Captain Simon Banks gazed at the small, but animated, crowd gathered at the loft with mixed emotions. He knew he should feel happy for his two friends. He *was* happy in a way, but deep down... He watched the way Blair and Jim moved together; the way they talked, smiled or simply looked into each other's eyes, and every time a sharp pang of jealousy would overwhelm him, the feeling that it should be him there, resurfacing again. But who did he wish he could be with, Jim or Blair?

A couple years back he would've said Jim, no doubt about it. Their friendship hadn't come easy; the fact that he was Jim's superior officer -- and that the man had been a cold bastard when he'd first joined Major Crimes -- had made things difficult. But little by little they'd grown closer, sharing the happiness and the troubles in their lives, each giving the other someone to lean on when things got too hard to bear.

And when both their marriages had begun to fall apart, they'd drawn strength from each other, even ending up in bed together once after a night of intense drinking. The morning after had brought with it the agreement that it wouldn't happen again; the friendship was too important to risk, and a physical relationship between them would undoubtedly ruin it.

So time had gone by and the feeling that the friendship was turning into something else -- something stronger -- had stayed carefully hidden behind protective layers. And then Blair Sandburg had stormed into their lives. Simon had tried to fight it, but he'd found himself drawn to the young man, to the essence that was Blair Sandburg; the smile, the unassuming beauty, the amazing heart, the beautiful soul. And he'd suddenly realized that he'd fallen in love with both partners.

Too stunned to do anything about his feelings, he had stood in the shadows, being the best friend he could to the two men, giving what help he could with the Sentinel thing, protecting them the best way he could. He had watched helplessly as Blair's academic career fell apart; had witnessed his struggle through the Police Academy until he finally became Jim's official partner, and had been one of the first people to know that their relationship had changed into something deeper. Love.

And that brought Simon back to the present, as a guest at a party meant to share the new couple's love with their closest friends. But he just couldn't be happy for them, not completely. He was tired of being in the shadows -- he wanted to bathe in the light with the two men. But that wasn't meant to be.

He couldn't help but feel relieved when the party finally died down and everyone began to leave. He was almost out the door after a hastily shouted "Bye guys, see ya tomorrow", when he felt someone standing close behind him.

"Simon?"

He closed his eyes for a moment, the sound of his name so softly spoken from those lush lips almost more than he could bear. He'd been so close to making his escape... Finally taking a deep breath, he turned around.

"Yes, Blair?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady as he struggled not to drown in the exquisite blue eyes looking up at him.

"Can you hang on a minute? Jim and I want to talk to you."

Frowning slightly at the request, Simon nevertheless shrugged and nodded. "Sure."

He was rewarded with a bright smile. "Thanks, man. We appreciate it."

Simon went to get another drink while Blair and Jim finished saying goodnight to the last of their guests. As soon as everyone else had gone, the three men headed for the living room.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Simon queried, as he sat down on the couch. He watched as Blair sat beside him while Jim sat on the coffee table in front of them. He suddenly felt as if the two men were closing in on him, and wondered what was so bad they thought he might try to run away.

"Well, we have something we want to discuss with you, Simon. But first we want you to know that you're free to say no at any time, to pretend this conversation never took place. Nothing will have to change between us," Blair began. "Okay?"

Simon nodded cautiously, his frown deepening at the strange opening. "Okay. Is everything alright? What is this about?"

"This is kind of hard for us, Simon," Jim said. "We're taking a big risk here. The thing is, my senses allow me to smell stuff no one can, as you well know. And --" He turned to Blair, seeming to be struggling for words. "I can sense pheromones."

"So?" Simon asked, still not getting it.

"Simon, for lack of better wording, it's the 'scent' you give off when you're interested in someone. When you're near that person, you release pheromones like crazy," Blair explained with a teasing smile.

"Uh," he suddenly understood what they were trying to tell him and felt his face warming.

"At first, I didn't pay much attention to it. I was still having problems controlling my senses. But after a while, I began to sense your pheromones every time Blair was near," Jim told him. "Then I realized that I could sense them when *I* was near you, that I always had."

"Uh..."

"The only conclusion we could draw from that," Blair continued, taking over again. "was that you wanted us both. Is that true?"

Simon looked helplessly at the two partners, "Well... I... Look, guys, --"

"Because," Jim purred, his lips suddenly only a hairsbreadth away from Simon's, "We certainly want you."

"You do?" he asked softly, his heart beginning to beat faster.

"Yep," Blair smiled gently.

Simon couldn't believe that that whole conversation was actually taking place. He was sure he'd wake up at any minute in bed, realizing he'd been having an amazingly weird dream. He waited a moment, but when the dream didn't end and the two men in front of him didn't just vanish into thin air, he decided to take a chance.

"Is this a sex thing?" He had to know that first.

Blair shook his head. "No. We love each other and you know we're a couple, but you've been one of our closest friends for the last years. Somewhere along the line, the friendship changed into something else. Since you seemed to feel the same..." He shrugged helplessly. "We know it won't be easy, but we felt it was worth a try considering the way we feel about you. So, what do you say, gorgeous?" He chuckled at Simon's obvious embarrassment at the compliment.

Simon shook his head slowly. "I don't know. What you're asking... a three-way life, a threesome... Have you really thought about this? What can happen, what can go wrong? We're cops, on top of which I'm your superior officer. If this got out, it could turn into a media circus. It would ruin our careers -- we could lose everything."

Jim nodded. "We know," he replied solemnly, his eyes locking with Simon's. "But we can make it work, Simon, I know we can. What happened between the two of us after Carolyn and I got divorced... That night was amazing, Simon, but we didn't love each other then. The time wasn't right and I valued our friendship too much to let everything fall apart. But now? This isn't some spur of the moment decision. Blair and I have been talking about this for weeks now. We know the risks, but we also have to think about what we can gain. Are you really happy without us?"

"No," Simon confirmed ruefully.

"Then give this a chance, give *us* a chance!" Blair pleaded, softly. "You don't have to decide now, we just want you to think about it. *Really* think about it."

Simon looked at the two men carefully. They were willing to open their relationship to include him, to love him as they loved each other -- as he loved them. How could he say no? It was madness, insanity. It could destroy his life completely.

It could also make him ecstatically happy for as long as it lasted.

"Yes," he whispered, and the other two smiled happily at each other.

"Great!" Blair said gleefully. "Let's christen the relationship by going to bed then."

"Chief!" Jim glared at his lover.

"What? We can talk about rules and the future tomorrow morning. Tonight should be for celebrating our love. You two can't say you don't want it!" he challenged, as he began to unbutton his shirt wantonly.

Simon and Jim shared an amused look, then followed Blair up the stairs without any further complaints. Once in the upstairs room, though, Simon stood still, uncertain about how to proceed. Keeping up his role as the seducer, Blair smiled and whispered softly, "Watch."

And Simon watched hungrily as the two beautiful male forms undressed each other in perfect sync; watched as they lay down on the sinfully large bed, arms and legs wrapped around each other in a sensual embrace. He watched as one of Blair's hands groped down Jim's back, finding the mound of a buttock and kneading the alluring flesh, making the Sentinel moan into his mouth as they kissed passionately. He couldn't take his eyes off the wanton picture the two men made, their frames rocking against each other, Jim's firm muscles rippling in his back as Blair slid his hands down the length of the sculptured body.

Deciding that enough was enough, Simon began to discard his own clothes, his eyes never straying from the other men. Finally naked, he put a knee carefully on the mattress and waited for Jim and Blair to acknowledge his presence. Almost immediately, Jim broke the kiss and pulled Simon down to lay down next to them.

Simon found himself suddenly surrounded by the two men; Jim's hands gently moving through his hair, smoothly, fingers running against his scalp, sending a shivering thrill down his spine. He parted his lips and his mouth was immediately taken over by Blair's, his tongue slipping inside to explore and mate with his own in a heated kiss.

Jim was also taking action, planting soft kisses down Simon's whole body. It began with a kiss on his temple. Then both eyelids, one cheek, a feather-like one on his nose. Then the corner of his mouth, the curve under his jaw. Finally, a nibble on his arched neck.

Simon suddenly felt himself pushed onto his back as Blair took over from Jim. He was straddled, with knees planted on either side of his hips and hands snaking down to the curve over his ass in a tingling caress. Blair's wicked smile filled his vision, as hands trailed over his taut chest and stomach and lips licked and nibbled at his nipples until they were pebble-hard.

"God!" he gasped softly. "You're killing me!"

An amused chuckle was his only answer, Blair's hand shifting lower and reaching for his erection. Light fingers stroked his shaft, pumping steadly in a rhythm meant to arouse and drive him crazy. But before he could so much as moan in ecstasy, the gentle touch was suddenly withdrawn. Looking beside him, he saw that Jim was now on his back, having pulled Blair down on top of him.

"How many times have I told you you have to learn how to share, Chief?" Jim chortled. "Simon, don't you think it's time to turn the tables on our little seducer here?"

Getting the idea, Simon grinned evilly. "Oh, definitely," he purred.

He moved behind Blair, fitting his body over the young man's, his hard length sliding along the cleft of Blair's buttocks. He began to kiss the back of the young man's neck, nibbling until he left a love mark, then moving down to the shoulder blades. He heard Blair moan, caught between the two bigger men, as Jim undulated his body wantonly, clearly sliding his cock against Blair's. Each movement brought his young lover up closer against him as he thrust his hips against the perfect globes beneath him.

Feeling bold, Simon continued to torture the body underneath him, moving to nuzzle the insides of Blair's thighs and his balls, kissing one, then the other. He smiled as Jim took aggressive possession of his lover's curls and tugged down until their mouths were locked in a ravishing kiss.

Blair started to whimper into Jim's mouth as Simon began to gently explore between his legs with a suddenly slippery finger, trailing downward, under the balls and then further, over the tightness between the buttocks until he was probing inside. Blair appeared to lose himself in the dual sensation of Jim's hungry kiss and the finger moving in and out of his body.

Simon added a second finger, then another, carefully stretching Blair, opening him up to accept his eager shaft. Just the sight of Blair lost in the throes of passion was nearly enough to make him lose any control he might have left. Reality had nothing on dreams. Nothing at all. His dreams had never been like that, never that intense, that loving, that sensual.

Finally convinced that the young man was ready to take all of him, Simon removed his fingers and replaced them with his cock, making Blair moan in ecstasy as he was impaled in one smooth stroke. He waited for his lover to adjust to his invading shaft, then began to thrust, feeling Jim buck his hips up to match his rhythm. He chuckled wickedly as Blair moaned and writhed between them, trying to speed up their movements.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Simon whispered against his ear, his hands forcing Blair's down on the bed to either side of Jim's head. He laced their fingers together, effectively holding the younger man captive. He growled in victory as he felt Jim spread Blair's ass cheeks wider, deepening the penetration.

"Bastards!" Blair moaned, trying to get free with little success. "Two against one isn't fair," he panted huskily.

"Life isn't fair, Chief," Jim panted back, as the friction between their bodies threatened to send him over the edge.

"Yeah," Simon grunted, as he slammed himself into the smaller man harder and faster, finally giving Blair what he needed.

The wild pace couldn't last long. The friction against his cock finally sent Jim over the edge and he came powerfully, his climax causing a chain reaction. Blair's head lolled back, finding support on Simon's shoulder as he orgasmed with a wordless shout, his internal muscles squeezing Simon's shaft and causing him to come as well.

They clung together exhaustedly, until Simon finally gained enough strength to pull away, gently shifting Blair until he was resting in between his lovers. The three men smiled at each other, letting their eyes do the talking, then snuggled down together.

As he was drifting away, Simon thought about the decision he'd made and what would come of it. A gay couple was sure to have enough problems, even in this day and age. A three-man relationship was asking for trouble. Still, he couldn't find the energy or the will to be sorry. He had a feeling that the rollercoaster ride his life was about to become from that moment on would be an exciting one, and he couldn't wait to get on it. He nuzzled Blair's throat lovingly and brushed one of Jim's nipples in a silent goodnight. A moment later, he was fast asleep.

THE END