A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews everyone! They've made me so happy! I want to apologize if last chapter was confusing. I know you can't really get a fire by the means I described, but I didn't know how else to make it happen…

To Be Lost and In Love

Chapter 3

They slept uneasily through the night, and on occasion one of them would wake up and check the fire. After only a few hours of sleep, Conway awoke to the just rising sun. He tried to flex his frozen, frostbitten limbs, and found it agonizingly difficult. The fire's warmth did little to warm the negative temperature in the air.

Beside him Dawn was still snoozing, and he was pleased to have some solitude. After all, Conway had spent the last how many years on his own, without any ties to friends or family to hold him down. To help pass the time Conway went over advanced algebraic calculations and recited the alphabet in Latin. Dawn had yet to stir.

'That's odd. I would have assumed Dawn as an early riser…Have I miscalculated?' Conway thought, looking at the still form. His eyes narrowed as he observed the sleeping girl. Dawn was still, a little to still just to be sleeping.

"Dawn? You ok?" Conway gently rolled her onto her back and tapped her on the shoulders. Dawn was breathing, but it was very light. Her skin was much bluer then it had been the night before.

"Dawn! Wake up!" Conway gasped, shaking her shoulders harder. Dawn twitched but otherwise showed no sign of comprehension.

"I don't know what to do!" Conway moaned, looking around the tiny shelter wildly.

'You could always share body heat.' A voice mumbled quietly in the back of Conway's mind. Just the thought of having Dawn's slender arms around him made Conway blush scarlet.

'I have to do it though, or else Dawn will…' Conway stopped his train of thought. He was wasting time with such stupid thoughts; it was time to act.

"Everything's going to be ok Dawn, I'm here. I'll warm you right up." Conway muttered as he lay back down. With shaking hands he pulled Dawn and cuddled her against his chest. It was awkward, and Conway wondered if his blush had enough heat in it to wake her up. Surprisingly Dawn automatically snuggled even closer, if that was possible.

"Come on Dawn, wake up…I've got you, everything's ok now…I need you…" Conway muttered phrases like that repeatedly, holding back a sob. A shiver went up and down Dawn's spine, and Conway put his arms around her to try and trap in heat. Suddenly Dawn's words from the night before flashed through his mind.

"It's not that I don't appreciate everything you've done for me today, but I just want to know why you did it. You just kinda seem like the type of person who takes care of themselves and forgets his friends...." She had said. Well, that much was true. Conway never had any friends to cherish and take care of; it felt strange to help another person now.

'This is really unlike me. What went wrong? When I saw her walking in Mt. Coronet, all I wanted to do was follow her around for awhile…now we're stuck in the middle of nowhere, and she's freezing to death, and it's all my fault…' Conway felt a twang of guilt as he looked at Dawn's pale face.

"I don't deserve friends like you. But don't worry Dawn, as soon as I get you to Snowpoint City I'll make sure we never meet again." Conway closed his eyes for a moment, trying to image how he could punish himself correctly.

"Please, don't say things like that…" A quiet voice whispered back. Conway's eyes flashed open and his black eyes bet blue.

"D-Dawn?! Are you ok?" Conway stuttered, his mouth hanging open like a fish out of water.

"No need to worry." Dawn muttered her usual phrase. Then, she paused before asking "Did you really mean that? Everything?" Dawn's eyes were wide, almost childish. Conway found he couldn't look away from her dazzling orbs.

"Yes." The green haired boy replied in a hushed tone.

"I'm sorry for what I said last night. I was such a jerk…" Dawn sniffed, trying not to cry.

"Hey, I was a total idiot. I'm sorry too." Conway smiled hesitantly, unsure of what to do now. A gentle smile crept onto Dawn's face as well.

"You're still holding me." She reminded him. Conway's red faced darkened considerably. He quickly removed his hands and scooted a foot or two away.

"Listen, I think we should try and find Snowpoint City, now that it's daylight." He moved to put the fire out.

"Sure, sure." Dawn reached into her backpack and pulled out a hairbrush. She started combing through all the blue tangles that cascaded down her back.

"We aren't going to a contest, you know." Conway pointed out. He never fully understood the connection between girls and perfect looks. Dawn insisted that she couldn't leave the shelter until she looked presentable. With a roll of his eyes Conway piled snow on the fire and crawled outside. Dawn finished grooming herself, packed up the sleeping bag, and joined her nerdy companion outside.

The midmorning sun was shining brightly through a thin layer of gray clouds. The snow had finally stopped falling, and with every step a loud crunch could be heard. Dawn and Conway walked side by side, keeping as close as possible for warmth. They didn't converse much, but stared straight ahead at the vast whiteness.

"Conway, can you promise me something?" Dawn asked after nearly an hour of walking.

"Hn? Oh, uh, sure." Conway hoped history wasn't going to repeat itself.

"Promise me that, even after we arrive in Snowpoint City, you'll still be my friend." Dawn patted the ends of her hair nervously and waited for a response. Conway was totally taken by surprise.

"I-I don't know about that…I'm not very good for you…" Dawn's stalker yearned to say yes, but Conway had to stay away from Dawn. She tried to put up an argument, but he cut her off.

"I'm like a weed growing in a garden, and I'm causing a beautiful flower like you to wither." He said miserably. Dawn's face was one of sorrow and misunderstanding.

"Please Conway? Promise me!" She looked right at him, and Conway felt his resolution waiver. Oh how he yearned to have a companion like Dawn, someone to hold and to love.

'That's not quite true,' Conway corrected himself. He didn't want just anyone to be that special comrade. He wanted a particular blue haired female to fill that spot. To put off answering Conway quickened his pace.

"Why won't you answer me? Is it because you still think I like Ash?" Dawn demanded. One look at his face told Dawn she was right, at least partly.

"Well, I'll have you know that I have never found anything attractive about Ash." Dawn put some emphasis on the never part. This cheered Conway up more then anything.

"Good to know." He replied in a nonchalant kind of way. Dawn tossed her eyes playfully. It felt good to joke with Conway.

'I'll get him to change his mind, if it's the last thing I do!' Dawn swore to herself.

A/N: Hooray for the return of the fluff! I really liked writing this chapter, because it's just so cute and adorable! Well, seeing as it's nearing 11:00 at night, I suppose I should head off to bed. Night everyone!