Andy was fiddling with the dial on the radio trying to find something decent to listen to. She was realizing that her taste in music and Sam's was quite a bit different. Every time she found something she wanted to listen to, he would veto her choice because as he put it, 'It's my car.' She was about to give up and turn the radio off when Sam pulled the car over to the side of the road and announced he had to 'take a leak'.

"Here? Now? It's snowing!"

"It'll stop any minute now, it's way too early in the season for any to accumulate McNally. I'll only take a minute." He pointed at her, "Stay put."

"You do know that it snows more out here than it does in the city right, Swarek?"

He gave her a look that told her without words that he knew everything there was to know about snow and didn't need her telling him.

"Just hurry back okay, it'll be dark soon."

Sam disappeared into the trees with a wave in her direction.

Andy sat in the police cruiser trying to tune in a station. After a few minutes she decided to use the opportunity to stretch her legs since they still had three hours until they reached their destination, possibly more if the snow didn't let up.

She stepped over the ditch and peered into the woods.

"Swarek?" she called. "You fall down or something?"

She had assumed he wouldn't have gone beyond earshot but maybe he was more modest then she would have thought. When he didn't respond she returned to the car, grabbed the keys and locked the doors. After all his wining about it being 'his' car, she wasn't going to leave the keys in it, even out in the middle of nowhere.

Andy climbed over a fallen tree and continued to call her for training officer. She would stop and listen and when she still didn't hear anything she tried to tell herself that panic wouldn't help her situation.

"Swarek, if this is some sort of test the rookie thing, I just want you to know that I don't like it!"

She thought she heard her name being called in the distance and ran up a small hill and looked down the other side. At the bottom was a small stream and Sam laying in the middle of it.

"Sam!" she screamed as she rushed down the hill, grabbing onto branches as she went to keep her speed from increasing.

Once She reached Sam she waded into the water and knelt beside him. "Are you all right Sam? What happened?"

"Yeah, I think so, my leg-"

Sam's skin was a pale contrast to the blood dripping from the scratches on his face. He groaned in pain when he tried to sit up.

"I can't move it McNally. You are going to have to call for help."

"But it's almost dark and we are hours from anywhere, they will never get to you before you freeze to death!"

"Did anyone ever tell you that you are great with pep talks?" Sam said through clenched teeth.

Andy just stared at him, amazed that he could make a joke at a time like this.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you have lousy timing?" she replied with a smile.

"Yeah, my sister said that all the time."

Andy was intrigued by this first piece of personal information that Sam had every shared with her but she knew now was not the time to continue the conversation.

"I saw a small cabin just over the ridge, we need to get you there before the snow gets too deep."

"It'll stop at any minute."

"Okay City Boy, whatever you say. I get to drive for a week if you're wrong though."

Sam sighed as he tried to push himself to a sitting position without putting any weight on his right leg.

"You're on Country Girl."

Andy and Sam both struggled until he was standing. His clothes were completely drenched and hers were wet too from holding him up. With much difficulty and Sam swearing repeatedly they were able to make their way up the small incline and over to the cabin.

The structure seemed solid and by breaking out just a small pane of glass to the right of the door they were able to get inside. On the far wall of the one room shack was a double bed. To the left was a fireplace and two large chairs. To the right of the door was a stove and sink area. The place didn't look completely abandoned and was surprisingly clean, though cobwebs revealed that no one had recently been there.

"We need to get these wet clothes off you."

Andy could tell that Sam was trying to think of a clever retort to her comment but was beginning to feel the pain of his leg now that he wasn't sitting in cold water. "Your clothes are wet too," he finally managed.

She just laughed as she began peeling off his layers.

When he was stripped down to just his black boxers Andy gasped at the sight of his leg and all the blood. "I think it's broken," she said quietly.

"Sure feels like it."

She left him standing in the center of the room with a pile of his wet clothes discarded at his feet and one of the large chairs for support.

"I gotta say this isn't exactly now I imagined this happening."

Andy hid her smile as she turned to the bed and finding a pile of what appeared to be clean sheets on a shelf began to quickly make the bed. "You imagined this?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Not with you McNally, just, you know, in general."

"Oh," she said as she tried to hide her disappointment. Ever since the evening of the blackout, she'd been having daydreams that involved Sam Swarek and the removing of clothes.

Once the bed was made she helped him over to it, braced his calf on some towels and covered everything but his wounded leg with the three blankets she found.

"I guess this is basically a summer cottage," she said out loud but more to herself than Sam. "I can't find any more blankets."

"Ya think?" he said sarcastically.

"Hey! Don't be nasty, you'd still be in the stream if it weren't for me." She stopped searching and inventorying the cabin to put her hand on her hip and glare down at him.

"Sorry McNally," he mumbled.

She hadn't really expecting and apology and went over and bent down beside him. "I know you are in pain Sir. I need to run out to the car and get the first aid kit. Just hang in there." She put her hand on his forehead to check for a fever.

Sam reached out for her arm as she pulled away. "Be careful out there okay."

Their fingers kept contact for a few more seconds before she let his drop to the mattress and turned. "I will," she replied as she lit a small lantern hanging by the door with the matches she found above the sink. She found more lantern oil on the floor near by so she could find it when it burnt out. She found a plastic bag and duct tape and patched up the hole in the window she had made getting into the cabin. When she was satisfied that she had done all she could to make Sam comfortable she set out to the cruiser.

It was almost dark by the time she made it back to the cabin and the snow was quickly accumulating.

"Hey City Boy, you still alive?"

"Yeah," he replied weakly.

Andy put everything she had brought back with her on the foot of the bed and knelt down to tend to his wound.

"Mcnally, you should take off those wet clothes. As soon as you come down from this adrenalin rush, you are going to be freezing too."

She knew he was right and she walked over to the darkest corner of the room to undress.

"Don't look," she said as she peered over her shoulder and saw Sam's eyes on her.

"No ff..fair, you looked," he said with a smirk.

"I didn't really have a choice you know," she replied defensively.

She watched him and waited until he closed his eyes and then stripped off her pants and left on her underwear and dry long sleeve shirt. She picked up her clothes and his and hung them all over the chairs by the fireplace. She started a fire with the wood that was in the corner. There were only a handful of logs and that was all they were going to get for the night since all the trees outside were soaked from the rain that had been falling before the snow. She figured at least it would be enough heat to take the chill out of the air.

She returned to the foot of the bed and cleaned Sam's leg the best she could with what she had. She bandaged it and then sat on the bed and wiped the dried blood off his face. He didn't open his eyes but she knew he was still awake when he moaned.

"You're burning up," she stated with alarm and then noticed that he was shivering. She found aspirin in her bag along with her water bottle and made him sit up to swallow the pills.

She knew what her survival training had taught her but she was hesitant to actually do what she knew she needed to.

"Sam?"

"Hmm?"

You have a fever and you are freezing. I am going to have to warm you up with my body heat. Okay?"

Sam just smiled with his eyes still closed. "Beautiful girl craw..ling into bed wi..with me? Yeah, I tt..think I'm..m okay with that..tt." He said as his teeth chattered and made his speech sound like he had a stutter.

Andy removed her shirt and crawled into bed next to Sam. She wrapped her arms around him, hiked her leg over his and lay her head on his chest. She felt is hand resting on her side and closed her eyes.

Andy awoke in the same exact position she had fallen asleep in. The flames of the fire had died out and she couldn't tell how must time had passed. The windowless curtains let in the reflecting light of the falling snow. She raised herself up on her elbow to look down at her patient. He still felt warm but had at least stopped shivering.

Andy stared at Sam's features and couldn't help but compare Luke's pale blue eyes to Sam's dark brown ones, Luke's pale skin to Sam's darker complexion, Luke's fine blond hair to Sam's that was dark and thick. Where Luke was light, Sam was dark.

She knew her thoughts were approaching dangerous territory but she was inexplicably drawn to Sam. She'd never been a rebellious child, always instead taking the responsible route so either her attraction to Sam was her first real act of defiance against authority and regulations or she was experiencing the cliché of 'opposites attract'.

She gently ran two fingers across his forehead -unmarred in sleep- then along his nose and finally his lips. They were much softer then she expected them to be. She continued to explore his skin by spreading her hand out over his chest and slowly running it down to the waistband of his boxers. She saw his hand come up and cover hers and turned to see his eyes watching her intently.

She was about to apologize but then decided she wasn't at all sorry for touching him or even waking him.

"Andy?" His voice was sleepy and husky.

"Yes, Sam?" she whispered back.

"I like the way you say it." He said as he caressed her palm with his calloused thumb.

"What's that?"

"My name."

She smiled at his admission. She'd never told anyone that hearing him say her name always made her stomach do flips.

"Sam."

She couldn't hold back and lowered her lips to his, tentatively at first in case he rebuffed her. Of course he didn't. His lips parted as theirs touched and he released her hand to run his fingers through her hair and cradle her head. The kiss quickly became frantic with need and repressed desire. Andy's hands roamed his chest and his neck as her tongue explored the recesses of his mouth. He bit her lower lip gently as he pulled away to gasp for air.

He used his upper body strength to reverse their positions so he was looking down on her. Her hands found their way to his lower back as she held him to her.

"Are you okay, you are hurt-"

"My leg is broken Andy, I think I can do this without it." He smiled as he kissed her neck and licked down her throat. She laughed and put her head back to give him better access to her collar bone. She ran her short nails over his lower back and hips.

He flipped himself onto his back again and Andy sat up to straddle his thighs. She leaned down to place kisses on his chest until she felt his hands reaching under her sports bra and sat up to make it easier for him to undress her. His hands cupped her bare breasts and her head fell back as she moaned at his touch. He pulled her close for a long, deep kiss while he worked at undoing her hair until if fell around them cocooning them both in their own little haven where passion overruled regulations.

When they once again had to pull apart to take in oxygen, Andy worked at carefully removing his boxers without touching the injury on his calf. She stood and slipped off her own underwear and then resumed her position above him.

"Are you sure you are okay to-"

Before she could finish her question, Sam was pulling her back to him for another mind numbing kiss.

When he tried to roll her onto her back she sat up and put a hand on his chest forcefully while running the other down his lean abs. She positioned herself above him and he slide into her completely. They both moaned at the same time as she began to rock back and forth. She was overwhelmed and breathless from the sensations he aroused in her. He threaded his fingers through hers and held tightly as they continued to rise and fall together moving to the cadence of their hearts that beat in sync.

Andy called out his name as she collapsed on him, their hands still clasped together and her head resting on his chest. She closed her eyes and tried to recover from the realization that this was the best sex she had ever had.

His release followed right after and he wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"Andy?" he whispered.

She leaned up and looked into his eyes. "If you tell me this was a mistake so help me-"

He laughed. "I'm thirsty."

"Oh!" She sat up and without bothering to cover herself went to the sink and brought him one of the mugs of melted snow that she had collected earlier.

She helped him sit up and then crawled under the covers next to him and covered them both up.

She put her hand to his forehead. "I think your fever is getting better."

After drinking all the water, he took her chin in his hand and places a wet kiss on her lips.

"Thank you Andy, for taking care of me."

She giggled.

"Not that, I mean everything you've done, you are a wonderful and brave woman Officer Andy McNally. You are going to be an excellent cop someday soon and I am proud to be your training officer, among other things," he added with a smirk.

"It will be daylight soon. We need to figure out how to get you back to the city," she said trying not to sound like she was dreading the end of their impromptu retreat.

"Looks like it's still snowing my Country Girl," he said as he turned to look out the window.

She smiled. "Yes it certainly is, my City Boy."

"Then I guess we're stuck here for a little longer. And right now this city boy is hungry, are you going to go catch me a deer with your bare hands?"

She laughed as she climbed over him taking one of the blankets with her. "Hardly, but I think I can hunt down a can of beans."