Disclaimer: What's mine is mine, what's theirs is theirs. I
don't own these characters and would very much not like to be
sued.

Chapter Eight:

In the afternoon light the ancient walls of Collinwood stood
impassively watching the couple walk across the estate toward
the stables. The sun shone brightly, chasing away the shadows,
which seemed to cling to everything on Widows' Hill. Heero
remained quiet while a highly excited Duo hurried along. He felt
on top of the world just from the beaming smile on Duo's face,
and he hoped it all wasn't a dream. Collinwood had a strange,
displacing effect on him but he didn't dare mention it to Duo,
he was already chasing enough ghosts as it was. A sly grin crept
along Heero's face. Duo was just too damn cute for his own good!

Duo turned back and raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Heero! What are
you waiting for?"

Shaking off the persistent oddness, Heero raced on ahead
laughing. "I'm waiting for you!"

Breaking into a jog, Duo followed after his beautiful lover. It
didn't take the pair long to meet up at the stable. Playfully
chasing one another through the gate, Duo's feet slid in the
dirt as Heero reached out and pulled him close. Nuzzling Duo's
neck from behind, Duo twisted his head around and planted a hot
kiss on his lips.

Heero gazed down into Duo's eyes, still unable to believe that
this was really happening. All the years he'd pinned and dreamed
after the childlike Preventer agent... and now here he was, held
in his arms.

"Duo?"

"Yes?" he replied, huskily.

"The food's getting cold," Heero said, hefting the picnic
basket.

"I know something better I'd like to eat." He stood on his tippy-
toes, leaned forward, and nibbled lightly on Heero's earlobe.

Heero moaned softly, each time Duo touched his skin it lit his
body on fire. He took a deep breath and pulled Duo further
inside the stable. "That's why I brought a blanket," he told
him.

Nearby, horses whinnied and Duo nodded across at a black Arabian
stallion. "That one reminds me of you."

Heero moved toward the horse and petted him lovingly. "Duo meet
Wing, named after one of the Collins ancestors."

Duo joined him just outside the gate. "How did you know that?"
he smiled, clearly impressed.

Heero shrugged a little. "I found Cristoff in here one evening
and he mentioned it."

"Cristoff? You know I haven't seen this mysterious nephew of
Virginia's yet!"

"Yeah, I can't imagine where he's been hiding." Heero began to
walk past each gate. "So, which horse would you like?"

Duo made a great show of thinking, which only caused Heero to
laugh even harder.

"Alright, I know the perfect one for you," Heero smiled, leading
Duo down toward the end. He pointed to a gorgeous chestnut mare.
"This is Shi, named after a spitfire who used to live in the
haunted house."

"Hi, Shi," Duo said, rubbing the horse between the ears. "Heero
you should know by now that I don't spit fire, I eat it."

Heero shook his head and lead Wing out. "Come on you walking
hormone," he told Duo, "let's get this show on the road."

Duo and Heero rode the two horses across the lush Collinwood
grounds. Heero knew of just the right spot to picnic, and he
held the jostling basket and the reins tightly. Duo pulled Shi
back onto the path for the tenth time, the mare definitely had a
mind of her own choosing to wander off when the mood struck.
Eventually the trees began to thin and they came to a lake
sparkling in the sun.

Duo breathed deeply. It was so peaceful here, just the sort of
place to spend a lazy afternoon. "Heero, it's perfect."
Something glinting in the light caught his eye. About two miles
away sat a very odd, dilapidated structure. Duo gaped at what
looked to be a miniature version of the millennium dome.

"What's that down there?" He pointed.

Heero followed his gaze. "Oh, that's the old conservatory. The
whole thing's about to cave in."

"It's a bit much for a greenhouse," Duo observed.

Heero dismounted and tied Wing's reins to a nearby tree. "Would
you stop wrestling with the Collinwood ghosts!"

With that, Duo quickly reined Shi beside Wing and tackled Heero
as he smoothed out a blanket onto the ground. They fell and
rolled on top of one another, Duo pinning him down.

"Now this is the kind of wrestling I can get into," he smirked.

Reaching up, Heero pulled Duo over onto his back. Duo lay there
spread eagled, and looking positively delicious. Duo looked up,
his mouth parted. Blood boiling, Heero dove down and their lips
connected.

Duo ran a hand down the man's strong back as Heero worked his
tongue expertly inside of his mouth. Greedily sucking on Heero's
probing tongue, Duo's heart raced as he felt a powerful erection
pressing against his thigh.

Breaking the kiss, Duo looked deep into Heero's burning eyes.
"Yes, baby, that's exactly what I need."

Lifting up Heero's shirt, Duo practically ripped it off his
back. His own cock ached within his jeans, desperately yearning
for the exquisite warmth of Heero's mouth. Reaching under Duo's
tight gray T-shirt, Heero quickly lifted it over his head to
rest next to his own. Duo hugged Heero close to his body, their
bulging crotches grinding.

Under the shining sun, Heero trailed his tongue down to Duo's
left nipple, all the while expertly unbuttoning Duo's straining
jeans. Running his long fingers through Heero's thick dark hair,
Duo gently pressed his head lower. Heero's mouth watered at the
incredible sight waiting for him. Sliding Duo's pants and boxer
briefs down to his ankles, Heero swiftly removed his hiking
boots. Duo kept a firm grip on his lover's firmly rounded ass.

Heero turned back to his completely naked Duo, desire welling
within him from the delectable vision waiting for him. Spreading
Duo's legs wide, Heero wrapped his tongue around the throbbing,
hard shaft. Immediately, Duo gasped with pleasure as Heero's
lips sucked him all the way down to the base.

Not to be outdone, Duo struggled to catch his breath and with
some effort managed to position himself before Heero's crotch.
With one swift movement, he pulled the black pants, which seemed
to mould to Heero's body down. Duo licked his lips and took hold
of Heero's dick, giving it a few good strokes. He licked at the
head and tasted the first sweet drops of precome. It was like an
overpowering aphrodisiac to him and he swallowed each inch down
his throat. They lay side by side, holding one another in an
embrace of lovemaking.

Moistening a finger before returning to Duo's delicious cock,
Heero slid a finger inside Duo's crack. Duo groaned against his
cock as Heero's finger penetrated him. He bucked his hips
wildly, his cock thrusting further into the silky depths of
Heero's mouth. He couldn't hold back any longer from the mind
blowing sensations. Soon, Heero was greedily swallowing the
warmth blasting down his throat. Duo's cries and velvet tongue
around his shaft sent him over the edge. Duo held his lips
around the throbbing cock as it exploded inside him. They both
fell into each other's arms, breathlessly sharing a hot kiss.

oo0oo

After working up a hearty appetite, the two men had dressed and
washed their flushed faces down by the lake. They'd quickly
dived into the picnic lunch, inhaling it like they'd inhaled
each other.

Heero stood beside Wing, staring distantly into the woods. He
blinked, noticing a hidden path twisting deeper into the
overhanging trees. Mounting the horse, Heero trotted him toward
the water's edge where Duo was waiting while Shi finished
drinking.

"Duo, I'm going to see where that trail leads," he said.

"Alright, I'll be along in a few." Keeping an eye on Heero as he
disappeared into the wood, Duo exhaled deeply. Heero was simply
amazing. He always credited himself with having an overactive
sex drive, but Heero's was full throttle. He grinned to himself,
feeling a stirring in his already heated crotch.

He gazed about the breathtaking landscape, wondering how many
Collins's had played, worked and lived by the lake. His eyes
fell on the conservatory once more, and Duo blinked the sun out
of his eyes. Far in the distance he could see a young blonde
woman, dressed in a flowing white gown entering the derelict
building.

"Hey!" he shouted, but the figure paid no head to his warning
and vanished inside. Pulling Shi away from the lake, he quickly
mounted and rode hard down toward the conservatory.

The closer he became, Duo could see what a bad state of
disrepair it was in. It must have been pretty impressive in its
day, but now it was a death trap. Sliding from the mare, which
began to graze in the overgrown grass, Duo hurried inside.

"Hello?" he called, his voice carrying around the curved walls
like an echo chamber. The building was composed entirely of
glass; most of the panes were busted and their remains littered
the ground.

Venturing carefully further, Duo cast his keen, amethyst eyes
about for the young woman. "Listen, I saw you come in. It's not
safe. Where are you?"

He walked past rows of cracked tables bearing long dead plants.
Was the girl hiding, afraid of getting in trouble for
trespassing on the estate?

oo0oo

An eerie chill passed over Heero and even his horse seemed to
sense uneasiness in the air. The trail was only big enough for
Wing to get through, the trees closed in threatening to seal the
old path. A strong wind rustled the leaves and a wailing pricked
up both Heero and Wing's ears. He patted the horse reassuringly.

"Don't worry, boy, it's just the widows." He realized he was
half trying to convince himself. Heero Yuy didn't scare easily.
Damn that cab driver for telling him that legend!

"I think we'd better get back to Duo," he decided. Just as he
moved to turn Wing around, the path abruptly opened out. "Well,
what do you think about that?" he asked aloud. With a snort,
Wing trotted on ahead.

Heero gasped, finding a cemetery on the other side of the wood.
It was neglected with a rusted fence; the old gravestones
covered in moss, leaves, and fallen limbs. "Duo is going to love
this," he whispered, knowing full well that Duo would go ape
over a find like this.

He stared about the columns, mausoleums and flaking stones for a
moment longer. Then he froze, his eyes growing wide. Standing at
the entrance to the cemetery was a stunningly beautiful woman,
her ice blue eyes calling out to him. Heero found himself
dismounting and moving uncontrollably toward her open arms...

oo0oo

A shard of glass crunched under Duo's hiking boot as he
continued to search the conservatory. He'd made a complete
circle and the only way inside was the doorway he'd used.
Certainly she couldn't have crawled out one of the jagged
windows. An excited grin spread across his face. Maybe he'd
actually seen another ghost! But this time it wasn't Daniel, no
the figure had been too far away. Could it have been Josette? Or
Beth? Perhaps it was Daphne? A list of names from the history
book flashed through his mind.

Duo stopped his frenzied pacing and froze. A loud cracking broke
out high above him. He swallowed hard and nervously looked up.
The fragile glass was splintering in delicate spider web
patterns all around.

Heart pounding, Duo instinctively covered his head as the glass
imploded into a million sparkling fragments...
TBC......

AN: Bwahaha! Damn cliffies. I'm cursed I tell ya! ;