Disclaimer: Seeing as the show is going off the air I really would like the rights to the characters...as long as they're free. Ya know my birthday is in two weeks...think they'll come with a big red bow? No? Hmm...since there is more chance of Hades freezing over than that happening, I won't hold my breath.

A/N: Okay I'm bored of their little excursion to California now so they're heading home at the end of this chapter, I need more characters to play with!

Zoe emerged from the bedroom at just after one in the afternoon to find Dan on the balcony, reading his book, "Hey," she whispered softly.

"Hey yourself," he replied, looking up from his book. "Feel better?" he asked, her skin was so pale it scared him. She nodded, walking unsteadily towards him. Dan set his book down and motioned for her to sit on his lap, wrapping his arms around her as she did. He felt her sigh heavily, followed with a loud growl from her stomach. "Hungry?" he asked, she nodded again. "Well why don't you go have a bath in that nice whirlpool tub and I'll order you some lunch okay?"

"Okay," she said quietly, still embarrassed about her earlier actions. She had regained some memories of the night before, one of the most vivid was attacking Dan in the elevator.

"Zoe?" he said as she retreated into the room, "Are you okay?" She hated that he could read her so well.

"Yeah...just a little embarrassed," she replied shyly before closing the bathroom door. She leaned back against the door, trying to steady herself. Relax Busiek, she scolded herself, He's obviously not upset about what happened...or didn't happen last night so just let it go! She drew herself a bath, sinking into the steamy water and shutting her eyes. Her relaxation lasted for all of twenty minutes before she smelled the food Dan had ordered, sending her leaping from the bath and back to the toilet.

"Zoe?" Dan knocked on the door after hearing her quick jump from the bath. He opened the door slowly, grabbing a towel to wrap around Zoe's shaking form. "Hey..." he smoothed the hair out of her eyes and pulled it back into another ponytail, "You okay?" He wrapped the towel around her tighter as she crawled into his lap, shaking uncontrollably. He could feel the heat radiating off her skin so he gently picked her up and carried her out into the airconditioned bedroom. "Okay sweetheart I think you spent a little to much time in the sun." He layed her gently on the bed, pulling the sheet up to cover her before grabbing a cloth from the bathroom and filling the ice bucket with cold water. He stopped at the mini-bar to get a few cold bottles of water and crawled into the bed with her, handing her a water bottle and dipping the cloth into the icy water before beginning to gently wipe her face and neck. She downed the bottle of water in minutes, instantly reaching for another. Dan placed the cloth on her forehead, his hands, icy from the water, he placed on her flushed cheeks. Zoe relaxed, shutting her eyes, revelling in the sensation of his body being so near her when all she was wearing was a bed sheet, the towel having fallen off in the trip from the bathroom to the bed. "C'mon Zoe, keep drinking," he told her, "We need to get some fluids in you." Dan was calm on the outside but he was terrified inside, he worried that heat exhaustion combined with alcohol could be dangerous.

"I'm okay Dan," she looked up at him, the concern evident in his eyes. She finished the second bottle and tried to protest when he handed her a third.

"Zoe you've got a hangover from four glasses of wine and two of champagne and from the looks of it a nice case of heat exhaustion. You're dehydrated, now drink," he ordered gently. She finished the third full bottle before moaning,

"Daaannn I'm too hot!" she kicked the sheet off, not caring that Dan was about to become the first man to see her naked in a very long time.

"I know honey. I'm gonna go fill the bath with cool water okay? I'll be right back." Dan emptied the tub and refilled it with icy water before going back to the bedroom to get Zoe. If he hadn't been so worried about her health he was pretty sure the sight of her sprawled naked and sweaty on a bed would have turned him on immensely. "I'm gonna put you in a nice cool bath okay Zoe?" he gently slid his arms underneath her cradling her like a baby, somehow maintaining his composure as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He lowered her slowly into the bathtub, and remained at her side, gently running his fingers through her hair and waiting for her temperature to come down. He softly combed the tangles out of her curls and slowly braided her hair, securing it with an elastic at the end.

"And where did you learn to braid hair Mr. Lennox?" Zoe asked groggily.

"A girlfriend in college made me learn so I could braid hers, it was to her waist," he told her, re-wetting the cloth to put back on her forehead. Zoe's eyes snapped open,

"Dan?"

"Yeah Zo?"

"Dan...I'm naked."

"I realize that Zoe."

"Dan I'm naked, in a bathtub and you're in the same room."

"I know."

"Why?"

"Because I didn't want you passing out in here by yourself. Don't worry Zoe, I haven't been ogling you," he said lightly, trying to break the tension. A small smile passed over her face as he removed the cloth and placed his palm on her forehead to see if she had cooled at all. "I think your temperature's gone down. You wanna get out now?" She nodded shivering slightly, allowing Dan to wrap a towel around her as she stood. He helped her from the tub and led her to the bed, "Here," he pulled a t-shirt and boxers from his luggage, "Put these on." She took the proffered garments but didn't move to drop the towel. "Zoe?"

"Umm...can you turn around Dan?" she blushed lightly. He chuckled,

"Sure Zoe," he turned his back to her and heard the towel drop to the floor. He waited a few moments before asking, "You decent?" the smile evident in his voice.

"Yeah," she replied quietly, climbing into the bed. "Dan?"

"Yeah Zo?" he had turned to go clean up the bathroom but stopped when he heard her voice.

"Stay with me?" she asked, almost childishly. He smiled at her and climbed into the bed beside her, allowing her to cuddle up against him and fall asleep. Zoe awoke an hour later with Dan rubbing her back gently, a cool cloth draped across the back of her neck. She sighed and turned her face to look at him, "Dan?" she questioned softly.

"Hey Zo. Feel better?" he reached out and pushed her hair out of her face. She nodded, silently thanking him for not mentioning the previous night. "I'm going to order you some food, okay?"

"Okay...Dan?" he looked down at her, "thank you." He just smiled, knowing the unsaid messages hidden in her thank you.

"Any time, Zoe," he kissed her forehead tenderly before sliding out of the bed to go order room service. Dan returned ten minutes later with a bowl of chicken noodle soup and a cold sports drink. He coaxed Zoe to sit up and managed to get her to eat most of the soup and drink all of the sport drink before she lay back down, Dan pulling the sheets up around her. "I'm gonna go call the airlines and get us a flight out in the morning 'kay?" Zoe nodded, eyes slipping shut. She felt his gentle kiss, a mere brush of lips, as she drifted to sleep.

A/N: hmmm...bored of this chapter now lol I have a short attention span don't I...oh well...next chapter they'll be on their way home/home...R&R!

P.S. Zoe's illness was just an excuse to get them home early and I am not a doctor and my junior lifeguard training was when I was 9 (10 years ago)so forgive me if I messed up treatment for heat exhaustion...

P.P.S. has anyone else seen the finale of the show? ("Zoe's Phony Matrimony") HOLY CRAP! I'm still reeling from what happened...man that was soooooo awesome and unexpected and a million other things but WOW! So upset that the show was cancelled!