Under Lock and Key

by Silk

Part 3

"Greg, my man, what *are* you doing, hiding yourself away in this here corner of the universe?"

"It's where I work, Crawford. Get lost."

Crawford rolled his expressive brown eyes. As if. The fun was just getting started. Christ, he couldn't help but want to play with Hillinger. He was such fun to tease, the little prick.

Hillinger sighed heavily. He wasn't going to go away. He was going to stand there, looking like the ghost of Birkoff Past until Greg wanted to fucking scream.

"What do you want, Jason?"

"Not much. I was thinking how y'all would look damn good in black--"

"Leather, no doubt," Hillinger quipped with real frost in his voice.

"Naw, Greg, you ain't the type to carry off that kind of a fashion statement at all. You're more the..." There was a pause while Crawford pondered. "I got it. Black velvet. You would look positively scrumptious in black velvet, doncha think?"

"I think you took me for someone who gives a shit, Jason. Give it up. I'm fucking busy."

"Ooh, maybe y'all will make a mistake or something. Then I'd just have to come back here and whup your ass, wouldn't I?"

Hillinger whirled to face the intruder, a snarl on his lips and incautious heat in his face. "You just got here, Crawford! What miracle of technology makes you think you're even remotely in *my* class?"

Crawford pouted, his full sensual mouth jutting forward. It was almost enough to make Greg cry.

"Why the fuck won't you leave me alone?"

"You can't forget him, can you?"

"Who?"

"You know who, Greg. Don't play games."

"You mean Birkoff? There was no love lost between us, Jason." There should have been, though. There fucking should have been.

"You knew him better than anyone else, Greggie."

Hillinger lost it then. "Don't fucking call me that!" he shouted, cords standing out in his neck.

Aghast at revealing so much to someone he considered an enemy, Hillinger turned back to his keyboard, clenching his teeth together as he choked back a sob of pure desperation.

Jason moved closer, his seductive drawl dripping over Greg's tortured senses, sweet as honey, slow as molasses. "I need your help, Greg."

"My help? No, you want information, you go straight to Quinn. She replaced him."

Jason huffed gently, clearly the prelude to a bemused laugh. "No one could ever replace him, Greg. Not *you*...and certainly not that snarky little bitch that works in Comm."

Hillinger turned to face Jason with a startled glance. "They want *you* to replace him."

"Yeahhhh...now you're getting the big picture, Greggie."

Hillinger winced.

"You want me to help you how?"

"Help me become Birkoff."

Part 4