To All: Okay so technically its 3AM, but hey, I tried! I actually like this chapter quite a bit, but its going to annoy the crap out of you guys I think. xD I felt like it was a little rushed, but I'm half delirious right now so I don't care! woooooooo! Also, thanks for all the PMs and nice reviews, you guys are amazing, this story would be dead if it wasn't for you!

Miss Junie: Thank you for your kind review, it seriously made my week! :D I love all of your reviews, but this one was particularly awesome. ;P

Wren Maxwell: hahaha, ramble away, I love long reviews, even if they are rambling! xD I hope you think this chapter is equally as good as the rest!

And so we begin...

Lucas prepared breakfast in silence and Skye did nothing to try and get in his way. She sorted through everything in her backpack a thousand times, rearranging the pill bottles, fire starter, and the IV every conceivable way. Organizing things kept her occupied, even though she knew she was blatantly avoiding Lucas's silence. He finally leaned back from his work, handing her a collection of bizarre fruit she'd only glimpsed on her searches. She quickly glanced at Lucas as she took it from him, but his gaze was trained on the forest around her. Her heart twisted, still unsure if he was lying to her or not. He sure seemed angry for a liar, but then again, if he was lying he was damn good at it.

She swallowed, plucking at one of the pieces of his little fruit stew. He stole her Cracker bowl idea.

"A Terra Nova fruit salad." She smiled weakly, but Lucas didn't respond. In fact, he didn't even move to show any signs he'd heard her. She gave up, and scarfed down her meal. He obviously wasn't the type of person to talk about things, and his little rant probably used up his word count for the day.

She stood, tapping the scraps out of her bowl and stuffed it into her pack. She should've saved the other bowls, but the river had taken care of that. She had no sleeping bag, no extra knife and no gun. Her canteen was washed away too, so they would have to stay by the river unless they wanted to die by dehydration.

To her surprise, Lucas stood up, jamming his hands in his pockets. She almost cracked a joke about his ratty excuse for a shirt, but his eyes were still livid.

"I think we should go into the hills, less chance of getting attacked. " She announced as she started walking. Lucas slowly started behind her, and she felt a rush of relief. He wasn't going to leave her after all. She found herself waiting for a reply, but just like his father, he said nothing. She tried to shrug the thought away and kept walking, scanning for any signs of hungry beasts lurking in the shadows. This time she wasn't afraid of them, she found herself preoccupied with the man behind her. As she weaved around roots and rocks, she came to terms with one fact. She didn't know what she felt about Lucas Taylor, but it was no longer hate.

She had no idea how long they walked, but the river slowly began to narrow as they trekked towards the hillside. Lucas had said nothing aside from a few curses when he stumbled on something. Skye had decided to believe that there was some truth to his vent from earlier, but she still had to treat him with the same caution as before. He seemed angrier at the fact that he'd said anything instead of at her. Even so, he was still dead set on the silent treatment.

Skye's feet were aching by the late afternoon and they'd only made it to the valley between the hills, they hadn't even hit any higher elevation than when they started.

"This should be good." Lucas's voice startled her and she turned to him.

"God, I thought you'd gone mute." She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Just seeing how easily I can affect you." Lucas's eyes narrowed slightly as he flashed a smile. Skye scowled.

"Yeah? And how did that work out?" She hissed.

"I have to give you credit," He walked past her, taking the lead, "You can hold your own out here better than I thought. But, you still looked like you were anxious." She caught his earthy scent as he walked by, and found her throat constricting. She wasn't sure if it was a good or bad feeling, but it made her shiver. She followed instinctively as he ducked behind some bushes.

Skye blinked as they entered a tiny hidden clearing. A brilliant flowered shrub arched over a section of grass, creating a leafy cave. It looked like a piece of a storybook.

"Have you been here before?" She asked, bending down to examine the inside of the "cave". Lucas had started tearing up grass to make a spot for the fire.

"No, I just saw that bush. They always grow like that." He sounded as if he was going to say something else, but nothing came.

Skye plucked one of the reddish purple flowers, lifting it to her nose. It smelled like fresh rain, and she smiled, the smell stirring memories from the colony.

"Well, its beautiful." She pressed the flower back into the leaves, pretending it would somehow find a way to reattach. She turned slowly, the smell of fresh flowers making her blissfully ignore Lucas's sour mood. She plopped down next to him. A lick of scorn riled in her gut because of her closeness to him, but she shoved it down. He was cross-legged, piling up pieces of kindling to make a fire. She swung off her pack and pulled out her flint starter. Lucas looked at her with a blank expression as she offered it out to him, and he took it without a snide comment.

She stood, taking out her knife to go out and get firewood.

"I heard some Carnos awhile back, keep a low profile unless you want to get us both killed." Lucas muttered as she slipped from view. She smiled, but it quickly disappeared. What are you doing? You may not hate him, but you certainly aren't friends! Her thoughts lashed at her as she gathered fallen logs. She couldn't help it, but the thought of Lucas watching out for her made her…happy. It didn't change her eventual plan to end him, but it made her comfortable for now.

Her nerves were sparking as she returned to Lucas's tiny fire. He glanced up at her, but said nothing as she dumped the logs next to him.

"How's your chest?" She asked as she sat down. Lucas had gathered some bulbs for dinner, and she found she was actually hungry enough for them to look appetizing. Her legs were still aching from the hike, but her survival mindset kept the complaining at bay.

"Its still hurts pretty bad to lift my arms any higher than my shoulder." He replied with a shrug. He just kept staring at the fire, his eyes locked on the growing flames. Skye shifted in the silence, pulling a thin stick from the firewood and skewering a root. She figured they might taste like cooked carrots or something; anything was better than plain bulbs.

"Hm. I have more pain pills of you want them." She murmured, her voice trailing as she focused on preparing their dinner.

"I already took some while you were gone," He replied bluntly, and Skye felt a twinge of anger that he'd gone through her backpack. But the knife was in her hands, so it didn't really matter to her. Unless he wanted to attack her with a pill bottle, it wasn't that big of a deal.

She selected another stick and skewered Lucas's half of the roots as he built up the fire. By the time she was finished with her makeshift shishkabobs the fire was crackling. She scooted next to Lucas, a slight smirk graced her lips as she saw his eyes flash with surprise at her getting so close to him again. She was feeling confident and content with the fact that she had a place to sleep, unhindered that he might snap at her. He seemed to have mellowed out in his day of being mostly mute so she wasn't worried about him hurting her. She handed him his shishkabob, and they sat side by side, roasting their sliver of a meal.

After dinner, Skye picked up her pack and drowsily made her way into the leafy cavern. It smelled refreshing and the grass was plush and much more forgiving than the rock she'd slept on in the canyon. Lucas added a few logs to the fire and joined her. She felt her subconscious rear up, making her feel as if she was being intruded upon as Lucas settled in. The shelter was big enough for both of them to sleep comfortably, which, in Skye's case, meant there could be at least a foot between them at all times.

She pretended to be preoccupied as he entered, and Lucas seemed to be doing the same thing. He threw off his shirt, and Skye couldn't help but catch a glance at his body in the firelight. A sharp feeling of betrayal swept through her, but her feminine instinct got the better of her as she noticed one of his bulletholes.

"Hold on." She said before he could move. She scooted closer to get a better look. The hole had mostly healed, but it was looking a little inflamed. Probably from sleeping half the night in a puddle of mud and forest gunk. She grabbed the bottom of her tank top and wet it in her mouth, glancing at Lucas for a microsecond before swiping at the wound. She saw his body jerk at her touch, but she had to get the dirt off of his wound. Her eyes traveled up his chest to the second bullethole. It looked a little better off, probably because it was closer to his shoulder, therefore it was probably off the ground a little more. She readjusted herself and swiped the dirt away again.

When she was finished, she found her hands still lingering on the spot, and a rush of shock rattled through her. It felt like she'd just been caught in mid-crime, and her heart began pounding in her ears. She was way too close to him, yet she was frozen. Her eyes traveled up, and she felt another shockwave as her eyes locked with his. She breathed slowly and as steadily as she could manage, trapped by his gaze.

Her mind locked up, leaving her body uncontrolled. She found herself leaning towards him, her lips parting ever so slightly as she neared him. He mirrored her, his stunningly bright eyes unwavering, getting close enough for her to see the little flecks of blue lining his irises. She felt his breath on her cheek, time moving in slow motion as she waited for their lips to touch.

Her eyes closed, but the kiss didn't come. She found herself craving it, craving his touch, willing him to hold her like he did that morning. She leaned into him, pressing into his chest, but unable to find his lips.

Then she felt warm breath on her neck and she shuddered, electricity racing up and down her spine. He arms looped loosly around his shoulders, drawn by the warmth of his skin. Her eyes were still closed, absorbing every feeling without being hindered by sight.

"Why do you do this?" He whispered, tickling her neck. Her eyes flew open, her mind clinching control of her once again. She pulled back, hearing Lucas sigh. Her emotions were haywire, her nerve endings weren't connecting to anything and misfiring everywhere.

"Do what?" She blurted suddenly, her voice coming out much harsher than she expected.

"Act like that. As soon as I leave you alone, you start getting closer and closer until I do something about it, then you snap out of it and I have to start all over again." He grumbled, lying down in the grass.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Skye snapped, crossing her arms. Lucas chuckled darkly.

"Well, have fun sleeping in the cold then." He murmured, shutting his eyes. Skye bit her lip.

"You know, you're going to wake up next to me tomorrow morning. When you're sleeping, you aren't listening to that little voice telling you no. You're listening to that piece of yourself that tells you how to survive, and tells you what you really want."

"Quit using that stupid voice analogy." Skye snarled, "I know what I want, and it isn't you."

Lucas snorted, "Of course, Bucket. You just cuddle up to me because you hate me so much."

"No, its because the only alternative is freezing to death!"

"So why don't you just cut to the chase and cuddle up right now?" His eyes flashed open as a sly smile spread across his face.

"Ugh!" Skye flopped onto her side, turning her back to him as he laughed.

"Just try and remember that feeling you have right before you wake up. Its always what you really feel, you aren't asleep enough to be dreaming, but you don't quite have your mind there to control you." She rolled onto her side, and Skye could feel his eyes burning into the back of her head. "That's how I knew I hated my father. I woke up every morning with that hatred in the back of my throat. Most mornings I swallowed it back into my subconscious, but until I accepted it, I always felt like I wasn't in control of myself."

"I liked you better when you were sick." Skye growled.

He laughed again,"Why, so you could look at me like you wanted me to be there and know I wouldn't remember it?" He asked, his voice weighted with his stupid sense of pride.

She swallowed. Had he remembered? Certainly he was lying; there was no evidence to suggest he remembered anything from when his fever was really bad.

"No, because…because you were just better that way!" She retorted, unable to come up with a better answer. He still managed to trap her without even touching her!

Lucas sighed, and the soft breeze was all Skye heard as she tried to go to sleep, her brain still scrambling to sort out everything that happened. She just kept going back to the moment where nothing else mattered but his lips, his skin, his breath. Those same lips that told her she'd helped destroy her home.