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CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

NED

At SF Metro headquarters, Ned was feeling low.

They had failed. The Prophet had outwitted them yet again, drawing all their attention to Van Holling, when in reality, Wilson must have been his target all along. That made nine victims, nine deaths that the detectives of SF Metro Homicide had failed to prevent, and it made Ned feel sour.

Not like he was the only one, though. Everyone seemed to be down, from Lennox, who was unusually snappy, to Captain Williston, who had fumed unabashed, berating his subordinates incessantly about their failure to turn up the killer, until finally the Doberman had stormed out the door, swearing he was "goin' ta do what I shoulda done a long time ago." What that was, no one was quite certain; perhaps the Captain intended to meet with Mayor Wong, who had appeared on television stating that the Prophet was a terrorist and that he was declaring a city-wide crisis, putting the entire city's force behind the investigation.

No one seemed to have an answer. Yes, they had prevented Van Holling from being killed - the shepherd and his daughter were now taking refuge from the relentless media in their hotel room, guarded by cops in case of the unlikely even the Prophet should come calling.

It wouldn't happen, that was Ned's belief. The Prophet had made his point; he would not pursue Van Holling again.

Arkady had been quick to look up Senator Johnson's whereabouts, but it had been easy to learn that the badger had been on the other side of town, raging to a small band of followers on the sinfulness of Van Holling's lifestyle. There was no way the phone bomb could been detonated from that distance; the killer had been there, at the campus centre.

Nor could they understand how the phone had become a bomb in the first place. Obviously the Prophet had gotten hold of it somehow, but Van Holling was at a loss to when his boyfriend would have been careless enough to let someone else handle it, and as the bear lay still in the morgue, he wasn't talking either.

It was in such mood that Ned was when his phone rang, late that afternoon.

He'd last talked to Garrett not too long after the bomb went off - telling the coyote he and Olympia had better leave in haste lest the authorities decide to search all of the audience members, and potentially discover their secret. Now, so many hours later, his tail gave a feeble wag when he saw Garrett's name on the caller ID. Something about Garrett's presence calmed his nerves; made him see past the dismal prospects of the case and glimpse the good things in life. Of course, there was the unavoidable fact that Garrett was also the sort of person Ned ought to be arresting - but that he could not face now; once the Prophet was imprisoned, then he might deal with reforming the coyote.

"Hey, love" he whispered softly, glancing warily for the perked ears of his coworkers - but no concern of that; all were either gone or wrapped up in their own work. "I can't tell you how happy seeing your name on the ID makes me."

Garrett's voice was tense. "Ned, you and Scarlett need to meet us straightaway. Salty Sebastian's, ASAP."

The momentary happiness wilted, as Ned's tail ceased its swishing. "What? Why?"

"Olympia's out for blood" was all Garrett would say, "and I feel close to the same. Just be there."

The sinister pair were already waiting when Ned and Scarlett walked through the door, eyes and ears perked for other officers. None were present; no time for booze on a day like this, even if it was getting into the early evening.

Olympia fixed them with a wicked stare as they took their seats. She looks like she'd like to take my head off, he thought. Damn. And Garrett didn't look too happy either.

Ned bared his fangs, unwilling to let her unnerve him. "Just tell us what's wrong?"

"Your Captain Williston just led a SWAT raid on our headquarters" Olympia snarled, just low enough that the bar's patrons couldn't hear her. Her lip was curved up over her fangs in a decidedly unladylike fashion, the fury just barely disguised. "They shot Yong Fo!"

Shit. There was his answer why Olympia was mad - she thought one of them had snitched.

Strangely, it was Scarlett who spoke first. "What? Is he dead?"

"No" Garrett said. He folded his paws on the table, frowning. "But he is in critical condition."

Olympia gave a slight flick of her ears, eyes narrowing. "I have only one question, which I suggest you to answer very carefully. Do either of you have anything to do with this?"

"Of course not!" Scarlett insisted. "We'd only be incriminating ourselves if we did...."

"I would not betray Garrett" was all Ned said.

There was a moment of tense silence, while Ned pleaded with his eyes, wanting Garrett, if not Olympia, to understand that this was not something he could have done.

After a minute or two, Olympia seemed to relax, her fangs no longer exposed. "Fortunately for you, I believe you." She sighed. "I was almost certain you two were not involved, but we couldn't not ask."

Ned nodded stiffly, while Garrett gave him a quick, apologetic smile. "The Captain left a few hours ago in a very foul mood, said he was going to do 'what he should have done long ago,' or something to that end."

"Did anyone get killed?" Scarlett wanted to know.

Garrett shook his head. "None, but several wounded. They didn't confiscate the building, though, which we found odd."

Olympia's ears suddenly flew up. "The Panthers. Bloody bastards."

"What-" Ned started to say, before he realised the implication of what she was suggesting. "Wait, you think he's on their payroll?"

"Damn, I should have thought of that" Garrett snarled. "Yes, we've long suspected your Captain was getting paid off by one or more of the crime groups he's supposed to be putting down. Notice the groups targeted by the Mayor's programs - the Panthers are pretty low on their list. We never had evidence as to which group Williston was linked to before this."

A tiger at the bar had glanced their way, attracted by the animated voices, so Ned held up a paw to remind his companions to converse quieter. Scarlett had caught on, though, and now that the anxiety of the moment before had passed, she seemed intrigued - no doubt by the possibility that their boss was in fact corrupt. "...so you think that Javon Kabuli gave up the Yong Fo restaurant's real purpose, as revenge on the deaths of his men?"

"Precisely" the other coyote answered, nodding. What excellent detectives Garrett and Olympia would make, Ned thought, if they only worked for the right side of the law. "He's using Williston to do the dirty work, since he's afraid we'll cut up his boys again if he tries personally."

Scarlett and Ned shared an uneasy glance. "What does this mean for Williston?"

Olympia had remained silent while Garrett gave his explanation, but now she spoke again. "He will have to go."

"No" Ned growled, startled at his own courage to stand up to Olympia. "That's not how this works. We will find a way to deal with Williston, but you will not take out your revenge on SF Metro. It was the Chief and the SWAT guys who shot up Yong Fo, not SF Metro."

"How then do you plan to rectify the dishonesty of your leadership?" the other wolf returned icily. At least her ears weren't pinned so much as before, and she wasn't growling.

Ned sat up straighter. This was his fight, not Olympia's. "Public opinion of SF Metro is already low at the moment. A public exposure of the Chief of Police's corruption would be disastrous. I suggest we wait until after the Prophet has been brought to justice before we go about exposing Williston."

Garrett and Olympia turned to look at each other, the coyote's muzzle turning up in the corners with just a hint of a smile, and Olympia murmured "You would make a fine member of the Mafia, Ned Parker. That is a wise plan, so I will agree with it."

That was a relief, but somehow, hearing Garrett whisper "No, I love my policewolf just where he is" was even better.

When the time came to leave the station that evening, Ned didn't even give a thought to going back to his own little rental; he just naturally assumed he'd be going to Garrett's place. He rarely ever went to his own place anymore, except for to grab changes of clothes now and then, although he'd started wearing clothes Garrett had bought for him (more stylish, the coyote said), which eliminated need to stop at his own house.

Damn, what a day. It was a foggy evening, the headlights cutting through the gloom. The radio announcer was talking about a house explosion in a different part of the city - propane leak, or so the report said. That was marginally interesting from a police perspective, but unless in the likely scenario that a murder was involved, SF Metro Homicide would not be called in to such a crime scene. More likely was just that someone had forgotten to turn off the propane on their stove.

Olympia's house was like a merry beacon amid the fog, lights ablaze, cheery dance music playing loudly. Stepping through the door, Ned wondered momentarily if moody alternative would be a better soundtrack choice, considering Yong Fo was apparently in danger of death, but then again, he reflected, playing sad music was not going to help the tiger; they might as well be positive.

Garrett met him in the kitchen. The coyote never bothered meeting him at the door anymore; Ned was considered regular company enough that he no longer required that. "Welcome home, stud" Garrett smirked, sliding his paws up Ned's shoulders to shuck off his jacket. And it did feel like coming home. This place was starting to feel more like home than Ned's own house, and not only because it was here he had someone who loved him, although that was one of the top reasons.

Even with the unfortunate events of that morning, the prospect of taking down Captain Williston had restored Ned's good spirits, so he grabbed the coyote and pulled him against him hard, growling possessively as they kissed. Garrett's tail was beating a steady swish-swish, as was his, and when he felt the coyote's paw undoing the button at the front of his jeans, rather than stop him, he humped his hips into Garrett's touch, making it easier for him to unzip the jeans.

They were happily making out while Garrett fondled Ned's cock when the sliding glass door slide open, admitting Olympia. "Not in the kitchen, boys" the wolf admonished, with a touch of amusement. "I do not need to see your boy bits."

"That's Scarlett you're thinking off" Ned muttered, feeling oddly giddy. Here he was, standing in Olympia's kitchen with his dick out, Garrett's tongue lapping at his muzzle. At times like this, he really wanted nothing but to forget SF Metro Homicide and the drama surrounding it entirely.

Garrett smirked, and stepped back. "Apologies, Olympia. Sometimes he tries to seduce me right out in the open."

"Hey," Ned protested. "Usually it's _you_trying to seduce me!"

Olympia was at the stove, glazing sauce onto some sort of poultry. "Coyotes" she muttered, causing Ned to give an agreeing nod. "But you are still in my kitchen...."

"Right" Garrett nodded. "Come along now, stud." He turned towards the living room, without relinquishing his grasp on Ned's shaft, pulling the wolf along behind him.

Ned couldn't help giving a low moan as he followed, catching in the corner of his eye the flick of Olympia's ears at the sound, although her back was still to him. Oh well. It wasn't anything she hadn't heard before; not with a wolf's sense of hearing. He followed Garrett obediently into the living room, plopping down on Olympia's big sofa.

The instant their tails hit the sofa, their muzzles were together again, tongues looped together, paws on the back of each other's heads, excepting Garrett's left paw, which was still gripping Ned's shaft, pressing around the knot with his paw pads. Magical kisses, moaning into each other's muzzles, delighting in each other's scents. This was perfect.

Presently Ned looked down towards his lap. "Kissing's swell, but I won't complain if your muzzle moves a bit lower."

"Gladly" Garrett soothed, with his best coyote smirk.

As the coyote bent his head lower, Ned remarked airily "Just be careful not to spill...anything. I can only imagine what Olympia would say if....something...got onto her expensive sofa."

"Only" Garrett agreed, letting his tongue roll out to give Ned's cock a stroke from knot to tip.

Ned settled back into the sofa, arms to the side, tongue hanging, eyes glazed, just living in the moment. This was the life.

When, twenty minutes later, Ned and Garrett joined Olympia at the dinner table to dine on roast duckling, he was feeling a bit more relaxed, to say the least. The tasty meal inspired him to ask Olympia whether it was a British dish, which led to a lively discussion of Olympia's childhood in England. Hearing the wolf elaborate with enthusiasm about society balls and dining with nobility and meeting the queen, all in the perfect British accent, Ned almost forgot that this wolf was actually Chinese by birth, and a mafia lord. After eating, he relaxed on the sofa while Garrett helped Olympia with dishwashing, flipping through an issue of Entertainment Weekly, which Garrett said had photos of him in it. Sure enough, there he was, gazing seriously at the camera along with the show's top star, a coyote, Desire Loughton, and a handsome wolf named Taylor Caldwell who played another main cast member, The three canids were in some sort of desert setting, judging by the khakis they wore and the dry sandy hills in the background.

He also had to chuckle to himself that he was dating someone who appeared in magazines such as this. Ned had always assumed the man he ended up with would be another cop, or a soldier, someone also involved in maintaining law and order. And instead, he was dating a television star who was secretly a gangster - someone who went against law and order. The irony of it....

He mentioned that to Garrett later, when, having showered, they were reclining nude on Garrett's bed, casually stroking each other here and there. "Ha," Garrett laughed with that weird coyote laugh that never failed to make him seem slightly insane. "You think that's weird - just wait." Pulling away from Ned's caresses, he reached to the nightstand, grabbing another magazine. "Check this out."

To Ned's dismay, the magazine had a photo of him! It was the night of the Mayor's gala, and had apparently been taken right before he and Garrett had gone through the VIP entrance. In the photo, Ned's head was turned kind of sideways, glancing at the people behind him, with lowered ears and a nervous expression. Not the best picture.

The text below it was brief, but nonetheless more than Ned would have desired: "Actor Garrett Dyckert of _Carmen Barbosa_was spotted at in San Fernando attending Mayor David Wong's fundraiser gala, an event intended to raise money for the San Fernando Police Department. Dyckert, who came out in 2012, attended the gala with a potential new boyfriend, rumoured to be a member of the same police department. No name yet on the sexy wolf, but we can agree they make a dashing couple."

"I'm not sure I like having my relationships broadcast to everyone" Ned admitted after Garrett had closed the magazine. "It's no one's business but ours."

"No" Garrett agreed, "but remember what I told you the night of the gala: anyone who dates a celebrity is going to get at least a little media attention. You'll get used to it with time."

And he was right. It wasn't that big of a deal, after all. So rather than give such a trivial subject more attention, he tossed the magazine carelessly off the bed and turned to crawl over Garrett, who grinned slyly, his tail beginning to thump the bed. Leaning down so their muzzles were inches away from each other, Ned growled seductively "Want to take up where we left earlier?"

Like Garrett would ever have said no. "I'd like nothing better" he purred, beginning to roll over, tail starting to raise.

Ned put a paw out to stop him. "No, don't."

The coyote cocked his head, eyebrow raised. "I thought you said...."

"I thought maybe we should try something different tonight...." Ned said.

Garrett's ears went up, eyes widening, then, characteristically, he smirked. "I thought you preferred to be on top."

"I do....most of the time. But it's fun to switch things up a bit on the occasion, right?"

"I won't argue with that." The coyote rolled out from under Ned, laying a paw softly on Ned's back. "I've long told you, your ass is beautiful."

"Enough flattery" Ned chuckled. He waved a paw at the coyote's erection, slick meat glossy in the light of the lamp. "Get some lube on that."

Garrett scrambled to comply, while Ned remained on paws and knees, remembering the last time he'd let another male fuck him - the night with Diego. A slight twang of guilt remained, but it didn't matter; he was in love with Garrett, not Diego.

"Let me have that" he growled when Garrett had retrieved the bottle.

The coyote didn't respond, just grinned, and handed the bottle over as Ned sat up. Ned grabbed the coyote's shaft and pulled him closer, dumping a generous helping onto his paw, and rubbing, ignoring the little jerk the coyote gave at feeling the cold substance. The rising arousal was making him feel hasty, though, so after a quick slathering, he handed back the bottle. "My ass is yours, yote!"

"It's always been mine" Garrett whispered sassily, crawling on the bed as Ned resumed his paws-and-knees position. "Tail away, please!"

Ned felt Garrett's paws closing around his balls just as he lifted his tail, high over his back. He couldn't help feeling just a little bit self-conscious doing that, raising his tail like a needy bitch - but that was basically what he was at the moment, right? Either way, any such thoughts departed permanently a second later, when he felt Garrett's tongue lay a wet kiss under his tail.

He gave a contented sigh as the coyote loosened him up with a quick but sensual tonguing, kissing under Ned's tail as he thrust his tongue past the barrier, one paw still fondling Ned's balls. Ned didn't worry now about what implication his raised tail might give; he raised it as high as it would go, giving Garrett the full access to give the most carnal of kisses, the tongue within him a slight omen of what would come later.

Then Garrett pulled back, licking his chops noisily. "That should do the trick" he muttered, seemingly just as much to himself as to Ned. He dumped more lube into his paw. "Tasty ass, by the way."

Ned tensed up again as he felt Garrett's paw rubbing cold wetness under his tail, fingers pushing it inward. "Ready, stud?"

Was he the stud, when he was the one lifting his tail? Oh well, it didn't matter, anyway. "Yes, more than ready" he growled, quirking a jowl. "You do know how to top, don't you?"

This last remark was meant in jest, but Garrett must have taken it personally, or at least he wanted Ned to think he had. "You asked for it, wolf" the coyote warned, just as the tip of his wet shaft prodded Ned's hole. He took a deep breath - and then, exhaled slowly, as he felt inch by inch of coyote cock slide into him, spearing him open, until he felt something thicker and larger press up under his tail, hilted.

"All clear, stud?" Garrett had gradually lowered himself so his lower torso was resting on Ned's back, one paw braced on Ned's shoulder while the other slipped under him.

Ned gave a low, breathy moan as the coyote's cock throbbed within him. "Just fine, baby. Just fine..."

He tensed again as Garrett's paw took hold of his shaft, fingers wrapping round the knot. "Very well then."

"Just fuck me" Ned groaned, his body now entirely adjusted to the foreignness within it. Normally neither he or Garrett were prone to being talkative during lovemaking, but now that he was letting Garrett take him for the first time, he felt an urgent need to be bred, so that both of them would have claimed the other as mates.

Garrett didn't give the impression of being quite so confident a top as he was a bottom, but once he got into the rhythm of steady thrusts, he seemed to gain confidence, especially when Ned couldn't help moaning and whining through his gritted fangs when the thrusts brought Garrett's cock against certain places within him, so that Ned though, so much as he could think under such circumstances, anyway, that maybe he should take the receiving role more often. They were both panting hard, neither doing much to control their whimpers and whines, so that Olympia probably heard them. Garrett's paw-pads were massaging Ned's knot so sensually that the wolf couldn't tell whether he was going to climax from that or from the hard shaft within him. His cock felt harder than ever before; his balls ready to burst, and as Garrett was hitting all the right places with every thrust now, nice and deep, he ceased the fang-gritting and allowed the vocalisations pour from his muzzle, not caring if he sounded like a bitch.

After some moments of this enjoyable lovemaking, just enjoying their mutual oneness rather than getting into frenzied rapidity, Ned became aware that Garrett seemed to be speeding up his thrusts, so the semi-swollen knot was beginning to strain against Ned's opening, trying entry. About time, too, because Ned doubted he could hold back much longer, not with the steady humps into his ass; not with the perfection of the coyote's massaging on his shaft. He'd long since started pushing back into the thrusts, but now he really got into it, pushing back hard to help Garrett get as deep as possible.

Pop.

And then the coyote's knot entered him, and he knew nothing but pure bliss, that and love. How he said it through the ecstasy, he did not know, only that the words slipped from his muzzle without his mind having anything to do with them, just a vocalisation of the heart: "I love you."

Later, when they were tied and spread ass-to-ass across the bed, each reading by lamplight, Ned remembered those words, and in that post-coupling mentality when one, freed of the madness arousal brings on, remembers their sanity, he considered what he'd said. That was the first time he'd actually said "I love you," he was certain of it. It was also the first time Garrett had responded groggily with "I love you too, Ned."

I do love him, he thought. Flaws and all. So he said it again, now that he could speak clearly, adding that with Garrett, he never worried about the case or about life's other dramas, the same concerns that were always absent when he was with the coyote.

"You know, Ned" Garrett said. "After you put the Prophet behind bars - because you will; killers of that sort always fuck up sooner or later - you should take some time off."

"What?" It was such an odd request that he looked over his shoulder, almost wishing they weren't tied so they could talk face to face. "I could get my detective shield! It's not the best time to leave."

"Oh." There was an awkward pause while Garrett presumably prepared to explain. "I just thought maybe when I go off to film Season Five; you might go with me,"

Oh.

Would he want to go with Garrett? The idea of being parted was undesirable, sure, and judging by previous seasons, Carmen Barbosa was filmed in some pretty interesting locations. But that didn't change that leaving would give Captain Williston a good excuse to force Lennox to give Jason and Milo the new shields.

"Where are you filming?" he asked, finally. His eyes had drifted to the wall, taking in a bust of Anubis, the Egyptian jackal God; a Chinese Ming bowl, and the wing-feathers of some large bird. All evidence that Garrett was a far more experienced traveller than he was.

"I don't know" the coyote replied, unconcerned. "They haven't told me yet. Doesn't matter, though. I understand why you wouldn't want to do, but I'd miss you dreadfully, and you need to see the world. There's so much of it out there, more than anyone can see in one lifetime, and why decline an opportunity to experience it all?"

Ned thought about that, about Garrett's ideas of life. The coyote rushed through life in a passionate desire to experience everything, see everything, be everything, as if he was afraid he'd die young, or without having accomplished his dreams, so he ran through life in a scramble to live it all, like death or fate or destiny was right on his heels, reaching out to stop him. He wants everything, Ned thought soberly, and I want only a lover, to be a detective, and to be happy.

There, he realised, there lay the fundamental difference between the two of them. He wants too much, and I want too little.

And in the end, he reflected, that was what would destroy them both.