Lost in the Woods

"Okay, everyone! Let's grab our stuff and move on. We have less than a mile to go, then we can just hang out for the rest of the night." Clay stood and put on his pack.

"I like it." Fern grabbed her own back pack. "Tonight, I want s'mores!"

"A girl after my own heart," Ivy said with approval.

They traipsed through the woods, keeping up a good pace despite everyone being tired, and reached the camp site in about an hour.

"I think we made it just in time." Ivy nudged Willow and they both looked up at the sky. "Looks like it might rain."

"They did call for some light rain," Clay broke in. "That's why we suggested everyone bring ponchos. Still, it shouldn't be too bad, according to our last report."

"It might be nice," Willow said. "I mean, a little rain never hurt anyone, and on Earth Day, we can't begrudge the plants some water, right?"

"Stop it, Willow. You're scaring me. You're...giddy," Ivy murmured.

"Maybe a little. So what?" Willow grinned.

x-x-x-x

Everyone stretched and sat down to relax for a bit with more water or snacks.

Clay pulled out his walkie-talkie and checked in with his other rangers. No one reported any problems, which was a relief. After the checks were completed, Clay tried to get over to talk to Willow, but ended up talking with Ash, Adam, and a few other men.

"Oh, no!" Holly's dismayed tone caused more than one person to roll their eyes. "I lost my cell phone! I must have dropped it on my way back here. I really need it!"

"Can't it wait until tomorrow?" Ivy asked. "I mean, it's not likely someone will steal it, right?"

"I'd rather not have it ruined by the weather or the animals." Holly glared at her, then seemed to recover herself. "Could someone go with me to find it? Willow? Fern?"

"Um, sure." Willow and Fern both agreed.

"I'll come, too." Clay stepped up, remembering Willow's reaction the first night. "We should keep an eye on everyone. Besides, more eyes are always better. Adam, you okay if I go with them?"

"You bet." He nodded.

"I can come." Ivy stepped up.

"Thanks, Ivy, but I'd feel better if you stayed with Adam. You're an experienced camper and it'd help to have you here."

"All right." It was grudging, but she agreed.

"Okay, ladies, let's go. We can't go too far, Holly, since it's getting dark, but we'll give it a shot." Clay grabbed his flashlight and the four of them left.

x-x-x-x

Willow picked up her own light and saw Ivy engrossed in conversation with Adam. She smiled to herself and followed Clay, Holly and Fern back along the trail they'd taken.

"Willow, thank you so much!" Holly gushed and Willow fought not to react. "I know it must seem silly but I just got it and you know how warranties are. They cover everything except what actually happens. It was a gift from my mom, you know, so my brother and I can keep in touch and I just hate to tell her that I lost it already."

Willow nodded. "It's okay, Holly. I'm sure we'll find it."

They walked in a mostly single file line, sweeping their flashlights along the ground. Willow looked up and was surprised at how quickly the sky was darkening, and had to force herself not to swing her light too fast in case she missed the phone. She was hoping Clay would call a halt to their search when suddenly there was a yelp and a cry from Fern.

"Oh, ow! Oh, shit." Fern squeezed her eyes shut and grimaced. "Sorry, guys. Pardon my French but my ankle hurts like a son of a bitch."

"Hold on, now." Clay was calm and soothing. "Here, I'm going to move your leg, but just a little and slowly, okay?"

Fern nodded and hissed out a breath. Willow knelt next to her and took her hand. "Squeeze if you need to." The younger woman nodded her thanks.

"All right. I don't think it's too bad but it is swollen." Clay patted Fern on the shoulder. "We need to get you back to camp, and we'll put an icepack on it. Think you can lean on me?"

"Sure." Fern was still a bit breathless, but her face wasn't as pale. "It doesn't hurt quite so much now. Damn, I'm sorry, guys."

"I'm sorry, too. Holly, we'll have to go back. I'll get up early and look again tomorrow." Clay stood and with Willow's help, got Fern to her feet. He slid an arm behind her and pulled her arm over his shoulders.

"Oh, no!" Holly wrung her hands. "Please, Willow, could we look a little longer? Just a few minutes? I know it can't be far."

"Hey." Fern looked up. "I have an idea. Duh; why doesn't someone call Holly's phone? Maybe we'll hear it ring." She gave Willow a rueful smile. "Some college student, huh? Overlooking the obvious."

"It's a good idea, no matter when you thought of it," Willow assured her.

"It is, but I set the phone to vibrate."

Willow almost bit off her tongue in her effort not to respond. Of course you did.

"Please, Willow?"

She sighed. "All right, just a few minutes. It's getting dark, Holly. We need to get back soon."

Clay's eyes darted between the other two women. "All right, but just a few minutes, Holly. I don't care where the phone came from or how much it cost; it is not worth getting lost or hurt over."

Holly gave him a grateful smile. "I promise, Clay. We'll practically be right behind you."

Clay and Fern walked back towards the group, and Willow watched for a moment. Then she turned and ran her flashlight over the ground again. Holly did the same and then began walking forward. Willow stayed to Holly's side, trying to help cover as much ground as possible.

She got so involved in her search that she didn't realize Holly had gone until she turned to say something.

Oh, shit. I'm lost. Willow's blood went cold and her chest tightened as she tried to figure out what to do next.

"First off, relax. You're not that far away from anyone," she told herself. She spoke out loud in hopes of calming herself done, but it only emphasized the fact that there was no one else around. A few drops of water hit her arm and she fought back the urge to panic."

Okay, okay, think. You're not that far. You followed the trail. You still have your flashlight, just turn around and follow the trail. After a little bit, give a yell. Clay said sound will carry.

After a few deep breaths, she turned around, aimed her flashlight at the ground and tried to ignore the dread she felt when she realized she couldn't see the trail. The rain wasn't heavy, but it was enough to dampen her clothes. Her hands were shaking and she forced them to be steady as she held the flashlight and walked.

Willow checked her watch, realized she'd been walking less than five minutes, even though it felt like at least fifteen. Walk some more, and if you don't see the trail, stop and try calling out. Having a plan, even a small one, made her feel a little better, and she felt her heart rate return to closer to normal.

After another five minutes, Willow felt even more lost than before and still didn't see the trail. Deciding it was time to try calling out, she took a breath. Her first tries weren't much more than whispers, and it took an effort to get a shouted "Hello?" No answer.

The rain sounded loud, although she was sure that was just her imagination. This is a little more time with the earth than I wanted today. She tried again.

"Ivy! Clay!" No response. "Ivy!

A noise like a snapping twig startled her. She whirled around, slipped on the wet grass and lost her flashlight when she went down. She saw the circle of light and started to move toward it, but it rolled away and she was left in the damp dark.

A lump of panic rose in her throat and Willow was afraid she'd hyperventilate. She forced herself to breathe slowly, counting the inhales and exhales. Next she stood, trying to see if she'd injured herself but aside from an ache on her rear end, which even in this situation was more embarrassing than anything else, she decided she was fine.

The rain let up and a small shaft of moonlight came through as the clouds passed by. Willow saw a tree, went over and sat down. She hugged her knees to her chest and rocked, resigning herself to waiting until morning.

x-x-x-x

When Clay and Fern arrived back at the campsite, Ivy hurried over to help the young girl sit down. At Clay's request, she dug in his bag for the first aid kit. Others gathered around to help, providing bags to prop up the girl's ankle. One man said he was an EMT, so Ivy stepped back to let him attend to Fern. Soon the younger woman was comfortable and everyone moved back to their tents and food.

It started to rain but no one seemed to mind. Ivy dug out her poncho and resumed her talking and flirting with Adam, who was talking and flirting right back. She found herself thinking she couldn't wait to tell Willow about it and reflexively looked around for her friend. When she didn't see her, Ivy stopped and took careful count of the people around the campsite. No Willow.

"Ivy? Ivy, is something wrong?"

She stared at Adam and realized she hadn't heard anything he'd said in the last couple of minutes. "No, I...I mean, I'm fine, but I don't see Willow anywhere. She went with Clay and Fern and Holly but...." Her eyes narrowed as she saw Holly return and stand next to Clay, then Ivy stalked over.

"Oh, Clay, she's so lucky you were here to help." Holly looked appropriately concerned. "Fern, I'm so sorry. If you hadn't been out looking for my phone...."

"It's okay, Holly." Fern's voice was strained. "Just an accident. Could have happened any time. I'll be fine."

Ivy saw Clay scan the group and then get to his feet.

"Where's Willow?" Clay and Ivy ended up speaking at the same time.

"Willow?" Holly blinked. "Why, I'm not sure. She was right behind me."

"Well she's not now!" Ivy glared at her.

"Holly, how long ago did you leave Willow?" Clay stepped in, his voice serious.

"Oh, I don't know." Holly waved a hand. "It couldn't have been that long ago. I didn't come back too much after you and Fern did."

"Why did you leave her alone?" Ivy demanded.

"She'll probably be here in a few minutes." Holly rolled her eyes. "I don't know what you're so worried about. We didn't go that far."

"Adam." Clay looked over and gestured to his coworker. "I'm going to find Willow. She probably isn't far, like Holly said, but she's likely scared and she might have tripped or something."

"Want me to come?" Ivy asked.

"No, thank you, Ivy." Clay shook his head. "The rain will make things slippery and we don't need anyone else hurt. Look, I'm going to take my tent; if she is hurt, or the rain picks up, it might be better for us to wait until morning. I'll radio to Adam to let you all know, okay?"

"All right." Ivy wasn't happy but she knew Clay was trained for this. "Here's a dry shirt for her, and her poncho." She handed them to Clay and he took them with a nod.

"Adam, you good?"

"I'm good." He nodded and put a hand on Ivy's shoulder. "Go on, we'll be fine."

Clay shot an icy glare at Holly before grabbing his equipment and heading back along the trail.

x-x-x-x

Willow took a deep breath and tried calling again. "Clay? Ivy?" Still no answer. She wasn't even sure she was loud enough, but she couldn't seem to raise her voice any more.

It'll be better in the morning, she consoled herself. You'll wonder why you were even worried. You'll find out you were practically on top of the campsite, just from another direction.

It didn't help, much.

She sat with her back to the tree and rested her head on her knees. Despite the rain and the chill she felt, exhaustion had her drifting off. She jerked when she thought she heard something, then tried to shake her head to clear it. Willow listened intently, but then sighed. Must have been dreaming, she decided. She lowered her head again, then frowned.

"Willow? Willow!" It was Clay.

For a moment, she was too startled to speak, then when she did try, relief and nerves made her voice little more than a croak. She swallowed and took a breath. "Clay? I'm over here."

"Willow? Can you hear me?"

"Clay! I'm over here!" This time her voice carried and a moment later, Clay came into view with his flashlight. She looked up and hoped she wasn't crying. "Hi."

He smiled and knelt down. "Hi there. You okay?"

She nodded once before launching herself at him and almost knocking them both over. Her arms tightened around his neck and she buried her face against his shoulder.

x-x-x-x

Clay chuckled and steadied them both before wrapping his arms around her and stroking her hair. "Guess you're glad to see me?"

Willow nodded against his shirt. She took a few shuddering breaths, and huddled against him. Clay decided he didn't mind and continued stroking her hair. "It's okay, Willow. It's okay. Relax."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry for." Clay nudged her back so he could look at her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah." She wiped at her eyes and he saw her fighting for control. "Um, aside from being a little hysterical, I guess, I'm fine. Sorry."

"It's okay. Being alone is scary, especially when you're lost." He ran a finger along her face. "Ivy said you had a thing about being lost. What happened?"

"Oh. You know...silly childhood trauma." She tried to shrug it off.

"It's okay, Willow. You can tell me."

"It's...it's nothing, or it seems like it should be nothing, but...." She swallowed. "When I was little, about nine, we had just moved. They were still building the neighborhood, you know? There were lots of wooded areas around. And I met these kids and they took me into the woods, said they wanted to show me something and then they...." She swallowed again. "They left me there. They ran away and I wasn't fast enough and...So I looked around and I couldn't see Holly and I tried to call someone and...." This time she couldn't stop the tears.

"It's all right, I've got you. You'll be fine." Clay held her close. "Wet, but fine."

Willow gave a small laugh. "Yeah, well. I don't mind being wet now." She blushed as Clay laughed out loud. "I say and do the dumbest things around you." She dropped her head against him again and the rain began to pick up.

"I like the things you say." He lifted her face to his, stared at her for a moment, then kissed her.

She was soft in his arms. He rubbed his hands over her shoulders and back to calm her, sliding his lips against hers. He knew she'd just been through a shock, but couldn't help but tease her lips with his tongue. When she parted her lips, he groaned and stomped on the urge to roll her over on the grass.

Willow sighed and leaned into him, her tongue meeting his and savoring his taste. He smelled like she imagined he would, of the earth and outdoors. His arms were strong and warm around her, and despite the wet and her fear, she didn't want to be anywhere else. She shivered, half from the cold and half from the sudden desire that rose up at Clay's touch.

Clay felt the shiver and forced himself back a little. "Willow, I should put up the tent. We'll get soaked."

"Hmmm? Oh, right." She pulled back as well. "Here, I can help."

Clay realized he should call Adam first and pulled out his radio; Adam answered immediately.

"Adam, I found her. Yes, she's fine. Just scared and cold. I think we'll stay here. I have my tent and it's dark and wet enough I don't want to risk either of us slipping on the way back. Yes, tell Ivy she's fine. Thanks, Adam."

Clay pulled the tent out and started setting it up, handing Willow a bottle of water and waving off her offer to help. The rain was letting up after the brief increase, but he figured they'd both be better off inside it. Nothing like a night in the rain to make a person sick, and he reminded himself to make sure Willow got warm and dry so she didn't get sick. Her clothes were already wet through and he tried not to think about how her shirt clung to her shoulders, her breasts, outlined her waist and hips and...

Willow felt Clay's eyes on her and looked down at herself. Oh, my God. I can't believe this. I'm soaked, I look like I'm in a wet t-shirt contest, my hair probably looks like a bunch of seaweed... The rest was forgotten when Clay snaked an arm around her and kissed her again.

"You have no idea how gorgeous you look," he told her.

She gave a shaky laugh. "You like women who look like drowned rats?"

He chuckled. "You don't look like a drowned rat. Trust me. I see a beautiful woman with clothes that hug her very delicious curves." He ran the tip of his tongue along the line of her neck and she gasped. "A woman who doesn't mind being outdoors, who doesn't mind the rain." He nipped at her earlobe and she jumped in his arms, then shivered again. When she kept shivering, Clay realized she was cold.

"I'm sorry, Willow. God, how stupid. Come on, let's get in the tent and get you out of those clothes." She gaped for a minute before smiling and he was speechless for a moment as the words replayed in his mind.

"I did not...mean that...the way it sounded and oh, man, there is no good way out of this." Clay ran a hand through his hair as Willow failed to stop a laugh.

"Well, at least the rain let up. It's not so bad," she managed between giggles.

"What? Oh yeah. It did. Well, that's helpful. I hope it stays that way."

"Me, too." Willow bit her lip. "It's nice being here with you, even with the rain."

He smiled. "And you. Come on, I was serious about getting you into the tent. And you should change. Ivy sent a shirt with me. And a poncho."

"Okay. You wouldn't have a towel, or something, would you? My hair, I mean." Willow dragged her fingers through the wet locks. "I wouldn't want to get the inside of the tent all wet."

"Here." Clay handed her a couple of bandanas. "Sorry, it's all I've got. Oh, wait." He rummaged and handed her two shirts. One was the one Ivy had sent, the other one of his extras. "That might help."

"It'll be fine, thanks." Willow tried to keep her teeth from chattering, but the cold felt like it had seeped inside her skin. She took the shirts and leaned her head forward, then wrapped one around her hair and squeezed, trying to sop up the water.

I'm a lunatic, Clay thought. She's wet and freezing and trying to get dry and all I can think of is how her skin would taste, wet like that from the rain, the drops running down her shoulders to her... He tried to cut the line of thought off, but it was difficult. He'd never wanted to touch someone the way he wanted to touch her.

x-x-x-x

"Clay?"

"Hmmm?" He blinked and focused on her.

"You, um...you were kind of staring at me. Is something wrong?" Willow balled the t-shirt in her hands and held it against her chest.

"No, nothing's wrong." He turned back to the tent and busied himself with checking to make sure it was set up properly.

What is wrong with me that I want to jump him? Willow wondered. I mean I was just sitting here in the rain, my clothes are soaked, I was scared to death and now... Now all she could think of was his arms around her body and his lips locked on hers.

"Okay, there's one thing wrong." Clay's words brought her out of her thoughts.

"What? What is it?"

He smiled at the concern in her voice and came over to her. "It's not exactly wrong, I don't think. It's just that it's all I can do to control myself right now." His voice was low and she swallowed at the sensations it caused in her body. "I would like nothing better than to lay you down right here, under the trees, and make love to you. Rain and all."

"Oh." Willow blinked. "Oh."

"It's all right." He skimmed his knuckles over her cheek. "I've got enough sense to realize now is probably not the best time."

She was silent for a moment, gathering courage. "Well, you did say I should get out of these wet clothes...."