"It's cold," Cody complained, stomping snow from his boots and fumbling with his gloves.

"We're in Canada in December," Nick said reasonably, following him into their chalet and closing the door behind them. "Whaddaya expect?"

Cody shrugged, hauled his jacket off and tossed it at the coatrack. "I expected to be done Sunday and home by now."

"I know, pal." Nick pulled off his own hat and gloves, kicked off his boots, and watched as Cody crossed the room to poke the fire. "But we're making progress, right?"

Cody pulled off his hat and tossed it to the couch, closed the firebox door and turned back to Nick. "If progress means Melissa Lambert thinking I'm gonna pop the question any day, then yes. Let's hope Murray's got something, buddy, because I don't think I can do this much longer."

Nick stripped off the rest of his outerwear and came into the room. "I know," he said sympathetically. "But you're the only one who can ski."

Cody rubbed his face and sank onto the couch. "I never wanted to take skiing lessons," he said randomly. "I didn't get a choice."

Nick perched beside him and laid a hand on his knee. When he'd gone to Vietnam, Cody had made a deliberate break with his past. He still spoke to his mother, but kept his visits short and infrequent. He'd been raised privileged - Nick had always known that - and now, although Cody could still do the yacht club scene when required, he avoided it at all costs.

Unfortunately, the Lambert case required every ounce of his privileged background, and the strain was showing. John Lambert, venture capitalist, had received a series of vague threats against his debutante daughter Melissa. The Riptide Detective Agency had been hired to protect her and find the source of the threats - and the catch was, Melissa was not to know. Not about the threats, not about the protection, and nothing at all about private detectives.

So Cody Allen, well-heeled investor, had chosen the same ski resort as Melissa for a week's holiday. Nick Ryder, his faithful chauffeur and general factotum, was discreetly on call at all times. Murray Bozinsky was installed on the resort staff as a computer consultant, both Nick and Cody having vetoed his suggestion that he learn to ski for the occasion. "You might be able to drive a computer with a broken leg," Nick had growled, "but we're not gonna test it out."

So far, they had nothing. No seedy types loitering in the lobby, no drab sedans lurking on the street corners. And definitely no thugs riding the ski lifts nor snipers stalking the mountainside. Just a throng of beautiful people, expensive cars, fashionable snowsuits and gourmet food.

"I dunno, Nick. Maybe it's all bullshit, you know? Someone putting the wind up daddy, hoping he'll take his eye off the ball, miss a key maneuver and maybe his stock'll fall three cents. You know what I'm saying?"

"You really do read Fortune magazine for the articles," Nick said admiringly, getting up and fetching beers from the small bar fridge.

Cody snorted, and let a reluctant smile spread across his face. "Thanks," he said, taking the beer Nick handed him. "But it could be a corporate takedown. The threat might not be real."

The phone shrilled and Nick detoured to answer it. "How may I help you?" he inquired in the polite, polished voice of a well-trained servant. "Oh, yes, Miss Lambert. Mr. Allen's unavailable at present but perhaps I can take a message?" He listened a moment. "I'm sorry, miss, I'm not privy to his diary. I wouldn't know about his dinner plans."

Cody jumped to his feet, beer and smile forgotten. "I can't," he said quietly, and grabbed his jacket. He heard Nick promising that Mr. Allen would call, and stuffed his hands into his gloves.

"Not tonight," he said, as the phone jangled into its cradle. "I just - I gotta get away, Nick. We haven't had a break in five days, and being this guy is making me crazy."

"I know." Nick came up behind him and gripped his biceps. "Where you going, huh?"

Cody leaned back into Nick, resting his shoulders against Nick's chest, suppressing the urge to turn around and lay his head on Nick's shoulder. "I don't wanna be here if she comes by when I don't call her. Because I'm not going to, Nick."

"I know. So where you going?" Nick repeated, sliding his arms around Cody's chest.

It felt so safe. Cody laid his hands over Nick's. Let's go to bed. Just wanna be with you. "For a walk," Cody said. There was no way out. If he retreated to his room, he'd be alone. Even with Murray manning the computer system, they'd agreed not to trust the fragile privacy of the chalet, and Nick was resolutely bunking in the tiny alcove intended for children.

"Want me to come?" Nick stepped back, releasing Cody.

Cody gave a crooked smile, looking at Nick over his shoulder. "You better catch up with Murray. And eat. I should come with you, but - " He raised his hands in a helpless gesture.

"I know, man. Go on." Nick squeezed his shoulder. "Get outta here, otherwise it's gonna be dark. Don't be too long, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Cody pulled his hat on his head, and swung out the door.

Nick had barely entered the hotel lobby when Murray exploded from the office behind the front desk, gesticulating in what he evidently imagined to be a covert way. Nick hurried over.

"Take it easy, Boz. What's up?"

"Melissa's in the bar, and there's two guys in there who look like trouble. Where's Cody? We have to get her out of there!"

"Cody's gone for a walk." Nick looked troubled. "Are you sure?"

"Sure! How can I be sure?" Murray grabbed Nick's arm impatiently. "They didn't write down 'Hoodlum' when they were asked for their occupation! But they're in the wrong kind of clothes, they brought no luggage, they look like hired muscle - "

"Okay, Boz, okay. I get the picture." Nick rubbed his neck. "Wanna check the outdoor cams, see if you can find Cody?"

"I'm on it!" Murray rushed back toward the office, flailing his arms as he went. Several people in the lobby watched.

Nick, reflecting it was just as well the suspects were safely in the bar out of sight, turned away, heading for the long corridor which led to the service rooms and janitor's space. There was a rear entrance into the bar, and he needed a chance to see the lay of the land without being spotted himself.

But once inside the richly-decorated room, Nick found it thronged with ruddy-faced groups in off the slopes, enjoying a drink before dinner, and completely devoid of hoodlums.

Melissa was at the bar, ethereal in a floaty peach number, accompanied by a skinnier, plainer girlfriend in simple black. Nick quirked a smile, giving her points for strategy, and avoided her glance, heading for the main entrance and Murray's office.

But Melissa was having none of it. Before Nick had gone three steps she was at his side, his arm caught in a clinging grip. "Mr. Ryder! Cody hasn't called me yet. I know because I asked the desk to route my calls in here."

"I haven't seen him, Miss Lambert." Nick, by now accustomed to his role, kept his perfect-servant facade with ease. "In fact I came over to the hotel to see if he was in the bar. I have an urgent message for him."

"My message?" Melissa dimpled at him. "I'm flattered."

"A call from the city," Nick said drily. "If you'll excuse me."

He shouldered his way out of the bar and headed for the hotel's main entrance. He was halfway across the lobby when Murray hurtled out of the office, feet slipping on the polished floor, and cannoned into him.

Nick staggered back, steadying Murray with one arm, even as he looked in every direction for the threat. "What is it, Boz?" he asked urgently, fighting the urge to pull the gun currently stashed in the waistband of his pressed servant's slacks.

"The parking lot - Cody - " Murray managed, pulling away from Nick. He would have set off at a run again, but Nick grabbed his arm. Several people were watching them from the bar, including Melissa, and the last thing Nick needed was an upper class audience for whatever was going down outside.

"Is Cody okay?" Nick asked, as steady and patient as he could manage under the circumstances. Murray recoiled and took a sharp breath, and Nick felt a pang of guilt. It didn't stop him from giving Murray's arm a light shake, however. "C'mon, Murray, spill it."

Murray blinked once, then nodded. "The thugs are out there. Cody's on the trail, headed down. I don't know if they're looking for him or waiting to snatch Melissa when she goes back to her chalet, but he's gonna run right into them any time now."

"Okay." Nick's mind raced. "Call Lambert. Have him call the cops and get 'em up here, quick smart but no lights or sirens."

"I can just call the cops - "

"A pile of black and whites, everything blazing, is the last thing we want, man. The resort has a rep, and we gotta keep all this hush-hush, remember? Lemme get out there to Cody, and you have Lambert pull all the strings he has."

"Got it." Murray nodded sharply. "You're right." He turned and hurried back to the office, calmer now, and Nick turned away from the main entrance, striding quickly to the narrow hall behind the bar and heading for the service entrance. It would do no good to advertise his presence.

Nick slipped outside. What passed for sunset up here had been and gone, and night was coming down fast. There was a dim light above the service entrance and he took a moment to busy himself with a nearby dumpster, trying to look like a member of the hotel staff, before he slid into the shadows.

He had no idea if they had been made, if they were being watched - or even if the "thugs" had anything to do with their case at all. Shivering a little in his indoor clothes, Nick crept through the trees which ringed the parking lot, searching for the suspects.

He spotted them on the far side of the lot, three beefy guys who looked nothing like skiers and everything like Chicago hoodlums. Nick snuck closer, feeling the cold start to burn his ears, nose and fingers. He should have stopped for his jacket, his hat, his gloves, but with Cody heading blind into what might be an ambush, there'd been no time.

The hoods were near the trailhead, right where Cody could be expected to appear. Nick craned his neck to peer up the trail, but between the glowering dusk and the low-growing pines, it was impossible to see movement let alone telegraph a warning.

Nick frowned, wondering if he could somehow get past the three guys, or whether he should rely on a distraction. He wished he had a radio, some way of contacting Murray and Cody - something he could have relied on in California but they'd eschewed in this mountainous terrain. Even the Roboz couldn't pick up a signal from most parts of the resort.

A sharp popping sound from the trailhead made Nick look up sharply, and he realized the thugs had spread out. One remained in his original position, a second was heading for the hotel, taking a path which would bring him dangerously close to Nick, and the third was out of sight. Nick shook his head desperately, suddenly aware that the cold was making him fuzzy, dulling his reflexes. He hauled his gun out of the back of his pants, wincing at the cold metal, and heard the strange popping again.

This time, his eye caught a flash from the trailhead, and his stomach slowly looped the loop. The third guy was over there, firing a silenced weapon at something or someone. Maybe at Cody.

Sticking to the trees, Nick started to run.

He was cold, slow and clumsy with it, but he had the element of surprise and made it almost to the trailhead before the hoods had him made. Nick knew the instant they spotted him and flung himself facedown in the snow, wiggling into inadequate cover, content for the moment to have drawn their interest - and their fire - away from his partner. By now Murray should have the cavalry on the way, and all they had to do was hang on.

Nick rolled behind a different pine and risked a shot toward the trailhead, then took off running again. He wanted to get to Cody, check on him, but at the same time, he wanted these crooks as far from his partner as possible.

If Cody had ever been involved at all. Nick staggered up a bank and hunkered behind a bush, nearly winded. There'd been shooting. Cody. Melissa. He struggled to catch his breath in the increasingly-frigid air, feeling the burn and pull in his lungs. His face was nearly numb, and it took all his concentration to hold his gun. Somewhere out there were enemies, he remembered that much. And Cody.

Nick blinked against the increasing dark. Maybe he'd lost them. Or maybe they'd lost him, and gone after Cody again. He struggled around another tree, seeking blindly for the orange lights of the carpark. Or the pale groundlights marking the trailhead. But in every direction was cold dark, and the very air hurt to breathe.

He leaned hard against the nearest pine. The surface of his mind was calm and rational, aware of his gun, of Cody out there somewhere, of the enemy nearby. But it failed to give him direction, or a plan. That was wrong, very wrong, and something deep inside of him was very, very afraid. "Cody," Nick whispered, as his gun slipped from his hand. "Cody, man… sorry."

Everything hurt. He was still lost in the thick black, cold, wet, alone, and wasn't it just typical that now, with no aspirin, no blanket, no partner - now was when he needed them most. "Cody," he muttered weakly, his lungs declining him the breath to call out. He felt dizzy and strange, like the air was moving or maybe the mountain itself. Getting ready to swallow him whole.

"It's okay," said a voice that should have been familiar, but didn't come with a face anymore.

Nick struck out blindly, fighting the mountain and the dark. "Cody," he repeated helplessly. He had no strength, no hope, nothing - this cold place had taken everything even the jungle couldn't reach. It wasn't fair.

"Nick, don't fight me. Try and wake up. Nick!"

Suddenly, there was light. Nick gasped and jerked away - the VC would get him now. As scary as the dark had been, it had been his protection at least. Hands held his shoulders, pressing him down, and that voice came again, low, urgent, soothing.

Nick frowned, blinked, and breathed. There was something around his shoulders, and Murray was crouched beside him, staring worriedly into his face. He was still wet, still freezing, but he was down on the snowy parking lot, not in the drifts below the trail anymore.

"I was up there," he said slowly, starting to shiver. "I don't - what happened? Where's Cody?" He tried to push himself up, but his limbs were unco-ordinated and awkward, and all he succeeded in doing was knocking his blanket away.

Murray wrapped it around him again, tighter this time. "Cody's in the hotel," he said gently. "He's okay. He's doing some damage control with Melissa. She still has no idea they were after her."

Nick's shivers came more violently as he tried to process that. Then Murray's arm eased around him, and slowly he made it to a sitting position. His teeth were chattering so hard he didn't think he could talk even if he could think of something to say, but some scrap of training told him the shivering was a good thing.

"W-we got 'em?"

"We got 'em," Murray agreed grimly. "Lucky the cops arrived when they did, and lucky you were out here. They were laying for Cody - not because they made us, because they figured to snatch him and Melissa together. Another hostage, I guess, or maybe a scapegoat."

Nick looked around. Awareness was becoming clearer, and his shivers were easing. Instead, every muscle in his body ached like he'd run a marathon or six. Not to mention the burning in his ears and fingers as circulation slowly returned. He raised his hands to his face and found gloves on his fingers, a hat pulled down on his head.

"Thanks," he said, looking up into Murray's face. "You found me? H-how'd you get me down?"

"The bad guys found you for us. One of 'em was about to shoot you." Murray breathed deep. "You were still on your feet, but you weren't tracking - didn't know where we were. The cops got you down."

"I dropped my gun. That's the last thing I remember."

"They got that too. It's in my pocket." Murray rubbed Nick's back. "C'mon, you ready to try getting up? Think you can walk?"

Nick struggled to his feet, realizing he and Murray were alone in the parking lot. "Those guys were shooting. No-one got hit? What about Cody?"

"Cody's fine." Murray laid a soothing hand on Nick's arm, and guided him toward a jeep with the resort logo emblazoned on its door. "Seems like they were shooting at snowdrifts. I think they were trying to cause some kind of little snow slide down that trail. The cops will know more when they get done questioning them, but I guess it was to cover up the kidnapping somehow."

Nick nodded, grabbing on to the one important idea - Cody was safe. He climbed into the jeep, leaned back and closed his eyes. Murray started the engine, and Nick opened his eyes again. "Wait. No hospital, Boz. I'm okay. I - "

"Well, yes," Murray interrupted, sounding guilty. "No hospital. I hope you're okay because - well, it's an hour by road. And although we could get a helicopter and blame it on a skiing accident, I knew you wouldn't want to, and I didn't want to scare Cody, especially when he can't really leave Melissa right now. Anyway, one of the cops was a trained paramedic and he said you were gonna be fine."

"Huh." Nick blinked and started to push his blanket away. "How 'bout that."

"No you don't. I'm glad you're warming up, but just keep hold of that blanket until we get inside and you get in the shower, okay?"

"Okay." Nick was feeling better by the minute. His lungs no longer ached, and even his extremities had stopped burning. The only thing that still hurt was his brain. "Is Cody gonna meet us at the chalet?"

Murray looked, if possible, even guiltier. "He'll come when he's free." Murray braked, harder than necessary, and the jeep slid into the edge of a small snowdrift, right outside Nick and Cody's chalet.

Nick sighed and clambered out. He still felt clumsy and unco-ordinated, but made it up the short path to the door without mishap. By the time he'd gotten the door open, Murray was at his elbow, clucking in concern.

Half an hour in the shower ran the water cold, and left Nick suffering only residual shivers. Clad in clean sweats and thick socks, he curled up thankfully on the couch in front of the fire and submitted to being wrapped in a comforter as well. He wasn't cold any more, but the warmth and blankets helped keep thoughts of the chill and the fright at bay.

Nick accepted a cup of hot cocoa, sipped it thankfully, and tried to relax. He ached all over, and even lifting the cup taxed his remaining strength, but his brain wouldn't stand down.

"D'you think Cody'll be here soon?" Nick hadn't planned to ask, but in his exhaustion, his heart had taken over his tongue. He wanted Cody, needed Cody - needed to know Cody was safe. Needed Cody before he could be safe himself.

Murray looked at his watch. "It's only eight. Cody's likely only just taken Melissa in to dinner. I guess he'll be an hour or maybe even two."

Nick put his cocoa down and rubbed his face. "That can't be right. Cody wasn't going to take Melissa to dinner tonight. He went out walking to avoid her."

"Yes, but with those thugs hanging around, we need Melissa under surveillance. Cody has to stay with her until we hear from the police. Hopefully we've neutralized the threat, but if they come back we need to be ready."

Nick pulled the comforter more closely around himself. "Sorry, Boz," he muttered. "Don't feel ready. Can't the cops take over now?"

The all-clear came in the shape of a phone call from John Lambert himself, interrupting Cody's stuffed chicken-breast and disjointed small-talk. The threat had been traced to its source, and Melissa was no longer in danger.

Cody returned to the table and made apologies to Melissa for his distraction, pleading a business issue demanding his attention. After that, it was easy to skip dessert, and leave Melissa in the bar to seek more attentive company.

Surprisingly, Murray wasn't in the office and Nick wasn't in the lobby. Cody donned his outerwear slowly, frowning, and hurried down the short, cold path to the chalet. He'd seen Murray only briefly, and Nick not at all, since the aborted kidnapping.

There were lights in the chalet and a hotel jeep nosed into a snowdrift outside the door. Cody frowned. It looked like Murray's driving, but that made no sense. Struck by sudden fear, Cody jogged the last few yards and rushed in the door, pulling off scarf and hat as he entered.

The chalet was over-warm, with a blazing fire in the hearth as well as the central heating. The temperature change started Cody coughing, as he took in Murray sitting at the dining table with a steaming cup of coffee, and Nick, bundled in blankets on the couch.

Cody tore off his jacket and gloves, kicked off his boots and regained his breath. "What the hell happened? Murray, why didn't you call me?" He was halfway to Nick before he'd finished speaking.

Nick's eyes were closed, and even Cody's arrival hadn't woken him. Something had happened. Something bad. Cody hesitated, then dropped down beside his partner. "Was he hit?"

"No. Cody, he's okay." Murray came over, laying his hand on Cody's shoulder. "He's okay. Why don't you let him sleep?"

Cody glanced up, shook his head, then reached out and stroked Nick's face. "I'm here now, big guy. I'm here."

Nick's eyelids fluttered open and he smiled. "Cody," he said hoarsely, and struggled briefly with the blanket. "Gemme - I need - " He broke off, looking confused. "Cody," he said again, with more certainty.

"You need to rest," Cody said quietly, sliding onto the couch and pulling Nick into his arms, blankets and all. "I got you now, you're okay, an' that's all that matters, buddy."

"You," Nick muttered, trying to twist around. "Did they get you? They were shootin'... on the trail, trying to get you - "

"They didn't get me," Cody reassured him, pulling him closer. "We got them, okay? We got them. Rest now, Nick."

Nick leaned back into Cody's arms, eyes closing again. "So cold," he murmured. "Gettin' pretty scared, man… don't wanna leave you. Don't wanna let you down…" A tremor ran through his body.

"He's warm now," Murray said in a low voice. "One of the cops was a paramedic too, and he said he was gonna be fine, he just needed to warm up."

Cody nodded, hands busy - stroking Nick's arm, the back of his neck, his hair. Letting Nick know he wasn't alone. "What happened?" he asked, voice as low as Murray's. "He get pinned down in the snow?"

"I spotted the thugs on the monitors, and it looked like they were laying for you. There wasn't any time - Nick ran out in his indoor clothes to cause a diversion. It worked, we got 'em - but he fell in the snow and got wet as well as cold. He was semi-conscious when we found him, but he's okay - he wasn't out there long enough for hypothermia to take hold."

Cody tightened his hold. Barely conscious. On the way to freezing to death. Another tremor shook Nick's body and Cody recognized it this time. Nick was still shivering, still out there. Gettin' pretty scared, man… Don't wanna let you down…

I let you down, huh? Taking Melissa to dinner when I should'a been here with you. Cody took a deep breath. "You should've called me, Boz. I should've been here."

"I would've, Cody, you know that, but Melissa - "

Murray kept talking, but Cody wasn't listening. Melissa can go hang. You know that, right? You know I'd have come if I knew, even if there were twenty more thugs coming for her?

"Cody. Cody!" Murray was shaking his shoulder, and Cody looked up with a start.

"What is it, Boz? D'you think I should take Nick to the hospital?"

"No. No, I asked you where Melissa is right now. If they come back - "

"Lambert called. They're not coming back." Cody kneaded Nick's shoulders. "He's pretty out of it, Murray. And you said he was semi-conscious. Maybe I oughtta - "

"Cody." Murray grabbed one of Cody's hands and pulled it away from Nick's shoulder. "Listen to me. He's fine. His temperature's normal now. He's had sweet tea and sweet cocoa and warm water. He's not dehydrated. The only thing he needs now is warmth and rest - and I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say he'd rather spend the night in bed with you than in a hospital."

Cody stared at Murray for a moment. "But," he said, and took a breath. "But…" He looked away, fighting unbidden tears.

"It's okay, Cody." Murray squeezed Cody's hand and Cody found himself squeezing back. "Nick's fine, or he will be after he rests. It's been a full-on day, and on top of everything - he's just exhausted, okay?"

"I guess so." Cody retrieved his hand and wrapped both arms around Nick again. "But if - and I wasn't here - if he - "

"Believe me, Cody, I'd have called you. You know that, right? I wouldn't put the case before - " Murray gestured at Nick and Cody, curled together on the couch.

"I know." Cody freed a hand and dashed it across his eyes. "I know, I do. But two hours - closer to three, maybe, I've been parading round in the bar while he needed me. It's - it's - "

"It's okay, man." Nick lifted his head off Cody's shoulder, blinking sleepily and half-turning toward his partner. "Me'n Boz had it covered. I need you now and you're here an' that's all that matters, you know?"

"I know." Cody kissed Nick's hair and pulled him closer. "I know, but - "

"No buts. Stop with the guilt an' the crystal ball stuff, huh? Makin' me tired."

Murray eyed them both critically. "You're both making me tired," he said frankly. "Cody, go take a shower. There won't be much hot water because we used it all warming Nick up, but there'll be enough if you're quick. Then I'll help you get Nick into bed."

"Cody ain't needed help gettin' me into bed since seventy-two," Nick muttered with a crooked grin, and Murray barked with laughter. Even Cody managed a tired smile.

"I guess that makes tonight the exception that proves the rule," he quipped, running a hand through Nick's hair. "I could use a hand, Boz, but I think I'll skip the shower."

"Don't," Murray advised kindly. "You're nearly as exhausted as Nick, you've been skiing all day - it'll make you feel better. You know I'm right, Cody. And Nick's been fine with me for three hours, he'll survive another five minutes."

Cody did, in fact, know Murray was right. He felt awful under his clothes, scratchy and sticky, but the idea of letting go of Nick, even for a few minutes, hurt him right down to his core. But Nick crawled forward, out of his arms, and leaned back against the couch cushions. "Go," he said gently, his expression tender and knowing all at once.

Cody smiled and looked away, avoiding the openness in Nick's eyes. He was already raw enough.

"Y'stink," Nick said, and squeezed his thigh.

Cody chuckled softly and stood up. "I get the picture, guys. I'm going, I'm going."

Cody emerged from the bathroom to find Nick lying on the bed in the kid's alcove and Murray filling hot water bottles in the kitchen. Cody ducked into the bedroom, tossed his towel in a corner and rummaged in his luggage for sleepwear, then turned back the big double bed he'd been sleeping in alone.

He pulled on sweatpants and a t-shirt, then went back out into the main room. The picture hadn't changed.

"Where'd you find the hot water bottle, Boz?" Cody crossed to the single bed and sat down next to Nick.

"In the supply cupboard with the extra comforters. Really, they are very well-appointed here." Murray frowned, looking up. "I tried to put Nick to bed in the bedroom, but he wouldn't let me. I don't know why."

"Because of the case." Cody ran a hand over his face. "Because we didn't know where the threat was coming from or-or anything, we decided not to risk sharing the bed. We figured it was unusual enough for my employee to share my chalet without making it any more obvious."

"Oh, Cody, I'm sorry. I know how much you guys hate to sleep alone. But it would've been okay - "

"We can do it when we have to." Cody stroked Nick's face. "Nick. Babe, c'mon. You're not sleeping out here tonight."

Nick opened his eyes and blinked sleepily. "The case…"

"The case is over, and even if it wasn't, it's cost us too much. C'mon, buddy. I need you."

"Need you too." Nick struggled to a sitting position. "What if Melissa comes over for breakfast?"

"I won't answer the door. We're ordering in tomorrow, you got that?"

"Sounds good." Nick put his feet on the floor, looked at Cody and stood up. Cody stood too, arm around Nick's waist, ready to take his weight if required. But Nick walked steadily if slowly through to the bedroom, and crawled into bed without assistance.

"Here." Murray followed them in and put a steaming mug on the nightstand. "More sweet tea." He went out again and was back a moment later with two hot water bottles. He tucked one under Nick's feet, and laid the other against the small of his back.

"Nice," Nick murmured, eyes already closed. "Thanks, man. I woulda been a goner if not for you, you know?"

Cody paled and sat down hurriedly. "Get in bed," Murray said gently. "I'll lock up when I leave. Call me if you need anything, okay?"

Cody nodded. "He'll be okay, right? He walked in here on his own…"

"M'fine," Nick said.

"You both just need sleep. We all do." Murray squeezed Nick's shoulder. "Good night, Nick. Take care of Cody, huh? Don't let him get all wound up."

Nick grinned and lifted a hand, finding Murray's and squeezing. "Too late," he said. "But I got a trick or two oughtta take care of that…"

Cody blushed. "I'm not wound up, and there's gonna be no tricks tonight, you got that?"

"Night, Cody. Night, Nick." Chuckling, Murray retreated, flipping the main light off as he went and closing the door.

Cody slipped into bed next to Nick, listening to the small sounds of Murray moving around in the main room, followed by the decisive click of the front door. Only then did he slide close to Nick, touching him lightly, choking up on the fear, the need, the flat-out horror of the evening's separation.

"Hey. Hey, take it easy." Nick reached out for Cody, drawing him closer. "C'mon, guy, it's okay, you know? We're both okay."

"I know. But I…" Cody stopped, devoid of words. Nick, alone, without backup, in danger, was his own worst nightmare.

"You're all wound up," Nick said, pulling Cody against his body. "C'mon, come over here. Don't make me move - I got my hot water bottles right where I want them, you know?"

Cody gave a reluctant chuckle, and snuggled in against Nick. "It's killing me you were alone out there," he muttered.

"Sure, I know." Nick kissed his temple. "But you did what you had to do, and I was fine, okay? I'm fine."

"Murray didn't even tell me."

"Yeah, I figured that out when we got back to the chalet and you still hadn't shown up."

Cody winced. "I thought you were in the lobby. I kept expecting a message to report to the desk. When Lambert called, I couldn't figure out why one of you guys hadn't taken the call. Then after I left Melissa and I realized you and Murray weren't in the hotel, I started to get worried."

"Nothing to worry about." Nick stretched against Cody's body. "Can't deny I wanted you, big guy. I even told Murray the cops could take over. But Boz was right, we needed to close out the case, and Melissa needed you more than I did."

Cody closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Nick. "Maybe there's some kind of parallel universe where that's true," he muttered. "I guess Murray knows all about that stuff. But I needed to be with you, I should'a been with you. There's no case more important than that."

"You're with me now," Nick murmured, turning over so his back was against Cody's chest. "And that's what really matters."

Cody reached out and found Nick's abandoned hot water bottle resting near the edge of the bed. "Here," he said, pulling it toward them. "Still want this?"

Nick let Cody tuck it against his belly, then gave a soft sigh. "Think I'm gonna be warm enough now anyhow, you know?"

"I'll make sure of it, buddy." Cody felt himself relaxing at last, comforted by the warm weight of Nick in his arms. "You can count on that."

"I do," Nick murmured drowsily.

Cody kissed his neck lightly. Nick was moments from sleep, and Cody's own adrenaline was deserting him rapidly. "We made it," Cody whispered. "We made it."

Nick didn't reply, only snuggled tighter against Cody, and Cody didn't even know if Nick had heard. But in the end it didn't matter - voiced or not, heard or not, it was their truth. Safe now, together again, they slept.