If You Wait

She gently squeezed his arm with her hand, "I'm so sorry." He didn't answer. She left her hand where it was.

She was almost asleep when she heard him say, "Name is Joss, by the way..."

"Mmm-hmm..." was all she could manage.

Her old nightmares woke her, and in the dark, she couldn't remember where she was and began to scream, flinging off the coat and Joss' arms, frantically searching a way out. "Shhhh... What's wrong?" he asked her. "You can't go out! You'll get hurt blindly trying to make your way. Stop! Please, stop." Sobbing, she ran out of fight and collapsed back against him. "Shhhh... It's okay, it's okay... I'm here. I'm here.... Just rest now... Only a few more hours until morning. Shhhhhh..." his voice, soft and soothing close by her ear, was lulling her back into sleep. Before she was lost to the world again, she could have sworn she felt him press a kiss into her hair.

She awoke again, blinking against the once more bright light of day, fully warm and mostly dry and happily entangled with her still-sleeping hero. He'd been incredibly sweet last night, chasing her bad dreams away. Not to mention saving her from the storm and freezing to begin with. He must not have slept much; he looked so tired. She couldn't help brushing his dark hair back from his eyes so that she could study the lines of his now easily discernable handsome face. It was enough to wake him. "Good morning," he rumbled, a half-smile turning up his mouth. And then with a little bit of concern, "Are you alright now? Last night..."

Blushing, "Sorry. I haven't had the nightmares in a long while. Must have been talking about my folks' that did it." He looked at her questioningly. She lowered her eyes. "I was on vid with them... When it happened." He gently lifted her chin until her eyes meet his softened gaze. "I still dream about it sometimes."

"Sorry," he said.

"Me, too."

He brushed his hand along her cheek, his thumb caressing her lips, their faces close, drawing closer. Her heart quickened as he leaned the scant few inches to claim her mouth, so tenderly, with his own, tightening his arms around her. "Joss," she sighed.

"You have me at a disadvantage, love," he teased. "I still don't know--"

They both jumped at the sound of her name being shouted, over and over again, coming closer, by a very worried-sounding Wil. "LENI!...LENI!...LEEEENNNNIII!"

She looked down at the state of their undress, realized what it looked like, and firmly placed her hand over Joss' mouth, frantically shaking her head no, just as he was getting ready to call out in answer. He shrugged, and they both held their breath as the sound of heavily booted feet passed way too closely to their makeshift shelter for comfort, breathing a sigh of relief as they faded into the distance. He lifted her hand from his lips, and with a devilish grin she was quickly becoming addicted to, needled, "Lenny? Isn't that a boy's name? I think that's taking the whole thing a bit far, really. A beautiful woman miner... With a boy's name."

Giggling, she smacked his chest. "Shut up." He laughed. "It's short for Helene, if you must know. Helene Burroughs."

He took her hand. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Burroughs. Josiah Hughes, at your service."And he bent his head over it, bestowing upon it a gentlemanly and flutter-inducing kiss.

She stared dreamily at him a few moments before suddenly starting and leaping to her feet. "Oh, no! Wil is going to flay me alive for worrying him! Quick, Joss! Help me dress!" With every button he fastened, his touch burned right through the cloth to her skin, and she tried in vain to compose herself by futilely smoothing her horribly wrinkled gown and combing through her long hair with her fingers, fastening part of it back from her face. With no mirror, it was the best she could do.