Disclaimer: This still isn't mine.

This had been a complete waste of time. Looking down at the last of the five traps she had set she sighed. This one was as empty as the last four. The real bummer was there were tracks in the snow all around it. She wasn't sure how they had avoided it. Wily bunnies that refused to be her dinner. This was depressing. They had run out of fish yesterday and she was afraid it was too cold for them to get any more. They would have to try tomorrow anyway. Moving the wire she stood and headed to the tepee. The tin man would get worried if she wasn't home soon and it was starting to snow again.

Picking her way along the lakeshore she had her eyes up in order to keep an eye out for danger and completely forgot to watch where she was putting her feet. Not that it would have helped seeing as the danger was camouflaged. Stepping on a thin sheet of ice that had formed under the snow between a gap in the rocks had her plunging down into thigh deep water with a shriek of surprise. Toppling sideways she submerged completely and sat up spluttering and cursing.

"Shit!" Sitting in the icy shallows she smacked her hands in the water in pure rage. Not only had her traps failed to catch anything she was soaked to the bone. She felt tears of frustration gathering in her eyes and hit the water again. She was hopeless. What was the matter with her? Shaking like crazy she stood up dripping icy water and slipped across the rocky bottom of the lake to the snow covered shore.

Snatching up the canteen she had brought out with her as it bobbed past her she walked back across the snow to the tepee. This was horrible. All she'd wanted was rabbit for them instead of more canned crap and what had happened? She had gotten soaked and now she was so frozen she couldn't feel her toes. A hundred yards away and something cold hit her nose. Glancing up she saw snow, which had only been coming in single random flakes, had starting to fall in a thick sparkling wave. It was official. This was the worst day ever.

Getting to the entrance she slid a few rungs down the ladder before wrestling the hatch closed. Shaking and numb she managed to get it closed without breaking her face but lost her balance, again. Letting out a shout she toppled the last five feet to the ground and slammed flat onto her back. All the air was forced out of her lungs in a rush and she would have groaned if she could have. She lay there stunned and starring at the wooden beams that held the ceiling up as she fought to get her lungs to expand.

"Kid?" Cain called to her from the bedroom and she began to turn over unable to speak. When she didn't answer she heard him limping into the main room quickly as she wheezed. "Deeg?" She coughed in response and the tin man was next to her a moment later. He tried to help her up as he questioned her. "What happened?"

Embarrassed and angry she pushed his hands away. "Nothing."

"Kid, you're soaked and you're on the ground."

"Yes, thank you!" Standing up she shoved past him and went to the bedroom in search of a dry outfit. Yanking some too big clothes out of the trunk she hurled them on the bed and began to unbutton her jacket. Or she tried to. Her fingers were too numb to grip anything. Snarling down at the fabric and her shaking hands she began to yank at it desperately.

While she was fighting the tin man had followed her and stood staring at her in the doorway. He had stopped using his cane yesterday. After a moment of watching her struggle his voice floated gently to her. "Do you need help?"

Stomping her foot furiously she cursed loudly and stood there wet and shaking as tears of frustration began to form in her eyes. "Yes."

Stepping up to her he began to unbutton the bulky jacket. Once he had it loose he helped her out of it and started on the top few buttons of the oversized shirt she had found in the trunk. As he worked on them he glanced up at her eyes. "Are you alright?"

No, she was frustrated beyond reason when she had told him not three days ago that everything was fine. She was a horrible hypocrite. What was the matter with her? "I fell in the lake."

"I figured." There was no hint of humor in his voice. His eyes were searching hers and she knew she was acting like a spoiled brat.

Ashamed of her behavior she dropped her eyes and apologized. "I didn't mean to yell. I'm sorry."

He put his hand on the side of her head briefly before continuing to help her out of her clothes. "You're allowed to get angry."

"Gee, thanks."

His lip twitched before he turned serious. "Can you feel your fingers at all?"

"No." Her teeth had never stopped chattering. "My toes either."

"Alright, we need to get you into dry clothes and under the blankets."

"That was my plan."

He nodded. "Sit on the trunk. No point in gettin' the bed wet. That won't help at all." With a sigh she complied, avoiding their dry clothes, and he went down on his knees carefully so he could yank off her boots. Two sharp tugs later and he was reaching under the hem of her pants to get at the top of her soaked socks. He peeled them off her and held her ankle while he studied her toes. "No frostbite. Looks like you get to keep 'em."

"Good, I was rather attached to them." He rolled his eyes and they helped each other stand up. "Would you mind turning around for a second?" With a nod he spun and she managed to get the rest of her waterlogged clothes off after a couple of tries at the buttons on her pants. Grumbling internally at her total lack of an extra set of underwear she simply tugged on the baggy pants and shirt. "All set."

He looked her over. "Socks?"

"I can't find any. I've been using the same ones since we got here."

"I saw some out in the main room. Get under the quilt. I'll be back in a second."

When he turned she got on the bed, curled into a shivering ball, and pulled the blanket all the way over her body. She could swear even the roots of her hair were cold. She didn't hear the tin man come back in, and she couldn't see him since the quilt was over her head, but she felt a second warm weight settle over her and peeked out from her rapidly warming haven. Cain had tossed a second quilt over her and was starting a fire in the hearth.

When he was done he sat on the edge of the bed and reached under her covering as he searched for her feet. "Straighten out for me."

Shoving her foot into his hand he tugged it out long enough to put a too big sock on her. Trying to help she gave him her other foot and he repeated the process. "Thanks, Wyatt." Pulling her legs in she cover her face again and waited for the room to warm up.

"You're welcome." The mattress shifted and then there was a blast of cold along her side. She whimpered in protest but then he was pressed against her back and she shut up. She decided her energy could be better spent trying to burrow against him because he was really warm. "Easy, Kid. You're goin' to knock me off the bed."

"I'm cold." With her chattering teeth that sound pathetically needy.

His arm snaked over her stomach and he covered her hands with his again. "That tends to happen when you fall in a mountain lake in winter."

"Shut it."

He chucked and held her against his chest. "What was that? I can't hear you." She grumbled but was too cold to come out and throw a sarcastic comment his way. Interpreting her non-response correctly he tugged at her side. "Turn over."

"Am I done on this side?"

"You could say that." Flipping over she allowed him to press their fronts together. Surprisingly this was a lot better. Letting out a chattering sigh of relief she pressed her blanket covered head under his chin. Running his hand down her shoulders and back he slowly rubbed heat into her skin. Long minutes later and she felt warm enough to escape the airless refuge she had found.

Pulling the blankets to her shoulders she sucked in a deep breath and pressed her face into his neck again. His hand went up to the base of her skull and started to rub her firmly. Murmuring her approval she allowed him to tuck her closer with his other hand and tried to focus on stopping herself from shivering. This was nice, other than the nearly painful cold.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded into his neck. "Much. You're warm."

His rumbling chuckle went through both of them. "It's good to know I have some value."

"Lots of value. Right now warmth is the most valuable of the values."

She felt him smile and then his thumb was running over her cheek. "Always honest."

"I try." Her arm was getting squished and she stretched it up. He lifted his and she took the hint sneaking hers under and wrapping him in a loose hug. Shifting with her he twisted his shoulder and ended up covering more of her than the blankets were. Finding the unexpected situation both comforting and depressing all at once she let him continue to run his hands over her scalp. She didn't foresee another incident like this occurring and figured she should cherish the moment while she could.

After a while her tremors wore off and she simply lay there and pushed her head into his hand. She knew it was wrong. She knew he was her friend. She knew that was all he was ever going to be but that didn't stop her from wanting more. That didn't stop her from silently asking him to continue to touch her. It would be enough. She could settle for this. She had gotten used to settling for anything she could get a long time ago and this was a far cry from bad. "Can I take a blanket off? You're cookin' me."

"Yeah, sorry about that."

He tossed one of the blankets to the edge of the bed and returned his hand to her hair. Kissing her forehead he rumbled softly. "It's fine. I know you're freezin'."

"And now you're burning up." She felt bad. "You don't have to stay with me. I'm ok now."

"Maybe I want to."

"Wyatt, we've been trapped in this tepee together for the last eight days. Before that we were in a cramped truck for a week. I find it hard to believe you don't want some alone time."

"Do you?"

"No, but I have the option of going for a walk if I need to blow off some steam."

"A walk, a jump in the lake."

She poked his side. "I fell!" He chuckled as he kissed her cheek. This time she didn't find the gesture endearing. "It wasn't funny!" Frustrated all over again she began to turn over. She would have gotten out of the bed at any other time but she was too cold at the moment.

He caught her. "I'm only teasin'."

Pressing her lips together she nodded knowing she was being ridiculous. They bantered with each other all the time. It was stupid for her to get upset but she was upset all the same. "I know. I'm sorry."

He brushed some of her hair out of her eyes as he pulled her up on the pillow. Apparently he wanted to be able to see her better when the only thing she wanted to do was curl up in a corner until she felt better about her recent performance. "Tell me what's the matter."

Her entire body stiffened as she vented. "I can't get us home, I can't fix your leg, we are dangerously close to running out of food, the fish won't bite, and the freaking rabbits keep dodging the snares! They're smarter than I am!" She shoved her head under his chin. "You have bullet wound and you're taking care of me right now! Do you see the irony of this situation? I totally dropped the ball! I hate this! I hate that you're hurt and I can't make you better!"

"Kid-"

"Stop!" Her head came up. "Stop, trying to make me feel better about this! I'm supposed to be taking care of you! I told you I would! You're not supposed to be worried about me right now!"

His voice took on the soft quality it did when he was trying to make her feel better. "That's not how it works." He cupped her cheek and pulled her head up. "We're partners. It's supposed to go back and forth. That's why there's two of us."

She let out a short breath. "Partners?"

"Haven't we always been?" He searched her eyes and she saw the honest question in his blue ones. He was right. After the first few days they had been. It was like she had found the other part of herself she hadn't known she was missing. The thought made her stomach clench.

She sniffed away the tears. "Yeah."

His thumb ran over skin. "Then don't be upset. No one ever taught you to survive in the woods before. You'll get it. It'll take some time."

"We don't have time."

"We have plenty of time. There's enough food in the pantry to last us another nine days even if we don't catch anything else. I'll go fishin' again tomorrow and you'll catch somethin'. You have to be patient."

"I'm not good at that."

He smiled softly. "I know."

"I know you know."

"Then why are you arguing with me?" Her lip twitched and he tugged her a little closer. Pressing his forehead against hers he smiled affectionately at her. "You've done nothin' but take care of me since those longcoats started chasin' us. I haven't been the easiest patient either."

"That's because you're stubborn and cantankerous."

She could tell he was suppressing the urge to either laugh or grumble at her. "Be that as it may you've been doin' pretty much everything. I don't think one minor set back is quite the disaster you've made it out to be."

"I think you're understating the situation."

"A few empty traps and a dunk in the lake isn't a tragedy. That's just a rotten day."

She hated when he threw things into perspective. "When you put it like that I guess not."

"Alright, then." He tickled her cheek. "I love when you say I'm right."

Aggrieved she sighed. "Wyatt." He chuckled and kissed her nose. "No! You do not get to kiss me after that!"

His eyes shifted. "When do I get to kiss you then?"

She froze at the question. That had not been teasing in the slightest. His eyes were serious if kind, and he brushed hair out of her eyes as he waited. "What?" The question was no more than a whisper as she searched his eyes. She would hate to interpret that wrong because it would ruin everything. The tin man must have seen the thoughts whirling in her head because he didn't wait for her to say anything else.

Leaning forward he pressed his lips gently against hers. Her eyes fell closed and she could swear lightning shot down her body when he kissed her. Moaning quietly at the contact had him cradling the back of her head with amazing care. The arm she had around his shoulder tightened and she pressed up into him. After a long moment he pulled back with a ragged breath. Caressing her face he brushed his lips over hers once more before laying his head on the pillow again.

"Wyatt?" She breathed his name out hesitantly. "Why did you kiss me?"

"Why'd you kiss me back?"

"I asked you first."

His eyes twinkled. "I asked you second."

"So you answer me first and then I'll consider telling you." Her lips found his again.

"You'll consider it?" His lip began to twitch even as he nibbled at her lower one. "That is hardly motivating, Darlin'."

Her hands tangled in his hair to pull him closer. She was afraid to let him get away. She wasn't sure she'd be able to get him back again. "I'll definitely be more likely to answer if you explain to me what is going on in your head."

With a slight nod he moved away enough to avoid any instant temptation. "I'm thinkin' gettin' stuck here with you was about the best thing that's happened to me. Been meanin' to tell you I was yours for a while now and see if that was alright with you."

She'd never seen him nervous before. Snuggling closer to him she kissed his jaw. "It'd be a pain to train someone else at this point."

Wrapping his arm under her shoulders he held her closer he grumbled at her. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, you took some serious work." His rumbling chuckled rocked through both of them. Smiling she ran her hand over his back. "Don't worry, you were worth it."

Leaning his head down he pressed his lips against hers in a barely there kiss. "I'm glad you think so. I wasn't sure what to I was goin' to do if you weren't interested."

Her eyes softened. "You're, my best friend. Who else was I going to fall for?"

Humming he nuzzled his nose against the crown of her head. "I don't know but I was starting to think it wasn't goin' to be me, Deeg."

Tipping his head down she hesitantly touched her lips to his before she spoke. "It was always you."

His blue eyes blazed in the firelight and his calloused hand ran from her cheek to her neck. A shiver ran down her that had nothing to do with her misadventure outside. Leaning closer he kissed her and slowly rolled her onto her back. Letting out a small whimper she let him deepen the kiss as he sank carefully over her. The feel of his weight over her made her gasp and he growled into her mouth at her reaction.

"Don't get ahead of me, Darlin'. I'm not about to jump into this with you without thinkin'."

Sometimes he wasn't any fun at all. "I was thinking more of a flying leap actually. Just…Whoosh, right over this metaphorical cliff."

Chuckling he pushed himself up and laid his forehead on hers. "I don't want any strangeness between us because we got goin' too fast. I want this." He kissed her as his hand ran through her hair. "Like you can't believe, but I want to keep what we have too. I've never had a friend like you before."

Confused she searched his eyes. "Never?" Reaching up she touched his cheek.

"Not like you. Never met anyone who seemed to know what I was thinkin' before I did. I never knew anyone who could finish my sentences. I never met anyone that could make me laugh when I was feelin' my worst. I never met anyone that could get me to hold my temper when I'm about to explode but let me loose it when I was justified. I never had anyone that understood when I needed space and when I didn't without havin' to ask." Smiling softly she tickled the skin behind his ear. "With you I'm goin' to be selfish. I want everything."

"And that means no whooshing?" She wanted to be clear about this.

His eyebrow popped up as his lip twitched. "That's what it means. Little steps. I want us to be comfortable with each other."

She understood what he was saying. It wasn't that he didn't want to rip off her clothes and take her right now. She was sure that was exactly what a part of him wanted. But another part, the stronger part, the part she loved, wanted to go about this differently. He wanted to avoid an awkward morning after. He wanted a smooth transition into this new aspect of their relationship. Adding in the physical a little at a time, when it felt right, would make that much more likely.

"How about you kiss me one more time and go back to keeping me warm then?"

Adoring eyes gazed down at her and he tilted his head enough so they wouldn't hit noses. Closing her eyes she sighed into the kiss as he drew it out. Warm waves of pleasure tingled down her spine as he held her face still. Returning the kiss her arms tightened around him and he pulled away with a regretful sigh. Laying his head on the pillow he moved off of her and tucked her against his side. Making sure the blanket was secured around her he relaxed with his arm over her. While his hand tickled her shoulder she decided the day hadn't been that bad after all.

Author Note: Hurray for new chapters! Unfortunately that's the last be I'll be posting until Wednesday. I'm going out of town and I won't have internet access. Hopefully this one was good enough to get you guys through.