Title: Catching the Stars

Pairing: Pike and Henry (from the movie Big Eden)

Rating: NC-17

Word Count: ~3500

Summary: The courtship and evolving relationship between Pike and Henry is told in flashbacks after a horrible incident rocks shakes the foundation of everyone who loves them both. (i.e.: The entire town of Big Eden!) (In my universe the last scene of the movie - the dance and kiss - happened a year later at the annual summer picnic.)

Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Friendship

Disclaimer: They don't belong to me - I just play with them a little.

Warnings: Injection of harsh reality into the idyllic world of Big Eden.

PRESENT

To say he was stunned would have been an extreme understatement. Henry was absolutely, devastatingly speechless. What used to be Pike's home was completely trashed. The sitting room was bad enough, but it was the kitchen that literally gutted him.

As Henry walked slowly through the destruction he thought about the moments he shared with Pike in these small rooms hidden behind Pike's store. It was in the sitting room, with a fire crackling in the background, where Henry had presented Pike with the painting he inspired. He named it "Dancing in the Stars" to honor the story that had given Henry's heart the first stirrings of love for the dark-skinned, mysterious man. Now the room was a shambles of overturned furniture and broken wooden tables and chairs.

The kitchen was unrecognizable. Shards of glass and stoneware littered the floor and counter tops. The sink was full of dirt and shattered herb pots that were once lined up neatly on the window sill. The vintage refrigerator was toppled - its contents had started to smell. This was the place where Pike had first began his love affair - unbeknownst to Henry. This is the room where Pike fed Henry's wandering soul with the best, most lovingly prepared meals Henry had ever had in his life. This is the room where Pike had first held out his long, strong arms to catch Henry when he fell from the sky - to feed a hunger he never knew existed.

This was the place - Pike's private quarters - his home - where Henry had started to slow down - where he first thought about staying in one place.

This is the place - Pike's place - where Henry finally allowed himself to be found.

Pike.

Henry pulled himself from the sight of what was once Pike's kitchen and looked around until he caught sight of his broken lover. Pike was standing in the doorway that led to his former bedroom. He was clutching the doorframe so hard that his dark knuckles looked white. He saw the slight tremor in Pike's shoulders and it nearly broke his heart.

Oh god.

Henry stepped behind Pike and realized exactly what had frozen the gentle giant to the spot. He wrapped his arms around Pike's waist and gently stroked his lover's stomach. Even though it had only been a few days, Henry missed the feel of Pike's plump belly beneath his fingers. He was now met with the elastic texture from the protective wrap holding Pike's ribs in place. Henry placed his face against Pike's back and tried his best to soothe. "We'll put it all back together. I promise."

"This..." Pike's voice broke when he spoke. "...I...this one...'

Henry squeezed himself between the doorframe and Pike's trembling torso. He pressed their bodies together and held Pike's tear streaked face between his hands. "It's okay, Pike. It's nothing that can't be fixed. The only thing that matters is that you're here and you're okay and I love you."

"You made that for me." Pike tried to explain why this particular room held so much more meaning.

"I know. I'll make another one for you." Henry tried to reassure.

Pike closed his eyes. "Not the same."

"Of course not, but everything that painting represents is right here." Henry placed Pike's palm against his chest. "And right here." Henry placed his own palm on Pike's chest.

"This is the room where we made love for the first time." Pike's tears were flowing freely - without shame.

"And it always will be." Henry smiled sadly. "Nothing will change that, Pike."

FLASHBACK

Henry stumbled into the kitchen. The only light illuminating the room was the flickering bulb above the sink. Pike was setting up the coffee pot so all Henry had to do was plug it in later. "Mornin..." Henry mumbled while scratching his belly through his thin t-shirt.

Pike spun around and looked surprised. "What are you doing up?" His smile was radiant.

"It seems the only way I'm going to see you this week is to get up at this ungodly hour of the morning." Henry complained. He was not a morning person.

At all.

Pike pulled Henry into his arms and held him close. "I'm sorry. I'm almost done with inventory."

"If you would let me help you maybe you'd be done by now." Henry tried not to whine, but it was too damned early and he was too damned needy from not seeing his lover all week. "I can count, you know."

"Of course you can." Pike kissed Henry's pouty lips. "Come down to the store and have lunch with me."

"Are you sure you can spare the time?" Henry was starting to hate the way he sounded to his own ears.

Pike smiled between quick, little pecks of lips all over Henry's face. "I want a little time with the birthday boy before we have a houseful of people watching him blow out the candles on his cake tonight."

"There better be no candles or we may burn down the house." Henry couldn't stop himself from being a living, breathing Eyore. It was just so damn early and he was forty years old. Forty. When did that happen? "I'm old."

"Forty isn't old." Pike cooed.

Henry rolled his eyes. "We'll see how you feel about it in a few months when you catch up to me."

"I'm sorry I haven't been home much this week. Please have lunch with me today, Henry." Pike said in all seriousness. "And tonight after our guests leave, let me show you how sexy forty is."

"Sexy?" Henry couldn't help grinning. Sometimes Pike still surprised him. "Pike Dexter thinks I'm sexy, huh?"

Pike smirked in his own special way before he leaned down to kiss Henry's grumpy-morning-disposition. "Lunch?"

Henry nodded into Pike's kisses. "I'll be there."

After a couple more hours of sleep and a percolator full of fresh coffee, Henry was a lot happier. When he walked into the store and saw Pike looking all tall, dark, and handsome he didn't feel even the tiniest bit of the irritation he had prior to the sun rising.

Pike's smile was almost brighter than the sun the second his gaze landed on Henry.

The sight of it still caused Henry's chest to flutter every single time.

Henry stepped around the cluttered u-shaped counter and stepped up one step until he was face-to-face with Pike behind the cash register. "Hi."

"Hi." Pike kissed him soundly. "Happy Birthday."

"Thank you." Henry grinned. "Where's my birthday lunch?"

"Right this way." Pike said as he took Henry's hand. "Watch the store, Jim."

"Okey Dokey." Jim said with a bit of mirth in his tone.

Once Pike had Henry through the door and into the middle of the sitting room he stopped and pulled Henry until Henry's back was pressed into Pike's chest. "Wait." He huffed into Henry's neck.

One of Pike's arms was holding Henry firmly in place around his waist. The other was draped over a shoulder. Pike's big hand covered Henry's eyes. "I have a surprise for you."

"What?" Henry teased. "Did you put extra bacon on my BLT?"

"Just relax and let me show you." Pike began to walk Henry in the direction of the kitchen. At the last minute Pike spun Henry to the right - in the direction of Pike's old bedroom.

"No birthday sex with the guys out front." Henry warned.

Pike just chuckled against Henry's temple. "It's not like they don't know we're involved."

"Piii-iiike." Henry warned even more.

Pike laughed. It was a sound Henry would never get enough of. "No walk of shame today, Henry?"

"Pike, I'm serious..." Henry lost his ability to speak when Pike removed his hand and allowed Henry to open his eyes. He looked around the room in disbelief.

"Happy Birthday, Henry." Pike almost whispered into his ear.

It was beautiful. Every single detail was perfect. "Pike?"

"An artist of your caliber deserves his own studio." Pike explained.

Henry look around the room that used to contain an old, comfortable bed and a simple chest of drawers with matching armoire. It had been transformed. There was light - lots of light. Henry looked up and gasped. "Pike!"

"Dean helped me with those." Pike explained as his lover gaped at the two large sky lights. "Mary Margaret said you need a lot of natural light."

"Pike...I..." Henry didn't know what to say. Pike had thought of every detail. Easels and canvases and cabinets for paints of every variety and the finest selection of brushes. There were solvents and rags and aprons. Pike had even installed a sink in the corner and a wide counter for drying and mixing. "How..."

"I don't really need to do inventory in this place." Pike explained. "Especially for an entire week. You've seen the size of the store - right?" Pike's voice was playful.

Henry adored Playful-Pike.

His eyes continued to scan the beautiful studio Pike had created just for him, when he finally saw it - and he stepped into the room so he could touch it.

Pike followed, finding his place behind Henry again and holding him close with both arms wrapped around his waist. "I couldn't take that out of here. It belongs here."

"This is..."

"I hung it in here the same morning you gave it to me. It's been in here ever since. The first time we made love it was hanging above our heads." Pike continued.

Henry could barely speak through the wave of emotions. "I remember."

"Is it okay?" Pike suddenly sounded unsure of himself.

Henry spun around in his arms. "I couldn't think of a better place to keep it. It will inspire me the same way you do."

"Do you like the..."

Henry cut him off with a kiss. "Thank you."

Pike smiled and looked relieved. "Happy Birthday."

"I love it." Henry kissed Pike again - harder and longer and much more deeply. "I love you."

PRESENT

Henry was worried.

Pike hadn't taken his eyes from the tattered remains of the painting that had once hung on his bedroom wall. Even after he had converted it into a place to honor the work of his lover - it remained on that same wall. Since the moment Pike first laid eyes on it - when it was merely Henry's unfinished frustration in Sam's living room - Pike had loved it.

And Pike's interpretation of what it represented made Henry love it.

Pike was right - it belonged on the wall where they had first joined as lovers. It belonged in the place Pike had chosen for it from before their beginning.

It was just wrong.

And Pike was taking it hard.

Henry reached across the truck seat to bury his finger in Pike's long hair. "You doing okay?"

Pike kept fidgeting with the torn canvas as if he were trying to put it back together again. He didn't respond to Henry's voice.

Henry lightly scratched Pike's scalp. "Pike, please say something."

Pike closed his eyes and leaned his head against the headrest.

"Are you tired?" Henry asked. He was desperate to hear Pike's voice.

All he heard was a heavy sigh.

Henry moved his hand from Pike's hair to his thigh and left it there for the rest of the drive home. Once he shut down the old engine he squeezed Pike's leg. "We're home, Pike."

No response.

Henry hopped out of the truck and walked around to Pike's side. After he opened the door, he reached in to take the tattered painting from Pike's grip before he grabbed Pike's good hand and gently pulled him from the truck. "I don't know about you, but I could use a nap!" Henry coddled.

A few hours had passed since Henry left his sleeping man in their bed. Henry wasn't really tired at all, but he spooned himself behind Pike until he heard the familiar sound of Pike's gentle snoring. He was so intense in his concentration on the project in front of him, that he didn't hear the sound of Pike's slippers shuffling into the sunny living room. It wasn't until Pike sat on the arm of the big chair next to Henry's easel that Henry realized he was no longer alone.

Pike leaned against Henry's shoulder and looked at the canvas. Henry saw something that looked a lot like relief in his eyes.

"Not bad, huh?"

Pike nodded. "I can't believe you...made it look so..."

"It's not perfect." Henry referred to the repaired painting of dancing star-children. He placed an arm around Pike's shoulders. "But I kinda like the scars - reminds me that we made it through this together."

Pike's arms wrapped around Henry's waist and he pulled him to stand between his knees. "I like it. It'll look good back where it belongs."

"It will." Henry agreed. "We'll keep it right here for a couple of weeks. Just until all the repairs are done - to both this painting and to the store."

"Two weeks?" Pike clarified. He needed precision right now.

Henry knew where this was going. "Yeah. Give or take. I promise, Pike, everyone is working hard to get it done. By the time you're ready to get back to your daily routine - it should be all ready for you."

"I can help." Pike said without any hint that it was up for discussion.

Henry skimmed his fingers against Pike's rib wrap. "Maybe in a few days."

"I just want everything to be normal again." Pike's eyes were glassy.

"I know." Seeing it caused another crack to form in Henry's heart. "Me too."

"I'm not broken." Pike unnecessarily insisted.

Henry nodded and continued to soothe with his touch. "I know."

"I can take care of myself." Pike tightened his arm-hold.

"I know." Henry cupped Pike's face in one hand. "You've been taking care of both of us for a while now. So do me a favor and let me take care of you for a few more days." Henry smiled before he kissed the pout from Pike's mouth. "Okay?"

Pike answered silently by burrowing his face into Henry's neck after he pulled them impossibly close together.

FLASHBACK

He was almost getting used to waking up to the sensation of hot, moist, bad-breath being huffed into his face.

Almost.

He opened his eyes and found himself looking into the expressive brown eyes of a warm, panting...dog.

"Good morning, Frances." Henry scratched her behind her ears before he pushed her off of Pike's pillow. "Sorry, girl, but that spot is reserved for your handsome human"

Henry's day started in the same way it usually did after Frances woke him. He barely made it to the toilet to relieve his full bladder. He scratched himself and all of his manly bits as he stumbled to the kitchen to start the prepped coffee and pop the covered breakfast casserole into the oven. By the time the coffee was brewed and his breakfast was warmed, Henry had showered, shaved, and dressed for the day.

He usually thought about Pike while he ate. After a walk with Frances around the lake, Henry drove to Pike's store - and his beautiful, bright, studio - to put in a good day of painting - after he got his fill of staring at Pike from the Cappuccino station.

He had a very good life. And Pike was the reason.

Henry knew it.

Often times, while he was either staring at the man or simply enjoying his lingering scent as he pondered over his latest artistic endeavor, Henry wondered what Pike got out of this. Sure, they had lots of sex. At least right now they did and that is certainly incentive to stick around with someone - but how long would they be this...smitten? They were both forty and their current appetite for sex - fueled by newness and discovery - wouldn't last forever.

And certainly sex with Henry Hart wasn't all that satisfying. And even if Henry could put out like a nineteen year old, it wasn't like Pike wasn't matching him orgasm for orgasm.

Pike was a gay fantasy in bed. No one would ever suspect that lurking beneath his quiet exterior was a sex god. Henry got to have that little surprise all for himself.

Yummy.

And to top it all off - Pike's body was made just for satisfying Henry. He was strong - solid - big - but had a soft, round belly just big enough to give Henry the exact right friction on his less than impressive erection while Pike was pounding into him as hard and fast, or soft and slow, as Henry demanded. Their height difference made for the perfect alignment of mouths so they could kiss freely whenever the need arose as they made love in the gay-version of the missionary position.

But as shocking as it would be for everyone who knew them - they were not vanilla. Not in the least. Pike was adventurous and brought out the kink inside of Henry. Pike had a way of making Henry feel desirable and sexy - hot - and this gave Henry the freedom to expose himself in ways he never thought he possible.

But surely the newness would fade and their age would start showing in the bedroom - and then what would Henry have to offer? He couldn't even manage to wake up early enough to make his man a cup of coffee. How long would Pike be willing to tolerate the differences between them. Pike is morning and Henry is night. Pike is hard work and Henry is the indulgent stillness of the arts. Pike is humble while Henry is insecure. Pike is gorgeous. Henry is...not.

Henry felt himself starting to panic a little. The thought of even one day without Pike was a little bit terrifying. He wasn't really sure when that happened. He had gone his whole life without love and now he couldn't imagine surviving without it. Specifically without love from Pike - for Pike - with Pike.

As if on cue - like he could read Henry's mind - Pike showed up and made his presence known by wrapping Henry up in long arms and heat. He kissed Henry's bald spot - a gesture that Henry was shocked to find endearing when Pike did it - and looked over Henry's shoulder at the canvas in front of them.

"I really like how this one is coming together." Pike said before he trailed open mouthed kisses along Henry's neck.

It was an unusual piece for Henry's style. His usual palate of dark shades of grey and blue splashed with flickers of light was replaced with deep reds and warm golds. It almost pulsed - a trick of the light that was intentional and quite stunning. "It's you. I'm calling it 'My Heart of Hearts,' because that's what you are to me. Until you found me I didn't know...you showed me."

"Showed you?" Pike asked, obviously a little confused.

Henry leaned back and closed his eyes as he took in the sensation of being held by a man he loved so much. "You showed me what love is."

TBC