Kat had the weirdest dreams she ever remembered having.

For one, she was in a white room, and Soros was with her. Every second scene had her kissing or cuddling up against him. More often than not, the warrior would push his fingers inside her in the dream and Kat moaned, rubbing against him even more in an effort to get closer.

She woke up in what had to have been morning, considering the amount of light. Several things popped into her head at once.

There were two things that had awoken her. One was thirst and the other was cold, but both were odd. The day before, Soros had shown her how to quickly melt water from the glacier if there was no stream nearby. In the middle of all that ice, at least water was in abundance.

Yawning softly, she looked around herself to confirm that nothing had really changed. She was still stuck in a glacier with the hottest and most dangerous man in the universe. Who knew there would come a day when that would feel like the new normal.

She did however feel her stomach growl. Soon she'd have to eat something, but Soros had given her the impression they weren't far from escape.

This is the first time I have ever been the weak one, she mused.

She was holding them back. It irked Kat because she had thought she was tougher than that, but Soros had comforted her by saying they were on a warrior’s path. They might have stopped because of her, but she was still doing what Corgan warriors did for their training. She had bruises and every inch of her body hurt, but she was making it work.

Not bad for someone who died once yesterday.

The cold was bothering her, though. Not the biting temperature itself, but the fact that it was almost bearable. She was wrapped in pleasant warmth, with only the parts of her feet extending out from under Soros actually feeling particularly cold.

Which meant he had to have been fucking freezing.

Kat moved, but it took a long moment for the warrior to disentangle himself from her. The second was the longest in her life, thinking whether Soros would wake up at all. It wasn't her certain death that scared her the most, it was the fear she might lose him.

Feeling Soros finally push himself up slowly was therefore only the second worst thing.

Scrambling for her panties and armor, dressing in a hurry before the cold snuck back into her bones, Kat watched Soros. The warrior was putting on his armor too, but his movements were slow compared to the swiftness she'd seen from him. Hell, even she was faster than he was at this moment.

"You covered me the whole time," she stated, not bothering to ask what was plainly true. "You stayed like that all night, never turning away. Not moving."

There was a small smile on Soros' face when he looked at her.

"No offense," he said, his voice hoarse. "But you wouldn't have been much of a blanket. I promised to keep you warm."

"Yes," Kat agreed, "but I didn't want you to die for me."

"I'm not dead," he said simply.

Typical, she thought, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes.

Not that she was about to argue with him. He wasn’t wrong – she would have made for a shoddy blanket indeed.

"I could endure the night like that," the warrior explained. "You couldn't. I had to keep the heat. You were able to fall asleep, and I made sure you would not get cold."

The dreams returned to her and Kat felt herself blush despite them having fucked the previous night.

I haven't blushed since I was fucking thirteen. This is so stupid.

"I didn't just dream that, right?" she asked. "You actually touched me during the night."

Soros grinned.

"It was the best way to get warm before you fell asleep, and it was afterward too."

She wanted to say something, but Soros was right, as usual, and it had to be one of the most awkward and at the same time hot ways to survive a freezing night she could have ever imagined.

So she dropped the subject, returning to the previous, "You shouldn't have done that. I wouldn't have agreed if I'd known. I could have gone on."

She wasn’t entirely sure what she was arguing for at this point. Maybe her bruised pride?

Oh, how easy it was to go from a mighty bounty hunter to a shuddering, teeth-clattering mess needing to be saved by the big bad warlord. It was infuriating in a way.

I’ll just have to save him one day. Even the score.

"No," Soros said, coming over and putting his arms around her. "You were going to sit down where we were and wait for the end, whether you knew it or not. I know you wouldn't have asked me to do that so I made the choice for you. And here we are."

The Kat she had been when the week began would have protested, saying it was no excuse, but she found herself nodding. There they were, alive and relatively unhurt. Still on the run, but safe for the time being.

If the previous night had taught Kat anything, it was to simply enjoy things, and being alive was one of the best feelings in the world.

"We should go," Soros said. "Until there's light, we need to move and hope we reach the edge before we have to stop again."

Kat nodded, picking up the shirt-rope they had successfully used the day before.

"And Kat," Soros said seriously, making sure she listened to him. "If you need rest, tell me. Nothing good will come of you dropping without another step in you."

That was fair too.

"I promise," she said. "I will go as far as I can and then I will let you know."

The smile Soros answered her with was the first truly kind one she'd seen from him. Before, he'd been laughing or sneering or snarky, but finally he was simply smiling at her. Kat wanted to see more of it, more of him with his guard down.

Or at least as down as he would ever let it. There was something in the back of her head telling her that the Soros who stood before her would never be completely at ease.

As they went on, she thought of the night before, wondering what they were to each other.

Was she still his prisoner? It didn't feel like that, but Kat doubted he'd let her walk away either.

Or were they lovers? That seemed like a rather big step from one need-based fuck.

Funny how unromantic things looked in broad daylight.

They were apparently making very good time, but Kat knew it had very little to do with her. Once again, she was amazed by what Soros could do. He was now doing all the things he'd described with her literally hanging on him. Stunts that would have driven even the most daring adventurers insane didn't bother him one bit.

Kat's ability to let him risk his life for her nearly came to an end when they reached a seemingly uncrossable chasm. She wanted to go closer and see if the darkness had a bottom, but Soros nearly glared a hole through her. They were more than three hundred feet from the edge, but he wouldn't risk her slipping and being lost to the pit before she could reach for her dagger.

Then he revealed his plan, and it was pure madness.

"No," was Kat's only response.

The warrior grinned, reverting back to the "I'm Soros" argument that she hated. As days went by, she was starting to see it was actually a valid point, but it didn't comfort her even a little.

Basically, Soros' idea was to make sure the shirt held and then he'd climb over the chasm wall, with Kat dangling from his waist.

"That can't possibly work," she said. "I'm sorry to doubt you, but the swords alone can't hold that much weight."

"They can. They're Corgan."

"We can go around."

"It takes three days. For me alone, I mean."

"We'll manage," Kat said stubbornly, but she knew her protest carried no weight.

"Every night spent like that would weaken me," Soros said.

The amusement shining in his blue eyes prompted Kat to shoot back, "Where's the all-powerful Soros now?"

"Here. About to climb this wall. It's going to happen, so you better make sure that thing holds."

Kat checked. Another thing that bothered her was the fact that she had to trust her life to her shirt. At least it was Palian-made. When she told Soros that, the warrior laughed.

"We're alright then," he said.

Kat didn't like it one bit, but they really didn't seem to have much choice. Soros tied the shirt to his equipment belt, making sure that held as well. Then he handed the other end to Kat, who wrapped it around her arm.

When the warrior made sure the knot was good enough, he grew serious again.

"I keep asking you for trust," he said. "Believe me when I say I wouldn't let you fall."

"I believe you wouldn't intentionally drop me," Kat said. "I have less faith in accidents. What you're attempting is very close to impossible and you know that. The laws of physics are there for a reason, you know."

Soros smiled to her, kissing her gently. It was so at odds with the passion they'd shared the night before that it surprised Kat. For some reason, she had not imagined that Soros could be so gentle.

The whole ‘lovers’ thing started looking more and more appealing.

"They are nothing but rules for me to break."

"That stupid Corgan bravado –" Kat began, but the warrior cut in.

"I won't lose you," he said, and his conviction took her breath away. "I can't. We will see proper daylight again today. And then I will make sure no one hurts you."

There was no question about what he meant, but Kat asked anyway.

"You are going to kill Turian?" she asked. "But I thought –"

"I was wrong," Soros said. "I see now that men like him will plow over everything to get what they want. I understand, because I feel the same. Unfortunately for Turian, he stands in my way."

"And what do you want?" Kat asked quietly, her heart seeming to beat twice as fast.

"You," Soros said. "Now, will you trust me this one last time?"

Kat didn't trust her voice so she nodded. So much for a one-night stand… Her mind wasn't sure how to react. Corgan warriors didn't take pledges like that lightly.

Her heart, however, was cheering with joy, drowning out all doubt.

"Like before," Soros said, starting to walk to the chasm. "When I tell you, let me take care of you."

Kat was suddenly very glad for the chasm, because her knees felt rather weak. She believed that Soros knew what he was doing, although now that they were carefully edging closer, she could see what they were up against better.

Even if there was an end to it before the center of the planet, it was a long, long fall. She tried not to look down.

They eked on carefully, wanting to walk as long as they could before Soros had to carry them over by the strength of his arms alone. The ice beneath their feet was crystal clear and so slippery that Kat couldn't believe she was able to take a single step.

Then her feet went out from under her. With a scream, she dropped and stopped, hanging off of Soros. The lurch hurt her wrist, but she was no longer sliding to her doom. Looking up, she saw that Soros had managed to jam one of the swords into the ice.

There was no going back now. They wouldn't be able to stand up as easily as they fell. One sword at a time, Soros started to move across the wall. He stuck one of them in the ice, pulling the other free, and so on.

It seemed they were actually doing it. Kat could already see sunlight up ahead – they really had been close to their escape. Now that she was almost out, Kat thought it was rather beautiful actually –

She only had a fraction of a second to react. Soros had reached too far ahead. When he tried to pull the previous sword free, the ice cracked suddenly and it slipped between his cold fingers. He shouted to her as it came down.

Unthinking, she grabbed it. If the sword fell, they’d be dead, she was sure of it. There was nothing to be done with just one, and her dagger wouldn't have been able to replace it.

It cut into her hand painfully, but Kat refused to let go. Biting her lip not to cry out in pain, she handed the sword back to Soros. She could see the strain and concern on his face.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Nothing a little ice won't heal," she joked. "Keep going, I'm fine."

In truth, her hand was bleeding heavily, but there was nothing to be done. Soros must have realized that too and kept going, grunting.

It seemed like ages had passed when they finally reached the other side. There, the ground was less slippery and stonier. Soros gave her a hand, the blood still flowing from her wound, and Kat climbed to safety with Soros following her. They backed away from the chasm before either dared to breathe more easily.

"We should get that checked in the first city we see," Soros said, holding her hand gently in his big palms.

"It's fine," Kat said. "I'm more worried about the fact that I actually caught your sword. I must have some Corgan blood in me. I didn't know my reflexes were that good –"

Soros kissed her, strong and forceful again this time. The warrior pulled her into his embrace, holding her there like he never intended to let go. For one glorious moment, it seemed to Kat as though they were the only two people on Hetton, and to her, they were.

The ice ocean stretched behind them. She couldn't believe they'd gotten through, but they had.

Together.

"Now," Soros said, pulling back, a new glint playing in his blue eyes. "We've stayed away from the world for too long. I think Hetton is ready for my return. If Turian wants to threaten me, he better be ready for the consequences."

Kat agreed, but couldn't stop her inward sigh.

So much for peace, quiet and just the two of us.