*****

Prologue: Enslaving

"Graham?" Riley entered his friend's room as he returned from a classified meeting. Those meetings always left him tired and 'wanting'. Since Maggie Walsh's death, there had been so many of these endless meetings, trying to decide what would happen to the remaining Initiative soldiers stationed in Sunnydale and as well as at the base.

"I'm here." Graham answered, entering the room behind Riley, a towel around his waist. "I'm just out of the shower." He added, pointedly looking down at the water dripping over his bare chest before meeting Riley's eyes.

Riley's eyes glinted in the dim light as he stared at the semi-naked man. Graham caught the look and his throat dried up; the cold chill that swept over him wasn't due to his damp skin. He knew what Riley liked and quickly closed the door, then returned to kneel at Riley's feet, the towel falling to the floor.

Riley looked down and smiled coldly. "I'm waiting. Good boy." He said, pulling off his shirt as Graham unfastened his belt.

Graham whimpered silently and closed his eyes against the harsh truth. It was happeningagain.

****Flashback

"Riley, I think you've had enough." Graham said gently, as he tried to take the beer out of Riley's hands. His tenth one. "It's no use, Ri."

"That bitch." Riley slurred as he glared at his friend. "Give me my beer back. M'not done drinking."

"Yes, you are." Graham insisted, taking his friend's hand and helping him up. "I'm taking you back to the house. You need..."

Riley interrupted him. "What I need is to get laid. Hell, I'd settle for a good blow job, but my girlfriend won't even give me that. What's a man to do when his girl isn't satisfying him? Huh? I mean, what's the idea of having a girlfriend if you don't get some?" He looked at Graham thoughtfully. "You never had a girlfriend, Gray. How the hell do you do it?"

Graham frowned. "Do what?"

"Live without getting any." Riley replied, leering.

Graham shrugged his shoulders. "I *do* get some." He said. "But you're not interested in knowing how." He finished, muttering, as they left the club and got into Graham's car. The brunette had only had one beer, so driving wouldn't be a problem.

Riley settled in the passenger seat and buckled his belt in a fit of drunken laughter. "So, if you do get some, lemme guess. you get the boys." Happy with what he thought was an obvious joke, Riley laughed loudly. Graham only quirked his eyebrow at him and looked back on the road. "Oh My God." Riley said, stopping his laughter for a moment. "You do! My best friend's a queer!"

Graham rubbed his forehead with his left hand. He could deal with this, yes he could.

"You're gay! Gray! What the hell is wrong with you?" Riley exclaimed yet again, as they pulled up in front of the house and Graham helped his friend out of the car. "You're a fucking sissy! I can't fucking believe it. My best friend's a goddamn queer!"

Graham was very glad that all of the men were already asleep; Riley's voice echoed off the walls fairly loudly. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally opened Riley's door and pushed the laughing and insulting young man in. Riley hadn't stopped laughing, nor his litany of name calling during the time it had taken them to walk from the front door up to Riley's room.

"Prick. You like pricks." Riley kept repeating as he collapsed on the bed.

Graham sighed and looked away. "Look Ri, if we are going to have this conversation, I would prefer it if you weren't drunk." Graham was suddenly afraid that Riley would never accept his preferences. But he needed his friend to understand. He had known he was gay since high school and had had a few affairs with some of the guys on campus, but nothing had ever come of it. It was only sex and he only ever wanted it to be sex. But with Riley it was different. He was different. Graham had an unfortunate tendency to fall in love with his friends. He never meant to, but it always seemed to happen. That was why he had very few male friends; usually moving on when he realized he'd become too attached. Riley was no exception. But contrary to the others, Graham hadn't turned away from him when he had realized it. He had stayed and tried to keep his feelings toward Riley at bay; but as time passed, it was proving more difficult a task than he had thought.

Riley rolled his eyes. "There's no conversation to be had, Gray. You're a queer and lets face it, I want a blow job. Think you can help me with that buddy?" He leered at his friend.

Graham's heart beat slightly faster at Riley's proposition. It was inappropriate and rude, but oh God, a small part of him thrilled at the possibility of touching Riley's flesh, of acting out some of his wildest fantasies. Graham shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "You're delirious Riley. You have no idea what you're asking."

Riley rolled his eyes yet again, slightly annoyed. "Sure I do Gray." He reached out his hand and traced his friend's mouth with shaking fingers. "You've got a pretty mouth. I would love to see it wrapped around my hard cock." He grabbed his friend's hand. "Want to see how pretty my cock is?"

Graham gulped and tried to take his hand away but Riley held him tight. The brunette knew that if he really wanted to, he could get out of his friend's grasp, but Graham didn't want to move. He struggled briefly with what he should do and what he wanted to do. And he wanted to touch Riley - he knew this might be his only chance to be with the man who meant so much to him. Graham knew he needed to pull away now, let Riley sleep it off. This was so wrong, taking advantage of his friend while he was drunk, letting Riley use him, it was bad, it was. oh god.

"Feel this?" Riley asked huskily, as he placed Graham's hand on his denim covered crotch. All of Graham's good intentions flew south, along with his blood - his breath caught in his throat as Riley thrust up against his palm. "All hard and ready for you to take." Riley whispered huskily. With his free hand, Riley reached for his zipper and pulled it down, freeing his cock from it's prison. "I bet you've jacked off a coupla times, thinking about my dick. You like that, don't ya Gray. You like making me all hard and hot?" Riley asked, placing Graham's hand back over his pulsing flesh.

Riley thrust into Graham's hand again. "Betcha want to taste, huh?" He said, huskily. Graham whimpered and looked up at Riley's smiling face, before staring back down at his friend's cock pressed into his hand, precum leaving a sticky trail against his palm whenever Riley thrust upward.

Panting, Graham couldn't take his eyes away from Riley's cock, circling his hand around the thick hardness that was SO inviting.

"Take my pants off, Gray." Riley ordered huskily, his head falling back on the pillow and his hand letting go of Graham's. "I know you want it. I'm so hard Graham. S'all your fault, you make me so hot." He whispered before adding: "Show me what you can do buddy."

Rational thoughts had fled Graham's mind at the sight, feel and sound of Riley hard against him, asking for him. Ri wanted him.

Not thinking twice, as he should have, Graham lowered Riley's pants and threw them on the floor. He knelt between his friend's legs and took his shaft in his right hand, the left one going lower to cup Riley's balls. Riley was more likely to regret all of this tomorrow morning and probably not want to talk to him anymore. But the brunette pushed these thoughts aside. It had already gone too far. He would take whatever Riley was willing to give him, especially since it was probably his only chance of touching and looking at his friend in such an intimate way.

"Oh fuck," Riley cried out, as he splayed open his long muscular legs, offering his hard cock to Graham's attentions. "Oh God, you know what you're doing," Riley choked out as his friend's hands started stroking and squeezing. "Don't stop Gray, just don't stop." He muttered.

At Riley's pleasure, a smile played about Graham's lips. As his friend mumbled a litany of "don't stops", Graham lowered his head and licked the shaft from the bottom up, dipping his tongue into the head, eliciting more breathy moans from the man on the bed. Riley's small gasps of pleasure played havoc with Graham's arousal - his dick was now throbbing painfully. He reached out a hand to his own crotch and rubbed gently, trying to find some sort of release, but not wanting to cum just yet. He then wrapped his lips around the head of Riley's cock and sucked gently, before engulfing the shaft in his mouth and then slowly sliding it out, before creating a steady rhythm, taking Riley nearer to the edge. The blonde was whimpering and moaning, his head thrashing from side to side, his hips trying to thrust up to get more of Graham's mouth. The brunette's hands stopped what they were doing and took a hold of Riley's hips, preventing him from moving. The noises Ri was making no longer made any sense, but Graham was sure he heard his name just as Riley came.

Lightheaded from the feeling of having his best-friend and long time crush coming in his mouth, Graham licked the softening member clean and then looked up to his friend's face, ready to kiss him for all he was worth. "Oh Ri, that was." He began, leaning his head against Riley's thigh, as he stroked himself through his own jeans. He was so hard. He suddenly stopped talking as he realized Riley was out cold. He had fallen into a drunken sleep and was now snoring.

Graham briefly tasted his friend again, as he nervously licked his lips, finally realizing all the implications of what had just happened. Graham's smile fell and he sighed. "Guess he was really drunk." He tenderly brushed hair from Riley's forehead, before rolling him onto his side and tucking him under the covers. "God help me, he's going to hate me." Graham whispered, as he quickly gathered his own clothes and stumbled from the room.

****End flashback

That first night had been the beginning of what Graham had called "their relationship". One thing the brunette had learned the next day was that Riley didn't plan on telling anyone about their involvement, but he sure as hell planned to stay involved with Graham. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Graham knew that the way Riley treated him was wrong. He ordered him around when they were alone, treated him as a friend or even less of a friend when they were out with others and the simple fact that he was still seeing Buffy and wouldn't tell anyone about their love affair should have clued him into the fact that Riley didn't love him. Yet Graham still kept hoping that one day, Riley could come to love him. So he endured, waiting for that day.

"Mmm, Graham, so good my boy."

Riley's moan brought Graham back to the present.

"I'm coming. Oh yeah, I'm coming Graham, make me cum my boy. Yeeeah, you're so good. Ah! Yeah! Good boy! Swallow it all. Yeah, take it. God!" Riley kept moaning as he came inside Graham's mouth. The other man swallowed every bit of his friend's cum and finally licked the soft penis clean.

"Good boy." Riley said once more, as he patted Graham's head and walked to the bed. He sat on the edge and looked at the other man, still on the floor. "Come sit on the bed Graham."

The other man did as he was told.

"Good." Riley smirked, as he leaned against the headboard. "Why don't you sit on your heels, huh? Legs spread, show me your beautiful dick, Gray." Riley leered.

Graham took position and started caressing his thighs. He knew Riley liked having a show. Slowly and suggestively, Graham's hands wandered up his thighs, gently playing with his pubic curls, before moving upwards, caressing his torso.

"Good boy. Touch yourself, touch that beautiful dick of yours for me. Yeah, take it in your hand, stroke it gently. Good Graham, so good. You're so hot." Riley commented, trying to keep himself from sounding annoyed. He didn't like to watch Graham touching himself, didn't like what he felt when he saw his friend's naked body splayed out before him, but it was the only way. The only way to keep Graham from realizing that this 'relationship' they had was onesided. "Move your other hand lower, yeah, that's it. Touch that beautiful hole of yours. Don't stop stroking your dick. Good."

Graham shivered as he listened to his friend's comments. He kept hoping Riley would touch him, kiss him, fuck him, but he knew his friend wasn't ready yet. Riley still had a long way to go before he admitted to himself that he was gay, Graham understood and he would wait. He had no problems with waiting, but he still hoped Riley would finally touch him. For now, though, he would take what Riley gave him, and if touching himself was turning Riley on, then so be it, Graham would keep touching himself.

"Come on Graham, yeah, fuck yourself. That's it, finger that tight little hole of yours."

Graham moaned as he pushed his fingers inside his hole and started thrusting them in and out, his other hand still stroking his cock. He was so close.

"That's it Graham. Yeah. Cum, cum for me." Riley sighed inwardly. Hopefully, Graham would do as he was told so that Riley could get dressed and leave. Buffy was waiting for him.

Graham shuddered, as he felt his orgasm building up and ripping through him. "Oh God, Riley!" He moaned,as he shook with release. Finally spent, he fell on the bed, at Riley's side. He wrapped one arm around his friend's torso and, finding enough courage, he kissed Riley's shoulder.

Feeling Graham's arm around him, Riley knew this was going too far. He jumped as Graham's lips came into contact with his shoulder. He sat up, disentangling himself from the loose embrace and reached for his pants.

Graham forced himself not to sigh in disappointment, but he couldn't keep himself from saying: "Riley? I think. I think we need to talk."

"Talk about what Gray? We've got nothing to talk about." Riley answered putting his shirt back on and not even bothering to turn back to face his friend. "I'm going to see Buffy. We're going to the Bronze tonight, don't wait up for me." He said coldly, just as he pulled on his shoes and left the room, slamming the door shut.

*****
Chapter 1: Definitions

"Agent Miller," The lawyer's voice echoed through the silence that had fallen after Graham's story. "I understand this was your relationship with the defendant before the events charged against him actually happened, am I correct?"

Graham nodded, gulping nervously. "Yes."

"Agent Miller, did you not state to this court and for the record, just now, that you are 'gay'?" The captain's eyes bore through Graham's skin, making him even more nervous than he already was. He needed to get a grip on himself, or he would fall apart. Which was exactly what Riley's lawyer wanted him to do.

"Yes." He finally answered, licking his lips. He knew what this admission would cost him. At best, he'd get an honorable discharge and would be able to go on with his life, though this life wouldn't be much after he left the military. At worst though, he could even end up in prison for admitting such a thing.

"Then, by your own admission, you stand in direct violation of the principles you swore to uphold. You have engaged in acts expressly prohibited by the military code of conduct. And yet you expect this court to accept your 'word' concerning the guilt of one of your fellow officers? Just what is your word worth, Agent Miller?"

Graham closed his eyes against the guilt that swept through him and the anger that came with it, threatening to explode. When he opened his eyes again, he looked to Xander, who sat in the courtroom supporting him without words, for assistance. The young marine took a deep breath and looked at the lawyer, who stood smirking, his eyes cold and expressing such glee for what looked like Graham's downfall.

"I have no more questions, Sir." The lawyer sat back down beside Riley, who leaned over to congratulate him.

"Very well, Captain Kawk." The senior judge said, after pausing to allow his two fellow officers serving on the three-judge panel to ask questions. They chose not to do so at this time. "The witness is yours Captain Halliway."

"Thank you, Colonel." Graham's lawyer said as he stood up, his eyes reflecting unmentionable anger at Riley's lawyer.

"Agent Miller, Graham," Captain Halliway began. "You explained to us in great detail your relationship with special agent Riley Finn, from the moment you started having an intimate relationship. Could you tell us what Riley Finn was to you, before then?" His voice stayed calmed and controlled.

"We were friends, sir. Had been since we first signed up in the military. We met the first day of boot camp." Graham answered, trying to not stutter.

"All right, so you and Special Agent Finn were close friends?"

"The best, Sir, yes."

The lawyer nodded, pacing slightly. "So, do you believe that special agent Finn played on that friendship to make you submit to him, for his pleasure, and his alone?"

Not really knowing where his lawyer was going with this question, Graham had no choice but to nod. "I believe so, Sir. Yes."

"Agent Miller, could you explain to us, with as much detail as you can, what happened that night, on the 30th of July 2000?" Captain Halliway stopped pacing, having finally asked the question he knew would be hard for Graham to answer. But it needed to be answered for this court to hear.

Graham's heart stopped for a moment. He had known this question would come, but was he ready to face the memories? The nightmares that still plagued him, waking him in the middle of the night, screaming for Riley to stop, to let him go.

"Agent Miller," The Colonel's voice brought him back from his memories. "We are waiting, agent Miller."

Graham nodded as he looked up. "Sorry Sir."

"Please, answer the question."

With another nod, Graham took a deep breath and started. "I was at a bar with a friend, we were having a beer."

**** Flashback

"You know Graham, you really should leave him. He's just hurting you. Every time I see you, you're even more down than the time before. He's a jerk if he can't realize how great a person you are, and I'm not saying that cause I'm interested, cause not really my. huh. interest," Yeah, keep telling yourself that Xander, the brunette thought as he took another gulp of his beer. "but still, he's treating you like shit, bossing you around and everything. Just stop seeing him. I think it's the wisest thing to do."

"It's not that easy." Graham's voice was broken with pain. He didn't know how to deal with Riley anymore. "I. I can't just walk away, we live in the same house, our rooms are side by side, he'd still come to me, and. I've tried, but. I can't. can't say no."

Xander looked thoughtful. "Yeah, I know how that goes. My girlfriend's not much better. She's no good for me and I know it, I'm not happy with her, but still, when she comes to my apartment and just takes off her clothes. who am I to say no? She thinks sex resolves everything. Well, it might make me shut up for a while, but it sure as hell doesn't make everything better." He shook his head. "What I meant to say is, don't look at me for a good example or something. I'm as screwed up as you are. Or probably less, but anyway. That guy is no good, at least Anya cares if I." he blushed and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry buddy, I think I'll shut up, or I might end up saying something of the 'not good' variety."

Graham looked at him. "You never say anything of that particular variety, trust me."

Xander gave him his signature silly grin. "But I babble."

Graham chuckled. "That you do, but under all that babbling is the truth, just with nice words to. make it nicer."

Xander conceded. "True. But sometimes, I'd prefer not to be the one dealing out harsh truths, especially when they hurt my friends. Which by the way, now include you."

Graham smiled and looked down. "Thanks Xan. And you're right, he's no good for me. I'll. put an end to all this tonight. It's done. I'm tired of waiting. He'll never be."

Suddenly, the door of the bar swung open and an angry voice roared. "Fucking hell, Graham! Get your ass out here, now!"

Graham's head shot up and he turned to the owner of the voice. "Fuck," he swore, as he realized who it was.

Xander had also turned around and kept his eyes on the advancing man, not recognizing that it was Riley, until he reached them, hauling Graham to his feet. "Riley, what's wrong?" Xander asked, suddenly scared.

"You fuck off, Harris, this is between me and Miller here, mind your own business. Come on Graham, fun time's over." Riley glared at Xander and pushed Graham before him.

As they exited the bar, Graham could feel his stomach tighten. Riley really wasn't in a good mood. "What's going on Ri?" He tried, hoping to calm his friend with his calm, soothing tone.

"You fucking shut up bitch. Everything that's happened is all your fucking fault, so you'll shut up and do as I ask, is that clear?" Riley roared, as he pushed Graham into the car. He made sure the door could only be opened from the outside, and walked to the driver's side, not waiting for an answer.

"Riley, this isn't like you. You should calm down. We could talk." Graham tried again, an overwhelming fear sweeping through him. He was trapped, in his friend's car. Correction, his very angry friend's car.

"That's all you fucking ever want to do! Talk!" Riley interrupted his so-called friend. "You want to fucking talk! Well, I'll show you talking, you just wait and see Miller. This is going to be a long night for you, you're so going to get it." He finished, muttering under his breath. Graham could feel the anger pouring out of his friend and he stopped trying to talk Riley out of it, afraid that he might aggravate the situation more. Graham could only hope for his friend to relax.

Riley drove like a maniac back to the frat house, almost scraping two cars while he parked his. Finally, he stormed out of the car and hauled Graham out of the passenger's seat. "You'll see bitch. All your fucking fault. Everything. You're gonna pay for this." He kept muttering as they entered the quiet house. All the guys were either out, or already asleep at this time of night, which made Graham more scared. No one would hear him if. not with the soundproofing in all the rooms.

"Riley, just stop for a moment, explain what the problem is. I might be able to help, just. please, stop dragging me, I can walk."

That's when the first blow hit. Right across his jaw, leaving a red trace on his cheek. The sound of the hand coming into contact with Graham's skin, resonated in the empty lobby. Riley pushed Graham up the stairs again. "You wanna know what the problem is?" Riley hissed. "You're my fucking problem Miller. Before you came into the fucking picture, I was happy, see? You brought this all down on me. You and your fucking mouth."

Riley kept a hand firmly grasping Graham's arm, as he fumbled for his keys and unlocked the door. Seeing an opportunity to escape, Graham punched Riley's arm to free his own, but Riley was faster than he had thought. Just as the door opened, the blonde man turned and punched Graham in the face, sending him to the floor. "Now you will fucking listen to me?" Riley snarled as he leaned over his friend's already bruised form. "You do as I say, and it might not hurt. much." He lifted Graham to his feet and pushed him into the room, locking the door behind him. "Lean over the edge of the bed, NOW." Riley yelled, pulling and pushing again.

Graham could do nothing. He felt completely trapped. He couldn't escape Riley's orders. It was as if he was trained to do as he was told which, he realized a bit too late, he probably was.

Riley ripped Graham's clothes apart, harshly, as he fumbled for his belt. "You fucking stay there, piece of shit. Don't move, you hear me?"

Graham couldn't do or say anything, he felt paralyzed, helpless. Tears started streaming down his face as he felt Riley's belt come crashing down on his lower back. He cried out in pain. "Don't! Please Riley, stop."

"You haven't seen the worst of it yet Miller." Riley fumbled with his zipper, an arm around Graham to prevent him from moving. "Feel how hard you make me, little slut, huh? You wanna know what happened tonight, piece of shit? Was in bed with my girlfriend, but the fucking thing wouldn't get hard. That's all your fucking fault, Miller. You put some mojo on me and now I can't fucking get it up for anyone else. Is that what you fucking wanted, bitch? You brought this on yourself. Now, since I can't fuck my girlfriend's pussy, I'm gonna have to make do with yours, don't you think that's fair? Yeah, thought so."

Graham whimpered. "Not like this, Riley, please, don't. not like this."

"You're SO going to get it, fucking bitch. I'm gonna fuck that virgin pussy of yours. Gonna open you up all nice." Riley pushed Graham's ass cheeks open and aligned his cock to the hole there. "Feel that, slut." He grunted, as he pushed his cock all the way in with one thrust, ripping the tender tissue. "That's it, gonna make you all wet, Miller."

Graham screamed as loud as his lungs allowed him to, as the searing pain of Riley's penetration kicked in. He tried to push back, to get Riley off him, but his strength had left him. He couldn't do much of anything but sob. "No! Riley! Stop! Please, it hurts, fuck it hurts Ri. Please, oh please, stop." Graham's legs gave way beneath him and he felt himself falling to the floor. His eyes were closed tightly and he tried to shut down all other sounds. Tried not to hear Riley's moans of pleasure, as he kept on pounding into Graham's bloodied asshole.

**** end flashback

"Everything is blurred from then on," Graham continued, taking a deep breath, fighting against the tears that already covered his cheeks. "I think I heard screaming. from outside the room, but I. I just. I wasn't all there. It hurt less that way."

The courtroom was silent once again, everyone staring at Graham, their eyes reflecting his pain. Captain Halliway stood up from his chair and approached his client once more.

"Graham, I know this is hard for you, but I have one more question. How did you escape the assault?" The lawyer asked, gently.

Graham looked up at the audience, where Xander was sitting. "My friend, Alexander Harris, and a few of the other marines from the frat house, busted into the room and somehow took Riley off me. Then Xander. uh, Alexander, wrapped me in a blanket and took me out of the house."

The lawyer nodded. "I have no further questions Sir."

The colonel and the two lieutenant-colonels nodded together. "Witness is dismissed. The court will adjourn until 1 o'clock this afternoon." The colonel said, standing up. Everyone stood up and waited for the judges to leave, as Riley was once again manacled and taken over by two marines, heavily armed. Riley kept glaring at Graham as he was hauled out of the courtroom.

Graham finally walked out of the witness box, as almost everyone had left the room.

"You did well, Graham. That shocked them all. I am pleased to say things are looking good for us." His lawyer said, as he shook his hand.

Graham nodded and looked past Captain Halliway at Xander, who was still standing in the alley, waiting for Graham to join him. "I must. go, Sir, if you."

Halliway nodded. "Nah, it's ok, enjoy your lunch as much as you can. This afternoon promises to be hell."

Xander wrapped his arm around Graham's shoulder and together they walked out of the room, right into Buffy, Willow and Giles, who were waiting for them.

Buffy was in tears. "I'm so sorry, Graham. I."

"Not your fault." Was the only thing the young man could answer. He felt weak and vulnerable, and wasn't quite ready to face them all yet.

"But. if I hadn't."

"Buffy." Giles stopped her, squeezing her shoulder lightly.

"Sorry." The slayer looked down.

"If there's anything we can do, just let us know, all right?" Giles said gently, looking back at Graham.

The young man nodded, but Xander spoke first. "I'm gonna take him out for a bit. There's a quiet place in the park just five minutes from here. I'll take him there. He'll be able to eat and then rest until court starts again."

The three others nodded, stepping out of the way, as Xander led Graham out of the building. Just hold on, Gray, Xander thought. Everything's gonna be fine from now on, I promise you that, he swore. He couldn't bring himself to say the words out loud.

*****
Chapter 2: Witness

Xander helped Graham to his feet. "Are you going to be ok?" He asked gently.

Graham nodded nervously. "I'll be all right, thanks Xan. for everything. I feel much more relaxed now. This place is so. calm."

"Yeah, this is paradise compared to that awful courtroom." The young brunette said, looking around the park, his hands in his pocket and his foot taping the ground nervously. "We still have a few more minutes if you want."

Graham shook his head. "I need to talk to my lawyer, it's. procedure."

Xander nodded, biting his bottom lip. "Yeah, ok. Come on, we'd better get going." He was feeling incredibly nervous as he was suppose to testify that afternoon.

"It's gonna be all right Xan. Just remember what Captain Halliway told you. Facts and truth." Graham said as they walked back to the courtroom, trying not to let his own fears to the surface.

Xander looked at his friend and smiled akwardly. "Yeah, I know. I just hope I don't start babbling incoherently. Happens often you know."

Graham chuckled. "Yeah, I noticed, but just answer the questions clearly and you'll be fine."

"Yeah, I know what your lawyer's gonna ask me, but I have no idea what that bastard's gonna ask me though." Xander shook his head. "That's what I'm afraid of. He's so. I don't know what word to use, but what he said to you, that was downright mean and nasty."

Graham felt something stir up in his stomach at Xander's words and repressed the need to smile by replying: "That's the military Xan. And he was right, by stating I was gay, I did go against the Military Code of conduct." Graham sighed. "I've been in the military for 6 years, it was my life. I thought that maybe I could. I know article 125 by heart Xander. 'Any person subject to this chapter who engages in unnatural carnal copulation with another person of the same or opposite sex or with an animal is guilty of sodomy. Penetration, however slight, is sufficient to complete the offense. Any person found guilty of sodomy shall be punished as court-martial may direct.'"

Xander stopped walking, looking at Graham incredulously. "This is insane. And I thought America was 'open' to that sort of thing."

Graham shook his head. "It is, to a certain extent, but not in the military. The perfect all American boys are not supposed to have such unnatural behaviour, they set the example. or so they say. The thing is, when I was sworn in, I knew about that article, but. no matter how many sexual encounters I've had since I've become a marine, penetration was never a part of it." Graham finished, looking down, he could feel his cheek burning, but somehow, he felt comfortable enough around Xander to have this conversation.

"You mean you." Xander shook his head and then looked straight before him, his eyes cold with rage. "The fucking bastard." He growled and then turned back to Graham, calming himself down. "God, I'm nervous. But I won't break down, I promise you that."

Graham nodded and smiled lightly at his friend. "You know, Captain Kawk is more likely to ask you embarrassing questions about your sex life."

Xander frowned. "Huh?"

"You're my friend, and I said as much, he'll automatically think you're gay too and he'll play with that." Graham sighed.

Xander grinned. "Let him try, Gray, he won't get me."

Graham smiled back at him and entered the building, going directly to the room where he knew he would find his lawyer.

Xander walked back into the courtroom and sat beside Giles, who squeezed his shoulder in support.

****

"The court calls Alexander LaVelle Harris to the witness stand."

Xander stood up, taking a deep breath, and walked to the box. After the necessary swearing of telling the truth and only the truth, he finally sat and waited for the lawyers to attack him with questions.

"The witness is yours Captain Halliway." Colonel White said, as he looked up from his files.

"Thank you Sir." Graham's lawyer stood up and looked at Xander, smiling lightly. "Mr. Harris, what is your relationship with Agent Miller?"

"We're friends, Sir, have been for three months."

"How did you meet him?"

****Flashback

Xander sat at the bar, sipping his beer. Anya had come around again that evening. Little round of sex and then she had left. She got what she came for, I guess, Xander thought as he looked up to see a man sitting beside him.

"Hi," The man said, waving sadly at Xander. "Name's Graham, mind if I sit?"

"No, go on, you look even more depressed than me."

"Yeah. Rough day."

"Problem with the loved one?" Xander asked, recognizing the signs.

"How did you know?"

"Luck, I guess." Xander shrugged. "Having problems of that kind myself."

Graham nodded, ordering a beer.

"Name's Xander, by the way."

****End flashback

"We kept meeting at the same bar, two or three times a week." Xander continued.

The lawyer nodded. "Mr. Harris, where were you on the night of the 30th of July 2000?"

Xander looked straight at Graham and took a deep breath. "I was at that same bar, with Graham."

"So, you were WITH Graham that night?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Did you know, at the time, that Riley was Graham's boyfriend?"

"No Sir, I knew Graham had a boyfriend, but I didn't know who he was. Graham wouldn't say."

"After Riley came to the bar and Graham followed him, what did you do?"

"I. I was shocked, at first I couldn't move."

****Flashback

"Hey, Xander," Andy, the barman, shook Xander's shoulder. "That guy look pretty pissed, you sure Graham'll be all right?"

Xander shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Finally everything clicked into place. "No, he's not." Xander finally said, grabbing his coat and running out of the bar. Riley had already taken off, but Xander somehow knew where he would go. The brunette ran to his car and started the engine. The ride to Lowell house seemed to take forever. Xander tried not to panic, but there had been something in Riley's eyes that sent shivers through his body at the memory.

"Come on, we're almost there." He muttered. He quickly parked his car next to Riley's and ran to the frat house. The door was locked. "Dammit!" He yelled, kicking and punching at the door, trying to get it to open. "Open up! Open the fuck up!!"

"Hey!" Someone opened the door, just as Xander was about to land another punch. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"No time for explanations. Where's Riley Finn's room? Quick!"

"Second floor, last room on the right. What do you think you're doing?" The guy yelled back, as Xander ran up the stairs. "Fuck!" He swore and followed the other young man.

Xander ran all the way down the hall to Riley's room, he could hear muffled sounds from behind the door, but couldn't make out what they were saying. He tried to open it, but no chance. "Figures." He muttered. "Riley, open the damn door!" Xander yelled, banging on the door.

"Hey! Stay away from." The other guy started, but a loud scream came from inside, interrupting whatever he'd been about to say. "What the hell is going on?"

Xander kicked on the door with as much force as he could manage. "One of your friends, and mine for that matter, is being assaulted by Riley Finn, inside this damn room! Now, you're gonna try to help me or not?" Xander yelled back, panting.

"Fuck!"

"Hey, what's with the noise Walt?" Another guy poked his head out of his room.

"Get over here Tyler, Finn's gone off his rocker, messing one of us up. Who the hell's in there with him?" Walter asked, looking back at Xander.

"Graham Miller. Now help me open this goddamn door?" Xander growled back at Tyler.

Tyler looked at the door and at the two men and finally came to help. Muffled screams of pain still drifted to their ears and a third man joined them.

"We're not gonna open this fucking door." Walter, said, panting.

"Damn military," Xander muttered, the three guys turning to face him. "What? You think I don't know who you are? I work with the slayer guys, think again. Now, you're the ones with the weapons and the strength, how the hell are we gonna open this?"

Tyler shook his head. "We need to blow up the handle, or the whole door, but there's a high risk that it might. hurt one of them."

"But what's the other solution, we stay here and wait till Riley is done? What are the odds that Graham will still be alive at that point?" Xander was starting to feel incredibly helpless. "Come on, do it. It's better to have them hurt slightly than to have to collect Graham's body. I saw Riley, he was in fury. Nothing will stop him."

Walter and Tyler nodded, the third guy having already left to get a gun.

"There guys," He said as he came back. "That should do it."

"Yeah, you do it Fred." Tyler nodded to his friend, all of them stepping out of the way.

Just after the gun fired, Xander kicked the door opened and stopped dead in his tracks.

****End flashback

"There was blood everywhere, on the bed, on the floor. Graham was. he was. leaning over the edge of the bed, whimpering and he kept saying stuff like: no, stop, don't. I saw Riley leaning over him and he was. God, it was horrible, he was raping him and hitting him. He kept calling Graham 'bitch' and other stuff like that. I. I froze. The other three guys reacted rapidly, but it was a bit like slow motion for me. They grabbed Riley and pulled him off Graham, who just fell on the floor. He looked so broken. I. I grabbed a blanket from the bed and wrapped it over him. I don't think he recognized me at first. I made sure the other guys had Riley restrained and then I took Graham out." Xander stopped. Emotionally drained.

Captain Halliway looked thoughful, then he looked back at Xander. "What did you do after that, Mr. Harris?"

Xander took a deep breath. "I took him to my car. He had trouble walking and just plain staying on his feet so I had to support almost all of him. I helped him lie down on the back seat and then I decided to head to the hospital. He was still bleeding and. well, I didn't know what else to do, so I took him to the emergency room."

"Very good Mr. Harris. I have no more questions, Colonel." Captain Halliway said, looking at the senior judge.

Colonel White nodded. "Witness is yours, Captain Kawk."

The lawyer stood up and walked to Xander, a feral grin on his face. "Mr. Harris, are you gay?"

Xander's eyes opened wide. Ok, Graham had told him this question would come, but. so fast? He shook his head. "No, Sir."

"Objection Colonel." Captain Halliway said, just as Xander answered. "I don't see what interest this court has in knowing the witness' sexual orientation. He is not a marine, therefore not subject to our laws and code of conduct."

Colonel White sighed. "Objection sustained. Captain Kawk, please reformulate your question."

Riley's lawyer glared at Captain Halliway, but nodded. "Mr. Harris, have you ever had any sexual encounter with a man before?"

"Objection Colonel."

"Sustained. Captain Kawk, please reformulate your question again."

Glaring back at Graham's lawyer again, Captain Kawk tried one last time. "Mr. Harris, are you or are you not Agent Miller's current boyfriend?"

"No, I am not, Sir." Xander answered straight away, somehow, he knew Riley's lawyer would get his answer one way or another, it was easier to say no now, than to wait for him to stop asking.

"Then please explain to us what your relationship with Agent Miller is."

"We're friends, good friends."

"Mr. Harris, when you first met Agent Miller, were you aware that he was gay?"

What kind of question is that? Xander thought, frowning. "Not right away Sir, I didn't know."

"Did you know special agent Finn before, Mr. Harris?"

Ok, Xander thought again, he's playing rebound, why won't his questions make sense? "Yes, Sir."

"You knew him before you met Agent Miller, am I correct?"

"Yes, Sir."

"How would you qualify your relationship with Special Agent Finn, Mr. Harris?"

"He was my best friend's boyfriend, that's it Sir. We weren't close friends, we just. knew each other." Xander answered.

Riley's lawyer smiled. "Ah! What's your best friend's name, Mr. Harris?"

"Buffy Anne Summers, Sir." Xander answered, trying to keep his calm.

"A woman, Mr. Harris?"

"Yes, Sir."

"And she was Riley Finn's girlfriend?"

"Yes, Sir, for about 6 months."

"All right, Mr. Harris. So you're saying that this man, who I must state has several years of faultless service, had a girlfriend, but still went to Agent Miller for sexual pleasure?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Before the alleged rape, had you seen special Agent Finn with Agent Miller, Mr. Harris?"

"Once or twice, Sir, but never. in a sexual way." Xander answered, trying to not start babbling, which was sounding so tempting. "I knew they were friends."

"Then, how can you say what you saw was rape, Mr. Harris? You had no knowledge or proof of their relationship before that day, so on what do you base your assumption that what was going on was actually rape?" Captain Kawk glared at Xander as he asked the question, making the brunette squirm.

"I know what I saw, Sir. There was blood on the floor, on the bed, on Riley and on Graham. Riley had his dick up Graham's ass and he kept saying something about 'showing that damn bitch'. Also, Sir, Graham was sobbing, whimpering and crying for Riley to stop, not to do it. He pleaded. There was no doubt as to what was going on, Sir."

The lawyer shook his head. "I have no more questions, Colonel." He said, going back to his seat, looking a bit defeated in Xander's eyes. That was good.

"Witness dismissed. Mr. Harris, you can go back to your seat."

Xander stood up and walked back to his place, at Giles' side. He glanced at Graham on the way back and smiled shyly. Graham smiled back, happy that Xander had gone through the whole process without so much as a flinch.

"Captain Halliway, you can call your next witness." Colonel White said, as soon as Xander had sat down.

"The prosecution call Doctor Mercer to the witness stand, Colonel."

****

"The pictures were so gross!" Buffy exclaimed, shuddering.

"Yeah and the way the doctor explained everything in details, had me nauseated." Willow replied.

"Indeed." Giles said simply, taking off his glasses. "Xander? Are you all right?"

The four of them were waiting outside the building for Graham to come out. The afternoon had been hell, as pictures of Graham's mutilated body were shown and the doctor explained the injuries and how they had been caused. It had been hard on all of them, especially Graham. After the court had been adjourned until the next morning, the marine had stayed behind, to talk with his lawyer.

"Yes, I'll be ok." Xander answered. "I'm. a bit shaken. I mean. I saw most of these injuries for real, but. I didn't know. God, how much it must have hurt." He sighed, passing a hand through his hair. "I'll be better once Graham is here. Even more so when Riley's finally behind bars and not to be seen for at least the next century or so."

"You know, Xander, odds are he might. not be punished for his actions." Giles said, sitting down beside the younger man. "This is the US military Xander. Graham, just by being gay and saying it to the whole court and for the record, is also 'punishable'."

Xander nodded. "I know, Graham told me earlier. But. They have so much evidence of what happened, so many people saw it, testified against Riley. I mean, even Captain Kawk was down at the end."

Giles smiled. "You're right, they do have evidence and proof. Though that doesn't change the possible consequences for Graham, it almost ensures that Riley will serve time."

Silence fell on the group as they pondered on what would happen the next day. "It's Riley's turn tomorrow." Willow stated, matter-of-factly.

"Yeah." Xander replied, taking his best-friend's hand in his. She and Buffy had both been approached by Riley's lawyer to testify for him, but they had refused categorically.

"Hey." Graham said, as he approached them.

They turned at once and smiled. "Hey Gray, are you ok?"

The marine smiled lightly at Xander. "Yeah, I'm good. Can. can we go now?"

Xander nodded. "See you tomorrow girls. and Giles. Thanks for keeping me company." He said as he stood up.

"Thanks for just being here." Graham whispered.

Willow and Buffy nodded, hugging him gently, while Giles shook his hand. "It is no hardship Graham, we're here for you."

Finally the two young men left the court.

*****