With a world of thanks to Pfyre, my beta-reader and my friend. And to Simon, always my inspiration.

Prologue for disclaimers and copyrights.

**************

Three : "Illusion never changed into something real..."

In Loranza's garden, Stan and Sammy were hit by the sound wave even as their host yelled for someone inside the house to call the coast-guard. They glanced at one another, paling, desperately trying to think. When Loranza started towards his own speedboat, moored at the base of the long garden, they followed.

The heat of the blaze on the ocean was extreme. Loranza could not even get close to the site. They scanned the water as he piloted the craft around the fire, as near as he dared get. Stan's heart was beating wildly as he searched for his friends, trying to keep his expression schooled. He knew this could get them all killed. Suddenly, Sammy gave a shout from the other side of the boat. Loranza slowed to a stop and held her steady as Stan crossed the deck. He watched as his partner dived into the water and grabbed the unconscious form of Sonny Crockett around the chest, hauling him back to the speedboat and helping Stan get him aboard. Sammy turned in the water, momentarily panicked, before Rico swam up to his side and tapped him on the shoulder. There was blood seeping from a wound on his forehead, but his eyes were clear and he managed to get himself into the substitute rescue boat.

Even with the injury, Rico figured the situation quickly and merely thanked all three as he would strangers who had just saved his life. Loranza watched the approach of the coast-guard, waiting to transfer his guests to the paramedics as soon as they got near enough. "Is there anyone else in the water?" Sammy asked Rico for Loranza's benefit. Rico shook his head, checking Sonny's breathing, watching Stan check his partner's body for injury. Both Stan and Sammy stripped off their jackets, placing them around their friends. Rico refused Stan's, instead making sure Sonny had them both.

The coast-guard took them aboard, and as the paramedics took care of them, Sonny woke. He complained of a headache but told them he was all right. They weren't easily convinced but Sonny ignored their protests, sat up on the cot in the small cabin and stood shakily. He found Rico on deck, talking to the coast-guard officer, explaining what had happened. Tubbs sported a clean white sterile dressing on his forehead, and was wrapped in a large blanket. Otherwise, he looked as well as could be expected for a man who's just been blown up. Sonny reassured himself that they were actually both okay. He gazed over the side at the smouldering wreckage that had once been his beloved Scarab. Someone was going to pay for that.

Rico turned and spied his partner standing several feet behind him with two paramedics insisting that he return to the cabin and lie down. Rico just wanted to hug him. "Sonny, you okay?"
Crockett joined his partner. "Sure. Warm water, beautiful day, what could be better than to take a swim?"
Rico laughed, it felt good. He glanced across at Loranza's place. Stan and Sammy were shaking hands with him and leaving the premises. At least that went down smoothly. He and Sonny owed that dealer one. It made him think about what Stan had said earlier about homicide linking to him several deaths. Sonny was right, something did not gel.

*

Stan and Sammy were back at HQ an hour before Sonny and Rico. They relayed the whole story first to the Lieutenant - 'just the facts, Ma'am' - and then the embellished version to the rest of the unit. Crockett and Tubbs phoned in while the other two were with Castillo, assuring everyone that they were both fine and would be in once they'd been home to change.

That was against doctors' orders for Sonny - he had been knocked unconscious and they wanted to perform a full hospital examination. Sonny was having none of it. He had taken two Ibuprofen on his boat before calling out Steve Duddy to check both the 'St. Vitus' and the Ferrari for anything that should not have been there. They were clean. Steve had left him with two small devices that constantly monitored for bombs and wire taps. He had said they were expensive, but Sonny reminded him of his debt to the department; Steve relented.

All eyes were on them as they strode back into the office. Sonny's headache had not shifted and Rico still wore the sterile dressing over his left eye. Gina watched them with sympathy. "Are you both okay?"
Sonny nodded very carefully, sitting down and resting his pounding head on his arms, closing his eyes. Despite the noise in the department, he dozed off within minutes. Rico nudged him. "Sonny." Crockett opened his eyes and groaned. "You fall asleep and I'll take you to the hospital myself."
Sonny nodded carefully and pulled a blank report form from his in-tray to do his write-up of the explosion. There was a claim form too, and Sonny recognised their Lieutenant's handwriting on the request for another speedboat from lock-up. He showed it to Rico who smiled. "Don't ever tell me he doesn't love you."

"Crockett, Tubbs." They rose automatically, Sonny swaying slightly and leaned against his desk.
"You okay, Partner?"
"Yeah. I'm fine." Sonny could feel Rico hovering close by as they walked into Castillo's office. Tubbs closed the door and leaned on it, watching his partner lower himself onto the couch.
Martin looked them both over, concerned. "Should you two be here?"
"He shouldn't," Rico pointed, "he should be in the hospital." Sonny rolled his eyes.
"I'm fine."
Castillo watched him for a long time in his unblinking way. "Go to the hospital, get checked out. Take the rest of the day off." Crockett groaned, but the Lieutenant had already turned away; end of conversation. "Before you go, I ran those names for you." He picked up a folder from his desk and handed it to Rico. Sonny glanced up in time to see his partner's eyes widen.
"You're kidding?"
Crockett reached his hand up and Tubbs slipped the folder into his fingers. Castillo was shaking his head. "Golding is Henk Clifford's cover."

*

Sonny sat up on the examination bed, shirt half open, feet swinging just off the floor. Doctor Bri Fielding watched him from over the scan traces he held. "I'm just concerned, Sonny."
Sonny's eyes did not rise from the floor. "Tell me it's not going to happen again."
Bri stepped forward. "No. You're in safe hands. I am going to recommend to Martin that you don't go undercover alone." He watched his patient rub his hands together nervously. "I promise, Sonny, it won't happen again."
"If I lose it, I don't want to hurt Rico, I could never...."
Bri closed in, resting his hand on Sonny's shoulder. He was more than a patient, he was a friend. "It's not a case of you just... changing. It's not a mental illness. We just have to be careful that if something happens, you're with someone who knows you. The 'Palmer' identity isn't as strong with you as 'Burnett' was. I really don't think you have anything to worry about. Your partner's safe with you." Sonny nodded, finally accepting the explanation. "He doesn't know, does he?"
A single shake of the blond head. "You should tell him."
"I know. I will. I just... I can see it in Marty's eyes whenever something goes down. He... protects me, he kept all the... shit that should have followed away from me. He's still doing it. I don't know if I can handle that from Rico too. He would be so much worse."
Sonny's resigned tone made Bri smile. "You'll just have to let him work it out for himself."
"We've... become very... close. Recently. Very close." He ended quietly, peering up at Bri. There was no judgement in his eyes, only a smile.
"That's all the more reason to tell him."
"Yeah."

*

They reached a lonely part of the Keys before Sonny dropped anchor. At the hospital, he had reassured his partner that everything was okay. Now, though, Rico wasn't so sure. Sonny meticulously set up his fishing rod, and baited it, sitting himself on the edge of the deck. Rico laid back on the lounger, soaking up the rays and watching his partner's every move. It wasn't so much that there was something bothering Sonny, more as if something that had been around for sometime had suddenly been forced to the surface. Rico had guessed it had to do with Clifford's surprise involvement in the situation.

He was partially right.

They talked about stuff, about the case, possible reasons for Clifford not mentioning that he had been at the party, or at least having been invited. The sun set over the islands. Sonny flame-grilled the fish that he had caught, adding a fresh green salad and producing a bottle of wine from somewhere. Rico was impressed, as he always was on the rare occasions Sonny got domestic. They sat up on deck, ate and drank and talked about other things; the previous night at Jaygon and Elliott's place, what they would feed the couple the following night, and finally Castillo's barbecue on Saturday afternoon - the first departmental bash for a very long time.

But as the wine went down, and Sonny lit the deck lights, the conversation eventually quieted. "Come on, Sonny," Rico finally coaxed as they sat side by side on the deck. "Somethin's been eating you since the hospital. What's wrong?"
Sonny sighed softly, gazing into the clear liquid in his glass. "There's somethin'... I never told you... about the Burnett nightmare." Rico frowned. Okay. "After everything, Castillo had me checked out at the hospital. They did some CAT scans, and found... a blood clot in about the right place to be a partial cause of the amnesia." Rico's eyes widened, but Sonny didn't see it. "They also said that it may have been a cause of my personality change. I was... relieved in a way. To think that someone could tell me my name was Burnett and for that simple thing to change who I was to the point of being able to shoot someone.... That scared me more than anything else ever has." Rico's head was filling with questions and accusations. "They kept me in, for a few days, kept an eye on me, and slowly, it dissolved. They said that it had probably been caused in the first explosion, on the boat, and that the doc they had attending me in the private hospital didn't do any sort of scan."
Rico wasn't sure where to go first. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Sonny knew immediately that his partner was hurt. "You weren't exactly... happy with me.... I just thought it would sound like I was findin' excuses, y'know, instead of just accepting what I'd done."
Rico sighed. "You weren't the only one looking for answers, Partner." Something was missing. "What happened at the hospital today?"
"They found another one, in about the same place. Bri hopes it'll go just like the first."
"Sonny.... It's not... life threatening, is it?"
Crockett shook his head slowly. "No. I should be fine."
"They didn't want to keep you in?"
Sonny smiled, lifting his head to meet Rico's worried gaze. "Of course they did. But Bri knows I'll only discharge myself. I hate hospitals, you know that."

Rico fell silent for a little while, taking it all in, realizing now why Castillo was so protective and so supportive of his senior detective. It hadn't been Sonny's fault; it had been theirs. Medically ill, with a blood clot in his brain, Sonny had been left undercover, alone, because his colleagues had not believed in him enough to trust that something was terribly wrong.
"I thought you'd turned," Tubbs murmured eventually.
"I tried to kill you...."
"No, before that. After the explosion, when they couldn't find a body. I thought you'd planned it all."
"What?" Sonny's quiet whisper stung Rico deeply.
"There's nothing I can say that can excuse that. I was... numb with grief when I thought you were dead. I came to the boat that afternoon clutching the on-going for the Manolo case. I just cried, for hours. After that, I couldn't feel anything. At the memorial service I gave the very speech I'd been terrified that I would one day have to give, and I felt nothing. I couldn't bury you because there was no body. I couldn't lay you to rest. I started having nightmares, each and every time I slept. Images of you... lying somewhere, alive but dead... like that zombie stuff years ago. When I saw you, when I realized you weren't the same, realized there was something so wrong...."
"If you'd have tried anything, I'd have killed you."
Rico was suddenly on his feet. "But we should have done *something*!" Tears welled up in his eyes. "You're my partner, the most important thing in my world, and I just... I couldn't see passed my own hurt to what was really going on. The whole thing wasn't your fault, it was ours, and I am so sorry...."
Sonny stood, wrapping his arms around his partner, feeling the embrace immediately returned. He ran his large hands over Rico's hair and down his back, hushing him softly, soothing the building hysteria. "It was no one's fault. It happened. It's over."

Rico held Sonny tight, anchoring himself to the strength of his partner's presence, to the reality of here and now.
"We're okay, Rico. We're going to stay okay."

They remained there, just holding one another, for what seemed like an eternity. Only when Rico's gentle sobs turned to short bursts of quiet chuckles, did Sonny release him to look into that beautiful face. He smiled, as usual finding his partner's mirth infectious. "What?"
Rico shook his head. "Nothin', just... us. Our ability to dredge up the nightmare of the past when our present is so fragile."
Sonny took his partner's hand and sat back down, pulling Rico with him. "It's not fragile. It's strong. We're strong."
"Sonny... if anything happens to you...."
"It's not going to. Bri's not worried, so I'm not worried. I didn't tell you in all this time because I knew you would start to do what Marty's doing, to nursemaid me, and you know how much I hate that. It's bad enough with him, but I spend... always with you. I'm fine, and I need you to believe that, not just to tell me that you do."

Rico nodded, understanding but unsure if he could keep such a promise. "I love you."
Sonny smiled; those three words said it all, didn't they? Leaning in, he kissed Rico as nervously as he had the first time. Unlike then, Rico responded with the passion inside him. Sonny felt the dark fingers touching his face, stroking over his cheeks, outlining his jaw, surrounding the back of his neck and pushing up into his soft, thick hair. Sonny traced Rico's chin with his fingertips, rimming his bottom lip as their tongues battled. They kissed roughly, the heat between them firing their desire for one another.

In these long exchanges, it was less to do with love, more to do with exorcizing the demons still resting around them. When they'd thrown their careers away on Bourbone, as they'd left the office together, they'd had only one mind, shutting out the rest of the world - the sense. The whole experience had been the final nightmare that had pushed them over the edge and lead them to their ultimate fate. Yet, Crockett had never really believed in fate. His partnership with Rico was the only true thing, the only reality in his life. Nothing else could be trusted. No one else. Their decision had been made together. Their lives and fates, entwined from the moment they had met, had brought them to that place.

But suddenly... suddenly that had all been turned around. The shooting at the airport, the backing from Castillo as he fought off IAD to bring them to a point where they could return to what had been. Nothing is ever static. On their return they had brought back with them the shared experience of the dark wilderness they had seen.

Crockett's fingers dipped inside Rico's shirt, following his throat up, around his jaw-line to his ears. He broke the kiss, nuzzling his lips into the base of Rico's neck, drawing his tongue over the sensitive skin, sucking his earlobe. Rico moaned softly, kissing the skin beneath his lips. Sonny's tongue dipped into Tubbs' ear, quickly withdrawing at Rico's harsh breath. "Sonny...."
"Like that, Rico?" Sonny's throaty whisper played havoc with Rico's self-control.
"Christ, Sonny, I love it.... Love you touching me, kissing me. Love your lips on me." His hands ran down Sonny's back as he tipped his head and found his partner's mouth once more.

*

Friday morning, Sonny and Rico looked much healthier when they sauntered into the office. Together. Sammy turned from the coffee machine and looked at the two men. "Err... we need more surveillance today."
Sonny tilted his head. "Oh no, yesterday I lost the Scarab and we," he indicated Rico, who was searching through the piles of paperwork on his desk, "almost got blown to iddy-biddy pieces."
Sammy held up his hands defensively. "That was nothing to do with our bust, Chilli, you know that."
"We don't know who set us up."
"But Loranza saved your lives. Come on, please?"
Rico dropped into his chair. "You're right, Sammy, he saved our lives. Why would we want to do anything against him?"
"All we're asking for is backup. Sit in the bay - in someone else's boat - and just watch 'case he tries to take us apart." He looked at Sonny. "It was us who dragged you out of the water...."
"Yeah, yeah. Okay. But you provide the boat. The 'St. Vitus' is off limits until we find out who tried to kill us."
Castillo stuck his head around his door. "Take the powerboat from the county marina. If you bring it back in one piece, keep it."
Sonny's face lit up as he met his partner's telling smile.

*

By eleven they were back out in the bay in Crockett's new, faster Wolfgang Scarab. Loranza's backyard was again the setting for the clandestine buy that wouldn't end in any arrests. Sammy and Stan would make the small, good-will buy. The next deal would bring Loranza's own supplier down, catching him in the domino effect.

Rico and Sonny took turns with the binoculars as they watched the deal go smoothly. "There's a lot that's out of whack here, Partner." Rico murmured. "Clifford being at the party and not telling us. The bomb on the boat yesterday.... You think they're connected?"
Sonny stood back from the clear view of the deal. "I hope not."
Rico understood, his hand going to Sonny's shoulder, resting there. Their eyes met for a moment. They'd only come back to the mainland that morning, spending the night moored in the Keys, making long, slow love in the king size bed, touching one another like they had an eternity. Waking together was becoming a luxury neither was willing to give up.

"We'll talk to Castillo when we get back." Rico cast a glance up. Stan and Sammy were leaving, the suitcase in their hands.
"Looks like it all went smoothly."
"Of course." They gave it another half hour, but by then Loranza was deep into another deal.

Sonny piloted the boat into Dade marina, slotting her into the space next to the 'St. Vitus'. They picked up the Ferrari and headed back to OCB, arriving just after the other two.

"Stop for coffee, girls?" Sammy teased them as they breeze back in.
"You two owe us," Crockett told them, smiling.
"Crockett, Tubbs, can I see you?"

Castillo closed the doors behind his detectives. "We have a problem." He indicated they should sit down, and he perched himself on the edge of his desk. "They've finished searching the wreckage of the Scarab. It was a bomb planted inside the boat. They don't think it was a timed device, so someone was watching you." He let them take that in. "Henk Clifford's denying that he was at Toscara's party that night. He's told IAD that he was invited because he'd been undercover investigating Toscara and had got close to him."
"So why didn't he go? Maintain his cover?"
"He claims he wasn't feeling well." The tone of Castillo's voice betrayed his own doubts. He looked up, gauging their reactions. "I don't want either of you out there until we find out what's going on."
Predictably, Sonny was on his feet in an instant. "Come on, Marty! How many times have we been here? Someone's always trying to kill us. If it's not pimps it's dealers or buyers."
"This could be cops."
Rico leaned back in his seat, watching Sonny out of the corner of his eye. At least the Lieutenant had said it, voiced what was in their thoughts. "A cop."
Sonny deflated a little. "Why would Clifford whack Toscara?"
"I think... he was at the party." Castillo walked around his desk and sat down. "I think he saw you and snapped. Five was the earliest he could arrange the hit for. He thought you two would be there with Toscara if you were trying to snag him."
Sonny stepped forward. "You think he killed nine people, just in the hope of killing us?"
"You." Castillo hesitated. "Hagavich wasn't just Clifford's partner. They were lovers."

*

Jaygon was smiling as they stepped into Rico's kitchen. "Is that your car?"
"Which one?"
"The highly expensive one."
Sonny came in from the lounge, glass of beer in his hand, barefoot, dressed in black and white silk. "She's mine."
Rico leaned in closer to their guests. "He's very protective about that car."
"I'm not surprised." Jaygon's artist's mind was picturing Rico lying naked across the long hood, Sonny standing close by, maybe in leather. He cleared his head, presenting the gifts he held. "Two bottles of our best vintage red, and this," he handed Sonny a large gift-wrapped bag with string handles tied together, hiding whatever was inside, "you can't open until later, when the wine is flowing and the food's been eaten." Sonny peered at the bag, suspicious already. "Don't worry, it won't bite."
Behind him, Elliott was carrying two canvases.

Sonny led them through to the lounge. The patio doors were flung open, and a table set up out on the patio. Three steps down from the flagged area, the beach stretched into the ocean. "Nice place." Sonny handed them both a glass of chilled white wine. "Helps maintain our covers if we're both well set up."
"At least they give you the highs with the lows." Elliott had leant the canvases against the wall, facing inwards. He smiled when he caught Sonny glancing at them,
"When Rico joins us."
Sonny nodded, nervously throwing back the rest of his beer and momentarily disappearing back into the kitchen for a glass of wine. Rico had volunteered to cook. Sonny's culinary talents went as far as a flame grill and a pair of tongs; they had decided on something more intimate. They had argued against Castillo's idea of setting Sonny up in a safe-house for the duration. The Lieutenant had made them promise to watch each other's backs, to stay together until IAD had had a chance to question Clifford more carefully and for homicide to look into the shooting at the hotel from this different angle. Neither had been happy with leaving it at that. But it was weekend now, and for once, they had the weekend off. Tomorrow they were all at Castillo's place. That was going to prove interesting.

Once the meal was at a stage where Rico could leave it until they were ready, he joined his partner and their friends on the patio. Jaygon put down his glass and went inside to get the two canvases. "I finished your painting," he told them, handing them the top canvas. Rico turned it and they both stared. It was perfect - a water colour capture of the heat that had developed between them that night. The light pressure of Rico's fingers digging into the firm muscles of Sonny's thigh; the lack of force that showed Sonny's hand on Rico's chest perversely pulling him closer rather than pushing him away. Sonny's head was tilted, his hair falling over his shoulder, his open mouth sealed over Rico's equally welcoming lips. The colours were exact, their bodies - slowly becoming familiar to them - draw with dedicated observance.
"It's beautiful," Sonny breathed. "Thank you."
Jaygon merely smiled. "My pleasure. But... I hoped I could keep that one, and give you two this one." He tapped the back of the second canvas. "I think I mentioned I have a photographic memory?" Rico nodded. "Well... once I had the image of your bodies in my mind, I experimented a little. I hope you don't mind." Confidently, he handed them the other painting.

Sonny's breath caught in his throat. Again the likenesses were perfection. The pose was all that had been borne of Jaygon's imagination. It depicted them both, sitting together on the floor. Rico's legs were out in front of him, bent at the knees, his ankles crossing one over the other. Sonny was straddling his lap, kneeling over him, hands on Rico's shoulders, head thrown back. Rico's hands were on Sonny's hips, as if guiding him. Both partners took in the scene portrayed for them. Rico glanced at Sonny, concerned at the reaction this might get, but at the same time, fascinated. Jaygon was standing before him with a wicked grin plastered on his face.
"Sorry if it's too much, but I couldn't resist." He stepped back into his lover's waiting arms. "You two are so perfect together, such a desperate contrast not only in colour, but in attitude, in your hearts and souls. It's as if you were made to be together. I just want to capture that, to paint it, to record it."
Sonny glanced at Rico, and seeing the small smile on his beautiful face, he relaxed. The painting had the same effect on him as the print in Fyire's gallery. It lit something deep within him, something buried for his whole life that he was just starting to feel, to know. He looked up at Jaygon. "It's a deal."

Rico served stuffed pasta shells, followed by a light risotto with tiger prawns, and a chocolate roulade to finish. They drank the wine Jaygon and Elliott had brought with them, finally retiring into the lounge as it got cooler outside. Rico lit several candelabras in the corners of the room, and switched off the lights. They settled into the large leather couches, across from each other, Jaygon and Elliott cuddled together, Rico leaning into Sonny's side as they put their feet up on the glass coffee table. Before he had sat down, Jaygon had taken the other gift - the bag - from the kitchen and dropped it lightly on to the table between them.
"Can we open it?" Rico asked hopefully. He sounded like a kid at Christmas.
"Only if you promise not to take offence."
Elliott laughed, playfully thumping Jaygon's arm. "You said you were sure about this!"
"I am, I am!" He reached over and picked up the bag, swinging it across to Rico's waiting hands.
Rico untied the decorative string that held bag closed. When it fell open, he peered inside. Immediately he felt the burning in his cheeks. "I can't believe you've done this!" Reaching inside, he pulled out the first of a selection of gifts, a long, thick, black rubber dildo. The end of it was tapered, with widening bulges along the shaft. At it's thickest it was maybe two inches round, probably fourteen inches long. Sonny started giggling as soon as he saw it. Soon Jaygon and Elliott were also in stitches as Rico played around with the dildo in his hands, saying that it had a "lovely massaging motion".

Sonny delved his hand into the bag and brought out two small glass jars. The first was labelled as massage oil, which he handed to Rico, the other was marked as 'Clear Lubricant for the Adventurous'. He frowned as he turned the jar over in his hands, and finally handed that to Rico too. Rico dumped the presents in his lap, grinning over at their guests, their drunken giggles joining with Sonny's.
"What else is there, Santa?" Rico drew out the final item to answer Sonny's question. He read the front cover of the book as he turned it in his hands. 'The Gay Karma Sutra'. Behind him, Sonny had read the title over his shoulder and had dissolved into fits of laughter. Seeing the funny side, Rico threw one of the couch cushions at the two sitting opposite.
"I really can't believe you brought us these!"
"Miami is the best place for buying stuff like that! I know a local corner shop that sells butt plugs in all sizes. And the store that the dildo came from do them in all shapes, sizes and tastes."
Sonny pulled in a deep, calming breath, wiping the tears that were streaming down his cheeks. "What other shapes are there, exactly?!"
"Everything!" Jaygon pulled a hand free to enhance his descriptions. "Some have tips shaped as snowmen, goblins, all manner of elfin folk!"
"Snowmen? You are joking?"
"No, seriously. You're vice detectives! You must have come across stuff like this!"
"It's not exactly illegal, you know. Although perhaps snowman-shaped dildos should be."
Rico sniggered. "Yeah, but would they stand up in court?" He doubled over in mild hysteria at his own dubious joke. Sonny shook his head, the frown on his face setting Jaygon and Elliott off again.

There was a lot of laughter in the house that night. Something that had definitely been missing for too long.

*

Sonny woke with the sunrise. They'd gone to bed in the early hours of the morning, drunk and happy they'd simply collapsed onto the sheets together and fallen straight to sleep. Sonny crawled out of bed and pulled on his pants, shrugging into his shirt but not bothering to fasten the buttons. He gazed at his sleeping partner for a while before heading silently down the spiral staircase into the lounge. His plan was to fix some breakfast and fresh coffee. They didn't have to work today, just had to make it to Marty's by three.

As he walked through to the kitchen, his attention was drawn to the object still rested on the coffee table. Crossing the room, he picked up the dildo and stared at it as if seeing it for the first time. A million thoughts flooded his mind as he headed for the kitchen. Part of him knew that Jaygon and Elliott were fooling around last night. But the painting that Jay had done - the *other* painting - had made him slightly uneasy, as much as he had loved it. Then there was this. And the lubricant. Did Rico expect this? What the hell were they doing?

He thought about the title of the book they'd been given - 'The Gay Karma Sutra'. 'Gay'. The word rattled about in his brain. It was the first time his new relationship with Rico had been given a name - a term - and it truly scared him. Where were they going with this? What happened if they tried it and hated it? Didn't sex always change things? It was one thing having fun, playing around with one another. The thought of the dildo started to terrify him. Irrationally he dropped the thing on the kitchen table, next to his car keys. A moment later, he picked up the keys and was out of the house.

The feel of his Ferrari surrounding him was a comfort, and the sound of the engine as he turned the keys soothed his nerves. Yet still he just needed to get away.

*

Rico padded downstairs some time later, his black silk robe hanging open, bare feet thankful for the thick lounge carpet after the cold of the steps. "Sonny?" He looked about. The patio doors were still closed; sometimes Sonny liked to get up early and go for a swim in the ocean. He wandered through into the kitchen and saw the dildo lying on the table. A glance through the window told him that the Ferrari was gone. "Oh, Sonny...."

As he showered, he ran the scene through his mind. His partner had come downstairs, sober, had seen the equipment on the table and panicked. He'd made a run for it. Running, and talking later was one of Crockett's patented methods of dealing with emotional things. Anything else, anything to do with work - however dangerous - would be met head-on as soon as possible. It was Crockett's fire that made him so irresistible, so attractive, so damn sexy.

Rico dressed quickly and headed out.

The Ferrari was no where to be seen as he drove onto the marina. On board the 'St. Vitus', Elvis Jr. was alternately moaning about wanting lunch and munching on his old blue blanket. Rico patted his snout. "No sign of Dad, ay?"
The alligator just glared up at him, maybe considering finding his own lunch. Rico stepped back off the boat and glanced down at the Scarab moored next to it. So Crockett hadn't quite gone off at the deep end. That was good to know. Maybe he just needed some time alone, to think things through. Maybe searching for him wasn't the best thing quite yet.

Tubbs glanced at his watch. It had just gone ten. He looked at the keys in his hand, and at the speedboat in the water below. Slowly, he came to a decision.

*

Castillo glared at Sonny as his detective stood tentatively on the doorstep. "Where's your partner?"
Sonny tried not to look guilty. "I imagine he's enjoying a very rare late morning."
"Why aren't you with him?" The question took Sonny totally by surprise. He opened his mouth but no sound came out. "I told you two to stick together." Sonny almost sighed with relief; the thing with Clifford, of course. He'd honestly forgotten all about it.
"Can I come in?"

Marty stepped back, and Crockett stepped inside. It was almost noon. He had been driving around for two hours. He remembered just before they'd flown off to Costa Morada to rescue Bourbone, Rico finding him in Lupe's bar and telling him that he'd just been driving. 'Must've driven a hundred miles'. It had been so unlike Rico. Sonny had always been the one to take his stress out on the roads, Rico had been the one to sit back, maybe mediate, or swim in his private ocean. He smiled to himself.

Out in the sheltered yard behind the house, Sonny found that a large barbecue was already set to light. Marty returned from the kitchen with two cold beers and they sat opposite one another at the wooden table. "Why so early?"
Sonny rubbed his face with his hand. "I don't know.... I woke up this morning with a lot on my mind and I can't seem to shake it." He folded his arms on the table and dropped his chin down, gazing up at his boss through confused eyes.
"Is it the situation with Clifford?"
He shrugged - not an easy movement in his position. "Maybe. Part of it."
Marty poured his beer into a long glass and took a sip, placed it onto the table top. "Is it the change in your relationship with Rico?"

Sonny continued to gaze up at his Lieutenant. He found he was not surprised by the fact that Castillo knew, or by the directness of the question. He sat for a long time, trying to think of the right thing to say. The warm breeze through the trees close by, the quiet of the garden, the anticipation of the fun to come this afternoon, all served to relax him, calm him. Finally, he asked, "You think it's a mistake?"
To his total surprise, Castillo shook his head. "I'd warn you to be careful. But telling you - of all people - not to let personal feelings interfere would be pointless. I would... guess that there are very few differences between your feelings for him now and your feelings for him before you went on the cruise." Sonny smiled. "They may be distinct, they may be sharper, but you've always loved him. He's always loved you. Just... because it's physical now probably doesn't change much."
Sonny nodded slightly, in absolute agreement. "You've known since we came back?"
"The way you looked at one another had changed. Subtly, but obviously if you knew what you were seeing. I did."
"You think the others did?"
That brought a rare smile to Marty's face, and suddenly Sonny realized he wasn't talking to his boss any longer, he was talking to his friend. "They're fine detectives. But I think the only way they would notice is if the two of you did it on your desks." Sonny laughed, unable to help himself. Marty was still smiling, more openly this time, with real affection.

They both took long swigs of beer. "I got a call from Bri yesterday afternoon." Sonny sighed, his smile fading. "He said you were fine, that it should dissolve like the first one did. He said there's no danger, to you or to Rico."
Sonny moved his head until his face was buried in his folded arms. "Do you think Clifford would accept that?"
"Don't blame yourself for Clifford's actions. He's losing it. It's not your fault. If he tried to kill you, that's attempted murder of two policemen. That's a crime."
"I killed his partner."
"In self-defence. Rico saw it."
That was news to Sonny. He lifted his head, eyes open in confusion. "I thought... Rico came up on the marina as I raced the speedboat away."
"No. He saw Hagavich with the gun on you, and he saw you shoot. You have a witness." Sonny sighed, exasperated. When would they stop protecting him? Would they ever? Did he really want them to?
"Thanks Marty," he murmured quietly. "For everything."
Castillo simply nodded.

It was just gone three when Rico arrived, two minutes before the others turned up. Despite the small crowd of vice detectives, Sonny and Rico managed to find a quiet spot further into the wilderness of Castillo's garden. When Rico stopped and turned, Sonny automatically reached for his hand, looking up with guilt in his intense green eyes. "I'm sorry, man. I... I don't know what happened." Rico's beautiful copper gaze felt as if it were delving into his soul.
"You got scared, by us."
Sonny shook his head emphatically. "No. Not by us."
Rico took his other hand, squeezing gently. "Then what?"
Sonny squeezed back, smiling. "It's nothing. I just... you know what I'm like. Run first, think later. But it's nothing."
Rico looked down at their hands, then back at Sonny's serious face. "Listen, Partner, if you want this to stop...."
"No! No.... I don't. You're the best thing that ever happened to me, you were eight years ago and you still are. And this - us - is just extras."
They heard Gina calling to them, and with one last long look, they dropped hands, turning and walking back up the gentle slope.
"Marty wants to know what food you want. Steaks or dogs?"

Two hours later, after several hotdogs and some good steak, plenty of cold beer and good company, the senior detectives of Dade County Vice were all comfortably sprawled on Castillo's lawn. Sonny was lying on his back soaking up the warmth, Rico sitting near his head, supported on one arm, legs stretched out. Only Martin noticed how close he was sitting, his body language screaming the truth that was between them. Sammy and Stan were sitting with their legs crossed, facing one another. Gina and Trudy were around Martin, who, for once, looked very relaxed in their presence.

"Who wants mousse?" Martin extracted himself from the two ladies and headed for the kitchen.
"I don't think I can eat anything else." Sonny muttered from the ground.
"Yeah, right." Stan swung his legs out from under him, leaning closer to the other two men, feeling Sammy's ever-close presence. He'd been lonely since Stan's death almost five years ago. That had sent him over the line, into gambling and into debt. The depression he'd felt over losing his partner had almost buried him too. But Sonny had been there for him. And so had Rico. And now he had Sammy, a partner, a caring partner who knew what he'd been through, how close he'd been to Lare. And Sammy was always there, day or night.

"You, my dear boy, will never reach your eating limits."
Rico couldn't contain his laugh. "Oh, he has no limits."
Martin came back out of the kitchen with a massive, shallow glass bowl of rich, light chocolate mousse and seven spoons. They all sat up, dipping curiously into the desert. Sonny's eyes rolled heavenwards when he tasted it. "Marty, that is incredible."
"Thank you. Secret recipe."

They ate the lot between them. Rico had to resist the urge to dip in his finger and ask Sonny to lick it off. The sunset moved them into the house, where they sat talking. It was amazing how much they had to catch up on being that they worked together every day. Rico watched as Gina made certain moves on Sonny, and he resisted every one. Tubbs was practically glowing. The room, bathed in candlelight, filled with the subtle aromas of incense, held its occupants in a warm embrace. For hours they talked, reminiscing about the past, planning for the future. They talked like they hadn't talked for a very long time; too long.
"We should do this more often," Martin told them. "It's good for us."
"Good for departmental morale." Rico added from the seat on the couch. Sonny was sitting on the floor, leaning back against the cushions next to his knees. He could reach out and touch the warm skin of his partner's neck. He desperately wanted to. But what seemed like a good idea under the influence wasn't always the case.
Sonny leaned his head back, his blue sparkling gaze searching Rico's. He could read his partner's thoughts at times like this.

Gina and Trudy left around nine, Sammy a little later. The remaining four wandered back into the garden to sit with a bottle of good bourbon. When it seemed that Martin and Stan were deep in joint conversation, Sonny and Rico excused themselves for a short while, taking a walk into the wilderness surrounding their bosses house.

"You okay?" Sonny began.
"Yeah." He smiled. "It's been good." Sonny nodded. "Where did you go this morning, anyway? I checked the boat...."
Sonny waved his hand. "I went driving. Then I came here." Rico knew Martin and Sonny had become close several years ago; the same things that drew them all together. Sonny glanced across.
"I... I took the Scarab out."
Sonny's eyes widened, as did his smile. "You?! You hate speedboats."
"I wanted to find out what it was that you found so therapeutic about them."
"And?"
"The speed, the power, the cool spray, the real kick-back as you thrust her forward." Sonny was chuckling. "Scared the life out of myself."
"At least you didn't crash it! I've lost one Scarab this week already."
Rico thumped his partner's arm. "Thanks!"

They strolled deeper into the bushes. "Gina was getting frisky," Sonny commented eventually.
"I noticed. You could have gone with her."
Sonny tilted his head, giving Rico that look that said, 'yeah, right'. "You missing the ladies, Rico?"
Without warning, Rico stopped, grabbing Sonny's arm and turning him. In the next instant he had found his partner's mouth with his own, slipped and tongue inside and was devastating Sonny's mouth. Sonny moaned, wrapping his arms around Rico's back, pulling him close.

They stood like that for long minutes. Then, slowly, Rico pulled away. He stepped back and after a smile, continued in the direction they had been walking. Sonny soon recovered, falling easily into step. "That's a 'no' then?"
"That's an 'I'm happy with the way things are'."
They walked in silence for sometime before Sonny broke it. "Marty knows about us."
Rico's eyes bulged. "You told him?"
"No, man! He asked me what was wrong, hitting first on the Clifford thing, and then on the change in our relationship."
"Is he mad?"
Sonny shook his head. "I think he understands."

Stan tipped yet another shot of the fiery liquid down his throat. It was a companionable silence, listening to the sounds of the night. "Martin, I want to thank you."
"What for? I honestly think I've made your life harder that it should have been."
Stan shook his head. "Nah. I brought all that on myself. You've only ever done what was right for the unit. I can understand that."
"I didn't truly understand how much Lare meant to you. I should have done. I should have found you another partner sooner."
Stan mused on that one for a while. "After Lare was killed, I didn't want another partner." He sighed. "You know, I used to see that in Rico's eyes when you put the two of us together more often, after the trauma with Burnett. Rico would look at me, and I could see him, longing for it to be Sonny standing by him." He looked straight at his Lieutenant. "That's what a partner is, someone who's always there, through everything. Even after what happened, Rico felt safer with Sonny cause he knew him, his moves, his plays."

"I'm sorry, Stan." Both men looked up to see Rico and Sonny coming back up the garden. Rico was talking, obviously having heard them. "I never meant to make you feel...."
"No, Rico, I understood. I'd been there. No apologies necessary." He glanced up at Sonny. "This man here, he's one of my best friends. One of the very few people I trust with my life."
Sonny thought he might blush. Or cry. Recently he'd been on a silent roller coaster of emotions. Rico making him feel wanted, loved, like the most special person in the whole damn world. And Clifford, making him feel like a low-life murdering son-of-a-bitch. Stan's trust in him, Marty's open affection for him, and Rico's never-ending faith in him all gave him something to cling to, and was fast becoming the net that stopped him from falling.

They downed a few more bourbons before Martin told them that there were two dens off the lounge, both with double futons. All of them had had far too much alcohol to drive. An hour later, he bade them goodnight and went to bed. The three old friends sat and talked, remembering Lare, telling old and very dirty jokes, sharing experiences that they hadn't before - for whatever reason. They'd moved from the table to the lawn when Castillo had gone inside. Now Stan sat cross-legged, with the bottle between his feet, gazing across into the dark beyond. Next to him, Rico was stretched out, leaning back on his hands. Sonny was lying on his front, his arms crossed on Rico's thigh, his chin on his hands.

In a moment of quiet, Stan took in his friends, the way they were sitting, the ease with which they touched. "You two look good together," he finally announced, only slightly slurring his words.
Sonny and Rico glanced at one another. "Thanks, Stan," was Sonny's only reply.
"No, you do. Really. It's like... like you were made for one another."
Rico smiled, and transferring all his weight to one hand, he brought the other one forward to ruffle his partner's hair. "He's cute, ain't he?" He teased. Sonny frowned, and pinched Rico's knee with the closest hand to his leg. "Ow!"
Stan giggled. "Like a couple of kids sometimes."

*

Only the moonlight illuminated the cool room as Sonny closed the door behind them and locked it, leaning back against the hard wood. Rico, standing only inches in front of him, slid one palm silently down Sonny's bare arm, pressing it to the other's palm when he reached the hand, entwining their fingers firmly. "Tell me why you left this morning." He whisper sparked something dark and hot deep within Crockett's soul.
"I...."
"Tell me."
"I saw the... the dildo on the table. I thought...." He sighed. "I didn't know what to think."
Rico moved closer, putting his mouth close to Sonny's ear, making sure that their hands were still the only contact between them. "You thought I'd want to use it on you? Want you to use it on me." Sonny could only nod. "Did that scare you?"
"Yes." That usually confident voice was quiet now, shaky.
"Why?" Rico's tongue flicked out, tracing the line of Sonny's ear before it was gone again. "Why?"
"I..." Sonny's heart was pounding in his chest. Why was this making him so crazy? "I've never done anything like that. Never wanted to."
"Why does it scare you?" Each word was punctuated by a feather-light kiss against his neck. Sonny shivered.
"I don't want that." Yet even as he said it and he could feel Rico's mouth on his throat, he wondered if it was the absolute truth. There were no more questions, and something about that upset Sonny. Rico was deftly making his way down his throat, his tongue dipping into the neckline of Sonny's T-shirt. Sonny brought his free hand up to Rico's waist and gripped him. "Rico... wait."

Immediately, Tubbs pulled back, not releasing his partner's hand, but obeying his request. He wanted Sonny to know - in his heart and in his mind - that he would always stop if things crossed whatever lines might lay ahead. "What's wrong, Sonny?"
The expressive face was filled with confusion. "I... I don't know what I want anymore." Rico felt his hand being squeezed, and he returned the gesture. "I've never done... that. I've never wanted to."
"We're not going to do anything we don't want to do."
"But.... Have you?"
Rico smiled. "I'll tell you in a minute." He stepped back, breaking the contact, and stripped off his shirt and pants, slowly, watching Sonny's eyes watching him. Finally, Crockett moved, pulling his own t-shirt over his head and unfastening his pants, stepping out of them when they pooled to the tiled floor. Rico settled back on the futon, lying on his side, beckoning to his partner to join him, and when he did, rolling him, so that Sonny's back was to Rico's front. Rico supported his own head on his arm, leaning on his elbow. His other hand stroked up and down Sonny's side.

"When I was in New York, I used to go to this late-night club - El Tara's. One night, I met this woman. She was exquisite, dressed all in soft black leather. She came on to me, and I was powerless to resist. I went back with her to her place." Rico traced his fingertips over Sonny's hip, moving down to the small of his back. "We started making love, slow, taking our time with each other. Finally, I was on top, sliding all the way inside. She leaned over and took something small and black from the bedside." Rico's large hand cupped Sonny's buttock, squeezing. "I didn't know it then, but it was a small, slim dildo. Handbag-sized. First thing I knew about it, she was touching me, rimming my anus with her finger. I was too crazy by then." He slipped his index finger slowly into the crack between Sonny's firm, perfect buttocks, feeling and hearing his partner's low moan. "She slid that thing all the way inside me, as deep as it would go, just deep enough. It was thin, smooth enough not to hurt too much once I'd opened for it. As she moved it around inside me, I could feel something amazing, like she was touching a pleasure spot I hadn't found before." Rico swapped his index finger for his thumb, moving down until he was just above Sonny's anus. He kissed his partner's shoulder. "Then she switched it on. I saw stars. That thing caressed my prostate until it was all I could do to keep breathing." He continued downwards with his thumb, brushing over the tight ring but not stopping until he was pressing gently into the spot just behind Sonny's testicles. "I came harder than I'd ever come before. God, it was fantastic."
Sonny's voice came over roughly. "Did it hurt?"
Rico nodded, his mouth against Sonny's neck. "Yeah. When she put it in, whenever it moved. All the time. But after a while it was pleasure laced with pain, instead of being the other way around."
Sonny lifted his leg as Rico's hand slipped between his thighs to take hold of his cock. He groaned deep in his throat. "I dunno, man."

Rico said nothing. He sat up, turning himself and rolling Sonny so that his partner's rock-hard erection could slip easy into his mouth. He felt himself engulfed by Sonny's wet heat, felt that wicked tongue playing against his sensitive head. It wouldn't take long, despite the drink, Sonny turned him on too damned much.

Crockett's tortured mind exploded when Rico swallowed down on him. The sensations of his partner's throat muscles working his cock were too much. He cried and bucked, his hands grasped Rico's leg and ass, holding him in place while he sucked hard on the huge shaft in his own mouth and throat. He brought one hand around, wetting the base of the cock - the part he couldn't get in - and playing it, squeezing it with his fingers. Rico was moaning now, the vibrations making the blow-job even better, better than those in any of Sonny's fantasies. Without really thinking, the hand on Rico's ass slipped down, fingers working their way into his crack, searching mindlessly for the entrance to this beautiful body. Soon, Sonny's index finger was sitting against the tight ring, touching it, pushing it, pleading to be given entrance.

Rico yelled hard as his body succumbed to the invasion and Sonny's fingertip slipped inside. The simple fact that it was Sonny, his friend and partner, his gorgeous, devastating lover, was all Rico needed. He came hard, biting down on his scream of insanity as his mind and body went nuts. Sonny swallowed it all, pushing his finger deeper, feeling Rico's muscles spasming around it - trying to expel him while only managing to pull him in further. In a moment of heated desire he imagined his cock being pummelled by those strong muscles, imagined feeling that slick channel tight around him, pushing, thrusting deep into his partner's body as Rico squeezed and thrashed below him. Sonny came violently, jets of thick fluid hitting the back of Rico's throat again and again. At the moment it had hit, Rico had reached down and pushed on the back of Sonny's head, forcing him further onto his softening cock, choking the screams from his throat. Sonny could only feel the intensity of the pleasure pulsing through him.

They released one another slowly, separating carefully, each silently checking the other wasn't hurting. Sonny collapsed onto his back, panting for breath. Rico managed to crawl up to fall half on, half off him, feeling the sweat running over both of them. Neither spoke. Within minutes, despite the stickiness of them both, they were asleep, Rico's head pillowed on Sonny's chest.

*

Upstairs, Martin rolled in his own bed, a smile on his face. They were good for one another. He only hoped Stan had drunk enough to sleep through the chaos of their love-making.

*

Sonny and Rico woke together. The room was still cool, but their bodies were locked together, generating more heat. "Is there a shower around here?" Rico muttered, reluctantly shifting.
"Better. There's a warm drop-pool in the sauna." Sonny grabbed his shirt and pants and pulled them on. Rico was staring at him from the bed.
"Sauna? How do you know?"
"Cause I've been here before."
Rico relented, getting up and grabbing his clothes. "Me too," he grouched, "but I didn't know there was a sauna!"

Sonny flicked on the low lights. The sauna was joined onto the side of the house; a wooden A-frame construction with steam room, Jacuzzi and warm and cold dip pools. Sonny stripped once more and lowered himself down, admiring his lover as he followed. Sitting back against the side, opposite one another, Rico watched the water play against Sonny's deeply tanned chest. Sonny thought he'd left his partner wondering for long enough.
"After the I came out of hospital, once they'd decided the blood clot wasn't life-threatening, I stayed here for a few days. Marty was great, supportive," Sonny smiled, "he wasn't here most of the time. I tried to relax, tried to recover some of the balance I'd lost."
Rico was looking down into the water. "You could have come to me."
Sonny immediately reached out, finding his partner's hand and taking in it his own. "I couldn't. You didn't trust me. You were right not to, after what I'd done. I knew - I hoped - it would just take time. Marty... knew about the blood clot. I think he was feeling guilty, about not bringing me in earlier, about letting it all play out so long. He listened on the very rare occasions I talked. Otherwise, he was just there. And this was somewhere away from it all, somewhere no one would ever find me."
Rico breathed out slowly, letting his head fall back against the smooth marble surround. He still clasped Sonny's hand, hanging on, it felt, for dear life. "He's a good man, a good friend."

For a long time they just floated there, letting the warmth of the water soothe their wonderfully aching muscles.
"This has been one crazy week, Sonny." Rico murmured, speaking though not wanting to break the mood. "I think I've discovered more true friends this week than in the whole time I've been here."
Another silence stretched between them, then, "Do you ever get homesick, Rico? Ever yearn for the Bronx?"
Rico moved his head lazily from side to side. "I used to. Not now. Miami feels like my home. I've got no plans to leave."

The mood remained lazy. They hauled themselves out of the water half an hour later, dressed simply to cross through the sleeping house, and stripped in the den, crawling into bed together and falling asleep almost immediately.

*

Monday mornings had never been one of Sonny's fortes, but he did feel that three am was beyond a joke. Having been rousted out of bed at two thirty, after not leaving Rico's until after midnight, after only getting a couple of hours sleep the night before.... The blond detective was lying across Stan's desk, legs dangling, when his partner finally dragged himself in. Rico saw Sonny and smiled to himself. After all the persuasion it had taken to get the man to go home in the earlier hours of this morning and get some sleep, they end up being called into work anyway.
"What kinda time is this?" he grouched as he made his way to the coffee machine. It had been set on 'strong'.

Sonny sat up slightly. He'd known Rico was here before he'd started talking, but hearing the warm tones under the deliberately grumpy voice made him just want to make eye contact. Without being asked, Rico fixed him a coffee and handed it to him as he sat down in Stan's chair. "So what's goin' on that's so important we had to come at..."
"IAD raided Henk Clifford's apartment tonight after a tip-off." Castillo stepped out of his office. "They found explosives - the same type that was used to blow up the Scarab. They also found several fire-arms including a high-powered long-range rifle and a 9mm semi-automatic. They didn't find him."
Sonny rolled his eyes. "Come on, Lieutenant, you didn't bring us in for that."
Castillo met Crockett's eyes with a challenging gaze, holding it for a moment before looking away. "They found surveillance photos." He looked up again at his senior detective. "Of you."

Sonny could feel all eyes on him. He groaned in protest. "Don't do this to me, Marty! You know I won't hide from this."
"You were lucky on the Scarab."
"I've always been lucky. That's why I'm still breathing."
Castillo stared at him. They all knew how this was going to go; Sonny wouldn't stay in a safe-house. Not without a reason. He sighed softly. "Captain Glade will be here shortly. He wants to talk to you all."
Sonny lay back down on the desk. "He should sleep during the night."

*

"That was so much fun." Stan's voice dripped sarcasm. They all pulled up plastic chairs outside the Linden Early Morning Stop, Sonny turning his and straddled it, folding his arms across the back and laying his head down.
When a too-cheerful waitress approached them, he muttered, "Coffee. Lots."
She wrote that down, smiling. "Anything else?"
They ordered various hot and cold foods, Tubbs going for something healthy when Sonny joined Stan in ordering bacon and egg bagels with lots of ketchup. Rico often marvelled at the swings in Sonny's diet.
Gina and Trudy both leaned back in their chairs and closed their eyes. Under the table, Rico's leg touched Sonny's - a gesture they'd always used. He opened his eyes and smiled warmly at his partner. "I'm okay." Rico nodded, like he didn't believe it.

Glade had run each of them through the mangle tonight. Starting with the ladies, one at once, he'd taken them into the conference room and questioned them behind closed blinds. Did they know Henk Clifford? If so, when? How? How well? When was the last time they'd seen him? Had he ever spoken to them about Hagavich? When it had been Sonny's turn, Castillo had insisted that Rico be present. Glade had argued that he'd already spoken to the New Yorker, but Castillo refused to back down. Sonny had been angry at first. When Glade had started asking about Burnett, he'd been more than thankful for his partner's calm, reassuring presence.

They were all expected back in two hours. Captain Rolando Jordon, from Fort Lauderdale homicide, was on his way down to fill them in on the history of his two rogue ex-detectives. He was an old friend of Rico's, a man who had helped him when he'd gone in search of Manolo, looking for revenge.

The coffee arrived, six mugs full. That's why Sonny liked this place - no plastic cups. Full size mugs of strong black coffee that could get you through a whole morning's paperwork without a single yawn. Sonny reached across to pick up his mug and glanced around the table. At last these people were becoming a family once again.

The day was going to be a hot one. Already the early morning sun was warming the streets. Sammy rubbed his eyes. "Does this happen often?"
They all knew what he was talking about. He'd been with someone - they'd guessed - when the Lieutenant had phoned him. He'd come in more than a little pissed off. Hell, Sammy didn't even understand what was happening. He hadn't been around when first the trauma of losing Sonny hit the unit, and then the worse news, that he was alive, that he was working for Manolo. And then Carrera. Moving upwards through the organisation faster than anyone could have imagined.

They headed back to base in two cars - the ladies with Sonny and Rico in the Caddy, and Stan and Sammy in Stan's new, departmental issue Pontiac Firebird. The car had been impounded after a shoot out at a club. It had been clean of drugs, and the OCB department had been offered it. Stan fell in love the moment he saw it. Castillo handed him the keys willingly. It was a deep, night-sky blue, sleek yet more masculine than Sonny's beloved Ferrari, Stan had proudly announced before Sonny had beaten him off eight successive sets of lights.

As they drove, Sammy played the plastic drink stirrer he'd taken from the cafe through his fingers. "What happened with Sonny and this guy Clifford?" Stan let out a deep breath, shaking his head slowly. Sammy looked at him. "I've heard rumours that Crockett shot this guy's partner."
Stan sighed. But he started to talk. "About... eighteen months ago, Sonny went undercover on a... fishing trip. He'd brought two rivals together for our good. One of the guys sabotaged the boat and blew it up. There was no surveillance. If there had been.... There wasn't. We all thought Sonny'd been killed. Rico... went to pieces. He didn't want to know.
"A couple of weeks later, we became aware of something odd happening in Fort Lauderdale. Rico was already up there - after revenge for Sonny's life. Sonny was alive, and well, and working for a guy named Manolo. Rico tried to get in on the inside, but Sonny shot him. Luckily he was wearing a vest. Sonny disappeared again, surfaced working in the Carrera organisation. Again, Rico tried to get in, again, Sonny almost murdered him." Stan turned the car onto the OCB parking lot. Killing the engine, he continued to gaze out of the windshield. "Finally, about three months after we lost him, there was an explosion in Lauderdale. A car bomb meant to take Sonny out. He was thrown - we think - he hit his head. He describes it like he slowly started to lose his short term memory - until he lost it all, the whole three months - and Crockett walked back into the squad room one afternoon." Stan swallowed hard. "We all pulled our weapons and he just stood there, looking at us."
Sammy was quiet for a moment. "What about Clifford?" Stan explained about Jimmy Hagavich. "So Sonny did shoot him."
"Hagavich knew Sonny was a cop. We think Manolo had sent Hagavich with Sonny to shoot him. Sonny was faster."
"He did the right thing for all the wrong reasons."

The Caddy swung into the lot, roof down, occupants laughing at some shared joke. "It must have taken a lot for Rico to trust again."
"It devastated them both. Sonny couldn't - and still can't - remember any of his time as Burnett. When Castillo told him that he'd shot Rico, he just looked up at us, with this terrible pain in his eyes.... It took time. But they had a lot to build on."
Ahead of them, Sonny hung back while Rico locked the car. They were about to walk in together when Sonny saw Stan and Sammy out of the corner of his eye. He waved at them, questioning.
"Sonny's one of the closest friends I have. He can be the gentlest, kindest person on the earth. He's put himself through more guilt and pain than anyone I've ever known. He's suffered enough."
Sammy reached out and squeezed his partner's arm. "Amen to that, Stan." Sweitek patted it thankfully, and they climbed out of the low car together.

*

Jordon was suspicious of Sonny Crockett from the start. But Ricardo Tubbs was a friend, and Rico couldn't have been more comfortable in Sonny's presence. The Lauderdale captain filled in the blanks as far as Clifford and Hagavich's careers went. It looked to be a full scale manhunt now. Homicide was supposed to be dealing with it, as was IAD. But IAD were useless investigators when it came to anything outside a friendly - or unfriendly - building. Homicide hated the thought they were hunting one of the own. But it was a member of the Vice OCB unit who was being threatened. And Vice were renown for protecting their own.

Finally, by lunch-time, they were all in the conference room, feet on the table, muttering about needing food. Crockett was asleep with his head on his arms on the table. Rico was close by, ever-present at the moment. Sammy and Stan were leaning against one another, back to back. Castillo was standing at the head of the long table, his mind working on the various possibilities.
"We're going to have to bring him out." His eyes fell on his sleeping detective. "If we use a safe house, Clifford could just wait. He's waited all this time."
Rico knew what was coming. It really was the only way. "Then where?"
"The boat. We'll have it swept for explosives. We can cover from all angles. You and Sonny sit it out, backup and surveillance around the clock." Rico rolled his eyes. He thought he saw the sympathy and understanding in his boss's eyes. Yeah, Castillo knew exactly what was between he and Sonny. He found that comforting. "We'll leave in an hour, I'll get a sweeper out."
"Duddy," Rico told him. "Sonny's using Duddy to sweep the boat." It was Castillo's turn to roll his eyes.
"Fine. Get him to meet you and Sonny out there. We'll set up surveillance."

The room cleared. Rico tapped Sonny's arm firmly. "Wakey wakey, sleeping beauty." Sonny opened his eyes slowly. "We're up."
"Doing?"
"Playing targets on your boat under the watchful eyes of Dade county vice." Sonny took this in.
"Audio?"
"Luckily, no. Just visual."
Sonny frowned. "That's bad enough."
"Yeah."
They stared at one another for a while before Sonny broke the intense moment. "Let's get this over with."

*

Sonny appeared in the galley entrance, glancing up at the bell tower where he knew a SWAT team sniper was holed up. He remembered Lou Rodriguez, taking a bullet fired from that tower meant for Crockett. Even now he could feel that heavy body on top of him, pumping blood into Sonny's shirt. He shivered.

Up on deck, Rico turned from the ocean. "You check in?" In the galley below there was a walkie-talkie, and both were wearing almost-invisible wires provided by Steve Duddy. Sonny and Steve had become strangely close the past couple of years. With almost nothing in common, the surveillance specialist and the vice detective would go to ball games together and meet for drinks in various bars and clubs.

Sonny nodded. "They're all in place. Gina and Trudy and doing the day shift, Sammy and Stan take over tonight."
Rico gazed at his partner. "I hate this."
Sonny could only agree. He pulled his fishing rod up from below deck and baited it. They spent the afternoon sitting quietly, waiting. Sonny fished, catching nothing in the marina, but enjoying just sitting. Rico read one of the books he had rescued from his partner's limited collection; 'Imagica' by Clive Barker. He had thought it a strange book for Sonny to have, Sonny couldn't even remember where it had come from.

Through the marina there were several SWAT team members scattered; their swap time was six this evening. Gina and Trudy were sitting in a nearby sloop, below decks, keeping an eye on the 'St. Vitus' and on the rest of the marina. Their swap time with Stan and Trudy would be masked by various happenings; a delivery of food to one boat, the arrival of the new owners of the yacht moored next to Crockett's.

Rico and Sonny took delivery of two bags of Chinese food around seven pm, and ate as they sat on top of the galley. "How long do we do this for?" Sonny discretely questioned Stan as they came on duty.
Over the tiny transmitter in his ear, Stan's voice came as clear as if he were standing beside him. "Not enjoying this little holiday, Sonny?"
"Yeah, right."
"Don't worry, Clifford'll show, and then you can go back to entertaining the ladies."
Rico smiled, overhearing the whole conversation through his own ear-piece. Sonny switched off the transmitter and continued to eat. It was odd how self-conscious they were now they were under the watchful gaze of their unit. They weren't even sure how much Stan had heard that night at Marty's.

*

The sun set behind the city. Rico and Sonny went below deck to try for a little privacy. They played cards, avoiding any subject that might be overheard. Around eleven they decided to try to get some sleep. With one longing glance between them, Rico went into the twin cabin at the back of the boat, Sonny collapsed into his own king-size bed.

Sonny turned, his head at the foot of the bed, lying on his stomach. A sound in the galley had woken him. Rico was standing in the narrow corridor at the other end of the galley. Sonny smiled. "If you come across they'll see it. Stan's equipment's trained on that window." He pointed to the one in the hull above the table.
"Then we'll make sure they don't."
Rico crouched down, moved onto his stomach, and shuffled across the galley floor. Watching in disbelief, Sonny couldn't help but laugh. "What are you doing?"
"Coming to you." Rico traversed the galley, standing only when he got to the cabin. Sonny rolled onto his back, open arms welcoming Rico to bed. Their mouths met in a fierce kiss of separation. Rico pressed the length of his body to Sonny's, entwining their legs.

"Who'd have thought it?"
Both men started, looking up at the man standing in the door of the cabin. Henk Clifford waved the .32 Magnum in their general direction. They sat up, and Henk threw Sonny his pants. He looked around the floor, picking up a pair of sweat pants and handing them to Rico. "I can't do this when you're both naked."
Sonny leaned back against the hull. "Do what?"
Clifford ignored him, sitting up on the small dresser opposite the bed. "Neat set up with all the cops outside. Pity they were too late. I've been on this boat since you left this morning."
Sonny suddenly wished they'd allowed audio surveillance anyway. it wasn't like and Rico had been confident enough to really talk. "What do you want, Clifford?"
"Not what you think." He indicated them both with the gun. "How long have you two....?"
"None of your business," Rico came back quickly.
Clifford shook his head, looking down at the dark floor. "Jimmy and I.... We were that close." Sonny watched the change in the man's attitude. He was a very different man than the one who'd faced him off in the hotel and OCB's squad room. "You shot my lover." Henk's eyes sparkled with sudden anger, and then it was gone. "I just want to talk with you."
Rico glanced at Sonny. He could feel the tension rise suddenly. "If it's... about Burnett, I honestly can't remember anything about that time. I... sometimes wish I could. Sometimes I don't."
Henk's eyes flashed again. "You have to remember!" He jumped down off the dresser, coming up close to the bed. "You shot my partner in cold blood! How can you not remember the expression on his face? The blood?"
Rico shifted, trying to put himself between the other two. The Magnum came up in his face. Sonny held up his hand. "I... I shot my own partner during that time too. I don't remember it. I don't remember any of it."
Clifford was staring at Sonny now, hate, tempered by a little understanding, playing in his eyes. He looked at Tubbs. "You've forgiven him?"
"Nothing to forgive, man." Rico's answer was quick and steady. Sonny knew it was a lie.
"Well, I don't know if I can forgive you." He stepped back, leaning against the dresser. "I don't know if... if I can forgive myself." Rico and Sonny glanced at one another. "I knew. I mean, you don't work and sleep with a guy for two years and not know that he's on the take. I never said anything. He got deeper, and it became impossible for him to pull out." Clifford shook his head. "I really think he liked it there."
There was a long silence, Sonny and Rico becoming more restless. It was getting difficult to know how this was going to end. "What do you want from me, Clifford?"

An odd expression crossed Henk's face. He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out an envelope, long and white. He tossed it onto the dresser behind him. Both detectives looked at it. "That's a letter, absolving you both of any responsibility."
Rico glanced at it. "For what?"
From another pocket, Clifford produced another, small weapon. He held it in his other hand, and closing in he put the barrel to Rico's head. This change in mood shocked them both, Sonny's eyes going wide. But Clifford was as calm now as he had been at the start. "It's okay, I've no plans to hurt either of you." He looked at Sonny. "Give me your hands."
"What are you doing?" Rico was impressed at the steady tone of his partner's voice.
"Give me your hands." Sonny put both hands forward. Clifford spun the Magnum in his fingers and placed it into Sonny's right palm. He then closed both of the tanned hands over the handle of the weapon, tilting them until it was straight. He stepped forward, and lowered Sonny's hands until the Magnum was sitting against his own chest. Crockett lifted his eyes, meeting Clifford's now intense, serious gaze.
"What are you doing?"
"I've lived long enough without Jimmy. We were partners for eleven years, we were lovers for two." He still held Sonny's hands around the gun. "Could either of you live without one another?"

Rico opened his mouth to speak, and then realized he had no idea what he was going to say. Sonny hadn't even tried. Clifford was shaking his head, regarding them with a certain amount of sympathy. "Don't leave it to late, guys. It's difficult to tell someone how much they mean to you when they're dead."
He tightened his grip on Sonny's hand, and then lightened it, falling into a simple stroking rhythm. Sonny's own hold on the gun tightened involuntarily. "That's right, Detective. I promise you both, the letter will clear you."
Sonny swallowed. "I can't." When he looked up, his eyes were glistening. "I've... killed too many already."
"You have to do this." Clifford's voice was quiet, calm, almost caressing. "I want to go the same way as Jimmy. I want it to be you."
Sonny shook his head. "Please...."
To the side, Clifford took the safety off the smaller pistol pressed into the side of Rico's head. he continued to stroke Sonny's hand with his thumb. "Pull the trigger, Sonny. Pull it, or I will kill your partner, then you, then myself. I'm not walking out of here alive, Crockett, so why should we all die?"

Sonny shook his head, tears starting to slide down his face. "I can't!" His hands began to shake, his vision blurring. "Please!"
"Hey, hey," Clifford soothed him. "It's going to be all right. All you have to do is pull the trigger. Just tighten your index finger, that's all. It'll be over in a second."
Rico watched Sonny, worried more about his partner than about himself. Crockett was still moving his head from side to side, blinking the moisture from his eyes. Suddenly, he started as if an electric shock had hit him. Clifford's eyes also registered a little concern. "Detective Crockett, stay with me now. Come on." The level command seemed to bring Sonny back from where ever his mind had tipped out to. "Come on, Sonny."
"I can't." There was a rough edge to Sonny's voice, like he really couldn't do this for whatever reason.
"You don't have a choice, detective. I planted the bomb on the Scarab. That's attempted murder of two police officers. IAD are tearing my career - my future - to shreds. I'll never get back what I had. If I could, without Jimmy... I really wouldn't want it."
Sonny listened to it all. He shook his head. "Don't ask me to." His voice faltered. "I can't do this."
"You have to. It's the only way you can save your partner. You have to shoot me," he tightened his finger on the pistol trigger, and Rico closed his eyes. A millimetre more.... "You have to, or Rico dies." The finger tightened a little further, and Rico believed he heard the bullet being delivered into the barrel.

A single moment later, the sound of a gun shot ricocheted around the tiny cabin.

Stan dived for the radio. "Shots fired! Shots fired! Move in!!!"

Rico flinched, but a second passed and he knew he was still alive. He opened his eyes. Clifford was lying at their feet, blood pooling underneath him. The Magnum was swinging from Sonny's fingers. "Sonny?" Rico put his arm around his partner's shoulders, and reached to take the weapon from his hands. "It's okay, Sonny, it's over Partner."

Rico heard footsteps on deck. About a million cops descended onto the 'St. Vitus'. Stan and Sammy barrelled down the steps, guns out, hearts pounding. "Crockett! Tubbs!"
"Here, Stan." They stepped into the cabin, taking in the scene.
"You both okay?" Rico nodded. Stan looked across at Sonny. "Sure?"

Half an hour later, the coroner was having the body moved from Sonny's cabin. Castillo was getting an explanation from Rico, while the detective continuously glanced back at his partner, sitting with Stan at the other end of the deck.
"The letter clearly states that he forced Sonny to kill him by putting a gun to your head." Marty folded the paper and handed it to Sammy.
Rico signed in relief. "So IAD won't hang him for this one?"
"No. How is he?"
"I dunno. He... he seemed to zone out for a moment." Castillo looked at him as if to question Rico's sanity. "I know, under the circumstances and all that...."
"Gather some of his stuff, take him to your place. Take whatever time you need."

Marty knelt before Sonny, Stan leaving them alone. "Sonny?"
His detective looked up at him through glazed eyes. "Marty."
"You're going to stay at Rico's for a while." Sonny looked blankly at him. "We know what happened, Clifford's letter clears you."
"I'm fine, Marty."
Castillo waited, unsure if anything else was coming. Finally, Rico approached them, sports bag in one hand, Ferrari keys in the other. His Caddy was back at OCB. "Someone needs to feed Elvis."
"We'll take care of that, Lieutenant."
Sammy glanced at his partner. "Err, Stanley? That's a live alligator." Stan waved him down.
"Thanks Stan." Rico dropped a hand to Sonny's shoulder. "Come on, Partner."

Sonny glanced at Marty before he stood up. "There was nothin' I could do. I couldn't let him hurt Rico."
"I know, Sonny. You did the right thing." Marty patted his arm. "I'll come round tomorrow." Sonny nodded, and let himself be led away from the horror.

*****

Chapter Four
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