Diagnosis Murder Prequel: The Lovers

"Jesse..." Steve began.

"You said you loved me," Jesse persisted. "And I love you. I don't want anyone else, ever again, only you."

"Only ever mine," Steve rumbled. A primitive part of the bigger man silently roared its approval. He devoured Jesse's mouth, letting his weight settle heavier on his smaller mate. He recognised Jesse's muffled moan around his tongue as one of approval as slender thighs wrapped around his waist and Jesse's arms clung to his broad back.

Slowly...inevitably...the two men's kisses slowed and they parted, panting wetly, chests heaving. Steve gently urged his smaller lover onto his side, pressing loving caresses with lips and hands to the flushed, damp skin of the slightly trembling younger male. It was a big step for both men and Steve wanted Jesse to be sure of his desire even though every cell in his body screamed that Jesse was his mate. Steve arranged pillows for Jesse to hold on to and urged a slender leg to bend at the knee and drape over them, granting him access to the hitherto hidden part of Jesse's body.

As Jesse rolled onto his side to half lie against his pillows, Steve began a slow deliberate massage of the pale, toned cheeks. After a moment or two, feeling his lover relax into the massage, he began to part the peachy globes, displaying Jesse's tight, pink centre. He felt Jesse stiffen as cold air hit his most private place, but then relax as Steve's massage continued. Soon the slender hips were moving to the same rhythm of Steve's hands.

"Doing good, Jess," Steve crooned huskily, as he released one cheek to coat his fingers with lube. "Just one finger, angel. Just me," he added as he prepared to penetrate the virginal channel.

"Ohh, Steve," Jesse moaned. He had felt vulnerable with his leg over the pillows, his body displayed before the older man, but Steve's touches had relaxed and reassured him. Now he was eager for all Steve could teach him. As the single digit pushed inside him, Steve's other hand had palmed his sac, squeezing gently. He found the dual sensation helped distract from the inevitable burn of untried muscle. He began to ride the finger gently as his muscles slowly relaxed and Steve carefully pumped the thick digit in and out.

"You ok, angel?" Steve asked, concern colouring his voice. Tight heat was still grasping his single finger and his erection dripped its eager approval, wanting to feel Jesse's sheath for itself.

"It's...different," Jesse said, thoughtfully. "I never...I never even played with toys," he added, turning his head for the kiss he craved, his cheeks pink from his hesitant confession.

"I'll take real good care of you, baby," Steve growled, as his flesh surged impossibly harder. "Two, lover," he warned. He slipped his finger out, coating it and a second liberally and pushing back inside Jesse's sweet heat. The low groan from his mate was a mix of pleasure and discomfort and Steve felt the tight resistance of the narrow channel. "Try and relax, sweetheart," he crooned, nibbling on Jesse's ear and dropping kisses on the dampened skin of slender shoulders.

"Feels so full," Jesse murmured. He tried to relax, to focus on the fact that it was *Steve* touching him so intimately; that it was *Steve* who was going to take his virginity, to love him, to be inside him. He gave a more pleasured moan, pushing back against the welcome invaders, grinding his hips as he imagined being filled with Steve's sex, how it was going to feel when Steve came inside him. "More, Steve," he moaned. "Please." He groaned as Steve's fingers changed from a slow pumping in and out to scissoring. He shifted slightly, his leg rising to open himself further.

"How's this, angel?" Steve husked, as he found the nub he sought and caressed Jesse's jewel. His reward was a veritable scream of his name.

Jesse had heard of the pleasure associated with stimulation of his prostate, but had never expected the intensity. He did not know whether it was Steve's experience or just that it was *Steve*. He just knew he wanted more and began to thrust back eagerly. He gritted his teeth against the discomfort of three thick fingers filling his tiny passage, remembering the pleasure to come, focusing instead on his lover's voice and lips.

With patience and tenderness, Steve soon had three fingers moving inside Jesse's tiny portal. The bigger man had his concerns that he would fit in his smaller lover's body, but Jesse was riding his fingers and begging the older man for more.

"Ok, lover," Steve rasped. "But you've gotta stay relaxed, honey. I don't wanna hurt you." Steve drenched his crimson-hued shaft with lube, his eyes never leaving the small, glistening opening of Jesse's body. He was forced to take deep, relaxing breaths of his own. Just the thought of entering *Jesse* had him grip the base of his erection hard to stave off a rapidly approaching climax. He prayed that he could not only enter his mate, but control himself enough to pleasure his virgin lover. "Here I come, angel. Gonna fill you up, baby. Fill you so full of me you won't know where you end and I begin."

Steve groaned as he pressed inside the tightest, hottest place he had ever known. Jesse's muscles clamped with an almost brutal intensity against the thick invader. Steve heard the muffled mewl recognised the sound as pained. With just the head of his erection inside his lover, he began a litany of encouragements and reached around Jesse's slender hip to begin working the younger man's flaccid flesh. Steve was persistent, moving deeper in tiny increments whilst stroking, lightly slapping and pumping Jesse's shaft.

Jesse had been sadly convinced that Steve's length and girth were too much for his smaller body as soon as the older man had pushed inside him. Steve's shaft was a lot bigger than his fingers and just the head alone seemed enormous and his body felt uncomfortably full. He had been surprised to find that squeezing, fisting and even slapping of his own flesh had resulted in a renewed erection. Steve's constantly changing touches to the younger man had Jesse focused on what the older man would do next to his innocent erection. Some of the caresses had been novel to the chaste medic. Jesse had then been shocked to find that Steve had slid inside him fully whilst he had been distracted by the working of his own shaft.

"So good, Jess, so tight, baby," Steve crooned. "Gotta move, angel, gotta come."

Jesse wailed his approval as Steve nudged his sweet spot with every movement. Instinctively he began to move in counterpoint to his big lover, maximising the pleasure for them both, pushing back to meet Steve and forward into the calloused hand encircling his own dripping flesh.

Although Steve had intended to keep them on their sides, he inevitably rolled Jesse onto his stomach groaning his appreciation as he pushed in deeper, pinning the slighter form beneath him and granting himself more leverage. A scream of his name coincided with a hard shove against Jesse's jewel and Steve began thrusting in earnest.

"Come for me, angel," Steve rumbled into Jesse's ear, still pumping his lover. "Wanna feel you come, baby."

Unable to resist the dual sensation of his sweet spot repeatedly struck and the masterful stroking of his eager rod, Jesse came with a scream of Steve's name. His semen flowed freely over his lover's hand. He heard the primal roar of the bigger male above him and wet heat flooded his still clenching channel. His own climax crested and then began to wane leaving him boneless. He could feel the vestiges of Steve's orgasm, the last pulses of the older man's seed sliding from his filled body to anoint his thighs.

Steve languidly licked and kissed the bare shoulder and neck he could reach without moving his body. He had lost his control at the end and thrust hard and fast and hoped Jesse would not pay the price. As he felt his sated sex soften, he eased from his lover's body, noting the soft hiss of discomfort.

"Just lie still angel," Steve whispered. He rushed into the bathroom, cleaning himself perfunctorily before returning to Jesse with a warm, damp flannel and a towel. He cleansed the evidence of his possession that lay in silver trails along honey-tinted thighs, his shaft twitching in approval. He carefully parted Jesse's cheeks. His mate's opening was reddened, but there were no signs of any damage and Steve gave a silent prayer of thanks. He bent down and licked at his seed. He relished the soft cry of shock and pleasure and diligently lapped away all the excess semen, occasionally delving inside Jesse's body to delightful mewls and erotic writhing. Steve made a mental note to do this act when Jesse would appreciate it even more.

As Steve manoeuvred Jesse into his arms, the younger man burrowed close, ignoring the aches from protesting muscles. They were good aches; they told Jesse he now belonged to the bigger man that nuzzled him lovingly.

"Love you, Steve," he whispered drowsily.

"Love you, angel. Sleep, Jess," Steve murmured, stroking the satin-smooth back of the beloved blond.

****

"Steve?" Jesse queried, anxiety colouring his voice.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Steve's voice came from a short distance from the bed. "As much as I would love to wake up in the morning with you in my arms, I have a stake-out tonight. Remember? I have to go home and change. I left it as late as possible, angel." Steve kissed the soft lips of his new lover, committing the taste and texture to memory until he could have the real thing again. "It'll be quite a while before I can ring you, Jess, but I will ring as soon as I can. Ok?"

"'K", Jesse whispered, trying to ignore the sting of tears. It was not Steve's fault he had to go. Jesse did remember the case Steve was working on that involved unsociable stake-out hours. He fished in his bedside locker and handed a key to the older man, a blush creeping over his cheeks. "So you can let yourself in," Jesse added. "You know...in case I'm asleep or...whatever."

"Try and settle, sweetheart," Steve said, wishing he could stay. The uncertainty in Jesse's voice had brought out all the big man's protective instincts when it came to the smaller blond. He kissed Jesse again and again, gentling them each time as he massaged the back of the younger man's head. The combination quickly worked their magic, Jesse slipping back into sleep. Steve carefully fussed to ensure Jesse was well covered and warm before tip-toeing away, making certain the apartment was locked after his departure.

As he drove home, three things were paramount in his mind: telling his Dad, getting Jesse to move in with him, as Steve had always worried about the younger man living alone in that particular area, and calling his new lover as soon as his schedule allowed.

****

"Hi, Dad," Steve called as he rushed into the beach house. However, Mark was not alone as he came to greet his son. A grim faced, dark-haired man was at his side. "Jim? What is it?" Steve asked, his hand automatically reaching towards his gun at the sight of the other detective.

"Hallerhan broke out of prison. Amanda is already taken care of. She's been taken, along with her sister, for a 'nice family holiday' with two of my best men. Your Dad has had a call from Europe to say his sister is ill and you're working out of town on a case. Hallerhan is bound to make his way to Community General and try and find out where you are. That's where we expect to catch him."

"We're going into a safe-house for a couple of days, Steve," Mark added, holding up a small case. "I packed one for you. It's already in Jim's car."

"I have Mark's cell and I need yours, Steve. If Hallerhan tries calling, which he's likely to do, we want anything he says recorded as well as trying to trace him. Come on, I don't want to stay here a minute more than necessary. Let's go."

Shocked by the news of the escaped murderer, worried for his Dad and Amanda and his mind in a whirl by the speed of the turn of events, Steve unthinkingly handed his cellphone to another detective that appeared from the living room to stand at Jim's side. He and Mark were then quickly ushered into Jim's car with another member of the older man's team and whisked away.

It was only as they reached the safe-house that Steve had a sudden thought.

"Jesse," he said, eyes widening with shock that he had not thought of his lover earlier. "What about Jesse?" Hallerhan had been before Jesse's time, but that did not mean he would not be a target now.

"Your Dad's latest intern?" Jim asked with a careless shrug. "He's not considered to be in any real danger, but there will be some of my men in Community General and they can easily keep an eye on him."

"I have to call him. Let him know where I am, what's happening," Steve said.

"No way, Steve," Jim said, his voice incredulous. "No one can know you're here. You know that."

"I promised I'd call him," Steve persisted; his mind imagining what Jesse would believe if there was no call.

Jim eyed the distraught man, instantly deducing that there was more than a simple friendship at stake. He had seen Jesse Travis at Community General and knew he had to keep the young medic out of this equation as much as possible. Simultaneously hating himself but believing he was acting in Steve's, and Jesse's, best interest, the older detective changed his tack.

"Look, Steve," he said, his voice softening. "Jesse is safer if left in ignorance. You don't want a man like Hallerhan targeting Jesse do you?"

"God, no," Steve whispered, instantly forcing from his mind the broken, dead bodies Hallerhan was responsible for.

"Then leave him out of it. If Hallerhan goes near him at Community General, my men will know."

"His apartment, Jim. Make sure someone stakes out his apartment, please."

"Ok," Jim nodded. It would be difficult to swing another man into the operation, but Jim decided to have a word with Steve's Captain. Perhaps there was someone that could be spared. He felt he owed Steve that much as he looked into his friend's worried eyes. "I'll sort something," he promised.

"Let's go through to the bedroom, son," Mark said gently, touching Steve's forearm to get the younger man's attention. "I think we are overdue a long talk.

Father and son sat facing each other on the twin beds.

"Dad," Steve began, but was stopped by a gesture from the older man.

"No, let me," he said. "I admit I have always been attracted to women, but all I ever wanted for my children was them to be as happy as I had been with your mother. I wondered what kind of daughter-in-law I would have and I looked to see the glint in your eye for the girls who caught your attention and the 'Look' that told me you thought you had found 'The One'. I quickly realised the glint appeared when you looked at certain boys, not girls. I hoped you knew I would accept your choice, whatever the sex, but I guess I presumed too much. I should have been more open. I wasn't surprised your marriage didn't last, but I was proud of you. I've always been proud of you." Mark concluded, smiling reassuringly at his son.

"I never realised you knew. I wasn't sure just how open-minded you would be. I guess we both made presumptions," Steve said.

"When I saw the way you and Jesse looked at each other, I expected you to be dating straight away. I wondered if I was wrong about Jesse."

"No, Dad. We were both nervous about ruining a good friendship and you know how Jesse can be riddled with self-doubt. I had just started to work on being more than friends with him when we got stuck in that lift."

"You mean...today?" Mark asked, eyes widening.

"Not just that," Steve said, needing his Dad to understand why he needed to badly to contact his young lover. "Jesse...he, well...I was his first," Steve muttered. "I had to leave him, Dad. I promised I'd call. You know him. What's he going to think with no call and suddenly I'm out of town, with everything supposedly arranged for me to go?"

Mark scrubbed at his eyes. He knew exactly what the younger man would think. However, there was a dangerous killer on the loose to think about, too. Reluctantly, his thoughts aligned with Jim. Jesse was safe if he was seen as just the newest intern under his mentorship and no more than just one of Steve's surfing friends. He gave a deep sigh.

"We need to pray Hallerhan is caught quickly, son," he said softly. "Jesse is safe if no one knows how important he is to both of us. He wasn't at Community General when Hallerhan was on trial so Jim is probably right."

"I guess so," Steve said, the veteran cop warring with the new, protective lover.

Mark could see the dilemma. He truly hoped the criminal was apprehended quickly. For the sake of his son and that of the young man who had quickly become like a surrogate son, even if no one but he knew it at that particular moment.

****

Jesse awoke bleary-eyed. His sleep had been fitful after Steve had left. He had missed Steve's solidity and warmth, his body behaving as if they had been sleeping together for months. He groaned as he moved. Not all his aches were due to the previous night's activities. He showered quickly and snagged a couple of painkillers to swallow with the last of his orange juice. He frowned as he saw the empty fridge. He was still undomesticated. He knew he had to shop soon, but he had a couple of really busy days coming up. He smiled at the thought of trying to cook for Steve and opted for eating out. He wondered if he would be able to look at Mark without blushing. Lastly he wondered when he would hear Steve's voice.

"I love you, Steve," he whispered, as he reached his door. With a deep breath, Jesse focused on what his upcoming day would be likely to bring at Community General.

****

Mark watched sadly as Steve paced up and down like a caged tiger. It had been three days since they had arrived at the safe-house. Hallerhan was still at large and it had taken both Mark and Jim to all but sit on Steve to stop him running to Community General when a report of the escaped killer in the vicinity had reached the agitated blond's ears.

Both men turned hopefully as a grimly smiling Jim strode into the room.

"Got him," he crowed. "Things can get back to normal." He handed Steve and Mark their cell phones. "You got a call from Jesse, Steve," the older man muttered, some of his exuberance waning.

Steve listened to the call, tears threatening to fall as he listened.

'Hi, Steve...um, it's me...ah...Jesse. You said you'd call. I just...I hoped...I'm sorry. Whatever I did, please, I'm sorry. Please? Call me?'

Steve heard the hoarseness of his mate's voice and the way that the younger man finally broke down at the end of the call. Steve could imagine how much courage it would have taken for Jesse to call and then to have still heard nothing must have hurt him badly. The older man just hoped his lover would understand and forgive him.

"Why?" he asked Jim, glaring angrily at the other detective.

"Because you'd have gone running to him, endangering you both. If Hallerhan had got hold of you two, and knew what that young man meant to you, we all know what Hallerhan would have put him through. I wasn't risking either of you. If he loves you as much as you love him, he'll just be grateful a psychotic killer has been re-caught and you and Mark are unhurt. Now get out of here and go put things right."

****

Steve and Mark raced to Community General, knowing Jesse was due to be there. Both were confused to be unable to locate him. Another young doctor passing by stopped to give Mark a welcoming smile.

"I didn't know you'd got back Dr Sloan," he said. "Is your sister well now?"

"Yes, thanks," Mark said quickly. "Isn't Jesse on duty? Did he swap shifts?"

"No, he came down with the 'flu that's been doing the rounds," came the reply. "He had it the day we found you'd been called away, but because a couple of others were off as well, he tried to work through it. We had to send him home yesterday morning when he virtually collapsed. He must have been running on fumes, he looked awful."