Here With Me Chapter 13
Title: Here With Me 13/?
Author: Anorien and Sairalinde
Type: RPS
Pairing: Craig/David
Rating: NC-17
Beta: Ourselves
Warning: Abuse described in later chapters not between the main pairing.
Disclaimer: This never happened. This was written in fun that's all.
Feedback: Yes please send to sairalinde @ hornofgondor.com
or thechroniclesofosgiliath @ yahoo.com
Archiving: OEAM, Mirrormere, The Chronicles of Osgiliath, Saira's Library, CxD Archive, other's ask.
Summary: A.U. Two University Professors try to overcome their pasts and find love and healing.

A/N The poem David wrote for Craig is based on the song "Here With Me" by NoMercy. The words were changed to fit the story.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

David took a deep breath and looked at Craig beside him. Squeezing his hand as they approached the bookstore he felt his stomach flip a little. This would NOT be like last time. No Richard. Craig was here with him, and no one was going to intimidate him into making a fool of himself. As they walked into the bookstore the owner met him and led him to a cleared area where he was shocked to find more people than he imagined. Certainly no crowd but a decent number for a poetry reading. There was a small raised platform with a chair sitting at the front of the area next to a table where he would do the signing later. Turning to Craig he took another deep breath. "This shouldn't take terribly long," he said softly.

“I’ll be here,” Craig whispered, seeing that David was still a bit nervous. He was such a brilliant poet, and, by all accounts, was perfectly comfortable in front of his students. Evidentially, the incident with Richard at his last poetry reading was still on his mind. “Hey,” he smiled, squeezing David’s hand, “I love you very, very, much.”

David smiled "I love you too," he whispered and looking at the small stage like area. Taking a final deep breath he closed his eyes for a moment and then made his way toward the chair, turned it around in front of the table and plopped down on top of the table, putting his feet in the chair. He greeted everyone in his 'teacher' mode. The completely relaxed, completely different persona he had learned to develop to get over his nerves and not stammer in front of large groups. He hoped it didn't throw Craig too much, he'd never seen him teach before, and some had said it was rather off putting if you knew David on a personal level and then saw him this way.

Craig smiled as he watched David, his eyes growing wider as the man he loved changed before his very eyes. His smile grew brighter and he crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, loving the change that came over David, and loving the way he suddenly seemed filled with confidence. Grinning proudly, he leaned over to the young woman next to him. “That’s my boyfriend,” he whispered loudly, wanting everyone to know. “Isn’t he amazing?” The woman laughed and nodded, then Craig clamped his mouth shut and waved innocently at his lover as David cleared his throat and began to speak.

David spotted Craig and grinned at him as he waved then began to speak about the book. After a few minutes he picked up his book and began reading a few of the poems that he'd marked for the reading. Throughout the reading whenever he would look up his eyes would search for Craig automatically. Finally finishing the last poem he closed the book and set it aside asking if anyone had any questions. A woman in the second row raised her hand and asked if he had anything new he'd been working on. Laughing and making a joke about there was nothing new in literature, it's all the same letters just arranged differently he picked up his personal journal and flipped through the pages. As he did his eyes landed on the poem that he wrote after he began to realize he was in love with Craig but hadn't told him yet. As he looked at the words he looked back up his eyes automatically finding Craig's...and he could tell he'd slipped from his character, but strangely he didn't feel nervous. The only person he saw was Craig.

Craig smiled encouragingly as his lover read each haunting poem, sometimes closing his eyes and simply letting the words wash over him. He felt his heart could burst with sadness at some of the darker poems, and had to fight not to stand up and storm the stage and just hold him more than once. When David had finished, and took the first question, Craig watched as he reached for his personal journal. He felt *something* tug at his heart, and his eyes locked with his lover’s. Somehow, he knew David was trying to tell him something, and he felt that there was no one in the room but himself and the man he’d fallen in love with.

The poem forever in his mind, David never glanced back down at the page again, instead he began to recite it...for Craig. "I long for your embrace, Every single day, To meet you in this place, And see your beautiful face. I can feel your presence here with me, Suddenly I'm lost within your beauty, Caught up in the wonder of your touch, Here in this moment I surrender to your love. You're everywhere I go, I am not alone, You call me as your own, To know you and be known, Because of your mercy, I fall down on my knees, I can feel your heart reach out to me, Suddenly I'm lost within your splendor, Caught up in the wonder of your love, Here in this moment I surrender to your grace, I surrender to your love. I love you, Craig," he said, his gaze never wavering from his lover's across the room.

Craig swallowed the lump in his throat and felt tears gather in his eyes, only to trail slowly down his cheeks. He’d never felt this loved in his life, never known how truly amazing and incredible love could be. He knew this was the poem David had written for him – knew it down to the very marrow of his bones, even though he’d never heard it before today. Before he knew what was happening, he was on his feet and walking quickly to the stage, still heedless of anyone else, never breaking his gaze with the man he loved. He stepped up to the desk, wrapped his arms around David, and kissed him deeply. “I love you, David,” he whispered against soft lips, tasting the tears that were still streaming down. “That was……the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.”

Wrapping his arms around his lover, David kissed him softly, forgetting their audience completely until his brain registered a chorus of 'awww's' around them. Pulling back to look into Craig's eyes and wiping tears away with his thumbs he smiled, "I love you," he whispered softly as he peeked around Craig's shoulder toward the people watching him. "Umm, I...my boyfriend, Craig seems to have really liked that one," he said trying to joke as he tangled his fingers with Craig's. "Give me a few minutes before we start the signing?" he asked the small group and they seemed to grant him permission with cheers and laughter. Sliding off the tabletop and standing before Craig, he pulled him over to a small private area of the bookstore. Pulling his lover close again he kissed him deeply and leaned his forehead against Craig's for a moment. "I wrote that a while ago, before I ever told you how I felt...I...part of it came to me the first night in the kitchen, other parts at different times. I love you, Craig," he whispered.

Any other time, Craig would have been embarrassed to cry in front of so many people. But he had no thoughts for anyone else, unable to look away from his lover for even a second. One moment he was on the stage, the next, he found himself in a small, secluded area, and knew only that soft lips were pressed to his own, and the man he loved was in his arms. “I love you so much,” Craig whispered, wishing with all his heart that he could make David understand the depth of his love. He wiped the last tear away and closed his eyes, arms sliding around David’s waist. “I can’t believe you felt that way the first night. I knew it was love at first sight for me, but……I was prepared to wait for a few years to hear you say you loved me.”

“Years?" David asked surprised, "No way I could have waited years...God Craig...I've never felt the way I do about you. I love you so much just the idea of not being with you just breaks my heart. I...I've never had anyone say forever and mean it, and you are going to have to be patient with me. I'm still afraid I'll wake up tomorrow and you will be gone...but I'd like the chance to learn if that fear will one day go away," he whispered softly gazing into blue eyes still sparkling from his earlier tears.

“You’re afraid you’ll wake up tomorrow and I’ll be gone?” Craig repeated, pulling David close. “Oh, sweetheart, I will never be gone from your life. Never. I love you more than I can even explain. I understand about you needing time, but I’m going to be here every single day for as long as I have life in me, telling you that I love you. No matter how long it takes. Then I’m going to be here telling you for at least fifty years after that.” Taking a deep breath, Craig pulled back to look into his lover’s eyes. “Let me be the one to make you believe?”

"I want you to be, you already are everything to me...I just have to quit tripping over my past," David said sadly. "Each day you are with me another little piece of that past is erased, one day it will all be gone, and all that will be left is you and me," David said softly. "Patience has never been my best quality," David grinned, "but it will have to be in this case." Seeing the bookstore owner looking around the corner he sighed. "And I think I still have to go sign some books...come sit beside me?" he asked.

“We’ve got all the time in the world,” Craig said softly, taking David’s hand, and hoping that one day, the haunted look in his eyes would disappear. He reached down and entwined their fingers and leaned in for one last kiss. “Let’s go meet your fans,” he grinned.

David laughed softly and squeezed Craig's hand. "Then...afterwards it's such a pretty day for this time of year...want to do something? A picnic maybe?" he asked as they made their way back to the table, stopping along the way to pull one of the chairs up from where people had been sitting during the reading. Settling it beside his chair David smiled at Craig then looked up as the first person approached and began to talk to them and sign their book.

“Love to,” Craig whispered. “All alone in the great outdoors, just you and me. Sounds perfect.” He reached his arm behind David’s back, resting his hand there and rubbing in small circles. He knew the fans weren’t even really looking at him with David sitting there next to him, but he couldn’t stop smiling nevertheless.

Feeling Craig's hand on his back David smiled as he signed each book stealing glances at the man he loved. He didn't know how he'd ever gotten lucky enough for someone like Craig to love him, but he would do everything in his power to make sure that stayed that way.

TBC