Opening the door of his apartment wasn't an easy task for Culgan, especially since he was carrying someone. It took over a minute, but finally he managed to get the door open. Seed lay in his arms, sound asleep, completely unaware that something was happening. The ice-blue-eyed man had to smile to himself; the redhead wasn't too hard to carry, and he wasn't heavy at all. Actually, Seed was just as light as he remembered.

"Well, what to do with you now...?" He mused aloud, closing the door behind them.

You said that you're tired... You're sleeping now. So...

He made his way to the bedroom and laid the redhead down on the bed carefully. He moved the sheets to the side, then stopped to ponder if he should undress the young man. He shrugged, deciding that Seed wasn't too likely to kill him for doing so, and walked to his wardrobe. He took a dark wine-red shirt and returned to the bed.

Wonder why I have a shirt of this color? I'd never use it myself...

He shook his head, then removed most of the redhead's clothes, excluding underwear. He could guess that that would be going too far. Carefully, he put the shirt on the younger man, then covered him with the sheets and sighed.

How beautiful you look when you're sleeping...

He sat on the other side of the bed and leaned in to kiss Seed's red hair. Then he just sat there, staring at the young man sleeping in his bed.

About an hour passed before he could get himself together again. He circled to the other side of the bed to arrange the redhead's clothes on a chair, and noticed something on the floor. He picked it up; it was the younger man's wallet.

Probably dropped while I... Hmm...

He opened it and looked inside. The ID card there caught his attention, and he read the information on it. The name of the cardholder was Seed Radford, who was 25 years old.

Seed Radford...

He put the wallet away and left the room. He sat down on the living room couch and picked up the telephone, choosing the number to his office. "Lina?"

"Yes?" The woman's voice answered. "Culgan... Where are you? Not here, anyway... And better that way, because I would have strangled you for these flowers if you were here."

Culgan smiled, a little amused. "What flowers? I haven't bought you any flowers... I barely got inside the main door when I had to leave... I haven't been there today."

"You must have been... For a moment at least, since the security guards brought your briefcase and a folder here some time ago. What's going on? And if you didn't bring the flowers, who did? There was no card... If it was one of those perverted lawyers, I'm so going to..."

"I don't know. I can make a guess, though..."

Lina sighed. "Whatever; I put them in your office. Now... Mind telling me what's going on? Is something wrong? It's not like you at all to run out of the office before even getting here..."

The silver-haired man smiled. "I'm home, and Seed is here with me. Cancel my meetings and such, since I'm taking the day off."

"What? Seed? How...?"

"Long story. I'll explain later... Just do what I asked. Please? And could you... check from Phelps if they have a guard called Seed Radford there... And tell him that this Seed isn't coming to work today."

Lina went quiet. When she finally replied, she sounded quite cheerful.

"Oh, you take all the time you need. Stay home for a couple of days or something, and I'll take care of things here... Go on already. If that's really your redhead there..."

Culgan couldn't stop smiling. "Yes, he is. Really. I'll call later."

"Don't bother! Don't worry about anything... Just go!" The woman hung up before he could say anything.

The man shook his head, putting the receiver down. Then he stared at the phone for a moment, and picked it up again while searching for his wallet. He pulled out a small card with a phone number on it, and made the call.

The same female voice answered. "Hello. Seedling isn't home yet, and Jay went to work. I'm not their answering machine, so if this isn't very important, call again later..."

"This is Culgan Black... again. Does Seed live there?"

The woman stayed silent for a moment. "Yes, he does... But as I said, he isn't home yet. He should be, really; he got off work a few hours ago."

"Well, that's because... If we're talking about the same Seed, he won't be coming home right now. He's here. Now, if I may ask... Who am I talking to?"

"Just call me Cynthia... Culgie." The woman's voice sounded like she was grinning. "So... This is interesting. He's there? Yes, I think we are talking about the same Seed, if the one you're talking about has red hair and works for a law firm called Daviaux and Caswell..."

Culgan frowned a bit, not sure what to think. The phone number Lawson had sent him was indeed Seed's. He had talked to this woman before, but he still wasn't sure who she was.

"Yes, him. I... just thought I could try this number, in case someone was waiting for him... Are you his girlfriend, or...?"

"Seedling's girlfriend? Hell no. He's cute and all, but that temper... I'm with his roommate. Seedling is all yours... I mean, free. I mean, he doesn't have anything to do today, so..."

The ice-blue-eyed man sighed, somehow feeling quite relieved. "Well... this might take a while. He fell asleep, and when he wakes up, we need to talk..."

"Sure! Take your time! As I said, he's better off there. Good day!" Cynthia hung up.

The silver-haired man stared at the receiver for a moment. "Just like Lina..." He finally mumbled and put the phone away.

He sat still for a moment, staring at the bedroom door. After a while, he got up and walked to the door, stopping to look at his bed. The red-haired man was still sleeping there, a peaceful look on his face.

This really isn't a dream. Oh, how many times have I wished to see you lying there in my bed... and now you are...

He sat on the bed, reaching out to caress the red hair gently, just watching the younger man sleep.

Several hours later he realized that he was still sitting there, looking at the other man. He lay down on the other side of the bed, still keeping his gaze fixed on the redhead. Time seemed to pass slowly, but he didn't care. The longer this lasted, the better.

A few minutes later his eyes started to feel heavy... And after a while, he fell asleep.

The silver-haired man woke up a couple of hours later and glanced at the clock; it was 3.30 PM. First thing that came to his mind was to check something. He glanced to his side, and sighed when he saw that the redhead was still there.

How long have I been here?

He touched the younger man's face softly, smiling to himself. Then he glanced at the clock again, and slowly got up.

It's afternoon... And you were on a night shift, weren't you, Seed? In that case, I'd guess you'd be hungry when you wake up...

He leaned to kiss the redhead on the lips softly and then left the room.

It was around four when Seed woke up. He didn't bother to open his eyes; he was feeling very warm and contented. He could hear that someone was doing something in the kitchen, but that was nothing out of ordinary, since Jay was usually cooking around the time he woke up in the afternoon. He rolled over and opened his eyes a bit to glance at the alarm clock... just to realize that there wasn't a clock there.

"Hmm?"

He blinked and looked around. This wasn't his bedroom. In the end, this couldn't be his room anyway; the bed was far more comfortable than his own.

Where the hell am I?

A quick scan of the room didn't tell him much. The room was nicely organized, all the furniture was light-colored and the curtains were blue-gray. There were a couple of framed drawings on the wall, and an alarm clock on a nightstand on the other side of the bed. His clothes were on a chair next to the bed.

Seed shook his head, trying to think. He had no idea where this place was and whose room this was, although the style reminded him of...

Culgan!

He jumped out of the bed, then stopped and sat down. What on earth had happened this morning? He remembered running into someone when leaving work... And then...

Oh gods, that wasn't a dream? Am I...? Uh, what the hell am I doing here? This is probably...

He stood up and walked slowly to the door, stopping to glance around the next room before entering it. It was a large living room with big windows, and the kitchen was at the other end of the room. He looked out of the window, and could see a familiar-looking lake outside.

He stood next to the sofa for some time, not knowing what else to do. He ended up staring at the aquarium next to the bookshelf, wishing that he knew what he was supposed to do now. He knew the other man was in the kitchen, and until now he had not noticed that the younger man was here.

"Ah, you're awake..."

Startled, Seed spun around to see the gray-haired man standing in the kitchen.

"Sure am. What the hell am I doing here?"

"You fell asleep in the car. I didn't know where else to take you, so..." Culgan walked to the table and placed a couple of plates on it.

The redhead glared at him. "What is this place, anyway?"

"My apartment," the other man replied calmly. He took a few steps, opened a cupboard and took out a pair of glasses.

"Right..." Seed gritted his teeth. He desperately wanted to say something... Yell at that bastard who had, in a way, kidnapped him and dragged him here. But... no. He shook his head and walked next to the window. There was a balcony with a glass wall on the other side of the window, and behind that, the very familiar view of the lake.

Culgan stopped to admire the red-haired man for a moment, and then asked, "Feeling better now?"

"Hmmh." The younger man stared out from the window. "Better? Well... Am I still tired? No. Am I still confused? Quite. Am I pissed off? Yes!"

"Are you hungry?"

Seed turned to look at the other man. "Maybe I am. That's one of the reasons why I would like to go home now... Would you stop staring at me?!"

The silver-haired man smiled. "I'm afraid I can't. You look very pretty like that. But, you don't have to go home if you're hungry. Come and sit down."

"Dream on," the younger man replied angrily and stormed off back to the bedroom to get his clothes on. He tossed the red shirt on the bed and started to get dressed.

What was that shirt, anyway? His, I guess. Still, very comfortable... And probably damn expensive...

He thought he heard something and turned around, just to notice that Culgan had followed him and was standing on the doorstep, looking at him.

"What are you, some kinda pervert?" Seed hissed, unable to stop himself from blushing.

The older man looked amused. "Well, if you wish to see me as one. I just wanted to ask you... Why are you in such a hurry? Simply want to get as far away from me as possible?"

The redhead turned away, suddenly finding one of the drawings on the wall very interesting. It was a picture of a castle with a lake in the background... And when he looked at it again, he realized it was the old L'Renouille Castle. He shook his head, not knowing how to answer the other man's question.

Culgan sighed. "Seed... I know this all is strange... but..."

"Easy for you to say," the younger man mumbled. "You're not the one who was kidnapped by some weirdo and carried over to his apartment."

The silver-haired man folded his arms. "I am not some weirdo, and I didn't kidnap you. I just didn't know where you lived, so I brought you here."

"Yeah, carried up here, put in your bed and stripped me, too!"

"Would you rather have slept with your clothes on?"

"Yes!" Fire flashed in Seed's wine-red eyes. "And I'd be very happy if you didn't touch me!"

"Would you rather have slept in the car, then? Please, Seed. Stop that. The food's getting cold. Are you hungry or not? I can stay out of the kitchen while you eat..."

The redhead glared at him. "Just leave me alone?"

The older man sighed, then shook his head, smiling. "If you insist. I'll be over there if you need me..." He left the bedroom and closed the door behind him.

Seed waited about a minute after the other man had closed the door, just to see if he was going to come back. But Culgan didn't return, so the redhead sighed, threw his shirt on the floor and lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

I should just get out of here... But...

He sighed again, turned to his side, then curled up and pressed his face against the red shirt that was lying on the bed. The bed was so comfortable compared to his own, and the pillow had a familiar scent on it.

Damn it...! I have never felt this peaceful... Why? Is it because of him? I don't know...

He closed his eyes, listening to the distant sound of someone working in the kitchen.

He has some nerve... to drag me over here and... He bit his lip, trying to think. And he doesn't want me to leave... Why? Those dreams... I guess he's kinda obsessed with me or something. Can't blame him... I'd be, too, if I had ever believed that I'd find him one day.

He rolled over, opened his eyes and stared at the alarm clock on the nightstand.

What the hell am I thinking? He's gay! In those dreams, we were... He'd probably want to... Ugh. I'd better get out of here and fast. Besides, I need to go home, take a shower, eat something and get my things. It's late afternoon already. Got work...

Seed got up and put on the rest of his clothes. He was feeling quite frustrated. Part of him was curious and wanted to stay here, while part of him was panicking and ready to run out of the door. He didn't know what he really wanted to do, and that made him even more frustrated.

He walked to the bedroom door, took a deep breath and opened it. He went into the living room, stopped next to the sofa and looked at the older man, who was in the kitchen again.

"Er... you know, I should..."

"Ah, there you are. The food is getting cold."

Seed closed his eyes for a second and looked at Culgan again. "I... I have to go. My shift starts in a few hours... Need to go home... to shower and eat and stuff before I go to work."

The silver-haired man sighed. "I made dinner for you... It's getting cold. And if you need to take a shower, you can use my bathroom... I can leave if you feel uncomfortable when I'm around."

"But...!"

Culgan took a plate, filled it with food, walked around the bar and handed it to the redhead. "Please. Just eat."

"But I..." The redhead tried to object. He looked at the plate, closed his eyes again and tried to think of an excuse not to accept the food. He heard the other man stepping away and opened his eyes. Culgan had moved to the computer on the other side of the living room.

Seed sighed and gave up, sitting down on one of the stools next to the bar. He was too hungry to ignore the food he was offered. He began to eat, trying to ignore the fact that he could feel the other man looking at him.

Culgan turned the computer on, sat down and began working on a text document. Or mostly pretending that he was working on it, since he couldn't stop looking at the redhead.

The younger man finished eating and stood up. "Er... thanks for the food. I'd better..."

"There are towels in the bathroom... and you can use the bathrobe, too. It's clean."

Since Seed was unable to give the other man a good argument why he shouldn't go, he sighed and walked across the room. The silver-haired man couldn't even see the bathroom door from where he was sitting, so it would be quite safe to go into the bathroom and take a shower... as long as the older man stayed where he was.

When the redhead reached the bedroom door, he turned around. "You know, I would appreciate if you didn't look at me."

Culgan didn't comment. He just looked at some papers, so Seed went to dump most of his clothes into the bedroom. He made sure that the other man wasn't looking and sneaked quickly into the bathroom.

As soon as the door closed, the silver-haired man turned to look at it, smiling to himself. He was unable to even pretend to be working anymore, so he just sat there, staring at the door.

It seems hard to get you to trust me... He shook his head. But gods, I have to succeed...

Seed locked the door behind him and looked around. He had never seen such a spacious bathroom before. He looked around the room curiously, noticing some funny details like the fact that Culgan had two toothbrushes and way too many towels for one man to use.

He shrugged and got rid of the rest of his clothes. After dropping them next to the towels, he walked to the other side to take a look at the large bathtub.

A hot bath thing too... He sure has a nice place to live in.

He studied his surroundings for some time and then went into the shower. The water felt quite nice, but he still didn't know what to think about all this.

Fifteen minutes later the redhead opened the door and peeked out to see if the other man was around. Culgan was sitting on the sofa, reading something, so the younger man slipped quickly into the bedroom to get his clothes on.

Well, that's it then... He took a deep breath and went into the living room.

"I've rested, eaten and taken a shower. Can I go now?"

Culgan put the papers away and turned to face the other man. "You never answered my question... Why are you in such a hurry? Why do you want to go?"

"I..." Seed looked down. "You... should be aware that this isn't gonna work just like that. I'm not going to stay here, and you know it."

The older man sighed, walked to the computer and put the papers on the desk. "That's still not an answer. Are you just going to walk away and pretend you never met me?"

"I don't know, that's the problem!" The red-haired man replied, sounding frustrated. He took a few steps and stopped a few feet away from Culgan. The other man stepped back and stared at the kitchen, waiting a short moment before saying anything.

"You sound like you don't even want to try. I don't expect us to be... like we were back then. I would, however, like to be your friend. We could get to know each other. After all, we are..."

Seed turned away. "I just... I don't understand this, all right?! I'm confused. Just..."

"Yes?"

"Nothing." The younger man raised his face and stared at the partition that was next to the computer desk. "I... think I have to go now, since I have to go to work in a few hours... Well, you kinda work there too, so... It won't be too hard to find me. Let's just... try this later, okay?"

Culgan turned. "Don't walk out like that. Listen to me... just for a few minutes. Please, Seed?"

The redhead didn't reply; he just continued staring at the partition. Culgan sighed and closed his eyes.

"I know this is hard to believe... It is the same for me as well. But, I've had dreams about you all my life. I've always wished I'd meet you one day, even though the thought was very unrealistic, knowing that you were... But still. I always felt like I was missing something from my life... and this morning, I found what was missing. I don't want to lose this feeling so quickly, now that I finally feel complete..."

Seed wasn't fully listening to the other man's rant. His eyes wandered on the random colorful notes that were pinned on the partition, all nicely organized.

"...You... seem to know that I'm gay. I hope that doesn't affect your opinion about me too much. I'm not planning on seducing you or anything. I have male friends who know, and it has never been a problem to them. Just because we were lovers back then doesn't mean that I would expect you to..."

The redhead continued viewing the notes until his eyes met something else that was hanging right next to the computer monitor. It was a small golden frame that had a white card in it. There was something written on the card. At first, he couldn't understand the language. When he looked again, he realized the text was in a familiar language, and the handwriting was also something he had seen before.

"...What is this?" He read the first few words slowly, not remembering when he had seen this language the last time. School, probably. "...'Beyond... Life'?"

Culgan stopped talking and opened his eyes to see what Seed was looking at. He smiled to himself and took a step towards Seed.

"It's a poem I wrote... Actually, I wrote it 1000 years ago. For you. I see you recognize the language... it's the one used in Highland back then."

"...Hmm."

The silver-haired man stepped closer and closed his eyes again. He didn't have to look at the frame, since he knew what was written there.

"Without you, I would be alone... So cold and empty inside..." He took a deep breath. "Without your love, I'd be on my own... All my true feelings denied."

Seed didn't say a thing, so he continued. "You, my dear, The one thing I clutch... My guide through the dark night... You're the one, I live for your touch... Please, stay with me tonight."

He sighed and smiled before continuing. "Always burning, That fire in your eyes... Inside, things that only I can see... Always so reckless, The wonderful disguise... But I still know that you love me."

The redhead gulped, feeling a bit shocked. He had heard this before...

"Beyond eternity, We will be together... Nothing can set us apart..."

"...C-Culgan...?"

"Beyond life, I'm yours forever... You are my soul and my heart."

The older man sighed again and opened his eyes. The redhead was looking at him. He had tears in his eyes, and he was shaking. "...That... dream..." Seed whispered quietly.

Culgan smiled sadly. "You remember hearing this, don't you? I... read it to you only once. Or whispered, mostly... And yes, I've had that dream, too."

"...When?"

"About five years ago. I was in the hospital... They say I almost died that night."

The younger man's face turned pale. "Almost died... Five years ago..." He looked down, unable to say more. He was starting to feel scared.

Culgan reached out to wipe the tears from the other man's face. When he touched the redhead's cheek, Seed pressed his head against the older man's palm and started to sob silently. That dream had scared him... To know that Culgan had had the same dream - and it had been five years ago... To sense the strange bond between them... He was afraid. But...

He was never afraid, as long as Culgan was there.

Seed raised his face to look in the ice-blue eyes. They were calm, as always. Culgan's eyes were always like that. And behind them, there was warmth that no one else could see.

"Culgan...?"

The older man already knew; he could see it in the wine-red eyes that were looking at him. He drew the redhead closer, wrapping his arms around him.

"I'm here..."

The redhead closed his eyes and clung to the silver-haired man, wanting to forget everything... Even just for a moment.

Even if it would just be a short moment, he would be where he had always wanted to be.