The Ski Trip Part 2
By Arwendle
Author: Arwendle
E-mail: [email protected]
Spoilers: none
Rating: PG 13
Disclaimer: Don’t own characters etc.
Pull yourself together Rory. Ok you’re trapped in a warming hut under 20 ft. of snow with Tristan. It’s dark and your fires out, look on the bright side. Find a bright side Rory.
“At least we’re not dead” said Tristan breaking into her thoughts.
At that moment Rory stopped being upset and started to get angry.
“You shut up!” She yelled “ I bet you’re very happy with this situation! You’ve got plenty of time to torment me now!”
“Rory calm…”
“You know I bet you planned this!” Said Rory turning her anger on Tristan.
“Yes I planned this Rory! I planned to twist my ankle on the first day of a week long ski trip! I knew exactly what warming hut you were in, and I caused the mountainside to tumble down upon it encasing us inside!”
“ Your right! I give you way too much credit! I just have incredibly bad luck!”
The word luck seemed to hang in the silence that followed.
“What are we going to do?” Tristan asked
“Well I’m certainly not going to wait here. I’m going to dig us out!”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea…”
“You wouldn’t would you! Tell me Tristan, is it because it’s my idea or because it intrudes on your sense of chivalry to have a girl do a MAN’s job.”
“Fine do whatever you want but it’s going to get cold in here.”
Rory opened the door to the warming hut and was instantly covered by the mini avalanche of snow that poured into the room. She began to dig with her ungloved hands.
While Rory dug Tristan sat in the semi-darkness and watched her. He was concerned. She had broken the Igloo effect around the hut. If they didn’t get out, it was going to get cold. Very Cold. As he was musing he noticed a bright orange bag underneath the bench. Grimacing he raised himself from his chair and limped over to it. It was an avalanche survival kit. He tore it open. Inside was a single blanket, a deck of cards, a couple of granola bars, and a flashlight.
“Rory come here” he called
“What do you want Tristan” she said coldly reappearing through the snow filled doorway.
“Look what I found! Want to play some cards?”
She gave him a long look. She was exhausted from her digging and she had made barely a dent. Her hands were cold and her clothes were covered in snow. She needed a break.
“If we’re going to survive this it might be the best idea to call a truce.” Tristan stated “at least ‘til we get out of here.”
“a truce” she echoed. “ Alright!”
“War?” He said holding up the cards.
“Sure.”
Tristan flicked on the flashlight. It barely illuminated the room. Then he dealt the deck.
Half an Hour Later
“Hah! Jack beat’s your 9!”
“You Suck! I hate you! Yes! in your face an ace beat’s your king!”
“No!” Tristan slammed his head down on the bench “foiled again!”
“You know this is very weird, I’m having a moderately good time with you.”
“Why thank you, but I owe it all to the cards.”
“So Tristan”
“What?”
“Beat this!” Rory lays down a two.
“I don’t know if I can oh oh oh damn! Two!”
“War! Please, please please. Yes I win!”
“Damn you cards, you were supposed to win.”
Rory rolled off the bench laughing and hit her head. “ouch that really hurt!”
“Are you okay?”
Tears began to well up in Rory’s eyes. “yeah I’m fine.”
“Rory why are you crying?”
“I’m not crying am I crying? Oh I’m sorry it’s just… nevermind.”
“What”
“It’s just that Dean and I never played war.”
“Yeah and can’t you play it together when we get back?”
“No!”
“Rory we’re going to get out of here…”
“It’s not that…”
“well then…”
“Dean dumped me!”
“He WHAT?” said Tristan almost choking in surprise. “Why? When?”
“Two days ago. He ‘found’ someone new! A cheerleader.”
“Wow, that sucks! I’m sorry I wouldn’t have bugged you on the bus if I’d known.”
“It’s Ok.” Replied Rory wiping away her tears. “come here”
Rory went over to Tristan and buried her head in his shoulder. Something she would have never done somewhere else. But here he was a friend and the only person to turn to.
“Rory, you’re freezing” said Tristan with a bit of dismay.
“I’m fine really!” she said wiping away her tears.
“Are you sure?”
She nodded.
“Speed anyone?”
4 Hours later
“…That was the first time I got dumped!”
“wow Tristan I never knew!”
“So when was the first…”
“Dean. You know I …really HATE snowboarding!”
“Oh, Why did you come on the trip? You could gotten out of it.”
“I Don’t know…I love to ski so I thought…”
“Rory you’re not making any sense.”
“your right we need some perfume in here…”
Tristan reached over to shake her she seemed confused. Her skin was like ice.
“Rory you’re freezing!” He looked at her more closely it was hard to tell in the dim light but her skin was pale and tinged with blue.
“No I’m not I’m really warm!”
Tristan realised this wasn’t the case Rory was too cold and her body was slowing down. He grabbed the blanket from the avalanche kit. As he wrapped it around her he noticed that her clothes were soaking. She wouldn’t get any warmer until she was out of them.
“When she starts thinking straight she’ll kill me” muttered Tristan as he flicked off the flash light and began to take off her clothes. Rory was too disoriented to notice. He stripped her down to her bra and underwear and wrapped the blanket around her. She began to shiver violently. She needed more heat.
Speaking to himself Tristan said “this isn’t exactly the way I imagined it!”
At that Tristan stripped down to his boxers and socks. He lay down on the bench next to Rory and pressed his body against hers. Wrapping the blanket around them he began to rub his hands quickly up and down her back. The body Tristan most desired in the whole world was wrapped around his and he wasn’t even thinking about sex. He just wanted Rory to be okay.
3 Hours Later
Down in the village lunch came and went. Nobody noticed that Rory and Tristan were missing until suddenly at dinner Paris wondered where Tristan was. Probably off somewhere she reasoned. Where was Rory?…
Meanwhile
Rory woke feeling groggy. There was a warm firm body below her. Tristan! What had happened had she and Tristan…No she couldn’t have. Tristan was gazing up at her with concerned eyes.
“Rory are you okay?” he asked
“I think so.” she said confused
“I thought you were going to die!” He blurted out suddenly and in the darkness she could just make out the tears running down his cheeks.
“What happened?” she asked . Tristan explained that she had gotten too cold. When he was finished. She sat there stunned for a moment. Then she bent down and kissed away a tear on his cheek.
“Thank You” She said. Her eyes filling with their own tears. He reached up and brushed them away with his thumb. She wrapped her arms around him and settled her head into the hollow on her chest.
“I can deal with the whole undressing thing sortof.” She said “ but tell me one thing.”
“Sure”
“That you didn’t enjoy it!”
“That my friend,” he replied “I can not do!”
“You so are Tristan!” She laughed. As she got up and searched out her clothes which were relatively drier now.
“what are you doing ?” he asked.
“We still have to get out of here!”
“Right! Can you pass me my pants?”
“You can’t dig with that busted ankle!” she exclaimed
“dig? Who said dig? Still I must supervise in style!”
They had just begun to dig when they heard noises above them. A few minutes later their was a crash of snow and a goggled face looked into the warming hut.
Later
When they got to the bottom of the mountain Rory and Tristan were both whisked their separate ways. They both had a medical examination, a hot shower and a warm plate of food. People gathered around them and asked questions. Of which neither of them told the whole truth. They both felt the need to regroup and talk about there experience before sharing it with others. Rory finally shed her crowd and wandered throught the hotel sorting out the day in her mind.
Much later Rory spotted Tristan (who had also escaped) limping through the lobby. Without thinking she run up to him and threw her arms around him.
“I’m so glad I finally found you!” Then she placed a quick peck on his lips.
“What was that for?” He asked a little shocked.
“I asked the first aid woman if what you did…you know”
He nodded
“…was necessary and she said that you saved my life! I was saying thank you.”
“wow”
“yeah”
“anytime. So let me get this clear. I saved your life?”
“Yes, so I guess this means I owe you big time” Rory sighed
“Well it might take you a while to earn off but you could start by sitting next to me on the bus ride home?”
“I’ll think about it!” She replied with a smile. Then he bent his head and kissed her after a moment she pulled away.
“save it for the bus buddy. It’s a long trip.”
He smiled “I’ve got lots don’t worry! And by the way cheerleaders are highly overrated!”
End part 2