Title: Catching the Stars (1/14)

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

Rating: NC-17

Word Count: ~3800

Summary: The courtship and evolving relationship between Pike and Henry is told in flashbacks after a horrible incident 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.

AN: Not sure how many folks have seen Big Eden...and of those who have, how many are even interested in fanfic about the movie - but I adore it and have been thinking about Pike and Henry for years. So, despite the fact that they aren't the typical hot, young boys that we all seem to love so much - I'm writing this. Yes, there will be man-love. Yes, there will be angst and obstacles. I haven't found many fics out there about them, and those I've found have been one shots. This is a chaptered story - mostly because I'm almost incapable of writing anything else! Hopefully there are a few others who want more of this mature, oddly adorable couple.

If you haven't seen the movie - I highly recommend it. You can watch it on You Tube (in 8 parts) - just use search term "Big Eden"

PRESENT DAY

Things like this didn't happen in Big Eden.

This was the kind of nightmare that was reserved for cities like Detroit or Chicago...New York, definitely New York.

But never here.

His little piece of paradise didn't even have a police department. They never really needed one.

Because things like this don't happen here.

He remembered when his parents were killed by a drunk driver. It was the Eureka police who had walked right up to him as he sat huddled against his Sampa in the empty waiting room of the tiny hospital, one town over from the Big Eden home belonging to his grandparents. The officer, who just didn't understand the ways of Big Eden, looked right past the boy who was trying to understand why he was even there and said, "Mr. Hart, we need to get a little information about the deceased."

Henry wasn't more than 9 years old, but he knew what deceased meant. He looked up into the bleary eyes of his grandfather and tried to reason through what was happening. "Sampa? Who died? Who died? Sampa?" He remembers asking the same question a billion times as his whole world fell away from beneath him.

Years later, Sam admitted that there were very few moments in his life where he wanted to do physical harm to anyone - and one of those moments was that day in the small hospital where Henry Hart lost his parents.

It took thirty years, and losing Sam, to understand that he had sheltered himself from feeling that kind of pain again by falling for unattainable men - well...man - and running away from the all of people who loved him. He still hated himself for wasting all those years he could have had with Sam.

He wished he had his Sampa right now.

But Sam was gone and he was now sitting on a hospital waiting room chair that was probably older than he was, waiting to hear if his reason for letting himself be found - the man who found him - would live to see tomorrow.

"Henry." Grace Cornwell's voice pulled him from his dark thoughts.

He tilted his eyes toward the sweet sound of it and saw Jim Soams and John Cornwell standing with her. They all looked like sympathy for Henry was warring with their own devastation.

Everyone loved Pike Dexter.

But not as much as Henry loved Pike Dexter.

"I don't know anything yet." He managed to say before he fell apart the second he felt Grace touch his shoulder. "He...I..."

"Shhhhhh...sweetheart." Grace soothed. She held his head to her chest as she rocked him gently. "Pike's a strong man."

"What happened?" Dean Stewart suddenly appeared from behind Jim and John. He squatted in front of Henry and Grace, gripping Henry's thighs as he spoke. "Henry, what happened? Are you okay?"

He pulled away from Grace and could only shake his head and sob.

"Oh god, Henry." Dean pulled him into his arms and let him cry against his shoulder. He looked at Grace and asked again. "What happened?"

"It's Pike." Grace explained.

"I know that much. Anna heard from Beth who heard from Maggie who heard from Bird." Dean said as his eyes welled from the pain he felt for the man weeping in his arms. His best friend. More than that - Henry Hart was more than a best friend, more than family...he was an undefined, overwhelming needed presence and had been since they were little kids. Dean had tried everything to keep Henry close because he missed him so damn much when he was gone. Dean had never been more relieved than the day Henry opened his heart up for Pike. Pike had been the one to settle Henry's fears enough to keep him still. Dean loved Pike because Pike loved Henry. "What happened to Pike?" He asked Grace again.

"Henry Hart?" Everyone turned toward the unfamiliar voice. It belonged to an Eureka Police Officer.

"This is Henry." Dean said while he rubbed his palm along the length of Henry's back.

The officer looked confused. "I'm sorry. I was told Mr. Hart was the victim's partner."

"He is." Grace answered this time.

The officer looked from Grace to the two men holding each other, then back to Grace and lifted his eyebrow. Grace didn't appreciate the unspoken accusation from a man who stood in judgement without knowing anything about any of them.

"Henry, honey." She soothed him with gentle stroking of his arm.

He looked up from the haven of Dean's shoulder and saw the uniformed man towering over them. Grace handed him a box of tissues while Dean helped him sit up in the chair again. They both kept a protective arm around him as he steadied himself to answer whatever questions the officer needed to ask.

"I'm Henry Hart." He sucked in a deep breath that sounded more like a strangled sob. "I'm Pike Dexter's...he's my..." How do you explain to someone that Pike's the man who caught me when I fell from the sky? He looked at Grace and started falling apart all over again. "...we're...god...what are we if he..."

"Henry." Grace said firmly. "Pike will get through this."

"You're right, you're right..." Henry nodded and took a deep breath before he looked back at the only one in the crowd who wasn't emotional. "I'm Pike's partner."

"And you're the one who found Mr. Dexter?"

Henry nodded. "He didn't come home. He's usually home by seven...never later than eight. He never came home and he didn't answer the phone at the store. I got worried that maybe his truck broke down or something so I went to look for him."

The officer was holding his pen to his notepad but had yet to write anything.

"So I got to the store and his truck was still there. All the lights were still on and the door was hanging wide open. I ran from my truck because I knew something wasn't right. He was...he was just laying there...on the floor...in front of the counter where the cash register...and the cold case was smashed and everything had been torn apart or stomped up and Pike was just laying there...torn apart and stomped up too." He buried his face in his hands and collapsed in on himself. The images replaying in his mind were like something out of a horror show. He tried to shut them out by closing his eyes tight and shaking his head.

"Do you know if Mr. Dexter had been drinking..."

"What?" Henry thought he must have heard him wrong.

"It's not uncommon for them to drink too much and get into a scuffle with each other." The officer calmly explained.

"Them?" Henry was confused. Was this some sort of weird gay stereotype he'd never heard of?

"Yeah. You know...the indians. Native Americans. Whatever...they can't hold their liquor..."

"Now hold up there, Son." Jim stepped in before Henry said something he would regret to an officer of the law. "I don't know how they do things up there in Eureka, but here we don't talk like that about people. And I've known Pike since he was a baby - he's never been drunk a day in his life."

"Don't defend him like he needs defending, Jim. Pike's the one whose been hurt - attacked in his own home. It doesn't matter if he were drunk or not - he didn't deserve that. You didn't see it Jim. You didn't see what they did to him. Nothing he could have done would have deserved that." Henry was crying again.

Jim nodded and patted Henry on the back. "You're right Henry." He looked up at the officer again. "Do you know anything?"

He cleared his throat and looked at his notes. "We're still investigating, but from our initial assessment, it looks like Pike Dexter may have been attacked during a robbery." The officer explained. He looked at Henry again. "Did you see any cars or people that you didn't recognize on the road?"

Henry just shook his head to indicate that he didn't. He didn't see a damn thing and there was nothing he could do for the gentle man with patience enough to fall in love with a dancing star.

FLASHBACK

They left one by one until the only ones left were Henry and Pike.

Oh - and the guys loitering around the cappuccino machine.

Two things became painfully obvious. First, it was going to take weeks before the heaviness of Widow Thayer's cottage cheese and sour cream pancakes eased from his gut. And second - it would be a while before they had an opportunity to be alone to talk about...whatever this was they were doing together. Henry leaned against the counter in front of the cash register watching Pike stock the cold case with the milk that had just been delivered. He allowed himself to take in details - the waves in the long, dark hair, the way long legs met denim covered cheeks, long fingers, slightly muscular arms and wide, strong shoulders.

He was a little surprised by how much he wanted to see more of Pike - more skin...more everything. It felt good to feel this way about someone who wasn't Dean.

It felt good to feel this for someone who felt the same way back. He ran after me. He tried to stop my plane before I escaped back into the sky. It was all so hard to believe.

Of course it was all an assumption. Maybe Pike's attraction was more about filling a void or enjoying Henry's company. It wasn't lost on Henry that he was not the kind of guy fantasies are made of. He was short, balding, soft around the middle with a bad posture and stumpy, unattractive little fingers. Not to mention other stumpy things that he wasn't too keen on sharing with anyone he wanted to actually have sex with.

Which made absolutely no sense what-so-ever, but he couldn't help it...he was a man with normal male insecurities about his manly shortcomings. Short being the operative word.

Henry was suddenly nervous and unsure. Maybe I made a mistake by staying.

Pike was now standing no more than a foot away - staring. Henry wasn't sure when Pike had moved from his task of stocking the cold case because he was too busy inside of his own head - doubting his worth as a potential lover for the tall, dark, totally adorable shy man making incredibly intense eye contact with him. Henry was caught off guard by the blatant desire radiating from those dark eyes. Maybe he does want me.

He cleared the nerves from his throat. "I should get going...get the house back into livable condition."

Pike nodded without losing eye contact.

Henry moved from the counter and suddenly felt wobbly now that he had nothing holding him up, "Okay..."

"Okay." Pike finally said something.

Too bad Henry had no clue what it was supposed to mean. "Okay." He backed away for a few steps before he tore his eyes away from Pike and turned away to walk out the door. He thought he heard Jim's lightly-sarcastic 'Bye Henry' as he reached for the spring-loaded door. The bell ringing to mark his departure seemed to pull PIke from his trance, because he heard heavy footfalls behind him as he reached for the door handle of Sam's old truck.

"Henry!"

He turned just as Pike reached him and was both nervous and elated when he found himself pinned against the cold metal by the almost-but-not-quite-full-body-press of his new love interest. Pike was so close he could feel his heat. He was suddenly reminded of the first time he touched this man. Pike had just arrived with Widow Thayer for Thanksgiving. As Henry took his coat he skimmed along Pike's arm and felt sparks. He was surprised and found himself immediately wanting more.

And now he was almost there - almost getting more - he only needed to lean in ever-so-slightly and he would be touching Pike from head to toe. He heard himself making some sort of strangled whine and immediately felt his face heat up from the blush. Could I humiliate myself any more?

Pike swallowed nervously. "I have a pork tenderloin."

"Pork tenderloin?" Henry wasn't sure what Pike's point was.

Pike nodded. "And red bliss potatoes."

"Okay."

Pike leaned a little closer. "Roasted beets would be good with it."

Henry nodded and felt a crooked grin forming on his face as he started to understand. "Sounds good."

"Okay."

And just like that they had planned their first official date. "Okay."

"Henry?" Pike said his name like a question before he closed the few remaining inches between them, pressing warm lips to warm lips in a sweet, maple-syrup-flavored, soft kiss. After they pulled apart and managed to open their eyes, Pike ended the minimalist conversation with a very simple, "Bye."

Henry spent the rest of the day thinking about it. All of it. From, the unexpected kiss initiated by the shyest man he had ever known - a kiss which left him wondering what other surprises Pike had in store - to the fact that Sam knew so much more about him than he even knew about himself. As he undid everything he had done during the previous week to pack up the house for a long wait for his next visit - he thought about Pike. And Sam. Sam and Pike. Pike and himself.

Possibilities.

So many possibilities.

Dean didn't even cross his mind. Not that he noticed.

When he heard the familiar rhythm of Pike's rapid knocking on the screen door, he was startled by the fact that the entire day had passed in what seemed like minutes. He felt his heart race in a way that was both new and old.

His heart had raced many times over the years - for Dean. But with Pike there was a real promise for something more than mere pining. I'm staying in one place and letting Pike find me.

He would have to remember to thank Grace later for being so damned wise.

He nervously stood on the other side of his closed door, wiped his sweaty palms on his jean-clad thighs and took a deep, calming breath before opening the door.

He was stunned by how breathless the sight of Pike Dexter made him feel. When did that happen? "Hey."

"Hi." Pike said with only a hint of nervousness.

Another surprise for Henry - Pike seemed so sure of himself. And when did that happen? He stood there looking into dark eyes that were slowly filling with a little sparkle of mirth. With a quick nod in the direction of the large box he held in his arms, he grinned.

Playful. Pike is being playful. "Sorry." He said with a chuckle as he moved out of Pike's way. "Come in."

Pike passed as close as the box he held would allow and kept his eyes focused on Henry. "Thanks."

He's going to be full of surprises. Henry realized as he closed the door and followed the tall man into the kitchen. He watched Pike move around his kitchen with familiar ease. Pike wore dark black jeans and the same red shirt he wore the night he had subtly confessed his secret hope to feed Henry's soul enough to make him fall from the sky. Henry understood now - Pike had always wanted to be the one to catch him.

It was all so clear now.

"You look nice." He said as Pike set Sam's old plates on the small kitchen table.

Pike looked up from the plate he was carefully centering on it's assigned place mat. "You do too."

Henry scoffed. "Psht. I'm all dusty and sweaty from putting this place back together all day."

Pike's eyes scanned Henry from head to toe. "Looks good on you."

That threw him off his game a bit. Who was he kidding...he had no game. "I meant to take a quick shower before you got here. The day got away from me."

"You have time." Pike said as he dug through the drawer containing flatware. "I need to heat this up anyway." He turned to face Henry with the mix-matched set of utensils - enough for two. "But don't do it on my account. You look good...just the way you are."

Henry recognized the hidden meaning that was just Pike's way. Pike meant he liked Henry - really liked him - just the way I am. "I'll just take a quick one. I don't like my dates to be..." Henry stopped himself and swallowed hard from his sudden nervousness. Oh crap.

Pike smiled. A big smile. "Is that what this is?"

Crap. Crap. Crap. "Isn't it?"

Pike looked as if he were considering his answer for what felt like days.

Crap.

"Yeah." Pike nodded. "I guess it is."

Henry released a lungful of air before he even realized it and then immediately felt heat rush to his face from being so transparent. As he tried to figure out something clever to say, he saw Pike's face morph into a smirk. He was beginning to really like this side of his love interest. "You were messing with me." It wasn't a question.

"A little." Pike willingly confessed.

After taking the quickest shower of his life, Henry spent the next few hours eating a lovingly prepared meal and talking to a man he had known for most of his life - yet never really knew at all. As each moment passed Henry was reminded more and more of the fact that back in high school, when his unrequited pursuit of Dean Stewart took root, he had also found Pike to be a mysterious, handsome enigma. He would be lying if he didn't admit that on a few occasions Pike had been the center of his adolescent wet dreams.

And the more he heard Pike's gentle voice filling in details of his life that Henry had never bothered to know - the physical attraction of his hormone-driven youth merged with the mature admiration of Pike's soul and Henry felt the kind of desire he had never really felt before.

Even for Dean.

It was this new sensation that buzzed all around him as he walked Pike to his truck hours later. Pike had mentioned that he needed to get back to Frances, and Henry swore he heard regret in his voice. Pike leaned against the closed door of his ancient truck and pinned Henry to the spot with his eyes.

God - he just wanted to touch every inch of the gentle giant. The urges coursing through his body were so intense - mostly because Henry knew that eventually he would have it - all of it - with Pike. It was hard to believe that it was only that morning that he decided not to board a plane for New York, while at the same time Pike had chased after him to stop him from leaving. It was like a sappy romantic comedy. And now he felt like everything was going too fast and too slow all at once. He wanted to savor the moments and at the same time he wanted to rush into all of it right there next to Pike's truck. He settled somewhere in between when he took Pike by surprise - for a change - by pushing him against his truck and reaching up for a kiss.

Pike met him halfway and this time they didn't stop with a chaste press of lips.

Pike tasted like beets and buttery potatoes and something that Henry was sure was just the flavor of Pike himself. Henry decided he could definitely become addicted to the taste of this man's kisses. He wrapped his arms around Pike's waist and pulled their bodies flush. Pike was so warm -almost hot - and when Pike wrapped his long arms around Henry's shoulders it felt safe. It felt like coming home from his long journey in the constellations - the ones he had created from old loss and fear of connection.

He felt caught in all the right ways.

They took a quick breath as they changed the angle of their mouths and deepened the kiss with slow, sensual tangling of tongues. God - nothing had ever felt go good.

So right.

As Pike pulled away, Henry fought the urge to bury his fingers into that long, dark hair to keep him there just a little bit longer.

Instead he looked into smoldering dark eyes and offered his own subtle suggestion. "Next time you should bring Frances."

He could see by the twinkling that emerged from underneath the blatant desire that Pike understood exactly what Henry was suggesting. He leaned down - smiling, nodding, and kissing at the same time before he answered. "Maybe I should."

Henry watched Pike's tail lights disappear into the night and smiled. He had seen a side of Pike he never knew existed. He was seeing a side of Pike that probably no one had seen before.

And he couldn't wait to get better acquainted.

PRESENT

Henry wasn't even trying to stop the tears as he impatiently waited for someone to tell him something.

Where the hell is the damn doctor?

TBC