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There. There it was again. A noise from the living room...dangerously quiet.

Before the thought finished, his hand was in the drawer of the bedside table, drawing out the gun. Reflex would have brought his arm around and squeezed his finger on the trigger if the hall light hadn't flickered on...and the hall closet door hadn't opened and shut a moment later.

Since when do thieves stop to hang up their coats? Or assassins?

A properly asked question answers itself. Mac's tall figure appeared in the doorway, recognizable in the glow from the small bulb at the other end of the hallway. He stumbled toward the bed, shedding his clothes with every step.

Victor fingered the gun, feeling the bedsprings shift as Mac crawled in beside him. "You could get killed that way."

"You get a lot of break-ins where the guy stops to turn on the lights?"

"Stranger things happen every day."

Mac nudged his arm and smiled at him tiredly. "Put that thing away if you're not going to use it."

Victor slipped the safety back on and put the gun back in the drawer. "To what do I owe the unexpected honor of your company?"

"Pity," Mac said through a yawn. "I thought you needed cheering up. You sounded seriously pathetic on the phone today."

"I wasn't pathetic," Victor denied. "I was frustrated."

"So was I, after you hung up."

"About the case." Victor wondered if he'd ever learn to stop falling for those traps.

Mac slid over next to him and dropped a kiss on his shoulder. "Make you a deal? Sleep first, fight later. It's after three."

Victor pulled Mac firmly against his side, feeling the cool brush of rain-damp hair. "Okay. I guess we can reschedule." Under his hands, Mac's back was warm and solid, the skin surprisingly soft as Victor traced the path of the spine from the back of Mac's head down to the swell of his hips.

"It would be appreciated." Mac yawned again. "When I've had some rest, okay?"

Mac needed to sleep. For that matter, Victor needed a lot more sleep himself, after the day he'd had, but he couldn't ignore the heavy pleasure of Mac in his arms.

"So," Victor suggested, "are you planning to kiss me goodnight or anything?"

"I wouldn't...." Mac glanced at him, then stopped, his eyes searching Victor's for a long moment. A smile spread across his face as he slid over to cover Victor's body with his own. "If you keep looking at me that way, I cannot be responsible for the consequences."

Victor smiled back at him. "Hey, your lack of self-control is your problem. I just asked a simple question."

"I haven't seen you for four days." Mac's lips brushed Victor's lightly, coaxing them apart. "That means there's nothing simple about that question." His mouth stayed barely in touch, not quite allowing the kiss.

Victor slid his tongue lightly across his lips, then let it trace the line of Mac's mouth. "Thought you were sleepy?" He knew Mac would read the challenge in his eyes.

"Yeah," Mac breathed. His teeth tugged gently at Victor's lower lip, testing the sensitivity of the skin and settling on a nibble at one corner.

Victor stretched luxuriously, settling Mac's body more comfortably on his own. He stroked his lover's back again, letting his hands linger on the tight curve of Mac's ass for a few tantalizing seconds while his mouth explored the sharp angle of his jaw, smelling and tasting the damp of rainwater on the skin.

"Victor?" Mac sighed and arched his neck into the caress.

"Mmm hmm?" Victor rubbed the expanse of Mac's shoulders, feeling the shift and play of muscle beneath the skin.

"About that kiss...."

"You need to get some sleep," Victor decided regretfully. "And so do I."

"Victor." Mac's voice was somewhere between laughter and irritation.

Victor grinned at him. "If you don't kiss me pretty soon, I'm going to throw your ass out of here and you can go home and sleep alone."

"Oh, sure, like I'm the one who was stalling."

"I wasn't stalling. I was enjoying the moment," Victor pointed out. "It's all part of that romance thing you think you're such a big expert on."

"I know plenty about romance," Mac said defensively. "You're not exactly catching me at my best here, you know?"

Victor let his hands slide down to cup Mac's hips. "Oh, I don't know about that."

"You're going to regret that."

Before Victor could answer, Mac's mouth swooped down to cover his and he was lost in the sensation of kissing and being kissed; tasting the bitter coffee essence of Mac's breath, feeling his lover's body moving slowly against his own.

"Oh, yeah." He pressed Mac's face into his neck and felt his lover's mouth nuzzling against him urgently. "God, you feel so good."

"So, how much sleep do we really need?" Mac kissed him again, his tongue probing Victor's mouth deeply. "Let's fool around, okay?"

Victor gave him a hug, then rolled to one side, easing Mac's body back onto the mattress. "Shit. I forgot you've been up all night."

"Not yet." Mac smirked at him, but Victor could see the tiredness behind the smile. "But I will be soon."

"Liar." Victor gave his lover a last kiss, then pulled him back over to lay against Victor's shoulder. "Okay. That's enough. We both need to sleep."

"If I thought I could stay awake long enough, I'd prove just how wrong you are."

"If either one of us could stay awake long enough, I wouldn't have said it." Victor nuzzled Mac's hair, feeling the drying strands of softness brushing his mouth and cheek.

'Yeah, well, just remember it wasn't me that hollered 'uncle,' okay?"

"Give me a break." Victor laughed at him quietly. "You would have been asleep in two minutes."

Mac shook his head, smothering another yawn. "You'd be surprised how rarely I fall asleep when someone is grabbing my ass."

"I wasn't grabbing your ass." Victor thought about giving it a pinch, but Mac really did look exhausted.

"What would you call it?" Mac's hand slid from Victor's shoulder to his wrist, pulling his arm around his lover's shoulders.

"I was...just checking."

"For what? Tattoos?"

"It wasn't my first thought." Victor eyed him suspiciously. "Why? Do you have one?"

"That's a very personal question."

"You took your pants off and crawled naked into my bed," Victor said. "And now you're telling me that your butt is too personal to discuss?"

Mac tried to answer, then got caught in another jaw-splitting yawn.

"Okay," Victor laughed. "That's enough. Sleep."

Another yawn followed almost before Mac had finished the first one. He gave Victor a regretful smile and a quick kiss. "I think so."

Victor pulled the blankets up over both of them. "Night."

"Night, partner." He heard the smile in the sleepy voice, then Mac's body relaxed and settled against him as sleep claimed him almost instantly.

Victor managed to stay awake a few minutes longer, enjoying the unusual situation, but the quiet room soon lulled him back into sleep as well.

This time, his last thought was to wonder how long he'd have to wait, if he just let Mac sleep until he woke up rested in the morning.

. . . .

The next day, he woke up with the familiar weight of Mac curled up against his back, sleeping peacefully. It was a good feeling. Victor lay there for a moment, savoring the warmth and listening to the rain spattering against the windows.

Eventually, he untangled himself from his lover's arms, brushing a light kiss across Mac's cheek before he slid out of bed.

To the kitchen to make coffee, taking a shower, getting the morning paper from outside the door; he found himself moving quietly, trying not to disturb his sleeping lover.

Ten o'clock. Victor stared out at the driving rain while he drank his coffee.

Twelve o'clock. He went back to check on his quiet guest who never stirred.

One o'clock and Mac was still sleeping.

Finally Victor realized he was acting...he didn't know. Like an idiot or something. He sat down on the couch and made a conscious effort to relax. The Blue Jays were scheduled to play a game that started at one-thirty. Victor turned on the television and listened to the quiet buzz of the commentators' voices during the pre-game show.

For the next hour, he flipped back and forth between the game and an old Godzilla movie re-run on a different channel. In spite of the primitive special effects, the movie was entertaining. Enough so that the shower kicked on in the bathroom before he realized that Mac was awake and moving around in the apartment.

Victor went to check the bedroom, leaving out a clean tee shirt and a cup of coffee for his unexpected guest.

Back on the couch, he turned up the volume on the movie, watching Godzilla menace a small village unconvincingly. The actors hadn't been told how tall the threat was supposed to be. One man was staring in horror high in the sky, while a woman seemed to be frozen in fear at the sight of the monster's kneecap.

His brain registered it the second the shower stopped. A minute, maybe two, to dry off. The bathroom door opened and he could hear Mac moving back down the hallway to the bedroom. The bedroom door closed. Silence.

Godzilla ravaged the village carelessly, swiping at the huts and trying to catch the tiny humans in his thick claws, then moved off into the distance. The baseball game on the other channel was tied at 3-3.

Victor threw down the remote control and went to see what was taking Mac so long. He hesitated at the bedroom door, wondering if he should knock, then turned the knob and walked in.

Mac's clothes, and the borrowed shirt, were folded neatly on top of the bureau. The empty coffee cup was next to them. The curtains were closed, but in the cool gray light that trickled in around the edge of the window, Victor could see Mac stretched out in bed, watching the game that Victor had been unable to concentrate on in the other room.

Mac grinned. "Took you long enough."

Victor hovered in the doorway. "You want something to eat or something?"

"Later." Mac gave him a smile of pure invitation. "Come on." The look demanded a response.

Victor found himself kicking off his shoes and pulling off his shirt as he crossed the room. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Sure, great." Mac slid down on the bed, his eyes still locked on Victor's. "All of 'em."

Victor fumbled with the fastenings on his jeans, then gave up and crawled on top of his lover, kicking the interfering blankets out of the way. "I thought you were going to sleep all day."

Mac's hips arched up to meet his and his arms slid around Victor's waist. "Why didn't you wake me up hours ago?"

"I figured you needed the rest." Victor stopped pretending to be casual and kissed his lover hungrily. "We have an hour before we have to be at the Agency."

Mac tasted of coffee again, this time mixed with the sweetness of toothpaste. Then Victor stopped cataloging, lost in the warmth of hands moving across his back, the soft rasp of hair against his chest, and the hot wetness of Mac's mouth struggling to devour Victor's in a sudden flare of passion.

He slid his arms under Mac's head, tilting it back so he could reach the long neck. "I thought you were never going to wake up," he complained again, scattering bites and kisses indiscriminately across the smooth skin. Now that he was here, he couldn't remember why he'd decided not to wake Mac up for this hours before.

"Victor." Mac's hand slipped down to cup his hips. "I hate to mention this, but...."

"What's wrong?" Victor tore his mouth away from the half-explored expanse of his lover's neck and frowned at him.

Mac grinned. "You could lose the jeans. That zipper is not adding to the moment."

"Sorry." Victor rolled to one side and Mac followed him, their hands tangling as they shoved the heavy fabric down over Victor's hips. Victor worked to get the interfering clothes off but Mac's hands lingering at his hips distracted him. Mac's fingers closed around Victor's half-hard cock, stroking firmly and the flesh jumped to life at his touch.

Mac kissed him, his hands and mouth pressing Victor onto his back on the mattress. Victor kicked helplessly at the fabric bunched around his knees, his attention focused on the sensation of Mac's hands exploring his hardening flesh. Victor gasped against Mac's mouth, his hips bucking into the touch when it grazed a sensitive spot.

"C'mon, Mac," he mumbled. "Give me a hand here."

"I've only got two, and you've got them both," Mac teased.

Victor groped and found Mac's hands, pressing them firmly against his cock for a warm, satisfying moment. "The jeans," he insisted.

Mac gave him a quick, hard kiss and pulled his hands away, leaving a cool ache where they had been. A moment later, he was dragging the heavy jeans down and off Victor's legs. Victor watched the possessive gleam in his lover's eyes as Mac stopped to stare at his lover's nakedness for a moment.

Mac worked his way up the length of Victor's body, dusting light kisses across his knees and thighs, lingering for a few breathtaking seconds around the hardness of Victor's erection, then working up to bite teasingly at each tiny nipple, nuzzling them into excited points before he moved up toward Victor's neck and finally his mouth.

Mac kissed him, his mouth hot and hungry again. Victor's fingers found the shallow cleft at the base of Mac's spine and traced a path down. The tip of one finger found the tight pucker of flesh and he stroked it gently. Mac moaned and his back arched, pushing into the touch.

Victor stroked the area again, grabbing the back of Mac's neck and bringing his lover's mouth down to his for another kiss. Mac's hips jerked and pushed again, asking for more.

"Victor?" Mac's mouth searched his neck, finding the pulse point and biting it gently.

Victor's entire body shuddered in response and he could feel the sensation from his nipples down to his cock where it was trapped between their bodies.

Mac bit down again, sucking for a few seconds. "Victor?"

"Yes." Victor tugged at his lover's head. "Kiss me." Mac's mouth closed over his and Victor heard bells.

Actually, it was a knock at the door, although it took his brain a moment to identify the sound.

"No. Shit, no." He didn't even know which one of them had said it. Maybe they both had.

"Ignore it," Mac said urgently. His hips forced Victor's deeply into the mattress for a blissful second. "They'll go away."

Victor buried his face in Mac's neck. "Yeah. Unless it's the Director. Or Dobrinsky."

Mac kissed him, hard. "Am I the only one who doesn't have a key to this place?"

Victor hugged him tightly. "I'll get rid of them." He rolled Mac off of him gently.

"Kiss me again," Mac coaxed.

They kissed lightly, Mac's tongue sliding out to lick Victor's mouth, then in between his lips slowly. Victor's mouth opened and the kiss deepened as Mac pulled him closer.

Whoever it was, they knocked again.

"Whoever it is, I'm going to kill them," Victor threatened. He tore himself out of Mac's arms, sitting on the side of the bed and dragging on his jeans. "I'll be back in a minute."

The bed shifted as Mac moved over to sit behind him. His arms slid around Victor's waist, pulling them together. Victor could feel the warm dampness of his lover's chest under the light dusting of crisp hair. "Sixty seconds."

He tangled his fingers with Mac's, squeezing them briefly as he unwound Mac's arms from around him. He stood up, and stole another kiss. "Thirty." He marched out of the room, resisting the urge to look back when he heard Mac sighing and sliding back into the bed.

Victor dragged his tee shirt over his head and he hurried toward the door. The intruder was going to have about ten seconds to state their business and get the hell out of here.

When he discovered that the interruption was someone selling magazines subscriptions, Victor said no, three times, as politely as he could, then all-but slammed the door in the boy's face.

He headed back toward the bedroom, shedding his clothes as he went. "Is there a neon sign over my head?"

"There could be. What was it?"

"It's like some kind of radar," Victor grumbled. He and Mac met in the middle of the bed, immediately tangling themselves into a knot of arms and legs and kisses. "The second we start...."

"Stop answering the door."

This wasn't really the moment for an argument. Mac tasted warm and salty. Victor wanted to taste all of him, from the curve of his neck to the soft fold of flesh at the front of his shoulder, and everywhere else.

He ran his fingers through the curls massed on Mac's chest, feeling the rough texture of the hair and the incredible softness of the skin underneath. He brushed the hair lightly away from one nipple and stroked it until it was tight with pleasure, then leaned forward to taste the erect nub, licking and biting until Mac was shivering.

Mac's hand slid through Victor's hair, holding the warm mouth against his chest. "I, uh, thought we were going to watch the game?"

"There's a commercial on." Victor combed his fingers through the curls again, sliding toward, then around the other small nipple, but not touching it until Mac's back arched and he made a noise of entreaty. Then he brushed the nub of flesh with his fingertips, giving it a quick pinch that made his lover gasp.

There was a dark arrow of hair down the center of Mac's chest. Victor followed it, dropping a kiss over the heart, then working his way down to the puckered naval. He explored the ticklish area with his tongue and teeth, until Mac was squirming and tugging at his head.

Victor slid back up for a kiss, then rolled Mac onto his side. "There, you can see the game."

"Yeah, but I can't see you." Mac grinned over his shoulder. "No fair."

"I'll try to make sure you don't lose track of what's happening," Victor promised. He nuzzled a kiss onto the back of his lover's neck, then worked his way down the long spine to the tight curve of Mac's hips.

"What are you...." There was a startled noise and a jerk, then Mac's body went limp as Victor's mouth slid down along the cleft, probing until touch and the shiver in Mac's body told him he'd reached his goal. Victor cupped one hand around the mound of flesh and licked slowly, slipping his tongue inside to tease Mac with the lush, hot feel of it.

Mac moaned something incoherent and Victor's mouth worked down toward Mac's erection, his fingers and tongue sliding around and across the hard flesh, then back up to the tight opening. The heat pouring off of his lover was incredible and Victor could swear he felt a pulse throbbing as his slid his tongue back inside. He slid his hand between Mac's legs stroked him, letting his hand and his mouth work the same rhythm.

Victor heard the change in Mac's breathing, heard the slow pleasure moving toward something more urgent, felt the shudder as Mac rocked against him, his body straining for more. A last kiss, and a nibble at the curve of Mac's hip, then Victor slid back up and reached past his lover to the bedside table.

Mac's eyes followed Victor's moves as he rolled on the condom and slicked himself up with the lube, stroking his cock until he was afraid he wouldn't last if he kept touching himself. Or if he kept looking at the heavy-eyed arousal of Mac's face, the mouth swollen where he'd bitten his lips to keep from crying out.

More lube, and Victor trailed one finger back down the warm cleft, feeling the moisture from his mouth where he stopped to probe at the opening that yielded to the pressure. He slipped the finger in, twisting and stretching until a hint of tension eased out of Mac's spine and he was moving with Victor's touch again. Mac smiled and pressed back against him.

Victor curled up against his lover's back, stroking his hip and holding it as he fit the head of his cock to the entrance to Mac's body and pushed. A long, slick slide and he was halfway in before Mac reacted with a gasp. Victor forced himself to stop, waiting a long minute until some of the pressure around him eased, then he twisted his hips, withdrawing slightly before he thrust in again. And then again and again until he was buried inside of Mac's body and his lover was pushing against him willingly.

Victor wrapped his arm around Mac's waist, and rocked slowly, enjoying the tight heat of the slick channel, Mac's body moving around him, and the sound of his lover's breathing, sighs mixed with half-spoken words and gasps.

Mac wrapped his hand around himself and stroked in time with Victor's thrusts. They moved together easily, riding the pleasure for unmeasured minutes or hours until the tension began to build. Victor could feel Mac's muscles tightening around him, drawing both of them closer to the end.

He covered Mac's hand with his own and they shared the feel of the hot flesh, both stroking and squeezing until Mac shuddered and gasped and Victor felt the moisture splash across his hand and the muscles sheathing him grip him tightly.

Victor kept thrusting, feeling the incredible sensation as Mac's body flexed around him. He shoved into his lover deeply once...again...again...and he was there, biting into Mac's shoulder to muffle his own cry as the slow pleasure peaked and exploded through him with surprising force.

Victor rubbed his face against the back of Mac's shoulder and stayed there, locked against him, while the pleasure ebbed.

"Who's winning?" Mac asked lazily.

Victor smiled and dropped a kiss on the back of Mac's neck, letting the pleasant exhaustion of sex unwind into a warm, comfortable drowse. It still surprised him that Mac was so quiet during sex. Mac always started talking again two seconds later though. He closed his eyes and smiled. Maybe he should do a little experimenting next time?

"Mac?" Victor stroked his lover's thick hair slowly.

"Mmm?" Mac rolled over and sprawled out on top of him and Victor shivered.

"We need to get going."

"Sure." Mac nuzzled his neck lazily. "In a minute."

"Now," Victor insisted. He pushed Mac's head away.

Mac sighed and sat up abruptly. "Okay. Let's do it." He bounced out of bed and grabbed the bag he'd brought with him.

Victor followed more slowly, not sure if he liked that kind of instant cooperation. He shrugged mentally and went to the closet to dig out dark jeans and a long-sleeved shirt for the occasion. This probably wasn't the time to mention that he'd allowed ten minutes for convincing Mac to leave the bed.

"You're getting on my nerves, Victor." Mac stood in front of him, frowning as he tucked his shirt in.

"Me? What did I do?"

Mac kissed him thoroughly, his hands cupping Victor's face. "I know you want this at least as much as I do."

"You find that irritating?"

"No, but your self-control is starting to piss me off," Mac admitted with a grin. "What does it take to get to you?"

Victor leaned over for another kiss, savoring the way Mac's mouth yielded to his. "The job comes first."

"When do I get to come first?"

Victor thought about it. "You busy this weekend?"

"Not unless we get another case. Why?" Mac strapped on his gun holster and sat down to pull on his shoes.

"I have a friend who has a cabin in the woods," Victor offered.

"Sounds primitive," Mac said skeptically.

"It is," Victor agreed. "No phones. No television."

"I'm not really the 'back to nature' type," Mac objected. "What are we going to do all weekend?"

Victor grinned at him. "There's a bed."

Mac looked wary. "Is there a restaurant?"

"Come on," Victor coaxed. "We can cook stuff. You'll survive for two days."

"So, the deal is two days of unlimited sex, but I have to eat your cooking?" Mac shook his head. "There's always a catch."

"I'm going to remind you of this the next time you say I'm not paying enough attention to you." Victor strapped on his own guns and picked up his jacket. "Let's get going."

"Not so fast." Mac pinned him against the wall and grinned. "If you think I'm passing this up, you're crazy."

"Yeah, well, you didn't seem to like the sound of it sixty seconds ago," Victor told him. "Forget it. The invitation is withdrawn."

"Come on." Mac's mouth slid down the line of Victor's jaw and then up to brush his lips. "I was kidding."

As a matter of principle, Victor wanted to hold out against Mac's coaxing. As a matter of reality, he knew he was going to give in sooner or later. The only question was how hard to make Mac work for it. He made a show of checking his watch. "You have five minutes to convince me."

Mac took that as a challenge, exactly the way Victor had expected. Two minutes later, Victor was willing to concede that they'd be spending the weekend in the cabin.

Two more minutes and he was flat on his back on the floor, wondering just how late they could get away with being to their meeting with the Director. As it turned out, forty-five minutes was about forty-four minutes too long, but it was worth it.

Just like the weekend was going to be.

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The end