One Plus Two Equals... - 54

Duane was feeling a bit like a third wheel. Stupid he knew, but he still couldn't help it. Between Auden's working with Julyan to control his shifting, and then taking him with him on an assignment, Duane had seen almost nothing of him except in the mornings before going to work. As soon as he'd come home in the evening he'd eat and then shift so Auden could take over.

I know I'm being stupid, and selfish, but damn it.

He rolled over to look at the other side of the bed even though he was well aware Julyan wasn't there. He'd been so exhausted after the assignment and then the aftermath that Auden had made him sleep in his own bed, coming back to the master bedroom to fall into bed himself, barely managing to shift before passing out.

He heard a light knock on the door and then it opened and Julyan peered at him. "May I come in?"

Grumpily, Duane nodded. "If you want, but he's not here."

"Uh oh." Julyan moved swiftly to the bed, pulling back the covers to slide in beside Duane. "Is someone feeling just a bit jealous?"

Duane was tempted to deny it but didn't. "A bit, yes."

"Why?" Julyan rested on one elbow as he looked at Duane. "You know I love you."

"I know you do." Duane smiled ruefully. "Sometimes though, knowing and knowing are two different things since I'm well aware you love him too."

Tracing his fingers lightly over Duane's chest, Julyan smiled. "Look at it this way. When you're you and here, you have my entire attention. And things should be, umm, fairer now, I suppose, since I've mastered this whole shifting thing." He grinned, nipping lightly along the line of Duane's jaw. "Of course if you want, I could shift and you could play with Xander."

"I think I'll pass on that, thanks. I prefer the man to the cat. Besides, with those fangs, kissing would be out of the question and I do like to kiss you."

Julyan arched an eyebrow and waited. A very long moment passed before he finally said, "So why aren't you?"

"Why aren't I what?" Duane replied innocently.

"Kissing me."

"Oh, you wanted me to?"

"It's that or I bring Xander out and you can play chase the ball with him." Duane's hand went instinctively to cover his balls, thinking what a big cat like Xander could do to them. Julyan burst out laughing. "Not those balls."

"I know, but in the interests of being safe…" Duane cupped the back of Julyan's head, drawing it closer. "Since you asked for it, let the kissing commence."

It commenced. And quite a while later there were more kisses, but first they had other things which needed taking care of.

Finally, happily sated, Julyan lifted his head from Duane's shoulder to look up at him. "Feeling a bit less jealous?" he joked.

Duane tapped a finger on his lips, looking thoughtful. "A bit. It's going to take a lot more to completely eradicate it however."

"Well, we have the rest of today, and all of tomorrow, barring emergencies." He leaned over to snag Duane's phone from the bedside table, turning it off before he tossed it onto a chair across the room. "And if there is one, the boss will just have to interrupt someone else's weekend because the next twenty-four hours are all about you."

"All about us," Duane replied softly. "Although…"

Julyan stopped him with a kiss. "I'll deal with the third part of our strange triangle later, you know that. This…" he kissed him again, "is you…" another kiss, "and me. So deal."

Duane smiled in amusement. "I'm dealing, I'm dealing."

And he did, several times, with no feelings of guilt. He knew Julyan loved him, and Auden, and as far as he was concerned that was the way it should be and would be for as long as they lived. Which, given what all of them were, could be more than a few lifetimes.

The End

One Plus Two Equals... - 53

Two months later

"That just earned you a gold star," Auden commented as he wiped the blood off his weapon.

Julyan nodded, bending over with his hands on his knees until he regained his breath and his control.

The fight had been short but vicious, the two of them against four well-armed creatures who had banded together to try to take over a small section of the city run by one of the local mafia capos. It wasn't the agency's intention to protect or even deal with the capo, who had no idea what he was facing. As far as they, and Auden, were concerned, stopping him was the Fed's job. The creatures were another thing. If they'd succeeded with their plot then who knew what they'd do next to expand their power in the human world.

"Ready to get out of here?"

Again, Julyan only nodded.

"Cat got your tongue?"

"Sort of." Julyan admitted. "Not literally but… This was hard."

Coming over to him, Auden gripped Julyan's upper arms. "I take it you mean the killing."

"Yes." Julyan didn't resist Auden's hold, only staring at his lover. "Xander felt so…so thrilled, for lack of a better word, at being able to fight and kill. It was frightening, Auden. If he's a part of me, does it mean those were my feelings as well? I mean…" he tapped his chest, "Somewhere in here am I part beast and killer even though I've never felt like one?"

"Not at all," Auden assured him firmly. "If that was the case you wouldn't be so worried about it. You, as Julyan, are no more of a fighter than Duane is. The only difference between you and him is that he shifts into another human, me, and we are thinking, feeling individuals on our own. He doesn't have to control me any more than I have to control him. In your case, because Xander is a very wild and predatory animal, you need to keep a tight rein on him when you're using him to help destroy the creatures that need eliminating." Auden pulled him to his chest in a tight embrace. "We can all be thankful you have a good moral core, unlike those guys we just took down."

Julyan looked up at him, the worried expression still on his face. "What if he manages to erode this moral core you say I have?"

"I don't think, in fact I'm quite certain, he wouldn't be able to by the mere fact he doesn't have morals as we think of them. He can't lie, or knowingly be cruel. He can't consciously consider the difference between right and wrong on any except the most primal level. He can't foresee the consequences of his acts or think in abstract terms."

"That you know of," Julyan countered. "If he's part of me then maybe he can do all those things."

"Julyan, if he is in the way you're implying then he would have the same beliefs you hold, just as Duane and I believe in the same things on an ethical level." Auden chuckled when Julyan rolled his eyes at his last words. "Okay, so maybe I was a bit free and loose morally when it came to those first few kisses, but," he kissed Julyan's forehead, "I did know what I was doing was wrong. I just didn't particularly care at that point."

Julyan relaxed into Auden's hold finally, and grinned. "So, I'm safer with Xander than with you?"

"You had better believe it! On any and all levels." Auden glanced around the room hopefully, seeing only the remnants of their battle, which were hardly conducive to what he had in mind. "I opt we get the hell out of here, go home, and celebrate your losing your virginity."

"My virginity?" Julyan snorted. "Been there, done that, long before I met you."

"Your operative virginity," Auden's kiss was hard, almost brutal, before he realized what he'd done and softened it.

"That's how you kissed me the first time." Julyan wrapped his arms around Auden's neck. "I fought it then."

"And now?" He found out seconds later when Julyan kissed him hungrily, his tongue probing, fucking his mouth with such ferocity Auden instantly had a raging hard-on. "I think…" he managed to get out when they broke to try to regain some control, "there was just a bit of Xander in that kiss."

Julyan shook his head. "Nope, it was all me. Now, as you said, let's get out of here. I don't mind a dirty floor if it comes down to it, but a bloody one…" He shuddered.

"I absolutely agree. Home it is, to shower and then continue this."

"Or," Julyan grinned, "continue it in the shower."

"Yeah, that works too."

One Plus Two Equals... - 52

"Julyan, stop pacing and concentrate."

"Cats pace."

Auden shook his head. "Technically, cats prowl, something you're more than welcome to do after you've shifted. Now, try it again. Concentrate on Xander and become him."

Julyan, naked at the moment to facilitate the shift, stopped where he was, a few feet away from one wall of the large, empty room in a non-descript warehouse in lower Manhattan. On paper the building belonged to a small shipping company. In fact it was one of the agency's many holdings, used exclusively for training shifters on how to control their animal halves.

"What if…?"

"Julyan," Auden growled before tempering his tone. "Stop worrying so much and just shift. Duane's already told you, several times, that when you were in your cat form, you obviously still knew what you were doing once the original rage had dissipated. You tried to clean his wounds and when he explained how to shift back you understood him and did."

"All right, I'll try…again."

Auden watched him carefully when he closed his eyes, obviously from the look on his face doing his best to make the shift happen. They had been at it for the best part of an hour with no results so far. Auden knew it was fear holding Julyan back, fear of not being able to control Xander.

Julyan's hands fisted and unfisted, his chest expanded as he took another deep breath. And kept expanding. Slowly the cat appeared, wavered, disappeared and then returned.

"Yes," Auden whispered when Xander finally held his form. His tawny fur was dotted with small darker spots, his shoulders and neck massively muscular, his hindquarters smaller and leaner in comparison.

Xander turned his head to look at Auden through pale golden eyes, distinctly different from Julyan's blue ones. There was intelligence in them well beyond what one might have expected and Auden knew it belonged to Julyan although the body was Xander's.

"Feel better about your ability now?" Auden asked, smiling.

Xander nodded his head slowly before he began to prowl the length and breadth of the large room as if testing how his body moved. Finally he came to a stop in front of Auden. His shoulders stood waist-high to Auden, his head when he brushed it against Auden easily touched his chest.

"You are one beautiful, if rather toothy, animal." Xander butted his head against Auden, almost knocking him off his feet. "Okay, okay, bad joke. Sorry. Now, unless you want to keep testing your body, shift back."

It took a few moments, then Julyan was standing in there instead of Xander. He looked both elated and relieved. "I did it! And Auden, I was in control, mostly. I could feel the animal part of him, the predatory urge to explore and maybe hunt, but I was able to curb it."

Auden chuckled. "Or I would have been dinner?"

Julyan shook his head. "He was never interested in you. It was more like he wanted to get out of the room and see what the world had in store for him."

"That part you had better rein in whenever you shift. I have a feeling people might panic if a saber-toothed cat started strolling down the street."

Julyan grinned. "You think, huh? Should I test that theory?"

"Umm, no. What you should do is get dressed again so we can get out of here."

"Or you can get undressed so we can celebrate my success."

"Julyan…"

"Okay, okay, getting dressed now. But when we get home…"

Auden laughed. "Maybe."

As Julyan dressed, his look turned pensive. Finally he turned to look at Auden. "Can I…no…may I come with you sometimes when you have to deal with… things?"

"I'll think about it. If I say yes it won't be until after you've done a lot more shifts and we both know for damned sure that you're always in control."

"All right, that makes sense. Now, let's get out of here."

One Plus Two Equals... - 51

"But I couldn't shift." Julyan protested as he sat, wrapping his arms around his knees. "I've been angry before in my life, and scared, and nothing like that happened."

"Anger and fear come in many forms. I would suspect you've never been in the position where you've felt the need to save someone you love and didn't have a clue how to."

"Well, no. I'm not a fighter and," Julyan smiled slightly, "I'm usually the one who needed protecting." He shuddered. "What was I? I felt like a predator. All I wanted to do was maim and kill those…those sons of bitches."

"You did a damned good job of it, too. And before you start feeling any kind of guilt, I'd say they deserved it," Duane said. "Not because of what they were doing to me but because of what they undoubtedly planned on doing to or with you."

"You still didn't answer my question. What was I?"

"A saber-toothed cat."

Julyan's eyes widened. "They're extinct."

"Somehow in the grand scheme of things, I don't think that matters. Shifters have been around since the beginning of time."

Nodding slowly, Julyan thought about what he'd said. "Does that mean I've been around since they were?" He shook his head. "No, that's not possible. I had a normal life growing up, parents who loved me. I told you that, and about my mom's getting sick and all. I was born just like any other human. Ask my mother, she's got baby pictures from day one, literally. I didn't…appear one day like…like a changeling dumped in a crib."

Duane chuckled at his description. "No, I doubt you were a changeling, or even that you've been reincarnated over and over. My best guess, and it's really more than a guess, you carry a gene which makes you a shifter, just as Auden and I do."

"Shifting is genetic?" Julyan looked as if he didn't believe it.

Duane chuckled. "Unless you're a god, according to those who should know."

Julyan must have been recovering at least some normalcy because he snickered. "If I am a god, you'd better start bowing down to me."

"Worshiping you, I can handle, but I draw the line at bowing."

"Well, damn." He leaned back against Duane when his lover moved closer, sighing deeply. "This is going to take a lot of getting used to."

"We're here to help you. The first thing you'll have to do is learn to control your shifting. It would cause real problems if you always reacted the way you did today, without a thought for the results."

"But, I didn't know…" Julyan shivered.

"I understand that, Juls. However, just because you now know you can shift, doesn't mean it won't happen again without warning if we don't show you how to master your cat. At least you were able to return to being you."

"Damn, that would have sucked if I hadn't been able to. I might be out there tearing up the sofas." He straightened suddenly, glancing toward the living room. "I have a hell of a mess to take care of."

"I'll call the boss and have him send a cleanup crew."

"Is that something he keeps on hand?"

Duane snorted. "You've never seen what's left when Auden gets done taking out one of the creatures he has to deal with."

"I hope it's less messy than what I…what the cat thing left behind."

"How about we give it a name. The 'cat thing' just doesn't have the proper ring to it."

"Yeah, I guess it doesn't, though that's what it is."

"How about Garfield?" Duane ducked fast when Julyan took a swipe at him. "Okay, scratch that. How about… Xander?"

"Xander?"

"It's a nickname for Alexander and means defender of mankind."

"I'm not certain that fits me, or him, I suppose."

"Juls, he was defending me and once you learn to harness him, I suspect he'll do the same for others, just as Auden does. It's in you to do that, and I mean you, Juls, as well as your cat."

"I hope so."

"I know so."

One Plus Two Equals... - 50

"Holy hell," Duane whispered as understanding hit him hard. He would have touched the animal if his hands weren't still shackled behind him. "How…? Damn, no wonder they wanted you but how did they know? Why didn't I know?"

The cat shook its head from side to side.

"Can you, do you know how to shift back?" Duane remembered the first time he'd shifted and the underlying fear that he wouldn't be able to return to himself.

The cat yowled softly, again shaking its head.

"Think it, Juls." Desperation gave an edge to Duane's voice and he tempered it. "Think of yourself in your human body. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Time seemed to stretch out indefinitely before the cat's body began to transform. Then Julyan was there, shaking uncontrollably. "Why did that happen?" he asked in a panic-stricken whisper.

"Because you wanted to save me," Duane told him as he struggled to sit up.

Despite his obvious terror at what had happened to him, Julyan realized Duane needed his help. He looked around at the destruction he'd caused, uncaring for the moment as he asked, "Who had the keys?"

Duane nodded sharply at the body of the dead leader and Julyan searched the pockets of his jeans. When he found them he unlocked the shackles, to Duane's great relief. He eased his arms forward, wincing in pain. Gently Julyan rubbed his shoulders before wrapping him in a loose embrace.

"Auden's going to be pissed that he missed this," Julyan muttered. Then he began to laugh hysterically, a laugh that soon changed to sobs.

"Pissed doesn't begin to cover it."

Julyan found himself in Auden's arms and buried his head in his chest.

"Careful there." Auden eased him away from the worst of the still healing wounds Duane had received.

"S-s-sorry," Julyan took a deep breath to try to quell his weeping.

"Hey, I'll live. We'll live." Auden kissed the top of his head. He stood carefully with Julyan cradled in his arms. "Let's get you out of this mess."

"Please…" As Auden laid him gently on his bed, Julyan shook his head. "I have to… I need to know…how."

"How come you're suddenly a shifter?" When Julyan nodded, Auden settled down beside him, stroking his cheek. "I think this is a question Duane can answer better than I, if it's all right with you."

Julyan clung to Auden for a moment before nodding again. Duane reappeared, smiling slightly. "So now I'm the expert, huh? Well, I'll try to answer. As I said, I think you were terrified by what they were doing and wanted to help me but couldn't, or at least not in your human form. However, somewhere deep inside you another form exists just as Auden does in me, and me in him."

"How come I never knew? Why didn't you know? Those men did."

"So it would seem. I have to wonder if they knew what you shift to or just that you could shift."

One Plus Two Equals... - 49

There was a knock on the door, the requisite code rapped out. Turning off the security system, Duane unlocked and opened the door. 'Mr. Pink' stood there, four men now flanking him. All of them held guns which were pointed at Duane.

"Don't even think of shifting," one of them growled as they stormed through the doorway, surrounding Duane. "You'll be dead before you do."

Hands grabbed him roughly, his arms were twisted up behind his back and shackled. The leader of the group pressed the barrel of his gun to Duane's forehead. "Where's the boy?"

"What boy?" Duane replied defiantly, wondering in surprise why it was Julyan they were after when they had him.

'Mr. Pink' backhanded him. "Don't play games. The boy who was here this morning. Where is he?"

"He left soon after you did."

"Liar!" A fist landed in Duane's gut, doubling him over for a moment until he was pulled erect again. "I was watching, no one left."

"Spread out and search the place," the leader ordered his companions. "The boy is here somewhere. Find him."

Duane could hear doors opening and things being moved about as the men searched. One by one they returned to report that they hadn't found Julyan.

"Fun and games time." A large knife appeared in the leader's hand. He smiled maliciously at Duane. "How much pain can you take before you cave and tell me where you've hidden him?"

Duane remained silent, his eyes locked on the knife. 'Mr. Pink' stepped behind him, yanking his shackled arms up, forcing him to his knees. The leader fisted his free hand into Duane's hair, pulling his head back, and the torture began. Duane screamed finally, and again, but the only words he said were, "He's…not…here. He's safe from you…you bastards."

Suddenly there was an earthshaking roar of rage. Then an immense feline sprang into the room, its huge canine teeth bared. It swung its head from side to side for a moment then leapt, claws tearing into the leader's chest before its teeth ripped open his throat. Without hesitation, it spun to attack a second man, dropping its prey seconds later.

"Shoot it," 'Mr. Pink' shouted as he aimed his pistol at the saber-toothed cat and fired.

Another roar emitted from the beast's throat. It attacked, fangs ripping through the flesh of 'Mr. Pink's' arm. Sharp claws raked bloody lines down his back when he wheeled in an attempt to escape. Moments later he was dead, unaware that the last two men had fled in terror.

With its enemies dead or gone, the cat sank down beside Duane, its rough tongue licking at the deep wounds which decorated his body. Duane groaned, his eyelids fluttering open. For a second, panic flooded him. Then his eyes met those of the gigantic cat.

One Plus Two Equals... - 48

The bout of love-making did relax Julyan, so much in fact that he fell asleep, waking to find Auden sitting on the side of the bed. Julyan smiled sleepily when he bent to brush a soft kiss over his lips and ask, "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes. No. Maybe."

Auden chuckled. "The definitive reply. Hold that thought because I think someone wants their time with you." With that said he shifted and moments later Duane sat in his place.

By then Julyan was more awake…and aware, apparently, quickly sitting up. "What time is it?"

"Early still, just mid-afternoon." Duane cupped Julyan's jaw in one hand, studying him. Then he released him after kissing him lightly. "Still, you probably should get dressed."

Julyan nodded, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "I'm scared, Duane, terrified actually," he said, his voice trembling with emotion. "What if something goes wrong and…?"

Duane put a finger over his lips to silence him. "Nothing's going wrong. Auden knows what he's doing and he's prepared. When they show up here he'll take care of things just like we planned. Have faith in him, Juls."

"I do. Honest, I do."

"I know." Duane kissed his temple before picking up Julyan's jeans which lay in a heap by the side of the bed, handing them to him. "Go wash up and get dressed."

Duane watched as Julyan disappeared into the bathroom, admiring as always his lithe figure and taut ass. He'd really wanted to crawl into bed with him as Auden had done earlier. But common sense said Auden would need all his energy for what was coming, and they did after all share the same body no matter how different it looked on the exterior.

Getting up, he headed into the kitchen to find something to eat, stopping with a frown when the buzzer announced that someone was downstairs. He hurried to the security monitor to see who it was, his frown deepening when he saw the face of the man Auden had labeled 'Mr. Pink'. Pressing the 'Talk' button, he asked, "What brings you here?"

"We might have a problem," the man's disembodied voice replied through the speaker. "Let me in and I'll tell you why."

Something felt off to Duane but since the man was alone he buzzed him in. If he tries anything I can handle it, or Auden can.

Still he wasn't about to take chances as far as Julyan was concerned so he quickly went back to the bedroom.

Julyan had just finished dressing and was sitting on the bed to tie his shoes. He looked up, asking, "Who was that?"

"Our friend from this morning. I'm not certain why he's back but I want you to do as we planned, just in case."

"I… All right." A wave of fear flashed across Julyan's face, quickly wiped away by determination to do as Duane said, even though it was too early.

Duane paused just long enough to wrap him in a tight hug, saying, "It's fine, I'm sure," then walked swiftly back to the entryway to wait for the man to arrive.

One Plus Two Equals... - 47

When the buzzer sounded around nine the next morning Julyan froze like a deer in the headlights. He dropped the spatula, then jumped when it hit the floor with a bang.

Duane was beside him seconds later, gripping his arms tightly. "It's just our contact. Relax."

"You relax," Julyan growled, angry at himself for overreacting.

After patting his ass and telling him he was relaxed, mostly, Duane went to check the security monitor. Whoever stood at the downstairs lobby door must have passed visual inspection because Duane buzzed him in.

"Time for me to vanish for the moment," he told Julyan, kissing him gently before shifting.

Auden appeared, muttering with a grin, "He always runs when it gets down to the nitty-gritty."

"He does not," Julyan protested before getting that Auden was teasing.

By then someone was rapping on the front door of the condo. From the sequences Julyan figured it had to be a code of some sort. Whoever it was must have given the correct one because Auden turned off the security and opened the door. Julyan noted however that he kept his hand behind him at the waistband of his jeans until the person was fully inside and the door closed.

"Julyan, this is Mr…Pink."

"How Reservoir Dogs," the man said with a small chuckle.

Auden shrugged. "The less he knows the safer it is for him."

That idea didn't make Julyan's day but he figured at this point nothing would, so he just nodded in greeting as he studied the man. He was Auden's height and build and had the same 'take no prisoners' look that graced Auden's face at the moment. Although they weren't carbon copies of each other, Julyan could see how from a distance, or in dim light, they might pass for one another, which was the plan.

"Julyan, if you don't mind we're going to disappear for a while." When Julyan froze, Auden quickly shook his head. "Not out of here, just into the office so we can finalize things. I wouldn't mind some of whatever it was you were fixing for breakfast, if it hasn't turned into something inedible."

"Aw shit." Julyan spun around, hurrying back into the kitchen. The omelet was a goner so he tossed it, cleaned the pan, and began again. It occurred to him Mr. Pink, or whatever his real name was, might want something too. He went to the office door, rapped, then asked if he did, getting a negative reply.

A few minutes later he was rapping on the door again, this time with a plate of food and utensils in his hands. It opened enough for Auden to take his meal and thank him then close it again.

Julyan returned to the kitchen where he choked down his own breakfast and cleaned up. At loose ends now and knowing there was no way he could concentrate on anything like a book or a TV show, he set to work making beds, dusting, and otherwise being the 'house-husband' he'd teased himself about a couple of weeks earlier. He was just finishing the bathroom in the master bedroom when he heard the front door open and close.

Auden came in a minute later, leaning on the doorframe. "Things are set to go."

"He's going to be you for the meeting?"

"The meeting we're pretty damned sure isn't going to happen. The boss agreed with us on that, thus Mr. Pink." Auden grinned. "It was a bit Reservoir Dogs, wasn't it?"

"Well, at least you didn't tag him with 'Keyser Söze' from Usual Suspects."

"Good point." Auden waited until Julyan finished and came into the bedroom. Then, smiling, he stalked toward him.

"What are you doing?"

"You're wound up tighter than a spring. You need to relax."

"What makes you think…?"

"I know you." Auden continued his stalking steps, chuckling when Julyan took a quick step away, the backs of his legs hitting the edge of the bed. "Perfect."

For a second Julyan considered resisting Auden's intentions, but only for a second. Then he fell back onto the bed, holding out his arms, enfolding his lover in them when he tumbled on top of him.

One Plus Two Equals... - 46

Julyan watched Auden, wishing he could hear what was being said. Common sense told him it probably wasn't a good idea to try and eavesdrop. After what seemed an interminable length of time, Auden finally hung up and came back to where Julyan was now impatiently sitting.

"We're going to have company in the morning. For now though, I think dinner and sleep are in order." Auden flopped down beside Julyan. "Who would you rather eat with, me or him?"

"Both of you," Julyan replied, wishing it was possible.

"Duane, it is then."

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to. I'm here, but you want us both, which to me means you'd really prefer it was him but didn't want to hurt my feelings."

Julyan rolled his eyes. "Now who's being temperamental?"

"Not me." Auden smirked. "Just calling it as I see it."

Leaning forward, Julyan put his hands on Auden's shoulders. "Make you a deal. I get you for dinner and dessert, then him for breakfast."

"Breakfast in bed?"

"Well, duh."

"Someday you're going to push your luck."

Keeping his hands on Auden's shoulders, Julyan pulled him close enough to kiss. "I have all the luck I ever wanted with the both of you in my life," he whispered against Auden's lips. "Now you just have to make damned good and certain you stay alive past tomorrow night."

Pulling away, Auden shook his head. "I have to be certain you stay alive and don't get taken."

"If we're right about them…"

Auden put a finger to Julyan's lips. "I think we're right about them wanting you here alone so they can grab you. The problem is if that happens, and trust me I'm going to do all in my power to stop it from happening, then keeping you alive once they gain their objective would be iffy at best."

"You sure know how to cheer a guy up." Julyan was teasing, trying to lighten the dark look on Auden's face. He succeeded in that his lover's lips did turn up a hair. Glad of that, he suggested they eat dinner before it was ruined. Then he realized he'd never even started it. "How do you feel about hamburgers and… salad?"

"How about the salad makings on the hamburger? Much easier that way."

"Deal."

One Plus Two Equals... - 45

Still worrying his lip, Julyan said almost under his breath, "What if I come along?"

"And do what? You're human, the ones I'll be dealing with undoubtedly aren't. So no, you're not coming with me. I'm finding a safe place to stash you until this is over."

"Why not here? With the security turned on it should be safe as aces."

"Not if they know this is where we live." There was a long pause while Auden stood, pacing the length of the room and back. Suddenly he swore violently, slamming his fist into the palm of his hand. "I'm denser than a fence post!"

"What?" Julyan asked once his heart rate slowed again.

"That's exactly what they want to happen. They draw me away and come after you. With you in their clutches they think I'd do whatever they wanted to get you back. Well, either I would or Duane, depending on who they're targeting."

Julyan shivered, fear limning his face. His next words however belied the fear as he straightened, his eyes locking on Auden. "If that's their plan then we screw it up."

Auden cocked an eyebrow, feeling proud of his young lover's determination. "And just how do we do that, oh great and wise one?"

"Well…" Julyan was up now and pacing just as Auden had been. "First off, we have to fool them somehow into thinking you're at the Square when you're really here."

"Sorry but I gave my doppelganger the month off for vacation."

Julyan stopped in his tracks to glare at him. "This isn't funny, Auden."

"I know. Trust me, keeping you safe it the most serious thing going at the moment."

"Keeping all of us safe, damn it!"

"Okay, okay, calm down. We can't figure out how if you go all temperamental on me."

Taking a deep breath, Julyan nodded. "So back to the problem, how can you be in two places at the same time?"

"Let me make a couple of calls and maybe I can come up with something that will work." Auden took out his phone, dialing a secured number while he paced to the far end of the room. A glance over his shoulder told him Julyan was behaving and not trying to listen. He smiled at him then went back to his call.