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A special thanks to Jessi84 and lovebug21 for their wonderful reviews. I write not for myself, but for readers like you. Yay! And let's not forget everyone who has added this to their favourites or watch list. Huzzahs all around!
I continue to pose the question if I should update once (as I do now on Saturdays) or twice (Wednesdays and Saturdays) a week.
Oh, I forgot to mention (foolish me) that I DO NOT OWN HORATIO CAINE OR RICK STETLER. I DID NOT OWN EITHER OF THEM OR MAC AT ANY POINT IN MY WRITING PROCESS. THEY ARE PROPERTY OF CBS. I'M JUST BORROWING THEM for FAN RELATED activities of which I MAKE ABSOLUTELY NO MONEY OFF OF.
*whew* now that that's out of the way, let's get on with the story…
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Chapter Three: Stormy Weather
The cabin was small, but a logical size for two people. There was one large room that served as a kitchen, dining room, and living room. There was a bedroom with two double beds sharing a night stand. And there was a bathroom that could be accessed from either of the other two rooms.
Horatio stood in the shower, letting the warm water wash over him again. His clothes were drying over the radiator in the bedroom, which (thankfully) was stocked with a few robes. Rick was in the living room, tending to the fire. He too was in his robe and was letting his clothes dry by the fireplace. Standing up he decided to explore the place while Horatio was in the shower.
Rick ran his fingers along the brown leather of one of the three loveseats that surrounded the fire. The kitchen was just a stove, a refrigerator, a sink and some countertop. There was a half-wall that opened up the kitchen to the rest of the room, against it were two barstools. On the ledge of the half-wall were some plates and eating utensils. On the far wall was a large bookcase that carried a variety of books from American mountain myths and folklore to books on the preparation of game. There were two closets in the living room, one on either side of the fire place. One was where Rick and Horatio hung their jackets, the other was stocked with rifles, fishing poles, bait, ammunition, fishing wire, all the necessities for trapping, and some old fashioned cookware made to go over the fire.
The doorway that led into the bedroom was beautifully carved and polished to a gorgeous deep brown shine. The bed frames were worked with the same care. Over each bed were large quilts and several large comforters. There were four moderately sized windows in the room, two of them on the far wall over the headboards and one on each side wall. Rick looked down at the pair of white earmuffs Horatio threw onto the bed on the right hand side, marking it as his own. Stetler wandered over and stroked the fur on the outside of the earmuffs, it was soft, fluffy, and silky despite the harsh weather it had just been through. He turned and saw Horatio's clothes drying over the radiator.
He reached down and touched Horatio's undershirt, it was already dry, not to mention warm. So was his shirt, his sweater still had a long way to go, but that was pretty fast. Horatio's pants were folded under the radiator, they too were dry, Stetler picked them up only to see under them Horatio's boxers. They looked cotton, and were the softest powder blue he had ever laid eyes on. Rick sat perfectly still, listening for any movement in the bathroom, Horatio was still showering. Turning his attention again to the undergarment he debated in his mind if he should touch it. One part of him was against it because, for obvious reasons, it is a little creepy. Another part of him wanted to because it may be the closest he will ever get to living his dream of fulfilling his darkest desire. On the other hand, it would be disrespectful. However, this opportunity may never arise again. But yet-
The water had stopped running; Rick heard the sound of a shower curtain being pulled back. He quickly replaced Horatio's pants and swiftly made his way back next to the fire.
Horatio came out of the bathroom still a little damp, but feeling much better. He came out ready to recite the speech he had been quietly practicing to give Stetler. It consisted mainly of how tired he was and a series of lies stating that he really isn't much of a fisherman or hunter and usually brings bad luck; mostly just a ruse to get Stetler out of the cabin. But Rick never got to hear Horatio's fabulous and well rehearsed speech, because as soon as Horatio emerged from the bathroom Stetler muttered something about smelling like wilderness and fresh air as he rushed into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. Horatio stood silently as he heard the sound of de-robing and running water.
Horatio sighed a heavy sigh and decided that if he wanted to be away from Stetler that he needed to do the fishing. Horatio pulled his clothes back onto his person (except for his sweater), discovered the fishing closet, grabbed what he needed, and put on his coat.
Stetler was lathering up soap and washing his neck when he heard a little knock at the bathroom door. His heart skipped a beat and he quickly gave himself a look over, hoping for the best.
"I'm going to go fish now, I'll be just outside," Horatio called from the other side of the door, "when you're done go out and shoot a deer or prepare whatever you want to cook the fish in. It doesn't matter much to me, but I am getting hungry. You got that?"
Stetler had resumed his usual shower routine by the end of Horatio's first sentence, knowing that his little fantasy would probably never be lived. "Kay!" Rick shouted out in response, he sighed and shook his head as if to say and Horatio will never know what he's missing.
***
Horatio was a little startled to see how much the snowfall had picked up, but that didn't seem to bother him, at least he's getting a few hours away from Stetler. The lieutenant nervously stepped out onto the ice, not quite remembering how to tell if it is indeed safe. After a few steps he decided that if he walked slowly he would avoid any sudden disaster. He crept out a good distance into the lake before deciding to drill. What Horatio didn't know was exactly how many weak points there were in the ice because of all the ice fisherman that often use their cabin. He also couldn't see the storm beginning to roll in over the mountains.
***
Stetler climbed out of the shower and back into his robe. He wandered out into the living room and retrieved his clothes from their drying place near the fire. He threw his robe onto his bed and changed back into his clothes. He looked over to see Horatio's sweater still drying over the radiator. He walked over and played with the soft wool for a while before going back in the living room to figure out how to prepare fish.
He pulled down a brown book with a peeling spine from the bookshelf. He plopped down on one of the loveseats and began to read. He learned how clean fish, how to cook fish, how to store fish, what fish need the most attention, simple batter recipes; it was quite interesting.
About an hour later Horatio returned with three large fish in a bucket with quite a bit of snow. Horatio looked a strange mix of tired, cold, smug, and apathetic. It was a look he often found himself giving Stetler, although the 'cold' part was new.
Rick jumped up and examined the fish. "Very nice, Caine," he started (he still had to be formal with Horatio despite his feelings), "this shall feed us for a while". Horatio nodded quietly, turned, and went back to the door. "Where are you going?" Rick called to him.
"To get more fish," Horatio mumbled as he stepped outside. When he did an astonishingly large quantity of snow blew into the cabin. Rick took a peek out the window; he had been so lost in the book that he didn't even notice that the gentle snowfall had turned into a blizzard. He really began to worry for Horatio, who had made it back to his post. Stetler was definitely concerned, but he didn't want to seem smothering or at all demanding. Horatio's smart, he'll come in when it gets to be too much for him.
In the meantime Rick began cleaning the fish over the sink, looking out the window ever few minutes to see if Horatio was okay. All the fish were cleaned and stored; and Rick couldn't stand it anymore. The blizzard was now howling past the cabin, he couldn't begin to imagine what it was doing to Horatio out on the lake. He rushed to the door and called out for him.
***
Horatio was cold; he doesn't remember ever being quite so cold before. But he compared each moment with what it would be like to have Stetler breathing down his neck. When Stetler called out to him it was like his voice was a dagger blown in with the storm. Yet Horatio knew that he would be much safer inside. He picked up his fishing things and left the hopes of just one more fish behind him as he started walking back to the cabin.
It was at this time Horatio wished he wouldn't have gone so far out. It was at this time Horatio wished he would have bothered to be more observant. It was at this time Horatio wished he would have just accepted that the test was about survival against the elements. It was at this time Horatio wished that he would have gone hunting instead. It was at this time Horatio noticed just how much ice fishing was done from the cabin and how much it had weakened the ice; the ice that gave out from under him, pulling him deep down into the deadly waters.
It all happened in a second, but it felt so much longer to Horatio. First his right foot fell through the ice, throwing his already tired body off balance. He collapsed into the snow and through the ice, momentarily putting him into a paralyzing state of shock when he hit the freezing water. He swung his left foot, trying to find a solid path of ice, but the harder he searched the deeper the rest of his body began to sink. He pulled down his leg and reached up for a ledge, but his vision was blurred so much and his hands were so numb that he couldn't find anything. The one option he had left was to use himself as a battering ram and force his way through the ice and snow. By then Horatio's pants and coat began to grow heavy with the water, pulling him down deeper and deeper into the lake.
He looked up, the light was getting dimmer. His lungs felt like they were on fire, he was panicking and running out of breath fast. Every nerve in his body was ordering him to get to the surface, he tried to move his legs, but the cold water made them weak and in constant pain. Horatio then realized in horror that even if he did somehow manage the get to the surface that he probably wouldn't have enough strength to break through any ice, and he wasn't quite so sure if he went straight down or if he managed to get under solid ice.
His lungs couldn't stand it anymore, and without any thought he gasped for air. He choked as the water began to fill his lungs, only to take in more water. Petechiae began to form around his eyes, he blinked wildly and his arms started to convulse, his ears rang. The merciless water began to pull at his clothes, bringing him towards the bottom. Images of drowned victims flashed through his mind, he never knew that he would ever be one of them. His mind was going a mile a minute when he convulsed one last time before he blacked out.