I always felt that the moment between chapters 21 and 22 was the saddest part of Among Thieves (besides Jeff, and thinking they had just killed off Elena omg I was furious there for a second, don't toy with my emotions like that ND); the music, the mountain, the weariness they both exhibit and the tired 'what the hell, we're in it together, right?' tone of her voice when she answers him. So here is my take on what was going through Miss Fisher's head at the time. Everybody belongs to Naughty Dog/SCEA and all that.
The RPG blast echoed in the icy gray sky as their truck tumbled down into nothingness, and they clung for dear life to a narrow ledge and twisted little tree growing out of the side of the mountain.
Elena felt a bruise reddening on one cheek and a shaky smile touching her lips when she locked eyes with Nate. "You always show a girl a good time," she joked breathlessly, dizzy from adrenaline and the high thin air, needing to say something to remind herself that she was still alive regardless of how hard her heart was pounding. The tremor in her voice could be played off as a shiver from the cold, but she knew the fear in her eyes gave the lie to her laugh.
If he saw through her false bravado he was nice enough to not call her on it. "Well, I like to keep things exciting," he had replied mildly instead, reaching up to feel for a handhold on the jagged rock face, "I'd hate for you to think, 'Oh, that Drake- handsome guy, but so boring'. Here, gimme your hand."
After, as she lay beside him in the dirty, slushy snow stirred up by the convoy, he made another easy joke for her benefit while they caught their breath and figured out what to do next. There was blood and mud on her coat and she was pretty sure most of that blood was hers but at least she was warm and dry. She remembered how Jeff had laughed in the store and said she looked like a glass of orange juice with a press pass; now the memory only made her miserable and she could not give in to her sorrow yet, not if she expected to survive whatever lay ahead.
When she pushed away the thought of poor Jeff to focus on Nate again, she realized she was in love with him.
She was crazy about him, or maybe just plain crazy. Love was the only reason she could have for being so happy about putting herself in danger just to be near his dumb ass over and over again. Why else would she willingly, repeatedly accompany him to places no sane person would go, right up to the jaws of death? She had killed for him without question and trusted him in a way she had never trusted anyone else on Earth; had almost died for him twice or thrice or a dozen times who the hell was even counting anymore… and she loved him. How could she not?
"You ready for this?" he asked, and in that moment, sitting on the edge of the mountain amid the wind and dusting of snow, they were the only people who existed in the entire world. Snowflakes were settling in his hair and melting on his face, and she was overwhelmed by a desire to wipe them away with a gentle brush of her fingertips, a soft sweet kiss. I love you, she thought, but this seemed the wrong time and place no matter how breathtaking the scenery, and she was last year's model besides. She could always tell him later, if they lived long enough.
"As I'll ever be," she said sadly.