It might not have been the worst crash Mr. Aleksander Hohenberg had ever endured- it certainly wasn't the worst for Deryn, but it seemed no matter how many times one felt the floor shift beneath him and his stomach rise to his throat with the fall, it always feels like the worst.

"We're badly damaged," Alek said, "And pinned on all sides. Even if we could stand, I couldn't get us out!"

To illustrate his point, Alek squeezed the walker controls, which emitted an ugly whine from the mechanical legs that, while unseen from the airship above, could at least be heard over the com.

"Barking bloody machines!" He could hear a certain ex airman complain behind him, "You know a fabricated-"

"Yes Mr. Sharp, I'm aware," Alek interrupted the rant, "But we have more pressing matters to attend to. Captain, when do you think you can retrieve us?"

For a moment there was nothing but static, time in which a banged up and grumpy Deryn Sharp crawled from the gun hatch to catch a breeze by the view slits. An engineer's nervous voice crackled in the background before Captain Pool spoke up again.

"Not any time soon, I'm afraid." He said in a tone that might be considered diplomatic for an American, "It's getting dark, and we can't navigate these trees with the proper equipment. If you're that deep and the gas valves are busted you're going to need more then a few engineers to get it standing again."

"What?" Dylan cried, "You mean you can't get us out?"

"We can," The engineer spoke up, "But we'll need daylight."

"So what do we do?" she asked flatly, "Camp out?"

Another silence followed as static filled the metal chamber, this time interrupted by Alek coughing into a fist.

"Actually, Deryn," he said, "It isn't too far out of the question. The engine will keep the pod warm enough…"

"And there are emergency rations and supplies in all our walkers," The captain added, "We don't send our boys out into the wilderness without the means to survive!"

Deryn's mouth hung open as she looked between the speaker and Alek, and Alek knew what was coming.

"I don't want to stay in this barking thing another minute, much less until daybreak!"

"Well, you'll just have to get over that," The Captain piped up, "We can't get you out for another eight hours."

A look of panic crossed Deryn's features as, looking around her metal trap with growing anxiety. As if on cue, the electrical lights shut off at that very moment, bathing them both in complete darkness. Alek's finger instinctively found the switch to the communicator so Deryn's following scream of frustration could have some privacy, then clicked it back on.

"Apologies," He lied, "Lost the signal momentarily, but eight hours shouldn't be a problem in the least."

"You'll really be alright?"

Perhaps it was all that time spent with London's fabs, but Alek actually nodded to the radio. "Perfectly comfortable," he said, "Although, we may need to conserve power."

"Right, have a good night Mr. Hohenberg."

With that the buzzing of the radio finally fizzed out, and Alek went above turning knobs and pulling levers to make sure to heat the pipes that ran underneath the pilot's cabin. It was a trick Klopp had taught him for cold nights on the run, a way to keep them all warm even hours after the boiler's fire had gone out.

The walker seemed to exhale within the ditch, causing the metal cabin to lurch. For an awful moment Alek feared they'd fall deeper into some unlucky chasm, but luckily that was the last surprise of the night. Finally the lights flickered back on, and Alek saw Deryn curled in a ball by the vision slit, staring up into the blackness as if searching for a sliver of sky to comfort her.

"I'm going to need to shut off the lights soon," Alek said a bit awkwardly, "I just… wanted to show you we can turn them back on at any time."

For the most part, Deryn ignored him.

"Barking spiders…" she moaned.

Even in the yellowish light Alek could tell Deryn had gone deathly pale. Had she been a Clanker girl he'd worry she'd been seriously injured, but years of having Deryn ride with him in walkers taught him that she was likely just sick from the motion.

Alek turned away from her and chewed his cheek. It had been his idea to have Deryn ride with him for this part of the mission, fabricating an argument to keep them together. He had proposed the idea to the captain before even speaking to her first, assuming that of course there was nowhere else she'd rather be. But one look at how she gazed longingly up at where she assumed there must be stars twisted Alek's stomach with guilt.

"I suppose you're wishing you went with the scouts, right about now…" he mumbled.

Deryn was shaken from her moping to glare back at him.

"Just when I thought I was used to riding in walkers," she said, knocking Alek from his fantasies, "After this I might have to consider myself half clanker!"

"Not exactly," Alek chuckled, "I was mad for walkers as a boy, and even I had a hard time sleeping in them."

Deryn turned to squint up at him in confusion, before realization dawned on her face.

"That's right!" she said, "You were on the run in that stormwalker of yours weren't you?"

Again Alek was baffled, wondering how she could have forgotten about something like that. Though, Alek supposed, it wasn't as if she had been there.

"Yes, and while I would prefer not to repeat the experience, it is a lot nicer then when there were five of us," he said.

Deryn whistled and shook her head, "Aye, and your walker was smaller then this one, I can't imagine being stuck for a whole month!"

"We didn't sleep in the walker every night," Alek said, "There was the odd barn or hayloft."

"You? In a hayloft?" Deryn asked, before barking out a real laugh, "I'd pay good money to see that!"

Alek laughed along, but couldn't shake the surreal feeling budding in his stomach. It was strange to think there had ever been a time where Alek didn't have Deryn Sharp by his side. In that year he met her Alek's life suffered a lot of changes, but through all of it Deryn had been a constant. She had always came back to him, in some way or another.

"I wouldn't recommend it," He said, "While a good deal softer, it was definitely warmer inside the walker."

Deryn nodded her head, running her hand along the metal walls, "Speaking of soft, don't suppose there's another chair for me to sleep in?"

Alek opened his mouth to respond, but found he didn't know. Where had his men slept while he curled up in the pilot's chair? Surely not on the metal floor. A sheepish smile crossed his features as he looked up at her.

Deryn was not impressed.

"Oh no," she said, "No, Alek! If I have to spend the night in this stupid contraption you can't make me lie on hard metal!"

All Alek could do was shrug as Deryn surveyed their surroundings. It would have been the gentlemanly thing to do to offer his seat, but after piloting for the past three hours he was completely beaten. So beaten, he didn't even notice the cogs churning in Deryn's brain.

"Nothing for it," she said matter-of-factly, "Scoot over Alek!"

Even before Alek could follow the order, Deryn was already trying to climb into the chair next to him.

"There's hardly any room!" Alek protested.

"Oh I think there is!" Deryn replied shoving hard into his shoulder, "Only proper, seeing as how you got us into this mess!"

Soon they were wrestling for space, grunting and shoving as if they were children fighting over a toy. Alek inhaled to say as much, but at that moment her knee connected with a place he would rather not have a knee connect, causing him to exhale the breath in a groan.

"Sorry! That was an accident!" Deryn said, leaping back so quickly she slammed her head on the controls.

There was a click and a shudder as her head broke whatever it had smashed into, and again the cabin was bathing in darkness.

"Deryn!" Alek undid his harness and urgently felt for her in the dark, feeling up her arm to support her head.

"Fine…I'm fine…" Deryn grunted "Stupid bloody machines!"

Alek felt her entire arm flex as she made a fist, Alek was suddenly glad he was holding it down. The last thing they needed was a misplaced punch of frustration.

Again Alek reached in the dark, feeling along her forehead for blood.

Deryn swore and swatted the hand away, "Said I'm fine Alek!"

After few deep breaths she calmed enough to snort out a laugh, "Reminds me of a certain rainstorm."

Alek chuckled, his thumb rubbing the space above her ear, "Perhaps we'll match."

"We'll know for sure when there's a bit of light," she said, then her tone became dead serious, "But if I start spouting that moony nonsense I want you to put me out of my misery."

Deryn's snickering filled the cabin, Alek only rolled his eyes and pulled her upright.

This time Alek took no issue with letting Deryn take the chair, and in the barest of light he could see her outline rubbing her forehead.

"I'll try to find the first aid kit," Alek said, but felt her reach out for him.

"Don't bother, I'm not bleeding. Just a bit scrambled."

Alek nodded, remembered she couldn't see him nodding, and responded, "If you're sure."

With everything quiet Alek could focus on his own pain. His rather uncomfortable pain. He doubted a first aid kit had anything for that either. As if sensing his discomfort, Deryn spoke up again uncertainly.

"How is your…"

"I'm fine," Alek answered quickly.

"Barking spiders!" Deryn chuckled, "How in blazes do we manage to get banged up after the crash?"

"It's a talent," Alek admitted, "Though, I'd be remised if I didn't point out this could have easily been averted."

"Aye," Deryn answered smugly, "If you hadn't crashed the bloody walker!"

Alek could only bite his lip at this. She had a point.

The walker's engines continued to groan as it shut off, and slowly the warmth began to slip away into the darkness. It seemed Alek's domestic walker skills could use some work, the metal underneath him quickly became cold enough to sting. No matter how long he lay in a certain patch, his own body temperature did nothing to conserve heat. Deryn on the other hand seemed quite comfortable, and with a guilty lurch Alek realized that his men might've had to sleep on cold steel all those months ago.

At least Deryn was warm, a charitable thought that managed to distract him up until his teeth started to chatter. That was when he spoke up.

"M-maybe there's room for b-both of us after all…" Alek had suggested, and he heard Deryn shift.

"Oh that's rich!" she laughed, then honeyed her voice, "Come on up, poor boy, have a cuddle!"

Alek rolled his eyes and felt for the stirrups. Instead he touched her hand, which she recoiled with a hiss.

"Blisters, you're freezing!"

"Y-yes," Alek stammered, too cold to be embarrassed.

He felt warm hands on his face- deliciously warm hands, and soon Deryn was pulling him in beside her. It was a bit awkward in the dark, Deryn careful not to hit her head or his groin again, but now that they weren't struggling against each other it was easier to conserve space. Deryn was a twig from the width of her shoulders to her long, skinny legs. It really wasn't so difficult for her to twist against him, and soon they were tucked close together against the cold.

Even with the meager heat the dying engines offered, more invaluable was Deryn's embrace. Her body was hot against his, her warm breath on his face. Sitting like this, it wasn't difficult to imagine them huddled up together in the library, or in the back of a cab on a winters night. Alek pulled her closer without realizing it, Deryn began to rub his icy fingers between hers. Soon the cold floor was only a memory, and Alek noticed she didn't withdraw once his shivering subsided. Alek opened his eyes to find himself more used to the dark, and just able to make out her face inches away from his.

Deryn grinned down at him in a way that could only be described as 'clart-snuffling'. Alek was suddenly made aware of how closely she was pressed against him, and forgot how to talk momentarily, before managing a coherent response.

"You cannot be serious," he said, "The timing is anything but romantic."

Deryn snorted.

"Never said it was, your princeliness," she said, "I'm simply being practical. It's your hands that are trying to be romantic!"

With a start Alek realized that he had slid his palms up her thighs without thinking. He tore his hands away, gripping the sides of the chair.

"I was merely trying to warm my hands!" he spluttered, making Deryn laugh.

"Oh aye, it'll get a lot hotter down there if you keep on like that!"

Even as he wanted to protest, Alek couldn't help but notice there was a heat growing where she sat on his knee, and he doubted it had to do with sitting in the pilot's chair. It was warm, so intoxicatingly warm that Alek found himself actually considering…

"We do need to think about conserving heat…"

Deryn grinned wider and arched her back, pressing her backside into his grip.

"My thoughts exactly, Mr. Hohenberg!" she said, playing with a lock of his hair, "Need to do what we have to survive, after all."

"Now noble of you," Alek mumbled, "And if you have no preference where to start, my face is still a little…"

Deryn's lips were on his in a moment, her body sliding against his in the way they've become accustomed to over the long months of their romance. Countless kisses in closets, bookshelves, and secret nightly visits had given them time to understand what the other liked. They were a far cry from that first time on the Leviathan.

For instance, Alek noticed that Deryn liked him to kiss along her neck, liked feeling his fingers along the indent of his spine. That he had learned when studying human psychology, and he had conveniently forgotten exactly how many vertebrae there were in the spine. Deryn knew to tug his hair just gently enough to sting, a lesson learned from a precarious entanglement on a rotted old balcony. All of it worked together, countless hours of discovering preferences and tender areas that lead to a fairly quick hardness in Alek's trousers.

By the time Alek was panting heavily enough to need to break away, Deryn was already sliding out of his lap to crouch between his legs.

"Never apologized for kicking you," she said, rather sheepishly, "How about I kiss it better instead?"

Deryn didn't wait for an answer, already she was wrestling with his belt and sliding her palm against the bulge in his pants. Alek inhaled sharply when the cold air touched his cock, but true to her word Deryn did in fact kiss it better.

So much better.

There was something intoxicating about the warmth of her mouth in contrast to the cold surrounding them. Alek's hands bunched into fists, groaning into the darkness with every inch she swallowed. Already a gentle bead of sweat ran down his neck, his heart thudding hard in his chest. He knew that this part would be brief, Deryn always got impatient using her mouth before he was anywhere near finished.

With a wet pop Deryn released him, and he heard her fumble with her own trousers. Soon he felt her soft bare thighs sliding over his, instinctively his hands resumed their position on her backside.

They were used to having a bit more light, and a bit more space to fumble about for that matter. The chair made it difficult to find a good position, and ultimately Deryn had to turn to sit in his lap with her legs spread.

Even then, it was always a bit of a tight fit. Alek kissed Deryn's neck as he worked her soft flesh with his index finger, probing and stroking to loosen her up. Deryn wriggled in his lap, almost fighting against his touch. Deryn was a hard girl, in spirit, lifestyle, and touch. Gentle fondling like this always drove her mad. Deryn whined between moans, her entire body trembling. The soft little yelps she made were his alone, and Alek drank them in alongside her scent and warmth.

When Alek could feel her juices slick across his fingers, he pulled away and kissed up her jaw to her ear, "Are you ready?"

It was something he always asked, even though he didn't need to anymore. From her heavy panting and the spasms of her muscles Alek knew damn well she was ready. But he still liked to ask. He always liked how she responded.

Deryn twisted to give him a brilliant dreamy smile, "Course' I am. You're always so barking full of yourself!"

She reached down to take his length in her hand, and guide him to meet her entrance. From there Alek felt that familiar heat radiating from her core, too enticing to resist any longer.

Alek continued to circle his fingers across her little nub of flesh as he entered her, his teeth digging into her earlobe as he did so. Again Deryn emitted a high moan, cut short when she had sunk down to the base. She wriggled and twitched her hips to try and quicken his pace, but from her position Alek had all the leverage. Instead she turned her head to kiss him, only breaking away to laugh when he undid the buttons of her shirt.

"What happened to staying warm?" she said with an airy laugh.

"Skin on skin contact," Alek said with a smirk, then pushed up again, driving any response out of her mind.

Alek's hand found her breast subconsciously, most of his efforts were spent on maintaining a rhythm in this cramped position. Deryn was tireless, even as there was little for her to do her hand clung to Alek's hair keeping his mouth firmly against hers. He could feel the humming of moans in her throat, could see her eyelid's twitch with every movement, Alek felt himself slip away to the overwhelming joy of this familiar pleasure.

It wasn't long until Deryn began to cry out, her body twisting and writhing against his. Alek recognized the signs and thrust deep, his grip on Deryn stiffening as she tightened around him.

Deryn bit Alek's neck as she came, the little pinch of her teeth pushing him over the edge in a moment. He threw his head back and groaned her name into the piping of the walker, his arms around her finally going slack.

In the aftermath there was silence, filled only with the sounds of the wilderness and their panting in tandem. Deryn's skin was hot, and when she tugged off her jacket Alek helped her position it over both of them like a blanket.

"I think I dislocated my knee," Deryn mumbled, after a while. When Alek shot her a concerned look, she chuckled, "Don't worry, it's my bad leg. Pops out all the time. Must've happened in the crash. Just need to give it a stretch…"

Alek sighed with relief, pulling her closer and nuzzling his face into her neck. There he stayed silent for a moment, the thought growing impatient in his mind.

"I'm sorry you're down here," he mumbled, "It was my idea to have you ride along with me… If I hadn't you would be-"

"Where I'd be pacing in circles, worried to blazes," she interrupted, "The only thing worse then being stranded here is you being stranded all by your daft self!"

This caused Alek to blink in bemusement, and wondered what would have happened if he didn't have Deryn with him. A smile tugged at his lips as he thought of her arguing with the captain to launch a rescue mission, sunlight or no. Knowing her, she'd probably run off with nothing but a hatchet and a box of matches to find him herself. Alek shook the thought from his head.

"Either way," He said "I know how much you hate walkers, I should have asked you before we planned the mission."

Deryn took a moment to ponder this, stroking a finger over his chest as she did so.

"Don't worry about it," Deryn finally said with a smile, "I may never get used to riding clanker machines, but I'm growing rather fond of riding clankers!"