Chapter 2

Sometime that night Syd was awakened by the sound of scratching on the outside of her tent and slowly Gage's voice penetrated her semi-conscious state.

"Syd let me in - please. It's starting to rain out here."

As Syd woke up she began to hear the soft pitter-patter of rain drops hitting the roof of her tent, and she scooted out of her bedroll and unzipped the door. Gage threw his backpack in, followed by his sleeping back and finally jammed his bulky frame inside the tiny tent, zipping the door shut behind him. Syd sat back on her sleeping bag, turned on her flashlight and watched him cram her tiny tent full of his stuff.

When he was finished Gage sat down on top of his backpack and looked at Syd, who was giggling.

"Where are you planning on sleeping Gage? There is hardly any room in here to move, never mind sleep."

"You're right, it really is tiny." Gage replied, looking around. "But thank you for letting me in Syd."

As he spoke the rain started coming down even harder and they looked at each and smiled.

"You're welcome; I'll think you find it's not all that bad to share quarters with me."

Gage looked down at his partner and for the first time realized that she was clad only in a pair of white underwear and tank top. She was sitting crossed-legged on her open sleeping bag with her tangle of sleep mussed hair falling down to her shoulders. She looked incredibly desirable and in a husky voice that Gage barely recognized as his own he heard himself say,

"It's not bad at all Syd."

She looked up at him in surprise and swallowed hard, the tent suddenly feeling very closed in and stuffy. She looked away from his intense gaze and stammered, "Umm, let's see what we can do to make some more room in here."

Shaking his head in disbelief that he had just been so forward with his partner, Gage stood up from his backpack as best he could in the small tent. Finding it easier to work on his knees, Gage suggested that they pile their backpacks together vertically at the foot of the tent and put all the excess materials on top in order to maximize their horizontal space. Within a matter of minutes the tent was as compact as it was going to be, and Gage had laid his sleeping bag down next to Syd's. It was a tight squeeze but the two bags did fit side by side.

When they were done Syd sat back down on her sleeping bag and Gage sat down on his across from her. It was hot and stuffy in the tent meant only for one, crammed full of two people and their gear, with the added problem of rain falling outside. Gage pulled off his damp shirt, wet from a mixture of sweat and rain, and looked over at his partner when he heard her softly gasp.

He froze as Syd reached towards him, her fingers lightly tracing the diagonal scars across his chest.

"Is this from the bear?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah."

"God Gage, it must have been awful. These scars are huge." She was sitting so close to him that he could feel her warm breath on his neck as she spoke.

He looked down at her, his hand reaching down to capture hers she caressed his long-since healed wounds. She looked up at him and when his blue eyes met her dark ones it was as if an electric spark ignited between them. Gage tilted his head down slightly and lowered his lips to hers. Tender and questioning at first the kiss soon became fervent, each exploring the other's mouth with a force neither knew they possessed.

Syd's sat up on her knees while her hands roved over Gage's chest and shoulders, and he reached his up to her face and her neck holding her close to him. When his hand finally strayed to her shoulder and began to tug down the strap of her tank top, Syd pulled back and ended the kiss.

They stared at each other, breathing heavily, the air in the tent still electrically charged.

"Gage, we can't." Syd finally managed to speak; stunned by the intensity of the passion they had just shared.

"No?" He managed to answer back - his breath husky, his eyes confused.

"No - not here, not now."

"You're not angry?"

"Angry? Do I look angry? I...Gage, that was incredible."

"You're incredible Syd. Have I ever told you that?" Gage reached over and cupped her cheek with his hand. "You are incredible and beautiful and absolutely intoxicating. I can't tell you how long I have wanted to kiss you like that."

"Why didn't you then?"

"Syd, I asked you once about that kiss you gave me after Walker and Alex's wedding and you shut me out. I figured this was something you didn't want."

"You were wrong." Syd leaned forward again and kissed him lightly. Then she turned out the flashlight and pulled her sleeping bag up around her. "Good night Gage."

As soon as Gage had settled down in his bag, Syd snuggled close to him and laid her head on his chest. Gage was asleep within minutes but Syd stayed awake for a long, long time.

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When Gage woke in the morning Syd was still sleeping soundly, though she had long since moved out of his arms and was curled up in a tight ball facing the tent wall. He did the best job he could in the confined quarters to get dressed without disturbing her, and when he stepped out of the tent he was relieved to see that it was no longer raining.

"Hey, we thought you'd been eaten up by a wolf during the night." Trivette joked. 'Though we wondered why he'd taken all your gear too."

"Very funny Trivette."

"So you somehow convinced Sydney to let you in there hey?" Walker asked.

"It was raining! I had nowhere else to go!"

"Sure it was raining. Does it look like it was raining to you Walker?"

"No Trivette, it sure doesn't look like it rained to me."

"It WAS raining!" Gage protested. "You don't think that I would actually make up something like that do you? I was getting wet!"

"Gage, they're teasing you. We all heard the rain last night." Alex interjected. "C'mon, go have a cup of my coffee – I promise it's the best coffee you'll ever have out camping."

"Is Sydney still sleeping?" Erica asked Gage as he bent over the fire to reach for the coffee pot.

"Yeah, it was pretty cramped in there, she's probably just enjoying the tent to herself again."

"Everything okay between you two?" Erica pushed, and much to Gage's chagrin he blushed.

"Yeah, fine. Why do you ask?"

"I noticed some tension last night. I just want to make sure that we all have a good time, this trip means a lot to Jimmy"

"Thanks Erica. I promise - everything is fine between Syd and me."

"Good." Erica turned to the rest of the group. "Now, who's up for eggs?"

"I am!" Gage heard Syd call from the door of her tent. He put down his coffee and practically sprinted over to her side to help her up. She allowed him to help her up and even hobble over to a rock near the fire, but she wouldn't meet his gaze.

He brought her a cup of coffee and crouching down to give it to her, tried to get her to look at him.

"Syd, look at me."

"No." She shook her head.

"Why not?" His voice was disbelieving.

"Last night was a mistake Gage; I shouldn't have let that happen."

"Syd, you don't need to be embarrassed – it's just me."

"It's not about being embarrassed Gage. It was a mistake that's all, we got caught up in the heat and the closeness of the tent and it wasn't real so let's just forget about it, okay?"

"Not real? Forget about it?" Gage felt as if she had dumped ice water all over him and then kicked him to boot. "What game are you playing at Syd? It felt real to me and I am not about to forget it." He dumped his coffee out on the ground and stormed away from her.

Everyone watched as Gage marched off to the other side of the campsite and picked up a stick and hurled it far into the woods. He then trudged into the woods after it. Looking back they saw that Sydney had buried her head in her hands, her cup of coffee left untouched by her side.

"I knew something was wrong." Erica said to Alex.

"I think you're right Erica, there is something going on between them." Alex commented to her friend. "I thought you were crazy when you mentioned the idea to me, but that looked a lot more like a lover's quarrel than a disagreement between partners."

"Gage and Sydney?" Walker and Trivette both asked incredulously as they listened to their wife and fiancée talk.

"No, they're just good friends." Trivette added.

"Good partners." Walker interjected.

"Are you two blind?" Erica asked good-naturedly. "Have you seen the way Gage stares at her? And the way Sydney lights up when he smiles at her? Have you seen how they argue with one another? Heated passion like that is not an element of mere friendship or partnership."

"Wow." Trivette commented, suddenly introspective. "I really never thought about this before."

"Probably because it's not any of our business." Walker said quietly. "Let's leave them alone to work out WHATEVER this problem is."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Erica asked. "I mean, look at Sydney over there. She looks miserable."

"I do know that Gage and Sydney are adults and unless their problems start affecting us in a major way then we should let them be."

"Okay." Each of the three others agreed to let the young couple sort out their problem, though it was obvious that both Alex and Erica were loathe to do so.

A few minutes later when Alex approached the fire to heat the frying pan, Syd was sitting up straight and sipping on her coffee, her expression unreadable.

"How's your ankle today?"

"Still pretty sore - I think I messed up royally by not treating it earlier yesterday. I was just so sure that it was nothing."

"Do you need another ice pack on it?"

"I hate to use another ice-pack, what if we need it later for another injury? Maybe I could just soak it in a pan of cold water."

"That's a good idea Sydney. I'll just go get the dish-pan and we can fill it up with some of that nice cold mountain water running down the waterfall."

"You don't mind?"

"Don't be silly."

"I just feel so useless sitting around here."

"Don't worry; as soon as that pan is hot enough you can fry up eggs and bacon to your hearts content."

"Thanks Alex."

"What are friends for?"

When Gage returned to the site he had calmed down a bit but he was still confused and hurt. Did Syd really think that what they had shared was not real? His feelings for her were very real. He had kept putting them off, shoving them to the back of his mind when he thought that Syd didn't feel the same way. But the way she had kissed him last night – the passion in her lips, her tongue, the fire from the tips of her fingers...that was not simply the response of someone overheated in close quarters.

No, something had gone wrong in Syd's thought processes between the kiss and the morning and he was determined to find out what and set it right. He refused to let her push him away. She had done that yesterday with her ankle and look where that had gotten her? She was going to be stuck at the camp while everyone else went out and had a good time. And now that he had experienced such an incredible awakening of his spirit when Syd's lips had been on his, there was no way he was simply going to let that go just because she was unwilling or afraid to give them a chance. But for now, he was still angry.

Gage sullenly ate his breakfast which Alex had kindly set aside for him. He completely avoided looking at his partner and when Walker suggested that they go for a hike, Gage was the first one to grab his day pack and agree that getting way from the site for awhile was a good idea.

Syd watched Gage purposely ignoring her and she felt terrible that she had said those things to Gage; she knew they would hurt him because she was all too aware that he had feelings for her. But it was her own emotions she had to think about and allowing herself to care for Gage was something she was just not ready for. She wasn't sure if she'd ever be ready. No, allowing something to happen between her and Gage would be a big mistake.

"Are you sure you'll be alright here by yourself Sydney?" Walker asked as the group packed up to go.

"I'll be fine, really. In fact, I think I could really use some alone time."

"Okay, I think we'll be gone most of the day but we'll definitely be back before dark. Here, just in case we aren't back let me show you the route we'll be taking." As Walker showed Syd the trail on the park map, Gage rather impatiently started towards the head of the trail.

"Okay guys, have a good time." Syd called to her friends, almost willing Gage to at least turn around and wave at her but he didn't.

"You too Sydney." Alex stooped down to give her friend a quick hug and whispered in her ear. "Don't worry, we'll make sure Gage loses his grumpiness somewhere down in a deep, deep valley."

Syd smiled wryly at her friend, she knew that wasn't likely to happen but appreciated the sentiment. After they were gone Syd hobbled over to her tent, retrieved a book and was soon engrossed in the newest murder-mystery novel by her favourite author.

She was about four chapters into it when three men entered the site from the trail that led north.

"Well, look at what we have here." One of them commented loudly.

"A pretty young lady, all alone." A second one added. "Where are your friends, honey?"

Syd put down her book; these guys were looking for trouble. It was in their tone of voice, their stance, their leering looks. Silently cursing that she was injured she looked around quickly for something to use to defend herself. If her ankle wasn't in such bad shape she knew that she'd be able to take on all three of them.

"Can I help you gentlemen with anything?" Syd stood up, standing firmly on her sore ankle so as not o let the intruders know about her injury.

"Well now, I believe you can. What do you think boys?" The largest of the three men answered. "You sure are a pretty little thing and you look awfully lonely with your friends all gone. And well, we've been up here a long time and we're pretty lonely ourselves. We were thinking it would be nice for you to come and join us for a little fun."

"I don't think so boys." Syd responded, suddenly brandishing a large stick from beside the fire and holding it in front of her. "You see, I'm actually not very lonely at all."

Syd swung the branch at the largest of the men as he moved forward to grab her. She was able to hit him, knocking him to his knees. She turned to her left as another of the men moved around and lunged at her. Trying to swing her good leg up to catch him in the neck her injured ankle suddenly gave out and she fell backwards, banging her head on one of the large rocks near the campfire.

The men were all suddenly all around her and she couldn't fight them off. One of them swung her up and over his shoulders, carrying her with as much grace as one would carry a large sack of potatoes. She yelled and pounded on his back but to no avail; all she could hear was the roar of the nearby waterfall and the laughter of the men who had captured her. As they headed up the trail and away from her site Syd began to feel woozy and before she knew it had mercifully passed out.