Tap, tap, tap. Chris flipped the bottle against his palm enjoying the comforting rhythm. It was 3 am in the morning and the stake out was now proving way too boring for the young CI5 agent. He stifled a yawn and moved his thoughts across the car to his partner.

He wasn't sure when he had fallen for the Englishman - there wasn't just one day that Chris could pin point. He supposed that it had been a gradual process, but the man had slowly but surely pushed his way into Chris' heart.

He knew that he loved him, and not just in a lustful way. He cared passionately for Sam, a fact that scared him at times. He dreamt about him nightly, and at quiet moments like this one he found himself focussing again on the Englishman. Chris couldn't say it was unrequited love or lust because he didn't know how or what the Englishman felt for him. At times there would be a glance or a touch and Chris wondered if Sam held the same feelings for him, but the risk involved in asking were just too great so the American kept quiet, holding his thoughts in check most of the time, but at times like now, in the quiet of the night, they escaped and ran rampant around his mind.

He drank in the profile that presented itself to him. The Englishman's soft dark hair fell gently against his forehead, soft and sensuous, begging to be touched, caressed. Chris knew that his fingers would slip through the soft silky strands, luxuriant against his palm, and his fingers itched to touch them, just once.

His gaze drifted down to Sam's eyes. Deep pools of green mixed with a slight trace of silver grey that changed with his mood. Right now they were shadowed by the dark interior of the car, but Chris knew how it felt to have them focus upon him, staring into his soul. That penetrating gaze would hold him sometimes and then Sam would release him, without a word.

He allowed his eyes to trail lower, to the slender dip that separated Sam's nose from his mouth. How much he wanted to trail his finger into that tiny valley, and then along the gentle curve of those sensuous lips, so full, so inviting.

Right now Chris could see himself within those mesmerising orbs, as they suddenly turned and focused fully upon him. They pinned him firmly and he shivered as this time he read the unspoken message that lay within their depths, the one that he dreamed about daily, and one that he needed so desperately to react to, but still fear held him back, fear that he was reading this the wrong way, that it was just his innermost longings reflecting themselves in the irises of his partner. Images of his nightly dreams, held there for him to see, his deepest wishes reflecting back, enticing and encouraging.

The eyes, still searching, came to rest on Chris' lips; the American shuddered involuntarily from the look his partner gave him, his breath suddenly quickening and his composure crumbling under the scrutiny of his friend.

Sam gently licked his lips; the movement was slow and deliberate, the pink tongue resting very briefly on the edge of his lip before it continued on its journey and then tucked itself away. Chris yearned to see it again, he wanted to taste that tongue, feel it gently running over his own, sharing the sensation with Sam.

His own blue eyes must have held the same message as Chris gasped as Sam's hand reached out and cupped his face, his fingers gently caressing the back of his head. Swallowing hard the American moved his suddenly leaden arm up to touch the dark silky hair that had so tortured his dreams. He slid his fingers deep and gently pulled the Englishman towards him, his eyes focusing on the soft, slightly parted lips.

And then they touched, soft, pliant warm lips, gently moving against his own, small soft kisses that Chris never wanted to stop. A spark of longing stabbed at his stomach, his breath became short and deep. Sam pulled back slightly, his eyes meeting his partner's; Chris blushed at the passion he saw held within them, and slid his fingers deeper into Sam's hair as he pulled him back into the kiss. Chris pressed hard as their lips melted into one another and then lessened the pressure as the Englishman slipped the tip of his tongue across the width of his friend's mouth, causing a fire to stir in Chris, gently, sensuously and promising more, stirring sensations within his body that Chris had only dreamt about. He allowed the Englishman free reign, and he took full advantage, his tongue discovering the hot wetness of Chris' mouth, exploring and soaking up the taste of the American, ending the passion with an exquisite suck on his bottom lip that had fire spiking in Chris' groin.

Breathless the two men pulled apart, Chris' eyes glazed, he smiled at his friend, whose replying grin caused Chris to chuckle.

"How long have you felt this way about me, Curtis?" he asked.

To Chris' delight Sam blushed. "I don't honestly know, you sort of crept up on me, Chris. I've always said you were cat like."

Chris leaned in towards his partner and lightly brushed his lips again, high on the surge of passion that just that one small act created.

Sam returned the kiss, his eyes glancing at the dashboard and the digital clock. "Home time?" he grinned, his green eyes twinkling.

"Works for me." He turned on the full dimples, leaning back into the seat of the car as Sam started up the engine. Chris glanced across at his partner, his soon to be lover, and smiled to himself, a powerful warmth creeping up through his body as he thought about all the dreams that were now about to come true.