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?

29. Chapter 29: Claustrophobia

A/N: Hello all – I hope this update finds all of you in good health. Thank you again for all of the reviews and well wishes sent through messages. I am so grateful for all of you. I continue to work in small spurts on the next chapter of FOW as well as the reposting of my stories. I wish I was able to do this full time, but that's just not in the cards right now. So, please except this chapter of a token of my intentions to continue writing.

So, the reunion is upon us. Both women are changed by their time apart, so let's see how this goes!

Be safe and well,

Cuddles

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Chapter 29: Claustrophobia

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Talkeetna Clinic – Four Hours later

Dyson and Hale had flown down from the North Slope once Tamsin had notified them of what had happened at the race. Canadian law enforcement had granted custody to the country of origin, but the men would be charged and serve prison time in both countries. Of course, they were charged with multiple counts of attempted murder, so they would likely die of disease or old age before they ever saw the light of day again.

Amelia approached her boss, "Lauren? The chopper with the rest of the dogs and personnel have landed. They're taking the dogs to the clinic. There's another guy coming here. I haven't got a name yet, but he apparently 'ran interference' at the end of the race, allowing Bo to finish?"

Searching her memory, Lauren nodded when she realized who it was, "That would be the man who drove two of the three offenders off the course."

Amelia nodded, "This is a little awkward, but… well… Bo's bringing him down. Apparently, LJ left her truck at the Kennel so she would have a ride home. So… um… if you want me to handle this case… I mean, if you aren't ready to see Bo… I can sort of… run interference?"

Lauren sat, staring at the case file in front of her. She wasn't really reading it… she hadn't been for the last thirty minutes. She sighed, closing the file,

"I think I'll take you up on that offer. I'm pretty tired. I think it's all the adrenaline from the past few days."

Amelia nodded, "You haven't slept much, so it's probably a good idea. I'm not sure what's wrong with him but I'll will call whoever I need if I can't handle it on my own."

Lauren stood, turning to the doctor, "I'm glad that everything is working out with the new staff. Are you sure you don't want to interview the candidates we have coming in for your department before they sign their contracts?"

Amelia shook her head, "Everyone has been quite complimentary about the people you have hired so far."

Lauren chuckled, "Except Shannon."

Amelia nodded with a smile, "Shannon's a tough sell."

"Yea, well I'll talk to Shannon. Dala is one of the most talented surgeons I've seen in recent years. I was lucky enough to observe her at work the day of her interview. A leaky aortic aneurysm that was on the verge of rupture came in. None of the other staff wanted to touch it since it adjoined the arterial supply of the right kidney, but Dr. Mujambi jumped at the chance."

"Sounds like she likes a challenge."

Lauren shook her head, "It's more than that, Amelia. She's a team player. She didn't just cut – she assembled a team to help her work through the procedures. All of those doctors that weren't willing to risk taking the loss on their record were more than willing to participate in the think tank before the surgery."

"Did you sit in on the meetings?"

Lauren nodded, "I was in the room 'on a call' with Stephen, so they couldn't ask my opinion. When the meeting ended, she sat and sketched out a plan that cobbled together the various strategies presented at the meeting."

"Sounds like you've found your mini-me." Amelia smiled.

The blonde smiled, "It's more like I've found my surgical twin."

"Well, according to Shannon, she's got slow hands."

"She's got deliberate hands." Lauren defended, "There's a difference – one that will prevent lawsuits and that's something that the board will be all too happy to hear."

Amelia nodded, "Although I must say that this board doesn't seem as concerned about the bottom line as others I've worked for in my career."

Lauren smiled, "Yes, but this board is composed of only previous medical personnel, so patients and best medical practices will always come first. It's the first premise of our mission as a health care group. If we can make this work and keep a viable profit margin, it is our hope that other hospitals will follow our lead."

"Well, I'm here to help. Let me know if I can help at all." Amelia smiled.

"Thank you, Amelia. And thank you so much for handling things while I was in Boston."

"It was my pleasure, Lauren. Did you hear that the Gauthier Family is arriving this week?"

Lauren smiled, packing her paperwork into her briefcase, "Yes, I'm happy to hear that's working out. Do you know if they found a job for Henri yet?"

Amelia shook her head, "Betsy told me that Greta's job with Boston Insurance Capital will be sufficient for now. Her primary account will be Lewis Archer Inc., but she will also do remote work on other accounts. She's officially their first nationwide employee."

"Is Henri okay with that?"

Amelia smiled, "He's happy to be home with the kids for now. He wants to be sure that Tomas and Leah transition to the schools here and that he's home with Thea while she finishes her rehab from her most recent surgery."

Lauren nodded, "Sam Chapman performed the surgery. I'm so glad he came back to work for us after Evony mistreated him so badly."

"We lost a lot of great surgeons to her antics."

"We did, but luckily Stephen and I managed to get most of them back. We still have about twenty-seven hold outs. I gave them vacation days up front, so they have three weeks to report for duty or we'll assume they're finished. A few of them had demands we just couldn't meet and, well frankly, their requests were insulting. I think they expected Lewis Archer Inc. to make up or what Evony did."

"Um, wasn't that the reason for the payouts from the lawsuit?"

Lauren nodded, "Yes, but these doctors are the ones who did not join the suit. They didn't stand up to Evony with the rest of us, so now they feel we owe them something. Stephen and I do not feel that is the case. They had a chance to get their due, but they chose the run and hide option. That's not exactly the type of doctor I want working on my staff. I want those who will go to bat for their patients and argue with their department heads, chief or even me if they think we're wrong."

Amelia smiled, "You're a formidable foe, but I've won a few battles."

Lauren grinned, "That you have."

Amelia noticed a truck pulling up outside, "If you want to miss Bo, you need to leave now."

Lauren looked over her shoulder and saw Bo's truck, "I feel like such a coward, but I really don't want to do this here. You'll tell her I'll see her back at The Homestead?"

Amelia nodded, "I will."

"It's probably better that she doesn't know that I came by snow machine anyway."

"True." Amelia smiled, "Go on then."

"Thanks, Amelia. See you Monday morning for the staff meeting at the hospital."

"See you Monday, Lauren."

Lauren headed for the rear exit of the clinic, grateful that Carolyn had hired Path and Slate to install parking and engine heaters for snow machines out back. She stepped through the door into the new rear cold room and closed the clinic door behind her. Pulling on her cold weather gear and backpack, she unplugged the extension cord attached to her snow machine engine, donned her helmet, mounted the ride and hit the starter.

With a look at the clinic door, she headed down the trail through the woods to the General Store. She hoped that the package she had sent ahead from Boston had come and that Molly had wrapped the Christmas gift for her.

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Two Hours Later… The Homestead

Lauren had arrived to smiles and hugs – particularly from Rudy and Elise. Everyone had many questions about the race, but most had been handled by Kyle before she had arrived.

The rest of the family had eaten, but the dinner table was still full as she sat and ate her share while the group talked and laughed, then talked some more. Her bold stance against Kat was a big topic of conversation, garnering praise from Acacia who told her she missed her calling as a Fed. They talked about the group who had attacked Bo. Both Dyson and Hale agreed that any remaining fans of Big Jim would surely get the message to steer clear from now on.

Dyson made his exit early, hearing that Bo was on her way home. It was the first time he'd been in her home and he wasn't sure that he would be as welcome by the younger Dennis as he was by her Mother.

Hale left soon after Dyson to meet up with Kenzi at the hotel. She had been up to the clinic to see Bo and was heading back to have dinner with him. Hale let the family know that Bo would be there in about twenty minutes and all eyes turned to Lauren who excused herself to take a shower, leaving the rest of the family remaining.

Mary stood, "I think it best that we do not linger too long tonight."

"Maybe we shouldn't have come tonight." Kyle said, "This could be awkward for them."

Mary nodded, "If they want to be alone, they will go outside or upstairs. If they do either of those, we will know to make ourselves scarce. We have plenty of time to get reacquainted."

Carolyn agreed, "Since we don't know what's going to happen with them, maybe we should all make a quick exit now."

"While I would love to extend my congratulations to Bo for her historic victory, I agree with Carolyn. The circumstances of this return are… well, she and Lauren will have a lot to talk about. Mary, do you think Bo will be upset that we didn't wait around for her?"

Mary shrugged, "I can certainly explain your early departure if she asks, but I think given the circumstances of her departure and long time away, I doubt that a large crowd of people is going to be something Bo feels comfortable around this soon. Maybe easing her into the family again with small group gatherings is better."

Acacia's phone rang. She looked down, "It's Tamsin."

She stepped away from the group, but all eyes remained on the agent knowing that Tamsin was likely still with Bo. When the call ended, she turned to the group,

"Well, that confirms it. Tamsin is recommending that we give Bo and Lauren some alone time tonight. She's also bringing two guests so the house, so wants time for them to get acquainted with Mary and Rudy before everyone else."

"Guest? Who?" Tosh asked immediately.

Acacia shrugged, "I don't know but Tamsin said they she had done background checks on both and they're clean."

"Let's honor Bo's wishes." Mary suggested, turning to Molly, "If you don't mind, would you be able to prepare two rooms in the barn before you leave?"

Molly nodded, "Of course. Are you still up for the sleepover tonight?"

Mary smiled, "I don't think Bo will mind Elise being here. I'll take them over to Rudy's House at the appropriate time. The two of them will actually be a big help in getting the dogs settled after they're fed."

"Hopefully LJ fed them when they arrived at the Kennel." Kyle said, "I'm pretty sure she'll be bringing the ones that ran the race here. She'll want to watch them for the next forty-eight hours just to be sure there are no post-race issues."

Carolyn's phone rang. She looked down at the screen, "It's Kelly."

She stepped away from the group while Shannon and the rest of the family watched. When she hung up, she turned to the group,

"A little more information. The house guests are the two Mushers from the race who were injured when they tried to intervene on Bo's behalf. One of them is being discharged from care by Amelia with strict instructions for bedrest. The other has a broken rib, concussion, broken hand and a lot of bruises. Kelly is going to stay in the clinic apartment tonight. She's too tired to make the trip back here."

Kyle nodded, "I'm falling asleep sitting up and I wasn't flying around in a chopper or caring for injured patients for two straight days. Her Training Officer is tough."

Shannon stepped towards Carolyn, "Okay, so Lauren's exhausted, Bo will be exhausted, Kelly is staying in town. Maybe at least one of them should stay with us? We have Kelly's room and the guest room finished."

Mary interjected, "I thought the two of you were staying in the guest room?"

Carolyn smiled, "Our new bed came today, so we'll have our first official night in our home tonight."

"Really? It's all finished?" Molly asked.

"Yup. Thanks to my wonderful partner here, the construction guys took the last of their belongings out today, the cleaning service was in right after and we made the bed just before we came over here." Carolyn beamed.

Tosh shrugged, "Great. That means you can get to work on my home, right?"

Shannon laughed, "Sure. All we have to do is stick some firewood in there, lay a mattress on the floor, hook up the coffee pot to the solar battery and you're good to go, right?"

"You know me so well, Shannie." Tosh laughed, wrapping his long arms around both women and pulling them into a hug.

"You know, Pops, you could actually have some furniture in this house." Mark suggested.

Tosh shrugged, "Maybe I'll put a chair on the porch so that I have a place to sit and enjoy the scenery while I whittle."

LJ laughed, "You and your whittling better finish that chess set you've been promising me for two Christmases."

Tosh smiled, "Sorry. I suddenly had two little sisters, so didn't have as much time as I expected."

Molly looked at the time, "Okay. It's time for us to head out before we run into Bo. We'll probably pass her on the road in anyway. We can honk and wave."

The group agreed, everyone gathering their belongings and heading out into the garage. When they were all dressed for the weather, dogs were hitched to sleds, snow machines and trucks were started and everyone headed back to their respective homes.

Shannon and Carolyn took a seat at the dining room table with Mary once everything had been cleaned up. Kyle stayed behind to wait for Tamsin. They, too, would be spending their first night in their riverfront home, though they would be roughing it on their sectional sofa. Furnishing a new home hadn't been a priority for them since it would be more of a vacation or weekend home than a full-time residence. Tamsin's job would still find her traveling on a regular basis once Bo's case was officially closed. Kyle still had to go to her stores in Anchorage and Point Siku on occasion, so she intended to continue to stay in her home.

It wasn't long before Lauren came downstairs. The women in the kitchen smiled when they heard Rudy and Elise call her name, asking her to join them for a game of Go, Fish. Naturally, Lauren obliged for several rounds until she heard the garage door open.

The girls followed Lauren into the kitchen-dining area.

"Rudy and Elise, put on your coats first. You can go with Kyle to help Bo and Tamsin with the dogs. Remember what we discussed. They've had a very long trip, so…"

"I know, Momma. They're very tired and need to sleep, but we need to rub the white stuff on all of their legs first. Keep Lauren's dogs and Harper inside tonight, right?"

Mary looked at Lauren and smiled, "Okay with you?"

The doctor smiled back at the girls, "Are they invited to your sleepover?"

The two girls jumped with excitement as they looked at Mary, "Can they? Huh? Momma can they stay at our house?"

Mary laughed, "Yes, children. They can stay at our house, but you should check with your sister about Harper."

Kyle stood and led the girls to the garage. Lauren walked towards the door, but then stopped and turned to Shannon and Carolyn,

"I noticed everyone else left except the two of you. What did I miss?"

"Bo is bringing the two Mushers who helped her in the race back here. Molly set up rooms in the barn for them before she left, but depending on their injuries, we may have them stay with us. Kelly said one is on complete bed rest and the other has a concussion, rib and hand fractures and lots of bruising."

Lauren nodded, "They'll need overnight observation. They can stay here."

Shannon stood, "With all due respect, Doctor Lewis, they've been evaluated by doctors at the clinic. This is a job for Nurses now. We will tend to their needs either in the barn rooms or in our home."

"So, your home is finished?" Lauren asked.

Carolyn smiled, "Yes, as of today. Kelly was too tired to make the trip back here. She's staying in the clinic apartment tonight with Kurt, so we have her room and our guest room at our house. We can take them both back to our house. We both have off tomorrow, so it's not bother for us. We're just going to be putting finishing touches on the interior and setting up our Kennels for when we get our dogs."

Lauren smiled, "How are the lessons going?"

Carolyn grinned, "I'm totally in love with it! It's so much fun, but Shannon is definitely more athletic than I am."

"Well, she's already had a few lessons from Bo, so you'll catch up." Lauren smiled, looking at the door.

"Well, we're going to head out. It's good to see you, Lauren. We'll give you a call if we have any issues with these guys." Shannon smiled as her and Carolyn moved to the door.

Finally, it was just Mary and Lauren in the kitchen. While the blonde remained planted in place, staring at the door, the older woman watched her carefully. Taking a long moment before she spoke,

"Child? Are you going to go outside and see her?"

Lauren shook her head, "I think I'll give all of them this time together. I'll see Bo when she comes inside."

Mary nodded, "Of course."

Lauren turned to her, "Do you think I'm wrong?"

"I think it's your decision."

The doctor watched as Mary reached for her cane and stood. While the older woman was moving better than when she'd last seen her, the recovery still seemed excessively slow,

"Mary? How are you feeling? I had hoped you would be much better by now."

She shrugged, "My daughter was gone for a long time. I've run out of the medicines I needed to continue improving."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Lauren, the only person qualified to climb Denali other than Bo is Kyle and sadly, her body will now betray her such a feat."

Lauren shook her head, still feeling the guilt that Kyle's condition was because she had rescued her from the fire,

"Is there no one else?" Lauren asked, moving back to sit beside the woman.

"No, child."

The blonde's shoulder's slumped, "And there is no way to order these plants from a vendor?"

"They would not arrive before they had dried up and lost their potency." Mary explained.

Lauren nodded, "I'm so sorry. I promise, I will find a way to get them as soon as possible."

She pulled out her phone, but Mary stilled her hands, "Lauren, I will not die tonight or tomorrow or the next day. I've got time. For tonight, focus on your relationship. The two of you came home for a reason. Take the time… share your experiences over these last four months… share your hearts and determine what comes next. You owe it to yourselves and I would hope – that after all of this effort – that together or apart – you've each decided to make yourselves a priority in your life."

She pushed the chair in and moved towards the door, "Please tell my daughter that I will be awake for some time. I'd like to do some knitting and reading before bed, so if she would like to see me, I would welcome the visit. If not, I'll see her tomorrow. I'm happy to wait so that the two of you can have your time. Just be sure that you send Rudy and Elise home when you're ready to be on your own."

Lauren nodded, watching as the older woman hobbled from the room. The doctor in her was frustrated and angry that her patient had been left in such a state. The friend wished there was something she could do right now. She stood, deciding some tea would be nice. It was a clear night, but extremely cold and windy.

When it was ready, she placed the extra water on the stove with an empty extra mug just in cases Bo wanted some as well. She headed into the living room and stoked the fire, adding a few logs, then curled up on the couch and stared into the fire… waiting…

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Bo paused in the entry way of the house, her heart beating wildly as she stared at the low ceiling and four walls ahead. She whispered to herself,

"It's the house that you built. It's perfect. There's plenty of space. It's open and airy. Just breathe. There are four exits, and you can sleep out on the balcony under the stars if you have to. Just… relax. Don't look up and you won't notice the ceiling. Be normal. Everything is… normal."

She took a deep breath, trying to relax as she stepped over the threshold and into the house. She had been expecting to see Lauren in the kitchen. Actually, she had expected the doctor would greet her in the garage, but she never did. Rudy and Elise wanted hot chocolate, so she made them each a mug with five marshmallows each. She gave them each two cookies and one treat each for Lauren's three dogs since the five of them were having a big pajama party tonight.

She made a mug of tea for herself and pulled on her hoodie. It was a cold night and while the doctors at the clinic were checking out her new-found friends, she had gone up to the clinic apartment to take a very hot shower. It had taken her about fifteen minutes to get inside the door, but she'd been able to talk herself into envisioning a much larger space than it actually was. Once in the hot shower, she'd closed her eyes and allowed the hot water to run on her body until it had run out. She pulled on an old pair of Lauren's sweatpants and a Yale T-shirt which she still had on now. Something about wearing Lauren's clothes made it easier to be inside.

Deciding Lauren must be up in their bedroom, she blew out the candles, grabbed a handful of cookies and headed out of the kitchen. She almost dropped her tea when she saw Lauren sitting on the sofa, her long blonde hair wet from a recent shower. The fresh, clean scent filled the room, mixing with the familiar smell of pine and a roaring fire and Bo knew in that instant... she was home. Suddenly, the room didn't feel so small. She knew the feeling wouldn't last for long, but if she focused no Lauren, she thought she could handle it – at least until the blonde fell asleep.

She smiled at the large Christmas tree in the corner that added some colorful hues to the light orange backdrop provided by the fire,

"Hi." Bo said, her eyes barely meeting Lauren's.

"Hi." Lauren replied, unable to remove her eyes from Bo.

The brunette stood for a long moment, trying to think of what to say next. Finally, she came out with, "Is that seat taken?"

Lauren smiled, "I saved it for you."

"Thank you." Bo smiled, setting her tea on the end table with the cookies. As she moved to sit, Lauren held up a hand, causing Bo's face to drop,

"Before you sit, your Mom wanted you to know that you can say hello to her tonight or tomorrow. It's up to you. She's going to knit and read before she goes to bed."

Bo nodded, "Oh. I forgot. Give me one minute."

She rushed to the kitchen, then returned carrying a square Styrofoam cooler pack,

"Don't be angry with me for using Styrofoam. I know how bad it is for the environment, but it's the only way I had to keep Mom's plants fresh."

Lauren sat up, putting her tea on the table next to the couch, "You have her plants?"

Bo nodded, "She probably already found another way to get them but imagine my surprise when I woke up one morning and the rock where I was sleeping had these little devils under the ice. She thought they could only be found on Denali."

"No – she didn't. She didn't tell anyone that she ran out of ingredients. She said no one other than you and Kyle would be able to handle Denali and she knew Kyle couldn't do it anymore."

Bo shook her head, "I found a whole frozen meadow of these babies. Just a chopper ride away on the American side of the YQ racecourse. No climbing Denali in the dead of winter."

Lauren nodded, "That's good to know because she's been without the medicine for quite some time given her observable symptoms."

"So stubborn." Bo replied, "I'll be right back. Just a minute, okay?"

"Take your time, Bo. I'll be here."

Bo smiled, "I'm glad."

Lauren smiled, watching the brunette head off to the other wing of the house. She suddenly felt warm. She had noticed the clothing Bo was wearing. Her hair was still damp – a telltale sign that she had taken a shower at the clinic apartment and decided to raid Lauren's closet. She had noticed that the brunette was not wearing a bra which meant that beneath the clothing was the warm, soft skin that she had longed for beneath the night sky while onboard the tall ship.

Still, she didn't want to get ahead of herself. She didn't know what Bo's experience had been. When she saw her at the race, she looked… distant. She looked more like the old Bo. But just now, she seemed shy, yet still a bit outgoing and friendly. Friendly, but a bit... jittery. She hoped that the brunette had not decided on a friendship. Lauren didn't know if she could handle hearing those words right now.

She stood, moving towards the fire. She rearranged the existing logs and then added another. Picking up her tea, she moved to the window and stared out at the evening sky. She had always found it fascinating how different it could appear from west coast to east coast.

When she'd left the dock in Boston and spent her first night at sea, there was a full moon that left a trail of reflected light laying a path to the ship. The surface of the water was like glass while the sound of the water lapping up against the side of the ship had a calming effect like nothing else Lauren had experienced. Knowing that the morning would bring no meetings, no patients, no surgeries… well, it made her feel uneasy and relaxed all at once.

After the trip at sea, she'd spent most of her time at the Beach House. She sat out every night from sundown until she was too tired to keep her eyes open. Most nights, Patrick was there to chat her ear off. Some nights they'd go into town, but the best part of the sky at the beach was the sunset and sunrise. It was like the world was offering her a personalized watercolor painting each and every time. No two were ever the same.

Now, as she looked to the sky across the river, the full moon seemed poised to kiss the snowy mountaintop while the stars danced brightly above. The dark backdrop just made the stars sparkle that much more. Seeing this view again she knew… this was her favorite. She wouldn't see many sunrises or sunsets during the summers and winters here, but this view… this gigantic sky that made her feel so small was her favorite. When she first came here, it was something she could never imagine feeling, but here she was in a place that almost made her believe that there may be a God.

She felt two arms wrap around her waist, the scent that could only be Bo filling her senses before she felt the air from her breath in her ear. Her entire body awoke from what felt like a long winter nap,

"Is this okay, Lauren?"

The blonde's voice hitched, before she was able to speak, "It's more than okay, Bo." Lauren leaned back into her chest, her head finding the crook in her neck, "I missed you."

"Did you?" Bo asked.

Lauren turned in her arms, her hands resting on her upper chest. She couldn't look her in the eyes – not yet. The doctor spoke,

"Not at first. I mean… the message you left in my truck after our long goodbye… well, it took every ounce of strength I had not to turn around and run back to you."

"I wouldn't have let you stay, even though I wanted you to."

Lauren nodded, "By the time I arrived in Boston, I'd had almost twelve hours to remember all the reasons I had left. I was angry, upset, frustrated, irritated, tired, and a million other emotions I didn't know how to identify. I just… I went right to Boston Harbor, boarded The Gracie Marie and went for an overnight cruise."

"Elijah." Bo said, her hands loosening around Lauren's waist, but the blonde held them there, shaking her head,

"I know you have history with him, but just please, Bo - just… hear me out, okay?"

Bo nodded, "Sorry. Still working on checking my impulsivity."

"It's okay – as long as you don't mind me checking it for you when it happens. I don't want to change you, but I really, really hate the jealousy thing. It makes me think you doubt my love for you and that's never a good feeling."

Bo used a delicate touch to grasp a strand of hair that had fallen in front of Lauren's eye. She pushed it back and tucked it behind her ear,

"Until you, I had never felt jealousy. But while I was away, I learned that jealousy is fear."

"Fear?" Lauren asked.

Bo nodded, "I never had anything I feared losing… until you… until there was an us. But my fear aside, I hadn't thought that it would be seen by you as a sign of mistrust, but you're right – that's exactly what jealousy is. Thank you for showing me that."

Lauren was floored by Bo's response. No argument. No defending her position. Just listening and understanding. She smiled, looking Bo in the eye for the first time,

"Thank you."

Bo nodded, "So, your friend Eli took you on an overnight sail. What happened next?"

Lauren smiled. Bo really was listening. She could feel her heart quicken. She lowered her eyes to Bo's neck as she felt her cheeks flush,

"He asked me to sail to the Carolinas with the crew. He thought it would be an experience I would enjoy. So, I got Patrick to schedule meetings back-to-back and get as much done in the first month as I could. Then, I was suddenly a full-time working member of a Tall Ship."

Lauren smiled, "It was amazing, Bo. It was the hardest work I'd ever done in my life – I mean, obviously I'd sailed with them before, but never for that long and never that far. There were a few really bad storms – I mean, it was the tail end of hurricane season in the Atlantic, so it was downright scary for about three straight days, but it was also invigorating."

She turned looking out at the sky, holding Bo's arms tight around her, "It took a lot of getting used to… living with the crew day in, day out in such close quarters. Break room together, meals together, cook together, clean together, work the sails together… it's a lot of… I don't know…"

"Togetherness?" Bo asked, the thought of it making it difficult for her to not feel claustrophobic.

Lauren smiled, "Of course, Eli gave me my usual Stateroom, so my quarters were quite nice and spacious, but… well, I'll get into it later, but we had a bit of a falling out, so I eventually moved to the crew quarters at mid-ship. That was super cramped and added to the… togetherness factor, so I switched to the night shift. Most of the women in my bunk worked days, so there were just two of us in there. She always complained about having trouble sleeping in daylight, but luckily, Alaska prepared me for sleeping in daylight… the mask helped too."

"So, Alaska does have its perks." Bo smiled.

Lauren nodded, giving Bo's hands a squeeze, "Many perks."

"So, did you like night shift better for sailing? I would think it would get really cold even though you were heading south."

"Oh, definitely colder, but again, thanks to living in Alaska, it didn't bother me as much as it bothered some of my crewmates. Night shift was also pretty peaceful. As a rule, there's not as much wind at night because of the moon, so I spent a lot of time laying on the deck staring up at the stars."

She turned to Bo, "Would you mind taking a walk? I know you're probably exhausted, so if you're too tired, we can go tomorrow or… well, whenever you feel ready to spend a little time. I don't want to assume…"

Bo smiled, secretly desperate to get out of the house, "A walk would probably help to loosen up my legs. They're actually a little wobbly, so if you don't mind if it's a short one… and the probability of me needing to hold onto you, I'd love a walk."

Lauren grinned, "Are you sure?"

Bo nodded, "Come on."

They pulled on their gear, zipping up their collars, covering their mouths and donning their fur-lined hoods. Once they had their gloves and Mukluks on, they headed out through the garage. The pups were wide awake, so they decided to leash them up and take them out for a while. They walked in silence for a while, Lauren smiling at the excited puppies while Bo took the time to settle her mind now that she was back in the open air. Once she felt she had settled her nerves by breathing in the great outdoors, Bo spoke,

"So, you were telling me about your trip?"

Lauren's eyebrow raised with the surprising question, "You're not bored with it?"

"No, of course not." Bo smiled before her eyes moved back down to the sand beneath her feet. Lauren continued to stare at her profile as she spoke, "I want to hear what you've been up to and how you've been. You know, what you learned about your life and the world while you were away. Whatever you want to tell me. No pressure on anything that's too personal to share."

"What could possibly be too personal to share with you, Bo?" Lauren asked, a bit concerned that Bo would believe there was something she might choose to hide.

Bo shrugged, "You were away for a very long time, Lauren. Sometimes after being apart for so long, people change… grow apart or just… need a little time to get comfortable in each other's presence again. I'm just giving you an out. You know… if you need one. I won't be mad if something comes up later that you didn't want to talk about now."

The blonde nodded but did not speak in reply. She wondered what the brunette believed she had to hide. Regardless, she decided to revert to the original request and talk about her time away. She pointed up to the sky,

"You know, when I would look at the night sky onboard the ship, I noticed that it wasn't as dark as it is here. The moon isn't as bright, and the stars don't twinkle like they do here. I've only been here a year, and the depth of the darkness here has become so familiar to me." She smiled, "I would look up at the sky back east and it was so apparent to me…" she lowered her eyes and spoke quietly, "…and I would wonder if you were looking up at the very same moment that I was... and if you were thinking about me."

She hooked Bo's arm into her elbow for support and asked her, "Do you think we might have shared a sky while we were apart?"

Bo nodded, "I'm sure of it… minus the time difference, of course. I left soon after you did."

"I heard. Where did you go?"

Bo shrugged, "Can you finish telling me about your travels first?"

"You want to listen to the story of my not-so-exciting-adventure?"

Bo nodded, "Yours sounds much more exciting than mine."

"Well, I doubt that." Lauren smiled, "There were no lions and tigers and bears."

Bo smiled, now having seen the movie she was referring to, "Oh my."

Lauren smiled, "You remembered."

Bo chuckled, "Rudy made me watch it seven times in October before Halloween."

"Hey! I was there for six of the seven."

"And I was grateful for your presence." Bo smiled, putting her hand on Lauren's, "Anyway, there were bears, but no lions or tigers. Moose, smaller animals and lots of fish beneath the ice… and one peculiar Bald Eagle."

"Peculiar?"

Bo smiled, "That's a story for another time. We're talking about your trip first."

Lauren nodded, "Well… let's see…"

"What did you do for the holidays?" Bo asked.

Lauren paused for a moment. This might be one of those personal things Bo might jump to conclusions about, but Bo seemed different now. She decided to trust the brunette and moved ahead with the story,

"We spent Thanksgiving on shore. We were in Nantucket, so went out to some bars. Everyone split up to find their people. I headed out with three girls from the ship who knew of some great bars. We danced and laughed all night until the wee hours of the morning. I actually had a drink… then a second one… then a third…"

"Why Lauren Lewis! Were you drunk?"

The blonde nodded, "Well… yes, definitely. The day after was a hangover from hell."

"But you made it back to the ship okay?"

Lauren smiled, "Eventually. When the last bar closed, we took the owner and her bartenders to the ship. They didn't believe that we lived there, so we asked Eli if he would be willing to give a midnight tour and he agreed. That man loves his ship and never misses an opportunity to show her off."

"It is a beautiful ship." Bo nodded.

"They hung out for the night. We sat around the firepit on the dock talking and getting to know one another. It was just a great group of women having a great night together. I actually met two of our new doctors for the hospital that night."

"Oh?"

Lauren nodded, "Yup. Stephen interviewed them a week later and hired them on."

"You didn't interview them yourself?"

She shrugged, "Our WiFi was spotty at best in most ports. When he did their interviews, I was about a hundred miles off the coast, so there was no WiFi."

"So, did they know each other?"

"Oh, I didn't mention… they're a couple… engaged… getting married in April. They have everything planned, so they'll fly home for the wedding, but they're coming to Alaska in two weeks, I think?"

"What kind of doctors are they?"

"Doctor Anna Ricci is going to be our Chief of Psychiatry and Doctor Kate Myers will be our Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery unless Dala decides she wants the position. She's my first choice and Kate is aware of that."

"Who is Dala?"

Lauren smiled, "Sorry. I forgot you weren't there when she arrived. Dala Mujambi. Stephen said if my hands and his hands got together and had babies, Dala's hands would be the favorite child."

"So, I take it that means she's good?"

Lauren nodded, "I had the opportunity to watch her in action, Bo. She's incredible. She's what Harper is to the sledding world."

"Was." Bo said, her face dropping, "Do you mind if we head back?"

"I'm sorry, Bo. I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay. I don't want to go back because you brought Harper up. I want to go back because my legs are killing me."

"Of course." Lauren said, untangling the leashes of the dogs who struggled a bit with the art of changing directions.

"I need to get these little ladies on leads more often." Bo said.

"I'm sure Rudy and Elise would love that job."

Bo nodded, "Yea. We've got a deal. I'll tell you about it later. Right now, I want to know about the great Lauren Lewis giving up control of hiring her Cardio Chief to Stephen. What's that all about?"

She smiled, "A little something I've been working on. Being more decisive in my life and giving up control to people I trust when my plate is too full."

"It sounds like we've both got things we're working on."

"It's a lifelong thing, though, isn't it?" Lauren suggested.

Bo nodded, "Life is a journey and we're all a work in progress."

Lauren smiled, "That's beautiful."

"Thanks." Bo blushed, "So how was Christmas?"

"Well, December was cold with a few mild days mixed in. We hit one or two ports per state, traveling anywhere from forty to sixty nautical miles a day. We were still a week or so away from the Carolinas when the Christmas season really got into full swing in most ports. Christmas on the ship with the crew was a lot of fun. We weren't near a dock, so they sang and decorated the largest fake tree I've ever seen. We did a Secret Santa… I got a snow globe from Lucy and gave a pair of sailing gloves to my crewmate Morry."

"Sounds like fun."

Lauren shrugged, "It was, but then Eli and I had our argument. He was being a little manipulative and pressing the 'us' issue. In that moment, I made the decision that our ongoing friendship wasn't going to work as long as he was holding on to a dream of something more… and I told him so… right before I moved out of my Stateroom and told Hank I wanted off the ship at the next port."

"Oh, Lauren."

She nodded, "I know. He's one of my oldest and dearest friends, but it's for the best, Bo. He's never going to find his true love if he doesn't get past the idea that he and I are an achievable goal. Hank talked to him a few times and when I was leaving, he waved to me from the wheelhouse."

"He didn't walk you off the ship?"

Lauren shook her head, "No. I don't know if we'll ever speak again. It's… hard to lose a friend."

"You love him, so of course it's hard." Bo said, draping an arm over Lauren's shoulder, "So where did you go after that?"

"Patrick picked me up at the airport when I flew into Boston and we headed up to the Beach House after a few meetings."

"I'm sure being with Patrick helped."

"Yes, of course it did. But while I was there, I just felt… I don't know… angry."

"At Eli?"

Lauren lowered her eyes to the front gate, pulling it open, but Bo stopped her,

"I've got an idea. Why don't I build a fire out here and we sit for a while? These two crazy pups still have a lot of fuel to burn, so I'm sure my exhausted team would prefer that we keep them out here for a little longer."

"Are you sure? Aren't you exhausted?" Lauren asked.

Bo sighed, "Honestly…" she looked up at the house and shook her head, "…. I don't want you to think… look… I love our home – I do, but… I was gone for a very long time and I've sort of gotten used to sleeping under the stars."

"You want to sleep out here?" Lauren asked, the shock in her voice apparent.

"No. I mean… I don't think so. It was just that… when I walked into the house, I wanted to walk straight through every room and come straight out here. It's just so… tight."

Lauren nodded, "A little claustrophobic."

"Exactly."

Lauren smiled, "You know, I actually get it. Sleeping in that bunk with nowhere to go… I mean, unless I wanted to swim to land with the sharks, I was sort of stuck on that ship. It's okay, Bo. If you want to stay out here, we can stay out here. I do want to run in and get Harper though."

"Are you sure it's okay for her to be out here?" Bo asked, concerned.

"Do you want to see your girl or not?"

"Yes, but Lauren, I can go inside for a bit to sit with her."

Lauren shook her head, "Ice baths – or snow baths have been part of her recovery. We made some sleeves for her to wear so the cold doesn't burn her skin or cause frostbite in the tissues. The longer she's out here, the better she moves and keeping her moving is essential to her recovery."

"Recovery? She's still recovering? But Rudy said…"

Lauren placed a hand on Bo's, "That's good news, Bo. Harper has gained some additional muscle mass. Naturally, some of the muscle was damaged beyond repair, but her other muscles are adapting to a change in her gait and Cassie says she's definitely getting stronger."

Bo nodded, "Cassie still has the lead on her case?"

Lauren shrugged, "I don't know if you heard, but Dr. Harrow showed up to accept your offer."

"The Iditarod Veterinarian who took care of the tumors on the dogs last year?"

Lauren smiled, "One and the same."

"So, she's the lead?"

Lauren shook her head, "Cassie tells me that they are working together on Harper's case. Neither makes a decision without the other."

"Twice the super brain power."

Lauren smiled, "Yes."

"But even their two brains can't outthink the Lewis super brain."

"Well, I don't know about that. I'm not Vet…"

"Yea, but you're the smartest woman I know." Bo smiled.

"Well, I'm flattered." Lauren smiled, "I'll go get Harper. Are you okay to start a fire?"

Bo shrugged, "I've got my time down to twenty-five seconds."

Lauren nodded, "You really did stay outside the whole time we were apart."

Bo's shrug became a nod, telling the doctor all she needed to know.

"Get to work, Firestarter. I'll be back with your best friend."

Bo sighed, taking in the view of the home she'd built, "Yup. I did good work. The question is, now that I'm back in civilization, will I ever be able to use it again." She sighed, "The snow got deep."

Moving to the woodshed, she opened the door and stopped, shocked at the stacks of wood that lined the walls ten layers deep,

"Okay, I know Mom didn't chop all of this wood. I wonder who had too much time on their hands."

She loaded the wheelbarrow with wood, putting kindling and tinder on top, then grabbed the flint and headed over to the fire pit. She positioned the pile, took a deep breath, then started her stopwatch,

"Go!" she said quietly to herself as she quickly put together a perfect pyre, struck the flint one time and the spark ignited the tinder, "Five, four, three, two, one. Poof!"

She smiled, stopping her watch, her eyes watching the flames climb, engulfing the perfectly seasoned wood from the front row of the shed. She looked down at the watch, tilting it towards the flame,

"Twenty-two seconds. New record." She smiled, heading over to the field along the river.

She found some tall brush and reached down, grabbing it from the root and pulling. She made several trips from the field to the fire, then grabbed a shovel and pushed the snow-covered sand away before pushing the deeper sand into a square u-shaped mound, the opening facing the flames. She filled the open hole with the brush, making two nice beds, then moved back to the shed and pulled out the cushions from the front porch furniture.

Laying them on the brush beds, she turned to her fishing shed with her wheelbarrow, grabbed her poles, pole holders, bait box and cooking supplies, then headed down to the river. She pressed the pole holders into the sand, baited her rods and cast them out into the center of the river,

"I did miss this." She smiled, turning to the fire. She set up the "Y" stakes on either side of the flame, and laid the fish basket across the fire, the ends resting in the grooves, "That'll burn off any crap while I catch something fresh. I miss fresh fish. I took the easy way out the last few weeks. I'm sick of eating meat and muktuk."

She stood down by the river, a finger on each line until she felt a tug, "Come to Momma, fishy fishy."

She moved over to the brush behind the shed and dug into the snow, pulling out some frozen roots, then went back for the fish. She made quick work of cleaning and skinning them, then salt and peppered the insides. She scrubbed the outside of the frozen roots with wet sand, rinsed them and then shoved half of them inside each fish. She turned, walking to the fire where Harper had already made herself at home on one of the beds.

She smiled, staring down at her friend, "Hey my baby girl. How are you, Champ?"

Harper lifted her head, staring at the brunette,

"Yea, I know I've been gone a long time. I'm sorry."

She dropped the fish into the basket then placed it back over the fire. She headed over to Harper, all the while searching her surroundings for Lauren. Seeing no one, she laid down next to her canine friend, propping herself up on her elbow,

"So, I know you didn't get to talk to your little girl, but she did you proud, Momma." Bo smiled, shaking her head, "I had her at the swing position, then me and Scout – that's a new friend of mine, long story but I think you'll like him – we got attacked by these men in the middle of what was supposed to be a quick rest before our push to the finish."

Bo scowled, looking back at the fire as the memories filled her mind, "They had knives… big, long hunting knives. They slashed Scouts' Achilles tendons – both of them - then came for me, but I had already tossed two axes to cut Nike and Diana's lines. Your little girl pulled herself free. She's so strong… so much like you."

Bo rubbed between her ears, "Nike and Diana attacked one guy, Aphrodite took on another and I had the third. What I didn't know was that these other guys came up behind us during the fight. I managed to keep hold of Keegan and Sadie, so those guys didn't get any of our girls, but they stole Scout's whole team."

Bo shook her head, "I watched them pull away… I let them take his dogs."

"Because you needed to save Scout."

Bo's head popped up at the sound of Lauren's voice. She shook her head, "That's the third time someone's gotten the drop on me. I'm losing my touch."

Lauren smiled, "Third?"

Bo stroked Harper's fur, "The first time was the guys who dropped the cub into my team on that training run. The second was the guys who took Scout's team. You're the third."

The blonde smiled, handing Bo a mug of hot tea, "I learned from the best."

"Thanks." Bo said, accepting the cup.

"Harper, come." Lauren said, holding out a large tarp-like device.

Bo sat up, watching as Harper stood on uneasy legs, hobbling over to Lauren.

"Should I…"

"No. She can do it. Whatever you're lying on just isn't solid enough. Watch when she gets into the snow."

Bo watched as Harper's legs sunk into the deeper snow as she moved closer to the gate by the yard where Lauren was waiting. She held up one paw at a time as Lauren lifted the protective suit around her.

"Is that a doggy raincoat?"

Lauren smiled, "I guess you could say that, but it fits tight. The material is waterproof, but it's not lined on the left front leg so that the cold is still able to do its thing. The rest of her skin needs protection from the cold to prevent hypothermia which is why we made it a full body suit."

Bo nodded, "I've got a lot to learn about her condition."

"She'll teach you." Lauren smiled, watching as Harper pranced through the snow towards Bo.

"Wow, she's moving so much better already." Bo smiled.

Lauren nodded, "The cold helps, but the deep snow gives her legs support as do the support stockings that are sewed into the legs of the suit. The left leg also has thin splints that add to the stability of that bad leg."

She nudged Bo who took her face in her hands, rubbing her head, "You love that, don't you? Yes you do. Look at you. You're so happy."

Harper headed down towards the river, almost jogging. She stopped at the edge of the snowbank, staring out at the river. She raised her snout into the air, sniffing several times before heading through the brush down river.

"Where's she going?"

Lauren smiled, "She smells Shannon and Carolyn's chimney. She'll go knock on their door, they'll let her in and give her treats. They'll hang out for a bit, put her back in her suit and she'll come home."

Bo laughed, "So my dog has become little Miss Independence in my absence?"

Lauren shrugged, "Your Mom thinks she's enjoying her retirement. She plays when she wants, runs when she wants, sleeps when she wants, hangs out with friends when she wants, babysits when she wants…"

"She's become the Musher." Bo smiled, "She's done taking orders."

"I suppose. I think everyone decided that you would want her to have her freedom for the time she has left on this earth."

"And how much time is that?" Bo asked, watching Harper slowly trot down river.

Lauren smiled, "Hopefully, she has years left."

Bo nodded, "That would be nice."

Lauren watched as Bo stood and flipped the fish basket over, then walked to the shed and grabbed a couple of her wooden plates, "I take it you're hungry?"

Bo nodded, "Like I said, it's been a while since I had regular meals."

"But you just ate." Lauren chuckled.

"Yea, but I'm still hungry." Bo smiled, "You know you've missed my cooking."

Lauren grinned, "Okay, so you may be right about that. Is it…"

"Salmon. Yup. Of course, I didn't have time to do a buried pot, but I think you'll like it." Bo smiled, removing the basket from the rack and placing it on the flat rock, she opened it, revealing two perfectly cooked filets, "Dig in."

Lauren watched as Bo plated a piece of fish then handed it to her, "It smells delicious. What is that smell?"

"We had salt and pepper in the shed with some sage, then I dug up some sweet root from the base of the tree over there. It will taste a bit like mango and… maybe pineapple?"

"Mmmm… that's… amazing." Lauren said between bites, "It's like mango honey with a kick of pepper. Sweet, salty and spicy. Incredible."

They ate in silence until their bellies were full, then Lauren took a walk down towards Shannie and Lynnie's place, calling out to Harper when she was about halfway there. She waved when she saw Shannon on the porch getting their canine neighbor dressed while Carolyn returned the gesture to Lauren.

Bo cleaned up the campsite, then headed inside to grab some blankets. She looked around the house, then up at the open, high ceiling. Maybe she would eventually be able to adjust to being inside again. She'd done it before, she could do it again, right? Shrugging, she moved back to the shed and pulled out the lean-to shelter, placing it over the beds. She made sure to shovel some of the sand over the edges around the base to hold it in place should the winds kick up overnight.

She stoked the fire and added some wood, then moved to the perimeter of the yard to grab some additional rocks off of the rock pile, building the walls of the firepit higher. She left a single opening facing the shelter knowing it would serve as a heat vent that would stream heat into the structure. It was a trick she had learned from her new friend Scout. Finally, she reached up to the top and grabbed the two waterproof tarps, clipping them into place down the front supports on each side, leaving the zipper between left and right sides open for now.

Satisfied everything was in place and secure, she looked up to see Harper walking next to Lauren along the river berm. Harper was in the deep snow and Lauren was in the sand along the water. The blonde pulled up her hood, shielding her face from a sudden gust of high winds and shoved her hands deep into her pockets. Bo looked back at the set up and shook her head. Lauren would never last the night outside. It was dipping down into single digits already and she was certain the temperatures would be below zero before long.

Heaving a sigh, she resigned herself to the fact that they would sleep apart tonight – not that she was expecting to share a bed with Lauren so soon. It just would have been nice to be close to her.

She smiled as Harper hopped over the brush and into the deep drifts along the fence before winding her way down to the campfire. She crawled right into the shelter and made herself comfortable, her face sticking out of the gap in the front. Lauren approached from the other side,

"Wow. This is some set up."

Bo nodded, "My new friend – his name is Scout – showed me how to build a heater from a campfire."

"You turned the firepit into a rock tower?" Lauren said, examining the design.

"You pile the rocks up until they meet at the top so all of the air is forced out of the opening over here on the side." Bo said, pointing to the opening near the shelter, "All of the air is forced into the shelter."

"Does it get warm in there?"

Bo shrugged, "It's bearable… well, to me it is, anyway. But I'm used to sleeping in subzero temperatures. The shelter isn't insulated so the air can still pass through and – well, the whole hot-air rises thing…'

"So, some of the heat goes out through the opening at the top of the shelter along with any toxic fumes." Lauren concluded.

Nodding, Bo agreed, "I suppose I could rig a small tent inside that would add to the insulation... or find a way to add insulation… a fleece liner of some sort."

"Do you have a tent?"

"In the garage I have a three-person tent. It will be colder out here than that overnight, but I guess with the heat from the fire, it could work if I added it to the inside of the frame and tarp." Bo replied, considering how she might add the extra layer of protection."

"Well, while you figure it out, I'll go get the tent." Lauren suggested.

"Lauren, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I don't think you realize how cold it will get out here. I really don't think that you…"

"In case you haven't figured it out, I missed you, Bo Dennis." Lauren said, the fire revealing glassy eyes as she stood opposite the brunette. She circled around the rock structure until she was at the vent that now streamed hot air towards the shelter. She turned slightly away from Bo and stared down, hiding her eyes.

Bo wanted to reach out to her… she really did. She wanted to say she missed her too, but she didn't want to mislead her. She wasn't ready for… that. She loved Lauren more than she could possibly say with words but the thought of being in a confined space… of being inside a tent… she didn't know if she could do it. Maybe just until she fell asleep…

"Mmmm… that feels good." She smiled, looking across the river at the mountain, "There were days where I barely thought of you. Some days I thought of you and I was just angry – I wasn't even sure why. Then, as I started to figure out that I was actually angry with myself, I started to realize that I missed you… but I was stuck on that damn ship. Then I went to the beach house and well, I got caught up in work, my routine, my anger… and just like that, I was confused all over again."

"So why are you here?" Bo asked, unsure if she wanted to know the answer.

Lauren stepped towards the river, the wind kicking up and sending a shiver down her spine. She cinched her hood at the neck and put her hands in her pockets,

"You know… that mountain has fed that river for hundreds of years. It snows, the sun comes out, melts some of the snow, the water flows down the mountain, pushing sediment and water into the river and the cycle keeps going over and over, year after year. It follows the same routine every day without fail."

Bo stood, waiting for Lauren to say more, but there was only silence for a long time. She knew Lauren had a point she was trying to make… she always did… but Bo didn't get it… or maybe the blonde just hadn't gotten to it yet. She stood, wondering.

The winds were blowing harder and flurries began to fall. Bo looked up, noting the stars were no longer visible. The clouds were moving in. She took a few deep breaths and noted the absence of some odors that had previously been present. The air was colder, and she could smell the wetness of the air on the wind. It was going to snow tonight, and she was worried about Lauren sleeping out here – snow or not. Still, the house was nearby if the blonde needed to go in. She turned when she heard the blonde speak again,

"My love for you is like that mountain. It's the biggest love I've ever had. It feels as tall as the sky. I think I was afraid of being up there. It was scary. The higher up you go, the further the fall. Nadia reminded me every day for years that I wasn't good enough for love. She reminded me that I wasn't built for love… that I couldn't prioritize love…" she lowered her eyes, "… and I believed her."

She turned to Bo, revealing the glimmering tears reflected in the firelight,

"But while I was away, I regained my faith in my heart – in my ability to love. I believe in us. I just had to believe in myself first. Evony did a great job of telling me all about why she was so important – so necessary. Deep down, I had started to believe her. I had to get over that and… well, once I started choosing staff, soliciting board members who wanted to invest in building, patient-based hospital and healthcare system, I had realized a dream I didn't even know I had. I have a new mission… a new goal that moves beyond just saving heart patients. I can save so many more by finding and hiring the best doctors from all around the world."

She moved towards Bo, "I have confidence in my ability to love, to be a surgeon and to build a hospital that all of my employees and patients will be proud to enter. And I also have deals for additional facilities in Boston, two in Michigan, three in New York and additional inquiries from other states. I'm going to work with Stephen, Betsy, Patrick, Penelope and my core team of doctors in each hospital to change the face of medicine, Bo. People may still die in our hospitals… we're not Gods, after all… but they will die after getting the best possible treatment. Despite Evony, despite Nadia… I will rise above my past and live the dream I've always had for the way I want to practice medicine… and I'll have a personal life as well."

"Speaking of Nadia…" Bo began, "… you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"I went to her grave while I was in Boston." Lauren said, quietly.

"Are you okay?"

Lauren shook her head, "It's surreal, you know? I can't believe she's gone."

"What happened, Lauren… I mean… if you don't mind talking about it. Shannon and Carolyn didn't share any details. I mean, I got back from my incident with the bears, then I was on a plane to the North Slope and then the hospital and then I went to Denali…"

"And then you disappeared." Lauren said, her voice cold and sharp.

Bo nodded, "I know but when I saw you on the North Slope, you wouldn't talk to me… you didn't need me… but Harper did. I left her because I was worried about you and you didn't need me."

"You saw that I had Airynn."

Bo nodded, "Yes. You had Airynn and you wanted nothing to do with me, so I went back to Harper."

"You run in the wild with your dogs because you've always been able to count on them. You've never been able to count on a human and the one you thought you could was me… and when you saw me with Airynn, you thought you couldn't count on me either."

The brunette agreed, "I needed to learn to trust… humans. I needed to find myself… my humanity."

"And did you?" Lauren asked.

Bo smiled, "I'm… changed, Lauren. All of this… it feels familiar and yet… foreign. The only thing that pulls at my soul here is you."

"So, what are you saying?" Lauren asked.

"It's going to take me some time to figure out how to… feel the movement of life here. I'm an off-gridder again. Not as wild as I was when you first met me, but… I am who I am. I need to be me and that person is a part of this land. I can't… no, I don't want to lose that part of me again. Can you live with that?"

Lauren smiled, "When we first met, you were happy with me, but you were an off-gridder. Then, I tried to socialize you and… well, you got angry… and anxious and… antsy. I tried to change you like Nadia had tried to change me and then I didn't like the new version of you that I had helped to create… and I blamed you… and her. But it was my fault. I allowed it."

She paused for a long moment before surprising Bo with her next reveal,

"She was just crossing the street… waving to a woman she was dating. They were meeting for coffee. Nadia had lost her license to practice medicine and that made her realize how much she had loved her career. She chose a new way to save lives. She took some required courses and that day, she had an interview to become a paramedic. She had just finished her interview…" Lauren smiled, "She got the job…" She paused for a long moment, "Oddly enough, the woman she was dating was our accountant when we were married."

She stalled, lowering her eyes. Bo wanted to step towards her, but she held her ground, giving the blonde her space until she continued,

"The light changed, she stepped into the crosswalk and a cab didn't stop at the light. They say she died instantly. Her girlfriend responded to the call for interviews. As soon as I saw her name, I stepped out and allowed Patrick and Joshua to handle her time, but I saw her in the lobby on her way out. She said she couldn't sleep. She just kept seeing her get hit over and over again."

"That's… horrible."

Lauren shrugged, "She explained it in such detail and her eyes were… vacant… as she spoke. Before we parted ways, I insisted she make a call to my friend for a counseling session. She's been seeing her ever since and is doing better. It's going to take some time."

"I'm sure." Bo replied.

Lauren nodded, looking up at Bo, "I never really understood PTSD until I saw her like she was that day. I talked to Faith Gray regularly while I was away. I had finally realized that you had multiple events like the one Nadia's girlfriend had and yet you were still waking up each day and putting one foot in front of the other, brushing off all the bad stuff."

She shook her head, "I'm sorry I never thought about how those events shaped the very essence of who you had become. I think I'd be angry and protective of the things that mattered in my life too."

Bo noticed the shiver of the blonde's body, "Do you want to go inside?"

"If it's okay with you… where you go… I go… at least for the next day or so?"

Bo smiled, "Agreed. I just… I really don't think you'll make it through the night out here, Lauren. I don't want you to…"

Lauren shook her head, "I want to try if it's okay with you."

"I'm not about to tell you what to do. I just… it's snowing, but it will get worse. We're already in single digits and you're clearly freezing. It's going to go below minus twenty."

She smiled, "Then you'd better keep the fire going."

Bo smiled, "I'll go get the tent. Why don't you get into the shelter with Harper. She'll keep you warm. You can feed the fire through the whole in the side of the rock pile."

Lauren nodded, "I'll go inside and get blankets."

"I already got them. I'm going to grab my sub-zero sleeping bags too. They'll zip together so that we can use body heat to help keep us warm."

"Bo? Are you sure you're going to be okay? I mean… in that small space?" Lauren asked.

Bo shook her head as she walked away, "You just get warm. I'm fine."

Lauren slipped several pieces of wood from the pile into the opening, then slipped beneath the shelter. She pulled the blanket up around her neck and smiled when she felt Harper lay along the back of her body,

"Thanks, girl. You're warm."

She laughed when Harper let out a groan, "It's warmer in here than it is out there, but it's still cold in here. Maybe Bo's right. This is crazy. The ground is frozen and we're laying on it. I guess you don't mind sweet girl, huh?"

She pulled another blanket on top of herself, pulling this one over her head with her hood. She shivered every time the wind blew until finally, after about fifteen minutes, the wind subsided. That's when she heard the shovel. She lifted her head and opened her eyes to see the shadow of Bo moving around the outside of the shelter. She looked down towards her feet and realized that the brunette had put the tent over the shelter, a stream of heat entering the small space via a hose.

Several minutes later, the wind rushed in when Bo opened the zipper. She came inside carrying a very large sack,

"Lauren?"

The blonde lifted her head, "Bo?"

The brunette smiled, "Are you okay?"

"Just cold."

"Here. Can you stand up for just a moment?"

Lauren did as asked, calling Harper to her, "I thought you were going to put the tent inside?"

Bo shook her head, "I found these sample strips of fleece that companies tried to sell us for inside the baskets of our new sleds." She handed Lauren two very large plastic bags, "Put the plastic on the grass, then the fleece, then we'll lay the tent tarp over it all before we put the sleeping bags down."

The pair worked quickly, making the adjustments before Bo turned to Lauren, holding up the sleeping bag,

"Strip off as much of your clothing as you can and then get inside of this."

"Bo, it's still freezing in here." Lauren said, staring at the bag.

"It will just be for a minute. Your gear is meant to keep the heat in, but you have no heat, so it's actually keeping the heat that's in the tent out. It's not as cold in here as you think. Trust me, okay?"

Lauren nodded, "Are you sure you are okay with me being…"

"Naked?"

Lauren nodded, pausing when Bo began to disrobe as well. She hadn't mentioned that she would be removing her clothing as well. When she revealed the soft, chiseled body that Lauren remembered from the first time they'd done this dance together, her breath hitched. Bo looked up, waiting for Lauren to speak. The blonde was barely able to form words,

"You've been working hard."

Bo smiled, "I've been living off-grid. It's a hard life."

Lauren looked away, quickly stripping off her clothes. She immediately sought the cover of the blanket more to quell her libido than because of the temperature, "Cold, cold, cold… freezing…"

"Keep the blanket over you. I'll get you into the bag."

Lauren stayed wrapped tightly in the blanket while Bo maneuvered the bag under and over her. Once the blonde was in, Bo crawled inside with her, quickly pulling her close. The blonde's head found it's familiar home atop Bo's chest,

"You're shivering."

"Cold."

"This is crazy, Lauren. I'm going to give you ten minutes. If you're not warmer by then…"

"Fifteen. I need fifteen. I'm okay. I'll be okay. I don't want to be away from you tonight."

"I'll sleep inside, Lauren."

"No. You won't. You'll lie awake until I fall asleep and then you'll stare at the wood surrounding you and go back outside. You'll leave me there and I'll wake up without you and I need to… I need to have you near me."

"Why? What are you afraid of, Lauren?"

The blonde's eyes flooded with tears, "Honestly?"

"Always honestly." Bo replied.

"That I'll change my mind."

Bo nodded, "You know, it's okay if you do. There's this very nice apartment over the clinic in town. There's some townhouses being built near the hospital."

"You heard?"

Bo laughed, "The minute I turned on my cell phone, about fifty messages came through from the guys asking for permission to accept the contract. Did you buy one of them?"

Lauren shrugged, "Well, technically, I own all of them until hospital employees buy them."

"Maybe you should keep one for when you feel a need for some space. I think it's just who we are, Lauren."

"And that's okay?" She asked.

Bo nodded, "Yes. We're two independent women who have lives that are very much our own, but we're also very much in love and want to share a space and some things we have in common. No matter if we're together or apart each day, those feelings won't change and our commitment to each other won't change, so it's fine."

Lauren heaved a sigh, "That's a relief."

"You'll find that clingy Bo is gone… at least for now. I can't promise she won't ever come back."

"You'll find that worried Lauren is mostly gone. I'm always going to worry about you, Bo."

The brunette nodded, "Well, I have a theory about that."

"Oh?"

"Yes. I think that the more time you spend in the wild and learn about how to survive there, the more you'll understand that most of the risks I take are not really that big of a deal."

"And you'll train me?"

Bo nodded, "My Mom set me straight on that a while back, but I wasn't willing to listen. There are things that I should have taught you, but I was too busy planning for your departure. I never thought you would last."

"You were wrong." Lauren smirked.

"Yes, I was."

"I'm sorry. I didn't quite hear that. Can you say it again?"

Bo shook her head, "I was wrong and that's the last time you'll hear me say that… at least until the next time that I'm wrong."

The pair laughed, Lauren relaxing into Bo's arms, "You're not shivering anymore."

The blonde smiled, "You're warm."

She slowly pulled the blanket from her shoulders, wrapping it over Bo who helped her get it around them. The feel of Lauren's skin against her own was everything she'd remembered it to be. She was warm, soft and filled her senses with warm vanilla tones,

"You always smell so good."

Lauren smiled, "You smell like fresh snow and campfires."

"Is that good or bad."

"It's refreshingly good." Lauren smiled, slipping her leg between Bo's and moving closer.

The brunette welcomed her, wrapping her leg over the blonde's hip and pulling her in close. Fingers and hands traced every inch of flesh as each of them were reminded of how the other felt.

"Do you remember the first night we lay like this?" Bo asked.

Lauren smiled, "You were so bold. It was such a turn on."

"You were freezing cold that night too." Bo smiled.

"I was hypothermic. There's a difference."

"We were supposed to keep your heart rate down."

"Yea, well that sort of flew out the window when I saw your incredible body. The whole commando thing was… well, I'd never known anyone who didn't at least wear panties."

"So, I was your first, huh?" Bo grinned proudly.

Lauren laughed, "I had never attacked a woman like that without alcohol in my system. You were so… desirable. I just had to have you."

Bo lowered the blanket on her side, testing the temperature of the air. It seemed fairly warm in the shelter now, so she pulled the blanket down to her waist on her side, revealing her skin to Lauren,

"And tonight?"

Lauren's eyes left Bo's traveling down to her neck, her shoulders, her chest and finally to her breasts. She reached up, her fingers barely hovering above the skin,

"Do you mind?"

"Mind? No. Want? Yes. I've been dreaming of being with you for the last six weeks. That record I set? It was all about getting back to you. Of course, I thought I was going to check on Mom, grab Rudy and bring her with me to get you in Boston. I figured that even if you said no to me, you would never say no to her."

"You planned to bribe me with a child?"

Bo laughed, "I know. Desperate, huh?"

"Quite." Lauren said, her fingers tracing down Bo's neck, leaving a trail of tiny bumps in their wake, "I dreamt of this moment too."

Bo took Lauren's fingers in her hand and took a deep calming breath, "But Lauren… as much as I want to… I can't risk you sweating. If your skin gets wet…"

"I'll get chilled, I know but I'm willing to risk it." Lauren replied.

Bo pulled the blanket up over the blonde, covering her body all the way up to her neck, then pulled the sleeping bag up over both of them. She lay her head down, searching Lauren's eyes as best she could see them,

"I'm sorry. I got carried away. I shouldn't have started this. I'm sorry."

Lauren smiled, "Don't be. You're just looking out for me…. like you always do. You're right."

"But…"

Lauren placed finger over Bo's lips, "We've got time, Bo."

"I could go inside… we could…"

Lauren saw the fear in Bo's eyes as she spoke those words. The brunette had also glanced up at the shelter roof several times now. Sure, she might have been making sure the top vent was working, but Lauren knew better now. She was uncomfortable under this shelter, so she shook her head,

"Shhh…" A gentle kiss of the lips and the blonde once again cuddled into Bo's chest, "It's okay. It's okay. We'll take things slowly. We've got time. We've got all the time in the world."

"I love you, Lauren. Thank you for your patience."

The blonde squeezed Bo's hand, "You're welcome. I love you too, Bo."

The brunette smiled, pulling the blonde close to her. She traced her fingers back and forth on the soft skin of her doctor's back, watching as Lauren's eyes closed, her grip relaxing. The brunette smiled and whispered,

"Sleep tight, Lauren. Don't let the cold winds bite."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

3 AM

Bo awoke, feeling Harper moving in the tent. She looked down to see her friend pawing at the tube that was bringing heat into the shelter before she realized that Lauren was shivering,

"Shit. The fire."

She quickly pulled down the sleeping bag on her side, "Lauren, let's get you inside. Lauren?"

"No. I want to stay with you." The blonde replied, barely awake.

"And they say I'm stubborn." She called Harper to her, "Come girl. Lauren needs your heat. Come on. Get in here. Sleep in my spot."

The canine gingerly moved to the bed, lying down next to Lauren, her back curling into the blonde's front. Bo pulled the covers up over the pair and moved to the hose,

"My two favorite girls." She smiled, placing a kiss between Harper's ears before kissing the top of Lauren's head. She could feel that they were both cold. She sighed, moving to the end of the shelter. She pulled the zipper, allowing the frigid air to fill the tent while she shoved wood into the side opening. She could see that there were hot coals, so she just needed some tinder to get the flames going again.

Bo crawled from the tent - her naked form exposed to the elements. But this wasn't her first rodeo with extreme cold. She made quick work of removing the top rock of the kiln she'd built, then dropped several handfuls of tinder into the enclosed pit until she saw the ignition of flames. She kept her hands on the stone for warmth, watching until the flames were large enough to add logs to the mix.

"That'll do it." She replaced the rock on top, then checked the top of the shelter to be sure it was open. Satisfied everything was working as it should, she headed back into the tent.

Once inside, she pulled the vent through the break in the zipper and then picked up her shirt and dried herself off. She stood near the tube, allowing the heat to warm her skin before she put it against Lauren's, but then had an idea. She moved the double zipper to the base of the double bag and opened it, then aimed the tube into the gap. She waited until Harper lifted her head, knowing that she would be uncomfortably hot before Lauren was warm. When she saw Lauren cozy into the blankets, a smile on her face, she removed the tube and pulled the zipper closed once more.

She aimed the tube at her body, warming her body, then slipped into the makeshift bed behind Lauren, sandwiching her between two warm bodies. It didn't take long for the doctor's shivering to subside. Bo lay there wondering about Lauren here in Alaska…in her world. It's the one thing that she would probably always worry about. There was nothing she could do. The decision was Lauren's. In the end, all she could do was provide support on her journey. It's what Scout and his sister had done for her in the village and on the trail.

She held the blonde tight, rolling her head back to glimpse the sky through the small opening at the top, a small blurry stream of air venting the dangerous fumes and some of their heat from their temporary quarters. Morning would come soon, but Bo didn't believe she would get much sleep. Resisting the temptation of Lauren's flesh against her was a familiar pain…

Flashback… The Yukon, First Nations Territory, Whitehorse, Canada

Bo stood over the unconscious body of the Musher. She reached down and checked for a pulse,

"Wow. You're alive."

She walked back to her sled, stopping in front of Nike and Diana and shaking her head. Propping her hands up on her hips, she stared down the line of the stranger's eighteen dogs, then back to her leads who held the center line of the man's sled firmly in the mouths of her leads,

"You can drop that line now, girls. Glad you two have jaws strong enough to stop that team." She smiled, shaking her head, "I don't believe there have ever been any dogs as smart or as strong as the two of you." She ruffled their heads, "You stopped a team of eighteen dogs! Very impressive. Good girls!"

She looked down the line of the other man's team, "Shame on all of you for not obeying your Musher!"

She almost chuckled at the sight of six or seven of the dogs cowering at her words – or maybe her tone. Of course, she could be wrong about sled dogs actually understanding English. Her own dogs did make her wonder about that at times. They were her only companions most of the time, so she did talk to them like they were human. They knew everything about her… everything.

She turned to her leads, "What do you say, Ladies? Spank them all and send them to bed without dinner?"

She heard a bark from the middle of her team and turned to see Aphrodite leaning out. She let out one more bark for good measure and Bo laughed,

"Okay, Mom. And they're grounded too. I'll make sure the man knows how bad his team was…" she looked to the man at the back of the line and added, "…if he lives."

Bo shook her head, her eyes traveling across the sweet faces of her current team. She'd gotten to know all of the rookie personalities quite well in the past months and they'd begun to bond with the veterans quite nicely. As she looked at them, she could see a different expression on each face as they stared back at her,

"I swear you're all human. One of these days I'm going to learn to speak Canine and when I do, you'll tell me that you've been trying to help me all my life… I just wasn't listening to your advice."

She walked back to the man's sled, drove his anchor into the ground, and then righted the sled with some struggle,

"Dude. What the hell are you carrying on here? It feels like you have the whole damned house instead of just the kitchen sink."

She stepped back, huffing from the effort, and stared down at the man, "Okay, let's see where home is for you."

She searched his jacket for a wallet or some form of identification and then checked on his dogs. The lines were tangled and two of the dogs had bite marks,

"Okay, kids. You don't know me. I don't know you, but there will be no more arguing… or biting… especially no biting me. You are all going to get along and we're going to get your Dad home safe and sound."

She moved to the Leads, "You two are supposed to be the hot shots… in control and in the know. I'm not sure what the hell you were thinking taking off like you did, I mean, if you're going to run away, at least stick to the trail when you've got sixteen other dogs behind you. You're lucky you didn't string each other up in the treetops."

Diana barked several times from the front of Bo's sled, adding her two cents and Bo smiled, "Yea. What she said."

Bo set to work dragging the man onto his sled and securing him before hooking his lead dogs and center line to her trail sled. Setting the GPS on her device, she would head Northeast. Hopefully, the team behind her would follow willingly and her dogs wouldn't end up dragging an extra team and sled behind them. If so, she would have no choice but to cut them loose, secure them as best she could and head off to the man's village hoping to bring back his kin before a bear got to the team… and possibly him.

She double checked the line attached to her trail sled, double checked the trail sled and it's hitch to her sled, then rechecked the lines on her own sled. Releasing her anchor, she mounted the rails and called out to her leads,

"Hike Diana! Hike Nike!"

Bo looked over her shoulder and gave a whistle, "Hike! Hike! Let's go you disobedient ones!"

Luckily, the team obeyed, following Bo's sled as she traversed the wooded narrows of the forest until they were back out on the trails along the base of the mountain. Bo breathed in deep, trying to soak up the incredible scenery that surrounded her. This place… these lands she had been traveling for days were magnificent, but at times, the silence was deafening.

Still, as the dogs powered through the deep snow on the trail that went between two mountains, she looked up to see that twilight was beginning to fall. She hoped that the North Star would be visible tonight. It would make the journey easier.

A sharp right pulled Bo out of her musings – her leads following close to the base of the mountain on the right where two large rivers merging up ahead.

"I suppose that would be the mighty Yukon River. We've crossed the border into Canada, Ladies. Let's all be on our best behavior. No need to pick a fight with the kind-hearted Mounted Police of our favorite neighbors. Keep it under the speed limit."

Bo smiled as they headed down the other side of the pass. The truth was, she loved top speed and her girls did it better than any other. Her new team had younger, faster legs and while they didn't respond as quickly to her commands as her veterans, they were learning every day.

She looked over her shoulder to check that the larger team behind her wasn't getting too close, only to find the center line was almost stretched to its limit. She tapped her drag brake, slowing her sled down just a bit until there was slack in the rope and then called out to the trailing team,

"Hike! Hike! Come on, kids! There's eighteen of you! Surely you can keep up with the smaller lead team!"

They turned, running parallel to the river. Bo called to her leads to keep them tight to the right, rather than risk putting the trailing sled into the water on the next turn. She was, after all, attached to both sleds and was well aware of the danger she had placed herself in by hitching the man's sled behind her. She looked to the river to note that it was swollen to capacity and running loud and wild. She was sure that was not uncommon for this time of year, though the temperatures would lead Bo to believe there would be more ice along the banks. Still, this was new territory for Bo, so she wasn't exactly sure what to expect.

As they climbed to the crest of the next hill, she pulled out her binoculars, holding them in one hand to check out what appeared to be a small town in the distance. She checked the GPS device to confirm this was their final destination and began surveying the trail ahead, looking for a break in the river or a crossing point. They had almost passed the town when she spied a large stone bridge about a half mile away. She turned her team to the left and headed for what appeared to be their only chance at a dry crossing. The river trail was winding, with lots of kickbacks, so It took a little over ten minutes to get there, but when they did, Bo slowed her team,

"Whoa! Whoa girls!"

She turned and called the same to the trailing sled,

"Easy, Ladies. We have to figure out how to get the sled onto this bridge."

She planted her anchor and walked to the edge of the bridge, comparing the angle of the rise to the length of the skids on her sled,

"Crap." She sighed, hands firmly on her hips. The bridge's angle of ascent was too steep. She was going to have to lift the front of her sled onto the bridge, and drag it fully onto the trail, then have the dogs pull it to the top. Once on top, she had to worry about it sliding down the other side, keeping control so the front skids didn't go straight into the ground and get stuck.

She released the anchor and then lifted the front and pulled the sled fully onto the bridge, groaning under the strain,

"Line out, girls! Easy!"

She watched as the sled moved up the steep grade before calling to her team to halt once the sled sat teetering atop the sharp arch of the bridge, Bo's hold on the trail sled the only thing keeping it from skidding down the other side right into her dogs.

She took out a piece of rope and wrapped it around her torso twice before tying it off to the trail sled. She leaned back, using her body as a counterweight and called her leads to ease forward. She was able to keep the sled from running into her dogs, but when she stopped the dogs again, she found she had another problem. The tips of the sled runners were now stuck in the deep snow… possibly the ground beneath.

"Okay, so I guess these people don't drive sleds. Who builds a bridge this steep?" She muttered to herself as she carefully slid down the other side of the bridge. She reached into the snow and gripped the skids and tried to pull the sled free, but the angle was too steep. She needed to push the sled back up the bridge to get it free,

"I'm not strong enough to lift a fully loaded sled and trail sled." She stood studying her dilemma before she remembered she had another team tied to the other side. She crossed the bridge and had the team back up. Of course, she had to grab the center line and pull them to get them to obey, but they eventually did. Once the sled was positioned above the end of the bridge, she dropped the anchor to hold the team in place and then crossed once more, lifting the front of the sled and dragging it into the snow. She released the brake and called to her team,

"Line out!" She watched as the trail sled hit the snow, then called out, "Whoa! Whoa! Hold there, Ladies."

She walked the second center line back to the strangers' team and sighed, "Now, we've got to do that again with the added weight of the unconscious guy. Hopefully I don't dump him on his head."

She looked down at the two leads, one cocking his head to the side, seemingly considering what Bo had said. She smiled,

"You speak English?"

To her surprise, he barked once in response. Bo smiled, "Okay. I'm trusting you to listen to me. If you don't, you're either going to get run over by your sled or you're going to run into my sled."

The dog again cocked his head to the side, ears perked up. Bo smiled, "Okay. I'm going to assume that means I can trust you. Here we go."

She would need her team to take line out as she moved the second sled, so there was no way to anchor them. If they ran, she would have to grab onto the trailing team and hope for the best. Arriving at the rear, she called out to the man's leads who took out the spare line until she tugged on the center line and gave them a call to stop. She lifted the sled holding the man and propped the rails up onto the bridge. Once steadied, she called out to Nike and Diana and hoped the man's team would follow without her in front of them.

"Line out, Ladies! Line out!" She held on tight as the center line of her sled stretched, nudging the second sled onto the bridge, until it was at the peak, "Whoa, Nike! Whoa, Diana! Hold, my girls!"

Bo was now hanging off the back of the sled to counter the pull of two teams. If the sled slid down the bridge and turned sideways, it would roll. If it went straight down, it would hit bottom and the man could potentially be thrown off the sled.

She stared up at the two teams of dogs, hoping they wouldn't take off on her when she called her next command. She gripped the handle of the rear sled, holding on as tightly as she could,

"Shit." She knew she should have untied the line to her trail sled. If her dogs took off right now, she could end up getting pulled past the back sled and – in that position – be run over by the second team of dogs… and possibly the sled. She had to trust her leads,

She groaned, her arms tiring. She hoped Diana would remember the game they used to play,

"Diana! Tip toe! Tip toe!"

Bo waited, but the sled did not move. She called again, "Diana! Tip toe! Tip toe! Come on, girl! Tip toe!"

Diana took the neck tie that attached her to Nike in her mouth, then took two small steps forward and stopped, pulling Nike to a halt beside her.

Bo smiled, "Diana! Tip Toe!"

The dogs moved again, this time, far enough for the sled to tip over the arch of the bridge and begin its descent. Bo held to the back end of the sled, keeping it from sliding free. She could feel her feet sliding, the rails moving forward until they gently touched down on the other side,

"Whoa! Stop! Stay!" she laid back, exhausted, "Everybody please stay!"

She gripped the handle and hauled her body to a stand, "Hot damn! It worked… sort of."

She moved to her team and dropped the anchor and stomping it into the snow, then headed back to the trail sled to lift and drag it fully off the bridge before it had a chance to tip and pin the man beneath. Once it was flat on the trail again, she called to her leads to have them take up the slack in the center lines of both teams, before heading back to check on the man one last time. She wanted to be sure she knew whether she was delivering a person or a corpse.

Looking down at the half-frozen man, she shook her head, wondering what could have happened to make his team run away as they had. When she had caught sight of them, the man was being dragged by his team, his body limp and bouncing off of every rock and berm it hit. It was horrific and reminded Bo of when she was a child watching her Mom being dragged across the lake up on the North Slope. It made her happy to connect her leash to the sled rail – something she didn't think she would ever forget to do again after seeing the consequences.

It took another thirty minutes or so, but once they arrived at the outskirts of town, she noticed the large wooden posts with the name carved and stained into the sign mounted between them,

'Welcome to Haa Héen'

Bo shrugged, "Translation, our water, huh? Strange name for a town."

She looked left and right for any potential trouble before eyeing the large archway again, "Okay then people of Haa Héen'… your water has brought me and your brother by way of a helluva lot of paw power. Hope you're friendly. I'd hate to have to hurt anyone. I mean, you're Canadian, so of course you're all friendly, right?"

Bo thought back to the men who had chased her from a bar after losing a card game. They were Canadian, but they were far from friendly. She shrugged off the thoughts as she slowly approached the entrance, calling out to her team to slow them to a jog. Of course, fast or slow, a train of dogs this long drew a lot of attention. Soon she was surrounded by a crowd of people. From what she could see of the village, they appeared to be Natives of this land. She dropped her hood and lifted her goggles,

"I have an injured man here! His identification says that he's from this village."

There was much chatter until the crowd parted and an elderly man stepped forward with some assistance from another. He knelt down on the sled in front of Bo and pulled back the cover. Looking up at the younger man, he waved – a gesture that sent people scattering in different directions before the younger man called out,

"It's Scout!"

A woman held tight to another young man's hand who was yelling, "Dad! Dad!"

Clearly, they were the man's family. Bo stepped off of the sled and walked around the group to her own sled. She unclipped the center line of the larger team and held it up for someone to take, but no one did. She stood awkwardly for another moment before reattaching the line to her sled, unsure of what else to do. The villagers watched her carefully until finally, the woman turned to Bo,

"Can you drive his sled to our home?"

Bo nodded, "Of course."

"Follow Storm." She said, nodding to a young woman with long, straight, jet-black hair. She did not speak, but instead raised her hood and ran ahead of Bo, waving her on.

Bo followed. It was odd. This woman named Storm reminded her so much of Lauren, yet her skin and hair were dark, and her eyes were as blue as glacier water. It was like she was the yin to Lauren's yang. Really, it wasn't fair to call this woman yin. She was likely not negative or dark, but as Bo's eyes wandered the length of what was likely a very shapely body under the thick coat, she knew she could be trouble.

They pulled through a rail fence with chicken wire attached to it. Storm waited for Bo to pass and then closed the gate behind her. Bo came to a stop and turned to watch the woman as she corralled what looked like another fifty dogs in the back yard.

"Quiet!" She shouted before turning to Bo, "They're friendly."

Bo set her anchor before walking towards the group. Storm was at the center of the chaos, all of the dogs vying for her attention until she raised her voice to scold two misbehaving males,

"No bite! Be a good boy, River! Lightning! Get off of Moon's house! Mind your territory, big boy. She'll rip your tail off."

Bo smiled as the large male obeyed, slowly stepping down from the roof while the female jumped up and immediately lowered her head over him,

"That's right, big girl. You show him who's boss." Bo sniggered.

This is why she favored female dogs in her kennels. Males always wanted to assert their dominance and were usually the instigators if there was trouble. She loved the males she had, and they were great workers for short hauls and trapping. She just didn't want to deal with the issues of male versus female in a race… or worse yet… male versus male. Sure, she had faster males who were stronger and probably had more endurance but every time she took out a team of all boys or a mix of boys and girls to race, there were problems no matter how she paired them. Putting together this team, she had LJ use all sorts of combinations, but he had agreed that her girls were the most efficient.

Bo chuckled thinking of LJ. He'd really grown into his own and was getting stronger as a Musher every day. Before she had left, she'd been sitting out on the back porch at the Homestead one afternoon when Mark and Molly had brought Elise over to play with Rudy. The three of them had a nice visit discussing life as parents to Elise and mentors to their nephew. Michael had been home from college and they talked about how he was doing at school and his goals moving forward. When the topic circled back around to LJ, they mentioned their concern that he was considering doing enough races to qualify for the Iditarod this year.

Bo had gathered all of her Iditarod paperwork for her entry and the more than six thousand dollars in fees that Kyle would need to file for the race before the deadline. She wondered if LJ had run any of the qualifiers. Suddenly, Bo felt tremendous guilt for not being there to support and guide him on his first foray into the race world. It was probably the worst possible time for her to be away with regards to LJ's career.

She sighed, knowing there was nothing she could do about it right now. She would consider giving him a call next time she checked in with anyone at home. She looked around surveying her surroundings and shook her head. She wouldn't be talking to anyone anytime soon. This village seemed to be as off-grid as a village could get.

Heaving a sigh, she mounted her sled again and followed Storm through a second gate where she was directed to a massive barn. It was large enough for Bo to drive both teams and sleds fully inside. She looked up and noticed a loft that went all the way around the structure and another two lofts above those. The place was massive. She could fit four of her barns in this one.

"Whoa." She said, seeing a full wall of trophy cases on the opposite side of the barn, "That's a lot of hardware."

"You've got a lot of hardware yourself." Storm smirked, walking towards Bo who was still holding on to the handle of the sled, her feet glued to the rails as she took in the awesome site of the barn's enormous interior. Finally, she came back to reality,

"Excuse me?"

Storm cocked her hips, "Come on. Did you really think that no one would recognize you?"

"Recognize me?"

"You're Bo Dennis. Iditarod champion."

"Oh."

"Oh?" Storm asked.

Bo just shrugged, turning her attention to Scout's team, "His team has a few scrapes and bruises, but they'll be alright with a little food, water and rest. Still, you may want to have your Veterinarian take a look at them just to be safe."

Storm nodded, "I'll get right on that."

"Your Vet does house calls?"

She smiled, "I do."

"Oh. Oh…" Bo said, catching on, "… you're a Vet?"

"I am."

"Oh. I thought maybe you were that guys' daughter."

"Sister."

"Sorry."

She shook her head, "Why apologize? It's an honest mistake… and a flattering one that you think I'm young enough to be his daughter."

Bo's mask hid her blush, "I didn't mean…"

"To flatter me?"

"No. Of course… I mean… you are a beautiful woman… I mean… a young looking…"

"It's okay, Bo." She smiled, "You're adorable."

"Uh… thanks."

Bo felt her throat tighten, her mind flashing to thoughts of Lauren writhing beneath her. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and begged her hands to release the rail of Scout's sled. She took a deep breath and took control of her body, dropping the anchor and driving it into the dirt floor of the barn,

"It would be best if we…"

"Unhooked my brother's sled and took his dogs to their kennels so that you can tend to your team?"

Bo nodded, "Yea. I mean… I'll be on my way…"

She moved to unhitch the center line, but Storm had the same idea. Bo stared down at the hand on top of her own. She imagined that if it weren't for her gloves, Storm's hand would feel a lot like Lauren's. Her fingers were long and slender just like the doctor's.

Storm wrapped her fingers around Bo's, pulling her to stand before her, "You saved my brother's life."

Bo shrugged, "I stopped his bleeding, dragged him onto his sled, tied him fast and drove him here. It was on the way… sort of."

Her eyes stayed fixed on the joined hands as Storm spoke, "Out here, we call that saving a life. I'm fairly certain he's near death."

Bo nodded, "Well, laying in snow when it's minus forty-five degrees does tend to threaten one's life."

"You're modest."

"I'd like to think I'm just honest."

Storm smiled, "In my family's village, we owe you a debt for your sacrifice."

"No need."

"Our honor requires it." She swallowed hard, using her free hand to lower Bo's mask. She leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips, "Luckily, I've heard that you lean towards the fairer sex just as I do."

Bo scowled as guilt settled in her gut, "That's very kind of you, but…"

"You may bed me."

"What?" Bo asked, her eyes wide.

"You may take me to bed. You've been on the trail a long time, I would think. I will bathe you, bed you and massage your tired body until you sleep. When you wake, I will prepare a meal for you. While you sleep, I will care for your animals."

Bo cleared her throat, watching as the woman unhitched Scout's team and freed them from their leads. She then moved forward of Bo's sled and released the center line, leading Nike and Diana to a straw filled run. Once inside, she closed the gate before freeing each of the dogs from their leads. They immediately moved to the feed and water troughs as Storm removed her coat and tossed it over the end pole.

She turned to Bo, offering a smile before she moved to an empty kennel. She laid out fresh straw before removing the layers that covered her upper body one at a time until she revealed the golden-brown skin of her back.

Bo's breath hitched and she bit her bottom lip as the woman removed her boots, then lowered her pants. The Musher wanted to turn away, but the rounded, muscular buttocks of the woman was enthralling. She truly was a beautiful sight and it had been so long since Bo had shared a bed with anyone. Her mind flashed to her last night with Lauren as she stepped towards the woman. Storm turned to face her, arms by her sides… no shame… just like Bo's doctor. There were clear differences. This woman's shoulders were thicker from years of hard labor. Lauren's were lean and rippled from years of working out and running. This woman's breasts were full and round. Lauren's were smaller, but the perfect size for Bo's hands.

She stood before the woman, her eyes roaming over her body,

"You are, indeed, a very beautiful woman." Bo smiled, her hand reaching out as the woman stepped towards her, but Bo's reach extended beyond the beauty, grasping one of the blankets from the kennel rail. She smiled as she wrapped it around her, "And I'm flattered… truly. If I were free to, I would not hesitate to accept your offer."

Bo stepped back, "Actually, that's not quite true either. Even if I were free, there is a woman that – no matter what you might have to offer – you would never quite measure up. No offense."

Storm nodded, wrapping the blanket around her body, as she smiled, "You're… in love."

Bo nodded, "Yes, although I must thank you."

"Why?"

"Because if you hadn't just done… what you did… I don't think I would have known just how much. As long as I continue to walk this earth in this life, I must be by her side if she'll have me. If she won't, I will be right behind her... always." Bo lowered her eyes, "I will be to her, whatever she needs me to be."

Storm nodded, "You're not just in love."

Bo shook her head, "No. This goes much deeper."

"She's your soul mate. Your other half."

Bo nodded, "I wasn't sure I believed in such a thing until now, but yes, she is my soul mate. I'm sure of it. I've been away from her for months and she has been with me every step of the way. I don't always consciously think of her. I don't obsess over her. It's more subtle. Her presence is like my own heartbeat. I don't always feel it and I'm not always aware of its pace, but it's there with me always."

"That's beautiful." Storm replied, "I've dreamt of that kind of love."

Bo shrugged, "Funny. I had never dreamt of it. I had never dreamt of a relationship. I've been alone since I was a young teenager and…"

Storm put out a hand, "You don't have to explain, Bo. I think I've read every book written about your life."

Bo smiled, "Ah. The unauthorized biographies of Bo Dennis. A friend just told me there's three of them."

"Four."

"Great." Bo smiled, bending down and picking up Storm's pants and handing them to her, "I won't watch."

Storm laughed, "I wouldn't mind if you did."

"Yea, well modesty doesn't seem to be an issue with you." Bo said, turning to wrap up the leads and center line belonging to her team.

"And are you the modest type?" Storm asked.

Bo thought of the first night with Lauren. The blonde was hypothermic and asked her to stay. She had nothing to wear, so had slipped into the bed naked. That was the night she learned of Lauren's bold nature and Lauren had learned of Bo's lack of modesty. It was meant to be. She looked up at Storm,

"No. No, I'm not. I've never lived under a roof… not until recently, anyway. So, bathing or swimming in lakes and rivers naked, sitting out naked while my clothing dried after a good washing… it's sort of a way of life. Fought off a wolf naked once upon a time. He didn't seem to mind."

Storm nodded, "Well, I'm sure I wouldn't mind either. You are quite… toned."

Bo smiled, "Well, food is mainly for my dogs and I've got to do a lot of heavy lifting, so I suppose I come by that naturally."

Now fully dressed, Storm moved to help Bo with the lines, "So you said my village was on your way. You seem a long way away from home. Word has it that you live in the States… Point Siku, isn't it?"

Bo frowned, "I am an outcast of two native villages, so no, not there. I live in Talkeetna now. I am no longer affiliated with a native people."

"Oh. I'm… sorry?" Storm said, unsure of how to respond. She had heard that Bo Dennis had a complicated lineage, "I've heard… from the unauthorized biographies… that your origins were somewhat unknown?"

Bo shrugged, "Oh, I know them. I just don't talk about them. I just… I don't see how winning the Iditarod a few times gives everyone the right to know everything about my life. Honestly, I don't understand why anyone would want to know about my life."

"Seriously? You've won consecutive Iditarod. Everyone is calling you the next Su…"

"Don't say it." Bo said, cutting her off, "I'm Bo Dennis and I have no aspirations to live up to. I am not trying to beat the accomplishments of the women that came before me. I race because they paved the way for women like me to do so. I don't race against them, their memories or their legacies."

She nodded towards her dogs, smiling when Diana lifted her head from the water trough and barked twice, wagging her tail and staring at Bo,

"When I no longer have a team that wants to run, I'll be done no matter how many wins I do or do not have. I don't live by any social standards and until recently, I was barely human."

"Barely human?"

Bo shrugged, "Not my words."

"Oh? Well, whoever called you that was…"

"Absolutely correct." Bo smiled, "She showed me how to use a fork and knife… taught me actual table manners… taught me how to listen… how to smile… how to love… unconditionally."

Storm nodded, "So your soul mate called you barely human?"

Bo shrugged, "Actually, she said more animal than human."

"Wow."

"She was right. I had lived in the wild with my dogs for decades. I had only gone into towns to trade furs for supplies and the only supplies I needed were synthetics for my dogs or an occasional sharpener or flint. Everything else I could find in nature. I didn't need society then or now to live my life."

"So, you're not going back to Talkeetna?"

Bo put the coiled line over the kennel post and stood. Turning her eyes towards the land outside of the barn, she shrugged,

"Eventually, yes."

"What's keeping you from going there now?"

Bo shrugged, "I just know it's not time yet."

"You just know?"

Bo nodded, "All of my life, I've followed my gut… done what my instincts told me to do. In the last year or so, I'd stopped listening to that silent voice that had guided me well since I was a teenager. I lost myself. I was anxious, afraid, confused and overwhelmed by everything that the people in my life expected of me."

"I thought you were living off grid?"

"Sorry. I left some things out. I found my family… my blood relatives. If I had thought falling in love had changed things, finding them changed everything. I was part of a community and that was something I had never known."

"I can't imagine what that would be like. Every once in a while, I have to go into Skagway during tourist season and it makes my skin crawl to be around that many people."

Bo nodded, "Yup."

"So, you're going back to Talkeetna for this woman?"

Bo nodded, "If she'll have me, yes. But I don't think I'll be living the life I was living before. It makes me…. different. I'm not… civilized."

Storm shook her head, "You are quite civilized. If you weren't, you would have taken my brother's dogs and left him for dead. If you weren't, you would have taken my body without thought for my mind or the woman you love. You are civilized, but perhaps not socialized. There's a difference."

"I'm not sure I see it."

Storm moved to Bo's dogs and put her hand into the kennel, "Your dogs are socialized. You've clearly taught them how to behave around people. Living off grid as you have, they should be more wolf than dog, but yet, I can put my hand out and they will come and take a whiff. They don't jump all over me like my brother's teams do. Wild dogs would not do that. Some would call that well-trained. But your dogs still race like they're wild. You've taught them how to behave in the wild as well as how to behave around people. They're trained to run and survive in the wild, but they're socialized to coexist in society – canine and human."

Bo nodded, "I see what you mean. It's funny that you compare me to an animal."

Storm's eyes went wide, "I didn't mean…"

"That I was more animal than human? Don't worry. I didn't take it that way, but there are similarities, you have to admit."

Storm shook her head, but Bo stopped her before she could apologize again,

"It's okay. I know who I am and I'm okay with it… maybe even a little proud of it." Bo chuckled, "Wow. There's something I never thought I would say."

Storm shrugged, "Nothing wrong with being confident and proud of the woman you've become in life – especially if half of the rumors are true about your past."

Bo nodded, "My Mom would love to know what I've learned these past months."

"Oh? And what have you learned?"

"That I'm a strong, fearless, native Athabascan warrior who is fully connected to the land of her ancestors – regardless of whether or not the current occupants of that land accept me."

Storm considered Bo for a long moment, "You seek a tribal family."

Bo shrugged, "No one will ever accept me. Not once they know my lineage."

"Oh?"

Bo nodded, "I doubt you've heard of him, but my Father is a bad man. A very bad man." She chuckled, "So bad, that he actually tried to kill my Mother, so she fled to save me. That's how I ended up alone as a young teen."

She heaved a heavy sigh, "He took my three brothers with him and taught them to do his dirty work. They died trying to kill me. He had an extensive network of what the Federal Bureau of Investigation called cells. They activated when they got word to do so. I spent most of last year trying to protect my loved ones from him and his groupies. He almost burned my soul mate and one of my best friends alive."

She saw Storm step back, sitting on a hay bale as she continued, "The Healer from my former village in Point Siku turned out to be one of his people." She shook her head, laughing, "I actually thought that she loved me like a daughter. I know I loved her like a mother."

She paused, looking out through the barn doors to the snowy landscape, "But she was his… and she betrayed me. She led an assault on my Homestead. Everyone I cared about was inside – including my newly found Mother and my baby half-sister. But he failed and… well, here I am… still alive… the daughter of a soulless bastard."

Storm gasped, placing a hand on her chest. Bo thought she was choking until she asked, "Jim Morton. Jim Morton is your Dad?"

Bo turned, setting her eyes on Storm, "You know him?"

"He came here. He tried to buy our land. He tried to force us…" She shook her head, closing her eyes.

Bo knew that look. She had seen it many times and it meant that she would no longer be welcome here. She picked up her mask, then walked to the post, grabbing the center line. She walked to her sled, flipping it on its side and checking the rails for any damage from when she'd made the bridge crossing. Seeing a crack in one, she reached into the pocket beneath the sled and pulled out a new sleeve of skids. She removed the damaged one, slipping it under the sled and then inserted the replacement. She attached the center line and flipped her sled upright before moving to unroll the line, but soft skin stilled her hands,

"Bo, don't."

She turned to Storm who leaned in and placed a kiss on the corner of her mouth, "I'm sorry. I find myself really attracted to you. At least I missed your lips."

Bo smiled, "I'm truly sorry. A year ago…"

"Don't. Please. A year ago, I would have been in no position to make any advances. I was still grieving."

Bo scowled, "You lost someone?"

"I lost my partner. She was not a love like the one you've found, but we cared for each other deeply. We were good for each other… a perfect match according to the Two-Spirit Advisor of our tribe."

Bo nodded.

"Out here, people become couples to overcome loneliness. Love eventually follows, but it's a different kind of love."

"A love of necessity." Bo concluded. She'd been in that position with all of her past lovers… until Lauren.

"Yes."

"I've had that kind of love." Bo thought of Tamsin, Kyle, Kat… even Dyson, if she was being honest. He was annoying as hell, but she never meant him harm. He was a man of honor and he was brave. More importantly, despite the way she had treated him, he was always there for her when it counted.

Bo looked at Storm who had again sat down on the hay bale, and asked, "What happened… if you don't mind my asking."

Storm sighed, "I don't mind, but you might not like what I have to say."

Bo's body went stiff. She took a deep breath, "Big Jim was involved?"

She listened as Storm told her the story of what her Father's men did when they came in advance of his visit. Her partner's death of injuries received due to a falling oakwood bookcase was ruled accidental by the government and the men were released. Still, the Tribal Elders argued that the incident never would have happened if they hadn't come in and ransacked her partner's Trading Post – if they hadn't pushed over the bookcase that ended her life.

Storm paused before disclosing the rest - that there were gunshot wounds – one in her right leg, one in her left arm – both at close range. The government ruled that they were not the cause of death and they could have been self-inflicted. Despite the government's decision, the Tribal Elders still put a warrant out for their arrest. It was then that Bo realized Storm was in her arms, sobbing into her shoulder.

"She would never have shot herself. They must have done it as a form of torture. There was something they wanted, and she wouldn't give it up. Whatever it was, she thought it was worth dying for. We never figured out what it was."

Bo shook her head, "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for your loss. I'm sorry that my Father's evil came to your village…" she shook her head, "…and now I've come… the shadow of his evil."

Storm sat upright, wiping her eyes, "What?"

Bo frowned, lowering her eyes and shaking her head, "Athabascan lore teaches us that…"

"I am well aware of what the lore of your tribe teaches. Some of the members of our tribe are Athabascan as well. Some carry the guilt of their forefathers just as you have chosen to."

"Chosen? This is not a choice. It's a fact! Everything I touch turns to ruins!" Bo said, hopping to her feet, "You don't know me. You don't know my life! You don't know the things I've had to do to survive!"

She reached both of her hands out to the brunette, but Bo had recognized the tone of her voice and was already calming herself. This woman had done nothing to her. She had done nothing to deserve Bo's anger. But the truth was Bo was frustrated and angry with her Father and all he had brought to her life.

Still, Storm continued, "You're right. I'm sorry. I don't know. But I do know that you are an honorable, good woman. You demonstrated that when I stood before you bared and ready for whatever you chose. You chose respect. Respect for me and respect for that woman you love. Big Jim never would have granted me reprieve from my obligation to repay the debt of saving a life."

Bo sighed, sitting back down beside her, shoulder's slumped, "You're right. But that was today. It doesn't forgive my past."

Storm shook her head, "I don't know your past, so I can't speak to that. What I can say is that his Raven no longer follows you, Bo."

She moved to the barn door and then turned back to Bo, holding out her hand, "Come, Bo. Take my hand and walk with me. See what I see. What my village saw. See your truth."

Bo was hesitant, but she walked to Storm and took her hand. They stepped out of the barn and Bo was immediately directed to look up,

"When you came into our village, most of them were looking at you because…"

"The Iditarod. I know. You mentioned."

Storm shook her head, "Do you know the meaning of the word listen?"

"Sorry." Bo said.

"And you apologize too much."

"Sorry."

"Still apologizing."

Bo stood silent for a long moment, "Well?"

"Most people know nothing about the Iditarod here. We are a subsistence village, Bo. We have one cellular tower for emergencies, but other than that, we live a simple life. Each person has a role, and our young are directed to the things they love and are best suited to do. We've had a Musher or two in every generation. My brother, Scout, has been the only one in our village for more than twenty years. He was supposed to run the Yukon Quest this year to bring money into our tribe to buy goods in Skagway, but now… well, we'll see."

She pointed up to the sky where a Bald Eagle was coming into land atop a large tree, "That is why they were all staring at you."

"They were staring at an Eagle?"

"No. They were staring at you and the Eagle who was your shadow."

Bo looked up at the large bird now perched high atop the tree, swaying ever so slightly with the breeze. She didn't really understand what Storm was saying,

"So, the bird was behind me?"

Storm shook her head, "Our village is positioned higher than the entry road. We saw you coming several miles before you got here. The Eagle was following you the entire way, Bo. What I'm trying to tell you is that maybe your shadow is not a Raven, but a Bald Eagle… the most majestic, most powerful, most intelligent bird ever to soar above these lands. They have garnered the respect of every animal and human. Hell, your country even made it their National symbol."

Bo shrugged, "Well, as I'm sure is the case with you and your country, I'm not exactly what you would call a patriot. My people suffered at the hands of…"

Storm waved her off, nodding her head, "I know. We know. Our history is marked with blood, loss and hard living, but still, we survive and here, in this village, we live our lives largely undisturbed by the government."

"But your partner…"

"We don't hold onto the past, Bo. We move forward and if her killers should come onto our land again, we'll deal with them. We don't wander around looking for them. Live for today, Bo. Live knowing that your spirit animal is not the dark evil of your Father's Raven, but the proud, noble and strong Bald Eagle."

Bo felt a kiss on her cheek before Storm released her hand and headed back into the barn,

"I'm going to go tend to Scout's team. Spend a little time with your friend."

Bo walked to a large boulder a short distance from the barn. She was tired and needed to sit for a while. She climbed to the top and took a seat, staring up at the Eagle,

"You are magnificent, but I'm sure you already know that don't you?" She smiled.

The bird took flight, gliding a distance before it headed straight to the ground, scooping up a rabbit and carrying it back up to the tree. Bo scanned the branches until, on the back side, she saw a large nest,

"So, you were just following me home to your nest, huh?" Bo smiled, "I think I may know more about your species than Storm knows. Somewhere, you likely have a partner. In the nest, you are likely prepping for your spring babies. You prefer fish but do eat small game on occasion. Why aren't you a few miles over on the coast instead of inland in this particular habitat? It can't possibly be because you've been following me."

Bo sat, considering the bird for quite some time before she decided it was time to bed down with the dogs. She was tired from her long trip and was in desperate need of sleep. She stood and moved into the barn, her eyes moving to the ceiling, then the short distance to the doors. Heading over to the empty stall where Storm had done her striptease, Bo began one of her own.

Storm entered from an adjoining room and stopped, her eyes on Bo's form now only in her thin thermal layer. The heavy gaze was not lost on Bo who tried to stay focused on her fatigue,

"If you don't mind, I'm going to sleep for a bit before I head out. I haven't slept well in days and I can hardly keep my eyes open. I drove straight through the night and day to get your brother here."

"Bo, I have a proper bed in my cabin." Storm suggested.

The brunette shook her head, "If you don't mind, the high ceiling here makes me feel more like I'm outside. I don't think I could handle being inside a small space right now."

She wasn't lying. The thought of being inside made her claustrophobic. She'd never felt that way before, but she sure felt that way now. She hadn't stepped foot inside a structure in months and that had been fine by her.

Bo watched as Storm quietly moved behind a wall and returned with a stack of blankets. She stepped into the empty kennel where Bo stood and laid several down, making a bed in the straw,

"We can use these to cover us."

"We?"

"Yes. We. I'm not going to let you sleep out here alone, Bo. You'll freeze without sharing body heat and I've got plenty of body heat." Storm said, running her fingers from Bo's shoulder down towards her left breast.

Bo stopped the hand, stilling it on her upper chest. The woman's blue eyes reminded her of Kenzi. She immediately smiled, thinking of what her young friend would say to her if she were here in this moment,

"You are persistent, aren't you?"

"When I see something I like, I don't give up easily." Storm said, leaning in to kiss Bo's neck, but again, Bo pulled back, turning her head to meet the woman's eyes once more…. the light blue reminding her of how the first layer of ice in late fall looked over the water of the river behind her home.

She swallowed hard, "Something you like, huh?"

"Okay, so something that makes my body feel things it's never felt before."

"You've never been horny?" Bo chuckled, but the look in Storm's eyes did not indicate humor. The woman shook her head,

"Definitely, but never like this. I've dreamed of you, Bo Dennis… or rather… fantasized about you. After your first Iditarod win, you were on the cover of Musher Magazine. It was a picture from a rare interview you had granted…

Bo laughed, "It was a ridiculous interview that my sponsor insisted on. They came to one of my 'training sessions' to take pictures. My life was my training and when I tried to explain that to my idiot sponsor, he told me to make something up. So, I had them follow me through a day in my life. Training with my axes is something I do every single day."

"Well, the picture of you standing there, one axe on your shoulder, one over your head ready to throw, your skin tanned from the summer sun, sweat glistening off of your incredible physique…"

Storm walked slowly behind Bo, her hands pressing into the thick flesh of Bo's rippled traps, deltoids, and biceps… the touch of another human lit Bo's flesh on fire. A flash of Lauren's deep brown eyes was all it took for her to still Storm's hands,

"Again, I'm flattered.

"And I promise you that I can help you feel so much more." Storm leaned in and kissed Bo's neck.

"Storm, please…"

"Begging?"

Bo stepped forward, putting some distance between the woman and herself, "Yes. Begging you to respect my wishes on this matter and stop your advances. I will not betray the woman I love. I will not betray my heart. I promise there is nothing you can do to this body that could hold a candle to what she does. My body yearns for hers… craves hers and it will continue to do so every day of my life until my heart stops beating… and probably even then."

Storm nodded, "You must think me a fool."

Bo shook her head, "No. I think you are lonely which is why you seek the pleasures of the flesh but trust me when I say that they will not quell the aching in your heart."

Storm nodded, "Still, I can stay out here with you. It really will get cold."

"I'm sure, but the shelter of this barn will keep me warmer than I've been while sleeping in caves, tree groves and igloos. Besides, if I get cold, my dogs will keep me warm."

Storm had only a heavy sigh to offer, "Okay then. I'll leave you to it. Sleep tight."

"Thank you. I do appreciate your kind ear and words of advice. Also, thank you for your understanding. I believe we can be great friends if you are willing to accept my boundaries."

Storm smiled, "Of course, but if you should change your mind…"

"You'll be the first to know." Bo smiled.

Storm gave a devilish grin as she moved to exit the barn, shouting out to Bo, "I still say we could have ourselves some fun."

Bo pulled several blankets over her body and closed her eyes, images of Lauren filling her thoughts and heart until sleep finally claimed her.

- End Flashback -

Unable to pretend to sleep any longer, Bo decided it was time to take her team out for an early morning run. She needed to take care of her responsibilities to her dogs… to the team as a whole. The Iditarod was weeks away and the last thing she needed was a sore, stiff team the day before a training run. Hell, she was already sore and stiff. She needed to take care of herself as well. A short fifty miles or so would do the trick. When she came back, she would call Cassie or one of the other vets and have them take a good long look at each of her canine friends.

She slipped out of the sleeping bag and whispered to Harper to stay. Once out of the tent, she filled the kiln with kindling and logs, getting the fire back up to temperature before taking some of the lower rocks from the base. She went back inside and laid the hot rocks along Lauren's back on top of the bag, covering them with her blanket. She smiled, knowing the rocks would assure the blonde's warmth in her absence. She moved over to Harper and gave her head a rub,

"Stay with Lauren. Let her sleep."

Harper placed a paw on the blonde's back before laying her head down and closing her eyes.

Bo shook her head in disbelief, "You definitely understand English."

She closed the shelter tightly before heading into the garage. It didn't take long before she had all of the dogs that were in the kennel at the Homestead fed and watered. She put everyone in the outside run, knowing that her Mom had likely begun Rudy on a routine of getting up and caring for the animals each morning. If any animals happened by that could do harm to Lauren and Harper, they would be given notice by the ruckus the dogs would cause in the back yard.

Carving out a new sled trail was hard work but stretching her legs under the effort it took to run and push the sled was helping to get some of the stiffness out of her muscles. It was about five minutes until Carolyn and Shannon's cabin was visible at the first bend. Seeing that first home reminded her that there were five others she would see if she continued along the same path. She'd like to think she had no regrets about giving up her large parcel of open space, but in her current state of mind all she wanted in her space… a very large space… was, Lauren, the dogs, Mom and Rudy.

Still, she had chosen to return, so it was time she began to do as she had promised herself. She couldn't continue to have Lauren sleep outside with her – she would never sleep. She needed to find a way to get beyond this phobia of being inside. She would need to call Dr. Gray so that they could start the plan they'd made before the Quest began.

She suddenly realized she had stopped running and was staring at the active chimney of Carolyn and Shannon's home. She sighed and – as she often did while on her own – she spoke aloud to herself,

"That shack they were going to buy would have been falling down around their ears by now. You did the right thing, Bo. It was a gesture of love… to provide housing to your closest family and friends. They're your family. They may feel… distant… from you now, but you love them just the same. You want them safe, comfortable and happy… for Lauren… for Rudy… for yourself."

It was just… going to be an adjustment after once again finding normalcy in life off the grid. After all, how much open space did one girl and her dogs really need? She searched for the next house but could not see it from where she stood. Apparently, her construction team had kept their promise to space out the homes significantly, giving the Homestead a wide berth from all of the others. Still, she was sure the next cabin would be Mark and Molly's and it wouldn't be far. They would want Elise and Rudy to be close, but they would also want to be near Tosh as he got older. He was their Pops, and they would want to care for him in his later years. She was surprised that they hadn't taken this property.

She looked across the river to all of the open space that remained in an effort to remind herself that she still had plenty of room to roam on her own. She looked away from the river and found solace in the knowledge that the land from here to Talkeetna was hers and would remain free of further intrusion.

She hated the sound of selfishness in her own mind, but this was the compromise. She would let some people into her inner circle in exchange for setting down roots, but she would keep this small patch of wilderness and with it, her sanity and distance from society. Her family could choose to be in close contact with the outside world whenever they chose to travel the distance to town by vehicle, snow machine or sled.

It was still dark out, but the moon was in its full glory, illuminating the outline of the couple's small cabin. Bo guessed that there were two bedrooms inside with a loft, very similar to her own original design before Rudy's house was added. The smoke billowing from the chimney told her that the couple had begun to figure out life in this remote destination and she looked forward to catching up with them. She would show them how to build an outdoor kitchen so that Shannon could do some buried pot dishes… something Bo had begun to teach her last spring.

Deciding it was time to get moving, she continued plowing through the deep snow, turning onto what would be the new road behind the new homes. It wasn't long before it joined with the old trail that led to the lake. Clearly, her family had kept their word as the trail was well-used. Again, she thought of Rudy and how she was doing on a sled. She couldn't wait to get her out here and see what she could do.

She settled onto the rails and allowed Diana and Nike to set a comfortable pace. They would know best what the team needed for today's recovery run. Bo searched the area for signs of wildlife, hoping for some breakfast meat. Seeing nothing, she headed into the wilderness. There would be time for hunting on the return trip. For now, she searched for her targets, hoping they had held up under the winter storms of the earlier months.

"Find my target, Ladies! Find the trail!"

She kept her eyes open, searching for the familiar bullseyes she had painted on the trees two years ago. At that time, the Homestead was just an idea dancing around in her head. Now, time had transformed this place. Having been away, the fallen trees, new boulders brought by avalanches and subtle changes to the landscape made this once familiar trail as if she had never lived here.

A bark from Nike signaled a target ahead. Bo reached over her shoulder, gripping the handle of one axe. She timed her throw wanting to hit it from a respectable distance. Finally, she pulled it free and thrust it forward, smiling when it hit the mark. She leaned right, focused on the handle and pulled it from the tree as they passed,

"One." She smiled, releasing the team to continue their pace, "Hike! Find the next one! Hike!"

She grinned, leaning back and closing her eyes as she felt her team pick up their pace. She opened her eyes, to see the thicket of trees overhead that almost completely shut out any signs of the moonlit sky. Pulling herself upright again, she noticed the team leading her into a dense stretch of forest. She turned on her headlamp and looked for the next target to come into view.

"This is the life." She said, launching her axe at the bullseye, hitting it dead center.

She grabbed the axe, stowing it in the sling over her shoulder again and pulled her team to a stop. She stood there in the darkness, hearing only the dogs panting at first… then the sound of her own breathing… then the sound of her own heartbeat. She looked up at the moon through a gap in the treetops and sighed,

"This is my life. It's the only chance I get with Lauren. It's the only one I get with these people. What the hell am I waiting for? I've got to get past this claustrophobia thing!"

She set her brake and stepped from the rails. Stretching her arms over head, she fell to her knees and spoke,

"Ghałi!" She began, addressing the moon above, in her native tongue, "Watch over my loved ones. Shower them with the blessings of the spirits all the days of their lives. Help me to find my way back to them. Guide me to the path that allows me to be a part of their lives… to stay."

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