So she started to explain what happened when she found him in the river, the tree, but skipped the struggle to the cave and went straight to the doctoring up part. Finishing with "Then you ate all my soup! HA!" By this time, she had unwrapped the bandage over his eyes and was gently peeling the bloody pad off the stitches. Before replacing the antibiotic cream and a fresh medical pad over the stitches, she asked if he could see anything through the swollen lids. His left eye was swollen completely shut and his right was nearly the same. His pained squint as he tried was all the answer she needed.

"Seriously Iolaus, did you fight a mountain with your face, mate?" Beck asked, half jokingly. Iolaus laughed.

"I guess I did! Herc and I – Herc is my best friend – were fighting some bandits and I got a little too close to the edge of the cliff and ...bam! Face, meet cliff! Or river I guess, that part's a bit fuzzy."
"Holy crap Iolaus! I was joking! Seriously? It's a wonder you're alive hon!" She gasped in horror. "Well, it certainly explains your injuries!" She finished retying the bandage and helped Iolaus lay back against her pack.

As he relaxed, he spoke a question that had obviously been plaguing him.

"Where IS Herc? You haven't seen him?"

Beck paused in her tidying up. This was a loaded question, in more ways than she could understand. So in typical Beck fashion, she didn't even try. Life was a lot easier that way.

"Iolaus, other than you, I literally haven't seen a single person since I got here myself! I was starting to think this place was completely deserted!" A minutes silence passed and Beck waited. She knew one thing already. Iolaus was a curious one. You could always spot the curious ones!

"That's strange. Unless I floated further down river than I think, this area should have at least travellers. By my guess, we should be around Certlis. Any further and I would have hit the sea."

"Dunno what to say hon." Beck said softly. She could see the struggle to understand on his face and she searched around for a topic to take his mind of it.

"So, Eeowless, tell me about this friend of yours..."

Boom! That was it! Iolaus' face lit right up. With a quirk to his mouth – oh that gorgeous mouth – that spoke of something he knew she didn't, he settled back, accepting the cup of tea she passed him.

"What can I say about Herc? Well, He's Hercules..." He paused as though she was going to interrupt him. As though the name should mean something.

"Go on, his name isn't going to tell me much.." She laughed at his almost shocked expression. His jaw dropped and he stared in her direction.

"Oh come on, I can accept you not knowing me, after all, no one ever does. But everyone knows of Hercules. Demigod? Son of Zeus? Hero extordinaire?" Beck laughed out loud at the disbelief coming from the blond man.

"Seriously Iolaus, I'm not joking. I'm literally NOT from around here, in any form. Let's just say my holiday went a little awry. So stop being all 'but but but' and tell me about the two of you."

"Hhmmm, we are coming back to this 'holiday' of yours soon, don't think you will get away from explaining that! But Herc and myself... well, we were actually on our way back from a hydra hunt when we ran into those bandits..."

The rest of the afternoon past quickly. Beck found herself laughing quite a bit at Iolaus' tales of his adventures with Hercules. Often bragging himself up at some points, then almost fading into the background at others, Beck grew to understand one main thing about these two. They were partners in every sense of the word. Iolaus showed a love of Hercules that was only found in books back in Beck's world. Books and the occasional movie. Oh and that Sherlock show with the actor with the cabbage patch kid name. It glowed from him, even with his face half hidden.

They talked the entire day away, with Beck doing what she needed, and Iolaus chatting away while she did. There was a short period of silence after another trip to the bushes and a nap, but come dinner and they were chatting up a storm again,

Beck was careful to keep Iolaus off her story. She had no idea what was happening, so she figured the best thing to do was keep as quiet as possible. She knew Iolaus knew. The pauses in conversation, the crook of his head as he 'looked' at her when she changed the topic. But for now, he kept his questions to himself, allowing her a pretence of privacy at least. Hopefully, they would part ways before she had to make any decisions.

But the thought scared her and THAT worried her. She had known him all of one day really, when you come to think about it. But already he seemed like a lifeline she hadn't realised she had been reaching for. That was NOT like her! In fact, 'back home' she had few friends outside of work and while she had the usual online friends, no one that would question her disappearance until months down the track, if at all. No family, no pets, no boyfriend after Henry. She had just taken 3 months off work for an extended holiday. Working at a bank as a Financial planner she loved, but it wasn't stimulating and most of the people she worked with were as insular as her. So no one to miss her for another 3 months at least! She loved her quiet life. So why was the thought of being on her own here unsettling her?

It was then she realised Iolaus had gone quiet. Looking up, she shivered as she caught him looking directly at her. With the bandages on, blocking his eyesight and messing with his hearing, any normal person would have struggled with knowing where someone else was. But he knew where she was all the time. No cocking his head to the side to catch her voice or noise of her movement. It was unnerving to say the least.

"What? Jeez Iolaus, stop doing that, it's as creepy as fuck!" When he didn't respond, she knew he understood what she meant. And didn't THAT freaking creep her out too.

Rubbing the chill from her arms, she gathered up her blanket and walked to the tent. She had slept outside of it while Iolaus had been unresponsive, but now that he was awake, she felt uncomfortable so close to him.

"Well Iolaus, I'm heading off to bed, you need anything before I go?" At his negative and watching him slide smoothly into the sleeping bag – damn, he's a quick learner – she disappeared into her tent.

Now that Iolaus wasn't needing the other thermo blanket, Beck had reclaimed it for her own. It still wasn't nearly as comfortable as her luxury sleeping bag, but at least she was still warm this far away from the fire. Sleep claimed her again quickly. But not for long.

She jerked awake. Her heart screaming in her chest and her breath caught in her throat. What the hell? She listened hard, trying to figure out what woke her so abruptly. Her heart was just slowing down when the scream echoed around the cave. She jumped as though someone just tasered her ass.

Literally falling out of the tent, scrabbling for the knife she left at the tent flap, she fell to her knees on the rough cave floor, clutching the knife and trying to see through her tangle of hair as it blocked her vision. Resisting the urge to slice and dice the offending follicles, she wildly glanced around the cave.

Nothing.

The fire glowed softly, everything was where she had left it, nothing new wandering around.

What The Freaking Hell?

Adrenaline still racing around her body, her heart pumping, she carefully made her way to the entrance of the cave. Nope nothing. Coming back to stand near the still and quiet Iolaus, she stared down at her new friend. Surely not him? She squatted down and fell promptly on her ass as another shout ripped from his throat and he fought the confining folds of the sleeping bag.

Oh god – Nightmare!

Without thinking, she reached out and shook his shoulder, attempting to wake him up. To which she received a full power punch to the face.

It threw her backwards, blood gushing from her excruciatingly throbbing nose and tears streaming from her eyes. She clutched at her face, gasping wordlessly at the overwhelming pain. She mindlessly kicked her leg out from the pain in her face, catching Iolaus in the shoulder. An iron grip clasped her calf and yanked hard, almost throwing her on the fire, stopped only by the cooking stone she had placed there earlier in the day. The corner of rock caught her on the side of her head, causing instant stars to flash before her eyes.

Terrified, she lashed out, kicking Iolaus's hand off her leg and she scrabbled away to the safety of the other side of the fire. Blood was still flowing from her nose, soaking the front of her t-shirt and was now joined by the blood from the gash at her temple.

She watched as Iolaus thrashed about, screaming and calling Hercules name.

'Stupid girl, Beck! Stupid stupid STUPID! A warrior like Iolaus would have faced things any other person would not have to face and if half those stories are true, it's surprising he's still sane! And you just waltz up and shake him in the middle of a nightmare! You deserved this and more! Moron!'

She continued to scream at herself in her mind as she watched Iolaus battle his dream demons. She had to do something! It was heartbreaking to watch and at best, he would pull his stitches and she didn't have any left!

Staying well out of striking distance, even for Iolaus, she softly and calmly called his name. Telling him that he was safe, he was with friends, he was safe. As he calmed, she swallowed her fear, and the throat full of disgusting nose blood –gag, don't think about it, don't think about it – and drew closer. Taking all her fear and wedging it firmly down down down and keeping up her hopefully comforting litany of reassurances, she reached out a – very – shaky hand and stroked his hair back from his face.

Iolaus froze... and so did Beck's very soul, she swore, but she kept talking and stroking and Iolaus collapsed into the sleeping bag with a sob. Beck eased forward, still stoking his forehead above the bandage and eventually, she had his head on her lap, fingers combing his hair as Iolaus sobbed into her lap. His body curled around her like a giant cat, arms around her waist, and head on her lap. Her lap she suddenly realised was missing its usual cover of blue denim. Bugger.

Not wanting to stop her comforting of the broken man, she pulled the sleeping bag over them both and settled down for a night of soothing a crying warrior.

The sunlight poked and prodded at her eyes, forcing her to bury her head into her sleeping bag.

Whaa...? HER sleeping bag? She woke up a bit more and suddenly realised two things.

One, she had obviously fallen asleep at some point during the night and lain down and two, Iolaus was spooning her, his large arm resting over her waist, holding her tight to his incredibly muscular body... ahem. Beck mentally cleared her throat and took stock.

He was heavy when leaning on her, his arm and oh look, his leg as well, trapping her close and holding her tight. To be fair, her evil mind chuckled, you ain't complaining, are ya? Shooing away the naughtily right voice, she sank into the luxurious heat of Iolaus's incredible body for just a second. Just one little naughty second, she promised herself. Not a moment more...