#considering making either a continuation or variation of this that is *bounces eyebrows suggestively

[thiswasinevitableid]

Sternclay 46 for the writing prompt? (Also I love your writing it's all amazing!)

Aw, thank you!

“What happens if I do this?”

Barclay lifts Stern by his lapels so that the FBI agent is pressed against the wall with his feet dangling off the ground. From the look on his face, he was expecting Barclay to back down or acquiesce to his demands for information, rather than pin him like a helpless butterfly.

No, not helpless, Barclay has to remember that. There’s a gun on Stern, he knows that much, and the man is neither foolish nor weak (although he stands no chance against Barclay in a fair fight).

“Then you are assaulting a federal agent and interfering with government business.” Stern fixes him with a glare. It only intensifies when there’s the sound of some part of his jacket ripping.

“That so? Then tell me, agent, what happens if I make sure you never leave this room?”

“You wouldn’t dare.” He’s sure of himself, knowing only the gentle, soft-spoken side of Barclay (up until ten minutes ago) has made him careless.

There is a kind of protectiveness that comes with finding a home and a family after being alone and outcast for so long. It’s a feeling, half love of your home and half fear of losing it, that spurs one to do whatever it takes to keep that home safe.

That’s what Barclay feels for the lodge, for Mama. Stern doesn’t know that. If he did, he’d have the good sense to be afraid.

“You have no idea what I’d dare. There are places we could put you that no one would ever find you. Or your corpse.”

“And then what? If I go missing, they’ll send in other agents to find out what happened to me. The place would be crawling with them. You wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Barclay arches an eyebrow.

“You sure about that. We got, how was it you put it a minute ago? Oh yeah, ‘secrets coming out our ears.’ And let me tell you, those secrets haven’t ever been found out. What happened to you would just be one more of them.”

There it is, finally, a flicker of fear. That’s all Barclay needs. If he can scare Stern into leaving, he won’t have to do anything else. He won’t have to hurt him.

“I’m a federal agent of a specialized division, not some random tourist or conspiracy theorist who no one will miss. They won’t stop until they have answers.”

“Are you willing to bet your life on that?”

Stern hesitates a second too long.

“You aren’t, are you?” Barclay keeps his voice low, almost soothing, “You know what they think of you back there. You know half of them think you’re out of your mind and the other half think you’re obnoxious. Sure, they’d come and take a look and ask questions because that’s what they’re supposed to do. But I’m betting they wouldn’t look too hard.”

Sterns’ breath catches in his throat and the fear moving behind his eyes stays put this time. Barclay lets him drop to floor but keeps his grip tight, drags Sterns wrists in front of him and traps them there with one hand. He brings the other up to press a line across Sterns throat with his thumb, it’s meaning unmistakable. Let’s the anger creep back in to his voice.

“Tell me the truth Stern, if you never left this lodge again, is there anyone, anywhere who would miss you?”

The pulse under his thumb quickens and Stern shuts his eyes, takes a breath (the shakiness of which visibly annoys him).

“No.”

Barclay smiles without humor, contemplates his next move.

“Well? Was that enough to clear your conscious, to assure you that you’d be taking nothing from the world by killing me? Or am I supposed to beg and plead now? Perhaps you’d like to insult me more.” Stern snaps, and there’s hurt mingling with the fear and anger on his face now.

Barclay unholsters the gun hiding under Sterns jacket, chucks it to the other side of the room. Wraps his hand back around the shorter mans throat just as he tries to headbutt him.

“There is no part of this that I like, Stern, and hurting you is the last thing I want to do. But I’m running out of ways to convince you that there are some things you just cannot know right now, or maybe ever. You’ve pushed your luck too far barging into my room in the middle of the night and trying to interrogate me.” He growls.

“I find it difficult to believe hurting me isn’t the main thing you want to do.” He’s twisting his wrists in Barclays grip, tries to knee him. Barclay retaliates shifting position so he can pin Sterns leg back under the weight of his own.

“It isn’t, not even close.”

“Then perhaps you can enlighten me as to what is?”

He shouldn’t meet the challenge in Sterns eyes, should focus instead on getting him to leave and never come back.

He crushes his lips against Sterns, feels teeth tugging at his lower lip before Stern deepens the kiss. Barclay draws his hand around to the back of Sterns neck, threads his fingers into his hair. Stern is still trying to free his own hands but Barclay, aroused as he is, isn’t that careless.

With more force than is necessary he yanks Sterns head back, drags his mouth down the length of his neck before sinking his teeth into the skin under his collar.

“Fuck! Yes.” Stern moans and Barclay laughs, low and rumbling, against him before biting down again.

“If you, you keep doing that I’ll agree to w-whatever you say.”

“Liar.” The word is barely out when he catches a glimpse of the look on Sterns face; there’s a new emotion there, one perilously close to affection.

“I suppose I deserved that, and it was a tad hyperbolic. But, well, I, that is, I want, or rather I don’t want you thinking this is me trying to get something out of you.”

Barclay blinks at him.

“You wanna run that by me again?”

“I like you, Barclay, very much. So much.” He’s getting pinker with each word.

“I’m listening.” He kisses Sterns forehead, works his way down as the other man continues talking.

“I’ve thought about kissing you more times than I can count. I want to keep kissing you but I ah!” he gasps when Barclay nips at his ear, keeps going, “I don’t want you to think I have an ulterior motive. I want to do my job and do it well, Barclay, but I’d never lead someone I cared about on for the sake of it. Am, uh, is that, oh.” Barclay kisses him softly on the lips, releases his hands from where he had them trapped. They immediately find his own again, intertwine their fingers.

“I get the gist, yeah.”

Stern shudders suddenly, presses himself against Barclay and buries his face against his shirt.

“I’m sorry, I behaved like an absolute ass, I shouldn’t have come in here accusing you of things and insulting people you care about.”

Barclay eases a hand out of his grip, wraps an arm gently around his shoulders.

“And I’m real fucking sorry for threatening you. Eesh, that sounds even worse out loud than it did in my head. Also,I didn’t mean all that shit I said, I was trying to scare you into easing off. Bet there’s lots of folks who’d miss you if something bad happened to you, myself included.”

“I believe we may have set the record for worst possible prelude to a kiss.” Stern mutters into his flannel.

Barclay can count all the ways this goes bad, all the things Stern doesn’t know that could bring anything that grew between them crashing to the ground. But there are other ways it could go, that much be believes, and if he doesn’t try for them he has the distinct feeling he’ll regret it.

“Guess we’ll just have to do something real sweet and romantic before the next kiss to balance it out.”

Stern smiles up at him, a hopeful and happy thing.

“I’d like that. Very much.”

[thepriceofburning]

As soon as she was out of the Commander's sight her face lost its innocence. Shit, she cursed silently to herself. What had she been thinking laying it on like that? Had she been thinking at all? Yes, she had. Far too much. Those warm brown eyes had sunk into her and she’d floundered. Worse yet, he’d seen right through it. She’d had him, she knew she did, and then she’d pushed it and raised his hackles.

She swore again as she blindly followed the path the other three women had taken before her. If anyone noticed she didn’t belong there, they didn’t say anything. It certainly looked as if she knew where she was going.

She turned over options in her mind as she followed the map Chanta was providing her. The Commander could be utilized, but she would have to be careful with him. For reasons she couldn’t define there was something about him that rattled her, and that was not a good position to work from. No, she needed someone a little more benign.

She looked up as she entered a large room and realized they were in some sort of art gallery. The walls were covered in painting, drawings, and tapestries. Sculptures sat on marble pedestals in various places around the room. She eyed a marble carving of a naked woman as she walked past and had to admit that the detail was exquisite.

The small group stood in a half circle facing a massive tapestry admiring the detail. Two of the Thyfa had taken up flanking positions by the door she had come through, securing the exit as per their training. Two more stood just a short distance from the group. Tower guards stood inconspicuously at every door.

“Tayanara,” Darien called, having noticed she had rejoined them. Grudgingly she put on her noble smile and joined the group. She was going to be playing at princess for the rest of the day.

With a polite smile she sidled up to Darien who looked every inch the disgruntled husband. With half an ear she listened to Mery’s recounting of the tale behind the tapestry and considered the woman critically.

Her smile was easy, but a little shy, and her eyes were bright and intelligent. Taya found the spray of freckles across her skin quite pretty. Feeling eyes on her, Mery turned to meet her gaze, and they studied each other quietly for a moment. Something in the way the witch looked at her made her feel like she was seeing more than the physical. A moment later she gave a blushing nod and turned her attention back to the group at large.

Unsure, Taya thought, but she has spine. Mery laughed prettily at something Alexa said and it was a sound full of warmth. Generous, kind, a caring soul, and probably quite stubborn when push came to shove, Taya surmised. That, she could use.

With a gentle suggestion and a motion of her hand Meryarna moved them on to the next part of the tour. Dani stepped up to keep her attention, and Darien and Taya fell back a few steps. When he offered his arm she clasped her hand around it lightly.

“Did you manage to make any headway with the Commander?” Darien asked quietly.

“Depends what you mean by headway,” she grumbled. “If by headway you mean making me even more convinced that Alexa should have been the hook, then yes.”

He gave her an unexpected smile. “She doesn’t have the grit.”

Taya narrowed her eyes. “What you mean is she’s too polished to pass as a street kid who made it lucky with a Duke and therefore would not garner as much interest or sympathy as I would, due to my lack of manners.”

“That about sums it up,” he delivered with a grin.

She tilted her head slightly as she walked beside him. “You are in an unusually good mood.”

There was a hint of something just a little malevolent when he spoke. “Perhaps having people bow and scrape and cater to my every whim appeals to me.”

Her mouth scrunched into a disapproving little twist and he laughed out loud at her expression. Three pairs of familiar eyes, and one unfamiliar, turned to look at them in mild curiosity. Taya pretended not to notice and Darien gave them all a dazzling smile. When they turned back and continued with their conversations, Taya shook her head at his audacity.

“Back to the point. Will the Commander be a problem?” He asked in more serious tones.

She breathed a small sigh. “I think he’ll be amenable… to a point.” Darien raised an eyebrow in question. “He’s got amazingly sharp gut instinct and he is definitely no fool. If we push it, chances are he’ll have it pegged that we’re not who we say we are pretty fast.” She paused for a moment. “What we need is a way around him. Someone who knows The Towers as well as he does, but whose latches are a little easier to flip.”

He cast her a sideways glance. “I take it you have someone in mind?”

She lifted her chin in the direction of the redhead leading the group. “Actually I do.”

He gave a small hum of approval. “I was thinking the same thing. See what you can get from her. I’ll have Alexa befriend the magic users, Dani on the staff, and Chanta on the townsfolk. The faster we can figure out what the Voro are looking for here and how to get it first, the better.”

Taya let her mind wander the surroundings as they were led through a large archway, the ever present tower guards standing like statues on either side. There was static against her skin and the smell of the air noticeably shifted and she realized that they must have entered the Second Reach. Mery began to tell the group about the various experimentations happening currently.

“You know,” Taya said in hushed tones, “with all the reports we’ve received of how the Voro seem to be gathering here, I expected this place to be crawling. I haven’t sensed one yet, Darien.”

Mery led them into a room that smelled so strongly of peppermint it almost made Taya’s eyes water and briefly introduced an elderly witch who began a rambling speech about the properties of the plant.

“Do you find that surprising?” He said with just a hint of disappointment. Taya’s impassive expression spoke volumes. “This place is full of magic users, Taya. I imagine that they would be quite easily detected if they couldn’t effectively hide it. Not to mention the Wolf Knights are a larger but less informed variation of the Thyfa. I’m sure the Commander is aware of the existence of the Voro, even though it’s doubtful he has any idea that they are actually a threat to his Towers at present.” There was just the hint of a sneer in his voice with the last statement.

“But,” he continued as the others patiently listened to the peppermint lecture, “they would be taking a huge risk sending any of their own in here. One gets caught and the Commander might get an idea that there’s something going on and do something to try and stop it. They wouldn’t send anyone in but their best. If they do have people in The Towers I’d say that they are using something like a barrier that would stop others sensing their differing energy levels. A dam let’s say.” A group of mages entered the room then, chattering among themselves and Darien cast a look in their direction. “And with so many people around, all they’d have to do is become a part of the crowd.”

Taya nodded on a breath. “I just wish we could catch one in here. If we could make one squeal-”

“What?” Darien asked sharply. “We could make all the Voro in the area aware of our presence and invite them to kill us? The reason we are performing this ridiculous act is so they don’t know they’re being watched, Taya. With as many Voro as there are in the area as soon as they knew we were here everyone would be in danger.” He shook his head with a lowered brow. “You should know better.”

Of their own accord her eyes found Alexa and she considered what would happen if the Voro learned her face or her name. They’d never stop hunting her.

“Okay,” she replied, “no torturing. So what? We just wait and see what happens?”

“Patience is a skill you’ve yet to acquire,” he said drily. “Yes, we wait. And while we do we learn every entrance and exit, every weak spot and malleable point. Then when we figure out what the Voro are after, it’s a simple matter of getting it before they do.”

Meryarna thanked the peppermint witch and asked them all to follow her in bright tones. Taya and Darien held back and watched as the other four women walked together, the conversation bouncing back and forth between them. It seemed they had quite an affinity for each other.

“I take it you have a plan to explain our extended visit?” she asked quietly, mindful of the way her voice carried in the hall they were in. When his only response was a lifted eyebrow, as if to say “of course”, she followed with the next thought. “Dani still thinks we should tell the Commander what is going on here.”

He glanced sideways at her. “Dani can howl all she wants but we all know she will not do a thing without your approval. Just remind her that our way saves lives and keep her contained.”

Taya gave a small nod of acknowledgement even if she disapproved of his tone towards her sister and went along easily as he drew her forward so that they could join the conversation. Other than polite smiles and nods, she offered nothing in the way of talk. Instead she drew inward and ordered her thoughts.

She felt his press against her mind and was a little surprised at it. They rarely, if ever, communicated in this intimate manner. She lowered her barrier.

You never told me how it happened. His deep, rich voice passed through her mind.

Outwardly her demeanor never changed but she passed the feeling of confusion along with her words. How what happened?

A charming smile lit his face as he replied to a question asked by Mery. How you got lucky with a Duke.

Taya pressed her lips together to contain the grin. Do you want the bar room version, or the dining table one?

She felt the sudden rise of his interest as he considered the possibilities. I remember the bar room version very well. But I wouldn’t mind rehashing the details.

She bounced her shoulder against his, causing him to side step a fraction and they both kept moving forward with heads held high without outwardly acknowledging the bump. Inwardly a mental grin passed between them and she set her mind to work on creating a dining table story of how she had met the Duke.

~Copyright C.J. Staunton Tag list - @stuffylana @atheona-darkclaw