(1815 hours)
Inside the tent, Edwin hooked up the radio. "I'm going to call the base, okay? Whatever you do, please..." He held a finger up to his lips, and looked over at Bree.
The heiress smiled, and nodded in understanding. "I'll be quiet as a mouse," she promised him with a wink. In the meantime, she wrapped herself in his warm, woolen blankets, and sipped some hot cocoa.
"Lifeline to Beachhead," Edwin radioed.
"Beachhead here, over," came the slightly crackling response. Edwin frowned at the interference...what could be causing it, the altitude? He wished he knew more about these things.
"As of this hour, I've located eleven beacons," he reported.
"You are on a roll, that's impressive!" Beachhead answered. As Bree heard this, she glanced over at Edwin and smiled brilliantly.
Edwin noticed, and looked away bashfully. "Thank you, sir."
"The weather been cooperating?"
"So far, yes."
"Well, alright then. I'll expect to hear from you tomorrow, then. Enjoy the rest of your 'vacation'. Beachhead out."
Edwin smirked as he clicked off the radio.
Bree leaned forward inquisitively. "Er...vacation? I thought you were on a mission?" she asked.
"I am on a mission...Beachhead just has a weird sense of humor," Edwin said, moving to sit beside her. "Are you warm enough?"
"Mm-hmm," Bree nodded, smiling as Edwin sat beside her and snuggling up against him. "This is very cozy," she added with a wink.
Edwin's initial annoyance with Bree had faded somewhat, but he was still faced with the dilemma of returning her to the resort safely, and finishing his training mission on time. He wasn't sure how he was going to do it, but he would find some way to make it work. In the meantime, he had a traveling companion, for better or for worse.
He gazed at her with a serious expression, brow creased as if he were trying to figure out a puzzle. And in many ways, Bree was a puzzle to Edwin. She operated on a different wavelength from him. She seemed to be in a different reality altogether at times. With a gentle touch, Edwin reached over and smoothed a stray wisp of blonde hair behind her ear.
"What are you thinking?" Bree asked.
"I'm thinking about how I can get you back to the resort at a decent hour," Edwin replied.
"...Come here," Bree said suddenly, lifting the blankets up off her shoulders. She beckoned him to come closer, so she could wrap them both up in the warm sheets. "We can think about that later."
"I don't know," Edwin mumbled sourly, trying not to look in her direction. If he saw that longing look in her eyes again, he would surely cave.
"Yes you do, come here, silly!" Bree laughed, wrapping them both in the blankets, which were invitingly warm from her own body heat.
"Hey!" Edwin protested lamely, but it was no use. They ended up in a blanket-bundled heap, a tangle of random limbs sticking out from all directions.
Bree giggled like a mischievous schoolgirl, then leaned in to give Edwin a hot kiss. She found it deeply satisfying to give him little reminders of the chemistry between them, because she knew that he knew it was there.
This time, Edwin wasn't nearly as quick to get away. His arms slowly wrapped around around her, and he closed his eyes and...lingered for a while. The moment seemed to float timelessly.
When he finally opened his eyes and pulled back from the kiss, Bree was studying him. "It's cold out," she whispered. "Cold and dark. Let me stay with you tonight, and I'll go back to the resort tomorrow. Okay?"
Edwin's heart was pounding so hard, he was certain it would cause an avalanche. He knew what he wanted, but he also knew that what he wanted was pretty irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. After all, he wasn't here for pleasure! He had important work to do. This was driving him crazy. "Bree, look..." he began.
Bree knew what was coming, and she wasn't having it, so she simply butted in. "You know I'm right this time," she insisted, poking him in the chest gently. "So quit complaining, and relax. You weren't even going to do mission things tonight, were you?"
"No, I was going to try and get some sleep," Edwin admitted, stretching out and repositioning himself more comfortably underneath the blankets.
"Okay, see? There you go," Bree said. "That's my point exactly."
Edwin sighed. It was going to be a long night.
