Author's Note: This chapter was not an easy one. I don't know why but it just didn't want to go where I wanted to go but I think, in the end it worked out. *pokes BAMFs*
Disclaimer: I own neither the show nor the characters. I don't earn any money with this piece. I just do it for fun.

It's one of their lazier days and they are picking those bittersweet, rust colored pomes in the grove, sharing their past experiences with the few fruits still existing in the future (his favorite are grapes, hers are berries), when the rumbling starts, the ground beneath their feet no longer stable and the air around them filled with deafening noises.

Alicia instantly drops the fruits she has already collected, sees Taylor doing the same in her peripheral, and they both spin on their heels to scan the horizon. The herd of dinosaurs coming closer doesn't look friendly at all and without exchanging any words, they simultaneously take two steps back to take cover under the long branches of the trees, draw their weapons and prepare for the worst.

From their hiding place they wait with bated breath, muscles tensed and ready to strike, but then the first dinosaurs appear at the edge of the meadow and it takes a load off their minds to see they are Ankylosaurids. There are old and young ones among the group, definitely more than one family, and it's such a breathtaking sight that is unequaled by anything they have ever seen.

Without a second thought they sheathe their knifes, their focus on the beautiful, peaceful picture before them, and Alicia settles against the tree trunk next to her, the rough bark warm and surprisingly cushiony beneath her body, arms crossed loosely in front of her chest and a small smile on her lips. His bare arm brushes her as Taylor shifts beside her, relaxing into a well-known stance as well, legs about a feet apart, thumbs tucked into his belt loops, completely at ease, and she doesn't have to see his face to know he's watching the dinosaurs with a content expression. He proves her right when he angles his head towards her, prompting her to turn her own to look at him and his eyes shine with determination and hope as he nods towards the herd, his gaze never leaving hers.

"This is why I wanted you to come with me. A second chance for you and me, away from war and bloodshed, a future without pain and death, a better future for us," he tells her quietly but with utter conviction, his words going right past her soldier mask, enveloping the woman underneath and Alicia fights hard to cover the maelstrom of emotions he awakes with his declaration because no other man in her life has done anything like this for her before.

She is at a loss for words (how does one react in a situation like this – she has no idea) but some of her feelings, confused and out of control as they are, must have shown on her face because something flashes in Taylor's eyes, unfathomable and intense, and holds her captive.

As a light breeze rustles the leaves of the trees, the late afternoon sun shines through, bathing them in its warmth, and for an endless moment, everything else around them dissolves, and they are the only two people in their own little world, but then a soft wheeze close by startles them back to reality, and this time, Alicia cannot stop her reaction, a blush creeping up her cheeks, though she is not the only one, if Taylor's awkward shuffling is any indication.

The wheeze sounds again and their embarrassment is forgotten, giving way to amusement, as they turn towards the noise to find a young Ankylosaur sniffing at one of the pomes they dropped earlier, squawking whenever its snout hits the fruit, pushing it back and forth across the ground, trying to crack it open and making its displeasure loudly known when it fails.

Alicia is shaking with silent laughter and Taylor chuckles low as they observe the scene that is everything the future is not and for the first time since they have been stuck here, she feels that no matter what is going to happen, may it be good or bad, it's going to be worth it.

"Thank you, sir."

She hopes, he understands what she wants to say because she still has trouble finding the right words to express what all of this means to her and he does, as he always has in the years they have known each other. They never needed to talk much, their action always speaking louder than words, and now it is not different.

Taylor closes the fingers of his right hand around her shoulder and gives it a gentle squeeze.

"Always, Wash."

: : :

They are literally running for their life, crashing through the jungle at breakneck speed, stumbling over roots and rocks, not caring about bruises and cuts, ignoring the burning in their legs, only aware of the roaring of that really, really furious dinosaur closing in on them with every heartbeat.

Without warning his hand shoots out and wraps around Wash's in a bruising grip, hauling her after him as he changes course, zigzags through the brushwood, and then they're breaking through the treeline, coming to a skidding halt at the edge of the waterfall they discovered a few days ago.

An enraged howl vibrates through the air around them, the ground and trees shaking as the Carnotaurus stomps through the forest towards their location and Taylor feels her fingers squeezing his as their eyes meet, her amber ones ablaze with a fire he only knows to well. It sends a thrill through him to see her like this, clothes dirty and hair wild but her spirit free and fierce, and he returns the gesture without hesitation, his lips pulling into a feral grin that matches Wash's.

This is life, 85 million years in the past, and when the raging dinosaur is almost upon them, they jump, their shouts drowned out by the thunderous water and the wind rushing past them as they free fall.

Blood pulses and throbs in his veins, pounds in his ears, muscles tightening in anticipation but it is completely different from before, when war and battles had his body running on adrenaline and stems, when at the end of a fall only more pain and death awaited him.

This time, there is only the small pond the waterfall is part of, surrounded by high rock walls, its water lukewarm and clear, glittering golden in the sunlight, and they hit the surface with enough force to take their breaths away but it leaves behind a feeling of elation. The water swallows them whole as their combined weight pulls them down and Taylor finds himself still clutching Wash's hand, fingers linked in an unbreakable hold, and yet he cannot bring himself to let go.

Underwater everything is a blurry mix of shapes and colors (another thing the future is not), his Lieutenant drifting right next to him, her smile wide as her unbound hair flows around her, and when suddenly sunlight enters the water, a cloud of scattered gold backlighting her, he feels out of breath for a completely different reason.

It is Wash that starts towards the water's surface, tugging him after her and he follows, like so many times before, and when they break through, it is her laughter, husky and unrestrained, sounding between her gasps for air, that wraps around him and in a moment of absolute clarity, Taylor knows, his feelings for her have changed from friendship into something more.

Stunned by this revelation, he forgets to move his muscles to stay afloat and slips underwater again, only Wash's quick thinking and her hand prevent him from drowning, and with an amused shake of her head she pushes him towards the shore to their left side (he misses the pressure of her hand the moment they part).

With a few strokes, they reach the bank and collapse on their backs, tired and exhausted but that doesn't dampen their high spirits. His wet shirt clings to his skin, cooling rapidly in the crisp air though he pays it no heed, his focus is on the woman lying in the grass, pressed against him from shoulder to hip, her eyes dancing with mirth as she looks at him.

Seeing her like this reminds Taylor of another time, another jungle, where he found Wash, not a grin on her lips but blood pooling around her, dying and yet clinging to her last thread of life, fighting to stay conscious long enough to tell him who had taken his wife and son. In that one moment, his fear of losing her had overruled his concern for his family and if she hadn't ordered him to go and save his boy and Ayani, he would have stayed with her. He never thought about the why but now, as he recalls every one of their missions, every time he made sure she was safe and sound (never far from his side, always with him), he realizes that he had felt different about Wash already back then.

There, in the future, his behavior had been shrugged off as that of a commanding officer for his 2IC, here however, it is not so easy to dismiss the way his voice shook as he called for her to answer him on their first day, the way his hands lingered a little longer as he checked her for injuries after the Nyko attack, the fire in his eyes as he told her to climb their damn tree or the quickening of his heartbeat as he watched her blush at his words that day in the grove.

Coming to the past, this place, has opened a door in his mind that his heart had already unlocked and as Wash playfully flicks water at him before rolling away, Taylor steps through it without a second thought.

: : :

The trip to the border of the badlands and back took longer than anticipated and the moon is rising when they return to their tree. The land beyond the jungle and forest is anything but friendly and Alicia is relieved to be home again.

Home. It is home, with everything that comes with it (deadly dinosaurs, poisonous plants and wild weather), and not for one moment does she regret following Taylor through the portal.

The man in question is already up in the canopy, his hand reaching down to help her up, a bemused twinkle in his eyes as he watches her.

"Taking roots there, Wash?"

"I doubt I would make a good tree, sir." She rolls her eyes at him but there's a smile in her voice. Her hand slides into his, his fingers closing around hers in a secure grip, and with one strong pull, he hauls her towards him.

"You would make a beautiful tree." His quiet words startle her, causing her to misstep, stumbling clumsily into his body, and Alicia thanks whoever is listening that the darkness hides the faint red staining her cheeks.

He has done it again, has thrown her off-balance with just a few words, and again she can't do anything to stop her reaction. She is not used to such compliments or a man paying her compliments at all. If men were interested in her, they always wanted something from her but never really her.

Taylor is different, never asked of her what he wasn't willingly to do himself, always gave her something in return (his respect, his trust, his friendship). It is what made the soldier in her follow him to hell and the woman fall in love with him. And it is love, grown only stronger over the years, despite the fact that he is not (never was) hers to love.

Alicia curses her treacherous heart as she slowly tries to untangle herself, mindful not to touch more of him than necessary, her worn out mind and body craving the heat and comfort his offers, his scent, mixed with sweat, dirt and rain, calling to her, and she repeats those words in her mind, hoping to make it easier to distance herself from him, physically and mentally. What she hasn't counted on, is Taylor, seeing right through her.

"You okay, Wash?"

"Fine, sir."

"Don't lie to me." He halts her retreat by gently taking hold of her shoulders and bends his head, giving her no choice but to meet his searching gaze. "Was it the tree comment? I know, you're still far from being a tree-hugger but I meant it as a compliment. I'm sorry if I offend-"

"You didn't," she quickly assures him. "It's just...you treat me like no one ever has and it is hard...I can't because you..." Frustrated with her inability to explain to him what he is doing to her, the emotional havoc he is causing, Alicia bites her bottom lip and turns away from him, his hands sliding away from her body, letting her go. Staring into the darkness beyond their tree, she runs a hand through her hair, her mind barely able to stay focused, and she almost misses his softly spoken words.

"I care about you. More than I'm supposed to."

His touch is hesitant at first, uncertain as if he is the one in limbo and judging from his words, he is, they both are, and as he trails his fingers across her back, down her spine, to settle on her hip, she shivers at the contact, a burning sensation, even though her tank top is between his fingertips and her skin.

He can't mean what he just said but he never lied to her and the implication of that makes her breath hitch. Sensing her inner turmoil, Taylor draws her back to his chest and this time, Alicia doesn't resist, takes comfort in his warmth and strength because she knows, she is not alone in this, not anymore.

A flash of light above their heads catches their attention and as they look up, a shooting star darts across the sky. Another one follows, then a third, and Taylor carefully shifts them until they're resting on their backs against one of the larger branches, her head pillowed on his shoulder, his arm wrapped around her waist.

There is still much to talk about (and they will) but for now they just want to enjoy being with each other. They fall asleep entwined like that, with the clear, star-filled sky as their blanket.