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?

30. Chapter 30: Adjusting

A/N: Thanks for all of the messages. I'm fine, just working a lot, a little writer's block, etc. My spelling and grammar check was super quick, so sorry for any errors. I've got several keys on my keyboard sticking, so hopefully I caught all of the double or triple letters! Here we go!

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Chapter 30: Adjusting

The Homestead Kitchen

Lauren would be lying if she said she wasn't a bit disappointed to find Bo gone this morning. She had hoped to have some cuddle time with the brunette. They had barely had a chance to catch up and she missed her terribly. However, she had the day off and had plenty to catch up on, so she decided that she wouldn't wait for Bo. She would head down to Carolyn and Shannon's place and have a look at their new home on her own. She missed her friends, and it would be nice to catch up.

"Lauren?"

The blonde turned to see Rudy walking into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes, "Is it morning?"

She walked to the youngster, kneeling down in front of her, "It is. Do you want some breakfast?"

"Pancakes? Kelly brought us chocolate chips. She said they're amazing in pancakes."

Lauren laughed, "They are, but you already knew that because I've made them for you before. Is someone just fishing for a favor?"

Rudy smiled, "Maybe. I missed you a lot."

Rudy fell into Lauren who wrapped her arms around the little one, "I missed you a lot too. Is your Mom up?"

Rudy shook her head, "She's been sleeping a lot lately. She didn't have her medicine."

"I know but your sister brought back a lot of the plants we need to make it, so your Mom will start to get better from now on. Okay?"

"Are you sure?" Rudy asked.

Lauren smiled, brushing back the mop of curls from the little girls' eyes, "Absolutely. Now, do you want to help me with those pancakes?"

"Yes!" Rudy said, dragging her stool over to the counter while Lauren pulled out a mixing bowl, whisk and the ingredients.

The pair worked, chatting about all of the things Rudy had been learning in school while Lauren was in Boston. Then, Rudy began her usual line of endless questions about random topics, all of which the doctor answered until the breakfast was ready.

They took a seat next to each other and continued to talk over pancakes, reindeer sausage and milk… well, coffee for Lauren… when Mary entered the kitchen,

"Good Morning, girls. It seems I've slept late again."

Lauren took note that Mary was particularly pale and leaning heavily on her cane. She stood, helping her to the table,

"Don't fuss, Child. I've been making my way… slowly… but successfully nonetheless."

"Well, you sit and eat. I'm going to go get busy cobbling together your treatments…"

"No need. I couldn't sleep last night, so I already created two batches." She pointed to the counter, "The black ceramic container."

Lauren looked at Rudy, "Sweetie, you know that Mommy's medicines…"

"Can kill me. Yup." She said, matter-of-factly, her feet kicking while she shoved a forkful of pancakes into her mouth.

"Good." Lauren said, rather disturbed by the calm manner in which the child spoke. Nonetheless, she pulled a plate from the cabinet and placed it in front of Mary, then dropped a fork and napkin next to her as well.

"Oh, I don't think I can."

Lauren shook her head, "You cannot take this medicine on an empty stomach, Mary."

The older Dennis watched as Lauren pulled the vial of purple liquid from the canister, holding it up to the candlelight and swirling it around,

"Good color."

"It's a fresh batch. I've learned that if I make it too far in advance, the color fades."

Lauren nodded, "It loses its potency rather quickly then?"

"I suspect so." Mary replied taking a pancake and placing it on her plate.

Lauren leaned over and added another one, "Sustenance. It's necessary. I take it you have been taking the tea without food?"

Mary shrugged, but Rudy was quick to dime her Mother out, "Yup. She hardly eats."

"Child…" Mary began, but Lauren cut her off,

"Don't you dare reprimand your daughter for being unwilling to enable you. The idea here is to cure your condition, not let it kill you more quickly."

"I hardly think…"

"I'm going to stop you right there. We'll talk about this later." She nodded towards Rudy but knew in her mind that Mary was likely already experiencing side effects from taking the teas on an empty stomach. Doing so could further complicate the damage already being done by the poison. She didn't have to tell Mary. The woman knew from the warnings provided at her first treatments back on the North Slope.

She got to work loading a syringe and administering the injection while Mary forced down the breakfast laid before her. Then, Lauren moved to the counter to begin making the treatment administered as a tea serum. Once Mary drank the tea, she would sleep for a few more hours.

Everyone turned when there was a knock on the door. Lauren waved in the visitors who immediately offered bright smiles to Rudy. Shannon spoke first,

"Hey Squirt!"

"Shannie! Lynnie!" She ran to the pair, wrapping her arms around their legs, "Lauren made us chocolate chip pancakes!"

Carolyn walked to Lauren, "We smelled them on the way up the trail. I had guessed banana."

Lauren shook her head, "If only we had bananas. What I wouldn't give for a smoothie."

Mary spoke up, "Top shelf of the second cupboard, there are diced, freeze-dried bananas."

"Freeze-dried?" Lauren asked.

Mary nodded, "Just before you and Bo left, I had ordered a crate of bananas through the General Store. I peeled, chopped and freeze-dried them, then stored them in the cache for winter, removing only a small jar at a time. I've been mixing them into our cereal, caramelizing them for various dishes and giving them to Rudy as a snack."

"They're really good in pancakes too." Rudy said, taking another pancake off the serving platter and putting it on her plate.

Lauren shook her head, "That's the last one, Roo. You're going to turn into a pancake. Did you ladies eat breakfast yet?"

Carolyn laughed, "Eat? When have you ever known us to cook, Lauren?"

Lauren shook her head, "Time to be big girls, Ladies. Coffee, flour, sugar, canned fruits and vegetables, cereal – they'll all hold up. You can get eggs from Rudy's friend 'the chicken lady', buy milk, butter and juice, too. They won't take up a lot of space and you can keep them in your cold room. You don't want to be caught without food out here. You're too far from town for Kenzi to cook for you unless you go to work early each day, but I'd rather not have the two of you low on sleep."

"We'll do that." Carolyn replied, "We're a little short on knowledge. We're learning, but it always seems like we're playing catch up, learning on the fly."

Mary spoke, "Walking, talking Alaskan dictionary right here. You two have done so much for me and my family. Please allow me to teach you our ways. It's the least I can do."

Shannon smiled, "It would be our honor, Mary."

"It's settled then. The two of you get lessons in subsistence living and I get continued medical assistance."

"Can I get the lessons too?" Rudy asked.

Mary smiled, "Do you think you're ready?"

"Well, Bo was driving a sled on her own by my age. I think you're babying me, Momma."

Everyone laughed, including Mary who said, "That may be true, but you're my baby girl and I want to keep you as young as I can for as long as I can. You see what a handful your sister is, right? Grownups are a handful."

"Tell me about it." Rudy said, rolling her eyes, "But I still want to drive my own sled… but maybe with someone next to me… I mean, just so I don't get lost… or have to walk home if I fall off and my dogs run away… or if I fall in a lake."

The previous hustle and bustle in the kitchen stilled with Rudy's words, all eyes falling on Mary who smiled,

"Well, then it should be Lauren next to you. She pulled me out of a lake not so long ago. Tamsin told me she can surf on the back of a sled."

"Really?" Rudy asked, her eyes bright as she turned to Lauren.

The blonde laughed, "It was more like waterskiing than surfing. I was behind the sled and Tamsin was pulling me.

"Cool. I've never been water skiing."

Shannon smiled, "It's a ton of fun. One day, we'll take you back east and show you. Once you learn to get up on our skis, you'll have a blast."

Rudy hesitated before saying, "Mom? When can we go to Boston?"

"Well, that would be up to Lauren. Whenever she wants to take you, she has my permission."

Lauren looked at Mary, "Really? Because I have a board meeting in May just before Memorial Day. I thought maybe we could all go… if you're up for it."

Mary smiled, "I've never been to Boston… I mean, I was in a safe room under FBI supervision, so I've never actually seen the city."

"Well, that settles it then. Shannon, Carolyn – you up for a trip back east in Spring?" Lauren asked.

"As long as we're staying at the Beach Houses or Betsy's inn, definitely." The pair replied, smiling.

"What about Sister? Can she come?" Rudy asked.

Lauren hadn't considered Bo coming. Strange. The truth was, the elder Dennis hadn't been fond of flying or her time in the city. However, many things about Bo had changed during their time apart and Lauren was in no position to judge what the brunette would or would not do if asked to go.

On the other hand, it would be after Iditarod season and Bo would hopefully have adjusted to life under a roof by then. If she were being honest with herself, the only thing that Lauren could be sure of right now was that Bo was more like the woman she had first met than the woman she had become when a large group of family and friends came into her life. She wasn't about to complain. She had wanted Bo to revert to the woman she was before and now she had. Be careful what you wish for. She sighed, looking up at Rudy,

"Of course, she can… if she wants to. Your sister isn't particularly fond of planes or cities, but you might be able to talk her into it if she can stay at the beach."

"Yes!" Rudy said, giving her signature fist pump, "I mean, I want to go to the big city, but I want to stay at the beach the most. Shannie and Lynnie can take me and you can stay with Sister if you feel bad leaving her alone and…"

Lauren surveyed the room, watching everyone's response to little Rudy as she once again captivated her audience with her zest for life. It was infectious to see the world through the eyes of a child who seemed to be in a never-ending search for knowledge. She spoke a million miles a minute, asking question after question of the Nurses, seeking answers that would teach her all there was to know about Lauren's life in the great state of Massachusetts.

With one last look, Lauren turned to the sink and began the cleanup with a smile. For as much as she had enjoyed her time away, she was happy to be back. She had missed Rudy and her friends. She was looking forward to spending more time with Molly, Mark, Elise, LJ and Michael. When she went into town on Monday to check in on the clinic, she would try to visit with them for a bit. She would also be spending a good amount of time at the hospital to see the progress that had been made. At some point, she would take the train or drive Bo's truck down to Anchorage to visit with Faith and Tosh before meeting up with Stephen to do a final round of interviews with the Interns who would be part of the group coming in from the University of Alaska and the University of Washington.

The students from Washington would be working in the clinic. The school was, after all, second in the state for Family Care, so it just made sense that they paired with clinicians from there. With any luck, some would want to stay on in Alaska. It wasn't as lucrative, but they would be busy, and they would see all sorts of cases – not just colds and flu.

University of Alaska at Anchorage was the top medical school in the state, so Lauren felt pretty good about the Interns they might get from the local school. Under the tutelage of the top docs they'd hired, she hoped there would be several students who would be qualified to stay on at the hospital each year.

She was pulled from her musings by Rudy calling her name. She turned to see the youngster wagging an empty cup in her direction,

"Lauren, can I have a little bit of juice? I know we don't have much left, so just two sips?"

Mary nodded to Lauren before turning to her daughter, "That juice is there for you, Child. You need it to grow big and strong. I told you to drink it sparingly, but you can still drink a glass every day."

Rudy looked up at Lauren, "I only took a sip in my first glass. May I have an almost full glass this time, please?"

Lauren smiled, "A full serving of vitamin C coming right up!"

"Is vitamin C important?" Rudy asked, turning to Carolyn.

"It sure is, Squirt." Carolyn replied with a smile.

"But why aren't all of you drinking vitamin C then?"

Carolyn smiled, "We get what we need from peppers, sprouts, broccoli, potatoes… we have a lot of places to get it."

"I eat all those too."

She smiled at Rudy, "Yup, but not every day, so juice is a great way for you to get yours."

Mary added, "And in a few months, the tundra will bloom, and we'll have fruits and vegetables again."

"I can't wait! We get to dig up the garden and plant all kinds of good stuff." Rudy smiled up at Lauren, "And we'll have watermelon sharing time again!"

They all laughed, as Lauren smiled, "You do love your watermelon, Roo."

"It's my favorite food group!"

Carolyn laughed, "Watermelon isn't a food group, Squirt. Fruit is a food group."

"Dang it! I can't get that straight! It's gonna be on my test and I keep getting the groups wrong."

"Shannie will help you study." Carolyn offered.

"I'm really good with the food groups." Shannon replied.

Lauren gave Rudy her orange juice, then turned back to the counter and poured the remaining pancake mix into the tall plastic water bottle. She screwed the lid tight, then washed the mixing bowl. She dried the bowl with a towel, taking a moment to recognize and appreciate this moment. She had spent too many years without a family to ever take these simple tasks for granted again. She looked out the window as she worked. Not seeing Bo, she checked the clock on the wall and wondered if maybe Bo was back but had just not been comfortable enough to come inside.

She sighed, looking down at the griddle and remaining pancake batter. She moved the sausages to the oven to keep them warm, then turned to the table and picked up the empty serving plate and took away Mary and Rudy's dirty plates. She washed everything while Shannon and Rudy talked food groups. When everything was clean, dried and put away, she tossed the towel over her shoulder and turned to the group of women,

"So, what's the plan for day one of our two days off? Can a friend get a tour of the new home?"

"That depends. Can we get some of those pancakes and a side of sausage?" Shannie smirked.

Lauren nodded with a smile, "Of course, but Mary is going to throw some cooking lessons in with those general knowledge lessons, right Mary?"

The older woman winked, "If they're lucky."

Carolyn's eyes went wide, "You'll show us how to make your bread?"

Mary cocked her head, "Child, that's a sacred family recipe. You'll have to earn such knowledge."

Carolyn smiled, "As long as I don't have to climb Denali, I'll earn it! I love that bread. It's so good!"

Lauren turned back to the griddle and turned on the heat. She smiled at the bargaining going on at the table while she opened the bag of banana chips and put a handful into the batter. After shaking up the bottle, she poured six pancakes onto the griddle before looking outside again, now wondering if what happened last night between them gave Bo reason to leave for good.

She placed a fist over her heart, fingering the necklace she had not taken off since she had returned to Alaska. Quietly, she whispered to herself,

'No, Lauren. Don't go there. She loves you. She told you so. She's just going to need a little more space. She's the old Bo now. Just give her time to figure things out. Don't go jumping to conclusions and going into worry mode. Just stop it. You miss her, but you'll have plenty of time together again once the Iditarod is over.'

She pulled herself from her musings and flipped the pancakes, then pulled the two plates she had just washed from the cabinet. Carolyn came too her side,

"You put the tiny bananas in."

Lauren smiled, "I figured the two of you missed something that was always such a regular part of your day."

Carolyn nodded, "We were actually just talking about that last night. I mean, the meats we eat are leaner and we definitely eat less calories, but we really miss fresh fruit and vegetables during the winter. Bo had told us she would help us with our first garden."

Lauren nodded, but didn't reply which led Carolyn to ask the question she'd been wanting to ask since they had arrived,

"Actually, we came over because Shannon wanted Bo's help with her sled. She broke her rail and doesn't know how to fix it."

"I'm sure she'll help you with it. Just…" Lauren looked over her shoulder, then turned back to the griddle and began plating their food, "Be careful about the demands you place on Bo right now… please. She's not comfortable being indoors."

"So, it's true."

"What?" Lauren asked.

"She was outside the whole time since she left."

Lauren shrugged, "It's who she is, Lynnie. Having me… all of us in her life, changed her… but not by her choice. This time, I'm going to make sure she does this right. I won't force her to do anything she's not comfortable with and I sure as hell won't ask her to be someone she's not. That was done to me and I won't have it done to her. Just… mention the broken rail in conversation, but please don't ask for help. Let her offer and then meet her outside when she arrives at your home. If she doesn't offer, you have Mary, LJ and Kyle to help you with any sledding needs."

Carolyn nodded, "I think Shannon just missed her friend and wanted some Bo time, ya know?"

Lauren smiled and nodded, "They have grown to be close friends. Who knew, right?"

Carolyn laughed, "Especially since they are two stubborn mules who fight like cats and dogs most of the time."

"That they do." She paused, but then decided to ask, "So… do you want to tell me why Shannon will barely look at me let alone speak to me?"

Lynnie sighed, "You'll have to ask her, Lauren. I really don't think she has reason to treat you as she is and we've argued that point until I was ready to walk out the door. She was being completely unreasonable and honestly, I really don't think it has anything to do with you."

Lauren nodded, "I'll find time to talk to her. Is it okay that I come over for a tour?"

"Of course. It will help to break the ice."

Lauren handed her the plates and Lynnie headed over to the table, putting a plate in front of Shannon before taking a seat. Lauren dropped the maple syrup onto the table and then took Rudy's empty juice glass away.

"Can we check the maple syrup buckets today?" Rudy asked.

Mary smiled, "It's too cold out, Child. It's supposed to warm up in a few weeks. We'll check soon."

"Okay." Rudy said, disappointed, "May I be excused to take the dogs outside?"

"Of course. It's past their feeding time. Will you take care of that, please?" Mary asked.

Rudy nodded, "Do I put out food for Sister's dogs?"

Mary shook her head, "She'll be mixing a special feed for them since they've just run a race. Maybe Ysabeau will teach you about training diets if you help her. They'll need special care for a week or two."

"Do they need the special goopy stuff on their legs, too?" Rudy asked.

"You'll have to ask Bo. She'll know after they've finished this morning's cool down run. She's likely going to be back soon."

Lauren looked at Mary who pulled out Rudy's chair and sent her on her way before turning to the blonde,

"Do you fear she is gone for good?"

Lauren's shoulders dropped, "The thought did cross my mind."

"Her time away has changed her Child and we knew it would. You asked her to find herself and she has. Time and experiences shaped her into the woman she was when you met her. Then, she tried to fit into your world when she met all of you. She became someone that she did not like… she clearly became someone you were not particularly happy with."

Lauren nodded, "She worried all the time, she snapped at people, she got angry… it was like she lost her balance."

"I don't expect you girls to understand, but there is a rhythm to the land and when you roam it, you become part of that rhythm from the time you are born. To live in the White man's world, you must acquire a new rhythm. It took me more than a decade to understand the beat of your society… or rather, learn how to shut out the beat while I was among your people so that I could still retain my identity."

Lauren nodded, "I think I understand. While I was in Boston, I became easily frustrated and impatient while in the city. Patrick caught onto my mood one day and drew attention to a particular incident where I shouted at a bystander. The noise… the crowd… I felt…"

She turned to the window, now understanding what Bo was feeling, "… claustrophobic even though I was outside in the open air. It didn't smell right. The only place I truly felt comfortable was at my home on the beach. It was winter, so there were very few people there. Even the hospital felt foreign to me… a place I'd spent most of my adult life."

Moving to the table, she gathered the dirty dishes and once again headed to the sink to clean and put away the breakfast items.

Mary smiled, "You've begun to tie yourself to this land, so other places will begin to feel strange – even places you've lived most of your life." She turned to Shannon and Carolyn, "The same will happen to the two of you. If you haven't noticed the mood changes yet, but you will… particularly if you go back to Boston."

Carolyn took Shannie's hand. She was fairly certain what Mary was saying was connecting with her right now. This was why she had felt her irrational anger, but she was surprised when Shannon actually spoke up about how she had been feeling,

"When Lauren left, I was good at first. Then, it was like something had shifted. Something was missing when I checked on patients, when I went into the clinic, when I was in the operating room. I've assisted other doctor's without problem but this… I was angry at Dr. Mujambi…"

She turned to her partner, "… you were right – she's an outstanding heart surgeon but I just couldn't… find my rhythm with her. She was slow… no, not slow… anxious… or… deliberate… always thinking, not doing." She shook her head, "Anyway, I think if we had been in Boston, it would have been different. But here, Mary's right – it feels different. I missed working with Lauren… we always had a similar rhythm in surgery..."

Lauren smiled, not looking up from the dish she was washing, "I rarely had to speak during surgical procedures. Shannon seemed to just know what I needed next – even when I was forced to get… creative."

Shannon nodded, "We were a team and now, we're a different team… our rhythm in surgery is different."

"Less stressed, more confident, less worry, more hope." Lauren replied, smiling as she worked.

Mary nodded, "I've watched the people of your part of the world. They walk from one place to another, following the demands of their clocks without question. Back and forth, back and forth, numb to the sounds that drown out their will. Here, in this land, your soul is awakened, and it wants to dance to a new beat. The rhythm will change from now to April, to July, to September and so on."

Lauren stared out the window, thinking of what Mary had said about the rhythm and realized she was right. Smiling and unaware, she began to hum - moving the sponge on the plate in time to the music in her mind. Caroline smiled, looking at Lynnie. The pair recognized the song right away. It was at the end of Lauren's surgery playlist – the song they celebrated successful surgeries to. They looked down to see the doctor's foot tapping as she continued to hum. Lynnie stood, earning Lauren's attention when she began to sing,

"Do you remember – the twenty-first night of September? Love was changing the mind of pretenders - while we're chasin' the clouds away." She spun Lauren away from the sink and led her through a dance, "Our hearts were ringing - in the key that our souls were singing. As we danced in the night remember – how the stars stole the night away, oh yeah…"

Shannon stood and joined in, the three women dancing and singing as Mary laughed,

"… hey, hey, hey ba-dee-ya, say, do you remember? Ba-dee-ya, dancing in September, ba-dee-ya, never was a cloudy day. Ba-du, ba-du, ba-du, ba-du, ba-du, ba-du, ba-du, ba-du, ba-du, ba-du, ba-du, yeah. My thoughts are with you, holding hands with your heart to see you, only blue talk and love remember how we knew love was here to stay. Now December, found the love we shared in September, only blue talk and love remember, true love we share today. Hey, hey, hey, ba-dee-ya, say, do you remember…"

Bo crossed her arms, leaning in the doorway with her little sister standing in front of her. Rudy looked up at Bo,

"Are they okay?"

Bo smiled down at her little sister, "It's an East Coast thing, Roo. We wouldn't understand."

"They look a little…" she spun her finger in a circle at her temple, "… cuckoo."

"They're just having a little dance party. Do you want to join them?"

"I don't know this song." Rudy replied.

Bo picked up her phone and opened the music app that Kenzi had put on her phone last year. The young hotel owner had suggested it was crucial for Bo to learn about popular music. Now, Bo was passing those lessons on to her little sister. She held up the phone and touched the screen, revealing the song information,

"Apparently, it's called September and it was created by Earth, Wind and Fire."

"The planet wrote this song?"

Bo shrugged, "I don't know, but it's kind of fun, huh?"

Rudy wiggled her butt and Bo laughed, taking her hands and spinning her around. The three women heard the music coming from Bo's phone and turned to see the two sisters dancing to the music. The sound of Rudy's laughter was infectious, and the group was soon standing together dancing to the song while Mary tapped her cane to the beat.

When the song ended, Lauren stood watching as Carolyn and Shannon embraced and Bo lifted Rudy off her feet and spun her around in a circle over and over again. When she finally put her down, the youngster ran to her Mom,

"Did you see us dancing, Momma? That was so fun!" She climbed up on the chair and hugged her Mom.

"Yes, it was, little Roo. It was a lot of fun." Mary replied, hugging her daughter tightly in reply.

Bo stood in front of Lauren, "Sorry I left without leaving a note this morning. I couldn't sleep and couldn't be inside the tent any longer. I just… I'm sorry… I…"

"Hey. It's okay." Lauren said, "No need to apologize. Do you want some breakfast? I made chocolate chip and banana pancakes."

Bo measured the distance to the table and looked up at the ceiling, but Lauren was already aware of what the brunette was thinking so she let her off the hook,

"I know you have to give your team some special attention since it's the day after a race, so I can bring it out to the garage if you'd rather eat while you work."

Bo turned and looked outside, breathing a sigh of relief at the site of the open garage door,

"If you don't mind playing waitress, that would be great. The girls are probably starving."

Lauren smiled, "A large stack of pancakes, coming up."

"Make that an extra-large stack?" Bo asked with a smile.

"Whatever Bo wants, Bo gets." Lauren smirked, turning to walk away, but Bo gripped her wrist, carefully pulling her back towards her, but as she spoke, her eyes were closed and her head was down,

"I know you know… that I can't…"

Lauren stepped towards the brunette, lifting her chin, "Bo, look at me."

The brunette shook her head, but then complied. She saw the smile in Lauren's eyes and relaxed just a little bit as the blonde spoke,

"It's okay, Bo. I promised you we would take things slow."

Bo lowered her eyes, suddenly feeling shame, "Still… thanks anyway… I mean… for your understanding."

"Of course." Lauren smiled, but then playfully gripped lips, squeezing until they were puckered, "But I'm not sleeping out in a tent again tonight. Figure something else out so I don't freeze my nipples off, okay?"

Bo laughed as her face was released, but quickly changed to a more serious tone, "Lauren, you can sleep in our bed."

Lauren shook her head, "I think 'our' is the operative word there. When you sleep there, it will be our bed. Until then, our bed is wherever you don't feel like the walls are closing in, but I won't catch my death of pneumonia."

"Yes Ma'am." Bo nodded, "I'll figure something out."

She smiled, giving Lauren a kiss on the cheek before walking out into the garage.

Rudy scrunched up her nose, shaking her head at her Mom, "If they're all done being all kissy, I'm going to go help Sister!"

Mary laughed, "One day, you will find someone to be all kissy with and you'll understand."

"Never!" Rudy said, jumping down from the chair and hustling out of the door. She reversed direction and came back in to grab her coat and gloves from the floor, then headed back out again.

Mary shook her head, "One day, that child will actually learn to hang up her coat and gloves when she comes inside."

Lauren laughed, "We'll work on it now that there are more of us to remind her."

"Thank you." Mary smiled, "It's good to have you and Bo home. Rudy's got her energy and her smile back. She loves you two more than I can say."

"And we love her." Lauren smiled, "I'm so happy that you and Bo found each other again. Rudy is just an added bonus in her life."

There was silence for a moment before Carolyn spoke,

"Lauren, we're going to head home. You are all welcome to come for a tour. Shoot us a text when you're coming. I think we're going to go for a short walk along the river."

"Lesson number one, always take your bear mace." Mary said, wagging a finger at the girls.

"Right. And what's that bear saying you taught Lauren?" Shannon asked.

"If it's black, fight back, if it's brown, lay down, if it's white, say good night." Mary smiled.

"Got it." Shannon said, giving a thumbs up.

"Do you?"

"What?"

Mary shook her head, "I asked, 'do you', Shannon? If you had been taught the poem once and just now needed it repeated, I doubt you 'have it', Child."

"Right."

"The two of you should repeat the poem from this home to your own and all day long until can imagine a black, brown or polar bear attacking you," Mary raised her fingernails, imitating the clawing action of a bear, "Imagine the animal rearing up on its hind legs so that it towers over you, its large claws exposed as it growls a heart-stopping sound and then charges you."

"Well, that's scary." Shannon replied.

"No – what's scary is that you then have to drop, roll yourself into a ball and play dead, allowing it to have its way with you while you pray it doesn't actually rip you apart with its claws or teeth."

Shannon swallowed hard while Carolyn clung to her arm, hanging on Mary's every word,

"Now, imagine that you are in a life and death showdown with a polar bear where if you don't have a weapon with you, it simply means your death."

"That's a lot of imagination." Shannon smiled.

"Oh, but it's not, Child. It's very real and you will not live a full life here without a bear encounter. While the big white bears are not common in this town, the blacks and browns are, so you must be aware. You've both seen the damage they can do when you've treated my daughter."

Shannon's face dropped, "Reality check."

Mary only nodded.

Shannon looked at Carolyn, then back at Mary, "Do you have any bear mace that we can use for the walk home?"

Mary hesitated, but Lauren was quick to respond, "Bottom shelf in the first cabinet on your way out. Be aware of which way the wind is blowing so that you don't miss the bear and spray yourselves instead."

"Good point. Thank you." Carolyn smiled, "Text us when you're on your way."

Lauren shouted, "Don't forget your head lamps!"

Carolyn stuck her hand inside the door and pulled the pair of lamps from the hook on the wall and waved before she left leaving Mary and Lauren in the kitchen. Mary stood,

"I believe their lessons need to start sooner rather than later now that they're living out here where there is less human activity."

Lauren nodded, "Agreed…" she paused, "… can I get in on those lessons as well?"

"I will speak with Ysabeau. I don't want to cross a line she has imagined, but I promise that if she says no to me, I will insist she teach you properly or relinquish that responsibility to me. She cannot expect you to continue to live here under her protection. It is not realistic. You must be permitted to live your own life despite your connection to her."

"Agreed." Came a voice from the doorway, "Let's make it a shared responsibility, Mom."

Mary stood slowly, using the table for support, "Agreed."

Bo nodded, "Mom, did you order additional supplements for the dogs?"

"Kyle ordered them. If they're not in the cabinet, they must still be at the kennel. They should have surely been delivered by now."

Bo nodded, offering Lauren a tight smile before heading back out to the garage. Both women watched her leave, then turned back to each other, Lauren speaking first,

"Do you think she's angry?"

Mary shook her head, "She has no reason to be. You've got to learn. She hasn't taught you despite my urging. She wanted you to make your home here. You did and she still did not teach you. You took a break to find yourselves and you returned here… for good, I take it?"

Lauren nodded, "That is my intention."

"Then you must learn."

Lauren sighed, "Thank you."

"No thanks needed. You are as a daughter to me. I will do what I must to ensure your safety in your new home. Now, my medicines are kicking in. It's time for my nap. Will you and Bo be able to take care of Rudy?"

Lauren nodded, "I'm sure Rudy will want to play with the dogs for a bit and then watch her Saturday morning cartoons on the TV. We'll take her over to the girls' house after that. Are you sure you don't want me to stay?"

"No, Child. I have had no ill effects from this treatment. Just fatigue from the toxin. I will keep my phone near the bed should I need any of you."

"Okay, but don't you hesitate to call." Lauren insisted, "As much as I am your daughter, you are like a Mother to me…" she sighed, "… the things my Mother felt important for me to learn are useless to me here."

Mary frowned, "Mothers always teach us something, Child."

Lauren shrugged, "Then she taught me the type of mother… the type of human being I would never want to be – not in a million lifetimes."

Mary watched as Lauren turned back to the stove to finish preparing Bo's breakfast. As the blonde plated the food, Mary spoke her request softly,

"I would like to hear of this childhood you lived one day."

Lauren smiled, placing the plate of pancakes and sausage in the oven while she quickly cleaned up. Then, she grabbed the plate, poured some maple syrup over the stack and grabbed the travel mug of coffee,

"Whatever you want to know, feel free to ask when we next have some time together. Just keep in mind that my parents were wealthy socialites who believed in doing whatever it took to make more money and climb to the top of one ladder after another. I was raised, however, by my Grandmother and my Nanny. Hopefully, that gives you an idea of where your questions should begin."

Mary nodded, watching as Lauren headed out to the garage carrying plates and a thermos. The elder Dennis shook her head,

"Mothers and daughters. When will we ever learn?" Mary headed back to her side of the house, more than ready for her nap. For now, her girls would all fend for themselves. Together, they were safe and sound in each other's company."

XXXXXXXXXXX

The Garage…

Lauren found Rudy playing with her pups in the kennel while Bo sat on the front of her sled near the open garage door. Lauren entered Bo's vision from the left, not wanting to surprise her from behind and offered her the plate,

"Here you are. I made coffee as well."

Bo took the plate, napkin, utensils and then the thermos, putting it on her sled between her legs, "I'll have to get used to using proper cutlery again. All that work you did to housebreak me before and now you have to do it again."

Lauren frowned, "Bo, please don't belittle yourself. I could care less if you use a fork and knife or your fingers. I just want you to be comfortable in your own skin no matter where we are."

Bo nodded, "I will, Lauren. It's just going to take a little time."

"Do you mind if I sit or would you rather…"

"Please. Sit. We've barely had a chance to catch up." Bo insisted.

"Okay. I'll just go get a chair and my…"

Bo gripped Lauren's wrist, "There's room on my sled. Sit behind me… please?"

Lauren smiled, slipping into the space on the sled behind her, careful not to enter her personal space, but Bo looked over her shoulder and whispered,

"Closer, please."

Lauren grinned and slid closer, straddling Bo and wrapping her arms around the brunette's waist,

"How's this?"

"Perfect." Bo smiled, digging into her food while Lauren sat in silence leaning against the brunette's back, her eyes set on the scenery outside the barn. When Bo put her plate down, Lauren moved to pick it up and take it inside, but Bo stopped her,

"I'm guessing you did a lot of dishes already today."

Lauren shrugged, "Rudy wanted pancakes. Your Mom needed to eat before she took her medicine, and she can't very well clean. Shannon and Carolyn were our guests, so I wasn't going to make them do dishes.

"Oh. I didn't know you invited them. If you had told me, I wouldn't have left."

Lauren shook her head, "I didn't invite them. Shannon came over to ask your advice on a busted sled handle."

"How the hell did she bust her handle? Those things are double reinforced." Bo asked.

Lauren shrugged, "I don't know. I told her that if it could be fixed, she could take it over to the kennel."

Bo shook her head, "No need. I've got tools here in my workshop to fix it."

"Just teach her, Bo. She and Carolyn have got to learn to do for themselves just like the rest of us. Your Mom is handling the cooking lessons and outdoor basics."

"Lessons like not walking here without bear mace." Bo smiled, "I saw them taking a can on the way out. They seemed… afraid to talk to me."

Lauren shook her head, "They're just giving you space, Bo."

"I guess I wasn't particularly welcoming. I just feel like everyone is looking at me differently."

Lauren smiled, "Did you say hi to them?"

"No."

"Is that how you treated them before you left?" Lauren asked.

"I suppose not."

Lauren responded carefully, "Maybe they're just responding to the way you are responding to their presence."

"I'm the one being different." Bo concluded.

"I think you're self-conscious, so are reading into things."

Bo nodded. She stood and walked to the edge of the garage. Folding her arms over her chest she leaned against the door frame. Lauren leaned back against the basket while Bo focused on the scenery before her. Both women could hear Rudy giggling in the background as she played with the youngest dogs in the kennel. Bo had almost forgotten she was out here. The puppies were her little sister's best friends next to Elise, but they were getting bigger. Soon, it would be time to start hitching them to logs to train their instinct to pull. At that point, Rudy would have to make play time all about the training. It would be a difficult adjustment from playmate to master, but Bo would guide her along the way as would her Mom.

"Bo?"

Bo turned towards the blonde, "Are you warm enough?"

"It's chilly. I didn't exactly dress to stay outside."

Bo nodded walking behind Lauren and pulling two blankets from the basket. She tossed them over the blonde, then sat in front of her, sitting back against the blonde to offer her body heat. She stretched out her legs, pulling Lauren's around her and rubbing them to generate heat,

"Is that better?" Bo asked.

Lauren nodded, "Now that you're blocking the wind, yes."

"Well, I'm happy to be your windshield."

"I'm happy to have you." Lauren smiled as Bo gripped her arms and pulled them around her torso.

"Sister? Is it okay if we go outside?" Rudy yelled, "I think they want to play in the snow!"

Bo and Lauren chuckled as Bo whispered, "Translation – Rudy wants to play in the snow."

The elder Dennis called over to her sister, "Sure, Roo. Come over here and let us check your gear once you're dressed."

The couple sat, enjoying the contact while watching the snow fall outside. When Rudy was dressed, she ran over and stood in front of Bo who surveyed her work,

"Skin exposed on left goggle strap."

Rudy pulled off her gloves and felt the area, "Dang!"

Bo watched as she adjusted the strap and pulled her mask up to cover the skin, then the hat down to cover both,

"Okay?" The muffled voice asked.

Bo smiled, "Gloves."

Rudy pulled her gloves on once more, "Dang! Now I can't tuck them into my sleeves because my coat is already on!"

Bo waved at her sister to reach her hands out. She tucked everything in, then raised the zipper on her coat before wrapping the collar around her neck and fastening the button tightly. With one last check, she smiled,

"Now you're ready to go."

Rudy smiled, "I wish I was covered in fur like the dogs, so I didn't have to put all of this stuff on."

Bo laughed, "You would look pretty silly for a human."

Rudy shrugged, "If I cared how I looked, I would be hanging out with Missy McNamara, Karen Simpson and Millie Jansen at school."

"Oh?" Bo asked.

"Yea. They already wear makeup, they have their own phones and they think they're better than everyone else. They talk during class and the teacher yells at them all day long. They're so annoying."

Lauren shook her head, "Do they bother you?"

"They try, but I just ignore them. They're outsiders."

That got Bo's attention, "Oh?"

Rudy nodded, "Their parents came here because they got jobs at the new hospital."

That got Lauren's attention, "Oh? And what do they do there?"

Rudy shrugged, "They're supposed to be some big deal doctors – at least, that's what the girls say. I didn't tell them my almost sister owns the whole place."

Lauren smiled, "Let's just keep that piece of information in your back pocket unless they really start getting on your nerves, okay?"

"So, I can tell them?" Rudy smiled, "They'd be so jealous!"

Bo shook her head, "Did you listen? Lauren asked you not to tell just yet. Are these girls being mean to anyone? Are they doing anything bad?"

"Well, unless bragging, gossiping and acting like you're better than everyone else is against a rule, they're not doing anything 'cept just being really, really super annoying… and I mean reeeeeeally annoying, like…" she stuck her finger into her mouth and pretended to vomit, "… annoying."

Bo and Lauren shared a chuckled, both women trying hard to keep things serious knowing that this would be tricky for the doctor. Straightening her grin, Bo replied, "Okay then. Go play with your fun friends then. Be sure the gate is locked as soon as you get out there."

Rudy nodded, "Right! See ya!"

Lauren whispered, "It seems we may have hired some people who believe they are above a certain station." The doctor shook her head, "That will never do."

"Shades of Evony."

Lauren nodded, "It's the kind of toxicity I will not have in my life or the lives of my patients and employees ever again."

"I'm sure you'll do what's right." Bo replied.

Lauren paused, her eyes set on Bo's before looking over to the sound of the full complement of the kennel following Rudy outside, then asked,

"Is that okay? I mean… does your team need to stay in for a while?"

Bo shook her head, "They'll do what they need to do. Honestly, the snow is like an ice bath for them, just like it is for Harper, so it's probably good that they go out."

Lauren nodded, "That does makes sense."

They were quiet for a long moment before Bo spoke, "Lauren, I don't want you to feel as though you can't touch me or hold me. I'm still me. Sort of."

"You see, it's the 'sort of' part that I don't get."

Bo nodded, "Like I told you last night, I'm struggling with being inside a structure… any structure at all. I went by the hotel to see Kenzi this morning and… well, I waved to her from the window. My best friend. I've missed her so much, but I just couldn't bring myself to… well, there were people inside… the weekend breakfast crowd and…"

"Bo, you don't have explain. I really think I get it now. When I was in Boston, the streets were crowded, and the air had this heavy smell to it. Compared to here, it might have even had a taste to it. I can't explain it, but it was the first time that I went to my favorite city and didn't want to stay the night. I used to brag to friends from other cities about how clean Boston was, but back then, I had never been here."

Bo turned on her side, laying her head down on Lauren's thigh. She gazed out at the land,

"It's snowing again."

Lauren nodded and pulled the loose dark strands from Bo's face, tucking them behind her ear. Bo spoke quietly,

"Tell me more. I missed the sound of your voice."

Lauren smiled, "You've been very quiet since we reunited."

Bo shrugged, "I'm not used to having people to talk to, so I guess I'm still just talking inside my own head. I'm very much… my old self. Do you remember her?"

Lauren smiled, "I adored her… well, except for the angry version."

The brunette smiled, "Well, it seems I've returned without her… for the most part. I don't have Big Jim with me like I once did. I've learned to leave my past… most of it… in the past."

"That's good."

Bo nodded, "I think it is."

They both turned to the wintery scene outside, Bo exhaling a long breath as she relaxed into Lauren,

"You know, we've never done this."

"Done what?" Bo asked.

"Just… sat here staring out at scenery. It's beautiful. I never realized that it's so quiet on these lands that you can literally hear the snow falling on the trees."

Bo's reply was to curl into Lauren more, releasing another breath. Lauren smiled, realizing she had never felt Bo without her nervous energy. This version of Bo… well, she was just going to have to get to know her all over again… and she would cherish every moment.

"Will you tell me more now?" Bo asked softly.

Lauren placed a soft kiss on the brunette's forehead and smiled, searching her memory for where she'd left off. Finally, she remembered the silence and it came to her,

"I went out for drinks with Patrick and some old friends one night, but I barely spoke. The bar was so incredibly loud. I had been in that place for business meetings so many times, but the sound never got to me like it did that night."

"So, you didn't speak because you couldn't hear what they were saying?" Bo asked.

"No. I simply didn't have anything to say to them. We don't have anything in common anymore and the things they wanted to talk about didn't interest me."

"But you still stayed in Boston?" Bo asked.

Lauren shook her head, "The beach house was my refuge on the days I didn't have to go into the city. I did a lot of virtual meetings when I could, but eventually, I had several trips to Chicago, New York and Philadelphia for business. It's hard to avoid the real world on a plane or in an airport. These business meetings aren't in an office. It was more high society parties and fancy dinners."

"What kind of business gets done at parties and dinners?" Bo asked.

Lauren laughed, "The kind where rich people donate to our neonatal care centers, surgical centers and trauma centers."

"I'll never understand the real world."

Lauren smiled, "Well, luckily, you don't have to."

"Will you expect me to go to those parties and dinners one day?"

Lauren hesitated, but then decided honesty was best, "I'm not going to tell you people won't ask where you are if we get married at some point, but I will always be able to dodge that question."

"Oh?"

Lauren nodded, her voice confident, "You own several businesses. Getting away for flights to the east coast is not something you will be able to do without a lot of advanced planning. These meetings aren't always planned in advance. When the markets change, so do the interests of the investors."

Bo nodded, "So… these investors. How do you know they're not just like Evony?"

"Well, I may have mentioned… they're all former medical professionals who know exactly who she was and what we want to avoid."

"Good to know." Bo replied, "So, other than those parties you just stayed at the Beach House?"

Lauren could sense there was another question Bo wanted to ask, but she stuck to the brunette's script,

"Penelope insisted on going out with some old friends… you actually met some of them at the Beach House."

"You mean the naked lady party?" Bo asked.

Lauren nodded, "Yes, only everyone remained fully dressed this time around. They tried to get me to hook up with a one-night stand… told me it would be good for me. Penelope tried to get them to stop, but… well, that was when I realized."

"Realized what?" Bo asked.

"That none of my so-called friends really know me… not like Patrick or the girls. I think even Kyle and Tamsin know me better than my friends back East and they've known me for less than a year."

Bo nodded, "Is it weird for you to be friends with people that I've… slept with?"

Lauren leaned forward, trying to glimpse a look of Bo's face, "Why would you ask that?"

Bo shrugged, "it's something that I just realized. I'd never thought that it might bother you."

"Your past relationships are just that, Bo… the past."

"They weren't relationships, Lauren. I was always very clear about that. It was a way of connecting with people. Actually, I've been thinking about it… my past sexual partners."

"You told me you didn't have sex that often."

Bo nodded, "And that's true from my perspective. I was in the area once, maybe twice a month. More in winter when I was regularly taking tours up Denali. If I had the inkling, I would bed Kat once in a while if I was in the park. When I came here to the local Trading Posts, sometimes I would sleep with… Dyson. It just depended on where I was and whether I could tolerate being around people."

Dyson's name didn't faze the doctor one bit, but her teeth clenched at the sound of the Ranger's name - her jaw feeling the stress when she realized that Kat had been right. She did not like that woman one bit, but still, she listened as Bo continued.

"I guess somehow, I thought they wouldn't fall in love with me if it wasn't regular. I mean, I may have slept with Kat three times and Dyson twice. Of course, Dyson saw it as some sort of challenge. You know, the big man who could prove to me that he could make me straight."

Bo laughed, shaking her head, "The guys' ego was soaring like an eagle when he first told Hale he had bedded the wild woman Bo Dennis. Word spread fast and I didn't stop it."

"I would have been furious."

Bo shrugged, "I was, but then I realized that it had gotten back to Kat, so I thought I could take care of her growing desire for a relationship with me.

"She was in love with you?" Lauren asked, her jealousy flaring.

"Honestly, I don't know. I didn't stick around to find out. When I went into the park office to log my permits and groups for climbs, she started talking to whoever I was with like I was her girlfriend. She would lean on me and do some weird thing with her eyes when she looked at me. She was getting super clingy and it made me really uncomfortable – especially in front of climbing clients. But one day, the company had a really large group, so they paired me with another guide. That's when I met Kyle."

"I'll be that didn't go over well with Kat." Lauren said, secretly imagining a Rudy Dennis fist pump.

Bo nodded, "We hit it off right away – and I mean right there in the park office in front of Kat. I mean… we didn't… you know… right there, but she definitely saw us... click."

Lauren could hear the change in Bo's voice, "You did love her."

Bo rolled onto her back, looking up at the blonde, "I thought maybe I could. I tried because… well, Kyle was like a breath of fresh air. She said wasn't looking for a relationship and we had a lot in common. She listened to me… I mean… she understood that I didn't believe in love… that I didn't believe in relationships. She listened and she respected the boundaries. The fact that she did that made me feel like maybe – at some point in future years – maybe I could learn to love her enough."

"But I thought you and Kyle had… a thing."

Bo chuckled, "We ended up doing a lot of climbs together. Then we started guiding people on sledding trips. One trip, one of our clients lost their pack over the side of a mountain. I gave up my tent, when Kyle suggested we could share. It was a one-person tent, so we were… well…"

Lauren nodded, "One thing led to another and… "

Bo was quick to note, "… it was just sex. She knew that to me, it was just… an itch that needed scratching. We slept together one other time and then, a few weeks later, she confessed that things were different for her. She lied about what it meant to her the first time we slept together."

"She fell in love with you."

Bo sighed, "She thought so, but how can you be in love with someone who treats you like a piece of meat? I wasn't a very nice person back then. I mean… you know. You met that version of me."

Lauren shrugged, "And I fell in love with that version of you."

Bo pondered Lauren's statement for a moment. She sighed, "Fair enough. But still, I think Kyle was in love with the idea of me. She admired me and my lifestyle. She wanted to travel with me and live the way I lived. She thought I'd found the true American dream of freedom. I tried to explain that my lifestyle was hard if you weren't raised the way I was, but she was convinced it was the life for her. So, she traveled and lived my way… for a while."

"What happened?"

Bo shrugged, "Eventually, she started asking me to do the things that she liked to do. She said it was only fair. She wanted us to have friends, go out to dinner, go out dancing… you know… do what she called 'normal people' stuff."

Lauren nodded, "That's not who you are."

Bo paused at Lauren's remark, "Nope. I'm definitely not normal."

"I didn't mean…"

"I know, Lauren. It's okay. I'm not normal. Normal is something the big cities decided…" she chuckled, "…the civilized people decided. I was never part of that world. I'd forgotten the world that I came from until my Mom came back… until I remembered who Big Jim was… who I was. Now, I'm proud of that heritage… proud of who I am and my way of life. If I had been able to keep those memories with me all of these years, I might have had the communication skills to explain myself to Kat and Kyle… even Dyson, the big dumb lug."

She noticed that the weather was turning, "Snow's coming down sideways now. Looks like we're in for a cold night."

Lauren waited when Bo paused, but the break endured. Finally, the doctor spoke,

"Bo?"

"Sorry… zoned out a bit for a moment. Where was I?" she paused, "Oh. Right. Kyle. Well, she finally figured out that I wasn't normal, and I would probably never enjoy doing normal things. I might have been there physically, but my heart and mind hated being in a crowd of people and I she knew that if we went out, I would withdrawal from her for days afterwards."

She sighed, "Still, going out to the bars in Anchorage… that's how I met Shirley… the bartender?"

Lauren nodded with a smile, "I remember. She helped you."

Bo laughed, "That isn't the half of it. She taught me about civilized life. What you call Pop Culture. She watched movies with me, gave me books to read on the trail, taught me to use a fork and knife, how to speak and hold eye contact. Well, she tried to get me to use eye contact… or at least eye contact that didn't look like I was going to stick my dagger in your gut."

She felt Lauren shiver when then the winds kicked up, so gave a whistle. Elsa came running, ears up, tongue out, tail wagging. She jumped onto the sled behind Lauren, both paws on her shoulders until the blonde gave her command,

"Down, Elsa. Here. Lie down." She pointed behind her. Anna and Belle soon followed, not to be left out. Lauren laughed, looking over her shoulder to be sure everyone had a space. With a nose on each leg and a warm body behind her, she turned back to Bo,

"Thanks."

Bo nodded, sitting up and turning to lay back between Lauren and the wind, "I hate when you're cold."

Lauren shrugged, "I'll get acclimated again."

The brunette didn't reply. She just hated the thought of Lauren spending the rest of her life shivering for six months out of the year because she didn't have the guts to move to Boston,

"You know that I would move to Boston if I could. I mean… I could ask my Mom and Rudy…"

"What in the world are you talking about?" Lauren asked.

"Lauren, are you really going to be able to spend six months of every year for the rest of your life shivering your way through the winters here?"

The blonde smiled, "You know, one of these days we're going to visit Boston in the winter, so you understand that I've been around cold winters my entire life. I'm not some fragile icicle hanging from the house that's going to break at any moment. Besides, you do realize I'm out here with just a lightweight jacket on, don't you?"

"What?" Bo asked, sitting up and turning to face the blonde, finally seeing how she was dressed, "Where are your winter clothes?"

Lauren shrugged, "I was bringing you a plate. I didn't really think that I was going to sit out here right now. I didn't think you would want me to… well, you hurried out of the tent this morning. I thought you were looking to… get some distance."

"Please go put your gear on if you're going to stay out here with me." Bo said, her eyes pleading.

Lauren nodded, "I'll take your plate and mug if you're finished. Are you sure you don't want to… come inside for just a little bit?"

Bo looked past Lauren to the door her throat getting tight. She looked back at Lauren and sighed, "I'll take my plate in… and my mug… you know, to wash them. Then… I'll use the bathroom and brush my teeth… wash my face."

"Maybe a warm shower?" Lauren asked.

The thought of getting into that small space was too much, but she did have an idea… an experience she had never had the chance to give to Lauren,

"Did you shower?"

Lauren shook her head, "I was going to shower after breakfast."

"I'd like you to try something. It will have a few cold moments but it's something I use to help me recover after races. I usually do it at night when it's dark and before I sleep."

"It's still dark now. We have a few more hours until twilight, right?" Lauren asked.

Bo nodded, "That's why I thought you might try it now."

"Okay. What do I have to do?"

"You'll do it? You don't even know what it is." Bo replied.

Lauren shrugged, "I trust you."

"But…"

Lauren placed a hand on Bo's shoulder, "I trust you, Bo. You are too protective of me to do anything that might make me uncomfortable and you definitely wouldn't do anything to harm me."

"I don't suppose you checked the power cells and circuit breakers this morning, did you?" Bo asked, knowing the daily chore was something that her Mom did each day, but her Mom wasn't awake yet.

"Actually, I checked them when I came in since I was going to take a shower. I wanted to be sure I would have hot water after breakfast. I know Mary likes that job, but she wasn't awake, so…"

"Lauren, I'm not mad that you checked them. I just wanted to be sure all of the lights were green." Bo explained.

"They were. Are you going to explain that system to me one of these days? I mean, I assume you're going to be leaving for a training run on Monday and if you're doing overnight runs as we get closer to the Iditarod, I want to be sure I know what to do if anything goes wrong."

Bo smiled, "Note to self. Explain our solar power to Lauren so she can have her normal routine."

Lauren nodded, "Thank you. Mary mentioned that Path added solar panels to Rudy's House while we were away. They have their own power now, so it won't hurt them if we both shower."

Bo nodded, "I noticed that when I was on my way back in. It looks like Mom had him put another water catch on their side as well."

"Anyway…" Bo stood, offering a hand to Lauren who peeled the dogs from her body to take the offered hand. She grabbed the mug and Bo grabbed the plate before she led Lauren into the house. She stopped in the doorway squeezing her eyes shut tight and taking a few deep breaths. Lauren leaned forward, whispering in Bo's ear,

"Look up, Bo."

When the brunette didn't move, she said again, "Look up, Bo."

Doing as she was told, Bo slowly opened her eyes and looked up, surprised when she saw glass,

"What the…"

"Mary talked to Path while you were gone and asked him to put a row of skylights in on the southeast or sunny side of the house. He told her he had something better. He added a perimeter of solar tiles that add additional power to the house. He sent the panels that were here to the Kennel because some of your gear had frozen in December and your Mom was concerned about mold and moisture rotting the wood and lines of your gear or rusting the metals."

"So, what is powering the kitchen?" Bo asked, her eyes searching for any sign of a power grid.

"The solar panels on the perimeter of the glass roof. Path cautioned that what he's built here is a prototype. If it works, he thinks you can use it on other builds. If it fails, he'll figure out another way to get power to both areas. He said there seemed to be a lot of power going to the southwest corner of the house."

"And these tiles are directed to absorb the north-northwest sunlight at the heat of the day?" Bo asked, now focused on analyzing the roof, "And he's sure he sealed the glass properly? I'm not going to have leaks when the snow melts? And the glass is tempered to handle the weight of the snow?"

Lauren smiled, "Bo, I don't know the answers to all of those questions, but when you go into town, you can talk to Path and Slate about the engineering stuff. Sorry, but it's not in my wheelhouse."

Bo nodded, her eyes still set on the ceiling above. Lauren watched as a smile slowly began to form on the brunette's face, her hand reaching out to rub the wooden support beam to her right,

"It's cool."

"You like it?"

Bo shrugged, "I won't lie. My pride is wounded that I didn't think of it. You know the boys will never let me live down the fact that they thought of something I didn't."

Lauren nodded, "Well, that's why you brought the young guys on, right? They went to college to learn the things that you don't know. You want them to take over your company eventually, so they're kind of proving their worth, yes?"

"You're right. This is an amazing feat of engineering genius if it works." Bo smiled.

"And if it doesn't?" Lauren asked.

Bo shrugged, "Then we'll get wet if it's raining and buried if it's snowing… not to mention covered in glass."

"Well, let's hope it works then. I'm going to wash these dishes. Do you want to go get cleaned up?"

Bo's eyes moved back to the path in front of her, the walls quickly closing in. She squeezed her eyes shut again, this time Lauren moving to face her,

"Bo?"

The brunette did not respond.

"Bo? Do you remember what Dr. Gray taught you when we were in Boston last year? How she taught you to say five things?"

Bo nodded.

"Okay. Open your eyes and tell me the first five things you see."

Bo slowly opened her eyes, "Table. Stove. Picture. Chair… Lauren."

The blonde smiled, "This is your home, Bo. You built this place with your own two hands. It is your safe haven from the world… your place of rest."

Bo stepped forward and ran her hand over the long wooden table. She walked towards the first chair, her fingertips dancing over the wood. Lauren watched as the brunette seemed to replay the memories of when she had built the table and chairs for the room. She had explained that she wanted it to be a place where she could have meetings with her construction or Iditarod teams but also have a meal. It was built to be as big as the room with space to spare for cabinets and a few pieces of furniture on the perimeter.

She looked back at Lauren, "I'm going to go brush my teeth. Do you mind washing those dishes?"

Lauren smiled, "Not at all."

Bo nodded, "Meet me at the side entrance in ten minutes?"

"Sure. Dressed in my outdoor gear?" Lauren asked.

Bo shook her head, "Nope. What you have on is perfect."

Lauren nodded, "See you then."

She watched as Bo walked away. Sighing, she turned to the dishes. She looked out of the window as she worked, noticing Rudy coming back inside with the pups. They weren't very small anymore and she had overheard LJ mention talking to Bo about starting their training routine. She was sure Rudy would be very excited.

The youngster entered the house, chattering about how hard the snow was falling. Lauren reminded her to hang her outdoor gear in the garage since it was wet. Rudy did as she was told before she told Lauren she was going to head off to her house to have some hot chocolate and watch Saturday morning cartoons.

Lauren smiled, "Do you like having a television now?"

Rudy nodded, "And we have a little mini-kitchen now. Mom said it will give you and Sister more private time so you can talk and do your mushy stuff."

Lauren smiled, kneeling down before the little girl, "Does our mushy stuff bother you?"

"Kissing is kinda gross. Willy Matson tried to kiss Leena Ford and she slapped him. I think I would do the same thing if a boy tried to kiss me."

"I'm sure we would all support that." Lauren replied with a smile.

"Really? Mom said I should never use violence."

Lauren shrugged, "A boy is not permitted to kiss you without your permission. Period."

"Really?"

"Really." Lauren replied emphatically.

"Good because I really don't wanna kiss anyone. It's just gross."

Lauren smiled, "So you said."

"Then why do you do it?" Rudy asked.

Lauren blushed, "Well, one day you'll feel for someone like I feel for your Sister. You'll understand kissing then. Until you do, stick up for yourself."

"Got it." Rudy smiled, "I'm gonna go watch my cartoons, read my book, have hot chocolate and try to crochet more of my blanket."

"My, you're so busy."

"I know! But it's a weekend, so I can stay up later to get my homework done." Rudy smiled, "See ya later!"

"See ya later." Lauren smiled, watching her run off towards her house.

She finished up the dishes and then headed over to the side door where Bo was waiting. Lauren took the hand she was offered and followed the brunette outside,

"I've never gone out this way before." Lauren said as they walked through the door.

The temperature dropped immediately and got colder as they walked down a long metal ramp that ended at another door.

"I added this on so there would be an additional escape route if we were ever… pursued again." Bo said, trying hard to breathe normally as the narrow walkway met the closed door. She turned the handle and opened the door, stepping into the cold room, "This is a cold room, but you'll notice…"

"A sauna." Lauren said, immediately recognizing the red cedar wood that Bo had taught her about last year, "You built it."

Bo nodded, "A while back. We just never had time…"

"It's okay, Bo. We weren't exactly on the best of terms back then."

Bo shrugged, "My fault."

"No, Bo. There was plenty of blame to go around."

Bo opened the door to the sauna and reached around the corner into the cabinet, pulling out four warm towels,

"Here. These are heated. Strip down to your bare skin and wrap one around your body and one around your head."

"To sit in the sauna?" Lauren asked.

Bo shook her head, "We're going outside first. You'll see. You said you trust me, right?"

Lauren nodded, turning to the bench beside her and putting the towels down. She did as Bo asked, then turned to find the brunette standing naked, her eyes locked on the blonde's form.

"Bo?" Lauren asked, her eyes enjoying the view as well.

"Uh… sorry. It's been…"

"It's been a long time." Lauren swallowed hard, "For me too. If you don't mind…"

Bo nodded, "Of course."

She wrapped herself in a towel, then wrapped her hair, "If you give me your clothes, I'll put them in the towel warmer so that they're warm when you put them back on."

Lauren did as Bo asked and watched while the brunette stowed the clothing away before turning back to her,

"This is where things get a little bit chilly, but we'll move quickly, okay?"

"Okay." Lauren replied, still a little unsure.

Bo took Lauren's hand and moved quickly to the outer door. They went down three stairs onto a deck where steam was coming off a hot tub. Bo stripped her towel off, dropping it on the deck before taking the steps into the large cedar tub. Lauren stood shivering, mouth agape until Bo said,

"Lauren, come on. It's freezing out there."

The blonde snapped out of it, dropped her towel and immediately slid into the water, slipping under until she was covered up to her neck,

"You had this out here the whole time?"

Bo smiled, "It's hidden from all sides. I planted the Arborvitaes and non-invasive bamboo to provide a thick privacy screen that would be too dense for anyone to see or walk through."

"You would never know from the driveway or trail." Lauren smiled.

Bo nodded, "I wanted us to have this to ourselves, although if you think it would help my Mom, I will let her in on the secret."

Lauren nodded, "It would definitely help, but Rudy shouldn't use this. Hot tubs aren't recommended for small children due to blood pressure fluctuation."

"Yea, that was one of the warnings in the kit."

"You used a kit to build this?" Lauren asked.

Bo shrugged, "Yup. Bo Dennis cheated on a build."

"Good for you." Lauren grinned, moving to sit next to Bo, "This feels incredible.'

Bo smiled, 'I thought you would like it."

"You hid this from me?" Lauren smirked.

Bo shrugged, "I didn't have it filled until just before I got the Pox and then…"

Lauren hung her head, "Things went south between us."

"It's kind of hard to tell someone about something when you're not really speaking."

"Speaking? We were barely seeing each other." Lauren reminded, "How did we let things get so out of hand so quickly?"

Bo shrugged, "We were stupid?"

Lauren laughed, "I prefer… emotional."

Bo nodded, "Well, hopefully we both have a new perspective?"

"On us?"

"On life." Bo replied, "I know I do."

"Sounds like you had quite the epiphany." Lauren smiled.

Bo nodded, "It's a long story."

"I'd love to hear it sometime." Lauren replied.

"Hmmm." Bo nodded.

They sat in silence for a long while before Lauren spoke again, "It's strange. The scenery is snow and ice, but the temperature says sun and sand." Lauren smiled, kissing the brunette's cheek, "Thank you."

Bo grinned, lowering her eyes, "You're welcome."

Lauren smiled, "So, are you going to finish the story?"

"What story?"

"About what happened with Kyle. You said that she had fallen in love… well… whatever it really was."

Bo nodded, "And I said I told her that I wasn't built for relationships and that she either needed to accept that or go home. She stuck with me for another week but finally broke down and admitted she wanted a shower, shampoo, warm towels and a toilet."

Lauren nodded.

"So, we went our separate ways." Bo paused, "It was years before I slept with anyone else."

"Until Tamsin."

Bo nodded, "But Tamsin and I really were a lot alike. She was also not a resident, so when I was here, she wasn't and when she was here, I probably wasn't. A globetrotting federal agent was the perfect friend. We only slept together a few times and we both agreed from the start that it was purely physical."

Bo shrugged releasing a small chuckle, "Little did I know she was assigned to protect me."

She ran her fingers over the surface of the water, remembering the betrayal she'd felt when she first found out Tamsin's true purpose for entering her life.

"Still, Tamsin accepted me and started helping me to get jobs with my woodworking skills. Of course, I didn't know that was because she needed me to stay put, but I'm still grateful. I love my work, but woodworking had always been a hobby until then."

She smiled, running her fingers over the wood of the hot tub, "You know, this tub will always be a reminder of how I let my life get so out of hand that I didn't have time to do what I loved. I was trying to do too much so put in a hot tub I will never truly be happy with. The wood is rough and… well, it's just not me."

She sighed, releasing the edge, "Sorry. Got a little sidetracked."

Lauren smiled, "It's okay. I've never seen this side of you."

"What do you mean?"

Lauren shrugged, "Just saying whatever is on your mind."

Bo nodded, "I guess I'm still used to being out on my own. I sort of talk to myself… or maybe it's the dogs… all the time. Just… whatever is on my mind, I say it. I think I've always done that. It sort of started out with me telling myself I could survive and that I would find my Mom. Over the years, I guess it just became… normal."

"That's how you survived being alone. Maybe you started out talking to your Mom and your dogs."

Bo shrugged, not really wanting to get into all of the times when she was young and scared – her finger perched firmly on the trigger of her shotgun while packs of wolves howled nearby. She shook out the memories and tracked back to their former topic,

"Anyway, Tamsin knew what she was doing. By setting me up with another side job, she kept me really busy from Point Siku to here and back again. It really was a nice side business. Gradually, I learned more and more about how to build and eventually, people were more impressed with my work than they were worried about the rumors of me doing them harm. I went from furniture to restorations to renovations to building buildings a little bit at a time. I dropped some of my trapping contracts to do that work and before I knew it, I had three full time jobs in Trapping and Fishing, Mushing and Construction.

"Was that a bad thing?"

Bo shrugged, "I suppose not. I got more accustomed to people… the ones I had to deal with, anyway. Architects, Engineers… the people who went to college and had the certifications I needed to run my construction company. Of course, meetings also meant I had to stay locally, and I didn't have a home. I used to stay at Shirley's Inn. You remember her, right?"

Lauren nodded, "The woman from the bar in Anchorage."

Bo nodded, "She helped me a lot, but I got too busy in this area, so moved to the room at Evony's… well, now Kenzi's Hotel."

Bo looked up at Lauren, "You know, I never thanked you for that deal… making sure the hotel went to Kenzi."

Lauren nodded, "I always thought the hotel was Kenzi's. I was shocked to learn that Kenzi had gotten involved in a business deal with the likes of Evony Fleurette Marquis. I'd have thought she was a better judge of character."

Bo shrugged, "She knew exactly who Evony was and what she was getting into, but the bank wouldn't give her a loan for renovations and your former boss was willing for a percentage of the revenues. At least she didn't stamp her damn name on the front."

"The interest rate must have been massive." Lauren replied.

Bo nodded, "Yup, but not as bad as others. Kenzi's was one of the first business deals Evony made here after buying the land for the hospital and the clinic. She only bought the clinic because she didn't want anyone competing with her hospital. She had learned enough about Alaska to know that the locals would stick with the small clinic rather than go to a hospital emergency room."

Lauren shook her head, "Of course she did. Now it all makes sense. I never understood why she didn't have plans to just close the clinic once the hospital was built. I actually considered it."

"Really?"

Lauren nodded, "The clinic is not that far from the hospital, Bo."

"It is in winter when you're traveling by sled." The brunette replied.

"I know that now. But I am still surprised that Kenzi didn't try to find investors."

Bo nodded, "Believe me, Vex and I gave her an earful after she finally told us about the deal she'd made. We heard her out and realized she really didn't have much of a choice. We weren't in a position to give her the kind of money she needed – well, not until after I won my first Iditarod."

"She couldn't hold out until after the race?'

Bo shook her head, "The hotel was falling down around her ears and she was in debt from buying the building. Business was down and the living accommodations at the time were one star at best. Evony turned all that around while not kicking Kenzi to the curb. She actually considered selling it to her, but…"

"Sentimental reasons overrode her better sensibilities?"

Bo nodded, "Something like that. Still, Evony didn't interfere with her vision or how she wanted to run the place at all. She kept full autonomy, so Kenzi thought it was worth it."

Lauren laughed, "Of course Evony gave her carte blanche to do as she pleased. If she didn't, Evony would have had to be present and invest more money in workers. The way she set things up, Evony would never have to pick up so much as a paint brush. It all fell on Kenzi and whoever she could afford to pay."

"Or trade favors." Bo added, realizing she'd helped Evony by default.

"Evony just wanted the money that comes from that revenue stream and she needed Kenzi for the manual labor. She used your friend since she couldn't get any of her usual lackies to move to this cold and snowy land for any substantial amount of time."

"She got you to do it."

Lauren raised her eyebrows and nodded, a half smirk stretching across one side of her mouth,

"Yes, well that… was complicated. I had a contract… two contracts if you count my marriage. One made me obligated to come here and the other pushed me just hard enough to make me want to come here."

She looked up at Bo, "So you stayed here because of Tamsin?"

Bo shook her head, "Things faded with her… or me, I guess. I just… wasn't in the mood. I was tired of feeling like I was hurting people… using people. So, I went back out on the road and traveled in and out of the territory for a while, but the construction work meant daily trips here – especially once I had the contract with Evony for the hospital. So, I started to stay more than I had used to. Kenzi hooked me up with a room and your former boss paid the tab as she did for any of my men who were traveling in during the week – if they wanted to stay."

She looked around at the small section of yard, "I had bought this land about a decade ago because I had seen so many parcels of land for sale. People were moving in and the population was growing. I wanted to have a large swath of territory for my trapping and fishing that didn't have me dodging people's properties. My brood of dogs was growing as I bred from Harper's line and so I knew I would eventually need a place to house them that was safe from Big Jim's eyes and ears."

"So, all of this land was a kennel at first?"

Bo nodded, "The land was unimproved, and the river had no access – it's source is the mountains which was land that I owned, so the dogs were safe here. No one would be coming onto the territory and if they did, I'd be within my rights to defend my land."

Lauren shook her head, "Bo, I've traveled your trading territory. This land is hardly central to it. You cover hundreds of miles."

Bo shrugged, "This land is hundreds of acres."

"What?"

"When I took you on that trip to retrieve and reset my traps last year, we never left the land I own."

"But Bo, it took us a week to clear all of your traps."

Bo shrugged, "I didn't want you to be afraid. You know… on the sled… of me going top speed. Otherwise, we would have covered a lot more ground. I didn't want you to think I was reckless."

Lauren nodded, "I see. Well, I've changed my tune a lot where your recklessness is concerned. So, I hope you don't mind my asking but how in the world did you afford so much land?"

"I bought it the first time I came here. It was cheap because most of it was swamped out by glacier water. Of course, I was taught of the receding glaciers as a child. The climate change argument should have started when man started cutting down huge swaths of forest. Killing off the planets' lungs is what triggered everything else."

"You bought swamp land." Lauren chuckled.

"I bought flooded land. There's a difference. It was super cheap, and I had finished in the top five of the Iditarod several years in a row. All of that cash was stashed in the floorboards of my room at Shirley's. I had no need for it, and you know I didn't trust banks. Eventually, she bought a safe for me and put it in the basement next to her own. She said I needed something fireproof just in case."

"That was kind of her." Lauren replied.

Bo nodded, "Of course, I needed to be able to get here. I mean, past the flood plain to this patch of solid land, so I searched until I found one solid piece of trail that came to the mountain. When I found it, I spent the better part of two months clearing a narrow trail for me to get here by sled. I did it at night under the cover of darkness so no one would know where on my parcel of land I was going to be."

Bo noticed Lauren shiver, "Are you okay?"

Lauren smiled, "The wind kicked up for a second."

"Come over here. There's a round bench in the middle. If you sit across from me, it will block the wind. And, we also have these…"

Bo stood and turned, reaching over the tub to grip a large handle. She pulled with some effort, Lauren noting the flex of her back and shoulder muscles as a large piece of plexiglass came up and locked into place. Bo pulled three more sections up, causing the heat to be trapped and steam to flood the surface of the water,

"How's that? I can close the rest."

"There's more?"

"There's five. I couldn't put one on the side where the deck and house is."

"If you wouldn't feel too closed in, that would be great." Lauren smiled, watching as Bo wasted no time enclosing them fully.

"Better?" Bo asked, turning around to reveal her naked form to the blonde who licked her lips at the sight of the brunette's heavy, wet breasts glistening under the dim light. It took a moment for Bo to realize what Lauren was staring at, but when she did, she lowered herself into the water and moved back to her seat. It took a moment for her to collect herself and remember what they had been talking about, but when she did, she continued,

"Every year or two I would come here and see if there was enough wildlife around for me to make my living. Nature took its course. The subzero temperatures froze the collection of water, fallen trees, plants and soil into the tundra. The glacial melt slowed to a seasonal flow caused by rising temperatures in spring and summer. Now, here it is… land that can be used to live on with a perimeter of swamped land that still serves as a deterrent to intruders on two sides."

"So, when did you decide to start building the house?" Lauren asked.

Bo lowered her eyes, "When you came to town."

"Me?"

Bo shrugged, "You made me recognize that I could be a better… human. I didn't want to be confined, but I thought I could at least keep up appearances… maybe I could rejoin the human race and maybe… eventually… I could live inside a house if the roof was really big and there was enough glass to make me feel like I was outside."

"You knew you would feel claustrophobic if you didn't have those large picture windows. So that's why all the glass."

"I suspected, so yes... that's why all the glass." Bo replied, "Staying at Kenzi's hotel… I always needed the windows open and there is a crawl space that leads to a rooftop porch. I usually slept up there."

"Well, like I said, I kind of get the whole claustrophobic thing now.

"From your time on the ship." Bo concluded.

"That and your Mom." Lauren smiled, "I told her about how I felt back East, and she explained about the rhythm of the land."

"So, you can feel it now?" Bo smiled and asked.

Lauren shrugged, "Yes. But I also feel the cold here."

Bo nodded, "The thought of you being cold six months out of the year really bothers me… makes me feel like I'm to blame for that."

"The weather isn't your fault, Bo. That I fell in love with you isn't your fault. That I chose to build on what Evony began here rather than sell it off or shut it all down isn't your fault, Bo."

Lauren paused as the realization hit her, "You know, I think I just realized that it's not just the rhythm of the land here… it's that the pace of life here matches the rhythm of the land. Back east, everyone is in a hurry. When I was there, I felt like a drone moving from event to event - my whole day meeting the needs of a clock - living by its demands."

She smiled, "Here, I live by my needs and those of the people around me. I don't eat because the clock says to. I eat because I'm hungry. I don't have meetings with my staff because it's scheduled each week or each month, I call a meeting because I need to talk to them. People don't talk to me about medicine unless they're sick. Everything here is based on need, not some artificial time piece and it's feels… so good."

Bo smiled, "I didn't realize…"

Lauren shook her head, "Of course you didn't. You've never lived on the East Coast – although I'd be willing to bet that the pace in Boston is one of the reasons you had so much anxiety when you were there. The demands, the schedule… you've never had to live on a clock. Even when you're in a sled race, you never focus on the clock – you just focus on living… I mean, I guess. Obviously, I don't know since I've never…"

Bo smiled, "It's okay. I guess I see your point. We live according to need and daylight. Daylight is dependent on the time of year. Almost everything depends on the weather."

Lauren nodded her agreement, "Do you think you would have built the house if I had never come here?"

Staring out through the Plexiglass at the now blurred view of the storm, Bo considered the doctor's question. The truth was, she probably wouldn't have finished it… not for a while anyway,

"You were the first person I ever felt like I needed to… I don't know… impress, I guess?"

Lauren smiled, "You wanted to impress me?"

"Maybe my 2021 word-a-day calendar will have a better word, but for now, I suppose that's what it was. I bought the land to have my own home, but my definition of home and your definition are quite different."

"Is that still true?" Lauren asked.

Bo shrugged, "I suppose… maybe? I really don't know. That's why…"

"You want to take things slow." Lauren finished, "I think I understand. You don't want you to lose yourself again now that you've regained your rhythm."

She looked up at the brunette, "Bo, I'm sorry if I'm the reason you strayed from your path. I never meant to force you into a lifestyle. I always knew you were different – it's one of the reasons I fell in love with you. I don't think we'll ever have the typical relationship. I think you'll always be off on some trail for days and I'll be working a ridiculous number of hours between the hospital and clinic."

"For now, anyway." Bo replied.

"For now?"

Bo shrugged, "I won't always be training for races and I want to find a happy medium between life in the wild and life in a home with my family and friends. I'm just not quite ready for the home part after being out in the wild all of these months. I just need a little… I don't know…"

"Fresh air to breathe?" Lauren smiled.

Bo nodded, "I guess. The Iditarod is in a few weeks and I've never felt better. The new team is coming together and… for the first time in my life… I think we can win. I've never felt that way before a race… confident."

Lauren smiled, "That's fantastic, Bo. I'm so happy for you and the team."

"I just wish that Harper…" Bo's throat tightened, her eyes watering, but Lauren moved towards her, placing a hand on her shoulder,

"You miss her."

Bo nodded, "I think Aphrodite knew. She didn't leave my side the entire time we were out there. She was exactly where Harper would have been every time I turned around. She slept in the same position, stood guard over the team, pulling the rookies into shape. She was amazing."

Bo smiled, "She's definitely Harper's daughter."

"I'm glad she stepped up."

Bo nodded, "Her instincts aren't as sharp and, well – her mannerisms are different. We don't communicate as well, but I think we will."

Lauren nodded, "She knows that Harper is still the alpha despite not being on the team."

"It's the way of the pack. Harper has earned their respect and dogs respect their elders – even when they're sick, injured or weak." Bo smiled.

They sat in silence for a long while, the steam filling their lungs and warming their bodies from the inside out. After about ten minutes, Bo spoke,

"As you may have guessed, this thing runs on solar power like everything else. I'm not sure how much longer the generator will run, but when the bubbles quit, be ready to run for cover. This water will get cold rather quickly."

Lauren smiled, "Good to know."

Bo nodded, "I'd like to try."

"Try?" Lauren asked.

"To stay in our bed tonight. Maybe we could crack the window just a little bit?" Bo asked.

Lauren smiled, "If we put those hot rocks in the bed."

Bo nodded, "Deal. Just… don't be upset if you wake up and I'm gone, okay?"

"Deal. As long as you're not upset if I'm disappointed. I love waking up to you in the morning. It's one of the things I missed the most. But I'll settle for falling asleep with you if that's all you can give."

"For now. We'll see. I'm sorry, Lauren."

The blonde shook her head, "It's okay, Bo. This is what I asked for. I wanted you to be yourself and now you are, so I'm hardly in a position to complain."

Bo nodded, "I know, but you had gotten used to a new version of me. The civilized version of me."

Lauren smiled, "You know, sometimes I feel like we talk about you like you're Tarzan and I'm Jane."

"Who?" Bo asked.

"Tarzan and Jane? Tarzan of the jungle?"

Bo shook her head, "I've never heard of Tarzan."

"You? Little Miss Disney Princess?"

"Tarzan is a Disney Princess?"

"No!" Lauren laughed, "He's the Lord of the Jungle. A human raised by the animals of the jungle. He was orphaned as a baby and raised by a gorilla Mom who found him and claimed him as her own."

"Wow. That's…" Bo considered the story, "… I guess it is a bit like me, but I was raised by dogs."

"And you weren't a baby so you have the benefit of knowing the human languages of your land."

Bo nodded, "The generator just clicked off. Are you ready to make a run for it?"

Lauren sighed, "Do I have a choice?"

Bo laughed, "I'm going to go for the towel warmer. Wait here."

Lauren watched as Bo stood, her body exposed to her once more. She didn't think it was possible, but it looked like Bo had put on a good ten pounds of muscle from the last time she'd seen her shrunken from injuries and illness. Her frame was solid and rippled from the hard work of off-grid life. Some of the scars had faded, but others remained, particularly the two sets of bear claw marks.

The brunette walked past the blonde and climbed out of the tub. Lauren's eyes followed, entranced by the sight of the woman she craved with every fiber of her being. She sighed as the brunette wrapped a towel around her torso and then pulled two more from the box. Turning to Lauren, she opened one, holding it out over the hot tub,

"Come on, then. You don't want the towel to get cold."

The blonde immediately stood and jumped onto the deck, allowing Bo to wrap the towel around her torso and throw the other over her head and shoulders,

"Head straight to the living room. I'll follow with your warm clothes and tend to the fire if it's gone out."

Lauren did as she was told, the two moving quickly to the living room and getting dressed in silence. Each glanced at the exposed skin of the other, a quiet dance of two estranged lovers working through the awkward task of finding their way back. When they were both settled on the sofa, Bo asked,

"So, what did you want to do today?"

Lauren shrugged, "I hadn't gotten past pancakes, honestly. I mean, this twenty-four hours of darkness thing kind of limits us, doesn't it?"

Bo shook her head, "How would you like to drive down to Anchorage with me? I was thinking of dropping in on Dr. Gray. A social call, not a counseling session. I miss her… and the greenhouse."

Lauren smiled, "That sounds fine to me. Do you think we can make it?"

"I was thinking of taking the train."

Lauren nodded, remembering the glass cars would help Bo to feel less confined, "That sounds perfect."

"Rudy may want to come along." Bo warned, but Lauren nodded and smiled,

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Of course, she may also just want a ride into town so she can see Elise." Bo smiled.

"Will Adam be here with your Mom?" Lauren asked.

Bo shrugged, "I suppose. Tamsin said that he and Acacia haven't left her side.

Lauren nodded, "Good. That's good."

The pair sat staring into the fire, quiet again for a long moment. Lauren put her feet up and leaned against the arm at her end. Bo sat stiff and straight, her hands wrapped tightly over her torso while she stared up at the ceiling. It wasn't lost on Lauren that the woman was sitting inside of a house for the first time in months,

"Bo, if you would like to go outside, I won't mind."

Releasing the breath she'd been holding, the brunette nodded, "I'm sorry, Lauren. I just feel so… caged."

"Well, as long as that's about the space and not about me, it's okay."

"Of course it's not about you. There's nothing I would love more than to hold you right now."

"Then why don't you?" Lauren asked.

"I just…"

"Come here, Bo. Just for a minute." Lauren said, laying down and leaving space behind her for the brunette.

Bo moved into the space and wrapped her arms around the blonde, inhaling deeply the vanilla and lavender scent of her hair.

"Close your eyes, Bo. Feel me and listen to the sound of the fire."

Bo did as Lauren asked, focusing on the crackling and low roar coming from the large hearth.

"Now, I want you to focus on making your breathing match my own. I want you to focus on the sound of my voice, the feel of my skin and anything else you can zero in on that makes you feel calm."

Bo smiled, "You make me feel anything but calm right now. My heart is racing a million miles a minute."

Lauren chuckled, "Well, you're not getting lucky in the living room so push any of those thoughts out of your head. Instead, think of our feelings for each other and allow that love to warm and comfort you like the flames of the fire."

Bo did as Lauren suggested, focusing on scent, sound and touch. It took about ten minutes, but Lauren finally felt the brunette relax and… to her surprise… only minutes later, she felt the slow deep breaths of a sleeping Bo on her neck. She frowned, remembering how cold she had been all night. Bo must have stayed up to keep the fire going and then left very early this morning with the dogs. Lauren guessed she may have had two to three hours of sleep at most. So, she relaxed in Bo's arms and eventually, drifted off as well.

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