Hi Everyone,
Chapter three here, thank you so much for all the positivity so far. Sorry this one was a little boring, but it needed to be here. Let me know what you think! Also, a huge thanks for the reader that informed my Australia-addled brain that June is SUMMER in New Jersey...ooops. The dates have now been changed accordingly.
Rose xx


January 17th, 8;00am. Wharton State Forest, Byrnside Campground 1E
Steve woke slowly, feeling the cold morning air even as warmth pressed against his side. He rolled over carefully, his chest suddenly full of a small girl snuffling gently in sleep. He looked towards his partner-no, fiancé, he reminded himself, giddy. Danny was asleep, hair soft without product for several days, falling softly across his face. Grace had her back to him and the blonde's arm slung over her waist; it would have rested on his own back in the night. Shuffling a little, he sat, pulling a pair of cargos into his sleeping bag and slipping them on over the thermal pants he'd slept in. Carefully so as not to disturb her, he rolled Grace until she was cuddled up to her father and wit freedom to move layered several thin, long sleeve jumpers over his thermal top. As he searched for his gloves in the semi-darkness, he finally pulled his boots on and unzipped the tent ad slipped outside.

Steve took a second to breathe the crisp morning air; the first time he'd seen snow was during the SEALs, but nothing compared with the peace of New Jersey's forest in the winter, as Danny quickly told him. He set about with the fire, years of skills meaning it was gently burning within minutes and he collected wood in various sizes, trying to build it up to a blaze. He had second to enjoy the warmth before he was grabbed from behind. It took him only a second to distinguish friend from foe, the familiar weight of Danny's head in the middle of his back, gloved hands coming to rest around his middle.
"Mornin'." Danny's accent was thick with sleep. Steve turned, bringing them face-to-face.
"Hey babe." He offered him a quick kiss, the contact icy in the frozen morning. "So, we going to see this magical lookout today?"


January 18th, 12:30pm. Wharton State Forest
Steve knew he had to get back to Danny as fast as possible; it had been a two-hour journey with Grace so with Danny on a stretcher it would be longer. He forged through the snow, wishing more than ever the second pack hadn't been lost as he shivered. He'd been walking for a half hour, and though he knew he was making good time, the sun would be setting in a matter of hours and there was no way he was letting Danny and Grace spend the night apart. A cough worked its' way up his throat, spitting out with painful gasps. He took precious minutes, couching up phlegm in the snow. When he finally caught his breath ad looked down, he realised what colour the gunk he'd coughed up was. Dark yellow. That was bad. He sighed, standing and now he was aware, could suddenly feel a weight settling into his chest. He checked the time. It was going to take hi at least two and a half hours got get back to the hut with Danny. He couldn't risk Danny being out in the dark, there was too much risk for him getting sick the colder it got. It would be dark by four. With a churning stomach, he realised he had an hour to get back to Danny, at best. Picking up weary feet, he turned in the right direction, and started jogging.

Forty-five minutes later, Steve could see the cave and relief flooded his pours. The jog had been hell; his chest was getting heavier, each step pulled at the aching gash across his stomach and his head was getting fuzzy. He stumbled the last few steps and fell through the entranceway.

For a few seconds, he simply lay there, catching his breath.
"Steve? S'tha you?" Danny was in pain, that much he could tell. So, stumbling to his feet, he moved to his partner, collapsing on the ground next to him and running his hand down his brow. He noted with relief that it was cool to the touch. "Hey sweetheart. How are you feeling?"
Danny linked dup at him, eyes glazed over. "Morphine or wha'ever that shit was. Been sc'red shitless for the las' hour." Steve frowned, noting the slur and reaching for another precious morphine phial.
"We have to get going babe, so I'll give you another." He leaned to the side, coughing. "It's still gonna be rough babe, but hang on alright?" He wasted no time plunging the syringe into Danny's good leg. His eyes lost focus almost immediately.
"St've, cough. You 'kay?" But as Danny finished his question, his eyes fluttered shut and Steve was saved from answering. It took him nearly five minutes to get ready to leave; taking handfuls of snow he smothered the fire, before packing the last, meagre supplies into his backpack. He worked quickly to re-secure Danny to the sled, re-lashing him as he had the day before. Layers of blankets were secured under the ropes, before the emergency blanket was tucked over in an attempt to keep him dry. Steve pulled the beanie right over Dannys ears, followed by a pair of sunglasses slid on his face and Grace's scarf wrapped dover his mouth. The blonde barely twitched. The next challenge was getting Danny out, he had to deconstruct the barrier he'd painstakingly built during their short stay, until the entrance was once-more wide enough for the sled to get out. Steve took a second to prepare himself, before stepping into the cold, dragging the sled with him.

The first hour was hell. Danny and the sled were getting heavier with each step he took, as was the weight in his chest. The storm was picking up, and if their phones hadn't had signal before there was no way the situation had improved. The only good thing about the amount of snow was the sled glided easily, unimpeded by the rocks no doubt buried feet beneath.

By the second hour, hell no longer seemed to cut it. He couldn't see more than a few metres ahead of him. The snow was heavier, large clumps of power impeding progress rather than aiding them. Worse still, Danny was waking up and they were still a way off the cabin. As he took a step with a particularly strong gust of wind, suddenly, Steve was face down in the snow. He couldn't move for a second, cold pouring in from all the open gaps between his neck and collar, his shirt and pants. It settled deep within his core, cold inside and out and rattled around as he coughed.
"Steve?" Danny's voice was barely audible over the wind. Gathering his strength, Steve pushed himself to his knees, crawling through the snow until he hovered over the semi-conscious detective.
"Hey babe. How's it going?" He brought his mouth right down to Danny's ear, hoping to be heard.
"Cold. Sore. We n'rly there?"
Steve brought his hand to his face, gripping the finger of his glove with his teeth and pulling before repeating the process. He ran a bare hand down Danny's cheek.
"I know babe. We'll be there soon, and then you and Gracie can sit by the fire together. As one hand continued across Danny's icy face, the other reached for another auto-injector pen, this time with a sedative. He'd been saving it for the journey, hoping the morphine would keep Danny out for the duration but knowing it would not. Removing his hand from Danny's face, he worked to slide the layers of blankets to the tear in Danny's pants. "This is going to help, alright? Just go to sleep."
"Wha? Steve?" Danny had no time for further words.

Steve could see the cabin. At least, he thought he could. He wasn't cold anymore. He was hot, uncomfortably so. Danny hadn't moved since he'd been taken into the sedative's hold and every step Steve took with the sled pulling against him and the wind biting seemed heavier than the last. He checked the time, watch face drifting in an out of focus for several seconds before finally clearing. It was half past three. He stumbled forward, but only for a second before he abruptly came to a stop. Looking up, he realised what had happened. He had crashed into the porch of the cabin. And for once, crashing into something wasn't such a bad thing.

The next challenge was getting Danny inside. Luck was, for the first time since they'd set out from the Williams residence, on Steve's side. The stairs to the front of the cabin were snow covered, and Steve wasted little time packing the powder down until a ramp of fashions had been formed. Dragging the sled until it was perfectly aligned with the He leapt up the ramp himself, hissing as the move tore once more at his stomach. Packing the snow once more from the imprints from his feet, he heaved, watching with satisfaction as the sled moved up until the two men were both on the porch. They'd made it.

When Steve opened the door, he was immediately hit by storm of Grace. Bundling the girl inside as he dragged Danny with him. He closed the door.
"Hey Gracie. Are you okay?" He looked down at her noting with fear there were tears glistening unshed I her eyes.
"I thought you weren't coming back."
"Oh Gracie, of course I was coming back." He turned for a second to cough into the crook of his arm. "Let me get Danno settled then we'll have a cuddle okay?" She nodded. "Good girl."
he quickly moved Danny close to the fire, unlashing him from the sled and replacing damp blankets with dry one scavenged from the cabin's supply. There was more to do, but Danny was stable for the minute nd he had Grace to look after.
"C'mere Gracie." She launched herself at him and he heaved her into his arms, settling her against him. At nearly nine, she was probably too big to e cradled like an infant, but he wasn't going to let her go. "I'll always come back for you Grace. Always." She nodded against him, but he could feel her flagging, no doubt adrenaline from the last day quickly dissipating now her father and Uncle were there.
"Why don't we set you up against the fire with Danno and you can have a seep for a bit before Dinner, okay?" He set her down reluctantly but knew his exhausted arms wouldn't have held her much longer. He quickly dragged the small, single mattress from the bed and set it next to Danny, covering Grace with a blanket when he curled up. She was asleep almost immediately.

Steve took a second to look around. Danny was dry and as warm as he could be, sleeping off the last few hours of the sedative in pain-free bliss. Grace was still asleep, curled up by the fire. His knees began to buckle, and he slid down the wall. He was wet, cold once more despite the heat he knew was radiating from him. He needed to check Danny's leg, get something for them to eat. He needed to get out of the wet layer he had and have a look at his stomach. But as his eyes fluttered closed, he didn't fight it. He'd rest, just for five minutes…


Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought.
Rose xx