Kate had decided to spend the night at the valley camp because it had gotten too dark to go back to the beach. She didn't really like the idea of traveling in the jungle at night when "that thing" could be roaming around and attack her at any minute. She concluded that it was much safer to wait until the next morning before heading back to the beach.

Also, she'd much rather have stayed in the valley for that night regardless of the jungle monster. She was genuinely concerned about Jack and his injured shoulder. What if he hadn't gotten out alive? She shuddered at the thought. I don't even want to think about that. He's okay now and that's all that matters.

Jack and the other valley dwellers had set up camp in the surrounding caves. And just like on the beach, everybody had carved out a little spot to call their own. It was like looking into an apartment building that didn't have any walls or a roof on it.

Because the entire encampment was so sectioned off, Kate didn't really know where she should sleep. The other beach dwellers had settled by the fire, but she didn't really want to be so close to so many people. She had a lot to think about and preferred to do it where she wouldn't be disturbed; so she eventually settled on a mossy covered area about ten feet away from the fire.

The temperature began to drop as the night progressed. She tried to curl up into a ball to try to keep as much of her body heat as possible. But it just wasn't working. However, she didn't really want to get any closer to the fire. She was running out of ideas. Okay, maybe I'll try thinking about being warm. As she was imagining drinking a nice cup of hot chocolate, her thoughts were interrupted by approaching foot steps. Startled, she turned around only to see a pair of brown hiking boots a few inches from her face. She looked up. It was Jack.

"Hey," he said. "I saw you shivering and thought you might want this." He offered her a navy blue airline blanket.

Kate sat up and reached for the blanket. "Thanks. That's really nice of you Jack."

"No problem," he smiled. "Why are you so far away from the fire? No wonder you're cold," he said as he rubbed his arms trying to bet warmer.

"I don't know. I guess I just didn't really want to be around everybody else." Kate realized what she said wasn't the most inviting statement a minute too late.

"Oh," he said in a hurt and deflated voice. "Then I should probably be going."

"Jack, wait. I didn't mean it that way," Kate said as he turned to go. "Please don't leave," she added in a quiet voice.

He turned back around to face her and asked, "Are you sure you're not saying that just to be nice to me?" He looked at her with a lop-sided smile.

"Yes, I'm sure that I'm not just saying that to be nice to you," she countered good-naturedly.

"Well, in that case, I'll grab a blanket and be right back, otherwise I might freeze."

He was only gone for half a minute. He returned with a blanket in hand and settled himself next to her, briefly making contact with her leg and shoulder. Her heart flip-flopped and she remember the embrace they had shared only hours before.

They sat together in silence for a few minutes. "How hard would you hit me if I put my arm around your shoulder," Jack said. "It's just that I'm cold and I think that I'd feel warmer," he added with obvious bravado in his voice.

Kate turned her head away from him in an attempt to hide her smile. It didn't work. "So, you wouldn't mind?" he asked again.

"No, I wouldn't mind," she consented looking at him as a smile played across her face.

He gently snaked his arm around her shoulder pulling her closer to him. She could feel the warmth from his body as she laid her head on his shoulder. She sighed with pleasure as he placed his chin on top of head heart. It seemed like the most natural thing in the world.

Please R&R even if you didn't like it. Constructive criticism is always appreciated. Thanks!