SNOWSWEPT

by CuddleFae

Dr. Lauren Lewis has been assigned to oversee the opening of a new hospital. Overwhelmed by all there is to know and learn in an unfamiliar land, she crosses paths with a mysterious woman with a dark past - a past that has caused her to live by one rule. Trust no one. Thrown into a desperate struggle, can they overcome the barriers between them in their fight to survive?

19. Chapter 19: Homecoming

A/N: Thank you for all of the reviews and messages. You're the best! I'm happy to supply reading material while we all sit anxiously at home awaiting our "release". Until then, I'll continue to work, clean, cook, clean and write! How about we try this – if you post a review, share what you've been doing while in staying safe at home. Maybe you'll share an idea of something we haven't thought to do yet! No pressure, share if you'd like. I know I'd love to know how people are passing the time. Best wishes to you, your families and friends. Be well and push onward!

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CHAPTER 19: Homecoming

Talkeetna, 2am

"Bo! Bo!" Rudy came running down the stairs, "My big sister is home! She's home!"

She leapt into Bo's arms, the brunette barely able to drop her bags to catch her safely. Bo couldn't help the broad smile that stretched across her face. The youngster was warm, and her hug was tight. It felt so good to be wanted and loved after the day she'd had.

Rudy pulled back, looking at Bo, "You look sad. Did you miss me?"

Bo smiled, "Of course I did. I missed you my whole life! Going away after I just got to meet you was one of the hardest things I'd ever had to do!"

"Well you can smile now because the Dennis Sisters are back again! Double trouble!" She giggled, "Did you bring me a present from the big city? Were there a lot of lights? And people? I looked at the globe Lauren bought me. Boston is in the ocean! Did you see the ocean? I love the ocean!"

Honestly, Bo's heart was like butter right now. Rudy could ask for the moon and she would board a rocket to get it for her. She chuckled her reply,

"Slow down, kiddo! I'll tell you all about Boston. For now, let's start with that present."

"Yes!" Rudy smiled with a fist pump added for emphasis as Bo gently returned her to the floor.

The elder sister grabbed the big suitcase full of gifts. As she reached for the zipper, her tears filled her eyes at the memory of Lauren buying the big piece of luggage so that they could pick the perfect gift for each of their loved one. Bo lowered her head as the tears trailed down her cheeks and the memories surged forth of a perfect day in the Marketplace buying presents and making plans for a life together in Alaska. She dug through the bag to the box on the bottom, wiping her cheeks dry with her sleeves as she removed the gift and turned towards her little sister. Plastering a smile on her face, she handed Rudy the box,

"Lauren and I picked this for you together."

"I know. She told me!"

Bo's brow furrowed, "You talked to Lauren?"

"Of course I did, silly." She pulled on the bow and flipped open the lid, "Wow!"

Bo watched as the youngster pulled out the bracelet she'd purchased. They had spent more time picking the charms than the bracelet.

"It's so pretty!" she looked at the charms, "It's a charm bracelet?"

Bo nodded, "It was Lauren's idea to get the bracelet. She thought you could use it as a sort of travel diary – get a charm for every place you go. I picked out a starfish for Hawaii and Lauren picked that one for Alaska."

"It's a snowflake!"

Bo smiled, "Yup. So it's representative of Alaska and Boston. They get a lot of snow in Boston, so if you go visit Lauren there, you have a charm already. Or, you can get a new one." Bo's throat tightened as tears threatened to fall once again. She would have to take Rudy to visit Lauren. They would want to see each other."

"Can you put it on me?" Rudy asked, drawing Bo's attention.

The brunette forced a smile once again and knelt down in front of the youngster to help her with the bracelet,

"Okay, so there's a couple more things in the box."

Bo watched as an excited Rudy dug through the tissue paper, to find her new Red Sox T-shirt and hat. She pulled the shirt on right over her clothes with some difficulty and then added the hat before turning to Bo,

"How do I look, Sister?"

Bo smiled, "Like a true Boston fan! Lauren would love it. Do you like everything?"

Rudy wrapped her arms around Bo's neck, "I love it all. Thank you, Bo! I love you."

Bo held the little girl tightly, fighting the tears as she whispered, "I love you, Roo. I missed you… so much."

"I missed you too. Can you not go away again?"

Bo smiled, "Not without you."

"Good." Rudy smiled before breaking out of Bo's arms. Her eyes were wide with excitement, her smile bright as she gripped Bo's cheeks in her hand and said, "I wanna go show Lauren!"

"Oh, Rudy… she's not…" Bo watched as Rudy disappeared through a door that had not been a part of her house when she had left, "What the… an addition?"

She looked out the window towards the side of the house and noticed that a room – maybe two – had been added to her house. She could still hear Rudy running from where she stood in the living room. How would she tell her that Lauren wasn't coming back to Alaska?

"Lauren! Lauren! Look! Bo's here and she brought my presents! I love them just like you said I would!"

Bo sighed, knowing the youngster would see soon enough that Lauren wasn't with her. She walked to the large window, noting they had all been replaced… some of the window frames as well. They had been shot up pretty good in the battle against Big Jim's last men. They replaced the broken ones with screens since it was summer. Of course, she couldn't get upset that her Mom had gotten the work done without her permission. It was getting colder and screens would not do for winter.

She looked out at her mountain, smiling at the sight of the full moon hovering in the sky over her mountain. It had been almost two full days of travel and Bo was most definitely happy to be home. She moved closer to the window, looking at the colors in the sky. It was always strange to see the moon this time of year. It wasn't as bright against the dim light that remained at night against the white and gray mountain. But still, the reflection of the light glistening across the water had a calming effect on Bo. She actually looked forward to the coming endless nights of winter when the evening sky would put on a brilliant light show.

Her eyes traveled down to the riverbank where her Mother stood, arms outstretched to the heavens. Bo smiled. She knew that pose. Her Mom was no doubt reciting Athabascan poetry… usually in song. She smiled, opening the door and heading outside. She could hear the familiar words before she reached the riverside, the words ringing true in the moment…

'…Problems pale to wide open spaces, clarity and peace rule the day, you slow down a thousand paces, happiness can be found in a sun ray. This is the real world you desire, hope fills your heart, life doesn't seem as dire, you're ready for a fresh start. You go back home, remembering the sites, bottling that feeling with a poem, your dreams reach new heights…'

"You still remember the songs of your native tongue." Bo commented.

Her Mom turned, smiling. She held out her hand, knowing her daughter might not take it, but she did. As a matter of fact, her daughter moved to her side and laid her head on her shoulder just before soft sobs came from deep in her chest,

"Child. What could you possibly have to cry about? Look at the beauty that surrounds you. Do you not love this place? Did you not listen to the poem? Problems pale to wide open spaces…"

"I love these wide-open spaces… I had just hoped that Lauren would be here to share this night with me. She didn't come back, Mom. She loves her life there too much to give it up for me. I left without her, leaving her the time and space to be in the city she loves. I couldn't take her away from there. I just couldn't."

Bo shook her head, wiping her tears, but never lifted her head, "I now understand that Boston means as much to her as this place means to me. There's just no way for us to be together unless I'm willing to give up Alaska… give up my Kennel, my dogs, my family and racing. It's give it up or lose Lauren. I thought that living in Talkeetna… moving into town and laying down roots… that it might be a big enough step for her to see me as more than the animal she'd met a year ago, but I… I can't compete, Mom. I didn't even graduate high school. Her friends are lawyers and doctors… smart people… civilized people. I don't fit in there, Mom. I love her so much. I miss her, Mom. I miss her so badly."

"Oh, Ysabeau…"

"I should have known. I should have known that I wasn't enough…"

"Ysabeau…" Mary said more firmly this time, stepping away from Bo and wiping her cheeks, "Child, you're wrong. Look, child… look…"

Mary turned towards the house and nodded for Bo to do the same. The brunette looked at her Mom, confused, but did as she suggested. She turned to see Rudy standing in front of a tall, thin person standing in the shadow of the porch. Rudy's tiny hand gripped one of the two adult hands that that lay upon her shoulders.

The pair moved forward, the dim light of the moon shining down upon them until it revealed a face Bo had thought she would never see again,

"Lauren?" Bo asked, her voice quaking with disbelief. She lowered her eyes, "I'm losing my mind… I'm seeing things…" She looked up again, this time taking a few steps towards the house. Rudy and Lauren continuing down the walk, through the front gate until they stood in front of Bo,

"See, Sis? She's here." Rudy smiled.

"She… she's here." Bo said, her hand reaching out hesitantly to take a few strands of hair. She felt them, making sure that it was real.

Mary whispered to Rudy, calling her to her side to give the two women a moment. Lauren stepped to Bo, placing a gentle hand on her cheek,

"It took me about an hour after I realized you had left to know that I had been a total idiot. I was overthinking things, as usual. I tried to get on your plane in Philly. When I missed it, I hopped a flight Seattle, but it wasn't going to cross paths with your plane again unless I waited. I figured I'd come on ahead and wait for you."

Bo's eyes were filled with tears, "But the flights… there were no other flights. How did you…"

Lauren shrugged, "I lied." She shook her head, "I told a really big lie. I said I was on my way to a heart transplant surgery in Anchorage and I had to meet up with my patient in Philly. I told them that I was responsible for your heart and needed to get there for the surgery."

"It's a good thing you're here because my heart was breaking into a million pieces."

Lauren nodded, "I took a private jet – it's how I beat you home."

"Yea, well I didn't fly first class this time around and it sucked. Four flights. Four flights. Serves me right. They were really crowded… except the seat next to me on two of them."

Lauren smiled, "That was supposed to be my seat if I made the flight."

Bo chuckled, "You were late. That's so unlike you. And if you had made the flight, I would have been laying on your lap."

"I would have been fine with that."

Bo cupped the blonde's face, "I can't believe you're here. But, Lauren… are you sure? I mean… I could try Boston for a year. I mean… how bad could it be? Or we could fly back and forth. I mean… it couldn't hurt to try it before you go moving your whole life."

"I would never ask you to give up racing or the dogs, Bo. Your jobs are the kind you simply can't do in Boston. There isn't much of a market for dog sleds, large kennels filled with dogs are called shelters or dog pounds and the snow wouldn't allow you to train even if you did fly back to Alaska for the Iditarod. My job, on the other hand… well, you were right. I can practice medicine anywhere and hell, I'm about to own the hospital and clinic here."

Lauren smiled, "Honestly, once I was in the air, I couldn't think of anything except how happy I was living here. I haven't been in court once. I haven't had to spend hours and hours studying for surgeries. There's no traffic, no crowded bars – well, usually. Here, I actually have a life outside of my job… a great life among great people who do a lot of things that I've become quite interested in. If I had any doubts, they were gone the moment that plane landed. This is where I'm meant to be, Bo. I'm sorry I doubted living here… doubted us."

Bo shrugged, "As long as you're sure now. I don't think I can take another separation – I couldn't even handle a day away from you."

Lauren shook her head, "You won't have to." She reached into her pocket before lowering herself to one knee in the grass. She took Bo's hand, her eyes glassy,

"Ysabeau Dennis, my heart has been wandering aimlessly through this life, hopeless to ever meet the one who was meant to care for it. My hands have held many a heart, but until now, none have beat as strong as yours and none have been as precious to me. Yours is the heart these hands were meant to hold for the rest of my life. I know you are a free-spirit who has chosen the land of her birth above all others, but if your land would be willing – and I know that your Mom and Sister are – would you be willing to share your life with me? To bind your life to mine in marriage for as long as we wander this earth together?"

Bo's cheeks glistened with rows of tears as a smile stretched across her face. Lauren opened the small box in her hand, revealing a ring that she held out towards Bo,

"You gave me a necklace and bracelet given to me by your Mom. You told me that when she gave it to you, she said it would protect you until her return. By my count, it's saved your life – and mine – at least ten times by now, so I thought that we should each have a part of it…" Lauren looked up at Mary and smiled, "…and your Mom and Rudy agree."

She turned her attention back to Bo, her heart racing as she spoke, "You told me that this gold nugget was the first gold you had ever mined as a child… that you carried it your entire life in its natural form until the day when you could find a special use for it. I hope you don't mind that I had it melted and formed into two thin bands while we were in Boston. The rest was used to make this for you. The diamond on top was given to me as a child by my grandmother. Together, the two – gold band and gemstone - bring together a lifetime of memories from opposite sides of our country to this land… in this moment. You said the gold symbolized the patience you possess, never rushing to mold it or sell it for over twenty years. For me, this small diamond symbolizes unconditional love – love given to me by my grandmother – love that I now pass on to you. Together, we will have all the patience we'll ever need for each other and love for all the years of our lives."

Lauren looked down at the ring, "The two tiny stones on either side of the diamond you'll recognize as the Gold Quartz that was embedded in your nugget." She looked up at Bo, offering a chuckle, "Do you know that Alaska is one of the few places in the world where you can find it? It's left in its natural state – just as it should be – just as I plan to love and live my life with you. Each of us taking the other just as we are – just as we promised our first night together."

Tears fell easily as Lauren recited the rest of the words Bo had spoken to her on the day she had given her the necklace and bracelet set passed on from Mother to Daughter,

"I don't want to change you, Bo. I don't want you to change for me. I want you to live your best life while walking beside me. And if we must part for a short while, I want this ring to serve as a reminder of the woman who will always come back to you – no matter how long she might have to travel to save the heart of another."

Bo smiled, "So that the person you save can give their heart to another."

Lauren's tears fell harder, "Bo Dennis, will you marry me?"

There was no hesitation as Bo replied firmly, "Yes."

"Yes?" Lauren asked, standing.

Bo smiled, "Yes."

Lauren slid the ring onto Bo's finger before taking her into her arms. She never wanted to let go… ever. This is where she belonged. This is where she wanted to be… where her heart longed to be. The rest of life would work itself out. She pulled back, placing a gentle kiss on the brunette's lips,

"I love you." She whispered, "I love you so much."

Bo smiled, "And I love you. I promise to take very good care of your heart, Doctor."

Lauren smiled, "And I will treasure, cherish and care for your heart, Bo. You will never have to worry about me doubting us again."

The two were broken apart by a youngster plowing into them. She hugged Bo, then turned and hugged Lauren,

"You're gonna be my…" she looked at her Mom, "What's it called?"

"Your sister in law." Mary smiled, "Congratulations to both of you."

Lauren smiled, "Thank you again, Mary. It means the world to me to have your blessing."

"You asked for my Mom's blessing?" Bo asked.

Lauren nodded, "I told you I called her… both your Mom and Rudy… they just got you back. I wanted to be sure they didn't need more time with you before I became a permanent fixture in the house."

Bo smiled, looking at her Mom, "Speaking of permanent fixtures, I noticed the addition."

Mary nodded, "Your foreman showed up one day to repair the windows. He asked where everyone was sleeping, and I told him that Rudy and I were sleeping in the guest room."

Bo frowned, "The two of you were sharing that bed? Mom, there's barely enough room for one adult to be comfortable let alone you and a child. Why didn't you use our bed?"

Their conversation was interrupted by dogs barking.

"Mommy." Rudy said, quickly sliding behind Mary as her eyes searched the property.

Bo looked at her Mom who was wrapping her arms around her daughter, "Since the… incident… she's been having nightmares and she's exceptionally sensitive to the sounds of the dogs since they tend to give warning."

Bo nodded, kneeling down in front of her little sister, "Why don't we go check on the dogs?"

She whimpered, holding tighter to her Mother's leg as she shook her head no.

Bo smiled, "You know that dogs have super hearing, right?"

Rudy nodded.

"Well, what you may not know is that they taught me super hearing too."

"They did?" Rudy asked, stepping slightly forward, her small hands still clinging to Mary's leg.

"Yup and I don't hear anything out here accept my usual friends in nature, the three of us and my dogs."

"What friends?"

Bo stepped forward, her eyes keyed on a spot across the river, "Come here and I'll show you."

The dogs barked again, causing Rudy to look towards the garage. She then flinched at the sound of Bo's voice, but after a moment, took the hand her sister offered,

"Look…" Bo nodded across the river once more, turning Rudy so that she was in front of her and looking out across the water. Pointing, she explained, "See that cluster of three tall trees with small bushes in front of the big rock?"

"Uh-huh," She nodded, her eyes focused on the area.

"Watch and listen for the big trees to move and you can just make out a small black bear."

Rudy focused her vision, waiting for the trees to move. When there was finally a rustle of branches, she jumped up and down as she pointed and shouted, "There!"

Bo grinned, "Yup! There he is! So, what will you name him?"

"I get to name him?"

"Of course. I'm sure his Momma has a name for him, but he needs an Athabascan name."

Bo felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see her Mom smiling down at her. She knew with just a glance that Mary Dennis appreciated the gesture, but the truth was, Bo wasn't doing it for her Mom. She was doing it because despite her parents, she was proud of her Athabascan heritage and wanted Rudy to know about their traditions and customs… no matter how long Mary planned to stay in Alaska.

Rudy shrugged, "But I don't know any Athabascan names."

Bo smiled, "Well, let's start with a little language lesson. Did Mom teach you any Athabascan?"

Rudy looked up at Mary, then at Bo, "No. She said I didn't need it."

Bo's jaw clenched, something Lauren couldn't help but notice before she recognized the cleansing breath her fiancé usually used when working hard to keep her temper in check.

"Well, the Athabascan word for bear is s'eek."

"S'eek?"

Bo smiled, "Close enough for now."

Rudy smiled, looking up at Mary, "Mom, did you hear me? I spoke Alabascar!" She looked at Bo, "What's Alabascar?"

Mary grinned, "The term is Athabascan, child and it's what we are… except Lauren. I'm sorry I haven't taught you as I should have. I'll leave it to your big sister to pass on the lessons of our language and our ways."

"What we are?" Rudy asked, her confused gaze looking between Bo and Lauren before she turned to Mary once again, "You won't teach me?" Rudy asked, her bottom lip quivering.

Bo's jaw clenched again as she moved to kneel on one knee, her other serving as a seat for Rudy as she explained,

"Of course she will, Rudy. She's just having me pass the torch." She said, ignoring Mary's presence as anger over the subject filled her to her native core, "It's a… family tradition that younger siblings learn from their older siblings."

"And Lauren isn't Atha-ba-scan because she's not our sister?"

Lauren smiled, "My family is from Ireland, so I'm Irish."

Bo nodded, "Our Mom was born to Athabascan native parents, so you're part Athabascan."

"What's the other part?" Rudy asked, looking at Bo who was looking at Mary.

Mary smiled, "Your other part is Hawaiian."

Rudy turned back to Bo, "So I'm like that dog at your kennel that no one wants?"

"What?" Bo asked.

"The dog that LJ found when he was training the dogs. He said she's not from Harper's line so you wouldn't want to keep her." Rudy explained.

Bo looked up at Mary who explained, "I explained to LJ that we can't take in every stray he finds. You're running a kennel, not a shelter."

She turned back to Rudy who now had tears in her eyes, "Am I.. a mutt? Will no one want me either?"

Bo stood, stepping between Rudy and her Mom, quietly speaking, "For your information, all dogs have worth… every single one of them. If LJ found a stray he wants to keep, then we'll keep her. If she earns her place on a competing sled, then she'll race. If she doesn't, she'll do training runs if she enjoys running. If not, maybe she can be part of Lauren's new search and rescue group if she has the nose for it. You never know what a dog can do until you teach them."

Bo smiled as she continued, "You're a mutt just like me and you see that being a champion is in our blood, right? That's because we're proud mutts because we were raised by a woman who was once a strong leader of the Athabascan people."

Rudy nodded, but her eyes told Bo she wasn't convinced. With some hesitation, she asked, "Our Mom was a leader?"

Bo nodded, "When I was little, Mom was in line to be an elder of our village. If she had stayed, she would be an elder today."

Rudy looked at Mary, "Really?"

Mary hesitated before she nodded, offering her simply reply, "Really."

"Are you still proud to be a native?" Rudy asked.

Bo could see the doubt in her Mothers' eyes as she replied, "I'm afraid my choices led me down a path that caused me to stray from my roots, child… a path that endangered your sister and then you. I forgot who I was and the two of you paid the price."

Rudy wiggled around Bo, standing toe to toe with her Mother who said, "I'm afraid I've lost my way, Rudy."

The young girl shrugged, "When your lost, you can always be found. Bo taught me to stay low and hug a tree and she will come and find me. If she can find me, I'm sure she can find you too, right Bo?"

The hopeful eyes of her younger sibling melted Bo's heart, "Of course I can."

Rudy nodded, "So you'll teach me about being a native Abassy, Bo? You said it's a family tradition."

Bo smiled, "Of course. My brothers taught me, now I teach you – starting with how to say Athabascan."

Rudy giggled, "It's a very hard word."

She thought for a moment before she looked to Mary and asked, "I have brothers too?"

Mary softly gripped her daughter's chin, "They've passed on, child, but yes, there was a time you might have met your three brothers. One day, Bo will tell you of the good times she had with them when they were young."

Bo recognized the carefully chosen words of her mother. She wanted Rudy to know the good, but none of the bad. In that moment, Bo found another thing she and Mary Dennis had in common. Maybe if she stuck around long enough, they could repair the damage done by the past… Bo just didn't know.

"Bo?"

"Wh-what?" She looked up to see Rudy staring at her,

"Where'd you go, silly?" Rudy asked.

Bo smiled, "Back in time, kiddo. Back in time."

"Teach me another word!"

"I'll teach you many words, but now we have to come up with a name for the bear."

Rudy giggled, "Right! I forgot!"

"Okay, so look at the bear and describe him to me."

"It's a boy?"

Bo shrugged, "I'm not really sure, but his head looks pretty broad and thick, so it's my best guess. It could also be an older female."

"Well, how am I supposed to name the bear if I don't know if it's a girl bear or a boy bear?"

Lauren saw Bo struggle with the question, so jumped in with a suggestion, "Is Kyle a boys' name or a girls' name?"

Rudy smiled up at Lauren, "It's a boys' name."

"Really? Then how is it that Bo and I have a friend named Kyle who is a girl? For that matter, your sister's name could be considered a boys' name too."

"So names don't matter?" Rudy asked.

Lauren shrugged, "Names definitely matter, but they should be chosen by what they mean to the person choosing the name. Why don't you try doing what your sister asked you to do? Describe what you see in the bear."

Rudy turned leaning back against Lauren as she looked at the bear across the river, "It's curious. I bet they got into a lot of trouble when they were little." She giggled watching the bear roll on the ground batting at the tree branches, "And it really likes to play, but it looks clumsy like me on ice skates last week."

Bo smiled, "You went ice skating?"

Rudy nodded, "We went to an ice hockey game and when it was over they had this thing called free skate where anyone can use the ice. Elise helped me. She's really good at skating."

Bo smiled, happy that Rudy and Elise had continued to spend time together. They really were like sisters even though they shared no blood.

"So how do I name the bear?"

"Well, now we take the words and combine them to give the bear a name." Bo smiled, "You know the Athabascan word for bear. Now, since nature is his playground, we might use the word ash kadulyát yé."

"Huh?" Rudy asked, causing the adults to laugh. Bo repeated and Rudy struggled to mimic the word before the older sister moved on,

"You said you thought the bear definitely liked trouble, so we could also use the word adawóotl."

"I like that word." Rudy said, repeating it over and over again, "How about we call him an English word and an Athabascan word so he's a mutt like us?"

Bo smiled, "I think that's a fine idea."

"Okay, so let's call him Little Woot!"

Grinning, the older sister nodded, "I think that's a fine name since the person naming him is also Little Trouble!"

Rudy laughed, "And you're Big Trouble! Together we're…"

"Double Trouble!" The sisters yelled in unison, high fiving each other while Mary and Lauren laughed at the pair.

Bo tickled her little sister who giggled and giggled before yelling to Lauren for help from the tickle monster. Naturally, the blonde stepped in, rescuing the little one by lifting her up and throwing her over her shoulder. She ran for the house until she felt Rudy stiffen at the sound of the dogs. The youngster wrapped her arms around Lauren's head, covering her eyes. Luckily, Bo saw her fiancé stumble and was able to steady her, pulling Rudy down to the ground before they could fall.

She knelt down, checking first on Lauren to be sure she was okay before she turned her attention to Rudy,

"Hey. What happened?"

"The dogs are barking again. They can't see the bear." Rudy said, her head turning rapidly left and right as she searched the property.

"Rudy, you do realize that it's been a long time since they've seen Lauren and I, right?"

Rudy nodded.

"Well, my guess is that they heard us and are curious as to why we haven't come to see them yet. I think we should let them all out. What do you think?"

Rudy seemed unsure, so Bo continued.

"You know, if there are any bad people out there, the dogs will chase them away. I don't think there is anyone out there, but I'd still like to let them out. I miss them."

Rudy placed both hands on Bo's chest, playing with the strings on her hoodie, "You missed Harper?"

"Almost as much as I missed you." Bo smiled.

"You missed me more than your favorite dog?"

Bo shrugged, "What can I say? We're sisters and that's a pretty big deal."

"Okay."

"Okay?" Bo asked.

Rudy nodded, taking Bo's hand as she stood and walked to the garage. Lauren and Mary followed Bo and Rudy from the river inside the fence, closing the gate tightly and awaiting the onslaught. They heard the barks get louder as the pair approached the side door,

"Those dogs sure did miss you two." Mary said.

Lauren smiled, "They missed Bo."

Mary shrugged, "She may have raised them, but they have a special place in their hearts for their doctor just like my daughter."

"That's nice of you to say." Lauren replied, feeling awkward in light of the tension that had been renewed between Mary and Bo.

"I only speak the truth." Mary replied, "And the truth is, I have to thank you for opening up my daughter's heart. I had a sit down with Molly while you two were gone. She told me all about the Bo Dennis this community once knew in contrast to the woman she has become since you came to town. I'm afraid Ysabeau's parents changed her for the worse by allowing her to get caught in the crossfire of their personal war. Thankfully, the spirits saw fit to put you in her path, allowing you to change her for the better."

Lauren smiled, "Well, that's nice of Molly to say, but she's forgetting how much she did to help… how much Bo's whole family did to help." Lauren shook her head, "Just… I had a lot of help."

The dogs came rushing into the yard, a welcome distraction to the doctor as most of them headed straight for her, jumping up until she was on the ground. She tried to give each of them some love before all, except her team, ran back to Bo when she called.

Lauren smiled at her fiancé who was clearly happy to see all of her friends. She turned her attention back to her dogs,

"I know, my babies. I missed you too. I love you all. I love you so much. I'm never leaving you again."

Lauren looked up, once again smiling at Bo who was laying on the ground with dogs all over her. Harper sat nearby, keeping vigil over the group, patiently awaiting her turn. Sure enough, minutes later the younger dogs started to play with each other leaving Bo to reunite with Harper.

Lauren's eyes teared up as she watched Bo wrap her arms around the older dog, the canine laying its head on Bo's shoulder before she lowered herself to her master's lap. Lauren could see Bo wiping her face as tears fell. She stroked the fur of her best friend, whispering things that only the two of them could hear.

Lauren's eyes then moved to Rudy who was playing with the puppies. They'd grown so much since she'd last seen them and Rudy had clearly been working with them. They obeyed her every command as she ran around the yard, making sharp turns every few feet,

"Haw! Haw!" followed by, "Gee! Gee!" and finally, "Good girls! Good girls!"

Finally, Mary interrupted with a loud whistle. All of the dogs looked up, "Bedtime, ladies! Let's go! Rudy has to get some sleep."

Lauren laughed at the look of shock on Bo's face as the dogs… her dogs… obeyed her mother's command and ran for the garage… all except Harper, Elsa, Anna and Belle… they all remained with Bo and Lauren.

Bo stood and walked to her Mom, "It looks like someone has been working with my dogs."

Mary shrugged, "Someone had to do it. LJ's got his hands full over at the Kennel with the rest, so I told him I could handle your first and second teams… and your pups. Rudy has been learning with them. Lauren's dogs have helped. They're very well trained."

"Thank you." Bo replied, though she wasn't sure why she was so short in her reply.

"Now that you're home, they're all yours again… unless you'd like me to help out."

Bo nodded, "Well, that would depend on your plan. Can you follow my rules?"

Mary nodded, "You mean respect the boundaries of what is yours and yes, LJ has already been giving me the lay of the land."

"Well, apparently you're not getting the full message if you were willing to deal a stray to the discard pile. You have to think about how the things you say might hurt your daughter, Mom."

Mary shrugged, "My mistake. It won't happen again."

Bo shrugged, "You'll pardon my skepticism, but I'm more concerned about all of the other ways you might hurt her. I know you've done a few grand things that saved lives since you got here, but the little things matter too, Mom. The little things matter."

"I'm learning that." Mary admitted.

"My other concern is Rudy getting comfortable with a life here and you ripping her away to follow some surfer boy back to Hawaii or some Native boy to another part of Alaska. I intend to have a relationship with my sister. I plan to offer her a life and a family… some stability. Now, is that your intention or are you going back to where you came from?"

"I wouldn't have allowed them to build the extra room if I didn't plan to stay." Mary replied, but Bo shook her head,

"If I remember correctly, your plans always seem to change."

Mary nodded, "That's why I want to sign legal custody of your sister over to you."

"What?" Bo asked, shocked.

"Rudy doesn't have to know… nothing would change as far as she knows. It's just that… I don't want to hurt her, Bo… not like I hurt you… not like I hurt my sons. I should have stayed involved in their lives. I could have stopped them from becoming… like him. I didn't and I regret what happened to them as much as I regret what happened to you."

Mary sighed, watching her daughter with the pups, Lauren and her team, "If you have legal custody of Rudy, it would give her a real chance if I screw up again. It would give you grounds to file a restraining order or whatever it would take for you to make sure she's safe and has a grounded life."

The woman chuckled, shaking her head, "You're already teaching her things that I should have… would have taught her long ago if I was a good parent."

Bo shrugged, "Well, you've obviously done some things right, Mom. She's a great kid. I mean… just look at her."

The pair smiled as the little girl wagged a finger at Snow who had Rudy's shoe in her mouth. Bo sighed,

"She's a natural with the dogs. Maybe one day she'll be the next champion in the family."

Mary smiled, "Not if LJ has anything to say about it."

"Don't worry about him. I'll force him into retirement when it's Rudy's turn." Bo grinned, turning to her Mom to see a broad smile on her face as she watched Rudy play with the pups.

"She loves this life, Ysabeau. She's so much like you. I knew this was where she needed to be. You'll be a good influence on her."

"Sounds like parting words." Bo cautioned.

Mary shook her head, "I really do want to stay, Bo. I need to be here again. I need to reconnect with my roots." She looked up at the homestead, "I was happy here… all of my life, I was happy here. Leaving was the biggest mistake I've ever made… for you and for me."

Bo shrugged, "Well, if you hadn't left, we wouldn't have Rudy, so let's chalk it up to the past and move forward. You want to get back into training dogs?"

"If you'll have me, yes. I was once very good at it… and I have enjoyed being around dogs again." Mary admitted.

Bo sighed, "Mom, if you're going to jump back into the sledding world, you know that you have to commit to this fully. Like I said, I won't have you get cozy with my family and friends only to take off if you get an itch to be out on your own or chase after some man who's going to treat you like crap."

Mary nodded, "I won't leave, Bo. I have no reason to run anymore. Your Federal Agent friends have taken down everyone associated with your Father and… well… while you were gone… he had a heart attack… he's dead, Bo."

Mary's declaration was met with silence. Even Lauren heard the news, causing her to stop playing with her team and turn to Bo. She stood, walking the distance to the brunette, awaiting some words of acknowledgement, but none came giving Lauren cause for concern.

Bo wasn't sure why… she should have been glad… but somehow, in that moment, Bo felt a need to grieve for the loss of the man who had made the worst contributions to her life. Maybe she was mourning the loss of the man she had dreamed might be her Father for all of those years she searched. Maybe she was mourning the loss of the father never knew but desperately wanted. Either way, she was sad.

Mary added, "I know. I was confused by my feelings as well. I hated that man for all he did to our family, but at some point, I think I had love for him."

"Okay then. We'll talk about your role in the morning." Bo said as she turned to walk away, but she stopped short, turning back to her Mom, "I've worked all of my life to have what I have now. You taught me much of what I know about training dogs and I'm sure there are lessons I can still learn from you. That said, I've created a system of my own, too. I'm a three-time Iditarod Champion and I'm hoping that earns me some respect in your eyes. I just don't want to get into a battle with you over how to raise the kids, because honestly, I have almost no respect for you as a parent given the choices you've made with your own children… except for Rudy."

Bo sighed, "If you try to take over my dogs, control my business, turn my friends or family against me or in any way, shape or form contribute to a negative environment in my life or that of Lauren or Rudy's, you will not be welcome here."

Mary nodded, "Understood. Know my boundaries. I still have a place to earn. You're the boss. I'm here on probation so be on my best behavior."

"Your probation as you call it, is for life, Mom. I will never accept mistakes from you because you've already made a lifetime of them."

"Screw up, I'm gone." Mary nodded.

"Exactly." Bo replied, "I'm home and I'm never leaving again unless Rudy is with me. I won't let what happened to me happen to her. Not ever."

Bo turned to walk away, but stopped again, walking back to Mary so that she could keep her voice down, "And while I still have to talk to Lauren about it, with her blessing, I will accept your proposal about legal custody. Not because I'd make a good parent, but because I know that the good doctor would never allow me to do anything to hurt my little sister. She'll be a good parent… not a screw up."

This time, the brunette did walk away, leaving Mary to walk back to the river to think about their conversation. Bo knew her last statement was unnecessary… maybe even uncalled for, but she just couldn't let it be. Sure, her Mom had played a big role in saving the homestead, her friends… maybe even Bo herself, but she also needed to be sure her Mom knew that things hadn't changed because of one or two acts of bravery. Mary Dennis had left her behind for over a decade and in Bo's mind, she still had trust to earn and Bo wasn't giving in to forgiveness too easily on that front. Honestly, she was unsure if she would ever forgive Mary Dennis… or trust her to stay.

"Come on, Rudy. Lauren and I will tuck you in with stories of Boston." Bo smiled as Rudy ran to her side, taking her hand.

Lauren followed behind, but Rudy stopped, reaching back for her, "Come on, Lauren! I wanna learn about Boston!"

The blonde smiled, taking the little girls' hand with a smile, "Okay, but let's get you tucked in first."

"Wait!" Rudy said, turning towards the river, "Goodnight Little Woot!"

Lauren and Bo laughed, but Rudy took a few steps towards the river, "What's my Mom doing?"

Bo looked up to see her Mom and smiled, "She's praying."

"She prays by singing?" Rudy asked, "I've never seen her do that before."

"You've never seen her in Alaska before. That's another Athabascan lesson. We'll learn tomorrow." Bo smiled, "So, Boston stories?" Bo asked.

Rudy turned to the couple with an excited smile, "I'm gonna hurry up! I can't wait to hear about the big city!"

Bo and Lauren laughed as she ran off to get herself ready for bed.

"Well, there are definitely differences between Bo and Rudy Dennis." Bo chuckled.

"Really? How's that?" Lauren asked.

Bo chuckled, "I would never have asked about a big city let alone get that excited over hearing about one."

"Oh?" Lauren smiled, taking Bo's hand, "And what stories would have gotten a young Ysabeau excited in her childhood?"

Bo smiled, closing her eyes as she leaned into Lauren, "Tales of Denali, Togo - the true hero of the Balto story… that sort of thing." She stared out at her Mom, memories rushing forward, "Any Athabascan tale."

Bo paused, nodding towards her Mom, "You know, she would sing to me like that every night."

Lauren wrapped her arm under Bo's elbow, "So there are good memories of Ysabeau and Mary Dennis."

Bo nodded, "There are. They're just buried under the bad." She smiled, "I loved being in her presence. She taught me how to hunt, fish, sled – she taught me everything. I loved being with her whether we were racing across the tundra or roaming through the backcountry in the Yukon checking traps. I loved climbing with her, ice fishing with her. I loved my Mom so much."

Lauren smiled, "Sounds like you were two adventuring peas in a pod."

Bo nodded, "We really were."

"Well, I'm glad my girlfriend had a happy childhood with one of her parents."

Bo nodded, "I know that's more than you got. I suppose I should be grateful I had a Mom who showed that she loved me every day."

Lauren shrugged, "I had my Nanny and Grandmother. I had a lot of love from them."

Bo was quite for a moment before turning them back towards the house to head inside, "By the way – you called me your girlfriend. Unless you've forgotten or changed your mind, I'm your fiancé, yes?"

Lauren laughed, raising Bo's hand to her lips and kissing the ring on her finger, "Yes and I can't wait until I'm bound to you in every way humanly possible."

Bo grinned, kissing Lauren on the cheek before looking back to her Mom one last time, "I know with how things are right now this might be hard to believe, but… she was my world when I was Rudy's age and beyond." She lowered her eyes, shaking her head, "And that world crashed down around me when she was suddenly gone, Lauren. I just don't know how to forgive her for that."

"Give it time, Bo… a lot of time. At some point, new memories will replace the old and hopefully your heart will find its way… maybe not. In the end, you have a lot of people in your life that you can love and trust who also love and trust you – starting with that little girl inside."

Bo nodded, giving her fiancé a small peck on the lips before they both turned to the sound of the youngest Dennis' voice coming from the back door,

"Sister! Lauren! Hurry up! I'm in my pajamas!"

Bo laughed, "Don't forget to brush your teeth!"

"Oops!" She said, running back inside.

Bo shook her head, smiling at Lauren, "My little sister is a handful… but she's adorable."

Lauren nodded, "That she is."

Bo kissed her hand as they headed up the steps to the back porch. She stopped, looking at the house, "I missed this place."

"Me too." She smiled, "I didn't realize it until I pulled into the driveway."

Bo smiled, "I'm glad you're happy to be here." She took a deep breath taking one last look back at her mountain hovering over the river, "It's good to be home, Lauren."

Lauren smiled, "It certainly is."

"I really don't want to talk about it right now, but – well, we promised no secrets. Apparently, you have something to think about. It's a pretty big ask and my Mom just dropped it on me while you were playing with Rudy and the pups."

"Oh?" Lauren asked.

Bo nodded, "I can hold onto it if you'd rather not carry another heavy thing to bed."

"Your weight is my weight. Lay it on me." Lauren smiled.

"And that's why I love you so much." Bo smiled, "My Mom wants to sign over legal custody of Rudy to me so that if she does something stupid, I have the power to do right by Rudy."

"Wow. That's really… wow." Lauren said, fumbling to find the words Bo might want to hear, but the brunette reassured her,

"Lauren, we're going to talk about this. I'm not going to take on custody of a child if you're not on board with it."

Lauren shook her head, "Don't misunderstand, Bo. I'm completely on board if that's what you want. I'm just surprised that Mary would allow that to happen let alone offer it to you."

"You think I should do it? I mean… if my Mom screws up, it means we would have a kid… possibly a teenager which, by the way, may make me want to poke my own eyes out."

Lauren smiled, "Maybe, but at least Rudy would have her sister-in-law to confide in. I'll always be the cool one when you're playing the heavy."

"Great. I get to be bad cop to your good cop?" Bo asked.

Lauren snickered, "Well, we could always bring Dyson in to play bad cop."

Bo laughed, "See? You already have great parenting advice for me."

"Come on. Let's not keep the little sister waiting." Lauren smiled, pulling Bo along to the house, "We'll talk more about this later."

When they reached the door, Bo turned, looking back at her Mom one last time, the sound of her voice carrying on the wind. She smiled, closing her eyes as the soothing sounds took her back to her childhood. She translated the words in her mind, mouthing them quietly to herself,

"Sleep my beautiful child, I will protect you. Sleep my beautiful child, the spirits will guide your dreams. Sleep my beautiful child, my love surrounds you. Sleep my beautiful child, you are safe, I am here, you are loved."

Bo opened her eyes, "Too bad it was only temporary."

She turned and walked inside.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Talkeetna, Grand Re-Opening of Lauren's Clinic

"…and so, it is with great pride, that I announce, on behalf of Mayor Stubbs, the Ruby Clinic of Talkeetna, Alaska, is officially re-opened for business!"

The crowd erupted with applause, while the dogs both in and outside of the kennel barked in support of the declaration as well. Lauren waved, stepping to the microphone,

"Thank you, Mayor Stubbs and may I wish you a very happy retirement as you ride off into the sunset… what little sun there is… with your feline companion, Miss Tootsie."

Again, the crowd applauded as Lauren watched her fiancé laugh while she shook the front paw of the elected Mayor of Talkeetna. The doctor then ceremoniously opened the front door of the clinic before raising the microphone to her mouth once more,

"Now, I turn your attention to the first emergency medical helicopters servicing the Anchorage-Talkeetna line, courtesy of Lewis-Archer Medical Associates. We promise to provide full time services to our region as long as these vehicles are able to fly. We expect response times to be much faster as we incorporate the new ambulatory services that will service not only our local area but provide support for all of our business ventures inclusive of additional support to existing park rescue services on Denali."

Approval was again reflected in the cheers of the crowd as the choppers lifted off the ground from their landing pads adjacent to the clinic. Everyone held onto their hats and covered their ears, though their eyes remained trained on the grand sight. Once the aircraft were gone, Lauren continued,

"We have all sat through days and days of meetings that have led to this occasion and I'd like to thank each and every one of you for helping us to decide on exactly what support we needed. We hope that by filling the gaps in the previous care provided that we will all live happier and healthier lives."

With a wave, Lauren left the makeshift stage to yet another round of cheers before heading to where Bo and the rest of their family stood. There were hugs and congratulations as people made their way to her before she noticed Stephen, Betsy, Patrick and Penelope having what appeared to be a very serious conversation on the front porch of the clinic with Rudy and Elise.

She got Bo's attention before nodding towards the group. The pair met each other in the open space away from the crowd, Bo speaking first,

"What's that all about?"

Lauren shrugged, "I have no idea."

They walked to the gathering, listening to catch a hint of the topic before arriving at the porch. Bo had decided that the clinic needed a porch so that there was a place for people to leave their boots in the winter or to hang out if they were waiting in the summer.

"This is quite the meeting of the minds." Lauren smiled.

Stephen nodded, "And these two young minds are quite intelligent. Why didn't you tell me there were young children who were ready for University in this town?"

"Really? We can skip the rest of school and go to college?" Elise asked as Rudy nodded her agreement with the idea.

Bo smiled, "Sadly, no. You will both have to report to Mrs. Collier's fourth grade classroom on Monday. Once you finish elementary school, middle school and then high school. I promise that you will both be able to go to any university you choose… if you want to go to… university."

She looked at Lauren who frowned. Clearly, they would have a philosophical difference on the college front.

"So what were we all talking about?" Lauren asked, directing her question towards Stephen.

He smiled, "They were asking about Boston and what it's like to live in the big city."

Lauren could see Bo's shoulders slump, so she gave her a reassuring nudge, "And what did you learn?"

Rudy shrugged, "That it might be a nice place to visit, but here is way more fun. I don't like a lot of crowds and noise and it sounds like there wouldn't be anywhere for my dogs to run unless we drove a long time to the woods."

Elise added, "And they only have snow for a couple of months and it actually melts in the winter. Here it never melts until spring. And did you know that in the summer it can be over a hundred degrees? That's really, really hot! I don't think I could breathe!"

Lauren laughed, "It does get pretty hot there."

Bo frowned as she replied, "But there are beaches where you can cool off if you really want to be there."

Lauren leaned over to her fiancé, "What are you doing?"

"The choice should be theirs." Bo shrugged.

"Well that's very big of you." Lauren replied.

"Believe me, it pains me to say anything encouraging about the big city. I'm terrified they'll want to leave here one day."

Lauren nodded, "Me too, but you're right. They have to live their lives."

Rudy suddenly looked up, gripping Elise's arm. Her friend followed suit before the pair started jumping up and down. It took a few moments for the adults to catch on, but when they began to yell, it became clear,

"Snow! Snow! It's snowing!" Rudy yelled!

Elise smiled, "We're gonna have so much fun! I'm gonna show you all the great stuff we can do in snow!"

Rudy turned to her big sister, "And my dogs can pull a sled, right?"

Bo shook her head, "A little plastic sled, yes, but just the sled, Rudy. They're too young to pull you too. They'll get hurt."

"I know, I know but I just want them to feel like real sled dogs. I think they'll be proud!" Rudy smiled.

Bo nodded, "They'll be just as happy pulling a stick around… probably happier, actually. I don't know that they're mature enough to pull together as a team. Give them time to grow up. For now, they're going to be very distracted by the snow, so you'll be fighting their instincts to get them to do things they usually do without question."

"That's what Mom told me too."

"Well, Mom is right, so don't push them too hard." Bo cautioned.

"Or I'll ruin them forever. I know." Rudy sighed, tired of being reminded about things over and over, "I heard you the first time."

Bo cocked her head as she warned, "Careful there, Little Miss Attitude. I hope you know because I'd hate to see all of their training go to waste. One of them is going to be your Harper one day."

"And I'll be a champion?" Rudy's eyes went wide, her smile beaming.

Elise elbowed her friend, grinning, "Only if you can beat me!"

Rudy laughed, "We should take turns winning!"

"Okay. Deal!" Elise nodded.

They friends shook on their deal and turned their attention back to the snowflakes that were quickly sticking to the ground around them. Bo looked up at the sky, noting the start of sundown would soon be approaching. The light was beginning to fade closer to darkness, something Bo welcomed. She hated the endless hours of daylight that took over from late spring to early fall… always had. It sounded depressing to some, but Bo enjoyed the change from light to dark and back again. She also never minded the endless hours of darkness in the winter. The glow of the white snow under the moon was plenty of light for her taste. Besides, the dogs knew the way even when she couldn't see where she was going.

Stephen slapped his hands on his lap, "Well, I think it's time we head inside. My old bones can feel the temperature dropping."

Lauren smiled, "Do you need anything in the apartment?"

Betsy shook her head, "The place is great, Lauren. Really."

The doctor turned to her other friends, "Patrick? Penelope? Is Kenzi taking good care of you at the hotel?"

Penelope smiled, "She's the best. We're actually going out in Anchorage tonight."

"You are?" Lauren asked.

Penelope nodded, "Your Nurse friends, Kenzi, Vex, Tamsin, Kyle and Kurt are all going with us."

Bo and Lauren looked at each other before Bo replied, "Oh. Well… have a good time then."

Penelope held out a hand, "Wait… you two aren't coming?"

"Are we invited?" Bo asked.

Penelope nodded, "Kenzi was going to text you, Bo."

The brunette pulled out her phone and smiled at the five texts her best friend had sent. She scrolled through smiling until laughter struck on the last few texts. She handed her phone to Lauren who grinned,

"Apparently, Bo is a…" she looked at the young girls who were tuned in on their conversation, "… thing I can't mention, and she needs to stop putting her phone on silent so Kenzi can get hold of her in an emergency."

Penelope asked, "A night out is an emergency?"

"Bo being at Kenzi's beckoned call is a basic food group with Kenzi." Lauren laughed, "And booze is – by definition – an emergency in Kenzi's book."

"What about Hale?" Bo asked, "He's not going?"

Penelope shook her head, "Apparently Hale has to work because that Sherriff Dyson guy is going to be here for the weekend."

"Here?" Bo asked.

Stephen replied, "He's guarding the mayor."

Betsy laughed, "How in the world did a cat get elected mayor of your town?"

Bo shrugged, "The town voted him in and when the town votes on something, it stands. Besides, Stubbs has been a great mayor. He always calls for a full town vote on all matters which makes everyone feel a sense of ownership. People are more involved in the decisions, so everyone just seems happier."

"Let's face it. Everyone is happier without Dad making the decisions."

Bo and Lauren turned to see Tosh walking towards them. Bo smiled, walking to her big brother and giving him a hug,

"You're late."

Tosh smiled, hugging Lauren, "Sorry I missed your big opening, Doc."

"I'll forgive you this time, but don't let it happen again." Lauren smiled.

Bo loved the relationship that had been growing between her fiancé and brother. The two were spending more time together when the family came to the homestead and they'd both found common interests in breeding and raising puppies. In fact, they were planning on a new litter in spring if all went well.

Tosh gave a nod towards Mayor Stubbs and Dyson, "I'm so glad I got to see Sheriff Thornwood guarding the Mayor, though. Did anyone get any pictures of that?"

Everyone laughed as Tosh continued, "Big bad Dyson's big security detail is guarding a cat against would-be assassins. Poor bastard. As if getting rejected by my sister wasn't bad enough, he's reduced to cat-guard."

The whole group laughed until Tosh added,

"Okay, people. That's enough gloating. I probably should be more grateful to the man. We should all remember that our Bo would be dead now if Dyson hadn't intervened when she was in prison all of those years ago."

Bo's mind was instantly thrown back to the cold cell where she was left wet and bloodied by Big Jim after her dogs had been shot to death in front of her. Just as an image of Dyson stepping in came to her, she felt a warm hand on her neck and looked up to see Lauren's kind and caring eyes firmly set on her own. The blonde smiled as Molly's voice filled the air,

"What do you say we all head down to the hotel for Kenzi's big brunch? This is supposed to be a celebration, remember?"

Tosh grinned, "Yea, I hear my little sister's getting hitched! From misfit to married in a year, huh?"

Bo shrugged, "What can I say? I mean, have you seen my fiancé? How could I say no?"

"Hey!" Lauren protested, but Tosh wrapped an arm over her shoulder, replying in a sarcastic tone,

"Don't worry, Lauren. We all know she really loves you for your mad dog sledding skills."

The blonde slapped her future brother-in-law in the gut, "I'm laying down the challenge, big brother. When that snow is deep enough, it'll be you, me and a three-dog team from the clinic to our homestead. Loser cooks dinner for the whole family."

"Speaking of food, can we go? I'm starving!" LJ insisted, leading the way down Main Street.

Bo and Lauren followed, the blonde snuggling into Bo's arm, "It's chilly out here."

Bo nodded, "Did you want to run into the clinic and get something to wear before we go?"

Shaking her head, the blonde smiled, "You'll keep me warm. You okay?"

Bo nodded, "I'm okay as long as I have you to anchor me to the present."

"Always." Lauren smiled.

"Okay then, let's get these dogs back to the kennel so we can go eat."

Lauren noticed the two little girls following the larger group and yelled to them, "Rudy! Elise! You've got to feed your pups before you feed yourselves!"

The pair came running back to Bo and Lauren, calling out to the puppies and the other dogs. They all came running when Bo gave a whistle to help the pair with getting the dogs to obey. Looking up once more, Bo turned to Lauren,

"I should have checked the weather. This looks like it could get bad, Lauren."

"I thought you said the snow in September was usually just flurries."

"Flurries for Alaska, but a normal amount for the first snow back east for you." Bo replied.

"Let's grab some coats from the kennel. I have a feeling a lot of people will need them." Lauren suggested, "I'd rather not start flu season any earlier than we have to. I do not want a repeat of last year."

Bo nodded, "Me either and I'm sure Kurt would agree as well. At least no one will be poisoning the water."

Lauren smiled, "Do you think Kurt is happy with his new job?"

"Haven't you heard him? He can't stop talking about being the Chief Engineer of The Lewis-Asher Sky Rescue Team!" Bo laughed, "Now that Kyle's getting around better, he's free to do what really makes him happy and flying… well, he's just in his element when he's in the air."

Lauren nodded, "We really have to come up with a better name for the team. I hate having Lewis-Archer slapped on the side of everything."

Bo shrugged, "I'd say you two have more than earned it after putting up with Evony for all of those years."

"I suppose." Lauren said with a shiver.

Bo took Lauren's hand spinning her back to pull her close, "Let me give you a hug… warm you up a bit."

Lauren didn't question the gesture, immediately tucking her head into the crook of Bo's neck as the brunette spoke softly,

"Lauren, I just want to thank you for… well… you and Stephen… you've injected life into this town by bringing the clinic, the hospital and now the Sky Rescue team to us. I guess I just want you to know that, personally, I'm grateful for what you've done for Kurt. I've never seen him so happy. Of course, before I really wasn't paying much attention to him because I was stuck in my own shit. But since our friendship has grown, he's become very important to me and to my family and friends. I just… thank you."

"Bo…" Lauren smiled, cupping her face, "You never have to thank me for what I do here. This is my home now, too and what's good for them is good for me and my family… and for you. I guess what I'm trying to say is that my motives are purely selfish." Lauren laughed.

"Aha. The ulterior motive is finally revealed." Bo smiled, "But I don't ever want you to think I'm taking what you offer… all you gave up… for granted. Bringing in that specialist for Kyle has made all the difference."

Lauren smiled, "She's my friend too, Bo. I want only the best for everyone here and if using my former title and connections helps me to achieve that, then so be it."

Bo nodded, pulling Lauren's hood up on her jacket, "I know you're cold, so let's get moving."

Smiling, the doctor nodded, "Just so you know, I really like Kurt and… well, all the volunteer work he did last flu season getting me to patients who were out of reach… he's such a good man and… well, I want him to be happy and proud of the work he's doing. While it's noble that he volunteered his time, his plane and all of the fuel, I also knew that he couldn't continue to fund his own charitable work. I'm happy that I could employ someone with his work ethic to teach the emergency personnel that applied to work for the rescue service."

Bo smiled, "Happy employees are the best employees. I speak from experience. There's an energy that's been injected into this town with Evony expelled and Lewis-Asher, Inc. taking over. You two know how to run a company and achieve all of the goals. Happy employees, happy customers, happy community, great products. Mostly, I just think everyone is glad that bitch-from-hell is gone."

"Well, any step away from Evony was bound to be a step towards happiness." Lauren commented as they entered the kennel.

Bo nodded, "Amen. You grab a pull cart of coats and I'll settle the dogs in with the girls – then, we'll get to the party."

"Okay. Meet you back here in fifteen." Lauren smiled.

"See you soon." Bo winked.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Dal Riata, later that evening…

"It's so good to get out of that hotel and into my happy place." Kenzi commented as she and her friends sidled up to the bar, waving for a round of beers, "Granted, it's a lady lovin' kind of establishment, but since Hale had to work tonight, I can just get smashed and watch all of you ladies dust off your muffs."

Bo cocked her head, "For your information, my muff is very well dusted now that we're back in Alaska."

Kenzi closed her eyes, "Eeewww. I do not need the details of you and the Doc, thank you very much."

"No details. I just wanted you to know that everything in that department is a-okay. Exceptional, in fact. With my Mom and Rudy moved into that outer room, the loft is a-rockin'!"

"Again. Eeewww!" Kenzi said, lifting her beer and taking a long, long swig.

"Geez, Kenz. Pace yourself." Bo said, watching her friend wave down the bartender for another beer.

"There will be no pacing tonight. Maria is covering the hotel and I intend to live life to the fullest. You never know when Momma's gonna get another free night."

Bo shrugged, "I told you to hire a manager, Kenzi. If you did that, you wouldn't have to work every damn day."

"What? And give up the one place where I can drink all day for free?" Kenzi asked.

Bo shook her head, "Your liver is on a one-way trip to…"

"Oblivion. Now go. Have fun with your lady love. The dance floor awaits." Kenzi said, turning around and spotting Lauren, "And it looks like she's started the first dance without you. Better go stake your claim, BoBo or that chick is gonna try to step in on your woman."

"What?" Bo asked, immediately withdrawing the mug from her lips, swiping her mouth dry and turning to face the dance floor. It took a moment to find her, but when she did, her jaw dropped open at the sight of her fiancé, arms overhead, eyes closed and hips swaying in perfect rhythm to the music. Bo was mesmerized, her body completely aroused by the sight before her. They should have come out dancing long ago. Bo wasn't particularly into dancing. She didn't really know how to dance… publicly… but when she was a kid, she would dance with her friends at school dances on weekends… native dance.

The sound of the music was replaced by the silent screams of anger in her mind when she saw a woman come up behind Lauren, her body meeting the blonde's. Lauren's eyes remained closed until a hand wrapped around her waist. Her eyes flew open, her face covered in shock as she quickly pulled the woman's hand away and stepped back.

The woman said something to Lauren. Bo didn't have to hear anything to know that Lauren wasn't happy with the comment. She went to move forward but was shocked to see Lauren shove the woman back. The blonde spat out a reply, a firm finger wagging in the other woman's face, but apparently the offender hadn't learned her lesson. She smiled, offered the blonde a laugh and then moved towards her again.

Vex spoke, leaning into Bo's ear from behind, "You going to step in there, Bo? That woman is hitting on your hot, hot lady love, Dearie."

The brunette kept her eyes on Lauren, not turning towards Vex's voice, "Lauren can take care of herself. She doesn't need anyone to rescue her."

"You sure about that Lovie?" He asked.

But Bo was already watching the fingers of her fiancé's right-hand curl into a fist before she cocked her elbow back and let the hammer fly. The woman fell back into her friends, gripping her jaw, a mix of pain and shock on her face. Lauren was immediately flanked by Penelope, Caroline, Shannon and Kelly who held the blonde back as her finger once again wagged at the woman while she shouted something Bo couldn't hear over the music.

When the altercation was over, the crowd was cheering Lauren's right hook and the ladies were dragging the blonde over to Bo. The brunette welcomed the blonde into her arms, whispering,

"That was hot!"

Lauren laid her head on Bo's chest, "I think I broke my hand on her face."

"I know a doctor." Bo smiled.

"Seriously. That was stupid. My hands are my job. I need ice." Lauren frowned, showing Bo her hand.

The brunette took the pained limb into her hand and kissed the reddened knuckles, "Was it worth it?"

Lauren looked back over her shoulder where the woman was being shoved into a booth, "Absolutely."

"What on earth did she say to you?"

Kelly couldn't help herself, "She said Doc looked like a top-notch fuck."

Bo looked at Kelly, "She said what?"

Kenzi spit out her beer, angry eyes landing on Kelly before she grabbed Bo's arm, "Easy there, killer. Doc already handled it."

"No. She really didn't." Bo said, taking two steps forward, but Kenzi's grip was persistent,

"Bo, don't go starting anything. We're just here for a good time."

Bo turned to the bar, "Shirley?"

"Yea, Bo?"

"Did you see that woman that hit on my fiancé?"

Shirley nodded, "Sure did. Nice move by the Doc. Notice she stood up for herself and didn't break any furniture, Bo? Then again, not the type of words I like to hear thrown around in my bar."

"Yea, well I didn't like what she said to her much either. Do you know her?"

Shirley shrugged, "Tourist, far as I know."

"So you wouldn't mind if I took out the trash?"

Shirley shrugged again, "Not as long as you and your friends make up the difference in my pocket."

Bo patted Kenzi on the back, "That's why we brought Kenzi."

The brunette smiled, but the younger raven-haired patron's mouth dropped open, "Are you paying my tab?"

"Drinks are on me tonight, Kenzi." Bo replied.

"Really?" Kenzi asked, a big grin stretching across her face.

Bo nodded, "No top shelf."

Kenzi released her friend, clapping her hands together, "Do your worst, BoBo… but don't break Shirley's furniture. Kurt has a new job so he doesn't have time to fix it."

Kenzi paused, gripping Bo's upper arm before the brunette could take a step, "And don't kill her Bo."

Bo nodded, "Leave the humans alive. Got it."

Kenzi turned to Shirley who grinned down at the young hotel owner from the elevated bar, "Vodka?"

"Shirls, you know me too well."

The bartender winked, "Not well enough."

"You know I don't swing that way, Shirls."

"Too bad." She smiled, setting the glass in front of Kenzi and giving her a long pour.

"Come to Momma!" Kenzi said, squealing with excitement.

Bo smiled at Shirley, "Take care of her."

"I've got her, Bo. Long pours until she's slurring, watered-down short pours until her head hits the bar."

"Thanks, Shirley. I'll just be a minute. No charge for the trash removal."

Shirley nodded, "I don't want Dyson down here, Bo."

"No worries. He won't be needed." Bo smiled, taking her coat in hand, "Besides, he's on the Mayor's detail right now. Hales in charge down here as far as I know."

Shirley watched as the brunette gave a confused Lauren a kiss on the cheek before exiting through the rear of the bar.

"Where is she going?" Lauren asked Shirley.

"Oh, I think you'll recognize her when she comes back in through the front door." Shirley smiled, "Then again, you mostly know the new Bo Dennis, so you might not recognize her when she comes back in."

Shirley gave a nod to the door as it flew open, slamming back against the wall. A dark figure entered, snow dusting over the a tanned, fur-lined hood and black leather gloves. The person looked left, then right as the mumbles started to rush through the crowd,

"That's Bo Dennis."

"She looks pissed."

"I thought she was nice now."

"After she killed all Big Jim's men for what he did, I wouldn't count on it."

They watched as Bo turned to the woman in the booth who was holding a glass to her jaw. Bo took several steps in the woman's direction, the crowd continuing to whisper,

"That was the woman the Doc punched."

"Oh, man. She hit on Bo's girl. She's a dead woman."

"Didn't your hear Kenzi? They're engaged. She hit on Bo's wife-to-be. Definitely a dead woman."

Another client called out to Shirley who smiled and waved her off. Lauren saw Shirley smile, her eyes moving to Kenzi who was buried in a drink and then to Bo. She watched as her fiancé moved to the end of the table before quickly covering the distance across the now-still dance floor. The music was silenced as all eyes turned to the scene before them.

Lauren moved to Bo's side, reaching into the hood and lifting the brunette's chin so that her eyes met her own,

"Bo, it's okay." Lauren said, worried. She hadn't seen Bo's eyes like this since the first day they'd met… the day of the strangers going toe-to-toe with Bo in Tosh's store.

"Nah. It's really not. A woman shouldn't treat any woman like." She turned back to the woman in question who was looking at the worried faces around the bar. She straightened up in the seat, turning slightly towards Bo as whispers of the 'dangerous woman' filtered through her ears.

Bo pulled her hood back, her steely black eyes glaring down at the woman. She opened her coat and shrugged it off of her shoulders, revealing her muscled frame.

"Whoa." The woman said, her eyes roaming over Bo's body.

"If I were you, I'd keep your eyes on mine or the lady next to me… my fiancé… will likely hit you with another right hook."

The woman's eyes darted around, unsure of where to go before they finally landed on Bo's, "Uh… I…"

"Don't speak. Just listen. You do know what listening is, don't you?"

"Uh… yes… I mean…"

"You see, you're not listening. You're speaking. I told you not to speak."

Bo pulled a knife from the sheath on the back of her waist. As much as she tried, she still had not abandoned carrying a weapon with her wherever she went. Right now, she was grateful she hadn't stopped carrying. She had no intention of actually using it on the woman, but she certainly appreciated the intimidation factor it was in this moment. She grinned as she leaned in towards the woman, thrusting the knife into the table between the woman's first and middle digit.

"You know, I knew a beautiful, blue-eyed auburn-haired woman like yourself one time, but she was never so disrespectful as to put her hands on someone without an invitation first."

"I… uh…"

Bo lifted the knife and thrust it down between the woman's middle and fourth finger this time, "You're speaking again…"

"Uh… sorry. I…"

Bo lifted the knife and thrust it down between the woman's thumb and index finger. The woman opened her mouth to speak, but closed it,

"Good. You know how to listen. You know, I really should write a book about my teaching methods." Bo smirked, "Now… where was I before you interrupted me."

Kenzi had strolled over to where Bo was holding court. She folded an arm across her body, her other arm waving her drink as she spoke,

"She had no invitation."

"Right. Thanks, Kenz."

"No problem, BoBo. I'm always gonna be the Robin to your Batman… the sidekick to your superhero… your bestie… your confidant…"

"Kenzi…" Lauren cautioned.

The younger woman quietly faked a zipper closing over her lips before tossing an imaginary key over her shoulder and taking a swig of her drink.

"The woman you laid your hands on is my fiancé. She proposed to me and I accepted. Now, unless I'm imagining things, you're not a part of that… not a part of my world… as a matter of fact, I've never seen you in these parts which tells me you're an outsider."

The woman opened her mouth, but Bo pulled her knife from the table and laid the cool steel over the woman's lips before she could speak,

"Now, as a guest in our community, I would hope that you wouldn't come in here thinking that Alaskan women are easy prey for the likes of you. There's no code here… none of that…"

She turned to Kenzi, "What's that saying, Kenz?"

"What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?"

"Right. That's the one." She turned back to the woman, "There's no what happens in Alaska stays in Alaska thing here. There's Alaskans and outsiders. Now… which one are you?"

The woman did not speak.

"Oh, for crying out loud! Speak!"

"Outsider."

"And how long are you here?" Bo asked.

"Three days."

Bo nodded, "So you thought you would come here, bed some of our women and run back to the Lower forty-eight to tell all of your friends back home about your wild Alaskan adventure with the wild women of our state?"

"Uh… I…"

Bo laughed, "Well, you're right. Alaskan women are a wild bunch between the sheets. Too wild for the likes of you. There is, however, plenty of other wild things for you to do while you're here. I mean, this is Alaska after all. It's the wildest wild country in all fifty states. Come on. I'll show you."

Bo donned her coat and pulled up her hood, stepping towards the exit. When the woman remained seated, the brunette turned back to her,

"That wasn't a polite invitation. That was a request. Now, you can either come with me or I'll drag your ass out of that booth."

"Listen, lady. I don't know who you are, but we're not about to let you take our friend…"

A woman from the crowd that Bo recognized as a local spoke up, "That's Bo Dennis and if I were you, I'd do as she asks, sweetie."

The woman turned to the stranger in the crowd, "Well, you're not me and I don't care who she is."

Bo flipped her knife over in her hand, catching the point and throwing it just past the woman's nose into the wall at the center of the booth, taking the napkin from her hand with it,

"You were saying?" The woman in the crowd asked.

"Amelia, come on. Let's just go."

The women all nodded, standing from the booth. Bo smiled, "Great! A group experience. I love it!"

"Bo…" Lauren cautioned.

The brunette turned and smiled at her fiancé, "It's okay, Lauren. I promise. I won't hurt them."

"Hurt us?" Amelia asked, "As if you could take us all?"

"Oh boy." Kenzi laughed, "You ladies just don't know when to quit, do you."

The second woman looked at Kenzi as she pulled on her coat, "I hardly doubt that you can help her."

Kenzi turned to Lauren, "Hold my drink."

Bo put up a hand, "I've got this, Kenzi. Come on, Ladies."

Kenzi looked at Lauren, rolling her eyes, "They're so lucky Bo called me off. I would have taken those women to church! You know what I mean, right Vex?"

Vex patted Kenzi on the back, "Sure, Kenz. We know what you mean."

The brunette opened the door for the three women, following them through the exit after a quick glance to Lauren. They headed outside where the snow was falling much heavier. Bo was grateful they had stopped for their winter gear before heading to dinner. They would have been barhopping in short sleeves and Lauren would be dealing with hypothermia again.

"Now what, bad-ass?" The woman asked, hands on hips.

"Now, you three ladies walk away. Head to some other bar in some other town or better yet – go catch an early flight back to wherever you came from. You're not wanted here."

"Says who?"

"Says me."

Bo turned to see Vex standing next her, his knife at his side.

"And me."

Bo looked to her other side to see a woman she recognized from the jewelry store down the street from the Kennel.

"And us."

Bo turned, seeing Lauren's nurses. She smiled, earning a smile in response. She looked beyond them and say the bar emptying out as more and more of her townspeople came to her side. Finally, Lauren came to stand beside her,

"You put your hands on me without my permission. You were vulgar in your approach to a woman who was a total stranger… an engaged total stranger. I can't imagine that's okay anywhere, but if it is, you now know that it's not a welcome behavior here."

The stranger laughed, "Dang! You guys are totally blowing this out of proportion! I didn't mean anything by it. Geez, I'm sorry. She's a beautiful woman and I was just telling her how hot she was! As if none of you ever told a girl she was hot and desirable. It was a compliment!"

Bo stepped towards the woman, "What you said to my fiancé was not a compliment! It was crude and disgusting – especially coming from you, a total stranger! Then you put your hands on her?"

"Oh shit, Amelia. What did you say?" The woman's friends said from either side of her.

"What?" She laughed, "Guys, she's hot. I just referenced what a good… uh…"

"Fuck she would be?" Bo asked.

"Shit." The woman's friends replied, stepping back from her as Bo approached.

"Walk." Bo said, her eyes shiny, dark and still as steel.

"What?" Amelia asked, stumbling backwards as Bo approached.

"Walk." Bo repeated.

"What do you mean walk?" Amelia asked.

"Walk." Bo said, giving the woman a shove towards the woods behind her.

"Walk?"

"Walk." Bo insisted, pushing her again.

"Bo!" Lauren called.

The brunette turned, smiling at Lauren, "I'll be home late. Don't worry."

"Bo!" a voice called from the bar entrance.

"Yea, Shirley?"

"Don't you break your promise."

"No Dyson or Hale."

"No Dyson or Hale." Shirley replied, tossing a pack to Bo, "Take the wilderness pack, Bo. I mean no disrespect to you and your knowledge, but the weather is turning and the outsider may need it."

Bo caught the pack and gave the bar owner a nod, "Right."

She turned to the woman, "Here… Amelia. You may need this."

She tossed the pack to the woman who caught it. She looked at her friends who just shook their heads.

"Julie! Kendra! Do something!"

The pair shrugged, "You're the one who wanted to meet the Iditarod Champion, Bo Dennis when we came to Alaska. Now, you'll have a chance to actually spend time with her."

"But that was before I knew she was… she's crazy! Look at her!" Amelia shouted, her eyes meeting Bo's.

Kenzi raised her glass, "You really shouldn't call her that. She doesn't like it! She's just all kinds of angry at her former life! Nothing crazy about being angry! Angry is just… well… angry!"

The pair disappeared into the woods as the gathering of people watched. Lauren turned to Kenzi,

"I've never seen her like this, Kenzi. What will she do?"

Kenzi chuckled and smiled, "Educate her."

"What?" Lauren asked.

"She's going to educate her, Lauren. You know, teach her about life?"

"Teach her what?" Lauren called as Kenzi turned, heading back into the bar where it was warm and dry.

She answered the blonde as she walked, waving her glass in the air, "Fear and how it keeps you from doing stupid things… or maybe she'll give her the life appreciation lesson… maybe the humble beginnings lesson…"

Shirley moved to Lauren's side, "Hi. I'm Shirley."

Lauren turned to the older woman, "Hi. I'm Lauren. Bo has told me a lot about you. It's nice to finally meet you."

Shirley shrugged, "I'm one of Bo's best kept secrets."

Lauren nodded, "Well, I'm glad she had you to keep her… human… all of these years."

Shrugging again, Shirley smiled, "Yea, well there wasn't much humanity in your fiancé's life for a lot of years. Someone had to teach her how to be human or Big Jim would have been successful at having her put down."

"So she said." Lauren nodded, her eyes searching the trees for any sign of the brunette.

Shirley placed a hand on the doctor's shoulder, "She'll be out there for hours."

"Shirley, she won't hurt her, right?"

The tavern owner laughed, "Maybe just a little bit. Mostly, she'll just teach her."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Lauren replied, taking one last look at the woods before following Shirley inside.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Dal Riata, Three Hours Later…

Kenzi was passed out in the booth while Kelly, Shannon and Caroline sat watching Lauren stare out of the window into the woods, while her teeth wore her nails to the nub.

"Lauren…"

"She should be back by now." She looked up at the three women crammed into the booth seat across from her, "What if something happened? I can't believe you told her what that woman said!"

"I'm sorry, Doc. My inside thoughts became my outside thoughts before I could stop my inside thoughts from coming out. Ow!" Kelly said turning to glare at Shannon who was glaring right back.

"Lauren, you really need to relax. Bo has lived out there her entire life. You know that just as well if not better than the rest of us. She'll be fine."

Lauren shook her head, "She was so mad at that woman… that Amelia."

Kelly nodded, "She sure does get jealous."

Lauren turned to the youngest of her nurses, "What does that mean?"

"Kelly!" Shannon whispered, elbowing her again.

"What? It's true. You saw her the other day when Kyle came into to the clinic and they hugged."

Lauren scowled, "That's ridiculous. Bo knows that Kyle and I are only friends. She also knows that Kyle is with Tamsin."

Kelly shrugged, "Is she? Tamsin hasn't been around much."

Lauren looked at Shannon and Caroline, "Did something happen with Kyle and Tamsin?"

The pair shrugged, Caroline offering a reply, "Not that we know of, Doc. Ignore Kelly. You know she's just stirring up trouble. It's what she does best."

Lauren nodded, turning back towards the woods where Bo was appearing from between two trees, dragging something.

"God, Bo!" Lauren headed for the door, pulling her coat from the rack so hard that the whole thing tipped over.

Kelly, Caroline and Shannon stood, looking out of the window, taking only a moment to realize that Lauren was going to need their help. They chased after her leaving Kenzi behind.

"Bo!" Lauren yelled, pulling up her hood as the wind whipped her in the face, the sharp sting of small crystals of ice pelting her skin, "Bo!"

"Lauren… help…"

The brunette fell forward into Lauren's arms, exhausted, "Fell into the lake… she's barely…"

"We've got her, Lauren." Caroline shouted over the sound of the wind, Kelly helping her to drag the woman into the bar while Shannon helped Lauren with Bo.

They entered the bar, Kelly shouting to Shirley who ran over to the pool tables, whisking away the balls and pushing everyone back,

"Sorry, folks! Emergencies before games. Someone call up that Sky crew. These folks are gonna need a ride back to Talkeetna."

Lauren shook her head, "No time for that. Shirley, I'm going to need two bottles of whiskey, the sharpest knife you have, a good light and all of these people out of my way."

"Amelia!" Came the voices of the woman's friends, but Penelope stepped in and backed the women up.

"Step back, Ladies. Let the doctor do her job."

"Doctor?"

Penelope nodded, "Yes, she's a doctor… the only doctor."

"That Bo woman did this! She tried to kill Amelia!"

Lauren turned towards the woman, pushing her back against the wall, "If Bo wanted her dead, she would have killed her right where you're standing hours ago."

Stepping back, Lauren remembered her professional oath and released the woman, "Come here."

She moved to Bo, lifting her arms, "See these slashes? I've seen them before. This was a bear."

She moved to Amelia, "Bo said she fell into the lake. Help me."

Lauren instructed the woman to help her roll Amelia onto her side where, as suspected, she found red and blue claw marks on the woman's back,

"She tried to run from the bear. Bo was probably shouting at her to stop, but Amelia has no experience here. Her fear response kicked in and she ran."

"That's the last thing you should do with a bear, sweet cheeks." Shirley commented, laying the things Lauren had asked for on the pool table, "Brought you ice too."

"Ice? She's frostbitten!" The woman replied.

Lauren nodded, "Yes, and anywhere but in Alaska, you wouldn't use ice, but here, it's exactly what we do on open wounds. Especially wounds this deep that I can't close right away. They have to thaw out slowly. Bo dragged her through the snow on her back intentionally to stop the bleeding and freeze the skin so that I could suture it properly. There will be less scarring and less chance of infection."

"Can you save her?"

Lauren nodded, "There's a good chance if I get to work right now."

The doctor turned to her Nurses, "Let's get to work, Ladies."

"Wait. I thought you were the only doctor?"

Shirley nodded, "She is, but these are her nurses. You got into a scrape with the right people, darlin'. Need anything else, Doc?"

Lauren shook her head, "Not just yet. Shirley, can you give Kurt a call? We're going to need a ride in about thirty minutes. We left him at the hotel."

Lauren moved around the table to Bo, speaking to her nurses, "Shannon and Carolyn, you take Amelia. Kelly, you're with me."

"Got it, Doc."

Shannon and Kelly each grabbed a bottle of whiskey, pouring it over their hands before handing the bottles to their surgical partners.

"Dang. Wasting all of that good booze." Kenzi said aloud before Vex covered her mouth and pulled her back to the bar.

Lauren rolled her eyes at Vex, causing him to shrug and reply, "Sorry. I didn't realize she was no longer unconscious."

They all set to the tedious task of removing clothing from areas of frostbitten skin. Bo was much better off than Amelia in that regard, but the claw marks on her forearms were deep and pieces of torn cloth were imbedded in the wound.

As Lauren worked, her anger grew, "Why are you always hurting yourself?"

She poured the whiskey directly into the wounds, causing Bo to wince with pain, despite her barely conscious state,

"Lauren, what are you doing!" Kelly questioned her bosses' actions.

"She obviously enjoys pain. I'm just giving her a prescribed dose. If she's going to continue to do these things to her body, then I will certainly start helping her in her efforts to be sure to finish the job in dramatic fashion."

The blonde stopped when Shannon gripped both of her wrists from behind, "I believe it's now medically unethical for you to treat this patient, given the nature of your relationship with her, Doctor Lewis. I'll take over with Miss Dennis. Why don't you handle patient number two?"

Lauren exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding and lowered her head. She nodded and turned to Amelia. The wounds on her back were deep. Much deeper than she had originally anticipated now that the clothing was removed, and the snow washed away.

"Shirley? We're going to need Kurt as soon as possible."

"He's already on his way. Didn't have anywhere else to be since Kelly was doing girls' night."

The younger nurse laughed, "Some girls' night this turned out to be."

Shannon shook her head, "Remember who you're working on. Focus and do a good job."

Kelly's face grew serious, "Right."

"Shirley, do you have any clean white towels?" Lauren asked.

"I've got new ones in the back… still in the bag."

Lauren shrugged, "They'll have to do."

Caroline asked, "You don't like new ones?"

"She could have allergens to factory oils or dusts that we're not aware of. We'll have to use alcohol on the towels before applying them to her wounds. We'll have to keep them moist until we get to the clinic."

Kurt entered the clinic, pulling off his goggles and shaking out his hair, "Doc?"

Lauren looked up to see her friend and Chief, "How is it?"

He shook his head, "Storm blew in quick. It'll be a rough ride, but I can do it. White out conditions are grounding everything else but our bird can handle this… I'm sure of it."

"I trust your judgement." Lauren replied with a nod, "I need about five more minutes to stabilize this patient. You can load the other as soon as Shannon and Kelly give you the okay."

Kurt waved his co-pilot back to the chopper for two sleds to carry patients on before stepping forward, pulling out a pen and clipboard,

"Patient names?"

Lauren looked to the two women standing over by the window who replied, "Amelia Kelly."

Kurt looked up after writing down the name to see Lauren's scowl as she spoke, "Ysabeau Dennis."

The pilot frowned as he shook his head, "Shit. Again?"

Lauren shrugged, "You know my fiancé. When the world needs saving, she's there to handle it. I just wish she would realize she's flesh and bones just like the rest of us." Lauren tossed a piece of bloody gauze into the trash can, "She shouldn't have been out in the damn woods to begin with."

"What is it?" Kurt asked.

"Oh, you know… took on a bear again… and lost. Forearms this time." Lauren said, shaking her head.

"Defensive wounds? She didn't have a knife on her?"

Lauren looked down at Bo's lower leg, noticing the knife still in its sheath, "Looks like she didn't have time to pull it out."

"So she was saving this other woman?"

"I'm not sure, Kurt." Lauren said, taking the towels from Shirley, "I'll need the highest proof alcohol you have."

Shirley laughed, "That would be Bud's moonshine. Be right back."

"Bud's moonshine would be better on the shelves in your clinic than the shelves in Shirley's bar. No one whose got any sense drinks that stuff. She buys a case from him every month to help him out, but she uses it to clean counters, clean cuts after bar fights and then throws the leftovers out before he makes his delivery."

Shirley returned with a bottle which Lauren took. Removing the cap, she instantly pulled her face away from the opening, her face twisting in disgust,

"My gawd! What is that? It smells like it's pure rubbing alcohol."

Kurt shrugged, "Secret family recipe. No one knows. I'll tell you though, one sip of that and you'll sleep like a baby all night long."

Lauren nodded, "Good to know."

They soaked the rags before applying them to Amelia's back then watched as Kurt and his co-pilot carefully moved the woman into the sled, wrapped her in blankets, covering her completely before carrying her outside. They returned shortly after for Bo, Lauren, Shannon and Caroline, leaving Kelly to clean up the mess with Shirley.

"I'll pick you up as soon as I can Kelly." Kurt shouted.

She nodded, "Fly safe, baby."

"I will." Kurt said, giving her a smile before following the other nurses through the exit.

Kelly turned to Amelia's friends, "You'd better make yourselves comfortable. You're gonna be here for a while."

"But we're staying at a hotel up in Talkeetna. We rented a car to drive down here. Can't we just drive back?"

Shirley shook her head, "Come with me, Ladies. Let me show you why natives in these parts call outsiders like you Cheechako."

"What in the hell does that mean? You're the third person who has said that to us."

Kelly laughed, shaking her head, "It's not a compliment, darling."

Shirley opened the door, pushing the two women onto the porch, counting, "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight…"

She laughed when they ran back inside, shaking off the snow and grasping their throats, as they coughed and rubbed their eyes. Shirley closed the door and called out to the patrons,

"Anyone whose here is gonna need a room. You'll have to share, so come to the bar in groups. Four to a room, six max if you use the floor. I'm not a full-service hotel. I've have ten rooms for rent. If they're full, you're sleeping down here. Twenty bucks per person on the pool tables, ten bucks to sleep in a booth. You're sucking up my heat, so you pay to stay. Flat rate of ten dollars will get you hot stew for dinner and pancakes for breakfast because that's what Kenzi will want when she wakes up."

Shirley looked at Kenzi, shaking her head, "Soak up all that damn Senor Malbec she drank. She really has to find a new man in her life. Something more like Dr. Pepper. Her liver's gonna give out before the rest of her."

The two visitors turned to Kelly, "What the hell is happening out there?"

Kelly smiled, "That, my dear ladies, is called a good old-fashioned Alaskan snowstorm."

"Snow storm! It's September!"

Kelly smiled, "And this is Anchorage, ladies. Now, my name is Kelly. Are you going to continue to be rude or are you going to try to make some friends during your stay here so Shirley doesn't see fit to kick your asses to the curb?"

"She wouldn't!"

"You're not in Kansas, darling. She certainly would. This is her property, her rules." Kelly stood, hands on hips, "Names ladies – real names because I'm sure you aren't Julie and Kendra like Amelia said before you left."

She stared hard at the two until they finally caved,

"I'm Hallie."

"Meredith."

"Okay, Hallie and Meredith, do you have cash on you?"

They both nodded.

"Great. Go get in line and reserve a space to sleep."

The pair looked at each other before Hallie turned to Kelly, "Uh… can we stay with you?"

Tossing the last of the towels into the trash and pouring more whiskey onto her hands, she replied, "I've got Kenzi, Penelope and Patrick with me. If you want to sleep on the floor, you can join us."

"Won't it be cold on the floor?"

Kelly shrugged, "Bear skin rugs, so probably not."

"Real bear skin?"

"Furs?"

Kelly shrugged, "People around here do what they have to do to survive. If your friend hadn't run from that bear, Bo would have scared it off. If your friend hadn't run, Bo wouldn't have had to step between your friend and that bear to save her life. If your friend hadn't run, Bo would have had time to pull her knife and do more damage to the bear than it did to her."

Kelly knew she was raising her voice, but she just couldn't help it. Like everyone else, she had become part of the Bo and Lauren fan club… Bo especially since she seemed to have more in common with the brunette than she did with the doctor and the other nurses. She had taken to spending days off working at the Kennel and she really liked it. She was starting to wish she had gone into veterinary medicine. She was much better with animals than people.

"We're sorry for the trouble Amelia caused. She has a way of sticking her foot in her mouth when she drinks. We thought she was just going onto the dance floor to blow off a little steam. We had no idea she was going to hit on your friend let alone put her hands on her like she did. We couldn't get to her fast enough…"

"That woman was not just my friend. She's also my boss. She is originally from Boston and is the world's most famous cardiothoracic surgeon. Now she's here, taking care of the people of this region. She's building a new hospital and she's making a difference. People are just very protective of her… not that she needs protecting as your friend learned."

Hallie laughed, "I've never seen anyone take down Amelia with a single punch."

"She had it coming." Meredith replied.

"Sure enough." Kelly replied, "You'd better go pay Shirley and let her know you're using our floor. She'll want to account for every patron. I've got to go check on Kenzi… get her up to bed."

The pair walked to the bar leaving Kelly to walk over to Kenzi. She stood over her, hands on her hips shaking her head. She smiled, brushing some of the hair from her face to check her breathing. It was strange to Kelly to look at this woman – only two years her senior – and think about how close they had become since she made the decision to stay. Kenzi was like a sister to her. They had similar personalities, and they both enjoyed fashion, food and booze. Their boyfriends were always close friends, so the four of them had begun to hang out together at the hotel more and more over the last six months. She leaned down and tapped Kenzi on the shoulder,

"Kenz… Kenzi!"

"What!" Kenzi said, her head shooting up, mouth open, drool coming from the corner of her mouth.

"We're staying here for the night."

"What?"

"White out. We're snowed in. Come on. We've got a room upstairs."

"Right." She replied, leaning on Kelly who waved to Patrick and Penelope. The pair waved back, deciding to stay put for a little while longer just in case Lauren called with news about Bo.

It was going to be a long, cold night. It wasn't the first and likely not the last time they would all wait up while Bo lay in a hospital bed and Lauren stood vigil. At least this time, it was just Bo's arms. With any luck, she wouldn't lose any function. There would be no sledding without arms and hands that work.

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