Stripped Bare

I am Different

A/N: The adorable Marlon Teixeira as Damien...

Damien sat by the window as the plane took off, deep in thought.

"What's up?" Randy asked him, seeing a look of concern plastered on the young agent's face.

"I don't think we should have left them alone. I'm worried for Dante's sake. If he is unable to control his powers, there's no telling what else might happen. The royals are also powerful in other ways. What if they could find a way to somehow contain Dante and use his abilities for their own evil purposes? There's no telling what they're capable of" Damien shook his head, shocked by the possibilities.

"That's only if they ever find out. Which is why I'm assigning you permanently to this project, Damien. Dante feels close to you and trusts you. After all, you were the only one he would listen to, when he almost destroyed the lab with all of us in it!" Darius interjected.

"Cool!" Randy remarked.

"Not you, Randy, only Damien. You've still got to complete your training. Remember, I only agreed to your tagging along, in case Damien needed more manpower, and your work was adequate and efficient. But you still have to go back and complete your exams, before I allow you to work full time on any other project or mission..." Darius looked sternly at the boy.

Randy's face fell. He knew that he had messed up badly for him to be dropped back. The incident of Damien fleeing to Mumbai was his fault, and everyone knew it. He was technically on probation and had yet to prove himself worthy of being a fully-fledged agent for the Organization, especially after Darius' commission as the new head came into fruition.

"But you won't be alone, Damien. I've asked Bry to follow up on Dante's case, so he'll be your contact in case you ever need backup, got it?" Darius perused the documents in which were listed all the destinations that the royals were going to.

Damien nodded, still lost in thought. A lot had happened since Mumbai, and he wanted to erase the difficulties and emotional upheaval he had faced since then. The incident had left him in a quandary over his relationship with Randy. Although they still had some form of affection for each other, somehow it no longer felt as intense or even special as it was before.

Randy watched miserably but he could not do anything. Darius' words were final and he knew that he had to keep to his agreement. He also knew that he had to give Damien space to think things through. Randy also felt that the kiss he had given Damien in front of Dante, was different somehow - that it no longer held the spark that once was there.

Since their separation, Damien's eyes had become a lot more open to possibilities since his successful results from both his high school finals and exams as an agent. He had proven his worth by going beyond all expectations, passing with flying colors in both physical and technical examinations. He had taken on Project Eden and made it his own, earning praise from Doctor Akachi and his team. His induction into the Organization was a highly emotional one which made his father proud of him.

The plane circled while Darius, Bry, Marcus and Captain Sam convened in another room. Soon Damien was called in to be privately briefed not only on the current situation of following Dante but his situation with Randy. Damien had no qualms as to being separated from Randy. He had already prepared himself mentally and emotionally beforehand, which surprised them all.

Meanwhile, back at the mansion, the royals were strangely exhausted from the previous social event, that they decided to pack up and go to the next destination, much to both Dante's and Walid's relief. That meant there was not going to be any hocus pocus or strange shamanistic rituals for at least the next few weeks.

Both men were in the process of packing up their belongings to follow the secret entourage, towards Spain and the beautiful idyllic island of Mallorca, where they would hopefully be spending two quiet weeks, without any social events planned, before leaving for the Mayan Capital of Peru.

Before Damien had left them, he had given both Dante and Walid two unique devices as a means of communication between them should certain situations arise or whether Dante had any questions for him.

Both men waited for the all too familiar unmarked black limousines to arrive at the mansion. Meanwhile, Dante had been quietly messaging Damien, regarding his concerns for the trips planned for them, especially to the Mayan capital. Damien reassured them both that he would be following close on their heels, should they ever need him.

"Hey Dante, so, what do you think of these guys, huh?" Walid murmured softly, as the vehicles drove up to the mansion.

"They seem really nice and sincere about helping us, especially that guy, Damien" He replied in a low whisper.

"Yeah, he's cute too" Walid smirked.

"Stop it, Walid. He's a highly intelligent young man and he's very nice looking, that's all...besides, he's taken..." Dante smiled softly.

"Who? You talking about that guy who hog-tied me? Randy?" Walid chuckled.

"Yes, and you shouldn't be jumping to any conclusions about us..." He smiled out of the corner of his lips.

But Dante could not help but wonder whether it was true, for, although in his less than mildly inebriated state at the time, He remembered the kiss...the kiss that Randy planted upon Damien's lips - the kiss that seemed more one-sided and that Damien was not as willing a recipient to.

Dante shook his head, as if clearing his mind of a few unwanted memories, and why was he suddenly finding himself developing an attraction for the young agent named Damien?

A/N: Well, it seems that Dante is taking a vested interest in the young agent named Damien...Let's see how it all plays out...