A/N: Set in an ambiguous future where the gang have gotten together (minus Quynh) and Andy/Booker is developing, although that's not the focus of this story. This is just a bedtime story Joe tells about Booker's favorite memory of the group.

"I've got your back," Nile said. She wriggled a little as she settled in next to Joe, facing away. He was, of course, facing Nicky as he always did. The other bed featured Andy and Booker, who seemed just a bit too romantic with each other for Nile to want to bed down with them. Not that Joe and Nicky weren't, but they seemed much more likely to do nothing aside from sleep and occasionally murmur at each other in languages she didn't know, if she were in the bed with them.

"Yes," Joe said. "I am very well-protected. Nicky in front, you behind. I could not be safer."

Nicky said something in Italian. Joe chuckled. "No. That time was better. That is one of my favorite memories because Booker told me it was his absolute favorite memory."

"What memory is that?" Booker asked curiously from the other bed.

"When we were in the snow together," Joe said. "You and I. It was so sweet."

Booker grunted. "My favorite memory of the group."

"But it was your favorite, was it not? The time you think about when you are tired of us and wish we'd shut up and let you sleep in peace?"

"Like now?"

"Yes, like now exactly."

Booker chuckled. "I suppose I'm thinking of it now. It's my favorite, yes."

Silence fell. Finally, Nile sighed. "Okay. I'll bite. What's the story?"

"I was waiting for you to ask!" Joe said happily. She could hear the grin in his voice. "There's no point in us telling each other stories we were all in. We need someone new to tell them to!"

She chuckled. "Tell it, then. A bedtime story."

"Very well. We had a mission in Norway in 1967. The details are unimportant, but this part of it happened in the winter in an isolated military camp. There was a storm that had started that morning and we'd expected to have plenty of time to finalize things before anyone else arrived. As night fell, we discovered we were wrong – a convoy of reinforcements began to roll in.

"We had finished most of our business, so we elected to avoid confrontation. We left out the back of the camp in a hurry. On our way out, I stopped at a truck to liberate supplies, but it was empty. I cut free the tarp over the top of it and brought that instead.

"The snow was up to our thighs in places and to our knees everywhere else. We had good clothes, but no snowshoes. We were expecting the blowing storm to cover our tracks and it did, but it was also a difficult trek in the dark, up and down hills, through a forest. It was unpleasant and though we made good time despite the conditions, we knew the next shelter was days away unless we made our own.

"Andy signaled us to stop when we were a safe distance from the camp."

Andromache interrupted. "I was freezing to death."

"It may have been that she was cold," allowed Joe. "She is smaller than the rest of us, so-"

"We were all freezing to death," Andy said.

"Ah, ah!" Joe tutted. "I am the one telling this story! And we were perfectly willing to continue wading through waist-deep snow until you said otherwise."

"It was not that deep," Booker said.

"Shush!" Joe told him. "It was getting deeper! And I said we were willing, not that we yet had to do it."

Andy muttered something that Nile suspected was 'something is getting deeper'.

"Where was I?" Joe said.

"Um," Nile said. "You guys stopped."

"Yes. Andy called for us to stop and make camp. We were on the lee side of a hill. Nicky and Booker dug out some of the snow while Andy and I unrolled the tarp and discussed how best to manage. We laid it down on the area they had excavated in a U shape except on its side. I laid at the back, or the bottom of the U, to anchor it. Booker climbed in as well. Nicky and Andy pulled up the ends a bit and then Andy climbed in. Nicky pulled the top over all of us and buried it a bit with snow. Then he climbed in.

"So there we were, all crammed in together. And it was very cold at first because we were sweaty and dusted with snow. We'd arranged it so we could modulate the edge near our heads and on the other side of Nicky to get fresh air, but otherwise it was protected and insulated so it didn't stay cold for long.

"Now, you should imagine how we were lying together. I was facing inward and it was Booker in front of me also facing inward. Beyond him was Andy who was scooted down a bit for reasons I don't recall and then past her was Nicky, with the both of them facing Booker and I.

"So I found myself spooning Booker which was a novel thing. It had never happened before. He was shivering and I was shivering, so I thought it would be kind to be as close as possible. I placed my arm around his stomach, just as I do with Nicky-"

"Cheater," Nicky said.

"My love! Who is telling this story?"

Nicky made an inarticulate noise like a choked laugh, then a sort of breathless, "Go on."

The grin in Joe's voice was even more pronounced. "He said this was his best memory ever. Just remember that."

"Of the group," Booker corrected again.

"Of the group," Joe agreed and went on. "So I curled myself around our friend Booker like he was my lover. My arm was around his waist, holding him to me. My cheek was against the back of his head. My nose was against his ear. His hair is very much like Nicky's even, although it is greasier and he smells different so do not think I was confused about who I was with in the dark."

There was quiet chortling from Booker, followed by a hushed aside to Andy, "I was wearing a hood. This couldn't have-"

"Shush," Joe cut him off. "Or I will take even more liberties with this story! My face was nearly against his. In front of us, he held his beloved Andromache in his arms. Her head was pillowed against his chest. She was shivering and needful of his warmth, which he generously shared with her." Andy made an undignified noise.

Joe continued, "And beyond her was my poor neglected Nicky, whose back was to the cold and about whom I was very worried. He was lying on the wrong side. He can't breathe well on that side due to the ridiculous way his nose is shaped, even though I love his nose a great deal. It is the best-

Nicky interrupted softly. "The story, Joe. Not my nose."

There was a beat of hesitation, then Joe resumed the story. "I extended my arm, which took some maneuvering, but Booker was able to rest his head on my bicep. I'm sure that was very comfortable for him but a bit less so for me." His tone was slightly annoyed.

"Yet I needed to make sure Nicky was okay. Nicky took off my glove, which is also unfortunate because I was still quite cold and then he took my hand in his, which was even worse because his hand was like ice. I worried for him a great deal, despite him telling me not to, but there was nothing to do about it except hold on." Nicky made a faint hum of agreement.

Joe said, "And that was how we lay together for some time as the chill left us, all huddled and breathing the same air and holding one another in our discomfort. The shivering stopped. The air warmed. It became humid and eventually we had to flap the vent a bit to get new air and although having it fresh was good, it was the cold we needed because we really were getting toasty.

"Once we were comfortable, it was a simple thing to nod off and sleep like that. I still had Booker's head on my arm like a bowling ball, but the only other option was to let go of Nicky so I endured it."

Nile snorted.

Joe sighed and waited several beats before saying, "And we eventually made it back to civilization and got on with our lives, but that was a very nice moment in an otherwise miserable adventure."

"That's sweet," Nile said at last.

"Mm," Booker hummed. "It is a good memory."