Blaine
BLAINE
His apartment felt empty. Not that had ever thought of it as bursting with life and energy. Despite his name on the lease and his possessions taking up space, it had never felt like his. Without Eric around, even if it had only been an hour, the empty spaces felt too big, and the silence was oppressive.
Smiling to himself, he set his Bluetooth speaker to a playlist, music he was pretty sure was still to Eric’s taste. No doubt, the man would tease him mercilessly for being unnecessarily sentimental. wouldn’t take offense, though, because he knew he would spot the warm twinkle of appreciation and love in his partner’s dark eyes.
Mentally, he corrected himself. Eric was no longer just his partner, he was something so much more. His mind drifted to the ring on its chain, dangling from Eric’s neck beneath his clothing. After the shock of seeing Eric unexpectedly after eight years, had set himself the task of never losing Eric again. He would have the man, no matter what form that bond took. In his heart of hearts, he’d hoped that maybe, just maybe, they could be more than partners, more than close friends.
“And now look at you,” murmured, sitting at the dining room table.
Eric had left his computer behind. One more thing he had plucked from his apartment the day before. A bag of clothes sat on one of ’s living room chairs, a promise of Eric’s intent to linger a little longer. How nice to know that the secret hope in his heart wasn’t so far-fetched after all. Eric was his again, and while they still had to figure out the steps to a future together, they had taken the hardest steps already.
A noise from the computer brought his attention back to the present. The program Eric had left running was connected to the database at the precinct. According to his partner, it was a private extension of all the resources and capabilities at the station. would take his word for it. He’d never been all that interested in the bells and whistles that technology offered at an ever-increasing rate. It was something in Eric’s wheelhouse, something for his active mind to latch onto.
Just as Eric had promised, a window popped up, signaling an upload. watched the upload bar flicker a tiny amount. Sighing, he stood up to go make some coffee. He was sure when Eric returned, he would want to curl up somewhere and pour over the information he’d uploaded. They would need fuel to keep up with it, or at least would need the caffeine to stay alert.
The machine had started to gurgle as came back to the computer. He frowned at the ‘upload failed’ alert on the screen. He waited, seeing if it would restart. It didn’t, and in fact, the entire program closed, citing a connection error. couldn’t claim to know much about the system, but he didn’t think it was prone to several errors in a row.
After a check of the internet connection in his apartment, he tried to reload the program. Once more, it gave him a connection error, and refused to do anything else. A few random searches later, he determined the connection for everything else was fine. Sighing, he texted Eric to get his attention. If the man wasn’t currently in conversation, he might be able to help.
The minutes ticked by, and he stared at his phone, waiting. After fifteen minutes, he sighed, wondering if his partner had gotten lost in a train of thought. It wasn’t like Eric to ignore his phone unless he was purposefully avoiding something. The idea that Eric might be avoiding him flitted through his mind and died at the memory of the ring Eric had walked out wearing.
Tapping Eric’s number, he listened to it give a partial ring in his ear before immediately dumping him to voicemail. Okay, that was weird thing number three, Eric never turned his phone off. The man might be willing to ignore his phone, but he wouldn’t risk missing an emergency call.
Unsettled, he scrolled through his contact list for the precinct’s front desk. Unsettled became uneasy as the phone rang and rang. The feeling grew to worry when he tried again and had the same result. There was always someone at the front desk, even when it was break time, someone would man the desk. After the third attempt, he set the phone on the table in front of him, chewing his bottom lip.
It was probably nothing, and he was worrying unnecessarily. Eric’s phone might have died, and he simply hadn’t noticed. had never contacted the precinct so late at night either, and for all he knew, there might not be someone there to cover a break or meal. There were perfectly reasonable explanations, and he’d only have to wait and see, maybe even try calling again.
With a huff, he grabbed his phone and keys and headed for the door. He could try calling again on the way and feel foolish later.
After a moment’s hesitation, he grabbed his gun and holster as well.
* * *
The lobby was completely empty.
’s eyes darted from the front desk to the corner camera. The telltale red light wasn’t blinking. A glance toward the large workroom showed the lights were off, lit only by the light leaking in from the front lobby. A stillness to the air made the hair on his arms stand up, and the silent alarm in his head was going off frantically.
Keeping quiet, he walked into the main room, sticking to the far wall as he paced around the outside. None of the computers were on, and a light came from his and Eric’s office. He kept his hand on his gun as he peered through the doorway cautiously. Eric’s screen was lit up, showing a connection error, much like his screen at home had.
’s breathing came easy as years of training and experience slid into place. Taking careful steps, he made his way to the door that led to the greeter’s room. It was open and empty save for the blinking lights of a few devices. A glance at the camera feeds confirmed his suspicions, they were no longer recording.
He stopped in the hallway, straining his ears. Nothing scuffed, bumped, or made the slightest whisper other than the few electronics near him. Using the dim light coming from something in the kitchen, he backed toward the door leading to the stairs. The door made the softest squawk and then nothing as he peered into the stairwell.
Where was everyone? And more importantly, where was Eric?
Hearing nothing, he considered the flight of stairs leading down and those leading up. He didn’t relish being caught underground or on the second floor. Neither would offer many escape options if it came down to it. He also didn’t know the state of the lockup in the basement. didn’t know if they had anyone in lockup, but he figured it would be better to make sure anyone who might be there was still there.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he froze as he heard something thunk in the basement hallway. opened the door a crack, easing out a breath when the door didn’t make a sound. Another soft, metallic noise came from the right, in the direction of the lockup.
opened the door further, stepping through just in time for the lights to shut down. He stiffened as he was surrounded by total darkness. Taking a slow breath, he waited for the emergency lights to come on, listening to his heartbeat as he counted away the time.
Nothing happened, not until a voice cursed from the direction of lockup.
“Are you fucking kidding me? Of course.”
straightened. “Eric?”
The noise stopped. “? What the fuck?”
used the wall to guide himself toward Eric’s voice safely. “Where are you?”
“In one of the cells. What the hell are you doing here?”
“Me? What the hell are you doing in a cell?”
“Motherfucker clubbed me and locked me in here. Took all my shit.”
“What motherfucker?”
“David.”
stopped. “The...the guy at the front desk?”
“Yes! It’s him, or I think it’s him.”
“It’s him, what?”
“The arsonist. Either that, or he’s another guy with a love of fires and little gizmos that can make fires like our arsonist.”
stopped when he heard Eric’s voice almost immediately in front of him. In the pitch black, he gently reached out, trying to find him. Something jabbed into his hand, and he yanked it back with a hiss.
“Ow! Eric, what the hell?”
“Jesus Christ, is that you? Fuck, sorry. I took apart my belt and was trying to use the pin to unlock the door. Don’t you have your flashlight on you?”
“No, I didn’t think to grab it.”
“, you have your phone, right?”
“Yeah?”
“There’s a flashlight on it!”
“Oh, right.”
Ignoring Eric’s grumbling, he pulled his phone out. The light from the screen made him squint as he tried to find the option for the flashlight. He still wasn’t used to having a phone on him at all times—apparently, six months as a civilian hadn’t instilled a dependency yet.
When the light came on, he flashed it toward Eric and sucked in a breath. “Jesus, Eric.”
Eric scowled, the expression grim from the shadows and dried blood on his face. “It’s fine. He only hit me hard enough to knock me out.”
“Christ,” muttered, reaching through the bars to gently touch the side of Eric’s head.
“You have to get me out of here. He doesn’t have me locked in here for funsies. He’s up to something.”
winced. “Eric, the locks are electronic.”
“And?”
“And the power is off. Even the emergency lights didn’t come on.”
“Fuck.”
“Where is he?”
“I don’t know.”
A shot rang out, and the wall nearest to Eric sparked. threw himself back, his phone hitting the bars of the cell and clattering to the floor. The phone’s light flickered out as heard something on it splinter.
“Jesus fucking Christ!” Eric bellowed, and ’s heart raced as he swore he heard a note of pain in the anger.
“Hey there, Officer Edwards.”
hadn’t spoken to David much in the few weeks he worked there, but he knew the man’s voice immediately.
“David,” said back, trying to figure out how far David was from him.
“Wasn’t expecting any company. Aren’t you supposed to be on medical leave?”
“Something like that.”
David hummed thoughtfully, the sound shifting as though he were staying on the move. frowned, trying to track his movements carefully. Either the man was so crazy his movements were erratic, or he somehow knew where was and how to make it difficult to track him.
“Shame the two of you didn’t get blown up like you should have. But that’s what I get for using an old model of one of my toys as a backup system,” David said, perfectly calm.
hissed in a breath, understanding. “Night vision.”
“Clever,” David murmured, voice bouncing off the walls still. “And I thought Eric was the brains and you were the smiling face.”
cocked his head, keeping his face neutral. David didn’t know about his history? Not that he could use it.
“You okay in there, Eric?” asked, mind spinning on his new realization.
“Mm,” David hummed in sympathy. “He’s been hit. Bullet bounced, wasn’t my intention, but it works.”
“Oh, go fuck yourself, David, you miserable bag of cowardly shit,” Eric hissed.
“I’d take offense, but you’ve been a prick since day one, so I’m used to it.”
“I might be a prick, but at least I’m not killing people .”
“Eh, details, work needs to be done. And after I’m done with the two of you, I can add another glorious flame to the collection.”
“Oh, God, you are nuts.”
cleared his throat. “Hey, Eric, remember that haunted house we volunteered at?”
“Ummm, yeah?”
“Remember why we got fired?” he asked with a low chuckle.
“Oh...yeah, that was…” Eric said, chuckling.
“Good times,” told him fondly as he backed away from Eric’s cell.
Eric groaned. “Don’t get sentimental on me now, Edwards. We aren’t dead yet.”
smiled, knowing Eric understood. “Call me a sap.”
“I’m sure you boys have stories to tell,” David said, his voice growing closer. “But we don’t have the time. Why don’t you be a good boy, Edwards, and get down on the ground?”
“I’ve got a better idea,” said, taking a few more steps. “How about you kiss my ass?”
“I don’t need you alive for this. It would just be better that way,” David hissed.
“I’m not here to make you happy, David.”
Even with David’s erratic movements, could hear the faint intake of breath as David forced himself to be calm. It was all he needed to know, and he jerked to the right as the breath ended. The hallway lit with the gunshot, and slammed into the bars of another cell. Keeping himself moving, he dove again, measuring the time between shots and praying he was getting the timing down.
On the third shot, he heard David yelp and then the sound of him hitting the ground. It was almost exactly like when Eric was supposed to hide under an ‘old’ bed in the school haunted house of their youth. What should have been Eric coming out in full makeup to scare the skittish kids and chaperones had instead turned into a couple of bruises and one pissed-off thespian. In his haste and enthusiasm, Eric had grabbed the kid by the ankles and sent the guy tumbling to the ground, halting the entire proceeding and sending into a fit of laughter.
Years later, was grinning again as he advanced, having kept counting the steps he’d taken backward. Something hard thumped his boots, and he quickly shoved his other foot down. David cried out in pain, and the sound of metal clattered to the ground.
David reared back from under his foot, and was on top of him. David might have been crazed and a trained cop, but he was no match for a seasoned warrior. Even in the dark, moved quickly, decisively, and with pinpoint accuracy. His breath was even as he drove his knee into the man’s gut, doubling him forward. grabbed the side of his head and shoved it back, grunting in appreciation at the sound of the lunatic's head slamming brutally into the bars.
David went limp, head sagging forward into ’s grip. Checking his pulse, then twisted a part of David’s exposed neck to make sure the man wasn’t faking. Knowing the man was out cold and alive, he let David slump limply and began rooting through his pockets and tool belt. He took the cuffs, the flashlight, gun, and a set of keys.
“?” Eric asked softly.
looked up sharply. “Shit, sorry, yeah, it’s me.”
“Is he…?”
snorted. “He’s alive.”
“That was…” Eric began, then stopped.
flicked the flashlight on and turned it toward Eric. Relief flooded through him when he saw Eric’s eyes, pupils shrinking from the light but alert. His arm was bleeding, cradled by his hand.
“I’m going to have to leave you. Got to call this in and maybe figure out how to get the power back on,” told him regretfully.
Eric huffed. “Fine, fine. But I swear to God, if you leave him with me?—”
snorted, slapping the cuffs over David’s wrists behind his back. “As if. Don’t go anywhere, okay?”
“Oh, funny guy. Real fucking funny. I’m shot , and my partner and boyfriend is making jokes. Isn’t that just the greatest thing that’s ever happened?”
reached between the bars and brought Eric close, kissing him as best he could. “You called me your boyfriend.”
Eric boggled at him. “Seriously? Is this the time?”
“Damn right, it is.”
Eric thought about that for a moment, looking down at David before returning his gaze to . “Fine, one more for the road, then get your ass moving.”
“Yes, sir.”