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DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Note : For those who haven't read my other story, "With Darkness Descending", it leads directly into this chapter, with the introduction of Trav and Triss to this story line. Might be an idea to catch up first, as everything goes down one path from here. Otherwise, things will get... confusing! :)

http://www.sofurry.com/browse/folder/stories?by=203588&folder=19416

THE GRYPHON COMPLEX. Chapter 12: Unexpected visitors .

Not everything went as smoothly as we'd hoped, of course. Life is never that easy.

My "incident" with Gunnard caused all sorts of repercussions, the least of which was some talk of assault charges being laid. At least until Tass reminded the assembly that, regardless of my place of birth, I was a designated diplomat for the Quorum, and that threatening me, as well as the son of one of their leaders; the same one that had been kidnapped and interrogated by the same individual; was paramount to an act of aggression against the Alliance. He also pointed out the fact that he could have had Mykos simply shoot the bastard, which would have given everyone present a great deal of satisfaction. As the grumbling subsided, the Krynn concluded with the point that Gunnard had made these threats in direct violation of the explicit wishes of the UN council, and that any further contact with him would result in our immediate withdrawal from the negotiations.

Needless to say, we were assured Gunnard was now "out of the equation", permanently.

More of concern to the UN was our unexpected and unappreciated public exhibition in the hotel rooms. Following the initial appearance of Pyre and I, pictures of the "bizarre creature" that had been seen in the UN building had flashed across the world media like wild fire, and speculation as to whether it was a hoax or not was keeping the news feeds buzzing. The second appearance, with the Krynn in attendance, caused the speculation to explode, and the front entrance to the UN building was crowded with media asking the question "Are they real?" of any and all approaching diplomats. Their "no comment" response did little to settle the stir, and the world was enthralled by the debate on "What was really going on in the UN?"

The delegates were suitably put out by the premature release of the information, and many of them voiced their displeasure extensively, until the level head of the Krynn again prevailed.

Cocking his head at the assembly members, he quipped "And what do you think we were going to do? Hide in the shadows till your perceived problem went away? While the timing was perhaps a bit premature, it was inevitable, and at least this way perhaps your people can become somewhat acclimatised to the news first."

One delegate stood and shouted angrily, "Who are you to talk? You were there waving with the rest of them!" to which Mykos replied in his deep, rumbling reply, "He's a Krynn. What do you expect? You should consider yourself fortunate he didn't drop his pants and flash his arse at the cameras. By the Gods, you people are prudish!"

The Krynn in question, ears flat, gave his colleague a nasty look, which was returned innocently, as several of the delegates began to laugh quietly.

The deliberations dragged on and on, days turning into weeks, as the leaders of the two worlds nutted out a basic draft agreement of peace and cooperation. The Krynn, especially, had a way about him that appealed to almost everybody, his infectious, happy personality ingratiating himself to even some of the most stalwart delegates. Sure, there were those who objected on principal if nothing else, but as they found themselves the minority, their grumblings were silenced in the overwhelming positiveness of their colleagues.

Mykos, too, became the centre of attention in his own field. After it became known to the military advisers of the various countries of his status back home as Security Chief of the Alliance council, he was repeatedly approached by various factions within the UN military to discuss the differences between their worlds. While many were obviously fishing for information on the capabilities of the Alliance, some were simply seeking to gain a new insight on how a completely different system may operate, and Mykos was happy to discuss the second freely. In particular, he soon became steadfast friends with the UN chief of security, Colonel James Armbrust, and the two of them could often be seen seated together in the UN cafeteria involved in friendly discussions on their occupation.

K, too, was happier than I'd ever seen him. His sudden elevation to the role of foreign diplomat had stunned both his parents, and for the first time I actually saw affection shared between him and his father, as they animatedly spoke openly for the first time in years. Hell, his father even smiled a bit now; something I'd never thought to see, given the constant scowl that usually crossed his features whenever K was involved.

The Professor had been appointed as head of the scientists delegated to continue research on the transporter technology, and was as happy as I'd ever seen him, although I couldn't miss the odd shadow that crossed his features whenever we spoke.

The Krynn; well, the Krynn was happy with everything.

I wasn't, though. I was tired, and depressed.

The better things went, the worse I felt; Pyre wasn't doing well, and I didn't know how to help him with it.

Physically and emotionally, we were closer than ever. However, his confinement and treatment had caused a lot of deeper psychological scars, which were clearly festering beneath the surface. While outwardly he generally seemed cheerful, I could see his demeanour change when he thought no one was watching, the cracks in his mental state clear to see.

Finally, one evening when we were alone in bed, I reached up from my resting place against his chest, to stroke his neck gently.

"OK, hon." I said to him, seeing his ears perk in acknowledgement, although he didn't meet my eyes, "What's the problem?"

He began to shake his head vigorously, denying anything was wrong, when I snagged his beak, stilling his movement.

"Horse shit" I said coarsely, my throat beginning to tighten as my own emotions surfaced. "Come on. If you can't tell me, you can't tell anyone. We're mates, remember? We share this shit!"

He stared down at me with his deep blue eyes; pupils dilated in the darkened room, and let out a huge sigh, almost collapsing with defeat into the mattress. I could feel his muscles tighten, as sobs began wracking his frame, and I could only hold him as he keened into my hair, clutching me tightly against him. Stroking his cheek and mane softly, I let him get it all out, murmuring my love for him as the emotions overwhelmed him.

Finally, when his outpouring had settled to the odd hiccough, I stroked his beak, staring into his eyes. He looked down at me, giving me a crushing hug I returned, before whispering "I want to go home, David."

I sighed, settling back against him.

"So do I, sweetheart", I said softly "So do I".

_____________________

The next day, after the UN assembly had concluded, we were lounging in the shared common room attached to our suites that we used during off-hours. By mutual agreement, and to the relief of the UN staff, the curtains were kept firmly closed. Personally, I disagreed with their attitude; the soon the world knew about this, the better. But Tass was firm; no perving at the humans till the negotiations were complete!

After dinner, Pyre and I approached the Krynn, with the intention of asking permission to return to the Alliance home world.

He looked at Pyre, seeing the signs of his distress, and gave a sigh himself, resting his hand on the gryphon's shoulder in sympathy.

Finally, he nodded "Alright. I believe we can arrange this. However, things are presently at their most delicate. We're so close to stitching this up, I can smell the end of it! A few more days, and we're there. Can you give me that?"

Looking hopefully up at Pyre, he received a sigh and nod in reply. Smiling, he gave the gryphon a sudden hug, causing us all to cheer up.

Suddenly, there was a quiet knock on the door.

Mykos raised himself from the bucket of ice cream he'd been consuming, licking the thick white coating from his beak with a long tongue, before getting up from his haunches to approach the door cautiously. While we were fairly confident in the UN securities ability to keep us all safe, he still took his position seriously.

Opening the door, expecting the usual UN guard to answer, we were confused to see two humans standing in the doorway. One, a good six feet high, looked dangerous. He had that almost casual air of readiness about him that Mykos immediately recognised as "professional". Drawing himself up, the gryphon leaned past them to peer through the opening, spying our usual pair of guards lying unconscious in the hallway. Slumped against the wall, neither looked injured, but they were clearly not planning to offer any assist in dealing with the pair in the doorway.

However, as Mykos drew back inside, ready to deal with the intruders, his eye was taken by the second, shorter figure.

A figure that simply stood there staring at us, tears streaming down his face.

Eyeing the two for a second cautiously, he spoke up harshly. "What is this?" he demanded, confronting the larger of the two, who smiled briefly, before pointing down at his companion.

Glaring at the shorter human, Mykos made to continue, when something hit him.

That scent.

It wasn't....

Beak snapped shut in confusion, he stepped back from the opening, letting the two enter the suite. Pyre looked up in alarm at the intrusion, and I made to protest their sudden presence, before being stopped by the slight shaking of the security chief's head.

What the hell was going on here?

Tass cautiously approached the pair, after receiving a nod from the gryphon. The shorter human started again, steps faltering as he took in the Krynn, before he broke down completely, dropping to sit on the couch with his companion next to him, the taller human smiling broadly as he put an arm around the other.

What the...?

Tass dropped in front of the pair, resting on a knee as he tentatively reached out a hand to grip the shorter human's shoulder firmly.

A shoulder that blurred momentarily, before reforming into dark brown fur, as the concealed Krynn materialised before our stunned eyes.

Looking up through his red rimmed eyes, the newcomer gave a hesitant smile, before being enveloped in a hug from Tass.

Finally pulling back from the stranger, Tass grinned broadly, matched by the other Krynn who had recovered his composure somewhat, before saying "Hello, cousin!" at the happy stranger.

The taller human chuckled, before turning to K and I. Taking in our gaping, stunned silence, he said to me "Reunions always make me want to barf. So, who do you need to fuck to get a drink around here?"

_________________________________

That evening was an unusual one, to say the least.

Once Mykos had reassured the squad of soldiers assembling in the hallway that were hell bent on rescuing us from whatever assailant had earlier incapacitated our guards so efficiently, anyway.

I'd thought I'd sorted out the whole "them and us" thing, with the Alliance world and human one being confusing enough. To now discover not just another civilisation out there, but one spanning hundreds of systems, was simply breathtaking.

After the new Krynn, Triss, had settled down, he told his story to Tass, filling out the details of his mission to Earth, and the fact he was the sole survivor of his species in this reality. Tass listened solemnly, ears flattening and lip curling into a silent snarl as Triss detailed the destruction of his home world, and wholesale slaughter of his people. Their talk went long into the evening, Mykos' silent presence taking in the details of the conversation. Clearly, things had suddenly become vastly more complicated, especially given the humans on Earth had no comprehension they were not even alone in their own solar system, let alone the local galaxy sector.

I returned from the guard duty station after ordering us drinks... a LOT of drinks. While clearly curious as to what was occurring, the guards were discrete enough not to pry, although they would obviously be reporting the incident to their superiors. Since we moved into the rooms, Mykos had ensured the area was free of surveillance whenever we returned. After the first few failed attempts, it seems the UN took the hint, and stopped wasting expensive electronic bugs trying to outfox the gryphon security expert.

Once the booze arrived, Triss' partner, Travers, spend the evening with us getting completely plastered. I thought I had a high tolerance for alcohol, and I knew K could outdrink a horse, but Trav put us all to shame. Within a few hours we were sitting together smoking a joint that K had, miraculously, smuggled through security. Pyre, by now totally wasted, had crumpled into a corner giggling happily to himself, and even Mykos had wandered over to us to secure some drinks for himself and his two companions, who had watched us indulge with a matching pair of toothy smiles.

Lying against Pyres warm, furry stomach, I felt content for the first time in weeks. At last, some time to just relax. Fuck the consequences, and fuck the world. It could all wait for a few hours.

Eventually, the two Krynn wound down their conversations, joining us for more drinks until, well after midnight, Mykos decided to call it a night, shuffling unsteadily back to his room to crash unceremoniously on the bed. Tass laughed, closing the door on the now unconscious gryphon, and shutting the view of his furry butt hanging over the bed edge from our eyes as we laughed uproariously.

Tass showed Triss to an empty room, and gestured to Trav, offering him a second, before being waved off with an unsteady hand.

"I'm with him!" Trav mumbled, staggering over to the waiting Triss, who helped his bigger friend through the doorway with a chuckle, shutting it behind him.

K eyed me for a second, and I shrugged before laughing.

"Doesn't anyone fuck their own kind here?" K demanded with a smirk, and I threw a couch cushion at him.

Tass dropped down next to K, throwing a companionable arm around his shoulders, and giggled, before clapping a paw over his muzzle in embarrassment. Giving K a large smile, he said "Well, if you're lonely, Mykos has a big, empty bed to fill", sending us all laughing.

Pyre stirred underneath me, before opening an eye and mumbling "Perverts", which set us off further.

I poked the semi comatose gryphon in the ribs, receiving a slurred complaint in reply, before dragging him unwillingly to his feet, and half supporting him as we made our way to our room. "Well, dunno about you, but I'm taking fuzzy butt here to bed. See you later in the morning".

Receiving a mumbled "goodnight' in reply, I began to close the door, before pausing for a moment, as Tass turned to K, leaning close to him and slipping a soft, furred arm under his shirt to rub his chest softly. Whispering to the startled human, he said "My bed's lonely too. What about it?"

Closing the door on K's spluttered, incoherent reply, I giggled to myself as I joined the slumbering gryphon on our own bed, snuggling against him tightly as he wrapped his forearms around me comfortably, before sleep took us both.

________________________________

The next morning dawned way too early.

So, giving up on it, I went back to bed, and let it drift by.

Screw it. That's what Saturday mornings are for. Avoiding.

However, time eventually caught up with me, and by lunchtime I really needed some fresh air. Escaping Pyres embrace, I pulled on the previous day's pants and shirt, wrinkling my nose at the stale beer smell emanating from the fabric. Slipping through the door, I smiled back at the slumbering gryphon, closing it quietly behind me as I entered the living area to spy Tass in the kitchenette, nursing both a coffee and an obviously throbbing hangover. Giving me a quick grin, he returned to sipping his brew. I slipped past him to the machine, putting a cup under the dispenser and dialling up one of my own. As the beans began grinding, I turned to the Krynn and said with a totally sombre face "Well? Did you get any last night?"

The Krynn choked, eyes wide as he snorted hot coffee through his nose across the counter, before bending over the bench coughing loudly. Giving him a few hard slaps on the back, it took a few moments for him to regain his breath, liquid still trailing from a nostril, as he gave me a dirty look which quickly turned into a quirky grin.

"Bastard!" he mumbled, wiping his face with the towel I passed him, before using it to clean the mess off the bench in front of us. I chuckled, and helped him pick up his spilled cup, dropping it in the sink. Giving him my freshly brewed one, I pressed for another, as he gathered his composure, and sank onto a bench stool opposite.

Eyeing me for a moment, he replied "That depends how you define "getting any". If by that you mean I woke up sharing a bed with a snoring, drooling human, who happened to have fallen unconscious on me last night just as things were getting interesting, then yes... apparently I did get some!"

Chuckling at his prim response, I grabbed the sugar, putting in two teaspoons and adding a generous measure of milk, before stirring the mix vigorously. Nursing my liquid breakfast, I sat on the stool beside him, and jabbed him in the ribs.

"You dog!" I chortled, and he gave me a covert glance in return.

"Krynn, not dog!" he replied sombrely, sending me snorting coffee across the bench myself.

At that point, the door to the far room opened, and a bemused Trav and Triss entered the room. Tass and I gave them a look, exchanged another glance, before both of us broke into howling laughter, Tass slapping the bench with a paw as he laughed uproariously.

Trav gave the two of us a bemused glance, shaking his head, before heading into the kitchen. "You people are all crazy!" he muttered, as he passed the Krynn a coffee before pouring his own.

I regained my composure, letting the pair seat opposite. "You don't know the half of it" I said, trying to keep my amusement under control.

As we finally settled, I heard the door to my room open, and Pyre entered the common area. Giving himself a thorough shake, he joined the four of us, as I slipped from my stool and headed around to make him his own cup; the kitchen being too cramped to accommodate his bulk comfortably. Settling down on the pile of cushions nearby, Pyre shuffled his feathers again, as I handed him a mug which was accepted gratefully. Resting against his flank, I nestled back into the feathers, only to look up into the stunned eyes of the newcomers.

"As I said, we're all crazy here" I chuckled, giving the gryphon a caress, only to receive an overly affectionate nuzzle in return. Seeing Trav and Triss exchange a quick guilty look, I chuckled, and said "Don't sweat it. Hell, we're in a room full of aliens, discussing the fate of not two, but now three civilisations, and I have a hangover from hell. Who you sleep with is bound to be a pretty moot point of discussion by comparison."

Turning to the gryphon again, I kissed his beak; receiving yet another nuzzle, before turning back to the wide eyed pair. "Oh, point of advice: just don't smooch in front of the windows. It freaks out the locals!" and the five of us broke into laughter.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­______________________

Later in the day, as I settled down with Pyre to watch some television, Tass returned to the rooms with a rather seedy looking Mykos, to plop down on the couch nearby. Giving us a serious glance, I turned off the TV, and wondered what was happening.

He shook himself for a second, before rubbing an ear aimlessly. "Well, it's been decided. I'm sending you two home to give the Quorum an interim report on what's been agreed to. They've been reluctant to send anyone else through the portal, in case it set off the doomsayers here, but we need to get everyone up to speed on current events. You two are the lucky pair."

Pyre gave a crow of happiness, and I gave his neck a stroke in reply, a smile spread across my face.

Tass put up a finger, silencing us instantly. "I'm also sending Trav and Triss with you, to represent their respective governments. You'll be expected to handle guide duty when you return, keeping them out of trouble. You OK with that?"

I looked at the happy gryphon's face above me, his purr rumbling through my back, before giving the Krynn a chuckle. "Oh, I think we're good to go, there. Thanks, Tass"

Pondering a moment, I thought of something. "Just the two of us? K isn't coming?"

He coughed, looking uncomfortable for a moment. "Umm, I thought to keep him here for a bit, as local liaison. Do you mind?"

Grinning broadly, I gave Pyre a wink, and said "Oh sure. Look after him will you?"

The Krynn nodded with a broad smile, before we broke out laughing again.

Continued in Chapter 13: