Baby, It's Cold Outside

by Fluffy Cat1

It's a winter wonderland outside and Mel and Cole spend a little time together in a cabin. Response to a winter wonderland challenge. Sweet with a little Fluffy Cat fun tossed in.

Disclaimer: Fluffy Cat does not own or have any right to these characters or names or places, or anything else in her stories. Fluffy Cat just enjoys the characters Mel and Cole and likes to get them out in the world and play with them a bit. Fluffy Cat does not profit in any way from doing this, other than the pleasure of batting them around for a while.

Timeline: This story takes place following the episode "Love Cirronian Style."

Spoilers: Not too many, that I can remember, besides "Love Cirronian Style" and possibly "The Beast."

Note: Fluffy Cat being of typical feline nature didn't rush to get this story written despite the fact it was the answer to a Winter Wonderland challenge Blue Raven and Fluffy Cat pounced on one night. I believe all elements of the challenge are in the story but wouldn't swear to it. The other authors have already posted their fics with challenge requirements listed, I believe, so I won't repeat them. I would like to state that I purposely did not read any of the others for fear of duplicating their work. If there are similarities, it is strictly the result of great minds thinking alike, or Mel and Cole having their way with us! Oh, and one more notation, the title comes from the chorus of a Christmas song and should be sung.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

By Fluffy Cat

The Tracker never saw it coming. The truth was he hadn't been expecting it.

An attack had been the last thing he had expected.

He hadn't sensed an alien lifeforce in the vicinity. He wasn't tracking a fugitive.

He was with Mel; his Mel; his sweet, compassionate, soft, loving, gentle Mel; the same Mel who had just blasted him with a freezing ball of snow in a direct hit to his clearly astonished face.

Completely shocked at the unforeseen assault by a woman he had come to trust with his life, Cole stood by the car door and watched as his trusted partner giggled and scooped up a second handful of powdery snow, already molding her next shot, her eyes sparkling with far more laughter than he heard emanating from her sweet mouth.

The shivering Cirronian wiped the cold wet stuff off his face with a large masculine hand and eyed the woman winding her arm back, ready to take her next shot.

"I'd duck if I were you!" She shouted as she gleefully let go of her icy projectile and bent down to gather more snow for her next round.

Sidestepping the second volley, Cole cocked his head at an angle and studied the aggressive, erratic behavior of a female he thought he knew better than most. "Why are you attacking me, Mel?"

She stopped patting the snow into a ball and grinned at him. "Well, for starters, because you are an incredibly easy target, standing there, and not even bothering to fire one back at me." She chuckled. "Then there is the whole 'cute factor,' and the fact that this snow is absolutely perfect for making the best snowballs."

His expression puzzled, Cole frowned and watched Mel put the finishing touches on her creation. "Cute factor?"

Mel's lips curved upward and with one hand holding her perfect snowball, she used the other to brush the loose reddish curls out of her eyes. "Yeah, the cute factor." She waggled her eyebrows at him and giggled. "You are incredibly cute, you know?"

Cole automatically smiled.

Three seconds later, he was wiping the smile off his face along with the icy remains of her last snowball. "Mel." The words were muttered in a less than patient manner, one seldom used by the gentle Cirronian.

Mel was laughing hysterically, crouched low to the ground, already in full battle mode, creating her next missile. "This is called a snowball fight, Cole, by the way, and for it to be truly effective, you are supposed to fire a few back at me too, you know?"

"Why?" Cole asked.

"Because it's fun!" She shouted; rising to a standing position and winding her arm back again.

"I am not having fun, Mel." Cole stated emphatically.

Mel rolled her expressive eyes. "That's because you haven't been fighting back, Cole! Try to throw one at me and see how much fun it is." She suggested, taking aim at his broad chest this time.

Cole employed his Cirronian-quick reflexes and speed to evade the one aimed for his chest and watched Mel's look of disappointment with a wry expression.

"That's not fair, Cole. You're supposed to take it like a man." Mel lectured.

"Why do I have to 'take it' at all?" He asked impatiently.

Mel sighed, walked over to him and patted his handsome face, flicking a spot or two of snow off of his cheeks. "It's a human custom, Cole. Beautiful snowfall, couple alone in the woods; we're supposed to have a snowball fight. It's one of the unwritten rules about men and women." She explained gently.

His look softened at her earnest expression. "It's a human mating ritual?" He inquired with a renewed interest and curious look.

Flustered at his ability to take a universal custom and define it so precisely that it made her reevaluate her own understanding of the practice, Mel began to hedge a little, somewhat uncomfortable with answering him.  "Well…it can be. Friends have snowball fights too, though." She quickly added.

It was Cole's turn to frown. "Are we fighting as friends or possible mates then?"

Mel started to answer, decided she wasn't really sure herself, and promptly shut her mouth. "Forget it." She sighed deeply, looping her arm through one of his.

"On Enix, the male sometimes covers the female in ice, leaving her there until she is more receptive to his advances." Cole informed her as they opened the back of her SUV and began to gather their bags and supplies.

Mel looked up at him, wearing a horrified expression. "That's disgusting!"

Cole shrugged. "It is their custom."

"Of course, knowing what Enixians really look like, I can kind of see why you might want to bury one in ice." Mel chuckled.

Cole gave her a half-smile. "You wanted me to throw a frozen ball of ice in your face."

"I did not!" Mel argued. "It was snow. Snowballs made with ice really hurt. Snow doesn't hurt. It's just cold."

"Cold can hurt." He commented softly, picking up the heaviest bag.

Stunned that she hadn't considered how sensitive the Cirronian was to cold and the very real possibility that a snowball might be more than a playful nuisance to him, Mel quickly grabbed him by the arm and spun Cole around to face her. "I'm sorry, Cole. I really am. I didn't consider how it might hurt you. I just wanted to play a little. It's the snowfall and well…coming back to my grandmother's cabin. I haven't been here in several years and it's reminding me of all the things I used to do up here when I was younger. I was very big on snowball fights when I was little." She explained softly, her eyes begging his for forgiveness.

Cole reached out and stroked her throat. He didn't touch skin, she was too bundled up in a jacket and scarf for that, but his meaning was understood. "It's okay, Mel. You didn't hurt me." His baritone voice was gentle and stirring.

"Promise?" She asked softly, touching his heart with her palm.

The Cirronian nodded at her, covering her hand with one of his.

"Good." Mel answered, returning his nod. "Let's get these bags inside and then I'll show you how to make snow angels."

Mel looked down to gather what she could carry and didn't look up again until she heard Cole call her name. "Mel?"

"Yes?" She answered, lifting her gaze to his.

The Tracker slammed a tightly packed ball of snow into her face. Wow! Direct hit. Not bad for an amateur; Mel thought with a startled giggle. "Cole!" She yelled with a laugh.

The Cirronian stood beside Mel, grinning down at her, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Tell me, Mel, was that a snowball more suited for friends or possible mates?" As Cole watched Mel wipe the snow from her beautiful face, he chuckled. "And you are right, Mel, this is fun."

Blinking the snow off her lashes and out of her eyes, she grinned back at him. "I should have known you'd get the hang of it. You do pick up human customs very quickly."

Cole continued to grin at her, his gentle hands brushing off the remains of his assault. "Yes, Mel. But tell me, how often should I hit you with a snowball?"

She shook her head at him. "That's enough for now, I think." She admitted ruefully.

"Okay, Mel." Cole agreed easily, taking one of the bags out of her hands and transferring it to his other hand. "But you will tell me if I do it too often, or not often enough?"

Mel stopped in her tracks and closed her eyes in wry appreciation of his innocent comment and her not so innocent take on it. She knew there could be a 'not often enough' with the Cirronian, Lord knew she was fully aware of that scenario, but could there be a 'too often' with Cole? She asked herself silently. The answer hit her with lightning speed; in the words of Jess, not bloody likely!

"Yes, Cole," she answered. Mel followed the handsome Cirronian to the front steps of her grandmother's cabin, admiring more than the scenery as she went.

Despite the intense cold she was feeling, especially with that freezing snowball to the face, Mel was cognizant of the fact that not all of her was truly cold. In truth, specific female signatures were beginning to warm up considerably.

Definitely the 'mating' kind of snowball, she decided with a rueful shake of her reddish blonde curls.

***********************************************

Bags brought in, groceries put up and cobwebs swept out, Mel and Cole looked around at the cozy one room rustic cabin and smiled at the remarkable results of their mutual effort. It was habitable.

"It is small, but I like it, Mel." Cole smiled gently at the beautiful woman standing beside him.

She nodded, her responding smile beaming up at him. "Yes, Cole. Grandmother loved this place. She didn't come up here as much in the last years, but when I was a little girl; we came up here all the time. She would tell me stories about how she and my grandfather would spend weekends here together. She loved him very much. I think it made her a little sad to come to the cabin without him."

Cole reached out and caressed her throat, his look one of compassion and understanding. "Just as it makes you a little sad to come here without her."

Mel nodded at his perception. "Yes, in a way. But there are many good memories in this place and that is well worth the few sad ones." She reached up and flicked a stray cobweb out of his dark hair. "Besides, I have you with me this time, and your education regarding how to spend a winter weekend in a cabin has been woefully neglected. I intend to correct that little omission." She teased.

The Cirronian regarded her with a warm expression. "More rituals to learn?"

"Yes."

He cocked his head. "Snowballs?"

"Well, we probably will have more snowball fights before the weekend is over. It is tradition." Mel admitted. "However, the secret to a good snowball fight is that the first one has to be tossed at someone who isn't expecting it. The surprise factor figures in greatly when it comes to snowball fights."

"I'll remember that, Mel." Cole nodded, a definite twinkle forming in the Tracker's dark eyes.

Mel suddenly knew with certainty that she would be wiping another snowball out of her face before the weekend was over. The realization brought on a chuckle.

Cole turned from Mel and walked over to a picture on the mantle over the fireplace that had caught his eye. His expression softened immediately as he recognized the wavy curls and expressive eyes looking back at him from the young girl's face as she proudly posed beside a snowman about to topple over. The freckles were more noticeable and the curls were completely out of control, but there was no mistaking who she was. The Cirronian smiled at the young version of his Mel. He had seen that same expression on her face just an hour before when she had been pelting him with a fresh snowball.

"That's me." Mel informed him as she peeked over his shoulder to see what he had found.

The Tracker nodded. "Yes, Mel. It is you."

"I was just a little girl then. Doesn't look like me very much now." She commented, dismissing the picture and oblivious to the Tracker's quick grin.

"So, ready to see the surrounding countryside and make a few snow angels?" Mel asked Cole as she buttoned up her coat and began to pull on her gloves. "We still have some daylight left."

"Okay, Mel." Cole replied, sighing at the prospect of stepping back outside into the cold winter air, consoling himself with the knowledge that he had survived more than one track on icy Enix, and therefore he would most likely survive the next two days with a snow-enthusiastic Mel.

The Cirronian already missed the warmth of the fireplace though. Hopefully, one of these strange human rituals and traditions Mel was determined to show him would eventually center around the fireplace, the Tracker told himself optimistically. It generated a very pleasant sensation when you stood in front of it. The human species wasn't without intelligence; surely one of the more intelligent of them had picked up on that significant observation and made use of that fact?

Cole looked longingly at the warm fire.

"Hurry up, Cole!" Mel fussed, waving at him to follow her as she stood with the cabin door open. "We don't have much time before the sun sets."

"Yes, Mel." The Cirronian replied with a resigned air as he followed her out into the bitterly cold temperatures.

They trekked through the snow behind the cabin with Mel cheerfully pointing out to the Cirronian landmarks that were significant to her.

First there was the tree she had fallen out of when she was seven years of age and had broken her arm. Cole graciously remarked that it did indeed appear to be a dangerous tree.

It wasn't long after that Mel stopped in front of a cluster of three trees closely grown together which housed the dilapidated remains of a small tree house suspended between them. Mel stared up at the rickety structure for several moments with a wistful expression on her face before realizing that the Cirronian patiently waiting beside her probably lacked the same degree of appreciation for it that she had.

Cole was shivering in place and blowing his own warm breath into his cold hands, wordlessly and patiently, of course.

Cole was always accommodating and patient with her.

Mel began to feel guilty. "I'm sorry, Cole. I know it's cold. I guess this place means more to me than I remembered. It's turning dark; we should head back to the cabin."

He smiled at her hopefully. "Yes, Mel."

Sliding her arm through his, Mel smiled up at him. "We'll get inside and I'll make you a nice cup of hot cocoa, okay? You'll love it. It's warm and smooth and feels great after tromping around in the snow."

"Sounds good, Mel." He replied, glancing down at where she had latched onto his arm and hadn't let go.

Stumbling over a snow-covered log, Mel fell against Cole and would have hit the ground if not for the Cirronian's quick reflexes. "Oh… my… I didn't even see that log. The snow is really deep back here. Good thing I have you to hold onto, isn't it?"

"Yes, Mel." He straightened her and caressed her throat to ascertain whether she was truly okay. Mel smiled tremulously back at him and closed her eyes at his intimate gesture, giving herself the pleasure of enjoying his touch.

A moment later she was regretfully taking the necessary steps away from Cole's strong masculine presence and in the direction of their cabin. His next question had her spinning back around so abruptly, she got hit in the face with a small tree branch.

"Is hot cocoa another snow tradition, Mel, or part of a mating ritual?" The Cirronian inquired with a curious innocence.

Mel batted at the bothersome branch and stared at him, her mouth open in shock. "Hot cocoa is….well….hot cocoa is…well…it's a drink." Mel pivoted back around and began stomping through the snow, leaving the Tracker to make of her answer what he will.

Puzzled by her response, Cole shrugged and followed her.

A few minutes later, her nervousness under control, Mel stopped as they came to a sloped hill beside the cabin that was covered in a beautiful pristine snow. Her lips curved. "Oh, this is perfect, Cole!"

The Tracker's eyes studied the area. "It is?" His expression indicated he was not of the opinion that a very cold section of land covered in deeply packed snow could in any way qualify as perfect. "For what, Mel?" The Cirronian asked hesitantly, still a bit confused by these winter-weekend-in-the-cabin traditions that may or may not be part of a human mating ritual.

"You'll see." She promised. He noticed the sparkle was back in her beautiful eyes and all traces of previous irritation with him had vanished.

The Cirronian was not entirely certain that was necessarily a good thing. He had yet to hear exactly what this sloped piece of land covered in snow was perfect for. Memories of Enixian females buried in ice flashed in his head.

"Lie down." Mel ordered softly, giving him an encouraging nod.

The Tracker glanced down at the cold snow and back up to Mel, his dark eyes questioning silently.

"Go on!" She ordered.

Cole looked down again at the cold white cover on the ground and shrugged. If Mel intended to engage in a human mating ritual with him on top of a foot of snow, the Tracker supposed he would cooperate. After all, he was attracted to the beautiful human female, despite the differences in their species; and his lifeforce currently inhabited a body which could easily engage in such human activities. His human form had been assuring him of such a capability on a fairly routine basis lately, Cole admitted, like those moments when Mel was open in her expressions and concern for him, or when he was caressing her throat in the Cirronian manner he was most comfortable employing, and lately even when she did nothing more than stand especially close to him while he worked in the war room.

Cole frowned slightly as he realized that once his mating reaction had been stimulated by nothing more than Mel leaning over his shoulder, her hair brushing against the side of his face. Her shampoo had smelled very appealing that day and he had been unusually distracted by it. He had very much wanted to bury his face in the soft mass of curls and breathe in the scent of everything that was Mel.

Shaking off the sweet memory of that sensation as well as the sharp tug on his desires it seemed to initiate, Cole studied the white snow in front of him. He had thought this sort of thing was usually conducted in bedrooms, remembering some of the comments from the sex seminar he and Mel had attended together.

However, this would not be the first time he had been mistaken regarding human customs, the Tracker reminded himself.

Cole stretched out on the snow as Mel had instructed, ignoring the cold shiver the contact with the icy ground instilled in him, and waited for Mel to commence with her strange ritual, his gaze tender as he watched Mel, if not a bit eager in addition.

Mel laughed and flopped down in the snow next to him. "Okay, Cole, spread your arms out like this and then move them back and forth."

The Tracker turned his head in her direction and gave her a puzzled look. "My arms, Mel?" He asked skeptically.

The Cirronian had been under the impression he would be moving something else back and forth.

She laughed at him and nodded her soft curls, confirming her earlier instructions. "Your arms."

Watching her, Cole began to imitate her actions, a dubious expression marking his handsome face the entire time.

"Oh, we are going to create the best ones ever, I just know it, Cole. This is the perfect place for them."

Them? The Tracker ceased moving his arms in such a ridiculous fashion and regarded the excited female lying next to him.

"Okay, that's probably enough to get it right, don't you think?" Mel asked, her voice bubbling with excitement.

Cole frowned. "I doubt it."

She looked concerned. "You think we should do it some more?"

Cole watched her closely, before replying honestly. "Not with our arms, Mel." The soft answer carried more than a hint of humor in it.

She frowned briefly before dismissing his comment. "Come on, Cole, the trick is getting back up without disturbing the snow or it ruins them."

Cole remained perfectly still, unsure as to what they didn't wish to ruin. Human females did not lay their eggs outside their bodies, and certainly not in the snow. The Cirronian had studied human physiology well enough to know that he and Mel had not attempted to create any new lifeforces in the last few minutes.

Even if he hadn't taken the time to study human reproductive biology, Cole instinctively knew that if he had just mated with Mel, he would have been feeling much better than he did right now.

Cole watched Mel gingerly negotiate a skillful exit from the impression her body had made in the snow, taking care not to compress the snow anywhere other than where she had just lain.

After she had successfully climbed out of the snow bank, Mel's face broke into a huge smile. "Oh, Cole! Look! It's perfect. You know this is one of the prettiest snow angels I've ever made."

Cole's expression cleared to one of understanding. "Okay, Mel. Snow angels, you had mentioned we'd make some of those."

"Come on, I'll give you a hand up so you don't ruin yours. It takes practice to be able to climb out of them." Mel stood over him and extended her hand to him, her beautiful face in the fading sunset making him feel much warmer than he was, considering he was lying on top of solid precipitation.

"Thank you, Mel." Cole took her hand and once standing beside her, turned back to look at the snow angel he had made.

The Cirronian wore a goofy grin when he assessed his work.

"It's fantastic, Cole. Your first one and it turned out great!" Mel bumped him affectionately with her hip. "Beginner's luck, I guess." She quipped.

Before he could ask the question, Mel halted him with a raised hand. "It just means you are really good at something you do for the first time."

"Oh." Cole nodded his understanding, his eyes turning softer as they appraised the beautiful woman standing next to him. "Maybe I'll have more beginners' luck, Mel?"

A little disconcerted by the way his dark eyes warmly gazed at her, Mel stammered a quick reply. "Uh, yeah, we'll hope so."

The Tracker smiled at her.

Mel nibbled on her bottom lip and decided to put a stop to this particular thread of conversation. "Come on, Cole, you must be almost frozen by now." She placed her arm through his and began walking the remaining few feet to their cabin.

"It is very cold outside, Mel." Cole agreed, enjoying the heat her body put off so close to his. Or was it the heat his body was generating in response to hers?

"Yeah, I've probably kept you out here too long. I tend to get carried away when I'm playing in the snow." She admitted sheepishly.

"You like playing, don't you, Mel?" Cole asked gently.

"Sure." She answered brightly. "Who doesn't like to play in the snow?"

"Cirronians." Cole teased, his dark eyes laughing down at her when her head shot up at hearing his words.

Seeing that he was only teasing her, Mel chuckled and squeezed his arm. "Hmm, I guess I should have thought of that, huh? I'm enjoying our little romp in the snow while you're probably freezing your …," flustered that she almost forgot she was talking to Cole instead of any other close male she could tease, Mel quickly amended her words to, "ahem…off." She rolled her eyes at how stupid that sounded.

"My ahem?" Cole asked with a puzzled look.

Mel stepped up to the cabin door and spun back around to Cole, wearing a smirk at her own foolishness. "I was trying to avoid saying something else."

"What is an ahem, Mel?" Cole asked curiously. "And do they freeze off?"

She shrugged her shoulders and laughed up at him. "I guess they can, I don't really know. It's just a figure of speech, Cole. I was trying to avoid referring to your male signature." Her eyes dipped downward to the mentioned ahem for just a second before coming back up to sparkle at him.

Puzzlement quickly changed to an expression of grave concern. "We should go inside, Mel. I do not wish for my ahem to get any colder."

"No, guess not." Mel chuckled as she stepped through the doorway. Like every other self-respecting male of any species, Cole quickly followed her, not daring to leave his ahem outside a second longer.

************************************************

"Thank you, Cole." Mel said as she handed him the last washed dish to dry.

The Tracker smiled gently at her. "You're welcome, Mel. The dinner was very good."

"Thanks. It's been a while since I've prepared a stew, but it just seemed like the perfect meal after playing in the snow."

The Cirronian nodded his agreement. "It was very warm, Mel."

She grinned, her curls tumbling around her face. "I'm beginning to think 'warm' is the standard you look for when it comes to food, Cole."

Cole considered her words carefully before smiling back at her. "I do prefer warm dishes to the cold ones, Mel."

"Uh huh." She laughed, drying her hands after pulling the plug in the sink. "If I hadn't picked up on that fact before this weekend, I would have noticed it for sure when I served you your first cup of hot cocoa earlier this afternoon."

The Cirronian's handsome face broke into a huge grin at just the mentioning of the deliciously warm drink Mel had prepared for him when they had returned to the cabin. "Yes, Mel. Cocoa would become a favorite on Cirron."

"Probably, you know, Cole, I don't believe I've ever seen you close your eyes and look so entirely pleased before." She teased softly.

The Cirronian favored her with an amused smile. "Perhaps you will again, Mel?"

She shot him a quick grin. "The next time I make you cocoa?"

"That too." Cole answered, giving her a tender look before turning away and walking into the main room of the cabin.

Mel remained in front of the sink, a considering frown on her face before dismissing his remark as typical Cole. Sometimes, with Cole, the shoe was on the other foot and she didn't get what he was saying.

Mel shrugged off the matter and began digging around in the small pantry beside the stove. "Okay, I bought them, I packed them, I put them away, so where are they?" She muttered to herself.

"What are you doing, Mel?" Cole called from in front of the fireplace.

Mel looked up and her lips curved at the handsome man watching her from across the room. Standing in front of the fireplace had become Cole's favorite position since they had arrived at the cabin. If she didn't have him out stomping through the snow, or helping her clean up the kitchen, the warm-natured alien could be found in front of the fireplace, basking in the warmth provided by the romantic fire.

"Looking for dessert." She answered.

"I'm not that hungry anymore, Mel." Cole informed her.

"I bet not." She mumbled to herself, remembering the three bowls of her hot stew the alien had eaten. She'd like to believe it was the expertly seasoned offering that had inspired such an appetite in the Cirronian, but she knew it was far more likely to have been the temperature of the dish rather than the culinary expertise used to prepare it. Facts were facts; Cole just didn't like being cold.

"Found it!" She shouted, holding up a bag of marshmallows triumphantly.

Cole looked intrigued. "What are those, Mel?"

"Dessert." She answered flippantly as she swung around the counter and made her way to him. "I think you might like these too, Cole."

Cole studied the bag she held with a distasteful frown forming on his face. "Those look like eggs commonly found on Varda."

"Yuk." Mel made a face. "These are not eggs found on Varda, Cole. These are marshmallows."

"Marsh-pillows?" Cole repeated, his puzzled expression inspiring a quick chuckle from Mel.

"Not pillows….. marsh..m-a-l-l-o-w-s." Mel opened the bag and held one in front of his mouth. "Open up." She instructed.

"The Vardian eggs do not taste very good, Mel. They belong to a reptilian species native to the planet and are not high on my list of desirable dishes."

She giggled and shook her curls at him. "I'm not going away until you open your mouth."

The gentle-natured Cirronian reluctantly opened his mouth.

Mel popped the soft treat into his mouth. "Now chew."

Cole held the strange food on his tongue for a moment before closing his mouth and beginning the chewing process. It only took a second for a relieved expression to appear on his face. "Good, Mel." He said while chewing.

"Uh huh. See, you must learn to trust me, Cole."

His dark eyes grew tender as he continued chewing while he watched her. Once he swallowed, he told her, "I trust you, Mel." The soft baritone of his voice sent a delightful shiver down her spine.

Mel pretended it was a cool draft in the cabin and not his words causing such a telling reaction. "So… let me show you what we do with marshmallows when a fire is handy. Usually this is done when camping outside, but a nice warm fireplace is just as good or even better because it's warmer indoors."

"Warmer is good, Mel." Cole told her, reaching for a second marshmallow.

Mel slapped his hand away. "Not yet. You have to save room for them toasted."

The Tracker frowned down at where Mel had slapped his hand. "Why?"

"Because you are going to love it." Mel replied confidently. "Now watch how I do it."

"Yes, Mel."

She reached for a coat hanger she had unpacked earlier and left by the fireplace and attempted to straighten it. Cole watched her, his expression bemused. Giving up, Mel tossed the hanger at him. "Here, take this and straighten the wire, Cole."

The Tracker did as he was instructed and Mel frowned at how little strength it seemed to require on his part. "Thanks. Now we just take a nice plump marshmallow, one we have been eyeing…." She teased him with a lift of her brow, "And we skewer it on the wire like this. It's important to get it down the middle and not lopsided or it tends to fall off during the toasting."

Cole's expression did not change from bemused as he watched her stab the marshmallow.

He watched with interest as Mel placed the wire over the fire and the treat he had desired started to blacken. "Mel?" He asked uncertainly.

"Almost done." Mel chuckled, bringing the wire back out for a closer examination. "Perfect." She pronounced proudly.

The Tracker grew cautious. Mel had thought the cold snow bank where his ahem had almost frozen off was perfect too.

"It's burned, Mel." Cole told her softly.

"No, it's toasted." Mel contradicted him.

"It looks burned, Mel. It's black." Cole felt inclined to argue.

"It's supposed to be a little black. Now, take it off the wire if you can without it slipping off and pop it in your mouth."

Mel cocked her head to the side and grinned at him. "Don't look at me like that, Cole. I promise you will like it. Go on."

Cole reached for the burned treat, his expression anything but eager.

"Here, let me help you. It's cooling so you have to move fast." Mel slipped the treat off the wire and held it in front of his mouth.

Dubious to the end, the Cirronian still opened his mouth and accepted the burned marshmallow.

"Chew it." Mel coaxed firmly.

Cole obeyed, his eyes smiling back at her as he discovered the warm gooey taste of it. Swallowing quickly, the Cirronian grinned. "That's good, Mel. I want another one."

"Thought you might." She laughed and began skewering several marshmallows on the wire at once. "Multiple toasting….this takes a professional, better let me." She teased him, sitting back on her ankles near the fire.

Cole sank to the hearth, his position relaxed while he admired the way the firelight danced off of Mel's freckles and creamy complexion. "I like this, Mel." He told her honestly.

"Good. I'm glad." She answered, her eyes shying away from his and back to the task at hand.

"Spending time with you in this cabin is very enjoyable." He confessed openly. "It reminds me in some ways of when we stayed together while tracking Cedra and Vedra."

The sex seminar. Mel wasn't going to even touch that one. She declined to comment, but smiled at him as she took the toasted marshmallows out of the fire and presented them to Cole. "Okay, all done. We each get three."

Cole watched her with amusement as she tried to remove one treat and it fell off the wire and landed on the stone hearth. "Oh, well, one of us gets two and the other one gets three." She quipped good-naturedly.

Cole reached for a marshmallow, his treat slipping off the wire and onto his fingers. "Uh oh, Mel."

"Oh, it's still good, Cole! Just messy." She chuckled. Without thinking, she automatically reached for the mess he held and picked up the largest gooey part with her fingers and slipped it into his mouth, not realizing until his tongue slowly closed around those fingers exactly how intimate the act was.

Her startled eyes found his and Mel couldn't look away as the handsome man she had come to shelter and trust reached up and held her wrist in place, preventing her from quickly removing her fingers until he had licked them clean.

His soft hazel eyes carried an unnamed emotion Mel didn't possess the courage to analyze just then. His tongue was firm as it slowly cleaned the melted marshmallow off of her skin. Cole finally tugged on her wrist, gently sliding her fingers out of his mouth as his lips and tongue finished off the sticky mess surrounding them. Cole placed a soft kiss on her fingertips when he was done.

"Oh!" Seemed to be the only word Mel was capable of forming as Cole placed that same hand against his throat, signaling her with a slight nod of encouragement to caress his throat in the same manner he frequently stroked hers.

Mel wasn't capable of refusing him, not when his gentle eyes entreated her to allow him this simple pleasure.

Giving him a tremulous smile, Mel attempted to caress the warm skin of his throat exactly as he stroked hers. She didn't believe her actions granted him the same degree of wonderful sensory overload his did for her, but she drew some satisfaction from watching Cole briefly shut his eyes as his lips curved upward in acknowledgement of her attempt to please him, pitiful though she felt it was.

"I'm probably not doing this right." She whispered softly, worried she hadn't given him the same amount of pleasure he always gave her.

"Yes, you are, Mel. Your touch on my skin always feels right." Cole assured her, his tender gaze once again leaving her a bit breathless.

Cole noticed that his words had brought a new level to the nervousness she was displaying, if that were possible. Her reaction prompted Cole to pat her hand, regretfully drawing it away from his throat.

"Thank you, Mel." He whispered.

Her eyes filled with unshed tears. "You're welcome, Cole."

"The marshmallows are getting cold. You better eat yours." He coaxed, lightly breaking the sensual spell between them.

Mel seemed surprised to look down and see that she still held the wire in her other hand. "Good heavens! So they are." She plucked one off the wire and started chewing furiously.

Cole grinned at her. "There's some on your lips, Mel."

A crease formed between her eyes as she licked her lips. "There. Did I get it?"

His grin grew wider and he shook his head. "No, Mel."

She licked her lips a second time, her blush beginning to rise. "There?"

The Tracker shook his head again. "Let me, Mel." Cole leaned forward and covered her lips with his, gifting her with a soft kiss that managed to steal her breath away.

"You taste like marshmallow, Mel." The masculine chuckle had Mel opening her dazed eyes and finding him watching her with gentle eyes which offered easy assurance he was only intent on stealing one kiss. Cole's body language gave no indication he was planning to further the sweet encounter. After the seminar, she and Cole had reached a mutual agreement that he couldn't afford to become distracted by his growing feelings for her.

Mel nodded, more aware than ever that Cole was holding himself to that damned agreement and had no plans to alter it, despite the desire she felt in his kiss.

She couldn't prevent the disappointed sigh that slipped out at such a sad realization.

Cole watched Mel closely, silently reconsidering their earlier agreement that he must distance himself from her. After all it hadn't really helped any, the logical Cirronian acknowledged reflectively. He just hadn't informed Mel of that significant fact yet.

Cole was still debating with himself exactly how to tell her he had reconsidered his stance on their growing attraction to each other.

A part of the gentle Cirronian had hoped Mel would just ignore their agreement altogether and jump him in some fashion frequently seen among human mating rituals.

Cole didn't plan to offer any resistance if she did. He hadn't denied her request to lie down in the cold snow earlier that afternoon, had he?

Cole watched his nervous Mel cram another marshmallow in her mouth; thereby effectively avoiding any conversation with him that might involve looking him directly in the eyes.

She had white gooey marshmallow on the corner of her sweet mouth.

Shelving the quick pull of desire such a sight caused, the Tracker decided it would probably be for the best if he resisted the sudden temptation to kiss if off as he had before. Cole reached for his own marshmallow instead, smiling gently at the thoroughly flustered woman sitting beside him.

************************************************

"Mel, what are you doing?" Cole chuckled from where he sat in front of the fire. He heard something else fall for the second time, quickly followed by a muffled curse from Mel. She didn't sound injured, just frustrated. Still, Cole decided he had better ask just to make sure. "Are you okay, Mel?"

"I'm fine, Cole." She yelled back, her voice coming from deep inside the closet across the room in the alcove designated as the bedroom of the cabin. Although Cole found it rather optimistic to consider the space an actual room since there wasn't either a wall dividing it or a door to close. It was just a section of the cabin sporting a low ceiling with a double bed tucked under it.

Mel was dragging things off of the shelves of the closet and inspecting them. Cole had elected to read the new novel he had purchased, intending to finish it tonight while Mel slept. It was written by one of his favorite authors, Jayne Ann Krentz, a wonderful author that Mel had somehow managed to overlook when presenting him with a list of the greatest authors to read. Cole liked the female characters she created. Most of them reminded him a bit of Mel in one way or another.

"I can't believe it! I haven't seen this game in years! I forgot we had it up here." Mel chattered away as she carried a dusty box back over to the living area and sank into the small couch beside Cole's chair. "Look at this, Cole. Isn't this fantastic?"

Cole looked up from his book and observed the pajama-clad Mel coughing from the dust she had just disturbed by opening the lid of the game. "This was so much fun when I was a kid. I loved this game. I was good at it too." She laughed, smiling at Cole.

Mel was wearing silky pajamas that seemed to rustle and slide over her body every time she made the smallest movement. The sleepwear was a deep purple color that reminded the Cirronian of certain times when the lights on Cirron 17's atmosphere appeared much the same hue. The Tracker liked the way Mel looked in them. He liked the way they sounded against her skin when she gestured. And he had a strong suspicion that if he could run his hands over Mel's body while she was wearing those pajamas, he would really develop an appreciation for them!

Cole smiled warmly at her. "What kind of game is it, Mel?"

"Twister." She answered with a bright laugh.

Cole closed his book, not bothering to mark his page, knowing he would be able to open it to the correct page later after Mel had drifted off to sleep. "Do you want me to play it with you?"

At first, Mel looked shocked at his suggestion; but then a sly smile began to make its way across her tempting lips. "It's not the sort of game you'd enjoy, Cole."

The Cirronian felt a stir of desire when Mel smiled at him in that way. His male signature was once again demonstrating to him that he was as capable of participating in human mating rituals as the next human male, more so, if he were completely truthful. Cirronian physiology would give him an added advantage in such a mating, he knew.

Smiling sweetly at Mel, Cole placed his book on the table beside his chair and stood. "I have enjoyed most of the things you have shown me this weekend, Mel. I learn very quickly, remember?"

She brushed her wild curls out of her face with her left hand and grinned back at him. "You might regret this one, Cole." She taunted with a feminine chuckle.

His amusement grew. "Must this game be played outside in the cold?"

She shook those same curls that were tempting him and laughed. "No. It's an inside game."

"Then I won't mind playing it." Cole assured her, extending a hand to help her off the couch.

Mel debated the matter for only a few seconds and then that competitive streak she had been blessed or cursed with took control of the situation.

"Okay. Why not?" She laughed confidently. "But I did warn you it isn't your type of game and that I used to be a champ at it. Remember that."

The Tracker's smile was indulgent. "You think you will beat me, don't you?"

"I know it." Her blue-green eyes sparkled up at him.

"We'll see, Mel." He replied with a wink.

Five minutes later when Cole was positioned over Mel's soft body, in the process of placing his left hand on an available green located directly under her cute bum, the Tracker wondered what on earth he had ever done that would have given Mel the idea he wouldn't enjoy this type of game.

"Can you reach it, Cole?" Mel asked curiously.

"Yes, Mel." He answered with a huge smile two inches away from her sweet lips.

"Okay, time to spin again. This is the hard part since there is only the two of us and no one else left to spin. I think I can reach the dial though. Remember, if I fall, it doesn't count if I was trying to spin at the time?"

"Yes, Mel." Cole nodded, his lips curved at her third reminder of the same rule they had agreed upon when first initiating the game. Mel didn't like losing, it seemed.

Mel arched her back to make the necessary stretch to the dial, bringing her breasts in even closer contact to the Tracker's broad chest.

Her head turned to the side and Cole took a moment to inhale the delicate scent of her shampoo.

"I like this game, Mel." He commented into the softness of her erratic curls.

"You're good at it." Mel frowned as her fingertips made contact with the dial and she flicked it with her thumb and forefinger. "I had no idea you were this…flexible."

Cole's lips curved. "You are very flexible yourself, Mel."

"Thank you. Uh oh, we have to move left foot on yellow."

Cole already knew how he would approach such a move, having quickly analyzed the pattern on the mat and all available options, but the Cirronian refrained from making his decided move until Mel had chosen which yellow she was going to take and how she was going to arrange her body doing it.

Cole couldn't wait to see what she decided. The positions open to her held some interesting possibilities for the Tracker to enjoy.

Mel selected one he hadn't considered. "I think if I can just get my right foot out from under you, yeah, just like that, then I can put it over here on this circle and then I can flip over and place my left foot on that yellow right there." Mel made the necessary adjustments, smiling gratefully over her shoulder at Cole as he continued to give her an innocent smile of encouragement and arched his body allowing her the extra room she needed during the tricky process.

"Very good, Mel." The Cirronian complimented her on her ingenuity.

Her soft bottom was nestled against his male signature as Mel assumed a position he had once heard Nestov refer to in a film they had watched together as 'doggie-style.'

"Yeah, this works for me right now." She huffed, out of breath from her exhaustive maneuvering. "How about you?" Mel asked, looking behind her at the large male hovering over her.

"It is unusual, but I think I can work with it, Mel." The Cirronian grinned. He moved his foot to a convenient yellow and ended up shadowing her with his body. His lips were dangerously close to the nape of her softly alluring neck.

Cole thought she had a lovely nape. He could feel the silk of her pajamas brush against his body. "I really like this game, Mel. It is far more enjoyable than making snow angels."

"Warmer too." She chuckled.

"Yes, Mel. Much warmer." Cole agreed, shifting his body in a little closer to hers.

"Okay, time to spin again." She groaned.

"Do you want me to do it this time, Mel?"

She thought about it. "Yeah, why don't you? Your reach is probably longer than mine."

The Cirronian couldn't resist teasing her. "Okay, Mel, but if I fall while spinning the dial, it doesn't count."

She made a face he couldn't see since she was beneath him. "I know…I know…" She mumbled under her breath.

The Tracker chuckled, his breath tickling her neck. When he reached over to the dial, his groin rubbed against Mel's backside, prompting a very startled response and almost propelling both of them into a pile on top of the mat.

"Sorry, Cole," Mel mumbled, her hair shading the brilliant red of her face, "I didn't realize you would be so…close, she couldn't say hard, when you…spun."

"Are you okay, Mel?" His gentle inquiry had her looking up at his concerned face.

"Yes, Cole." She assured him nervously.

"Good." He nodded. "Because you have to figure out how from this position you are going to place your right hand on blue."

The Tracker's grin was more than amused, it bordered on outright laughter.

"Blue!" She groaned, dropping her shoulders along with her head.

"Yes, Mel, blue."

"Well, Good Lord! That isn't going to be easy, is it?"

"No, Mel. But it will be entertaining." Cole teased.

"I'm going to have to flip again, aren't I?" She commented more to herself than to Cole.

"I imagine so, Mel." Cole agreed, already enjoying the delightful prospect of her body shifting under his again.

"This blows." She muttered under her breath, attempting the contortionist moves she hadn't executed in more than a few years.

The Cirronian schooled his features in pretense that he hadn't heard her.

When she glanced back at him as she attempted to flip over, still keeping all limbs on appointed colors, the Tracker gave her an innocent look.

"Cole, I'm going to have to temporarily place my leg over your arm, but it will just be for a minute."

"Okay, Mel." He nodded.

"And I'm going to have to face the other direction, head that way." Mel gestured with her bouncing curls to the other end of the mat.

Cole arched his hips and allowed her the room to twist beneath him.

The Tracker looked down and almost chuckled out loud at Mel's configuration. If she turned her head, she'd have a mouthful of zipper.

"Are you sure this is the position you want, Mel?" He asked her sweetly-shaped bum. It was in his face, much to his delight.

"I don't have a lot of choice here, Cole." Mel grunted.

"You could quit." He teased softly.

"No way!" He heard her voice drift upward from the vicinity of his belt.

"Okay, Mel." The Tracker replied with an indulgent smile. "Would you like for me to spin again?"

"If you wouldn't mind, I'm not in the best position to flick anything at the moment."

The Tracker didn't necessarily agree with her assessment of the situation, but he let it go, grinning to himself as he sent the dial spinning to determine their next position. He was really starting to enjoy this game.

"Mel?" He called, looking down at her sweet face when she turned back to look at him.

"Yes?"

"Start working your way up; right hand on red."

"No freaking way!" She shouted at the unpleasant news; her mouth wide open in shock.

The Cirronian wore a huge grin as she twisted beneath him, bumping him in any number of interesting places as she flipped over and turned around, all within the rules of the game.

He heard an exhausted sigh and glanced down just in time to watch as a loose curl hanging in Mel's face got blown to the side. She was now facing him, her back still arched off the ground with all hands and feet properly placed on their respective colors. Cole sensed she was getting tired though. The Tracker gave her another gentle smile. "Are you sure you want to continue playing this game, Mel?"

"Sure." She tossed her curls back confidently, but Cole knew her arms were bound to be very tired at this point. "I'm not calling it quits just yet. Why? Are you afraid I'm going to win?"

His smile grew, as did the tenderness in his expression when he stared into her eyes. "It doesn't matter, Mel. It is just a game. I'm worried that you are going to hurt yourself."

A sincere smile responded to his gentle words. "I'm okay; it's your turn to move."

Cole surveyed his options and went for the one that left him in a position where his mouth was closest to hers. "Your arms will give out on you soon, Mel. I can see them trembling. I sense your exhaustion."

Stubborn as they came, Mel steeled her resolve. "I can handle it a little longer. You must be tired too."

Cole's gaze grew softer. "No, Mel. I can do this for hours. I'm stronger than you are."

She didn't like hearing that and it was reflected on her beautiful face. "That's irritating."

The Tracker grinned. "I'm not the only one with a 'cute factor,' Mel. You are very cute right now too."

Surprised he would say such a thing to her, Mel nervously watched him. "I am?"

"Yes, Mel." Cole assured her.

Mel found herself fascinated by the warmth she read in his eyes. She continued to watch Cole as he slowly bent his head and captured her lips for another kiss.

That was all it took for her arms to give out on her and she crashed down to the twister mat, clasping her arms around his neck and taking Cole with her.

The Cirronian made sure he didn't crush Mel when they fell together, but his lips remained firmly planted on hers, while his groin sought the cradle of her hips, and finding it, spontaneously shifted until he was comfortably positioned in exactly the place he needed to be.

Mel moaned softly and arched her hips against his hard desire. "Cole?" She called his name breathlessly when he brought the electrifying kiss to an end, framing her face with his palms, as he looked lovingly into her beautiful eyes.

"Yes, Mel?"

"You won." She grinned sheepishly up at him.

"I know, Mel." He answered simply, brushing another kiss against her lips a second time.

Mel might have been born stubborn but she wasn't born stupid. There was losing; and then there was losing. All in all, with Cole kissing her, his hard and definitely aroused body deliciously pressed on top of hers, Mel didn't feel as if she had lost anything. In fact, she was fairly certain she was gaining ground.

************************************************

"Mel…" Cole's distinctive voice slowly filtered through the sensuous layers of the erotic dream Mel was having.

She sighed once, rolled over on her back, ignoring the sexy voice in favor of the sexy dream.

"Time to wake up, Mel."

A frustrated feminine growl was the only response the amused Cirronian received in answer.

Mel burrowed deeper into the covers, her lips curving as DreamCole lifted himself off of her and began the slow, sensual removal of her purple silk pajama bottoms. His long fingers were tantalizing slow in their task as they skimmed along her sensitized skin. His lips were nothing if not vigilant in their self-assigned duty of kissing every inch of exposed skin as the purple waistband made its descent.

In contrast to the agonizingly slow removal of her bottoms, DreamCole had made rather fast work of dispensing with her top, freeing her pretty breasts very early on in his calculated seduction of her. Mel could still feel the arousing sensation of cool air lightly blowing across her wet nipples. His mouth had been incredible on her breasts.

DreamCole was looking up at her, his expression promising her that she would be amply rewarded for her concession in allowing the bottoms to be carelessly tossed to the side.

"Mel…open your eyes." The soft instruction registered in her brain about the same time DreamCole slowly parted her legs. Mel looked down at his handsome face, her fingers buried in DreamCole's soft, dark wavy hair, catching his supremely satisfied smile and teasing wink just before he lowered his head…

"Mel! Your cocoa is getting cold."

She didn't think so.

She doubted very much there was any portion of her body that could be termed even remotely cold at that particular moment.

Cole's fingers lightly stroked her exposed throat; Mel jumped, coming awake in a startled movement.

That peculiar spark of electricity he had such a unique way of transmitting to her brought her fully awake.

At the wrong damn time too!  One more minute…if she had just stayed asleep one more minute….oh boy…now that would have been a dream justifying a few blushes when she faced the real Cole!

Shockingly awake and totally flustered, Mel sat up in bed and found herself the object of RealCole's amusement.

"Were you dreaming, Mel?" He asked, his long fingers brushing a few of her more unruly curls out of her eyes. "You seemed reluctant to wake up."

Mel cleared her throat and gave him a weak smile. "Yes, Cole, I was dreaming." She patted the covers down around her waist and tossing her hair out of her face, looked up at the tall, dark, and handsome male specimen sitting beside her on the bed.

Wow! Nice way to wake up; drop dead gorgeous guy on your bed holding a cup of hot cocoa.

His smile was gentle and understanding. "Here's your cocoa, Mel. I made it just like you did yesterday. I thought you might like some this morning. The cabin stays very cool, despite the heater and the fire." He handed her a mug of steaming hot cocoa.

Her smile widened, quickly losing its earlier shyness. "Cocoa in bed…wow, Cole,…a girl could get really used to this." She confessed with a wry grin.

Cole watched her curiously, his expression kind. "I could make hot cocoa for you every morning, Mel, if you would like?"

If she hadn't already known this guy wasn't from Earth, his offer would have sealed it!

Mel's response was a tender look. "Thank you, Cole. But I won't ask that of you. It's a sweet offer though, really sweet."

"Okay, Mel. Perhaps sometimes?" He suggested; his eyes strangely unreadable.

"Yeah…sometimes would be great, Cole." She agreed, taking a sip of the warm drink. Her eyes closed in pleasure as her head fell back against the wooden headboard. "Oh, Cole, not bad for your first try; this tastes delightful." She purred.

"Beginner's Luck." Cole replied.

Her eyes popped open and she gifted him with another tender look of affection.

"I put extra chocolate in it, Mel, because I know how much you like chocolate." He informed her very matter-of-factly.

Mel shook her disheveled curls. "Smart man," she said with a pause, "discovers what a girl really likes and keeps giving it to her."

"Yes, Mel." Cole answered with a strange sparkle to his eyes.

Realizing immediately that her words could be construed in a manner less than seemly, Mel quickly changed the subject. "So…did you read your new book last night while I slept?"

Cole grinned. "Yes, Mel."

"And you stayed warm, by the fire, right?" She asked worriedly.

"Yes, Mel." The Cirronian answered softly.

"Good." She nodded. "I was worried you might become too cold during the night. It gets pretty chilly up here and the cabin heater is old."

"I was fine, Mel." He assured her, his hand reaching for the soft skin exposed near the silk collar of her purple top. "What would you have done if I had gotten too cold?" He asked curiously, his expression puzzled.

Not entirely sure, Mel improvised a suitable answer. "Well, if the fire hadn't been enough to warm you; I suppose I would have had to put you in bed with me." She chuckled nervously. "Body heat is the recommended treatment for hypothermia. Skin to skin contact."

Cole's expression remained difficult to read. Between his look and her own nervousness, Mel began to chatter. "If the fire and the blankets didn't get the job done; than our bodies positioned close together would have generated enough heat to keep you from lapsing into hypothermia."

"Yes, Mel." Cole touched her forehead, the tips of his fingers gently making contact with her soft skin for the briefest of seconds before dropping back down to the covers.

Mel looked closely, but regrettably, the emotions going through his mind were not in his eyes for her to interpret. Deep thoughts from a complicated man, Mel told herself with a soft sigh.

What had Cole been thinking when he touched her like that?

***********************************************

"Mel, there is a small animal on the porch. I'll be right back."

Suddenly worried that Cole might get bit by some as of yet unnamed rabid wild animal; Mel dropped her hairbrush and sprinted for the door. "Cole! Wait!"

The Tracker had already stepped outside on the porch. By the time her frantic eyes located him, he was bestowing a gentle smile and a chocolate chip cookie on a beautiful furry visitor.

The Cirronian's expression was filled with respect for the early afternoon visitor; respect and pleasure at having the opportunity to commune with the creature.

Cole looked up when he heard Mel at the door, excitement coloring his voice. "Mel, look! There is a fox on your grandmother's porch."

Lips curved, Mel nodded. "There certainly is….more than one."

Puzzled, Cole glanced around. "I only see the one, Mel."

Chuckling, Mel grinned and crossed her arms. "I see two."

"I only sense the one other lifeforce." The Cirronian argued softly.

She shook the curls bouncing around her face and changed the subject. "I can't believe he is letting you touch him, Cole. Are you sure he isn't sick? He's not foaming at the mouth or anything, is he?"

"No, Mel. The animal's lifeforce is strong and well, though hungry."

"So you fed him a chocolate chip cookie?" Her lips curved.

"I had it in my hand." Cole shrugged his shoulders. "The creature seemed to approve of it."

"He's a gorgeous red fox. You know I saw a nature channel show about them once. I don't recall chocolate chip cookies being a main staple of their normal diet."

"She likes it." Cole smiled, his hand gently stroking the top of the animal's head as it crunched down on the remains of the cookie.

"She?" Mel's expression doubtful, "You know she is a female?"

"Yes, Mel." Cole replied simply.

"Figures. You do have a way of attracting the females of a species, don't you?"

Cole gave her a puzzled look.

The Tracker sensed it was another one of those times when Mel's sense of humor had come into play.

"Mel, could you please go inside and get her a second cookie?" Cole asked politely.

"How about I try to find something else for her, something more along the lines of what she would normally eat?" Mel asked; her head shaking as she turned around and headed for the door.

"Okay, Mel, but bring another cookie too. She likes them."

Mel stopped, dropped her head and looked over her shoulder at the handsome Cirronian petting the red fox. "Like I said this morning; smart man; discovers what a girl likes and keeps giving it to her." Mel chuckled at her own joke and went inside the cabin in search of fox food and another cookie.

Cole watched the sway of her hips with sparkling eyes.

************************************************

Thirty minutes later, the visiting fox well-fed and on her way back to her home, Mel gazed out the window at the continuing snowfall and sighed. "It's so beautiful."

"Yes, very beautiful." Cole agreed softly, never bothering to take his eyes off of Mel. He had seen ice and snowfalls many times before. But watching a calm and centered Mel was another matter entirely. It wasn't a sight the Cirronian was granted all that often.

Mel tended to become nervous when they were alone together for any length of time. At first, the Cirronian had suspected that despite her assurances to the contrary, Mel was worried he might decide to harm her in some fashion. He was an alien, after all.

But now, having known Mel for a time, and after sensing her lifeforce and emotions on an almost daily basis, Cole understood exactly why Mel acted the way she did around him. The realization brought another smile to the Tracker's face.

Mel became nervous around him for one reason; because she viewed him as a male capable of mating with her, one not just capable of it, but one who might be very interested in doing so, if properly instructed and given the opportunity.

In other words, the Tracker decided, Mel grew nervous because she was a very intelligent woman with a perceptiveness keener than most.

Cole's smile slipped a little. In fact, Mel sensed more of him and his emotions than he would have given any other human credit for. If she were Cirronian, he could understand it, naturally, he told himself. Cirronian women were supposed to sense when a Cirronian male was interested in just them.

But human females shouldn't have picked up on his attraction so easily.

Mel had.

Even if she didn't completely understand why she behaved so nervously around him, aside from her normal personality, a part of her had definitely picked up on his sexual interest.

And she was trying so hard to not act on it because he had specifically told her that they couldn't…not when he still had fugitives to track.

Cole's eyes slowly dipped down to the elegant curve of Mel's sweet female signatures and the way they filled out the front of her soft green shirt, and reminded himself again that he really needed to speak with Mel on that particular subject.

He should inform her he had definitely changed his mind.

Mel looked away from the window and smiled brightly at him. "Are you up to taking another walk in the snowfall, Cole? I'd love to get out in it again. We leave tomorrow and it is just so beautiful."

Worried he might feel pressured by her request; Mel was quick to add, "But if you don't want to, I perfectly understand, Cole. I mean it is very cold and you are sensitive to being cold and I'll be fine walking by myself. You can stay inside by the fire and keep warm and I wouldn't mind at all, really I wouldn't."

Cole gave her a crooked smile. "I want to go with you, Mel. I would not wish for you to walk alone in the woods."

"Great! Let's get bundled up and go out. We only have an hour at most before it's dark again. We'll head in a different direction than yesterday. I'll show you the pond I used to swim in during the summer and skate on in the winter."

"Okay, Mel." Cole smiled, brushing her hand gently as he stood.

Tiny shivers of awareness rolled through her at the brief contact. Mel drew a steadying breath. Cole had certainly become more attentive to her needs this trip, not that he wasn't normally, she admitted silently; but he was so much more inclined to indulge her wishes lately, just as he seemed more interested in bestowing telling little caresses on her as if it were the most natural thing in the world for him to reach out and touch her so lovingly with such open adoration.

It was having quite an effect on her. Mel shook off the lingering desire his touch had inspired and stood up to retrieve her coat, smiling at Cole as he helped her into it.

The gallant Cirronian escorted his lady through the snow-covered wooded setting for several minutes, making the little trek in a hushed silence that seemed most fitting for the reverence of the area and their corresponding deep thoughts.

Finally, Mel took his arm in hers and whispered softly. "Look, Cole, over there! See the deer."

The Tracker's face lit up at the sight of the wildlife. "Yes, Mel." He replied softly. "They are beautiful."

"Uh huh." Mel agreed. "Bambi." She grinned up at him and the curls not trapped by her hat, bounced around her shoulders. "I named every deer I spotted when I was little 'Bambi.'"

Cole gave her a tender smile. "You have enjoyed this weekend up here, haven't you, Mel? Remembering all the things you did when you were a child?"

She laid her head against the thick coat covering his shoulders, leaned against him and softly sighed. "Yeah, I guess I really have. I put it off too long, Cole. I should have driven up here sooner, but a part of me just couldn't do it so soon after Grandmother died."

He nodded sympathetically. "It's a difficult thing to do, Mel. It means we have accepted and are prepared to move on."

Her eyes quickly filled with tears. "I know you understand, Cole. More than anyone else could, I think. And I'm sorry that understanding of yours was born at such a painful price."

Mel swallowed the lump caught in her throat and gazed intently into his dark eyes. "I know you have had to accept, Cole, but do you believe you are prepared to move on? Is your mind open to starting a new life?" The end of her question was more mumbled than clearly spoken, so much so that the Tracker had to bend low to hear her.

Before he had a chance to answer her, Mel rushed on, "I've been waiting for the signal, you know, when I know in my mind that the time is right." She laughed without humor. "How does that work exactly, I wonder? Does your mind just up and yell at you one day, 'hey, time to accept, go on, start over, get back to living and being happy'?"

His half-smile was tender as he reached for her throat, his fingers digging past the barrier of her scarf so that he might touch her skin and transmit soothing energy to her. "Yes, Mel, in a way, it does. But in my case, I fear it was my heart telling me it was time to start again and not my mind. And it wasn't yelling, it comes as more of a whisper."

His knowing look left her trembling. Those amazing hands of his were doing their best, but this time, Mel was positive it had been the look in his eyes and not her own fears making her knees weak and her stomach clench.

Those amazingly beautiful eyes of his. At certain times they could be more dangerous than his collector. "Your heart?" She stumbled over the words.

"Yes, Mel." His right hand was still caressing her throat, but his left hand came up to lay his palm against her heart. "My heart."

Mel closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving into the spontaneous urge to hug him, and keep on holding him. The Tracker returned her rushed embrace, enfolding her in his warmth and strong hold. "Mel." He whispered her name reverently as he enjoyed the scent of her shampoo every bit as much as he enjoyed the feel of her in his arms. All of it spelled Mel to him.

Mel had no true desire to let go of him and judging by his reaction, Cole would have gladly continued to hold her for hours if need be, if she had given the indication that was what she truly desired from him, but eventually, after a couple of minutes, Mel knew she had to break off the comforting hug and meet his perceptive gaze.

It took no small amount of courage because Mel was very afraid her own face revealed far too much of her emotions. "Okay!" Mel cleared her throat and smiled up at Cole as her arms fell from around his neck. "We still have to see the pond before we head back to the cabin." Her voice was falsely perky, but the Tracker only smiled indulgently at her and nodded his agreement.

Mel started walking. "Follow me." She said over her shoulder.

"Always, Mel." Cole answered in a whispered baritone.

They reached the bank of the pond a few minutes later. Mel's emotions were calmer as she glimpsed the familiar body of water from her childhood. It was iced over, adding to her delight. "It's just like I remembered, Cole."

"Yes, Mel." He sighed, eyeing his cold and icy surroundings. Mel would have been content on Enix, the Tracker theorized, if it weren't for that Enixian custom of burying the female in ice prior to mating, she'd probably welcome the opportunity to visit the frozen planet. The Tracker glanced at Mel for a moment and grinned at the image. Remembering her reaction to an Enixian's true form; perhaps not.

While Cole was debating whether Mel would be at home on Enix, Mel had taken the opportunity to step carefully out onto the ice.

When the Tracker realized what she was doing, he became alarmed. "Mel!"

"It's okay, Cole. I know what I'm doing. I grew up in Chicago during the winter. I know how to test the ice to see if it can hold me. Don't worry."

He didn't take her advice.

The Tracker watched her and worried.

Mel made her way further out into the center of the small pond. She was quite a few feet away from the bank when she stopped, and grinning at Cole, waved her arms over her head. "See! I should have brought my skates." She yelled with a burst of feminine laughter. "I could teach you how to skate, Cole. If you got really good, we could put on a show and call it 'Cirronians on Ice'. We could sell tickets so people could watch you zip around."

"Mel…" Cole shook his head. "Come back here." He told her in a firm voice he seldom used with Mel.

"Come and get me." She taunted playfully.

"Mel…" Cole began requesting once again that she return to the safety of land when he heard an ominous crack. He caught the panicked expression on Mel's face just before the ice broke up beneath her and she plunged into the freezing pond.

"Mel! Mel!" Cole shouted her name and began running toward her, stopping when he reached the ice as he considered the best way to rescue her without sending himself into the water as well.

Mel had surfaced by the time his eyes had looked back up to search for her. "Cole…." She called in a weak voice, trying to pull herself up onto the ice. But Cole saw that it kept breaking away, dunking her into the chilly water each time she was half-way out. "Cole…" Mel pleaded softly, her teeth chattering his name, unable to manage any more words. She felt as if the breath had been sucked out of her, along with most of her strength. She had never experienced such a painful numbness.

"I'm coming, Mel." Cole assured her in a forceful voice, somehow lending a portion of his own strength to her.

That was his Tracker voice, as Mel liked to refer to it in her mind. It was the voice of a man who never quit, never stopped, and always achieved what he set out to do.

Still struggling with the ice breaking away all around her, Mel drew comfort from hearing that determined tone to his voice.

Cole would save her. She just had to find a way to stay alive until he could.

Mel couldn't believe how cold her body felt. The shock of falling into such freezing water hit her fast and hard. It was colder than she ever imagined anything could be. It literally took her breath away, which in retrospect, she supposed was a good thing, considering she had gone under water and not being of Nodulian origin, wasn't prone to breathing in aquatic conditions.

Mel made a grab for another section of the ice and found it breaking beneath her. Teeth chattering, she struggled once again for something solid to hold onto until Cole could reach her. She was so cold and numb. Mel couldn't feel her legs. She wasn't even sure the effort she was making to tread water was working. Her arms were stiff and each attempt she made to move them brought on tremendous physical pain, sharp daggers of pain that radiated up her arms. Her arms and legs felt so heavy.

Mel could feel her legs pulling her down. All her strength had been exhausted. She remembered thinking she must hold on a little longer so that Cole could save her; but that thought became as difficult to grasp as those shattering pieces of ice she had been trying to climb up onto; her thoughts became as fuzzy and numb as the rest of her.

She was going under.

Again.

And Mel knew she wouldn't resurface this time.

Her last thought before the icy water closed over the top of her head was how very much she would miss Cole.

She hoped he didn't love her after all because she'd hate for him to have to grieve for another lost woman he had loved. That thought echoed in her mind as she sank into the depths of a pond she had always loved as a child. Mel supposed as far as places to die went; it was as good as any.

Cole watched Mel go under as he stepped out onto the cracking ice. Dread coursed through him. She wouldn't come back up. He sensed it. He had to reach her now.

The Cirronian looked down at the breaking ice around his feet and raised his hand, opening hyperspeed. He quickly reached the hole where Mel had fallen through and grabbed the icy feminine hand sinking just beneath the surface.

Cole pulled a limp and unconscious Mel out of the freezing water and tossed her over his shoulder as he negotiated the walk back to the bank. Once safely on firm ground, Cole closed hyperspeed and examined the woman in his arms.

Mel immediately started coughing, violently spitting up the water she had swallowed. Her eyes opened and surprise was in them. "I'm alive?" She coughed the weak question, her lips blue and her face devoid of all color except for a stark whiteness Cole found worrisome. Even the cute freckles Cole had come to adore appeared washed out and almost invisible as she started shivering and her head fell back against his arms. "I forgot about hyperspeed." She mumbled, her words a weak whisper. "Or I wouldn't have worried so much." She added, her eyes attempting to smile into Cole's concerned gaze even though her face felt too frozen to accomplish the task.

"Mel…" Cole lifted Mel up into his arms, securing her in his tight embrace. "We have to get you back to the warm cabin, Mel."

"Please." Her teeth chattered as she shakily looped her arms around the Cirronian's neck.

Cole flinched, drawing a sharp breath at the alarming coldness of her touch. "Mel? You are too cold for a human."

She closed her eyes as she buried her face into his neck, drawing as much warmth from him as she could. "Uh huh." She mumbled weakly. Cole shot her a worried look as he carried her through the woods and back to the cabin.

When Mel closed her eyes and didn't so much as mumble an unintelligible response as he called her name, the Cirronian's worry increased tenfold and he opened hyperspeed a second time, taxing his abilities to the max, but determined to cover as much ground as he could before Mel's body temperature dropped any further.

Hypothermia. That was the term used to describe this unnatural coldness of Mel's body. Mel worried about it striking him all the time because of his Cirronian nature, but now it had become his primary concern for her.

He had to warm Mel as soon as possible.

When it became too much for his alien strength and Cole was finally forced to close hyperspeed, he was only a few feet away from the cabin. Cole knew he wouldn't be able to use hyperspeed again for probably more than one solar day, more likely closer to two, but it had been worth it. He could now get Mel inside the cabin and her body temperature raised that much sooner.

The Tracker carried his precious partner inside the cabin, kicking the door shut with his foot upon entering, reluctant to lose even the smallest fraction of heat the old stingy heater felt inclined to part with.

Cole placed a dripping wet Mel down in front of the fireplace. "Mel!" He called her name as he began unbuttoning the heavy soggy coat covering her. "Mel! Wake up, Mel. We are in the cabin, by the fire." Cole jerked his gloves off and tugged the drenched hat off of Mel's sweet curls. Her hair was stuck to her head in wet ringlets that felt almost frozen when his fingers brushed against them.

She rolled her head in the direction of the fireplace and moaned but her eyes never opened.

The Tracker didn't interpret her response to be a favorable one. "Mel? Please open your eyes." He asked softly, his fingers making quick work of her dispensing with her coat. He pulled her up off the floor and into his arms as he worked the coat sleeves off of her. "Mel…I need you to talk to me, Mel. Please." His voice trembled.

Her eyelashes fluttered open and Cole stopped his actions long enough to give her an encouraging smile. "That's it, Mel. Open your eyes. Let me see your pretty eyes, Mel."

"I'm not dead." She whispered; her lashes closing again.

Cole shook his head vehemently. "No, Mel. You are not dead. You will not die! I will not allow it."

Her eyes opened again, the beginnings of a partial smile appeared across her blue lips. "I'll remember that." She replied in a throaty whisper.

Cole gave her a relieved smile. "You do that, Mel. You remember that you can't die. You have to stay with me." Always, he added silently to himself.

"Okay." She mumbled, struggling to keep her eyes open for him. "C-C-Cole…I'm sooo c-c-cold."

"You're in front of the fire, Mel. What else should I do?"

She tried to answer him, triggering another round of coughing she didn't have the strength for, before finally saying in a faint voice. "Strip."

His puzzled look quickly transformed into a disapproving frown. "Mel… this isn't the time and besides, there's no music for me to dance to."

Mel didn't believe it was possible for a half-dead, virtually frozen female to find the ability to laugh, but that was exactly what she did; sort of; a weak chuckle anyway. "Not you…me."  She managed to mumble.

A strange look passed over Cole's face before he nodded. "Your wet clothes. They must come off. Of course, Mel, they are lowering your body temperature even more." He sat back on his heels and waited. "Take them off, Mel. I won't look. I'll watch the fire instead." He suggested kindly, turning to stare into the flames exactly as he promised he would.

Mel's fingers fumbled with the buttons on her shirt for five seconds before giving up and flopping down to her sides. "I can't. They won't work. They're numb. I'm so cold, Cole." She cried softly, curling into herself.

The Tracker's expression grew determined. "Those clothes must come off, Mel. We need to get you warmed up." He looked around the cabin before shooting to his feet again. "Stay here, Mel. I'm going to gather some things to warm you."

"I'm not going anywhere." She muttered sarcastically, closing her eyes as she began to violently shiver.

Cole shook his head at her reply and began searching for quilts and blankets. He raided the closets and then jerked the ones off the bed, but upon seeing the mattress uncovered, was struck with a thought. Well, if the fire hadn't been enough to warm you, I suppose I would have had to put you in bed with me. Body heat is the recommended treatment for hypothermia. Skin to skin contact.

The Tracker stared at the mattress for only a moment before looking back up at Mel lying so icy cold by the fire.

Decision made, the Cirronian easily lifted the mattress off the bed and carried it over to the space in front of the fire. "Here, Mel, I brought you a mattress." He laid it beside her and began spreading the blankets back on it.

She opened her eyes and tried to smile. "I don't think it's my size." She quipped rather pitifully through chattering teeth.

Cole grinned at her. If Mel were able to make a joke, then she must be doing better. The Cirronian ran his hand a few inches above her chest, expecting to find a much stronger lifeforce than before. His responding look of grave concern would have worried Mel if she had been able to keep her eyes open long enough to see it.

Mel was not any stronger than when he had carried her inside. The Tracker frowned at this disturbing news.

"Mel, I'm going to undress you now." He told her gently, his expression grim. "You are not as warm as you should be."

"I could have told you that." The remark would have been funnier if she had been able to smile when saying it.

Cole frowned as he stared down at her lovely body; so wet and cold in front of him, undecided as to which piece of clothing he should remove first.

He decided to start with Mel's boots and socks. Mel had never displayed much modesty concerning her feet. It seemed a good enough place to start as any to the sensitive Cirronian.

As Cole pulled her socks off, his fingers automatically flinched when they made contact with the freezing temperature of her skin. "Mel…your skin is much too cold." He announced with a shocked voice.

"Uh huh, all of me is." She told him softly, gasping when his warm hands covered her feet. She was so chilled the warm Cirronian touch was almost painful to her.

She moaned softly.

Cole looked up at her; his expression unreadable. Spotting one of the blankets in the closest chair, Cole grabbed it and wrapped Mel's feet in it as he moved over her. "Mel, I'm going to take off your shirt."

Cole didn't wait for a response. His fingers immediately went to the top button of her shirt but stopped when his eyes noticed exactly how many tiny buttons there were on the feminine piece of clothing. "Mel, why would you buy a shirt with this many buttons? It will take forever to get this off of you."

"It's the style." She muttered, opening her eyes briefly to let him know she was grateful for his assistance, even if she were a bit embarrassed about it.

Cole stared at the array of buttons before him and promptly ripped the shirt open, exposing Mel's bra and icy skin to the cabin air. "It's ruined, Mel. It's time we got you some more clothes anyway." He remarked in a strong voice.

She had to smile at his words even if it did take more effort than she felt she possessed, silently acknowledging that Cole had thrown her own words back at her. She was feeling too weak to comment on it now but she would later. If she lived.

Cole studied the paleness of her face as he waited for Mel to remark on the way he had disposed of her shirt. When she failed to do so, the Tracker decided it was time to finish the job. The threat to Mel's health was too serious to waste time on matters of modesty and wardrobe. Yet Cole eyed the thin bra, wet as it was, now transparent, and wondered how Mel was going to handle the fact he was about to expose her female signatures.

It couldn't be helped, he knew. The wet and chilly piece of clothing had to go if he were going to be successful in warming her temperature back to where it should be.

Cole studied the strangely feminine contraption for a moment before noticing the clasp in the center. After a moment's quick analysis, his fingers expertly flicked the clasp open in a matter of mere seconds. Cole slowly peeled the wet silk off of Mel's pale breasts, revealing erect pink nipples. Her skin was a translucent white the Tracker found extremely appealing, especially in contrast to the pretty pink of her breasts.

He hoped Mel wouldn't freak out over him admiring her but he was strangely compelled to touch one breast, finding it to be a mysterious human trait he had little knowledge of in comparison to other aspects of the human form that had become quite familiar to him, masculine aspects. This feminine signature was a different matter.

When his warm palm covered her cold nipple, Mel's eyes fluttered back open and she moaned softly. "Ah…so warm."

The Tracker's thoughts concerning human sexuality quickly vanished as he touched her skin once again and realized her body temperature was still dangerously too chilled. "Mel, you are not warm enough yet." He remarked in a shaky voice.

Mel didn't answer him, but she arched her back so that her breasts would stay in contact with his warm palm.

So be it; the Tracker decided, quickly covering both of her breasts with his hands, transmitting warm Cirronian healing energy into them as he did.

"Oh….yes….yes… so warm." Mel purred, her hands going to his to hold them in place.

Nodding to himself that his actions had been correct and that he was making progress in reviving Mel back to her previous healthy state, Cole kept his hands on her breasts a little longer as he contemplated how best to continue the process.

His dark eyes studied the wet jeans Mel was wearing; heavy, cold, wet, fabric, leeching all of the heat out of her system.

Cole moved down her body and began unbuckling her belt, efficiently and without informing her of what he planned to do next.

"Cole?" He heard her call his name in a weak voice.

"Yes, Mel." He answered, unzipping her pants.

"I'm still cold. Come back." She mumbled, missing the warmth of his hands on her chest.

"I will, Mel. Just let me get your jeans off first, okay."

He sounded like DreamCole. Mel sighed and fell back into the drowsy sleep she had been fading in and out of since she had fallen through the ice.

Somewhere in her mind she remembered that sleepiness came with hypothermia and was a warning sign. But knowing that and caring about it were two different matters when you were cold and sleepy. She was content to fall back asleep.

Cole managed to peel Mel's wet jeans off her long slender legs, taking note as he did that her white skin was marked with purple and blue veins. She was still much too cold.

Cole contemplated the last piece of clothing left on Mel; her panties; very wet panties.

They had to go, the Tracker knew, but actually removing the final barrier between Mel's modesty and his full and intimate knowledge of her body was a step he had to take a moment to consider first.

"Mel?" He called her name, hoping she would answer him.

"Hmm?" It was a soft answer, but sounded coherent and that fact pleased the Tracker.

"Your panties are wet and need to come off, Mel." He told her gently.

"They're cold, take them off, Cole." She answered simply, turning her face toward the heat of the fireplace.

"Yes, Mel." He gave her a gentle smile as his fingers reached for the band. But Cole paused and asked, "Mel? Why are there pictures of little candy hearts on your panties?"

"February. It's February, Cole." She mumbled the answer to his question as if it fully explained everything he needed to know.

Puzzled, the Tracker nodded as if it did when it really didn't, and slowly peeled the wet candy hearts down her smooth legs and over her ankles. His heart skipped a beat when springy reddish curls brushed against his knuckles. Human physiology was very strange at times; the Cirronian thought to himself, drawing a steadying breath, and tossing the wet panties on the hearth by the fire before gazing at a completely nude Mel illuminated only by the yellow firelight.

Beautiful. Exquisitely Beautiful.

And Cold. Very, Very Cold.

Cole reached for the blanket on the mattress and covered Mel with it.

Skin to skin contact.

Her words echoed in his head.   

Guess he wasn't wrong after all? He told himself ruefully. It was time for him to strip.

Mel needed warmth from skin to skin contact, and Cole's grin was wry when he acknowledged silently that there wasn't any other person on Earth with warmer skin than his own Cirronian variety.

The Tracker shrugged out of his coat and began pulling his sweater off over his head.

Mel opened her eyes just for a moment and saw Cole stepping out of his pants; she smiled softly. This was one of her better dreams. Cole in nothing but his white briefs was always a pleasant treat.

Cole lifted Mel into his arms and placed her blanket-wrapped body onto the mattress on the side closest to the fire. He proceeded to scoot the mattress as close to the hearth as he dared before reaching for a second quilt and lying down beside her.

Not sure how Mel would react to his next move, Cole very carefully unwrapped the blanket secured around Mel and began to pull her chilly but immensely sweet body close to his.

Skin to skin contact.

Afraid Mel might fly into a nervous tailspin when she woke up and discovered he was also naked, Cole gently ran his fingers down her throat, instilling calming energy into her weak lifeforce. "Mel, you need to stay close to me so that you will become warmer."

Cole half-expected Mel to leap out of his arms when their naked bodies touched, and was prepared to keep her from rolling into the fire and burning herself if she tried.

What the Tracker hadn't expected when their bodies glided against each other was a chilly naked Mel attaching herself to his warmer body in some hurried-parasitic-type frenzy.

"Ahh…" She softly cooed, burrowing her cold face into his neck. "So warm…Cole…warm."

The Tracker discovered to his delight, it wasn't going to take any coaxing on his part what-so-ever to entice Mel to keep her naked body next to his Cirronian warmth.

She was all over him. He wasn't sure he could pry her off if he tried.

Aside from the initial shock of her significantly colder skin touching his, the Cirronian found the whole process of holding a naked Mel against his own nudity rather stimulating.

Mel snuggled down into the warmth of his arms, abandoning her earlier position to opt for placing her head on his shoulder as his arms came up around her, embracing her in his warm hold. It took a moment of her sliding her freezing feet up and down his legs before she apparently decided on burying them in-between his legs. She bent one knee and placed it over his groin, coming in close proximity to his 'ahem,' Cole noted.

Cole ran his warm hands up and down the cool skin of her arms and back as Mel nestled into him, softly moaning her approval every time his hands covered chilly territory he had not found before.

Mel sleepily opened her eyes, leaned back to look at him, and smiling softly at him, kissed his chest with her cold bluish lips. "Thank you, Cole." She murmured.

"You're welcome, Mel." Cole replied in a tender voice as his fingers ran the length of her curved spine, transferring a warming healing energy to her.

Between his warm skin, the fire, the blankets and quilts, and his Cirronian ability to transmit healing energy, Cole felt that the danger to Mel had passed.

He could already sense the improvement in the strength of her lifeforce since he had pulled her into his arms and started stroking her skin.

"Mmm…" Mel purred, her leg shifting slightly and coming in contact with a very warm, extremely erect 'ahem.'

Cole's eyebrow arched and his hands ceased their caresses as he waited to see how Mel would react to the less than subtle indication of his strong desire for her.

Her cold hand wrapped around his signature, prompting a shocked gasp from the Cirronian. "Mel?" He choked on her name. "What are you doing, Mel?" He managed to say after a moment's pause, when her hand remained exactly where it was.

"Warming my hands." She mumbled wearing a small curve to her lips as she affectionately kissed his chest again. "Do you mind?" She politely asked.

Wearing a look of consideration, Cole finally answered. "I don't think so."

"I'm feeling better, Cole." Mel whispered.

"I am too, Mel." Cole replied, arching his hips slightly into her grasp.

She opened her eyes and gazed up at his handsome face. "Kiss me, Cole." She pleaded sweetly. "My lips are so cold and yours are so warm." Her smile was a knowing one and Cole's heart began to beat faster.

He gave her an amused smile. "Is your hand going to stay where it is, Mel?"

Her sleepy look turned a bit playful. "I was thinking about it, if you don't mind. It's very warm where it is right now, almost hot, really. And my hands have been so very cold."

His eyes held hers, humor radiating from them. "Yes, Mel."

"Are you going to kiss me or not?" She whispered, her hand giving him a slight squeeze of encouragement.

The Tracker closed in on her mouth, nibbling on her chilly lips until he had them sufficiently warmed. "Better, Mel?"

Mel purred. "Your lips are wonderful, Cole." Shifting a little, she bit her bottom lip and gave him a sly smile. "You know, Cole, my female signatures are really cold too."

His hands immediately came up to cup them like he had done before. "Does this help?"

Mel closed her eyes and nodded, reveling in the warmth and the desire his touch inspired. "A kiss or two wouldn't hurt either." She added. "Just to warm them up."

Cole's smile was amused as he nodded in the affirmative. "Of course, Mel." Cole replied as his arms flipped Mel back against the mattress, covering her with his much larger body while his mouth forged a trail of Cirronian-heated kisses down her throat and across her pale breasts.

Releasing a contented sigh when his warm lips closed around her left nipple, his hot tongue circling the tip, Mel arched her back and opened her legs so that his hips could fall into place, warming the rest of her. "You know, Cole, there's another game I've always wanted to play and never have. Something tells me you would be quite good at it."

Cole's mouth released the sweet tip of Mel's breast as he shot her a quick grin. "What is that, Mel?"

"Naked Twister." She answered with a feminine giggle and a saucy look, throwing her thoroughly warmed arms around his neck and bringing his mouth up to hers for a passionate kiss.

Cole pretended to allow her the demanded kiss, but suddenly stopped, his lips barely an inch away from hers before pulling back. "Okay, Mel, but remember if I fall while spinning, it doesn't count." His eyes were laughing at her.

Rolling her eyes, Mel couldn't stop her responding chuckle. "I know, I know…but you know what, Cole, you are so flexible, I don't think it's going to be a problem. And besides, didn't you tell me you could play Twister for hours?" Her bright eyes twinkled back at him.

"Yes, Mel." Cole answered, finally giving her the kiss she demanded, and a whole lot more.

The End