Disclaimer: These characters belong to George R.R. Martin.

Jon Snow wiped the blood off his face, stumbling over to where he'd thought he dropped his sword, when the sight before him stopped him in his tracks. For a minute, he just stared at her, unable to move, but then all he could do was smile, glad to see her, even with an arrow drawn, pointing at him.

Most girls aren't like you.

He would never understand how she did it. He was Jon Snow, Man of the Night's Watch; he was a Crow; watcher on the walls.

And then he looked at Ygritte and that person was gone, disappeared.

He kept his gaze on her, her fiery wisps of hair that mingled in the breeze, her steadfast glare. She looked back at him like no one else ever could.

If we die, we die. But first we'll live.

And then the arrow came; it struck her backside, making her jolt and drop her bow and arrow.

When Jon Snow was a child, he grew very sick with a fever one night; no one expected him to live. He remembered feeling like all the life had drained from him, as if he had nothing left on the inside to keep him going.

This was what he felt when he saw Ygritte drop to her knees during the Battle of Castle Black.

He ran to her side before she fell over completely and took her in his arms.

"You're alright," he said to her instinctively, "You'll be fine."

"I know I will be," she gasped, "It caught me arrow pack; only grazed my skin. It caught me off guard is all, s'why I fell."

Breathing heavily, Jon looked over her shoulder; she was right. The arrow was lodged in the archery pack she had slung over her back; maybe just the tip had succeeded in reaching her skin. He let out a breath, a mixture of relief and hysteria in his eyes. And then, still holding her, he began to laugh.

Right there, as Crows and Wildings fought all around them, as people were dying, Jon Snow laughed and laughed.

"Gods, you've gone mad," Ygritte breathed, giving him a quizzical look, reaching back to pull the arrow out of the fabric, "this place really 'as done a number on you, hasn't it?"

His smile widened at this, and he just looked into her eyes, which to him had the light of a thousand suns.

Without another word, he scooped her up, climbing to his feet.

"Put me down!" she demanded, as he trudged toward the castle doors, away from all the fighting. "I don't need you to to rescue me, Jon Snow!" she shot at him when he ignored her.

"If taking you away's the only way to keep you safe then so be it," he said gruffly.

"I don't need you to keep me safe!" she retorted furiously, trying to free herself from his grasp, but she was no match for his strong build. "I'm just fine on me own!"

"I know you are. Now be quiet," he entered the castle and hurried down a corridor. He opened the first door he came to and hustled inside, shutting it behind them. They saw that it was some kind of stock room, with cases of wine stacked all around. Knowing she'd want to go back out and fight, he set her down on the ground and laid right on top her her. It was the only way to keep her from running off.

"You get off me, fuckin' Crow!" she spat at him.

"It's good to see you too," he told her. Then, smiling to himself, he realized that their roles had been reversed. When they'd first met, it was Ygritte who'd persisted, who'd annoyed him to no end when all he did was fight her away.

"You know you can't hold me down forever, Jon Snow," she told him, "You can't keep chasing me."

"Then stop runnin'," he said fiercely.

He wanted more than anything to kiss her, but he restrained himself. Knowing her, she might bite his lip off if he tried anything at the moment.

"You know that I had to leave you-"

"Don't," she said in a warning voice.

"I didn't want to. But I couldn't betray my brothers just like you couldn't turn on your people. It's our blood; it's who we are."

"Bullshit," she said, "If you 'ad an ounce of loyalty in you, you'd of killed me back there. You would of killed me the first time we ever met. If you're so loyal to your 'brothers', why don't you just do it now while you're still young and pretty, and you can find another girl to keep you warm at night?"

He laughed. "Have you forgotten what I am? I'm not looking for any girl to keep me warm."

"Oh... is that so?" The corners of her mouth twitched up slightly.

The look on her face made him pause. "Ygritte..."

"So what's your big plan now, Jon Snow? Kill me so you can go on playing with your fancy swords? Keep me hostage like last time?"

"If we go now, no one would know," he said, "we could do it. They'd never catch us."

At that moment, the door swung open to reveal Alliser Thorne standing in the doorway.

"What the Hell are you doing, Snow?"

"I'm going to keep this one captive, " he told Thorne, "Use her as a spy. There are more Wildings that we didn't see tonight; they'll attack soon. She's more useful to us alive than dead."

Thorne studied him for a long moment, then lightened his gaze. "I trust you, Snow."

"Is the battle still being faught?"

"Rayder surrendered. We're keeping him and a few others hostage. We can put her with them." He gestured to Ygritte.

Jon nodded. "I'll take care of her. You go on."

When he was gone, Jon sighed and averted his gaze from Ygritte. She raised an eyebrow at him. "So I was right. You're gonna make me your prisoner again, Jon Snow. Because you're too scared to just kill me." She finished in a mocking tone, then said more seriously, "Even when you know I was plannin' on puttin' and arrow through your heart?"

"But you wouldn't have," he looked right at her.

After a minute, she shook her head and said softly, "You know nothing, Jon Snow."

Thanks for reading, let me know if you want me to continue!