How in the hell am I going to tell her that we are going to have to...cuddle? he wondered. She is going to think that I am some kind of goddamn pervert! However, he had never been one to shy away from a challenge, so he decided to just come out and say it.

"Um…Granger?" he asked, and he did not like the uncertain way that his voice sounded, so he tried again. "Granger!" he commanded her attention and she shot him a look that clearly stated that she was not amused with his tone. That saucy look tempted him to smile, but he managed to resist as he beckoned to her. Just then, her eyes suddenly filled with understanding and she nodded.

Hermione knew at once what he was trying to tell her. If they were going to stave off hypothermia…or worse…then they were going to have to share body heat - at least until she could figure out a way to put her other skills to work instead. After all, she just could not just spring that on the man – especially since she did not even know who…or what…he was, yet. At any rate, it would probably be a bit embarrassing, but she could think of many worse things to do than hold her body up against that of a stranger's for warmth. In fact, dying was at the top of that list! Plus, once you saw past the obvious scarring, he was not a bad looking bloke…not at all, in fact. At any rate, she had already determined that he was one of the good guys. In fact, this could get interesting! she thought optimistically.

To Fury's surprise, the woman did not hesitate. She walked straight up to him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. His arms slowly came up around her, too, and she automatically laid her head on his chest. His steady heartbeat was comforting and she soon realized that their situation really was much warmer in this position. Obviously, they would not be able to stand in place forever, but for now it would do.

"Alright then," she said as casually as she could with her voice muffled against his bare chest…and a very nice hard chest it was! "Tell me about you. Why do these Hydra people want you?"

Fury rested his chin on top of the woman's head and tried to envelope more of her nearly bare torso with his big arms and hands. He found that the human contact was warm…as well as soothing in a way that he had not expected. Then, since it was his fault that she was here – and he was secretly impressed with the way that she had handled herself so far – he told her the truth.

He explained that their captors were probably the last vestiges of the organization that wanted him in their possession because he was the former Director of SHIELD before the Hydra uprising. Then, to his own astonishment, he also found himself telling her about his "death" and subsequent fall off of the map while he hunted down loose ends…before being trapped with a nearly naked woman in an increasingly cold room. Normally, he would have never given away so much information to a stranger, but he realized that he had nothing to lose at this point. If she was a plant, which he and his keen instincts did not really believe, then she knew all of this already. If she really was just a stranger who happened to be in the same alley when they were captured, either she would be destroyed with him…or she could be a key component to help him figure a way out of this mess.

"I see." Even after his explanation, she said those two words so calmly that he pulled away slightly in surprise to look her straight in the eye. However, she shuddered as the warmth of his body left hers and pulled him back so quickly that he could not help but to allow his lips to curl up briefly in amusement. That pleasant feeling quickly disappeared, though, with her next question. "I suppose that means that we should not expect a rescue party from your people, then?" she asked as she laid her head on his chest again.

He tightened his hold on the woman subconsciously. "Nobody even knew I was in London," he answered with an edge in his tone that reflected the regret that he had not even contacted Hill.

"Well, apparently, somebody did," she emphasized as removed her hand from his back to briefly wave it around to indicate their prison before she replaced it.

He shrugged, but he could not deny the truth of her statement. "Despite my best efforts, I must have been spotted. Catching me in a dark alley was probably an opportunity that they could not resist." Then he changed the subject. "What about you? Will anybody be looking for you?" For the first time, he found himself wondering if she had a husband or children at home.

"Yes," she answered, surprising him with the quick confirmation…and Fury was left to wonder about the bit of disappointment that he felt about that as she continued to explain. "However, it all depends on if Ron has the bollocks to tell him what happened today…or last night. I wonder how long we were unconscious and what time it is now? At any rate, if Ron did tell him, then Harry will come immediately to check on me, realize that I am missing, and won't stop until he has traced me here. Otherwise, since it was the beginning of the weekend, it could be a couple of days before he realizes that I am gone and is able to trace me to…wherever this is. Who knows what our captors plan to do before then, though? Therefore, I am afraid that we cannot wait around for him. We will need our own plan, just in case."

"Who is this Harry?" Fury asked, extremely curious about her confidence in the man. "How can you be so sure that he will be able to find you? Even I don't know where the hell we are! Hydra had a lot of secret bases themselves, even before they infiltrated SHIELD and took over theirs."

Hermione just waved her hand dismissively as if that piece of information was not important. "Of course, Harry would find me. He is the most powerful person I know…besides myself, of course!" With that intriguingly mysterious statement, he could feel a grin flash across her face – especially since it was still pressed into his chest at the time. However, he could tell the instant it turned into a grimace, as well. When she squirmed a little bit, he realized what the problem was. After all, he was beginning to feel the need, as well. She looked up sheepishly. "Fury, I'm sorry but I am going to have to…"

He nodded. "We are going to have to designate one of the corners, I think. If my suspicions are correct, then I think those assholes plan to hold us here for several days before they even acknowledge our presence."

Hermione stared at the man. "They are going to try to wear us down with these terrible conditions first, aren't they?" she asked and he nodded – again impressed with her quick intuition. "I guess that means no food or water…as well as no facilities, no clothes, and no heat." She looked downcast for just a moment before her rational demeanor returned and she gestured to the far corner. "How about that one?" she asked. He nodded in agreement. Then they took turns, each taking care of their personal business while the other discreetly kept their distance.

"Hopefully, the cold will help to keep the smell down," Hermione commented optimistically as she reached out for one of his arms upon his return.

He bemusedly let her massage some warmth back into it and its mate before she did the same for his neck, shoulders, and back. He had to admit that her touch felt damn good and that in any other situation he would want it to lead to… He shook his head. Those kinds of thought would only lead to trouble right now. Consequently, he tried to think of other mundane and non-stimulating things instead as he returned the favor for her. After all, he had not touched a woman so intimately since before his "death." Constantly flying under the radar really put a crimp in one's love life, unfortunately, and there had been no time or opportunity for such activities.

However, he then saw her closed eyes and the small twist to her lips that indicated she enjoyed the contact as well. He suddenly wondered if she and that Harry guy were a couple…or if she had been single and celibate for a while like he had. Without discussing it, though, they soon separated and both decided to handle the much more personal warming rub-down on their lower halves themselves while preoccupied with their own thoughts.

However, afterwards, Hermione brought up another point. "If we are going to be without food or water for an unknown period of time, then we should conserve our strength and body heat. We should also rest while we have the chance…just in case you are wrong about their plans to make us wait. If they come for us sooner, we need to be physically ready for them."

Since he had planned to bring up this point himself, he again found himself impressed with her take on their perilous situation…and with her apparent calm in the face of possible death. It made him seriously wonder about what her life was like in the outside world. Before he could ask anything about that, though, she jumped straight to the heart of the matter. "If we are not going to freeze to death before we find a way to get out of here, then we are going to have to have as much skin to skin contact as possible while minimizing our contact with the cold floor or walls. Hmmm…" She paused to consider the various possible positions in her head before she chose one.

"Okay, I think I've got it. I wouldn't be able to hold your weight for long, so I am afraid that you are going to have to be on bottom." Fury's eyebrows climbed halfway up his forehead at her phrasing while he looked incredulously at the woman in front of him. Her tone was so crisp and professional about such a potentially personal situation…that he could not help but wonder again what she did for a living. "If you sit on your bum, your underwear will provide some protection from the floor, but I am afraid that you are still going to have a cold hard arse after a while. I'm sorry but I can't think of a solution to that right now. We will just have to take some standing breaks…and maybe even a buttock massage." She paused to grin for a moment as his eyebrows shot up again. That look faded, though, as she started to shiver violently and gestured for him to sit. Then, without warning, she straddled him and slid down into a sitting position in his lap while facing him. This was almost too much for him, cold or not - especially since he now had a perfect view of a creamy expanse of cleavage and he could feel the roundness of her ass resting against his crotch. He found that he had to exercise all of his considerable self-control at that point because pure biology was threatening to take over. Fortunately, she continued, as if unaware of his predicament, as she then wrapped both her arms and legs around his back while just her heels rested on the floor behind them.

"Your turn," she commanded gently. "Put your arms around me and then pull your legs up towards my back."

Despite his physical struggle, Fury had to admit that he liked her no-nonsense, take-charge kind of attitude. She knew what needed to be done…and she did it! However, he still looked at her and asked, "Has anybody ever told you that you are a damn bossy little thing?"

She actually smiled again that time – especially since, regardless of his snarky attitude, he did as she told him. She then laid her head on his shoulder and explained. "All of the time, Mr. Fury. All of the time! For good reason, too…I know when I am right. After all, this is much warmer, isn't it? Both of our backs are supported, too. Therefore, we should be able to sit for quite a while like this."

Fury could not help but to agree. Despite the now completely distracting position of the woman in his arms and lap, or maybe even because of it, he was much warmer now. In fact, as he felt her body relax even more into his, he would have even said he was comfortable - if it had not been for the cold hard arse…ass…that she had correctly predicted!