Title: The Cabin

Author: Belynda

Email addy: belindat@ihug.co.nz

Fandom: Highlander/Sentinel

Pairing: Jim/Blair, Richie/Alex

Rating: NC-17

Archiving: Ask and I won’t turn you down. Just tell me where it ends up.

Series: Travelling Highlander

Website: http://slasharchive.simplenet.com/belynda.htm

Feedback: I love it, need it, crave it. belindat@ihug.co.nz is the place to send it.

Notes: Beta read by the fast Zerena. Thanks heaps for making my story that bit more readable<g>.

Disclaimer: Sigh, okay they don't belong to me. I play with them, let them do their thing, and give them back at the end of the day.

Summary: Jim, Blair, and Simon, finally meet Mac. But are they meeting for the first time?

"You know, I love the outdoors as much as the next man, but this? This could seriously drive a man nuts." Blair complained as his shoe got stuck in the mud, once again.

"Don’t worry Blair. Only another ten minutes or so and we’ll reach the cabin. Then you can relax." Alex said while grinning at his lover. Richie who grinned back at him

Jim, Blair, Alex, Richie, and Simon had planned to take a leisurely ride out to MacLeod’s cabin which stood a few miles out of Cascade. Two days of constant rain had turned the dirt road between the Highway and the Cabin to mud. This meant the car had to be left at the start of the dirt road. Or a mud road as it now was. Ankle deep, shoe sucking, slurping mud. And it *still* continued to rain.

In the 45 minutes they had been walking, they had all became soaked to the skin. And with each of them carrying backpacks for the week long stay, they were starting to picture a nice warm cabin with hot running water.

Alex had set about planning this trip for all of them over a month ago. Time off had been the hardest to arrange with all of them having full time jobs, Richie now working for a auto shop to save up money for a course he wanted to take.

But Alex had managed it. They were all looking forward to some R & R and the chance to get to know one another better. Alex, Richie and Mac, however, had other plans.. And they didn’t include R & R. They were going to sit the three other men down and tell them what they were. Hopeful they wouldn’t be carted off to the madhouse after they finished explaining the way of their new lives.

"So, Alex, man. Tell us some more about this Mac person." Blair asked.

"Mac. To put it simply, he is one of the most loyal and honest people you could meet. He’s one of those people you could ring at 3 in the morning to come and pick you up. And be in a good humour about it. You’ll all like him. He’s a great friend. And he’s kept Richie out of trouble." Yelping when his lover gave him a swat on the arm, Alex grinned.

"What does he do?" Jim asked, smiling as he watched the two young lovers playfully swat at each other.

"He used to run an antiques store, but he now runs a dojo in Seacouver." Richie explained as he ducked a high swat. He was about to give payback when both he and Alex stilled and looked forward.

Jim had been keeping a eye out for this behavior. He had noticed that whenever the couple were near and either Blair or Simon entered the room, they would still and turn towards the nearest door. Just like Blair or Simon got a headache just before the couple turned up. He was becoming more concerned as time went by but until they actually did something, there was nothing he could do.

A few seconds later and they stepped into a clearing. A two-story cabin stood proud and sturdy in the grey light of the day. As they approached, the front door opened and out stepped a tall, dark, handsome man.

Rushing up the steps, Alex gave him a quick hug before hurrying inside. "Cold," he explained as he went past.

Sighing Richie met Mac on the steps. After a quick hug, he introduced everyone. "Mac, this is Jim Ellison, Blair Sandburg, and Simon Banks. Guys, this is Duncan MacLeod, just call him Mac."

As eager as they were to get inside, Jim and Blair didn’t notice how MacLeod and Simon stilled as their eyes locked. The door locked behind them, leaving the two men alone on the porch. A painful silence stretched out as eyes hungrily devoured the other.

After a long pause, Duncan broke the silence. "Simon. I wasn’t expecting to see you here. It’s a . . . surprise."

"That’s an understatement. I thought I would never see you again Duncan. It’s been eighteen years." Simon looked down and stepped towards the door. He hesitated with his hand on the door knob. "I don’t want anyone to know about . . . our past. No one."

"I understand. And Simon, for what it's worth. It is nice to see you are well." Mac said gently.

A quick nod then Simon was entering the cabin. After a heartbeat and a deep sigh of resignation, Duncan followed.

Inside the other four men were taking off their wet cloths. Seeing Duncan, Richie explained, "Sorry Mac, but our clothes are wet through. We don’t want to deal with colds over our break, so we’re changing into dry clothes. I hope you don’t mind?"

"No, go ahead. I’ll put more logs on the fire. So, how was the trip up here? Or need I ask?"

"Wet, muddy, wet, muddy, and oh, did I mention wet? Just great for camping." Blair offered as he put a second sweat shirt on. "Nice place you have here Mac. Did you build it yourself or did you buy it? It’s got more than three bedrooms, looking at the size, so I’m guessing it’s a family home. Are you married Mac or in a relationship? Cos this is *so* like a family home."

Jim stepped up behind his lover and wrapped a hand across the ever moving mouth. "Sorry Mac. He sometimes gets carried away."

Laughing, Mac dusted his hands off on his tight black jeans. He didn’t notice how Simon, followed his hands as they moved across cloth-covered skin. "That’s alright, Jim. No harm done. And to answer Blair’s questions, I brought this place some time ago, no I’m not married, nor am I in a relationship at the moment. And yes, it is a family house, but with all my friends dropping by as they do, it pays to have the extra room." Laughing at Richie’s pulled face, he moved over to the adjoining kitchen. "I put some soup on earlier. Would any one like some?"

Twenty minutes later heard the scrape of a spoon as it made it’s final crossing in the soup bowl. With a contented sigh, Richie placed his bowl on the dining table. "That was great Mac. Really hit the spot after being in the cold so long. And the cooking skills have improved too."

The grinning immortal got a tender cuff across the back of the head. "Thanks Richie, that means a lot to me. Now as I can see Blair fighting a yawn there -"

"Hey, give a guy a break. I had a lot of stuff to get through before we had to leave at eight. I’m tired."

"Okay, but that doesn’t excuse Jim from yawning."

"Hey, Blair started it."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Children! As Mac was trying to explain the sleeping arrangements. Mac."

"Thanks Alex. Now, we have three beds here and the couch. We could flip for the couch, or everyone could double up. What do you say?"

"Speaking for Blair, we’ll share a bed."

"Yeah, and Alex and I’ll share a bed too."

"Oh? Well, that’s great to know you two are getting along so well. I didn’t think you two would hit it off when I introduced you."

Alex opened his mouth to make a comment when he got a look from Richie that made him stop.

"Yeah, well, we found we had a lot in common, you know? No big deal." Richie offered while taking in the disappointment in his lover's eyes. He tried to convey his thoughts with his eyes, but Alex wasn’t having any of it. They had talked about telling Mac about them being lovers, but Richie thought it was to soon. Alex thought differently. It was the only thing they had fought over.

Mac was too caught up with idea of sharing a bed with Simon, he didn’t notice the interplay between his two friends. "So Simon. It looks like we’ll be sharing a bed. I hope that’s alright?" As each second passed, Mac grew doubtful that Simon had heard him.

"That’s fine." Simon finally said, much to the uneasy Immortal’s surprise.

"Okay. Well, that’s settled then. Everyone choose a room at the end of the night."

"Actually, man, I could like crawl into bed right now and go to sleep. Right, Jim?"

"What? Oh, right. Yeah, we’re really tired Mac. What with a full day at work and last minute packing." Jim offered belatedly, having recognized the gleam in his lover's eyes.

"Don’t forget the hike in the mud, man. That was pretty tiring too." Blair pointed out as he stood.

Grinning, Jim stood too. "Yeah, the hike too. We’ll see you all tomorrow. Night."

"Night."

"I’m kind of tired too. I’ll head off to bed." Alex said standing. Richie made to stand as well, but Alex placed a hand on Richie’s shoulders. "Sit, talk. I can see myself off to bed. I’ll probably be asleep when you come in anyway." *And you won’t be getting any tonight, so get that thought out of your head,* Alex thought. He had to get through to his younger lover that sometimes the smallest things meant the most. And telling Mac of their relationship meant a lot to him.

Understanding, the redhead sighed as he watched his now black-haired lover walk away from him. He had really messed things up with Alex there. And besides actually telling Mac the truth about their relationship, he didn’t know what else to do.

"Richie, I know about you and Alex."

"What?" Richie asked still kind of lost in his thoughts.

Duncan grinned. "I know you and Alex are lovers. I’ve known all along."

"What? How?" Richie asked puzzled and a little embarrassed.

"Let’s just say that, when ever you are on the phone, and you and Alex start to get . . . affectionate . . . just make sure you hang up first." Mac grinned.

At this statement, Richie started to do an impression of a fish, mouth opening and closing as he thought of what to say. "When?"

"Oh, about a week after you and Alex met. I did think it was strange at first that Alex let you stay with him and how close you were. But after that phone call, well, all of my fears were put to rest."

Richie shook his head in disbelief. "All this time? Why didn’t you say something Mac?"

"You obviously weren’t ready to tell me. I wasn’t going to force the issue."

Standing, Richie looked down at his long-time friend. "If you . . . If I . . . Shit, I’m going to bed."

Laughing, Mac and Simon watched as Richie headed up the stairs. At the sound of the bedroom door closing, both men quietened. Mac shyly looked at Simon out of the corner of his eye. "So, Simon. How’s Joan?"

Stiffening, Simon took a long sip of his coffee before responding. "She’s fine. We divorced several years ago. We aren’t friends, but I wouldn’t expect any friendliness on her part anyway."

A little shocked by this news, Mac hid it well. "And the baby?"

"Daryl. He’s 18 now, and in the top ten of his year. He’s a good boy. I love him." Offering a false smile, Simon asked Mac a few questions. "How are you, Duncan? Staying away from trouble, I hope. You would be in jail now if it hadn’t been for the eye witness that turned up suddenly all those years ago."

Not wanting to go anywhere near *that* topic, Mac steered it towards a safer subject. "That’s great news about Daryl, Simon. I knew having a son meant a lot to you. I am sorry you and Joan parted," Mac said sincerely.

"Yeah right. If you had known about me and Joan breaking up, you would have been back in Cascade quicker than a dog could bark."

"Is that what you think of me? I’ll have you know that after leaving Cascade I meet Tessa, who I loved with all my heart. We were together for twelve years. Before . . . before she was killed by a drug-crazed mugger. I would give anything for her to be alive and well again, Simon. Anything." Mac’s pain was evident to Simon.

"I’m sorry Duncan. I was taking my past pains out on you and I’m sorry for that. And I’m sorry you lost Tessa. It must be hard to lose a loved one."

"It is. I’m sorry I blew you off at you like that Simon. It’s still a sore point with me."

Knowing he had to do something to settle the uneasy air between them, Simon said the first thing that came into his mind. "So, you are running a dojo now. What’s that like?"

***************

When Richie entered the bedroom he was to share with Alex, he already knew his lover would be faking sleep. And he was right. With a sigh, he went over to his side of the bed and hurriedly got undressed. Away from the warmth of the log fire, the bedroom was cold.

Naked, he got into bed and tried to warm up. It didn’t help that his lover was as far away from him as possible. Still shivering, he thought of what he could say to Alex.

"Oh, for goodness sakes!" Alex muttered, as Richie’s shivering kept on. Turning over he reached out towards the surprised immortal and dragged him into his arms. Running his hands up and down the chilled back, a little of his anger disappeared. "What will I do with you, hmm? Making me mad. I thought you knew better."

Sighing contentedly within the strong arms of his lover, Richie snuggled in closer. "I’m sorry for not telling Mac sooner. I suppose I thought he might think less of me and I didn’t want that to happen. He’s like a big brother to me. I didn’t want to lose him."

"Hush," Alex whispered while stroking Richie’s hair. "You don’t have to explain your self to me. I understand it was a tough decision to make, but he knows now, right?"

Not willing to tell Alex that Mac had known almost from the start about their relationship, he just nodded.

For several long minutes Richie lay in Alex’s arms. Snuggling into his lovers shoulder, he pressed a tender kiss to Alex’s throat. And then another and another. Soon, he had made his way to Alex’s lips, were he was warmly greeted. Their lips met, and made love. Tongues sought entrance, and slid on into the warm mouth of the other.

Heart rates raced as they continued to kiss passionately. Lovingly. Without remorse. Without hesitation. Just trust, passion, and love.

Richie’s hand ran up into Alex’s long hair, loving the feel of the silky strands gliding past his fingers. The difference between dyed hair and natural, had made Richie threaten his lover against dying his hair ever again.

Breaking away, he kissed downward, nibbling on Alex’s chin, down to the bobbing Adam's apple where he slowly licked over the moving knob. Then down to where the neck met the shoulder, tenderly biting the skin, then easing the pain away with a gentle kiss. He sucked on the skin hard to leaving a short-term mark on the older immortal.

Loving the soft groans of pleasure as he repeatedly attacked this sensitive spot on his lover, he continued until he felt the thrusting of Alex’s hips against his. Moaning, he moved down further to the ringed nipples that awaited his attention. First he tongued the ring, being careful not to touch the nipple. Carefully he tugged on the ring, making Alex arch up seeking more.

"God, you are being wicked tonight. I love it. I love you." Alex whispered into the night, his body twisting, arching closer to Richie.

"I love you too. So much." The redhead whispered back, leaning up to capture the mouth of his loved one.

Suddenly he was on his back, his mouth being ravished so deliciously. Before he had a chance to get his bearing, the covers were thrown off as Alex sat up. He watched, eyes foggy, as his lover reached under his pillow and pulled out a bottle of lube. Alex then sensually, slowly, swung his leg over Richie’s so he was sitting astride the redhead's hips.

Alex popped open the lid on the lube and, taking his lovers hand in his, squirted a generous amount onto two fingers. Leaning forward, and pulling the arm behind himself, he placed Richie’s two fingers at his entrance. The younger man knew what to do as Alex, leaned forward and lightly brushed his lips back and forth across his lovers.

Richie had a hard time concentrating on stretching Alex for their lovemaking while Alex teased him with kisses. Finally his three fingers were easily trusting in and out of his lover, and he could no longer bear it.

"Alex please. . . I need you." Richie begged, his body so hard and hot, so eager to be inside his lover.

Rewarding his lover for his patience with a hard kiss, Alex then sat up. Placing more lube onto Richie’s hard erection, he locked eyes with his lover. "I love you."

Almost overcome by the honesty he saw in the black eyes, he could only whisper back his love for this man who, in such a short time, had turned his life upside down and given it meaning. A groan of pleasure escaped him as Alex pressed down against his hard length, and slowly he was surrounded by hot tightness. Loving, beautiful, sexy.

Again Alex leaned forward. This time his kiss wasn’t teasing. It was mind-shattering, soul-taking, loving. Reaching out, Richie wrapped his hands around his lover's hips as Alex started to move up and down his cock. Slow at first. Then faster and faster.

Alex reached up and gripped the headboard as he continued to kiss his lover while thrusting back and forth onto the cock that was burning within him.

Their breathing was harsh as they raced towards orgasm. The headboard slammed into the wall with a loud thud. But the lovers didn’t notice, lost within their own world.

Alex was the first to step over into orgasm, his cock rubbing hot and hard between his stomach and Richie’s. His head snapped up as his back arched down into Richie, his orgasm rolling over him in a fast wave and stealing his breath.

Groaning, Richie felt the hot juices of his lover squirt across his sweaty stomach. With a indrawn breath he let out a cry as he slammed Alex’s hips down onto his cock one last time. Everything went black as his body exploded in orgasm.

***********************

Jim and Blair had first been interrupted from their own lovemaking, with the first slam of the headboard against the wall. When it continued on, they gave up on their own lovemaking, as they kept getting distracted by their friends in the room next door.

Blair felt his own erection harden with a particular loud moan from one of them. But what drew his attention was Jim. The older man, leaning up on an elbow, had his head tilted to the side. Blair knew this meant Jim was listening in. But the expression on Jim’s face, he looked like he was surprised, shocked, and puzzled all at the same time.

"Jim, what are you hearing? Jim?"

Shaking his head, Jim looked down into his lover's face. "Blair. They are bare."

Giggling at Jim’s words, the younger man indicated themselves. "Well so are we, big guy. You kind of need to be when you’re in bed making love."

"No, I mean, they are bare. They aren’t using condoms."

"Well, maybe, they're not. . . " At Jim’s look, he understood finally. "They are. Okay. Right."

When Blair didn’t say any more, Jim looked down to see his lover thinking. Then as the noises got louder and louder as the lovers raced towards climax, Jim turned his attention to his lover, intending to make some noise of his own.

**********************

Downstairs, both men looked up as they heard the headboard stopped beating a tattoo against the wall and heard Richie’s low cry of pleasure. Then silence reigned.

"Well. If one good thing came out of that, it’s that I now know I have to soundproof the walls." Mac said in the quiet room.

Simon found this very funny as he started laughing. "Oh, god. And we’re here for a week." Then he burst out laughing again.

Mac smiled, seeing the humor in the situation. Then he started laughing too.

When they finally stopped laughing, their cheeks were rosy. Mac looked across the table at Simon. The larger man was relaxed for the first time since he had arrived, and he looked younger for it. Mac let his eyes roam his once best friend. Simon had hardly changed in the 18 years since they had last met. He knew that Simon was now immortal, so that meant the black man wouldn’t age any more. He looked good. The years had been kind.

"What are you looking at?"

"What? Oh, sorry Simon. I didn’t mean to stare, I was just thinking that you have hardly changed since I last saw you. You look good." Luckily the warmth of the fire prevented his flush from being too obvious.

Pausing, Simon took in the younger man sitting across from him. "You haven’t aged a bit. You look exactly the same. In fact you should look ten years older than me. Instead you look ten years younger. What happened? You stumbled across the Fountain of Youth?" Simon asked not unkindly.

"No. Just good geans I guess. My kind age well." *Dammit, why did I say that? Now he’s going to start thinking.*.

*His kind?* He opened his mouth to ask what Duncan meant, but he was interrupted by sounds coming from Jim's and Blair’s room. Groaning, Simon laid his head down on the table. "Why me? I wanted to get away from it all, have some piece and quiet, and I end up sharing a cabin with four very horny blokes. What did I do wrong?"

"Simon, it’s not that bad. Hey, don’t look at me like that. It’s not. Honest. Our bedroom is a lot quieter once the door is closed." *I can’t believe I just said that. Our bedroom. He’s going to sleep on the couch. I know it.* Duncan despaired, watching Simon closely.

As the Captain, digested Duncan’s words, the moaning from above got louder. Dismissing the long-haired man's words as a slip of the tongue, he stood up. "It’s been a long day. I’m off to bed. Night."

"Night." Watching with a heavy heart as Simon walked away from him, Duncan finally understood that he had lost one of the best friendships he had ever had. And all because he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sighing, he got up and banked the fire out.

Closing the cabin down for the night, he first used the bathroom, and then placed his hand on the knob of the bedroom door. Taking a deep breath, he walked in, and closed the door behind himself.

END PART 5

To be continued

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