by Aiden Bates
He made the long drive to Framingham the next morning. Ryan was in the conference room, but he wasn't sitting down and reviewing case files. He was on his feet and leaning on his knuckles, a snarl of pure rage on his beautiful face as he faced off against an alpha.
That alpha was a shorter guy, built like a tank with more than a little bit of gray in his dark hair. His eyes were narrow, and he was leaning in just as hard. "For all of the crap you gave me and Devlin, you're awfully willing to throw Tessaro under the bus."
"I'm not throwing anyone under the bus," Ryan spat out. "I'm trying to get a case solved. Dead kids, in case you hadn't noticed? They kind of take precedence, you overstuffed sack of testosterone."
"If they take precedence then treat the man like he's an actual part of the team instead of like he's on double secret probation! For God's sake, you think this is a game? After everything that he's done for this department, and for all of us personally, you think that there could be one person who stands up for him?" The shorter man stood up and spun on his heel. "Sam Nenci, Cold Case." He held out a hand to shake.
"Oliver's husband." Elias accepted the gesture, but warily. "Is there something going on here that I should be aware of?"
"Nothing at all. The official department troll was just leaving." Ryan fixed Nenci with a steely glare.
"I'll take this crap to HR if I have to. Don't think I won't." Nenci left.
Ryan flopped down into his chair. "Sorry. You shouldn't have had to hear that."
Elias turned his head to look at the door. "What was that all about?"
Ryan massaged his temples. "Apparently, the Cold Case team isn’t fans of the current working arrangements for this case. They think Tessaro's being mistreated." He stood up. "Anyway, we've got parents to visit. You want to get coffee here, or do you want to get coffee on the way out? We're going to Charlton; you'll have plenty of time to drink it."
Elias shrugged. "Should we collect Detective Tessaro?"
"He'll be staying here."
Elias paused. "That's… I mean it's your decision, but I hope you're not making that decision because of me. It's not really fair to him. I can't say as I still know him, and I don't know his record, but he was assigned to this case for a reason."
Ryan gave a bitter little laugh. "Yeah. Devlin stuck him here for a reason all right. His boss is trying to get the two of you back together. That's it. He's formally requested that he be taken off the case. Am I really supposed to drag him all over the place, knowing that he doesn't want to be here?"
Elias dropped into a chair. His chest hurt. "I shouldn't have taken the case. I should've told them to send someone else." He closed his eyes. "This is all my fault. I figured that the odds were so small that I'd have to see him again that it wasn't worth fighting over."
Ryan straightened up. "I have to admit that my job would be easier if the two of you could work together. I like Tessaro. I like you. If I can only keep one of you on the case, it's going to be you, since missing kids is what you do." He made a face. "Even if Nick and I have had three fights about this during the weekend alone."
Elias hunched his shoulders. "I'm so sorry."
Ryan held up a hand. "Don't be sorry. I don't know what happened between you, and I'm not asking. It's obviously traumatic. Just… let's solve the case. The kids have to be the priority."
Elias nodded, but bit his tongue against further comment. Apparently, he and Ryan had an appointment to keep. He followed his colleague out to an unmarked Ford and rode in the passenger seat as they headed out to Charlton.
Rohit and Anitra Chaudhary ran an Indian restaurant in Charlton. Their third daughter, Ritu, had been snatched at a Home Depot during a massive temper tantrum four years ago at the age of two. They'd been treated terribly by local police, who seemed to think that they'd killed their daughter. When Ryan asked about a woman with a scar, however, Anitra spoke right up. "Yes. She had been just out of the corner of my eye, while we walked around the store. I didn't think much about her, but I remember the scar." She covered her mouth with her hand. "Do you think that she had anything to do with this?"
"I think it's possible." Elias gave her a reassuring smile. "I don't want to get your hopes up, but we've seen some other cases that have shown similar characteristics. Even if she was taken by that woman, it's going to take us a while to put the pieces together and figure out what's happened."
Rohit took his wife's hand. "I don't care," he said. "It's a lead. That's all I want to hear."
"I can respect that." Elias straightened up a little. "That's normal. I'll make sure that you're kept in the loop as the investigation progresses." He gave Rohit his business card, and the pair left again.
"Looks like Tessaro was right." Ryan sighed as they headed back toward headquarters. "Again, we've got a situation where the kidnapper could have mistaken the situation for abusive."
Elias grimaced and pulled out his phone. "Pretending to walk away from a toddler pitching a fit is normal, but this person seems to have a disturbed mind. We'll have to see where this goes." He texted Pat. We need to talk. This is ridiculous.
"The question is, what's she doing with them?" Ryan thumped his hand against the steering wheel. "And why is this only coming to light now?"
They made it back to the office before Pat texted back. After work.
Well, at least Pat was willing to speak to Elias. The thrill of anticipation ran through him, chasing after fear of an argument. Elias debated asking for a chaperone or moderator, and then rejected the idea. Pat had always been an independent guy, and that tendency had only gotten worse in the years since their separation. If he hadn't even told his friends that he'd ever been in a relationship, he probably wouldn't take kindly to having someone else brought into their private business.
He did, however, warn Ryan that the conversation was going to take place. Ryan just raised his eyebrow. "Seriously? Why?"
Elias sighed. "Because it's ridiculous that one member of the team can't participate fully in the case. It's hurting the investigation. We do need to get over our crap. We need to come together and be adults about it. It's been ten years. Obviously, if we haven't tried to contact one another since then, there isn't much to discuss."
"I suspect you'll find you're wrong about that." Ryan shrugged. "If it moves things along between the two of you, it's got my blessing, though."
After work, Pat showed up at the door to the team room. He looked incredible. His gray dress pants matched his eyes perfectly, and his fuchsia dress shirt gave his bronze skin a glow that made Elias' mouth water. For a moment, jealousy surged through Elias. Who was Pat dressing like this for?
He kicked himself. He didn't have the right to be jealous.
"Thanks for agreeing to see me. Is there someplace we can go and talk?" Elias looked up into Pat's eyes. It was like coming home.
The effect didn't last long. Pat narrowed his eyes, and his walls came down hard. "There's a coffee shop half a mile up Route 9. If we both drive there, we can both head home afterward."
"Good enough."
Elias followed Pat to the coffee shop, where the barista knew Pat's order as soon as he walked in and wouldn't take his eyes off of Pat's firm chest. Elias ordered something fluffy, he barely paid attention, and went to sit across from his former lover.
"What is it you wanted to talk about?" Pat sat back in his chair, posture stiff.
Elias looked away for a second. He couldn't do this. "Look. This stuff between us is affecting the case. We need to clear it out, and put the case first."
"Or we can have me put onto a different case. Trust me, Langer's a better fit. He gets along with everyone." Pat drummed his fingertips on the table.
"Do you hate me that much?" Elias dropped his voice to a near whisper. He couldn't manage more.
"Kind of." Pat looked out the window for a long minute. Elias couldn't breathe. "I mean it's mutual, you know? You kicked me out."
"We broke up, Pat. Your name was still on the lease; it was
still your apartment too."
Pat's laugh might have been the most bitter sound Elias had ever heard. "You dumped me because I wouldn't let you control my life. You were my whole world. You were everything, and I was completely blindsided. Do you really think that I would have survived even a minute being in that apartment, surrounded by your scent, but not being allowed to love you?"
Elias snorted. "Oh, yeah. You loved me. I was everything. I just wasn't everything enough for you to stay with me, for you to let me help you."
"You weren't offering help. You were offering control." Pat ran his hand through his hair. "It doesn't matter anymore. You've gone back to that family of yours, I've got my life here, it is what it is."
"Pat." Elias turned his face away. "I never wanted to control you. I just knew that you didn't want to be a cop."
"Oh, sure. Becoming a cop would be the worst fate in the world for a guy with a Criminal Justice degree." Pat snorted and picked up his coffee. "It was the geology major that was the second major. Not CJ."
"But it was the one you liked better." Elias turned his coffee cup in his hands. "I only wanted to help you do what you love."
"Don't talk to me about love, Elias. Love is a fairy tale. Yeah. I liked geology. I get paid to solve really difficult cases. Sure, the pay is crap, but the challenge is good. If I wind up going back to Vice, I'll be helping even more people. I do good work, important work, and I'm sorry you were never able to see that."
"Do you really think that love is a fairy tale?" Elias looked up into Pat's eyes. "I mean look at what you've supposedly done for Ryan and his alpha. Or for the Nencis."
Pat smirked. "They've got a chance to make it together. They're compatible, they respect one another. But that's got nothing to do with love. That's real. If you sit there and count on fairy castles and dreams, try to build on them, you're setting yourself up for failure." He stood up. "What are you trying to accomplish here?"
Elias stood up too. "I don't even know. Us not being able to work together is hurting Ryan, and it's hurting the case."
"I'm working the case to the best of my ability. Stop shutting me out and let me actually be part of the goddamn team and maybe it'll go better—but that's not going to happen." Pat shook his head and made for the exit.
Elias chased after him. "Pat, what do you want from me?"
They stood in the parking lot. Pat turned to face him. "Honestly? Nothing. You'll just let me down again."
Elias couldn't leave it like that—his heart a giant gaping wound, and Pat still hurting and angry. He still didn't know what he wanted from Pat, but he had to act before he lost his chance. He grabbed Pat's shoulder, turned him around, and smashed their lips together.
***
Pat wasn't ready when Elias grabbed him and kissed him, but for the first few minutes, he held on tight and let it happen. It felt so right, so many pieces sliding into place that he could almost hear them click. He'd been with plenty of men since Elias, betas and omegas both. He'd enjoyed them. It had never been like this. It had never been this sharing of souls, the merging of selves that he'd enjoyed with Elias.
That memory sobered him up. He pushed Elias away, not hard enough to send him flying but enough to make his point clear. "You don't get to do that." He wiped his mouth off, wishing that he could get rid of the taste that Elias left behind. "That's not okay. You don't get to do that to me."
Elias' eyes shone, unshed tears catching the light of the setting sun. "Pat, I'm sorry. I just wanted to try to stop you leaving. We still haven't cleared the air."
Pat clenched his fists. "And that right there is why you don't get to touch. You don't get to touch; you don't get to taste. I'm not your toy. I'm not your pet. I'm just a guy who you happen to be working with. You don't go sticking your tongue down that guy's throat."
Elias bowed his head. "I'm sorry. I'm just—I'm sorry. Maybe it was best that we didn't see each other." He stuffed his hands into his pockets. Pat could see that a tear had escaped his eye.
He was torn. Fury still ran through him, and it was justified. At the same time, Elias had been his omega. He'd never been the kind of guy to just let his omega cry. Of course, even Elias being "his" omega had been an illusion. "It probably was." He closed his eyes and tried to force his hands to relax. "I mean look. I'm not sure what air there is to clear, you know? We obviously wanted different things. And it would never have worked anyway. While we were in college, it was fine. But, dude, your family wanted to make leather jackets out of my skin."
Elias grimaced. "Well, I mean they weren't exactly on board with us being together, no." He sighed. "I don't think that was necessarily a barrier, though."
"Then why did you cut me out?" Pat shook his head. "I mean you say you didn't mean to kick me out of the apartment, and I'll have to take your word for it, but you couldn't accept my decision. I chose to go to the academy, I chose to become a cop. You couldn't handle that. You had some kind of vision of me being something other than what I am. You wanted me to try to pass myself off as one of them, one of your family, that that's not something that I could have done even if I wanted to." He spread his hands out wide. "And they'd never have let me try. Not ever."
Elias opened his mouth. He stood there, silent, and then he closed it again. He ran his hand over his mouth as more coffee shop patrons shuffled in or out of the shop around them. "I wasn't trying to make you try to fit in with my family." He turned his head away. "I never was. I guess I can see—now—why it came off that way. But I honestly just wanted to give you something that you didn't have, so that you could pursue your dreams.
"I'm glad you like what you do. I am. But you loved geology. I honestly just wanted you to go on and do what you wanted, without having to worry about funding or money." He ran his hands through his hair. "I didn't give a crap if you fit in with my family or not. I already had enough to support us both."
Pat wrinkled his nose and turned away. "No alpha has any business claiming an omega if he can't take care of him." His lip curled. "And yeah. We never talked about that. Don't think I didn't remember that, when I was sleeping in the back seat. Not that it matters now, but it did then. It mattered for a long time."
Elias huffed out a little laugh. "I thought love was a fairy tale."
"I didn't know that then." Pat grimaced. He'd learned his lesson. "Look. We're different people and we need different things now. Obviously, there's still some residual chemistry or it wouldn't be so awkward, but goddamn it, we're adults. Either quit shutting me out and treating me like the coffee boy or have Ryan force Devlin to put someone else on the damn case."
Elias hung his head. All of Pat's instincts screamed at him to reach out and comfort him. Damn it, Elias was his omega. The fact that he had never claimed Elias, and the fact that ten long years had gone by with no contact, didn't matter. Elias was his responsibility, and so was his happiness. He reached out a hand, and then he stuffed it into his pocket.
"I've asked him a couple of times to bring you along." Elias' mouth twisted. "He doesn't want to bring you someplace you'd rather not be. A lot of that is my fault. Come to the team room tomorrow. Work with us. Don't let him chase you out. Get all alpha on him, the way you did that first time."
Pat rolled his eyes. "That's not exactly the way to make friends and influence people."
"I don't know. It got the job done, didn't it?" Elias managed half a grin. "I'm not saying you should do it all the time, but it was effective. And, you know, kind of hot."
Pat huffed out a little laugh. It had been a very long time since any part of him other than his body had been at all attractive. "Aw, gee. Didn't know you cared." He smirked. "You don't actually want me on this case, though. I'm an interchangeable part. It doesn't matter who from Cold Case works on this. It doesn't matter who it is."
Elias raised his eyebrow. "So far it looks like you're the one who came up with the theory about the suspect kidnapping kids they thought might be abused, which is playing out. And you're the one who rec
ognized that the suspect was caring for the kids and not trafficking them, which neither Ryan nor I picked up on. And neither did any of the other guys from Cold Case."
Pat waved a hand. "They'd have come up with it eventually."
"Yeah, but we're dealing with living kids and an infectious disease. You came up with it first, and that's important." Elias stepped closer and reached out, but he stopped himself much as Pat had. "I admit that I wasn't thrilled when Devlin assigned you to the case, but you're obviously the right one to do this job. No one else could possibly manage it."
Pat's cheeks got warm, and he found himself grateful for the dark brown skin that hid his blush. "Anyway. If you want me on the case, I'll stay on it. But you've got to let me participate."
"I will. As much as you could want." Elias held out a hand to shake.
Pat shook it. The gesture struck him as impossibly cold considering that they'd lived together for four years, but there was no helping it now. The gesture might be cold, but there was nothing cold about the feel of his omega's hand against Pat's skin, or the way Pat felt when they parted.
