Alright," I said finally. David breathed a sigh of relief. I began busily setting up camp with what they had in a pile of fall leaves.

I lit a fire and found a place that was suitable for my and David to sleep. In my bag was a blanket they had picnicked on, a half flask of water, and two light jackets and David's white shirt he had worn over the white tee shirt he currently wore earlier in the day.

I looked at him, contemplating what to do. Az had been teaching my a bit of medi-work, but nothing with these supplies. I bit my lip, eying him critically.

"I suppose I should take off the garment and examine the site. But that would be a little...distracting," Tally watched in satisfaction as his cheeks turned rosy. "HA! See how it feels?!" I thought triumphantly. Then I noticed the blood.

"David, what's that?" I asked, indicating the small, but steadily growing blood stain blossoming on the center of his chest.

"huh?" he looked down, "oh. I thought that stung a bit. Must have cut it on the way down"

I stepped forward quickly and removed his shirt in one swift movement.

"Ouch, Tally," he complained.

"Sorry, love, thought it best to make it short. Like a medi-patch". I inspected the wound. It turned out to be only a small gash. I knew what to do with this one. I reached into my coat pocket for the mini-sized medi-spray I usually carried. I sprayed the cut but had nothing to dress the wound in. I looked in the knapsack again and withdrew the white shirt. It was stained with mud and dirt and only super-hero in the sky knows what else.

I looked down at myself... the sweater I wore was tangled with twigs and leaves and caked with mud, but the red long-sleeved shirt underneath was spotless. I sighed. This was going to be difficult. For one, he would most certainly protest to Tally removing my shirt; it was getting chilly and he was very protective sometimes. But this was a necessity. And another thing; well, we looked... hot. All the manual labor at the smoke left his chest muscular and toned although his body frame was still lean and slender. The sun had made his hair white blond at the tips and he also had pale hair running down from his belly button and into his pants. Tally squirmed. There was a freckle just beneath his right shoulder, something Tally found highly attractive. Before I could even make a move, David guessed my plan.

"No way, Tally" he said firmly. I ignored him, pulling the sweater off and balling it up to use as a pillow. Then I braced myself and pulled of my shirt, exposing my stomach to the cold air. Goose bumps attacked my skin and I gasped quietly. David gasped less quietly and I blushed, looking down. I had forgotten I was wearing my only city-made bra; it was red with ample am mounts of lace.

"Wow, Tally," David breathed, "You're... sexy".

"You don't have to sound so surprised," I teased, "And anyways... I thought you didn't want me to take my shirt off...?" I immediately regretted it.

"I don't," he said, evidently snapping out of it, "You'll catch a cold". I rolled my eyes at the absurdity of his words. Cold... ha.

I took his shirt and wrapped it around his wound, then I removed my pants and turned to him. He looked Ill shocked, wide-eyed, and breathless. He slowly trailed the tips of his fingers along the swell of my hips making my quiver with pent up tension. Sh wanted to press my chest to his and kiss him til he was begging my to stop. Bit I had work to do so I smirked and headed towards the water. I stepped a few feet back from the river and poised myself to spring.

"Tally, what are you--" his words were eaten away by the hush of the water. Then the cold hit my, gripping my lungs and making my want to gasp for air. It was late autumn and maybe the surface of the water wasn't frozen yet but I knew the rocks resting at the bottom below the rapids would be just as good as ice.

When I reached the bottom, I picked up as many rocks as I could carry and pointed my nose at the week sunlight making its way through the frigid water, lungs burning in protest. After what seemed like forever, I broke the surface, gulping in the chilly air and shuddering violently.

Before he could say a word, I turned, poised to argue, but he was sitting on the bed of leaves sprawled out with my jacket in his lap. His chest was heaving and it sent an odd throb, a pleasurable pain, aching through my very core. I ignored the feeling and chattered, "David, let me use my jacket".

"You can wear mine," he said in a slightly strained voice, handing my his jacket.

"Why don't you just let me use mine?" I asked, goose bumps rising over the smoothly tanned skin of my shoulders and neck in the chilly autumn breeze,

"Mine is warmer and... better" he grunted.

"David, are you okay? Why are you sitting like that? And why do you sound like that? And why-- Oh. Never mind" I grinned, looking at where his jacket was placed and the look in his eyes. He blushed slightly, but I ignored it and accepted the jacket, placing it on the flat stone. I put the rocks in the bloody grey tee shirt and tied it up, handing it to him to hold on his shoulder, like ice patches without the adhesive. Pain in the ass.

The, I turned my back and slowly, deliberately teasing him, unclasped the frilly bra. I reached for the white shirt David had worn before and put it on and it hung to my thighs. I looked down. Damn. A combination of the chill and the tension I felt being so close to David made my nipples so hard that I might as well have been walking around butt-naked. Oh well... I slipped off the panties, wiggling my ass at David and giggling, allowing his shirt to hang down, then turning to him.