A/N: First, I grovel for taking so long to get this part up. Life is hectic, I have had several projects (writing and paid work!) going on recently and the dreaded writer's block struck. I'm aiming to get this whole story finished by the end of August. Second I won't be reposting the NC-17 original of this story anywhere. This is a rewrite/re-edit -- and from this point on, it's almost a completely different story. Third, no, I have no plans to write Eric's side of the story; Taylor's is proving hard enough! Fourth, thank you to the anonymous reviewer who enquired about my back -- it's a whole heap better now and (touch wood) staying that way. Last and by no means least, thank you to Jonathan and Vanessa for taking a look over this and offering up beta comments and thank you and huge hugs to Gamine for beta'ing, prodding, poking and generally being an all round lovely person.

~*~

Fire and Ice: Second Thoughts

Taylor slowly made her way through the Animarium to the waterfall, intending to have a nice, relaxing swim.

I can't believe we got beaten like that!

To say the battle with the Mutorgs had gone badly was perhaps the understatement of the year, if not the decade. It had been disastrous. Nothing they had done had made the slightest bit of difference. But for the arrival of Jen -- Wes' girlfriend unless Taylor missed her guess -- they would have definitely been toast, and even with her arrival they had still come away from the battle bruised and battered.

Reaching the pool and cascade, Taylor shrugged out of her clothing and slipped into the temperate water. As the assorted aches and pains slowly bled away in the soothing warmth of the water, so Taylor's mind slowly turned to other matters. Like where she stood with Eric.

Taylor smiled wryly as she slowly swam towards the cascade. Therein lay the sixty-four thousand dollar question, so the saying went. On the one hand, she knew her own feelings. She wasn't in love, not the whole way, but her feelings were definitely deeper than a surface lust -- and if she'd been in any doubt about that, her reaction to sight of Eric down and injured thanks to a blast of energy from one of the Mutorgs would have cured that.

On the other hand, she didn't know for certain how Eric felt. There was certainly lust. That much was obvious -- particularly given his rather unique mode of 'shutting her up'! But was it anything more than that? Did he want anything more than that?

And since the battle, the chance for any kind of private discussion had been limited in the extreme. First everyone else had been around -- there was no way Taylor was risking being interrupted by Max -- then Eric had gone off somewhere with Wes and Jen, presumably to catch up. Now she'd vanished from the temple. Then again, when she'd left, there had been no sign of Eric having returned.

Need to make an opportunity, Taylor decided, ducking under the surface of the pool. But how?

She kicked for the surface again and was instantly aware of not being alone. She knew it wouldn't be Danny, Max or Cole -- they knew better than to come down here when she was swimming unless they'd been invited. Jen and Wes were very unlikely to know about this place. Alyssa was a possibility, but she too tended to respect Taylor's privacy. All of which meant...

Dashing the water out of her eyes, she looked.

"Alyssa said I might find you here," Eric said softly. He was casually leaning against a tree at the edge of the clearing. "I'm not interrupting, am I?"

His words seemed strangely out of character. Or maybe this is the real Eric Myers. Under any other circumstances, Taylor knew she would be furious at the intrusion, but somehow the fact that it was Eric made it seem all right. "Just enjoying some peace and quiet." Taylor swam back towards the bank. "Why don't you join me?"

"I don't think that would be a good idea."

Taylor's eyebrows rose. "Mind telling me why?"

Eric sighed. "I came down here to apologise for this morning..."

"You don't have to."

Ignoring her comment, he continued, "And to tell you I'll keep out of your way."

"And again: Why?"

"I shouldn't have done that," he replied. "I took advantage of you. That was wrong. I'm sorry. This morning shouldn't have happened."

"Why?" Taylor repeated, trying to swallow the hurt that was welling up at his words. "What's changed since this morning that you've suddenly decided you were taking advantage?" No response. "Damn it, Eric. I think I deserve a straight answer. This morning you wanted to jump me, now you won't even look at me. What's changed?"

"This morning was a mistake. I..." He stopped. "I should go."

"No...no you shouldn't." Taylor started to lever herself from the pool, only to remember she was completely naked. Until she knew exactly what track Eric was on, she wasn't about to bare all.

She thought she saw his mouth twitch, presumably as he realised her state of undress. She half waited for him to teasingly say 'stop me'. But he didn't. The embryonic smirk died. "I should go."

"Look," said Taylor, desperation and hurt warring in her voice, "at least tell me what it was I did."

He looked pole-axed by that. "You?!" There was a long pause. "You didn't do anything." He sighed. "It's not your fault. It's mine."

Taylor stared. This conversation seemed to be heading in a huge circle. "Oh no. No, no, no. If you tell me one more time that you 'took advantage', so help me I will get out of this pool and shake you until your teeth rattle. I want a straight answer, Myers."

"I can't do this."

"Oh yes you damn well can."

Eric looked abashed. "I meant that was the straight answer."

Taylor's eyebrows rose. "If you think that's a straight answer, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn I can sell you." He had the grace to look sheepish. She sighed. "Look. I'm fast turning into a prune here, but this conversation is not done." Eric looked resigned. "Turn around."

Somehow, it didn't surprise her when he did as she asked without a murmur. As quickly as she could, she heaved herself out of the pool and wrapped herself tightly in the big, fluffy, yellow towel she'd brought with her.

"OK." Eric turned back to face her. For a full minute, he stared at her, and to her astonishment, blushed vividly and shifted uncomfortably. She shrugged and folded her arms across her chest. "So. Wanna try for that straight answer again?"

Looking down, clearly studying his boots, Eric answered, "Do I have a choice?"

"Nope." Taylor noted that blood hadn't just rushed to his face, if the prominent bulge in his pants was anything to judge by.

"This. Us. It isn't right."

"You keep saying that but you don't tell me why?"

"This...stuff. Between Rangers. Doesn't work."

"I think Cole and Alyssa would beg to differ," Taylor retorted. "So would Wes and Jen."

At that, Eric's head snapped up. "You'd think that, wouldn't you?" His tone of voice told her there was far more to the situation between Wes and Jen than she knew about. "See, the thing is, this is the first time he's seen her in a year. And when this is all over...she'll be going back to her home and he'll be here, she'll be there and they will be nowhere."

"And you know this with absolute certainty?" Taylor retorted. Eric opened his mouth to reply. "Besides, this has exactly what to do with 'us'?" Again he opened his mouth, and again, Taylor cut him off. "It doesn't. It's just a convenient excuse. Well, not gonna be fobbed off here."

The colour tingeing Eric's cheeks now was not out of any sort of embarrassment, to judge by the outraged expression and the irritation flashing through his eyes.

"You know, you're an insufferable bitch," he snapped.

"Only when people fuck me around," she shot back. "But then again, if you can't be straight with me over this, then maybe you are right, this isn't a good idea."

TO BE CONTINUED...