It wasn't clear how much time had passed, it could have been a few minutes or he could have fallen asleep and it could have been a few hours, but when Tim opened his eyes again the light reaching the cave was as full as it ever got. He sat up, pulling away from Jesse regretfully.

Jesse stretched languidly, pushing his arms above his head and yawning. Tim casually collapsed onto the bed again, watching his companion. Turning to face him, Jesse smiled sleepily at Tim. Tim reached out and wrapped an arm around Jesse's waist, dragging him closer.

"Can we just stay here today?," Tim asked, buring his face in the crook of Jesse's neck.

Jesse encircled him with his arms, his eyelids drooping peacefully. "Mmm...no."

"Why not?," Tim's voice was muffled against his shoulder, and once he noted this he nipped at the soft flesh with his teeth.

"Cuz...," Jesse started, pushing Tim onto his back and sitting up. "I need to go get clean. And after your adventure with the poison ivy yesterday, you probably should, too."

Tim's pouting instantly turned into a grin as he considered this prospect. Jesse laughed at the quick change of expression, leaning down and kissing Tim briefly before standing up. Tim stood as well, stretching his arms out to his sides and popping his back. He glanced curiously around the dark enclosure.

"Hey...where's Buddy?"

Jesse looked around for a minute then shrugged. "I don't know...he probably found something interesting to chase. He usually doesn't leave before I wake up, but I'm sure it's nothing."

Tim accepted this, since Jesse obviously knew the dog's habits better than he did. The pair collected some clean clothes and set out, the early morning sun warming them on the hike to the naturally heated pools of water. Tim kept a close watch on the surrounding area as they trekked, pausing every once in a while to ask Jesse if that was what poison ivy looked like. Jesse would just laugh or shake his head as a response.

Tim couldn't help watching Jesse undress and wade into the water, reaffirming his belief that getting out of bed was indeed a very good idea. He shed his own clothes and also made his way into the pool, the warm chest-high water doing more to wake him up than the entire walk had. Jesse had his back turned towards Tim, running his fingers through his short black hair as he stood underneath the spray of water that tumbled down the cliffside. Smiling ferally, Tim pushed through the water and snuck up behind the other man.

As Tim's arms slipped around Jesse's stomach, he leaned back slightly. "Hmm...how did I figure this would happen?," he mused.

"Are you complaining?," Tim queried, dropping his head to lick droplets of water from Jesse's shoulder, which were quickly replaced with others.

Jesse slowly turned around in Tim's arms. "Of course not," he murmured, capturing Tim's lips with his own and nibbling gently on the lower one.

Tim moaned into his mouth and tightened his grip. Jesse inhaled sharply, breaking away from the kiss as their bare forms brushed against each other. He locked his arms around Tim as well and crushed him against his body, trailing kisses across Tim's jawline and down the side of his neck.

Tim leaned his head to the side and Jesse's mouth moved across his collarbone, closing his eyes. His hands ran down Jesse's back and back up his sides lightly. Jesse let his lips find Tim's again and their tongues met passionately as they slowly backed up, Tim finding himself pressed against the wall.

Bringing his hands down to Jesse's hips, Tim pulled them against his own roughly and they both moaned at the contact. Jesse broke away from the kiss and met Tim's gaze. They watched each other for a long moment, hands running over smooth skin underneath the water.

"Tim...you sure this is all right?," Jesse asked hesitantly.

Tim tilted his head, lifting one of his hands and dragging his fingertips lightly across Jesse's cheek. "I think so... do you?"

Jesse answered by brushing his lips across Tim's and Tim leaned into the kiss, pulling Jesse to him once again, a bit rougher this time. Jesse placed one hand against the natural wall behind Tim, the other moving slowly down his side. Tim gasped lightly and leaned his head back as Jesse's warm fingers closed around his erection and slowly started sliding back and forth over it. Jesse's lips dropped back to Tim's shoulder, his saliva mingling with the water already on his skin as his tongue trailed across the flesh.

"Mmm...Jesse," Tim moaned quietly. "...want you..."

His hands tightened around Jesse's hips, pressing their bodies against each other. Judging by his physical state, Jesse was not adverse to the idea in any way. His hands slid around to Tim's ass and he lifted him up easily, Tim wrapping his legs around Jesse's back.

Jesse pressed himself against Tim, sliding into him easily under the water. Both men gasped aloud at the sensation, Tim's fingers digging into Jesse's shoulders. Jesse lifted up a hand to steady himself against the wall again, leaning up to meet Tim's lips before he began rocking against him.

Tim sucked on Jesse's tongue as he rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet, pushing into him and pulling away at a steadily increasing pace. Mewling softly at the feeling of being inside Tim, Jesse dropped his head to Tim's shoulder and brought his free hand back between them and encircled Tim's cock with his fingers again, moving over it with the same rhythm that he had worked up. Neither could concentrate on anything besides the intense stimulus they had created, but there was no need for either of them to try.

Tim arched his back against the stone, opening his mouth in a silent scream of ecstasy and tightly grasping Jesse close to him as he reached orgasm. Jesse leaned forward and kissed his neck softly, continuing to move into him as Tim came. With the lightness that came with being submerged in water, it wasn't hard for Jesse to hold Tim up, but it became a lot harder as the tension in the pit of his stomach broke and waves of pleasure rolled through his body.

Tim brought his feet back to the floor of the pool as Jesse collapsed against his chest. They both remain like that, Tim relaxed against the wall and Jesse pressed against him, as their nerves subsided their tingling and their breathing slowed to a more normal rhythm. They became aware of their surroundings once again, the water peacefully rippling across them and the forest being it's eerily quiet self, interrupted only by a random bird's call.

Jesse lifted his head to look at Tim, who returned the gaze with a small smile. Jesse gently kissed his lower lip and moved back, sliding his hands down Tim's arms to interlace their fingers. Leading him backwards, they both waded out of the water and sprawled across a rock, heat seeping out of the smooth surface as the sun simultaneously warmed and dried their skin.

Jesse let his eyes fall shut, Tim curled up against his side. Off in the distance, barking was heard, growing louder as it got closer. Jesse's eyes opened back up, and his brow furrowed curiously.

"Tim...you hear that?," he asked.

"Mmmhmm," Tim replied lazily. "Sounds like Buddy found us."

"No," Jesse said, sitting up. "Not that...listen."

Prompted by the urgency in Jesse's voice, Tim sat up as well, straining his ears for a minute. He heard the dog barking, then underneath that, a lower sound.

"Voices...," Jesse stated quizzically. Tim nodded, listening closer as broken bits of conversation met his ears.

"...fucking told you...nothing...forest..."

"...not my fucking fault...damn dog..."

Tim sat up more alertly, his eyes growing wide. "Holy fuck...," he murmured, then stood up and pulled on a pair of pants. Jesse did the same, a bit slower, watching Tim with confusion apparent in his eyes. It was odd that there were other people in the woods, of course, but Tim seemed a bit more excited about it than he thought was necessary.

Without a word, Tim pulled his boots on and darted out into the forest in the direction of Buddy's barking. Jesse smirked to himself, taking more time getting his shoes on and following him. Buddy was still barking incessantly, leading them both in the right direction.

Jesse broke through the trees into a small clearing. Buddy was leaping at Tim repeatedly, and Tim was tightly embracing a short girl with long black and red hair. Over to the side, a lanky, pale man with a shock of dark hair was watching them with his arms crossed and a pleasant, although somehow disturbing, smile.

"Dollface," Tim was muttering happily, lifting the girl off her feet. "I thought I was never going to see you again."

The girl hugged back just as fiercely, pulling away after Tim set her on the ground. She grinned widely at him. "Same here, dude."

Tim looked over at the other man and after a second of hesitance they embraced as well, Tim ruffling his hair.

"Asshole," the other guy muttered, though still smiling. "Thought you went down with everyone else."

Someone finally noticed Jesse's presence at the edge of the trees, though it was Buddy. The dog bounded towards him, happily panting, not sure what was going on but seeming proud that he'd found these people. Tim stepped back and looked over at Jesse, his own grin matching the other two. He reached back and grasped Jesse's wrist, pulling him forward.

"This is Dana, and Hollywood," Tim introduced him. "They're...well, they lived with me, and stuff...before..."

Jesse smiled at them both, nodding at Tim to show that he understood. "Nice to meet you both," he said politely, shaking Dana's hand then Hollywood's. "I'm Jesse."

Hollywood tilted his head and narrowed his eyes as he shook Jesse's hand.

"Something wrong?," Jesse asked as he retrieved his hand. Hollywood watched him for a second longer then shook his head and smiled.

"Nah, you just look familiar..."

Jesse smiled as well. "I used to get that a lot. I must have one of those faces or something." Hollywood gave a nod, though his eyes still radiated suspicion. Jesse looked at Tim. "So...I guess we're going to be having a few people staying with us, then?"

Tim grinned widely, then stepped forward and grabbed Dana around the waist, throwing her over his shoulder. She made a little 'eep' noise of surprise and laughed. "I don't think they could get away if they wanted to," Tim told Jesse.

With that, the four of them started down the side of the hill with Buddy happily leaping after them, still barking from time to time.

Jesse led them back to the cave he'd made into his home, procuring a couple of sleeping bags from somewhere and then starting to cook some food as the trio caught up on what had been happening. Tim explained how he'd found his way out here, after Hollywood's faux tip-off about the militia, as well as replaying the incident with the poison ivy.

"So how'd you two get out?," he inquired of the pair once he'd finished his stories.

Dana looked at the ground and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking slightly embarassed. "Well, I heard the cops break in...and I kinda knew that there was no way in hell I'd be getting out the front, so I hid in the crawlspace behind the presses for about six hours until I was sure they were gone. Then, I found my way out and...fuck."

She looked away, biting her lip, eyes clouding over with tears at the memory of what she found once she left the crawlspace. "I didn't think anyone else made it out," she finished, her voice a bit strained.

Hollywood grimaced and patted her head, trying to be comforting, likely only managing to make her feel five years old.

"I'm sorry, girl," Tim said sadly. He'd known it was bad, and he'd only seen Lars - but someone as young as Dana shouldn't have to be going through this sort of shit. "Fucking pigs..."

Hollywood glanced at Jesse, who was sitting away from the others, nonchalantly roasting some beef over small flames. "Yeah, fucking assholes," he muttered darkly.

"So...how'd you manage to get out?," Tim broke into whatever twisted train of thought Hollywood was having.

"I was asleep when they showed up, like everyone else. I wasn't really planning on fighting them, figured it would be easier to escape when they thought they'd already won, you know? Then...Stax...well, I guess I sort of snapped," Hollywood told him with a bitter sort of grin. "I ran one of them through with a crowbar that was laying around, then stole his gun and shot my way out."

Tim nodded morosely. "So...Stax, too. And Pete? Rachel?"

Dana shook her head, hair falling back into her eyes. "Nah..."

"Fuck," Tim groaned, looking away.

"I went back a couple hours later, that's when I found Dana...curled up in a corner shaking," Hollywood recounted. "We took off, must have just missed you."

"Well, now you've found me," Tim told him, trying to sound less depressed.

Dana smiled as brightly as managable. "Not a moment too soon, either. I think if I would have had to wander around the woods with this fucker much longer I might have lost my mind."

Hollywood smirked at her, seeming somewhat distracted. "That would require a mind to lose in the first place, Dee."

Dana smacked him, and Jesse interrupted the friendly wrestling match that ensued to announce that food was ready. The conversation was a lot lighter as they ate, punctuated by memories and Hollywood's trademark biting sarcasm. Throughout the meal, he kept glancing oddly at Jesse, as if trying to place him, but Jesse sensed that maybe he already had placed him, and that thought unnerved him slightly. He finished eating and excused himself, heading outside for reasons unknown. Hollywood watched his back until he was out of sight, then looked at Tim.

"Hey, Tim?"

Tim glanced up at Hollywood, raising an eyebrow. "Yeh?"

"Jesse tell you what he did before he came out here?," Hollywood asked, feigning innocent curiosity.

"Yeh, cops fucked him over, kind of like us. So he just decided to get away from everything," Tim told him. "Why?"

"Just wondering," Hollywood said, shrugging. He sat back and lit a cigarette. "So...I've been in contact with this guy, Benji, on the east coast. He says there's sort of a peaceful movement going on over there."

"Oh yeah?," Tim asked, feeding some leftover meat to Buddy and earning a slobbery lick to the face for his efforts.

"Yeah," Hollywood said, nodding. "Apparently they took some lawyer's brother, and the guy sued the fuck out of them. He not only got tons of money, but they returned his brother. So of course, other people started doing the same thing. Now all you have to say is 'I'm not resisting you' and the cops back off. They're all scared of getting sued to hell."

"Really...you sure this isn't like the uh, militia in the woods?"

Dana snickered to herself. They had all laughed at Hollywood's expense when Jesse had informed him that the closest thing to a militia he'd seen in the woods was a herd of rather irate looking deer.

"No, this is true," she told Tim. "I checked it out myself, had some old newspapers sent over."

Tim nodded thoughtfully and Hollywood tilted his head, exhaling smoke. "So?"

"So what?," Tim inquired.

"So you wanna come with us? To the east coast?"

Tim's eyes widened in realization, and he scratched at his arm, looking a little nervous and a lot indecisive. "Oh, uh... I dunno, maybe."

Hollywood smirked. "Well, what were you going to do? Be a caveman for the rest of your life?," he asked Tim sardonically as Jesse re-entered the cave.

Jesse looked from Hollywood to Tim, vaguely curious as to what they were discussing but not saying anything. Tim looked up at his entrance, then glanced back at Hollywood and shrugged. "I guess that's sort of what I was planning on."

"Oh," Hollywood started, sounding more degrading than disappointed. He averted his gaze towards Jesse momentarily, then back at Tim, then smirked derisively again. "That's cute."

It wasn't long before both Dana and Hollywood had passed out in the sleeping bags that Jesse had found for them, and Tim and Jesse were laying in bed watching the dying light from the fire flicker across the stalagmites that hung off the ceiling. Tim tightened his arms around Jesse, sighing happily and nuzzling his neck.

"I can't believe they're all right," he muttered, smiling.

Jesse ran his fingertips distractedly along Tim's forearm. "Mmm...it's surprising, for sure. But good." He paused, rolling over in Tim's embrace to look at him. "Where did they want you to go?"

Tim pressed a brief kiss to Jesse's lips before responding. "East coast. Apparently there's some sort of pacifist thing going on over there, that actually appears to be working."

"I've heard of that," Jesse said, nodding thoughtfully. "You going to go?"

"Maybe," Tim shrugged and ran a hand through Jesse's short hair. "Not without you..."

Jesse smiled a little and squirmed closer to Tim. "I don't think I'm cut out for that sort of life anymore...," he mumbled against Tim's chest.

"It could be better over there," Tim suggested, although not sounding too pressing about the matter.

Jesse traced sleepy patterns on Tim's side with his fingers. "If you ask me, nothing could be much better than this anyway," he muttered.

Tim let his eyes fall shut, running a hand through Jesse's hair and keeping the other wrapped around his waist. "Mmm," he moaned agreeingly. "But you should think about it. I won't go without you."

Jesse stayed silent, a smile on his face despite the gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach that Tim probably wouldn't feel that way much longer.

Jesse found himself outside the next day before anyone else was awake, idly doing some exercises and enjoying the cool morning air. He wasn't surprised to find the solitude relaxing; since Tim had shown up he hadn't had much time alone, not that he minded Tim's company, but he'd always been pretty anti-social before.

Before.

That word itself was enough to make Jesse feel uncomfortable, as uncomfortable as the suspicious gazes Hollywood had been sending his way the night before. Even though it was highly unlikely, Jesse couldn't help feeling like Tim's friend knew a little more about his "before" than he would have liked him to. More than he would like Tim to know, as well.

Jesse heard some scuffling behind him, and turned to see Hollywood smiling creepily at him as if he'd been listening to Jesse's thoughts. Somehow he managed a small smile of his own in return.

"Morning," Jesse spoke, and Hollywood nodded.

"So it is." He moved a little closer to Jesse, leaning back against one of the trees and crossing his wiry arms. "You always up this early?"

"Usually," Jesse told him. "I like to keep in shape, but it gets too hot later in the day sometimes, so I do it in the mornings."

Hollywood nodded, as if he cared at all. He looked out from the side of the hill, taking in the view of the bay for a while before speaking again. "I think I figured out where I know you from."

Jesse forced himself not to look scared, merely raising an eyebrow though he was fairly certain Hollywood could hear his pulse speed up. "Oh?"

"Yeah," Hollywood told him, looking back and smirking. "Tim's not going to be happy that you lied to him."

"I suppose he wouldn't be, if he was to find out," Jesse agreed, standing up and brushing off his pants.

Hollywood's smirk turned to a sick sort of grin. "We're leaving in three days to head to Boston, Dana and I. Whether you tell him, or I tell him, Tim's going to find out before we leave," he told Jesse flatly. Pushing away from the tree, he started back up the side of the hill. He paused after a moment, turning to smile too widely at Jesse, giving the other man the impression that he was about to go for his throat.

"I think it's only fair that he be able to make an educated decision of where his loyalties should lie, don't you?"

Jesse watched Hollywood's retreating back, not responding. Once the other man was out of sight, he leaned back against a tree and closed his eyes. "Fuck..."