Disclaimer—See Chapter One

A/N:  Thank you again so much to those who took the time to review!  I have had some requests to include J/L and/or Emma in this story.  I am honored that people are making requests, thank you!!  I can't tell you how much that means to me.  I already have this story outlined, so I won't be able to add in your requests to this story, but I will do my best for the next one!  As of now, this will be the last story for this series.  I've then promised to write a stand-alone story, and then to help translate a 17 chapter story, so I will be busy for a while, but I will do my best to honor all of your requests in time!  So please bear with me and continue to let me know what you'd like to see or if you have any suggestions—thank you so much!!  I hope you enjoy this chapter!!

Of Wind and Wood—Chapter Three

The first sound he heard was the rumble of rushing water on rock. The dull roar was a constant background reminder of the water all around them.  Brennan's eyes stared at the river unfolding before them as they rounded the last corner in the trail.  Even he had to admit, it was beautiful, the array of color astounding. Mountains loomed blue gray in the distance, topped with white mists that opened to deep blue sky. The river was green as jade and tall cedar and pine cast black shadows across its rippling surface.  Four rafts tied to the shore shone like an inflated rainbow in their bright blue, red, and yellow as they bobbed in the current, hardly looking sturdy enough to withstand the jagged rocks his mind remembered from the pictures.  If not for the thundering waterfall just beyond sight, he could almost believe its seeming serenity. 

"Well, what do you think?"  Shalimar bounced on the balls of her feet in her excitement. 

"I think you're crazy," he commented as he completed his sweep of the area, turning to her with a grin, "Let's go." 

He wrapped his arm around her, and they walked the rest of the way down the trail to the launch point, checking in with the guide and briefly nodding to the others in their party loosely gathered around the riverbank. Brennan plopped their gear onto the ground and sank down on top of one of the packs, resting against it, chuckling at Shalimar as she roamed the site, curiosity driving her forward to explore.

She peeked into the rafts before stretching forward and dipping a toe into the water. A gasp tore from her throat as it immediately numbed her foot with its base iciness. I just won't be mentioning that little fact to Brennan, she decided to herself as she raised her face to the clear sky and took a deep breath of the mountain air.  

Just then their guide blew a sharp whistle and raised her voice to be heard over the rushing water.  "Everyone choose a partner and raft!" she hollered into the wind, "We put-in ten minutes from now!"

Shalimar eyes lit up as she returned to Brennan, tugging him toward the rainbow array, taking  pity on him and selecting one of the oar boats for them to ride in.  She gracefully jumped into the stern and settled on one of the cushions.  Brennan exhaled a deep breath through his teeth before gamely climbing in behind her. 

"Shal," he started, grimacing as the rubber raft dipped and swayed beneath him.

"Yeah?"

"After this, we are so even."

She laughed in pure delight.

To Brennan's ultimate relief, they pushed off in the opposite direction of the falls, drifting instead through relatively calm waters along the upper stretch of the river.  He noticed Shalimar's eyes wandering enviously over to the paddle raft in front of them on occasion, watching as the passengers cheerfully dug their paddles into the water at the directional calls of their guide, but true to her word, they relaxed in lazy, dry comfort throughout the day. The sun shone warm upon them, much warmer than the lingering cold hovering back home over Sanctuary.  Brennan had to admit, so far Shalimar had been right.  He sighed in guilty pleasure as he pulled a well worn book from his pack and leaned back against the edge of the raft.  Shalimar stretched out beside him, laying her head in his lap and letting her senses take over; contented.

Shadows fell long that evening, casting dark fingers across smooth river water and whispering pine trees.  It was cooler now, but the campfire burned bright in front of him, and Shalimar reclined against his left side, sharing welcome body heat.  She smiled up at him as he precariously balanced a long, thin stick against his knee, cautiously roasting a fluffy white marshmallow over the open flames. He bit his lip in concentration, aware of her eyes on him and aware of the smoldering goo on the end of his stick that suddenly turned black and burnt before he could rescue it. He jerked his stick out of the fire, only to watch in dismay as his marshmallow fell to the ground in a withered lump next to its smoking predecessors. 

He glumly shook his head, "I can't believe I'm getting beaten by a marshmallow."

Shalimar laughed out loud as she took another bite of her perfectly toasted marshmallow. "My offer to help is still open." 

"No," he shook his stick at her, "I can do it." He determinedly speared another mass of fluffy white onto his charred stick and thrust it gently into the fire. Two sets of eyes swung around and followed it. Shalimar subconsciously held her breath as the marshmallow slowly turned a golden brown. 

"Yes!" Brennan gleefully cheered, even as his stick dipped down from his movement and slipped into the flames. Instantly the blackened mass melted off the stick and disappeared into the fire. "Argh!" Brennan threw his stick on the ground. 

"Give up yet?" Shalimar amusedly asked him, snuggling tighter against his shoulder. 

"Nope," he dug into the bag, pulling out another marshmallow and balancing it on his knee. She watched in curiosity as his eyes darted both ways for a moment as he raised a single finger. She figured out his intention and started to protest just as a tiny blue spark flew from his finger and fried the marshmallow. 

"Ha!" Brennan proudly held up the toasty goo, "I did it!" 

"Yeah, whatever," Shalimar rolled her eyes as he popped the melting mess into his mouth. 

"Ow, hot," he mumbled as he grabbed the water bottle next to him and took a long sip. She shook her head. 

"You know, Shal," he put down the water bottle, capturing her hand and lacing their fingers together. "I think I can do this nature thing after all."

She tipped her head up to him, teeth flashing white in the flickering light, "You can, can you?" 

"Uh-hmm," he murmured, hand rising to cup her face, "As long as we're together, I can do anything." 

She grinned. "Even roast a marshmallow?"

"Even roast a marshmallow," he agreed with a smirk, bending down and placing a gentle kiss on her upturned mouth. He stroked her smooth cheek with his thumb as she returned his kiss with quiet longing, lost in the feeling of warmth and comfort. After a long moment, she broke away with a small sigh, placing a final soft kiss against his wind-chapped lips, eyes smiling up at him. 

He reached up and brushed a stray curl off her forehead. "I think I like your idea of payback," he chuckled lightly. 

"Just you wait," she waggled her eyebrows at him. 

"Bring it on," he softly crowed into her ear, pulling back to shoot her a quick grin before bending down and brushing her lips again with a tender kiss that hinted at delicious possibilities. 

"Ah-hem," They broke apart to find their guide standing over them. 

"Ana," Brennan nodded up at her in acknowledgement. 

"Sorry to interrupt you two," she smiled apologetically, "but I just wanted to check to see if you needed help putting up your tent before I turn in." 

Shalimar opened her mouth to respond, but Brennan confidently waved a hand in the air. 

"Nah, we can do it." 

"Alright then," Ana smiled one last time and moved on to the next group of people as Shalimar sat up and turned incredulous eyes on back on Brennan. 

"Oh, you are so going to regret that," she laughingly warned him. 

"How hard can it be?" He lightly jumped to his feet, rubbing his hands together. "Come on, it'll be easy." 

"That's what you said about the marshmallows," she mumbled under her breath, trailing after him to their designated sleeping place. 

Several grunts and muttered curses later, Brennan stood back with hands on his hips. "There." 

Shalimar eyed the small tent, manual hanging from her hand. "Well," she poked a finger into the taut side, "It looks like the picture." 

"I thought you were the expert camper?" 

She swatted a hand on his chest, "A true camper doesn't need a tent.  I'm used to sleeping under the stars." 

"Yeah, I thought of that," he grabbed her hand, ducking down and crawling into the tent. "Ta-dah," he pulled her in and pointed up. 

She surveyed the zippered flap that allowed a patch of moonlight to shine through. "Not bad." 

Brennan flashed her grin as he backed out one more time and returned dragging their packs back with him. They made quick work of unrolling their bedding and getting settled for the night. Brennan drew Shalimar up against his side just as the night sky above them flickered. He held out a hand into the air, tiny hairs standing out on end. 

"Storm's coming," he predicted, "Now how much do you love this thing?" he gestured at the dome surrounding them. 

"Is it waterproof?" she skeptically watched as their flimsy walls rippled in the wind. 

"Of course," Brennan nodded as the first fat drops of rain splattered against the roof. He sat up and zipped their skylight closed. "No star gazing tonight though." 

She shrugged and raised herself up over him as he lay back down.  His arms circled up around her neck, gently pulling her down onto his chest. 

"I think we can find other things to do," she whispered into his neck, reaching down and pulling his t-shirt up and over his head. "Much better," she enthused, loving the feel of bare skin and smooth muscle as she sank back down against his chest. 

He dropped a kiss into her hair, breathing deep the scent of her as he lazily stroked his hands up and down her back. He closed his eyes and listened as Shalimar explained in soft whispers the various sounds dancing across the wind; the echoing roll of a hooting owl searching for its mate, the distant howl of a coyote on the hunt, the song of the cedar boughs as they rippled and meshed in the spring storm. 

Brennan's arms tightened around Shalimar as they drifted off. "This isn't so bad." he murmured sleepily. 

She smiled triumphantly against his chest even as she debated telling him about the dripping sound her ears were beginning to pick up in the far corner of the tent. 

The winds whipped up in a sudden swoosh, shooting rain pellets in a side sweep and rocking their little shelter.  Tent stakes groaned but held firm as the dripping increased.  Shalimar raised her head and tilted it to the side, eyes glowing as a mysterious creak filtered in her mind. 

Her eyes suddenly widened, "Uh, Bren--,"  With a final shudder, the sagging roof bowed and gave way, drowning out her words as it dumped its load of water on top of them. 

Under the crumpled tent, Brennan blinked in shocked surprise.  "Well," he sputtered, "I almost made it an entire day without getting wet." 

Shalimar's laughter rose up and into the air as heads sleepily poked out of tents in confusion. 

"Ah-hem," Ana's disapproving voice broke through the layers of soggy canvas.  "I take it you didn't use your seam sealer or rain cover?"

The mass of collapsed tent was silent for a beat until Brennan finally found an opening and popped out a disheveled head, eyes wide in grumpy disbelief, "Rain cover?"

"Rain cover," Shalimar repeated from under the mess, blowing a damp strand of hair out of eyes.  Oh yeah, not so bad at all.