Fandom:	Houston Knights
Series:	Mac
Rating:	NC-17
Pairing:	Joe/Levon
Archive:	Starwinder's
Title:	Assault With Intent
Author:	Glo and Starwinder
e-mail:	Goglow@mailcity.com
Standard Disclaimer: Houston Knights belongs to Jay Bernstein and Michael Butler and Columbia Pictures. No copyright infringement is intended. This is fan fiction, written out of love for the shows. I am making no money off this. I have no money so please don't sue me. Any original characters that may appear in these stories are the property of the author.

Assault With Intent
By Glo and Starwinder

"And what *the hell* was he doin' in the lockup all night?" Lundy's long legs ate up the distance to the elevator. Scully had to hop and skip to keep up with the angry HPD Major Crimes Unit detective.

"We're tryin' to keep it out of the news right now, Levon."

"I don't give a *hang* about the news! What the * hell* wuz he doin' there?"

"You'll have to talk to the arresting officers -"

"'Arresting officers' my foot," Levon Lundy turned on the Houston Police Department Public Relations man, grabbing him by the lapels as they skidded to a halt in front of the closed elevator doors, "He's a police officer! Wuz he given a chance to identify himself? What wuz they doin', raiding his apartment enyway?"

"I really don't have any of the details right now, Levon," Scully looked nearly cross-eyed, trying to stare sincerely into the furious snapping brown eyes of the blonde Texan.

Lundy grit his teeth and his jaw tightened, but he dropped the man's jacket front and stood back, grunting. At the sound of the elevator's arrival, he swiveled around. Joe Bill McCandless and Esteban Guiterrez were in the cab, ready to step off on to the MCU floor. One look at Lundy's furious face and they paused.

"Lundy? There somethin' wrong?" McCandless asked with concern, never having seen his fellow detective looking quite like this before. A heat maddened longhorn would look safer.

Levon squared his shoulders and stepped inside the elevator cab. "Yeah. Might need some help iffn you boys kin spare the time?"

"Of course," answered McCandless' partner, the former Mexican cop, Guiterrez, his own brown eyes showing his concern. He and McCandless moved over to leave room for Lundy and Scully who looked even more uncomfortable now.

"What floor?" Levon demanded.

"Narcotics," Scully answered as reasonably as he dared.

Lundy looked sharply at him but made no comment, punching in the right floor for the Narcotics Division of HPD, there at the Reisner Building.

Joe-Bill and Esteban exchanged looks, then Esteban cleared his throat. "Where's LaFiamma, Lundy?"

The question about his partner seemed to fan the flames for Lundy who puffed up like an adder ready to strike. "What Ah aim to find out raht now."

No one said anything more. Scully hurried off the elevator as the door opened, Lundy nearly stepping on his heels. The other two detectives followed more slowly.

The PR man led them through several halls to the detention and holding area, on to the separate interview rooms. As they came down the corridor, two bearded, scruffy looking men stepped out into the hallway from one door, almost immediately followed by a woman in a tailored suit who stepped out to join them from neighboring door. They stood conferring as Scully and his followers bore down on them.

Lundy slowed as he recognized the woman, Sharon Walters, an Assistant District Attorney. The other two had to be undercover cops, though he didn't know them. They all stopped talking and turned toward Scully as he pulled up beside them.

"Leach, Targell, Ms. Walters - this is Levon Lundy, the man's partner." Scully looked very nervous, turning slightly to gesture to the other two men behind him, "and these are MCU detectives McCandless and Guiterrez."

The one called Leach just looked at them all blankly, Targell's shoulders went up as if ready to attack but he didn't move.

Walters stepped forward slightly. "Detective Lundy?" She nodded to the others, then went on, "LaFiamma is not cooperating at this time. Perhaps you can influence him, convince him to answer these officers' questions?"

Lundy had turned cold at the tone and words from the Assistant DA. Damn, what had LaFiamma got himself into? "Like to see him afore Ah tell him enythin' and like to know why he's here."

Targell stood forward aggressively, "We got a tip -"

"A tip?" Lundy murmured dangerously. Behind him the other two MCU detectives tensed.

"Yeah, and acting on the information of our informant, we raided the perpetrator's apartment-"

"That would be LaFiamma?"

"Yeah. We had a warrant." He was becoming defensive by degrees in the face of the stony detectives in front of him. "He resisted, attacked us, we had to subdue him forcibly-"

"He's a cop, fer god's sake!"

"He wuz a suspect-"

"Right now," Walters added, "he's being held on charges of assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest-"

Lundy held up a hand. "Has he had hiz phone call?"

Something told him things weren't quite right here.

The two undercover narcs looked down, then at each other, but didn't answer. "We'll be giving him that opportunity shortly-" started Walters.

"'Give him that opportunity!'" Lundy was seein' red by now. "I want to see him, now."

Walters looked at the detective and hesitated, then nodded. "In here." She pointed to the room that Targell and Leach had come from. "The rest of you will have to wait out here, and Detective Lundy?" She waited for him to look at her. "I'll be watching from the next room."

If Lundy heard, he gave no sign, shouldering past the others, he opened the indicated door and went in, closing it behind him.

********************

The dark haired man sitting at the end of the long interrogation table sat with his hands on the table, wrists in steel handcuffs. His hands were folded. He was resting his head on his hands. He didn't look up. "I got nuthin' more to say." The tone was flat, closed. Tired.

"LaFiamma?" Lundy ground to a halt beside his partner. Now that he wuz here finally, in front of the man, his anger stilled and concern was the only emotion in his voice.

His partner looked up at him, eyes half-shut. He'd been badly beaten, that was clear. Both eyes were swollen nearly shut, there were livid bruises darkening on his face and neck. Lundy had a suspicion that more were hidden by the detention center jumpsuit. The chips of blue ice that were all Levon could see of Joe LaFiamma's eyes softened. "Lundy."

"What happened? What's goin' one here?"

LaFiamma shook his head a tiny bit, wincing even with that movement. "No one will tell me anything. Two plainclothes cops and some suits showed up at my place last night. They had a warrant to search it. When I asked what for, things got violent real fast. One of them really liked his fists." Joe sat back slowly, almost jerkily, to rest against the chair back. "If they found anything, they never told me. Just brought me in and dumped me in a holding pen," LaFiamma paused, then added, "general population."

Lundy, who'd pulled out a chair and seated himself as he listened to his partner, jumped to his feet at that. "By god! You tell'em you wuz a cop?"

LaFiamma's damaged face managed to look amused somehow. "You kiddin'? That was the first thing I did when they showed up at my door. They took my badge, but I kept tellin' everyone anyway." He lifted his cuffed hands, but the movement obviously hurt because he lowered them almost immediately. "Told the desk sergeant too, no one seemed to believe me."

Lundy slowly sat down. Time for explodin' later. Right now, get the facts, then act. "How long were you in the pen?"

LaFiamma closed his eyes, then opened them and looked down at the top of the table in front of him. "All night." He shuddered. "All fucking night." The words were bitter.

"You alright?" Lundy could see the man was hurtin' but somethin' in the tone told him there wuz more to this than what he could see.

"Will be, if you can get me outta here."

"Ah'm workin' on it. Scully is outside now with the DA's assistant, cuttin' a deal. Ah got Joe-Bill and Esteban with me too, jest in case."

Joe snorted softly. "Sounds like a task force."

"Takes one to take care o'you sometimes, LaFiamma." Lundy leaned forward. "What have they been askin' you about?"

"Drugs. Who's my connection. Who's my dealer. Where do I get the shit from. Like that." Joe paused and looked up at Lundy. "Levon, I don't do drugs. This is a setup. I'm clean, I swear it."

Lundy put one hand over LaFiamma's two fists, where they sat on the table. "I know. I know you, know you're clean as they come. We got to figger out why this happened," He stood now, "but first, we got to git you outta here. Come on." He came to stand beside his partner and put a hand down under one of LaFiamma's arms, intent on helping him up. He wasn't expecting the flinch and duck from the man. "Easy, boy, it's me."

Joe looked up in embarrassment. "Sorry, it's been rough for a while, haven't slept since yesterday..." He stood. Swayed.

Lundy grabbed hold of the closer arm, then shifted so that he could keep hold and put his other arm around LaFiamma's back for support. He gripped the far shoulder to steady the man. He wuz quickly becoming furious agin. Ready to kill them shits outside, the ones who'd done this to hiz pardner. No one, not even a northern, yuppie-style ex-Chicago cop like hiz pardner deserved to be treated like this.

"We're gettin' outta here right now, son," Lundy began to lead the brunette away from the table and toward the door. It opened in front of him and Targell stood fore square in front of them.

"I don't think so. He stays here." The bearded cop folded his arms.

Lundy ignored this, kept on coming though he had to push LaFiamma a bit, the boy had almost dragged to a halt at the sight of Targell. Lundy studied the man he wuz approachin'. If you did eny o'this to Joe, yore gonna pay, he thought grimly. Aloud, he called out, "Joe-Bill? Esteban?"

Suddenly Targell was lifted clear off his feet and dragged backwards, so surprised he didn't put up a fight for the moment. Then the doorway was clear and Lundy was leading his partner out into the corridor.

Out there, Targell was up against the wall, one of Joe-Bill's forearms under his chin. He wasn't moving. Scully was at the door to the other room, Walters standing just inside, looking angry. Levon couldn't hear what was said, but didn't doubt Scully was gettin' LaFiamma's release worked out. He'd better.

Esteban came up on Joe's other side to provide further support. Both Joe-Bill and Esteban were getting their first look at LaFiamma and their faces reflected their shock and anger. Leach was standing back, body posture declaring him neutral in this interdepartmental battle of wills.

Lundy fixed Leach with a look. "Keys."

The man glanced down at LaFiamma's shackled wrists and his hand went to a trouser pocket, emerging with a small key that he held out at arm's length. Nothing was said as Lundy shifted his hold on his partner and half crouched in front of him to get at the handcuff locks. Then he dropped the cuffs to the floor, key with them. Joe stood there, rubbing at his wrists, looking down. Lundy wuz worried about LaFiamma's attitude. He'd expected the man to be angry, yellin', strikin' out. This subdued man wuz so unlike Joe LaFiamma that Lundy decided he had to git his pardner away from here fast, mebbe to a doctor.

Lundy spared a glance for Scully, who nodded and waved, clearly indicating they could leave.

Esteban had a shoulder under Joe's far arm now, so Lundy did the same with the nearer one and they turned down the hall they'd come from toward the exit. Behind them, McCandless dropped Targell and walked away without comment, shoulders stiff with anger for his friends. He followed the others down the hall. Scully remained with Walters, who looked resigned but rebellious.

********************

Once in the elevator, with the doors shut, LaFiamma simply sagged. Levon and Esteban, who were supporting him were taken by surprise, nearly letting him hit the floor before pulling him up. His head lolled forward, clearly unconscious.

"He needs a doctor," Esteban said grimly.

McCandless nodded, face a picture of anger and worry. "You want to take him on down to the garage? Take him in yore truck? Or should we call an ambulance."

Lundy didn't need to think twice, "My truck."

"He might need x-rays, Levon," warned Joe-Bill.

"I'll git him to the emergency room, but I want him outta here now, afore they," he nodded upwards, "think o'some way to stop us."

No one spoke again until they exited the cab. Joe-Bill picked up LaFiamma's legs and between the three of them, the MCU detectives carried their colleague to Lundy's red Jimmy, carefully set him up in the passenger seat and belted him in. He remained unconscious.

"Mother of God," Esteban muttered, looking up at the pale face, so battered beneath the unruly dark hair. "I fear for your partner, Levon."

Lundy, who'd just climbed into the driver's side, looked over at LaFiamma possessively. "Yeah. Well, he ain't going to go back in there until we git this all straightened out. 'Til then, he ain't gonna be outta mah sight."

McCandless carefully closed the passenger door. "You want us to follow you?"

"Naw, we'll be all right. Tell you what, though, tell Joanne about this. She needs to know. Tell her I'll call in when I kin."

*********************

"You are his next of kin?"

"No, but he don't have no family down here, he's from Chicago. I'm his partner."

"Police?" The nurse nodded her understanding. "Okay, I'll tell the doctor and he'll come out and talk to you in a few minutes."

Lundy sat back down in the waiting room, Stetson hanging from his hands as he leaned forward, elbows on knees, boots flat on the floor. He looked up when a white-coated man came out a short time later. The man had silvery hair and a look of quiet competence.

"Detective Lundy?"

Levon stood up. "Yes, sir."

"I'm Dr. Matthison." He offered his hand. After they'd shook, he continued, "Your partner, Joseph LaFiamma?"

At Levon's nod, he kept going, "He's been very badly beaten, has multiple contusions over most of his torso, shoulders, arms, neck and head. Some serious cuts on his face, one required some stitches. His ribs are badly bruised but not fractured, though I really don't know why not." He shook his head in wonder. "He's been sexually assaulted, repeatedly. There's some damage to the rectum, but it will heal all right. He's dehydrated and physically exhausted."

"Kin I see him?" Levon had suspected the assault, but knew a rage was building inside anyway. Joe did not deserve to be treated that way. No one did, but especially not his pardner.

"Oh, yes. In fact, you can take him home if there is someone there who can provide some simple care for him." The doctor looked at his clipboard. "We gave him some fluids, and there's a prescription for antibiotics, both an ointment and some pills."

"I'll take him home then." Lundy made the decision without hesitation. Out to the ranch. Not any where near his apartment, which might jest get a return visit from those two trolls, Targell and Leach. Once he had'm there, he could talk with Joanne, git things started on clearing this all up. Someone wuz out to git Joe, might even have somethin' to do with that Mafia hit out on him still. Might have to call Joe's uncle in Chicago, the don, see if he knew enythin'. He looked up to see the doctor patiently waiting.

"Sorry. What'd I have to do to get him outta here?"

"Just wait here a moment and he'll be wheeled out to you." Lundy had a feelin' the doctor had already said this once, but made no comment.

He waited some more while the doctor went away, then there was Joe comin' out in a wheel chair, still in the orange detention center jumpsuit. The nurse behind him, pushing the chair, was leaning over and speaking into the brunette's ear. Joe's eyes were downcast.

She pulled to a stop by Levon. "Mr. Lundy?"

"Yes, ma'am." He squatted down by his pardner. "Joe?" When LaFiamma didn't immediately look at him, he tried again. "Joey?"

Blue eyes came up in surprise. It was the first time Levon had ever called him that.

He knew that LaFiamma's family used the diminutive, he'd fielded a call from one of his pardner's cousins one time in the bullpen. "Ready to go, son?"

LaFiamma could barely see through his puffy lids, nodded at the blur that was Lundy. "Yeah. Guess so." He cleared his throat and tried again. "Not back to Reisner?"

Levon stood, putting a comforting hand on one heavy shoulder. "No. Not back there. We'll be going out to my place." He added, "Some of my daddy's clothes'll fit you."

Joe nodded, sat back.

Least he wuzn't keepin' hiz head down now. Levon didn't like the way his Italian pardner was actin' so quiet though. He turned to accept a package and information sheet on LaFiamma's medications from the nurse, then they were moving out the doors toward the curb.

LaFiamma wasn't as shaky now. He stood and climbed into the Jimmy without help, though Levon kept close jest in case.

Pulling away from the hospital, Lundy spared a glance at LaFiamma who sat stoically beside him. Lundy's heart seemed to squeeze, see that he don't ever git that look on hiz face agin. Ah'm gonna see to that mahself, he thought grimly. Give him some time, then we'll talk. Figger this out.

*********************

LaFiamma hugged himself as he sat beside Lundy in the truck. The doctor and nurses had been kind but he'd seen the shocked looks on their faces before they turned professional and blank. He was ashamed of what had happened, he knew he had no reason to be, was anyway.

It had been a night from hell. Like he'd visited all of Dante's circles in one long torturous night. He shuddered, saw Lundy stiffen in concern. It was going to be hard to deal with Lundy right now, he knew his partner would try to help, but they just weren't that close. Not that he hadn't wanted closeness - before now, but Lundy just never let him 'in'. Now, hurting the way he was, he wasn't sure he was up to sparring with his partner. All he really wanted to do was crawl into a hole somewhere and hide, lick his wounds, stay out of harm's way for a while.

Their route took them by Reisner and LaFiamma tensed for a moment until he realized that Lundy was driving straight on past it. Breathing out again, only now realizing he'd held his breath, Joe began to tremble. It was just all more than he could cope with just now. If only there was a reason. Anything. He couldn't even be angry. He was too hurt and confused.

Lundy studied the problem as he drove through the mid-morning traffic and out of the city of Houston, heading for his ranch house. He knew in his gut that his partner wuz honest and a good cop, despite his gangland family members back in Chicago. He'd been a good partner for the last two years. Fer a partner, he couldn't ask fer better, rock solid back-up, even when the boy was con-sarn'd-sartin that Lundy was wrong on somethin'. They'd gotten to know each other pretty well. But not real well, not heart-deep. He'd not wanted a partner, got one enyway, and a northerner at that. That first year, they'd fought like cats'n'dogs.

How they ever managed to solve a case, he didn't know, but they had. Second year had been a little better. Despite their continuing arguments on cases, they actually hung out together onct'a while, like at Chicken's. Even played a bit a'pool. Shared a few beers.

He checked LaFiamma again with a sidelong glance. The boy was huddled over there, shaking. Been rode hard. Gonna have to gentle him some. One side of his mouth kicked up at the thought, boy wasn't a horse. But he'd need some carin' right now, that was clear. Nervy.

He began to drum his fingers on the steering wheel as they got caught in a traffic slowdown on the feeder heading out of the loop. Signs said construction work. Must be new, hadn't noticed enythin' this mornin'. He forced himself to settle down. Looked over again at LaFiamma. "How you doin'?"

No answer.

"Joey?"

That brought his head around.

"You need me to stop or enythin'?"

"No." Joe seemed to realize that he needed to say something more. "Thanks, I'm okay."

Lundy nodded. "Shouldn't be too much longer. Then we'll git you outta that outfit and cleaned up some." He was thoughtful, watching Joe now with the use of his mirror. The man had paled more if that wuz possible. "Gotta talk, figger out what's goin' on. And," he glanced at the road to check the flow of traffic, then looked back at LaFiamma again, "think you better tell me what went down last night so's I kin help."

LaFiamma shifted uncomfortably. Didn't answer. Yep, boy is gonna need to talk. If not to me, to someone. We'll see.

********************

It wuz like handlin' fragile porcelain, Lundy thought. The LaFiamma he'd gotten to know these last two years had all but vanished. This was a sad shadow of the man. One night had done it. He thought Joe wuz tougher than that. More goin' on here than met the eye. Had to git the boy to talk.

LaFiamma had obediently come in to the house when they got to the ranch. Followed Lundy back to the guest bedroom, sat on the bed and watched as Lundy sorted through the few pieces of clothes that his daddy had left behind. Got out a pair of worn lookin' jeans and an old, thin cotton work shirt, pale washed out blue, almost the same color as the Levi's. They turned out to be a bit snug on LaFiamma, but not impossible. He wuz about the same height as Levon's father, but a heavier build.

Knowing that LaFiamma had had no sleep, Lundy encouraged him to stretch out on the bed and had tossed an old quilt over him, then left him in peace.

*****************

Out in the kitchen, Lundy called into the MCU, direct to Lieutenant Joanne Beaumont, their boss, and his ex-partner. The conversation was short. She'd heard all about what had happened by this time, from Scully, from Joe-Bill and Esteban, from Sharon Walters. She was angry and had already lodged a protest with the Captain. Walters was refusing to release any information about the 'tip' that had led to the warrant for a search, nor would she reveal what, if anything, had been found. She did admit that no charges were now being filed against LaFiamma.

It seems that when Beaumont phoned the hospital, Dr. Matthison had reported on LaFiamma's condition. That sent off fireworks everywhere. Walters now admitted that she did not have full confidence in Targell's and Leach's report of the 'assault' and charge of 'resisting arrest.' When the uniformed officers were found and questioned, they had told a very different story, which was a closer match to Joe's when Lundy told Beaumont what Joe had said. So, the charges had been dropped. IA was now investigating Targell and Leach, and the desk sergeant at the Narcotics Division desk. Beaumont had discovered that LaFiamma's badge had been found in a drawer in Targell's desk. Nothing on the detention papers mentioned the fact that LaFiamma was a police officer.

One of the inmates in the holding pen that night admitted, when interrogated by an IA investigator, that the sergeant in charge had brought LaFiamma back and simply shoved the protesting man into the big floor cage, saying something like, 'here's a cop that some of you might know.' According to the prisoner, at least two of the other men in there that night recognized LaFiamma. It had been enough. The fight, that resulted, was ignored by the cops out front, no one came back to check, even when LaFiamma began hollering for help. The man described how after beating the Italian nearly to unconsciousness, the inmates had torn his clothes off and took turns using him. Fucking him, the man said. He'd fought during the rape, was held down by the sheer number of men eager to take turns. No one had come, not even when a couple of the other inmates got nervous about what was happening and began to scream for help. No one came. Not until morning. By then, LaFiamma was a human punching bag and whore as far as the inmates were concerned. He'd been dragged out by a couple of disgusted looking cops. It was assumed he'd been cleaned up somewhere because by the time Lundy found him, he'd at least been covered with the orange jumpsuit.

By the time that Lundy hung up, he was seething.

Beaumont and IA clearly had a handle on Targell and Leach. If they didn't find out who was behind all this, though, Lundy wuz gonna have some very private words with those two, jest afore they were buried.

He took down a glass and put a finger of whisky in it. Tossed it back. Felt the shock burn through him. Not shore I'm up to this. LaFiamma is gonna need help. Lundy decided to go back down and see how his partner was doin'.

He found LaFiamma sitting up on the bed, blearily staring out the bedroom's window, the quilt held tight around his hunched over shoulders. Levon came into the room slowly, not at all sure what to do. He was ignored. With a sudden determination, the blonde moved on in all the way and sat down next to his partner on the bed. The bed springs groaned beneath them.

Lundy really couldn't think of any thing to say except to ask how Joe was doing. He'd already done that and it really hadn't helped anything. So, taking a deep breath and thinking of the kind woman he knew as Mother Minnie, he lifted one arm and brought it around the bent back, letting the flat palm press in on the spine, right between the shoulder blades. He just kept it there, warm and firm for bit. There was no reaction from LaFiamma.

After a while, Levon started to move his hand, in gentle up and down motions on Joe's back. He could feel the tension in the slumped form. He leaned in closer and let his arm move the rest of the way across LaFiamma's back. Still no resistance.

"Joe?" No response. He remembered, said, "Joey?"

"Yeah."

"Come're." He held out his other arm now, so that they were both open toward his partner, friend. LaFiamma had turned his head slightly at the use of his family's nickname for him. Now he stared at his partner. All was still for a moment. Levon felt like he was trying to capture a timid, wild critter. Pore chile. Pore chile. Something must have shown in his eyes because LaFiamma jerked forward into the still extended arms. Lundy closed them around him, pulled the brunette close, stroking his back, his head, patting, murmuring soft sounds, not even words. And Joe, Joe began to cry.

At first, quietly, then gradually the sobs became more violent, ragged. He clung to Lundy like a lifeline in a storm. Wracked with shuddering sobs now, LaFiamma had nearly crawled into Lundy's lap. Levon held him, feeling the pain, the sorrow, the fear. Meeting it with his own anger, sadness, caring, love. Love for this man who'd been his partner for two years, but who was only now trusting Levon with the ultimate power over him as he exposed his very soul in a complete and utter breakdown, loss of control.

"Joey, it's gonna be alright. I'm here for you, Joey, you're gonna be okay." Over and over, Lundy repeated the words until finally LaFiamma had begun to slow down. Lundy hugged his friend, held him close and began to rock him slowly, humming now. No special tune, he weren't any too musical, but it was a comforting sound. When the crying stopped, with soft shuddering inhalations, Levon just kept rocking, hugging, stroking, humming.

When Joe began to relax his fierce hold on the cowboy, Levon stopped humming and began to caress the soft brown hair, so dark it might pass for black in certain light. He pushed it back from the wide forehead and gently kissed his way across the brow. Joe pushed against him, blindly seeking that love being offered for the first time. Pressing his face toward the tender kisses, like a flower toward the spring rain. Levon's hold changed as he felt the small movements of his charge. He eased his grip more, let the brunette have room to break free if he chose.

"Love you, Joey. I'll take care of you, don't you worry." The words fell from his lips without conscious thought. He shocked himself and then recognized a truth. He did love this man, who he had been pushing away for over two years now. Pulled him closer, kissed the puffy eyelids tenderly. Wiped at the teary face with his fingers, then slid them back through the dark thick hair to cup the back of his head, bring it close for more quiet loving kisses.

"Levon?"

Kiss, lick, kiss, Levon's lips were gentle travelers across the other's cheeks.

"Levon? I've loved you forever."

"I'm so sorry, Joey, sorry that I didn't know it sooner, sorry that I didn't see you clearly sooner," he hesitated, then continued, "sorry that I wuzn't there for you last night."

Joe was slipping off the bed now, sinking to the floor, letting his head come to rest in Lundy's lap.

Levon stroked the dark, soft hair, rubbed at the closer shoulder. Joe's arms came up around Lundy's waist, linking them intimately. Levon bent over the sad figure, held tight. "We'll fix it, Joey, all of it."

"No, Levon, even you can't do that," the soft words were spoken into his belly. There was silence, and then Joe was speaking again. "It was family that did this, Levon."

Lundy stiffened, looking down at the quiet figure. He was shocked. The voice had been so matter of fact. "Family? Joey, what do you mean?"

"It had to be, someone decided to cash in on the hit. Only family would think they could do it, get away with it, while Uncle Mikey was still around." LaFiamma nodded as if to himself, his head heavy in Lundy's lap. "And," he paused, then choked out the rest, "One of the men that did me...said - said - said," tears threatened again, then LaFiamma swallowed hard and finished, "said Giorgio sent his regards." Silence for a beat. "That's my uncle, Levon, Mikey's brother."

"Aw, Joey," Lundy slid off the bed on to the floor next to his partner, gathering him back in close to hold him tight again. "I'm so sorry, baby, so sorry."

**********************

The day wore on slowly, Lundy fielding calls from the other enraged detectives at Major Crimes, two more calls from Beaumont, who just wanted to hear how Joe wuz doin', and one from Sharon Walters. She'd sounded very chastened. IA had given her enough already for her to realize she'd been the unwitting participant in a criminal act. She told Lundy that she'd already given everything she knew to Beaumont and to the IA, but that she felt she owed him, and LaFiamma something - so she gave him the same stuff.

There had been no 'tip' but Targell had an informant who was close to the Cosa Nostra, who'd made an offer to Targell, one too good for him to pass on. All he had to do was act like he had information on LaFiamma dealing in drugs, selling off stuff directly from the police evidence lockup as well as off the streets. The search warrant had been easy with that kind of information. There had been an attempt to plant some crack at the scene, but Targell's own partner, Leach, had opted out on that, threatening to go to their boss if Targell left it. So, it had never been planted.

That's why the only charges were about the assault by Joey. Only it turned out that that was largely fabricated also, Targell had pretended to be defending himself from Joe while actually attacking. He now admitted everything under a plea bargain. But, the only name he could give was his known informant. And that man had turned up dead earlier today, overdosed on cocaine in his room at a boarding house in a shoddy section of Houston. No one knew anything, but Targell was asking for protection. So far he was being detained by IA pending charges. Levon intended to deal with Targell personally, later, but said nothing.

The desk sergeant, John Nixon, had been found at his home, hanging from a belt in his shower. He'd slowly strangled to death. There was no note. Nixon was the one that the holding pen prisoners had identified as shoving LaFiamma into the pen, announcing he was a cop.

Everyone was frustrated at the closed doors, dead ends. Lundy listened to it all in grim silence, offering no comments. He told no one about what Joey had said. This wuz now between Levon and a man named Giorgio. He did call a Texas Ranger friend, though. Told him a 'yarn' that he thought might interest his friend, about some inmates in a holding pen who'd raped a cop put in there with them by mistake. Said he might 'run into some'o'them sometime... soon.' Mentioned how he missed the days of Judge Roy Bean sometimes.

His friend asked no questions, but said that in some places in Texas, the legacy of Judge Bean lived on.

They'd hung up, with a mutual understanding and promises to be in touch soon.

Joey slept most of the rest of the day, waking restlessly every so often until Levon got him to take his meds. Levon would come running when he heard his boy call out. Once just looking for Levon, another time it was a nightmare. He took the medication he was handed and it let him sleep more easily after that.

Levon had tended to Joe's injuries while Joe was in a deeper sleep with the tranquilizer that Matthison had prescribed to get him over the first few days. Applied the antibiotic ointment, careful not to do further damage or cause any new pain.

That evening, while Joe was at the deepest part of tranquilizer-aided sleep, Levon called Chicago. He'd had the number for Michael LaFiamma tucked in his wallet for nigh on two years now, it wuz LaFiamma's uncle and his family contact in case of emergencies.

This more than rated. Not only did he need to alert the man to what had gone down, he wanted to know more about this Giorgio, ask for permission to take care of it hizself iffn it proved true, and get some added protection for Joey until this new threat was effectively blunted.

Michael "Uncle Mikey" LaFiamma had greeted Lundy with caution. Then, once he heard about Joey, with cold silence until Lundy came to the part about Giorgio.

A shocked exclamation had come down the phone lines then. "Merde! You sure of this information, detective?"

"All ah know is what Joey told me, sir."

"I shall have to look into this. It is very serious."

"Sir, ah know it's family business, but Joey - Joey is my pardner and my friend. Ah have a very big favor to ask."

"Dimme."

"Uh?"

"Tell me." The cultured voice was impatient.

"Iffn your brother Giorgio did this, ah want hiz ass. No lie, ah will come up there fer it."

"Detective - um, Levon." There was a note of reserve now in the voice. "If he was involved in this, if he did this... I will deal with it. I am head of this family."

"Uncle Mikey. Ah want to do it."

"Do it?"

"Kill the bastard." There, he'd said it. Plain as day. Hope the line ain't tapped. Actually, didn't matter if it wuz, he'd do it enyways. This wuz for Joey. He wuz invitin' himself into Joey's family now, in the hard way.

There was silence on the line, then, "Levon, when I know the truth in this, I will call you. We will see that you get to meet Joey's Uncle Giorgio if there is a truth here to be faced."

Just like that. He wuz family now. Levon breathed out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, after all Joey might be a favorite nephew, but Giorgio was a brother.

"I'll be here." He decided to do it all so he continued, "Uncle Mikey," this appellation wuz coming out pretty natural now, especially now that Lundy thought of Joe as hiz family, hiz..., "about Joey. I cain't leave him unless there's protection. I'm afraid there may be another attempt on him."

"There will be no more after today. Not as long as he stays down there in Houston, that I give you my word on." The flat, cold voice promised dark retribution and more. There was power here that ordinarily woulda made Levon nervous, but now he just listened, impatient in his turn.

"Mebbe. Thought that wuz already supposed to be the case."

There was a startled pause, then, "You're right. I will send some men to act as bodyguards until I have found out what happened. Will that be enough?"

Levon didn't even blink at the don asking his approval. "It'll have ta do. Ah'm gonna have some of our team here too. Make sure yore men check in with me so's there's no surprises."

They'd hung up then, in an atmosphere of mutually wary respect.

Then Lundy had gone back to Joey-watchin'.

*****************

Barely fifteen minutes later the phone rang. Lundy rose quickly to answer it before it could awaken Joey.

The voice on the other end of the line was clipped and hard, the words spoken with a barely contained fury, "Sergeant Lundy. This is JD Bellarosa. I'm one of Joey's cousins. Uncle Mikey called." There was a frozen pause, as if he had to contain himself then he went on, "He told me what happened and that Joey needs protection. My partner and I are on our way. Our ETA is just under two hours---"

"Two hours! From Chicago?"

"No, sir. From New Orleans. Uncle Mikey felt that you and your people might find it less awkward to deal with us than with any of the Chicago contingency, since my only connection to the outfit is the same as Joe's in that Uncle Mikey is my uncle."

"Oh, I see. Cain I ask what qualifies you to protect Joey?"

"Fair question. Ryan and I are former Marines, Special Forces. We mustered out five years ago and started our own security agency. Red Dog Security specializes in assassination prevention. We protect people for a living Sergeant. We're very good."

"Okay. How will I know you?"

"I understand that you have a small ranch. I presume there is a pasture or some such where we can land a chopper?"

"Uh, yeah. Plenty a'room. I'll need ta get mah horse in. Do ya know...."

"We have the address and a very good map. So that you will know it's us, the chopper will have a large Red Dog painted on the side. Ryan and I will be aboard with at least two other members of our team. We will come to the house to introduce ourselves then post sentries. I'll be first out. I doubt that you will have difficulty recognizing me. I bear a strong resemblance to Joey."

"Alright," Lundy said uncertain how to deal with this development. He'd been prepared for mob muscle. He was getting Marines.

"Good. We'll see you in two hours, then."

The line went dead. Lundy stood holding it a moment longer. He slowly hung it up. He didn't think he'd ever heard anybody sound so *coldly* furious.

Only a few minutes later a soft knock on the door heralded the arrival of Joe Bill and Esteban.

They entered quietly, not wanting to disturb Joe. Levon had told them that Joe was sleeping when he called and asked if they would come and help stand watch. He informed them of the impending arrival of JD and his team.

Joe Bill shook his head when told they were expecting a chopper to land in the front pasture.

Lundy left them to watch Joey, just long enough to go get Fooler put in the barn. Then he returned to his post at Joey's bedside.

It hadn't been quite two hours since JD's call when the unmistakable sound of a chopper brought him to his feet.

He stepped out into the hall just as Joe Bill started down it to the bedroom.

"Sounds like yer company's here." The lanky detective announced.

Lundy nodded, "Sit with Joe. I'll go make sur'a'em." He moved on into the living room. Nodding to Esteban, he said, "Ah'm going out. Ya cover me, n'case it ain't them."

The Hispanic cop nodded and drew his weapon, moving to stand just inside the screen door and slightly to the side of the opening, where he could see what was happening outside but not be seen.

Lundy stepped out on the porch and watched the chopper circle then start in for a landing, coming down in the pasture along side the driveway up to the house.

The chopper was still a good foot off the ground when a black clad figure jumped down from the open doorway, bent over to avoid the still spinning rotors and fast walked toward the fence. Once clear of the rotors he straightened and vaulted the fence with easy grace.

As he strode towards the house, Lundy blinked. If he didn't know that Joe was asleep inside, he'd almost think that the man striding towards him was his partner. He had the same upright stance, the same sweeping stride, the same build and height. He even wore a matched set of automatics in twin holsters identical to Joe's.

He was dressed in black, fatigue pants, combat boots and a black T-shirt with a red dog symbol on the left chest. The T-shirt was stretched tight across a chest and shoulders that were a match for Joe's. Only as he drew closer were the differences noticeable. The dark hair was jet black, not brunette... and long. The braid hung below his hips. His eyes were green, a match for the jade in the design of the necklace that he wore around his throat.

He stopped a step away from the porch, "Sergeant Lundy?"

"Yeah. JD?"

"Yes, sir. Where's Joey?"

"Sleepin'"

"I'd like to see him."

Lundy nodded, but didn't move, his eyes were on the men emerging from the now silent chopper. There were four of them, the first two were bigger by far than any of the men in the house so far.

Striding in the lead was a white man, six four or five, at least two hundred-twenty-five to two hundred thirty-five pounds, buzz cut hair, light colored, possibly blonde, but cut too short to tell for sure. A Marine issue Colt .45 automatic sat in a holster on the left side of his belt, a jungle knife hung in a sheath on the right side. He strode towards them with the attitude of a man who was in charge and knew it.

Behind him was a black man, who had to be at least six feet eight inches tall and well over three hundred pounds, all of it muscle and bone. His head was either bald or shaved. He had a forty-five caliber automatic pistol in a belt holster and a jungle knife, at least fifteen inches long, strapped to his leg.

Behind him were two more men, both carrying AK-47's. Each was about six-foot-two or three, around a hundred and eighty pounds.

All wore the same black fatigues and black T-shirts with the red dog logo on the left chest.

"Lundy." Esteban's voice from inside the door brought Levon's attention back to the house.

"Yeah?"

"Joey's up. Chopper must have woke him."

Lundy turned immediately, opening the door and stepping inside.

JD pushed past him calling, "Joey? Tesoro! Sono io, JD. Zio Mikey chiamatomi." {Joey? Baby! It's JD. Uncle Mikey called me.}

"JD?" Joey's voice was soft and uncertain.

"O, tesoro!" {Oh, baby!} JD moved to take Joe into a gentle hug, kissing his forehead. "Dimme, cugino gentile. Tu sai io so." {Tell me, little cousin. You know I understand.} He turned them and started walking Joey back towards the bedroom.

Lundy moved forwards to grab at his arm but the tall white man with the attitude caught his arm first, "Let them have some time alone. Joey needs to talk to someone and he knows that JD will understand... as only someone who had been there can."

Lundy turned to look at the man now. He wasn't handsome but the pale blue eyes were gentle and filled with understanding. "JD...?" he asked, meaning had JD been raped.

The man nodded. "Yes." He paused then releasing Lundy's arm said, "I'm Ryan, JD's partner." He gestured towards the tall black man, "Blackjack." He pointed to one of the other men then to the other one, "Preacher and Hillbilly. Wildchild and Fancy will be here in a few hours with the ground transport."

Lundy nodded acknowledging the introductions. He pointed to Esteban, "This is Sergeant Guiterrez." He turned back toward the hall where Joe Bill was standing just out of sight.

The lanky detective stepped into the living room and immediately there was a whoop from the man Ryan had introduced as Hillbilly, "Joe Bill! You old houn' dawg! Fancy meetin' ya here!"

"Jim Bob! Long time cousin." Joe Bill grinned. "Last I heared you was still with the Marines."

"Yeah, well when the Colonel mustered out, we cum with him. Pay's a heap better'n the Marines!" He turned to Ryan, "Colonel, this here's mah cousin, Joe Bill McCandless. He's a real good man... and a right fair shot."

Joe Bill nodded, turning to Lundy, "Could say tha same 'bout Jim Bob. Good man. Hel'av'a shot."

Lundy nodded, it was a tad reassuring that Joe Bill knew one of the men.

Ryan reached out and laid a hand on Lundy's shoulder before turning to his men, "Blackjack, you've got the road. Preacher, front yard. Hillbilly back. Remember. This is Lundy's place. Clear all visitors through him. In my or JD's absence obey his orders. Mark and move." He turned back to Lundy without looking to see if his orders were obeyed. He knew his men.

They moved out instantly.

Ryan turned back to Lundy, letting the hand slowly rub the tense shoulder, "Perhaps you and I should have a little talk, Sergeant."

"What 'bout?" Lundy asked warily.

Ryan smiled, grimly. "Rage, Sergeant. Blood boilin', mind numbin', soul detroyin', rage. The kind of rage that can consume a man when some one he cares deeply about is subjected to the kind of abuse that Joe has been."

Behind them Esteban cleared his throat, "I believe, if it is all right with you, Lundy. I will stand watch out front with... Preacher?"

Lundy looked at Ryan who gave a slight nod.

"That'll be fine, Esteban."

Joe Bill said quietly, "Iffn ya don't mind I'll just join Jim Bob on the back. Four eyes'r better'n two."

Lundy nodded as Ryan used the hand on his shoulder to guide him towards the kitchen.

The big man pulled out a chair at the table and kind of pushed Lundy down in it, before turning to the stove and the coffeepot sitting there. He poured two cups from it and set one in front of Lundy. Before he sat down he poured out the grounds and refilled the pot, sitting it back on the stove to perk. Then he joined Lundy at the table.

For a long moment he just sat there then he began to talk, "It's hard to know what to say... what to do when someone you love is... violated, the way Joe has been... and sadly, love is not always enough. You do love him though, don't you?"

"Yeah, took this to make me realize... how much... how deep it goes. I wanna just ... just..."

"...rip the hearts outta the men that did this to him."

"Fer a start..."

"You probably won't believe me, when I tell you that it won't help." He paused a moment. "When JD was raped... it was on an op.... He was just a kid... should never have been there but ... he volunteered and we really had no choice. It was him or nothing. We accomplished the mission, the rest of the men and the prisoners we'd been sent to rescue made evac. JD and I could have made it to the chopper but it would have never gotten off the ground without cover fire. JD was driving the jeep and he made the decision to turn back, face down the enemy and cover the lift off. Soon as the chopper was safe away, we abandoned the jeep and disappeared into the jungle with the enemy hot on our trail. We evaded them for the better part of a week... then they caught JD."

He paused a minute taking a long drink of the hot black coffee. "During the mission I had developed a... grudging respect for the kid. He was a mean little thing." He chuckled at Lundy's surprised look.

"Back then JD hadn't gotten his full height or filled out like he has now. Compared to the rest of us he was a skinny kid. To a bunch of hardass, old Marines like Red Dog unit he was just a baby... and a pretty baby at that.... but he proved himself. By the time he was recaptured I had grown to think of him as one of 'my men'. We'd separated, were foraging for food. I heard the commotion when they took him. He didn't go down easily. There were fifteen-twenty of them... no way I could get him away from them in the daylight with them on the alert. Nothing to do but trail them, wait for an opportunity...." He trailed off. He face was grim... and sad.

After a long minute he went on, his voice almost too soft to hear, "I had to watch... while they..." He shook his head. "He fought them. Cursed them. Never gave up. I was so close that I could hear them asking where I was and him telling them over and over that I was dead that he was alone. Protecting me even while they...."

He closed his eyes, his voice trailing off again.

Lundy reached over and laid a hand on one of Ryan's "Sorry. Musta been rough... Ah don't think I coulda held back... reckon I'd a got us both killed iffn it'd been me."

Ryan looked up at him but didn't draw his hand away, "You learn early on in covert ops to do the hard thing. Sometimes waiting is the hardest thing of all. But you have to wait, you have to do recon, if you are to survive and keep your men alive. Endure... survive... retaliate. It was watching that, seeing his strength and courage that made me realize that I loved him."

He took another deep breath then went on. "Finally it was dark. They posted sentries... for all the good it did them...." He looked up at Lundy evaluating the man before he went on, "I killed them all... it wasn't that hard. Most of them had been drinking. They weren't soldiers just hired thugs. Wannabe tough guys with no idea what tough really was. I didn't have to worry about repercussions when I killed them. I didn't have to explain why I killed them. Yet afterwards I wished they were still alive... so I could kill them again... and again. I wanted to rip them limb from limb. Killing them wasn't enough to assuage the rage. I thought for a while that I would never stop being angry... but I did. I had to. JD needed me. He needed my love... not my anger, not my rage.... He was too badly damaged emotionally to be able to tell that my rage was aimed at the men who hurt him, not at him. To be able to help him heal, I had to let go of the rage.... When I let it go and opened my heart to him, gave him my love and accepted his love in turn, then we both began to heal."

He looked deep into Lundy's eyes, the bass voice filled with sincerity, "Believe me, Lundy, because of what you feel for him, what was done to Joe was in some way also done to you. You will need to heal too. This rage you feel..." He shook his head, "Joey can feel it in you and he's too emotionally vulnerable at this time to be able to tell that it's not aimed at him. To help him heal you have to let it go, concentrate on your love for him, forget about everything else. Vengeance can wait. Joey can't."

"Don't know iffn I cain do that. They hav'ta pay fer what they done to him..."

"They will... but you can't be the one to make them pay---"

"I hav'ta---"

"You'll lose Joe!" The words were hard and unyielding. "Think about it Lundy! You have to think about the repercussions. You may think that you won't get caught but it is a possibility. What happens to Joe then? If you love him, he has to be your first priority. He needs you. He needs your love... without it he may not be able to survive this."

Lundy looked up dismay in his eyes. He'd worried that Joey might try to kill himself but he hadn't dared put it into words. He realized that his hand was still covering Ryan's and started to pull it back but Ryan caught the wrist.

"Listen to me. Learn from my mistakes. I almost lost JD because I couldn't let go of the rage that filled me. He tried to kill himself. I had to watch him constantly. Couldn't trust him with a weapon. Finally he broke down. Screamed at me to just kill him and be done with it. He said... that he loved me... that he couldn't bear to go on living knowing that I despised him. I was stunned. I loved him... had told him so over and over but all he could see was the rage that still burned in me. He couldn't tell it wasn't aimed at him, couldn't believe I loved him because he could feel that anger in me."

Lundy looked down at the table. When he spoke his voice was thoughtful, "Joe's always been right sensitive ta folks feelin's.... He's so kind and gentle... sometimes all it takes to hurt hiz feelin's is a harsh word."

His voice turned angry again, "I'm just so mad at'em! Joe don't deserve this! They gotta pay!"

He was surprised to find tears welling in his eyes. Pulling his wrist free of Ryan's grip he stood and began to pace, wiping at his eyes with the heel of one hand. He turned back to pace the other direction and found himself walking right into Ryan.

He stopped, reversed directions, but Ryan closed his arms around him, held him fast. "Don't fight the tears. They'll wash away the rage. When they're done you'll be calmer and stronger, able to think clearly and give Joe what he needs. You have to be strong for him but that doesn't mean you can't lean on someone else just long enough to gather your strength. Lean on me just for a few minutes. Gather your strength... for Joe."

For a long moment Lundy froze. He couldn't remember the last time someone had held him... comforted him. He was confused. Just a little while ago he'd watched this man come striding across his yard, straight and strong, a hard-eyed, hard-assed former Marine, coming to protect his partner. Then he'd heard the man speak with a gentleness and wisdom that belied that image and now... the arms that held him were accepting and comforting. Something he'd read somewhere, he thought it was on a greeting card of all things, flashed through his mind, 'There is nothing so strong as gentleness nor as gentle as true strength.'

Finally he relaxed, let Ryan hold him, let the tears flow. They fell silently, quietly dampening the front of Ryan's shirt. They didn't last long... yet it did seem to help. He felt calmer, his emotions less tremulous.

He let himself rest there for just a few more minutes after the tears had run their course. [He's right 'bout one thing. Joe comes first. Cain't let enythin' in'erfere with Joe's recovery... not even mah need ta make the men that did this pay.]

He straightened and stepped back.

Ryan let him go. "Feel better?"

"Yeah... yeah, ah do." Lundy managed although a bit embarrassed.

They were still standing there, looking at each other in awkward silence when JD came into the room. "Joey's asking for you." He informed Lundy.

With a nod, Lundy turned and hurried toward the bedroom.

JD stepped close to Ryan, "Hold me." He demanded. When Ryan had closed his arms around him, he cursed soundly in several languages then said, "Those bastards! Those miserable fucking bastards! Joey's shattered! That son of a bitch Targell! He's gonna pay... I swear to you he's gonna pay!"

Ryan kissed the top of JD's head, one hand caressing the long black hair, smoothing it back, then letting the long braid, slide through his hand, "I never doubted that, Baby. Not from the minute Uncle Mikey called."

JD drew back, "We need intel."

"That lanky cop, he's Hillbilly's cousin, I'll bet they've been talking. Why don't I go see if Hillbilly has learned anything interesting? You need to make a shopping list. This kitchen is seriously under-stocked for feeding the unit."

JD grinned, "Sounds like a plan."

******************************************

Joey was snuggled down under the covers when Levon came to sit on the edge of the bed with him.

"Hi, baby," Levon reached out to caress his partner's cheek.

"Levon," Joe's voice was soft, hesitant as he reached up to take the hand, "will you... lie with me for a while?"

"'Course I will. Lemme get mah boots off, okay." He withdrew the hand just long enough to take his boots off and to hang his gun and holster on the bedpost before he turned back to Joe.

He was a tad surprised when Joe lifted the covers, inviting him in, but remembering what Ryan had said about giving Joey what he needed, he just smiled and slid under the covers to lie beside Joe.

Joey immediately snuggled against him, resting his head on Levon's shoulder. After a minute he asked quietly, "How'd Uncle Mikey know to call JD and Rye?"

Levon hesitated, then decided that he owed Joe the truth. "I called him, Joey. He had to know that ya wuz hurt."

"You told him... what they...."

"I had to, Baby. He couldn't deal with Giorgio iffn he didn't know."

"Oh, God! You told him about...."

Levon's voice went hard. "He had ta know. Made it plain that I intend ta make the bastard pay!"

"You can't! Please! You'll be killed! I can't... I don't want to live without you!" Joe's voice was growing hysterical.

Levon turned toward him gathering him into his arms, "Hush, Baby, hush. It'll be all right. I promise. I won't do enythin' that'll keep us apart." He hesitated, then went on, "Uncle Mikey, said that he'd find out iffn Giorgio had enythin' ta do with this an' iffn he did, he'd take care of'm." He decided that this was not the time to mention that Uncle Mikey had implied that Levon could do the takin' care of.

Joey burrowed deeper into Levon's arms, he was starting to cry again, "Don't leave me, please don't leave me..."

Levon held him close, rocking him gently, "Ain't gonna leave ya, Baby. Ain't ever gonna leave ya. Yer mine. Ah love ya. Love ya so much, Baby." He let one hand stroke Joe's back, the other caressed the soft hair, holding the dark head close against him as he pressed soft kisses to Joey's hair as Joey cried himself back to sleep.

He continued to hold Joe long after the battered man had drifted back into a deep dreamless sleep. Darkness had fallen shortly after the chopper had set down in the pasture and a single low wattage lamp now lit the room. He decided to leave it on. Joey might panic if he awoke in darkness and couldn't see who was holding him.

He listened for JD and Ryan moving about in the house but they made very little noise. He couldn't hear the men outside at all but decided that that was the way it was supposed to be. If they were as good as he thought they were. Finally his own eyes closed and he slept too.

************************************

Ryan moved quietly, opening the screen door off the back porch to cross the laundry room and return to the kitchen where JD sat at the table, a pad and pen before him making a list of the supplies they needed.

"According to Hillbilly, Joe-Bill told him that IA has Targell in protective custody in a safe house, somewhere in Houston. He doesn't know exactly where. They probably don't want any of the MCU unit to know where he is."

JD nodded. "Afraid of reprisals. Well, hiding him isn't gonna do them any good." The voice was grim, the green eyes like chips of ice. He turned the pad around for Ryan to look at his list. "Anything to add?"

The corner of Ryan's mouth quirked up in a smile, "It looks to me like you've covered everything."

"I need money...." JD grinned at him.

Ryan sighed and reached into a pocket of his fatigues. He drew out a money clip, filled with folded bills. The top one was a thousand-dollar bill. He started to peel it off.

JD grinned, "Uh-uh." He reached out and plucked the filled clip from Ryan's hand. "I'll bring you back the change."

"Yeah, right...and your tight little ass is cherry." Ryan's voice was rough but the smile that crossed his lips and touched his eyes belied the tone as he reached out and pulled JD close by said 'tight little ass'.

JD tucked the money clip into his front pocket and leaned against Ryan, letting his arms slide around his lover, "Of course it is." He sounded offended, "Isn't that what you told me? That every time would our first time, that I would always a virgin when you held me, that nothing that happened before you held me the first time would ever count. That I am pure and innocent..." He giggled, over the word innocent.

"Pure I agree to... but you were never innocent!" Ryan gathered him close and bent to kiss him, a long slow kiss.

After a minute they pulled apart and Ryan asked, "What are you planning to use for transport?"

"I stepped out front. Guiterrez said I could use his truck, gave me the keys."

"Okay. Be careful. Don't get caught."

"I never get caught!" JD grinned.

Ryan pulled him back into his arms, "*I* caught you... and don't you ever forget it!"

JD chuckled as he pulled away. "I have to get going."

Ryan nodded and let him go.

****************************************

Several hours later, Lundy awoke to the deep rumble of a semi pulling into his driveway. He hated to leave Joe, but he seemed to be sleeping soundly and Lundy needed to know what was going on.

He carefully slipped his arm out from around Joe's shoulders and gently moved the dark head onto a pillow. Slowly he slipped out of the bed and put on his shoulder holster and gun. Picking up his boots he quietly moved out of the room in his stocking feet, waiting until he was in the living room to sit down and put on his boots.

When he had them on he stepped out onto the front porch. A tractor-trailer rig was being backed up to his barn. Both the cab and the trailer were painted black. It carried the same Red Dog logo on the side as did the chopper. It rumbled to a stop and one of Ryan's men moved up to open the back doors. A ramp was lowered and one by one the man removed four trail bikes and two Jeeps. One of the Jeeps had a fifty-caliber machine gun mounted on the back.

The man drove that jeep up beside where Ryan was standing. Lundy, who had stepped up beside Ryan, could now see that it was Preacher doing the driving.

"Where ya want this, Colonel?"

"When the semi pulls out, park it just inside the barn door, facing out, gun swiveled to the front. Close the door most of the way. Hang a camo net across the gap." He turned to the semi driver, "Wildchild! Park the rig behind the barn, out of sight."

The man in the semi's cab waved his understanding and obeyed.

Ryan turned to Lundy, "Wildchild is our ground transport expert. If it's got an engine and wheels he can drive it and fix it. I'll introduce you in a minute." He turned to look at Lundy. "You need to know... Uncle Mikey called. Giorgio has dropped out of sight along with some of his men. I have intel that says he's on his way to Houston."

"Gonna try'n finish the job hizself. One of those feat accomplished things. Iffn Joe's dead there won't be proof he done it. No reason fer Uncle Mikey ta finish him off." Lundy's voice was bitter.

"The only thing he's going to accomplish is to get himself killed. Look on the bright side, Cowboy, you're gonna get to kill him yourself... with no repercussions."

Lundy blinked and turned to look at the big man, "Self-defense. Smart." Lundy's eyes narrowed. "I don't wanna take any chances of'm getting ta Joey. He ain't up ta no fight."

"You might be surprised. Getting off a few rounds just might help his recovery, especially if it's at Giorgio."

"Don't know iffn he'd be able at take a shot at his own uncle...."

"I can't say if Joey would or not... but JD sure as hell would. He'd kill the son of a bitch!" Ryan's voice had gone grim.

Lundy looked around and frowned, "Where's he?"

Esteban looked up from where he was looking over one of the trial bikes, "He borrowed my truck. He said that he needed to buy rations... for the troops." The Mexican cop frowned, "He has been gone a while."

"JD's picky. He'll be back when he gets what he wants and not before." Ryan said.

********************************************

JD walked slowly past the municipal utilities building and turned down the alley that ran beside it. He moved silently in the shadows between the buildings. Kneeling where the wall of the building ended he surveyed the huge lighted lot where the utility trucks were parked. Even at this time of night workers were coming and going. He watched for a bit, careful not to be seen. Then he stood and walked through the open side gate and attached himself to a small group of workers going into the building. He didn't attract any attention. He was wearing a coverall in the same dark blue as the other utility workers.

Once inside he followed along with the others until they turned to enter a door marked Locker room. Then he slipped away, heading deeper into the building. He located an elevator with a lock on the call panel. He quickly picked the lock and opened the doors. Inside he found a panel that listed the various offices and what floors they were on. He grinned as he saw the listing for the Utilities Billing Office. Exactly what he wanted.

Fifteen minutes later he was sitting at a desk in the Billing Office. The computer in front of him was booted and he was working at getting to the files. It didn't take him long. Ten minutes later he was looking at a listing of all the addresses for which the Utilities were billed to the Houston Police Department. He quickly eliminated the ones that had ran thousands of dollars per month as being offices, etc. That left a couple of dozen properties scattered all over the city that had bills ranging from base rates to a couple of hundred dollars. Four of these had only the base rate charged for the last month. He almost passed them over then a note on one of them caught his eye. Someone had called to complain that the electricity was off at one of the houses and a work order had been sent out to have it turned on... today. [Bingo. Targell went into protective custody today!]

Getting out of the utilities building was as easy as getting in had been.

*********************************************

Getting into HPD headquarters at Reisner really wasn't any harder. He gave his head a shake as he simply walked through the police garage and took the elevator to the lobby. He was dressed in a suit now and had a badge hanging on his belt. No one paid the slightest attention to the fact that the badge was a Red Dog Security badge not a HPD badge. He checked the building directory, got on an elevator and rode it up to the floor below the Personnel Office. He took the stairs up to the Personnel Office floor.

Opening the door carefully he checked the hallway. Empty. He casually strolled down to the Records room and checked the lock. Piece of cake. Shaking his head again at the ridiculous lack of security, he slipped his plastic SAM's Club card, (Ryan had long since cut all his credit cards up!), into the crack between the door and the frame. With a wiggle of the card and a shove on the door, he was inside.

The computer was a tad harder to get into than the one at the utilities had been but not much, not for JD. He soon had the Internal Affairs personnel list up and was cross checking it against the time clock list of officers currently clocked-in as on duty. At this time of night IA officers were not normally on duty but there were four of them listed as being on duty tonight.

He could guess where they were. Normally only two officers per shift stood watch on a protected witness. You didn't want to draw a lot of attention to a safe house by piling in with a whole big crew of people but they must have thought that Targell was in serious danger. They didn't have a clue how much danger the son of a bitch was in!

He'd have to do recon to make sure that they didn't have uniforms in addition to the detectives but he doubted that they did.

He checked his watch. Just after midnight. He was making good time, considering that he's had to do his shopping for non-perishable goods before he'd set out to locate Targell. He should be back at Lundy's in a couple of hours.

*************************************

Lundy was sitting beside the bed watching Joey sleep again when Ryan stepped quietly into the room and signaled him to come outside.

He followed the ex-Marine back into the kitchen. He saw that JD had returned and was sitting at the table.

On the table set a brand new combination phone/fax machine and a computer with a printer. JD had the computer booted and was working away at it. When Lundy walked in however, he reached over and turned the monitor off.

Lundy raised an eyebrow at him.

"What you don't know about can't get you in trouble." JD grinned.

Lundy shrugged then looked at Ryan, "What'd ya bring me out here for?"

"JD did some checking on the men that were in that holding cell last night. Two of them have connections to Giorgio. I've had a couple of my people keeping an eye on them for the last hour or so. It paid off. They are currently at a small private airfield between here and Galveston. They appear to be waiting for someone."

"Giorgio."

The big man nodded, "That'd be my guess."

Lundy turned to look at JD, "How'd ya find out who wuz in that cell last night?"

JD grinned again, "What you don't know...."

"Won't git me in trouble. All right." He looked around the kitchen and shook his head. "Ya did do a mite a'shoppin'."

Ryan sighed and nodded, sparing a glance for the items sitting around the kitchen. Aside from the new phone/fax machine, the computer and printer, there were several cases of ammo, of various calibers stacked in a corner, a half a dozen night vision goggles piled on the table with a long sniper's rifle, complete with night scope, beside them. Also on the table were several headset radios.

Sitting on the stove were four large stainless steel stew pots, all of them bubbling away. A complete set of pots and pans in the same stainless steel were sitting on the counter, along with a dozen long-handled, steel serving spoons.

JD apparently didn't believe in canned goods. A hundred-pound bag of potatoes, now about half empty, sat on the floor, with a fifty-pound bag of onions next to it, also partially depleted. A bushel basket of carrots, and two twenty-pound bags of fresh-shelled butterbeans sat on the counter.

Several empty bags that had probably held various vegetables were stuffed into the top of Lundy's trash can, along with a wad of newspaper that probably held the potato peelings.

The phone rang and JD grabbed the handset on the fax/phone before Lundy could react. "Lundy residence."

He listened for a minute then said, "Thanks, Boom-Boom. Look, use the radio from now on."

Putting down the phone he turned to Ryan, "Plane's on the ground. Giorgio, his two oldest sons and a dozen of his top muscle. With the two from the holding cell that makes fifteen. Boom-Boom's gonna stick with them, see if they pick up any more. He'll call in on the radio if they do. If they come straight here, their ETA is just over an hour."

Ryan turned to Lundy, "My people are set and ready. If you think that any of your people will want in on this, the time to call is now."

Lundy nodded. "Might not be a bad idea ta let my Lieutenant know what we're expecting." He looked at the night vision goggles, laying on the table.

"Our people already have theirs. I got extras in case your people wanted them." JD said then picked up the rifle with the night scope. "I better get this out to Hillbilly. He's our sniper tonight."

"Tonight?" Lundy asked, wondering why it was just for tonight.

"JD's almost as good a shot as Hillbilly but he'll be in the back bedroom helping you cover Joe. Speaking of Joe, you'd better wake him up. Tell him what's going down and see if he wants a gun."

"Soon's I call Joanne." Lundy said, picking up the phone.

He dialed his former partner's home number and quickly gave her a rundown on the situation. Beaumont told him she'd be there in a half an hour. She added that she'd call Carol, saying that the red haired detective had been chaffing to *do something* about the men who'd hurt Joey.

***************************************

Lundy sat down on the edge of the bed next to Joe. Reaching out he laid a hand on Joe's shoulder.

The dark haired man was awake instantly, blinking and pulling back until he saw who it was. Then his eyes went to Levon's worried face. He sat up in the bed, "What's the matter, Levon?"

Lundy reached up to stroke his face, "How ya feeling, Joe?"

"Better." The blue eyes searched his face, "Tell me, cowboy."

Lundy looked down and let out a sigh, he really did not want Joe to have to deal with this. "Giorgio's in Houston."

He watched the alarm cross Joe's face then reached to take Joe's hands in his. "It's gonna be all right! We're ready fer'em. Ryan's men are dug in'n waitin'. Beaumont's on her way. 'n Carol, too. Joe-Bill and Esteban 'r still here."

He paused, "Ryan thought... well he wanted ta know iffn you wanted a gun. Me'n JD'll be back here in the bedroom with ya. Ya don't really need ta.... I mean I ain't gonna let nobody hurt ya. Ya know that."

"I know that." Joe said flatly. His eyes went down to their joined hands, then he looked up at Levon. "But... I'm still a cop. We're still partners. I can't let you face them without me... unless... you... think that I... can't... hold up my end." His voice had dropped and he looked at Levon with despairing eyes.

"LaFiamma," This didn't seem to be a time to call his partner, 'Joey'. "I would never think that. I just... don't want ya ta hav'ta---"

"Then I want a weapon. I want... I need to do my part in this, Lundy." He pulled his hands free of Levon's and tossed back the covers.

Levon rose to give him room to get up, holding out a hand to steady him.

Joe rose but wasn't above taking the hand. He stood a minute getting his legs under him. The long drugged sleep had left him feeling weak as a kitten. He turned to look back at the bed. "How long do we have before they get here?"

"Ryan reckons 'bout an hour."

Joe nodded, lifting his head he sniffed, "I smell JD's pot luck stew. A bowl of that would help me feel a lot better." He leaned in towards Lundy, "Help me to the kitchen?"

"Sure." Lundy stepped closer, wrapping his arm around Joe's waist.

Joe let his arm go around Levon's shoulder and leaned into him as they headed for the kitchen.

JD jumped up to greet Joe. "Feeling better, I see. Good!"

Ryan held out his hand to take Joe's, "Good to see you back on your feet, Joe."

Joe took the hand and gave it a squeeze, "Good to have you here, Colonel."

Lundy pulled out a chair and Joey slowly lowered himself into it, sitting kind of awkwardly.

"Ya want a cushion? I ken get ya one offa the sofa."

Joe nodded and Levon went to get it.

JD was already at the stove dipping up a bowl of the stew. He carried the steaming bowl over to Joe and sat it down in front of him. "Here. Eat. It'll give you strength."

Levon came back with the cushion and helped Joe get arranged. He watched as Joe ate and talked with the two men. It was obvious that Joe knew Ryan as well as JD.

After a bit Joe fell quiet and simply sat and ate.

When the bowl was empty JD went to refill it but Joe stopped him, "I don't think I can handle any more right now, JD. That's the first solid food I've had since before... before they came to...." he trailed off.

Levon reached over and laid a hand over his. "It's okay, Joe. It'll all be over soon."

Joe looked up at him a long minute then he turned to look at JD, "JD?" He said softly. "Will you tell me something?"

"Sure, Joey. What'd you wanna know?"

"Have... have you told Uncle Mikey about... you and Rye? That you're... you know...."

JD looked at Ryan then came and sat down at the table near Joe, "Yeah, we did. I took him home with me, Christmas will be three years ago."

"How... how'd he take it?" Joe's voice held worry.

"A lot better than my mother did when I took JD home the year before!" Ryan grinned.

JD chuckled and said in an exaggerated southern drawl, "When Ryan *informed* Mama Yvonne that he would *not* be dating any of the eligible young ladies that she had lined up for him because he *already had* a significant other, namely me. She succumbed to a *severe* case of the *vapors*... and retired to the *divan* in the *parlor* with a bottle of *smelling salts* and a fifth of Bourbon for the duration of my visit!"

"Uncle Mikey?"

JD chuckled again, "Don't you worry about him, Joey. He turned and looked at Aunt Teresa. *She* asked me, 'Are you happy, JD?' I said 'I've never been happier.' She looked at Uncle Mikey and nodded. Uncle Mikey stuck out his hand to Ryan and said, 'Welcome to the family.' Then he tried that intimidating glare of his on Ryan and added, "You *will* see to it that he stays happy.' Rye just smiled at him and said, 'Yes, sir.' And that was that. On the rare occasion that we get up there, Uncle Mikey and Aunt Teresa treat us like a married couple."

Joe gave a sigh of relief and smiled at Levon, "I love you, Cowboy... but I don't wanna have to hide it from Uncle Mikey or fight with him about it."

Levon squeezed his hand, "I reckon I cain understand that. Don't wanna hav'ta hide the way I feel about you, neither but..." he hesitated, then went on, "we might better be a mite careful 'round Reisner. Just till we get the lay of the land. Donít think that Joanne'll have a problem with it... but IA might."

Joe nodded. "I know how it is on the job, Cowboy," He said softly.

Ryan had put on one of the headset radios and now reached up and covered the earpiece with his hand listening intently. After a moment he spoke quietly into the mike, "Send them in." He turned to Lundy. "Beaumont's here. O'Brian was right behind her. If its all right with you I'd prefer they were positioned in the house. I'd rather not have too many besides my people on the outside. Joe-Bill is with Hillbilly. We gave him the back up sniper rifle. Esteban is with Fancy and Wildchild."

Joe picked up a couple of pairs of the night vision goggles, "They will be expecting me to be in bed. They won't think that I have recovered enough to be any use to you. We can fix the bed so it looks like I'm there. Maybe even fix up a dummy in the chair beside the bed, where they'd except someone to be if they were sitting up with me. We could take up positions along the wall beside the door. Have the lights out. They come to the door or through it to blast at the figure on the bed and we take them."

"Sounds good, pardner," Levon grinned, "let's get ta fixin' the decoys."

Joe smiled and rose to go help. He felt much better now.

"Joe!" JD's voice called him back.

He turned to see his cousin stripping off the double shoulder holster with the matching guns. "Here, they oughta feel just fine to you, same make, same model as yours."

"Thanks, but what will you use?"

"Joey, I always have extras!" JD grinned. "There's two extra clips in the undersides of the holsters."

Joe checked the rig and nodded. "I'll have to get have my holsters fixed to carry extra clips."

"You can have that set. I've got two more rigs just like it at home."

Joe smiled at his cousin again as he slipped into the rig, "Only two more? I thought when you liked something you got a dozen of them." He teased.

Ryan rolled his eyes at Lundy, "Now you know why I don't allow him to have a credit card. He loves to shop!"

"Cain't be worse than Joe." Levon grinned as Joe turned an insulted look on him.

"They're worse when they're together. The week of vacation that Joe spent in New Orleans with us last year, the two of them went through over fifteen thousand dollars."

It was Lundy's turn to give Joe an incredulous look. "Fifteen thousand dollars! What on earth did you buy?!"

Joe looked at JD. JD looked at Joe then they said in unison, "Stuff... that we wanted... at the time."

Ryan shook his head, "That's what they told me when I asked. It's the only time I ever seriously considered letting JD have a credit card back... at least when I got the bill I would have known *what* they bought!"

Levon gave Joe a look that said, 'Boy, we're gonna have ta have us a serious talk about money!'

Joe just smiled at him and finished securing the holsters. God! It felt good to be armed again.

As they were heading back to the bedroom to fix up the dummies, Beaumont and Carol came in the front door.

Joanne looked a little stunned, "There's a seven foot tall man at the end of your driveway!"

Joe turned to Ryan, "Blackjack's here?"

"Yeah, all of the old Red Dog unit is." Ryan grinned then spoke to Beaumont, "He's only six foot eight, ma'am."

"Only!" Carol stage whispered to Joe before asking, "How are you doing, Joey?"

"Better," He turned towards the hall to the bedrooms, "we've got some work to do before they show up. Wanna give us a hand."

"Sure." Carol followed them down the hall.

Back in the living room, Ryan turned to Beaumont, "I know you are used to being in charge ma'am but in a situation like this there can only be one CO. My men are dug in outside. I'll be joining them there. McCandless and Guiterrez are out there as well. I'd appreciate it if you and Sergeant O'Brian would remain in the house with JD, Joe and Levon. That way the men outside will know where our people are." He handed her one of the headsets. "There are enough of these for every one to have one but there won't be much talking. When Blackjack sees them enter the driveway, he'll give us two bursts of static. When they pass Wildchild's position he'll give two more bursts. When the shooting starts hold your positions and wait. We'll deal with as many as possible outside. However, Lundy wants Giorgio and I have promised him that I will herd the man into the house to him---" He broke off and put his hand over the earpiece listening, then he looked up at Beaumont again, "You know an IA officer named Grayson?"

"Yes. What does he want?"

Ryan repeated the question then listened before telling her, "He says he needs to ask Levon and Joe some questions."

Beaumont gave an exasperated sigh. Nobody needed this asshole showing up now! But she nodded. "Send him up." Adding under her breath, "maybe somebody will shoot him... by accident, of course."

Ryan gave her a look that said he'd heard the whisper and that it could be arranged.

She shook her head. Wishing was one thing, having it done another.

Moments later Grayson was stalking across the porch into the house.

Beaumont had told Joe and Levon that he was on his way up and the three of them were waiting for him when he stepped through the door.

"What do you want, Grayson." Beaumont demanded without preamble.

"I need to ask these two boys a couple of questions."

"'Bout what?" Levon demanded.

"About where you two have been tonight."

"We've been right here!" Lundy snapped, "Till just a bit ago Joe wuz asleep. Sedated. I wuz sittin with'm."

"He don't look sedated now."

"Look, Grayson, get to the point or get out. We're expecting hostiles." LaFiamma snapped.

Lundy gave him a glance. He'd almost sounded like the old LaFiamma.

"Alrighty. Approximately two hours ago the safe house where Targell was being held in protective custody was... attacked. Someone rendered the guards unconscious with what we believe, at this time, to have been some form of nerve gas. The guards awoke sometime later, they couldn't be certain of the exact time since they were bound, gagged and blindfolded. They could however hear Targell screaming. Loud and long. After a time it got quiet, someone that they never got a look at, came into the room, rendered one of them unconscious then unbound him and left. When that guard regained consciousness he released the others and they went to check out the house and find Targell. They found him in the kitchen. Someone had cut off his balls, peeled them out, fried them in a fry pan on the stove, ground them up in a blender and fed them to Mr. Targell via a feeding tube stuck up his nose. His penis had also been cut off. It was lying on the cutting board, sliced nice and thin. The wounds where the genitals had been cut off were neatly cauterized so that there was no danger of Mr. Targell bleeding to death. The doctors think that they will be able to repair the damage to the point that Targell will be able to urinate but they can not repair or replace either his penis or his balls as they were in too many pieces."

"Forensics---" Lundy started to ask when Ryan stepped out of the kitchen and interrupted him.

"First signal! They've turned in the drive. Lights out. Places!" He caught Grayson's arm. "Back bedroom. Move!" He gave him a shove. "Joe, Levon with him. Beaumont, O'Brian front room. JD with me." He turned towards the back entrance.

Grayson had stalled but Joe and Levon each grabbed an arm and hauled him along to the back bedroom, flicking off the hall light as they passed it.

They dragged him in the bedroom and closed the door. Levon turned loose of him and crossed the room to turn the small lamp beside the bed off.

Joe hauled him to a point to the left of the door and squatted down beside the wall, pulling Grayson down with him. Taking out a pair of the night vision goggles he slipped them on. "Lundy!" He hissed.

"What?" Lundy hissed back.

"Close the shades. There's too much light for the night goggles!"

Lundy nodded and pulled down the shade over the window.

"Now I can't see shit!" Grayson hissed.

"Here!" LaFiamma pulled another pair of the goggles out of his pocket and shoved them at Grayson.

"Damn!" Grayson whispered as he put them on. "These are good! Who's in the bed?"

"Dummies. We figured they'd think I'd still be in it, so we gave them a target."

Grayson made a small sound, "Not bad. Not half bad. They come through the door, shooting at the figure on the bed. Ya'll catch them in a crossfire."

"Yeah, well hush up. We're supposed ta be quiet." Lundy hissed.

They fell silent and listened straining to hear what was going on outside. Two more bursts of static came over the headsets, telling Joe and Levon that the bad guys had passed Wildchild's position.

Almost immediately they heard the crunch of tires on the gravel of the driveway. The cars were moving slowly trying not to make too much noise. The muffled sound of car doors opening and being quietly closed drifted in, then footsteps on the gravel and muffled voices.

*************************************************

"I don't like this, dad." One of Giorgio's sons muttered.

"Too quiet." Someone else whispered.

They moved away from the cars in masse. Grouped together they started for the house, splitting in to two groups. Half going for the front door the others circling the house to head for the back door.

****************************

A single burst of static popped in the headsets. Immediately all hell broke loose.

KaBOOOM! One of the gangster's cars was lifted up off the ground and dropped back by a powerful explosion.

The men headed for the front door spun around to look, grabbing for their weapons, only to duck as another car repeated the action.

The ones that had been headed for the back popped back around the corner of the house to gape at the burning vehicles, their weapons in their hands.

This time they saw the rocket come zooming from the direction of the road. Two more followed in rapid succession and all the cars they had come in were gone.

The group in the front of the house threw up their guns, mostly Uzis and began to fire back towards the way they'd come as they ducked towards the house, hunting cover.

**********************************

In the barn Joe Bill and Hillbilly grinned.

"Like shootin' sittin' ducks." Hillbilly said.

"Yep," Joe-Bill agreed, setting his sights on one of the men, he fired and the man went down. "Nice rifle. Mind iffn I keep it?"

"Hav'ta ask the colonel. JD'd let ya, 'cause then he'd get to replace it. He does lov'ta go shoppin'"

"Must run in the family. LaFiamma cain sure spend money." Joe-Bill said, lining up another target.

Hillbilly chuckled and laid his sights on another man.

***************************************

Beaumont and O'Brian waited in silence. Ryan had told them to hold their fire unless someone tried to enter the front room then cut them down. Both were in prone firing positions, on the back side of the room away from the door and windows where they could fire and then roll into the hall and scrabble down it to their fall back position in Levon's bedroom.

Steps came running across the porch and a man burst through the door. Both women fired and rolled then fired again. He went down and the man coming in behind him reversed direction and threw himself back out the door.

The two women exchanged looks through the night goggles and followed their orders. They fell back to Levon's bedroom. They left the door open and took up prone firing positions under the bed, Beaumont facing the open door, O'Brian facing the curtained window. Again they waited. They could hear the sharp crack of the high powered rifles that Hillbilly and Joe-Bill were using as well as the almost constant rat-a-tat-tat of the Uzis. There was the occasional crack of another rifle and a handgun from the front. The back was ominously quiet.

*************************************

In the back bedroom, Joe shifted slightly, he was still stiff and sore from the beating and abuse he'd taken. He almost let a groan escape his lips and was surprised when Grayson reached out a hand to help him shift positions, making it easier. Nothing was said.

Lundy watched the incident through the night goggles. Maybe Grayson wasn't quite as bad as they'd thought. He saw Grayson tap Joe's shoulder, lightly, then when Joe turned to look at him the man signed something to him.

Joe's eyes widened in surprise then he signed something back.

Grayson nodded then signed some more.

Joe nodded and slowly stood up.

Grayson moved in front of Joe, assuming a sitting position, One leg doubled under the other drawn up, one shoulder against the wall, facing towards the door. His gun hand rested on his raised knee. Joe knelt behind him and leaned against Grayson's back so that Grayson was helping support him. His left hand gun extended over Grayson's shoulder on the side away from the wall, his forearm resting on Grayson's shoulder.

Lundy couldn't help a twinge of jealousy. He didn't like anybody getting that close to Joe, his Joe... least of all Grayson.

This wasn't the time to say anything though. The shooting out front seemed to be winding down but the back, which had been quiet, was starting to heat up.

Joe recognized the flat crack of Ryan's Marine issue Colt .45 Auto and JD's other set of pistols like the ones he'd loaned Joe.

Footsteps crossed the front porch and the front room, starting down the hall. They heard the bark of a thirty-eight and the thud of a body hitting the floor in the hall. There was the sound of a window breaking then the bark of a thirty-eight again. It could have been Beaumont's or O'Brien's. As far as they knew only those two had thirty-eights.

***************************************

Joe Bill and Hillbilly shifted position, moving to the other end of the barn, where they could cover the back yard and use the rifles to aid JD and Rye in cutting down the men back there.

Out front, Preacher, Wildchild, Blackjack and Esteban were mopping up what was left around there. They'd removed the night goggles. They light from the burning vehicles was more than enough to see by.

Somewhere in the distance they heard the sound of sirens, heading their way. Someone must have called in the shots fired and/or the fire.

*******************************

Out back, only Giorgio and his oldest son, Marcus remained standing.

JD carefully put shot after shot just in front of the men coming closer and closer, until they gave ground and began to back towards the house. He drove them on, up the back steps onto the porch. Then when they tried to separate and go off the ends of the porches he and Ryan placed careful shots to drive them back away from the edges of the porch and into the house. Giorgio held up his gun by the trigger guard, calling out, "I give up! Don't shoot!"

"No prisoners!" JD shouted, in Italian. "No mercy!" He put a shot into Giorgio's left shoulder, making sure that it was just a scratch, just to get him moving again.

With a curse in Italian, Giorgio yanked open the door and stumbled into the laundry room. Marcus was right behind him. Slowly, carefully they made their way to the kitchen and through it. They turned towards the living room and the front door only to have a bullet strike the floor at their feet. They stumbled back and turned down the hall towards the bedrooms.

****************************

In the back bedroom the three cops heard the stumbling steps coming towards them, along with the muffled curses and a moan or two. The knob on the door was shook then turned. They waited.

The door opened.

They waited.

A man stepped through closely followed by another.

They waited.

The two men stared at the bed, the lumpy form in it and what appeared to be a man sitting in a chair beside it. Maybe they thought they saw movement, in any event they raised their guns and fired at the bed and the figure in the chair beside it.

As soon as they opened fire the cops did too.

The rolling thunder of Levon's colt, almost drowned out the flat crack of Joe's autos and Grayson's .357 but they all fired.

The two men standing just inside the doorway didn't have a chance. They went down, their bodies riddled with bullets.

After a long minute of silence, Levon pulled off his night goggles and said, "Lights?"

"Yeah," Joe and Grayson were standing now, pulling off their goggles as well.

Levon switched on the light. He stepped over to the two men. Turning them on to their backs.

"That him?" He asked Joe, gesturing to the older man.

"Yeah. That's Giorgio. The other one's his son, Marcus." Joe said then sagged.

Grayson put out a hand to steady him, but Levon pushed him aside and wrapping his arms around Joe led him around the bodies, out of the room and down the hall to the master bedroom.

"Joanne? Carol?" He called as he neared the door, spotting the body in the hall and knowing that they should still be in there if they'd followed orders.

Beaumont rolled out from under the bed and stood. Carol did the same.

"Clear, Levon," his former partner called.

Levon led Joe in. "Boy needs ta lie back down. Had a mite too much excitement I 'xpect."

Carol turned back to the bed and turned back the covers. She and Beaumont helped Levon get Joe laid down, helping him take off the double holster and the guns before tucking him in.

Levon stepped over to the broken window and looked out. A body was sprawled beneath the window. He looked back at Carol and Joanne.

Carol shrugged, "Sorry, Levon," but then she grinned and he knew that the only thing she was sorry for was the broken window.

He looked at Beaumont, "Sounds like we're drawin' a heap o'attention. Ya might better get out there ta deal with the HPD bunch."

Beaumont nodded and left.

Levon turned back to Carol, nodding towards where Joe had already drifted off into a light sleep, "Would ya sit with'm for a bit, whilst I check on things outside?"

Carol smiled, "Sure. Go a head on. He'll be fine. If he wakes up I'll tell him where you went."

He gave her a nod and left.

*****************************

Stepping out on the front porch he couldn't help shaking his head. [Place looks like Beirut!]

Ryan once again had on his 'I'm in charge here' attitude and was directing the fire-trucks, there were two of them, where to park to best get to the burning cars that adorned Levon's driveway.

Beaumont stood beside Ryan, her badge now hanging on her belt, watching as half a dozen HPD blue and whites turned into the driveway and screamed up to the house.

As the uniformed officers sprang out of their vehicles and drew weapons pointing them towards the group of people gathered in front of the house, Ryan handed Beaumont a bullhorn from somewhere.

She turned it on and announced, "This is Lieutenant Beaumont, HPD, Major Crime Unit. Everything is under control! All HPD officers, holster your weapons." She waited while one of the uniformed officers moved away from the lead car and approached her, gun still drawn.

When he was near enough she handed him her badge. He looked it over then turned back and signaled the others to comply with her order. She turned and handed the bullhorn back to Ryan. "Colonel, I think it might be best if your people put down their weapons."

He nodded. Raising the bullhorn he ordered, "Red Dog Security. Turn your weapons over to the nearest HPD officer to be tagged and bagged. Assemble in the kitchen. Start writing your reports, gentlemen. Carbon copies to HPD."

He handed the bullhorn back to Beaumont and began removing his weapons, handing them over.

She accepted them, signaling one of the uniformed officers to bring her evidence tags for them.

Levon looked at the bodies scattered around but didn't go down to check them. They were obviously dead. There'd be plenty of other cops to deal with them. The crime scene team would be coming out soon. He turned and stepped back over the body sprawled in the front doorway. Cleaning up was gonna be a bitch. There's be at least four chalk outlines in the house, a couple on the front porch and he hadn't even checked out back yet. Busted window, bullet holes in the walls. [Oh, well, better'n bullet holes in us!]

He returned to the kitchen. JD was already there. He had the computer booted and was busily typing away at the keyboard. "Stew's still hot, Help yourself, Cowboy. When the guys get started on it there wonít be much left."

Lundy nodded and fetched himself a bowl, sitting down to eat. It was as the saying goes, all over but the shoutin'. 'Course there'd probably be a heap of shoutin', what with fifteen dead mob guys lying around. He wondered vaguely if they'd just ended the contract on Joe or earned a new one on both of them.

Levon's short breather while eating some of JD's stew ended nearly at the same moment that he put the spoon down in the now empty bowl.

Grayson stood in the doorway from the hall, just looking at Lundy. He ignored JD, still typing at the computer across the table from the cowboy.

"You boys have some right powerful connections." The tall IA officer came into the room and pulled out a chair next to Levon.

JD stopped typing and sat back watching, saying nothing. One hand, Levon noticed was resting in his lap near where Lundy knew JD had a small pistol holster on his belt.

Levon sent a discouraging look toward JD before facing Grayson.

"Friends."

"Friends." Grayson repeated the word with irony. "Friends with more firepower than I seen enyplace 'cept a national guard camp." He paused, as if picking his way through his options. "Lundy, what happened to LaFiamma was criminal. Part of the activity involved some of HPD's officers. That's where I come in. From what I can see, you and LaFiamma did not participate in the attack on Targell while he was in IA protective custody last night, but we will be continuing that investigation."

He eyed JD for a moment.

The green-eyed stranger blinked almost reptilian-like in response, sending a chill down Grayson's spine.

He turned back to face Lundy again. "From what I could see here, you were getting help from fellow officers and 'friends' to protect your partner. In the end, you even had your superior here, at least in nominal charge of the activities that followed. You and LaFiamma acted in self-defense."

"Appreciate you seein' things that way," Levon started.

"Yeah, I bet you do." Grayson leaned back in his seat. "Now I've seen LaFiamma, I'll tell you privately that I don't have too much sympathy fur Targell anymore. But, whoever did'em had best make tracks, 'cause we cain't ignore it neither."

Lundy nodded agreeably. Waited.

Grayson stood, settling his own Stetson firmly in place on his head. "I'll file a report on the shooting I wuz in with you and LaFiamma. I'll testify that it was self-defense." He held out a hand, taking Levon's as it was offered, Lundy standing too. "'Spect you'll be on leave fur a bit, getting yore partner back on his feet. Tell him, from me, that I'm sorry all this happened. If either of you ever need anything. Any help. Call me."

Levon knew his eyes were misting and his Adam's apple felt too big in hiz throat. He nodded silently again, momentarily increasing pressure on Grayson's hand in the shake, then they both released their grips and eyes met in silent understanding. Man was all right, Levon decided, watching the tall Texan nod to JD and leave through the back kitchen door without another word.

Joe's cousin stared owlishly at Levon for a moment, then flashed that patented LaFiamma smile, that lit up the whole face and eyes. "You and Joe have a new friend, I see."

Lundy grinned slowly back. "Yep, I reckon we do." It was a crazy world.

***************

Back in hiz bedroom, Levon shut the door behind Carol O'Brien as she left to help Beaumont and the rest of the MCU team cope with mop up outside. Levon had decided he wanted to spend a few moments with Joe before joining all the rest in setting things back into a semblance of order at hiz ranch. Fur now, Joe wuz most important.

He sat down on the big bed, facing his sleeping pardner. The bruises were looking even more spectacular now, rainbowing up all over the Italian's face and neck, and down hiz body Levon knew without looking. He leaned forward and ran a single finger down Joe's jawline, under it and on down the smooth neck cording.

LaFiamma stirred, turned toward the touch as if he knew who it was. Opened tired eyes, red showing. "Hi."

Leastways he's not shying from mah touch now. Levon smiled tenderly. "Hi." He bent forward further to place a soft kiss on Joe's lips. When he pulled back, there was a smile on LaFiamma's face.

"What's that for?"

"'Cause Ah kin. 'Cause Ah know you'll let me."

"Oh, yeah, cowboy." Joe struggled to sit up, accepting help from Levon's offered arm, ending up against the blonde's chest, forehead on Lundy's shoulder. "Always. All ways."

"Good. Gonna take you up on that, once things settle down around here and yore healed up some." Levon let his arms enfold the brunette, hands stroking and pressing his love into his dearest, sweetest friend.

For a while, they sat together like that, soaking up the feel of each other, basking in their mutual comfort at the new closeness they allowed themselves now. Finally Levon sat back, releasing hiz hold on the Italian. "Joe? Will you be okay in here on yore own fur a bit? Ah gotta go help Joanne and yore cousin JD, hiz friend Ryan. They's trying to get ever'thing straightened out, outside."

Joe studied his partner. Levon was always a strong man and seemed a tower of strength now. Someone to lean on, depend upon. To love. The nightmare of recent events was fading now, aided by Levon's love and by the satisfaction of revenge, shooting the betraying Giorgio had been like a shedding of the shame that had clung to him. He shook his head in agreement. "Go. I'll be fine, just need to sleep summore. I think those meds are still in my system."

Levon put out hands to help settle Joe back against the pillows, stayed to watch as hiz pardner shut hiz eyes and hiz breathin' evened out in sleep. Then, taking care not to disturb the sleeper, Lundy stood and walked quietly from the room, closing the door carefully.

************

Outside, four wrecker's trucks were hoisting the burning carcasses of the mob vehicles and forming a procession, dragging off the evidence to the nearest police impound lot. A couple of morgue wagons had backed up near the barn and men in white uniforms were carrying full body bags, on stretchers up to the backs of the wagons, sliding them in. The huge semi with the red-dog logo on it was out front again, now that there was room, and a ramp was being lowered. He could see Joe-Bill and Hillbilly each driving a jeep, one behind the other, up toward where the tongue of the ramp was hitting the ground, guided by the one called Blackjack.

Beaumont was conferring with a uniformed sergeant, most of the blue and whites had disappeared, one clearly waiting for the sergeant. Ryan was no where to be seen. Lundy did an about face and went back into the house, turning into the kitchen. He found both Ryan and JD there, now Ryan was typing, JD eating.

"Joe's sleeping agin. Meds is still workin' through him," Lundy commented sinking into a chair.

"Be awhile, especially now that the adrenaline flush is gone," Ryan agreed.

JD continued to eat, but his green eyes were fixed on the blonde cowboy now. "You talk to Joey yet, Lundy?"

"It's Levon, and yeah, I have."

"About...?"

"JD," Ryan's voice was sharp, "that's their business."

"He's my favorite cousin, Rye," the younger man snapped back, then softened, "I want him to be safe, happy."

"Ah intend to see to it thet he is." The finality in Levon's voice was clear.

Reassured, Bellarosa pushed his now empty bowl away and stood, a bone-popping stretch showing off his sleek form to Rye's open admiration. JD walked over behind his own partner and slung his arms casually around the thick neck of the ex-marine colonel. "If you can make Joey as happy as Rye makes me, then you're the right one for him." JD looked remarkably like an old tabby Levon used to know, smirking down at his lover as he licked one ear impudently.

Ryan jerked his head at the rough tonguing but kept on typing, ignoring both of them now.

"Man's a tank, when it comes to work," JD confided to Levon, clearly including him in the 'family' now.

Levon grinned and stood. "Ah'm going to see what Ah kin do about getting the rest of the place back to normal, check on Fooler, too, see what the old girl made o'all the noise and carryin' on."

****************

"Take the whole week, Levon," Beaumont paused, then added, "and longer if he needs it. When you are both ready, then call me and come on back in."

"Thanks, Joanne. We owe you."

Beaumont shook her head and gunned the engine of her sedan, tossing Lundy a wave as she pulled out down his drive. O'Brien, Guiterrez and McCandless had all already left. The Red Dog semi, loaded with jeeps and bikes had followed them out the gate, most of the team on board.

Waiting on the porch were Ryan and JD, both relaxed in rocking chairs, looking very peaceable. The helicopter was beginning to look downright natural in the meadow acrost from the drive.

Lundy started back up the steps as Joe appeared at the front door, wavering slightly.

"Joe! You should still be in bed, boy!" Lundy was at his side, slipping a shoulder under one arm, hiz own automatically encircling the narrow waist, supporting the taller man.

"Hi, Levon." JD and Rye looked up sharply at the slightly vague response from Levon's pardner.

"You want to be out here with us fur a spell?" Anxiety colored Lundy's words.

"'S'okay, just wanted to see you again."

"Joe, did you take some more medicine?"

"There were some pills beside the water glass, in the bedroom. Figured you wanted me to take'em." The voice was slurring slightly now.

"Yeah, but not fur another coupla'hours." Levon sighed, signaling all was well to the two men standing now on the porch, "Jest means you're gonna be going back to sleep sooner than you expected, love."

"'Love.'" Joe smiled knowingly, cocking an eye over at JD and Rye who had relaxed back in amusement once they understood what had happened. "I like that. I love that." He let himself swing, like a hinged door, into the front of Lundy where he landed a wet kiss sloppily over Levon's face.

The blonde rolled his eyes and captured the wayward brunette, steering him back indoors. "Let's go, Joey, back to bed."

"Oh, now that sounds like a really good idea."

The words drifted back to JD and Rye who remained on the porch smiling at each other.

"Sounds like a good idea to me, too," JD said softly to his partner. He put a hand up on Ryan's shoulder and began to rub.

Rye captured the hand and brought it to his mouth. Kissed it. "They'll be fine now. You called Mike, everything's set from that end. No one else on the way, things cleaned up here. Time for us to go."

"Go find that bed I was talkin' about."

"Not far in a chopper." Rye pulled the smaller man into his arms and kissed him thoroughly. Throat clearing brought his head back up, though he did nothing about releasing JD from his arms.

Lundy stood outside again, looking a bit sheepish. "Sorry about that. Ah, you boys plannin' on staying the night?"

Ryan squeezed JD against his chest to prevent the giggle he could feel from JD from bursting out into the open, maybe offending the cowboy. "I don't think so, we've got work waiting at home, just wanted to make sure you were okay before we took the chopper and headed out."

JD's throaty, muttered, "it's a BED that's waiting..." was smothered against Rye's chest.

"Then, let me thank you both, fur helpin' out. Helping Joe and me." Levon stuck out his hand.

Rye let go of JD and accepted it.

Joe's cousin became serious as he faced Lundy, taking the offered hand and holding it while he looked deeply into the brown eyes before him. "Joey is special. You take good care of him, Levon."

"I will."

The two tall mercenaries moved away and down the steps, then crossed over to their helicopter and were airborne in minutes. The chopper rose with a graceful swing and then was springing into the sky, lost from sight more quickly than Levon had expected. He watched the black speck vanish and stood there lost in thought. Hard to believe it wuz only two days since all this began. He came out of his reverie and headed back into the house. Joe would be sleeping soundly for at least another six hours. Be a good idea iffn Ah join him and git some shuteye too. Kin hold him whilst we sleep. Levon's slow smile was like the sun coming up.

**************

Joe jerked awake with a start. An arm lay across his waist and a warm body pressed against his back. His heart was pounding. The nightmare of the night in the HPD lock up clutched at him.

Then the arm moved, loosened it's grip and a voice, Levon's voice was there, soft and soothing, "Easy, boy. Easy. It's me, baby. You're all right. Everything's all right. You're safe. I got you, Baby. Ain't nobody gonna hurt you enymore."

Joe took a deep breath and let the tension flow out of him as he turned into Levon's arms, his own arms going out to pull his partner closer. "Sorry... I just..."

"Nothing ta apologize for Joe. You had a bad time. Gonna take a while ta regain yer balance." The gentle hands stroked his hair, moved down to caress his face.

Fingers traced his lips and he smiled at the touch. "Love you." He whispered, burying his face in Levon's chest.

Levon hugged him tightly for a moment. "Love you too, Boy. Weren't expecting it... kinda took me by surprise... but I do."

They fell silent just luxuriating in being able to lie there in each other's arms.

After a while Levon asked gently, "Ya feel like getting' up?"

Joe didn't answer for a minute then nodded, "I really want a shower but..." he ducked his head back against Levon's chest blushing slightly, "I feel a bit unsteady right on... could you... I mean would you mind... helping me?"

Levon chuckled, "Boy, I would love to help you bath!" He reached down and tilted Joe's face up to look into his eyes as he added, seriously. "Don't ever be afraid or embarrassed to ask me for anything ya need, Joe. I love you. I want to give you whatever ya need. I want to take care of you and look out for you and be here for you when ever ya need me for anything... anything at all."

He bent his head to place soft kisses on Joe's upturned face.

Joe stretched up to give him a better angle, tears seeping from the corners of his closed eyes. "I felt so helpless... and like no body cared. I called and called for help and nobody came! It seemed to go on forever and I felt so dirty... so soiled... like I'd never be clean again!"

"Oh, Joey! I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I wasn't there for you. What happened weren't your fault. You didn't do anything wrong. You aren't dirty... the men that did this to you... they're scum... but you... you're innocent in this, completely innocent... pure...." He continued to place gentle kisses on the tear stained face as he spoke.

"B-bath me, Levon. Wash them off me... Please...."

"Of course, baby. Of course." Levon began to scoot back towards the edge of the bed, pulling Joe with him, "Come on. Let's get you up and into the bathroom."

Joe followed him blindly, tears still leaking from his eyes, running silently down his face.

Once they were off the bed, Levon steadied Joe for a moment, letting him get his feet back under him. He seemed to still be a bit groggy from the last dose of medicine that he had taken. He leaned heavily on Levon, letting the cowboy, guide him into the bathroom.

Levon sat him down in a straight back chair that was in the bathroom, quietly reassuring him that he was just going to get towels and start the shower.

A few minutes later he was back to help Joe undress. He quickly undressed himself and turned the water on in the tub. He guided Joe into it and under the spray, getting in with him.

He took up a washrag and soaping it began to wash Joe.

"No." It was barely more than a whisper. "Please... use your hands.... I want to feel your hands... washing their touch away."

Levon moved closer, dropping the rag into the bottom of the tub, "Whatever you want, love. Whatever you want."

He turned Joe moving him out of the spray so that he could soap him up. He lathered his hands and began to wash his lover. His hands stroked and caressed, careful of the many bruises and sore spots.

Joe leaned into his hands, sighing softly as Levon tenderly bathed him.

Gentle hands moved downward, hesitating a moment before carefully lifting his balls to lather them. Then one hand stroked gently up his cock.

He moaned softly and surged into the touch, his cock beginning to harden.

"Like that, baby?" Levon's voice was husky.

"Yeah, oh, yeah! Levon!"

Lundy grinned and moved in to let one arm circle Joe's waist, supporting him as he began to stroke the cock more firmly, leaning in to kiss Joe's neck, trailing kisses along it to the hollow at the base then outward along the swell of Joe's shoulder.

"Hummmmmm!" Joe moaned again.

Levon slid down to his knees, trailing kisses along Joe's chest to his belly button then on down to his groin as he did. Wrapping both arms around Joe's hips to support him, he took the head of Joe's cock in his mouth, swirling his tongue around it, before slowly deep-throating it.

Joe groaned and let his hands rest on the back of Levon's head.

Levon moaned around Joe's cock. It tasted so good. Leaving one arm around Joe's hips he reached down with the other and caressed Joe's balls, gently rolling them in his hand.

Joe moaned again. He whimpered softly and began to try to thrust.

Levon drew back, grasping the base of Joe's cock with his hand, "Easy Boy. Easy. I'll get you there." Then he returned to his sucking.

Joe was moaning almost continuously, with an occasional whimper as he tried to control his urge to thrust.

Levon licked the head of Joe's cock, thrusting the tip of his tongue into the slit then taking the glans back into his mouth.

Joe moaned and tried to thrust.

Levon rode it, pulling back as Joe surged upwards then sliding down on Joe's cock as Joe drew back. He could feel Joe's balls drawing up and knew it wouldn't be much longer before Joe came.

He sank down on the shaft of Joe's cock one more time taking it all the way to the base then drew back to suck hard on the head. He moaned around it and the vibration was all it took to bring Joe the rest of the way off.

Joe cried out and came.

Warm salty cum filled his mouth and he swallowed, hungrily, savoring the taste that was uniquely Joe. He felt Joe sagging above him and released the spent cock to rise quickly to support his lover, wrapping his arms around Joe and holding him close.

He kissed Joe's face, nibbled at one ear. "Ya taste good, baby, so good. Love you."

After a moment Joe began to return his kisses. "Love you, too, Cowboy."

Levon hugged him tightly then sighed, "Water's getting cold. Better get you outta here."

Joe smiled at him, "Yeah..." he leaned in for another kiss, "Thanks, Levon. I feel much better now."

After they had gotten out and dressed Joe said, "I guess I need to go to my place... get some clothes..."

Levon turned to look at him, seeing the hesitation and a touch of anxiety in the blue eyes. He moved closer and slipped his arms around Joe. "I really don't like the idea of you going back there, right now.... Why don't I take you shopping... get you a couple of new outfits... some jeans and T-shirts'll be fine for now. Joanne gave us a week off. Said ta take as long as ya needed. When ya get ta feelin' up ta it we can go by and pick you up some more stuff." He hesitated, then decided to plunge on, "Fact is... I'd like ya ta move in here... if ya want to a'course."

A smile crossed Joe's face, lighting his eyes, "You mean that?"

"I do. I want ya with me, Joe. Not just for now... for always."

"Oh, Levon." Joe moved into Levon's embrace, laying his head on Levon's shoulder. "I want to be with you, too... for always."

--Finis--