text:
General Northern Studies Databases
Northern Studies research is by it's very nature interdisciplinary and incorporates a large number of First Nation communities as well as the Inuit and the Métis to whom the North is their ancestral home. These indigenous communities have a rich history and many traditions that are often transmitted through songs, stories, and other oral traditions. Some of these stories are reflected in the documents, databases, and auditory/video resources provided on this page, however they are not all encompassing and many resources still reflect Canada's colonial history, particularly those dealing with historic government documents. Though the following is a select list of databases that can be used to locate articles relating to Northern Studies and include citations to journal articles, conference papers, reports, maps, theses and in some cases the full text of the item we encourage you to reach out for further help in your research if you are unsure where to start or how to proceed.
Northern Studies Database Search
A complete search of the Northern Studies Databases available through University of Calgary's Database search
Northern Studies Subject Database Search
A complete subject search for Northern Studies Databases on the University of Calgary database search engine
Academic Search Complete (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Academic Search Complete provides a comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database, with more than 5,500 full-text periodicals, including more than 4,600 peer-reviewed journals. In addition to full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for more than 9,500 journals and a total of more than 10,000 publications including monographs, reports, conference proceedings, etc.
Bibliography of indigenous peoples in North America This link opens in a new window
Bibliography of Indigenous Peoples in North America (BIPNA) is a bibliographic database covering all aspects of Indigenous culture, history, and life in North America. This resource covers a wide range of topics including archaeology, education, the gaming industry, religion, folklore, economic development, acculturation, mythology, missions, tribal governments, and ethnohistory. BIPNA contains more than 350,000 citations for newspapers, magazines, academic journals, books, reviews, and trade publications from the United States and Canada with expanded content from Great Britain and Australia. Dates of coverage for content range from the sixteenth century to the present.
Factiva This link opens in a new window
Provides worldwide full text coverage of local and regional newspapers, trade publications, business newswires, press release wires, media transcripts, news photos, business-rich Web sites, investment analyst reports, market research reports, country and regional profiles, company profiles, historical market data.
Due to license restrictions, access is limited to 6 simultaneous users.
Interface in English, German, French or Chinese; contents in 22 languages.
Frontier life : borderlands, settlement & colonial encounters This link opens in a new window
This digital collection of primary source documents helps us to understand existence on the edges of the anglophone world from 1650-1920. Discover the various European and colonial frontier regions of North America, Africa and Australasia through documents that reveal the lives of settlers and indigenous peoples in these areas. Major themes included are settlement development, law and order, violence, expeditions and exploration, relations with indigenous peoples, trade and commerce, death and disease, missionaries and religion, women's history, military matters, mining and gold rushes, settler governance, contested boundaries, and agriculture and livestock. The vast majority of the material is unique and unpublished manuscript in the form of correspondence, diaries, land records, and business records. Features of Frontier Life include: interactive maps and chronology, visual galleries, thematic guides, and frontier settlement floorplans and images.
Gale Academic OneFile This link opens in a new window
Gale's premier periodical resource, Gale Academic OneFile, provides millions of articles from over 17,000 scholarly journals and other authoritative sources—including thousands of podcasts and transcripts from NPR and CNN as well as videos from BBC Worldwide Learning. With extensive coverage in key subject areas such as, biology, chemistry, criminal justice, economics, environmental science, history, marketing, political science, and psychology, researchers are able to find accurate information and articles in both PDF and HTML formats with ease.
Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
To set up Google Scholar to detect UofC subscribed resources, refer to Google Scholar setup (in the Natural Sciences Programme LibGuide)
A subset of Google that only indexes academic journals. Pros: searching is very easy - just like for regular Google. Covers journals in many disciplines. Cons: Limited functionality for filtering results. May include some journals of dubious quality.
Indigenous Collection This link opens in a new window
Informit's Indigenous Collection brings together ground-breaking and emerging research with topical and historical issues paramount to Indigenous studies across the world. Offering broad scope for critical international engagement and debate surrounding Indigenous culture, health, human geography and other important aspects, this inter-disciplinary platform gives definitive voice to Indigenous communities in Australia, New Zealand and beyond. Some collection highlights include: centres on significant historical and contemporary aspects of Indigenous culture and experience; authoritative views, insights and voices from Indigenous individuals and groups ; dedicated to content from and about Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia, Pacific region and North America.
Indigenous Peoples of North America This link opens in a new window
Indigenous Peoples of North America provides users with a robust, diverse, informative source that will enhance research and increase understanding of the historical experiences, cultural traditions and innovations, and political status of Indigenous Peoples in the United States and Canada. Researchers will explore the impact of invasion and colonization on Indigenous Peoples in North America, and the intersection of Indigenous and European histories and systems of knowledge through the use of manuscripts, monographs, newspapers, photographs, motion pictures, images of artwork, and more. These are the primary sources that take students beyond the facts and figures of history and into a deeper understanding of Indigenous Peoples. This digital collection fortifies the more general resources, by providing an opportunity for students to "dig into the past," to discover the background of the ideas and cultures that have defined Indigenous societies, tribal organization, and Indian-white relations. The collection also features indigenous-language materials, including dictionaries, bibles, and primers.
Sociological abstracts This link opens in a new window
Sociological Abstracts, and its companion file Social Services Abstracts, cover the international literature of sociology, social work, and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. It provides abstracting and indexing of articles and book reviews drawn from thousands of serials publications, plus books, book chapters, dissertations, conference papers, and working papers. Coverage is from 1952 to the present.
Artefacts Canada This link opens in a new window
The Artefacts Canada database contains more than 4 million object records and more than 1 million images from Canadian museums. Contents include art objects, ethnological and historical artefacts.
Artists in Canada This link opens in a new window
Artists in Canada, compiled and maintained by the National Gallery of Canada Library, is a bilingual union list that identifies the location of documentation files on Canadian artists. Twenty-three libraries and art galleries across Canada have contributed biographical information and lists of their documentation files to create this resource which contains information for over 42,700 artists.
Canadiana Online This link opens in a new window
Canadiana online is a full-text searchable database that includes books, journals and government publications documenting Canadian History. The e-book collection, spans three and a half centuries of Canadian documentary history, holds rich primary materials exploring a wide range of subjects and disciplines. Topics range from major historical events to the development of institutions, laws, and science; from Canadian literature to philosophical treatises; from agriculture to politics, trade, and tariffs. The Serials collection includes a wide range of daily and weekly newspapers, specialized journals, and mass-market magazines, as well as city directories and annual reports from churches, schools, and corporations. Specialized publications include trade or industry journals as well as many men's, women's, student's and children's popular magazines. Early periodicals are an invaluable source of information for researchers in all fields, as they offer a remarkable record of thought and opinion on diverse issues. Lavishly-illustrated journals open a captivating window onto early Canadian society and culture through their articles, advertisements, cartoons, drawings, and photographs. The Government Publications collection includes over 1.7 million pages of historical pre-1920 colonial, provincial and federal government documents. This collection includes government acts, bills, committee reports, court rules, debates, journals, ordinances, a selection of official publications from France and Great Britain, sessional papers, regulations, royal commission reports, voter's lists, and treaties.
Canadian Art Database This link opens in a new window
A collection of previously inaccessible or hard-to-find, information on Canadian art in all media, and images, video and audio clips of works produced by a broad range of artists working in Canada. The bilingual Canadian Art Database was conceived, and continues to be developed, as an interactive learning web site, connecting contemporary Canadian artists, writers and designers to educators, students and viewers throughout the world.
Canadian business & current affairs database This link opens in a new window
Canadian Business & Current Affairs Database combines full text and indexed content from all four subsets (Business, Current Events, Education, and Reference). Content comes from a broad range of Canadian sources and includes millions of full-text articles and records from 1933 to current, providing an ideal research environment for those interested in Canadian current events, business, science and technology, medical, humanities and the arts, and hundreds of topics.
Canadian Research Index This link opens in a new window
Canadian Research Index focuses on periodicals covering Canada and Canadian issues in general reference arts, business, humanities, health, social sciences, sciences and current affairs. This index consists of depository publications of research value issued by federal, provincial , and territorial governments. Also includes hard-to-find non-depository publications; scientific and technical reports; policy, social economic and political reports; Statistics Canada monographs and serials.
First Nations art: an introduction to contemporary Native artists in Canada This link opens in a new window
This Introductory Guide is intended to facilitate access to relevant biographical and bibliographic information pertaining to contemporary First Nations artists.
Gale OneFile. CPI.Q (Canadian periodicals) This link opens in a new window
Gale OneFile: CPI.Q, the award-winning electronic version of the Canadian Periodical Index, provides the most-requested Canadian reference information available. It includes more than 1,300 Canadian periodicals (more than 700 full text), a multilingual interface, indexing from 1980 forward, and full-text articles from 1983 forward. This vast collection is fully integrated, enabling users to search the entire database with a single query. It yields a variety of relevant periodical articles, biographies, company profiles, historical documents, science and technology essays, and much more. Exclusive features, including Topic Finder, InterLink, and a mobile-optimized interface, support and enhance the search experience.
GEOSCAN This link opens in a new window
GEOSCAN is the bibliographic database for scientific publications of the Earth Sciences Sector (ESS) of Natural Resources Canada. It features over 60,000 records for ESS publications, including: publications of the Geological Survey of Canada and the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, Canada Topographic Maps, and external publications authored by ESS scientists and specialists.
Héritage This link opens in a new window
The Héritage project is an initiative to digitize and make accessible online Canadian archival collections and primary-source documents. Chronicling the country and its people from the 1600s to the mid-1900s, this collection is a resource for Canadian historians, students, and genealogists.
Northern news services online This link opens in a new window
Includes full text of stories, editorials, sports and other special features from all six NNSL newspapers: Nunavut news/North, Kivalliq news, Inuvik drum, Deh Cho drum, Northwest Territories news/North and the Yellowknifer.
Polar Databases
Arctic & Northern Studies This link opens in a new window
The Arctic and Northern Studies digital collection comprises a selection of materials from the University of Calgary's Archives and Special Collections. The materials are rare published or unpublished archival documents, dating from the 1600s to the early 1900s, which were originally acquired by the Arctic Institute of North America, now located at the University of Calgary.
Arctic Blue Books This link opens in a new window
Index to the 19th Century British Parliamentary Papers concerned with the Canadian Arctic.
Arctic Institute of North America Photographic Archives Collection This link opens in a new window
The Arctic Institute's online photographic collection consists of about 800 photographs dating from the late 1800s through the 1900s.
Arctic Science and Technology Information System (ASTIS) This link opens in a new window
Indexes publications and research projects about northern Canada.
Coverage goes back into the 1800's.
GeoRef This link opens in a new window
Access to: GeoRef or GeoRef in Process
GeoRef database covers the geology of North America from 1669 to the present and the geology of the rest of the world from 1933 to the present. The database includes references to all publications of the U.S. Geological Survey. Masters' theses and doctoral dissertations from U.S. and Canadian universities are also covered. Includes access to the GeoRef In Process database (so both databases can be searched at once) and GeoRef Preview database (on the AGI web site).
Coverage is from 1785 (North America) and 1933 (other areas) to the present.
SPRILIB Antarctica This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive coverage of Antarctic literature from 1602 to 1962, plus coverage of books and reports from 1963 to 1996.
SPRILIB Ice and Snow This link opens in a new window
Glaciological literature from 1661 to the present, relating to all aspects of ice and snow worldwide.
SPRILIB Russian North This link opens in a new window
Covers all subjects about European and Asian Northern Russia and the seas north of Russia from 1671 to the present.
Video Collections/ Oral Histories
BBC Landmark Video Collection (The) This link opens in a new window
Collection of HD films about the natural world, including earth science, climate science, life sciences, geography, and more.
Ethnographic Sound Archives Online This link opens in a new window
Ethnographic Sound Archives Online brings together over 2,000 hours of previously unpublished historic field recordings from around the world, alongside their supporting field notes and ethnographers' metadata, opening new paths for the study of music in its cultural context.
Ethnographic Video Online (Volume 1) This link opens in a new window
Intended to be a visual encyclopedia of human behavior and culture, online in streaming video. Contains classic and contemporary documentaries; previously unpublished footage from working anthropologists and ethnographers in the field; and select feature films. Includes footage from every continent and hundreds of unique cultures. Thematic areas include: language and culture, kinesthetics, body language, food and foraging, cooking, economic systems, social stratification and status, caste systems and slavery, male and female roles, kinship and families, political organization, conflict and conflict resolution, religion and magic, music and the arts, culture and personality, and sex, gender, and family roles.
NFB (National Film Board of Canada) This link opens in a new window
Includes a vast array of indigenous produced and directed films about a variety of different topics and communities
NFB.ca is the National Film Board of Canada's online screening room, featuring thousands of films, excerpts, trailers and interactive works. New content is added weekly and the collection includes documentaries, animations, experimental films and fiction.
Next: Find Books >>


This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hawearde research.
Another 138 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1497, 1580, 1570, 1641, 1497, 1580, 1570, 1641, 1630, 1702, 1693 and 1756 are included under the topic Early Hawearde History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Hawearde were recorded, including Hayward, Heyward, Haward, Haywood, Heywood and others.
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hawearde Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Hawearde arrived in North America very early: Hugh Haward settled in Virginia in 1624 with his wife Susan; Thomas Hayward settled in New England in 1634 with his wife Susannah and five children; Samuel Hayward settled in New England in 1687.


text:
import { Component, OnInit } from '@angular/core';
import { Service395Service } from '../../services/service-395.service';

@Component({
  selector: 'app-comp-395',
  templateUrl: './comp-395.component.html',
  styleUrls: ['./comp-395.component.css']
})
export class Comp395Component implements OnInit {

  constructor(private _service: Service395Service) { }

  ngOnInit() {
  }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: How to deal with lag spike from gamecenter My game uses Game Center for scoreboards.  At the start of the app I ask Game Center to login.
The problem is that after a variable amount of time Game Center pops up with its "welcome back...." thing and this creates a HUGE latency spike in my app that is already low on resources.
I have played with the completion handlers trying to find out some sort of callback when the banner is done... but nothing!
How am I supposed to handle this? I have a loading screen, could I perhaps not finish loading until the thing has popped up?
Here is my code I use right now
func authenticateLocalPlayer()
    {
        Holder.loggedIn = false
        print("Start Authenticate")
        let localPlayer = GKLocalPlayer.localPlayer()
        localPlayer.authenticateHandler = {(viewController, error) -> Void in
            if (viewController != nil)
            {
                self.presentViewController(viewController!, animated: false, completion: {self.authenticated()})
            }
        }
    }

A: I've seen the same thing, and even seen differences in login times on different devices sitting next to each other on the same network. My strategy, which I believe originally came from Apple's docs or WWDC videos but I don't have a reference handy, is to initiate authentication immediately on startup, like so at in my first view controller's viewDidAppear:

*

*Disable the start game button so users can't attempt a session when they can't even log in.

*Start authentication

*Do all other initiation stuff, animations, etc.

*In the authentication handler, if successful, enable the start game button

This way, I move the lag pain to the app startup, which can be somewhat masked by the normal app launch delays, startup animations and what not. When I actually launch a gaming session, I've ensured that login overhead (or failure) is out of the way.
Btw, not directly related to your question, but I noticed that in your authentication handler, you present the view controller if it's present, and assume the user is authenticated if the view controller is nil. Note that when an error occurs, the error value is set but the view controller is nil. So, a nil VC can mean the user is authenticated, but it can also mean that the authentication failed. Always check the value of error first.
    localPlayer.authenticateHandler = {(viewController, error) -> Void in
        if (error)
        {
              //check and process the error.

              //bail out because we are NOT authenticated
              return;
        }

        if (viewController != nil)
        {
            self.presentViewController(viewController!, animated: false, completion: {self.authenticated()})
        }
    }

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The principal aim of this textbook is to provide the student with a comprehensive introductory overview of ontology engineering. A secondary aim is to provide hands-on experience in ontology development that illustrate the theory, such as language features, automated reasoning, and top-down and bottom-up ontology development with methods and methodologies.
has become acquainted with several major applications and application scenarios, such as the Semantic Web Technologies for ontologies, and has had a taste of the research trends in the field.
Interwoven in the aims is skills development for a 4th year/honours project or masters dissertation. The students will become familiar with reading scientific literature and will gain experience in report writing and presenting their work to their peers, in particular when carrying out the two suggested assignments.


text:
China Photos
One Way Out
Praise for One Way Out
Big In China
告别信
Woodie Alan
The CD
Panda Dad
The more I thought about this trip to China in the weeks before undertaking it, the more convinced I became that I had to find a way to see Dong, my original Chinese teacher, whom many of you will remember dropped out, left Beijing and went to Huashan, a holy mountain near Xi'an, to become a Taoist monk.
I felt a great need to see him to achieve some sort of closure in our relationship – that word I hate again proving indispensible! But also I wanted to see him because I have been thinking more and more about writing a book about my China venture and the more I thought about the more convinced I became that Dong had to be prominent in the book. I needed to see him and see how he was doing for all of these reasons.
Last summer, while at Huashan, I thought Dong looked terrible and he told me that he was really struggling and as thinking about leaving the mountain. I wanted to find out what happened. I needed to find out what happened. I sent him a message and waited to hear back.
Not surprisingly, it takes a monk on a holy mountain a while to respond. Finally, I was sitting at the Dead concert at the Meadowlands – literally sitting there thinking about Dong and wondering how I was going to find him and if it made sense to leave time blocked out to see him if I had not – when an email popped onto my Iphone: "I am returning to Nanjing to start my life. Like to see you. Dong"
Ultimately, he had instead returned to his hometown of Wuxi, in between Nanjing and Shanghai, and I squeezed in a 24-hour visit there on my way from Beijing to Shenzhen in Southern China, where we were playing two shows. He said he would fetch me at the airport.
I walked out of baggage claim and there he was, looking much healthier and less gaunt than a year before His long hair was pulled back in a ponytail and he was dressed in a black polo-style shirt and long khaki shorts. He was with an attractive young woman, whom he introduced as his cousin Karen.
"She will be our driver today," he explained.
She told me she had taken a day off of work at an American company to ferry us about Wuxi in her Audi, which was surprise number one. She had recently married a "rich boy," Dong told me, explaining the car.
We got in and drove to the large Lake on which Wuxi sits. It felt easy and comfortable to talk to Dong. We went to a teahouse and sat sipping and chatting. Dong had appeared to me in Beijing as a lone wolf, with no connections to anything or anyone beyond his mother, whom he often referred to. I never heard him once mention his father, whom I presumed to be dead. So I was shocked when he told me that he had come back from the mountain a month ago for his father's 60th birthday.
I told him I had never heard him mention him and he told me that they had a falling out years earlier and that his baba had crossed some lines that could not be forgiven. He was vague, but said that he respected him, but could never be truly close to him. He said the behavior was "like the mafia, you know."
Seeing Dong through the eyes of his cousin, a decade younger and clearly full of love and admiration for him was fascinating. Dong was the oldest of four cousins, she explained, and they all very much looked up to him. Days earlier, they had learned that he had spent two years on the mountain – everyone thought he was in Beijing the entire time, and his parents still believe that. The cousins were shocked by the news but not entirely surprised.
"He always had his own ideas," she said.
I was learning more and more of my friend's back story. He had appeared to me as if fallen from the sky, with no past, but of course this was not true. He was an important figure for quite a few people.
When I met Dong he had just returned from five years in London. It was there, apparently, that he changed a lot. Before going abroad and after finishing college at Nanjing Normal University, he had taught Chinese at a Wuxi middle school. He was a very popular teacher. Despite never working his students too hard – "I thought they had enough stress," he said – they received the best marks on all exams. I was not surprised by this. He is a great teacher.
Also, Karen told me, Dong was a "real fashion guy. He cared very much about what he wear."
He would generally not wear any clothes purchased in Wuxi; he traveled to Shanghai to do all his shopping. Also, at the time, he had died blond hair, which caused a major sensation amongst his fellow teachers. His excuse? He was going prematurely gray so decided to die his hair but bought bad die, which turned his hair blond. It made no sense and Karen said everyone laughed and was amazed at his ability to sell such a far fetched tale.
So he was an excellent, beloved teacher who was a little cheeky – interesting but not surprising exactly.
Dong asked me if I minded if a couple of friends from University joined us for dinner. Of course I did not mind. The story behind them was, in fact, fascinating. There were two women from Wuxi – both now back in their hometown working as bank managers – and they had been very close with Dong at University but had completely lost touch with him. They had not seen him in 15 years and were talking about him one day and became a bit obsessed with finding their old friend.
Another former classmate was a policeman and he helped do some legwork and eventually somehow located Dong's cell phone number and they called him. "Were you happy that they had made so much effort to find you?" I wondered.
"No," he said, shaking his head, with a serious look. "I was angry. I did not want to be found. They told me they were coming to see me in Beijing so I had to tell them the truth about where I was."
His friends were shocked.
Later that night, over an elegant dinner of abalone and shark fin's soup – which I avoided eating for my entire stay in China – they all seemed to share an easy familiarity and friendship. One friend had her husband there, another a friend from work. The six of them all bantered endlessly in Wuxi-hua, a dialect that sounds exactly nothing like Mandarin, but quite a bit like Japanese.
Karen and Dong translated for me at times, but I enjoyed just listening to the banter and noting the easy friendship they all had, even after all those years of never seeing each other. I asked the ladies what they thought Dong would be during their time in college. With no hesitation, they answered in unison, "Laoshi." (teacher)
"He was so smart and funny and insightful," one said. "We all knew he would be a great laoshi."
None of them approved of him becoming a monk; they all considered it a great waste of an educated, maybe even brilliant man. This is a very common perception amongst Chinese – virtually everyone that I have told Dong's story to has had the same opinion. But Dong still did not see it that way.
Earlier, before dinner, while sitting at a Starbucks sipping coffee, Dong told me in great detail about his experiences at the mountain. Though he looked much, much better and happier now than he did when I saw him at HuaShan a year ago, he insisted that his time there was time well spent. He was a bit disillusioned because his romantic vision of a community of egalitarian, non-material, meditating communion had proven to be naïve. But he was as dedicated as ever to his calling.
He had returned home, he said, because his "master" at Beiyingguan, the Taoist temple in Beijing, suggested it might be a good thing to do. He was not giving up on monkhood, though he had no clear vision of what he would do now. "He told me I could maybe become an immortal," he said.
He explained a bit about what that means, and said that people could even fly, a proposition that caused Karen to giggle into her hands and look a bit shocked and embarrassed.
"Really," Dong said, growing a bit embarrassed himself and clearly weighing the wisdom of discussing such matters at all.
Later, after dinner, as we all filed out, the friends talked a bit before saying good bye. Dong turned to me. "They want to go to KTV and sing karaoke," he said. "You don't want to go do that, do you?"
Actually, I was very interested. I had amazingly spent three and a half years in this karaoke-crazed nation and never entered one. Dong seemed a bit shocked, and not too interested in going, but he honored my request. We got into the karaoke room and a round of refreshments was ordered up – fruit platters, popcorn and a dozen warm Budweisers, with a bucket of ice. Dong's reticence soon vanished and he took the mic, singing duets with his friends in a beautiful, clearly enunciated tenor voice.
He took over the computer controls, dimming the main lights, adding flashing lights, lasers and strobes and seeking English language songs for me to sing – everyone was concerned about me being bored but needn't have worried. "Copacabana" was the best I could find and I was a little disappointed that no one understood how funny it was. But I was just astounded at Dong. He was having a ball and I was happy to see it.
He took a seat at the front of the room on a raised platform and sang another song. "I think he's still the same guy," Karen whispered to me. "He's still a fashion guy inside."
I was yawning by now. It had been a long day; I woke up at 530 in Beijing to catch my plane to Wuxi and I was starting to lose it. Dong told me he would take me back to the hotel at 10 pm — in 20 minutes. But when the time came he was fully engrossed. He and Karen huddled and then asked if I minded if she drove me back to the hotel alone. He wanted to keep singing. Far from caring, I was happy for him.
He walked me out to the lobby to say good bye, thanked me for coming and gave me a hug. I told him to stay in touch.
I woke up early the next morning and flew off to Shenzhen to meet up with the rest of the band. I was still amazed at having left Dong in a karaoke bar. Then I got a text message from him. I expected it to thank me for coming down. Instead, it read, "I am always a monk, although I am not stay temple or mountain."
I wrote him back: "I know that. It is inside you. You can live in both worlds. Don't feel guilty for enjoying it. Your cousin and friends are very nice and they really care about you. It was great seeing you."
I have not heard back.
May 29, 2009 /3 Comments/by AlanPaul
http://alanpaul.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/alan-imus-300x158.jpg 0 0 AlanPaul http://alanpaul.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/alan-imus-300x158.jpg AlanPaul2009-05-29 04:34:002009-05-29 04:34:00Dong
Nice post Alan.
Sara Blumenstein says:
alan –
this was a nice story.
xoxo sara
what an interesting story !!
Buy The Book – One Way Out
Texas Flood
widgettest
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Blues Greats
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Dixie Doc
Duane Allman's 57 Les Paul goldtop
Family Life and Refelections
Friends of the Brothers
Furthur
Kirk West
One Way Out praise
One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band
Oteil Burbridge
Rebecca Blumenstein – my wife
Slam Old School
Steelers nation
The Expat Life column
Tiger Mom
Woodie Alan band
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Testing 1 2 3 Twitter and Shenzhen gigs

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
William Hogarth Biography, Life, Interesting Facts
Died On :
Painter, Writer
Smithfield, London, United Kingdom
Childhood and Early Life
English artist William Hogarth was born near Smithfield Market in London, England on the 10 November 1697 to Anne Gibbons and Richard Hogarth. Hogarth Sr. was a classically trained Latin teacher. After opening an unsuccessful coffee-house, Hogarth Sr. ran into financial difficulties, and his debts meant that the family had to live within Fleet Prison, a debtor's prison (1708-1712). Hogarth Sr. died in 1718.
In 1714, William Hogarth was apprenticed to a silver engraver, Ellis Gamble and by 1720, began working independently as a print engraver from his home.
Rise to Fame
William Hogarth met Sir James Thornhill and started attending his art academy. It was around this time that he did illustrations based on Samual Butler's satirical poem, Hudibras. He went on to produce a series of engravings on scenes from theatre shows and began gaining a reputation in artistic circles in the city (1721-1726).
William Hogarth's first significant success came with A Harlot's Progress (1731) a series of six scenes about a country girl who arrives in the city of London. He followed this up with A Rake's Progress (1732-1763), a series of eight scenes telling the story of the son of a wealthy merchant. Due to a delay over copyright, the prints for A Rake's Progress were published on the 25 June 1735, the day the Engravers Copyright Act was put into law.
Hogarth charged two guineas per set, later cheaper sets, copies by Thomas Bakewell, were sold at just over two shillings. He founded the St Martin's Lane Academy (1735). In 1937, he painted two large murals for Saint Bartholomew's Hospital. He painted The Strode Family (1738), an informal group portrait showing a city businessman, William Strode, his wife, relation and tutor drinking tea in a domestic setting. This style of painting helped establish his reputation as a portrait painter in the 1730s.
In 1945 William Hogarth produced Marriage à la Mode, a series of scenes critical of certain aspects of the society. Hogarth travelled to France in 1743 and 1748. On the latter visit, he was accused of spying. The accusation resulted in: O the Roast Beef of Old England - The Gate of Calais (1749). Other work in this period included Heads of Six of Hogarth's Servants (1750-1755), a group portrait which shows his skill at portraiture and characterisation.
William Hogarth was influenced by Italian and French painting and engraving. His work was known for its satirical style. During his lifetime, prints of his work were mass-produced and sold well, making him an influential artist of the time. He was appointed Serjeant Painter to the Court in 1757. In 1761, at the Society of Artists exhibition, he contributed seven paintings. Hogarth's anti-war satire The Times caused controversy in some quarters.
The MP John Wilkes was particularly vocal and used his newspaper The North Briton to criticise Hogarth's work. Hogarth responded by engraving the MP in a horn-like wig. Hogarth's engravings include Gin Lane and Beer Street (1751). The copperplates for both prints are held at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. His paintings include the self-portrait, A Painter and his Pug (1745),
William Hogarth married the daughter of the painter Sir James Thornhill, Jane Thornhill (1729) and they initially lived in Thornhill's home in Covent Garden. In 1731, the couple moved to Golden Head, Leicester Fields and this was to be Hogarth's home until his death. The couple had no children. Hogarth fell ill in the early 1760s and died on the 26 October 1764. The country home he purchased in Chiswick, England in 1749 is now a museum, Hogarth's House.
November 10 Horoscope
More Cartoonists
More People From London
Charles Scott Sherrington
Elizabeth I of England
Paul Simonon
More People From United Kingdom
Jeremy Brett
Frank Hornby
Tommy Makem
More Scorpio People
Bluma Zeigarnik
Gene Mauch
John Philip Sousa
Reggie Kray


For Melodie Witherspoon, volunteering with the Red Cross has become a family affair. Melodie serves as training coordinator at the Kennewick office; her husband, Wiley, is an operations manager; their son, Gene, serves as lead for disaster IT in the area; and their daughter, Tracie, helped set up a shelter and supported emergency workers during a grass fire. The whole family, including Tracie's husband and stepsons, volunteer at the Turkey Trot fun run, an annual Red Cross fundraiser.
Melodie started out in training and has since played many roles at the Kennewick office: scheduling disaster classes, finding instructors, setting up new accounts and online training for new volunteers, and organizing Tech Tuesdays as part of the Disaster IT group. During these monthly events, volunteers and staff can bring in their laptops, tablets or phones and learn how to use Red Cross software. Melodie also volunteers as part of a small group that tests online classes—about six per month—before they go live.
Melodie recently became an advanced instructor and is now teaching other instructors. "It's exciting," she said, "because now I have more instructors that I can assign to disaster classes, which increases the capacity of the area." Class topics include government operations, shelter setup, and mass care feeding, which allows volunteers to practice what they've learned by setting up a mobile kitchen in the parking lot and serving meals for a nearby homeless shelter.
One of her most memorable Red Cross experiences occurred in March 2014, following a natural gas explosion in the small southern Washington town of Plymouth, located on the Columbia River. Hundreds of residents had been evacuated across the border into Oregon and needed emergency shelter. The Portland chapter called and asked the Kennewick office to respond. "They were four hours away, and we were thirty minutes away," Melodie recalls. She helped set up a shelter across state lines and assisted evacuees until Portland volunteers could arrive.
Melodie recalls another incident, when she and her husband responded to back-to-back emergencies. During the Fourth of July weekend in 2013, they drove an Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) to an apartment fire in Kennewick and set up feeding stations. Meanwhile, her husband was on call for the DAT team. On the drive home, they noticed a huge grass fire.
"We didn't even go home. We went straight to the command center and found out what they needed," Melodie said. While more volunteers were called from the scene of the apartment fire, Melodie and Wiley provided water and snacks for fire companies that had come from Walla Walla and Spokane to fight the grass fire.
Melodie deployed twice last summer – once as a shelter supervisor and once as disaster IT for the fires in Washington. And she'll deploy again if the help is needed.


After I die, how long until my Estate is distributed?
After someone dies, it can be a number of months before the assets are distributed to the beneficiaries.
If a Grant of Probate is necessary, the Supreme Court needs to be informed of the current assets and liabilities of the deceased before probate can occur.
Therefore the first step is to ascertain from each individual organisation where money or assets are held and request current asset balances. It may take a number of weeks to receive this information.
Additionally, the Probate application cannot be prepared until the original Death Certificate has arrived and the intention to obtain Probate must also be advertised on the Supreme Court website 14 days prior to submitting the application.
The Supreme Court may then take a further 2-3 weeks to process the Probate application.
If there is a property which needs to be sold, this may take months to finalise.
If there are shares to be sold, timing may be crucial, depending on the current state of the market.
Personal or Estate tax returns may be required, which cannot be completed until the end of the financial year.
There may be unknown assets which continue to emerge.
In these instances, the Executor may elect to make an interim distribution of funds already received (such as bank accounts), and a final distribution once all assets are finalised.
Under the Administration and Probate Act there is a period of 6 months once Probate (or Letters of Administration, if there was no Will) is granted in which claims can be made on an Estate. If there is minimal risk of claims then interim distributions can be made, however if there is risk, it is advisable to wait 6 months before distributing any money.
If the Estate is relatively small and a Grant of Probate is not required, finalising the Estate can be a lot quicker, as the organisations may only request to see the Will and Death Certificate.
Overall, the process of administering an Estate is often longer than beneficiaries may realise. Some assets can be complicated and time consuming to finalise, therefore it may take months before an Estate can be fully administered, and significantly longer for complex estates. OFRM can answer any questions you might have about Probate and guide you through the process.
What is probate and who grants it?
With the assistance of a lawyer, the Executor or Executors provide information to the Supreme Court in prescribed forms to prove the above information. If the Registrar of Probates is satisfied about those elements, Probate is granted. The practical step of Probate being granted is that there is an official document that is sealed by the Court as evidence of probate — it is then the proof used to conduct all of the necessary transactions for the estate.
Not all Estates require a Grant of Probate. If none of the asset holders request a Grant of Probate from the Executors then there may be no need to apply for Probate.
In many people's minds the word that often follows "Probate" is "Duty". Probate Duty was abolished in 1984 and is no longer payable. While there is a Court filing fee this is not a duty based on the value of the estate as was the case between 1870 and 1984 in Victoria.
The Estates team at OFRM are always willing to assist with any estate matters and you can call them on 03 5445 1000. Make sure you look at the other information regarding estates on our website as well.


In the realm of Vietnam's musical instruments, the gongs are very well-known for their outstanding value and regarded as the privileged language bridging humanity and the supernatural world. The gongs are made fr0m a mixture of bronze and silver, with some distinctive features. The peoples living in the Central Highlands of Viet Nam possess many sets of gongs, which would be performed differently. A set of gongs consists of two to twenty units.
The Central Highlands gong comes fr0m long-standing historical and cultural traditions. In the past, community of people in the Central Highlands knew how to play the gong. Its sound is either deep or strong, moving and combining with the sounds of streams, wind and the hearts of people so that it can live with the heaven, the earth and people in the Central Highlands.
It is a bright sunny day and a group of seven men are outside playing brown tambourines. Only five of the seven men are clearly visible. Their bodies describe a semi-circle facing the left of the picture. They all wear calm expressions. Each man holds the tambourine in his right hand, hitting it with a short thick piece of wood held in the left. The tambourines all have white ch@racters written on them. All the men are wearing the same costume: a dark-blue long-sleeved shirt with multicoloured cuffs and a red square piece of material with golden buttons down the front. Some of the men wear caps; the first man fr0m left to right wears a yellow cap, the second fr0m right wears a blue cap. In the background we can see a forest with blue sky just visible through the dense foiliage of the trees. Smoke is spiralling upwards fr0m the dirt floor. On the far left of the frame we can see the entrance to a hut.


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Southeast Raleigh Promise is committed to providing a model for the region to improve the alignment of systems and policies that promote equity and increased social mobility. We are led by a dedicated team invested in the success of this initiative.
Please contact us with questions you may have.
Yvette Holmes
Yvette serves as the CEO for Southeast Raleigh Promise. In her role, Yvette is responsible for leading a highly-effective and dedicate team of professionals and overseeing the fiscal and operational management of the organization. As CEO of a quarterback organization, Yvette's work involves shaping and leading strategies, attracting and leveraging investment, building relationships with residents and the community, and cultivating cross-sector partnerships to improve the quality of life and create opportunities for Southeast Raleigh residents, small businesses and non-profits. As a thoughtful leader, Yvette comes to SERP with over 30 years of experience as a nonprofit administrator, fund raiser, and public and civic engagement specialist.
As a resident of Southeast Raleigh for over 20 years, Yvette has been instrumental in providing leadership and technical support in the start-up and growth of small non-profits and community-based coalitions focused on improving neighborhoods and addressing the needs of residents. Yvette cares deeply about issues and inequities impacting residents of Southeast Raleigh and views SERP as the conduit through which impactful solutions can be identified and implemented.
Yvette attended Morgan State University, where she majored in Computer Science. She later completed her undergraduate studies at William Peace University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. She returned to her HBCU roots and is now enrolled in the Executive Master of Public Administration Graduate Program at North Carolina Central University. Yvette is married and has three sons and three granddaughters. She enjoys spending time with family, creative writing, and trips to the beach. She believes in hopeful possibilities and in the promise that we hold as individuals and as a community.
Jennifer Castillo
Director of Youth & Family Engagement
Jennifer serves as the Director of Student and Family Engagement for Southeast Raleigh Promise. Jennifer has over 15 years experience working in public universities and youth-serving nonprofit organizations in Wisconsin as well as Raleigh, North Carolina. As a former Americorps Access member, she enjoys learning with and serving her community and is especially passionate about youth wellbeing and leadership, diversity and equity, and utilizing education as a transformative tool for social change. Jennifer has her Bachelor's in Social Work and Master's in Administrative Leadership from the University of Wisconsin and Master's in Social Work from NC State. Jennifer currently serves on the boards of Corral Riding Academy, Seasons Village and Write, Speak, Inspire LLC. Jennifer enjoys serving in the community with her daughter, reading, walking her dog on the greenways of Raleigh, dirty chais, and backyard bonfires with friends and family.
Renada Jackson
Renada Jackson serves as Office Manager with Southeast Raleigh Promise. She is a native of North Carolina and is pursuing a Bachelor's in Business Administration with a focus on Project Management at Liberty University. Renada has 5 years of administrative experience, but has
also been an advocate for change. Over the years, Renada has expressed her passion for giving back to her community by bringing awareness to issues such as domestic violence and being involved with various community-based organizations. In her free time, Renada loves being
with her children. She loves attending her children's' sporting events, serving in leadership at her church, and the beach. She also has a green thumb when it comes to indoor plants.
Samara Tena
FoodCorps Service Member
Samara Tena serves as the FoodCorps AmeriCorps Service Member with Southeast Raleigh Promise. In addition to managing Southeast Raleigh Elementary School's two on-site gardens, she is responsible for working alongside students, teachers, and community members to connect kids to healthy food. Samara grew up in Raleigh, NC as well as Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico, where her father is from. She has her B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics from Appalachian State University and is currently working on a M.S. in Environmental Nutrition. Through her studies and work, Samara has become passionate about food's power to heal, connect, and sustain communities. Samara enjoys traveling with friends and family, backpacking, and tackling new recipes or DIY projects in her spare time.
This initiative takes strong leadership, unprecedented partnerships and strong support from community leaders and organizations. Our Board of Directors are vital to reaching our goals..
Asa Fleming, Chair
Jon Mills, Secretary
YMCA of the Triangle
Thomas Bradshaw, Jr.
Wake County Public School System
Courtney Crowder, Immediate Past Chair
Crowder Consulting
Crawford Crenshaw, Vice Treasurer
HomeReach
Wanda Thomas
Maria Spaulding
Human Services Consultant
Mia Bailey


... specializes in creating high performance racing and cruising sailing yachts. Alan's basic design philosophy incorporates high performance sailing characteristics with solid, state-of-the-art engineering. The net result is a well-found yacht with a competitive lifetime outlasting current racing rules.
Interactive ezine about the world of sailboat racing. Includes articles, interviews, editorials, rumors, and message board.
Okanagan Directory - Regional Listings BC Canada. Information and articles about the okanagan valley in british columbia Canada.


While Park Managers are working hard to get ready for summer in Vermont, many birds are working hard to make homes for their babies. Migratory birds have been returning to Vermont over the last couple months and they are singing beautiful songs throughout the forests and fields. One group of migratory birds you can see and hear in many Vermont State Parks are the Thrushes.
Do you live near Springfield, Vermont or have ideas about the construction of our newest state park?
In July of 2016, the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation acquired the estate of the late State Senator, Edgar May, who had donated former home property. Mr. May, a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist and local politician, made Muckross his home for over 50 years, and it was his desire to see his home become a state park open for all for recreation and learning. In keeping with Mr. May's wishes, planning is underway to incorporate nature education and dispersed recreation on the property. The goal is to create opportunities for all, including local residents, children from all economic backgrounds, and elders. Muckross will be the first new Vermont State Park developed in many years.
Looking for waterfalls? The hills and mountain streams of Vermont are a great place to find them!
Here is a list of our favorite waterfalls near Vermont State Parks that also make a good day trip. There are also innumerable small falls that are lesser known favorite local spots- you don't have to explore for too long before you find one by accident.
One of the most impressive waterfalls in southern VT, over 125 feet high. This is a popular spot for sunbathing and wading, but the rocks can be slippery and dangerous- please stay on the path and watch your step!
From Jamaica State Park, follow the West River Trail for 2 miles, to the junction of the Hamilton Falls Trail, which continues for another 1.1 miles to the falls. Follow the blue blazes.


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Living and Working in Space
Astronaut Bruce McCandless II conducts an untethered extra-vehicular activity (EVA) using the manned maneuvering unit (MMU).
What is it like to live and work in space? Why do the astronauts float? How realistic are block-buster movies like "Gravity"? How do astronauts get to the International Space Station? Our public planetarium shows on February 19, 2014, explore these questions. But there's so much more to explore on this topic than we can fit into a one hour program. Explore the links below to learn more about this exciting topic.
Tour the International Space Station with Sunita Williams
[VIDEO LINK] In this 30 minute video, the Commander of Expedition 33, Sunita (Suni) Williams provides a fun, fairly complete tour of the space station. It includes a great view of the exterior of the station and the Earth looking out of the Cupola. She also provides a straightforward explanation of how the toilet works. (2012)
Tour the International Space Station with André Kuipers
[VIDEO LINK] This 55 minute video tour of the space station is led by European Space Agency's (ESA) astronaut André Kuipers. This is the most complete tour of the station that I've seen. It includes excellent emergency and safety information, and is the only tour I've seen that includes the ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle). This tour also includes an exterior view of the space station when he moves into a new module.
Eating on the Space Station
[VIDEO LINK] In this video (8:25 min.), astronauts Bob Thirsk and Frank De Winne talk about food and eating on the space station. (2013)
A Day in the Life Aboard the International Space Station
[LINK TO ARTICLE AND VIDEOS] This short article serves as an introduction to a video series which includes: Morning Routine in Space; Exercising in Space; Eating in Space; Working in Space; Free Time in Space; and Sleeping in Space. Each topic includes a paragraph or two and a link to a short video in which the astronauts are teaching about that subject.
Challenges of Spacewalking
[VIDEO SERIES LINK] This is a series of videos in which astronauts describe the experience, some of the problems they've encountered, and how they eventually solved those problems.
Extended Trailer for the Movie "Gravity"
[VIDEO LINK] (Parental Discretion Advised: movie and trailer are intense) (5 minutes) This is a longer version of the movie trailer for the science-fiction thriller and space drama film that hit the theaters in 2013.
Poking Holes in the Movie Gravity
[ARTICLE LINK] (Parental Discretion Advised: movie and trailer are intense; the trailer is embedded in this article) In this article, the author interviews a NASA astronaut trainer. They are exploring some of the parts of the movie that aren't very realistic. The article was written before the movie came out, so it's based on the trailer, but the information applies very nicely to the full movie as well.


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Q: ReferenceError: Metadata for "GoogleMaps.GMSGeometryDistance" found but symbol not available at runtime I'm using the nativescript-google-maps-utils plugin in a NativeScript JavaScript project to access GoogleMapsUtils functions (GMSGeometryDistance, GMSGeometryInterpolate, and GMSGeometryHeading) so that I can traverse a polyline.  The Android equivalents work fine on Android devices, and the iOS functions listed work on an iOS simulator, but on an iOS device I get the exception,
ReferenceError: Metadata for "GoogleMaps.GMSGeometryDistance" found but symbol not available at runtime.
I've been chasing this for the better part of a day and still don't have any leads; I'd welcome any insight.
[edit]
It's worth mentioning I've done the usual removal of the platforms, hooks, and node-modules folders and rebuilt, with no change in the error.
Here's the first line of code that triggers the error:
let lineDistance = GMSGeometryDistance(latlngs[i], latlngs[i + 1]);
[edit 2]
Still chasing this...  I gather from this issue that I need to create a file with a list of exported symbols, and this issue kind of suggests how that could be done, but I'm not understanding how that applies to this situation.
That is, the question at hand now is how can I determine the symbols from the iOS GoogleMapsUtils static library?  This is becoming more of an iOS and Xcode question that NativeScript or JavaScript.
[edit 3]
Sigh...  I did get this working using the answer I provided below, but now that same approach is no longer working. No idea why :-(
[edit 4]
I re-reviewed the links I referenced above and included the STRIPFLAGS option and now the code works properly.  I revised the answer to include this, and to edit build.xcconfig rather than the project file.

A: After another day's investigation I was able to get this working.  Here's what it took.

*

*Navigate to /platforms/iOS/Pods/GoogleMaps/Maps/Frameworks/GoogleMaps.framework/

*Run nm --defined-only GoogleMaps | grep " T " | cut -f 3 -d' ' | egrep -v '^$|GoogleMaps'

*Notice the names of the symbols.  In my case each one I needed was the function name prefixed with an underscore

*Create the file exportedSymbols.txt in /app/App_Resources/iOS

*Add the symbols to the file.  In my case the contents is:
_GMSGeometryDistance
_GMSGeometryHeading
_GMSGeometryInterpolate

*Edit the file app/App_Resources/iOS/build.xcconfig and add these two lines
STRIPFLAGS=$(inherited) -s  {PROJECT_DIR}/../../app/App_Resources/iOS/exportedSymbols.txt
EXPORTED_SYMBOLS_FILE = ${PROJECT_DIR}/../../app/App_Resources/iOS/exportedSymbols.txt
So far this is working in my tests on both iOS simulators and devices.


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Provider > What's New > News > Important Updates > Latest News > 2015 News > Special Report on Rising Generic Drug Prices
Independent Health issues special report on rising generic drug prices
Generic drugs, traditionally a vital cost-saver for consumers and employers, account for about 80 percent of all prescriptions nationally and 85 percent at Independent Health. They play a pivotal role in controlling costs, saving the U.S. health care system nearly $1.5 trillion between 2004 and 2013.
In recent years, however, generic drug prices have soared for various reasons.
Recent news stories have reported on this disconcerting trend, especially following Turing Pharmaceuticals' original plan to increase the cost for a long-standard medicine to treat parasitic infections from $13.50 to $750 a pill. The capricious price increase of drugs – from generics to specialty medications – present a significant challenge to addressing the unsustainable trend of rising health care costs.
Independent Health has published a special report, "The Alarming Side Effects of Unchecked Generic Drug Pricing," which covers the impact of rising generic medications, the reasons behind the price hikes, and proposes remedies to help prevent random spikes in traditionally affordable generic medications as well as outrageously priced new drugs.
In the report, Edward Stehlik, M.D., MACP, of Northtowns Medical Group, P.C., says the rash of unconscionable generic drug price increases prices should spark outrage among consumers and physicians in the U.S., where generic medications cost much more than in other countries.
"We are now frequently seeing new drugs that cost thousands, and sometimes tens of thousands, of dollars a month and generic drugs that have increased in price one thousand-fold faster than inflation without any increase in the cost of making the medication," says Stehlik. "However, most of these costs remain obscure or hidden to the people who actually use them except when they pay their insurance premium, which turns out to be much higher than it should be due to the drug companies' huge markups on these medications."
A copy of the special report, is available on Independent Health's website: Independent Health Pharmacy Report: The Alarming Side Effects of Unchecked Generic Drug.


text:
Secret Santa fic: New Traditions
Title: New Traditions
Pairing/characters: Ryan/Connor/Becker, Abby
Warnings: Smut, double pen, occasional language, more fluff than you can shake a stick at!
Summary: It's their first Christmas with Becker... except that Becker isn't there.
AN: Written for auntypam as part of the primeval_denial secret santa. Thanks to fififolle for the beta. Auntypam - you requested double pen, but didn't actually give any threesomes, so I combined two of your suggested pairings – hope this is okay!
"Connor, what the hell is all this?"
Ryan stared in something approaching dismay at the overflowing bags of shopping that Connor had dumped on the dining room table.
"Just a few extra bits and pieces," Connor replied. "Just in case."
"In case of what? The apocalypse?"
Ryan was sure he could see a big tin of chocolates, and at least two more boxes of mince pies in amongst the other 'bits and pieces'. As if they didn't already have enough chocolates and mince pies and assorted Christmas snacks and drinks.
Connor must have finally noticed his less than enthusiastic reaction, and pouted.
"Well, it's Christmas, isn't it? I like a few sweet things at Christmas. And between you and Becker, you can eat enough for a family of six even on a normal day! Honestly, I don't know why you're not both as fat as pigs the amount you put away."
"That'll be the daily runs and exercise that you refuse to join us for," Ryan said. He was already regretting his earlier reaction and moved to stand behind Connor and slipped his arms around his lover and hugged him gently.
"I do enough running at work, thank you very much," Connor said, sounding quite put out at even the suggestion of exercise. Nevertheless, he snuggled closer against Ryan, and turned his head to nuzzle at Ryan's jaw.
"Come on then," Ryan said, reluctantly letting go. "Let's get this lot unpacked and put away. I want to have a clean deck before we start preparing Christmas dinner tomorrow."
"Isn't Becker back yet?" Connor asked, as they started sorting out the bags of shopping.
Ryan glanced at the clock, and was slightly surprised to realise how late it was. It was Christmas Eve, and while he and Connor had managed to get the day off, Becker hadn't been so lucky. Even so, it was nearly seven o'clock, and he was supposed to have finished his shift at six.
As if on cue, Ryan's mobile rang.
"Becker, hi."
"Hi, Ryan. Look I'm really sorry, I have no idea when I'm going to be home. There's an anomaly."
Shit. Just for once, it would be nice if the anomalies gave them a break.
"It's okay. There was always a chance this was going to happen."
"Yeah. The ADD went off literally ten minutes before I was due to finish. I'm at the anomaly site now. It looks quiet enough, but I've no idea how long it's going to stay open. I could be here a while."
Becker sounded both cold and miserable. He hid it far better than Connor, but Ryan could tell he had been getting almost as excitable about their first Christmas together as Connor was.
"Okay, see you later."
Ryan hung up, and immediately Connor was bouncing in front of him.
"Where is he? What's happened? Is he okay?"
"Anomaly," Ryan said by way of explanation.
Connor's face fell. "But it's Christmas."
"Yeah, apparently the anomalies don't respect the festive season," Ryan sighed.
Ryan tended towards pragmatism, but even so, he understood Connor's frustration, and how Becker must be feeling right now. Ryan and Connor had ended up dealing with an anomaly on Christmas Eve the year before last, although at least that one had appeared at lunchtime and disappeared again by teatime, and they'd both still made it home in time to enjoy the evening together. It was just a shame it had happened to Becker now, on his first Christmas with Ryan and Connor.
Ryan had to admit their relationship was a slightly strange arrangement, and not one he had ever considered when it was just him and Connor for the last two and a half years. But then Becker had joined the ARC team, and the three of them had become friends. And if he occasionally caught Becker or Connor looking at each other with a less than platonic expression, well, that was fine as long as looking was all they were doing. Hell, Ryan had caught himself looking more than once in the shower or locker room.
It might have stayed as nothing more than looking, but then there was the incident with the plants from the future that made everyone's hormones go crazy ('sex pollen', as Connor had rather accurately, if unscientifically, decided to call it), and he, Connor and Becker had found themselves locked in a room together, and the inevitable had happened. Several extremely awkward conversations later, they had persuaded Becker to come home with them, and the rest, as they say, was history.
"Earth to Ryan?" Connor waved a hand in front of his face, and Ryan returned his attention to the current situation.
"Just thinking."
Connor grinned. "I could tell. There was steam coming out of your ears and everything."
Ryan swiped his hand over Connor's hair, making him duck and spend several seconds trying to make it straight again. Ryan had been rather amused to discover it was actually a far more effective move to make on Becker, who hated his hair being even slightly ruffled.
"Come on, this shopping won't unpack itself."
They finished putting away the rest of the food and Christmas supplies, and then Ryan insisted on checking on the turkey to make sure it was fully defrosted, before they eventually collapsed onto the sofa together.
They channel hopped for a while, and after they failed to find anything interesting to watch, Ryan wasn't the least bit surprised when Connor nestled against his shoulder.
"Comfy?" Ryan inquired with an indulgent smile.
"Yep." Connor snuggled closer, and tucked his feet up onto the sofa and put his arm around Ryan's waist.
Ryan wrapped his arms around Connor as well, and kissed the top of his head, and they sat there cuddling for a while, watching TV and trying to pretend that they weren't just waiting for the phone to ring or the door to open.
After a while, Ryan became aware of Connor's hand sneaking down his chest and coming to rest over Ryan's crotch. Ryan could feel himself becoming hard just from Connor's soft touch, and he pressed up into Connor's hand to increase the pressure. Connor immediately started to fumble with the button and zip on Ryan's jeans, eventually getting them undone and slipping his hand inside so he could stroke Ryan's cock. Ryan gave a soft moan, and let his head fall back against the sofa while Connor played, alternately stroking and squeezing until Ryan was barely aware that he was mumbling a stream of, "God, yes, Connor, please."
Connor suddenly removed all contact, and Ryan opened his eyes in time to see Connor slide off the sofa to kneel between Ryan's legs. He looked up at Ryan with an extremely cheeky grin, before he ducked his head down and took Ryan's cock into his mouth. Ryan bucked up hard, biting back a yell as he spurted into Connor's mouth, his orgasm being dragged out even longer by the sensation of Connor's throat working hard to swallow everything.
Ryan slumped back onto the sofa, not caring that there was probably a stupidly mindless and sated look on his face right then. Connor clambered up onto his lap and kissed him, and Ryan tasted himself in Connor's mouth.
Eventually he opened his eyes to see Connor with an extremely smug grin on his face. He wriggled on Ryan's lap, drawing attention to the fact that he was now, unsurprisingly, hard as well.
"I suppose you want me to do something about that?" Ryan said.
"Yep," Connor grinned. He wriggled again, just in case Ryan hadn't already got the message.
Ryan rolled his eyes, and cupped his hands around Connor's arse, kneading and squeezing gently. Connor whimpered, and wriggled again, this time a little more urgently.
"Honestly, you're an impatient little bugger sometimes."
"It's all right for you to say that, you've already come," Connor pouted.
"Haven't you heard the best things come to those who wait?" Ryan teased.
"I'd prefer less of the waiting and more of the coming!"
Ryan laughed, and decided this probably wasn't the time to draw things out. He quickly unzipped Connor's trousers, untucked his shirt, and reached inside to find Connor's cock. Connor whined and thrust up eagerly into his touch, and before Ryan could do much more than wrap his hand around Connor's cock, his young lover was coming messily all over Ryan's hand, and probably over the inside of his shirt as well.
Connor collapsed into an undignified heap on top of Ryan while he caught his breath.
"Happy now?" Ryan inquired.
"Oh yes," Connor said, lifting his head enough to give Ryan a huge grin. Then he glanced down again. "Although I could probably do with some tissues right now."
Ryan chuckled and passed him the nearest box (still conveniently located next to the sofa since the last time they indulged in similar activities) and they both cleaned up a little.
Ryan's mobile rang as he was tossing the wad of tissues away, and this time Connor was the one who got to it first, diving for the coffee table and snagging the phone before Ryan could stop him.
"Becker!" Connor grinned.
Ryan resisted the urge to wrestle the phone from his lover's hand, and watched Connor's expression go from excited to crestfallen in the blink of an eye.
"Oh," Connor eventually said, managing to put a remarkable amount of disappointment into a single syllable.
He sat down on the sofa, absently nodding, as if Becker could see him and wasn't on the end of the phone somewhere.
"Okay, yeah. No, it's fine. Well, it's not fine, I'd rather you were here, but you know what I mean." He paused and then said, "Yeah, okay."
Connor held the phone out to Ryan, looking thoroughly pouty. "He wants to talk to you."
"You okay?" Ryan asked as soon as he got the phone.
"Yeah, fine. Freezing cold and bored silly, but that's nothing new." Becker sounded about as fed up as Connor looked.
"Anomaly still going strong, then?"
"Yes. Look, Ryan, I was just calling to say this one looks like it's going to be a long one. Just... don't wait up for me, okay? There's no point it spoiling Christmas for all three of us. You make sure Connor enjoys himself."
Not much chance of that, Ryan thought. Connor's disappointment was almost palpable.
"Yeah, okay," he said out loud. "You take care of yourself. And if anything does decide to pay a visit to this century, no heroics. I don't want to spend half of Christmas in casualty."
Ryan was only half joking. He knew all too well the young captain's tendency to throw himself straight into the line of danger. Becker was almost worse than Connor for being stupidly brave and heroic.
"Of course. If anything does come through, I'm sure I can see it off with my dazzling wit and a cutting retort."
Ryan rolled his eyes.
"Just don't do anything stupid, eh?"
There was what sounded like a somewhat long-suffering sigh from the end of the line, and Ryan could imagine Becker also rolling his eyes.
"I'll see you later, Ryan."
"Yeah, you too."
Ryan put the phone down and reached for Connor again, and pulled him into a hug.
"Stupid anomaly," Connor muttered.
Ryan pondered Becker's request, and wondered if it was maybe time for one of the Christmas traditions that he and Connor had developed over the last few years.
"Tell you what, do you want to open your pre-Christmas present?"
Connor pulled out of the hug and grinned at Ryan. Then his eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"We don't normally do that until later. Are you trying to distract me?"
"Why, is it working?" Ryan countered, leaning in to give Connor a playful kiss on the end of his nose.
"Maybe," Connor allowed. He glanced over at the Christmas tree and the mound of presents underneath it. Ryan knew that rather more than a third of them were Connor's. He and Becker were both unable to resist Connor's puppy eyes, and they both liked to spoil him far too much.
Ryan stood up and tugged Connor to his feet.
"Come on then."
But Connor didn't follow him to the tree, and when Ryan looked round, Connor had that look on his face that Ryan knew meant he was deep in thought.
"It doesn't feel right starting Christmas without Becker," Connor decided. He looked oddly determined, despite his wistful glances at the pile of presents.
Ryan had to admit he was right. Much as he enjoyed spending time with just Connor, and having him all to himself as they used to be, this was different. This was Christmas. And he wanted Becker to be part of it with them. But Becker had said not to wait for him...
A smile suddenly began to form on Connor's face.
"I've got an idea."
Snow. Wonderful.
Becker glared up at the soft white flakes that were now tumbling down out of the sky, and he shivered and hunched even further into his jacket.
As if today couldn't get any worse, now the universe had decided to snow on him as well.
If he was prone to that sort of thing, he might have imagined that the anomaly was mocking him as it hung there, glittering and rotating sedately. But Becker wasn't the type to ascribe human emotions to inanimate objects. Most of the time, at least. Although, if he was the type to anthropomorphise things, he would probably have come to the conclusion that this anomaly did not like him one bit.
It wouldn't have been so bad if there was actually a creature incursion, he decided. At least then there might be the prospect of some running around and adrenaline, which would no doubt be at least a little bit warmer than just standing here doing nothing. But instead, the anomaly had simply hung there, looking mysterious, and doing absolutely nothing other than remaining stubbornly strong and persistent, while Becker, Abby (the one member of the main science team unfortunate enough to still be on duty when the ADD had gone off) and his men had become more and more bored and cold. He had eventually decided to send all but a couple back to the cars where they could stay warm, and was rotating people on and off watching the anomaly. In the unlikely event of a creature suddenly deciding to rampage through, the others were only a few minutes away, and in the circumstances he had decided it was worth the risk.
The other problem was that all this waiting had given Becker far too much time to think. Which wouldn't necessarily be a problem, except that it was Christmas, and he was annoyed because he had been looking forward to spending Christmas with Ryan and Connor. Now that was looking less and less likely, and maybe the universe was trying to tell him something.
Much as he wanted to be with his lovers, Becker couldn't help wondering if maybe this was for the best after all. Connor and Ryan had their own Christmas traditions long before he had ever arrived on the scene. No matter how much they made him feel welcome, Becker was the spare wheel in the relationship, and they all knew it. The more the thoughts went round and round in his head, the more Becker was coming to the conclusion that, assuming he ever got out of this sodding woodland, he should just go back to his own flat, and perhaps join the others tomorrow morning for Christmas Day. Connor and Ryan deserved to have tonight together, just the two of them.
"Hey," Abby said, jolting him out of his thoughts when she suddenly appeared beside him.
"I thought you were waiting in the car?"
"I was. But you didn't look like you'd moved for the last ten minutes and I thought I'd better check to make sure you hadn't turned into an icicle."
Abby gave him a cheeky grin from the shadows beneath the hood of her fleece hoody.
"Not quite frozen solid yet," he smiled. "Give it another ten minutes."
"You should at least have a hat or something."
Becker grimaced.
"I don't do hats."
Abby's smirk told him she knew exactly why he didn't do hats, and that she found it incredibly hilarious.
"Seriously, Becker. You need to take a break. Go sit in the car for a bit. One of your men can stand guard for you."
Becker made a non-committal noise.
Abby huffed and glared at him. "Men!" she muttered.
She moved to stand in front of him, and her expression softened. "Becker, when are you ever going to realise that you don't have anything to prove to us? It's called a team for a reason. You've let me and your men take turns on watch and sitting in the warm, so why won't you let yourself do the same?"
Because I do have something to prove, Becker thought to himself. Because at some point I want to stop feeling like the new boy, and be a respected member of the team. To be wanted. He knew he didn't just mean the anomaly team.
Before he managed to think of an answer for Abby, he heard the completely incongruous sound of someone singing. His first thought was that they were about to have to get rid of drunken members of the public taking a shortcut home from the pub through the woods. But when he and Abby turned round they saw the last thing Becker expected to see – Ryan and Connor were heading up the path towards them, Connor singing, "All I Want For Christmas Is You," quite badly, despite the obvious enthusiasm.
"What are you doing here?" Becker asked, staring at them as they arrived.
"All I want for Christmas is you," Connor finished singing as he pounced on Becker and hugged him hard, the white fake fur trim on his Santa hat tickling Becker's face.
Becker wrapped his arms around Connor, and gave Ryan a confused look over Connor's shoulder.
"We brought coffee and chocolates and mince pies," Ryan said, indicating the rucksack on his back.
If anything, Becker was starting to feel even more confused.
Connor eventually let go of him and stepped back, grinning.
"We decided that if you couldn't come home for Christmas, we'd bring Christmas out here to you."
"What?" Becker realised he was gaping, and closed his mouth. "But... why?"
Then Connor was the one who looked confused for a moment. "Because we missed you," he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
It took all of Becker's self-restraint not to just grab Connor and hug him to death right at that moment. Before he could do anything potentially embarrassing that he would probably regret later, he noticed Abby had sidled over to Ryan and was eyeing his rucksack.
"You mentioned coffee?" she asked hopefully.
Ryan gave Abby one of his rare smiles, and put the bag down so he could take out a flask and a stack of plastic cups, and poured her a steaming cup of coffee. Abby breathed in the scent and bestowed a beatific smile on Ryan.
"I'd worship you as the god of coffee, but I think Connor and Becker might object," she said.
At the sight of the flask, most of the soldiers had abandoned the relative warmth of the cars and were lurking hopefully. Ryan started to distribute coffee to everyone, while Connor dug a tin of chocolates and a box of mince pies out of the bag and passed them around the assembled team. Becker was still staring, at a loss for words, when a plastic cup of coffee was thrust into his hands. The caffeine must have been enough to remind him of his manners.
"Thanks," Becker said, still feeling a little bewildered. "This is great. You really didn't have to do this, but thanks."
"It didn't feel right without you there," Connor said, blissfully unaware of Abby rolling her eyes behind him.
"Oh." Becker couldn't help remembering what he'd been thinking about not too long ago, and suddenly he felt a little silly. And incredibly happy at the same time, which was slightly odd, but he decided he could probably blame it on the cold and the fact that it was Christmas.
"I think this is definitely your cue to take a break," Abby said. "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on the anomaly for you."
She moved off a little, and Becker let himself be led away from the anomaly and the rest of the soldiers.
"Have you warmed up a bit now?" Connor asked, his voice far too excitable. Becker noticed the young man was practically bouncing, and wondered if Connor had had a little too much caffeine and sugar that evening already.
Becker wrapped his hands around the plastic cup and decided it had finally cooled down enough to drink. He nodded.
"Good. It's present time!"
This time Ryan was the one rolling his eyes, but he was watching Connor with a smile as Connor ferreted around in the rucksack and tugged out three packages. He thrust a badly wrapped parcel at Becker until he reluctantly let go of the cup with one hand and took it.
"The pre-Christmas Christmas present. You always get to open one the night before."
Becker frowned. As far as his family were concerned, Christmas presents were to be opened on Christmas Day, and not before.
Connor must have noticed his hesitation, because the next thing Becker knew, the biggest pair of puppy eyes imaginable was peering up at him from underneath the furry brim of Connor's Santa hat.
Sneaky little sod, Becker thought, as he felt his resistance crumbling.
"Go on then," he mumbled. "As long as it's just one."
Connor didn't wait, and started tearing at the wrapping of his present immediately.
"Cool!" Connor grinned, as he unfurled the new scarf that Becker had picked up as a last minute extra present for him, and promptly wrapped it around his neck. Becker couldn't help feeling relieved it had gone down well, even though scarves were probably a fairly safe bet where Connor was concerned.
Ryan unwrapped a multi-pack of socks, which seemed to be some sort of in-joke between him and Connor, judging by Connor's grin and yet another eye-roll from Ryan. Suddenly, all attention was on Becker, and he juggled the coffee and the present for a moment before managing to get it opened. He couldn't help smiling when he saw what it was.
"It's a good thing Abby didn't see this," he said, holding up the tub of his favourite hair gel. That comment earned him a raised eyebrow from Ryan, but Connor seemed to be too busy bouncing around.
"Seriously, guys, thank you," Becker said. "This... I didn't think..." he shook his head. "It means a lot that you did this for me." And he really meant it.
"Like Connor said, it didn't feel right to start Christmas without you," Ryan said with a nonchalance that didn't quite disguise the sincerity behind his words.
They both glanced at Connor, who seemed oblivious of the attention, too busy sticking his tongue out and trying to catch snowflakes. This time, both soldiers rolled their eyes at each other.
Becker knew he probably had a stupid grin on his face as he watched Connor fooling around, but right then he really didn't care. How could he have been contemplating going back to his flat, alone, and missing out on tonight with his lovers? He hated to admit it, but he'd been an idiot. Although he certainly wasn't going to admit that out loud.
"Oi, Becker," Abby suddenly yelled out.
He swung round, immediately alert, his free hand going for his gun.
"The anomaly's just disappeared," Abby shouted.
"Finally," Becker breathed. He called back to Abby and the soldiers, "Okay, let's do one more sweep round the area and give it half an hour to make sure it doesn't come back, and then let's get the hell out of here."
With only a few hours left until Christmas Day, Becker knew they all had somewhere far better to be. And he couldn't wait to get there.
Connor couldn't help ogling as Becker wandered back into the bedroom, still towelling his hair from the shower, the occasional droplet of water trickling down his chest.
Despite his jokes about the hours that the two soldiers spent running and exercising, if it meant that he got to enjoy the benefits of such well-muscled bodies Connor certainly wasn't going to complain.
"I hope you don't want to go to straight to sleep," Connor said, "Because I've got plans for you two."
"Should we be worried?" Ryan commented, following Becker into the bedroom after his usual final sweep round the house, turning lights off and making sure doors and windows were locked.
"Nope. It'll be fun," Connor said confidently. He was already naked and occupying the middle of the bed, and was still surprisingly awake considering that it was now nearly midnight.
Becker and Ryan shared a look for a moment, and then Becker finished drying himself while Ryan quickly stripped out of his clothes. The two soldiers got into bed on either side of him, and Connor wriggled happily.
Even he hadn't been oblivious enough not to notice that Becker had been acting a little oddly recently, although it had taken him rather longer than it had taken Ryan to work out exactly why. Connor was pleased that Becker seemed to have relaxed a bit since they had turned up at the anomaly site, and he hoped that what he had in mind now might finally show Becker how much they wanted him. Although he also had to admit his reasons were not exactly altruistic – Connor had been thinking about this for a while, and he really hoped he could persuade them to do it, because it sounded like it was going to be awesome.
"Guys," Connor took a deep breath. "There's something I want to do."
Ryan chuckled, and nuzzled Connor's shoulder. "I think we all know what you want, Conn."
"No, not that. Well, yes, that, sort of. Arg! You've put me off what I was saying now!" Connor swatted at Ryan while his two soldiers both laughed.
"Go on, what do you want, Connor?" Becker said, propping himself up on one arm and showering Connor with a fine sprinkling of water from his hair.
"I want you to... you know. But both of you. At the same time."
Connor almost held his breath as he watched their expressions and saw the moment when the penny dropped for both of them.
"Is that even physically possible?" Becker asked, looking worried.
"In theory, yes. I've seen pictures and stuff on the internet."
"I'm starting to think I need to pay more attention to what sort of sites you're looking at on that computer," Ryan commented. Nevertheless, there was a hungry look in his eyes as he spoke.
"But won't it hurt you?" Becker pressed, still looking like he was trying to work out the exact logistics of what Connor was proposing.
"Probably a bit," Connor admitted. "But I bet it'll be worth it."
Ryan ran a hand down the length of Connor's body, making him shiver with anticipation.
"Seriously, Connor. Are you absolutely sure about this?"
"Yes!" Connor said, sounding more impatient than he had intended.
"Okay, okay," Ryan said, managing to sound both amused and aroused at the same time. "You'd better turn over, then."
Connor shuffled onto his side while Ryan reached for the bedside drawer, and a few moments later he felt slicked fingers pushing at his entrance. As always, Connor tensed for a moment, and then forced himself to relax and let Ryan in. While Ryan slowly worked at stretching and preparing him, Becker gently stroked Connor, his hands exploring while he distracted Connor with long, lazy kisses.
Connor loved this – when both of his lovers were focussing all their attention on his body and his pleasure, and driving him wild with need. He barely even noticed when one finger became two, and then three, although he did notice when Ryan made a point of finding his prostate with every twist of his fingers. Connor started to whimper, torn between wanting to push back and get more, and at the same time wanting to save himself for what was to come.
In the end, Ryan made the decision for him by finally becoming still. "Is that enough? Are you ready?" he asked, his voice low.
Connor nodded, not quite trusting himself to speak right then.
Ryan removed his fingers, and Connor squirmed, suddenly feeling empty.
"What do you want me to do?" Becker asked, apprehension and arousal vying for dominance in his eyes.
"Mostly, just lie there and look pretty," Connor commented with a grin. "I'm sure even you can manage that."
Becker was still pouting when Connor dragged himself up onto his knees and swung a leg over so he was straddling Becker. The pout vanished a moment later as Connor positioned himself carefully, and then slowly slid down onto Becker's cock, his breath catching at the push and the sensation of being filled, even after all of Ryan's preparation.
"Fuck," Becker breathed. He wriggled slightly, making Connor gasp.
Connor let himself adjust for a moment before he lifted himself almost all the way off Becker's cock, and then lowered slowly back down again. He continued fucking himself like that until Becker was the one who was whimpering. Ryan was laid next to them, watching and stroking himself to hardness and slicking his cock in preparation.
"Ready?" he asked, never breaking eye contact with Connor.
Connor nodded. "Yes. Please."
Ryan moved round behind him and Connor couldn't help it – he tensed again. Ryan must have noticed, because he started to run his hands down Connor's back, soothing him.
"Connor, are you sure this isn't going to hurt too much?" Becker asked, sounding remarkably coherent considering their position.
Connor let out a nervous huff of laughter.
"Trust me, if it hurts enough that I want to stop, you'll be the first to know."
Becker reached up and traced Connor's chest with his fingertips, while Ryan continued to caress him gently.
"I think you need to move a little," Ryan whispered in his ear, making Connor shiver again.
He nodded, and reached for Becker and tugged him up until they were wrapped around each other. Connor found Becker's mouth and kissed him, long slow and demanding. Then he pushed a little until Becker got the message and lay back down, taking Connor with him, still kissing until Becker was laid flat and Connor was lying on his chest, Becker's cock still buried deep within him.
He felt Ryan's finger nudging at his entrance, already stretched and tight, and Connor tried hard not to tense again. He wanted this. He did. It was going to be okay.
Becker's hands soothed down his back and came to rest on his hips, holding him gently while Ryan continued to add yet more lubricant, his free hand also still stroking Connor's back and arse. Becker never stopped kissing him, and when Ryan's finger finally pushed in Connor only made a little whimpering noise. Ryan continued to work slowly, adding ever more lubricant before one finger became two, and eventually three. Now Connor wasn't the only one whimpering, as Ryan pressed against Becker's cock, still sheathed tightly within Connor's arse.
Ryan didn't give him any warning, no chance to become tense, and suddenly his fingers were gone and then his cock was pushing in, sliding at first, then dragging, even despite all the extra lube. Connor gasped, and buried his face into Becker's shoulder. He heard a quiet, breathless keening noise, and wasn't even sure whether he was the one making it. It was too much. He felt too full, too tight, it hurt... and suddenly Ryan shifted within him, and both Connor and Becker simultaneously let out a desperate moan of pleasure as the movement pressed against Becker's cock and Connor's prostate.
"Fuck," Becker mumbled. He turned his head to press another kiss to Connor's forehead. "You okay there, Connor?"
Connor nodded. He wasn't even sure he was capable of coherent words right then.
Ryan carefully leaned down and put his arms around Connor's chest, and began to tug him upwards. Connor let himself be moved until he was kneeling upright over Becker, his back pressed to Ryan's chest. The movement made the two cocks within him shift again, and Connor whimpered softly.
"It's okay, Conn," Ryan whispered in his ear again. "This is what you wanted, isn't it?"
Connor nodded again, and managed to turn his head enough to find Ryan's lips with his own.
This was exactly what he had wanted. Both of his lovers at the same time. All three of them together. It hurt far more than he had imagined, but at the same time it felt like his body was more alive with sensation than he had ever felt before. Every touch was magnified tenfold, every gentle caress a jolt of electricity through his skin. He needed more contact, he needed more movement, he needed... more.
Connor looked down at Becker laid out beneath him. His eyes were wide, his hands trembling almost as hard as Connor was. Their eyes met, and Becker's grip tightened on Connor's hips a fraction, holding him still. Then Becker thrust upwards.
Every conscious thought in Connor's head exploded in a cascade of light and sensation and painpleasure as every over-sensitised nerve ending fried utterly. He barely felt the flood of wetness within him as both of his lovers came at the same moment. He was barely even aware of his own orgasm and his eyes shut tight and his mouth opened in a silent scream as the world imploded around him.
Connor wasn't sure how long he drifted, but eventually he became aware of soft touches on his skin and voices saying his name. Connor forced an eye open and saw Ryan watching him with a smile.
"Welcome back, Conn."
Connor dragged together enough brain cells to return the smile.
"That was good," he mumbled.
Ryan leaned across and kissed him, long and lazy, and bit by bit Connor's brain came back online. He could feel Becker cuddled close behind him, and eventually, reluctantly, broke away from Ryan's kiss to turn the other way. Becker looked almost as blissed out as Connor felt.
"Wow," Becker said, smiling at him. "You have the best ideas, Connor."
This time Ryan was the one who cuddled up behind him.
"Maybe we should make this a new Christmas tradition," Ryan said. Connor could imagine the evil smile on his face just from the tone of his voice.
"Now that is the kind of tradition I could happily adopt," Becker replied, looking over Connor to meet Ryan's gaze.
Connor gave an experimental wriggle, and felt twinges of pain in all sorts of places. Not enough to outweigh the pleasant aftershocks that were still rippling through him, though.
"Not a bad idea," he mumbled. "But next year someone else gets to be in the middle."
Ryan chuckled. "You don't really mean that. I bet this time next year you're begging us to do it to you again."
Connor couldn't help but notice the look in Becker's eyes at the mention of 'next year', and he tugged Becker closer and kissed him again.
Once he was certain that Becker had been suitably reassured, Connor nestled back down into the bed between his two soldiers.
"Goodnight," he mumbled, more into the pillow than at the others. "Merry Christmas."
Arms wrapped around him from both sides, and Connor snuggled into their warmth. As he drifted off into a supremely contented sleep, the last thing Connor was aware of was both Ryan and Becker leaning in for one last kiss, and whispering quietly to him.
"Merry Christmas, Connor."
Tags: abby maitland, becker, connor temple, connor/becker/ryan, fanfic, slash, tom ryan