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Chapter Two: Don't Look Up

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"Dr. Jackson!"

The call pulled Daniel back from the lost edges of memory to the present.  The quiet evening sounds penetrated his senses as the moment was broken, casting the last vestiges of remembrance into tiny shards of dust. He cast about for the source of the voice to see Adam Pierson standing about 100 yards away. 'Ah, the grad student from Paris.'

"Dr. Jackson?"

"Yes?"

"Mind if I join you?" The low pitch, reminiscent of want and need, dropped like water into the throat of a thirsting man. The tone, the inflection, the words themselves sent forbidden promises straight to his groin. The man merely stood there awaiting his answer, bottled water held carelessly in his hand, neither sensing the effect of his words on Daniel, nor seeming to care if he did.

"No, come on up." Daniel cleared the husky overtones from his voice as he watched the man climb up the dune and sprawl in a boneless heap next to him.  Adam had been with the group for almost six months now, long enough to know Daniel spent most of his evenings here, frequently joining him when allowed.  His silent offering of companionship was rarely turned down, and with increasing frequency turned straight to lust. What was this indefineable something that this man carried with him? That thing which drew Daniel from his mind, and his heart, to desire another? That something, which promised nothing, gave nothing, simply existed to fill an aching void....

Methos watched the play of emotion run over Daniel's face from the corner of his eye, knowing the man was trying yet again to figure him out. The casual touches in the trenches of the dig. The almost constant nearness. The evenings spent laughing or playing cards, chess. They amounted to a burgeoning friendship, one he allowed himself to indulge in. Now though, he sensed the growing need for something more.

He didn't fool himself into thinking there was an emotional bond forming.  This was basic lust at work, but he was definitely okay with that. A fling, something both of them could enjoy and walk away from. Minds and hearts intact. No strings, no commitments. He wasn't ready for one, and he *knew* Jackson wasn't either. He'd spent too many a night awash in his own memories not to notice the signs of regret, of things left behind. Simple really, when one considered that that was why he was out here digging up pieces of his past in the first place. He was here to settle recent memories; to forget, just as Daniel was.

He allowed a small caustic smile to flirt at the corners of his lips.  Time to test some limits.  Lifting the bottle of water haphazardly to his mouth, he drank.  

"Want some?" Methos tossed the comment out, drawing Daniel's attention from the setting sun to his face.

"Ah, no thanks." Daniel's voice fell back into the familiar rythyms of desire as he disregarded the offered drink proffered by his companion. His eyes remained drawn to Adam's face even though the man had already turned away, Daniel's attention fixed on the moisture collected at the corner of Adam's mouth.

The errant drop of water slipped out the corner of Adam's mouth, hanging on his chin for just a second. It fell to the ground, tumbling and twisting, the sand hungrily devouring the priceless moisture the instant it hit. Daniel slipped his hand into the soft, fine silt wistfully; dreaming of tracing the path the drop had taken. Tasting the salty texture of Adam's skin.  Feeling the rough stubble as it slid against his lips, over his tongue, and at last capturing Adam's lips for his own. 'God, how he craved to be that water.' Craved being allowed to touch, feel, and soothe Adam's parched throat.

Hurriedly he looked away, embarrassed at his prolonged study of the  simple act of drinking. He didn't need Adam to see how envious he was of that tiny nodule of liquid; *it* being allowed the freedom to roam at will over the smooth planes should *it* so desire. The same smooth planes he fantasised nightly about.

"Damn, it's been too long."

"Pardon?"

"Oh, sorry Adam, thinking out loud."

"Anything in particular?" The slight hint of amusement coating his words drew Daniel's gaze back to Adam's face. Adam took another swig of the water, his throat working, draining the liquid into his body with a slow sucking motion. Daniel was unconsciously drawn to watch as yet again, the refreshment was allowed the pleasure of touching those rich lips that craved to be plundered. The drowsy sensual motion of swallowing reminded him sharply of more carnal acts. Coulor flooded his cheeks, as Daniel grasped an elusive image of those lips enveloping his organ, and plunging down to the root.

"Ah - no - nothing. I - ah - I just need a shower. It's been so long since I've had a shower....I feel... like one big piece of....sandpaper...." Daniel finished lamely, casting an apologetic glance toward his companion as he hurried off. The sound of Adam's delighted laughter drifted down the dune after him.

"Hey! Wait for me. You'll need someone to wash your back."

'Oh geez...'

Regardless of the fact that having someone to help with washing would be nice, Daniel knew he wouldn't be able to stand such close proximity to Adam's nude body without further embarrassing himself. It was difficult enough to keep his libido under control when he was around Adam, and after that little scene on the dune, there would be absolutely no way to hide the tell-tale signs. Daniel pushed his glasses back up on his nose, nervously watching as the man in question loped down the hill.

'What do I do now?' The self recrimination must have been written across his face, because Adam playfully pushed him toward the shower with an offhanded, "Come on, I won't bite. Not unless you want me to."

Chuckling at his own joke, Methos slid languidly past Daniel to sit on the nearby bench, and started to shuck his boots. His corded muscles rippled across his well-formed back with quick, efficient movements, and Daniel swallowed painfully at the sight. Adam's skin had picked up a light blush from spending hours in the sun, yet he hadn't once complained. The enhanced colouring only accentuated the pull and release of his muscles as they worked in tandem with his arms.

Freeing his feet from the offending footwear and accompanying socks, Methos wiggled his toes in the dry, desert ground.

"That feels so good. I've been wanting to get out of those bloody things all day." The lyrical sound of Adam's voice washed over Daniel in a symphony of lust. The soft tones spread into his hastily overloaded system, and sent an ache straight to his groin.

Methos unfurled, loosening the various kinks that stooping all day in the blistering sun had created in his lithe frame. He had started to unbutton his shorts when he noticed Daniel hadn't moved from his spot in the doorway of the showering stall. "Are you going to stand there all day lost in thought, or get into the shower?"

"Shower!" came out in a pitiful squeak, as Daniel finally released the breath he had inhaled when Adam stretched. He turned his head away from the man just as he resumed unbuttoning his shorts. Daniel heard the clothing slide down Adam's legs and hit the ground while he was removing his own footwear.

It was a mistake to look up.