Authors notes: I must apologize for the delay in an update. Thank you for the reviews and PM's asking that I carry on with the story.

As I explained in my other story, sadly real life got in the way, and my time was taken up helping my uncle into aged care. The problem being he is in Australia and I am in the UK. It was far from an easy time for all concerned as my sister and myself are now his next of kin, and he somebody we both love dearly. Finally it resulted in me making the journey to the other side of the world to help things along.

With all that going on my muse deserted me, not only did it leave the building, it had a real temper tantrum before stomping off completely.

I must also thank whoever nominated me in the new author category, and Courting Disaster in a couple of other categories in the Rizzles fan awards 2013. It was an unexpected surprise and an honor to be nominated.

Also congratulations to ssa-rtune for winning the best season two finale category in the above Rizzles fan awards with her story 'Love's Labours Lost'. Great to have her as a beta for quite a few of my chapters with both Courting Disaster and also this chapter. That said, all and any mistakes are still mine. And no matter how much you check, mistakes always seems to creep in, which you notice after you've posted the chapter online!

Hope you enjoy the continued story.


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Chapter 7: Paradise Lost and Paradise Found.

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The next two days past in a similar manner, and by the end Jane was starting to feel a little stir crazy. Maura had done some meditating with them to try and curb the anxiety caused by so little inaction, but Jane wanted to get out there and see if there was anything else they could use to help with their survival. The only time they got to do anything physical was when the snow needed clearing from the shelter. Not only had they been clearing the entrance, but because of the snow buildup on the rest of the structure they had been removing some of those drifts as well because the weight was threatening to compromise the integrity of the tarpaulins. Each time they went out they had to watch for frostbite, especially to their feet, hands and face. Maura made sure they warmed up as soon as they got back inside and to the fire. Luckily Jane had been so determined to cut timber for the fire they still had a good supply, but it wouldn't last much more than another day or two. Food was also an issue. The last of the hare had been eaten, and they had been forced to break into the precious rations that they had brought with them on the trip. Again they wouldn't last for much longer if they couldn't get back out to hunt for food soon. Jane was getting snappy, and she knew she was taking it out on the other two.

"No I don't want to play yet another damned game." Jane snarled when Maura asked about chess.

Blinking at the venom in her friends voice Maura knew she had to tread carefully. "What would you like to do?"

"Anything that gets me out of here," Jane's tone was still angry; and although the brunette knew it was unfair to take it out on the Doctor she couldn't seem to help herself. Jane needed to let go of the anger, and her best friend was the person in the firing line. Wisely Barry Frost said he wanted to use the toilet area, and left the two women alone to allow them to vent their frustrations.

Knowing it was natural for Jane to be feeling this way Maura tried not to feel hurt by the other woman's words, although she knew that her own emotional state wasn't much better than the tall brunette's. Choosing her words very deliberately Maura said. "Would you mind taking over my duty to clear the snow today?"

Instantly on high alert Jane snapped to attention and said. "What! Why? Are you alright?"

Maura sighed and said in a placating tone. "Yes, I'm fine, but at this point I think you need the activity more than I do."

Sighing herself Jane realized how unreasonable she had been and said. "God Maur, I'm sorry, it's just that we're in real trouble if we can't start to hunt for some extra food soon."

Seeing the dejected look on her friend's face, Maura placed a comforting hand on her arm and said. "I know, but we don't have to worry for a couple of more days, let's concentrate on sitting out this storm. Hopefully it will pass in the next day or two."

"God, I hope you're right."

And with those deflated words the atmosphere between them eased, and they settled back to the same boring routine.


Vince Korsak sat at the dimly lit bar in the small hotel watching the blizzard that was still raging outside. Frankie found him nursing a beer and slid onto the stool next to the older man. Motioning to the bartender for a beer himself he turned to the other Detective. "What do you really think of Dean being here?"

Vince snorted and raised the bottle to take a swig of the amber liquid before he replied. "Damned if I know, what I do know is I don't trust him as far as I could throw the man."

"Not far then," Frankie nodded his thanks when his own drink arrived. He also took a pull from the cold beer before adding. "Any way of finding out what the FBI know about this serial killer down south?"

"Already put the call in to the Lieutenant. He said it would take a couple of days and that he'd get back to me later today. He's also managed to finally get a hold of Frosts' Mom and Robin. Turns out they were hiking out in the Himalayan mountains, no wonder we couldn't get contact them before. Constance has organized flights and transport for them. They should be here by the end of the week."

"Good, that's good."

They sat in a companionable, albeit a slightly morose, silence for a while, neither wanting to broach the subject of the real pink elephant in the room.

Finally Frankie sighed, and lowering his voice so they wouldn't be overheard, said. "What's your take on the mayor stonewalling us on the search?"

Again Vince snorted, his face devoid of any humor. "Somebody else I don't trust. I can understand him not wanting to lose control of his importance and standing with the locals, but there is just something about the man that sets my gut going. And it ain't just his winning personality."

"Yeah, you should have heard what Ma had to say about the man, I didn't think she knew words like that!" Frankie had been genuinely shocked by the vehemence of his Mothers outburst in her hotel room from a couple days before.

"Don't think Constance was much impressed either," Vince agreed.

"How are we going to find them if he keeps putting up roadblocks?" Frankie sounded worried. However he, like the others, had to believe they would eventually find their family and friends safe and well.

Vince pulled a face and said grimly. "As much as I'd hate to do this, that's the time to get Gabriel Dean to pull rank on the man. Despite my personal dislike, I won't our jeopardize our people to satisfy my own need to stay away from snakes like Dean."

"Oh! Okay," Frankie also grimaced, not liking the idea of owing the FBI Agent any favors.

"Yeah. Oh indeed." Finishing his beer Vince pushed away from the bar. "Come on kid, you can stay with me while I wait for Sean to get back to us with that information."

Quickly polishing off his own drink, Frankie rose, and was grateful for the invitation. It wasn't much, but he knew it was something that they could work on while they were locked down by the weather.


The moment Jane woke up she knew they were in trouble. Finding herself in an inky blackness, she realized straight away that the fire had gone out, and the cold had doubled, if not tripled. Not only that she was sure she could feel snow on her exposed face.

"Shit," she muttered, reaching over to shake Frost's shoulder. When she moved she bumped against Maura who mumbled something and then, waking herself, the Doctor fumbled for Jane's arm in the dark.

"Jane?" The query was in her tone.

"Not sure Maur, but something has happened." Knowing the other woman was now awake she growled at Barry. "Damn it Frost, get your ass into gear!"

"What..." Frost finally murmured sleepily.

"You have the lantern on your side, get it lit." Jane's tone was calm, but there was still an urgency to it that Barry registered.

"On it," he said as he reached to the side of the bed, and on the second pass found what he was looking for. Hitting the on switch the three of them took in the damage to their shelter.

Jane was the first to react. "Oh crap, we're in trouble!"

Maura knew Jane wasn't kidding. Given their efforts in keeping the shelter free from the weight of the snow she could see that those efforts had been in vain. That was all thanks to one of the main branches they had used for support breaking away from the tree. The far side of the shelter had collapsed, dousing the fire with a heap of snow, all that remained were a few wisps of steam. The snow had also covered the entrance, and although the bank of snow had caused some major damage it had at least, for the time being also created a bit of a windbreak against the outside elements. However, things wouldn't last long, and the rest of the tarpaulin was already straining under the added pressure.

"We need to try and save all our useful bits and pieces." Maura stated somewhat unnecessarily, as the three of them moved to change into their better footwear. "Most important of all is to try and rescue the tarpaulins."

"I'm on that," Jane confirmed, bounding to her feet. "Frost, you get our food supplies, Maura can get the bedding. Use the suitcases to protect as much of the stuff as you can."

"Agreed," Maura said, starting to pull up the bedding and grabbing one of the cases that they had used as a seat began to fold the precious material into the safety of the hard covered luggage. It was cold and tiring work, and the longer it took, the longer they would be without proper shelter, all in the deadly cold, and time was not on their side.

It only took about ten minutes to break down the camp, although it felt much longer than that. Once they had rescued everything they could, the three of them took stock of the situation. Jane was just coiling up the rope they had strung up from the shelter to the latrine, which she had retrieved moments before.

"I've got the worst of the pressure off the shelter, but it's not going to last long." Jane said, and eyeing a couple more branches that were threatening to break under the onslaught of weight she added. "But at least it's not snowing like it was, we should be safe trying to find another shelter."

"So do we try and repair this, or do we strike out and try and find somewhere better?" Frost asked nervously. He knew neither option was going to be much fun, and would be dangerous if they got things wrong.

"I wouldn't be happy trying to rebuild this, the integrity of the branches has been weakened, and I don't think they'll hold much longer." Maura admitted.

"Okay, so we see if we can find something better. Where do we go though?" Jane said.

"I vote for the area where I saw the lake," Barry suggested immediately. "At least then we'll be nearer a water source, and closer to the places where I witnessed animal movement."

"I think that would be a very sound plan," Maura said brushing away the hair in her face, which had come loose as she'd worked, and she secured it back under her hat. "What estimate would you give on journey time? Allowing for the fact that we will be weighed down with items."

Barry Frost blew out a breath, watching the spiraling mist it created while he thought of his answer. "Not as long as it took me to find the place. I marked the trail, but we won't be stopping to work out animal tracks. I think we should manage to get there before the morning is out."

"Then I suggest we don't waste any more time." Jane said grimly, and swinging her own bag onto her back before taking a tight hold of a couple of the pieces of luggage, she let Barry lead the way forward.


The going was tough, and they made sure to stop and rest at reasonable intervals. The darkness they had woken up to was slowly easing as the murky daylight began to break through. The snow had built up along the path that Barry had taken before, and for the first time ever Jane could see the advantage of snowshoes in such unforgiving terrain. With muscles straining, she knew that they would all be stiff the following day. However, they had chosen this course of action, and now was not the time to regret that decision. And so with another effort, she battled down the snow in front of her, keeping a careful eye on Maura, who was between the two Detectives.

By the time they reached the tree where Frost has first spotted the outline of what looked like a lake, they were extremely cold, exhausted, and close to collapse. Sure enough, there in the distance Jane could make out a large clearing, with a rounded edge, and although the water was obviously frozen, there was no doubt in her mind that Barry had been correct in his assessment. With the small tools Maura had brought they were hoping to be able to cut into the ice and hang some hooks for fishing. The main decision was where they were going to set up camp, and Jane took over at the front and led them onto the lakes edge so they could easily scout out the foreground surrounding them. Whatever they did, they needed to be quick. The temperature was already falling dangerously as the day wore on. The only positive Jane could see so far was the storm had eased, even if the wind hadn't because it was still blowing the snow around them, and was bitterly cold.

Spinning around to take in their surroundings, Jane stopped mid pivot and found herself grinning. "Hey. Do you see what I see?"

Looking at the area where Jane had stopped, Barry was blinking rapidly against the ice that was building up against his eyelashes. However, he was the first one to answer his partner. "If it involves logs and a wall then yeah, I see it."

"My word, it is obviously very old and in some disrepair, but I do believe that is a cabin, which with a small amount of work should be structurally sound." Maura muttered almost in disbelief. It was hidden by trees at an angle to where they had left the tree-line and emerged on the lake, but it was clearly a structure of some sort.

Hefting the luggage more comfortably, Jane looked at the other two and said. "Time to make ourselves at home." Re-energized by their find, she strode off towards what looked like an old stoop at the front of the wooden structure.

Taken aback somewhat by Jane's rapid departure, Barry and Maura realized they needed to move as well, so picking up their own supplies they joined the tall brunette at their prized discovery.


Much to Jane's delight there was still a door in place. The cabin was obviously small, she guessed only a single room, but it was a room that could make their lives a lot easier. Gently she pried the door open, hoping it didn't give way after years of disuse. Luckily it only groaned loudly in protest. Before Jane could ask, Maura handed her the lantern so she could take stock of the inside of the dark structure. Much to their relief the three of them found there was hardly any damage to the inside of the cabin. Only one section of roof was showing signs of wear, and Jane was confident with the tarpaulins they could easily mend it for the time being. There were signs of some small amounts of snow having been blown inside around that area, but no signs of really bad water or snow ingression. There was plenty of dirt and dust about the place, and they saw even the single tiny grime covered window had survived intact. In the gloom they knew the cabin was something they could make home. Their chances of survival had just increased dramatically.

Shadows from the lamp danced along the uneven wooden floor and walls as Jane moved further into the room. There was a small pot bellied cast-iron stove in the far right corner, with a large pile of dusty logs at its side. Swinging around the next thing in view was a very old, large rustic wooden bed, which took up most of the opposite side of the cabin. That really only left room for a small table along the front wall, underneath the window, and to the right of the door, with two very rickety looking chairs. Neither the table nor chairs looked as though they were fit for use, but the base of the bed looked promising. Jane knew if nothing else, the wood from the furniture could be used as kindling to try and light the stove. Although the top of table looked sound, so it would be worth looking to salvage it somehow. Jane wondered of any of the cut logs could be used to prop it up, and she decided she'd take a look once they had the main jobs sorted out.

Closing the door behind them, grateful to finally be out of the freezing winds Jane looked at her companions and said. "Welcome home folks, it ain't much, but frankly at this stage of the game I don't care!"

With a sigh of relief Maura set her bags down and grinning at Jane said. "I'll start clearing the bed, if you and Barry could try and get the stove going that would be wonderful. Then I think we could put some thought into setting some lines out on the lake for fishing. What do you say?"

Wrapping an arm around the Doctor Jane replied. "I say that sounds like a plan, let's get settled."


It took three more hours, but in that time Maura had managed to clear the worst of the muck out of the cabin. It hadn't taken long to get the stove working. Luckily the flue was clear, and although things were damp, which caused it to smoke at the beginning, it didn't take long before it lit properly; the warmth soon spreading through the rest of the cabin. Barry and Jane had then gone out to set some fishing lines, and had also found a small shed just behind the cabin that housed some ancient tools, including an augur that still worked. With the new tool in hand, they found boring a hole in the ice was much easier than it would have been otherwise. Barry remembered a trick his father has taught him about filling the hole they made with spruce branches so it didn't freeze solidly around the line they had set. Satisfied with their fishing, the two of them went to look around the rest of the cabin.

Next to the tool shed they found a smaller one, and when they pried the door open, they discovered a latrine. It comprised of a crude, but serviceable wooden toilet seat covering a wooden box, with a deep hole below. Like they had done at the previous campsite, Jane immediately set up some rope that they found in the shed as a guide for when the weather turned bad again. That left the rope Maura had brought for other possible uses, since they knew it was in very good condition and would take more strain. Frankly, no-one knew just how strong the shed rope was, and they didn't want to risk it for more strenuous uses. A guide rope was all they trusted it for, but it was perfect for that purpose.

Jane had then found a way up onto the roof, and using one of the tarpaulins had shored up the section of roof that looked weak. In the shed there were some pre-cut shingles; and if they could carve and fit a new handle onto the hammer they also found Jane knew they could put those into place. For the time being she and Barry cut some heavy wood, and carefully fashioned it down into workable lengths. They had used it to batten down the tarpaulin, it wasn't perfect, but Maura had advised putting holes into the tarpaulin with the nails they had also found. Jane had taken special care to put wood around the edges of the tarpaulin to make sure it was less likely to get lifted off in any wind, and then cross battens across the middle to keep it down and as flat as possible.

The wood used in the stoop was the most damaged, but considering the cold, repairing that was not high on their list of priorities. It was solid enough for them to get in and out of the cabin, and that was all they really needed.

The bed had been stripped of the old straw mattress, Maura wasn't confident about how damp and hygienic it would be after so many years of neglect. However, she had reused the straw by putting some of it into the hole beneath the toilet in the latrine, explaining to Jane and Frost it allowed the breakdown of waste to work better, helping with any possible odors as well. She stored the rest of the straw in the shed next door, so if needed, handfuls could be used to cover up the waste in the latrine every few days, knowing they were likely here for some time.

Working together the three of them soon had more thin and springy tree branches cut that they could lay down as a base on the bed. Once that was done, Jane and Maura set up the bedding as they had done in the previous shelter. Barry had decided to take a look outside while there was still some light left, because it looked as though more snow was heading their way. He planned to check on the places where he had laid traps before the bad weather had hit in the hope of tracking fresh meat for their dinner. Although he came back empty handed, he was heartened to report that there had been fresh tracks along the paths. Buoyed by his discovery Frost had reset the traps, to be checked tomorrow if the weather held.

Under the bed Maura had discovered a few canned goods, and some jars of preserved fruits. Although there were some health hazards involved, they had decided to take the risk of opening some of them and seeing if the foodstuffs seemed edible. Only one jar was opened to start with, and taking in the fresh smell they had all enjoyed some Blueberries for their dinner. It wasn't much, but it seemed as though the produce had kept fresh. Maura knew if done well some foods would keep for many years, but not knowing when these foods were preserved they were determined to be extremely careful. With luck, the fishing and trapping would work and they would be able to avoid risking opening anything else.

However, Maura also found some honey, which set off a few minutes of her excitedly explaining how honey was one foodstuff that didn't go off. Indeed, she explained how some had been found as old as the Egyptian Pharaohs. Jane had grinned at her friend indulgently, pleased that the Doctor had discovered something that could get her to reel off facts as normal. Secretly Jane was thrilled they had something that could help sweeten the pine needle tea, because although it was warming, its taste did leave something to be desired.


Finally exhausted after their long day the three of them collapsed onto the bed, Maura once again being sandwiched between the two Detectives.

Barry was the first to speak. "I can't quite believe our luck." He said, pointing out the obvious.

Jane sighed heavily. "Lucky or not, we've still got to make this a survivable situation. If these weather patterns keep up who knows when they might start looking for us. And then they'll start to look in the wrong place."

Reaching under the covers Maura grasped Jane's hand in comfort and said. "I have complete faith in Sean, Vince and the others to work out what happened, they will get here."

"At least the stove keeps some heat going without one of us having to get up to stoke the fire right through the night, and it gives off a warm glow." Barry said, fighting back a yawn, trying to stay positive.

There was a few moments of silence. "We need sleep." Jane finally said, knowing they had to evaluate how they would continue to survive, and that today's measures were little more than a stopgap.

Maura merely squeezed Jane's hand a little tighter, as they all closed their eyes.

Drifting off to sleep, they all thought of their colleagues, families and friends, whom they knew would not give up looking for them.

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