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I got up right after she did, watching to see if she’d fall or not.

Once I was sure she wouldn’t, I moved over to the oven, closing the door and turning off the burners, before I turned and left the room.

I got firewood from the front porch, stacked ten pieces next to the fireplace, and then went about starting a fire.

I had to laugh when I pulled out a box of paper plates, cups, and napkins that were being stored in the fireplace.

Then laughed even harder when I pulled out what appeared to be a teddy bear.

Once everything was safely removed, I turned the gas on and lit a paper plate, thrusting it into the fire.

As the paper burned, igniting the wood, a fire was roaring quickly.

“Where’d all that come from?” Aspen asked, pointing at all the stuff I’d removed from the fireplace.

“That looks like Lock’s,” Downy pointed to the now very dirty bear before stooping down to pick it up. “I left your groceries on the front porch.”

Aspen smiled, and we both watched as he stomped out of the house, Mocha hot on his heels.

We both looked at each other.

“You want to stay for dinner?” She asked softly.

I studied her face, as well as the hands she hadn’t stopped ringing since I’d gotten there.

“What are you cooking?” I teased.

It’d take some near excellent cooking to get me to stay.

I was fucking tired, and the only thing that might keep me up longer than twenty minutes was a good, hot meal.

“I can make anything in the freezers.” She offered.

I looked at the fire behind us, then back at her face.

“Okay,” I said.

“Great!” She cried excitedly. “Do you want baked chicken or taco soup?”

“Chicken,” I replied instantly.

She grinned, then walked around the door and hurried into the kitchen, her sweater gone.

“You might want to change your shirt!” I yelled at her, just now realizing that it had a sizable hole.

Her horrified gasp had me smiling, but it was her anger at having her most ‘favorite shirt ever’ ruined that had me laughing.

“Shut up!” She cried loudly. “They don’t make these anymore!”

I rolled my eyes, tossing another piece of wood onto the fire before I picked up one of the blankets Downy had tossed back onto the couch and followed her.

I studied her kitchen as I waited for her to return.

It was on the newer side of old, but, like my place, it was definitely in need of some tender, loving care.

Aspen came back into the room, a look of sheer annoyance on her face as she practically waddled into the room, a heavy winter cloak covering her body from mid-thigh up.

“You want this?” I asked her once she came back in the kitchen.