A/N: If you read chapter three shortly after I posted it, you may have seen a version that was missing the first page and a half. Sorry! It's corrected, now. I haven't thanked everyone who reviewed, but I do appreciate all of your comments.
The warmth between the space blankets had a clammy feel to it, but Peter wasn't complaining. The cold reached him swiftly after the loss of his sweater. Peter put his own head beneath the blanket, and he and Neal breathed together. Peter smelled alcohol on Neal's breath. Of course, the champagne. That hadn't helped his condition, either.
Neal's shivers subsided to a normal teeth-chattering level. After a while Peter asked, "Are you any warmer?"
"Yeah," Neal said. Peter hoped he wasn't just humoring him, but the damp warmth under the blanket was unmistakable and welcome. Peter's thoughts turned to other things, and he groped to activate the comm in his ear.
"Jones, did they catch Mencia?" he asked.
Jones's voice came through clearly and Peter felt better for it. "The boat never showed up at the bridge, Peter," he said, "but the bug is still broadcasting. I'm trying to help MacAlister's guys pick up its frequency."
"Neal got the statuette out," Peter told him. "We have it here." The recovery of the looted historical treasure, an irreplaceable Incan artifact, was more important than catching the bad guys. Absently, he stroked Neal's back. They had what mattered most.
"The EMTs haven't shown," Jones said, "but the Coast Guard has your GPS position and they say they're about five minutes out. You guys okay?"
"I think so. Five minutes is good. Best news I've heard all day. Five minutes, Neal," Peter said. "You all right?"
"I think – the anklet – will interfere with – my medical care – don't you?" Neal asked.
Peter grinned. "Not in the least," he said. "Nice try."
Peter imagined he heard a smile in Neal's voice. "Ah well. I wasn't – going anywhere – anyway."
In the distance Peter heard the purposeful purring of an approaching engine, the first he'd heard since Mencia's fishing boat departed. He gave Neal an impulsive hug. "No you're not," he told his friend. "Not without me, at any rate."
END