Devil Dawg Donnelly's

That had gone better than he expected Timmy Anderson thought to himself as he concluded his conversation with his Dad over the phone.

His Mom and Dad were still visiting and helping to care for his ailing grandmother and his father had told him he was extending his leave of absence from work for another week and probably wouldn't be back for another week at the least.

Their conversation afforded him the chance to present an opportunity proffered by Max Donnelly just the night before.

Max had explained how he wanted Timmy to go and train for six weeks with a group of Marines on his private camp grounds somewhere up around Macon; the way he had explained it, he would be undergoing self defense and survival training while also learning how to interact with others in a team based environment; he also felt it would be character building and help him boost his own self reliance and sense of self worth.

Timmy had to admit, all of that appealed to him and the fact he would be surrounded by over a dozen young horny Marines didn't serve to dissuade him either.

Persuading his father was easiest of all, merely telling him it was a military themed training regimen and would be conducted by seasoned professionals and best of all would be of no personal monetary cost, was more than enough to sell his Dad on the idea, his Dad even adding it would help make a man out of him and toughen him up.

Not that Timmy thought his Dad had any clue what being a man really was, he did play into his Dad's analogy, knowing that agreeing with him was the quickest route in garnering not only his receptiveness to the idea but giving it his blessing.

All in all it had gone exactly as Timmy had hoped and planned for, knowing Max would be pleased, which meant more to him than his fathers dated notions of what comprised manhood or represented masculinity.

Timmy didn't desire to be more manly, he had come to realize through his interactions with Max, that what he craved was masculine attention and camaraderie, that being the receptive partner didn't necessitate being the submissive one, sure he was submitting to Max's training and instruction, but it was for his benefit not Max's.

For the first time in his life, Timmy actually felt like he was more in touch with himself, through Max's help, than he had ever felt before.

He didn't feel ashamed by being touched by a man, or to desire them, in fact, in just a few short days Max had begun to instill in him a sense of acceptance in who he was and what he craved from their encounters. In Timmy's eyes, he was freer now than he ever had been, he liked men, he liked masculine energy, masculine companionship, there was less shame in what he desired and a building enthusiasm to embrace who and what he was; Max sensed it too, telling Timmy that his future was what he made of it, his potential was greater than he had previously allowed himself to dream of, citing Timmy's superior gymnastic/acrobatic skills as proof of his dormant inner quiescent capabilities, skills he had pushed himself to accomplish almost solely with finding self worth through pleasing others.

As Max had explained, imagine what he could accomplish if he did these things to please himself, to push his own goal post past the expectations and limitations of pleasing others and instead focused on what he aspired toward.

This is where Timmy's head was now, caught between two worlds of potentiality, a quasi state of independence or interdependence and realizing one path lead to a safe, unassuming and all to familiar complacent future or a bold, no holes barred, nothing ventured nothing gained one.

Max called him Princess, but what kind of Princess would he be, would he be the kind of Princess other men wanted him to be or would he be the kind of Princess other men desired to be with?

Yes, he liked aggressive men, yes he liked pleasing them physically, but he also had desires and expectations, not just to please but to be pleased as well; he wasn't just a hole to be used and discarded, what Princess would tolerate that for long?

Max was right, he was a Princess and this Princess expected to get back the same amount of effort given, if a man wanted to claim him then he had to first prove he was worthy and capable of handling it.

After his successful phone call with his Dad, Timmy had shot Max a quick text simply stating it was a go on his end.

Max had responded by telling him to rest up that night and to pack his bags for an extended stay and to join him tomorrow at his place by lunchtime and to be prepared to leave Sunday afternoon for his six week stay at the Devil Dawg Compound.

Timmy just smiled to himself, as visions of young, horny Marines played repeatedly in the cinema of his minds eye, basking in the myriad potentialities that lay before him.

*****

"Omnium rerum principia parva sunt" Danal Cornelius chanted, smiling slightly, while still trying to maintain the solemn air of an officiant: "The beginnings of all things are small" he proclaimed before turning to the larger of the two men who now stood before him and addressing him directly: "Salve Atticus Walker"

"Salevete Green Father" Atticus responded noting the use of the ceremonial ancient Latin greeting and responding likewise as did Brock Gryzinski as Danal turned to him with the same salutation.

Both just moments ago had returned to Danal after having just agreed to undergo an ancient ritual that would by word, action and deed, bind the two together forever and now stood here before him making their intentions clear as the custom dictated.

Danal looked sternly at both young men, stepping up to them and placing a hand on each of their shoulders and gripping firmly: "The ritual you seek is named in the ancient tongue as Coaptandas, meaning "join together" Danal paused for a moment, looking from man to man before continuing: "Be forewarned, the first part of this ritual is a blood liturgy" Having said that, Danal produced a small ornate dual edged dagger and held it up for both men to look at: "If it is both your intent to proceed, then you need to clasp your right hands together tightly around the blade and repeat the words I recite."

Atticus and Brock turned to face each other as Danal brought the small blade up between them, both griping the blade between their clasped hands, their eyes focused and locking on each others.

As Brock now stood there eye to eye with Atticus Walker, his thoughts roamed back to the moments before when Danal had pulled him aside and had given him a brief layout of what would happen and what would be expected of him as a result of the ritual.

The focus of his own concerns was the whole dominant and submissive aspects Atticus had spoken of earlier by the lake and Danal help assuage some of his fears, explaining that the ritual imparted a blood connection between the two, something members of the Heritage would be able to detect, especially when the two are together which gave a literalness to the rituals given name Coaptandas or join together; the implication meaning that those within the Heritage would see them as being of the same blood and having the two become one and in their view of the world, one person can not have two voices and that one must speak for both, which in a bizarre way kind of made sense to Brock; in most cultural pseudo religious marriage ceremonies a similar belief is also held, but not usually to the literal sense when only one could speak for both publicly.

Danal had simplified it as best he could, observing that all it would mean is that the one determined to speak for them does so knowing he is speaking for both and should reflect both their views and that the other should always publicly be seen as in agreement.

Basically, if the one speaking for them does say something that in actuality is conflicting, that the time to voice those concerns isn't publicly, but when they are in private. Of course, Danal noted whimsically, if they got in the habit of discussing things and there was good communication between then, the incidents or potential for discourse would be negligible.

While Danal's words had eased that aspect of his fears it did little to assuage the other, the part about potentially being punished for publicly disagreeing with his significant other or speaking out of turn, even if it was unintentional, in fact it had been Atticus who ended up offering him a military comparison that he could understand,.

In the military chain of command he wasn't allowed to have a political or religious opinion when he was publicly dealing with subordinates, nor could he publicly be seen as disagreeing with a superiors orders or even worse, countermanding them, all of which could and most likely would lead to disciplinary action, put in those terms Brock felt he could work with that, especially since it was something he had already grown accustomed to doing as a matter of military protocol.

The second part of their conversation was more private and dealt with something else Atticus had referred too about the advantages afforded the one designated as submissive or subordinate, noting to Danal that Atticus had imparted that the submissive was in charge in the home.

Danal had just smiled and given him a playful wink and told him that that was an over simplification but primarily true and that after they had undergone their ritual, he would then be granted access to the Codex and if the ritual determined him the subordinate, he would be best served reading what advantages that differed, Danal had chuckled, stating he was certain a man like Brock would find them rather advantageous and that maybe it was Atticus who didn't fully understand what he was getting himself into.

All these things still lingered in Brock's mind as he stood there now with Atticus's large fingers laced with his and the palm of their hands pressed securely against the double edged blade of the ceremonial knife.

As Danal wrapped both his hands around theirs he once again began chanting an ancient litany in Latin: "Alea iacta est, permitte divis cetera" Thankfully, Danal translated for them: "The die is cast, leave all else to the God's."Danal yanked the blade out from between their palms with one hand while squeezing them tightly together with the other, the double sided bade slicing into their joined palms as their blood flowed and seeped into each others open wounds.

After a few moments Danal once again chanted, ordering the two to repeat after him: "Factum fieri infectum nun potest... It is impossible for this deed to be undone!"

After both recited as instructed Danal removed his hands and touched a bloody thumb to both their foreheads: "Exitus alta probat... The results justifies the deed."

Danal stepped back, instructing the two to keep their hands locked together until the blood stopped flowing and to wait silently there until he returned.

They were so intent on each other, their eyes locked so ardently, they barely noticed him slipping out the door of the Lodge until he returned a few minutes later with the dark haired Corporal Scott Taylor and the blond haired Lance Corporal Barin Young in tow.

Danal came over to them and reached up to pull their hands apart and began wrapping each in gauze bandaging speaking his instructions softly to the both of them: "Each of you will go with one of these fine young men and be escorted to separate parts of the lake, where you will strip and bath in the waters" His voice grew deeper and his tone firmer: "You are to have no further contact with each other until the sun goes down, when you will join me at the Reliquary escorted by your witnesses." He looked from Scott to Barin who took up positions beside them, Scott with Atticus and Barin with Brock.

"What happens then?" Brock asked timidly, rubbing the wound on his hand through the gauze.

Danal smiled wickedly, leering at both of them: "Why then my boy, the great hunt begins and guess who the hunted shall be!"

Brock gulped visibly, looking from Danal to Atticus expectantly and very much feeling like a little tiny mouse caught in a big fucking trap.

*****

JD stood there, leaning against the cool metal surface of the refrigerator in their kitchen, fretfully mulling over the information being presented by his brother Billy and his friend Gavin Hollis to their Uncle Carl, outlining their concerns about their older brother Mike and their pseudo-cousin and their brother's best friend Kent Bauers.

His hopes of approaching Carl about his growing attractions to Jason Dunne had all but vanished from his mind when Billy and Gavin arrived just a few minutes before Carl's return.

JD was now kind of thankful that Jason's Mom, shortly before Carl returned, had called him asking him to pick her up within the next half hour, though he also kind of wished Jason was still there to lean on for moral support, especially after hearing the course of events Billy and Gavin laid out and the troubling conclusions that intel garnered, all of which were reflected strongly in the thoughtful, scowling grimace that now dominated Carl's face as he studied the printouts Gavin had strewn across the kitchen table alongside his laptop.

"Dammit William.." Carl began slowly, the irritation in his voice conflicting with the obvious concern painted on his visage: "You shouldn't have waited for me, you should have taken these concerns to your Dad immediately!"

Carl's scolding visibly weighed on Billy's shoulders as his head bowed, averting his gaze as he struggled to compose a stammering response.

"That's my fault Mr. McGregor" Gavin interjected, coming to Billy's defense: "I was the one that suggested we wait until we had time to put this all together and confirm some of the details."

Finding his voice and giving Carl a sideways glance, Billy added: "I didn't want to trouble Dad if we couldn't prove any of our suspicions." Billy looked over to Gavin and gave him a slight smile and a supportive nod, obviously thankful for his friends support: "You know as well as I do, that Dad would have been upset I was trying to contact Mike about possibly coming to my birthday celebration without his knowledge."

Carl just shook his head, he could tell Billy was upset and even believed what he was saying was the truth, but Carl knew the ends didn't justify the means: "Billy, your first mistake was not trusting your father or me for that matter"

Carl's words burned in Billy' gut, he was right of course, even if he had feared what his Dad's response would have been, he also knew that Carl has always been approachable and would have done whatever he could to help him, especially where his Dad was concerned.

The truth was, Billy wanted Mike there no matter what and he had taken it upon himself without consideration of or for anyone else. Carl reached out to Billy and clasped him in his arms for a few moments, letting his words sink in: "I know that what you were really hoping for was some form of reconciliation between your father and your brother..."Carl paused, feeling Billy stiffen as he gently pushed him away at arms length and lifting Billy's chin with his right hand forcing him to look him in the eyes: "Your motives were good Billy, but your execution was poorly considered."

JD watched on as he knew his brother was now coming to terms with the actions that resulted from his own choices, he felt empathetic for what must be now going through him internally, having faced just such a moment himself not long ago and feeling as helpless as his brother must feel right now.

"Be that as it may..."Carl concluded, drawing his cell phone from his pants pocket and clicking on Max's icon: "What you and Gavin have uncovered is very troubling and I think your father is our best option at getting to the bottom of this."

At Carl's suggestion, JD had taken Gavin into his bedroom when moments later their Dad arrived.

JD turned his TV on and tried to mask the sounds of their fathers harsh, irritated and demanding voice as he grilled Billy and Carl about the circumstances and events leading up to and including Mike's and Kent's questionable reassignments.

It was moments later, when things grew more silent that they heard the front door open and shut.

JD rushed to his window only to see Carl and his Dad jump into his truck and pull out at a breakneck speed heading in the direction of the base.

Gavin and he just exchanged quizzical looks before heading out of his room to find Billy sitting at the kitchen table, his head in his hands looking even more troubled and shaken than he had previously.

JD had just fetched a beer from the frig, opened it and thrust it into Billy's hand when they heard the distinct sound of a vehicle pulling up out front.

Billy and JD both lifted the blinds to the kitchen window and watched as their Uncle Hank and a vaguely familiar, humongous mountain of a man stepped out of their SUV and headed toward their front door: "When it rains it pours..." Billy moaned, dropping his head to the table with a hard thud.

*****

Carl sat quietly all the way to the base, he could almost feel the concerned concentration emanating from Max and wished he could do more to alleviate or dispel his trepidation's, but Carl knew as well as Max the potential danger his son and Kent were in, especially when he pointed out the name of the parent company of Qiagen to him, Internehmen Kampfhund which translated to Wardog enterprises.

They both were fully aware of who the Wardogs were, they knew they were one of the European branches of the Heritage, specifically the largest branch in Germany, the link between them and Max's eldest son in no way could be considered coincidental, especially knowing that the Wardogs were often very hostile toward other Greges within the Heritage and doubly so with those outside the European alliances.

"I met him once you know..." Max said flatly, breaking the somber quiet between them, his eyes still intently focused on the road before him; Carl turned in his seat to face Max as best he could, but remained expectantly silent but supportive.

"It was during the last Grand Council meeting, back when I was in my early twenties" Max hazarded a brief sideways glance at Carl, the grimace on his face from the recollection adding ominously to his oration: "I went with my father, Danal was there as well as Hadrian Mumsford from the Northern Devil Dawg region." Max paused long enough to flash his ID at the guard at the main gate before proceeding: "Krause was there with his sire as guest of their regions Council member Heinrich Voigt."

Carl stared calmly at Max, interrupting his own silence by stating: "I take it you weren't that impressed by the encounter?"

Max laughed sardonically, again hazarding a quick glance in Carl's direction: "Let's just say I would be hard pressed to tell you who I thought was the more arrogant between the three." Max hesitated only a second before thoughtfully adding: "Neither Danal or Hadrian thought very highly of Voigt despite his high rank within the European Council of Greges."

"And the Krause's?" Carl queried, though judging by Max's body language he was already fairly certain of Max's impression: "They both epitomized and embodied everything that is wrong within the Heritage...arrogant, self absorbed and elitist." Max's disdain and disgust at the recollection read in every part of his countenance.

Carl bulked at asking what preoccupied his thoughts at the moment, but felt compelled to ask: "What do you think Krause could possibly want from the boys?"

It was at that moment they arrived at the admin building and Max's office and as he slammed the the vehicle into park and opened his door to get out, he shot back at Carl: "I don't know, but if they've harmed on hair on those boy's heads, I will rain hell fire down upon them the likes of which they never dreamed possible."

Carl caught the bright flash of blue fire in Max's eyes and knew he meant every word he had just uttered; as Carl exited the truck and ran to catch up with Max, he could almost feel a small bit of pity for the fools that thought tangling with Max Donnelly was a good idea.

*****

Elder Heinrich Voigt sat in the drawing room of the Von Krause estate house in his favorite Firenza armchair, casually sipping a glass of Courvoisier XO Cognac while perusing the printouts to Dr. Monaca Donnelly's research and progress notes.

He had made it his priority to learn as much as he could about what she was attempting to do, specifically how she intended to do it and while he knew he lacked the knowledge to discern much of what was written, he was the type of man that believed in caution and even now, as he read through the documents, he had people who did understand the science looking through it as well; Heinrich thought what she was attempting and her progress so far was exceptional, but he also didn't wholly trust her either, especially knowing she was married to the leader of the southern US Devil Dawg's, Max Donnelly.

If it weren't for the rumors that they'd been getting whiffs of about his middle son and what some within the North American Greges Council believed about his upcoming Heritage ceremony, as implausible as their beliefs were, he and the Von Krause Kampfhund and many other European Greges felt the necessity to prepare for the worse, even if there was a ridiculously small chance there could be a kernel of truth behind their wishful thinking.

Heinrich no more believed in that old fairy tale than he did in the Easter Bunny or Santa, he knew the Donnelly line was old and their lineage could be traced back possibly as far as the Von Krause line, but he was completely dubious it dated back as far as the Progenitor, he knew of no specific Grege that could boast that claim, though there were those like Danal Cornerlius and Hadrian Mumsford and a few others that endlessly argued that they were all descendants of the Progenitor.

He and Ryker had debated this topic endlessly over the last couple of years and he and Ryker both felt that this was more likely to turn out to be a power grab by the North American and possibly South and Central American Greges and both mutually concluded that they needed to be prepared, maybe even prepare a preemptive response, Ryker certainly felt having Donnelly's eldest son safely secured and within reach at his research facility here in Hilden could be useful if the need arouse or necessitated.

"I see you still have your doubts" Ryker posited, breaking the silence between them, eyeing his old mentor from across the room as he turned away from the window he had just been staring out of, having been lost in his own thoughts as he calculated the potential paths that now lay before him, especially if that woman could do what she claimed.

Heinrich looked up in time to see Ryker's face contort into a lecherous grimace before he added: "Or maybe you took a fancy to Donnelly's progeny?" he snickered: "You can't fool me Councilor, I saw the way you looked at him."

Heinrich huffed and glared dispassionately at him in return and waved him off dismissively with the flip of his hand before grabbing his glass of Cognac and sniffing it lightly, enjoying its thick heavy bouquet: "He's an extremely handsome young man and judging by your own physiological responses I could safely assert I wasn't alone in my admiration of his physicality."

Ryker hissed disgustedly: "You know the old saying lie with dogs get up with fleas, I would never debase myself lying with a mongrel like him or any of his ilk."

A smirk spread across Heinrich's face as he peered into Ryker's pale blue eyes: Oh yes, how silly of me to even suggest someone of such a high bloodline would ever lower themselves to copulate with a common disperser."

Unphased by Heinrich's attempt at mocking him Ryker stared at his own reflection in the ornate mirror mounted on the wall not far behind him, admiring his own sturdy and rugged looks, light sandy blond perfectly quaffed, short curly hair and the fullness of his thick and manicured beard; at twenty eight, he considered himself to be at his prime, he trained with the best his families wealth could buy him, he'd married and sired two son's thus far with his beautiful and of noble blood wife Gessell and had his pick of the many young warriors who served under him or were retained by his family, he had even taken a particular shine to his wife's younger brother Milo, though he carefully kept that a guarded secret, not only from his wife but from his mentor Heinrich as well.

"Maybe we should discuss how we intend to handle the Council once Ms. Donnelly concludes her research?" Ryker queried sitting in the chair opposite Heinrich's and eyeing him pensively, knowing his mentor often had multiple machinations in play and not always being forthright about the minutia of the ones he deemed would jeopardize what he often referred to as plausible deniability.

Heinrich looked at him sternly: "I think its best we concentrate on the here and now."

Ryker Von Krause rolled his eyes sardonically and chuckled slightly: "I assume your referring to that ridiculous rumor about Max Donnelly's other mutt?"

It was easy for Heinrich to be just as skeptical as Ryker was, but he was also a prudent, cautious man: "I hope by that you don't mean you didn't take my council to have someone monitor the situation there, especially since the boys Heritage ceremony is next Friday?"

Ryker leaned forward and was about to respond when a loud energetic rapping came on the closed door to the drawing room.

With a look of consternation and annoyance Ryker yelled out for whomever to enter.

Immediately a young attendant opened the door shifting sideways as a larger, older man in uniform brushed passed him and entered the room.

Heinrich and Ryker both stood expectantly as a confused look consumed their dual visage.

"Herr Krause, I am Generale Otto Pfluger of the Bundeswehr and as a member of the Eastern Kampfhund and at no small risk to my career, I have come here to warn you, that the Chancellor herself has ordered the Federal Intelligence Service to conduct an immediate raid on your Qiagen Facility in Hilden."

Instantly the color drained from Heinrich's face as he collapsed back into his chair, his mind racing in a myriad directions and to a plethora of conclusions, none of which boded well for them.

Ryker Von Krause immediately searched his pockets for his cell phone, instantly thinking to call Gunther Kline and warn him, knowing he was there now and was overseeing Ms. Donnelly's base operations.

Otto held his hand up in a halting gesture: "I think you will find that all communications have been blocked, the Bundesnachrichtendienst are, if nothing else, very efficient."

Ryker huffed, ignoring the warning and tapped Gunther's icon, immediately a temporarily out of service message popped up on his screen, he quickly tried the head of medical operations number and the regional administrators, all the same.

Heinrich Voigt found his voice, asking the question he was certain he already knew the answer too: "Why would the Chancellor order this?"

With the slightest of shrugs, Otto Pfluger responded: "The Chancellor had a visit from Brigadier General Beauregard Chambers of the US forces stationed in Stuttgard, stating he had learned that two of his Marines were MIA and believed to be held against their will at the Bilden Qiagen genetic research facility and that he feared the company was conducting experiments on US military personnel."

Ryker's face was flushed red with anger, Heinrich stood again and crossed over to him, placing a hand firmly on his shoulder, hoping to quell the tempest that now raged within him before it was given voice; looking over to the Generale he thanked him for his loyalty to the Heritage and his kindred and ushered him toward the door, Heinrich assuring him he would convey as much to the Council of Greges and the other leaders of the Kampfhund.

No sooner than he had shut and locked the door and turned to face Ryker Von Krause he heard him growl low, deep and guttural, his eyes burning blue embers: "If it's the last thing I do, I'm going to kill Max Donnelly!"

*****

Despite all the excitement and anxiety over their older brother Mike and Kent, most of which JD still had trouble wrapping his head around, the afternoon had passed slowly and with no small degree of foreboding.

The arrival of their uncle Hank Bauers earlier and who JD soon realized was his old childhood playmate and Hanks youngest son Jake, had caused a fair amount of trepidation and angst with his sibling Billy, which at first confused JD until Hank had inquired about their Dad and Carl's whereabouts, that his brother began slowly relating what he and Gavin had uncovered about their brother Mike and Kent and the circumstances leading up to his Dad and Carl rushing off toward the base.

Hank had immediately called their Dad and had talked to him for a good while as they all watched on, trying to glean what they could from the conversation but mostly standing around nervously anticipating and waiting for him to finish and fill them all in.

No one looked more apprehensive and worried than his brother Billy, JD couldn't think of a time his brother looked and acted more concerned and fretful and the weight of it hung on his brother like a ton of bricks and it didn't take much to figure out that Billy was consumed with guilt over not having brought his suspicions to his Dad sooner, fearing his delay may have in some way jeopardized Mike and Kent even more than he already dreaded.

JD recalled the consternation in his brothers voice, when Hank concluded his conversation with their dad: "I'm so sorry uncle Hank.." he began brokenly, self recriminating guilt filling ever syllable he uttered: "I should have said something sooner, if anything has happened to them, I'll never forgive myself..."

Billy didn't get a chance to finish his line of thought before Hank reached out and took him in his arms and held him, hugging Billy and rubbing his back, trying to comfort him: "It's not your fault kiddo, your brother and Kent are grown men and US Marines, they are more than capable of taking care of themselves."

Hank had pushed Billy back at arms length and looked him right in the eyes: "If it weren't for you and your friend here.." He paused to shoot a thankful nod and wink at Gavin before continuing: "We wouldn't have known anything about them being missing."

JD had watched as his brothers gaze dropped to the floor, his shoulders slumping before he meekly tried to assert his sense of guilt, stammering: "But it was my fault for waiting a whole day..."

Hank stopped him abruptly, taking Billy's face between his large hands and forcing him to look at him: "Enough kiddo, we don't know what's happened yet, if anything at all, so stop beating yourself up over it, ya hear me?"

JD could tell that Billy had still been doubtful, but Hank's reassurances had helped allay some of his fears.

It didn't surprise JD at all that Hank took such an optimistic view, JD had always known him to be a very gregarious, upbeat kind of person, playful and disarmingly witty at times, his often jovial banter resulting in cacophonous laughter with both their Dad and Carl throughout their frequent stays together at the compound, especially when their Dad's old family friend Danal was around, the two of them continuously exchanging barbs, put downs and cringe-worthy puns at each other, were often the noteworthy highlights and entertainment during their stays.

But there was the serious side too, much of what he and his brothers knew of self defense came in no small part due to their Uncle Hank, the man was a phenomenal close quarters hand to hand combatant.

He couldn't begin to count the many times Hank instructed them and his own sons into the various holds, deflections and counter moves and parries that constituted self defense. It was all that early training that had inspired his brother Billy and Baxter's interest in wrestling, they had all grown up sparring together, but the best fun had always been when their Dad, Carl, Hank and even Danal would spare together, often trying to best one another, but usually ending when they would team up and try to take their Dad down, the only person he could ever recall ever besting Hank consistently was their Dad, JD could even recall, at times, the combined efforts of all three couldn't bring their Dad down, something that always seemed to fill JD with a sense of pride and security.

As the afternoon faded, JD allowed those youthful recollections to distract him as they all waited for their Dad and Carl to return, it was during this time he also began to take notice of his quasi-cousin Jake.

JD hadn't seen Jake in almost three years and the last time he saw him he remembered him as this tall, lanky beanpole of a teenager.

He'd always been on the rather quiet side, amiable enough, though he always seemed a bit on the awkwardly shy side until he got to know you; he and JD just seemed to gravitate toward each other as kids, which stood to reason since Billy always had Baxter and both their older brothers were always stuck together like glue.

Despite his quiet nature, he and JD always seemed to have fun together, hiking and rough housing, though as JD recalled it, he seldom joined them swimming, unless it was at night; his brother use to tease him about not wanting anyone to see him naked because he was afraid they'd make fun of his pecker and true or not, whenever anyone suggested going skinny dipping during the day he'd always blush and find some excuse not to join in.

But that was the Jake from his childhood, the Jake standing in what appeared to be a perpetual parade rest stance in his living room, was a completely different person, JD barely recognized him.

He had always been tall and that certainly didn't change, if anything he had grown from what JD recalled, quite considerably, not only in height but width as well.

The biggest guy JD knew was Jason, with the exception of Arliss Gundarson, but compared to Jake, they both looked like scrawny runts.

As he later found out, Jake stood a good six foot eight inches, but that wasn't what was even most notable about him, every square inch of him was massively muscular, just one of his thighs had to be bigger round than JD's waist, his nearly hairless forearms looked like corded steel and his biceps were at least as big and thick as one of JD's own thighs, not even in one of those body builder mags he occasionally saw around the base gym had he ever seen anyone as massive as Jake Bauers was. JD quietly chuckled to himself, thinking even his muscles had muscles, hell, even his neck muscles were so thick they were wider than his head.

JD also couldn't help but notice how ruggedly, yet still boyishly handsome he was, meticulously groomed and clean shaven, his short, high and tight chestnut colored hair and the slight perfectly symmetrical short bangs in front, his prominent brow with thick, well trimmed eyebrows, his pug, upturned nose and narrow amber colored eyes, his thick, full lips and his protruding, squared jawline and chin made for one striking presentation of masculinity all of which he had packed into his nearly skin tight dress "D's", the dark blue slacks and crisply ironed short sleeved tan blouse bulging at the seams, his shiny leather shoes polished to near mirrored perfection and then there was that massive protruding crotch, ballooning outward, looking almost like he had stuffed a large grapefruit down his pants, and for some reason it kept drawing JD's gaze back, it was like his brain couldn't register what his eyes were seeing and most unsettling of all to JD, he was constantly catching him staring at him.

At times, when JD would casually look in his direction, Jake's bright amber eyes would be on him, he even did so openly, not even bothering to look away when their eyes would meet accidentally, even when someone would engage him momentarily in conversation or his Dad asked him some question, his eyes always returned to JD, like he was seeing him for the first time or as JD imagined, he was sussing him up, evaluating him, made all the more unnerving to JD by his constant, never changing blank expression, which had the effect of making JD look away nervously but always drawing him back in to see if even the slightest grin or frown would cross his otherwise handsome face.

JD almost whispered a silent prayer of relief when his Dad and Carl returned home and every ones attention, including Jake's, focused on them.

Of course the mood only shifted slightly as Carl and their Dad greeted Hank and Jake warmly, hugs being exchanged as well as a few playful jabs and barbs most notably by JD's Dad about how much Jake had grown since the last time he had seen him, but what confounded JD was when his Dad commented on how he was dressed, teasing him that he obviously came dressed to impress and then looking straight at JD and gave him a broad grin and a wink, followed by Jake turning to look right at him and began staring at him with that same blank expression on his face, again making JD feel very self conscious and more than a little bit awkward.

It was Carl that shifted their Dad's attention, by touching his arm and nodding toward Billy, who sat solemnly at the kitchen table, his hands folded in front on the table surface as his fingers clinched and unclinched nervously; Gavin by his side his hand on Billy's shoulder in a show of quiet support.

JD watched as their Dad crossed over to him and bent over, his arms going around Billy's chest lifting him into a tight hug, one JD noted that Billy just melted into: "I'm sorry I was so harsh early Billy..." their Dad began, his hands caressing Billy's back affectionately before adding: "If it weren't for you and your friend here..." His left hand extending out to grip Gavin's shoulder, giving him a firm squeeze: "None of us would have been even remotely aware of your brothers and Kent's predicament."

Gavin blushed a deep shade of red as Carl put his arm around him and said: "I think we owe you a special debt of gratitude for both your selfless support of Billy but also for your rather clever and creative intelligence gathering."

It was at that point their father began to relate the events as they unfolded over the last couple of hours after he made queries with his Pentagon contacts.

Lt. General Bastian Hartford, the head of the Marine Corp. Senior Command staff at the Pentagon, upon hearing their suspicions and seeing the evidence sent to him via email by their Dad. contacted Brigadier General Beauregard Chambers who was in over all charge of the US military contingents throughout NATO and instructed him to detain Major Anthony Drummond and then to contact the German government informing them the Pentagon had intel stating that a German genetics company was detaining two MIA Marines and were demanding their immediate release and return.

Their Dad smiled and informed them that as of an hour ago both Michael and Kent were retrieved and on their way back to Stuttgart and both seemed to be physically fine, but would undergo a full medical evaluation upon arrival at the base in Blingen.

Their Dad's news sent a ripple of hoots and ooh-rahs throughout those present, Billy even grabbed Gavin, scooped him up in his arms and began swinging him around the room joyfully.

As the shouts settled down their Dad opened the frig and grabbed a six pack of beer, ripped one off and handed it to Gavin, telling him he had first honors at kicking off a weekend of celebration at the Donnelly household.

Through all the excitement JD had failed to notice the towering figure standing right behind him, didn't sense or notice him at all until he felt the large meaty hand descend on his shoulder that instantly sent rippling waves tingling through him where ever their flesh made contact.

JD slowly turned his head, thinking that perhaps Jason had returned for some reason, only to find a now grinning Jake looking down at him as he gently began massaging his shoulder sensuously and with his other hand, offering JD an ice cold can of beer.

*****

"So you're really going though with this Gunny?" twenty year old Barin Young asked while looking on as Brock Gryzinski finished lacing and tying his military issue combat boots.

Brock gave him a sideways glance nodding his head: "That's the plan jarhead." he responded stoically, taking a moment to admire the physicality of the golden blond haired Pfc. that had shadowed him since they left the Lodge a few hours ago.

Barin had stayed glued to him since then and even assisted him in his ritual bathing down at the lake by keeping watch making sure that neither he or Atticus came in contact with each other either physically or by line of sight.

Brock discerned the studious way Barin was observing him as he finished dressing, buttoning up the camo blouse of his BDU's, before slipping his cover on his head.

"Ya know Gunny, I can already tell there's a difference in you." He observed, his nose crinkling slightly as he tapped it, drawing attention to his narrow flaring nostrils as he whiffed the air, his handsome boyish face lilting slightly sideways, reminding Brock of a puppy cocking his ears and twisting it's head quizzically and noting that the kid looked just as adorable doing so.

Brock chortled: "Are you saying I stink private?" he queried, offering Barin a cocky half grin.

"Not at all Gunny..." he responded, adding: "Even though you just bathed, I can still smell Atticus on you, it's kinda muffled and ..." He paused, the questioning look of concentration on his face adding to what Brock perceived as youthful naiveté: "It's like it's mixed with somethin' else.." he continued, shaking his head: "Honey and freshly dug earth." he concluded, his analysis bringing a slight smug smile to his face, obviously self satisfied with his own analogy.

Brock couldn't help but note that Max had used that same description about him before, had even implied it's significance related to who and what Brock was, Barin's observation made him quizzical: "Does everyone not of the Heritage smell like that to you guys, that honey and dirt smell?"

Barin kind of chuckled, a hint of his youthful exuberance coming through: "Not at all, it's actually kinda rare in dudes" he paused again contemplating before adding: "It's sort of the way women smell, but not exactly the same, it's kinda hard to explain really" he offered in conclusion before quickly adding with a bit of a flirtatious leer: "It's actually kinda alluring to us ya know."

"Down boy!" Brock laughed, playfully mussing Barin's short faux-hawked hair: "Don't make me whack your snout with a rolled up newspaper."

They both shared a brief laugh before Barin indicated it was probably time for them to head over to the Reliquary since the sun was almost fully set.

"Ya nervous Gunny?" Barin asked as he opened the door to the Lodge, waiting for Brock to exit before closing the door behind them.

"As cool as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs private" Brock mused allowing Barin to take the lead as they headed toward the Ceremonial grounds and his rendezvous with destiny.