Main Characters: Ezra/Buck

Author’s Note: This is my first real slash fic, so please be gentle with me. This one is pretty tame compared to a lot of the slash out there, but hey…a girl's gotta start somewhere. <G> I want to thank LaraMee for her feedback and suggestions, and as always, many thanks to Alex, my beta. You're the best!

Disclaimer: I do not own them. They are the property of MGM, Mirisch, and Trilogy Entertainment; however, if they ever come up for sale, I will be in the front row at the auction.

Feedback: Feedback is welcome and greatly appreciated, but no flames please.

The icy wind whipped Ezra's jacket as it howled past him. His gloved fingers had gone past the point of being cold and now even the pain he had been experiencing in them was beginning to subside. He could no longer feel the heavy fabric of his coat as he clutched it tightly closed around his throat in an effort to keep the cold wind from slipping down his collar.

"Ezra!" Buck maneuvered Beau closer to Chaucer and shouted over the wind. "There is no way we're gonna make it back to town before this storm breaks. We gotta find shelter somewhere."

"You'll get no argument from me, Mr. Wilmington," Ezra responded through chattering teeth. "Just where do we find this proposed shelter?"

"It's for damn sure it won't be on the main road to town. We're gonna have to try t' make it to that old homestead over by Red Creek." Buck hunched over and pulled the collar of his coat up to keep the wind off his neck. He didn't wait for Ezra to agree before he turned the gelding off the road.

The gambler urged his horse to follow them. He glanced up at the dark clouds that loomed overhead and shivered violently at the thought of getting rain soaked with it being so cold. "Do you think we will make it before the rain sets in?" Ezra asked loudly.

"I don't know, but I ain't sure it's gonna be rain. Those look a lot like snow clouds to me," Wilmington shouted back over his shoulder.

For the first time that he could remember, Ezra found himself praying for snow. At least they wouldn't get soaked, not as fast anyway. Once again his prayers went unanswered.

They hadn't ridden for more than a few minutes when the rain started, not just ordinary rain, but freezing rain. Travel slowed down even more as it quickly began to coat the grass and the rocks, making it harder for the horses to keep their footing.

"There!" Buck shouted and pointed where the dim outline of the abandoned homestead came into view almost an hour later.

"I never thought such a dilapidated hovel could be such a welcome sight," Ezra said with a heavy sigh of relief.

A few more minutes found them outside the old house and another building that had probably been used for storage. It was too small to have been a barn, but it would serve as one now. It wouldn't be as good as the livery back in town, but at least the horses would be out of the worst of the weather.

The two riders dismounted, clinging to the saddles for support until they got their footing on the icy ground. "Mr. Wilmington, if you would care to see to a fire, I will see to our mounts."

"Ezra, you got a fever or somethin'? Yer actually offerin' to stay out here?" Buck asked. "It ain't like you to offer to do the hard part."

"I assure you, I am not offering to do the hard part. My fingers are so frozen that I doubt that I could strike a match, and I intend to leave the blankets and saddles on them, to provide them that meager amount of added protection from the elements," Ezra admitted. "I plan to do no more than settle them in a protected area and loosen their cinches."

"Might'a known you'd find an easy way for it, but I think yer right about leavin' the saddles on them. It'll help keep them a little drier and break some of the wind off of them if that shed is very drafty. It's gonna be a rough night." With that he handed Beau's reins to the gambler, grabbed their saddlebags and bedrolls, and headed toward the beat up old cabin.

Ezra watched for a moment and had to suppress the laugh that tried to break forth when Buck slipped and nearly landed flat on his ass before he could get his footing back. Once he was sure his traveling companion was steady on his feet again, he clucked to the horses and they eagerly went into the dark interior of the small building. He started Chaucer in through the small door first and once the big animal was clear of the door he tugged Beau's reins and lead him inside too. There was enough room for the two animals to get turned around inside, if they both didn't try to turn at the same time, and it was surprisingly solid considering how long it had stood there untended. He felt comfortable that once the animals’ body heat began to take the chill off the air inside that they would end up much warmer than he had expected.

He tried to work the cinches loose but his fingers were too numb. Reluctantly, he pulled off his gloves and then stuck his hands between his thighs to try to warm them. When the warmth began to seep back into them, Ezra found himself hissing in pain. It bordered on unbearable, but after a couple minutes the pain began to subside. Quickly, before his fingers could stiffen again, he worked the cinches loose on the saddles and removed their bridles. Hanging them over a nearby hook, he paused to replace his gloves and stepped out, closing the door behind him.

Standish looked toward the old house and thought he saw a faint wisp of smoke come from the chimney. Just a couple more minutes and he would be in there warming his hands, his feet - hell his whole frozen body - by the fire.

+ + + + + + +

Buck thought for sure he was going to land flat on his ass when he felt his feet slipping from under him, but somehow he managed to keep his footing. He glanced back to see if Ezra had witnessed his near fall, but the smaller man was urging the horses toward the door to the small outbuilding. Thankfully, he wouldn't have to put up with being teased for his clumsiness.

He paused when he reached the front of the small house and stared at the woodbox near the front door. There is no way in hell, I could get that lucky, he thought. Guess it can't hurt to take a look. He opened the door and dropped the saddlebags and blankets inside then stepped back out to check the box. "Well hell, Buck. This is your lucky day," he told himself when he looked inside to see it was nearly half full. He gathered an armful and went inside to start the fire, planning to come back out for more once the blaze was started.

Buck looked around for something to use for tinder to get the fire started. There wasn't much there. The former occupants had left their possessions, but it was still very sparse. Not many would leave everything they owned, no matter how little that was, without a damned good reason. The thought briefly crossed his mind, causing him to wonder what had happened to the people who had lived there. Turing his mind back to the task at hand, he finally noticed an old shirt crumpled in a corner.

Carefully, he placed some smaller bits of wood into the fireplace and wadded the shirt into a tight bundle so it would burn longer. With a little coaxing, a small blaze sprang to life and continued to grow as he added larger pieces of wood. Once he was sure it wasn't going to go out, he slipped back outside for several more armloads of wood.

Gradually some of the chill left the room and Buck sighed when he realized he could no longer see his breath. He pulled a chair over near the hearth and allowed himself to soak up some of the glorious heat that radiated from the flickering flames.

Buck jerked, nearly falling off the chair as he started to doze off. He blinked owlishly and looked around the room with a frown. Where the hell was Ezra? He didn't know for sure how much time had passed, but he knew the gambler should have been in some time ago. His body protested when he forced it back onto its feet. He pulled on his gloves and mumbled to himself as he opened the door. "Better be a damn good reason for makin' me come back out in the cold, or yer ass is gonna be hatin' life."

Wilmington stopped and stared for a moment before he sprang into motion. "Ezra!" he yelled. "Ezra, you all right?" he shouted again as he tried to hurry over the icy ground. The short walk might as well have been a mile for all the progress Buck was making. He kept his eyes trained on the gambler where he lay motionless under a light dusting of snow that had just started to fall. "Ow! Son-of-a-bitch!" he cried out, when he landed on his hands and knees on the rocks. He tried to get his feet back under him but he kept slipping. Finally, he just gave up and crawled the rest of the way to Ezra.

"Ezra!" Buck shook the prone man but got no reaction. "Hey, pard, come on now, open those big green eyes." He gently patted the gambler's cheek with a gloved hand. His breath caught in his chest when he noticed the red patch under his friend's head. "Oh shit!" Quickly, he pulled a glove off and pressed his fingers to the side of Ezra's neck. The skin was unnaturally cold, but when he felt the weak heartbeat under his fingertips he released the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. "Thank God!" he said softly as an overwhelming sense of relief washed over him. "Hang on. Don't give up on me now."

Buck couldn't even remember how he managed to get the gambler into the house. He had some vague recollection of half dragging him over the slick surface, but that was all he could piece together from the fragments of memories. Somehow, he had managed to get the smaller man inside and lay him in front of the fire. That wasn't going to be enough to warm him, and he had to come up with a better solution. His eyes landed on the rickety bed in the corner, and he knew the lashings that made up the rope support for the old mattress would probably break if any weight was put on them. The mattress could be put to good use though.

It didn't take long to pull the mattress over to the fire and lean it up where the heat could reach it. Buck knew he had to be careful not to get it too close or the whole place could go up in flames. The old cornhusk mattress would make perfect tender to start the blaze. He also spread their blankets over chairs near the heat to get them warm.

Buck had no idea if Ezra could hear him, but he talked to him the whole time he set things up in the room. Wilmington shivered at the thought of his friend slipping farther into the void, hovering between life and death. He remembered being there a few times himself, and it scared him to think of Ezra being there now.

"We gotta get you outta those wet clothes. Hang on there, pard, and I'll get you warm. Don't you go thinkin' about slippin' away from here, because I won't let you." He pulled the smaller man's gloves off and held the cold fingers between his own hands to start warming them. They felt like blocks of ice against his skin. The coat was the next to go, followed by the boots and socks.

Buck gasped when he saw that Ezra's toes were blue from the cold. Without giving it a second thought he knelt at the gambler's feet and pulled them up to press them to his stomach under his shirt, holding them there and letting his body heat seep into the frigid toes. His mind wandered as he struggled to remember all the things Nathan had told them about taking care of someone who was too cold. Absently, his thumb caressed the arch of his friend's foot as his thoughts drifted. With an effort he pulled his thoughts back to the present. "Hang on, Ezra. Ol' Buck's gonna take good care of you. Don't you worry about that."

The bedding needed to be checked and he forced himself to let go of the slender feet he still had pressed against his own warmer skin. "Just gonna turn that old mattress around and let it warm some from the other side too. I ain't goin' nowhere, so you just rest easy." He made quick work of turning all of the bedding so it could warm all the way through, and then returned to the gambler's side. "Just a few more minutes and that will be warm enough to get you settled into, and then you'll feel better. I know how you hate bein' cold."

Buck was torn. He was concerned about the blow Ezra had taken to his head when he hit it on the rocks when he fell. Sometimes people never did wake up from a bad head injury. He wanted to check the wound, but getting the gambler warm had to come first. A quick check of the rest of his clothes found them ranging from damp to wet. "Gonna get you outta the rest of these wet clothes so we can get you warmed up. Don't you go tryin' to shoot me if you wake up and catch me takin' your clothes off." Not that I mind takin' those clothes off of you, he added to himself.

This is no place to be havin' those kinds of thoughts, he chided himself as he worked Ezra's pants off and started on the shirt. "Damn! Even your long johns are damp. Hell, Ezra, I gotta get them off of you too." His fingers trembled slightly when they touched the smooth skin beneath the damp cloth as he worked the buttons open.

He didn't want to leave the gambler on that cold floor while he finished undressing him, so he hurried to set up the pallet near the hearth. The old husk mattress wasn't going to be the luxury Standish was used to, but it would keep the chill of the floor from reaching him. The mattress was laid out first and covered with one of their blankets from their bedrolls. Moving quickly before the heat could be lost from the bedding, Buck scooped the younger man into his arms and carried him the couple of steps to the makeshift bed. He took great care in settling him on the pallet and quickly stripped the damp long johns off of him before they could get the blanket damp too.

Wilmington looked at the still form of his friend, lying there exposed to him, and he paused before covering him with a blanket. He had seen him naked before, but only in the bathhouse. That just wasn't a place where you stared openly at another man, not if you didn't want to risk becoming acquainted with the man's fist. This was the first time he had been able to really look at the body the gambler kept hidden under those fancy clothes of his. "Damn!" he said. He blushed and tore his eyes away. It just wasn't right to be ogling the man when he was defenseless. Of course, it might be the only way he would ever get the chance to ogle him.

Buck covered the still form and tucked the blankets in snugly around him. He felt the heat radiating up from the warm mattress and hoped that it would help revive the gambler. He needed to get some water in there and check out Ezra's head injury. He couldn't tell how bad it was from all the blood caked in his hair.

"Think I remember seein' a well outside. Goin' to get some water." He noticed a lock of hair that had tumbled down over the con man's forehead and gently brushed it back in place, letting his fingers linger against the soft skin. "Yer gonna be okay. I promise."

His coat was still wet but it was all he had to put on to go back outside. He pulled it on along with his gloves, pausing to glance back one last time before going out the door. "Where's Nathan when you need him?" he asked himself.

A thin layer of snow covered the ice and made walking even more treacherous when the snow slid underfoot on the slick surface. More than once, Buck found himself fighting to stay on his feet, but he managed to reach the well without landing on his butt. The rope on the bucket looked really old, and he hoped it would bear the weight of the bucket when he tried to pull it back up full of water. A splash let him know that at least the water hadn't started to freeze. Thankfully, the rope didn't break, and he was headed back over the hazardous path before he had much time to think about anything other than the task at hand.

Nothing had changed in the room when he went back inside, but he was relieved to find the room was comfortably warm. There was an old hanging kettle on a hook near the fire and he cautiously poured some of the water into it to heat it. While he waited, he shrugged out of the wet coat again and hung it on the back of a chair near the fire to dry. A shiver ran through him and he decided that he would end up sick if he didn't get out of his own wet clothes. The outer garments were shed and also hung to dry, along with Ezra's wet clothes. Luckily his long johns were just a little damp, so he hoped the heat from the fire and his own body heat would dry them quickly.

Buck moved back to sit on the edge of the pallet next to the gambler. He could see some color starting to return to his face and when he pressed his fingers to the younger man's neck he was relieved to feel a stronger beat than he had before. "Come on back, Ezra," he said softly as he trailed his fingers up over his jaw to cup his hand against his cheek. "Come on and open those big green eyes for Ol' Buck."

A frown creased his brow when he realized how he had been talking to Ezra. When had he started thinking about how green his eyes were, or noticing the softness of his skin? For that matter when did he start wondering what he would look like under all those fancy clothes? He lightly ran his thumb over the gambler's full bottom lip. Soft, the kind that just seemed to beg to be kissed.

Buck, you are one sick man thinkin' things like that when he's lyin' there hurt. With an effort, he pulled his hand away and turned to check on the water. It was warm but not hot, so he left it over the fire while he looked for something to use to clean the wound on Ezra's head. He didn't have anything clean enough, so he sacrificed one of Ezra's clean shirts, knowing he would get hell for ruining it when the gambler recovered. He ripped off a sleeve to use to wash the blood out of his hair so he could see how badly he was hurt and ripped some strips to use as a bandage once it was clean. By the time he had those things done. the water was starting to steam.

It took some maneuvering but he finally managed to get his patient turned over on his side so he could get to the back of his head. The blood had dried and it would take some work to get it washed out of his hair. Funny how he had never realized just how soft that hair would be. It looked soft, but he had figured it would be coarse like his own. He let his fingers gently rake through the soft locks while he pressed the warm, wet cloth to the dried blood. What am I gonna do if you don't wake up? he silently asked the injured man.

A soft moan jerked his thoughts back to what he was doing. He wasn't entirely sure he had really heard it, or if he had wanted to hear it so much that he had imagined it. "Ezra, come on, pard. Time for you to be wakin' up. You hear me?" The gambler groaned again and tried to move. "Talk to me if ya can, but hold still so I can take care of ya. How you doin' there, pard?"

Ezra's eyes fluttered open, and he searched for the source of the voice he was hearing. "Buck?" It was barely a whisper but it sounded wonderful to the older man.

"It's okay. I'm right here. You got a hell of a goose egg where you hit that rock, but yer gonna be all right." He rinsed the cloth and then pressed it back to the injured man's head. It looked like it had stopped bleeding before he had started to clean it, since there didn't seem to be any fresh blood. "Doesn't look so bad now that it's cleaned up." He dropped the cloth back into the kettle and searched through the thick wet hair until he found the place where the skin had been split open. "Really ain't that big a place, but you know how bad a head wound bleeds. Makes it look way worse than it really is." Buck rattled on, hoping that hearing his voice was reassuring to the gambler; he knew it helped him to talk while he tended to his friend.

"Cold," Ezra said weakly. He shivered violently, making it obvious that he was still freezing.

"I know, ya are. Let me finish this and I'll stoke up the fire some more." He tried to be as gentle as possible as he wrapped and tied off the bandages. "There, all done." Wilmington got up and added several pieces of wood to the fire and then went back and kneeled next to the pallet. He hissed in pain as his bruised knees touched the hard planks of the floor. A light touch on his arm caused him to look over into a pair of concerned green eyes.

"You're hurt?"

"I'm fine. Just clumsy is all; slipped and landed kinda hard on my knees." He hurried on when he saw the flash of worry on the younger man's face. "Don't you worry none. Just bruised a little, along with my pride." He reached out and pulled the blankets up farther around Ezra's shoulders. "You gettin' any warmer? How's the head feel?"

"I fear I shall never be warm again," the gambler answered in a slightly stronger voice. "And, my head feels like it has been kicked by a mule."

"I reckon it does. I don't think I dare try to build the fire up any more. Maybe I can pull the mattress just a little closer." Carefully, he tugged on the pallet and inched it a couple feet closer to the fire. "Is that any better?"

Another shiver hit the gambler with enough force to make his teeth chatter, but he tried to nod in response. This time the shivering didn't stop after a few moments like it had before. He continued to shake so hard he couldn't even try to talk.

"Like hell it's better." Buck felt his long johns hoping they would be dry by now but they were still slightly damp. No way could he do what he knew he had to with damp clothes on. It took only a minute to stand up and strip them off and add them to the other items that had been spread out to dry. Then before he could start to get cold he moved around to the far side of the pallet, lifted the blankets and crawled under them with Ezra.

"Mr. Wilmington!" the gambler exclaimed when he felt the other man spoon himself against him. "You're naked!"

Buck chuckled and moved closer to whisper teasingly into his bedmate's ear. "Just in case you haven't noticed, so are you." At the sound of the gasp from the younger man he chuckled again. "Reckon you hadn't noticed. You know if ya wanted to get me in your bed, you didn't have to go gettin' yourself hurt to do it."

"I assure you I did no such thing," he said in his own defense. "Would you please explain how I ended up in this situation?"

"Well, one thing's for sure. You'll live. Yer sounding more like yourself with each mouthful of words you spit out." He felt the gambler tense slightly when he settled more firmly against his back. "Ezra, I ain't gonna hurt you. But, we gotta get you warm, and you know as well as I do that sharin' body heat is the quickest way to warm someone up."

"I know, but why must we both be naked?" he asked tentatively.

"Your clothes were soaked through, and mine were still damp. Wet clothes would have just made you colder." Buck patiently explained their situation. He knew Ezra fully understood when he felt the smaller man relax against his chest. "That's it. Just snuggle in as close as you can get. Between the fire on that side and me on this side, you'll be warm in no time."

"You didn't answer my first question," he reminded him.

"What question was that?" Buck asked.

"How did I end up like this?

Wilmington explained in detail, what had happened and when. In the process, he slid his hand over the younger man's ribs, letting it settle against his chest. He pulled Ezra even tighter against his chest as he tucked his own knees in behind the gambler's. "I'm sorry," he added at the end.

"Why should you be sorry?"

"I should've checked on you sooner, but I started to doze off in the chair once the heat started to thaw me out."

"Mr. Wilmington, if you hadn't come for me when you did, I would undoubtedly be dead now. I am quite thankful that you awoke when you did," Ezra said sincerely.

"Mr. Wilmington? What happened to Buck? I kinda liked hearin' you use my first name."

Ezra laid his hand over his friend's where it rested against his chest. "I find myself indebted to you. I am most grateful for your assistance."

"I know ya are, but you would've done the same for me. Why don't you try to sleep awhile? I'll be right here if you need me."

+ + + + + + +

Buck struggled up from sleep when he felt movement next to him. Before he managed to register where he was and who he was with, he felt the warm body move away from him. He opened his eyes to see Ezra's silhouette against the soft glow from the coals in the fireplace. The younger man had rolled off the pallet onto his hands and knees to reach some of the stockpile of wood that Buck had put close to the fireplace. As the bark on the logs caught fire and flared up, the gambler was bathed in a flickering red-gold glow. The sight of the soft light shimmering over the smooth muscles of the naked form before him set his pulse to racing. "Now, that's a nice sight to wake up to," he whispered to himself.

Ezra's keen hearing picked up on the softly spoken words, and he turned his head to look toward their source. "And just what sight might that be?" he asked.

"Nah, I don't think tellin' you would be good for my health, considerin' how we're sharing blankets." Buck wanted to tell him; he longed to tell him how he felt, but he was afraid of the reaction such a confession might cause.

"With a cryptic answer like that, do you honestly expect me to drop the subject?" Ezra added another piece of wood to the fire and then turned to crawl back onto the pallet.

Buck willed himself to close his eyes, to look away, to do something to avoid the sight of the object of many of his dreams naked and crawling toward him in the firelight. His breath caught, causing Ezra to pause and look at him.

"Is something amiss? Are you in pain?" he asked, concern evident in his voice. He saw his friend shake his head in answer. "You are sure?"

"I'm sure; just get back under the covers before you get too cold again."

Ezra slipped back into the makeshift bed and moved closer to the warmth of the other man. When they settled back into the position they had been in before the need to tend to the fire had made him move, he noticed that something had definitely changed. He eased back tighter against the body behind him and made sure he had to shift enough to rub against the bulge that pressed against his ass.

Buck moaned when he felt the gambler shift against him. Reflexively he tightened his arm around the smaller man and rested his chin on his shoulder.

"You have not distracted me from my inquiries, you know," he said. "What sight were you talking about?"

"Ah hell, Ezra. I don't want to go makin' you mad at me."

"I know of nothing, at this moment, that would be more likely to raise my ire than you not trusting me enough to tell me what you meant by that comment," the gambler offered.

Buck took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. He might as well tell him. At the rate his own body was betraying him it would not be long before it was obvious. "The sight I was muttering about was you, naked on your hands an knees right there in front of me." He braced himself for the southerner's reaction.

"I see. I apologize if I offended you. I had thought to tend the fire without arousing you." His voice was filled with disappointment.

Buck sighed. "Ezra, for someone so smart, sometimes you can be really dumb. You didn't offend me, and you most certainly did arouse me, but not in the way you probably meant." When the gambler didn't respond he continued. "I understand if you get mad at me, if you get disgusted with me, but I can't keep things bottled up anymore."

He leaned up on one elbow so he could look down to see as much of the younger man's face as possible. "Ezra, I have had dreams where I had you in my arms like this. I…I've had feelin's for you for a quite some time. I just had trouble admittin' it even to myself."

Ezra didn't say anything for what seemed like an eternity. When he finally spoke it wasn't much more than a whisper. "Do you really mean that, or are you simply toying with me?"

"I mean it. I know I chased every woman that crossed my path, but I never felt this way about any of them. I suppose that's why I never could find the right one to settle down with." As he spoke the words he realized just how true they really were, and he felt the weight of uncertainty lift off him. "Ezra, I'm in love with you."

The gambler turned onto his back to look into Buck's eyes, and what he saw there warmed him more than any fire could have. He didn't even try to respond; instead he reached up and pulled the older man down until their lips met.

Their lips brushed lightly together in a brief, tentative kiss. When Buck didn't pull away, Ezra smiled up at him. "I have had similar feelings for you, but I never dared to hope that you would return them." He shifted enough that he could get his other arm around the man he loved.

"Just think of all the time we've wasted bein' afraid to tell each other," Buck responded. "Don't know about you, but I don't intend to waste any more." He lowered his head and brushed another soft kiss over the mouth beneath his. His teeth gently nipped at the full bottom lip. The gambler moaned as the sensations from the kiss shot straight through his body, and his breath came in quick gasps as he responded to the kiss. Encouraged, by Ezra's reaction, Buck took the kiss even deeper. The tip of his tongue slipped lightly over the eager lips beneath his own, and they parted, allowing him to explore that warm wet mouth.

A flood of sensations gripped the older man when he felt the southerner capture his tongue and gently suck it into his mouth. He laced the fingers of one hand through the thick, auburn hair of the man beneath him, while he struggled to keep at least some of his weight off the gambler's smaller frame. Need turned to concern when Ezra pulled back slightly and hissed in pain.

Buck quickly moved his fingers away from the tender spot they had inadvertently touched in his eagerness. He leaned his head down to place his forehead against Ezra's and sighed. "I didn't mean to hurt ya. After what you've been through, I reckon we shouldn't get too carried away."

"NO! I'm all right. Really, I'm fine," the con man insisted.

"Not tonight, Ezra. As much as I want to, I wouldn't be no kind of man if I took advantage of ya when you've been hurt." He lightly kissed the gambler's forehead, and then trailed soft kissed over his cheek and jaw on his way down to linger for a moment on the side of his throat before pulling away.

The southern looked at Buck with a mix of confusion and panic when he started to move off of him. Emerald eyes locked with the dark blue ones that gazed down at him, seeking reassurance.

Wilmington smiled at his would be lover. "We got time, Ezra. I promise, I ain't goin' nowhere."

"I can do this. I'm not…" Buck placed his fingers against the gambler's lips to cut off his words.

"Of course you can. I never said you couldn't. But, I don't want to have to hold anythin' back when we're together. I want it to be special for both of us." He paused and brushed a light kiss over Ezra's lips. "For tonight, I'm glad to be able to hold you and know you'll be there when I wake up."

Buck settled beside Ezra on the pallet and wrapped his arms around the smaller man. "Now, back to sleep." He waited until the gambler had turned and they were once again spooned together, only this time he held Ezra a little tighter and rested his chin against his shoulder. "Ezra?"

"Yes, Buck."

"You are gonna be here when I wake up aren't you?"

"There is nowhere else I would rather be," Ezra answered honestly.

"Good. Me neither," Buck added, and closed his eyes.

"Buck?"

"Yes, Ezra."

"My feet are cold."

Buck moved his legs, positioning them so Ezra could warm his feet against them. He shivered slightly at the icy contact, but hugged the gambler even closer and whispered in his ear. "Now you gotta know that I love you. I wouldn't put up with those blocks of ice for just anyone."

+ + + + + + +

Buck blinked in the bright light that streamed through the small window and landed on their pallet. Ezra still lay curled snugly against his chest, oblivious to the early morning sun. He didn't want to move and give up the moment but his body had other thoughts on the matter. Briefly, he toyed with the idea of slipping out of the bed to answer a rather urgent call of nature, and then slipping back under the blankets with the southerner. If he was really careful, he could probably manage without waking Ezra.

Getting up without disturbing the sleeping man wasn't all that hard, but getting back into the makeshift bed was another story all together. Even if he hadn't bumped the younger man when he landed rather awkwardly on the pallet, the chill of his skin would have gotten a reaction.

Ezra sighed and cracked one eye open to look up into the grinning face peering down at him. "Oh lord, you are one of those obnoxiously cheerful morning people." He closed his eyes against the glare from the window.

"Well, good morning to you too," Buck teased.

"No, this is not morning. Don't let the sunshine fool you," the gambler grumbled.

Buck chuckled and gathered Ezra into his arms. "How are you feelin' this mornin'?" he asked.

"As much as I would like to say 'fit as a fiddle', in all honesty, I feel like someone is pounding on my skull with a hammer," the con man admitted reluctantly.

"Maybe I can take your mind off it just a little," Buck offered.

"And what do you intend to do to offer such a distraction?" the southerner asked hopefully.

Buck answered with actions instead of words when he bent his head to place a leisurely kiss on the gambler's lips.

Ezra sighed when the kiss ended. "I could learn to like mornings, if I were certain to find such a greeting awaiting me."

"Oh? That all you would like t' have in the mornings?" Buck asked, brows raised in question. He grinned when he saw the southerner shake his head. "Good, because there are other ways I like to start the day too. Naaa…now don't go getting' your hopes up, or anythin' else for that matter. When your head's better, I intend to show you just what bein' with ol' Buck can be like, but for now you gotta settle for my world famous kisses."

"Indeed? World Famous?"

"Well, you don't expect me t' turn the full force of my animal magnetism on the injured do ya?"

Before Ezra could respond, Buck slapped him playfully on the ass. "Come on, on yer feet. It's yer head that's busted not yer legs. This ice should melt off pretty fast now that the sun's up. We need to get back to town before they send out a search party."

The gambler let out a long-suffering sigh. "And here I thought you were sympathetic to my infirmity."

Buck turned serious for a moment and looked Ezra straight in the eyes. "I am. That's why I want to get ya home, so Nathan can look ya over."

The gambler was struck speechless by that simple confession. He could only nod and hold out his hand for help getting to his feet.

+ + + + + + +

A half an hour later found them clothed and standing in the door to the old homestead.

"Have you ever seen anything so breathtaking?" the gambler asked, unable to look away from the sight that greeted them.

"Can't say that I have." Buck stood with his arm around Ezra and let his gaze wander over the crystalline landscape.

The ice-coated trees and bushes glistened in the sunlight. As they watched. an occasional piece of ice slipped from a branch striking those below it, causing the sunlight to sparkle off the swaying branches like the glitter of diamonds. Behind them water dripped steadily off the roof, adding to the wonder of the morning.

"A few minutes later and we'd have missed this," Buck said almost reverently.

"But we didn't miss it."

"No and we got t' see it together." Buck hugged Ezra a little closer and stole a quick kiss. "Come on, let's go home."

The End

Author’s Email: Luna6438@aol.com