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Kevin woke the next morning and headed to the bathroom to release a steady stream of piss into the toilet. He hadn't drunk in a while and though he hadn't had a lot, the beer still had left his bladder full and his head feeling funny that morning. He flushed, and made his way into his office.

"Computer?" Kevin said as he sat down in front of his terminal.

"Yes, Dr. McEvoy?" Came an automated man's voice.

"Access Uberworld."

"Accessing Uberworld. Would you like to start on your personal page?"

"Yes."

"Your personal Uberworld page was last updated four years seven months and twelve days ago."

"Update personal information."

"Personal information has been updated. Would you like details?"

"No." Kevin said. "Search for user Cathy Upton."

"There are eight Cathy Uptons in the United States. One living in Colorado. Shall I widen the search?"

"No. Access the one living in Colorado."

"Cathy Upton, 35, lives at 184 Market Street, Alamosa Colorado. She is offline at the moment."

"How current is her information?"

"Her last update was yesterday. She uploaded pictures. Would you like to see them?"

"No. Message her."

"Message forum is activated. Begin when ready."

"Begin." Kevin said and waited for the beep to know it was recording. "Cathy, hi. I'm your cousin Kevin. Eric and Layla's son. I know we've never met and honestly, I'm not sure why but I'm in Colorado and you're in Colorado and I have the next couple of days off so I thought if you wanted maybe we could get together. And meet. I don't know what your schedule is like, mine's kinda hectic except for the next few days but if you can't meet soon then give me a ring and we can meet some other time. Anyway, like I said, I just thought since we were so close maybe we could have coffee or something. Well, take care and I hope to hear from you soon....End."

"Recording has ended. Would you like to view message or send?"

"Send."

"Message sent."

"Search user name Pike Malloy, also in Colorado."

"There is one Pike Malloy in Colorado. He is not online."

"View page." Kevin said and watched as Pike's page came up on the monitor. "Friend request."

"Friend request pending."

"Close Uberworld, but let me know of any messages on my page."

"Understood."

"Access NCMS database."

"Please look at the terminal and prepare for identification." The computer requested and Kevin looked at the monitor as it scanned his retina.

"Identity confirmed. Accessing NCMS database."

"Pull up most recent lab status reports for Labs A and B."

"Accessing."

Kevin scanned the results and found those for the tests he ordered. He was working for two hours before his computer interrupted him.

"You have a message on Uberworld. Would you like to view it?"

"Yes."

"Accessing." The computer said and suddenly there was a video of a younger pretty girl smiling at him.

"Hi Kevin, I'm Cathy Upton. It's nice to meet you. My mom never really talked about your side of the family much with the argument between her and your dad but I've always been curious about you and never liked the fact that we hadn't met yet. I guess I didn't have the guts to contact you on here. I'm glad you did. Today is bad for me but this weekend I'm pretty much free though I'll have to stay pretty local since I'm on duty. I'd love if you would come down and have some lunch or dinner or just coffee. I'd really like to get to know you. Can't wait to hear from you! Oh and next time, just call. I'll leave my terminal on. Bye!"

She seemed nice and welcoming. Maybe Pike was right and it was time to start making some connections with people again. The last person he had put any effort into having a relationship of any kind was Anne when she had first started working. And of course Pike, Kevin thought but that was more of a pleasure than an effort.

"Call Cathy Upton."

"Calling." The computer said and Kevin listened to a few electronic rings before he saw Cathy on his monitor. The two cousins spoke for a while and though the conversation started awkwardly, they both hung up feeling good about meeting. Kevin hung up with her and told his computer to call Pike. After a few rings a voice message picked up.

"Hi, this is Pike. I can't answer at the moment. Please leave your address after the beep and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks." The computer beeped.

"Pike, hi this is Kevin. I just wanted to thank you again for a great night last night. I spoke with my cousin today and we're planning on meeting up this weekend. If you're still willing to take me down there, I'd be happy for the company. Just call me back and let me know what day works best for you."

Kevin hung up and accessed the NCMS database and got to work on some reports he needed to read and file. It was around lunch time that he started getting hungry and it was while making a tuna fish sandwich that he heard a truck pull into his driveway. He peeked out the kitchen window and saw Pike walking up the path. They met at the door.

"Hey, how are you?" Kevin asked.

"I'm good. How are you?"

"Fine. Come on in. I'm making tuna if you want a sandwich."

"I'd love one." Pike said and followed Kevin into the kitchen. "I got your message and was working in the area so I thought I'd stop by and give you my answer in person. I'd love to go."

"Great! I was hoping you would. Which day would be better for you?"

"Either day's pretty good, but how about Sunday? There was something I wanted to do tonight and was kinda hoping to sleep in tomorrow."

"Oh? Big plans?" Kevin asked, hoping he didn't seem as pathetic as he felt.

"Not sure yet. I was hoping to see if someone wanted to go get some dinner tonight."

"Oh." Kevin said and tried to think of something to say that would disguise his disappointment.

"So?"

"So what?"

"So do you want to get dinner tonight?" Pike said slowly as if talking to a child.

"Oh! Um... yeah. Yeah, I do."

"You didn't know I was talking about you?" Pike looked affronted but kept smiling. He walked over and stood right next to Kevin, looking down in his face though Kevin couldn't meet his eyes. "You thought I was talking about someone else, didn't you?"

Kevin stopped what he was doing and looked up in Pike bright, blue eyes.

"I don't do this a lot and haven't done this in so long. I'm a bit out of practice. The last person I asked out was a female doctor on my team and that was only to discuss retroviral transduction."

Pike took Kevin's hands in his and turned him so they were facing. He lowered his head the inch or two to look him in the eye and waited till Kevin's eyes met his.

"Dr. Kevin McEvoy, would you go out to dinner with me tonight?" Kevin smiled.

"Yes, Paul Ichabod Malloy II, I will go out to dinner with you tonight."

"Normally, I'd kick your ass for calling me Ichabod but it's cute when you say it." They laughed and Pike leaned in and pressed his lips to Kevin's. It was a soft kiss and even when Pike slipped his tongue forward and into Kevin's mouth, it was slow and sweet.

"Mmm, you taste good Dr. McEvoy."

"Why thank you, sir. As a medical professional I've been highly trained on having a productive and stimulating doctor patient relationship."

"I don't know if this is covered by my health plan."

"I'll do it pro bono."

"Isn't that more of a lawyer thing?" Pike asked.

"Shut up and kiss me again." Kevin demanded.

"Yes, doctor." Pike leaned in and met Kevin's mouth again. This time it was more savage with the attraction both of them felt for the other urging them on. When they broke apart, Kevin stepped back and hid the evidence of his desire behind the kitchen island. Pike chuckled and hid his on the other side.

"Now how about that sandwich?" Kevin asked. Pike left after an hour and promised to return at seven for the date and Kevin returned to his work in a much happier mood than he had been earlier.

At six thirty, Kevin realized he was running late, saved his work and jumped into the shower. As he washed his thoughts drifted to later in the evening. He hadn't been intimate with someone in quite a while and he was looking forward to it with excitement and a little nervousness. Pike was younger than him, not by many years but when you find a gray pubic hair one suddenly feels ancient. He was also hot and hoped that Pike would find him just as desirable. Kevin was rummaging through his closet when he heard Pike pull up. He had left the door open so Pike could let himself in.

"Hello?" Pike called from downstairs.

"Hey, I'll be down in a minute." Kevin chose an outfit and prayed it was flattering. Coming downstairs he found Pike sitting on the couch.

"I'm sorry. I was working and lost track of time."

"Not exactly what a man wants to hear when he comes to pick up his date." Pike smiled.

"Well, I'm pretty sure the reason I was able to get so deeply engrossed in my work was because I often thought of our date tonight and it put me in an exceptionally fine mood."

"That's much better." Pike leaned down and took possession of Kevin's mouth. "You look HOT."

"Thank you. You always do." Kevin said and tried to ignore the sudden heat in his face.

"Thank you. Ready to go?"

Pike had chosen a little Japanese restaurant that Kevin hadn't even known was in town. The decor was a lot of black lacquer with red highlights and Buddhist imagery. It was lit well over the tables but dim enough to be cozy and intimate. Kevin was pleased.

"Ever had hibachi?" Pike asked.

"Once when I was a kid."

"If you don't like Japanese we can go somewhere else."

"No, I remember liking it. I just never got a chance to go back. This is fine."

They sat and talked and watched the show as the chef flipped eggs into his hat, squirted them with saki and told corny jokes that of course, they laughed at. They ate their sushi appetizer and spoke of whatever came to mind.

"My first relationship was when I was eighteen, he was twenty three. His name was Roger and I was in love." Pike started. "I didn't really know what love was at the time and I was still feeling weird about my feelings for guys but when we met I fell head over heels. I was a jock, played football and baseball and hockey sometimes. Roger was a slacker, I guess you'd call him. He smoked pot, wouldn't join a team to save his life, hung out with the 'bad kids' and wore a lot of leather."

Pike laughed and Kevin smiled at the image he had of these two different young boys finding each other.

"I guess it was his apathy that sort of fascinated me. He was so cool, you know. Plus, he was out at the time and no one gave him shit for it. He was just gay and if you didn't like it, he could care less. No one seemed to be able to make him feel bad about it, so they stopped trying and accepted him. I learned a lot from Roger."

"What happened?" Kevin asked.

"I think it was the fact that I wasn't as ready to accept myself as he was. When I went to college, I asked him to move with me but he wouldn't. He moved to Portland. Last I knew he was in Seattle, had changed his name and is lead singer for a band which is doing pretty well. I even have an album of theirs. Ever heard of the Grundles?"

The name brought up a vague impression of punk music and overtly sexual stage antics. They were interrupted by the waiter placing their orders in front of them.

"Aren't they the ones who wear tutus and throw vegetables at the audience?"

"Yup. That's them."

"You dated the lead singer?"

"Yeah." Pike smiled. "He wasn't throwing vegetables when I knew him."

"That's pretty cool." Kevin laughed.

"He's really a great guy, just a little eccentric. He sends me tickets when he's doing a show in the area. Maybe we'll go next time he's around."

"Sounds good. I haven't gotten pelted by a zucchini in forever."

"All right, wise guy, what about you?"

"My early relationships?" Kevin thought for a moment. "Well, I played around with friends in high school and in college that really turned into alliances."

"Alliances? What does that mean?" Pike asked.

"If you were having trouble in organic chem you'd date this guy. If you needed help in physics you'd date this guy. That kind of rolled over into med school a bit, though I have to say it was a bit more honest. The 'dating' side of it just turned into having sex. It was like study buddies with benefits."

"Sounds cold." Pike said.

"It was, but at the same time we didn't have time for much else."

"So what were you good at?"

"I was a really good student and was usually the stronger academic partner. I was driven and determined to get into Harvard."

"And in Harvard?"

"Well, I was still driven but you're now going to school with only the top neurotic driven hopeful doctors in the country. I will say I held my own though." Kevin felt a little embarrassed by his early love life and was asking himself why he had decided to be this honest with Pike.

"And your first real relationship?"

"Was with a young surgical resident in the hospital I was doing my internship in. His name is Michael and he was great. I was in love. We dated for four months before I moved in and I think that's when it started to collapse. The only time we saw each other was when we'd break away for lunch in the hospital cafeteria. Other than that, we'd come home, hopefully be awake enough to give sex a try and then pass out. We did try though and I believe he loved me as much as I loved him but when you consider the life of two doctors trying to establish their careers, there's not much time left for anything else."

"I'm sorry." Pike said.

"It was a very amicable break up in the end. We've remained friends and his current boyfriend is great so I'm happy for them both."

"What about your last?"

"My last was Brian, an insurance adjuster from Florida that my parents set me up with. Nice guy, a little set in his ways and when the opportunity came for me to work at the NCMS there wasn't really a choice. I think we had just been there to ease each others loneliness for a while. What about yours?"

"My last was Hector." Pike said and sighed. "He was from Denver and we dated for a while before we decided he should move up here. We lived together for six years, then we hit a rough patch. He lost his job and didn't try too hard to find another one. I started resenting it when he would just be lounging around the house, not even cleaning. Then I came home and found him in bed with another guy. I kicked him out. That was three years ago. No one really since him."

"God!" Kevin said. "That's horrible."

"Well, no one ever said relationships were easy."

"No, but I'm pretty sure they're not supposed to be that hard either."

"Probably not." Pike raised his glass. "To a better relationship for both of us."

"I'll drink to that." Kevin said and touched his glass to Pike's. "I have to thank you, Pike. I haven't had this good a time in forever."

"I'm glad. That means I'm special." Pike grinned.

"Yeah. You are special." Kevin admitted.

"Good. I think you are incredible. Even though I've only just met you I get happy every time I see or think about you." Pike took Kevin's hand in his.

"Oxytocin."

"What?"

"Your body's producing a high amount of a neurohormone called oxytocin which is necessary for mammalian bonding and mating. It increases empathy and lowers fear and distrust actions of the amygdala. It's release is trigger based and the cerebrum interprets it as a positive emotion, such as love."

"Yeah?" Pike said and leaned in.

"Yeah."

"Well, get ready cause I've just released a whole shit load." Pike took Kevin's lips with his and slipped his tongue into the doctors mouth. Not caring of who was around and who might be watching they kissed and held hands for some time.

"Are you ready to go?" Pike asked.

"Yeah."

"How are your oxytocin levels?" Pike chuckled.

"I think I might be close to an overdose."

"We can't have that. We need to release some, don't you think Doctor?"

"Well, actually it doesn't really-."

"Shut up and come on."

Even though Kevin offered money toward dinner, Pike became Alpha male and refused him flat.

"I invited you out. I pay. Ever feel like returning the favor I'll let you pay."

They jumped in the truck and were headed back to Kevin's house when Pike turned to him.

"I was going to take you home and hopefully get invited in but I think I'd rather offer an invite of my own. Would you like to come over my house?"

"I'd love to see your house, Pike."

Pike smiled and pulled the truck back onto the road. When Kevin's turn came, Pike kept heading up the mountain and they were soon high above the town and lower valley. He pulled up a long driveway and Kevin watched as the woods gave way to a clearing and an impressive log cabin sitting right in the middle.

"This is home." Pike said and smiled as Kevin was obviously charmed.

"It's beautiful."

"Thanks. Wait till you see the bed." Pike said and got out of the truck. Kevin chuckled and felt a tingle of anticipation in his stomach. As they walked up the stairs to the front porch, Kevin heard dogs barking.

"That's my alarm system." Pike said.

"Sounds like you have quite a few."

"I'm a dog person. I bought about half the litter." He said and opened the doors. Medium sized black dogs with white chests and funny little, light brown eyebrows.

"They're gorgeous. What kind are they?" Kevin asked.

"They're Australian Shepherds. They're great dogs and one of the smartest." Pike told the dogs to go and play and led the way inside.

Kevin walked into a large great room which was just as described. High cathedral ceilings, a huge river stone fireplace and an entire wall full of windows and glass doors which led out to the back porch.

"Out there, you can look out and it seems like you can see forever. It's got a great view." Pike said. "Ready for the tour?"

"Yeah." Kevin said and followed him.

Pike's house was beautiful, Kevin thought as he followed the bigger man around. It had a master bedroom and two other spare rooms, one that Pike used as a gym. It had an upstairs full bath, with a downstairs half bath and of course a full master bath. On the walls were pictures of smiling people that Kevin assumed was Pike's family due to their resemblance.

"Come on. You've got to see the bed."

Pike said and grabbed Kevin's hand.

Pike flipped the lights of the master bedroom and in the middle of the room was a huge, dark wooden bed. The headboard had been carved to show a nature scene of two bears fishing in a river underneath a sun. The foot board had been carved to show a similar scene, but the bears were curled up next to each other sleeping underneath a sky bright with a full moon and stars.

"I made it myself with a little help from a carpenter friend. I knew what I wanted and he helped me make it. I even carved it out myself." Pike said proudly.

"Pike, it's beautiful! When you said you wanted me to see your bed, you really meant just see it." Pike laughed.

"Not exactly, Kevin, but I hope I'm a little smoother than that. I was thinking of offering you some tea, coffee and maybe some dessert or something." Kevin smiled.

"Nah. I'd rather have you." Kevin pulled Pike into him and they kissed as they had in the restaurant with passion and need. Kevin helped Pike pull his shirt up over his head and almost gasped at the sight. Pike was a truly beautiful man with a large chest covered in black hair. It made a shiver run up Kevin's spine.

"Whatever the doctor orders." Pike said and pulled Kevin onto the bed. "I've thought about having you in this bed ever since I saw your cute ass bending over trying to catch your breath."

"Wow, all of two days ago? You must have been going out of your mind." Kevin said, nibbling on Pike's lower jaw that smelled of man and a heady aftershave.