The Professionals Circuit Archive - Intermezzo       Intermezzo

 

by Thora Arwin 

 
 *(The sequel is Intuition)*


 "You little prick!"

 "Come on, Doyle," Bodie said, trying to sound reasonable. "I never meant
for it to happen, and you know it." But it seemed Doyle didn't know.
Didn't care. Didn't believe Bodie anymore.

 "-and I thought you were my friend!" Doyle went on, sneering, eyes ablaze
with anger. "My *best* friend. I'd have done anything for you, you
bastard, and what do I get? What do *I* fucking get? You going round to
her place and telling her bloody everything-"

 Bodie raised his chin, stood his ground. "You would've done the same
thing, mate. Were our positions reversed."

 "Oho." Another sneer. "But they weren't, were they? *Were* they, Bodie?"
Advancing on Bodie now, a murderous gleam in his eye. 

 *No*, he wanted to say. But he wouldn't have been telling the truth.

 A moment of silence, Doyle's savage glare locked with Bodie's defiant
one. Then a flicker of disgust crossing Ray's face. "Yeah," drawn out,
looking Bodie up and down. "Stupid of me to expect more from a bloody
merc, eh? *Mate*?"

 "You don't mean that, Ray."

 "I don't, eh? You're one jealous son-of-a-" 

 But Doyle didn't finish. He looked suddenly very, very tired. Taking a
deep breath, he sat down on the settee. "Just go away, Bodie. I want to be
alone."

 "Ray..."

 "Get out." 

 Bodie said firmly, "It was for the best, you know that."

 "Whose best? Not mine." 

 *But mine*, Bodie's mind screamed. *Mine*.

 Doyle closed his eyes and took up a more comfortable position on the
settee. "Lock the door on your way out, will you. See you at work."

 *See you at work.* 

 So Doyle wasn't going to resign or ask for a new partner? Bodie's heart
skipped a beat. Yeah. Yeah, why should he? Bodie smiled for the first time
in what felt like months. It wasn't something they couldn't face. Ray
being bisexual and Bodie letting this small piece of information slip in
front of Ann Holly... Ann-bloody-conservative-upper-crust-Holly. Ann, who
was taking Ray away from Bodie. She didn't have a place in Ray's life.
Didn't understand the job, or him. Couldn't, really. Not like Bodie could.


 Yeah, they'd make it.

 But as Bodie was locking the door to Ray's flat, a nasty thought started
filling his mind: *How was he ever going to tell Ray he'd done so because
he was selfish? That Ray was his- wasn't he?* 

 -- THE END --

 *April 2005*

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