I wanna give you something better
Than anything you've ever had
A stronger and a faster lover
The world, it disappears so fast

-Kiwi by Maroon 5-

"Come over for dinner tonight."

Blaine was hesitant. He had avoided Jace all week, claiming to be too busy for lunch and too tired for dinner. He wanted to get his attraction to Jace, out of his system. He still believed nothing could happen between them, but he needed to get over his desire for something to happen. That desire was dangerous.

"I'm really tired. It's been a long week."

"All the more reason for you to come over. We can have dinner and relax. We don't even have to go out for dessert. I'll have Frances pick up the cupcakes you like."

"Jace, you're 21 years old. Why do you have a chef?"

Jace laughed. "He's not my chef. He's my parent's. He cooks for them when they're in town. I only have him cook for me when you're coming over. The only thing I can cook is grilled cheese."

Jace was so damn spoiled, but Blaine was grateful for Frances. It had only taken three weeks for Blaine to run out of the meals Kurt froze for him. Before meeting Jace, he was living on carry out and peanut butter and jelly.

"Come on. Come over tonight. Tell me what you want for dinner and I'll have Frances make it."

"Can we have steak?"

"Absolutely. Anything you want, Blaine. Anything you want."

Blaine agreed to dinner at 7:00 pm. He hung up the phone and sighed. He just had to make it through another week. In another week, Kurt would be home and everything would be fine.

Blaine arrived at Jace's at exactly 7:00 pm. He had been there enough times, that the doorman didn't bother with the interrogation. Blaine just walked in. After a few visits, he realized he didn't have to push the button for the elevator or push Jace's floor number. The elevator doors automatically opened when he approached and the elevator immediately took him to the 22nd floor. The door to Jace's condo automatically opened, just like O's. Blaine wondered how the darkness did that. He had tested it other places, but it didn't work. He couldn't even get the door to his building to do it for him. Why was that?

While Blaine and Jace had discussed how they each received their darkness, they had never discussed their actual abilities. Blaine wondered about Jace's power. Could he cause pain? Could he force people to tell him the truth? Could he control people? Blaine decided he would ask him tonight. Maybe Jace could do more than him. Blaine would love to learn new powers.

"Jace?"

"Hello handsome."

Blaine turned around.

Damn.

What the hell had Jace been doing this week? His skin was darker than usual. His green eyes were bright, but turning three shades deeper as they filled with lust for Blaine. His hair was in a messy, spiky style. Blaine felt turned on and...jealous.

"You've been screwing someone."

Jace smiled. "Is it that obvious?"

"Yes. Your skin is darker."

Jace nodded. "A guy named Alex. I met him at the coffee shop. His friend couldn't take his eyes off of me, but Alex was more my type."

"What type is that?"

"Pretty. Nice skin. A naturally submissive nature."

Blaine eyed him critically. "How much did you screw him? You look like you've been in the sun for a month."

"I met him on Monday and fucked him hard, every night this week. He was very disappointed I wasn't available tonight, but I wanted to see you."

As they walked into the dining room, Blaine was drowning in jealousy. He'd kill someone to have sex with Kurt right now. He couldn't wait for Kurt to come home. Blaine was seriously thinking about not letting him go back to Paris. He knew Kurt would feel hurt, disappointed and betrayed, but Blaine didn't care. It had been almost two months and Blaine felt like a shell of his former self. It wasn't his fault the darkness needed to be fed through sex. That's just the way it was, and feeding him was Kurt's job. Kurt was supposed to take care of him. Blaine never should have allowed him to leave. He couldn't wait for him to get home. He was going to fuck Kurt the moment he stepped off the plane. Was it possible to have sex at the airport? That could be interesting...

"Blaine? Blaine? Handsome, wake up."

Blaine blinked and looked at Jace who was looking at him with an amused smile on his face.

"I've been talking to you for five minutes, and I don't think you've heard a word I said. What are you daydreaming about?"

"Screwing Kurt."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He's coming home in two weeks."

"Oh. Well, that's good. You do look awfully pale."

Blaine winced. It was one thing for him to notice. Having Jace notice, bothered him.

"Blaine, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"The guy who gave the party last weekend, Tyler. You've slept with him before, right?"

Blaine looked at him in surprise. How had he figured that out?

"Yes. Back in high school. He was my first."

Jace nodded.

"How did you know that?"

"It's obvious."

"How?"

"He still has a thing for you. When we screw other people, the darkness leaves...a signature, a sign that we were there. On certain people, it leaves a small enslavement tag, just in case you want to make them your slave. Tyler has an enslavement tag for you. You could go to him at any time and make him your slave in seconds."

Blaine sat there with his mouth open. What?

"But, Tyler wasn't a virgin when I slept with him. And, I didn't have the darkness then. I was only like, 15."

"It doesn't matter. The darkness was always in you. It just doesn't wake up until you turn 16. And remember, while the darkness prefers a virgin, it will accept someone else if you choose a person who can be trained."

Blaine felt guilty. He didn't like the idea of Tyler being enslaved to him in any way. It seemed unfair.

"How do you know he has this...enslavement tag?"

"I could sense it because I was wondering if he would make a good slave for me. He's really attractive and seems sweet and naturally submissive. Willing and wanting to please, sexually. I like that."

Blaine frowned. Would he want to see Tyler enslaved to Jace? He wasn't sure how he felt about that. Something in Blaine always felt protective of Tyler. Oh. Of course he would feel that way.

"Well, he has a boyfriend and he lives in D.C., so it probably wouldn't work out."

Jace shrugged. "It was just a thought."

They finished dinner and Jace watched Blaine eat two cupcakes. Blaine's mouth was so lovely. He had the nicest lips.

They moved to the living room. Jace stared into Blaine's eyes. "What would you like to do tonight?"

"Tell me about your darkness. What kind of powers do you have?"

Jace looked a little surprised by the question.

"Well, I can make people tell me the truth. I can plant ideas in people's minds. Control their thoughts." Blaine nodded. Okay. They were on the same page. "I can do all that."

Blaine looked at him. Should he ask?

Jace beat him to it.

"Can you torture people?"

Blaine hesitated before answering.

"Yes. Can you?" Jace nodded.

Blaine was intrigued. "Have you actually done it?"

"Yes. An asshole who went to school with me. I went to a private school with a no harassment policy, but it was bullshit. The faculty didn't really care. As long as parents were writing checks, they weren't going to suspend anyone. There was this asshole named Doug Cramer. A real fucking tool. Used to beat my ass everyday, all during freshman and sophomore year. When the darkness arrived, and I figured it out, I cornered him one day after school. I took two years worth of frustration out on him. It felt so damn good. He never touched me again. Hell, he never looked at me again. He actually had a nervous breakdown and dropped out of school. Stupid bastard. But, he deserved it. Torturing him was delicious."

Blaine nodded. He understood the feeling. He thought of how he tortured his father and Warren. Dark style revenge was awesome.

Blaine wondered if Jace had ever killed someone. He decided not to ask. Too risky.

"Do you ever release your darkness completely?"

Blaine was shocked by the question."No. Never. Only when absolutely necessary."

Jace arched an eyebrow. "Really? I release mine all the time."

Blaine looked at him in confusion. "What? How? Isn't that dangerous? Why would you release it all the time?"

"I play with it."

"Aren't you scared it will...get away from you? Grow too strong and not come back?"

Jace felt envious. Blaine had just confirmed what Jace had already guessed. Blaine's darkness was stronger than his. Darker and far more powerful. Jace had felt it since he'd first laid eyes on him. Despite being sex starved, Blaine's darkness was still pulsating and simmering. Jace could feel it. Blaine had no idea of just how powerful he was. Jace didn't plan to mention it.

"My darkness...doesn't work like that. I just keep my strength level balanced and even." He couldn't bring himself to admit, out loud that Blaine's darkness was stronger.

Blaine could barely sit still. He was beyond curious.

"Can I see you do it?"

"What? Release it completely?"

"Yes."

"Sure."

Jace stood up and walked to the center of the room. He closed his eyes, threw his head back and concentrated. Blaine couldn't help but notice how god-dammed sexy he looked.

Suddenly, an electric sensation filled the room. Blaine closed his eyes and felt it rippling over him. He gasped.

It was sexual.

Holy fuck.

Blaine started breathing hard. He actually moaned as Jace's darkness wrapped around him in curiosity, checking him out.

Jace walked over to Blaine and pulled him off the couch. They stood facing each other. Eyes closed, holding hands.

The darkness swirled around them. It felt like a fast, warm, gentle wind, but the electric undercurrent created a strong sexual sensation. Blaine was breathing hard as the sensation and electricity flowed around him. The feeling, coupled with Jace's scent, overloaded his senses. He felt his legs weaken and he crashed to the floor. He lay on his back, moaning and breathing hard. When he fell, Jace allowed himself to be pulled down with him. They lay side by side, holding hands. Blaine moaned and writhed around as the sensations floated over his body. He felt constantly trapped on the edge of an orgasm and not able to fall, but the sensation was warm and pleasurable.

Jace allowed the darkness to roam for a full 30 minutes. He knew Blaine was sexually starved. Jace was pushing him to the brink. Hoping he would finally break.

Jace finally took a deep breath and pulled his darkness back in. It settled inside him, peacefully. Jace opened his eyes and looked at Blaine.

Wow. So. Fucking. Gorgeous.

Blaine's eyes were closed and he was panting, as little rivers of sweat ran down the side of his face. He had a radiant, after sex glow. His body was slightly trembling. He finally opened his eyes and looked at Jace. His pupils were blown and he looked as if he had just had the world's greatest orgasm.

"Wow. That...that was...that was unbelievable."

"Thank you."

"How...why...my darkness doesn't do that."

Jace smiled. "I don't have a slave to preoccupy my time, so I've practiced. A lot. I let it go all the time."

"I've released mine completely, but it never acts that way."

"What were you doing when you released it?"

Oh...

The darkness probably wouldn't create a sexual feeling while murdering or attacking someone.

Blaine didn't say anything.

"Don't you ever release it completely when you screw your slave?"

"No. I release it, but I always keep a touch point. The only time it was completely free during sex, was when I fucked Kurt to possess him. The very first time I fucked him."

"You just need to practice letting it go completely in a safe environment." Jace hesitated, thinking for a minute. "Wanna try?"

Blaine was nervous. O said to never release it completely, unless absolutely necessary. Of course, he wasn't in the middle of a fight with someone. But, he was also worried about his strength. Blaine's darkness had become weaker than it had ever been. He didn't want to look weak in front of Jace.

But, it would be so cool if he could learn to create the same sensation for Kurt, that Jace had just created for him. Kurt would love it.

"Yes."

"Okay. Go ahead."

Blaine stood up. He relaxed his body and mind and closed his eyes. The darkness had been very quiet lately, but it immediately responded to Blaine. We aren't in danger, so just relax. When it realized he was going to free it completely, it became excited. It hadn't been completely free in five years.

Unlike Jace's smooth electric current, Blaine's darkness was strong and fast. It was used to being summoned to fight. It washed over Jace in a furious heat. Jace cried out a little from the intensity. Realizing he wasn't a threat, the darkness calmed down and started to roam around, buzzing through the air.

And then Jace released his darkness again.

The two forces crashed into each other. Blaine's darkness was apprehensive and defensive at first, but was quickly lulled into a peaceful state by the sexy, pleasant current, humming through the air.

Then a strange thing happened.

The darkness started to play with one another. Flowing together and winding around each other. As the strength of Blaine's darkness, and the sensuality of Jace's mixed, it created a powerfully strong, sexual intensity. Once again, Blaine fell to the floor as the sensation attacked him. This time, Jace fell on top of him. Blaine's arms automatically wrapped tightly around him.

For 20 minutes, they allowed their darkness to play. With each passing minute, their breathing grew faster and their sexual desire increased. They were both hard, and their cocks rubbed against one another, heightening the sexual intensity. Blaine sensed where this was going.

No. No. No. He couldn't do this to Kurt. He had to stop this. Things were getting out of control, despite their both being fully clothed. It was like they were having sex, through their darkness.

Blaine called the darkness back to him. It came reluctantly, but obediently. It liked its new friend. Once it was settled, Blaine pushed Jace off of him and jumped to his feet. Jace did the same. Blaine backed away from him. He couldn't be near him. The temptation was too strong.

He backed into a wall.

Jace was on him in seconds.

The kiss was full of want and pent-up desire. Passionate. Demanding. Needy.

It was the kiss from the dream.

Blaine was trapped by his desire and the intoxicating taste and smell of Jace. Jace deepened the kiss as he pressed his body closer into Blaine. Blaine moaned as he felt Jace's erection. It was about to break through his zipper. Jace broke the kiss and leaned back a fraction. His eyes were black, as were Blaine's. Jace's voice was full of lustful yearning, almost painfully sick with desire.

"Please Blaine? Please? I want you so, so bad. Please?"

Jace's anguished pleas went straight to Blaine's cock.

Blaine wanted him bad.

So fucking bad.

But, he loved Kurt so much. So damn much.

Blaine pushed Jace away. He headed towards the door.

"Blaine!" It was a cry filled with desperation and pleading.

Blaine stopped and turned around. Jace looked so hot and sexy, and desperately willing.

Blaine was dying.

Damn, he wanted him.

He really wanted to do it. Damn, did he want to. So fucking bad.

But he couldn't.

He had to get out of there.

"I'm sorry Jace...I can't. I just can't."

Blaine ran.

He ran all the way to the subway and didn't stop until he collapsed into a seat. He was breathing hard and sweating. He was so hard, his hand started to creep down to his cock before he remembered where he was. An older woman looked at him in disgust and changed seats.

When he got to his stop, he ran out of the subway and all the way to his loft. He burst inside and collapsed on the bed.

He gripped the sheets and moaned out loud.

"Please Kurt! Please come home!"

All day Saturday, Blaine ignored Jace's constant texts and phone calls. He didn't want to, but he was going to end his friendship with Jace. It was too dangerous and too impossible. It was dangerous because he wanted Jace. Bad. He wanted to fuck him until Jace called him master, but he didn't want to cheat on Kurt. It was impossible because they were physically incompatible. Who would bottom? The entire situation had disaster written all over it. They could not remain friends.

So, Blaine ignored Jace all day. Instead, he stayed on the phone with Kurt for hours. Kurt was in the mood to talk, so Blaine happily listened as Kurt told him about the crazy happenings at the design house. The drama queen supermodels, the fighting seamstresses, the bitchy designer. Blaine cleaned his apartment, washed dishes, made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch and folded laundry, all while listening to the sound of Kurt's voice. He told Kurt about the law firm happenings and walking in on Mike and Allison. He did not tell him about the Andrew Montiel case. He would never, ever tell Kurt about that.

After about two hours, Kurt started bemoaning the cost of their phone call.

"Blaine, we have been talking for over two hours. This is going to cost a lot of money."

"No it won't. Besides, who cares?"

"I just don't want you to spend a lot of money."

"Kurt, I'm getting paid a small fortune this summer! Why are you all of a sudden worried about money? I don't care how much it costs to talk to you, or for you to fly home. It's worth every penny. What's with the new fascination about spending money? You never cared before."

Kurt was quiet for a moment.

"I want a wedding."

"I know that, Kurt. And, we are going to have a wedding. I've been saving the internship money for the wedding."

"But...I want...a big wedding. Like a...really big, beautiful, everything I've ever dreamed of wedding."

"And you will get it, beautiful. I promise. Any and everything you want."

"It will cost a lot of money, Blaine. I want certain flowers and a string quartet and I've already started designing my wedding dress and your suit and I know what type of cake I want and...it's going to cost money. A lot of money."

"And, I will pay for it. I've been saving my internship money and some of my monthly allowance money and I plan to use my family's money. My dad may hate me, but I'm still an Anderson. It will be fine, Kurt. You will get your dream wedding."

"But Blaine...what if your dad cuts you off?"

"He has to support me until I'm done with law school."

"But...what if he hears about the wedding and decides to cut you off?"

"He won't. He has to take care of me until I finish law school. That's the deal. I'm sure he will cut me off the minute I finish, but he can't stop paying before then." The fucker wouldn't dare. Of course, Blaine would welcome the chance to travel to Ohio to torture him again.

"Don't worry, beautiful. I promise. You will have the wedding of your dreams. I'm just glad I get to be the man you marry. I love you so much, Kurt. I can't wait to be your husband. I promise, I will be a good husband and provider for you. You will have everything you want, Kurt. Everything."

Kurt smiled. "I know you will be a good husband and provider, but so will I, Blaine. May I remind you that, fashion is expensive. I will be making plenty of money. Kurt Hummel designs will not be sold on the cheap. Or at K-Mart."

Blaine laughed. Kurt was so wonderful and adorable.

X-X-X-X-X

That night, Blaine called a few guys from his new social circle and arranged for them to meet for dinner. If he was going to cut Jace out of his life, he needed to start establishing relationships with them, separate from Jace. It was a fun evening. When it was time to leave, a guy named Rick, stopped him. He had been staring at Blaine all evening.

"Would you like to come to my place for a drink?"

Blaine smiled. Yeah. Right. A drink of what?

"Sorry. I'm engaged."

"Oh. Lucky guy."

Yes. Kurt needed to hurry up and get home. For good.

X-X-X-X-X

By Sunday afternoon, Blaine was in a dark mood. He had made the mistake of googling the Andrew Montiel case. The girl Andrew shot was a pretty 24 year old. His former girlfriend. Blaine read the articles about the case and stared at her picture. He read about her love of dogs and opera. She was a third grade teacher. There were quotes from her students about how much they loved being in Ms. Wilcox's class.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Did he really want to help this girl's murderer go free?

Blaine was angry. Angry at being put in this situation. This fucking sucked. But, he didn't feel like he had any choice. He wanted to prove himself to Mike. Prove that he was valuable. Prove that he would make a great lawyer.

But, was this being a great lawyer? Tampering with a witness to free a murderer? It felt like cheating.

So, what? Blaine was a murderer.

How was this any different than what he planned to do in corporate law? He would be cheating then, too. Why didn't that bother him?

He looked at the pictures of Andrew Montiel. He was handsome, but had very sad eyes. Did he regret killing Stephanie?

What the hell was his problem? Why did he care? Fuck. Everything about him was growing weak. No. He would not allow Kurt to return to Paris. This shit was getting ridiculous.

Blaine grabbed his gym bag and headed out. He needed to release his tension and stress. He planned to approach Alexis that week. He wouldn't be successful if he was full of doubt and apprehension. He needed to be at the top of his game.

He needed to fuck Kurt.

The thought just made him angrier. He headed to the gym.

X-X-X-X-X

Blaine smashed the ball against the wall for an hour straight. He had taken off his shirt and was just wearing shorts. Against the rules of the club, but he didn't care. Besides, no one was around to see him.

Or, so he thought.

After another 30 minutes, he started to slow down and not try to destroy the ball. Suddenly, the door opened.

Jace.

"What are you doing here? Are you a member here?"

"No, but I know the owner."

"What do you want?"

"I want to talk to you. Why have you been ignoring me?"

"You know why."

"No, I don't."

"Jace...don't bullshit with me. I don't know what the fuck you want, but you aren't getting it. I love Kurt. I'm not cheating on him with you."

"I'm sorry about the other night."

"Like hell you are."

"I mean it Blaine. I'm sorry. Things just got...a little out of control. I didn't know your darkness and mine would react like that. I'm sorry." Jace really did look sorry and he sounded as if he was truly surprised about how their darkness interacted.

Blaine studied him for a moment. Besides the fact that he was gorgeous and sexy, why was he so attracted to him? Was it just because Kurt wasn't here?

"Look Blaine. I don't want to lose our friendship. We should be friends. We have something unique and special in common. I never thought I would meet someone like me. I'm glad I found you."

"Why are we attracted to each other? Shouldn't two masters, repel one another or something?"

Jace shrugged. "I don't know. Power attracts power."

They stood there in silence.

"Is Kurt still coming home this weekend?"

Blaine smiled. He couldn't help it. The thought made him so happy.

"Yes."

"I know you will be busy all weekend, but if you can stop fucking his brains out for ten minutes, I'd like to meet him."

Blaine thought about it and nodded. That was a good idea. He could prove to Kurt that he and Jace were just friends and not screwing around. Never mind the shower, the dancing, the darkness playing...

"Okay. Maybe we'll do dinner Saturday night."

"Cool."

Blaine spent part of Monday and Tuesday, watching Alexis Young. She was a very plain, mousy girl who worked at the library during the day and at a grocery store, a few nights a week. Mike had warned him to be careful. The district attorney had wanted to put her in a safe house until the trial, but she and her family had refused. She needed to work. But, the district attorney wasn't stupid. There was an unmarked police car parked outside her home, 24 hours a day, and her father walked her to both of her jobs and back home in the evening.

The only chance Blaine would have to talk to her, would be during her lunch break. She usually ate at a diner on the corner.

One evening, Blaine went to the grocery store to check her out. He purposely hadn't shaved in two days. He rubbed his hands in his hair, allowing his curls to run riot. He put on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, glasses and a baseball hat. He picked up a few items and went through her line.

Her limp, brown hair was in need of deep conditioning and a haircut. Her skin could use a Kurt Hummel moisturizing lesson. Blaine couldn't help but think that the poor girl needed a full makeover by Kurt.

When it was his turn, he gave her his winning smile. She smiled shyly at him and quickly started ringing up his items. Wow. This guy was cute. So, so cute.

"Hello."

"Hi." Oh. My. God. He spoke to me!

"Your hair is very pretty."

Alexis's eyes grew wide and she turned 3 shades of red. She nervously touched her hair.

"Uh...um...th-thank you."

Blaine handed her a twenty dollar bill and accepted his change. He held her hand for a moment and smiled again.

"Bye."

"Uh. Bye." She could barely breathe.

That was the most attention a guy had ever paid her.

Blaine decided he wanted this over with, before Kurt came home. He didn't want to have to think about it anymore.

X-X-X-X-X

On Wednesday around 11:45 am, Blaine sat down at the counter in the diner with a cup of bad coffee and waited. She came in at 12:15. Blaine waited until she ordered before going over.

"Hello."

Alexis looked up and her eyes widened. Oh. Wow. Cute guy again.

"You work at the store around the corner, right?"

She couldn't speak. She just nodded.

"I'm Daniel. Can I sit down?"

Still couldn't speak. She nodded.

Blaine sat down and smiled at her. Her eyes widened further and turned dreamy.

"What's your name?"

"A-A-Alexis." Pull it together. Don't blow this. He's so cute. He's freaking gorgeous.

"Hi Alexis. Do you mind if I have lunch with you?"

"Uh...um...no." Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.

"Thanks. So, Alexis. Tell me about yourself. I want to know everything."

That tone.

Alexis forgot all the warnings from the district attorney about being careful of strangers who wanted to talk to her and avoiding potential reporters. No one was supposed to know who she was or her role in the case, but the Montiel family had connections. She had been told to be careful.

But, the guy sitting across from her was really cute. The first, really cute guy to talk to her. Ever.

Blaine smiled and listened as Alexis talked about her family. Her dad worked hard as a dishwasher and her mom was a housekeeper. Alexis was 19 and the oldest of three. Her little sister was a 16 year old whore, determined to sleep her way out of their neighborhood. Her brother was 10 and really smart. He might be the one to go to college, if he can get a scholarship. There was no money. Her family was poor. She liked working at the library, but not the grocery store. She did it for the money. To help her family.

As Blaine listened, he wondered why the Montiel's didn't just pay her off. But, the more he listened, the more he realized that she probably wouldn't accept the money. She was a nice, clean girl who wanted to do the right thing. She had morals.

What kind of morals did he have? Apparently, none.

Blaine decided to get it over with. He reached over and took her hands. She immediately stopped talking, shocked by the touch. She looked into his eyes.

Trapped.

"Alexis?"

"Yes?"

"Did you see a girl get shot in the park?"

"Yes."

"Did you see the boy who shot her?"

"Yes."

"What is his name?"

"The district attorney said his name is Andrew Montiel."

"Alexis, you did not see Andrew Montiel shoot that girl." Blaine pulled out a copy of Andrew's photo and held it up.

"Look at the picture, Alexis. This is not the boy you saw in the park that day. Do you understand? You did not see him in the park. He did not shoot that girl."

Alexis looked at the photo and nodded. Blaine put the photo away.

"Alexis, did you see who shot the girl in the park?"

Alexis slowly shook her head. "No. I didn't see who shot her."

"Did Andrew Montiel shoot her?"

Alexis shook her head. "No, he didn't."

Blaine took the photo of Andrew out again.

"Is this the person who shot the girl in the park?"

"No."

"Do you know who shot the girl in the park?"

"No."

"Alexis, you will not tell anyone about our conversation. We never spoke."

Alexis continued to stare into Blaine's eyes and nodded.

"Finish your lunch and go back to work. You didn't talk to anyone at lunch."

Blaine stood up and left.

Alexis finished lunch and walked back to the library.

The waitress behind the counter picked up the phone.

X-X-X-X-X

It was 3:00 pm by the time Blaine changed clothes and stopped for a haircut and shave before entering Huntel, Wellington and VanSant. He wanted to tell Mike about his meeting with Alexis. He also wanted to tell him he didn't want anymore assignments like this. Corporate law. Blaine waned to do corporate law. Not criminal.

"Hello Blaine. Come on in."

Blaine closed the door and sat down.

"Well?"

"It's done."

"Excellent. Did anyone see you?"

"Well, I had to do it at a diner. It's the only time she's alone."

Mike frowned. A public place. "Did anyone notice you talking to her?"

Blaine shrugged. He didn't really care. He hated this entire thing. "I don't know. I don't think so. Look, I don't want anymore assignments like this. I plan to go into corporate law, not criminal. Give me assignments in corporate."

Mike narrowed his eyes. "I'm trying to give you a full range of experience. Besides, attorneys work the cases they are assigned."

"Well, technically, I'm not an attorney yet."

"But, you do work for this firm."

"I'm an intern who will be leaving in a few weeks. I don't have to work here."

Mike sat back. Shit. He had moved too fast. The kid wasn't ready. He shouldn't have given him this case. But, he'd had no choice. He couldn't let the Montiel's down and he needed a way to cleanly take care of the witness. He looked at Blaine and felt a little scared. Blaine looked pissed. He didn't want him mad and he didn't want to lose him.

"I'm sorry, Blaine. I should have respected your interests. I apologize."

Blaine stood up. "Fine. Listen, my fiancee is coming into town. I'm leaving and I want Thursday, Friday and Monday off. I'll be back in on Tuesday."

"Of course. Not a problem. Thank you for your work today. I'm sure the Montiel's will want to thank you as well."

Sure. Whatever.

"Yeah. Okay. Bye Mike."

"Bye Blaine. Have a nice weekend."

Mike sat back and sighed deeply. Dammit. He shouldn't have pushed so fast. He'd ticked Blaine off and that wasn't good. Not good at all. Mike knew he was playing with fire. Blaine was powerful. And dangerous. Mike had read about James Anderson's campaign headquarters burning to the ground with his campaign manager inside. He had also read the article accusing James of child abuse and poor family values. Seriously? No one bothered to put the two together? What kind of country bumpkin police force operated in Westerville? It was obvious Blaine was behind the fire, and yet no one had ever suspected him. Those people were idiots.

Mike had to be careful. He wanted to make Blaine a partner. And he wanted a grandson, sired with that powerful seed Blaine was going to be shooting into his lover's ass this weekend. Ugh. Why on earth was the kid gay? Samantha had admitted that she was getting absolutely nowhere with him. He wasn't the slightest bit bi-sexual. Maybe Mike should just be honest and tell Blaine what he wanted. After all, it's not like he and his lover could have children. Samantha could be their surrogate and they could come up with some type of arrangement regarding the kid's future. As long as Samantha was the mother, there would be a link to the Huntel family. It could be the beginning of an incredile dynasty. A Huntel-Anderson darkness dynasty.

Maybe he would just come clean and talk to Blaine man to man. Perhaps Blaine would agree in exchange for a full partnership upon graduating from law school and the salary to go with it.

It couldn't hurt to ask. Could it?

And if he said no...

Well then Mike would just have to play hardball.