She feels his lips on her forehead for a moment before he pulls away. That blissful, floating feeling while in a deep slumber instantly turns into that sense of endlessly falling as he leaves the bed.

Her arms begin to flail and her legs kick as if her body is literally trying to fight off the thoughts that start coming to her in her sleep. The memory seems to go on for years – as if she's reliving it all over again but in actuality it only lasts a couple hours and then she stirs. Her eyelids are heavy as she blinks away the remaining fogginess. She yawns as she stretches out – her hands meeting the cold sheets around her. The movement causes the smell of his cologne to waft her nostrils and a smile spreads across her face as she thinks of him. Her heart rate slows when she closes her eyes again and pictures him as if he's still with her – right next to her. She can imagine his soft, even breaths and his long eyelashes fluttering ever-so-slightly against his freckled cheeks as his strong arms hold her tight – keeping her safe and warm.

Eventually she sits up – rubbing her eyes before canvassing the room around her. Part of her was hoping to find him still getting ready even if she knew that he had already left to go to the auction. The disappointment that washes over her is almost overwhelming and she has to remind herself about their agreement – that they're to be nothing more than best friends. And it's in that moment that she feels her heart begin to ache as she longs to be with him again. The thought of forgetting the ridiculous terms that they came up with a year ago sits at the forefront of her mind as she thinks back to the time spent together as more than friends. When they pushed the boundaries and dipped their toes into the enchanting pool of their desire. It's takes a few minutes for her to be able to calm herself – quickly moving out of the bed before she continues down the slippery slope of their past.

She thinks about just going to back to the main house to check on her dad but then she spots his bathtub. The white porcelain tub looks big enough to fit at least two or three people. Her feet move of their own volition and before she knows it she's melting into the back of the tub with hot water and bubbles that smell like his shower gel surrounding her nude form. A rolled up towel behind her head acts as a pillow and has her quickly falling back to sleep. She only wakes when she feels the water temperature drop.

A chill runs down her spine and she can feel her blood run cold when she pulls her shirt over her head and looks out the window to see the stables being consumed by fire. She runs down the stairs and out of the house towards the flames. The horses are frantic as they continuously kick the walls and door keeping them confined as panic sets in and the fire grows. Her fingers fail her as she runs to the first stall to unlock the door. She closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths before trying again and opening the enclosures for the animals to run out. By the time she gets to the last stall the fire and smoke are closing in and creating walls blocking her from both exits. The last of the horses runs through the flames to get outside but she stays put – unable to move from her spot as if her feet have been glued in place. It's getting hard for her to breath and her eyes are wide as she stares out in front of her – embers falling from above like rain.

The smoke cloaks the mountains, covering the valley with a sheet of grey. The sound of their voices yelling her name – for her help – stand out from the rumbling of thunder as the lighting strikes between the trees igniting more flames on the ground. She tries to get to them, her tears streaking her cheeks as she searches but can't find them. Another lighting bolt knocks down one of the trees and keeps her from following the pleas. The horse – her horse stands on his hind legs and she falls to the ground. Her eyes are wide in fear as she looks around for the brown stallion but he's gone – vanishing behind the thick wall of smoke around her. She hears her mom and then her brother. They sound closer than before but she still can't see them. She calls out to them just as the world around her falls silent. Gone is the booming thunder and the crackling of lighting hitting the ground and trees. She can no longer hear their voices. It's as if she's gone deaf. She's trapped and she has nowhere to go.

That only lasts for a short time before she hears her name again and feels some pressure on her chest.

"Please come back to me." Someone begs but the voice doesn't belong to her mom or brother.

"Breathe babe." He says next as he moves to breathe into her mouth again but the gasp that comes from her stops him. One of his hands moves behind her head – weaving through her hair as he helps her sit up a little as the other rests on her stomach. Feeling the uneven rise and fall of the flat plain of her abdomen eases his worries a little.

"Jay?" Just saying his name causes the pain in her chest to intensify. Her nose and throat hurt as she struggles to breathe – her lungs feeling like a wilted balloon as if they're taking in less air than what is being let out. But after another minute or so she's able to get her breathing under control.

The first thing she sees when she opens her eyes is him. His blue green orbs, pull her in and make her feel as if it's just the two of them. Everything else fades away – making not just her but both of them forget about the chaos that has ensued by the fires currently being put out by the other wranglers.

"You saved me?" She whispers and he smiles sadly, remembering the last time she said that to him as he moves to place a firm kiss to her forehead.

"I figured it was about time I returned the favor." He murmurs in the same way he did on that tragic all those years ago – his breath ghosting over her lips as he leans his head against hers so their faces are only centimeters apart. That's when she sees the tear tracks running down his cheeks and through the grey dust covering his pale, freckled skin.

She reaches up to cup his jaw – her thumb immediately sweeping back and forth over the corse reddish brown hair of his scruff as she leans in. Their lips simply graze against each other's before the sound of someone clearing their throat causes them to pull away. She leans into his chest as he looks away from her and up at the other person interrupted them.

"The fire is out and Voight needs to get to the hospital." Adam tells them and Jay nods as he stands and helps her do the same.

XXXXXX

They're not released from the hospital until early the next morning and Jay takes them straight to his cabin since the main house's first floor is completely charred and hasn't been rendered safe yet. Voight gets set up in one of the guest rooms and Jay fully expects for Erin to sleep in his bed but after he gives her a shirt to sleep in she bids him goodnight. He wants to ask her to stay - to be granted permission to hold her as they sleep but he can see the turmoil she's encountering. The pain of the memories brought back to her during and after the day's events weigh heavy on her mind. Her beautiful face is contorted into a sad and almost heartbroken expression with her eyebrows furrowed, eyes drooping and lips forming a slight pout. But he still chooses to let her process things in her way. He reminds her that he's there for her and she nods before going to one of the spare rooms not currently occupied by her dad.

The memory of that day in the mountains, when she lost her mom and brother replays in her sleep in the same way it did earlier while she was trapped in the stables.

When she wakes up her first thought is to go to him. Her bare feet pad across the cold wooden floor as she moves to his room. She was trying to be quiet as she opens the door but it creaks and she stops, not wanting to wake him – debating whether or not she should just go back to the bedroom down the hall. The decision is made pretty quickly and her hand drops from the door knob as she turns. But she then she feels him gently grab her wrist and pull in her into the room.

She whispers an apology but he shakes his head as he lays back down. He lifts the blanket for her climb into the bed but she just stands there for a minute. Her arms wrapped around herself so tight that the t shirt of his that she's wearing bunches up and exposes more of her skin. His touch is gentle - feather light against her skin as his hand wraps around her forearm, effectively breaking her from her thoughts. She practically collapses onto the bed and he covers her with the blue comforter after she's cuddled into him. He presses kisses to her hair and she does the same to his bare pec – feeling his strong, steady heartbeat beneath her lips provides her with the perfect amount of comfort.

They both remain silent – waiting for sleep to come but when it doesn't she looks up to make sure that he hasn't fallen back into a peaceful slumber before talking. His eyes are closed, however, his breaths are uneven which tells her that he's still awake but at peace. So she goes back to tracing the ink on his left arm and remains quiet.

"Do you want to talk about it?" His voice is lower than usual – letting her know just how tired he is.

"No, we can talk in the morning." She replies, her finger still teasing the skin of his arm as she looks up at him again.

"Well technically it is morning and I know that you came to my room for a reason, so what's on your mind?" He grips her hip and pulls her tighter against his side.

She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes pushing the tears gathering there to fall down her cheeks. "While we were at the hospital, I was sitting with my dad-"

"You didn't get an exam done?" He wipes away her tears with the pad of his thumb and places another kiss to her head.

"I did but when I was done I went to sit with my dad." She explains, taking in his expression to gauge whether or not she can continue without him interrupting. He nods signaling for her to keep talking. "And we decided that I should go back to Chicago – I um…actually my dad and I are both going back to Chicago."

His heart sinks and she feels his body tense before his muscular form deflates. He has to look away in hopes of keeping her from seeing the disappointment and hurt he feels. She cups his jaw much like she did after he pulled her out of the fire – like she's done so many times before.

"I had to go back at some point Jay – I have a job there – my life is there." Her voice is quiet – letting him know that she's hurting too and now he regrets asking her to talk.

"And these guys – whoever they are, are ruthless. They're not going to stop until my dad is gone or they get the land they want. He needs to heal before he can get back to his normal routine here. So I suggested he come with me until he can get back on his feet and the ranch is back to the way it was. While we're there, I'm going to figure out what can legally be done about the fires and what to do with the land." She explains further.

He doesn't reply instead he moves to lay down a little more – making sure to keep her close as he does. The words of how he wants her to stay are left unsaid as they lay awake – cherishing being in each other's embrace while they can.

XXXXXX

Voight gets out of the truck first – telling Jay the last of his demands once he steps onto the sidewalk. The older of the two men pulls an envelope out from the inside of his jacket and hands it over to his daughter's friend.

"I'll see you in a few weeks." His gruff voice says to Jay before he looks at Erin as she too gets out of the truck and stands by the open window of the driver's side door.

"And I'll meet you inside." He tells his daughter before walking away.

Jay's attention gets pulled to Erin as she places her hands on his arm currently resting on the door in between them.

Both of them are afraid to voice what's on their minds and say how much they don't want to be apart. But as always no words are needed – one look in the other's eyes tells them all that they're feeling.

He gives her a sad smile as she squeezes his arm and leans in. Her lips hover near his cheek before she presses a kiss there.

"I'm going to miss you too." She whispers against his ear, placing another kiss there before moving back. They give each other one last glance before she walks away.

He watches as she disappears into the airport and then looks down at the envelope still in his hand. The hand resting on the door moves to run down his face and then he's opening what he assumes is a letter of some sort.

His eyes scan over the words once, twice and then a third time. He looks over at the building that his boss and best friend just went into before looking back at Voight's letter of resignation - not from the ranch. No, this is him resigning as Livestock Commissioner and it recommends that Jay takes his place.

A horn honking pulls him from his thoughts and he moves the gear shift. Just like when his visits to Chicago ended he feels his heart being left as he starts to drive away.