Gabriel smiled softly and gave his friend and lover a quick, intimate, and firm hug.  The way she was so cold around others had come to make him feel special because he was able to crack that shell and melt that ice—but only for himself.<br/><br/>“I'm not sure,” he offered, “But this place looks like a mountain giant beat on the outside with the trunk of an old oak.  Do you suppose there was an earthquake?”