Story Note: Chapters switch between Jack and Allison's POV.

Spoilers: Contains references to season 2 episodes

Author's Note: Thanks so much for the reviews! And constructive criticism is always helpful and appreciated.

Allison walked beside Carter along a well-maintained path which weaved through the spa's property. Much of the route was shaded by trees and benches had been placed alongside the trail at regular intervals. It was a low-intensity trail intended for quiet contemplation rather than a rigorous workout; so it was easy to go on auto-pilot and let her mind wander.

What had she been thinking? She seemed to be making one mistake after another. Lunch with Carter should have been simple enough. She'd lost count of how many times they'd had coffee together, so why should sitting down for an actual meal together be any different? But when Nathan showed up at their table, she latched onto him like a lifeline. Inviting him to join them saved her from being alone with Carter.

But if that was the idea, why did she spend the entire lunch silently cursing Stark for ruining her date? And when had she started to think of it as a date anyway? That thought had distracted her so much, she completely lost track of the conversation at times. She comforted herself with the thought that the two men had probably been too busy bickering to notice.

Her conversation with Carter outside the restaurant replayed in her mind and she cringed inwardly. She'd meant to make a little joke, just something to ease the tension of the moment. But it hadn't come off that way and she'd wound up revealing far too much.

It was ironic that she'd started the day worried that Carter would try to get too close. Instead, she wound up practically throwing herself at him. The poor guy had looked like a deer caught in headlights. He didn't even give her a chance to explain; not that she'd have known what to say if he had. She knew it wasn't fair to give him mixed signals, if—

"Something wrong?" Carter asked, pulling her out of her thoughts. She glanced over at him in surprise. "You've, ah, been quiet for a while now." He seemed tense, as if bracing himself for her reply.

"Oh." Looking around, she wondered how long they'd been walking. They'd crossed into a woodsy area near the outskirts of the spa's property. Needing a less embarrassing answer than the truth, she racked her brain for a plausible lie. "I was just thinking …" Reasoning that the best defense is a good offense, she finished, "…that we really need to work on your taste in music."

From his surprised expression, it was clear her words had caught him off guard. "We need to… what?"

"You heard me. I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember you singing along to The Carpenters a few days ago?"

Carter hung his head and let out a pained sigh. "That was your company's hold music," he grumbled, still sounding embarrassed over the incident.

"And, according to Abby, you're no stranger to dancing the Macarena," she continued. His ex-wife had mentioned it once.

"That…I was on vacation," he sputtered. "And it was the '90's!"

Feeling on firmer ground now that she had him on the defensive, she kept going. "Well, it doesn't seem like your taste has improved much since then. You did say you would dance to 'Hips Don't Lie' at Zoë's birthday party."

"Oh, come on! I was joking about that!" he protested.

Allison sighed dramatically and shot him a pitying look. "It's sad, really."

"Oh!" he groaned and clutched his chest as if wounded, "Oh, that hurts!" He stopped walking and gave her a considering look. "Wait. Does this mean you're planning to do something about it?"

That brought her up short. "What?"

"You said we need to work on my musical taste," he pointed out. "That suggests you're planning to take me on as a project." He playfully spread his arms wide to demonstrate that he was hers for the taking.

She started backpedaling both figuratively and literally as she stepped off the trail and started backing away from him. "Okay, that is not what I meant. I just…"

He advanced on her, shaking his head. "Nope, sorry. It's too late to back out now. You clearly think I need help. If that's the case, I think you have a responsibility to save me from myself."

She waved her hands in denial and continued to back away. "No, no, no!" she laughed.

Carter snapped his fingers as if an idea had just occurred to him. "Oh, hey! I heard the Spice Girls are making a comeback. Should be good, right? Personally, I always liked Ginger Spice."

Allison had started making rude gagging noises, but he continued on unabated. "Now, I know what you're thinking: What about Posh?"

Allison rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's exactly what I'm thinking. Forget it, Carter, it won't work. There's nothing you can say to convince me…"

"I always thought Michael Bolton was underappreciated as an artist."

Allison snorted derisively in response. "You do not!" It occurred to her he might not be kidding. "Do you?"

"Well, he's no Clay Aiken, but…"

Alarmed, Allison held up her hands to ward him off. "Okay, stop! I'm warning you, stop it now or I'm out of here." She backed up further, opening up the lead she had gained, just in case.

Carter got an evil grin on his face. "Did I ever tell you I know all the words to 'Wind Beneath My Wings'?"

Allison turned and ran, laughing as he gave chase.

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Allison ducked under a low tree branch. She could hear Carter crashing through the underbrush and could tell he was getting close. He was going to catch up to her any minute unless—

There! She spotted a small wooden shack in a nearby clearing and put on a burst of speed. She wrenched the door open, darted inside and quickly shut the door behind her. Out of breath from her sprint, she sagged against the door and struggled to catch her breath. Her panting breath sounded loud in the small, enclosed space. Looking around, she realized that there weren't any windows in the room, just a small skylight overhead.

As her heart rate gradually slowed, she took a closer look at her surroundings and discovered she was hiding in a sauna. Two levels of wooden benches stretched across the walls and moist heat filled the air. With a start, Allison realized that she was very lucky the sauna had been unoccupied. Bursting in on someone in here could have been embarrassing.

A low hiss sounded from somewhere in the room and she stepped away from the door to investigate. Crouching down, she heard another hiss and watched a burst of steam rise from a recessed rectangle in the center of the room. Unlike traditional saunas in which steam is generated by pouring water over hot rocks, this sauna was equipped with infrared heaters and the humidity was automatically regulated.

The heat of the room was becoming stifling. Her t-shirt was starting to feel damp and a trickle of sweat slid down the side of her face. She didn't even want to think about what the humidity was doing to her hair. She'd just turned around to leave when Carter burst into the room, slamming the door behind him to cut off the exit.

"Ah ha!" he shouted triumphantly, his loud voice bouncing off the walls. Swept up in the enthusiasm of the chase, he darted straight for her and Allison instinctively moved to sidestep him. He wrapped an arm around her waist to prevent her escape and Allison found herself pulled into his arms.

"I knew I'd find you in here!" He blinked down at her and seemed to suddenly realize what he'd just done. "You know, keen investigative skills and all…" his voice trailed off uncertainly.

She could feel him start to step back and without thinking she put her hands on his arms to stop him. They stood facing each other in silence. He was breathing heavily, although whether from the chase or their current circumstances she wasn't sure.

A quiet hiss heralded the arrival of another burst of steam into the room. The heat in the room seemed to rise several degrees, but that could have been her imagination. She couldn't resist staring at his lips and wondering, not for the first time, what it would be like to kiss him. His mouth was near, slightly open, and she could feel his body starting to move in closer.

Allison was leaning toward him, even though her brain was shouting at her that this was a bad idea, when abruptly he raised his head and seemed to be listening intently. Before she could react, his eyes flashed a warning and he jerked his head toward the door in explanation.

Allison froze and listened. She could hear voices right outside the sauna. Glancing at the door, she realized it didn't have a lock. There was a privacy switch to let people know the sauna was occupied, but neither of them had activated it. Anyone could walk in and find them locked in an embrace. It wouldn't be the scandal of the year, they were actually quite overdressed for a sauna, but it would be embarrassing to be caught together like a couple of teenagers making out in a closet.

The voices outside came closer.

"Saunas are wonderful for the skin. The steam improves circulation and opens up the pores."

"You mean people just sit around in there and sweat? Gross! Don't you have anything good here?"

Allison could feel a shudder run through Carter and a quick glance at his face revealed that he was shaking with repressed laughter. He dropped his head onto her shoulder in an attempt to stifle the noise that was perilously close to bursting forth. The need to laugh was infectious and she had to glance away quickly. She pressed her lips together tightly and tried to focus on the door in front of her and the conversation just outside.

"How long did you say your internship was?"

"A year. And I plan on coming here a lot."

"Something to look forward to. I'll be sure to alert the other staff. Perhaps yoga would be more to your liking?"

"I doubt it. But I still want to see everything, so don't even try leaving anything out."

"This day just keeps getting better. Well, we have a yoga class starting soon over this way. Yoga has numerous benefits for both body and mind..."

The unfortunate tour guide led her charge away from the sauna and their conversation soon passed out of earshot.

Allison could feel the laughter rumbling through Carter's chest as it broke free. She joined in, sagging against him and giggling helplessly. He clung to her as he laughed, and they swayed together unsteadily. For a moment she thought they were going to topple over and it just made her laugh harder. They were like a couple of kids, out of control with laughter over a shared moment made a hundred times funnier by the fact that it would only be funny to them.

Winding down, Carter chuckled, "Megan! God, I can't believe we're in here hiding from Megan!" This year's high-school science fair winner was Global's newest intern. She had evidently decided to take advantage of the spa membership that went with the job. Carter stepped away from Allison, wiping at his eyes, and grinned.

"Pretty funny, huh?" she asked with a forced smile to hide her disappointment when he pulled away. Her eyes dropped to the sweat-sheened skin just above the collar of his shirt, but she knew the electric moment between them was gone. The logical part of her brain insisted firmly that was a good thing, since she had no intention of getting involved with him.

"Listen, what do you say we get out of here before I melt?" His face was flushed and he tugged uncomfortably at his shirt.

"Yeah…" Allison answered, shoving aside the part of her that was wallowing in frustration and regret for the lost moment. "Yeah. Let's go."

TBC