Chapter Text
Colin Mochrie walked tiredly from the plane, squinting in the bright sunlight
from behind his sunglasses. The flight from New York had been long, dull,
and had done nothing for his peace of mind.
He hefted the once-heavy carryon bag with ease. He didn't have much
luggage, having left most of his -taping' clothes with Ryan, who would be
meeting him at the airport. He was a little nervous about that. He hadn't
seen Ryan since before...well, since Before.
He knew Ryan had been told what had happened to him while he was
gone, and he wondered how it would affect him. He wondered if Ryan
would even be here to pick him up at all. The thought bothered him. He
didn't want to lose their friendship over something he'd had no control over.
Control. That was the most important thing right now. He had to control
himself, or Ryan might vanish and never return. He couldn't bear the
thought of that, and he knew that now, it wouldn't be something he could
just let go. Damn this thing anyway.
He hadn't asked for this, hadn't wanted it, would never have wanted it in
a million years. He knew that some people did, though, and if they ever
found out how it was spread they would be right there, trying to catch it.
"Colin!" He heard the excited cry; turned, then saw Ryan waving at him.
He smiled in relief. He was afraid he wouldn't come.
Within seconds, Ryan was there, arms around him and greeting him as if
everything was totally normal. Colin was thankful for that. He could
sense the tiniest bit of apprehension, but it was nothing like what he'd
feared. His own arms came up and wrapped around Ryan, hugging him
closely.
"I missed you," Ryan said warmly. The apprehension was gone; Colin
could tell that he truly meant what he'd said.
"I missed you too," he said back, relishing the closeness. Most people,
knowing what had happened to him, would not have been so free with
their contact.
After they broke apart, Ryan looked down from his greater height and
smiled challengingly. "So, Col...you going to let me see them?"
"Ryan..." he pleaded, lowering his voice. Colin knew what he meant, and
he didn't want everyone in L.A. to know...damn, what if they already did?
"It's all right, Col. A little thing like this...it doesn't matter."
"A little thing like this?" he repeated incredulously, shaking his head.
"Nope," he said, with another smile. Again, Colin could tell that he meant
it, and a sensation of warm happiness coursed through him. Maybe Ryan
was right. Maybe this didn't matter. Maybe they would find a cure, and
his life would go back to normal...
"So come on, Col. Open up."
Colin sighed in resignation. Once Ryan got something in his head, nothing
could distract him from getting what he wanted. He only hoped that Ryan
really wanted to see this. He supposed he would see anyway, eventually.
Colin's eyes darted from side to side, making sure that there was no-one
nearby. Nobody was.
Cautiously, he opened his mouth...revealing a set of fangs that would have
been more appropriate on some kind of creature of the night, and not a
tired Canadian with jet lag.