A RUMOR OF PEACE

          "That what happened was inevitable," Rodolphus answered quietly.  "What happened between us last night was going to happen no matter what our intentions may have been." 

          "You saw how they stormed into that alley last night...and when Harry kissed me..."  Rabastan shook his head.  "Rodolphus was right about one thing.  It WAS inevitable.  I couldn't have resisted taking him, even had I wanted to, which I didn't.  Okay, so maybe we may not have been smart about it, but there was no stopping what happened.  It will not be happening again."

          "It also will not be happening again between Roark and I.  I originally went to Roark with the intention of giving him a second, even stronger warning about continuing his investigation into Riddle, as was expected of me as a Terminator hired to kill him.  He had just returned from Ardyn's.  He was upset...unsettled.and confused.  After his shower...seeing him in that robe...the attraction between us just...exploded.  Like Rabastan, I could no more refuse having him then, even had I wanted to."

          He raised his hand, pointing a long, slender finger at them, his wedding band glinting in the sparse light of the alleyway.  "You two are IDIOTS, and you're both fooling yourselves if you actually believe that it won't be happening again.  You've opened up something that can no longer be denied by ANY of you.  The longer, the harder you fight it, the stronger the desire will be to be with them.  No matter how hard you try, you will never be able to stay away from them now."

          That got him two arched brows.  "You sound like you're speaking from experience, Severus."

          "I am.  Dacian and I met much the same way you two met Harry and Roark."  He sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair.  "Fucking morons," he grumbled, his fury at them burned out.  "I really ought to pull you both out of here now, before you're discovered, because once you are, this whole thing will blow up on your faces."

          "Perhaps you're right," Rodolphus said calmly, "in that.  Perhaps we won't be able to resist them," a slight smile curved his lips, "they ARE damned addicting, but we're going to try anyway."

          "Besides, if you pull us out now, you'll run an even GREATER risk of it blowing up anyway,  This is going to be our one and only chance to get Riddle, and we will not expose ourselves." 

          "IF Harry and Roark should happen to figure out who we truly are, we have a plan in place, and if Riddle DOES happen to find out we slept with our targets..." Rabastan gave him a grin.  "Well, we have a completely plausible, very reasonable explanation  ready."

          "Besides, Severus, we're too close to him.  He trusts us in ways he trusts no one else.  We have observed his weaknesses, we know his blind spots, and have been very carefully exploiting them for our own uses for yahrens {years} now."

          "And your marriage to Bellatrix Black?"

          He sighed.  "I had no choice there.  He presented her to me the second yahren {year} we were there.  Told us we were to marry.  It was, partly, a way to test my loyalty.  And no, at that time I had no idea she was so mentally unstable.  I learned that a short time later, and when I asked him about it, he said he knew I'd be able to control her, and for the most part, I have been able to.  Look, just leave things alone,  Let them play out as they will.  Trust Rabastan and me to do the job we were sent here to do."

          "Fine.  BUT..." he looked at each of them sternly, "if I feel for any reason, that this is going to blow up on us, I'll pull you both so fast, you're heads will spin."

          "Fair enough.  We're also still trying to get the identity of the one leak you haven't found, and like you, we think it's Ardyn.  For some unknown reason, he's keeping that bit of information close to himself.  As far as we know, there may be only one other person who knows who he may be."

          "Indeed?  And who might that be?"

          "Riddle's current bed toy, Roderick, but he is as tight-mouthed as Riddle has been.  Also, a word of warning, he is in the process of buying himself more leaks."

           He gave a nod,  "We already suspected that.  Alright boys, I'm going to let you run with this.  If, for any reason, or at any time, you feel you need an extraction, you know what to do.  DO NOT wait until it is too late to pull you."  He turned to go, then suddenly turned back.  "And just so we're clear about this.  If the two of you are going to continue to see the boys, to develop a relationship with them once this is all over, we WILL be having a very long talk."

          Chuckles sounded.  "But of course we will, and not just with you either, we assume."

          "You would assume rightly.  Those two are too important to a lot of people, and are therefore watched and protected to a degree I doubt even they realize."

          Twin snorts sounded at that.  "I wouldn't go placing any bets on that,"  Rodolphus said.