AN: Turns out I wasn't going to get any sleep anyway. We're getting one heck of a thunderstorm and my cats are freaking out. My big one has always been scared of thunder and this may be the loudest storm my kitten has ever experienced. Anyways, this isn't going to be a long fic. The number of chapters will make it seem longer but they're really very short.
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Tony watched as the pickup truck disappeared back down the neglected gravel road they had arrived on. He didn't have to check to know Gibbs wasn't lying about the phone service, or shooting them. Rule 7. If he'd been lying, it would have been more detailed.
He sighed loudly and walked toward the cabin, stooping to scoop the keys from the ground on his way. He unlocked the door and swung it open, cringing at the creaking of the hinges. The sun was almost set and the small grimy windows let little light into the building. He groped at the wall, but was unsurprised when he couldn't locate a light switch. He pulled a flashlight from his backpack and clicked it on, sweeping the beam across the room.
An oil lamp sat on a scarred wood table between two worn armchairs. After dropping his bag beside the door, he crossed to the lamp and lit it then turned off his flashlight to conserve the battery. He looked around again and saw two more of the lamps and quickly got them burning as well.
Once the room was fully lit he took a good look. The pair of chairs was situated directly across from the door in front of a fireplace. There was a couch opposite it across a coffee table. A small stack of wood was next to the hearth.
To the left was a small kitchenette and dining table. Tony shook his head. Gibbs would be the one to have a cabin wired with electricity for a refrigerator, coffee maker, and stove but not lights or climate control.
The right side of the cabin contained a four post bed and dresser. The bed was covered in a hand-made quilt that matched the one draped on the back of the couch. There was a door in the corner that he prayed led to a bathroom with running water.
He felt her presence before he heard her boots on the wood floor and he suddenly realized he was in his own personal hell. He couldn't deal with this. With her.
He'd been content with the way things had ended up. Then she'd had to change the rules on him again.
"Tony?"
He didn't turn to face her. He didn't trust himself to. "What, David?"
When she responded she sounded hurt. "I…are you hungry? I could fix dinner?"
For an instant he felt like an ass. Then he remembered why they were here in the first place and guilt was replaced by anger. "No."
He spun on his heel and brushed past her, grabbing the axe next to the door as he walked through it. He knew there would be a pile of firewood somewhere outside and it was going to get cold tonight. He moved around the side of the cabin and found the supply sheltered under an awning.
There was a stump that was obviously used for chopping nearby and he felt suddenly relieved. The idea of driving himself to the point of physical exhaustion was comforting. He had hardly slept in the past two weeks. If he had to be stuck here with her for two days he wanted to spend as much of it as possible asleep.
He stripped off his jacked and rolled up the sleeves of his button up shirt then selected a piece of wood and laid it on the stump. He raised the axe and brought it around and down in one smooth movement. The log split with a satisfying crack and Tony quickly positioned one of the halves then repeated the movement.