Sam gently trailed a hand across Josh's shredded mouth, smiling into his lips as her fingers brushed against protruding teeth. Even though she shivered, the cold seeping into her skin, everything was perfect.

Then her eyes snapped open as something very important suddenly occurred to her. "Josh," she gasped as she broke their kiss, placing a hand on either side of his face, "we don't have anywhere to stay. I blew up both buildings."

He regarded her for a moment, head tilted to the side in that way Sam adored - before snorting out a laugh and burying his head in her shoulder. "Stop being an arsonist, then."

"Hey, I saved your butt! Be grateful!" She huffed quietly - but snuggled closer to him, slender arms clinging to him for what little body heat he had. "Seriously though, we're on the top of a goddamn mountain, my car is parked outside some shitty motel I'm not even staying at... wait. Motel. I guess I've stayed in worse places."

"Like when you and Emily went on a road trip. You got stuck at that place above a gas station." Josh snickered into her shoulder, blowing a puff of loose hair over her shoulder.

Yeah, like that time. Two years later Emily still didn't let her live it down. "Hannah warned us not to go but no, we were too stubborn."

Josh quietened at the mention of his sister, burying his face further into the safety of Sam's neck. She hugged back, suddenly wishing she hadn't said her name - but then Josh laughed weakly and said, "Yeah, Hannah was always the smartest of all of us."

"She sure was," Sam replied quietly and placed a soft kiss against his dark curls. Then with a grimace she said, "gross. You so need a shower."

"Motel?"

"Motel."

They pulled away, but Sam's hand slid down to curl into the palm of his hands. His claws scratched against her knuckles but it was kind of comforting. He was still Josh, just a little different now. She glanced up at him, nose wrinkling. "Shit, all my stuff will be ruined. I've only got my phone and keys." Sam stuck her hand in her hoodie pocket to confirm - and yes, at least her phone was intact.

"Worry about it once we're there," Josh advised. Since when was he the wisest?

Huffing out a breath Sam nodded. "Yeah, fair enough. After everything we've been through, this is cake." Actually, she really wanted cake right now. She deserved the biggest slice of vegan chocolate right now.

Josh took a step, bare feet sinking into the snow. It had stopped falling, but a few white flecks clung to his perfectly black hair.

Hand still in his, Sam followed. As she fell into step beside him she glanced back, blue eyes fixed on the charred facade of the cabin. The fire had died almost to nothing; only embers remained. With one last narrowed eyed glare, Sam sighed and turned away.

Goodbye Washington Mountain. I hope I never see you again.

They walked in silence, hand in hand, Josh's wide strides slowed so Sam kept up. He was standing straighter, she noticed, his steps less jittery - from this angle, head tilted up to see his unmarred cheek, he looked exactly like his old self. Well, not quite. His old self but better.

Everything was going to be fine.

The rickety old cable car was just as Sam left it, creaking gently in the breeze. That first night, pulling open the door and stepping onto the mountain for the first time in months, Sam had felt like it was the end of the world. As she pulled the door open and stepped back inside, she felt only relief.

Josh hunched down as he slipped in beside her. He had been almost too tall before, the tallest of his friends - but now he looked far too big for the cramped space. He huffed as he pulled the door closed behind, his legs stretched out to accommodate for the lack of space.

The cable car jolted into motion, jerking Sam forward with a hiss as her thigh knocked against the metal seat. Then they were moving painfully slow down the mountain, the burned lodge and newly destroyed cabin left behind.

The air inside the cramped little cable car felt thick, heavy and almost hot despite the freezing temperatures outside. The silence too felt nothing like it had outside. With nothing to occupy her time, Sam was left to think.

Staring out the window, Sam watched as dark silhouettes of trees passed by. She squinted in the darkness for signs of movement - a flash of something running by, leaving almost-human footprints in the snow. Shivering, she pulled her hoodie tight around her.

Then she was pulled into a hug; skinny arms gently pulling her close. "It's okay," Josh whispered in her ear.

"I should be the one telling you that," she replied sourly - but she nuzzled closer, pressing her body into his. "I spent so much time focusing on getting you off the mountain I never gave a thought of after. What are we going to do?"

When she glanced up, Josh's head was lowered. "Dunno. I can't explain this away." He gestured to the ruined side of his face, expression darkening. "I guess I'll just claim amnesia, figure it out as I go."

Sam huffed out a sigh, nodding as she buried closer into his side. "You're parents will be glad to have you back. That's all that matters."

"Yeah..." The arm around her tensed, gaze shifting. Why didn't he seem convinced? Sam didn't need to ask, because Josh spoke as if he had read her mind. Or perhaps it was finally time for him to open up. "They're going to hate me, once they find out the shit I pulled. Dad knew I was off my meds, knew I'd been skipping the psychiatrist. He tried to talk to me about it, a couple of weeks before the lodge but I just snapped. I'd already planned the pranks by then."

Sam reached up - but instead of leaning into her embrace he flinched back and snapped back his arm from around her so quickly a claw snagged on her hood. They both winced, but Sam recovered first. "The'll be so happy that you're back. You're their son - and parents support their kids through all of their dumb shit and failures."

He dropped his head into his hands, fists gripping handfuls of thick hair. "Sure, maybe; but what if they take one look at me - at what I've become - and realise all along that I was just this awful, messed up monster. The only difference is now you can see it on my face." His breath came out in short, heavy rasps and for a heart stopping second Sam thought he was going to hyperventilate. Instead a quiet sob escaped his throat as he curled into himself, the sound strangled as if he didn't want Sam to hear.

"One step at a time, okay? Let's focus on getting off this mountain first." She reached out to place a hand against his arm - and, when he didn't move away, she pulled him in for a hug.

Josh froze, and for one long moment she thought he was going to pull away - but instead he leaned in, gently brushing his lips across hers.

She smiled as his exposed teeth grazed her skin and tilted her head so she could trace a kiss against the torn side of his mouth. She felt his jaw clench, felt his nervous gaze on her; but instead of pulling away she placed another gentle kiss against the corner of his mouth, smiling.

Sam was thrown forward as the cable car lurched to a stop, a gasp leaving her lips as she landed in Josh's lap. With her legs thrown over his and her arms thrown wide, she was hyper aware of how, if she had landed just a little differently, she would have been straddling him. Her face flushed. Actually, she thought, gaze dropping to his thighs, it would have been a good excuse to do just that.

"You all right?"

His voice broke her from her less than appropriate thoughts. Immediately she sat up and clambered off, face turning scarlet. With her fair skin and his weird Wendigo vision, it was embarrassingly obvious. Which only made her flush more. "Fine," she answered a little too quickly - then in one swift move she shoved open the cable car door, met with a rush of freezing air.

She took a second to pat down her pockets. Please, let her keys be there. She had her phone, worse for wear but intact, but her car keys. For one heart stopping second they seemed to have disappeared. Did she leave them in the cabin, where they were now destroyed? Then her hands curled around the little kitten key chain Beth had given her for her sixteenth birthday and she sighed in relief. That was too close.

Behind her, Josh let out a small whine that seemed to echo through the night.

Sam froze, mind jumping to all sorts of thoughts. Did a Wendigo follow them down? Had the explosion not been enough? Her vision blurred as panic stirred inside her - but then she slowly turned, and every ounce of fear vanished.

Josh had managed to hook his dirty overalls on the catch of the door and was trying futilely - to get it free. With his claws though, he was only making it worse.

Laughing softly, Sam joined his attempts by gently taking the fabric and lifting it over the catch. It came free easily, leaving Sam to smile smugly. "There. God, your clumsier than Ashley now."

He grinned back, all teeth and ripped skin, but he ducked his head, embarrassment blooming across his face. "Blame the cursed mountain, not me," he quipped, and his smile widened, "besides, who was the one that flung herself across me less than a minute ago?"

Ah, that was the Josh she remembered. It seemed his near-Wendigo experiences hadn't changed his ability to be infuriatingly charismatic.

Sticking out her tongue, Sam ignored him. "Come on, the motel is just around the corner. Thank God nobody's around, because I don't think we can hide you."

"Right. Yeah." Josh shifted, shoving his hands deep in the oversized pockets of his overalls.

Shit. "I didn't mean it like that. God Josh, I'm sorry!" Panic rose, hands automatically reaching for Josh. What a thing to say! God, why did she have to fuck up everything? Reaching out a hand, Sam pursed her lips tight to stop herself from saying something else.

He just smiled and shook his head though, a small smile curling at his lips. "Don't worry about it, I know I'm not a pretty sight." His smile was fragile, but it settled the guilt in Sam's stomach.

Down here there was no snow - but the evening chill still made Sam shiver. With a frown she pulled her hoodie close, burying her face in the thick, woolen fabric. Things seemed different, now that the mountain was so far behind them; like it had all just been a dream. Even looking at Josh now, with his torn face and milky eyes shining in the darkness, it was difficult to think of it all as real.

Turning the corner led them into a little side street; the first signs that there was actually a town at the mountain base. Yellow streetlights illuminated them as they strode through their beam, the first signs of life reaching Sam's ears. A car horn, someone's TV from an open window.

And up ahead was the motel; a solid, grey building with a faded neon sign looming over the tiny parking lot. Only half the letters lit up. In the middle of the parking lot sat Sam's little red Citreon; it was almost as old as her.

"Come on." Sam took his hand in hers, quickening her pace despite the fact this was barely a saunter for Josh's stretched limbs. "There's a change of clothes for you. We can figure out how to uh… cover your jaw." She winced at her own words. Yeah, nice going Sam. Wasn't she supposed to be avoiding making her new Wendigo boyfriend feel bad?

Wait, boyfriend? Where had that thought come from?

Josh ducked low as they reached the car, although how well that actually hid him was debatable. At least it was dark; any cars that came speeding past wouldn't see a thing.

Sam shoved her keys into the lock, smiling at the familiar click of the door opening. In the back seat sat a lump of dark fabric; a t-shirt, jeans, hoodie and shoes. Lifting the shoes, though, it occured to her that Josh's previous size nine was definitely not going to cut it. Claws kind of made that difficult. Sighing, she simply shook her head and threw the clothes unceremoniously at Josh.

He caught them, spindly hands shooting out almost before she tossed them his way. He grinned at her, showing every sharp tooth in perfect detail. "Is this my X-Men hoodie? Damn, I almost forgot I had this."

"You didn't; I did. You left all this stuff back in August when you and Chris stayed over, you dummy." She grinned though, reaching up to ruffle his hair. Ew, greasy. She tried to subtly wipe her hand on her jeans. They were both so filthy anyway it hardly mattered. "Now go change in the car." If you even fit, she added silently.

Josh twirled a finger, grinning. When Sam just stared blankly, his smirk grew. "Turn around Sammy. I know you're dying to see me half naked but is this really the time?"

Cheeks flushing, Sam spun on her heel. "Sure! Let me know when you're done!" She drew the strings of her hoodie tight, the hood closing around her face to hide the worst of her blushing. Jeez, she had never been this bad before; and Josh had been flirting with her for years. Sure, it was always just friendly banter.

Unless it wasn't? Maybe he had genuinely been trying since the beginning. Groaning, Sam smacked her forehead. Really, had he been flirting for real this entire time? How oblivious was she?

A light tap to her shoulder made her jump, heart in her throat as if somehow Josh had heard her thoughts - but then she broke into a grin when she saw him.

The jeans barely grazed his ankles, the converse left untied - probably for space, maybe because he couldn't tie them himself. Even the hoodie barely fit, once so oversized it had doubled as a dress for her and Beth. He had never looked so cute.

Standing on her toes, Sam placed a gentle kiss to his forehead. "I think I'm about to pass out. I hope they have a room free."

Josh raised a brow and glanced at the bland stone building. "Looking at the state of this place, it won't be a problem." He smiled gently - but when he grabbed her hand it was a little to firm, his palms a little too damp. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Where else are we gonna sleep?"

"Yeah, good point." He fell silent, head dipped low.

Sam softened, her heart warming at the sight of him. Leaning close, she pressed a kiss to his lips. The cool press of his exposed teeth against her lips made her smile. "You'll be fine, I promise. No one is going to notice or care. Then first thing tomorrow we go home."

"Right. It's just like a road trip. A road trip that ends in me seeing the friends I tortured, and the parents who probably don't want me any more."

Pressing another kiss to his jaw, Sam sighed. "It's going to suck, I know. But we took down a Wendigo; the we can deal with anything."

He relaxed then, body slowly melting into her touch as she rubbed small circles around his wrist. "Yeah. Worry about it when it happens" He dropped his head into her shoulder with a quiet breath.

"If it happens. Everything will be fine. If it isn't, I'm here to help you through it. Always."

After a beat of silence he nodded into her shoulder. "Thanks, Sammy. I don't deserve you, but I'm damn glad you're here."