RENDEZ-VOUS

By Eliza
elizawpg@shaw.ca

RATING:  R   m/m (slash)
CATEGORY/PAIRING: X-over  QOS/HL Montoya/Michael Adamson (aka Methos)
DISCLAIMER: It seems that Fireworks and Rysher, who own them, are ignoring them -- so they bugged me until I wrote them this.
NOTES:  This story is part of the Leopard series and takes place after "The Ambuscade" in the Empress AU timeline.
SUMMARY: Montoya receives instuctions for a meeting.

He was brought back to himself by the sharp squeals of children playing near by and quickly moved toward his office.  This letter he would have to open in private.  He berated himself all the way up the staircase.  It was likely just another cryptic note helping him to set up meetings with men who happened to find a few extra guns or the odd cannon in their supplies.  There was no reason for his heart to be racing, and his mind to be wandering back to the only time he had met the writer face to face eight months ago.

Luis closed the door to his office and made his way to his desk.  He looked down at his chair, remembering the hazel eyes smiling up at him while goading him to share lurid details of a previous sensual encounter.  His relaxed posture while seated in the chair had made Michael seem so. . . safe.  However, when a stray comment caught his attention, and he came to stand at full height and very close, Luis had started to panic.  The man was overwhelming.  All he could think of was to strike out, move him away, even as he gripped the edge of his desk to keep his hands from dragging Michael even closer.

The remembered anxiety broke through Luis' revery and he quickly seated himself in his chair.  He placed the other letters aside and again stared at the envelope.  He knew if he opened his copy of "Don Quixote" the inscription would be a perfect match for this writing.  Luis took a deep breath and broke the seal.  There were three lines - a place, a date, and a time.  No greeting, no signature, no personal touches at all.  That in itself was telling; all the other notes had been full of false detail and hidden information. This was making a very intimate assumption, that Luis would know who he was meeting and would act accordingly.

Luis found himself remembering the feel of Michael's skin.  The silky smoothness of round shoulders giving way to a slight roughness of hair on the forearms.  The shift of back muscles under his hands as he pulled the man closer to taste the tempting throat.  Then the feel and sound of the moan as Luis' wandering hands encounter a particularly sensitive spot. The wandering hands became Michael's, and Luis recalled the clever fingers stroking his thighs and over his buttocks.  The scrape of light stubble against his hip. The softness of dark hair brushing his belly. The warmth of a wet tongue as it traveled the length of....

Enough! The discomfort of his body's reactions to the daydreams caught his attention.  He had to put this out of his mind.  He had never been this easily distracted, even as a youth. Only one day, Luis.  You can keep yourself occupied until then. He went to hold the note over the lamp flame, but then changed his mind and tucked it into his jacket, before turning his focus to the rest of the correspondence.

The work was routine and unengaging - no help there.  Luis ate his lunch in the courtyard hoping some distraction would wander by, but the one day he wouldn't mind company he was left in peace.  Grisham was usually good for some unpleasant news.  The past few days had been quiet, though, and the colonel found that even insulting his captain had lost its charm.

His emotions continued to run from elation to despair throughout the day; he was finding it very disturbing.  Luis considered himself very even-tempered  - unless provoked.  This agitation could be a sign of illness.  He should call for Dr. Helm.  An image of the local doctor came to mind and Luis immediately dismissed the notion - it was a very bad idea.  If he let his guard slip and said something... did something... reacted....  Helm would not be amused.  Michael would think it was hilarious, but then he had a twisted sense of humor.

The colonel ordered his dinner early and then instructed the servants to heat him a bath.  A warm, relaxing bath, accompanied by some of the cognac that Juan had managed to find for him. It was good to have connections in high places.  That should be just the thing to settle his nerves.

The bath didn't help - it should have been cold.  When Luis realized the folly of trying to counteract a sensual distraction with another sensual distraction, he resolved to end this day.  He went to bed.

Sleep was not difficult for him to find, but then neither were the dreams.  He was suddenly contemplating an image of skin glowing gold in candle light.  Muscles moved restlessly under the surface while the lithe body tried unsuccessfully to hold itself still under his scrutiny.  When his gaze finally reached the fascinating face, he found himself held captive by the intensity of the expression; the eyes reflected the light like a cat's.  The cat pounced.

Luis was at the mercy -- not of claws, but of strong hands, and not sharp teeth, but of a hot, wet mouth.  But, oh yes, this cat did have teeth.  They scrapped, nibbled, bit with a stinging sharpness that was quickly soothed by a the attention of a soft tongue. Michael marked his territory with feline nuzzles and kisses and full body caresses.  The dark hair threaded between Luis' fingers was silkier than the softest pelt.  The purr of this cat, low and smooth, sent tremors along his skin.  Then he started to hear the words in that purr.  The whispered pleas. The growled commands. The softly spoken nonsense with just the right balance of humor and reverence. "Oh, what a piece of work is man..."  All the while deft hands stimulated almost every inch of his flesh, creating erotic sensation in places he had never considered.

Somehow through all of this...  Through the shift and tangle of long legs against his own. Through the seemingly endless caresses his body had received.  Through the travels of the sinful mouth.  Somehow, there was one part of him that had been missed and it was demanding some attention.  Luis tightened his grip on the hair under his hand to raise the head that was focused on tracing the faint scar under his ribs.  He met the hazel eyes in a silent plea.  It was answered with a small smile and the immediate feeling of skin on hungry skin.  Luis's cock slid slowly in the shallow valley between sets of abdominal muscles, along the breastbone, until its weeping head almost touched Michael's chin.  The small smile turned into a wicked grin and the gold cast eyes found a new focus, and Luis closed his in anticipation of the release.

He opened his eyes to a different scene -- no candles, no warm body above him -- but he was experiencing sensations consistent with the dream.  The languidness, the residual tremors, the wetness coating his abdomen, and the softening flesh under his hand were all testament to the vivid trick his mind had played on his body.  As he rose to change his nightshirt, the thought came to him, Maybe Grisham has the right idea.  A regime - regularly scheduled appointments in order to keep the appetites of the body from disrupting the mind. However, it seemed to have little effect on the captain, so he abandoned the idea.

Once morning came, Luis found that his agitation had only increased. He spent more care dressing that morning than he had since he was last presented at court.  He swore at the scissors as they trembled in his hand, and gave up trying to trim his beard.  He collected enough supplies to last a couple of days -- he was only going to be gone an afternoon -- and saddled Salaan.  He encountered Grisham on his way out of the stable and informed his captain that the pueblo was under his charge for the day.  Grisham didn't question where the colonel was going; he just seemed relieved to have his irritable commander out of his hair.

The ride was pleasant, an easy distance down El Camino Real.  The December day was lightly overcast, but with little chance of rain, and the cool temperature was invigorating rather than chilling.  Luis barely noticed either as he paced a furrow in the colony's main road.

He suddenly stopped his activity, wondering why he was putting himself through this torture.  It wasn't as if he was desperate for company.  He was the commander, and in possession of enough gold to have almost any woman he wanted.  If it was male companionship he was looking for he knew he would be welcome at the governor's residence in Monterey.  That's when it finally occurred to him, it was not the content of the dreams that had been tormenting him, but the subject.

He walked back to his horse, which he had tied to one of the few trees in the area.   He looked at the position of the sun again and opened his pocket watch.  Two and a half hours late. "Just half an hour more," he muttered to himself.  He was about to snap the watch cover closed when a black-gloved hand took the timepiece from him.

"I would have been gone two hours ago.  You'll make me think you missed me," came a low voice from behind him. Luis didn't turn around; he was sure he was blushing, for his heart had begun to race and he was fighting to control his breathing.  This became even more difficult as he felt the heat from the lean body as it moved close behind him, and the long, leather-clad fingers deftly replaced the watch in his vest pocket.

Luis felt more than heard the soft sigh as the hand rested on his chest and held him gently, but firmly, against the chest at his back.  The other hand moved to clutch his hip. Even through the layers of leather and wool, Luis felt as if he was being seared by the touch.  The wind shifted, and he breathed in the unique scent that had haunted him for months.  He caught a glimpse of dark  hair tousled by one of the erratic gusts from the sea, before the sensation of warm lips on his neck prompted him to close his eyes.  As enjoyable as that feeling was, what made his heart jump was the whisper against his skin, "I've missed you, too."

As Luis tried to pull away, to turn to face Michael, both arms came around him tightly. Again there was a whisper, "Just be still, Luis."  The underlying plea was impossible to resist. Luis relaxed against Michael's chest and let his head fall back against the broad shoulder.  He laced his fingers with the ones wrapped around him.  Michael's head fell forward with a sigh and he rubbed his cheek lightly against Luis'.

"Why am I here, Michael?" Luis asked softly

"Because I needed to see you," came the equally soft answer.

"Why?" prompted Luis. He was little confused and more than slightly panicked.  He had expected a brief meeting with the black-marketeer to arrange a major purchase or to impart some vital information.  This was becoming too... personal.

"Just because."

The slight vagueness in the answer matched the vagueness in the feelings he had been experiencing all day. Maybe not vagueness, but the inability to look directly at the reason for his unease.  Luis suddenly found the situation intolerable.  He had to hear the words and see the look on Michael's face as they were said.  He did something extremely out of character - he began to fidget.

"Dammit Luis, you're as edgy as an unbroken foal.  What is the problem?"

"I want to know why you are here."

There was a disgusted sigh and Michael moved to look Luis in the eye. "I'm here to see you."  The last word was accompanied by a thump to Luis' forehead with the heel of Michael's hand.

Luis tried to be indignant at the impertinent action, but Michael's exasperated tone and long-suffering expression were exactly what he had needed.  A grin spread over his face while he started to unbutton his coat. "I wanted to be sure there was no other business that should be dealt with first."

The grin was answered, but Michael stopped the progress of Luis' hands. "As much as I want to, I don't have time for that.  I really just needed to see you, Luis.  I have been thinking about you for months and couldn't pass by without...."  Luis could practically hear Michael's resolve breaking and took a step closer to help complete the process.

The kiss.  Luis had forgotten about Michael's kiss or maybe it was just the type of thing that the mind couldn't hang onto.  He certainly couldn't seem to focus on anything else while it was happening. Heat -- that was always his first impression.  The almost unnatural fire that emanated from this man and could only be noticed at close range.  Close enough to touch. Close enough to taste. Close enough to devour.  That's what came next -- the hunger.  The desire for more.  More of what exactly was difficult to determine, but there was no doubt more was required. He had to get his share before he was devoured himself.

Michael managed to pull away, breaking their bond with a frustrated groan. "You always get your way, don't you?"

"If I did, we would not be in the middle of the desert.  We would be in my quarters, with soft sheets, old cognac, and warm oil." Luis was impressed at how matter of fact his voice sounded considering how badly the rest of him was shaking.

Michael chuckled as he walked to his horse, tethered just out of sight on the other side of the rise.  As he led his mount the few paces back to the tree, he said, "I have to be 40 miles down the coast by sunset tomorrow. I'm going to be killing my horse as it is.  I really have to go."

Luis leaned against the trunk and watched Michael check his tack.  The courier looked over his shoulder as he tightened the saddle cinch and asked, "Does your cannon work?"

"I assume so.  I have inspected it carefully, but have not fired it myself."

"Why the hell not?"

"No ammunition."  Michael rolled his eyes and mounted his horse as Luis continued, "And I don't need to announce to the world that I am stockpiling.  Everything looks in order.  Considering the scare that you put into Bouchard's men, I doubt that they would deliver inferior merchandise."

"A little nervous, were they?  It's good to know I haven't lost my touch."

Luis took a few steps so that he could rest his hand on the horse's flank near Michael's knee.  Hazel eyes met blue-grey for a long moment before Michael said,  "We will meet again Luis"

"Next time send me the message from the cantina in Santa Elena."

"You're sure?"

"Absolutely."

"But anticipation is half the fun," said Michael, grinning.

Luis smirked as he remembered the past 24 hours and replied, "Only if it leads to the other half, and even then I have doubts."  He patted the horse and stepped away.

Michael gave a parting nod before kicking his mount into motion.  He didn't look back.  Luis watched the rider for a handful of heartbeats and then walked to his own horse to return to Santa Elena.

~~~~~