RELEASE by Alison

Email:  xalison@excite.com
Category:  Slash implied, Langly/Byers 
Spoilers:  some for Maximum Byers
Disclaimer: Not mine, etc
Archive:   Wherever you like!
Summary:  3 short 1-1 postep drabbles for Maximum Byers
Implied M/M interaction but NO SEX!

(hey, where did you all go?  Come back and finish reading!)


(1)  Jimmy/Byers

DEATH ROW UNIT 
EAST LIVINGSTON, TEXAS 


Frohike and Langly escorted their two prisoners 
across the prison yard towards the van under the eyes of the 
prison guards, and slammed the doors behind them.
Langly climbed up into the passenger seat of the van at
the same time as Frohike took the driver's seat.  

The second the doors closed behind him and Jimmy, 
Byers began ripping almost frantically at the buttons of his 
prison overall.  "Langly!  Did you bring my clothes?"

Jimmy looked at him questioningly.  "Hey Byers, you okay?
We're out of it now." 

Byers stared at him, wild-eyed, seeming not to see him.
"I need to get out of these clothes, Jimmy."  He was as
disturbed as Jimmy had ever seen him.  He fumbled with
the buttons, muttering.  "Wanna get out of these things.."

Jimmy leaned across from his seat on the other side of
the van.  He grabbed Byers' shoulder, shaking him.
"Byers, be easy.  We're out of it, we're never going back.
We're okay."

Byers shook him off.  "I know that, Jimmy. I just .... I want to
get out of these things.  Langly .. Ree!  did you bring my
clothes?"

Langly twisted round in the front seat and peered through 
the gap in the partition.  "They're in the locker, under the seat 
Jimmy's sitting on.  Hey man, are you gonna be okay back
there?"

Byers took a deep breath, trying not to alarm Langly.  
"Yeah, I will be." He forced himself to smile at his lover.
"I'm okay.  You keep an eye on Mel and make sure he
takes the right road."

Jimmy shifted position and pulled Byers' clothes and his own
out of the locker he had been sitting on.  He sorted through
them and handed the other man's shirt and suit over to him,
watching him anxiously.  He looked up at Langly, still 
watching them through the gap.  "Langly, can you 
come back here?"  

"Not just yet Jimmy, we need to get clear of the prison
before Mel and me can get out of these uniforms."  
He beckoned Jimmy closer.  "Look after him for me."

Jimmy nodded before turning back to Byers.  Byers had 
managed to get partly out of the prison overalls and was
sitting bare to the waist, fumbling with his white undershirt.
Jimmy noticed for the first time the livid marks on his neck
where Lowry had tried to throttle him, and the extensive areas
of bruising on his torso where the other prisoner had beaten
him viciously.  He felt a sudden deep stab of guilt.  He should 
have been able to protect John better than that.

He watched as Byers slowly and painfully pulled on his
customary shirt and pants.  Jimmy handed him his suit
jacket and he slid into it carefully, still favouring his injured
arm although he had discarded the sling.  Armoured once
again in his suit he looked much more like himself, except that
his tie had gone missing, giving him a note of vulnerability.
He leaned his head back against the side of the van and
looked at Jimmy with a small smile.  "Thanks."

Jimmy felt a strange sensation in his stomach, a 
warm glow that started just behind his breastbone
and radiated out through his chest, rising into his
throat and making it tight.  He felt himself going red.  
"It's okay Byers. I ... I wish I could've done more.  Uh ..
I mean, in the prison.   I should have been able to protect
you, stop you getting hurt."

Byers shook his head tiredly.  "No, Jimmy, you did great.  
You did everything the guys asked you to do, you got the 
message to me when I needed it.  You couldn't have 
done more."

"So you're not mad at me?"

"Mad at you?  No, of course I'm not, Jimmy.  Why would
you think I was mad at you?"

Jimmy felt hot with embarrassment.  He glanced towards
the front of the van and was grateful that Langly had turned
back to the front.  "Uh ... because of what I said in the cells 
when they took you out with Lowry,you know, about you 
being my bitch.  It was a crazy thing to say, I didn't think
it might have made things worse for you.  I thought I was
protecting you."

Byers shook his head, his expression lightening as he looked
affectionately at their young colleague.  "Come here, Jimmy."
He beckoned to the young man and motioned him to sit
alongside him on the narrow bench.  Jimmy settled carefully
next to him, suddenly conscious being in Byers' 
personal space and very aware of the older man's slim
body next to his.  He knew that Byers rarely invited personal
contact;  his own tactile habits had earned him rebuffs from
Frohike in the past, and Byers' reserved personality had
kept him instinctively at a distance.  

Byers turned to face him, frowning slightly, and Jimmy 
realised that for once the usually  articulate Byers was at
a loss for words.  "Jimmy .. I've got to admit, I was 
embarrassed at the time.  But I don't think it was a bad
impulse on your part.  In fact I think it did help.  Remember
what you said to me just before, about me not being the
fighting type?  Well that's true.  Everyone could see it.  
Lowry could see it from the first minute he saw us.  
If you hadn't said that, it could have been a lot worse for
me."

Jimmy felt the warm glow spreading through his whole body.
He would have done anything, anything Byers asked of him
in that minute.  

Byers shifted on the narrow seat, and although he didn't
say a word, Jimmy realised that he must be miserably
uncomfortable.  He put his arm carefully round Byers'
shoulders, trying to protect him from the jolting of the
van's ancient suspension.  "Hey, lean against me."

Byers tensed a little, then sighed and relaxed against 
Jimmy's large frame.  Neither man spoke, both just
relieved and grateful to be out of the oppressive 
atmosphere of the prison.  

After a while Jimmy realised Byers' weight was leaning
more and more against him, and Byers' head gradually
fell sideways to rest on his shoulder.  He looked carefully 
at his friend; Byers' eyes were shut, he was either dozing or
really asleep.  Jimmy sent up a little prayer of thanks; 
he suspected that Byers had hardly slept all the time they
were in the prison.  He pulled Byers closer, feeling even
more protective of the older man in this vulnerable state.

By the time Frohike pulled the van off the road half an 
hour later, and Langly jumped out and walked round to 
the back to join them, Byers was fast asleep with his head
in Jimmy's lap.

Jimmy looked up with a start as Langly opened the back 
doors, and saw the blond man looking in at them with a
strange expression on his face.  He felt uncomfortable;  he
knew the situation between Byers and Langly, and was
embarrassed for Langly to see him holding Byers like this.
Would Langly think he was trying it on with his lover?  "Uh,
Langly, I .."

Langly scrambled up into the back of the van and stood over
them, still without a word.  He bent over to look carefully
at Byers's sleeping face.  He looked up at Jimmy, who 
shrugged uncomfortably.  

Langly turned away, fumbled in the locker Jimmy had been
sitting on, and came up with a blanket.  He spread it gently
over Byers' body, tucking it round his shoulders.  He looked
at Jimmy again, his expression still inscrutable.  He got up 
to go, letting his hand run gently over his lover's hair.  
"Look after him."

Jimmy nodded.  Langly slapped him on the shoulder,
turned and jumped down out of the van, and closed the
doors quietly.

The van started up again, rattling as it picked up speed.
Jimmy held Byers tighter, cradling him, as the long miles
between Texas and Washington slowly passed away.


===000===

 

(2)  Langly/Byers

Motel, Texas border

They checked into a motel early, all four of them exhausted
by the stress of the last few days.  When they got into the 
large family room which was the only one available, 
Byers sat down wearily on the edge of the nearest bed 
as if he hadn't the strength to go further.

Langly dumped their bags beside the bed and squatted 
down on the floor in front of him, looking up into his eyes.  
"John."

Byers didn't appear to hear him.  

"John, c'mon.  I think you should take a bath and get into 
bed, you're bushed.  C'mon, I'll help you."

"Yeah ... so tired ..."

He stood stiffly and let Langly lead him into the bathroom.
Jimmy stared after him, his emotions written clearly on his face.

In the bathroom Langly bent to set the water running and poured 
in some bath gel from the basket of free samples on the window 
ledge.  He turned to see Byers leaning against the wall, staring
at nothing with a lost, little-boy expression on his face.  He pulled
at Byers' shoulder to turn him to face him, and started to unbutton
his shirt.  

"C'mon, let me help you.  You need to relax."

Byers stood passively while Langly unbuttoned his shirt and 
stripped it off him, then did the same with his undershirt.  Langly
caught his breath when he saw the bruises inflicted on his
lover.  He clenched his fists angrily.  "God ... I didn't realise it
was so bad.  Did you have to let it happen?"

Byers sighed wearily.  "I thought so at the time.  Couldn't think
of another way to get in the hospital.   And anyway ... it 
was all for nothing.  I failed.  Pfeiffer's guilty ... it was all for
nothing."

Langly took him by both shoulders and held him gently.
"You're wrong, John.  Sure, we came into this on the wrong
side.  But because of you an innocent man is going to be 
freed, and Walsh is going to be nailed for the murder.
I know it's not the result we expected, but justice is gonna be
done."  

Byers nodded slowly, but his eyes were still focused far away. 
Langly pulled him into his arms where he had longed to have 
him, holding him carefully to avoid the bruises.  He breathed 
deeply, wanting to inhale the comforting smell of his lover,
but barely recognising it through the overlaying sharp 
sickening smell of the prison that clung to him, on his skin 
and in his hair.  Mingled smell of disinfectant, cheap soap 
and god knows what else ... it didn't smell like John, and he
pulled back, wrinkling his nose.  "C'mon, get in that bath.
I want you to smell like yourself again."

Byers smiled ruefully at him and patted his cheek.  "I know
what you mean."

He finished stripping off his clothes and got into the bath, 
moving stiffly as his bruised body protested.  Langly waited 
till he was settled, grunting in pleasure as the warmth 
seeped into him , and sat on the edge of the bath, 
running his hand comfortingly over Byers' shoulder, 
massaging the tense muscles.  Byers sighed softly, 
gratefully.  

"Feeling better?"

"Mmmmhhhh ... that's good ..."

Langly continued massaging gently, considering his next words.  
He knew Byers probably needed to talk, but he would have to 
be led there gently. 

"Was it bad?"

Byers simply nodded. "It was bad.  If I hadn't had Jimmy with me .."

"So ... he did okay?"

"He did fine, Ree.  I'd have been in a bad way without him."

"I wish I'd been there with you, John.  I'd've taken that guy apart."

Byers smiled.  "You wouldn't have had the chance, Ree.
Even Jimmy couldn't protect me from that."

"What was that he was saying, back in the van, about being 
sorry about something he said?"

Byers grimaced unhappily.  "You heard that?  Uhhh.. it's not 
really important, Ree.  He was embarrassed, he didn't want me 
to tell you."

Langly sat back, frowning slightly.  John had never lied to him.  
Why did he feel uneasy about what might have gone on between 
the two men in the prison?  For about the fortieth time since the
start of this case, he wished he had been the one to go into
the prison with Byers.  John had never given him any cause to
be jealous, but he realised with pain that from now on Byers and
Jimmy would share something he could never be part of.  
He slipped down to sit on the floor by the bath, at eye level with
Byers.  "C'mon, what was it?"

Byers looked at him with a worried expression for a moment.  
"Ohhh, alright - but look, don't tell him I told you, okay?  He 
yelled in front of all the guys on Death Row that I was his bitch."

Langly's jaw dropped and he rolled his eyes disbelievingly.  
"Oh man ... didn't he realise what kind of trouble that could 
get you into?  God, I am so gonna kick his butt..."

Byers reached out and squeezed Langly's forearm.  "No, Ree,
look at from his point of view. He thought he was protecting me. 
He saw me being taken out to the exercise yard with Lowry 
and he was scared what was going to happen.  He thought 
he was helping."

Langly shook his head angrily.  "Kid watches too many old
TV shows .. I should have known when he started talking about 
the A-Team. He thinks life's like a TV show where everyone just
gets up and walks away from being shot or something."

"Maybe .. but don't get on his case about it, Ree. He means well,
and it didn't make any difference anyway."  Byers leaned forward
to let the water out of the tub and stood up to get out of the bath.
"Hand me a robe, can you?"

He stepped out of the bath into the robe Langly was holding for
him, turning his back so Langly could rub his back and shoulders.
It felt so good to feel his lover's hands on him again, so 
reassuring.

Langly finished rubbing his back and wrapped his long arms round
Byers' chest, pulling him close back against him, and they stood
together for a minute in silence, needing each others' presence,
just thankful to be safe together again.  He could feel Langly's 
breath, gentle against his neck.  He turned his head a little.

"Forget about Jimmy ... you're not jealous, are you?"

Langly sighed, his breath warm on Byers' throat.  "Just a little,
kinda ..."  He smiled.  "I thought *I* was *your* bitch."

Byers turned in Langly's arms and slid his arms round him.  
"I just wish I didn't hurt so much ... I'd show you whose bitch 
you are."

Langly pulled away a litte to look into his eyes, grinning in 
delight.  "We can't anyway, we got to share the room with 
Jimmy and Mel.  But wait till I get you home ... I'll hold you 
to that."


===000===

(3) Jimmy/Langly

Home:  2 days later, 9 am

Jimmy emerged from his bedroom yawning widely.  They had
got home late last night, all of them too tired to do anything but
fall straight into bed.  Jimmy had slept long and deeply, and 
now he was hungry and ready for breakfast.  

He wasn't surprised to see that none of the other Gunmen were
up yet.  He looked over towards the closed door of Byers and
Langly's room, pleased to see that they were apparently still
asleep.  John needs to sleep, he thought.  He didn't sleep much
in the prison, or on the way home.  At least now he has Langly
with him.

He went out into the kitchen and started to get some breakfast
for himself, working as quietly as he could.  I'll give the
guys another hour, he thought, then I'll get breakfast for them.  

He made himself some coffee and started to go through the
morning papers, when the bedroom door clicked and Langly
emerged, yawning in his bathrobe.  He seemed surprised
to see Jimmy up before him.  He merely grunted at Jimmy 
as he helped himself to coffee and grabbed a handful of
papers off the top of the pile, but that was normal for
Langly first thing in the morning.  Jimmy still looked at him 
carefully.  Was it his imagination, or was Langly pissed
about something?

"Uhh, how's Byers?"

Langly looked at him over the top of his glasses.  "Still
sleeping.  And he's gonna stay that way as long as possible,
okay?  Don't go charging in there, he needs to rest."

Jimmy felt unreasonably put out.  He knew better than
Langly exactly what Byers had gone through and why he
had every reason to be exhausted.  "I KNOW that Langly,
I was there too, remember?"

Langly threw the papers back down on the table. 
"How can I forget it?"

They stared at each other angrily across the kitchen table.
Realisation hit Jimmy like a smack in the mouth, but
before he could speak Langly turned and slammed out 
of the room.  Jimmy followed him out and found him in the 
office, leaning on his hands on the desk, his head bowed.

"He told you, didn't he?  About what I said in the prison."

Langly sighed and looked up at him.  "Yeah he did ..... 
but don't blame him.  I made him tell me. Got at him when 
his defences were down."

"Look, Langly I'm sorry ..... you know I don't mean... I mean,
I know about you and Byers and I didn't mean anything by
it, I was just trying to look out for him, and I thought it might
help keep Lowry off him.  I mean, I would never .... I know
how he feels about you, I mean I can see when he looks at
you .... "  Jimmy trailed off, confused and embarrassed.
He was just making things worse for John.

Langly was staring across the room to the closed door
of the bedroom.  Finally he nodded.  "I know, Jimmy.  
It's just that John's been through so much.  I try and look 
out for him when I can but it kills me inside when he gets 
into a situation like that and I just know he's gonna get hurt.  
I hate it and I'm always so scared that something bad's 
gonna happen to him."

Jimmy sat down next to him.  "I just wanted to 
look after him, Langly.  I'm just sorry I couldn't stop him
getting hurt.   Ummm ... nothing happened, you know.
I mean between him and me."

"Yeah, I guess I know that, really.  I just didn't like the idea 
of not being with him, you know?  I mean, I'm really happy 
that you were looking out for him, but I wished it was me."

"He talked about you a lot, you know,  When we weren't talking
about Pfeiffer and all that, he was talking about you all the
time.  Like he really missed you.  And I heard him call your
name in his sleep a couple times."

"Did he?"  Langly's expression lightened and he looked
over towards the bedroom door again.

"Yeah.  I know we all lean on him, like, but he really needs
you, Langly."

"Uh-huh ....." Langly got up and walked to the bedroom door,
cracking it open softly and looking in.

"Get back in there."

"Huh?"

"Get back in there.  I think you should be there for him when 
he wakes up."

Langly grinned.  He looked into the bedroom once more, then
hesitantly back at Jimmy.  "Uh, Jimmy.... thanks for everything.
For being there for him."

He slipped through the door and closed it softly behind him.
He would stay there, Jimmy knew, waking or sleeping, for as
long as Byers needed him.




END