Somewhere In Time

Hi! JJ shows up a lot in this chapter, but this is probably the largest part in the story he\'s going to have. Sorry JJ fans!

Disclaimer: I don\'t own Fake.


\"Forgive my behavior this morning, Diana. It was rude of me to leave so abruptly,\" Ryo said as he sat down to dinner.
\"Think nothing of it. I should learn not to pry so much into people\'s affairs,\" she smiled. Ryo still seemed somewhat aloof, but it was an improvement from the mood he had been in when he left her at the breakfast table. She\'d felt horrible about it; she really hadn\'t meant to upset him.
\"Will Bikky be joining us?\" she asked, trying to keep the conversation neutral.
\"No, he wished to stay with the nanny\'s daughter, Carol, in the drawing room. The two of them have taken quite a liking to each other. I asked that his dinner be brought to him there. I hope that\'s all right.\"
\"Yes, quite all right.\"
The conversation was put on hold as dinner was brought to the table. After they had both finished, Diana told Ryo she would be entertaining some guests again the next evening.
\"Nothing like the dance- just a small, intimate gathering of a few close friends. I must warn you, though, that both Dee and my friend Berkely will be there, and they don\'t get along well.\"
\"Yes, I noticed his reaction this morning to the name. May I ask what the quarrel is between them?\"
Diana paused, considering her answer before saying, \"Well, they are both very stubborn, arrogant men to begin with. Beyond that, Berkely comes from a very wealthy and prestigious family, very \'old\' money. Dee, on the other hand, was an orphan as a child and made his fortune in mining gold and silver in California. Dee resents Berkely\'s privileged life and Berkely, in turn, views Dee as rather rough and uncouth. Add to that the fact that they\'re two of the most sought-after bachelor\'s around and you get a very deep rivalry.\"
\"Indeed.\"
\"I\'ve warned them both to be on their best behavior tomorrow night, but we\'ll see...\"

Bikky stood with his ear to the door of the large card room. He had slipped away after the nanny put him to bed.
\"Bikky! What are you doing?\" Bikky jumped as he heard a high-pitched voice call behind him.
\"Carol! You scared me! I thought I was in trouble!\"
\"You will be if you don\'t get back to bed!\"
\"Then why are you up?\"
She paused, considering, \"Because I\'m older!\"
\"That doesn\'t matter, I know you still aren\'t supposed to be up either!\" argued Bikky.
\"Fine, just tell me if you heard anything juicy yet!\" she said, leaning by the door next to him.
\"Nothing. Just gossip about people from the ball who I don\'t even know. Adults can be pretty boring sometimes!\"
\"Yeah... hey! Why don\'t we go steal some sweets from the kitchen! I know just how to get in without getting caught!\"
\"Lead the way!\"

Inside the card room the atmosphere was warm and bubbling with laughter.
\"She didn\'t!\" gasped Diana.
\"I swear, she spilled the wine straight down her cleavage! And Ted walked right up to her and asked if he could sip it up!\" said Jenny, a voluptuous, middle-aged woman who had become a good friend of Diana\'s after her husband had passed away. She had no children to help her financially and had gotten into many of the same business ventures Diana had. They two women erupted into a fit of laughter.
Berkely sat near the corner and swirled the sherry in his glass, eying Ryo over his spectacles. The look was not lost on Dee, who had to restrain himself from slapping the grin off of Rose\'s face. Only two days had he known Ryo, and already he felt possessive of him. He didn\'t like jealousy, it made such pleasurable experiences overly-complicated. However, when it came to Ryo, he was willing to make an exception to his rule.
\"Mr. Maclean, tell us, how long will you be staying with our dear Diana?\" asked Rose in a silky-sweet voice, changing the subject back to Ryo as he had done all evening.
\"Just a few weeks. However, I might buy some property and settle near here permanently.\"
\"If you need a guide around the city, I\'d be more than happy to oblige,\" he said, laying on his charm thickly.
\"Perhaps,\" was all Ryo’s reply.
Berkely simply smiled back. Ryo was definitely a challenge. Shy, reserved, and yet a will of adamant underneath it all. Berkely loved a challenge.
\"There\'s a hunt this weekend, Mr. Maclean, if you\'d like to join us,\" a man named Drake asked, lounging comfortably in a high-winged chair.
\"Thank you, but no. I enjoy shooting, but I prefer to do so at the range.\"
\"Randy is an excellent marksman,\" informed Diana.
\"Really?\" said Dee, looking at Ryo with that penetrating stare of his. He wouldn\'t have taken the man for a marksman, but, then again, he was willing to bet there were many things he didn\'t know about the handsome man. And he was willing to spend as much time as it took to find out them all.
\"Bet he\'s not as good as me, though!\" a loud voice chirped in.
\"JJ, there’s no need to shout!\" Dee said, irritated. No one knew quite how JJ had ended up at the gathering, he just was there.
\"I have a shooting range. Why don\'t you join Dee and me at my estate tomorrow?\" asked JJ.
\"JJ I never said I was going with you!\" protested Dee.
\"But you never said you weren\'t going, so that means you are going!\"
\"That makes no sense whatsoever. Besides, don\'t push Ryo into things,\" Dee said with a warning look at JJ that he quickly ignored.
\"No, Dee, that\'s ok. I think I\'d like to do some shooting tomorrow.\"
\"Ryo?\" asked Rose and JJ at the same time. Ryo blushed.
\"It\'s my given name, from my mother. She was from Japan,\" he explained reluctantly.
\"I see, that\'s why you have those lovely dark eyes,\" said Rose, smiling. Ryo looked at the floor and Dee coughed in the silence that followed. Must not throttle him in front of the company, thought Dee, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the arms of his chair.
\"Well, I\'m sorry to inform you all that its about time for me to retire,\" Diana yawned theatrically. It wasn\'t that late, but she could feel the tension between Rose and Dee mounting and decided to end the evening while everyone\'s body parts were still in tact.
They all thanked her for a lovely evening and made their way out the door to their carriages.
\"Oh, Ryo wait a moment!\" called a voice as Ryo was walking toward his guest quarters. He thought everyone had left. Turning, he saw Dee walking quickly to his side.
\"I forgot something.\"
That was all the warning he gave before his lips covered Ryo\'s in a sweet, warm kiss. It was all Dee could do not to throw the man down right there and have his way with him, but his carriage was waiting.
\"Good night,\" whispered Dee.
Before Ryo could recover, Dee was already gone. He leaned against the wall for support. His face was flushed and his lips still tingled from the kiss. Damn that man!


\"Pole!\" someone called a moment before JJ shot the clay pigeon shot out of the air. However, on his next attempt, he missed. He cursed under his breath.
\"Your turn, Ryo. That\'s ten for me though! Beat that!\" JJ said smugly.
\"Dear Lord, JJ! Would you relax?\" grumbled Dee, crossing his arms.
\"Dee!\" JJ cried, looking hurt. \"I\'m just trying to impress you!\" he said under his breath. Although Dee didn\'t hear him, Ryo did.
\"Pole!\" Ryo took aim as one target after another was shot into the sky.
\"Looks like I only hit nine,\" sighed Ryo, lowering the shotgun.
\"Hmph,\" said JJ, strutting past Dee and then turning to back to Ryo, \"Can\'t win them all, yea? Follow me, we\'ll all get a drink at the house.\"
As JJ walked ahead of them (thinking very well of himself), Dee stepped in stride with Ryo, \"You deliberately missed that tenth target.\"
Coughing, Ryo avoided Dee\'s gaze, \"I don\'t know what you mean. I just happened to miss, that\'s all.\" Dee stepped into front of Ryo, forcing him to stop and look into his eyes.
\"Why did you miss?\"
\"Dee I didn\'t-\"
\"Why?\"
\"...JJ wanted to win to impress you. And since I have no desire to, I let him win,\" Ryo said, side-stepping Dee to continue toward the house.
\"How disappointing,\" Ryo heard Dee say quietly behind him. He didn\'t know if he was meant to hear it or not, but the rest of the way to the house, Ryo could feel Dee\'s eyes watching him.

\"...Ryo?\"
\"Huh? I\'m sorry Diana, could you say that again?\" The two of them had just finished a large supper and his thoughts had drifted back to that afternoon as he sat back in the plush chairs.
She knew he hadn\'t been listening of course. Grinning, she repeated herself, \"Did you enjoy yourself this afternoon at JJ\'s?\"
\"It was...\" he paused,\"pleasant. Once you get to know JJ, he can be agreeable. He\'s just young and misdirected. I feel somewhat sorry for him.\" Diana was surprised to hear Ryo speak well of JJ after his initial reaction.
\"Really? He\'s no longer a fly buzzing around your honey?\" she asked, referring back to his comment at the dance.
\'Diana, who\'s that man buzzing around Dee like a fly to honey?\'
Ryo remembered all too well what he had said and done that night and blushed furiously at Diana\'s question.
\"No, I suppose not,\" was all he could say, sipping his wine.
Ryo fell silent again as he reflected on the afternoon at JJ\'s estate. Dee had been called away suddenly, the problem with his claim becoming more serious and requiring him to leave for California imatelately. When JJ had gone to tell his servants to bring around the carriage, Dee had taken quick advantage of his absence. One moment Ryo was standing near his chair, the next he was up against the wall, Dee\'s firm body unyielding, trapping him. He held Ryo\'s gaze as his fingers traced his strong jaw line, Dee\'s eyes narrowing to slits.
\"I have to leave, but I\'m not through with you yet, Ryo,\" he said, then fiercely claimed Ryo\'s mouth. A voice of protest rose in his mind, but never made it past Ryo\'s lips. His world melted away and all he could feel was Dee; his tongue filling his mouth, his hands drifting over his hips. Oh God, it was too much! His knees were going to give way. Feeling Ryo grow weak beneath his ministrations, Dee steadied him by slipping one muscled thigh between Ryo\'s legs.
Ryo was overwhelmed and gasped for air. Somehow, he managed to tear his mouth from Dee\'s, his breathing erratic. \"Wait for me,\" Dee whispered, pressing his groin against Ryo\'s thigh so he could feel the large bulge growing in his pants. Ryo bit back a moan and looked at Dee with eyes begging for mercy. Dee only grinned wickedly back down at the flustered honey-blond. From the looks of it, Ryo wasn\'t going to forget this kiss anytime soon.
\"Your carriage is waiting,\" JJ\'s voice rang through the small receiving room. It had only been a moment before that Dee had finally stepped away from Ryo, leaving the man leaning heavily against the wall. Although JJ hadn\'t seen it with his own eyes, it was obvious what had happened.
\"Dee,\" he called, his voice harsh now. As collected as Ryo was shaky, Dee slipped his gloves on and smoothly exited the room. The moment Dee was gone, JJ had swiftly crossed the room and stood in front of Ryo, glaring at him. For a moment, Ryo thought he was going to actually slap him.
\"Dee is mine!\" he finally spat out and turned to leave the room. He paused at the doorway, saying softly, \"I love him.\" Then added, \"I\'ll get your carriage.\"
\"Ryo? You drifted off again,\" chided Diana softly.
\"I apologize again for my rudeness,\" Ryo said. Then suddenly asked, \"What kind of man his Dee?\"
The question caught Diana off-guard. \"Why do you ask?\"
\"I don\'t know. I suppose I\'m just curious and I won\'t be seeing him again, at least for a while.\"
\"What? Why\'s that?\"
\"He\'s been called back to California. Some problem or another with his claim,\" Ryo said, unable to hide the melancholy in his voice. He didn\'t know why Dee\'s absence should bother him; in fact, he should be happy to be rid of his advances.
\"Ths aws awful! He didn\'t even get a chance to tell me! I hope he won\'t be too long.\"
\"I have a feeling he won\'t,\" said Ryo shyly.
\"Oh, really?\" she asked, her eyes speculative. So, Dee wanted to come back to see Ryo and he had told the handsome man as much. It would be curious to see if Ryo would stay for him...


***When will Dee be back? Will Ryo still be around? Wait and see! ^_-