Debtor
by Gail (gem225@hotmail.com)
Crossover between The Burning Zone and JAG
Daniel Cassian/Clark Palmer
Rating: adult
Dr. Daniel Cassian finds debts require payment in strange ways.
Disclaimer: Dr. Daniel Cassian and Edward Marcase and all other Burning Zone characters that show up in this story belong to Universal Television, Universal City Studios, and UPN, and probably others, but not to me. Clark Palmer belongs to Belisarius Productions and CBS, but they're really not nice to him. I mean no harm by this story and no offense.
Please do not archive this story without asking me first. It's more than likely that I'll agree, but I want to know where my stories are.
Thanks to Alexandra, who came up with this pairing in a message and said she was sure it wouldn't be that hard to write. She was going to write them, but that isn't going to happen now, and I think she'd want me to. For Page, who keeps telling me somebody's got to slash 'that top of a doctor on that weird show, you know the one, can't remember his name'. *g* For Peja as well, since her BurningZoneFic list seriously needs a story. Thanks to Tinnean, who's always up for another strange pairing from me.
Thanks to Elizabeth for the beta, and to Scarlet and Tinnean for their support.
*****
Dr. Daniel Cassian inspected the wound in silence. He didn't waste his breath telling his patient he should go to a hospital. If Palmer had wanted a hospital, he would have gone to one, but instead he'd chosen to come to Cassian for treatment. It would do for some of the repayment of the debt he owned Palmer. He would clean and treat the wound and be done with it.
"Will I be able to play the violin again, doc?"
Cassian opened a bottle of antiseptic and moistened some gauze, then answered as he pressed the gauze to Palmer's shoulder. "Only if you could before."
"Heard that one, huh?" Palmer chuckled, but Cassian's trained ear heard strain in it.
"A few times." Cassian discarded that piece of gauze and prepared another one. The wound was covered with caked-on blood. "How long since you were shot?" Palmer didn't answer for a moment, and Cassian stopped swabbing and looked up, finding pain in Palmer's eyes. "Is the pain bad?"
Palmer grinned at that. "Nothing I can't handle."
"How long ago were you injured?"
"The shooting was early this morning. I figured it was safe enough to come here after dark."
Not smart of Palmer to have waited until one in the morning, but Cassian didn't say anything. Palmer probably knew that, and like most people, he wouldn't appreciate a lecture. He went back to cleaning the wound, glancing up at Palmer every so often, getting a smile each time, and noting the spread of sweat on his forehead. Palmer was in pain, but of course he wouldn't admit it or ask for a painkiller, and Cassian was just annoyed enough he'd been woken not to insist. Palmer was an enigma.
As he discarded yet another piece of gauze and readied another, he reflected on what he knew of Clark Palmer. Agent of the Defense Security Division, a covert agency known for their ruthlessness in dealing with their enemies and effectiveness in carrying out their orders. The latter was the main reason they were still in operation. They had powerful backing and did what it took to keep that backing.
Palmer had tipped them off six months ago to a group smuggling in mutated pneumonia bacilli, then worked with them to find and stop the group before they had a chance to do anything serious. He'd taken orders readily and cheerfully, something at one point Cassian had thrown up to Marcase, who'd ignored it, as usual, and was respectful to the other members of the team and, to some, friendly. Kim had even asked if there was any chance of Palmer being assigned permanently to them, not to replace Michael, she'd added hastily when Cassian looked at her quizzically, but to help him. Palmer had been there with them, and had smiled and said he was sorry, but this was a one-time thing. Cassian was fine with that. He had the team he wanted. Palmer had been a good person to assist on that one venture, but he had an air of unpredictability and danger that Cassian knew would not be good for the team over time. Palmer liked running things. That much was quite clear to Cassian.
Palmer had been the one to find the leader of the group, and the one to kill him. Cassian had arrived too late, and when he asked Palmer what the hell he'd done that for, Palmer had shrugged as he put his gun away and told him the man had pulled a gun on him. Cassian had seen no gun, but bit back the sarcastic reply he wanted to make after searching Palmer's cool eyes. For whatever reason, Palmer had decided to kill that man, and nothing Cassian could say would bring him back. He'd echoed Palmer's story when he'd updated the team and saw Palmer leave with relief and hoped that would be the end of it.
And it had been, until now. Until Palmer had shown up at his door with an ice-pale face and a bloodied, tattered shirt and said, "You owe me, Cassian, and I'm here to collect."
Cassian readied another piece of gauze and wondered how much it was going to take to pay off the debt.
*****
Palmer's eyes were closed by the time Cassian finished dressing his shoulder, and Cassian knew that Palmer was in no condition to travel. He settled Palmer on his living-room couch, got him some water, and told him to call if he needed anything. Palmer gave him a pale imitation of his usual grin and muttered something about needing a drink and he'd be fine, then his eyes closed again, and Cassian left him to sleep. He'd check on Palmer through the rest of the night a few times, but he'd take naps in between checks. Every doctor worth his diploma could do that.
*****
He had to get work done. He knew that, but then Edward Marcase barged into his office without even a knock. Cassian opened his mouth to tell him to go away, but he wasn't at his desk now, he was on the couch, and Edward was sitting next to him.
"You've got to relax, Cassian. Life is fun." His hand came to rest on Cassian's thigh. "Or it can be if you let it. Let me show you."
Cassian knew he should stand and end this encounter - Edward was his colleague, and having sex with him would be unprofessional and possibly ruin their working relationship - but he couldn't seem to move. Then Edward leaned over and fastened his lips on Cassian's neck as his hands found Cassian's nipples, since somehow his clothes were gone, as were Edward's, and Cassian knew that Edward would do more and do it happily, and he knew he wanted Edward to do more -
Cassian shuddered and wrenched open his eyes. He had to stop dreaming about Edward.
But the dream didn't seem to be over. There was still a hand on his right nipple, and a hot and skilled mouth on his neck, and a warm, lean body pressed up against his. Palmer. What the hell was Palmer doing? He should be sleeping.
"Palmer." He tried to pull away, but Palmer's arms snaked around him and held him close. "Palmer. Go back to bed."
Palmer laughed, then sucked on Cassian's neck again. When he lifted his head, Cassian saw his eyes gleaming. "Hot dream you were having. I heard you moaning all the way out in the living room." One of Palmer's hands found Cassian's cock and squeezed. "Nice. Wish that were for me."
The DSD used sex as a weapon, Cassian reminded himself. They were experts at sex. Neither of those thoughts helped too much. He reached down and closed his hand over Palmer's, then pulled it off and moved away. Palmer stayed where he was, too-bright eyes tracking Cassian's every move.
"Get out of my room and go back to the couch."
"Come on, Cassian, you want sex. I'm here. Why not?" Palmer traced his lips with his tongue and slid his hand down to his cock and stroked it as Cassian watched from up against the headboard. "I can take it. Do you like fucking or being fucked? I'd guess fucking." Palmer's voice dropped to a husky murmur. "Sounds good to me. It's been a while since anyone who knew what he was doing fucked me good and hard, and I've wanted you since I worked with you."
Cassian discounted that as a probable lie. He was sure Palmer had wanted Kim, and he'd given Marcase some looks that Cassian had suspected were come-ons, but that was it. "So you got yourself shot, lost a fair amount of blood, and endangered your health, so that you could invade my bed in the middle of the night? There are easier ways to communicate your interest."
"You're a hard man to get to, Daniel Cassian. And I knew I had competition. Lots of it, and right there with you every day."
Did he mean Edward? Or Michael? Either way, he was wrong, but Cassian didn't feel a need to enlighten him. "You weren't in the running."
Palmer laughed softly. "See? Looks like I picked the right course after all."
"Go back to the living room."
Palmer shrugged, and Cassian thought he was going to do as he was told, but instead Palmer slid off the bed, ending up on his knees with his mouth at Cassian's crotch.
"You know you want it. I know you want it." Palmer's breath washed over Cassian's cock, and Cassian kept himself from thrusting with difficulty. Palmer laughed. "Impressive self-control, but unnecessary." The tip of his tongue swirled over the head, then withdrew. "I want to give this to you, and you want to take it. Where's the problem?"
Yes, where *was* the problem? Cassian knew there was one, other than the specter of the DSD and Palmer's injury, but he was not thinking as well as he wanted to. It had been too long since he'd been with anyone, male or female. But this was Clark Palmer, someone he didn't know that well or trust too far. Maybe that was the problem. A bed partner should at least be a friend. Palmer was not a friend.
But he didn't move or tell Palmer to stop. That was more than he could manage.
"No problem, and no strings, Cassian," Palmer breathed, then kissed the inside of one thigh.
No strings? Could Palmer mean that? It was possible.
Palmer kissed up Cassian's thigh, then licked his balls with a delicacy that made Cassian decide to take Palmer's offer. He wasn't ever going to get Edward, dammit, and Palmer was willing and there.
He reached down and grabbed Palmer's hair in each hand, then felt his cock engulfed by Palmer's warm, wet mouth. He thrust in and out, holding nothing back, and Palmer took it all as though he'd been born to suck cock.
Cassian had his eyes shut. This was too much. He was going to come soon, and he wanted to. But then the skilled mouth was gone, and the bed moved.
"Fuck me." Cassian opened his eyes and saw Palmer on his knees, with one hand wrapped around his own cock, fisting it in a lazy rhythm, his other hand up at his left nipple, squeezing it between two long fingers. "You've got condoms and lube, right?"
Cassian swallowed a groan at the sight. Palmer looked damned sexy. His training kicked in, and he flicked his eyes to Palmer's shoulder. No sign of bleeding, and Palmer was moving his arm without any visible difficulty.
Palmer grimaced. "Don't worry about that. Put me on my back and fuck me. Come on, Daniel, I'm begging you to."
His first name. Palmer had never used that before. Was it a sign Palmer was sincere, or a DSD game?
"Dammit, Daniel." Palmer's face was tight. "I want you. If you want my mouth and not my ass, tell me, but don't fuck with me."
If Palmer was playing a game, he was doing it too well for Cassian to care any more about it. Cassian reached over and squeezed the base of Palmer's cock. Palmer let out a low groan and stopped pumping.
"Get on your back." Cassian took his hand away and saw Palmer do as he'd said, then reached over to the night stand and took out a tube and a strip of condoms.
"Good." Palmer's voice was fierce and certain as he spread his legs. "Hurry up."
Cassian took Palmer at his word and tore open a condom, put it on, then squeezed out some gel and coated his cock. He reached down to put some on Palmer, and Palmer brought his feet up and pushed himself off the bed. Cassian grabbed a pillow and shoved it under Palmer's ass, then spread the gel over Palmer's hole. When he went to push one finger into Palmer, Palmer's hand closed around his wrist.
"I'm ready." Palmer's voice was between a gasp and a moan. "Just fuck me."
Cassian wondered for a moment if he should insist on preparing Palmer more, but then Palmer's eyes fixed on his, and he saw a fierce desire in them. He pulled back his hand when Palmer let go of it and wiped it on a tissue, then positioned his cock and pushed it into Palmer. Palmer gasped when the head popped in, but pushed forward to get more and brought a hand up to pull at one of his nipples.
"More, Cassian. I want it."
He never would have believed Clark Palmer could sound so desperate, so hungry, and that desperation and hunger was enough to get him to give up his ideas of taking it slowly and thrust all the way into Palmer's ass.
"Yes." Palmer was panting, and his cock was an angry red and leaking fluid. "More, dammit."
Cassian gave him more, in and out, hard and fast and certain, until Palmer groaned and arched up and came over himself and Cassian. Cassian thrust all the way in and stilled and came with Palmer's muscles spasmed around him.
He pulled out and heard Palmer's sigh and scanned the other man's body. No blood from the shoulder, and no traces of blood on the condom.
"I'm fine." Palmer's voice was drowsy, but certain. "Hand me some tissues. I don't want to move."
Cassian almost smiled at that, but handed him the box of tissues instead. Palmer grabbed a handful and wiped himself off, then another to finish. Cassian took off the condom, knotted it, and dropped it in the wastebasket before using some tissues to clean himself off. He glanced at Palmer, whose eyes were closed now, and decided to go to the bathroom and wash.
When he got back, Palmer was under the covers with his head on a pillow.
"Thought I'd just stay here," Palmer drawled.
Cassian lifted the covers on his side before getting in. "Fine." He settled down in bed and composed himself to sleep, facing away from Palmer.
"You should fuck Marcase like that."
What the hell? Cassian rolled over and stared at Palmer, who had an odd smile on his face. "Edward is a member of my team and a respected colleague."
"Yeah, and he's a smart guy who wants you to fuck him. You have to have noticed. I tried with him, but all he wants is you. Just call him into your office and tell him you'll give him what he wants and see how fast he strips. Or ask him here. More comfortable, for sure."
"You are out of your mind."
"Am I?" Palmer's eyes were bright again. "All right, Cassian, whatever you say. Sorry. Never mind. I'm sure Marcase will find some stud to give him what he wants. Maybe he and your CIA boy are fucking already, although I've always heard CIA guys take it. Michael might be the exception to that rule. Too bad I can't find out, but you could."
"Go to sleep. I'll check your wound in the morning." Palmer was wrong about both Edward and Michael, but that was his problem.
Palmer laughed softly. "O.K., doc. Thanks for the treatment."
Cassian turned over. "Certainly. As you said, I owed you."
Palmer laughed again, then was quiet, and Cassian let himself relax into sleep.
*****
Cassian knew he was alone in the room the next morning before he opened his eyes. His closet door was open, and when he checked, he found a pair of jeans missing, as well as an old shirt, neither of which he minded losing. At least Palmer hadn't taken one of his suits.
Palmer must have felt well enough to leave, which was his decision. He put on his robe and slippers and went into the kitchen, where he found a piece of his stationary folded in half by his coffee maker. He opened it and read:
**Debt paid.**
There was no signature, but Cassian knew it was from Palmer. He refolded the paper, then put it in his pocket, and wondered as he took the coffee beans from the freezer which had paid off the debt: the treatment or the sex.
He would probably never know.
The End
Posted 1/27/02
