Roughing It

[1handedtyper]

Rodger- A pilot. The sort of guy that women love...to be friends with. Soft spoken, polite and proper, Rodger is the perfect gentlemen. Never the sort to party or stay out late, Rodger is the type who would spend his time outside, camping, hiking or fishing. With close cropped brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a hard jaw line tapering out to a thick neck and shoulders Rodger cuts quite a figure in the great outdoors. Unfortunately, camping does not pay the bills and Rodger works as a private pilot, jetting the rich to meetings and adventure getaways in secluded locations.
Today Rodger is flying a corporate jet setter to an important conference in a retreat outside of Seattle, and crossing the Washington mountains is always a treat, if his client was more pleasant to be around anyway. Oh, she was polite, but she was used to getting her way, and, seeing as the customer was always right, Rodger was more than happy to let her have it...

This is a closed thread for Maid of Marvels and I, unless we get real crazy, that is.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Cameron Wright

The fitted Dolce & Gabbana suit slid up her thighs as Cameron sat back in her seat and crossed her legs. She'd picked it up for a song last time she'd been in Italy and had it tailored to make it short enough to reveal one of her best assets -- her legs. Men (and most women) couldn't resist a shapely gam, and hers went on and on and on. That and the fact that they started with black spike heels

The meeting she was flying to was the clincher to a huge deal she'd had in the works for the past year. It would open doors to a lot of opportunities -- not to mention beaucoup bucks. Her half-glasses slid down her nose and she glanced at her wristwatch before pressing the button on the intercom for about the tenth time since they'd taken off. "Are we still on schedule?"

"Yes, Ms. Wright. Twenty minutes til we land."

Cameron combed her fingers through her hair and went back to her notes for the meeting. She was sure she had the deal in her pocket, but she wanted to make sure she hadn't missed anything.

And that's when she felt the first jolt of the plane.

Her finger immediately went to the intercom button. "What the hell is going on?" she demanded. Cameron had paid good money for this private ride and she hadn't included bumpy in the details.

Before the inept pilot could reply, the fasten seatbelt sign was on and flashing but Cameron Wright was already on her way to the cockpit. She intended to see what was going on for herself.

 

[1handedtyper]

Rodger heard a voice on the intercom

"What the hell is going on?"

When Rodger felt the plane jerk his hands instinctively tightened their grip on the stick, which he felt tugging away from him as he tried to pull it back. What the hell was going on? Rodger quickly evaluated the situation, the plane wasn’t banking to the left or right, so there was no structural damage, but it was loosing altitude rapidly, and he was pulling very hard to try and level the plane out again.
When he heard the cockpit door open behind him, Rodger was too preoccupied with the task at hand to pay much attention to why it may have done that, until, of course, he felt the body of his client standing close behind him. He looked up quickly, the veins in his neck standing out and his face bright red with the strain. “Ms. Wright, I think you should go strap yourself in, we seem to have an engine problem. I may have to make an emergency landing,” he said to her, just as the plane jerked hard again.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Cameron grabbed the back of the pilot's seat as the plane lurched yet again, almost as if to emphasize Rodger's admonition to take a seat and buckle up.

"Shit! Don't you know how to fly this thing?"

"I told you to go back and fasten your seatbelt, Ms. Wright. Do it now."

"I'm not going anywhere!" Cameron was spitting mad. Even thinking that she might be late for this meeting was enough to set her blood boiling -- and at the rate they were going it looked like she just might be a little more than late. Well, she'd phone ahead from her cel when he landed this bucket of bolts and take a taxi the rest of the way. And he could kiss her ass for payment. He'd be paying her by the time her lawyers were finished with him.

The plane jerked again, this time sending her sprawling over the back of the empty seat normally meant for a co-pilot.

"Buckle up. Now God damn it!"

She pushed herself back into a standing position and moved around to sit. Once buckled, she turned to the dolt beside her. He hadn't even asked if she was all right!

"Aren't there laws about drinking and flying? You do realize this meeting is very important, don't you?"

She reached down for her glasses that were dangling from a chain around her neck so that she could take a closer look at him. She wanted to take a mental snapshot of his condition to use in court later. Oh, and she would have her day in court.

That's when she noticed two of her nails had broken off at the quick. "I'm going to be late. And I doubt I'll have time to stop off and get my nails fixed. Son of a bitch! Maybe I can get a file somewhere." This last more to herself than to him as she turned her hand this way and that to examine the damage.

 

[1handedtyper]

“Aren't there laws about drinking and flying? You do realize this meeting is very important, don't you?"

Rodger grumbled at that remark and decided it was best to ignore it for now. He could deal with his passenger later, though he briefly considered giving her a bit of a ride. He decided against that however, thinking that toying with his current situation would only add fuel to the fire, both the plane's and hers.
Feeling the plane lurch again he quickly jerked back in order to stop it from banking and ended up throwing himself up hard against the edge of his chair

“Ouch!” he heard from behind him.

Turning his head quickly Rodger could see that Ms. Wright had also taken the bank hard and was now examining the damage to her person. Shaking his head he turned his attentions back to more pressing matters than his passanger checking her manicure behind him.

As he looked at his altimiter he decided that he was going to have to make an emergency landing, and spotting a large meadow up ahead of them, decided to take the plane into a sharper dive to see if he could hit it.

“Hold on Ms. Wright...”

 

[Maid of Marvels]

"We're crashing, you idiot!" Cameron exclaimed as she realized the plane was actually going down. Her heart was pounding, threatening to burst free from her chest as she watched their descent with a feeling of abject horror. She clutched the armrests of her seat, her knuckles white with the force of her grip as she braced herself for the inevitable.

Is this what it felt like when you knew you were going to die? Where was that peaceful feeling that was supposed to take you over when it was your time? She wasn't ready to die, damn it! She had too many things to do! And that deal today...

Cameron Wright squeezed her eyes shut, overwhelmed by an amalgamation of fear, anger and resentment that her life would end at the hands of this incompetent cretin. If she made it out of this alive. IF... She began to pray as she felt the first jarring contact of the plane as it touched the ground -- something she hadn't done since she was a child.

 

[1handedtyper]

Rodger jumped slightly at the impact with the ground. He half expected to go up in flames right there, but upon seeing his person intact he focused intently on guiding the plane through the high grass before the plane hit tree line ahead of it. His hands flexed around the stick as he firmly, but nervously, guided his small plane to where he wanted to stop it, which was pretty much anywhere where it wasn't going to hit something.

He had almost forgot his passenger entirely when he heard her rustling around in the cabin behind him. “What's going on?!” she stated excitedly.

“We've landed Ms. Wright, I'd advise you to stay put until we come to a stop,” replied Rodger, trying not to sound as annoyed as he was.

“Shut up you,” she snapped back, “thanks to you I'm probably out of work now.”

Wouldn't that be tragic Rodger thought to himself. He probably would have said something to that effect he not been jerked forward by the plane finally coming to a quick halt.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Cameron was thrown forward and jounced back as the plane finally stopped. She'd add whiplash to her list of suits against this incompetent...

Once she was sure she was safe, Cameron released the buckle on her seatbelt, immediately standing and peering out the cockpit window as if she'd recognize where they were by looking. "Private Grumman Gulfstar flight 907, now arriving in the middle of nowhere. Lady and gentleman, please watch your step to avoid the cow patties as you deplane." Actually, cow patties would be a good thing. At least that would mean there was civilization somewhere nearby.

"Calm down, Ms. Wright. Getting your panties in a bunch isn't going to help us get out of here any faster."

"Where the fuck are we?" she demanded. "Don't you have a radio in this heap of yours. Get help dammit!" Not waiting for a response, she headed toward the back of the plane and her purse. Her cel was in there. If he wouldn't call for help, she would.

Not wanting to take the time to dig, Cam opened her bag and dumped it onto the seat. Retrieving the phone, she flipped it open and put it to her ear. No dial tone. "Okay. Don't panic. Could just be cause you're inside this rattletrap. You'll get a connection once you're outside."

The furious and more than a little indignant woman headed back for the cockpit. "I need to make a call. Open the frigging doors so I can get outside."

The pilot looked up at her and arched an eyebrow. "I said" he repeated slowly as if she spoke a foreign language, "Don't get your panties all in a bunch. I'm trying to make contact on the radio here." He turned his attention away when a voice started to come over followed by some crackles, a series of pops and a wisp of smoke.

Cameron nodded her head as if to say I told you so. "Now will you open the door? And be thankful I've got my cel."

 

[1handedtyper]

Rodger stared at his radio for a moment. One more thing gone wrong. He figured he'd have plenty of time to work on it later, it was probably just some burned out transistors ...he hoped.

Now will you open the door? And be thankful I've got my cel. he heard Ms. Wright say.

He looked up at her and stared at the indignant look on her face for a moment before he decided that it would be best not to fight with her, seeing as if she did get through he'd rather not give her more reasons to try and sue him. Standing up, he pushed passed her unmovable form and to the small cabin door behind the cockpit, releasing the latch and letting the door swing open to reveal the large meadow that the plane sat in.

Ms. Wright walked to the edge and looked at the five foot or so drop to the ground. “Isn't there stairs or something?”

“Ah, yes, of course we have stairs Ms. Wright. In a cabin that fits five people at the most.” Rodger replied.

She glared at him momentarily before saying, “Well, help me down then.” She reached her hands out and edged close to the door, closing her eyes.

Rodger arched another eyebrow at her, “In those shoes Ms. Wright? I don't think so.”

 

[Maid of Marvels]

"My shoes?" Cameron looked down at her heels and glared back at the pilot. "You crashed the plane, lost me the business deal of a lifetime and you're complaining about my frigging shoes??"

"Just take them off so you don't break an ankle when I help you down, Ms. Wright. The ground's pretty soft and those are pretty steep." The pilot's tone was even, but Cameron couldn't help feeling that there was more than a smidgen of condescension and a whole lotta sarcasm in there.

"You want my shoes off? Fine! Here they are!!" Cameron slipped them off and lobbed them at the unwitting man, one hitting him in the chest, the other bouncing off the top of his head. "Now, Mr. Space Ace. My damned shoes are off. Are you gonna help me out of this crate or not? I have a phone call to make."

 

[1handedtyper]

Rodger put his hand up to his head and rubbed it where the shoe had bounced. It hadn't hurt, but the sheer shock put him into a momentary stupor.

"Well? Are you going to help me or not?" demanded Ms. Wright from the doorway.

Still rubbing his head, Rodger approached the rather ridiculous looking woman and took her outstretched hands. "Well Ms. Wright, I've got you, jump."

Ms. Wright looked back and a look of total fear crossed her face for a moment. "Don't worry Ms. Wright, I'm almost positive I have you."

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Almost positive. "Almost positive??"

The pilot nodded calmly, but there was an edge to his voice. "Just jump, will you?"

Cameron closed her eyes and did as he said. Against her better judgment, of course -- but she needed out to use her cel phone to call for help.

She landed against him with all the force of a cannonball and barely had time to let the fact he'd actually caught her sink in before the two of them were moving. She could almost hear Bette Davis' voice saying "Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night" as they slid and jounced across the grass in a madcap imitation of a toboggan ride that ended mere inches from the only tree in the field.

Struggling up from her perch on his chest, Cameron realized that she shouldn't be able to straddle anyone in the skirt she was wearing. "Fuck!" It was torn all the way to her waist! She was so suing him for every penny and more!

Thumping his chest with her fist, Cameron managed to push herself into a wobbly, albeit standing, position. She pulled her cel from her jacket and flipped it open only to have it fall apart in her hand. That's when she really lost it.

 

[1handedtyper]

Rodger could only stare dumbfounded at the woman who stood over him, his mouth still slightly agape and his head still spinning from the fall he had taken. He had meant to lower her, not go with her. Still, as he stared up at her, her broken cell phone falling apart in her hand and her rather form fitting suit only a slight mess, he decided he would stay for a moment, just to enjoy the view.

“Damn it!” she yelled at the top of her lungs.

Rodger sat up slowly, rubbing his head once again. This day had been rather hard on his head up to this point, and he would have killed for some aspirin and a quiet place to lie down. However, judging by the reaction of Ms. Wright, quiet is not something he would be getting for a while.

“Look what you did this time you moron!” she yelled, “How the hell are we supposed to get out of here now!”

Rodger looked up at her again and then around the field they were standing in. “Well, Ms. Wright, I suppose that we better start walking.”

 

[Maid of Marvels]

"Walking? Walking?? And just where are we supposed to walk to??" He was a madman. If Cameron had questioned it before, she was more than certain of it now. Walk. Indeed! They were miles from nowhere in the middle of a field. It wasn't like there was a herd of cows here or anything that indicated there was some sort of civilization nearby.

She glared at the man still lying on the ground. "Are you just going to stay there or are you going to get up? Can't you fix the radio in the plane? Don't they train you to do things like that at flight school?"

Cameron looked around for her shoes. She certainly wasn't going to walk anywhere barefoot -- if indeed she was going to walk anywhere. She had half a mind to just sit down and plant herself next to a tree somewhere to wait. For what, Cam didn't know. But she could do that if she had a mind to. Just cuz.

After locating both of them, she slipped her foot into one and stepped back down. Bad move. The heel sunk into the soft earth and down she went with a cry followed by a series of expletives that would make a sailor blush.

 

[1handedtyper]

It was all Rodger could do to hide his grin at the site of Ms. Wright's heels buried in the soft dirt of the field. Shaking his head while listening to the sing song stream of obscenities issuing from her otherwise attractive mouth, Rodger walked over, grabbed her by the hips and lifted her out of the ground, placing her slightly to his left while he bent down to retrieve her shoe from the dirt.

“Well,” he said matter of factly as he rose to face her, “looks like you might have to carry these Ms. Wright.” He handed her the shoe despite her vicious glare, and continued, “I suggest we head for that tree line over there and if you'll wait a moment I think I have something in the plane for just such an occasion.”

Rodger turned away and hoisted himself into the plane, retrieving a small duffel bag from the back and bringing it back to toss out the side of the plane. When he jumped down again, Ms. Wright was still standing there, glaring at him. Ignoring her, he simply picked up the bag and started walking.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Cameron watched the lunkhead walk away as if he didn't have a care in the world. Well, she certainly wasn't staying here by herself. Jerk! Wobbling on her spiked heels that seemed to sink into the soft ground every fourth step, Cameron mumbled and muttered and swore under her breath as she trailed along.

One more thing to remember when she had his godforsaken ass in court. Personal suffering -- and that was putting it mildly. Torture. That's what he was doing to her. The sadist bastard!

"Hey!" Cameron suddenly realized that she didn't even know his name and that agitated her all the more. "You! Fly Boy! Space Cadet!" He wasn't even slowing down! Could you sue someone for ignoring you? She'd have to remember to make a point of asking.

"Mother fucker!" She stumbled as her shoe sank yet again. Only this time when she pulled it free, the heel was dangling at the same alarming angle she'd like to see the pilot's neck at. Ripping it off, Cam put the shoe back on and removed the other to do the same. Oh, yes. The cost of her ruined shoes were going on the list of damages, too.

She looked up to see that he was looking at her over his shoulder and grinning. Cocky asshole! "What the hell are you looking at?" she called out defiantly. Yes, her toes were pointing up at a ridiculous angle now but at least she wasn't sticking in the ground. But he would pay. Oh, yes. He would pay.

"Not much," he replied and continued walking. "Rodger. Rodger Conway."

Cameron stood still and blinked. Did he just say what she thought he had? Not much??? Well, what the hell did he know anyway? Probably hadn't had a date who wasn't a relative in years. No wonder they crashed.

"Inbred."

Was he laughing at her? Somehow that galled her more than anything. That and what he'd just said. Why she had half a mind to... To what? Sit down and die here in the middle of nowhere? Cameron Wright hurried to catch up.

 

[1handedtyper]

Rodger looked over his shoulder again to see Ms. Wright scrambling through the soft dirt of the meadow to catch up with him. “Nice of you to join me Ms. Wright, such lovely company is certainly appreciated,” he said, half smiling at her.

She just scowled at him and he looked again at the tree line.
“There should be some shelter in there,” he said, breaking the momentary silence. “Maybe a place to stay the night, we better get something before the sun starts to go down.”

Ms. Wright looked at him, and it was everything he could do to keep from laughing.

“Stay the night? Are you serious?!” she said, wide eyed.

“Well, unless you've got something better planned, yes, I've got some stuff in this bag for a tent and a little something to eat. In the morning we can go from there.”

“What? I've got places to be! You need to get me out of here. The night?”

Rodger just shook his head and kept walking.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Cameron hurried to catch up, every awkward step a tug on her hamstrings. She'd need surgery after this, months of physical therapy... Gods! She'd be maimed for life! She could only begin to imagine what her legs would feel like if she wasn't in good shape.

Fuck it! No one needed to know that she jogged daily or biked every weekend. His ass was grass. Slowing down, Cam began to fake a limp -- not a difficult feat considering the awkward position of her feet in her now heel-less heels.

Spend the night! Who did he think he was, Grizzly Adams? She sure wasn't any Sheena of the Jungle. Thank god for that survivalist training course she'd taken. She wouldn't tell him if he paid -- oh, and he would pay. She'd just sit back and watch the show.

In the meantime, she began to wonder how long would it take for someone to start looking for her. Of course the plane was on someone's charts. Somewhere. Of course they could just think they were "late". How late was late? Face it, Cam -- you're not Mrs. President. They won't even start looking til morning -- if then.

He was starting to get pretty far ahead of her and the treeline was someplace she didn't want to be on her own when he disappeared into it. Screw this limping shit. She had plenty of time to do that later. Whiplash. Aeronautic whiplash. If there wasn't such a thing, she just coined a new phrase and a new reason for suing.

"Hey, Griz. Wait up!" She took off at a trot.

 

[1handedtyper]

“Hey Griz, wait up!”

Rodger turned and saw Ms. Wright jogging towards him, stretching her tight skirt to the limit as she ran. He paused.

As she came up to him he tried not to grin at her, it would only make more trouble than it was worth.

“Good to see you Ms. Wright. I was beginning to think that you weren’t going to stay with me tonight,” he said.

“Well, I don’t want you to get lost in the woods or something,” she replied, smirking at him slightly.

“No doubt. This tents a tight fit Ms. Wright, are you sure you can handle that?” Rodger said, smirking back at her, “I’m sorry, but I called the Hilton and they were booked.”

He turned away and started for the nearby tree line once again.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Cameron hurried to keep up, continuing to swear under her breath as she went. "Tight fit my ass!" Visions of the tent collapsing around them drifting through her mind.

After another half hour of walking, SpaceBoy found a place he thought suitable to set up their makeshift camp. There was a stream nearby, though Cam questioned whether the water was potable -- maybe he had bottled. If nothing else, it would serve to wash off in. And she had to do something about this skirt. Even torn, it had slowed her considerably, never mind the condition of her shoes.

Deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt -- he might have been a Boy Scout, after all -- Cameron eased herself down against a tree to watch. "I don't suppose you've ordered out for dinner?"

"Hand me a knife, Griz. You do have one of those in your pack, don't you?"

If looks could kill. She almost laughed aloud. He actually looked like he might be angry with her. Well, she wasn't the incompetent one here.

"Don't get your unders in a bunch, Griz. I just want to shorten my skirt to make it easier to move around in."

 

[1handedtyper]

Rodger arched an eyebrow and mumbled to himself as he reached into his pocket to retrieve his knife. He was surprised that she would do something that... practical.

"That's an expensive suit your slicing up, isn't it?" he said as he handed her the knife.

She just ignored him and took the knife from his hand, opening it a little awkwardly and standing even more awkwardly as she cut into a suit that cost more than Rodger made in two months. As she turned her body to slice around the back she reached a point where her trunk wouldn't turn any more and she smiled slyly and looked up at Rodger. "You don't suppose you could help me with this, do you?" she said, motioning to the back of her skirt. "It's kind of hard to get to."

Rodger put down the sleeping bag he had taken out of the duffel and stared at Ms. Wright for a minute. Then he smiled, "Of course Ms. Wright, I'd be happy to."

Walking towards her he took the knife from her hands and knelt behind her, reaching down to grab the fabric of her tight skirt.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Although Cameron braced herself when Griz tugged at the back of her skirt and sliced through the last of the material, she still took a couple of steps forward to retain her balance. "Thanks," she growled, bristling at the semi-smirk on his face. She'd bet anything he'd been far rougher than he needed... that knife was sharp enough to skin with. Now there was a thought.

Looking down at her apparel, Cam shook her head. Her midi-length skirt was now a mini, ala Daisy Mae. Well it could be worse. There could be polka dots!

"I don't suppose you've got an extra pair of shoes in your bag of tricks," she asked, eyeing the back pack. It really made no nevermind to her. She had an idea and there was plenty of leftover material from her skirt plus the inner soles from her ruined heels.

"Look, I need to wash some of this grunge off of me. I'm going down to the creek. No ogling! I'm not here for your amusement. Oh, and any chance you could get a fire going sometime soon?"

Not waiting for his answer, Cameron headed for the water. Glancing over her shoulder to make sure he wasn't watching, she began to undress. "Friggin' perv. Be just like him to sneak a peek."

The water wasn't especially deep, but it was cool and it felt good to get some of the sweat and dirt off her body. She left her jacket on the bank and used her blouse to loosen some of the caked on dirt before scrubbing it and her skirt clean. She figured she could dry them by the fire -- IF he could build one. Her jacket was long enough to keep her covered while she waited. Well a girl could hope. In the meantime, she lay back -- dreaming of jacuzzis and courtrooms.

"You gonna stay in there all day?"

Looking down at her wrinkled fingers, Cameron almost laughed. She'd been in the water far longer than she'd meant to be. "Keep your shirt on, Griz. And turn around. I'm coming." It was going to be a long night.

 

[1handedtyper]

"Oh, a fire, impressive. Maybe we won't die out here yet." Rodger heard Ms. Wright say as she emerged from the forest.

He turned to look at her and was surprised to see he carrying all her clothes except her jacket, which was wrapped around her and extended just far enough to cover her. He let his eyes wander over her for a moment, trailing down her long legs, and then turned back to tending his fire before she looked at him.

"What's for dinner Griz? And I don't eat raw meat."

Rodger grinned slightly. "Good, because we don't have any meat. Jerky maybe, and some fruit, but no raw meat I'm afraid. I've got some noodles and sauce in the bag if you want to grab them for me. It's no delicacy, I know, but it's better than not eating."

He turned to see her bending over slightly to lay what she had of her clothes out to dry and turned around quickly before she did. "Do you have anything to wear or do I get the pleasure of seeing you in those all night?"

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Scrunching up her face, Cameron silently mouthed what Griz had just said. Cheeky bugger. Speaking of buggers... erm... bugs...

"You know, Griz. It's going to be dark soon. We could catch some moths when they get close to the fire. I heard they taste a bit like almonds. You're a nut... I mean... you like nuts, don't you? And ooh... " Cam turned to point at a small but lively mound near the base of a tree. "Ants! Crunchy raw sugar with legs -- dessert!"

Struggling not to laugh at the look on his face, she blinked innocently. "What?? Did I say something wrong?"

Rifling through his pack, Cameron pulled out the packet of noodles he'd said was there. It was one of those thingies that heated when you pulled the tab and added water. Neat. She looked a little deeper and found something else she wanted. A small sewing kit.

On her way back to Griz, she picked up the leftover remnants of her skirt and her ruined heels and sat down. "So... cook, Emeril. I have to make myself something to cover my feet with."

While she pondered her predicament, Cam tore the long strip of material in two and removed the innersoles and liners from her shoes. Doubling the material over, she put the pieces from her heels inside and fitted her foot on top before tying the makeshift footware around her ankle. It sure wasn't Manolo Blahnik, but it was a far sight better than what she had worn to get where they were now.

"What??" She asked when she saw him staring at her. "I learned how from the elves."

 

[1handedtyper]

Rodger just shrugged at Ms. Wright's comments and went on boiling some water and assembling what he had of their dinner. They would have to figure something out tomorrow morning because not only did they not have supplies for more than a night or two, he didn't want to be out here any longer than he absolutely had to with the Queen Bitch giving him a home-ec class from across the camp fire.

"Damn!"

Rodger looked up and saw that Ms. Wright had poked herself with the needle she was using from the small sewing kit he had in the bag. Upon closer inspection, she seemed to be bleeding slightly. Reaching back to grab to first aid kit Rodger retrieved a small band aid and came around to take Ms. Wright's hand in his. "Elves, eh?" he said.

Ms Wright just scowled as he applied the band aid to the end of her finger. "It can get dirty out her, better keep this covered." After he had finished treating the small wound he smiled slightly and, still leaning over her, reached across for her small project. "Besides, you're doing this all wrong."