"Are they still out there?" Carter asked softly, shifting into a more comfortable position as he spoke.

Newkirk nodded, a grim look on his face, before dropping back down to sit beside the younger man inside the large, mostly hollow tree they were hiding inside. "I can still see their lights," he replied tiredly. "It looks as if we're in for a long night."

Carter leaned back against a tree with a sigh. "Don't you mean a cold night?" he asked wryly, pointedly blowing out so that his breath showed clearly in the frigid air.

"That too," Newkirk replied with a faint chuckle, pulling his jacket more tightly around him as he spoke.

The two men sank into silence once more, and several minutes passed before either of them spoke again. Then Carter cleared his throat. "Newkirk?"

Newkirk glanced over at the other man and raised an eyebrow. "Are they still out there?" Carter asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes despite the innocent look on his face.

With a quiet chuckle, Newkirk reached over and lightly swatted the back of his friend's head. "Don't even start," he warned him, his stern tone belittled somewhat by the amusement shining in his eyes.

Carter grinned back at him and pulled his own jacket might tightly around him. "Whatever you say, dad."

Rolling his eyes, Newkirk turned his attention back toward the lights that were growing dimmer as the Germans moved away from their hiding place. They settled into a comfortable silence, neither of them speaking as they waited. Lights played in the distance, and the muffled sound of German voices echoed around them.

After several minutes, Carter leaned against Newkirk. He was trying not to shiver, fairly unsuccessfully. Without saying a word, Newkirk threw his arm over the younger man's shoulders. Carter shifted, shooting Newkirk a surprised look. Then he slowly relaxed.

"Hey Newkirk," he asked after a few seconds, his voice pitched low. Newkirk raised an eyebrow. "Are they still out there?"

Newkirk swatted him in the back of the head. He couldn't help but smile for a moment before he managed to hide it.