FIC - Purity of Intention (20/22)

[oceansecrets2.livejournal.com]

Title: Purity of Intention (20/22)
Author: namarie120and arieltachna
Type: RPS / FPS crossover
Pairing: Diego / Orlando
Rating: NC-17
Warning: none
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, created for entertainment and enjoyment only. With all due respect, we do not own these characters, either the actors or those created by Arturo Pérez-Reverte. We just think it’s a fascinating world.
Feedback: would be wonderful
Beta: tularia
Summary: A cynical swordsman is hired to return a runaway – or so it appears
A/N: Thanks to tularia for the beautiful banner

Previous chapters




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Orlando stirred slowly. He couldn't have said what awakened him, but he knew what was keeping him awake. He burrowed closer against Diego, the warmth of his lover's body lulling him into a drowsy half-sleep where his arousal was a low hum in the background, enough that he was aware of it but not so strongly that he felt the necessity of acting on it. Not yet, anyway. It wouldn't take much, but for the moment, he was content to drift in and out of consciousness at Diego's side.

Although he normally awoke with the dawn, Diego found himself reluctant to open his eyes and disturb the rare calm of this moment. Though he would never admit it to Orlando, he was still weakened from the Inquisition's tortures, and the previous day's exertions had wearied him. It felt good to lie abed, not sleeping but not yet wholly awake. His body relaxed, the constant ache of his abused muscles had faded, soothed by the warmth of his lover's frame nestled against him, lulled by the soft susurration of his breathing. Though he knew he should rise and prepare for their departure later that morning, for the moment he allowed himself to linger, his thoughts drifting free of the usual check he held on them, memories of the past weeks with Orlando mingling with images of the future, of a time when they would be free of the dangers that beset them.

The pressures of the day interfering with his dozing finally, Orlando opened his eyes fully and stared down at his lover's relaxed face. Some day, they wouldn't have to worry about what that day would bring. Some day, they would have the luxury of lolling abed until noon if it suited them. "Some day," he whispered, not wanting to awaken Diego, "we'll be able to enjoy a morning like this without hurrying."

The quiet words were so expressive of his musings that Diego thought at first he had dreamt them. When a warm breath stirred the air near his cheek, his eyelids slowly opened to the sight of his lover's face, his eyes soft and yearning, his hair a tousled halo around his head. Still not sure he wasn't dreaming, Diego parted his lips and raised a hand to brush a lightly stubbled cheek, the touch enough to coax his lover to lower his head and let their lips meet in a slow, gentle kiss.

Telling himself Diego simply hadn't heard him and so hadn't agreed for that reason rather than some more sinister one, Orlando sank into the soft kiss. The swordsman loved him. That had to count for something. Slowly, he mapped Diego's mouth with his own, storing up memories against an uncertain future. He didn't know what tomorrow would bring, but he knew he would do everything in his power to ensure them a life together, and he invested their kiss with that faith, that determination. It had carried him through the hellish days of Diego's imprisonment. It would carry him through whatever they faced at Lee's estate and beyond.

The reality of Orlando's mouth moving against his stirred him more than any dream, making Diego believe as nothing else could that perhaps the future he imagined was possible. "Some day," he averred softly, meeting the brown eyes that regarded him so lovingly with a gaze free of the cynicism in which he usually guarded himself. "God willing, it may be so."

"Amen," Orlando replied, echoing the simple prayer. Today was not that day, though, and so with another soft kiss to Diego's lips, he rose from the bed and started to dress, feeling the leftover twinges from their energetic lovemaking the night before. He was tempted to slip back into bed and encourage Diego to ravish him again, but they had to ride today, and he would be sore enough as it was.

Diego allowed himself one more moment to observe Orlando's graceful frame disappear beneath his garments before stretching to loosen his joints, hiding a grimace at the twinges of pain this entailed. Reaching for his trousers, he rolled his neck as he stepped into them, loosening the tight muscles. "We should ask Caridad for a large breakfast before we meet Roux," he suggested, pulling on his shirt. "I do not know what chance we may have to eat once we depart for Lee's estate."

Orlando chuckled. "Perhaps if Eric entertained her well last night, she will be generous with us," he quipped as he finished dressing. He didn't say anything aloud for he knew well his lover's prickly pride, but he would keep an eye on Diego and make sure the ride was not too tiring on him. Diego would surely resent the coddling, but it was self-preservation on Orlando's part. He knew his own weakness with a sword. He wanted Diego at his best should it come to a fight.

"Caridad is certainly generous," Diego agreed, confident enough to tease a little now that Orlando knew matters between him and the tavern's proprietress were ended. He turned to open the bedroom door, adding over his shoulder, "The problem may be rousing her from Bana's bed so that we may request breakfast."

"I wouldn't know," Orlando replied tartly, giving no thought to Íñigo in the other room, "never having been in either of their beds."

About to reply in kind, Diego caught the interested expression on Íñigo's face as they entered the common room and bit back his response, raising a quelling eyebrow at his ward. The younger man quickly affected an innocent demeanour, glancing toward Orlando and asking solicitously whether he had slept well in the Capitán's bed.

"The Capitán made sure I was quite comfortable," Orlando replied without thinking, a blush staining his cheeks as soon as the words escaped. Íñigo couldn't hide a knowing smirk at the Englishman's discomfiture, knowing full well – courtesy of the sounds he had overheard despite their best attempts to muffle them – exactly how the Capitán had seen to his comfort.

"Impudent cub," Diego growled, cuffing the back of Íñigo's head, though his eyes glowed with humour. "See if you can find Caridad to order us some breakfast – eggs, and sausage if she has it, not just pastries."

Before Íñigo, rubbing the back of his skull, could act on the Capitán's request, a heavy knock sounded at the door. Motioning for Orlando and Íñigo to stand back, Diego picked up his vizcaína from the sideboard, holding it at the ready while throwing back the bolt to crack open the portal. Though he hadn't honestly expected a threat to announce itself by knocking, he was relieved to see the only other Englishman, Bana, standing in the narrow passageway, juggling several platters of food and a jug of coffee in his large hands. Lowering the blade, Alatriste stepped aside to let the bodyguard enter.

"Caridad sent breakfast," Eric began, setting the trays on the table, "with her compliments." He looked around the room at the three occupants, trying to make out the dynamics between them. He knew how Orlando felt about the older Spaniard, but the rest remained unclear to him. "Where did you disappear to last night after dinner?" he asked.

Diego glanced at Orlando, uneasy admitting too much to the big stranger. After all, he had scouted Lee's rooms for them – he ought to have been able to figure it out for himself. "Back to search the conde's rooms," he said shortly, motioning Íñigo to bring cups for the coffee.

Frustrated, Eric ran a hand through his thick, dark hair. "I could help, you know," he declared, turning to Orlando. "If you'd trust me enough to tell me what's going on, I would gladly help. You used to confide in me. You used to let me protect you."

"He no longer needs your protection," Diego glowered, his voice no less dangerous for being quiet.

"Perhaps not," Eric conceded, "but that's no reason to refuse my friendship. Or was I wrong when I believed we were friends?" he challenged Orlando.

"He is my friend," Orlando told Diego, leaving the final decision up to his lover. While he hoped Diego could accept that and Eric's offer, he knew the outcome of any choice to be made between them. "We could use another sword."

"You would gamble your life for a cause you know nothing about?" Diego asked. While the big man's sword would undeniably be useful, he could not risk their future, or Orlando's safety, unless he was sure he could trust him completely. "For ... friendship?" Diego believed Orlando when he insisted he had never shared Bana's bed, but he could not forget that Bana had been hired as a mercenary, just as Diego himself had been – before falling in love.

"If Orlando believes it a worthy cause, then I know it is worth taking a risk," Eric pointed out, guessing where the older man's hesitations sprang from. "He would never endanger you if it weren't."

"There is danger to both our countries, but most of all danger to Orlando," Diego admitted reluctantly. "If you accompany us, it will be to ensure his safety, above all else."

Eric nodded his agreement. "That has always been my first concern. So will you explain what's going on now?"

Taking Diego's words as acceptance, Orlando joined the conversation again, explaining Lee's plot against the Spanish king and his intention to cast the blame of the English delegation. "None of us will be safe here if he succeeds," he finished. "We ride for Lee's estate as soon as we break our fast in the hopes of thwarting him before he has a chance to act."

Diego sat at the table, gesturing for the others to do the same. "The conde thought to use Orlando as a pawn to sway his father's negotiations," he added, spearing a link of sausage on the knife he still held in his hand. "He had ... other intentions for Orlando himself." His expression hardened as he remembered the vile perversions Lee had described in his letter to McKellen. Had the conde succeeded in his plans, it would have been his intestines on the point of Diego's vizcaína.

Eric's expression hardened. "We suspected the former," he observed. "McKellen tried several times to kidnap Orlando. That's why his father hired me in the first place. So when do we leave?" He didn't comment on the latter, seeing no reason to prod Alatriste's temper.

"We'll meet Roux after we've eaten," Diego replied. "He is arranging horses for us – we will hope the stables can find another mount for you."

"Can I come with you too, Capitán?" Íñigo broke in. He had never dared ask to accompany his guardian before, but he hoped that after being allowed to help them last night, he had proven he was ready to take part in their adventure. After all, he was older than the Capitán and his father had been when they had fought their first battle with the tercio!

"Not this time, mijo," Diego said, shaking his head at his ward's impatience, though he well remembered his own desire to prove himself at Íñigo's age. "You will stay with Javier until we return. I do not expect any trouble to come to him, but if it should, he will need someone to defend him." Pleased that the boy did not continue to argue, he squeezed his shoulder. "Sometimes the hardest duty is to remain behind."

"I will keep him safe until you return," Íñigo pledged. In the days since the Capitán's rescue from the Inquisition, he had grown to respect the older man, who never treated him like a child. "Though I would rather be fighting with you."

It wouldn't be long, Orlando knew, before Diego would stop saying no to Íñigo. He watched their interaction with a pang, thinking of the differences between their relationship and the one Orlando had with his father. Íñigo had no idea how fortunate he was to have Diego taking care of him. Diego would never make Íñigo question his worth the way Orlando's father had done. Turning away to hide the rush of emotion that he didn't care to share, he applied himself diligently to his breakfast, the sooner to end the conversation and speed their departure. Maybe this time, he would finally win his father's unconditional approval.

~~~*~*~~~

"I hope you can abide my company for a few more days, Senor Montega," Íñigo said, trying not to let his disappointment sound in his voice. "We are being left behind while the others have all the adventures."

"I will be glad of the company," Javier answered with a warm smile for the young man. "Íñigo has taken such good care of me, I almost feel as if he is one of my own grandchildren," he told Diego. Like his own boys, he knew it would be his job while Alatriste and the others were gone to keep Íñigo from falling into trouble out of boredom. "Do not worry for us, we shall watch out for each other."

"Where are your grandchildren?" Orlando asked, hoping they could see the older man reunited with his family. It seemed a small enough thing to do after his aid to Diego in prison and to all of them against Lee.

The smile withered from Javier's face. "Taken, or scattered and hiding," he said, his voice heavy with sadness, "when our family's lands were seized by the Inquisition. I would not know where to begin to search for them, yet I cannot remain in the city or I risk being taken again myself." He shook his head slowly; Alatriste and his comrades had saved his life, but he had no life to return to. "I do not know what I shall do once I am well enough to leave here."

"Taken?" Orlando repeated, aghast. "But they were only children! What crime could they have committed?"

"The Inquisition is not concerned with guilt or innocence," Roux reminded Orlando gently, "only with its own power. You know that guilt by association is one of their favorite conclusions. It's one of the reasons I make sure not to come to their notice. They would not take kindly to my ... differences. As for the future, you will certainly have some decisions to make, Senor Montega, but they can wait a few more days, at least until our return. It's part of my calling to tend to the injured. You're welcome here as long as you need my hospitality."

"I shall wait anxiously for your return, and for the success of your quest," the older man said. "I will pray for right to prevail."

"Yet even right must rely upon might," Diego said dryly, adding to the gypsy, "We will need another horse. Señor Bana is accompanying us."

"One day, Diego, you will ask something of me that I cannot simply conjure from thin air. Señor Bana's horse is waiting with the others, though I had some trouble finding one strong enough to bear him," Roux replied archly, casting an appreciative eye over the big Englishman.

"How did you know?" Eric asked in surprise. "We didn't decide until right before we came here this morning."

"Roux always knows," Íñigo said with a grin at the Englishman's bafflement. "It does no good to ask how, he will never tell his secrets."

"Another sword will be useful. I knew the Capitán would see that sooner or later," Roux demurred, not ready to open himself up to more speculation than necessary. "It was a logical conclusion, nothing more."

"And if you had not come, he would never have mentioned arranging for another horse," Diego offered with a raise of his eyebrow that was the closest he would come to a smile until he was more confident of the big man's nature. "Now, we should put as many miles as we can toward the conde's estates while it is light. I would prefer time to scout the grounds before the king's arrival."

~~~*~*~~~

The horses Roux had arranged for them were hardy but unremarkable animals, their saddles well-worn and serviceable, but as an hour turned into two and two turned into three, Orlando began to see their value. The leather conformed to his seat, allowing him a degree of comfort he rarely found in borrowed gear. The horse's gait was steady, rocking him rather than jarring him, a relief given the pounding he had taken so willingly the night before. The long strides ate up the road effortlessly without overtaxing horse or rider. Still, Orlando kept watch over Diego out of the corner of his eye, intimate knowledge of every cut and bruise on his lover's magnificent body making him poignantly aware of how far the swordsman still had to go before he recovered completely from the Inquisition's mercies.

For his part, Diego kept an equally cautious eye on Orlando. While his years in the king's service were mainly as a foot soldier, he had spent his share of time in the saddle; but it was soon apparent to him that Orlando was a more accomplished rider, moving with his hired mount as effortlessly as if they were old acquaintances. Watching his lover's slender body rise and fall with the horse's steady gallop, he could not help but remember the ride from Málaga to Madrid, with Orlando's reluctant body stiff against his on their single mount. He would be stiff for a different reason if they shared a horse now, Diego thought with a self-satisfied smile. His lover had proven himself a skilled rider in the bedchamber as well.

The ride stretched on, league upon league. Orlando's watch never wavered, but Diego didn't falter, increasing the Englishman's respect for his lover's stamina. He doubted he would fare so well were he riding with such injuries. Orlando knew what Diego would say to that – it had to be done so he did it – but it didn't change Orlando's reaction. If anything, it strengthened it. As his concern eased, though never faded completely, other emotions assailed him, memories of sharing a horse with Diego, of being pressed against that hard body for hours on end. What he would give to be pressed there now! He knew their need for haste precluded such pastimes – the double weight would seriously slow their mount – but he yearned nonetheless. Shifting uncomfortably in the saddle, he wondered how long until they could reasonably stop for lunch and to rest their horses. When they did, he would find a way to be alone with Diego even if it meant following him into the privy.

Roux glanced back from where his horse led the way, gauging the state of his companions, and called over his shoulder, "There is an inn just ahead where we can stop for a meal and to change horses before we ride on."

Orlando swore to himself he wouldn't blush, but he could feel the heat staining his cheeks nonetheless. He only hoped the distance between him and the gypsy would keep the older man from divining his thoughts. The smirk that played around Roux's lips told him he hadn't been successful.

Though he would not admit it aloud, Diego was glad of the opportunity for a rest. Not wanting to draw attention to themselves, they had kept to a steady pace which, allowing for an overnight stop, would bring them to the conde's estates the morning before the king was to arrive. Though the ride had not been particularly demanding, his battered body ached from the constant motion, something he suspected had not escaped Roux's attention. "A jug of Valdeiglesias to wet our throats would be not be amiss," he said, arching his back to stretch the tightly drawn muscles.

Orlando's gaze sharpened as he watched Diego move gingerly. His determination to spend some time resting grew. They all needed to be at their best when they arrived at Lee's estates, and Diego was starting at a disadvantage. "That sounds wonderful," he agreed, the dust of the road gritty in his throat and on his skin. He didn't imagine he'd get a bath, even when they stopped that night, however much he wanted one, but at least the wine would ease his throat.

A meal of hot soup and empanadas, accompanied by a mug of rich red wine, did much to reconcile Diego to the prospect of another afternoon of riding. The inn they would stop at for the night was an even more attractive prospect, and he felt himself stirring at the thought of holding Orlando in his arms again, even if they did nothing more than rest. His moustache twitched as he remembered their earliest nights together, when he had to fight against the first stirrings of desire for the stranger he was returning to Madrid against his will. How little he had suspected what a passionate and responsive lover that stranger would prove to be! As little as he had expected to lose his heart to that same alluring Englishman. Before his body's reaction to the direction of his thoughts became unmanageable, he rose and cracked his knuckles. "I'm going to wash the dust from my face," he announced, hoping some cool water would cool his mistimed arousal as well.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Orlando declared, following Diego out the door quickly, his desire heightening in a rush at the unexpected possibility of getting his lover alone for even a few minutes.

Reasoning that most inns had a source of water near their kitchens, Diego skirted the building, finding a pump as he expected midway between the kitchen and the stables. A few strokes of the handle yielded him a stream of clear water, and he had just filled his cupped palms when a pair of arms encircled him from behind, the touch unmistakably that of his lover. Letting the water spill from his hands, he wrapped them around the slender wrists, holding them motionless. "You need to work on tracking your quarry silently – I heard you coming as soon as you rose from the table."

"It might have looked a bit odd if I slunk out of the inn after you," Orlando pointed out, nuzzling the sweat-stained collar of Diego's shirt and jacket. "Better to simply walk out as if it were nothing worth noticing, don't you think?"

The arousal that had begun to subside beneath the cool water rekindled instantly at his lover's gentle caress. As much as he wished he could simply turn and pull Orlando into his arms, they were still too exposed for Diego's comfort. "Were one of the scullery maids to walk out of the kitchen now, she might notice something," he said dryly, releasing Orlando's wrists. "We cannot forget discretion, simply because we are no longer in Madrid. The Holy Office has eyes and ears everywhere."

"Then let us find somewhere they will not see us," Orlando proposed, stepping away, but not before brushing against Diego's hip, letting the swordsman feel his arousal. "You wouldn't make me ride like this, would you?"

Glancing about to the seemingly deserted stables, Diego pulled Orlando along to an empty stall at the rear of the shadowed structure. Kicking the wooden door closed behind them, he pulled Orlando into his arms, his lips capturing his partner's with all the hunger of hours spent watching and wanting. One hand burrowed into the dark curls escaped from their queue, the other delved beneath the hem of his lover's coat to cup his buttocks, pulling his body close so that their erections met in frustrated tension.

Orlando moaned into Diego's mouth, hungry for his taste beneath the flavor of the wine they had drunk with lunch. Their tongues met and danced, twining around each other as their bodies did the same. Soon, though, it wasn't enough for Orlando, the craving for a different taste growing swiftly. He tore his mouth away, hands reaching between their straining bodies to open the placket of Diego's trousers. His hand closed around the leaking shaft as he dropped to his knees, inhaling the musky fragrance. He licked his lips in anticipation.

"Dios la sangre, you would tempt a saint," Diego murmured, knowing this was madness but unable to resist his lover's wanton temptation. His hands threaded back into the windblown hair, adding to its disarray as his fingers clenched at the first touch of Orlando's mouth to his straining cock.

Inside the inn, Eric pushed back from the table they had shared for their meal. "I think I'll wash up as well," he decided.

"You don't want to do that right now," Roux informed him. "They wouldn't appreciate you disturbing them at the moment."

It took a moment for comprehension to dawn on Eric's face. He dropped back from his half-risen stance, a flush staining his cheeks. "Maybe later would be better," he stammered uncomfortably.

"Very wise," Roux agreed affably.

The husky words, the fingers tightening in his hair, the hitch in Diego's breathing all combined to stoke the fire in Orlando's loins. He wanted to linger over his treat the way one lingered over fine wine, but he knew their time was limited. Releasing his own aching shaft, he worked his lips down the upstanding rod, taking Diego as deep as he could, his eyes closing in bliss as he worked to push them both closer to the peak of passion.

His head thrown back against the rough stable wall, Diego gasped for breath as Orlando's lips and tongue played over him, the heat in his loins spreading through his veins until his entire being was aflame with need. It had never felt like this before. Diego had known the sudden lust of adrenaline-driven coupling before battle, the need to prove one's self alive after a day of savage fighting, but he had never felt a need that consumed him to his very core like this, until body and soul ached to unite with Orlando. Biting his lip to keep from howling as his release erupted, he shuddered against the constant suction of his lover's mouth, emptying himself in a pulsing wave that left him shaking. Grasping Orlando's shoulders, he pulled him up into his embrace, crushing his mouth, still bitter with the taste of his own seed. He wrapped a callused hand around his lover's cock, needing only a few sharp tugs to bring him to completion, hot fluid coating his fist.

Orlando's climax shuddered through him, the scent and flavor of Diego's essence merging with the heat of his hand to set Orlando's nerves to riot. Only Diego's strong arms around him kept him upright in the trembling aftermath. He leaned his head heavily against the leather clad shoulder, drinking in his lover's closeness, needing the solace of this moment against whatever was to come in the next few days.

Taking one more deep breath, Diego nudged his shoulder until Orlando looked up, dropping a swift kiss on his reddened lips. "They will miss us if we don't return soon," he said quietly, reminding himself that they would be sharing a bed again at the end of the day's ride. Straightening his garments, he opened the door to the stall, gesturing Orlando to precede him. "And this time we will really need to wash up," he added with a gleam in his pale eyes.

"It's not my fault my lover is too desirable to resist," Orlando retorted quietly as they left the haven of the empty stall. He didn't protest, though, because he knew Diego was right.

Quirking his lips at Orlando's jest – surely he knew he was the irresistible one – Diego worked the pump handle while Orlando washed his hands and face, then quickly rinsed himself clean, the cool water restoring enough of his control to allow him to face the others again. He suspected Roux would know what they had been doing, but he found the thought didn't bother him. Safety demanded they act with discretion, but he could not hide what he had come to feel for Orlando from his closest friend.

Orlando did his best to school his expression as they walked back into the inn, though he suspected anyone who knew him would read his satisfaction beneath the affable smile he wore. They found Eric and Roux exactly where they'd left them.

"Ready to ride?" Roux asked, his smile innocent, though the gleam in his eyes was anything but.

"I am much refreshed," Diego answered with equal coolness, his pale eyes twinkling. "Perhaps you would care to avail yourself before we depart?"

"The wine was enough to refresh me," Roux teased. "The other amenities are less ... suited to me, I think, though they obviously met with your approval."

"If there's time, I wouldn't mind refreshing myself," Eric interrupted. "I have yet to grow used to this miserable heat." He rose before any of the others could comment and left the inn. Orlando tried to hold back the burst of laughter that bubbled up within him, but meeting the other two men's gazes, he gave that up as hopeless, his laughter welling free, releasing a little more of the tension that had gripped him all morning.

Meeting first Roux's eyes and then Orlando's, Diego's shoulders shook with silent humour. "A pity he must find his refreshment alone," he murmured solicitously.

Their laughter had barely subsided when Eric came back inside. "That didn't take long," Orlando commented, trying to keep a straight face. That lasted until Roux started coughing next to him as he struggled to contain his own mirth, setting off another bout of laughter on Orlando's part.

"What's so funny?" Eric asked curiously.

As this served only to set Orlando to a fresh round of laughter, Diego shook his head reprovingly and motioned toward the door. "Vamos," he said shortly, "we still have many miles to travel before nightfall. And," he added softly as the others filed out the door, "I shall be looking forward to bed at the end of our ride."

"Getting old, amigo?" Roux asked with a wink. "I remember when you looked forward to other things at the end of day's ride than your bed."

"You assume that will be the end of the ride," Diego retorted, softly enough for only the gypsy to hear.

"All the more reason to hurry," Roux agreed equally quietly as they stepped out of the inn and into the stable yard. They had just finished saddling their horses when the loud clatter of galloping hooves on the cobblestones drew their attention. Looking up, they saw a man not much older than Orlando, but with the typical swarthy skin of a gypsy.

"Roux," he cried, out of breath, "the King arrived this morning!"

"No!" Orlando shouted, swinging onto his mount's back and reining him toward the road, images of his father hanging for treason flashing through his mind. "Diego, we have to ride!"

"Maldito!" Diego mounted with a curse, spurring his horse after Orlando at a gallop. There would be no inn and no bed tonight.


tbc…

Comments

[ireth06.livejournal.com]

Just when you think things are going to work out.....
Love the tension and the little tension release.....

Thanks for updating so soon!
Hugs and kisses!

[mistress-pol.livejournal.com]

I only discovered this fic yesterday and just finished reading it all from the beginning. Just wanted to say I think it's fantastic. You've balanced the drama, angst, action and smut beautifully, and the details and language have made it all the more believable. I can't wait to see how it ends! :)

[oceansecrets2.livejournal.com]

The boys have minds of their own when it comes to "releasing tension"!

[oceansecrets2.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the lovely compliment! We've had a wonderful time writing this fic - we've really grown to love all the characters and are almost sorry to see it coming to an end.

[sarkka]

Things are starting to pack up....can't wait !

Nice little treat in the stables =D

[oceansecrets2.livejournal.com]

We really hadn't planned that but Orlando just got too hot watching Diego ride and we didn't have the heart to tell him no especially with what's coming next.