Bring me to life

Title: Bring me to life 5 of 7
Author: Simplyshelly (simplyshelly2@earthlink.net)
Pairing: Craig Parker / Dave Wenham
See part 1 for disclaimer
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7/13/2004
Craig rolled over and he reached for the pillow, his hand bumping into something hard.

"Mph." Dave groaned, not used to being ked ked in the face while he slept.

"Sorry." Craig mumbled, still half asleep. He rolled over, shifted and shifted again. He pulled at the covers and shifted his legs, trying to find that perfect spot.

Dave sighed loudly as the covers were pulled from his body. Without thought, he pulled back as he flipped his body onto his back. He drifted back off to sleep, snoring slightly in the position he was in.

Craig rarely had trouble sleeping, no matter where he was and he'd slept in some pretty strange places over the years. However, there was one thing that he couldn't deal with, one sound that grated on his nerves and could wake him from a drunken slumber in seconds flat. Suddenly, the room became filled with that one sound and his eyes snapped open.

Moaning, he reached over and snapped on the light. He sat up and glared at the sleeping figure next to him.

"Dave." He whispered. There was no acknowledgement from the sleeping figure. Craig reached out and gently shook his shoulder. "Dave, come on."

"Bugger off, mate." Dave mumbled.

"Come on, Dave. Roll over. You're snoring." Craig repeated.

"Am not. Don't snore." He denied, sounding a bit more awake.

"Like hell you don't." Craig snapped. He was still tired and desperately wanted to get back to sleep.

"Hmph." Dave groaned as he rolled over. Craig turned off the light and scooted back down in the bed, trying to get back to sleep. A few seconds of quiet re hre he shifted again.

"Do you always move around so much during the night?" Dave mumbled, sounding more awake than he should at this hour.

"I can't get comfortable." Craig said, tossing the blankets off his body. He was cold a minute ago and now he was hot, too hot to sleep.

Craig rolled over onto his back, his eyes wide open as he stared up at the ceiling. He rubbed his face and rested his arm above his head.

Several seconds passed in silence.

"Can't sleep?" Dave a sof softly.

"It's nothing. Go back to sleep." Craig said, sorry he'd woken Dave up. Instead, Dave rolled over and he ran his hand across Craig's stomach.

"You okay?" He asked, leaning forward and kissing Craig's chest.

"Just tired." Craig calmed considerably with Dave's touch. "It's okay. You should be asleep." He stroked Dave's back with his fingertips.

Dave moaned, understanding. He snuggled a bit closer, lifting his head on Craig's shoulder. "You were sleeping fine before." raigraig chuckled. "I was worn out before." He kidded.

"We could do it again to get you back to sleep." Dave nibbled at Craig's neck playfully.

"We've unleashed the animal within, haven't we?" Craig teased, catching Dave's lips with his.

"I didn't warn you, did I?" Dave asked innocently between kisses. His hand stroked down Craig's stomach.

Craig moaned softly. Sure, he was tired but for some reason, sleep was not on his mind at the moment. In fact, Dave was doing a pretty good job of making everything in his mind fade away pretty quickly.

"That feels good." He purred.

"So, tell me. What do you like?" Dave asked as he continued to explore the prone body before him.

"Keep doing what you're doing and I'm yours forever." He replied, purring like a content cat.

"I'm serious."

"So am I." Craig reassured him with a sleepy grin.

Dave continued to run his fingers gently across Craig's stomach and chest. "What do you prefer?" He asked innocently.

Craig chuckled. "Are you asking if I like a good wine or if I prefer to be the girl?" He rolled over and ran his hand along Dave's hips, pulling them closer.

"I guess the girl thing." Dave laughed with him, watching Craig's face in the darkness.

"As far as preference, I suppose I do prefer to be the girl but not exclusively. I don't want to be the submissive one but being taken does turn things up a notch. You surprised me when you ..."

"Blame it on a rush of testosterone." Dave laughed.

"Well, there was certainly a rush of something right about then." Craig teased as he leaned over and kissed along Dave's jaw line.

"Does it hurt?" Dave asked, loving just laying there and touching another man's body. It just felt so natural.

"Not really. Depends on what your definition of hurt is. Is it a bad pain? One would hope not because then no one would want to do it. No, it's a good kind of hurt. It's more uncomfble ble at first. I mean, you are taking about shoving something inside a part of the body that up to this point had only been used to being used as an exit, you know?" Craig explained, his fingers playing with Dave's hair. "I guess it depends on several things. How big the guy is, how scared you are and how tense. You clamp down at the moment of penetration and nothing is going in there. I've been with guys that I hardly felt and other guys where I had to bite thge oge of the pillow to keep from screaming like a girl. Preparation helps and you can lever use too much lube. Remember that."

"Yeah, you mentioned that before." Dave smiled.

"Well, don't forget it. Most the time, though, once you get past the first ring of muscle, it's not so bad. There's not a lot of feeling inside there, it's more of the pressure, the sensation of being filled plus if you have a partner that can read your responses and find out the best angle for you, then it's all good." He nuzzled against the crook of Dave's shoulder, kissing his neck in a lazy manner.

"Did I find your angle?" Dave asked, now curious as to how much Craig had enjoyed their time together.

"You were close." Craig said honestly.

"You hated it." Dave sighed.

"Would you rather I lie to you and say you hit it every time?" Craig asked, pulling his head back and looking into Dave's eyes.

"Well, no, I guess not." Dave shrugged.

"You just have so much to learn. We both climaxed and I think that was the goal, right? Its okay, Dave. It was good, really, but now comes the part of learning your partner and getting to know their reactions. Most guys are built the same. Some get off on being filled, some have a very sensitive prostrate, some can't stand it being hit. It's just like sex with women in that retrospect. Tonight, you were only interested in finding your own release and that's to be expected. As you get more experience, you'll enjoy it more and so will your partner. You've already shown quite a promising future, trust me. You'll break a few hearts." Craig cuddled back up, pulling Dave's arm over himself like a blanket.

Dave reluctantly cuddled back and rested his head on the pillow. "So," He said after several silent moments. "Was this a one time thing for you then?"

"Let's see how you feel about it in the morning, Dave. You may never want anything to do with me come morning." Craig said, his voice sounding a bit resigned to expecting that reaction. Dave heard his words and heard what he didn't say and he felt sad. Craig was really expecting him to use him that way and the saddest part was that Craig let himself be used.

~~~~~~~~~~

Craig waited until Dave fell asleep and slowly crawled out of bed. Two hours and a bottle of wine later, he called a taxi and spent the rest of the night at the airport, waiting for the first flight he could get.

~~~~~~~~~~

7/14/2004
"You know. We really should give them a call." The woman chattered to her husband as they locked the front door and headed for the car on the way to brunch. As they spoke, a taxi pulled up in front of their house.

"Now, who do you suppose that is?" The man asked, watching closely.

"He's not expected for another week." The woman said, watching the passenger settle the bill and slowly emerge from the back of the cab.

"Well, look what the cat drug in." The man said, a smile breaking out across his face as he quickly crossed the lawn.

"Hi, dad." Craig said, hugging his father tightly.

"You look as if you've been up all night." His mother chastised, always telling him he never got enough sleep.

"You look wonderful too, mom." Craig gave his mom a hug and a kiss. "As for being up all night, I was. Spent the night waiting for a flight and right now all I want to do is go inside and sleep." He said as the driver got his bags out from the boot of the cab.

"It's all yours." His father said, carrying one of the bags to the front door. "We were just heading out for some brunch. You sure you don't want to join us?" He asked as he unlocked the door. He looked at Craig's face and could see the dark bags under his eyes.

"Are you okay?" His mother asked, gently cradling the side of his face with her hand.

"I will be. I'm just tired. Go, enjoy brunch and dad, don't let her talk you into a quick stop at the market because you know how sh." C." Craig joked. His mother's shopping trips always turned out to be day long excursions.

"Now you..." His mother swatted his behind.

"Get some rest, Craig. You're home now." His father gave him a kiss and soon Craig was surrounded by peace and quiet.

"Home." He whispered as he headed upstairs to the guest room. The funny thing was that this wasn't his home nor was it the home he'd grown up in. His old house in town was occupied by renters and his place in England vir virtually unlived in. He tried to think where the last place he'd felt at home at but he already knew the answer. The last place he'd felt at home had been ...with Dave.

~~~~~~~~~~

Craig opened his eyes, instantly recognizing his surroundings. He looked toward the window, trying to judge how long he'd been sleeping. The brightness of the New Zealand sun was fading so he figured it must have been early evening.

Sitting up, he was thankful he'd fallen asleep in his clothes because his mother had obviously been there. His luggage had been emptied and was airing out by the window he was sure his mother had opened while he was sleeping.

"Ollie wants you to call him." His mother said as he shuffled himself into the kitchen for some water. She sat at the dining table folding his jeans.

"You don't have to do my laundry, mom." He said as he filled a large glass.

"Oh, yes I did. Some of those t-shirts smelled. Dad dropped your suit and your nicer things at the cleaners and they should be ready tomorrow. I think you need to go out and get yourself a few new suits. You've used the same one so often."

"I like my suit. Besides, I do have others at home." He said in his own defense.

His mother finished the jeans and started pulling t-shirts from the basket. Craig, in the meantime, rummaged through the ice loo looking for something to eat.

"Don't spoil dinner. We're meeting David, Wendy at eight."

"Everyone?" Craig groaned.

"Well, everyone but the kids. They've both gotten sitters for the night so it will just be us adults. Speaking of everyone, there's been a young man calling all afternoon long. By the fifth call, I finally had a nice long chat with him." She watched Craig cautiously. "He wants to know why you left."

"You've been answering my mobile?" Craig asked, his body dropping into the chair across from where his mother sat like he had the weight of the woon hon his shoulders.

"Well, yes, I did. It kept ringing and ringing and you refused to move. You just looked so tired and I didn't want it to wake you up." She said. "He seems nice." She noticed the sad look that came over her son's face. She reached out and took his hand. "Anything you want to talk about?"

He hesitated, shrugging. "No, not really. He's just someone ...just a friend."

"He's infatuated with you." She said, squeezing Craig's hand and returning to the folding.

Craig let his head drop to the table with a groan. "Did he say that?" He mumbled.

"No," his mother chuckled. "A mother knows these things." Said aid as she continued folding. She was actually watching Craig out of the corner of her eye, as only a mother can do. She could tell there was something going on.

Craig sighed and folded his arms under his head as a pillow. He knew he needed to call Dave, to at least explain why he just left but things felt too comfortable. It was so easy to be with Dave and while that was wonderful, it just wasn't Craig's life. He was a nomad, constantly on the move, commitments and obligations all across the world for the next year at least. What had possibly made him think that he could ever get in a relationship with anyone, much less someone who was so rooted in an entirely different country?

"So, you want to tell me why you end up here early?" His mother asked, still folding.

"No." Craig groaned.

"Does it have to do with the young man who keeps calling?" She asked in such a motherly, non-confrontational tone and Crfeltfelt compelled to answer.

"Yes."

"Are you running away?" She asked, her motherly sweet tone turning to an I-know-you-better-than-you-think-I-do tone. She knew her son avoided relationships. She had no problem with him being attracted to men. They'd gotten over that many years before. She just wished he'd find a nice man and settle down. He was always so filled with energy and on the go and she thought if he found the right man, maybe he'd settle down and 'get serious' with his life.

Craig lifted his head just enough to look at his mother's knowing eyes. "I really like him." He admitted. How could he tell his mother that it was just supposed to be a one night stand but Craig had allowed his feelings to get involved?

"How old is he?" She asked, still sounding nonchalant.

"Thirty nine." He said.

"Is he an actor?" She questioned. She was happy to hear that this man was a bit older.

"In Australia." He nodded.

"Is he single?"

Craig hesitated, getting a concerned look from his mother. "At the moment." He finally said. "He's spent years with the same woman but is finally coming to terms that he's gay. He has a child, mom. A ten month old baby girl and he lives in Australia." He said, unable to hide the anguish in his voice.

"Does he make you laugh?" She asked as she finished the folding.

Craig smiled, not even trying to fight it. "Yes, he does." He said softly, watching his mother place all his clean clothes into the basket at her feet.

"Good. Now, take your laundry upstairs and put it away. You have about an hour before we have to leave for dinner. Should be enough time to get in a shower, shave that fuzz off your face and make a very important phone call, don't you think?" She stood and looked at Craig with a smile.

"Did he leave the number?" He asked, knowing full well that if his mother had spent any time talking to Dave at all, she would have gotten the number and probably gave Dave the number here to the house along with the address and directions. His mother walked out of the room.

"It's next to your phone which is charging in your father's office. You should be able to have a private conversation in there." She called back to the room.

Craig shook his head. She was right. He needed to call Dave.

~~~~~~~~~~

Craig stepped out onto the patio that was connected to his er'ser's office and lit a joint. He waited until he'd smoked over half because he needed a bit of false courage. In truth, he was terrified to make this call. He noticed his fingers shaking as he punched in the numbers.

"Weaving residence." The call was answered in the third ring. The voice sounded tired, sort of drained.

"It's me." Craig said softly, blowing out all the smoke. His entire body was floating in a dreamlike state. He could hear the sigh on the other end.

"I talked to your mom earlier. She said you were sleeping. Feel better?" Dave asked.

"She likes you."

"I'm a very likable bloke." Dave said.

Several moments of silence followed, neither one knowing quite what to say. Finally Craig cleared his throat.

"I, uh, I need to get ready for dinner in a bit here. Getting the whole family together, I gueshoulhould be interesting with all the . . ."

"Why'd you leave?" Dave interrupted him. Craig couldn't help but to laugh nervously.

"Make things easier." Craig shrugged.

"Make what easier? Were you sorry about what happened?" Dave asked. Sure, he had been hurt when he'd woken and found the bed empty. Out of anyone he knew, Craig was the last person he thought would treat him that way. If all Dave wanted was a one night stand, he would have done it years ago.

"No, oh, God no, Dave." Craig said quickly, feeling worse by the minute.

"I just can't believe you would do that. I mean, I thought we ... I told you how I felt, why I waited. I just thought ..." Dave rambled.

"I'm a complete bastard." Craig moaned, rubbing his face. "Look, Dave, this was just supposed to be a bit of fun. Just spend some time together, you know. Simple."

"So, it meant nothing to you?" Dave asked.

Craig was silent on the other end. He didn't know what to say. What he wanted to say was that it did mean something, maybe too much of something.

"Okay." Dave finally said. "I got it. Sorry I got the wrong idea." He said but Craig could hear the restraint in his voice.

"Dave, ...." Craig managed to begin, his voice sounding amazingly in control. He heard Dave laugh sarcastically.

"You know what, Craig? I don't know why I thought you were any different than all those other blokes who groped me in costuming or whispered crude proposals over the years." Dave spat, his anger showing more clearly now. He cleared his throat. "Enjoy your family." He said as he hung up.

Craig stared at the phone, stunned. That didn't go the way it should have. He should have apologized, told Dave that he'd left because he found himself caring about Dave so quickly, so easily. He heard a knock on the office door.

"Craig, we need to be leaving soon." His mother called from the other side.

Craig blew out the smoke in his lungs and buried the joint in the potting soil of a plant. "Coming." He said, coming back inside. Tonight would be one of his best performances.