They met two days before the shoot started. There was no meeting beforehand to sound one another out, no boot camp, no weekend spent bonding on a ranch. All either knew of the other was what he'd heard, or read.

Heath knew Jake was Hollywood's version of a crown prince, born with a silver SAG card in his mouth. He knew that Jake's last released movie, a special effects blockbuster, had made a lot of money, and Jake was on the inside track to becoming a huge media celebrity. The only movie of Jake's Heath had actually seen was Donnie Darko, and it had impressed him, though the rabbit gave him nightmares.

Jake knew Heath only through the characters Heath had played on screen, among them a stalwart and ultimately too trusting young patriot, a rebellious, fiery bushranger and a rock-n-roll knight. There were no publicity stunts, or tabloid reports concerning Heath Ledger. Jake knew that Heath had been lionized when he arrived in Hollywood from Australia, but that his last few movies had been box office disappointments.

And both Lee and Annie Proulx herself thought Heath was right for the role of Ennis del Mar, an accolade that made Jake the slightest bit jealous.

They met in a producer's office that looked like the Jetson's living room. Lee, the consummate details man, had met Heath in the lobby of the building and rode up with him in the elevator. It was the first time they'd spoken in person, and Heath felt an instant burning desire to work with this director, whether on this film or another.

Lee explained again that this was not an audition; Monster's Ball had been Heath's audition. The part was his. They would meet with the writers later, but right now Lee just wanted to see if his hunch about the chemistry between Heath and Jake was right or not.

Heath nodded acquiescence; Lee was the director.

Lee opened the door to the office. Jake spun the big leather desk chair around to face the door as Lee and Heath entered. The two young actors made eye contact and then Jake rose to come around the desk and shake Heath's hand.

As they touched, Lee smiled broadly. He took out a cell phone and went into a conference room through an adjoining door. Heath and Jake realized they were still holding hands and let go a bit self-consciously. For a long moment, they just looked at one another.

Jake was surprised at how tall Heath was and how he filled up the room for such a quiet guy. He's got tons of presence, Jake thought, a trifle resentfully; this guy is totally 'here' in a way a lot of other people just aren't. Taking in more details, Jake realized that Heath was comprised of a mass of contradictions.

The Australian's face looked round and soft at first glance, like a teenage boy still carrying some baby fat, but his cheekbones were high and sharp as the Alps and you could shave with his jaw line. The uncompromising line of his mouth opened out into lips shaped for kisses. Dark depthless eyes collapsed into Eskimo half moons when he smiled. Pick a new angle, and Heath looked like a different person. Jake's envy grew.

Heath saw a lanky manchild with unruly hair and the most beautiful blue eyes in the world. The color was so vivid that Jake's eyes kept drawing Heath's, and then Heath was left with the choice of direct eye contact, or looking away like he was guilty of something. Trying to keep his grip on his almost crippling shyness, Heath made himself study the other man the way he was being studied.

Jake leaned his ass against the desk and folded his arms over his chest, perfectly at ease in this Hollywood power broker's office, though he looked like he belonged somewhere else. The long limbs, ramshackle grace and guileless beauty belonged by rights to a creature that might win the Kentucky Derby in a year or two. Coltish, in a word.

Jake grinned at the other man's gravely serious expression and made a flippant remark that Heath wasn't prepared for. Heath replied somewhat defensively, but Jake's easy manner soon defused any potential discord. Jake had been charming people since his first appearance twenty-three years ago, and it was pretty much second nature now.

Heath took several of the deep breaths that helped center and calm him and realized he felt calmer already. Jake didn't provoke that formless anxiety that could morph into anger without warning. In his most secret of thoughts, Heath saw himself as a werewolf of sorts; he'd certainly been an animal on one or two occasions.

Verbally and with his body language, Jake assured Heath that there was no pressure here, social or otherwise. They'd be on location in two days; the time to decide one of the leads wasn't right had passed. It just happened that they were in the same place and Lee had wanted a chance to see them together.

Heath unbent enough to look around at the room's unusual décor while Jake fetched bottles of water for them both. After taking a long drink, Jake asked Heath if he could kiss him. It took Heath several minutes of coughing to rid his windpipe of the water he aspirated. Wiping his tearing eyes, the Australian looked inquiringly at Jake.

Jake put forth all of his carefully considered reasons for wanting to kiss Heath and by the end of the spiel Heath agreed. With another quirk of his brows, Heath asked permission that was readily granted. Not being a man that did things by half measures, Heath took Jake in his arms and delivered the kiss that had caused underwear to spontaneously combust back in Perth.

As Heath licked delicately at the seam of Jake's lips, he could feel the other man's surprise in the restless movement of Jake's angular frame. Heath tightened his embrace as Jake's lips parted and his tongue slid into Jake's mouth. Both men were shocked by the powerful spasm that galvanized their groins with sweet tension.

Heath broke the kiss. Jake's eye were wide, his face inches from Heath's, mouth hanging slightly open. Heath imagined his features wore the same look of baffled disbelief. Jake's breathy, 'what the fuck," found its counterpart in Heath's muttered, 'bloody hell, mate,'.

There was a moment when they could have stepped back, chuckled, shuffled their feet and observed how hot Angelina Jolie was, but it passed without comment as they stood, each awkwardly waiting for the other to make a move. Jake bit his lower lip and Heath's tongue came out as though tasting some lingering sweetness. Something massive as a mountain and as ephemeral as dawn trembled on the verge and then bloomed with a liquid pulse behind the pubic bone that drew them back together like magnet and steel.

Jake said something that was muffled against Heath's lips, his words deteriorating into a throaty moan as his mouth was claimed with some authority. As was his habit, Heath controlled the kiss, shifting his balance to his forward foot, forcing Jake to lean back against his arms. Jake put up with it for about five heartbeats.

Heath was patently surprised when Jake took the initiative and it was brought home to the Australian that his partner was not female. When Heath exerted force, Jake matched his strength, rather than melting before it. Not sure if he liked it or not, Heath surrendered his mouth to Jake out of sheer curiosity.

Jake moved his hands down to Heath's hips. Hooking his fingers in Heath's belt loops, Jake pulled him closer as he left Heath's mouth to kiss his cheek, his jaw, the tender spot just beneath his earlobe, and down his neck to the v-shaped depression between his clavicles. Heath shivered as Jake's tongue darted out, tracing the shallow hollow.

Heath's hands slid down Jake's back to cup his buttocks, squeezing, fingers creeping into the denim valley. Jake moaned and fastened on Heath's mouth again as the Australian ground their crotches together. When their lips parted this time, both were breathless, hearts beating like thunder, the hard proofs of their arousal sliding together as Heath rolled his hips suggestively.

Jake did step back then and asked Heath what he thought was happening here. Was Heath merely performing some sort of private rehearsal, or did he feel the same thing Jake felt? Heath smiled shyly and said he guessed it was a bit of both. Jake thought that over and decided he could live with it.

Anyway, it was a little early to be making decisions about something he hadn't assimilated yet. There was all that 'I'm not a homophobe, but I've never been attracted to another guy' thing to be gotten through. He was pretty sure he wasn't gay, but no way he could deny the effect Heath had on him. It was so far outside anything he'd thought would ever happen to him that he was still processing it.

While Jake was pondering, Heath grabbed him by the biceps and turned him around. Pushing Jake against the desk, Heath molded his length to the other man's back. You're really getting into character, Jake chuckled. Heath reached between Jake's legs and took hold of his erection. Even through the fabric, the heat of his fingers was palpable.

Jake braced himself against the edge of the desk as Heath stroked him through his jeans. He had no idea why he was allowing this other than it felt better than anything he'd ever felt before. Matching the rhythm of his fingers, Heath rubbed his hard length against Jake's ass. Jake gasped that he was so excited; he was going to come any second. Heath asked him if he was always so slow and Jake did come with a choked little laugh.

The click of the door handle being turned froze both men in place for a split second before they broke apart. The door swung open and Lee came back in. Jake was behind the big desk and Heath was sitting in a chair several feet away, jacket on his lap.

Lee looked from one to the other, an incipient frown puckering his brow. Jake grinned and asked how Lee's phone call had gone. The director was not fooled by Jake's subterfuge; he worked with actors all day long and knew what masters of misdirection the good ones were. Instead of answering, Lee turned his keen gaze on Heath and Jake again.

The slightly heightened color in the cheeks of both, an added sparkle in their eyes and their carefully controlled breathing were subtle signals, but Lee was the master of subtle signals. He wasn't sure exactly what had happened while he was gone, but it wasn't minor. His intuition had been correct. These two had the sort of chemistry that powers rocket boosters and before long the world would know it.

Thanking Heath and Jake, Lee went to make yet another call, leaving the young men a bit non-plussed. However, it didn't take them long to decide what they wanted to do next. It would take time to come to terms with this thing that had seized hold of them, echoing Jack and Ennis's plight and blessing, but in the meanwhile, there was a hotel next door.