The Games of Kings

Chapter Nine

Chris didn't expect to be accosted by Ramsey's children the second he walked in the door. It was a school night and they should have been in bed this late in the evening but accosted he was.

"Chris! Chris, I need your help with my homework!"
"No, Chris, I wanna show you my new game!"
"Hi, Chris! Where's Thane?"

He grinned at all of them. The three oldest continued to verbally fight each other for his attention. Jillian won by default by being the quietest. The little girl merely wrapped her arms around his legs, tilted her head back and smiled at him. Chris smiled down at her in return, bending to lift her into his arms. She bussed his cheek with her baby kisses and then nestled into his neck and shoulder. He rubbed her back, knowing instinctively that she was sleepily and only needed a little nudge before falling into dreamland.

"Guys." Ramsey's voice cut through the chatter. His children stopped dead at his tone, but only for a few seconds. They turned and launched themselves at him, chattering and hugging. Basically just turning their assault on their father. Chris grinned at Ramsey over their heads. He sent him a long suffering look, but turned back to beam and hug his children back. "Shouldn't all of you be in bed by now?"

"Yes, they should." Mary Donovan's voice just as effectively cut through the children's protestations as Ramsey had. She caught Chris in a hug first, pausing to rub Jillian on the back, before kissing her son-in-law on the cheek. "But when they heard you were bringing Chris and Benedict home for the night, they refused to go to bed."

Ramsey shook his head at his children. "All right, you three, go give Uncle Benedict and Chris your hugs and then it's time for bed." The children tried to protest, but in the face of not only their father's displeasure but their maternal grandmother's as well, they relented.

Benedict hugged and kissed each one, standing patiently as they also said hello and hugged Thane as well. After their hellos and goodnights, he smiled at Chris and Ramsey. "I'll take Thane for his walk before putting him in the yard."

"Thank you, Uncle Benedict." Chris crouched down just low enough to throw an arm around Thane's neck and hugged his pet before they left for their walk.

Ramsey, meanwhile, kissed and hugged and generally wrangled the kids upstairs. Chris followed after seeing his uncle to the door; he could already feel how heavy Jillian was becoming in his arms. It was a sure fire sign that the little girl had already fallen asleep. At the head of the stairs, both sets of grandparents were waiting.

Chris expertly transferred his bundle of baby girl to Ramsey's mother; Lillian smiled at him and patted his cheek before taking Jillian to her room and bed. Her husband, Gavin had Tyler in hand. Before Ramsey's father-in-law could steer his oldest grandchild to his bedroom, Chris swept in. "Allen, I'll make sure Joey gets to bed. He had some questions for me about his homework."

Allen Donovan smiled and nodded. "Thank you, son. The other Grands and I were baffled by the questions. Math, literature and money-making we know. But chemistry?" The silver haired man shook his head.

Chris shared a grin with Joseph, swinging an arm around thin shoulders and steering them both towards the kid's room. "So, what's the problem?"

Just like his paternal grandfather, Joseph explained his problems with his homework while talking with his hands. The almost teenager lead him into his room and to his desk, which was scattered with paper and his science book. That was where Ramsey found them half an hour later. Chris caught his lover out of the corner of his eye and turned to see him leaning against the doorway, watching them. He flashed him a smile before turning back to Joseph. "Got it, Joey?"

"Yes, sir." Joseph grinned his toothy, brace bearing grin at him as he stuffed his homework into his backpack. "Hi, Dad," he threw over his shoulder.

"Hey, kid." Ramsey moved away from the door and came over to the desk. He draped his arms over Joseph's shoulders, chin on his son's head. "Got it all done?"

"Yes, sir." Joseph tilted his head backwards to grin up at his father, squirming in teenage typicality when Ramsey kissed his forehead. "How's work?"

Ramsey rolled his eyes and growled. "Frustrating."

Joseph nodded, seemingly use to his father's one word answer regarding his job. "And the other thing?"

Chris immediately went still and suspicious at the young man's sly tone.

"Better than expected." Ramsey's wide grin and wink cemented Chris' suspicions.

He swung his attention back to Joseph, dreading his reaction, only to find Joseph grinning widely at him. Chris huffed out a surprised breath when Joseph threw himself at him, hugging him tight. He hugged back, staring bewilderedly at Ramsey. His lover smiled and leaned forward to kiss his lips over his son's head.

Joseph had dropped his head back and caught the last seconds of their kiss. He beamed at both of them but his words were for Chris alone. "Welcome to the family, Chris."

Chris gently ran a hand over Joseph's hair, so much like his father's. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

Joseph nodded vigorously. "We all are. Dad sat us down and talked to us. Jilly and Abbey are all excited."

"And Tyler?" Chris held himself still, afraid of how the youngest Montgomery son might have reacted to having his father date someone else. Tyler had been closest to his mother and was probably the most wary of anyone else in his father's life.

But Joseph laid his fears to rest when he shrugged a shoulder. "Ty wanted to know if we could call you 'papa' or do we stick with Chris? 'Cause, you know, Dad's dad and it'd be weird if you were both 'dad'."

Chris could feel his mouth moving like a fish's. He stared at Joseph, then stared at Ramsey. Neither Montgomery men were of any help, they simply grinned at him. He cleared his throat. "Uhm, Chris is still fine."

"For now," Ramsey felt the need to add.

Chris could feel his mouth moving into an answering smile. "For now," he agreed.


~*~*~*~*~


It was entirely weird for Chris to get ready for bed while tripping around Ramsey. After their relaxed late night snack with both Ramsey's parents and his in-laws and Chris’ uncle, Ramsey had interlaced their fingers and announced that he and Chris were going to bed. It was quite obvious that they would be going together. Chris had blushed and stammered through all the goodnights. The three older men had winked and grinned, the woman had hugged and kissed with assurance. It wasn't until after they left the elders that Chris punched Ramsey in the shoulder. Ramsey didn't bother to retaliate in a tradition sense. Instead, he had swung Chris around, pressed him into the hallway wall and kissed him senseless.

Ramsey had pulled him into his bedroom and kept kissing him, but when the other man moved to take off his clothes, Chris had stopped him, shyly asking for only rest tonight. Ramsey must have seen the tired lines in his face because he had place a simply chaste kiss on his lips and nudged him towards the bathroom. Now, they were tripping over each other, even in Ramsey's large bathroom, while they readied themselves for bed. The overnight bag that all of them carried in their cars had provided everything Chris needed to spend the night and have clothes for tomorrow sat at the foot of the bed, empty of his flannel pants and toiletries.

Chris, on the other hand, stood beside the bed, eyeing its wide expanse nervously. The bed was a monstrous affair. A four poster bed made of dark cheery wood and elevated off the ground so high Chris knew he would have to climb to get in it. A king sized mattress filled it perfectly and was covered with huge fluffy pillows and an equally large fluffy comforter. All of the bed linens were a cool, pristine white. Chris randomly wondered how hard it would be to keep the linens clean with young children in the house.

"Like it?" Ramsey curled his arms around Chris from behind, propping his chin on his shoulder.

Chris nodded. "Laura had good taste." That was another thing that kept him from climbing into the bed's downy softness even as tired as he was. This was the bed Ramsey and his late wife had made love in, had conceived their four children in. He didn't think it was right of him just to climb in and fall into her widowed husband's arms. No matter how much he wanted to.

"Yes, she did." Ramsey smiled against the sensitive skin of his neck making Chris squirm. "But I picked out this new bed."

"New?" Chris squirmed again as the longest strands of Ramsey's hair ticked his neck. Ramsey did it again to make Chris move delightfully against him.

"Uh huh." His arms tightened around Chris, holding him closer, sharing warmth and comfort. "After Laura died, I couldn't sleep in our bed any more. So I bought a new one. This one." He removed one hand from Chris' grasp to run it along the wooden side board.

"What did you do with . . . never mind, it's none of my business." Chris shook his head, cursing his own curiosity.

"It's okay to ask." Ramsey put his hand back where it belonged, holding Chris close before answering. "It's actually in Abbey's room. She asked for it when I bought this one."

Chris nodded, relaxing even more knowing this wasn't Ramsey's marriage bed. He covered his yawn as his tiredness made itself loud and clear. He turned and tugged at Ramsey. "C'mon, let's get some sleep."

It took a bit to get both of them situated in the middle of the big bed, but soon, they were curled up and around each other, the soft comfort surrounding them lulling them into sleep.


~*~*~*~*~


Chris sat back and watched the controlled chaos that reigned around him. Any meal at the Montgomery household was boisterous and involved constant movement, but it seemed that breakfast, more than any other meal, embodied these two characteristics. The three youngest children rushed about, talking and shoveling food into their mouths. Sometimes performing both actions at the same time. Both sets of grandparents were trying to keep up with them, even while making plans on how to spend their day. The only spots of tranquility were those immediately surrounding him and Uncle Benedict. Chris was more than happy to just watch the chaos and Benedict was hiding behind his newspaper.

"Joey, get up, honey!" Lillian Montgomery called up the stairs before darting to catch Abbey's hand as she swiped at the milk jug.

"Grandma!"

"More milk, honey?"

"Yes, ma'am." Her loose curls bounced as she nodded. Abbey beamed at her grandmother in thanks, noisily slurping at her milk.

"No, Tyler, leave Jilly alone." Allen grabbed his youngest grandson and settled him into his lap to keep him from baiting his youngest granddaughter. "Here, finish your cereal."

"Mom, have you seen my ties?" Ramsey dashed into kitchen, mostly dressed but obviously with no tie on.

"Oh dear." Mary's quiet murmured caught Chris' ear even as she turned away from the rest of the kitchen to continue cooking at the stove. Lillian also became suspiciously quiet, focusing on feeding Jillian and not meeting her son's searching eye nor answering his question.

Ramsey apparently noticed her soft words. "Mary?"

"They're, uhm," It was quite a sight to watch the faded redhead blush as she turned to face her son-in-law. "They're all in the wash."

Ramsey blinked, brought up short. "Why?"

Chris hid his smile behind his coffee cup because from where he was sitting he could see the rather abashed looks on, not only Tyler and Abigail's faces, but also those on Gavin Montgomery and Allen Donovan's as well. He could also see how tightly clamped Lillian and Mary's mouths were, as if trying to hold in laughter.

"Well, you see, son, what happened was--"

"Dad," Ramsey held up a hand in protest, the other wiping at his face. "I don't want to know." Gavin opened his mouth but was once again stalled by Ramsey's other hand coming up to join its mate, both were held up in supplication. "Really, Dad, I don't want to know. The last time you said that, you blew up my car."

Chris choked on his coffee, grabbing at napkins to clean up the sputter about his chin and mouth. Benedict and his paper rattled suspiciously.

Ramsey bent a pained look on his lover. "Remember last year? That fully restored Mustang GTO that I had?" Chris slowly nodded, remembering how devastated Ramsey was when he lost the car. "When I'm less traumatized by it, I'll tell you how my dad accidentally blew up my dream car." He swooped down to kiss him good morning then left the kitchen, muttering something about borrowing a tie.

Chris was left in the kitchen with the rest of Ramsey's family, blinking at his lover's retreating form. He didn't quite believe him, but from the way both of the older women had their hands firmly clamped over their mouths and the bright, unshed tears looks in their eyes, it was a safe bet that Ramsey wasn't exaggerating.

Gavin had dropped his head and could be heard muttering, "I told him I was sorry."

It was then that Chris first learned to fear the words "well, you see, what happened was" coming from Ramsey's father.


~*~*~*~*~*~


After the hectic rush of the morning, the Los Angeles Public Library's main branch was an utter breath of fresh air. Chris readily admitted that while he didn't mind the morning chaos at Ramsey's home, even enjoyed it to a certain extent, the library was a haven of muted sounds and serenity. He glanced to his right, watching as Ramsey flashed his badge at the head librarian and admitted to himself that for Ramsey, he could learn to deal with the morning madness.

"So, do we have any idea where to start looking for the next clue?" Alicia's voice had adopted the hushed quality all voices had the tendency to do in libraries and museums. It was a sign of respect, not only for the other patrons, but a reverence for the knowledge and beauty contained in such places.

Both he and Benedict shook their heads. Dylan merely shrugged. The team settled to watch from the comfortable reading chairs that dominated the front lobby of the library as Ramsey took care of whatever administrative and legal needs the library had in order for them to search for the Game Master's next clue. Alicia had gone so far as to provide their team leader with a warrant, just in case the library's administration proved to be stubborn. Her foresight came in handy when it took Ramsey a half an hour to get past all of the red tape in order to allow his team to search the premises.

Ramsey jogged over to join them, eyes already rolling. "As long as we don't damage the books like Indiana Jones did, we're welcomed to search."

The four of them sat there, flabbergasted. One by one, they had to muffle their laughter.

Benedict had to clear his throat several times before he could speak. "Were those their exact words?"

Ramsey rolled his eyes again, shaking his head in exasperation. "Yes. Along with something about how 'the youngin's today don't have any respect for the books.'"

Their muffled laughter became loud enough to earn a severe glare from the equally severe woman perched behind the head librarian's desk. She peered at them over her bifocals, sending them a warning glare as only a lifelong librarian could do. It was enough to settle them down, amazingly enough.

"So, how do we want to do this?" Dylan looked to Ramsey, laughter still in his voice, but was said quietly enough for the librarian to turn back to her duties.

Ramsey sighed. "Since we don't have anything more to go on, room by room, floor by floor. Anything unusual first, then we'll look more closely at the books."

"Maybe we should start with the books on games?" Chris offered, smiling when everyone else nodded in agreement.

"Looks like we've got a plan." Ramsey didn't waste any more time, he stood and head straight for the first section of the library. The others scattered, each taking a different segment of the building to search for the next clue in the Game Master's schemes.


~*~*~*~*~*~


Robert Lemke loved his job for the most part. While his name might never be a household word, nor would he ever win a Pulitzer for his work, he liked being a crime beat reporter. He had friends in the police department that made sure he never got a traffic ticket and that his family were looked after and in exchange, he often gave the law enforcement officers a head's up whenever his contacts let something slip. He had a regular beat and a steady paycheck, he didn't ask for anything more.

His regular beat was why he was at the FBI's office on Wednesday morning. He always dropped by on Wednesday morning because by mid-week something was always up at the FBI's office. And, if he could dig up something juicy enough, his editor would give him a bonus. Mary had been hinting at taking a family vacation during Christmas and a bonus sure would help facilitate that wish. "Hey, guys!"

He grinned as several of the security guards hailed him back, eagerly accepting the sandwiches he'd brought. Robert had found that food was always the best way of chatting up people. "Anything interesting happening?"

"I heard some counterfeit Benjamins have been turning up at LA and 'Frisco banks," Mickey volunteered around a mouthful of pastrami.

"Oh, yeah?" Robert already had his notebook out. "Who's handling it?"

"Simpson and Chex."

"A good start." He scribbled down the names. "Anything else?"

Walter leaned forward, voice low. "You didn't hear this from me, you hear me?"

Robert nodded, moving closer. "You know I protect my sources, man. What's up?"

Walter nodded as the other guards leaned forward to hear the latest too. "The BAU's working on something big. They've been in and out of there more times this past four days than I've ever seen. And they always go alone."

"Alone?" Now that was unusual. "No backup?"

"No backup, no forensics." Walter shook his balding head. "I hear it's one of the rules."

"Rules?" Oh yeah, this was getting juicer by the minute.

"Yeah, some guy they call the Game Master said they couldn't bring anyone with them."

Robert blinked, pen paused in mid-word. Why did that moniker sound familiar? "Thanks, Walt." He absently walked away, thinking about the files on his computer and which file that name would appear.

"Thanks for lunch," the guard laughed.


~*~*~*~*~*~


The next morning, Ramsey barely had the time to round up Alicia with a nodded of his head and sit down in his office before his administrative assistant stuck his head through the door.

"Sir," Aaron said, half hanging out of the doorway. "Vanessa Hubert's family on line one for you."

Ramsey reached for the phone, but paused to turn to Alicia. "I thought you talked to them."

"I did. But not lately. I only informed them of their daughter's disappearance and to tell them that we were working on bringing her back." She stood and took the phone herself. "Hello? Mr. Hubert, this is Agent Alicia Hunt, how can I help you? It is? I see. Please know that we're doing everything we possibly can to find your daughter. No, no sir, I don't think talking to the press will help in finding Vanessa. The perpetrator has done this before, sir, and won't respond to appeals. We're close, sir, very close. Yes, of course. Thank you, sir."

"Well?" Ramsey had watched as Alicia paced in front of his desk while on the phone. Instead of answering, she stalked to the cabinet opposite his desk and jerked the door open. She grabbed the remote, punching in numbers viciously. The television flared to life to show a local news anchorwoman.

"Again, for those viewers just joining us, it seems that the notorious Game Master has struck again. At this time, authorities have not released any information regarding the victim but sources have indicated that the Los Angeles FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit is working to rescue this criminal's latest victim."

"Sharon," her male co-anchor asked. "Who is this Game Master?"

"Shut it off," Ramsey growled, glaring at the set. "Who the fuck leaked this?"

Alicia shook her head. "I don't know, but I can find out."

"Do it." He barely felt the pain as his fist smashed into his desk. If the Game Master saw the newscast, then Vanessa was as good as dead. And they'd just promise her parents they would get her back safe and sound.


~*~*~*~*~


The yelling of questions started even before Alicia got to the microphone but she remained calm and took her time, making the press wait as she always did. It never paid to look rushed or agitated. The reporters would translate it into fear and like sharks smelling blood in the water, they would pounce without mercy.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the press, thank you for coming. I have only a short statement to make. To the Game Master, we at the Behavioral Analysis Unit did not violate any of the game rules. We did not involve the media in any way. This was the unfortunate mistake of a person not on the team leaking the information to the media. Please, consider this when deciding the fate of the prize. Thank you."

"What's the prize?"
"What's the game?"
"Agent Hunt, are you any closer to catching the Game Master?"
"Agent Hunt! Agent Hunt!"

Alicia drowned out the cries for more information, hoping that by keeping their plea short and addressed solely to the Game Master that he would be lenient and let this infraction slide. She didn't hold much hope, but Benedict, Ramsey and Chris all thought it might help. She hoped they were right.


~*~*~*~*~


After Alicia's press conference, the BAU held their collective breaths and waited for the body of Vanessa Hubert to be found. When an hour had passed and nothing was found, Benedict suggested that they continued searching at the library.

"It's better than sitting here twiddling our ten thumbs."

Ramsey agreed and so they found themselves back in the library. Unfortunately, their search radius was still confined to the first floor. The team split apart, pairing up to search the stacks of books still left unsearched. Ramsey had wanted Chris with him, but Benedict snatched him from underneath his nose. He glared at his mentor but the old man grinned triumphantly over his shoulder at him. Ramsey's eyes narrowed, Benedict's grin grew wider.

Chris, of course, was not completely unaware of the goings on. Instead, he let his uncle steal him away and promised that he would make it up to Ramsey later. He knew Uncle Benedict wanted a private moment with him, the expression on his face when he asked for his company this morning said it all. Benedict led them to the bookshelves farthest from Ramsey and the others, giving them the privacy he desired. Chris moved to start searching through the books on the lowest shelf, dropping to sit cross legged on the carpeted floor. He didn't have to wait long for his uncle to start the conversation.

"Christopher?"

"Yes, sir?"

"You and Ramsey." Benedict trailed off, clearly not sure how to word his questions. It was funny. The man could interrogate serial killers and terrorists, getting the information he wanted out of them, but faced with asking his nephew about his new relationship with their team leader left him with a loss of words. Chris decided to have mercy on his uncle.

"We're fine, Uncle Benedict."

Benedict crossed over to his side of the bookcase, crouching down to be on eye level with him. "Are you happy?"

Chris shrugged a shoulder, hands nervously turning the book in them about and over. "It's only been a few days."

"But he's already asked you to marry him, hasn't he?"

Hazel eyes jerked up in surprise. "He told you?"

It was Benedict's turn to shrug a shoulder, but a corner of his mouth kicked up as well. "I think he was sending out a feeler. See how I'd react to him proposing to you more than asking for your hand in marriage."

"Oh God." Chris gently placed the book down in his lap so that he could drop his pink face into his hands.

Benedict laughed, patting his shoulder. "You two just be careful, okay?"

"Yes, sir. Uncle Benedict?"

"Yes, Christopher?"

"Are you happy for me?" He couldn't quite meet his uncle's eyes, darting quick glances at his face for its expressions instead. Chris was surprised when his uncle's arms looped about his shoulders and encased him in a warm paternal hug.

"I think it's about damn time you two got together." Benedict smiled widely at him. Chris returned the grin wholeheartedly.


~*~*~*~*~


"Awww, did Uncle Benedict take away Ramsey's new toy? Are we pouting?"

Ramsey swore to the sky that if Alicia hadn't been such a close friend, he would have had to deprive her of Dylan's company. The searing glare was enough to shut up Dylan . . . for about ten seconds before the big man opened his mouth again to tease Ramsey. Thankfully, for them both, Alicia placed her hand on his arm gave him one of her looks. She was going to make a great mom, in Ramsey's humble opinion.

"Ramsey?"

"Hmmm?"

"So, how's everything going?"

He dropped his head forward, narrowly missing the shelf. He knew Alicia's question wasn't a causal "how's life" kind of question. Oh no. This was the kind of question that was reserved for a cup of especially good or especially bad coffee and sitting down. He sighed. "Everything's good."

"Really?" She dropped all pretense of searching to prop a shoulder against his section of the shelves. He didn't look up but he could feel her eyes carefully studying him. "You know, Laura was a good friend of mine."

Ramsey sighed again. "Yeah, Al, I know."

"If it was anyone else, I'd be pulling them to the side and giving them 'the speech.' You know that right? 'Cause as far as I'm concerned, Laura was one hell of a lady and I wouldn’t want her usurped."

"Yeah, Al, I know that too." He saw where this conversation was heading. This was the conversation he thought he and Benedict were going to have. Instead, Alicia beat him to it. "Is this the 'if you hurt him, I will kill you' speech?"

She laughed quietly. "Oh, no, honey, this is the 'if you hurt Chris, I will hunt you down and let Dylan 'I think of Chris as my little brother' Kenji kill you in his own special way' speech."

From the evil, evil, evil chuckling from behind them, Ramsey did not want to know how Dylan would punish and dispose of him for hurting his best friend. "Okay."

"That's it? Okay?" Alicia's expression was almost outraged by his nonchalant answer.

He leaned forward to buss her on the forehead, ignoring the growling coming from behind them. "Really, I think Chris has a better chance of hurting me than I do of hurting him."

She grinned, patting his arm. "Oh, don't worry, Chris is getting his own speech soon too. You haven't done anything but casually dated since Laura passed away and this is your first big serious relationship. So if he breaks your heart . . . ." Alicia let the words trail off but the promise was clear.

It sent tingles down his spine. Whether those tingles were warm fuzzies or mind numbing terror, it was hard to say.


~*~*~*~*~


He didn't want to open his eyes even though his internal clock was screaming at him that he had to get up now in order to make it to work on time. He almost got up out of habit, but then the warm, slender body in his arms reminded him why he definitely did not want to get out of bed. The bed wasn't as nice as his, but there was the attraction of Chris in it, so he didn't complain and he definitely didn't want to leave it. Ramsey let a smile grow, rubbing it into the soft skin of Chris' neck, thinking about last night.

He had made everyone go home amidst their protests, but he overruled then and then watched as his team gathered their things. He had pulled Chris aside and quietly offered him a ride to his apartment. The look in hazel eyes told him they were onto him, but Chris had still said yes. Once there, Chris had unequivocally said a day like today deserved a hot shower and then into bed immediately and thank you for the ride. Ramsey had agreed on the shower and the bed, but one kiss had Chris pulling him by the tie into the shower.

The shower definitely wasn't big enough for two men, especially one of his size, but that just meant he got to rub himself all over Chris in such tight quarters. Ramsey hadn't complained at all. All of Chris' complaining had ended with laughter and more kisses so Ramsey figured his lover liked the experience. Bed consisted of falling into it naked, wrapping themselves up in blankets and falling fast asleep before either of them could think to put the bed to better use. Now in the morning, Ramsey shifted again, curling around Chris more comfortably, fighting the responsibility of getting up and going to work.

Only the fate of an innocent young woman helped him remember his duty. He ran his hands down the smooth sides of Chris' body, nuzzled his hair one more time, then reluctantly pulled away from his lover.

"Morning."

The simple, sleepily murmured word was enough to convince Ramsey to slide back into bed and back into Chris' arms. "Morning. Hungry?" He could feel the movement of Chris shaking his head.

"Not really, no." Chris yawned, barely managing to cover his mouth. "I think I'm still too tired to eat."

"Same here." Ramsey turned on his side, pulling Chris into his arms. He liked the little noises the younger man made as he settled into the bed and his body. "Are we going in together? You can leave your car here and I'll bring you back. Or we can go back to my place again."

Chris shook his head. "Thanks, but I've got a few chores I need to do here. And Thane needs to be walked. Are we meeting at the library again?"

"Uh huh." Ramsey sighed, knowing he couldn't put off getting up any longer, especially since he needed to be at the office early to turn in another progress report to Director Hannigan. "In that case, I'll see you in an hour or two?"

"Mmmmm."

Ramsey chuckled under his breath at Chris' still slightly non-verbal state. He kissed his lover before heading to the bathroom. He was in and out in under thirty minutes. One last kiss was dropped on Chris' lips before he left the apartment for the federal building. It was shaping up to be another boring day of fruitless searching.


~*~*~*~*~


"Where's Chris?"

"He had a few errands to run before getting here. He also wanted to walk Thane before leaving." Ramsey answered the question Benedict had posed to him the instant he walked into his section of the library. Benedict nodded, satisfied by his answer, and turned back to the section of books he was searching through. He checked on Alicia and Dylan's progress before moving onto his own sector. He eyed the thousands of books sitting placidly on their shelves, waiting to be searched, and sighed. It looked like it was going to be another long, boring day.

It was nearly two hours later that Ramsey looked up from the books he'd been searching through. He rubbed at his eyes, feeling the cramping soreness of sitting in one position too long. Ramsey flipped his wrist, glancing at the time, staring at it for the longest time. He shut his eyes and read his watch again. Chris should have been here by now. All around him the others were still searching through the library for the Game Master's next clue or puzzle but there was no Chris in sight. He found the elder Hardy in the biographies. "Benedict, did Chris call you?"

Benedict blinked up from the book he was looking, and then glanced at his watch, shaking his head. "No."

Ramsey nodded his thanks but walked away without explaining why. Benedict frowned, forgetting the book in his hands and followed his team leader. Twice more Ramsey reenacted this scene, asking both Alicia and Dylan. When they both answered in the negative, the frown and worry lines on the younger man's face grew deeper. He glanced around and found an empty conference room. Calling Chris' cell phone was completely useless because it went straight to the voice mail. His home line was exactly the same.

"Ram, he's probably lost," Dylan threw the suggestion out. "You know him and driving."

"But he's been here before." Ramsey shot down the suggestion as he paced. "He uses this library all the time."

When a cell phone rang, Ramsey jumped for his but it wasn't ringing. The ringing came from Benedict's phone.

"That's probably him now," the old profiler soothed, flipping open the phone. "Chris? Ah, yes, this is Benedict Hardy. He's my nephew, why? What?"

Ramsey froze at the utter disbelief and shock emanating from the usually unflappable Benedict. He motioned for Dylan to get the necessary equipment to trace the call, but Benedict saw the hand movements and held out his own, waving away the need before Dylan could leave the room.

Benedict simply ended the call, sagging into a chair and looking all of his sixty-one years. "He's taken Christopher."

"What?" Three voices exclaimed.

"The Game Master?" Ramsey demanded, hands gripping the chair back so hard his knuckles bleached white.

"That was the police," Benedict answered, nodding. "Neighbors called them when Thane wouldn't stop barking. They're over there now."

Ramsey didn't wait for more as he bolted from the conference room, the others following grimly in his wake.


TBC