Age Is Just a Number

Montana had always been one for bad winters, but this one was ridiculous. God was, obviously, not happy with how things had been handled and he was throwing everything in his wintry power to slow everyone down. Luckily, the vampires were having just as many problems as we were. It had to be bad down in the town, but I was having to experience one of the worst blizzards in the state's history in the mountains.

The five of us trudged up the steep incline, snow up to our thighs and shrouding the trail in front of us in white oblivion. I gritted my teeth against the slicing wind and continued on, the rope around my waist tugging me as Shane's pace quickened.

We'd been in the mountains for days, searching for the company of vampires that had moved the remaining human hostages to the mountains. Sarah was among them. Time was running out. Vampires cared little for the their human prisoners, using them only to draw a few of us away from our main support.

It'd worked. However, we wouldn't let them win. We'd get the humans back and bring them back alive.

The only problem was we'd run out of most of our supplies yesterday. Little time and planning had made it that way. Though we couldn't legit 'die' from those terms, we weren't the only one's in danger of freezing and starving anymore.

I saw Shane's figure stop ahead of me and I mimicked him. We all stood in silence, the wind howling and whipping our clothes.

Shane lifted his hand, index and middle finger raised. We weren't alone.

I grabbed the M16 from my back and loaded it. The clicks that echoed behind me assured everyone else was ready.

The howling wind drug on, but that was the only noise, apart from my beating heart. Suddenly, a boom ripped open the air, making it shake underneath our feet. We ducked down in case of fire, but none came.

Instead, thunder rolled through the mountainside and the ground under our feet began to quake underneath again. Snapping and breaking.

"Avalanche!" Shane shouted.

Before he even shouted orders, I'd cut the rope connecting me to him and Beck. I took off to the right, searching for shelter as the roaring increased. My heart beat erratically, but I stayed level-headed. No use to panic.

The snow that would come crashing down on us was visible then, giant rolling forms of white. I forced my legs to move faster through the deep snow. Something hit me in the side, but I barely felt it, taking it as an early chunk of snow. There seemed to be no shelter and I was sure I was going to get buried under the tons of snow.

Beck was suddenly beside me and he led me in a different direction, uphill. Towards the snow. At first, I doubted his sanity, but then I saw the small, dark crevice in the surface of the mountainside, and my pace increased. Just as the snow about met us, its roar deafening, we hurled into the entrance, Beck pulling me in behind him.

We stood there, listening to the avalanche fall over us, blocking out the light from the entrance. Though I knew we were safe, my body still shook from nerves and adrenaline. Beck wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, his lips pressed against the back of my head, and I relaxed slightly.

Finally, it quieted outside and my body and mind eased. Beck released me and walked over the entrance. He investigated how far the snow was buried. I shifted uncomfortably as my side began to burn.

"Dammit," he hissed, looking up and down the huge crevice. He turned back to me and opened his mouth to speak, but his eyes dropped down and widened. "Jess, you're hit."

I looked down. The left side of my coat was turning dark, glossy. I touched the wet spot and my fingers came back red. Like a switch had been turned on, the pain came, shooting up and down the left side of my body like fire. I cried out and my knees buckled. Beck caught me before my face hit the stone floor.

He laid me on my back and unzipped my coat. Without the insulation and pressure, blood began to run freely. I clenched my teeth and eyes shut, trying to take in even breaths. Beck lifted my three layers of shirts and his fingers probed at the bullet hole. I yelped and with his free hand, he held my shoulder down on the ground. Taking his own coat off, he pressed it to the wound.

"How bad?" I asked hoarsely.

"You've already lost a lot of blood. I can't get it out until you stop bleeding."

"Is it silver?" His face was set grimly and the burning on my insides answered my question. "Beck..."

"Its fine," he said, turning to me and brushing the loose hair back from my face. "Just stay calm."

The tears of pain and blood loss were blurring my vision. "Beck..."

"Don't pass out on me, Jess."

"Beck..."

"Jess, stay with me."

"Beck...I can't..." Black began to rim the edges of my vision.

"Jess. Do not give up on me."

My tongue was too heavy to answer. Eyes forced themselves to close. Beck's voice echoed in my skull, muffled and desperate. My vision blanked out and my mind followed after.



The chill in my bones and the burning pain in my side pulled my mind from the depths of unconsciousness. When my eyes opened, it was dark and I sat up, unaware of where I was as fear shot through my body like the chill. My side protested and I let out a gasp as an arm struggled to keep me down.

"Easy, Jess," Beck whispered in my ear, trying to push me back down gently.

I gave in and laid back down as Beck adjusted the coats and other layers of clothes around us. It was freezing outside the cocoon of clothing. Beck wrapped his arm around me tightly, pulling me into the warmth of his body and I closed my eyes and breathed in his scent.

Then, it occurred to me that my skin was bare.

"Beck, where's my shirt?"

"Its on," he answered quietly. I looked down to see it wrapped around my waist, pressing against the bullet wound as our only available bandage. Beck's fingers trailed up and down by bare stomach.

"Are you sure that's just not an excuse to get my shirt off?" I asked.

"Maybe." He smiled playfully at me, but I knew it was forced.

"How much damage?"

Realizing his failure to keep my thoughts away from the bad, his smile dropped. "Not as bad as I thought. You'll live. If we can get you out of here."

I studied his chest, nodding. "Okay. How do you plan to get us out of here?"

"Dig." The blunt statement made me chuckle.

"Great. Can't wait."

"You won't be digging. We can't risk you to start bleeding again." He ran fingers through my hair. "Get some sleep. Your body needs to heal."

I slipped deeper into the blankets and closer to Beck. His warmth was so inviting, his smell comforting and familiar. I closed my eyes.

Sleep dropped into the midst of a nightmare.

It was a war zone like the ones I'd been in before. But this time we were loosing. Horribly. I ran for cover, dodging in between rubble in cares as explosions went off around me and din of gunfire was unnerving, seeming to shake the very calmness from my bones.

I stumbled over the rumble, coming in contact with a body. Beck's. And he was dead.

"No!" I screamed. I shot up, trying to wrestle out of whatever was confining me.

"Jess. Jess, calm down!"

Beck's voice cleared the dream away and I collapsed against him. I couldn't stop the fearful tears and sobs as I cried hysterically into his chest. Beck held me close, whispering soothing things to me, his hands rubbing my back.

"It was just a dream," he told me.

It didn't feel like a dream. It felt real. Horribly real. Finally, I calmed, taking in shaky breaths. "Thank you."

He pulled back slightly so he could look at me. "For?"

"For being there," I answered softly, running a hand down his strong jaw. "I would be locked up in an asylum by now if it wasn't for you."

Beck smiled slightly and cupped my cheek before letting it fall to my neck. "I'm sure you'd survive without me."

"Maybe I'd 'survive', but I'd be far from sane. Just don't leave me, please?"

"Never."

I fell against him, letting him envelope me in his arms tightly. We were quiet, listening to the wind howl outside. Beck's hand ran down my hip then up my bare side slowly, sending shivers over my body. I buried my face in his throat, kissing it as I slowly moved up to his chin and then to his mouth.

His lips moved against mine, slowly at first, but then increased the pace. It was sloppy, needy, tongues dancing against each other and memorizing the taste of the other. I tugged at Beck's shirt and then slipped my hands under it to run up his rock-hard chest.

Beck groaned at my frozen touch and quickly shed of the barrier between us. I traced the thick scars on his pecks, his stomach, his shoulders, and his arms. I felt his own cold hands run up my body to remove my bra as his lips separated to kiss along my neck. I bit my lip at the shivers, gripping his upper arms.

Beck's head rose to lean his forehead against mine, both of our breaths coming out in gasps. "This isn't a good idea," he said.

I growled in anticipation, pressing my forehead harder against his. "Don't tease me," I whined.

"You've got...a--a..." He trailed off as my hands moved lower to the waistband of his jeans. Before I could reach it, however, he grabbed my hands. "You've got a gaping hole in your side that has to be stitched up and having sex is not going to help your situation." He was talking fast. I knew he was struggling with himself.

"You know your voice isn't helping your situation either," I replied. His voice was deep, sexy, rough. It was one of the first things I loved about him. I tugged at his hair, bringing his lips back to mine, but he was beginning to gain the upper hand.

"Jess--"

I sprinkled kisses across his neck, his collarbone, then to his chest. His breath hitched, hands digging into my hips. I smirked against his skin; I knew his weakness.

I lifted my head to his. His eyes were nearly black and I could feel his heart hammering against my palm. "If you want it to stop, Beck..." I grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled him closer to me. I wasn't usually the forceful one, but I was determined to win. "Then. Just. Fuck me."

His pupils flared and I saw the black creeping along the edges of his eyes. A low, dark growl rose up from his chest and he attacked me, throwing me on my back. His lips and teeth drug across my lips and my neck, my whole body. I moaned in approval and wrapped my legs around his waist.

I'd won.



Beck's thick arms contracted and gave, his hands clawing through the snow. I could almost see the glow of daylight as the layer of white thinned in front of us. Beck had spent all of the day before trying to dig us through. Finally, he broke through the surface and sunlight spilled into the cave. I blinked at the sudden harshness.

Beck turned to me. "You ready?"

I nodded. He took his gun and crawled out. I hurried over to entrance a peered out. Beck looked around the surrounding area and walked back to me. He held out his hand, helping me keep my balance as I stepped out of the cave.

It took a few minutes for my eyes to adjust as we walked along the mountain. I held a hand against the bullet wound. It hadn't gotten any better and I wasn't any stronger. Lack of food had left us both under our usual condition. Beck's face was lined with worry and hunger, gaunt from sleepless nights and lack of nutrition. I see could whenever he looked at me, I must look worse.

My knees shook and nearly gave up on me, but Beck was beside my side, an arm around my waist to catch me and guide me through the snow. It was so quiet and peaceful, the sun shining above us was warming to our backs. However, I began to worry about the rest of the party. We had to find Shane, Dominic, and Adam.

Beck suddenly spun around and I nearly lost my footing. I followed the pointed gun and my heart stopped. A line of Slayers advanced quickly from the trees, guns raised as they moved in a stealthy circle around us. Beck's arm tightened around my waist as he held his Desert Eagle pistol at them, eyes set in a steady glare.

Captain Craig Ericson, the Slayers' leader who stood back from the rest of the brigade, regarded Beck with humor. "Why don't you drop that gun, O'Daniel?"

"I will if your men do," was Beck's tight-lipped response.

Ericson studied him for a few moments, before nodding to his men. I was wrenched from Beck's grasp and I let out a scream, fighting against my opponent. I knocked him away and a shot rang out. Blood splattered the snow and the soldier fell, but that made the other soldiers attack Beck like piranhas. He shot and fought at them, his speed no match.

I was jerked up from the snow and the barrel of a gun pressed against my temple. "O'Daniel!" Ericson's shout in my ear made me wince.

Beck froze at the sight of me, anger darkening his face. The gun was knocked out his hand.

The pistol out of his reach, Beck was forced to his knees, all remaining, conscious soldiers' guns pointed at him. We'd try to fight, but all of those Slayers were veterans of war, masters of silver bullet-loaded guns. We were at a serious disadvantage, no matter how fast either of us was. Beck had always told me never to try outrunning a bullet.

"That's better," said the captain, pressing the barrel a little harder to my temple. I tried to cringe away. "Now, where's the rest of your party?"

"Don't know," Beck answered, keeping his eyes on the captain's trigger. "We got separated in the avalanche. Which I'm sure was your doing."

"The vampires." I could hear the venom in his voice. Being on the bloodsuckers side didn't mean he liked them anymore than we did. He just hated them less than us, which I had yet to figure out. "So you don't know the whereabouts of your party?"

"No," Beck growled, carrying out the word. "Now, let us go."

"O'Daniel," Ericson sighed. "You and Johnson here are at the top of the vampires' list. I'm not just going to let you go."

Beck wetted his lips with the tip of his tongue and my eyebrows knitted together. He did that when he had a plan or something intense was going to happen--

Something suddenly landed in front of us. A grenade. My eyes widened and Ericson pushed me forward. I twisted my body to fall away from it and quickly ran for cover, Beck right beside me. Gunfire suddenly filled the air and we ducked our heads, jumping behind a fallen pine. Screams and more gunfire. I covered my ears. it was so loud!

The din stopped as soon as it had started. Beck touched my arm and I removed my ears.

"Beck! Jess!"

A relieved smile came to my face and I hopped up from our sanctuary. The three missing werewolves--Dom, Adam, and Shane--stood amongst a canvas of red and fallen bodies. My eyes scanned over the corpses. There were some missing, meaning they'd gotten away. Then, I spotted the grenade, still intact. It was a dud.

"About bloody time," Beck muttered, wrapping an arm around my waist to lead me around the cover.

"We've been searching for you since yesterday when the blizzard got over. Give us a break," Dom said with a smile.

Beck looked down at the bodies. "Yeah, well...I guess we wouldn't be here without you."

"Damn right," said Adam.

"Did you find where they're keeping the hostages?" I asked, ignoring the werewolf's arrogance.

"About ten miles north," said Shane. "If the weather permits, we'll get there by tomorrow if we hurry."

"Jess needs medical attention," Beck said. "One of you needs to escort her back to camp."

"Wait--" I protested.

"Beck, you take her," Shane said. "Send backup when you get back there."

"You sure?" asked Beck.

Shane's dull eyes looked between us. "I'm sure Jess would prefer it that way." I was taken aback by his statement. He was actually thinking about someone else rather than the mission? Amazing. I nodded my thanks and he returned it. "Get going and God speed."

Beck nodded and turned, motioning for me to get on his back. I hesitantly hopped onto his back and we began our trek down the mountain, Dom shouting something perverted after us.

We continued on in silence, Beck's feet moving lightly across the rocks as he leaped across chasms and brooks. It was a beautiful world, untouched by the war raging below. Everything seeming to be frozen in time, encased in ice and snow.

We broke from the edge of trees and Beck came to a stop at the edge that dropped fifty feet down. At first, I wondered if he'd gotten lost, but when I saw what lay in front of us, my breath hitched.

The landscape that stretched out before us was like a winter wonderland. It seemed to sparkle like diamonds in the sun. The light blue sky fell behind it like motionless, clear water.

"Its beautiful," I breathed.

Beck turned his head so he could see me and I could look into his eyes. "Can I ask you something?"

I looked at him quizzically. "Sure."

He smiled and I slid off of him when he let go of my legs. He faced me, his eyes more open and vulnerable than I'd ever seen them.

"Marry me."