Dark Dreams ch.2&3 Rating:Nc-17 I heard someone crying, Who tho`could it be? Someone in this house whom no one seems to see. Someone no one seems to hear Except for me. I heard someone crying, Maybe it was he. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What was that supposed to mean? Viggo shook his head,he hated it when people thought they had to leave their names and silly messages everywhere.But one thing about those words puzzled him.They seemed to be neither on the in- nor on the outside of the glass,but*inside* it.He ran his fingertips over the words.No,you definately could not feel them.Well,he could always have a new pane put in if he wanted.Viggo shrugged,at the moment he didn`t really care.He was dying to go into the garden and paint. After he`d brought his painting utensils into the garden,he idly looked around for an inspiration.He found his gaze always straying to the overgrown appletree.There was something vaguely mysterious about it.It looked almost as if someone had deliberately thrown a pale pink veil over it to hide something.Maybe painting it would let him discover what that was.He took up a fine paintbrush and began. He had been painting for some time,when suddenly he felt a strange feeling creep over him,a weird sense of foreboding.As if the atmosphere of the garden was slowly beginning to take on a somehow sinister feel.Viggo knew the sun was still shining,but he couldn`t feel the warmth,he was aware the birds were still singing,but he couldn`t hear them,and in a way he couldn`t explain,his body felt as if it wasn`t his anymore.The paintbrush was still rushing furiously about the canvas,but Viggo had absolutely no control over what he was painting,he could not even see it.His gaze remained fixed on the appletree. Suddenly he became aware that he wasn`t alone anymore.There was a large crowd of people surrounding him.He couldn`t see them,but he knew they were there.Angry people,Viggo could almost feel their anger and hate roll over him like waves of utter blackness.There were dogs too,a barking and howling pack of hounds,straining on their leashes.These people had been hunting for somebody,and Viggo knew that they`d found whoever that was now. He felt cornered and threatened,although he was certain that it wasn`t him they`d been hunting for.It was almost as if he was experiencing somebody else`s emotions.Viggo could feel them closing in on him now,their anger turning into a grim feeling of triumph.Terrified,he stumbled a few steps backwards only to be stopped by an incredible pain shooting through his neck.He started gasping for air,it felt as if something was slowly crushing his windpipe. Viggo tore at the collar of his shirt,desperately trying to somehow alleviate the unbearable pressure,but in vain.It seemed to get worse and worse, and black spots already began to dance before his eyes.Just when he was certain he was going to die,the pain stopped as abrubtly as it had begun,and everything returned to normal. Panting and nearly unconscious,Viggo dropped onto the grass.What the hell had that been?Had he just had some kind of seizure or was he going mad?He coughed and rubbed his neck.For some moments he only lay there,trying to get his breath back.When his breathing had calmed sufficiently,he stood up on shaky legs.His gaze fell on the painting and Viggo had to keep himself from shrinking from the sight.Now he was certain he was going mad. The garden on his painting was shrouded in darkness,only lit by a pale moon.The ground was covered in a thick blanket of snow and the appletree was bare.The whole scene would have been indescribably melancholy like this,but what made it truly terrifying was the limp figure of a hanged man,swinging from one of the tree`s grey branches.The man`s clothes were torn and bloodspattered,and his entire body seemed to be covered in bruises.Viggo didn’t even have to look at his face to know it was the man from his dream.He turned and fled into the house. Shaking,he slumped into an armchair in the livingroom.What was happening with him?He ran his hands over his eyes again and again,as if to reassure himself that everything he saw was indeed real.He took a deep breath.*Alright,what do you do now?Phone a shrink and tell him that something just took over your body and made you paint some gruesome picture?You`d probably spend the rest of your life on a couch then,or worse.*Viggo vaguely remembered reading that halucinations could be symptoms of a brain tumor.*But only in advanced stages,*and hell,he didn`t even have headaches. Maybe he`d just experienced some weird kind of “waking dream,”triggered by the garden`s somewhat mysterious atmosphere.Viggo felt himself relaxing a bit at that thought.That could very well have been it,after all,he`d always had a very vivid imagination*Yes,that must have been it,that`s why I painted that guy from the dream,cause it was a dream,*he told himself,choosing to ignore everything that might indicate otherwise.But what to do with the painting?Keep it?Destroy it?Maybe he should take another look at it and then decide. It seemed to be waiting for him on the easel.He forced himself to look closely at the frightening scene.Strange,the paint had already dried completely.Viggo couldn`t remember ever having seen anything like it before.It almost looked like a photograph,everything seemed so real,but unlike a photograph,it was somehow threedimensional.He felt he could reach into it,and feel the rough bark of the tree under his fingers.None of his other paintings radiated such an overwhelming energy.Viggo ran his fingertips over the dead man`s pale face,half expecting it to feel cold to the touch.It really *was* the most beautiful face he`d ever seen,even the horrible bruises and the man`s sad expression couldn`t change that.It was terrifying but it was also a masterpiece,Viggo realized. There was no way he would destroy it.He took it from the easel to take it inside,but then paused for a moment,undecided what exactly to do with it.It wasn`t really something to decorate your livingroom with.But well,he would decide later.His gaze fell on it once again,*I didn`t even forget to sign it,*he thought,*even my waking dreams have to be genuine Mortensen`s.*But upon looking closer,what he had taken to be his signature,turned out to be the words”Find Me,”written in a tiny scribble.Feeling slightly nervous again,Viggo decided he`d had enough mysteries for one day,and quickly brought the painting into the spare room upstairs.It was good that he would have to drive into town to buy some food,that way he would spend the rest of the day doing only completely banal,down-to earth stuff. ____________________________________________________________ _______________ ~ indicates Orli´s scrambled thoughts --------------------------------------------------- Lift me up and lead me to the garden, Where life begins anew. Where I`ll find you, And I`ll find you love me too. Lift me up, And lead me to the garden, Where love grows deep and true. Where I`ll tell you, Where I`ll show you, My new life, I will live for you. ~~~~~~~~ I can`t believe it! He`s come back.I´ve seen him in the house today.I was in the garden,weeding and suddenly something caused me to look up and glance through the kitchen window,and there he was,standing in the kitchen.I think I have never felt so much joy and relief in my entire life.The grudge I`d secretly borne him for leaving me for so long,completely dissolved the moment I saw his dear face again.Oh,how I wanted to rush to him,ask him where he`d been,why he hadn`t told me he was going away,but I had lost my key again and couldn`t unlock the door.I knocked,but apparently he`d gone upstairs and couldn`t hear me.I contemplated calling him,but decided not to.I will surprise him tonight.If I can find my key,that is. ~~~~~~~~~ It hadn`t taken Viggo very long to complete his shopping,and so he didn`t mind to satisfy the curiosity of the lady behind the counter of the small grocery,who was delighted to find that she was the first to meet the new owner of Old Mill Cottage. “You must be a very good painter,if you can earn your living with it,”she`d said innocently when he`d told her he was a painter. “Well,some people seem to think I am,although there are times when I`m not so sure,”he smiled. That was true actually,he would never have thought of himself as Viggo Mortensen,painting genius. “So,how do you like the cottage?I`ve always thought it a most beautiful little place.There`s something almost…enchanted about it,”the lady said with a dreamy expression. “Yes,I had the same feeling myself,”Viggo nodded,”to be honest,no other house ever took my breath away like that.Love at first sight,you might say,”he added with a chuckle. “But it`s scary there,”a squeaky voice suddenly chimed in,seemingly out of nowhere. Viggo was a bit perplexed,being unable to determine the owner of that voice,until he looked down and saw a very small boy,currently trying to tear the wrapper off a lollipop,standing right in front of him.With his compact stature and unruly red hair,he reminded Viggo a bit of a Hobbit. “It`s scary?You think so?”Viggo asked smiling. “Mmmmh,”the boy nodded gravely,still fighting with the lollipop. Suddenly he managed to tear most of the plastic off,and put the lollipop in his mouth with a victorious grin,happily ignoring the wrapper bits still stuck to the sweet.Apparently he now felt sufficiently fortified for a serious conversation. “We`d go there to play sometimes,and then sometimes we`d see this fellow in the garden.And every time,we`d say “Hi,”but that guy wouldn`t talk to us.He`d just walk around and weed or water the flowers,and sometimes he`d just stand there looking like he`s got a toothache or something,and he`d just never talk to us.Teddy said it`s cause the guy`s stupid,but we told Mr.McCarthy,and he said it`s a ghost.” Viggo stood there for a moment just processing the information,a vague unpleasant feeling wanting to rise in his chest,but he quickly suppressed it. “Well,since I`m the new owner of the cottage,I promise,should I meet this mysterious fellow,I will tell him to stop being so rude to you and your friends.” The boy still looked a bit sceptic. “But if it *is* a ghost…,” “Sam?Sam?Oh,there you are!”he was interrupted by a rotund woman carrying a shopping basket. “I can`t believe I lost you in such a small shop,I really must keep you on a leash.” “Sam was just telling me about my new,haunted house,”Viggo explained. “Oh,he`s been nothing but ghosts,ghosts,ghosts for the past few weeks,”the woman smiled apologetically,”but at least he`s past his Teletubby phase,those*really* frighten me.” She took one of Sam`s sticky hands,and after smiling”Bye” to Viggo,more or less dragged her little Hobbit after her out of the shop.Viggo gave the woman behind the counter a surprised look. “There is probably not a single house in the village that doesn`t have it`s own ghoststory,”she shrugged.”Most people are quite proud of theirs.There`s even a ghostly woman in black supposed to haunt the cellar of the shop,but in all the years I`ve been working here she has refused to appear.Maybe she doesn`t like me,or maybe she simply has found a better place to haunt.” “Well,I guess it must be quite boring to haunt the same room for centuries,with nothing to do but maybe utter ghastly screams and the occasional rattling of chains,”Viggo replied with a grin. They`d chatted for a few more minutes,and afterwards Viggo had carried his shopping to his car,intending to head straight back to the cottage.But then he paused,the car key already in hand.The words of the little boy kept popping up in his head,for some reason reminding him of his unpleasant experience in the garden,and suddenly he didn`t feel quite so eager to get back to his lovely,new house anymore.He decided he felt like having a cup of coffee in the small cafè he`d passed earlier on before he drove back. ~~~~~~~~ I still haven`t found my key!But I was lucky,apparently the door wasn`t locked at all.Of course I immediately rushed inside,but he was gone.He must have left while I was searching for my key.At first I was so disappointed,I`d almost cried,but now I`m glad that I have time to arrange everything for our first night together after being parted for so long.It is strange how I could wait so patiently for his return,and now that he´s come back,every second seems like an hour to me.I hope so very much that now we can be together again,and everything will be just like it was before. It was already late in the afternoon when Viggo returned to the cottage.After having his cup of coffee he`d still explored the village a bit and had been delighted to find that his first impression had been right,it really *was* one of the most charming places he`d ever seen and it had taken his mind completely off every thought of ghosts. Viggo put his shopping on the kitchentable and wondered if he should have an early dinner and then wait for the sunset.He contemplated making a few sketches of the sun setting over the cottage,but decided against it,there`d still be plenty of opportunities for that.He took a quick,refreshing shower and read a bit before making dinner,which actually turned out quite well although he hadn`t cooked in ages. After he`d finished dinner he sat in the garden for a while,just taking in the subtle changes in the garden at dusk.The chirping of the crickets,the small rustling noises of mice and hedgehogs,scurrying through the bushes,the grass that still smelled of sunlight and the faint breeze that already bore the earthier scents of night,the trees that suddenly seemed to carry stars like small,glowing fruit.The sunlight drenched daytime garden of Monet gradually gave way to the mysterious fairy tale forests of Arthur Rackham`s* illustrations.Full of bizarre yet beautiful shapes,and shadows that seemed to have a life of their own.It seemed as if he`d only have to wait long enough,and he`d see a procession of tiny lantern-bearing pixies,dancing in glittering circles on the grass.It had been completely dark for some time,when Viggo finally did go inside again.In his apartment he`d probably switch on the tv now,and paint and write with the monotonous voices on CNN droning in the background.He didn`t feel like that now and decided to go to bed and read a bit more.He´d started the book ages ago,but had somehow never found the time to finish it. When he opened the bedroom door he was met by an equally unexpected and beautiful sight.His bed was strewn with wild rose and appleblossom petals.Apparently the wind had carried them through the open window,so that now his bed seemed to be covered in a sprinkling of fragrant snow.After just delightedly staring for a few of seconds,Viggo carefully turned back the covers and climbed into bed.He took a couple of deep breaths,enjoying the sweet scent of the petals,and opened his book.He`d read only a few pages,when he felt his eyelids grow heavier and heavier,refusing to stay open.He halfheartedly tried to fight it,but quickly gave up,and happily allowed himself to fall asleep.This bed was just too comfortable to stay awake in for long. +++++++++++++++++++ He stood in the door of a lavishly furnished,oldfashioned room.The walls were covered with heavy tapestries,and in the middle of the room stood a huge four-poster bed.This was his room,Viggo realized.He was watching another man,busily lighting every candle in the room and then kindling a fire in the enormous fireplace.After he`d finished,the man stretched out his hands to the warmth of the fire and gave a little sigh,seemingly oblivious of Viggo`s presence.”Orlando,”Viggo heard himself say.The other man jumped and quickly scrambled to his feet. “I`m sorry Sir, I didn`t see you there.I lit the candles like you ordered and …the fire…,I didn`t mean to sit there for long Sir,but my hands were…I`m sorry.” The last words were not much more than a whisper.The young man stared down at his hands,obviously expecting some kind of punishment.Viggo couldn`t believe that this man,Orlando,feared he would get punished for warming his hands.Why would he want to do that?He could never hurt Orlando,he loved him.He loved Orlando!Strange he hadn`t realized that before,or maybe he just hadn`t remembered it. “There is no need for you to apologize.If your hands are cold,you are welcome to warm them as long as you like.” As if to emphasize his words,Viggo took the other man`s hands in his.Orlando`s eyes widened at the unexpected touch,and he quickly lowered his gaze.Viggo thought he could see him blush slightly. “Look at me,” he said softly. The young man hesitantly met his gaze and if Viggo had not already been sure he loved him,he would have been now.He could hardly breathe,gazing into those dark,soulful eyes. “Don`t look so scared,”Viggo whispered,”don`t you know I would never hurt you?” He was not sure if Orlando believed him,but he nodded slowly and gave Viggo the most heartbreaking smile he had ever seen.Suddenly Viggo was aware of many things at once,how beautiful those hands were that he held in his,the way the fire made Orlando`s hair shine like polished ebony,the tiny dimple right under Orlando`s lower lip,the way his lashes cast long,trembling threads of shadow on his sculpted cheekbones.All this alone would have been irresistible,but it was that shy,boyish smile that was Viggo`s undoing. For a moment time seemed to stand still,and then Viggo felt his hands reaching up,seemingly of their own accord,to gently clasp Orlando`s face.Slowly he leaned forward,closer and closer,until he could feel the other man`s breath on his face,and then,when Orlando didn`t draw back,he closed the gap between them and kissed him.I was just a gentle touching of lips,but it was enough to send a warm wave of tenderness washing over him.Despite of what he felt,he pulled back to look at Orlando.He didn`t want to overwhelm him,especially since he was more than a little scared his feelings might not be returned. For a some seconds Orlando was completely still,his eyes had slipped shut and he seemed lost in the memory of their kiss.Then suddenly his eyes flew open again,and his face turned into a perfect mask of surprise,as if he`d only now realized that his Master had kissed him. “Sir,I didn`t know…,”he whispered.Viggo`s heart sank. “I have to apologize,I should not have…it was wrong of me to..kiss you,”he stammered. Viggo mentally cursed himself,he must have been crazy!Orlando certainly thought now that his earlier invitation was just his way of telling him that he might not get punished,but he certainly would have to pay. “No!”the young man`s hands gently but firmly grasped his shoulders and prevented Viggo from drawing back. “No,I meant I didn`t know we felt the same,”he said breathlessly and for a moment he looked like someone teetering on the edge of a cliff,trying to find the courage to jump.And then it was him that closed the distance between them,and their lips met in a tender kisss. ++++++++++++++ Viggo didn`t know what had awoken him,but suddenly the beautiful face so close to his had melted away and left him staring into the silent darkness of his bedroom.*Orlando!*The mysterious face had a name now.*Orlando,Famous Land,*he remembered.And something else he remembered,he loved Orlando or at least*had*loved him in that dream,because he couldn`t very well love someone who didn`t exist,could he?But this dream had been so different from the confusing nightmare of the previous night.It had felt like seeing everything through the eyes of a stranger then,remembering a stranger`s emotions. That feeling had been completely absent now.Viggo sighed,of course his brain might have just come up with the name Orlando because of that strange inscription on the window.He was about to reach for his alarmclock on the bedside table,when he felt something that let him freeze instantly.Someone was breathing against his neck!At once a million incoherent thoughts flooded his mind.A burglar that wanted to make sure he was asleep,a lunatic that climbed into bed with his victims before killing them,a drunk that had lost his way and decided to sleep it off in his bed,a cat that had somehow got in?His heart was racing and he felt tiny beads of sweat form on his face.If it was a burglar,the only thing he could do was pretend to sleep even if the covers were stolen directly off him.Viggo tried to keep breathing as calmly as he could,when suddenly a warm hand touched his bare shoulder. Inexplicably,all fear left him at that touch.It felt soft and reassuring and,for some reason,as if he`d been expecting it.Viggo felt his entire body relax and a delicious warmth flooded his limbs.He began to feel pleasantly light-headed and his eyelids became so heavy,he couldn`t have kept his eyes open if he`d wanted to.But somehow,he could still see.He could see the wooden ceiling above him,and at the same time look down on himself lying in bed,he noted with mild surprise.And something else he noted,he wasn`t alone.A slender figure was lying curled up right beside him,gently touching his shoulder. *I missed you,*he rather felt than heard the figure whisper,like someone talking in a dream and yet Viggo knew he wasn`t dreaming anymore. *I missed you too,*he thought.He knew he didn`t have to speak for the other man to hear him. *You won`t leave me again,won`t you?*The other man`s face was now hovering directly over Viggo`s. *No,Orlando,I´ll never leave you again.*Viggo knew this was the truth,the moment he`d thought it. Orlando gave a small,happy laugh and Viggo felt lips,soft as rose petals,brush against his and then dot featherlight kisses all over his face,only to return to his mouth and suckle gently on his lower lip.”Mmmh,”Viggo purred softly.God,this was crazy,what on earth was he doing? *I`m kissing the man I love,*he thought,nothing had ever felt so right.He still couldn`t open his eyes,but he didn`t need to,he could see everything behind his closed lids.Orlando had propped himself up on his elbow,and was lightly resting his forehead against Viggo`s *Love me,*the other voice whispered pleadingly,and fingers,soft like kitten`s paws,skimmed lightly across Viggo`s chest.He had never felt anything like that touch before.It wasn`t simply like someone just touching his body,but his very soul,as if warm tendrils of pure love were wrapping themselves around his entire being. Viggo found himself nodding without any second thought,and raised his head,wanting to kiss those tantalizing lips again.But two strong hands on his shoulders stopped him,pushing him back onto the pillow.Orlando was smiling at him with a mixture of shyness and mischief.Viggo didn`t think he`d ever seen anything so erotic as this combination of innocence and lust,like a fawn with the eyes of a lion.The dark head swooped down and a velvety tongue bushed across Viggo`s throat,followed by teeth nipping lightly at his collarbone.Viggo gasped when the other man suddenly stroked his entire body against his in a graceful motion.Unable to suppress a moan,he reached up and ran his palms over Orlando`s shoulders,wanting to increase the touch.He was rewarded by a low purr against his throat,and then a soft mouth closed around his left nipple,sucking lightly, while warm fingers caressed the other.For a few moments Viggo simply surrendered himself to the delicious sensations those soft lips evoked,but then Orlando switched from sucking to tenderly biting and licking the sensitive nub,and Viggo found it impossible to lie still. He tangled his hands in the dark curls and let his fingers follow the graceful curve of the back of Orlando`s head,playing with the feathery soft hair there.Apparently encouraged by Viggo`s touch,Orlando slowly began to trail a moist path of small licks and kisses further and further down across Viggo`s stomach,pausing at the navel to teasingly flick his tongue into the tiny hollow,suddenly gently squeezing Viggo`s erection through his boxers.Viggo couldn`t bear it any longer,he sat up and pulled the other man flush against him,it was incredible just to feel Orlando`s body writhe sensually in his arms.He could sense the heat of the young man`s rigid sex,pressing temptingly against his stomach.He kissed Orlando deeply,nipping at the sensitive lower lip,hungrily sucking his tongue into his mouth,grazing it lightly with his teeth.Orlando tasted faintly of gingerbread,Viggo noted. The young man moaned and arched his back,brushing his erection against Viggo`s.But just feeling wasn`t enough anymore,Viggo needed to see,to touch.He slowly lowered the other man onto the mattress,so that now he was straddling his thighs.Looking down at him,he found himself awed once more by just how beautiful Orlando was.His caramel skin shimmered like liquid silver in the moonlight,his sculpted muscles seemed to vibrate with tension and his sex was already leaking pearly beads of moisture. *My beautiful Orli*Orli!He had called him that hadn`t he ? The other man`s eyes widened in happy surprise,*You remember!* Of course Viggo remembered,for a second he wondered how he could have forgotten.He nodded and then slowly moved to cover Orlando`s body with his.For a moment they just gazed at each other,Viggo feeling stunned by the sheer love he saw shining in the young man`s dark eyes. Their mouths met again in a slow,deep kiss before Viggo began caressing the young man`s neck with his tongue,licking the sensitive Adam`s apple,feeling the fine tendons tense under his mouth,nipping lightly at the delicate collarbones.He traced Orlando`s chest with his hands like a blind man,following the path of his fingers with his mouth,trying to memorize every inch of skin he touched.His lips found a tiny nipple and he caught it gently between his teeth,flicking his tongue across it until it grew hard under his mouth.Orlando moaned and began to shift under him,his hips pressing against Viggo`s,trying to increase the contact.Smiling against the young man`s chest,Viggo reached between their bodies and wrapped his hand around Orlando`s erection,not stroking but only squeezing him lightly. Orlando stilled instantly,concentrating completely on that intimate touch.His head had fallen back on the pillow and his eyes had slipped shut,his posture reminding Viggo of a certain Michelangelo statue.**Never taking his eyes of the beautiful man before him,Viggo began pumping him with slow,steady strokes.He found himself mesmerized by the sight of Orlando squirming with pleasure,his tongue repeatedly moistening his lips,his velvet-on-steel erection throbbing with need.Viggo wondered how he could have thought he knew what beauty truly was before this.He wanted to feel every inch of Orlando`s skin against his lips,savour the other man`s essence.In a swift motion he swooped down and licked a bead of pearly fluid off Orlando´s sex.It tasted of…nothing really,as if he had just dipped his tongue into a clear spring,not at all that peculiar,salty taste Viggo remembered. Orlando had gasped at the touch,his eyes flying open again.Viggo raised his gaze to meet Orlando`s and without breaking the eye contact,swallowed the young man`s sex to the hilt.Viggo was pleasantly surprised to find he hadn`t lost that ability although his last relationship with a man had been over ten years ago.For a moment he remained completely still,his gaze still fixed on Orlando`s flushed face,then he started a languid pace on the heated flesh between his lips,sucking only lightly,swiping his tongue across the sensitive head on every other stroke.The young man`s chest was now rising and falling more and more rapidly and Viggo could feel him fight the urge to thrust into his mouth.He began to suckle a bit harder,massaging Orlando`s soft sac with his fingertips,adding a little more stimulation.Orlando was now moaning with every stroke,his sex beginning to twitch against Viggo`s tongue.Viggo knew he was close to climaxing and increased the suction still further. *Stop!*The word rung in his head,causing him to look up,startled.*Come inside me,please,*the young man`s voice,pleading almost desperately. God,Viggo had probably never wanted anything so much.He closed his hand around Orlando´s erection,pumping it until his fingers were sufficiently covered with moisture,and then began to gently massage the young man`s entrance. *No,please,I need you inside me now,*Orlando`s arousal seemed to be bordering on pain,his entire body shaking with need. *But I don`t want to hurt you,*although Viggo longed to find his release between those slender thighs,the thought of hurting Orlando terrified him. *You won`t Viggo,trust me,*a warm hand brushed reassuringly across Viggo`s face,again spreading that incredible feeling of utter love through his entire body. His fingers were still moist with the young man`s semen,so after ridding himself of his boxers,he coated his erection with it and positioned himself between Orlando`s legs,resting his weight on his forearms,allowing every part of them to be in contact.Viggo`s gaze met Orlando`s,seeking one final confirmation that he really wanted this.Although he was beginning to feel dizzy with arousal,he would immediately stop should he see only the slightest hint of doubt in the other man`s eyes.Apparently sensing the older man´s aprehension,Orlando smiled and pulled him into a tender kiss.*Yes,my love,yes.* His lips still pressed to Orlando`s,Viggo sheathed himself in the young man´s body in one slow stroke.At that moment the earth seemed to stop turning,or maybe the earth had been still all the time and only now began to turn,Viggo would have been unable to tell.But suddenly he realized two things that equally appalled and delighted him.The first thing was that he had never been complete in his entire life,he had simply been one half of something that yearned to be whole again,that even during his happiest moments,something essential had been missing.But the other thing made all this seem irrelevant,because now he was complete,now he knew what had been missing.Orlando,the angelic young man he was finally reunited with and,just as important,his love for him.The knowledge that he wanted to cherish him,love him,hold him and never let him go,not just in a dream but for the rest of his life.That without his love for Orlando,he could never be truly Viggo. This realisation surged through him like a bright flame,making him burn not only with passion but deep love for the young man beneath him.*I love you,*that was all he could think as he slowly started to move inside Orlando`s body.Orlando`s channel was tight,hot and silky and Viggo could feel a racing heartbeat throb around his sex.The pleasure was almost too much,and he had to bite his lip to keep himself from climaxing immediately.His own body was screaming for release,begging him to plunge deep and hard into Orlando,but he forced himself to keep his thrusts slow and gentle.Orlando moaned loudly when Viggo began to move within him and raised his hips to meet every thrust,slowly at first,but gradually growing in intensity.Encouraged by the other man`s responsiveness,Viggo changed his angle slightly and thrust a bit harder.Orlando released a strangled gasp when Viggo stimulated his prostate.In a sudden movement he wrapped his legs around Viggo`s waist,driving him into his body as deeply as possible.Now it was Viggo`s turn to gasp,he was now buried to the hilt in his lover`s tight grasp,his sac rubbing deliciously against Orlando`s firm buttocks. The young man began to writhe uncontrolably,his every move enough to drive Viggo mad with desire.*Please.*That one word was all it took.Viggo withdrew almost entirely from Orlando,until only the head of his erection was still encased in his lover`s body,and then thrust back deeply.This had to be heaven,this wild,unbridled passion with which they loved each other.He thrust powerfully into Orlando again and again,striking the other man´s prostate every time.Orlando was now thrashing beneath him,screaming softly at every thrust,raising his hips off the bed.The incredible sensation,combined with the erotic little noises the young man was making,was beginning to bring Viggo dangerously close to the edge.He reached between their joined bodies,and began to stroke Orlando in time with his thrusts. It only took a few firm strokes and Viggo felt the narrow channel begin to spasm violently around his erection,squeezing almost unbearably tight,and then a warm liquid splashed against his stomach.That was more than Viggo could take,he thrust as deep as he could for a couple of times,and then everything around him exploded in white light.At the moment of his climax Viggo felt something he had never felt before,and doubted he would ever feel again.He could feel how,for a moment,there were not one but two souls within his body,his and Orlando`s,mingling,delighting in their union.And how those two souls were opened like a book for the other to read,and every feeling,hope and dream they harboured was there for the other to see.For a moment Viggo thought he was going to die and,for a second,he almost hoped it. And then it stopped.Everything stopped,everything he touched,saw,heard and felt seemed to be torn from him with incredible brutality.And then everything returned and his eyes flew open.There was only his room.Silent,dark and empty. *Arthur Rackham 1867-1939 British painter most famous for his illustrations of children`s books. **Viggo is thinking about Michelangelo´s magnificent “Dying Slave”.