...Matt was still sitting on the floor of the elevator, banging his head back against the wall in time with the mantra of his lover’s name that scrolled through his thoughts, when he felt Vic’s presence flood his mind. With a jerk, he sat up straight, his heart pounding in relief. “Vic?”

Across the small car, Roxie eyed him warily. “No,” she said, cautious. “He’s not here. You okay, Matt?”

He shook his head and closed his eyes to shut her out. ::Vic?:: he called out mentally. ::Oh God, Vic, we’re stuck in an elevator and I’m about this close to losing it, I swear. I hate these things.::

The sensation of strong arms enveloped him, a psychic bear hug that chased away the fear that gnawed at the edges of his sanity. ::I’m on my way.:: Vic sounded so reasonable, so sure, that his confidence helped stave off Matt’s anxiety. ::Where are you exactly?::

Matt didn’t know. He tried to picture the office building they were in, but he hadn’t seen very much of it while driving this morning—he remembered a dark awning with a street number on it in ornate gold lettering, then he’d passed the building and drove into the underground garage. He wasn’t even sure where he had parked now. Before panic could set in, Vic tamped that emotion down with his own psyche and asked, ::Is Roxie there? Does she know?::

“Hey, Roxie.” Matt roused himself to find her looking at him, distrustful. “Where are we?”

Her eyes narrowed as if she couldn’t tell if he were being serious or not. “In an elevator,” she said, speaking slowly. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I mean…” Matt sighed, exasperated. “The building. What building is this?”

With a frown, Roxie wanted to know, “Why?”

“Roxie!” Turning into himself, he told Vic, ::God, she’s being deliberately mean today.::

::Then tell her why,:: Vic countered. ::It’ll knock her down a peg or two.::

Matt gasped. ::I can’t. Vic, I couldn’t even tell you—::

::You did eventually.:: Matt felt his lover’s smile warm him up inside. ::Hell, I found out myself anyway, and she’s going to find out, too, when I ride in there like the cavalry. You might as well tell her. What’s the worst that could happen?::

What indeed? Matt had known Roxie for years—she was good at keeping secrets. She was the only person he worked with who knew he was gay. And that he dated one of the gym’s paying members, which was frowned upon by management. And who was he kidding? She had to suspect something—Vic’s prowess in the weight room was legend, and all those times Vic visited the pool and didn’t leave until the end of the day because a sudden tryst had given him a crappy power that kept him hidden in Matt’s office until it wore off?

She knew him, more so than anyone besides his lover. She wasn’t about to think him a freak; she was too cool to let something as stupid as super-powered sperm come between them.

Wasn’t she?

Taking a deep breath, Matt tried again. “Roxie, please.” His voice was calmer this time. “Vic needs to know where we are if he’s going to save us. What building—”

“Vic?” Roxie pulled back into her corner as if to get as far away from him as she could. “Matt, honey, you’ve lost it. Vic ain’t nowhere near here—”

“He’s less than two blocks away,” Matt argued. “Trust me on this, okay? Just tell me what building we’re in and I’ll explain everything, I swear.” He gave her what he hoped looked like a sincere smile. A sane smile. “Please?”

After a long moment during which he thought she’d do nothing but stare at him for the rest of their time together, she reached for her bag and dug out the folded piece of paper with the workshop registration on it. Unfolding it, she smoothed it out on her knee and handed it over. Matt held it up before him, trying to read everything at once. “I don’t…”

Then he felt Vic’s presence fill him completely. His own consciousness stepped aside as Vic surged forward to see what Matt saw. The directions were at the bottom of the paper, with a street address—

“Holy shit,” Roxie breathed.

Matt glanced up to find her staring at him, a hand pressed to her mouth. When their eyes met, she gave a little scream. “What the hell’s going on here, Matt? How’d you do that?”