Chapter 1
The horn honked again outside impatiently.
"I'm coming Syd!" Gage yelled out the open window to his partner. "Just give me one more minute!"
Gage looked around his apartment and with a satisfied grin stuffed the last of his equipment into his backpack. He swung the heavily loaded bag onto his back, shut the window, turned off the lights, locked the door and headed down the stairs two at a time. Knowing Syd, if he didn't get down there in the next thirty seconds she'd likely drive off without him.
Fortunately she was still there when he exited the building, though she looked more than slightly annoyed. Gage looked at her sheepishly; he had after kept her waiting for at least an hour while he packed all his gear. Syd had probably had hers ready last week. He slid his backpack into the open hatchback of her all-terrain vehicle, and climbed into the passenger side.
"Thanks for waiting Shorty." He gave a winning smile to his dark haired partner.
"As if I had any choice. Trivette and Erica are expecting us on this trip, and as it is we'll be late but at least we'll be there before dark. Now, are you sure you brought everything you need?"
"Positive. C'mon Syd, I've been camping before – I know what stuff to bring."
Syd forged ahead, she knew what Gage was like when he was in a rush – liable to forget the most important things. "You've got your sleeping bag? Your tent? Your hiking boots?"
"Check! Check! Check! Stop worrying, it's all under control. Now let's go before we miss the first check in point."
Syd shook her head, and put the car into gear. She just knew that Gage had forgotten something and when she found out what she vowed to tease him mercilessly about it.
They drove for about two hours, both in good spirits. It had been a long time since either of them had been away from the city for reasons other than work and they were both excited about it. When Trivette had asked them to join him and his fiancée, and Walker and Alex on this trip to celebrate his engagement to Erica, the young Rangers hadn't thought twice about. What was most amazing was that Captain Brisco had given all 5 of the Company B Rangers the time off together.
At about 3:00 Syd and Gage pulled into the parking lot at the base of the mountain, after having driven down an isolated rugged road for over an hour. There were five other cars in the parking lot, two which they recognized as being Walker's and Trivette's.
"Busy place." Gage commented. "I figured we'd be all alone out here."
"I guess it's probably the last good weekend of fall before the snow starts. Trivette and Erica weren't the only ones to have idea to enjoy it."
"Snow?" Gage countered as they stepped out of the car. "Syd, it's 80 degrees out here, at least. I don't think it's going to snow anytime soon."
"Gage – have you ever been camping in the mountains before?" Syd asked as she popped the trunk and began to assemble her gear.
"Yeah, sure when I was a kid. Before...before my parents died." Gage's voice trailed off as he spoke the last words and he looked off into the woods for a moment, blinking his eyes madly and willing the unbidden tears to disappear. Funny, sometimes he could think about his parents with very little emotion and then other times, like now, he felt almost overwhelmed by the depth of his grief.
Syd looked at her partner and reached over to touch his arm lightly. "I'm sorry Gage. I didn't mean to bring back any bad memories for you."
Gage turned around at Syd's touch and she could see the pain in his eyes, the unshed tears.
"Not bad memories Syd." He smiled, the pained expression on his face vanishing. "Actually, pretty good ones. Every summer we'd go camping, somewhere out here I guess. It was always a lot of fun – I don't remember any one trip in particular, just days spent swimming and fishing and hiking and nights sitting around a campfire. My Dad used to sing John Denver songs and then tell us ghost stories and Julie and I would spend the rest of the night in our tent trying to scare each other."
Syd smiled at Gage, a hint of sadness in her own face. "Sound like fun. We never did anything like that. My Mom was always working, sometimes two or three jobs to support us. My sister and I spent the summers taking care of the house and trying to do as much as we could to make Mom's life easier. And then, when we got old enough we starting working ourselves. I always envied those people on our street who headed out to the woods for the weekend, their trailers in tow. I always felt that for some reason I was destined to be out here, just not at that time."
"We'll here you are now." Gage replied, trying to lighten the mood. He was surprised at Syd's admission. She was usually very close-lipped about her family and her childhood. In fact this was one of the only times he could ever recall her willingly bringing up the subject.
"Yeah." His partner replied, smiling brightly and with her eyes beginning to sparkle. "Here WE are. So, let's go."
Syd put her left foot up on the rear bumper and ensured that her boot was laced tightly, and then did the same with her right foot. Gage followed suit and then they each swung their loaded packs onto their backs and locking the car, headed towards the unmanned check-in station. They added their names to the trail log, noting that it was almost two hours earlier that Walker, Alex, Trivette and Erica had started up the path.
"We're going to have to really hustle it up if we are going to reach the campsite by dark." Syd commented reminding Gage ever so subtly that it was his fault they were late.
"We'll Shorty; I think you're the one who's in trouble. You're going to have to run to keep up with my longer legs." And with that Gage took off at an almost running pace up the first stretch of the trail.
"Oh no you don't!" Syd shouted and took off after him, her competitive spirit kicked into high gear.
They both moved along a good pace for about half an hour, each one taking the lead for a bit until the other one pushed ahead. Finally, laughing they agreed to slow down a bit as the trail was becoming more treacherous and required more attention to their footing.
Syd took the first lead and Gage followed closely behind her. He liked watching her go in front; she had this confident set to her shoulders and look of determination on her face as she successfully navigated the tangled trail of weeds, rocks and tree roots. She stumbled once but Gage was right behind her and he grabbed her backpack, steadying her before she fell outright.
"You okay?" He asked.
"Yeah, thanks." She replied, rubbing her ankle.
"You sure Syd? Is your ankle hurting? Here come sit down." He led Syd off the path to a large rock outcrop and he knelt before her, taking her right foot in his hands and massaging her ankle.
"I'm fine Gage." Syd spoke a little impatiently, the way she did whenever anybody fussed over her. "Really. It was just a little argument between my foot and a tree root, I'll be fine. In fact, it feels better already. Let's go."
"Okay." Gage shook his head, he couldn't tell if she was telling him the truth or not. She often pushed herself senselessly, as if to prove a point that she could keep up with him. He knew she could, he wondered why she felt the need to show him all the time. "I'll take the lead for a while."
Syd nodded and took Gage's offered hand to help her stand up, and then she turned and followed him up the trail. Actually her ankle really did hurt and she had to set it down carefully with every step but each time Gage looked around, Syd gave him a bright smile to let him to know that she was fine.
They hiked along for another hour until the ground levelled out somewhat, and they knew that they must be fairly close to the campsite where their friends would be waiting. The smoother ground was easier on Syd's ankle and she was able to keep pace with her partner across the grassy field. They could hear the sound of rushing water in the distance, and when they first caught a whiff of a campfire they grinned at each other.
"Last one there has to make breakfast!" Gage announced and he picked up the pace. With her sore ankle knew she'd never catch up with him so she let him go.
"C'mon Syd, what's the matter? Afraid of a little competition?" he shouted back at her.
"No – I just don't want to eat anything you cook!" she called back, doing her best to look like she was not avoiding pressure on her ankle.
They rounded a jut-out on the trail and suddenly there was the site. Trivette was busy setting up a tent, while Walker was tending to the fire and Alex and Erica were busy preparing some food.
"Hey!" Gage called out. "Just in time for dinner and I am famished."
"What else is new?" Walker replied a grin on his face as he greeted the young ranger.
"Hey, hey! You made it!" Trivette called out. "We were starting to get worried about you. What took so long?"
"Gage." Syd replied, unbuckling her backpack and setting it down on the ground. She immediately went over to Erica and Alex who each gave her a hug. "He was not even close to ready when I came by to pick him up."
"We should have known." Alex replied, looking affectionately at the young man. "Well, at least you got him here before dark."
"My thoughts exactly." Syd said taking a long drink from the canteen of water she had carried with her.
"Well, you two better set up your tents before it's too late to see anything." Walker announced. "We've got everything else under control."
"Yep, it'll probably be about 30 minutes until dinner." Erica stated as she added some pasta to the boiling pot of water over the fire.
Syd and Gage each looked around the site and claimed a flat piece of land for themselves. Syd detached the tent bag from her pack and began to set it up. She was almost finished when she glanced over and saw that Gage had made no progress. In fact he was sitting amid a pile of his stuff – it looked like he had emptied his whole backpack.
"It has to be here!" he was mumbling to himself. "It just has to be."
Syd began to laugh. "Oh my God, Gage. Did you forget your tent?" He glared at her, and she laughed even harder. "Even after I specifically asked you if you had your tent?"
"It must have fallen out on the way up here." He responded, getting annoyed with her laughter.
"Gage, it didn't fall out. We would have seen it. You forgot it, plain and simple."
"I guess I'll just have to share with you."
Syd stopped laughing and spoke almost angrily. "No way Gage. If you did this on purpose just so that you'd have a chance to share a tent with me..." She trailed off, having voiced that she thought that Gage might have feelings for her beyond that of mere partners.
Embarrassed by both what Syd had implied and the fact that he had foolishly forgotten such an essential piece of equipment he retaliated. "Syd, if you think that I would actually want to spend the night next to you in a closed, stuffy tent after a day of hiking in hot, humid weather then you are delusional. In fact, you that is the last place on Earth I would want to be."
Syd looked at Gage standing there among his possessions, and then she looked away speaking in a quieter tone. "Okay Gage, you don't need to be so vocal about how awful it would be to share quarters with me. I'm sorry the idea is so distasteful."
Damn it! Gage thought to himself, watching Syd turn away and then hearing her speak in a hushed tone. He knew he had hurt her with his careless words, spoken out of frustration and embarrassment. The truth was he did have feelings for Syd and the last thing he wanted to do was turn her away from him.
By now though their disagreement had brought the attention of the others in the camp, and as Syd returned to setting up her one-person backpacking tent Trivette entered into the conversation and like Syd before, he was laughing.
"Oh buddy, you are in for one miserable night. Where are you going to sleep?"
"Any chance I could bunk with you?"
Trivette shook his head and pointed to their small two-person tent.
"Walker?"
Alex pointed to their equally small tent.
"Well, I'll just sleep out here under the stars." Gage announced. "It'll be great! At least I didn't forget my sleeping bag." He motioned to the roll of blue at his feet.
Gage gathered up his supplies and re-packed them in his bag as the others returned to their tasks. Yeah, sleeping out under the stars would be fine. He'd just stay real close to the fire and the other tents, and make very sure that all traces of food had been disposed of so as not to attract any bears.
Syd finished setting up her tent and stowed her gear inside. She decided to take back her plan to make fun of her partner about whatever it was that he forgot. She'd teased him about the tent and he had lashed back at her. His words were still ringing in her ears and she felt a sense of loss. Maybe she had misread some of Gage's not-so-hidden signs that he had strong feelings for her. Why did she care so much? After all they were nothing more than friends so why did his outright rejection of the idea of the two of them together hurt so much?
She pulled on a light sweater and rubbed herself with bug repellent and stepped outside her tent. When she stood up and turned around after zipping it up, she practically bumped into Gage. She moved left to avoid walking into him when he lightly grabbed for her arm.
"I'm sorry Syd. I didn't mean to say those things, they aren't true. The idea of sharing quarters with you is not distasteful."
"Okay, apology accepted." Syd wasn't ready to forgive him so easily though. "You're still not going to weasel your way into my tent Gage, it's too small. It's made for one person."
"I'm not apologizing so I have somewhere to sleep Syd! I'm apologizing because I hurt your feelings and I'm sorry."
For the first time, Syd looked up and met his gaze and seeing the sincerity in his eyes she flashed him a smile. "Thanks Gage and I am sorry that I laughed at you. I shouldn't have done that."
"No, you shouldn't have." Her partner replied smugly, relieved that they were back to normal. "So I'd be careful if I was you Syd – I'm on the lookout for you to screw up one day and trust me, I'll be right there to laugh at you."
"I suppose that's only fair." Syd replied as they heard Alex call everyone for dinner.
The group sat on the ground, settled comfortably on blankets and enjoyed the meal prepared by Alex and Erica. As they ate they share stories about their individual treks to the site and the wildlife that they had seen.
"We didn't see anything." Gage commented.
"Probably because of the way you thundered through the forest with your big, clunking boots. You scared everything away." Syd replied, eliciting laughs from the rest of the group.
When they had finished eating Syd and Gage found themselves on clean-up duty, the others having prepared the meal and site. By now it was quite dark and the temperature had dropped significantly, though it was still quite humid.
"Maybe you were right about the snow." Gage said to Syd as she passed him another dish to dry. "Hang on a minute; I need to go put on my sweater."
As Gage returned he noticed that Syd was putting the bulk of the weight on her left foot. When she saw him coming she set her right foot back down and looked away from him, but not before he saw her grimace.
"Is your ankle bothering you Syd?"
"No..."
"You're lying to me!" Gage took the pot out of her hands and dumped it back in the dishwater. "Go sit down right now. Walker! Syd's ankle is hurt, can you come take a look?"
Glaring at her partner, Syd hobbled over to one of the rocks near the campfire.
"What happened Sydney?" Walker asked as he lifted Syd's foot and began to untie the boot laces.
"Nothing, it's just a little sore. I tripped over a root earlier on the way up here and it's tender. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."
When Walker had gotten her boot off and pulled down her sock, it was obvious that her injury was not 'nothing'. Her ankle was swollen and a deep shade of purple.
"Syd!" Gage exclaimed. "You should have told me how badly you were hurt!"
"What? So you could carry me all the way here and be the hero? I don't think so."
"The hero? Since when have you ever let me treat you like a damsel in distress? I'll have you know that..."
"Enough you two - stop it." Walker interrupted. "Alex, go get one of the chemical ice packs from the first aid kit. Sydney – you really should have told us how badly you were hurt. You're not going to be able to do too much on this ankle for at least a couple of days. Fortunately I don't think it's broken, just badly sprained."
Syd nodded as Walker took the ice-pack from Alex, broke the seal on it and mixed the chemicals to make it icy-cold.
"Now sit here, with your leg raised, for twenty minutes."
"I'm not done doing the dishes."
"Don't worry; I think your partner can manage all on his own." Walker said, motioning to Gage who had returned to the dish pan and was scrubbing the last of the pots.
Walker smiled at her and then returned to his spot by the campfire, wrapping an arm around his wife to keep her warm. Trivette and Erica were cuddling on the other side of the fire, and suddenly Syd felt very left out. She wondered if coming on this trip was such a good idea. First that disagreement with Gage, then the news about her ankle and now she felt like she was intruding on a couples' vacation.
She was sitting close to the fire but Syd still felt a chill go through her body, and she shivered. Almost instantly Gage was behind her, draping a blanket around her shoulders and then settling himself down beside her. The combined warmth from the blanket and the nearness of Gage's body soon stopped Syd's shivers and she smiled up at her partner gratefully.
"Thanks."
"No problem Shorty. Your ankle okay?"
"The ice pack really helped. I guess I should have done something about it earlier. I'm sorry I lied to you on the trail, I just didn't want you to feel responsible for me."
"Syd, you're my partner and my friend. I feel responsible for you 24-7, even when we aren't together. Don't you feel that way about me?"
"Yeah, I do." Syd nodded, thinking about what he said. It hadn't really occurred to her that he might have the same sort of feelings of obligation about her that she had about him. I guess that's one of those things that make us a good team, she thought.
"Okay and I know sometimes I'm a little competitive Syd but I never try to play the hero with you. That's not the kind of person that you are, and I completely respect that."
"I know you do Gage. And if I haven't ever said it - thank you." And Syd reached up and caught Gage in a brief hug. He had only just had time to realize that she was in his arms when suddenly she was gone again, bent over her leg and fussing over the ice pack.
The disappearance of the sudden warmth of her body against his made Gage suddenly shiver himself and he found himself wishing that she could somehow find her way back into his arms again. He watched her working on her ankle and marvelled at all the emotion he had seen from his partner today; it was such a change from her usually reigned-in self. It didn't feel wrong though, just different and he was glad that he had been witness to these expressions. He imagined that there was a lot more to Sydney Cooke than most people knew and he hoped that he'd someday get to be one of those lucky people she let in to know the real her.
Trivette added some more logs to the fire and almost immediately the little group had a roaring bonfire going. Erica started singing, followed quickly by Gage and in next to no time everyone had joined in. They laughed and joked and Syd wondered why she had questioned coming, this was an immense amount of fun. She turned and looked at her partner who was having a glorious time pretending to be John Denver, and when he saw her looking at him he winked and flashed her an enormous grin. Her face lit up with delight at seeing him so happy, glad that he was reliving one of his few happy childhood memories.
Syd radiant smile filled Gage with a joy that he had come to realize only her happiness could give him. He looked down at his partner, wrapped in the blanket and clapping her hands. She was laughing and tossing her hair back, tucking the stray strands behind her ears. She was having a wonderful time, despite their earlier argument and he was happy just to be sitting next to her.
Soon the group slowed down their activities and began to sing some less raucous songs, their voices mirroring the waning intensity of the fire as it burned down. When the last song had been sung Walker began to tell them a story about Hayes Cooper and his early days as a Ranger. As Walker spoke the group listened raptly, as they always did when one of these stories was offered.
As Walker spoke and Gage felt himself almost being transported in time back to the days of Hayes Cooper, he became aware of a sudden warmth on his side. Looking down he saw that Syd had moved over close to him and was resting her head on his shoulder as she listened.
"Do you mind?" he heard her whisper to him.
"No." he whispered back, and he felt her arms snake around his as she settled in to hear the tale.
Walker finished his story just as the last log broke apart into embers, and after a few moments of silence Alex finally stood up.
"Well, good-night everyone. I think its time for bed."
"Good idea Alex." Erica added. "I think it's all this fresh air, I'm quite sleepy."
"Me too." Syd murmured as she lifted her head from Gage's shoulder, the closeness of the young Rangers not going unnoticed by the female members of their 'family'. "Will you help me up, please Gage?"
Gage stood, stretching as he did so and, feeling the cool in the air now that that fire had died down, silently lamented once again that he had forgotten his tent. For the life of him he couldn't think where it was, he was sure that he had packed it. He reached an arm down to Syd and helped her stand up, careful not to put undo pressure on her injured ankle. Gage walked around to her side and put an arm under hers, helping her to more or less hop over to her tent.
Once there Syd bent down and unzipped the door, and rather unceremoniously plopped down inside.
"Thank you Gage. Good night." Syd looked up at her partner, and then mischievously added before zipping the tent closed. "Enjoy the stars."
"Oh I will!" Gage called back to her as he fetched his backpack and began to lay his stuff out in front of her tent, and then repeated her comment to himself as a mutter while he unrolled his sleeping bag.
Syd got undressed in the tent and listened to Gage getting settled outside. She did actually feel sorry for him; she wouldn't want to sleep outside. She knew her tent was only a thin sheet of nylon but somehow it felt like a safe haven away from the elements and the animals.
"Good night Gage." She called to him softly as she tucked her feet into her sleeping bag.
"Good night Syd." He called back, smiling as he thought about her head resting on his shoulder during Walker's story. "Sleep tight."
"You too." She replied, no hint of teasing in her voice this time at all.