JV hoped Steve would make it back before bedtime, but it got late and he still hadn't returned. She hoped he hadn't had much trouble as she said goodnight to her hosts and headed for her room. 

She lay in bed, wondering what could have happened to keep him out so long as she tried to fall asleep. She dozed a little, but spent more time tossing and turning than sleeping. It was just after midnight when she heard his pickup pull in. 

Giving up on sleep, she tossed the blanket back and pulled on a pair of warm socks in addition to her sweats before heading for the back porch. She slipped silently from of her room and waved to Bobby where he sat reading as she crossed the living room, then went out through the kitchen to the back door. Steve was almost to the tree line, where he would disappear from sight, when she stepped out the door. 

He stopped and turned at the soft click of the latch. He spotted her instantly, her bright running clothes standing out against the darker shades of the cabin. He was too far away for her to read his expression in the dark but she could tell by the way he moved as he turned and headed her way that he wasn't happy.

"What are you doing out here again, with no coat?” he demanded, his voice low.

"I couldn't sleep and I heard you pull in."

"So you came outside, in the snow, without a coat or shoes?" he didn't sound happy.

As JV got closer, she saw a bruise darkening his cheek. He'd been hit. The skin had split and the wound was red and angry looking. "What happened?" She reached for him.

"Don't change the subject. I asked why you don't have shoes on, again. You're going to catch your death if you keep this up." 

"I'm fine," she waved away his concern, "tell me what happened here." She reached out one hand and gently cupped his cheek, trying to get a better look. 

Steve sighed, and almost reluctantly, wrapped one arm around her thighs, pulling her snug against him before lifting her off her feet and heading for his cabin. "If we have to do this, we might as well get warm first, and you, fool girl, are barefoot again."

"I'm not barefoot, I have socks to keep my feet warm."

"Socks that will get wet the instant you step into this snow, then they're worse than nothing. You'll end up with frostbite." 

JV was glad he couldn't see her because she couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face. He was concerned with her health and he kept picking her up and carrying her around. It was a sign he was opening up.

Again, Steve didn't set her down until they got inside. Loosening his grip around her thighs, he let her slide, slowly down his body. JV felt heat pool in her core. He stepped back, closing the door before peeling out of his jacket. 

"What happened?" JV asked again. 

"I had to break up a fight. They weren't ready to stop yet," he growled. "I got in the way of a fist."

"Come into the light and let me look." She pulled him under an overhead light and stepped into the seat of a nearby chair so she could get a better look at the wound under his left eye.

"It doesn't look too bad, but you're going to have a hell of black eye." She touched his face, her fingers resting lightly just below the wound, then closed her eyes and concentrated. His cold skin heated beneath her fingers and she knew it was working. She opened her eyes and found the cut scabbed over and half healed. It looked days old instead of hours. "There, that should help." 

Steve scowled, "What did you do?" He pulled away and went in the bedroom. Coming back into the living room he looked surprised. "You can heal."

JV shrugged, "Some. It's not very strong, but I've been working on improving. I'll never be as strong as Hannah," she referred to the healer from their Chanat in Texas, "but I do what I can."

"I'd forgotten how nice it can be to have a healer around," he reached up and ran his fingers over the swiftly healing wound. 

"You don't have a healer here?" she asked, her surprise clear. 

"No." 

"Then how?" she was at a loss. To the Kitsune, a pack or clan healer was as important as a doctor to humans. It was someone they could trust to treat their wounds, set bones, whatever was needed, and not ask uncomfortable questions about their increased healing and fast metabolisms. 

"One of the clan is married to a doctor, she treats us when we have to see someone," he dismissed the issue. 

"But you have no one to push healing, or to find the deeper problems?"

"Nope."

"Wow, I can't imagine." She could, but she didn’t want to think about that. She'd been living pretty much on her own since she left home for school. After moving to Austin she'd met with the local Khan but hadn't joined the clan. She hadn’t been refused access, but she’d kept to herself, it had been what she'd wanted at the time.

"It's not that bad. We have a few who can share energy, when someone's hurt; we push energy to help ‘em heal. It's not the same, but it works in its own way."

JV understood that the clan had found a way to deal with their lack of a healer. It wasn't the same, but it got the job done. She looked at the wound and the bruise developing behind it once more. "That shouldn't sting as badly anymore either," she had to give herself something to focus on.

"It does feel better," he dropped his hand. "Thank you."

"Can I ask what happened? Or is it none of my business." 

Steve rolled his eyes, and sat heavily on the sofa, "Two teenage idiots got into it over the girl who came and got me. She panicked and went for help. They were still at it when I got there, both bloody and bruised." He shook his head. "I don't get it, they're not old enough to have any clue what’s gonna happen with the rest of their lives and they're fighting over a girl who's even younger." 

"You put an end to it?"

"Sit. I'm tired and looking up at you makes my neck hurt."

JV sat in the middle of the couch where she'd been the night before, one knee up in the seat as she faced him, waiting for him to continue. 

"Yeah, I put an end to it. It didn't take long, but I had to wade in and pull ‘em apart. That's how I got this," he motioned to his face, "but that was only the beginning. I took all three of them to her parents and made them explain what had happened, then to each of the boy's folks. Then I had to get ‘em all home." He shook his head again. "Their parents were not happy. I'd be willing to bet they'll think long and hard about doing something like that again or at least before taking their petty fight to the Khan."

"I hope so." She wasn't sure what else to say. 

He glanced around, looking up at the clock then over at the TV on the wall. "Wanna watch another movie?"

"Sure, why not?" 

"Pick one. I'll go get comfortable then fix us something to drink." He stood and headed into the bedroom.

JV took her time, looking over the titles carefully before selecting one.

"You ready?" Steve came back with two steaming mugs. 

"Yep," she took her mug and settled onto the couch while Steve changed the disk then disappeared into the bedroom for a few seconds, returning with another quilt.

"I should have brought your quilt back. I was going to give it to you after dinner."

"Don't worry about it, I have several. I'll get it later." He sat beside her on the sofa, spread the quilt over both their laps, then started the DVD player.

JV sipped her cocoa while Steve skipped the previews and started the movie. The opening scenes of a woman disembarking from a plane and starting a trek through the jungle came on the screen while the woman's voice narrated, talking about the company she worked for and a botanist who works for them.

After they finished their cocoa and set the cups aside, Steve turned out the lamp, leaving the only light in the room coming from the TV. "Come here," he pulled her against him. 

JV was surprised. He’d touched her first again. Maybe he was actually giving the attraction between them a chance. She slid closer, leaning against his side while he wrapped one arm around her. She sat curled against him, covered by the quilt, until she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. Then she laid her head against his side and closed her eyes, planning to listen to the movie, but his warmth beside her and the security of his arm around her lulled her to sleep.