A/N: Densimber Day 13.
"Kensi!" Deeks shouted as they crashed into the snowdrift. His head whipped forward and then back again on impact. His seatbelt forced all the air from his lungs, making him gasp and cough.
"Deeks, are you ok?" He felt Kensi's hands on his back, and he straightened, dragging in a chilled breath.
"Yeah, I'm good," he managed, coughing a couple more times. "What about you?" He looked her over for signs of injury. She seemed a little shaken, but more annoyed than anything.
"Fine." Brushing a strand of hair out of her face with a flick of her hand, she reached for her seatbelt release. She struggled with it for a second before it unlatched.
From the inside, it didn't look like the SUV had sustained any damage; the air bags hadn't even deployed. An avalanche of snow covered the windshield and half of the front windows, blocking his view of the hood.
"I still don't have a signal," Kensi said, checking her phone. "Let's see if we can dig ourselves out." She struggled with her door. She yanked on the handle, kicking the door when it didn't budge. After a few more kicks, it opened with a squeaking grind as it crunched over the snow.
"Ok, that's not fantastic," Deeks commented once they were both outside. The front third of the SUV was covered in snow, the nose disappearing completely inside the snowbank while all four wheels sat in deep trenches.
"It's not that bad," Kensi insisted. "We just need to dig out before the snow freezes."
"Ok, I'll got get the shovel from the back." Blowing on his already chilled hands, Deeks cast the rapidly darkening sky a glance.
Twenty minutes later, Deeks was ready to admit defeat. They'd shoveled away as much snow as they could, tried pushing while the other reversed, but the tires just spun, growing more encrusted with impacted slush every revolution.
His hands were beginning to ache from the cold, and Kensi's cheeks were a bright, painful-looking pink. It didn't help that the wind picked up either.
Setting the shovel down, he settled his hands on his knees, panting slightly.
"Kens, we need to find some kind of shelter," he said. Kensi, bless her, was still working at the snow, and looked like she might protest. "Kensi."
"Ok. Your right." She gave a reluctant nod, and wiped her glove across her forehead.
"Wow, we must be in bad shape if you're agreeing with me."
"Oh, you're really making me want to change my mind," she said, tucking her hands under her arms. She surveyed the open fields, which were barren of anything but animal tracks, dried brush and trees, and a few dilapidated barns. "I guess we better start walking."
"Is it just me, or are the flakes getting bigger?" Deeks huffed out some time later, taking a moment to stare up at the blanket of white sky. They were making pretty good time despite having to trudge through the muck.
The cold was really setting in though; he could feel it in his toes and fingers beneath thick wool, the way his skin felt painfully tight in some places. He realized Kensi hadn't responded, even with an annoyed sound, and studied her more closely.
She kept her head lowered, arms wrapped tightly around her torso. As he watched, she stumbled over a couple steps.
"Kens?"
"What Deeks?" she snapped back, clearly thinking he was gearing up for another joke.
"How are you doing? Really?" he asked. Her shoulders caved, and her pace slowed.
"It's getting harder to move and my fingers and I can't really feel my fingers much anymore." Her admission made his stomach sink. Crouching down in front of her, he tugged her glove off and gently squeezed her fingers. Fortunately, the skin was still red, but he knew that could change quickly.
Grabbing the backpack of supplies from the SUV, removing a warming back. He tore the package open with his teeth, slipping it inside Kensi's glove.
"Deeks, what if we need it later. It's not that bad," she protested.
"You have mild frostbite, Kensi. The longer we can keep you warm, the faster we can get to a shelter, and the less risk of permanent damage. You know that." After that, she didn't protest. Though she did roll her eyes when he pulled his scarf off and wrapped it around her lower face.
They continued on, the picking up pace. Every fresh gale sliced through him until he thought he might break in half. Just when he was truly beginning to lose hope, he saw something tall looming in the near distance.
"Kens," he croaked out gleefully. "Forest Drive. We made it." Kensi just gave him a weak smile, letting him take her arm as they made the turn. She leaned into his side, tripping over her own feet.
Forest Drive looked like a long gravel bike path more than anything and at the end, sat a small house. It took another five minutes to get to the front door. Deeks rapped on the door a couple times, not anticipating any answer since it the place looked deserted.
When no one answered, he quickly picked the lock. Fortunately, it wasn't difficult because his hands were shaking too hard for anything more complex. Ducking inside, he kept his hand close to his gun, quickly clearing the house which consisted of a combined kitchen and sitting areas with a single room and half bath.
"It's clear," he told Kensi, ushering her inside. Then she just stood inside the door, eyes drooping with cold and exhaustion. "What did Mrs. Marsh say Gabriel use this place for?" Deeks asked, mostly to keep her talking.
Meanwhile, he searched around for provisions. He found a good supply of blankets and food, along with signs that someone had visited recently. More importantly, they needed heat. There was a large fireplace and logs, but he didn't see a thermostat around.
"Uh, hunting. He used to come here in the winter to hunt deer," she answered. Her teeth chattered so hard, she could barely get the words out.
He walked back in the sitting area after quickly perusing each room.
"Well, the good news is there's enough food and water for a few days. In less good news, it doesn't seem like previous owners upgraded to gas, so we're stuck Little Housing it."
Kensi gave him a weak smile, working to pull off her soaked gloves. Rather than watch her, Deeks started grabbing handfuls of kindling from a bin by the fireplace.
"Just give me a minute, and I can help with that." Her breath fogged out in front of her, visible even in the dim early evening light. Being inside without any heat wasn't all that much better.
"I've got, Kens. You just get anything wet off," he insisted.
"Since when do you," she shivered violently, then continued on as if nothing happened. "self-confirmed city boy, ever make a fire?" she asked.
"I may not have been raised as a mini-MacGyver, but I learned the basics. You don't go camping without knowing how to create a heat source."
Kensi seemed to accept him at his word, or maybe she was just too tired to keep arguing. Either way, she didn't interrupt again as he built a dense bed of kindling with bits of newspaper interspersed throughout, layering several logs on top. Fortunately, they'd brought with a lighter, because he wasn't sure he could pull off the whole rubbing sticks together thing.
Once he had a nice little fire flickering away, he turned back to Kensi. To his dismay, she was still struggling with her coat, fingers fumbling over the buttons. He took a closer look, not liking what he saw. She'd pushed her hood back, revealing her bloodless skin and unfocused gaze.
"Hey, let me get that," he offered, not waiting for a response start popping open the buttons. His fingers were still a little stiff, but not nearly as bad as Kensi's. In half a minute, he was helping Kensi shrug out of the coat.
He nudged her onto the sole chair in the room, dropping to his knees so he could get at her boots. Looking down at him, Kensi gave him a sleepy, grateful smile.
"Thanks," she murmured.
"Anytime, partner." He gently squeezed her feet, and she yelped, tugging free. Well, pain sensation was a good sign.
"I would kill for a hot chocolate," she mumbled.
"I only saw water and tea around, but I have another suggestion I don't think you'll like very much."
Kensi lifted her head, eyes turning suspicious despite her exhaustion. What?"
"We're going to have to cuddle," he told her seriously.
A/N: My apologies for not getting around to the actual cuddling. I hope the cold whump made up for it.
My reasoning for why Kensi and Deeks didn't stay behind in the SUV with the heater running is because the battery might give out before someone finds them and then they'd be really stuck.