Summary of A/U: Christopher Larabee had a vision for a controlled time travel probe to use for observing history without interference. The project has the necessary dimensions for his exploratory team to use a special human-carrier probe, ride time's waves, and record history. The project, known as Project Enhanced Encyclopedic Knowledge, or PEEK, has been approved at the highest levels of world government. The team members are observers only. To interfere was to jeopardize history, the lives of countless others and this no one will risk. It is enough to go back and see first-hand the moments and periods that historians say are pivotal to human endeavor.

Warning: You'll have to suspend disbelief and simply accept the author's rampant trampling of history, biology, science in general - in other words, consider this science fiction without much fact.

Ezra leaned on Chris' back, rubbing with one shoulder at the taller man's spine. He liked to imitate a cat around Chris, liking the sensations of tactile energy. He raised his knee, bare foot pointed like a dancer's, and let it stroke up the side of Larabee's thigh. The project leader's eyes never left the monitor he was studying but one long arm dipped down and captured the errant leg, hooking around the slender thigh and hugging the young man's body close.

Nearly overbalanced, Ezra toppled against his love, not bothering to repress a giggle of delight. He so loved playing with Chris. His lover was a marvelous mix of fire and soft earth. Anchoring him and challenging him. He threaded his arms around the man's neck and laid his head upon the back of Chris' shoulder. Happy.

Chris savored the smooth exposed flesh of Ezra's upper body, the imp was only wearing his lounging trousers. Ezra's silk trousers, loose and low, were more like pajama bottoms than anything, but in the privacy of their quarters and the lab, he preferred them, so reminiscent of his original costume.

"They've built a city and named it after your conqueror." Chris' dry words brought Ezra's green eyes slanting to the screen.

"After Alexander?" He nodded. He knew this already. He was reading voraciously from the extensive PEEK library. Of course he'd started with his own time, wanting to know more about Darius' fate and that of the Greek invader. He made sure that he kept himself from projecting too much of his personal knowledge into his studies, it just made his heart hurt. He was so happy here with Chris, but it was a sterile world compared to the lush palace life he'd lived before. He leaned over the top of Chris' head and extended one arm, finger reaching for the touch pad.

"Ezra! No!" Chris snatched the hand, then pulled it close for a kiss on each fingertip, ending with a lap across the small palm. Tenderly holding it close to his chest, and incidentally away from the monitor, he added, "I've just got the bearings set."

Shivering in delight at the ministrations to his hand, Ezra rested his chin comfortably on Chris shoulder and eyed the focal center of the screen. A busy market street, the vendors all in whitish robes or tunics, black hair cut long and held back with cloth headbands. Tanned arms, banded with golden bangles, stretched out offering cloth and fruit, pottery jars of indeterminate substances. And cats. Lots of cats weaving their ways beneath the displays, jumping up with casual grace onto tables and rails, on to laps and shoulders. His interest perked, the young man's own catlike eyes blinked in astonishment at the feline population. "Cats!"

"Not one of those, Ezra." Chris easily read the desire into the simple exclamation. "They are not from 'now'. Don't think we could adjust one of them forward, even if we wanted to do it."

Musing at the antics of the array of cats tangling with humans and wares in the small market street, Ezra only sighed, knowing that Chris would feel it through their body contact. He missed his kitten Nemih. Until now, he really hadn't thought about it, but he did. Even though Chris was now letting him tag along on some of the more discreet missions, more often than not, Ezra was left alone behind when the team of researchers went native. They all told him it was better that way, that he'd be bored. He didn't believe it for a minute.

Fussing at Chris' jumpsuit collar with his teeth, Ezra kept an eye on the screen. A group of obvious soldiers marched down the street, ignoring the beseeching cries of the vendors, eyes fixed on some invisible destination. He pressed closer and whispered in Chris' ear. "A companion for when you are away."

Abruptly, Chris swiveled his seat around catching up the man-child into his lap. He tucked Ezra in close in his arms and kissed him thoroughly. The response, as always, was incredible. Ezra was a gifted lover, trained to be the very best. That he now used his arts exclusively on Chris didn't mean that they were any the less effective. When they finished Ezra's kiss, Chris lolled back in his seat, letting his lover sit up on his lap. He pet the nearest graceful arm, ending by holding the charmer's delicate hand in his, toying with the long narrow fingers in pleasure.

Nearly lost in the moment, he looked up in surprise when Ezra began to speak again.

"If not from that time, then from this?"

Larabee smiled at the coaxing tone. His little minx could get just about anything he wanted with that tone. And what could it hurt? "A cat."

Instantly, the large light green eyes lit up. "Yes!" Then danced to the screen and back. "No!"

"No?"

"Not a cat, a kitten!"

Chris raised one hand so that he could trace the delicate line of Ezra's throat down to the fragile juncture with clavicle. He felt the skin beneath his finger shiver again. Ezra was so responsive, so beautiful. And his. He smiled into those wild, wide eyes. "A kitten then. Alright, we'll get you one."

"Oh, Chris, thank you!" Ezra collapsed in on the man who held him, fitting himself to the large man's lean form effortlessly, wriggling for maximum effect.

"Ezra!" Chris laughed and pushed his armful of tease back a bit. "I've still got to get this mission set up and run."

"Bother that." Ezra produced a remarkable pout, somehow happy and sad at once.

"Bother what?" Buck Wilmington's cheerful question preceded the tall engineer by only a moment. He strode into the lab and grinned at Chris and his Ezra. "What's wrong, Ez?"

"Chris won't get me a kitten until after the mission."

Buck glanced over at Larabee who was trying unsuccessfully to look stern. "Pard, you have to keep our Ezra happy. The little guy don't ask for much."

"No?" Larabee managed to infuse doubt in that question.

"Nope." Buck leaned forward and tousled the chestnut mop of hair that Ezra refused to cut short. "He treating you okay?"

"Weeeeellllllll," Ezra managed to draw out the word, then with a squint at Chris, he looked up at Wilmington with softened eyes and created a small frown. "I get lonely sometimes."

"I PROMISE!" Chris was laughing now, knowing the witchy ways of his sprite, "You shall have your kitten!"

"We could go now." Ezra twisted around to face Chris, stretching up to touch noses. "Before you get too busy."

Wilmington grinned. The little shit has Chris wrapped around his pinkie. He dropped down into a neighboring armchair and waited.

"Now?" Chris was clearly startled.

"Now." Ezra purred, turning and sliding down Larabee's chest to rest his cheek against his lover's heart. He poked at the man's flat belly.

Buck stretched out his long legs and caught his arms behind his head, enjoying the show. When their little fellow got going, he was quite a manipulator.

Chris looked down at his gorgeous lover and discovered that his will had melted. "All right."

No contest. Buck shook his head. Man never had a chance. Not since the day he laid eyes on their Persian boy.