Hey guys, here's another one. Sorry if the grammar etc isn't perfect, I'm a little sick at the moment plus I've never been great when knowing when to use TO or TOO, so that along with my brain not working…well, ya know. Anyways, hope you like.
(I listened to Imagine Dragons while writing this, esp Nothing Left to say…Great song and sorta set the mood for me)

"This is nice" Jane's voice husked into Maura's ear, her body deliciously pressed against her back. The M.E sighed in agreement, letting the warm bath water wash over them both as she leaned into Jane's chest.

"Mmmm" Hands began to move over her chest and down her stomach, stroking gently in a loving and affectionate way. Grabbing the detective's left hand and entwining their fingers together Maura brought it to her mouth, pressing the gentlest of kisses on it. "I'm going to miss this."

Jane nuzzled her nose against Maura's neck, trailing up to gently bite her earlobe. "I'm sure Wyoming has bathtubs" she laughed when Maura's elbow softly connected with her stomach.

"That's not what I was referring to"

"I know" she sighed, pressing a kiss to soft skin. "I'll miss you too, but we still have tonight."

Nodding in agreement Maura let her hands wander along the expanse of Jane's thighs. The brunette let out a soft moan at Maura's touch, the doctor playfully dipping her fingers behind Jane's knee in to the sensitive skin there.

"Maura"

"Jane" she turned in the detective's arms, pressing her lips against the ones in front of her. "Tell me what you want"

"Maura" Jane's voice suddenly sounded deeper than normal and slightly masculine.

"Maura, wake up"

What?

Opening her eyes the M.E was disappointed to be pulled from her dream, her sight falling onto the four other people in front of her. "Are you alright?" Doug looked at her, concern in his eyes. "You were whimpering, though maybe you had a nightmare."

Maura's cheeks flushed, her dream of Jane and their night before her departure coming to the front of her mind once more. "I'm fine."

Arlo smirked at her in a knowing way that made her stomach squirm and hope that she hadn't spoken Jane's name out loud. He leaned over towards her, handing her the bottle of whiskey they'd retrieved from the kitchen along with the food they'd eaten for dinner. The wife's secret stash, she looked around at the group as she poured herself a glass and brought it to her lips. All of them were cuddled under blankets they'd brought down with them from the bedrooms and huddled around the fireplace. Wincing as the cheap booze burned its way down her throat, Maura focused her attention on the conversation.

"So what do you think went on here?" Elaine asked, "Where did they go?"

"Simple" Arlo replied, taking back the bottle from Maura's hands. "Wifey sets out dinner on the table and as the family sit down to say grace or whatever they do, the hubby suddenly falls to the floor grasping at his chest. Heart attack. So off they all go in the car to the hospital."

"And leave the door unlocked?" Maura asks

"Why not? Not like there's anything valuable here to be stolen" he waves his hand around the plain room. "Plus, there's no one around for miles, who'd bother trekking out here just to rob a few houses?"

"I don't know" Elaine shrugs, taking another sip of her whiskey, her words slightly slurred. "Looks like they've been gone a while, why wouldn't they have come back?"

"The roads, all the snow" Maura says, drawing their attention. Remembering the paper she bought at the gas station, she pulls it out of her purse and lays it on the floor in front of her.

COLD WEATHER RETURNS
Snow is predicted to start falling on Tuesday night, following a week of unusually warm weather. A severe winter storm is foreseen to bring an even heavier snowfall with it over the weekend.

Maura looked up, "Maybe they couldn't find a way back after the snow storm on Tuesday?"

Doug smiled, "It would explain why they'd left the windows open, if it was warm weather when they left." He tipped his glass in toast towards her, "Didn't I say she was brilliant minded? Always finding a logical answer to any situation." Maura dropped her gaze in embarrassment and missing the glare sent her way by Elaine. She wasn't used to such open praise from people other than Jane and the homicide squad.

"Well maybe that means they'll be coming back once the roads open up" Arlo said, sounding a little hopeful.

"Unless they changed their minds" Elaine snorted, "Not much to come back too. No electricity, no people around, nothing!" She glanced around as if realising something, "where are all the neighbours anyway?"

"This is a bad place" Grace's soft voice spoke up, all eyes glancing in her direction. "I wouldn't come back." Maura watched as she hugged her blanket tighter around her, seemingly sinking into the shadows. "I looked in the closet, the one with the big bed. Did you see he had sixteen belts? Sixteen belts, all leather and all hung on their own hooks. There was rope there too. Who needs sixteen belts and rope in their closet?"

Doug's arm shot out and wrapped around his daughter, trying to pull her closer to him. "I don't think he was a very good man" she whispered, "Maybe his wife and children escaped. Maybe they saw a chance at freedom and took it, ran as far away as they could." Taking a breath and looking up, she caught Maura's gaze, "if he didn't kill them first."

Maura shivered in her blanket, cold seeping into her very bones as the words from Grace's lips met her ears. A chilling silence overtook the room, and no amount of fire or alcohol could dispel the immense sense of discomfort that settled among the occupants. Arlo reached for the whiskey, taking a long gulp. "Geez what movies you watching these days kid?" he laughed nervously, "if we're going to be telling scary stories I'm gonna need more liquid courage."

Snatching the bottle from his grasp, Elaine refilled some for herself. "I think you have enough."

"Anybody else have a scary story to share?" Arlo asked, turning to Maura. "You must have a ton of them, with your job I mean."

Looking at the teenager seated across form her Maura shook her head, she's scared enough already, we all are. "I don't think this is the time or place for telling of any scary stories."

"Funny ones then? Aren't pathologists supposed to have morgue humour?"

Maura knew he was just fishing for something to entertain them and pass the time, but she was hardly in the mood to amuse anyone. "There's nothing funny about my work" she looked straight into his eyes, "take my word for it."

No one spoke for a while, each consumed by their own thoughts. Grace moved closer to the fire, and Maura watched as she struggled to keep her tears at bay. "I wish we'd stayed at the hotel" she whispered, "I hate this place."

"Me too sweetie" Elaine moved closer and tried to comfort the teenager, "This place gives me the heebie jeebies."

"Nah" Doug said, "This is a well build solid structure, it tells a good story of the people who live here."

"What?" Elaine laughed, turning to face him, disbelief on her face. "People with horrendous taste in furniture?"

"And food, don't forget the bad taste in food." Arlo piped up, "I mean, who eats all this canned junk? Where's the fridge?"

"You ate it faster than the rest of us" Elaine scoffed at him, "and did you see the clothes? So old fashioned."

"Wait" Arlo laughed, pressing fingers to his temple like he was having a vision. "I'm getting a mental image, I see.."

"American Gothic" Doug laughed.

"No, Beverley Hillbillies" Elaine said.

The three friends continued to laugh and joke around, mocking people they'd never met but whose house they'd happily invaded. The whiskey had no doubt contributed to their sudden lifted spirits. "What about you Maura?" Elaine asked, surprising the doctor that she'd willingly acknowledged her existence. Maura shook her head, unwilling to participate.

"Come on" Arlo bellowed, swigging from his whiskey glass once more. "Play with us, who do you think live here?"

Maura sighed and let her keen eyes roam the darkened room. The bare walls, no curtains or keepsakes anywhere to be seen. The only books she could identify where manuals on how to do household repairs or DIYs. This was clearly not a woman's domain. "It's his world" she finally said, "The husband. He has total control here, he owns it." The group sat in silence, waiting for more. "See this room, how empty it is? Uninviting and practical, with no hint of a woman's touch whatsoever. It's as if she doesn't even exist with no way to escape, except through that whisky bottle."

Silence greeted her once more and when she looked back at the group, four sets of stunned eyes met her gaze. "Wow" Arlo spoke softly, "That's a deep psychoanalysis of a house." His eyes darted briefly to Grace, as if to remind her of the young ears that had just listened to her description.

Maura shrugged, "You asked for my opinion. You got it." She drank the last of her whisky and placed the glass down, "I'm tired, I'm going to sleep."

"I think we all need some sleep" Doug said, "We need to keep the fire going or else we'll freeze, so we need to take shifts. I'll stay up for now."

"I'll take the next shift" Elaine yawned, curling herself into a ball on the rug and pulling her blanket up around her. "Wake me up when you're tired." They all shuffled around trying to get comfortable on the rug, but even with the fire burning the room remained at a chilling temperature. Under her blanket Maura was still wearing her jacket, thankful for its thermal qualities. They'd brought pillows from upstairs down with them, and Maura could tell by the scent of aftershave and sweat that hers was the husbands. It wasn't a pleasant smell and she soon fell into an uncomfortable sleep, plagued by memories of another man from her past who smelled terrifyingly familiar.

A sharp cold blade against her throat, "Look behind you Maura, you see that pedestal Maura? See, that's where I do my real work." He dragged her backwards, quickly putting space between them and Jane, Korsak and Frost.

"Don't' shoot" she hears Korsak's voice, "He'll cut her throat"

"You were going to be my next creation" his breath against her ear is hot and heavy, "I was going to honour you, just like my mother you gave me life." There's Jane in her sight now, her brown eyes shining with fear and anger, gun raised searching for a good shot. Jane, she whimpers in her mind, Jane please.

"You must think you're real smart hey detective?" he goads Jane, but Maura hears her disagree, wanting him to feel the power in this situation.

"Please" Maura gasps as he pulls her closer to him, the knife grazing the skin on her neck.

"Yeah keep begging" he looks straight to Jane's eyes, "God I love it when they beg." Her mind loses focus after that, but she sees Jane's hands up in surrender. The blade at her throat tightens; he pulls her back even further and forces her to look down the elevator shaft. Oh god I'm going to die, Jane please.

With a gasp Maura jolted awake, her hand darting to her throat. "Oh God" she whispered, her eyes fluttering closed with relief. He's dead, he's dead, she nods to herself and takes deep breaths.

Finally noticing how cold she was her eyes opened, seeing her blanket had fallen away in her sleep. Glancing at the fireplace she realised why the room was absolutely freezing, the flames had completely died down and all that remained were a few glowing coals. Beside the fireplace, snoring away was Arlo and Maura glared at his sleeping form for his irresponsibility and letting the fire die.

Really? Crawling on her knees to the fireplace she carefully places another log on the coals, watching as the wood catches fire instantly and flames begin dancing once again. The heat instantly relieved some of the chill on her skin, and she glanced at Arlo in disgust, utterly useless. Sitting back on her blanket Maura stared into the flames, wishing more than anything she could turn back time and change her mind about coming on this trip. It'd been a bad idea and now she was stuck in the middle of nowhere with a scared teenager whose father was annoyingly optimistic, along with Arlo's wisecracks it seemed she and Elaine were the only ones to take this situation seriously. Elaine, the deadly looks that woman sent Maura's way made her uneasy.

Glancing at her watch she saw it was nearly four am, her time to watch the fire anyway. Rising to her feet, Maura lifted her arms above her head in an attempt to stretch out the soreness of her muscles. As she turned her head, something appeared in the light from the fire and caught her attention. Moving forward she noticed a light dusting of white on the floorboards, snow.

Someone had opened the door and allowed a gust of snow to enter the house, turning to the other she noticed everyone asleep and unmoved. Crossing to the door she noticed it was unlocked, they hadn't even bothered to latch it last night, and why would they; they were the only ones out here weren't they?

A look down into the unmelted snow had her heart beating faster in her chest, fear seeping into her veins. There in front of her, pressed into the fresh powder of snow and facing into the room, was a single shoe print.