"Where are your people, dragon killer?" Saphir asked, watching the skies carefully for any of his kind. Dawn was giving way to morning, and it was dangerous for any vehicles to be outside once dawn broke. The dragons would be looking for revenge of their leader, and any human would suffice for their rage.

"Gator, what's your ETA?"

"ETA's one minute and closing. We have a lock on your gps."

"And Julie?"

"Already picked up. We'll be there momentarily."

"Wilco. Jessi out." I turned to Saphir and sent a smirk his way. "They're that far away," I answered, knowing he had heard our conversation.

"Your humans must hurry. My sight is getting better already."

"Well, that's not a good thing," I quipped, rubbing my shivering arms, trying to get warmth back into my body.

"I hear the humans. Get up." Even as he dictated the command, he yanked me to my feet and literally carried me out of our cover. With only one arm snaked around my waist, he began to run for the truck only he could hear, making me close my eyes and wish he would go slower. Soon, I could hear the truck as well, and a few seconds later, Saphir leapt and landed in the tuck. Gator, who was driving, already began to turn and as soon as Saphir landed, Gator slammed on the gas.

"You all right?" Gator asked, weaving in and out of the trees.

"Just dandy!" I called back over the wind. I huddled into the top corner of the truck bed and tried to curl myself up into a ball, preserving the little of my body heat I had left.

"Just a few minutes and we'll make it to base. Hold on."

"Well, now that you say that Gator, I'll be sure to try. Not that I was trying to preserve heat before, but thanks for that."

"If I could hit a woman, it would be you."

"Oh, romance me with small talk," I shot back, my teeth starting to chatter. Luckily for me, Saphir knelt and gathered me into his arms, sharing his own body heat. I didn't know what put him in such a good mood to help me, but I sure as hell wasn't going to complain.

"Balls to the wall, boys!" Gator called out.

"Oh shit, Gator, don't-" He gassed the truck even more and we shot forward. My heart leapt and I clung to Saphir, knowing what was coming.

"What is it, dra-"

"A jump!" I called back, closing my eyes and praying for safety. I felt the moment we hit the ramp and I felt my stomach drop to my toes as we sailed through the air. The few seconds we were airborne seemed like an eternity and I clutched Saphir in fright. I was never okay with flying and I hated heights, but if I got through this, I was going to kill Gator. Finally, the tires hit the ground and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"You okay?" Gator asked, narrowly missing a tree. Before I could answer, I heard Saphir hiss and I looked up at him, then flinched. All of his eyes were red and the pupil was a startling contrast of green, which gave him a slight cat eye effect. He dumped me to the ground in a heap and before I could complain, he leapt from the truck and into the sky. I saw his skin and bone begin to reform, and as Gator drove away, I saw him completely change into a dragon. The sight made my mouth dry as I remembered the rage he exhibited when I killed his friends, but he collided with another dragon.

"Saphir's covering us!" I managed to yell, my eyes glued to the fight behind us. Gator, however, kept on driving and my view of Saphir was cut off.

"We've been spotted?" Gator asked.

"Yeah, but Saphir's got us!"

"You trust that dragon with our lives?" he asked. Without hesitation, I nodded.

"He gave us his word!" I could tell that Gator wasn't convinced and I continued. "But if that doesn't help, I still owe him big time! So he's gonna keep me alive!" I heard him laugh from the front seat and I crawled back into my corner.

"Now that I believe!" With that, the truck skidded to a halt, and I peeked my head out to look around. "Come on, we swim the rest of the way."

"Oh you son of a bitch." He tossed a flask to me and I caught it.

"Drink up." With an efficiancy that I even admired, Gator began to cover the truck with various cover, most military issued. I opened the flask and sniffed, now aware that it was hard liquor contained inside. With a inward shrug, I drank a sip and coughed. The stuff was definately strong. After the coughs subsided, I drank another sip, now prepared for the bite, and I was rewarded with a warmth in my stomach. Gator, who finally finished the truck's cover, held out his hand. I tossed the flask to him and then walked into the water. The cold was seeping into my very bones, but the liquor was combating the cold, keeping me functioning.

"We ready?" I asked as Gator waded in beside me.

"Keep underwater as much as possible, but don't strain your breath. If you get caught in hydrolics, you have to have enough air to survive. Stick away from the center of the river but don't get too close to shore. Got it?" I nodded and we both dove into the water, the swift current carrying us far downstream. Every couple of strokes, I swam to the surface of the water for breath. Finally, Gator pulled me to shore and I followed him, gratefully climbing out of the river.

"What now?" I asked, now spotting the waterfall in the distance.

"We climb down."

"God I wish Saphir was here," I muttered. "He could carry my ass down."

"You are one lazy soldier, you know that?" Gator asked, walking away from the waterfall and deeper into the forest. "I thought I taught you better."

"You didn't teach me not to be lazy," I answered, jumping down a small drop in our path. "You taught me to be sneaky so I could be lazy."

"That's bullshit and you know it," he muttered, coming to the hard part in our journey. The trail now sloped downwards, the path now lined with mere tree roots to stop us if we fell. The dirt wasn't packed either, so a fall was likely to occur if we weren't careful. "Step careful here and grab the roots. If you fall, I'm not catching you."

"I'm just drowning in love," i muttered as Gator turned and began to climb down. He didn't deign my retort with his own and I began to concentrate on climbing. Fortunately for us, we made it down with litle diffuculty...if you call dirt in Gator's eye not difficult. "What about Saphir?" I asked as Gator began to walk in the waterfall. He stopped and turned to me, his face unreadable.

"I thought you'd be happy to rid yourself of the dragon. What are you so worried about?"

"Dragon or not, he saved both of our lives back there. If he hadn't fought that one dragon, we could have been killed or seriously wounded." Gator began to speak, but the flap of dragon wings ruined our conversation. I jumped into the water and Gator pulled me into the cave behind the enormous waterfall. After I had crawled inside, I heard a giant splash and pulled the small pistol from my boot. It was puny defense for a dragon, but it was something.

"If you shoot me dragon killer, I'll be forced to kill you."

"Saphir?" I asked, hope lined in my voice. The dragon poked his head through the waterfall and began to morph into the human I knew. "How did you find us?"

"I know your scent," he said simply as he followed us into the cave. Gator sent me a glance and our eyes locked as I tried to gauge what he was trying to tell me. Yet, his face was unreadable and he turned away from me, leaving me to follow. Somehow, I felt as if I failed some sort of test but I followed my friend regardless. Once we entered the base, I saw that only a few soldiers were inside and noticed the cave was signifigantly smaller than the other base we had been to.

"Julie!" Gator called. I saw a head pop up from a blanket and she sent a smile Gator's way.

"Yo," she said simply. As I saw Julie in the blanket, I realized how cold was and dashed over to Julie, tucking myself into the covers. Even though I was wet, Julie was as well, and we held each other close for warmth.

"I want to congratulate everyone on a job well done," Gator stated to the people around the cave. A few cheers broke out, but it was quieter than when the job first began. "We have enough food for a while, but we'll stay here for a few days. Jessi, Julie-"

"Yea boss?" Julie interruped cheekily.

"We'll part ways here. It was a pleasure working with both of you." I felt Julie's confusion and I felt a pang of sadness, but I knew it was a sensible idea. It was time we got back to the mountains, back to the dense forests where we knew our way.

"Same here," I said, my voice muffled by the blanket. "Thanks for helping us, Gator." I heard him walk over to us, and he tousled my wet hair.

"Anything for you. Now we have some dry clothes, but there's nowhere to change." At that, my head popped out and I glared at Gator, ignoring the fact that he was right.

"You're not serious," I stated, not wanting to believe him.

"Oh, but I am. Do you see anywhere where you two could change?"

"Fine. Where's our clothes?" Julie asked, a fire in her eyes. Her temper was easy to ignite, and Gator's smirk was enough to set it off. Gator dropped two bundles on top of the blanket and a lecherous smile crept onto his face. Every man in the vicinity was staring at us, even though some were trying to act inconspicuous about it. We both stood and I grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around Julie, my arms reaching the wall, blocking the view of her changing.

Julie smiled in appreciation before stripping her outisde clothes and changing into the new ones. Once she was done, she took the blanket, smirking at the dissapointed faces around the cave, and draped it around me. I quickly took off my shirt and threw it at Gator, who was also watching without shame, and he caught it just before it hit his face. I took off my pants and finally donned my new clothes, feeling warmer already. Once I was done, Julie dropped the blanket and we both mock saluted Gator.

"What a waste," he sighed, dissapointed. "We'll part ways in the morning." Both Julie and I nodded, grateful for his help. We both understood where he was coming from; you wouldn't want to shelter a group of wanted criminals for long. Both of us settled back into the blanket and I laid my head on Julie's shoulder, glad for the warmth.

************

"Why do we have to go in the morning...why?" Gator, who was currently driving the truck, grinned at Julie, who was riding shotgun.

"Because sweetheart, it's the best time to move." He flicked her nose and I snickered as she sent him a glare. Gator, who was never ruffled, simply threw his arm over her shoulder.

"Where are you going to drop us off?" I yelled out. I was stuck in the back of the truck with a few of the soldiers, and of course, Saphir. He had stuck beside me most of last night and I had seen the extensive injuries he suffered. I knew better than to treat him in front of all the "humans" as he disdainfully called them, but once we split up, I was going to treat him.

"A few miles away from where we picked you up. You might want to lay low for a while."

"Yeah, we planned on it, Gator."

"Don't be sarcastic with me, I was just giving you advice."

"Stupid advice," Julie interjected, exasperated with the man beside of her. Gator's somber expression turned back into a grin and I realized that he didn't just like Julie. He liked Julie.

As Julie smiled slightly at Gator, I saw the happiness she was trying so hard to hide and I felt a pang inside of me. Why should I take her away from here? She'd be safe with Gator and surrounded by men and women that would protect her. I knew she missed people, even though she didn't say anything, and this would be a good place for her.

Yet, on the other hand, I was selfish. I wanted her by my side, fighting, laughing, and leading the group around us. She was a great asset and a exceptional fighter, and most of all, she was my sister. I couldn't bear to lose her like I had Mom, Dad, or my brother. Most of all, I wanted her safe, and she had been at my side. But now...I just didn't know.

Saphir, who was getting in tune with my moods, turned to me, his eyes trying to pry into my thoughts. I turned away from him, sparing him my usual glare, and tried to just stop thinking. Losing Julie was a huge shock to my system, but...wasn't I just blowing this out of proportion? It was her choice, after all. She didn't owe Saphir a debt, like I did. I ran a hand through my hair and cursed when Gator hit a large pothole n the ground.

"Gator, watch where you're driving!" I muttered, rubbing the sore spot on the back of my head.

"Then you drive!" he called back, still focusing mostly on Julie.

"You wouldn't trust me with your truck!" I called back, but I just wasn't into the byplay as I usually was.

"Damn straight!" I just sighed and didn't respond. What was I going to do? What would be best for Julie?

************

All too soon, we stopped and all of us hopped out. We spotted our trusty bikes by two soldiers, both armed. They both saluted Gator and he just grinned at them.

"This is where we part," he said, his eyes straying to Julie. As soon as he saw her, he looked away and I saw him slip into soldier mode. It was a protection against the pain and I felt my own sorrow for him.

"Hey Julie, come here." She did as she was told and I leaned over to her ear. "You don't have to leave."

"But-"

"You can stay with Gator...but only for a while. I still need to repay my debt to Saphir, but you don't owe him anything. I'll get it done and come back to get you."

"I want to go with you!"

"Yeah, but Gator's here." She didn't bother to deny the attraction, and for that, I was grateful. It cut down on the argument time. "And I want you to be happy. You'll be safe with him and content, even if just for a while. Most people don't get that chance." She was silent and somber for once, debating her decision. She looked to Gator, then back to me, and her chin lifted a notch.

"I've made my decision," she stated, looking dead into my eyes.