray to answer it. He knew he was inside because the car that was assigned to him was parked out front. Raising his hand to knock again, Bodie let it fall back to his side when the door swung open.

Doyle must have seen him coming into the building, because he didn't even wait to see who was at the door. After he opened it, he moved back towards the lounge and waited for Bodie there. Quietly pulling the door to behind him, he followed his lover into the flat.

What he saw sent a wave of ice water through his veins. There were a couple of boxes standing open in the middle of the room. Peering into them Bodie could see bits and pieces of Ray's belongings stacked inside. Looking through into the bedroom he could see Doyle's luggage laying on the bed, one empty, one half full.

"We need to talk, Ray." Bodie's voice was husky, as the implications of what he saw scared him more than any armed terrorist.

"It's too late for that, Bodie," Ray said as he turned his back on his partner and began putting more things in the boxes.

"No, it's not, now stop that and let's sit down," Bodie pleaded as he moved to stand directly behind Doyle.

"What's the point? I just wish you'd said something to me. If I wasn't enough or not what you wanted, I would have preferred you to tell me instead of letting me find out this way, that's all." Bodie could tell from his lover's voice how hurt he was feeling at the moment.

"Ray, you got it all wrong, mate. Come on, sit down on the settee and talk to me." Finally managing to get the other man to stop what he was doing and sit down, Bodie found he was tongue-tied.

"How anyone in their right mind could think that I would prefer Murphy to you is beyond me. Now don't get me wrong, Murph is one hell of a looker and probably a real raver in bed. But he's not my type at all. What do I have to do to prove that to you, Ray? I love you, how could you not know that?" Bodie was bewildered and desperately needed to know the answer to his question. He waited for Doyle to speak.

"You have no idea what I went through that night and every other night since then. I came rushing home, I was depressed because the case I'd put hours of work into had blown up in our faces and I needed you, badly. I drive like a maniac to get here. Sneak in so that I don't wake you, and what do I find? My lover in bed with another man. Not only were you in bed with him, but you were all over him. How would you have felt, Bodie? What would you have done if you came home and found me curled up with Stuart?" Ray demanded, his breathing getting harsher as he remembered the pain that had ripped open his chest that night.

"Well, I sure wouldn't have left quietly and never said a word about it, I can tell you. I would have first torn this place apart and then the both of you. Then I would've chained you to the bed and never let you out of my sight again." Just thinking of Ray with another man got Bodie's blood boiling. "If you knew that I'd seen you that night, why didn't you say anything before tonight?" Ray looked everywhere but at Bodie when he asked his question.

"I didn't know about it. Murphy told me as he was driving me home. He heard you come home that night, thought it was an intruder, and after checking the place out, he heard a car, went to the window and saw you drive away. He thought you would have said something to me and I would explain and that would have been the end of it. But no, you have to be the strong, silent type and put us both through a lot of pain." Bodie got up from the settee and began to pace around the room.

"Why couldn't you have said something, Ray? I've been going crazy trying to figure out what the problem was. I thought you were getting tired of the relationship, feeling trapped. Any minute I was expecting to hear you say you wanted out, and it was killing me. The times we've been together in bed have felt like there was no love, just desperation. I just wished you'd said something." Unconsciously Bodie repeated the very same words Ray had said at the beginning of their discussion.

"I thought I'd lost you, Bodie. I believed that you were unhappy and it almost destroyed me to think that Murphy could give you what I couldn't." Ray's voice was no more than a whisper as he continued.

"So, let's clear the air. Why don't you tell me what happened that night?" Doyle prompted as he patted the cushion next to him, a silent invitation for Bodie to join him.

Sitting down next to the most important person in his life, Bodie began talking. By the time he was finished, Ray was shaking his head in self-disgust. Looking at Bodie through his lashes he spoke after several minutes of embarrassed silence.

"Listen carefully, because I'm never going to say this again. I'm an idiot. The only thing I can say in my own defense is that I love you, and the thought of losing you to someone else was more than I wanted to face." Leaning over, Doyle lightly placed his lips to Bodie's mouth. The first sign of tenderness Ray had shown in a month.

"I couldn't bear the thought of you walking out of my life. That's why I kept attacking you every chance I got. I thought if I could keep you exhausted, you wouldn't want anyone else. I'm sorry if I got a little rough, I wanted to be gentle. But whenever I touched you I wanted to erase the thought of another man's touch from your memory and I'd go wild. It won't happen next time...if there is a next time." Ray had gone pale as his imagination got the better of him.

"Don't be a berk, of course there's going to be a next time. In fact the next time will be in about five minutes. As soon as we get this mess cleared up. You never answered my question. What do I have to do to convince you that I love you, need you and want you for ever and ever, amen?" Bodie asked, taking a hold of Ray's hand and bringing it to his mouth, where he placed a kiss on the back of it.

"Nothing, just keep loving me." Doyle smiled the smile he gave only to Bodie.

"Okay, next question, are you going to keep having these fantasies about me and Murph?" Bodie asked, melting inside at the look on Ray's face.

"Oh god, Murphy! Bodie, how am I going to face him tomorrow?" Doyle exclaimed.

"You just go right up to him, say you're sorry, and then ask him what happened to his lip. That should get the conversation rolling." Bodie laughed as the fact that Doyle had split Murphy's lip finally registered in his mind.

"He's never going to let me live this down," Ray groaned.

"Oh, I think he will, Ray. Murph's just as upset about this as you are. There was no harm meant and he's been kicking himself ever since. Just let him know everything's alright and that will be the end of it. Now, I think it's time we got down to business. What are you planning on doing with those suitcases that are on the bed?" Bodie wanted to know as he stood up and headed into the other room.

"What would you suggest I do with them?" Ray asked, coming up behind him and wrapping his arms around Bodie's middle.

"Remove them at once!" Bodie answered imperiously.

"Yes, master. At once, your greatness." Ray released his lover and set the cases on the floor next to the wardrobe.

"I think I like the sound of that. You'd look good in leather and chain," the dark man said as he began working on the buttons of Ray's shirt.

"That makes two of us," Doyle responded as he set to work on Bodie's clothing.

"I never asked you how you're feeling?" Ray stopped what he was doing to look with concern into Bodie's face.

"It's nothing. I'll have a little headache for a couple of days and then it will be gone. How did you find out, by the way? Did someone call you, is that why you showed up at that very inopportune moment?" Bodie questioned.

"Yeah, timing isn't my strong suit. Murphy called, which reminds me, that's something else I need to thank him for. All he said when he called was "Bodie's been hurt, you'd better get down here". I was a nervous wreck when I ran into that office, and what do I see? You sitting bollock naked on the examining table with Murphy's arms around you. I wanted to commit murder," Ray said possessively.

"You almost did, mate. You almost did. Okay, enough talk, we have more important matters to attend to." Bodie finished speaking and began to concentrate on what he was doing.

In moments they stood in front of each other naked, their need for one another apparent. They moved together slowly, all the tenderness they felt finding expression at last. Bodie looked deeply into the green of Ray's eyes. Drinking in the love that shone out of them as if it were all he needed to survive. In a way it was; he knew that if they hadn't been able to resolve their differences, Ray would have walked out of his life tonight. That thought didn't bear thinking about.

Shutting his mind off, he just went with what his body was feeling. Ray's skin felt like living silk, warm and soft to the touch. He wanted to taste every inch of this man, to eat him alive. Starting slowly, he charted his way around Ray's body. Reacquainting himself with the spots that brought his lover the most pleasure.

Doyle stood still and let him have his way; it was almost an exact reversal of their positions of a night ago. But that time was past, the bitter and hurt feelings taken care of and done away with. Now was the time for making love, and no one did that better than Bodie.

Making his was down to the lower part of his journey, Bodie took Ray into his mouth. On his knees, he was paying homage to the body he revered above all others. His knowledge of Ray enabled him to bring his lover right to the edge of sanity and stop him, before he could take that final step into oblivion.

Standing back up, he reached into the drawer of the bedside table and pulled out their lubricant. Raising his eyebrow in question, he asked Ray what he wanted without using words. He uncapped the tube as Doyle crawled onto the bed and presented his ass for preparation. The sensation of sinking his cock into Ray's welcoming body brought a groan to Bodie's lips. The smooth slide in and out was as natural to him as eating or breathing. His chest was heaving as he tried to control the urge to plunge himself straight through to Ray's heart. Bodie closed his eyes and just listened to the sound their bodies made as they moved together. The slap of sweat damp skin against skin and the guttural noises that found their way out of desire tight throats made him shiver.

Never able to make it last as long as he wanted to, Bodie came with a long gush of hot semen shooting into Doyle's thrashing body. They collapsed and somehow Ray managed to turn over and enfold Bodie in his arms.

The first thing to penetrate his sated state was the throbbing in his head. The pain had been dulled by the medication the doctor had given him, but the stress of their talk and the obvious exertions he'd just undergone had brought the pain to the fore again.

Trying to move into a more comfortable position, he gasped when he brushed the back of his head against Ray's arm. Having heard the noise, Doyle sat up and asked what was the matter. "Just a little reminder of this evening's events, it'll pass." Bodie snuggled close and was finally able to get comfy.

After listening to his mate snoring softly, Ray got slowly out of bed and locked everything up and turned off all the lights. The moon had broken through the clouds outside and was shining through the window onto Bodie's sprawled figure. He was beautiful and Ray counted his blessings that he hadn't screwed up the best thing to ever happen to him.

Sliding back into bed, he smiled when Bodie made a snuffling noise and slung his arm over Doyle's chest. He sent up thanks that he wasn't going to have to spend another night in the car. His back wouldn't have been able to stand much more of what he'd put it through in the last month.

The fist time he'd slammed out of their flat after he'd ravaged Bodie, he'd gone to a hotel just down the street. But as his flights from the flat became a regular thing, he decided he couldn't keep going there. So one night he'd stayed at HQ and then the rest he'd just climbed into the back seat of the car and gone to sleep.

Well, that was a thing of the past. From now on whenever there was a problem or something that was worrying him, he'd talk to Bodie. No more of this silent treatment; all it did was bring pain to both of them. And that was something neither one of them needed any more of. In their line of work they had all they could handle of that. He'd learned a very important lesson, and a very painful one too. Communication was the key element in any relationship. He'd known that, they always communicated with each other on the job. But for some reason he'd been blinded to it this time, and it almost cost him Bodie.

Gathering his lover closer, he lightly kissed the dark hair that was tickling his chin. Lying there in the dark, Ray smiled to himself when he felt a little trickle on his backside. He should have gotten a cloth while he was up. Oh well. Mentally shrugging his shoulders, he gently squeezed Bodie once more before closing his eyes and following his mate into sleep.

-- THE END --

Originally published in Endless Frisky Nights, Almost Foolproof Press, 1993