This story is AU and begins directly after the plane crash where Marty and Todd were stranded in Llantano County in winter weather. This is my version of how the events SHOULD HAVE unfolded.
~*~o~*~
She saw the moments of her life pass before her eyes as their plane was falling from the sky. All of her memories were jumbled together in an incredible rush- the untimely death of her parents, the moment the doctors had told her she had lupus, the night she and Todd had made love, the gang-rape she had suffered at Spring Fling, the love affair she had shared with Patrick- all of it came back to her in flashes, then suddenly, without warning, they hit the earth. What followed was painful silence. She was scared to breathe as every muscle and joint on her body had been jarred from the impact. "Marty," she heard a voice urgently say.
She pushed her hair from her eyes to see Todd sitting in the seat next to her. He looked dazed as he too tried to catch his breath. "We made it," he said softly. "Are you okay?"
"I- I think so. Yes," she said as she tried to get her bearings.
"I am worried about the pilot. I'm not sure if he's okay," Todd said as he unhooked his seatbelt and rose from his seat. "Lemme go check on him."
"Okay, Todd. Be careful," Marty warned as there were pieces of debris and twisted metal from the plane crash strewn everywhere. Although she and Todd were both uninjured except for some mild scrapes and bruises, she didn't want Todd to be hurt when exploring the interior of the plane.
Todd went to check on the pilot but came back a few minutes later with a grave look upon his face. "He didn't survive," Todd said solemnly. "He's dead, Marty."
"Are you sure?" Marty demanded.
Todd nodded. "We crashed into a snow drift. I'm not even sure where we are. All I know is that it's winter, we have very little provisions to survive, and I dunno if anyone is gonna find us before we freeze to death," Todd said as intense gusts of frigid air howled through the twisted metal which made up the wreckage of what had once been Todd's plane.
Marty scurried around the interior of the plane, gathering what provisions she could get her hands on, including a sleeping bag and a flashlight. "We'll be alright, Todd. We just gotta go find help and some sort of shelter for the night," Marty told him.
"Ohhh yeah? Well, I don't think there is a Holiday Inn around here anywhere close, Marty. Do you suggest we sleep here in this broken-down plane that's getting buried beneath the snow? Or out there in nearest snow drift?" Todd quipped.
"I am taking this flashlight and going outside to look for a road. If I can't find a road, maybe there's some sort of shelter nearby. This plane is in bad condition. If we stay here, we are likely to freeze. Are you going with me or not?"
Neither of them were really dressed for freezing cold weather conditions, but Todd knew they really had no choice. They had to go out and look for help or some sort of shelter before nightfall came and it got dark and the temperature would plummet even more. "Whatever, Marty. Let's go. But remind me never again to offer my services when it comes to little kids, planes, and YOU," he stated with an annoyed look.
"No one twisted your arm and made you help today, Todd. You offered your plane so we could help that little boy get to the hospital for his kidney transplant all on your own," Marty reminded him with a spark of anger.
"Yes. Well, after this I am giving up doing good deeds cold-turkey," he hissed. "Look where it always gets me! Almost dead!"
They started to climb out of the wreckage together when Todd suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Here, take my gloves, Marty," he offered. "You don't want your hands to get cold."
"No, I'll be okay," she refused.
"Take them!" he insisted. "You need your hands far more than I do! You're a doctor. You need your fingers. What do I use mine for, besides counting my money?"
Before she could protest again, he tossed them at her. He wasn't taking 'no' for an answer, so she had no choice but to put them on. They were rather large on her, but ever-so-warm. She put them on gratefully and followed Todd out into the snow.
~*~o~*~
It was a happy day for Blair and Patrick. They'd gone to her appointment at the hospital for the latest ultrasound. They were both anxious to see their little baby. She was just approaching her eighth month, and she was bursting with excitement for their child's arrival. "Do you think the baby will cooperate today and let us see if it's a boy or girl?" Blair asked Patrick as they sat in the waiting room together, holding hands.
"I sure hope so. He or she sure is an active little thing," said Patrick, as he lay his big hand over the mound of Blair's tummy.
"That's why I have a sneaking suspicion that maybe we are having a little boy," Blair said as she looked up into Patrick's dark-brown eyes. "I think he's going to be as active as his daddy."
"Ohhhh you think, do you? Maybe it's just a wild little girl like her mother," Patrick teased her.
"Whatever the case, I love this little one already," Blair said as she wrapped her arms around Patrick. "I know the circumstances have been less than ideal, but I am so happy, Patrick. Thank you for giving me this baby."
"We are really lucky, Blair. Not only do you have your adorable little daughter Starr, but you and I are about to have this new little one as well. Right now I feel like the happiest man alive."
Blair wanted to kiss him at that moment, but she hestitated. In the end, she pressed her lips to his cheek and let them linger there. As she held him, she wanted to never let him go. Patrick made her so happy and she always felt so at ease with him. She knew she had no right to feel this way, because he was dating Marty, but part of Blair wanted Patrick for herself. She was carrying his baby and sharing the joy of parenthood with him, but unfortunately, that's as far as went. She had no real claim to him.
"Blair, Patrick... it's time for the ultrasound," Larry called out as they were holding one another in the waiting room.
"Be right there," Blair called out as Patrick helped her to her feet. She wasn't exactly having the easist time of getting around right now as she approached her due date. The baby was so large. She hadn't even carried Starr this far considering her little daughter had been born prematurely.
Minutes later, Blair was lying on an exam table as the technician preformed the ultrasound. "There's the baby," the doctor told Blair and Patrick with a smile. Blair watched as her little one moved it's tiny arms and legs upon the screen.
"Is... is he or she okay?" Blair asked worriedly. Her greatest fear as that something would go wrong in the pregnancy, just as it had with Starr.
"He's just great. And such an active little guy," the ultrasound technician assured both Blair and Patrick.
"He?" Patrick said with excitement. "We're having a boy?"
"Yes," answered the technician.
"Did you hear that, Blair? We are having a boy!" Patrick stated happily.
"Ohhh I am so happy," Blair said with tears in her eyes. "Starr is having a baby brother."
Looking at Blair, Patrick bent forward and placed a tender kiss on her forehead. He wanted to kiss her tears away, but he didn't dare. As strong as his feelings were for her, he could not act on them. She was married to Todd, and he was dating Marty. As much as he longed to share the full extent of his joy with Blair, Patrick held himself back.
"What are we going to name him?" Blair asked as she wiped at the happy tears that fell from her eyes.
"I think we should name him Brendan Patrick Thornhart," he suggested. "What do you think of that?"
"I love it," Blair answered as she lovingly caressed her stomach. "I love you, baby Brendan."
After the ultrasound was over, the technician stepped out, and Patrick helped Blair adjust her clothing. She slipped her arms around him, holding quietly him for awhile. She wanted to ask him to take her home and hold her all night, but she had no right to ask it of him. He wasn't hers to hold anymore; he was involved with Marty. And although Blair was still legally married to Todd, their marriage was in shambles. They were fighting a legal battle over Starr as they would soon be getting a divorce.
"Are you okay, Blair?" Patrick asked with concern as she clung to him.
"Yeah, I'm okay," she whispered. "Just tired."
"Perhaps I should get you home. You need some rest," he said quietly. Holding hands, they left the hospital together.
~*~o~*~
As the wind howled and slapped against their cheeks with it's intensity, Todd and Marty trudged along, looking for a road or any sign of a shelter. "Look... up ahead! It looks like a small house... or maybe it's just an old shack," said Todd as he pointed out a building on the horizon.
"Hurry! Maybe they have a phone!" Marty responded as they quickened their steps.
They found it to be an old shack of some sort, full of old broken-down equipment. The walls were solid and the floor was constructed of sturdy wood. The glass on all the windows was intact so it would make a decent shelter. Unfortunately, there was no fireplace or blankets. All they had to keep warm was the sleeping bag and a couple of tarps Todd had torn down from the walls. Staying warm when the temperature dropped was going to be a challenge, but at least they were no longer at the mercy of the wind. "Look, Todd, I found a little lantern," Marty said happily as she was sifting through the junk.
"I have a couple of matches left," stated Todd. "Bring it here and let's see if I can light it."
Thankfully, Todd was able to get the latern lit just about the same time darkness struck. They had a little light now and the glowing warmth of the lantern was useful for keeping their fingers warm. "Great, now we can see each other freeze to death now," quipped Todd.
"We aren't going to freeze to death, Todd," Marty tried to reassure him. "They are going to realize the plane went down, and then they'll rescue us."
"Don't be so sure about that. We are out in the middle of nowhere. We can melt snow for water, but we have no food."
Even as he said the words, he had pulled a chocolate bar from his pocket. "Here, you should eat that," he told her quietly.
"No, we should share it," she disagreed as she tried to split the bar in half but it was frozen solid. She handed it back to him as she hadn't the strength to break it into pieces.
Todd picked up nearby hammer and slammed it against the candy bar. He handed Marty a majority of the pieces. He took a few slivers for himself and ate them quickly. "You should have eaten some, too," Marty said as she picked up the small pieces of frozen chocolate and savored them.
Sitting there across from him, Marty was shivering. The warmth of the lantern just wasn't enough. As her teeth shattered, Todd knew he had to get her warm. "Come here, Marty. Get under the sleeping bag with me," Todd encouraged.
"No, I- I'll be fine," she insisted as she huddled under a tarp.
"Listen, if you want to survive tonight, we have to use our body heat to stay warm. The temperature is going to continue to drop, and we have to stay alive..."
"Todd, I can't."
"I promise... I am not going to touch you...in that way. I only want to keep you warm," he swore. "Please Marty. I'm so cold, and I know you are, too. If we huddle together, the cold will ease, and we can get some sleep. In the morning, we can try to find help."
Looking at him warily with big blue eyes, Marty was torn. The warmth of his arms was so tempting. Finally, her need to be warm again won out. She crawled under the sleeping bag with Todd, bringing the tarp with her. He wrapped both around them as he caressed her hair, and she rested her cheek against his chest. She let out a little sigh as blessed warmth began to settle over her. "I'm so sleepy," she whispered.
"Go to sleep. I'm going to keep you safe," Todd promised. "Somehow... someway, I am gonna get us out of this mess..."
"Thank you, Todd," she said quietly.
Todd's stomach grumbled with hunger as he held Marty close against his chest. Softly he caressed her hair. Memories flooded him of their one and only time together; that sweet, magical night. She had begged him to stay and hold her, but he had left. He had been a fool to have denied her that comfort and the shelter of his embrace, but not tonight. Tonight he would hold her and enjoy every second of it. Despite their precarious situation, he was thankful for these moments he had her in his arms. He lay awake a long time later, savoring having her in his embrace. Eventually, he too fell asleep, feeling safe, warm, and content.