Ray Doyle sighed happily as he spied the familiar handwriting scrawled across an envelope in his mailbox. He hurried up the stairs, made sure he flipped the security system on once he was inside, dropped his jacket over a chair, poured himself a scotch, and settled onto the couch. After a sip of the drink, he carefully scrutinized the envelope--the only contact he'd had with his partner for almost six weeks.

George Cowley, their boss and Controller of C15, had sent 3-7 to Northern Scotland in a last ditch attempt to end the physical part of their relationship by separating them. The Controller had not been amused when his comment concerning their "unnatural relationship" had been met with "nothing about this mob is natural, sir" response from a thoroughly enraged 3-7.

Shaking his curly head slightly at the memory, Ray opened the enveloped and pulled out a greeting card with a picture of the sun on the front. 'Sunshine, all light is dimmed until I am again within your orbit, Love, Bodie.' The smile that single line brought forth lit up the room.

Since the Cow had forbidden phone calls, and made sure Doyle had no time to travel up to join his partner, Bodie had--every day since he'd been gone--written. Sometimes it was pages of his careful handwriting explaining his frustrations with the case; a story about someone he'd met; or a brief line of poetry on the beauty of the sunset. Sometimes it was a simple heartfelt sentence 'I miss you so much, I ache'. His favorite letters, though, had been those which gave him insight into the mystery that was his partner's past. He had raged against the monsters that had abused and mistreated the ten year old child; cried over the young merc's loss of innocence and trust; and had nightmares about the Congo prison. There must have been something about the solitude of pen and paper that allowed Bodie to share parts of himself that he could never discuss. Doyle knew that, odd as it sounded, he had learned more about his partner's past in the last six weeks then in all their years together.

He treasured every letter, feeling as though they allowed him to hold a part of his lover in his hands. And if the Cow thought the long separation was going to be the end of the two, he had badly miscalculated. Ray felt closer to Bodie now than he ever had.

He leaned his head back against the couch and, closing his eyes, pictured the short dark hair, the piercing blue eyes and the sleek, muscular body of his lover. His right hand unzipped his jeans and released his filling cock from its prison, while his left began to play with the nipples visible through the half open shirt. He breathed deeply, his memory supplying the earthy scent that meant Bodie, while he replayed a favorite scene in his mind: Bodie naked, hard, and panting tied spread eagle on their bed with ties, his pale white skin in sharp contrast to the black silk sheets. The muscular body glistening with sweat, his taut thighs flung wide in invitation; precum dripping from the head of the purple clock wrapped in black leather with a strap that attached it to gold nipple clamps.

He stood beside the bed, tight with tension as his right hand worked his aching cock "Look at me!" He ordered. "You are going to watch me come--see what you do to me." Two hard tugs, and his scream of completion drowned out Bodie's moan as the hot seed covered the bound man's chest and face.

"Please Ray, Please...let me show you...make me come...take me, make me yours," the soft plea broke through his stupor, and he slowly raised his head, green eyes beginning to sparkle as they drank in the desperate creature trapped on the bed.

He straddled his captive, slender fingers edging lightly over the solid muscle of the pale chest. A tweak of the leather connecting nipples and cock brought a groan of need that vibrated throughout the body beneath him. He moved up the chest, knees on either side of the tossing head. "Taste me!" He ordered, pushing his already half hard cock into the waiting mouth.

His hips thrust forward urgently as moist heat engulfed him. Shaking his head to separate his fantasy from reality, he blinked twice before shaky hands reached out to touch the short dark hair between his legs. His effort to raise the head was negated as a finger found his hole and he came, thrusting mercilessly into the hot cavern.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself staring into concerned blue pools. "Sunshine, you with me?" Ray pulled the body tightly against him. "Easy, Ray. I got you." The soft voice whispered in his ear.

"Oh Bodie...is it really you?"

"In the flesh, mate. I finished the job, did the report, dropped it at HQ and came home as soon as I could. Cowley's in Surrey for the week end and won't even know I'm back until Monday morning." He paused, expression serious as he memorized the beloved face in his hands. "Missed you, love. Decided if Cowley can't live with this, with us, then we don't need him. Don't ever want to be gone that long again...not without you."

"Won't let you," Ray whispered before kissing him. "Never again. You belong with me, Bodie. Your letters were...were the only thing that kept me going."

"Kept me going, knowing you'd be sitting here at the end of the day reading my thoughts," the younger man admitted. "I'd picture you, just the side lamp on with a glass of scotch as you read my words. Never was much good with them."

"Bodie, love, reading them was like having you beside me. Only problem was, the paper was a poor substitute to you lying next to me in our bed." He stood and tugged his partner up beside him. "You think you could do something to rectify that problem?"

"Oh, Sunshine, I think I'd like to try." Hand in hand the two men made their way up the narrow staircase.

-- THE END --

July 2007