Hey everyone! Here's Chapter 2. It has the part of the story that you've all been waiting for :) Please leave a review if you want me to write a concluding chapter. Enjoy!

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Nathan jumped, startled by the crashing noise outside. He instinctively reached for his gun, drawing it slowly and carefully. Peeking out the window, Nathan saw the collapsed porch and made his way to the cabin door. Sheathing his gun, he opened the door and proceeded carefully. He was met by a familiar figure laying on top of the pile of debris.

Nathan's heart dropped. He knew from the moment he saw her that it was Elizabeth. His Elizabeth. Not even a second had passed before Nathan was kneeling beside her, gathering her in his arms, and pulling her away from the pile of debris.

Nathan would have thought that she was unconscious if it weren't for the way her cold fingers reached up and found his neck. He held her bridal style. Her head buried itself in the crook of his shoulder, leaning into the strength of his chest. Nathan's hands held her tightly, protectively shielding her from the wind as he brought her inside.

Nathan forcefully kicked the door shut behind him as he carried Elizabeth over to his makeshift bedroll in front of the fireplace. He gently placed her down by the fire in an upright position. Her body was nearly limp in his arms. Her legs were curled up in front of her body, and her head rocked backwards to be supported by Nathan's strong collarbone.

By the sight of Nathan, it was apparent how stressed out he was. His brow was furrowed, and the area around his mouth was wrinkled from his frown.

"Lizbeth-" Nathan whispered. She responded with a muffled groan, and sank her head deeper into Nathan's chest. Nathan reached up a calloused finger and brushed it across the porcelain skin of her cheek. It was freezing to the touch and dotted with small ice crystals. A single tear slipped slowly down Nathan's cheek. He couldn't lose her. No matter what. Nathan didn't let himself freeze up under pressure, and took action immediately. He completely forgot about the laceration on his arm, focusing all of his attention on Elizabeth.

"Sweetheart, we need to get you warmed up. Come on, can you sit up for me," Nathan encouraged through a shaky breath. When she didn't respond, Nathan took it upon himself to lay her down. He then knelt beside her and began quickly unbuttoning her jacket–which he noted was not nearly warm enough for conditions like these. He removed her hat, gloves, and scarf, setting them close to the fire to allow the clumps of snow to melt off of them. He then undid the top few buttons of her blouse to allow her to breathe easier, and let the heat of the fire more access to her body. He then moved his attention down to her feet, unlacing her boots and pulling them carefully off of her feet. Elizabeth's stockings were wet and frozen in parts, and had holes throughout the soles of her feet.

Nathan checked the pulse in Elizabeth's ankle and was frustrated when it was faint. He turned his attention towards her feet first, tearing and removing the frozen pieces of her stockings. He began methodically massaging her legs and feet, pulling them slightly closer to the fire to allow the heat to permeate her skin. The faintly gray and blue skin of her legs slowly began to turn pink, so Nathan moved his attention to her hands. He wrapped her hands with his, transferring the warmth of his body to hers. He blew his hot breath onto them and massaged them close to the fire. Nathan worked on her limbs for hours into the night, never stopping for a break no matter how badly the wound on his arm bothered him. It was within the first hours of the morning when Elizabeth's limbs had all regained color and she began to stir, letting out muffled moans.

Elizabeth shivered, her voice strained "Nathan…" She breathed his name in a deep pain-filled exhale. "It– it... hurts," she continued, her eyes fluttering open and closed again.

Nathan continued to gently massage her hands, as she writhed in pain.

"I know, 'Lizbeth. It's going to hurt. It's the circulation coming back. It's good," He responded as another single tear streaked down his face, this time a tear of relief.

Elizabeth winced slightly, "N-Nathan it... it feels like... burning."

Nathan responded soothingly, "It's okay, you're going to be okay I promise" His thumb began to rub circles on the back of her hand again, the way it always did. To Elizabeth, it was the most comforting gesture.

Elizabeth began to shift, clearly growing uncomfortable in her current position. Sensing that she needed more warmth, Nathan pulled her up from her laying-down position and back into his chest. He sat upright with his legs apart and outstretched, and she shifted back between his legs, rotating slightly to press her face into his shoulder, her lips pressed closely to his neck. Had it been under different circumstances, Nathan's reaction to this proximity would have likely been much different, but based on her condition, he was slightly less affected. Elizabeth was still hardly conscious and hadn't stopped trembling from the cold. She instinctively pulled herself closer, her hand dipping beneath the edge of Nathan's henley at his waist, seeking out any warmth she could find. Completely unaware of what she was doing, Eliabeth's hand crept farther upward across the strong muscles of Nathan's chest.

"Nathan please, i'm s-s-so cold" Elizabeth shuddered through a shaky breath.

Realizing exactly what she meant, Nathan leaned back to quickly peel off his henley. Nathan knew from his training that the fastest way to get her body warmed up was to share his body heat. He realized that it would typically be seen as scandalous for an unmarried couple to be in this position, but he knew that the skin-to-skin contact was for the sheer necessity of needing to warm Elizabeth up. Thankfully for them, however; nobody was around to catch them in this moment. Elizabeth sighed deeply into his chest, calmed by his proximity and finally feeling the warmth she needed begin to seep into her bones. The brave woman in Nathan's arms let out a deep exhale and fell into a light sleep.

Nathan peered down at the strong, beautiful woman in his arms, closing his eyes for a prolonged moment to allow him to soak in the beauty of their proximity. When he opened his eyes, he took notice of the sheen of sweat on her face. Nathan then pressed the back of his hand to her forehead to make sure she hadn't spiked a fever. He attentively brushed some stray hairs away from her face and pushed them behind her ears, running his fingers through her curls as he pulled them back. Nathan was overcome by gratitude for the woman in his arms, and said a silent prayer to thank God for keeping her safe. Leaning forward, Nathan peppered light kisses to Elizabeth's forehead before allowing her to continue resting in his arms.

Nathan then pulled the quilt out from underneath his satchel bag and laid it over them both for some extra warmth. Noticing the tingly sensation in his legs from leaving them outstretched for so long, He began to move them, doing his best to not disturb the sleeping woman in his arms. As he moved, his weight was pulled downward by Elizabeth. He allowed himself to lay down beside her, separating them to create a respectful distance. Hardly a moment later, Elizabeth was rolling back over, seeking out the warmth of the solid man next to her. Nathan instinctively pulled her closer, brushing a few loose hairs behind her ears. She let out a soft groan before they both fell into a deep sleep.

—-

Elizabeth awoke slowly, her body completely saturated with warmth. As her eyes fluttered open she took in her surroundings. She heard a crackling fire behind her and the wind whistling outside. She then felt the slow rise and fall of a man's chest beneath her which caused Elizabeth to sit up on her elbows. She peered down at her legs. The way they were intertwined in Nathan's caused her heart to jump to her throat. Elizabeth didn't allow herself to get caught up in the moment, distracted by the weakness she felt in her muscles. Feeling the loss of contact, Nathan began to move as well. He awoke to a pair of beautiful blue eyes looking down at him. Nathan couldn't help the grin that grew on his face. The moment they shared seemed to stretch, suspended in time.

"What happened?" Elizabeth asked quietly, clearly confused about how she ended up there.

Nathan took a moment before responding. "I think you went out looking for me during the storm and found the cabin. You were so cold and worn out you collapsed on the porch and I found you and brought you in here." He watched her patiently, waiting to see a look of recognition in her eyes.

"Well I'm really glad you found me then," she responded as she locked eyes with Nathan again.

The moment was ruined by the sound of a falling branch outside that loudly hit the wooden roof of the cabin. Elizabeth jumped, surprised by the loud noise. She moved a hand to hold Nathan's bicep for comfort. It was only then, with her hand wrapped around his bare arm, that Nathan realized the state he was in.

"Oh… I-" He trailed off, quickly searching for his henley. Nathan sat up and quickly pulled it over his head. When he looked back at Elizabeth he couldn't help but let out a small laugh at the redness in her cheeks.

"Twice now I've seen you without a shirt and we aren't even married yet." Elizabeth joked, suppressing a giggle.

"Yet." Nathan repeated with a smile before changing the subject. "How are you feeling, are you warm," he asked quickly, concern making its way back onto his expression.

"Well I have a splitting headache, and my body aches everywhere…Oh and I haven't felt this dirty in a long time," She responded in a sarcastic yet lighthearted tone.

"Well you look beautiful," Nathan responded, which earned a sarcastic eye roll from Elizabeth. When she looked back towards Nathan, she caught his eyes glance momentarily towards her chest. Looking down upon herself, she suddenly realized the state of her clothing.

Elizabeth tore her eyes away from his, searching for anything else to stare at to hide her timidness from being so vulnerable. She quickly re-buttoned her blouse, unable to hide the redness in her cheeks.

"I-Im sorry I needed to get you warmed up as fast as possible," Nathan stuttered out, worried he had overstepped her physical boundaries in some way.

"Nathan, I want you to know that I trust you completely, and I know you would never take advantage of my vulnerability. Plus, I'm flattered that I can fluster you so easily." Stunned by her own forwardness, she bit her lip to stop herself from saying anything more. She then scanned Nathan's body, her eyes eventually falling on the crimson-soaked bandage around his left arm.

Her breath hitched in her throat, "Nathan, your arm…" She managed to squeak out. "Do you have medical supplies?" She asked, eyes darting around the room, suddenly on alert.

Nathan had completely forgotten about the laceration on his arm in the hurry to warm up the woman he loves. His pain always came secondary to hers.

"Oh. Uh, there should be bandages in my satchel bag," Nathan responded, sobering to the pain in his arm.

"The kids?" He asked as Elizabeth searched through his bag.

"They're at home safe. By this time Rosemary will have already been in to check on them and probably put them into bed. Come to think of it, I must've worried her," she answered quickly, knowing how he must be feeling with their children being without them, even though they both trusted Allie completely.

"Not just her," Nathan deadpanned, clearly a little distracted by the pain in his arm.

Gathering what she needed, Elizabeth moved herself to sit on the other side of him to attend to his wound. Elizabeth quickly remembered the elastic on her wrist and tied her curls back into a loose ponytail to get them out of the way.

Nathan broke the silence and whispered, "I don't know what possessed you to come out here though. 'Lizbeth what were you thinking?" He didn't do a good job hiding the frustration on his face.

"I had a bad feeling when you didn't make it home. I- Sometimes it's hard for me to sit at home while you're out," She argued back.

"That doesn't change the fact that you put your life at risk and I can't fathom why. If something were to have happened…" He trailed off, preventing himself from upsetting her more.

"I know I should have thought it through more before coming out here."

"Elizabeth I just want you to know–" Nathan cut himself off, clearly re-thinking his next words.

"Know what, Nathan, that you don't trust me, because that is what it is starting to sound like." She shot back, trying to hide the hurt in her voice. Elizabeth looked away, blinking back the tears that began to well in her eyes.

"Sweetheart, wait, that's not at all what I'm trying to tell you." Nathan reached up to brush a stray tear from her cheek. "It's just that- I-" Nathan stammered, his own emotions weighing on him. "I'm trying to tell you that I don't just love you. I need you. Our family needs you. If something happened to you… I don't think I could ever be whole again…and I trust you more than I ever thought I could trust anyone, and all of this scares me. It scares me more than anything to think that I could have lost you, that I could have come home in the morning and found that you went missing. Allie and Jack love you, and I can't survive the rest of this lifetime if you aren't in it with me." Nathan tried to mask his own shocked expression that he had said all of that out loud, but he was hopeless at hiding his feelings from Elizabeth.

"I love you too, Nathan, and I hope you know how I need you too in every sense of the word," Elizabeth responded before focusing on taking care of his arm again.

"Ow!" Nathan complained as she began to peel the soaked cloth from his wound.

"I know I know, I'm sorry. I need to clean this so it doesn't get any more bacteria in it." Elizabeth responded, never taking her eyes off of his arm. "How did this happen?" She inquired. As Nathan began to explain his fall, her eyes shot up and met his in horror.

"NATHAN!" She gasped in a slightly horrified teacher voice. "Did you hit your head? Are you alright?"

Nathan let out a chuckle, but closed his lips to suppress it.

"Nathan Grant, what is so funny?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, it's nothing. It's just that you almost died tonight and you're fussing over a silly cut on my arm," He responded with a grin.

"This is much worse than a silly cut," she responded with a sarcastic eye roll, moving her attention back to cleaning and wrapping his arm so that the bandage would stay this time.

When Elizabeth secured the safety pin, she looked away from Nathan's searching eyes. Her body was almost completely warm now. The tingling sensation in her limbs had dulled, and the heat in the core of her body had been replenished.

"Hey," Nathan responded, placing a finger below her chin to lift her head back up to face him. "You know…" He began with a smirk, "This did manage to get us some time alone, completely free of interruptions."

Elizabeth responded by leaning forward, reaching one arm around the back of his neck, and the other to his jawline, and meeting his lips in a slow, passionate kiss. The moment was tender as if time itself had softened to accommodate their slow, deliberate movements. His fingers gently cupped her face, his thumb brushing lightly against her cheek, while her hands looped their way tighter around his body, pulling him closer.

When they broke apart, Nathan's gaze spanned her body, seemingly checking to make sure that she was real. Elizabeth blushed, turned her head, and placed a sweet, soft kiss on his cheek. As she pulled back, she paused, whispering almost inaudibly: "You are my world" into his ear. That was all the encouragement Nathan needed to reclaim her lips with his. This kiss held more urgency. Elizabeth's breath hitched as he moved closer, her lips parting in a soft sigh that mingled with his, creating a symphony of warmth and longing.

"And you're mine," Nathan whispered as he pulled away.

He watched a smile grow on Elizabeth's face that matched his own before continuing, "We should really get some rest if we are going to ride back in the morning." Elizabeth let out a slow yawn and folded herself back into Nathan's arms, her hands reaching around his body to hold him tight. Nathan's free hand rubbed rhythmic, soothing circles on her back. He felt her curves molding to his body, and smiled at the way she fit perfectly in his embrace. Elizabeth cuddled up close, nestling against him on the makeshift bedroll, her head resting comfortably on his chest. The soft, worn fabric of the roll provided a gentle cushion beneath them, while the steady rhythm of his heartbeat served as a soothing lullaby. His arm wrapped securely around her, drawing her closer as she relaxed into his embrace. The comforting scent of wood smoke and pine mingled with their shared warmth, creating an intimate cocoon that shielded them from the chill of the night. They lay together, wrapped in Nathan's warm quilt, the fire's gentle light dancing on their faces as they drifted into a peaceful silence, savoring the simple pleasure of each other's closeness.