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They'd arrived in Boston, and rather than stay in the city for longer than necessary, Klaus had rented an understated car. The problem came to the actual driving itself. His eye-sight in his left eye was good enough to be able to drive in Europe -- but in America, he had no idea. The shaky reaction times his hands had, too, made him unsure of the idea. So he and Dorian had rotated on the four hour drive across the state of Massachusetts to the sleepy little town of Lanesborough.

James had stuck them in a fairly cheap, quiet place. Put them in a house instead of a hotel, which Klaus supposed would give them privacy. It was only as they drove that Klaus realized that it was on a lake -- a lake that route 7 took them neatly along the edges of. He'd driven the last part, keeping his eye out for a street called 'Bull Run' -- and then took a second left onto 'Sunrise Street'.

At the end, another left hand turn onto a drive that curved back in, they found the house waiting. The owners were still there, to give them the keys he supposed, but the house...

Three stories and a basement from what he could tell, a porch on the elevated first story. Pine trees framed the house where it sat on a wide finger of land that stuck out into the lake.

"We're here, Dorian," he murmured, opening the car door and stepping out into... not silence. Bird-noises and the rustle of oak-tree's branches, tousled by the wind. There was a wide cement wall that kept the land from eroding into the lake on one side, and steps that went right down into clear water...

/The little money bug did something right./ It was, too, the sort of scenic beauty that Dorian could get himself thoroughly lost in.

So much the better.

"Mmmh?" Dorian stirred, waking. He'd fallen asleep in the last half hour, an inevitability after the long flight and the drive. There was something about driving that made him sleepy! "We're here?" He rubbed both eyes and shoved his hair back out of his face. It was just barely shoulder length, once it had been straightened, and even more wildly curly than before. "Oh... it's *GORGEOUS*!! Jamesie did a *perfect* job!"

Klaus smiled at his companion as he opened the door and stepped out onto the curving drive-way that sloped downhill to the garage. Then he walked around to the other side of the car, opening Dorian's door for him. "Let's go see if the owners are in -- it really is a... beautiful area."

"Come on, Klaus, let's do! I can't *wait* to stay here! What a beautiful place," Dorian said with a sigh before stretching. "Mmmmm!!"

A smile touched Klaus's lips for a moment, as he moved across a little strip of grass and then up six sturdy stone steps to ring the doorbell. "Leave the bags there. I'll bring them up once the car's in the garage."

"All right," Dorian agreed, long legs moving him easily towards the house as he tucked his hands into the pockets of tailored slacks. He was once again clad in something less than flamboyant -- mostly in defense of Klaus's delicate sensibilities -- but Klaus was *certain* he had any number of frivolous outfits tucked away in his suitcases. "The air is bracing, the view refreshing. Oh, I can't BELIEVE James managed this!" On the other hand, James knew exactly what Dorian liked in a house and generally did his best to make sure that the British thief had what he liked, so it didn't surprise him half as much as it did Klaus.

It did surprise him that the accountant hadn't thrown a conniption fit when he'd had him get two plane tickets.

He didn't know that Klaus had stroked a check for the man to cover the cost of the rental car and plane trip. "It's good. It's perfect, in fact -- those woods there need to be walked through." It was a small-town, with a small-town feel, but it was a small town that didn't know who or what they were... or, in Klaus's case, had been.

"Oh, hello!!" The inner wooden door opened, and then the glass one swung out. "Come in -- you must be... Mr. Gloria?"

"Herr Eberbach. This is Lord Gloria."

"Hullo," Dorian greeted the woman. "It's so lovely to meet you. Thank you for letting us rent your house. This area is just beautiful..."

A man moved up behind her, tall, dark-haired, smiling. "I'm George Cason. It's nice to meet you. I hope you'll enjoy things over the next month..."

Klaus could look him in the eye, which was a little impressive -- he offered, automatically, his right hand and shook the other man's hand, grip still terribly awkward. It would *always* be terribly awkward, just as much as it was meeting anyone's eyes. "I'm sure we will. The scenery was impressive on the drive through, and the lake is beautiful."

"Lake Pontoosuc is a lovely, just lovely lake," the woman smiled, shaking Dorian's hand in a friendly way. "I'm Mary Cason."

"It's so nice to meet you," Dorian said again, smiling. "I hope you have a wonderful second honeymoon." That had been the reason that James had managed to get the house, and managed to get it so cheaply. The couple planned on spending their second honeymoon in France and didn't want to leave their house empty while they were gone.

"I'm sure we will. We're glad someone will be staying here," George told them firmly. James had agreed to pay a fairly hefty security deposit, so long as he was going to get it back when the house was undamaged on their return. He'd nearly threatened both Dorian *and* Klaus to make sure that it would be!

And there was the upside of the rental helping the pay for a little of their trip. "I doubt you could be leaving this house in safer hands," Klaus murmured, looking around with his monocular gaze, as he slipped his maimed right hand into his pocket to hide it.

"George and I will be heading out in an hour or so, but... why don't you sit down and we'll have coffee for a few minutes?" Mary suggested. "And then I'll show you the house. It's pretty simple. This room here is the dining room, and the kitchen -- well, it's right here..." Connected seamlessly to the main entry-room. It looked like, if one kept walking straight, they'd find a small living-room, and a door down into the basement. "Oh, and the great room! We use if for music, and the real living room, but the view is just breathtaking. Picture windows all around... I'm sure the two of you will have a nice stay."

"I can't wait," Dorian answered honestly as the husband stopped in the kitchen to make coffee even as the wife took them further through the house. "It's a beautiful house. Just as nice as the view," he admitted with a smile.

"I'm just glad that we had the luck to find or... well, be found by two people like yourselves looking to vacation! Here, in our little town, of all places..." They skirted the oddly high-ceilinged great-room, and into the living room. Panelled wood walls made the place feel warm, the furniture all old, comfortable and well-broken in. Another turn took them up into a narrow stairwell that came up to the second level. "We have three bedrooms here. The master bedroom, which I can tell you is about as comfortable and warm as a barn, a little room that I use for my sewing and crafts, and the spare-room. I've put fresh linens down in all of them, and the bathroom pipes shouldn't freeze because that room was re-insulated two years ago."

Klaus was trailing vaguely behind, taking it all in. Comfortable indeed... "I'll be downstairs," he told Dorian with a smile. to talk to the husband and find out anything that needed to be watched especially.

"All right," Dorian told him, smiling slightly. The scars on his face hadn't been remarked upon, so he was actually feeling fairly jovial as he followed the woman around the upstairs, being shown what was what.

The master-bedroom was just as huge as had been promised. "It's barely insulated -- I wouldn't want you two dears freezing to death some evening."

A slight flush rose on Dorian's cheeks as he smiled at her. Ahh, James *had* done well! Even if he and Klaus *weren't*... in a relationship quite like the one the other couple probably thought they had, it was still nice to be expected. "Oh, no worries about that. Are there blankets...?"

"Oh, yes -- in this closet right here..." Mary made her way over to a narrow door on the near wall, and opened it. "It shouldn't get too bad in the evening, since it is only September, but then again, we've been known to get snow in October. Never can be too safe!"

"Understandable," Dorian replied cheerfully. "The Americas can have such odd weather! It's charming. Now, about local food... what's good?"

Klaus was standing nearby George with a certain military posture, sharp, straight-backed, surveying and cataloguing everything in the small kitchen. And trying, in a very strained sort of way, to socialize a little with a Damned Yank. He hadn't said it in so many words, but he was *thinking* it clearly. "Is there anything in particular about the house that needs to be looked after?"

"No, not particularly. Everything's been done to ready the house for winter and our terrier is firmly deposited with Mary's mother. Everything should be just fine," George told him. "There's an alarm system which can be set every night -- just use the keypad here. I'll show you before we leave. Other than that, everything should be just fine."

"Gut," he nodded, taking a step back to better look around. "Tell me, is there a firing range anywhere near here?"

That didn't seem to startle the other man -- he could tell a military man when he saw one, and he nodded. "There's one just a little further down Route 7. You turn right onto Bull Run and go past the post office and it should be on the left a block down from there. There's a sign that will show you very clearly where it is."

"Thank you. My... companion is very interested in art and museums and such. Are there many in the area?"

"Quite a few things of interest, though not all are museums. The local museum is small but good and if you travel down the highway and through some of the towns, there are a lot of antique shops with some things that would probably keep his interest." The fact that the couple was obviously gay didn't really bother George. His brother was even more flaming than the blond man, so he was accustomed to that. It was actually this dark-haired one that made him a tad uncomfortable -- so stiff! "There's a theater where a lot of small local productions are put on, as well. That might be of interest to both of you."

That stiffness, though, might have been the military man in him. The accent, heavy and sharp in that firm voice, didn't help either -- such a contrast from the rich, liquid British accent of the other man. "Thank you. I... am very sure now that this was the best choice of place to come to."

George smiled, pulling down coffee cups from a cabinet. "This is where the glasses are. Plates are here," he indicated the cabinet next to it. "You shouldn't have any problem. We're just glad to have someone to look after the house. It's a bad idea to leave anything empty, in the end..."

"A house like this that is best when lived in, perhaps. My family's home has been vacant for at least half a year." Except for the servants, but they didn't count.

Politely, George didn't ask why. "I have to agree. Do you take sugar or cream in your coffee?" he asked, hearing footsteps on the stairs.

"Neither."

"Ahh. Here you are," the man murmured just as they were joined by his wife and the blond man.

"It's just a *beautiful* house," Dorian gushed as he followed Mary into the kitchen. "Lovely, really. I'm so glad to be staying here!"

/Glad to be out of Bonn,/ Klaus thought. Even if it was the homeland, and he'd be heart-sick for it in a week. /Glad to be away from them all, away from NATO, stealing... everything./

"Do you have the coffee ready, honey...?" Mary asked, eyeing Klaus as he looked at Dorian surreptitiously for a moment.

"I'm going to move the car so it doesn't block the drive when you pull out. And get the bags," Klaus told Dorian.

"Would you like some help?" the Briton asked as he was given a cup of coffee, smiling beatifically at Mary as she wordlessly offered him cream and sugar, both of which he accepted.

"Nein." He moved out of the kitchen and down the short hallway, past a tiny half-bath, and out the front door.

It really was a lovely place. He and Dorian could get lost in it -- and he was sure that a month wouldn't be long enough.

"So, what brings two continentals like you to America?" Mary asked pleasantly enough, only once Klaus was gone.

"An accident of fate, I'm afraid," Dorian replied, waving a hand shyly at his face. "We had a bit of misfortune recently and felt the need to recuperate. It seemed best to do it away from Europe, since we wanted something a bit *fresh*..."

"Hm," George murmured in agreement, nodding. "That does sound like a good idea."

"It's just funny... That Americans like to escape to Europe. I've never thought of Europeans wanting to escape to America," Mary commented, taking a sip of her own coffee.

"Usually," Dorian admitted with a fair bit of humor, "they wouldn't! But we're both fairly well known here and there in Europe..." Especially after the fiasco in Italy! "So we thought here would be better..." So long as it wasn't Alaska, they should be just fine!

"Well, neither of us have heard of you," Mary smiled, looking over to her husband -- it was the complete truth, too! "Your friend seems like an unhappy man, dear. I hope this vacation helps him unwind a bit. People like that have nervous breakdowns, you know."

George nodded firmly, thinking, /Or they go postal.../

Dorian smiled. "It's been a rough few weeks. We'll see. Klaus has never been particularly happy, but... we'll see."

"The environment here will work wonders on him, I'm sure," Mary smiled, patting Dorian's arm gently as they all sat down at the dining room table. "However did the, uhm... accident happen?"

"Oh, it's a very long and uninteresting story," Dorian demurred. "It wasn't pleasant. I'd really rather not talk about it at all..."

"Oh, that's perfectly all right! I'm sorry!" Mary was blushing, taking another sip of coffee. "I'm sorry."

"No, no!" came the assurance. "It's perfectly all right, only it's still rather painful to talk about..."

George glanced at his watch and nodded. "Mary? We need to be going now..."

"Quick, show Mr. Gloria here how to use the security system, and I'll go start up the car." And then Mary slipped down into the basement to pull up the garage door.

"It works just like this," George said, lightly pointing to the box. "Hitting arm will set the alarm, the code for disarming is 3135. If you have any problems, this is the number to call. Someone should be out within five minutes if anything goes wrong, but we've never had any trouble..."

"Thank you," Dorian said genuinely, though he knew that in his and Klaus's case, trouble would easily bypass something that seemed so simple. "We really appreciate this."

The sound of two cars passing each other over the gravel drive was audible even in the kitchen, and then Klaus came up from the garage, their bags carried in both hands, the door pushed open with his shoulder. "What room, Dorian?"

"Third one up the stairs on the left," Dorian answered, standing up. "Let me have some of them..."

"The keys are on the table," George said with a smile. "We'll see you in October."

"Come on, George!!"

"October," Klaus nodded, with an almost smile on his mouth. "Goodbye. Dorian, why don't you take one of your clothing bags."

Dorian waved as George stepped out the door though which Klaus had come. "Have a nice time!" he called, moving to take one of the indicated bags. "Well," he said as they headed towards the steps, hearing the other car drive away, "it's just you and me!"

"Yeah -- just you... and me." He smiled a little, letting Dorian lead. "What do you want to do once we settle in?"

"Eat, or take a nap," Dorian laughed, almost dancing up the steps. "Mmmm, I'm still sleepy from the trip, but I'm starving! Airline food is horrid," he decided with a sigh, stepping into the master bedroom and easily laying his single bag down beside the door.

And Klaus dropped three, moving towards the bed. "Nap, then food. I don't want to cook when tired, and it's... *really* eleven at night back home." The joys of jet-lag.

With a wide yawn, Dorian stretched before nodding in agreement. "And when we get up, perhaps it'll be time to go and eat. Let's go out somewhere? I can't imagine whether they've left anything in the refrigerator..."

"They didn't. Last of the cream went into coffee," Klaus told him, stopping and taking off his sweater. He still had his undershirt on underneath, so that was still okay. "We'll have to go shopping tomorrow."

"That sounds perfect," Dorian agreed sleepily, yawning. "Ohh, dear!"

"Ohh, dear?"

"That felt MARVELOUSLY good," Dorian sighed, shivering. "Mmmm. The only thing better than stretching is sneezing. That's positively orgasmic," he sighed.

A half amused snort from Klaus, as he stopped to quickly remove his boots. "I'm going to run a sweep for bugs. You go to sleep -- I'll join you soon."

"I'll be waiting for you," Dorian told him, opening a suitcase to search for his satin pajamas. They were blue, and they felt delicious against his skin -- and Klaus's. "Don't be long?"

"I won't."

And he wasn't. He checked over the bedroom first, and then disappeared into the hall. Ten minutes later, satisfied with the security of the house, and came back into the bedroom to find a lovely picture. Dorian, in the bed, sheets tangled around him a little... Klaus smiled to himself a little as he removed his belt, and didn't bother changing into pajamas. Trousers and an undershirt would suit well enough for a nap.

"You're back," Dorian sighed sleepily as Klaus laid down beside him. That promptly shifted a change, the blond man pressing against his side, face lightly placed against Klaus's shoulder. "No bugs?"

"None. 's a real..." He yawned a little, closing his eyes and slipping an arm around Dorian. "Nice place. 'n this bed's comfortable..." Not that it mattered to him. Bed, ground, chair, it was all the same to him.

"Mmmhmmmm," Dorian agreed with a sigh. Oh, there was no place better to be! How bizarre, that it had taken... THAT... just to get this. "Sleepy," he whispered, breath rushing warmly over Klaus's throat.

"Then go back to sleep." Klaus's half-order was soothing. In particular over the last few days had been that he wasn't thinking about what he was doing, or why. Dorian slept poorly at best when he wasn't there, and he, too, gained from the other man being safe in his grasp. No nightmares or much trouble sleeping, when he had Dorian there with him.

The man was a stability in a life that was still in ruins. This month would give both of them time to see what they could still manage, to fortify the odd bond between them, and for Klaus to work out his mind.

"Yes, Klaus," came the easy agreement, and it was only moments before soft, even breaths were coming from the now-sleeping Briton. With Klaus in bed, it was so easy for Dorian to sleep, especially when held so close...

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