Name: Snow
Setting: AU; Post-season 2
Prompt: after the blizzard hits, they're stuck together for a while, and they have to stay warm.
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Tom stomped his feet, clearing the snow off his boots as he stripped off his gloves. Thankfully, he had his gear from the Arctic, so he was in no danger of frostbite, but a Montana winter was no joke. At least Sam and Ashley were safe in St. Louis with Jed, a fact that Tom managed to confirm before the radio went dead, another casualty of the blizzard that had hit within hours of Tom escorting Rachel to Polebridge, Montana, population fourteen before the virus hit. If anything, the local population had actually increased over the past few months. Not that Tom and Rachel were here for them. In fact, they were here to meet a Canadian delegation and provide them with samples of the primordial and the vaccine, as well as pass along the contagious cure — assuming that any of the civilians that they brought along were still contagious after the blizzard finally ended.
As he moved from the entryway of the small cabin, Rachel looked up from her seat before the fire. Although the cabin had a generator that was still working, Tom didn't want to take the chance of being left without a source of heat. "Did Ranger Maxwell know how long this weather system is likely to last?"
Tom hesitated. "No. Between a few hours and a week."
Rachel blinked. "A week."
"Yes." Tom moved closer to the fire to warm his own hands, feeling slightly more confident now that the worst was out. "Blizzards are unpredictable and without weather satellites, there's no way to get a read on what's happening. Also, depending on how much snow we get, it may take a few days for the Canadian convoy to meet us, as they will need to plow their way in."
Rachel frowned, her forehead wrinkling. "I see."
"Maxwell was able to secure the samples and the doses of the cure in the basement of the main lodge. It has a separate generator so power isn't an issue. Also, I spoke with Mike, as well as my Dad, so everyone knows where we are and what's going on," Tom continued, starting to get concerned about Rachel's lack of response. "Is there something else that we need to do?"
"No, no," Rachel looked up, before sighing. "It's just that I didn't pack enough tea."