"Alex, you'll never guess what I found!" Cale pounded into her apartment, scanning the kitchenette and living room. "A bootleg copy of Dynaman! Isn't that awe—" he opened the bedroom door and his voice trailed off.

Alex and Gabe sat bolt upright in bed at his abrupt entrance. Both were fully dressed, except that Gabe's sword and staff lay by the bed. They stared at each other for an awkward moment.

"They had to find out sooner or later," Gabe consoled Alex and rubbed her arm.

"Find out?" Cale repeated weakly.

"I guess," Alex said.

"It could have been worse. It could have been Rile," Gabe said. "It'll be easier to tell Cale."

"I don't know. He looks dazed." Alex gazed up and down the shocked Cale.

"Tell me? Tell me what?" Cale almost whimpered.

"Cale, we couldn't send a written announcement," Alex said. "How to word it? Your brother and I are now sleeping together? Just sleeping! Fully clothed too!" Her voice rose with panic at the last two statements.

Sort of. Not mentioning the euphoric neuro-electric power thing. None of his business.

At Alex's wild look, Cale held up his hands in a soothing manner. "I believe you Alex. I know you and I know my brother. Just sleeping. It's a little weird, no, it's very, very, very weird, but it's okay. With me. I mean you have a lot in common . . . .you're both . . . uh, you're both . . . well, you both breathe air . . . uh . . . I'll leave now," Cale said as he backed away.

"Thanks, you'll tell Rile, okay?" Alex asked.

Cale shook his head as he ran out.

"I don't know, Gabe. Rile will be upset. I hate it when you two fight," Alex said.

"Don't worry. Rile will find something to fight over, if not this, then something else. He lives to annoy me."

"That's not true."

"You don't know him well enough yet. Just you wait," Gabe said.

"All right, but for now, I need to practice my powers more. Care to help?" She held out a glowing hand.

Gabe agreed and took her hand with enthusiasm.

*****

As he ran, Cale wished that he had never seen what he had just seen. At least Gabe and Alex were both dressed. Was that reassuring or disturbing? Reassuring: he most certainly did not want an image stuck in his brain of his brother and an alien mammal nude together. Were they even anatomically compatible? He did not want to know and did not want to think about it. That was very, very disturbing. Just sleeping. That was what Alex said. Yes, he believed that. Between Alex's psychosis and his brother's honor, he believed that. He hoped Rile wouldn't find out. Those two would have no peace from his youngest brother.

Cale ran to their apartment, into the bedroom, and tunneled under the flannel sheets.

*****
Cale awakened with the uneasy feeling of being watched. He opened his eyes fully to see Rile staring at him.

"Where's Gabe?" Rile asked.

"I dunno," Cale mumbled.

In a flash, Rile was on top of him, pinning him. Cale tensed.

"Give it up, Cale. You haven't been able to throw me since my thirteenth dry season. Where's Gabe?"

"I'm not sure."

Rile dug claws into his middle brother's wrists. "You're a terrible liar, Cale. Tell me."

Cale sighed and went limp. "He's probably at Alex's."

"Alex's? This early? No." Rile released Cale's wrists, but continued to sit on him. "You wouldn't be afraid to tell me that. Gabe must have slept there, and not on the couch." Rile rubbed his muzzle thoughtfully. "I didn't think we would be compatible with mammals."

"That's your department, not mine." Cale tried to sidle free.

"Uh-uh." Rile pinned him again. "Tell me what you know."

Cale turned his head to the side. "I found them in bed together."

"What? The great golden prude actually had his clothes off? With a female? Alex the crazy alien mammal female?"

"No, he didn't! And neither did Alex! Don't tale about her that way!" Cale shouted and surged upwards. His legs scissored around Rile's, and with a push to Rile's chest and a twist of his legs, his brother flipped off the bed.

Cale leaped on the prone form and one of his arms was around Rile's neck and the other clamped down on his skull, pinning him.

"Things change," Cale hissed into Rile's tympanum. "This isn't your thirteenth dry season and I have you pinned. Never say that again."

"I let you pin me," Rile choked out.

"No, you let your guard down," Cale said. "I pinned you. Say it."

Rile tried to turn over, to slam Cale over, but Cale widened his base of support with his legs and bore down harder on his younger and larger brother.

"Say it," Cale crowed.

Rile's legs worked furiously against the wooden floor, but Cale countered his every move.

"Saaayyyyy it," Cale said.

"No," Rile coughed.

Cale tapped Rile's muzzle against the floor. "Say it."

"OWWW!" Rile protested. "What's wrong with you?"

"I was sleeping peacefully and you pinned me and accused Alex of inappropriate things. What's wrong with you? Say it."

Rile gurgled, "You pinned me."

Cale jumped up and out of Rile's reach. Rile rubbed his throat and glared at Cale balefully.

"What did you say when you took him to task?" Rile asked.

Cale looked down, his color deepening greenish-gold in embarrassment, and he clacked his claws together nervously.

"You did, didn't you?" Rile's gaze bored into his middle brother.

"I was too startled."

"There's always this morning," Rile said, fixing Cale with his best police dog look. "And look who just came in." Rile gestured to the door with a flourish.

Gabe stopped and looked them over.

"Cale, is there anything you wish to say to Gabe?" Rile stood up, bowed, and pointed to his eldest brother.

"No. Stop it, Rile." Cale studied his claws.

"Are you kidding? Do you know how many years I've been waiting for this?" Rile straightened.

Gabe's expression hardened. "Stop it."

"Stop what, clan leader? Pointing out your indiscretion?"

Gabe whipped out his sword and touched it to Rile's throat. "It is not what you think. It is not disgrace. Not like you. Not ever like you."

Rile was unimpressed. "Do tell, big brother. Has the great untouchable Clan Heir fallen for the pretty little mammal?"

The prick of Cale's sword on his chest surprised Rile.

"Don't talk about Alex that way," Cale hissed.

"Since when do you defend hopping into bed with females? Is it a clothing issue or an interspecies issue that makes this acceptable? So, Gabe, what's with keeping your clothes on? It seems to be working with Cale, but I don't buy the innocence of it. Oh, hey, Alex," Rile called out.

Alex stopped at the doorway, eyes wide with surprise. Then her expression fell, and she said, "He found out, didn't he."

Gabe and Cale nodded.

"Rile, am I so awful and disgusting, that both Gabe and Cale have to draw their swords on you over this?" Alex's accent trembled on her voice.

"Alex, no! You're amazing," Rile protested, then his usual impudent grin returned. "It's the big golden hypocrite that I have a problem with," he said, a second before he hit the ground from Gabe's punch. Only Alex's presence and her distress had left him vulnerable enough to allow Gabe's fist through his defenses.

Alex placed herself between Gabe and Rile. "No fighting. I'm not worth it."

"Of course you're worth it, but this isn't about you. Not really." Cale sheathed his sword and slipped his arm around her waist.

Alex startled at this sudden intimacy but didn't remove his arm.

"Let's leave and have a little talk. There are some things you should know," Cale said.

Alex wrenched away at his words. "Why does everyone think they can tell me what I should know? You should know about your past, you should know about your powers, you should know about Morgan." Her voice broke on the name.

"This isn't about your past," Cale soothed. "It's about theirs."

"Uh-oh," said Rile.

Cale replaced his arm firmly around Alex's waist. "You shouldn't hurt over something that isn't your fault."

Alex looked at him, too stunned by Cale's new behavior and her own pain to resist.

"Don't kill each other while we're gone," Cale called over his shoulder as he steered Alex out.

"You're not talking about me unless I can defend myself." Rile scrambled to his feet.

"I will not let Rile's version remain unchallenged." Gabe sheathed his sword and followed.

"See, Cale?" Alex asked. "The past is nothing but pain. It should be left for dead. Why doesn't anyone believe me?" She removed Cale's hand, quickly patted it to reassure him, and dashed out the door. Leaves swirled in the wake of her flight.

Cale turned to his brothers. "It's not enough to hurt each other, is it? Now you have to hurt Alex."

"You're the priest. Why aren't you taking Gabe down?" Rile crossed his arms on his chest.

"I apprenticed with the priest for one dry season."

"Coward. Tell Gabe some, just some, of what you've told me over the years."

"This isn't the same," Cale replied, but his uncertainty betrayed him.

"Even Cale agrees," Gabe said.

"I have two hypocrites on my hands. And you complain that I'm hurting Alex?" Rile stormed out.

******

A/N

The big reveal! Poor Cale, he didn't want to see or know that!

What will Rile do now?

Dedicated to:

lltommo91ll

Thanks for your enthusiastic support!

TillyB789

For her woman power romance!

Revision dedicated to:

lionobsession

EvelynHail

For their comments that prompted me to rewrite this! Hope y'all love it like I do!