"Why are you doing this?" Neal questioned as he stood by the car. Peter was digging around in the trunk for their packs, excited as a kid on Christmas morning.
"Can't you just say thank you?" Peter said in reply, "I'm doing it because I thought it could be fun. My dad took me hiking a few times and I loved it." He handed Neal a heavy backpack, which the man slipped over his shoulders reluctantly. "Alright, but this..." Neal gestured to the extensively prepared hiking supplies, "Is not going to become a thing. I'm doing this once because you asked."
"Suit yourself," Peter said, "But I think you'll find that you enjoy it."
"Yeah, we'll see," Neal said and Peter shut the trunk of the car and grinned. "Let's go, there's about eight miles between us and the camp site."
Neal sighed, following him after a moment. Eight miles? He'd been hoping for less, but he said nothing. This trip was obviously important to Peter so he wouldn't ruin it by complaining. Besides, it was just this once. He'd live.
As they walked into the trees, winding their way deeper and deeper into the forest, Neal found himself enjoying it quite a bit. It was beautiful here, stunning. He'd been a little put off by the idea of camping in the snow, but now he thought it might not be so bad. They had warm sleeping bags and protective layers.
"Ever take Elizabeth out here?" he asked after too long in silence.
Peter chuckled, his breath making fog in the cold air. "Not a chance. She's a city girl through and through. She wouldn't survive one night out here."
"I'm a city boy," Neal said, "Why is that different than her?"
"Because I own you," Peter shot back with a smirk. Neal made a face at his back, but otherwise ignored that statement. It wasn't like he could forget it.
Their trek stretched on for a couple hours and once, they stopped by a stream and enjoyed a late lunch. The ice on the water was thin, not yet cold enough to freeze the water beneath it, and Neal couldn't help but stare at the patterns on the surface, putting them to memory so he could recreate the scene later on.
They kept walking after another minute and Neal fell in step behind Peter, who made a path through the snow where the trail was. It wove through the thick trees, up and down hills, and finally opened up into a clearing where Peter stopped, looking around with a satisfied nod. "Here it is."
It wasn't much, just big enough for their two tents and a small campfire. Neal slid off his pack, grateful to do so, and rolled his shoulders. Peter began setting up his tent, so after a moment, Neal did the same. It was fairly simple, just a matter of finding a good spot where there were no hidden sticks or rocks under the snow.
The two of them spent time making their sleeping arrangements, then Peter began clearing space for a fire. Neal watched, letting his handler do all the work, maybe out of spite for making him come along or maybe because his shoulders and back were already killing him. Regardless, Peter didn't seem to mind and he had a little circle of wood set up in no time. He'd gathered up a bunch of sticks, big and small, and stuck them in the center.
"Just wait till you see the mountain," Peter said, breaking the silence rather suddenly. "I'm telling you, you're gonna love it."
"Tomorrow, right?" Neal said, "I think I've had enough walking today."
Peter mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "baby" but Neal couldn't be sure. "Yeah, tomorrow," the agent said, louder so Neal could hear it.
The fire was going in no time and the two sat near it until nightfall, filling the quiet woods with talk and laughter. In the morning, Peter said, they would head further up the mountain to a view he promised would be worth it.
-)()(-
Once again, Neal was walking behind Peter, but this time he didn't have a heavy pack weighing down on his shoulders and slowing his pace. The trail snaked upward, becoming more open and rocky.
"Alright," Neal said ten minutes in, "It's not so bad."
"What did I tell you?" Peter grinned, glancing over his shoulder. "But you still haven't seen the best part."
They only had to walk about two miles from their camp before they reached the view Peter had been talking about.
Neal stood there, unable to help but smile broadly as he felt a sense of accomplishment. The two stood side by side, looking out over the vast expanse of wilderness covered in snow. Two feet in front of them was a sheer drop, the grey rock forming a steep cliff that disappeared far below. Neal didn't dare lean over to see just how far.
"This is stunning," he breathed and beside him, Peter nodded. "It is, isn't it? First time I saw this, I was seventeen. I remember thinking, 'Wow, I wonder what would happen if you fell down that'."
Neal laughed, "Uh, death maybe? No thanks."
They stayed for a good hour, wasting the day away just talking some more and joking about silly, unimportant things.
Finally, Peter clapped Neal on the shoulder. "Come on, let's go back to camp and grab something to eat. Then we can go somewhere else."
Neal followed once again, starting to enjoy himself more than he'd expected. Maybe Peter did have some good ideas.
Their footsteps seemed to be the loudest sound as they headed back down towards the trees and Neal glanced to the side, watching a few small rocks tumble over the side of the cliff.
When he looked back up, there was a bear.
It was so unexpected, he had to blink and make sure he was really seeing it. The bear blinked as well, just as surprised to see them. It also lifted it's head quickly and huffed a warning.
Peter had stopped dead and Neal did the same, all of them staring at each other and waiting for one to make the first move.
The bear shifted and at first, Neal thought it might turn away, but then it roared, a loud noise that pierced the silence, and it charged forward.
It was fast and before Neal knew it, Peter was down and the bear had the man's leg in its teeth, snarling and shaking it's head viciously.
Neal yelled, eyes wide, and he quickly did the first thing that came to mind. He picked up a handful of rocks and threw them as hard as he could, shouting, "Hey! HEY, HEY!" Unfortunately, it worked and the bear dropped Peter's leg, blood dripping from its jaws.
Neal scrambled back, fear jolting through him as those dark eyes locked on his and then the attack came.
The bear reared up again, jaws wide as it roared again. A heavy paw swung through the air, hitting Neal on the arm and sending him tumbling off balance. It was impossible to regain it when his left foot came down on empty air and his chest hit the edge of the cliff. He tried desperately to hold on, but his gloves slipped right off the lip and he fell freely, twisting in the air to try and find something else to grab onto.
It was a short fall, but it ended with a deafening crack as his face collided with solid rock and the world around him went black like someone flicking off a switch.
-)()(-
Peter heard Neal yelling, but he knew that probably wouldn't help. He instead focused on reaching the bear spray clipped to his belt, but that was difficult when the creature was shaking him like it was.
He was glad when it stopped, but when he looked over, he was just in time to see Neal get smacked by a large, clawed paw and disappear over the edge of the cliff, his blue eyes wide in shock.
The bear looked down with pricked ears for a moment, but then turned away, back to Peter. It came at him again, jaws parted in another snarl, but Peter was ready and he pressed the red top of the spray, aiming right at its nose.
The effect was instantaneous. The bear howled and jerked back, shaking it's head back and forth before turning tail and loping back down the trail.
Peter let his head fall back on the ground, eyes slipping shut.