MEH to the finale. All nicely wrapped up with a bow with a giant turd inside. Don't these people have any imagination at all? The dialogue about B and C going to to a desert island made me giggle though!

This chapter is pretty snarky but I think it's necessary to reestablish their relationship. Sorry that I'm updating this slower than I intended. The festive season and work commitments have made it a bit tough to dedicate time to writing. I'm away on holiday for the next two weeks and I doubt I'll get much writing in so, although I have a fair bit of the next chapter done, I don't think I'll be able to post it until I'm back. But one never knows...at least I'll have some time on the plane.

Anyway, merry Festivus, I hope you have a glorious time, with friends and loved ones, and if this is my present to you, then would love some more of your most welcome reviews in return (nudge, nudge ;).


Dan awoke with a start. There was a gap in the roof of the shelter and a ray of sunlight shone straight into his half open eyes, making him squint in discomfort. He had thought he would sleep like the dead, but instead stirred in fits and starts all night, disturbed by the faint noises of seabirds and the lapping waves. The peace was almost unnerving. His fingers still itched for his journal, as they had for the whole restless night. Never before had he not had access to at least a scrap of paper and a pencil; he could hardly scratch the words in his mind out in the sand. It was a uniquely uncomfortable situation, but there was little he could do to remedy it.

Blair still slept, curled into his side, her hands making loose fists beneath her chin. Dark circles remained under her eyes, though she had lain quietly beside him all night, her breathing regular and comforting. He eased himself from the tight space, trying not to disturb her, and stretched the kinks from his body, massaging at the knots in his shoulders. It took a while to limber up. The night at sea supporting Blair, and the day after spent in unfamiliarly arduous activity, left him sore in every joint. All he wished to do was lay down and rest some more.

The day was still fairly early by Dan's estimation, the sun hovered in the east, casting shade across the beach. He sat down by the still smoking campfire to contemplate their situation and how to best use the morning. Though he hadn't voiced his concerns to Blair, he was terrified that Nate's yacht had gone down and, not only had they lost their friends, no one would know Blair and he were missing and awaiting rescue. The coconuts could only sustain them for so long and if their weren't picked up soon, then the situation could quickly grow dire.

Before his sombre thoughts could take him in a doleful grip, Dan distracted himself by taking two of the last coconuts: an older one to try an extract some nut meat from and a green one for drinking. He looked solemnly down at the last few that remained. Knowing that he would have to climb for more in the not so distant future didn't please him in the slightest.

The rocks at the end of the cove they had landed in were far enough from the shelter so any noise wouldn't wake Blair, allowing her to sleep for as long as possible. She had been fortitude itself, it had surprised him how calmly she had dealt with their situation, at least relatively. But he had known by the look of strain in her eyes the night before how close she was to breaking point.

The coconuts opened easily under his handling, his hands becoming used to the action. His care though, in trying to leave Blair in peace, came to nothing as he heard stirring from the shelter followed by the emergence of her tousled head. "Is there a boat? I thought I heard something!"

He raised his brow in response to her piercing look. "Good morning to you too, Waldorf. Do you think I'd be calmly standing here if there was?"

"I don't know what you do, Humphrey." Her voice came sullenly as she crawled from the shelter and made her way to the shore, splashing seawater to her face. "I'm so thirsty. And I don't want anymore coconut, it makes me feel sick."

"I guess this is all mine then?" He lifted the coconut he had cracked open to his lips, pretending to drain it while ignoring her noises of outrage.

"Humphrey, how could you not share? This is a life and death situation. I think I should be in charge of the coconuts."

Dan couldn't help but chuckle at her narrowed eyes and irritated posture as she came to stand beside him. "Waldorf, lighten up. There's plenty more, you'd almost think they grew on trees."

"Did you ever think I might be thirsty as well? This isn't all about you."

"No, of course, this is about you." He poked her playfully in the ribs, dodging aside as she tried to elbow him in return. His ploy had worked though, it was better that she was annoyed with him, rather than dwelling in a blue funk.

The sun had risen higher, the sting already penetrating his skin. He'd prefer not to be out in it for too much longer, if he were to keep any skin on his face at all. The light reflected off the water, making him wish for his sunglasses as he peered across to see if the tide had receded. Not that it mattered much, the Caribbean tides were almost unnoticeable. "I might try to spear a fish today. The water should be teeming with them." He held the coconut out to her. "And there might be something left in there, if you're lucky."

Blair scowled before snatching the nut from his hands and drank deeply, coughing a little as the liquid spilled over her lips and dripped down her chin. Looking at him a little sheepishly as she realised the shell was almost full. Her tone softened markedly. "With what?"

"I don't know, Greedy. Between us we must be able to come up with something." Dan looked around. "Ummm...maybe need a long stick...and where is that bracelet of yours? It looked barbaric enough to serve, though Serena's jewellery was always the pointiest."

She returned to the shelter and picked the bracelet up from the sand where it had dropped the day before. "I'll have you know this cost seven thousand dollars."

"And I would pay at least double that for something other to eat than coconut."

Blair held it for a moment in her hand, her fingers tracing the diamonds inlaid in the gold, before passing it to him. Dan weighed it in the palm of his hand. "Are you sure though? I could probably try something else."

She turned away, looking out over the horizon. "It's fine. I don't care for it anyway. Chuck..."

Dan's lip twisted at her faltering words but he didn't reply, only looking intently at her before slowly retracing his steps to the rocky outcrop. She walked back to the shelter, carefully removing a long straight stick from the flimsy walls, though she didn't bring it to him immediately, instead trailing the stick through the damp sand at the shore line.

Dan cast his eyes around, wishing for an alternative to destroying Blair's jewellery. They fell on the phone he had left in the sand. Enough of his previous iPhone's had dropped on Brooklyn's sidewalks to make him recall how easily the glass face shattered. He lay it on the rocks considering the best way to proceed, turning slightly when he felt Blair's presence at his shoulder.

"I don't think there's an app for that."

"If only, a spear fishing app."

"They'd have to make it waterproof first." She pursed her lips, and he had to bite his own to against the urge to laugh.

"My idea, Waldorf. Don't even think about stealing it."

Blair snorted, the troubled expression dropping from her features. "I have no need for it, Humphrey. Although I can recognise the literary justice. Struggling writer makes first million from phone app."

Dan did chuckle this time, wanting to point out that although he was still a writer, 'struggling' wasn't the most accurate way to describe his state. He stayed silent as he considered her words more carefully. Clearly she hadn't followed his career at all and it gave him an odd pang that she didn't think him even worthy of googling his name every now and then.

He raised the rock he'd selected and his thoughts perhaps made his first blow a little more violent than he intended. "Easy, Rambo." Blair's eyes met him with amusement as he raised his head at her words.

The glass had shattered on impact, deep cracks splintering through the face. It still, however, stubbornly held in one piece and he scrabbled uselessly at the surface, trying to work it free. "I don't know if this is going to work. I'm liable to smashing thing to bits."

Blair passed him a piece of shell to scratch at it with, but he still couldn't work it into the cracks. He took up the rock again, making a more careful series of taps until a dent formed that he could work the edge of the shell into, prying off the protective screen. Finally it came free and he managed to remove the whole face, loosening the shards. Most of the glass had shattered into small pieces but a few long pieces remained.

Blair placed her hand on her hip as she regarded his movements. "I really don't see how that's going to work. Surely the glass will break."

"Well, aside from tickling fish, I don't know what else to try." He touched the point of a glass shard with his fingertip, feeling it's keenness. "Though I don't think the fish are going to stay still long enough for me to stab them to death."

"You should just tell them a story. They'll be sure to commit suicide before too long."

Dan's eyes gave a grieved flash at Blair's words. "You're still just as mean as you always were, aren't you, Waldorf."

"Not always." She took a deep breath and thrust forward the stick she had collected. "I got this."

He wrapped his fingers around the shaft, feeling the balance in his palm. Athletics hadn't been his favourite sport at school, although he'd always been able to run. He had picked up a javelin a few times but couldn't for the life of him remember any technique. The top of the stick had a narrow split and he worked his fingernails into it to open it further. "I can probably wedge the glass in here and wrap it with more of your shirt."

Blair looked as though she regretted her generosity the day before, but didn't speak as she took off her abused shirt to tear another strip from the ragged bottom edge. It was only when she dropped the rag in front of him that she voiced her displeasure. "Why do all of your solutions involve destroying something of mine?"

"Not always." His eyes sketched over her face, taking in her flushed cheeks. "You're sun burnt. You should stay in the shade." He smiled and he reached out to flick her nose.

Blair flinched away. "I know. So should you."

"The fish for our dinner won't catch itself." He let his fingers rest fleetingly on her cheek, despite the assault of the sun it still felt as soft as it ever had. "I'm serious, stay out of the sun for a while. If you must do something, you can bash another coconut. You should be good at that. Just pretend it's my head."

Dan withdrew his hand as Blair dropped her eyes and, feeling a level discomfort settle between them, was happy to focus back on the task before him. He wedged the glass solidly into the stick, wrapping it with the strip of fabric to secure it. Though the point was short, he hoped it would still be effective.

Blair had retreated the deep shade near the shelter, barely looking at him as he waded into the water to find a likely spot for a fish. Hidden rocks in the sand stubbed his bare toes making him regret not putting his shoes on before setting out.

He chose a spot on a ledge that dropped away to deeper water, making an irregular rock pool. Fish moved fleetly in the water below him, seeming to nip at the reef, never staying still for long. Most were tiny but now and then he would see a flash of something bigger, leading him to plunge the spear down in hope.

Every minute or so he looked up to what Blair was doing. It was difficult to stay on task when she moved so purposefully across the beach. Rather than try her hand at opening a coconut, she focussed her attention on shaping large letters from any debris that lay at hand. The first letter had almost been laid out making an awkward 'S'. Words broke from his lips without thinking. "What are you writing? 'Send Dorota'?"

"No, 'Shoot Humphrey'."

"Wouldn't 'Shoot Dan' be faster to spell out?"

"Yes, but not anywhere near so satisfying." Her pert voice rang out over the beach. "Now shut up, you're probably scaring the fish."

Dan shifted the spear in his hands, shoulders aching from the stance. Holding the spear poised ready was harder than he thought it would be. He looked back over to Blair as he stretched. She had wrapped the remains of her shirt around her head like a turban to shade her face from the sun as she found any object she could to spell the 'SOS' darkly against the sand. He wasn't sure how effective it would be. The large letters faded obscurely, even from the short distance he watched from. But he didn't want to defeat her by telling her so.

The sun had moved across the sky so it was almost directly above him and Dan's mouth began to feel dry. His aim was not improving and one more clumsy shot chipped the glass off almost at the base of the stick. He looked at it regretfully before plunging bodily into the water, scaring the fish away. At least the cool refreshed his skin temporarily, even though it did nothing to quench his rising thirst.

Blair sat in the shade by the shelter, half heartedly tapping at the remaining coconut. "So, no fish? I knew it."

"The spear head broke off. I guess I'll have to try something else. And, yes, you're welcome to say you knew that too. I know you're thinking it."

Blair took the spear from him, looking at the blunt head. "You could have been more careful."

"You try it. I'm not Bear Grylls, Waldorf. It's harder than it looks." The optimism he had started the task with had faded and now only disappointment gnawed at his stomach alongside the ever present hunger. "I suppose we could eat insects."

She dropped the spear to the sand. "I'm not Bear Grylls either. I'd prefer to die of starvation before that."

"Coconut it is then. Do you want to come for a walk to see if I can find another tree to climb?"

"No. As entertaining as that sounds, I'm going to take a nap." She left him in abruptly, crawling into the shelter without even a backward glance.

Dan slipped his shoes on and wandered along the shore, wondering how to best supplement their diet. Seagulls hopped nervously away from him, keeping their distance as they eyed the small crabs that scurried across the beach. Neither seemed a likely food source.

The rest of the coconut trees on their stretch of beach reached into the sky, their trunks straight and tall, impossible for a novice like him to climb. As the prevailing wind came from the eastern side of the island, Dan thought it more likely to find trees there with at least enough lean for him to be able to clamber up them. He was sure he had seen some possibilities on his walk around the island the previous day, though his mind had been so preoccupied he couldn't recall exactly where.

Rather than walk around the beach aimlessly, Dan's feet took him toward away from the water toward the scrub than lined the small hill in the centre of the island, thinking to wander to the top to get a better view of their surroundings. It was steeper than he had supposed but plateaued at the top, the scrub dipping into a sandy clearing.

He gave a soft exclamation at what met his eyes. The remains of an old shanty lay collapsed in a heap, it's state showing it long abandoned. Beyond lay a small stand of green trees, columns of familiar fruit drooping heavily from the trunks. He wasn't sure if they were plantains or unripe bananas, but either way the sight was welcome. Another tree hung with large globes, ranging from dark to a yellow green. It's proximity to the collapsed hut could only make Dan suppose the fruit was edible.

It gave off a rich sharp aroma as Dan felt one, the flesh giving beneath the pressure of his fingers. His stomach grumbled with a desire to eat, though he had never seen the fruit before. It was difficult to ignore his wary thought and not break open the skin immediately. But if it were poisonous, it would be at least better that he was near Blair, even if she could do little to help him. Not that her mood gave him any idea that she might be inclined to.

His feet slipped a little as he plunged back down the slope toward their shelter and he had to slow his pace to prevent himself from tumbling over. "Blair! Come and see what I found."

Her voice came sleepily from the shelter. "It better be good, Humphrey."

"It's not a fish, but I think it's edible."

The expression on her face as it appeared was all hopeful expectation. "What is it?"

"I don't know, some kind of fruit." He held it out so she could look at it more closely.

"Are you sure we can eat it?"

"I hope so. It smells pretty good."

Blair didn't look convinced as she sniffed at the fruit. "You're going first."

Dan broke the skin open with his fingers revealing a the creamy flesh spotted with large dark seeds. It looked edible enough but caution paused his hands. He looked up to catch Blair's eye, giving her a wink. "So if I die here, do you promise to let my fans know how much I appreciated them."

She scoffed. "Fans, what your dad and your sister?"

"I suppose that'll do. And you won't desecrate my body?"

"Just eat the damn thing, Humphrey. God, you would try the patience of a saint!"

A smile shaped itself on his lips as he bent his head to the fruit in his hands. His mouth puckered at the sweet, sharp taste, salivating at the juice that flooded his mouth.

Blair looked at him impatiently. "Is it good?"

Dan gave his head a mournful shake, before spitting out one of the seeds. "You'd hate it. It's probably best for you to stick to coconuts."

"Give me that." She snatched the half eaten fruit from him before he could pass it to her and took a bite, and then another, until all that remained was the green skin.

"Wouldn't it have been better to wait to see if I died a long slow death before eating the entire thing?"

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "You were just trying to keep it to yourself."

"There was more, you know. Bananas, I think. I can show you if you like?"

Blair stood up, brushing the sand from her legs. "You could have said that earlier. Come on, what are we waiting for?"

"Nothing at all, Waldorf. Nothing at all."

The spark of protectiveness that flamed inside him wouldn't be helped as he took Blair's hand to help her up the steepest part of the slope to the plateau, watching her face closely as she took in the surroundings. She walked over to inspect the different trees. "I can't believe this is here. Plantains, and I think that could even be breadfruit."

Dan followed her gesture. He hadn't noticed the tree before but it's large leaves masked rough skinned, bright green fruit. "Breadfruit? I've never seen it before but we roast them, I think."

She moved to the tree that he had taken the fruit they had already eaten from, plucking another ripe one. "We should move up here."

Dan considered her words. The height offered an almost 360 degree view of the ocean, giving them a better chance of spotting any boats that chanced past. "I guess we should. We should see if we can find anything in the hut first. The wood might be good at least to burn. We could make a bonfire to try and attract a boat."

"Can we eat first?". Her hopeful expression made him smile.

"God, yes. Please." They sat in the shade of a tree, picnicking on the fruit, the juicy flesh both filling their stomachs and slaking their thirst. "I don't have any idea what this is. My knowledge of fruit doesn't really extend past the common stuff found at my local green grocer."

"It looks a bit like a custard apple. I don't really care though," her mouth curved on the words, "unless it has very slow acting poison, at least I don't have to eat anymore coconut."

Dan stood and held out his hand to help Blair to her feet but she ignored it, walking beside him to the ruined shanty. He looked at the pile of timber, a little daunted by the tangle of wood. "I guess we just start from the top."

Blair smirked. "Your logic astounds me, Humphrey. Could you be anymore obvious?"

"Alright, alright. Just help me ok? Grab the end of that piece and we'll do it bit by bit." The palm thatched roof had mostly rotted away, leaving a frame work of wood and Dan leaned over to work free part of it, withdrawing his hand quickly as it bit into his skin. "And watch out for splinters."

She gingerly joined him, inspecting each piece before wrapping her hands around it, but despite her care they managed to work swiftly, their movements working in unison. At least until she gave a piercing shriek, dropping the length of timber they held between them so that Dan had to leap back to prevent it crashing into his feet.

"Blair! Are you ok? What is it?"

Her trembling finger pointed at the wood that lay between them. "Spider, a huge black one."

Dan carefully lifted the timber, flipping it over as he swiftly stepped back. A spider there was indeed, so large that it would have easily spanned the reach of his own long fingers. The wood had half squashed it so it lay mangled, it's hairy black legs twitching. Dan managed to overcome his own revulsion before speaking. "Nice catch. It's big enough to roast for dinner."

Blair shuddered. "I'll stick with the fruit, thank you very much."

Dan took up a stick and flicked the remains of the spider away. "Well, it's dead now, let's keep going."

She gave him a look of alarm. "I'm not going any where near there. It's probably got an angry spouse craving revenge."

"Blair, come on. I can't move it all by myself and there could be something really useful in there." She shook her head decisively and retreated under a tree, leading Dan to sigh in resignation. "Fine, you supervise from there then." It was a challenge trying to move the pieces of wood alone, not that they were that heavy but the length was unwieldy and his shirt kept getting caught on the rough bark. Eventually he tore it off with a curse, dropping it to the sand beside him before continuing his labour. Irritation surged in his stomach as he glanced over at Blair sitting in the shade, lazily watching him work.

He lowered his head determined to ignore her, only looking up as his struggle with a particularly heavy piece of wood eased. Blair had taken up the other end, her cheeks pink and her eyes averted. "Don't you dare say anything. And if there is even a hint of anything else alive in there, I'm leaving and never coming back up here. I don't care if I have to eat coconuts for the rest of my life."

He rolled his eyes dramatically but took her at her word, keeping his mouth closed. They moved the wood piece by piece, piling the longer flat lengths to use and discarding the debris in a pile to burn. Finally they cleared it away, revealing a broken slat bed and the rotten remains of some bedding. Beside it lay an old cast iron cooking pot and a tin mug. The mug had long rusted through but the iron of the pot was still solid below the corrosion.

Blair scratched at the flakes of rust. "We can scour it with sand to clean it, I guess."

Dan wiped his hand across his brow. "I just need to try to catch something to put in it."

Blair kicked at the remaining rubble, sneezing at the dust that rose from the sandy floor. She leaned down, her fingers brushing though the settling dust. "And even better. Look at this."

The curved blade she held aloft was dark with dirt but he recognised it's use immediately. "A machete."

"Indeed." She passed him the blade. The wooden handle had rotten long ago but a few scratches at the corroded surface showed clean metal beneath. Dan's heart lifted to see the genuine smile spread across her face, no hint of caprice or spite. "Finding that feels better than finding a Birkin bag on sale."

Dan felt a return grin stretch the tender skin on his cheeks. "I don't know what you're talking about but I assume that's good?"

"Very good, Humphrey." She creased her brow. "You didn't look very hard yesterday. I knew there had to be something else here."

"Sorry, your helplessness. I forgot that you're incapable of looking around yourself."

She narrowed her eyes. "You said there was nothing here. I took you at your word."

Dan out over the water, not wanting to engage the conversation further, in case the sense of camaraderie they had found was lost once more. The sun was speeding it's descent toward the horizon. "I think it's too late for us to move up here today."

"Your evasion tactics are noted, Humphrey. But I concur." She wandered over to a tree they had designated as breadfruit, regarding the rough skinned fruit with interest. "Which ones are best to eat do you think?"

"I guess it's trial and error." He walked over to stand beside her. "Let's take a few of them. This one looks ripe and this one looks immature. We can roast them both on the fire and see which is better. It's not like there's not enough of them."

"And some plantains?"

"Why not? You get some more of the custard apple things too. I'll get the plantains. If the song speaks the truth, there'll be tarantulas in there."

Blair recoiled at his words. "What are you talking about?"

He grinned at her as he took up the machete from their small pile of booty, his voice breaking into song. "A beautiful bunch of ripe banana...daylight comes and Blair want to go home...hide the deadly black tarantula...daylight come and Blair want to go home."

"You are an idiot." But there was a laugh in her voice that belied her frowning lips.

"So I've been told." He waggled his eyebrows at her before heading into the grove of plantains.

They descended the slope with their arms laden with fruit, their feet sliding in the hot sand as they returned to their shelter. Dan found it uncanny how quickly they divided tasks and settled to them, working silently in unison. That the steel that lay within her was adaptable didn't surprise him, that she was so amenable to it did. He could sense the quiet satisfaction coming from her as she brought yet another pile of dry leaves to the campfire. "I think that's enough."

"Uh huh, it's still smouldering a bit anyway. It should light easily."

They bickered comfortably over how the kindling was to be laid, where the rocks to support the breadfruit were positioned and how to cook the plantains. The different fruits blackened quickly in the flames and Dan used two sticks to turn them so they would cook evenly. "I guess they're ready. They smell good at least."

"I would debate that, but I'm too frail from lack of food to do it."

"I sincerely doubt that. You could put together a good argument on your death bed."

He laid the fruit out on a plantain leaf to keep them from the sand. The breadfruit split open easily, the cream coloured doughy flesh releasing steam, his stomach rumbling from the aroma. He split off a portion and passed it to Blair on a smaller piece of leaf and she cradled it in her hands as he prepared his own serve, watching his movements intently. "You can start without me, you know."

"Manners, Humphrey. It's not done to start before everyone is served. Watch and learn."

Dan picked up his portion. The flesh collapsed in his fingers as he lifted it to his mouth. It tasted vaguely like bread, but more like badly mashed potatoes with no cream or milk. A touch of salt would have improved it vastly. "I don't know why it's called breadfruit. Bland fruit would be more suitable." Blair had yet to touch hers and Dan's mouth curled in amusement. "I'm not sure if you can call it manners to wait to see if the chef is poisoned first."

Blair shot him a withering look before lowering her head to the food. She ate without comment, Dan kept raising his head in expectation of some pithy rejoinder, but she stayed silent, picking at the fruit.

The sun descended quickly. Dan was becoming used to the lack of twilight in the tropics, the night descending like a warm blanket. The circle of light the fire cast made their surroundings recede and sounds of the island became more distinct.

The flames flickered against Blair's skin, her dark eyes appearing black under the shadow of her hair. He cleared his throat to claim her attention, smile on his lips. "They'll be sure to find us tomorrow. Don't dwell on it too much, Blair. And meanwhile, I think we're doing ok."

She looked up then, her eyes guarded. "You might call this ok, I call it scraping by."

"Either, or. At least, when we do get found they won't just be stumbling on our rotting corpses, and I call that ok. I think we've been lucky."

Her mouth turned down. "Lucky would have been washing up on the beach in front of the Le Cap est Lagoon."

Irritation mixed with his sense of exhaustion. It was typical that she would keep searching for the most negative aspect, just when he was beginning to find some peace. He tossed the remains of his meal into the fire and stood up. "Ok. You win. Feel free to wallow in your misery. I for one am going to bed...and before you think of another snide remark pointing out that beds require feather mattresses and Egyptian cotton sheets, let me tell you that I'm well aware of the limitations of our situation and I would give anything to be in my own home well away from this beach...and your determination to snipe about everything. But I'm trying to deal with this in the best way I can, because I have no other option."

Blair raised her head, a look of disdain crossing her features. "Are you done lecturing me?"

"Yes, I'm done."

"Great. I'm sure you feel better now you have that off your chest." She bent her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her calves. "You are dismissed."

"Blair, you dismissed me a long time ago." He stalked to the shelter, the compunction already pricking his conscience softening his words. "Can you put more wood on the fire before you sleep? We should leave the fire burning in case a boat goes by."

Blair nodded but didn't look up. Dan felt a compulsion to sit back down beside her to tease out the troubles that lay under her downcast lids, or at least pick up the threads of their argument. But her face was tight, small teeth plucking at her lower lip. He hadn't meant to be so harsh, it was just that her constant pessimism had finally goaded him into a response. His fingers clenched against the impulse to rest on her shoulder as he bid her goodnight before crawling inside their shelter.

Exhaustion pulsed through his body but his mind wouldn't stop ticking over, anxiety getting the better of him. Only two days spent in her company and already he felt her drawing him in, his sense of protectiveness turning into something that wanted to please. He had to guard himself better, not let her get under his skin. The resolution calmed his thoughts a little but it wasn't until he heard the soft pad of Blair's feet in the sand, and the rustle of the leaves beside him as she lay down, that he allowed his mind to finally relax and drift off.