"No," Toni said, shaking her head.

"Toni...sweetheart."

"No," Toni said again, holding up her hand. "Stay away."

"Sweetheart, it's me. Laura."

"Stay the fuck away from me!" Toni shouted.

The decibel level of the room went to zero as everyone stopped talking and stared at the woman in the hallway. Most were confused, but Eleanor and Bill were not. Holding their breath, they prayed their daughter could help the woman who was crumbling in front of them.

Nervously, Laura chewed on her lip, her eyes locked on the woman whose face seemed to be getting paler by the second. Taking a hesitant step toward Toni, she said, "Toni, it's me, Laura. You can trust me. You know you can trust me." Reaching out to her, Laura said, "Take my hand, Toni. Come on, sweetheart. You can do it."

Toni looked at the hand extended to her and saw nothing but handcuffs. Shackles, shiny and bright, they would be clamped around her wrists and secured so tightly that the thump of her pulse would cause pain. Never again. She took a step backward. Never again.

"Toni, please...you're scaring me."

For an instant, Toni thought she knew the voice. The accent was sweet and soothing, and she found herself wanting to listen to it. She wanted to believe it...but then it was gone. Like an evil nymph, terror whispered in her ear and blocked out everything else. Trust no one and you will survive. Trust anyone...and you will die.

Glaring at the stranger, Toni shook her head, silently warning the woman not to take another step, and when Laura did, Toni spun around and bolted down the hallway. For a split-second, Laura stared in disbelief, but when she heard the sound of glass breaking, she made a mad dash toward the back of the house.

The temperature in the room had already begun to drop when Laura reached the kitchen, the winter storm whipping in through the open back door. Rushing over, she paled when she spotted blood on the broken panes of glass, and narrowing her eyes, she peered through the whiteness of the blizzard to see Toni charging through the trees to the meadows beyond.

There was no time to think. No time to concern herself with the snow or the wind or the cold, there was only time to react, and darting out of the house, Laura gave chase.

Mindless of the weather, Toni ran through the snow with only one thought in her mind...escape. The bastards would not get her again. She had made sure of it. She had trained for it. Years of running on a treadmill had given her strength and stamina, and gulping in icy air, she high-stepped it through drifts as she ran over frozen fields covered in white. More than once she stumbled and fell, but growling at her misstep, she pushed herself up and started again. Behind her, she could hear someone calling her name, pleading for her to stop, but Toni no longer recognized the voice. To her, it was one of them. One who would promise safety and then cause pain. Never again. She ran faster.

Try as she might, Laura could not gain any ground on the long-legged woman in front of her, but stubbornly, she pushed herself to keep running. Her hands were freezing and her face was chafed by the harsh, cold air, and even though her lungs screamed with every breath she took, Laura could not stop...she would not stop.

Falling head-first into a deep drift, Laura wiped the snow from her face. "Get up, goddamn it," she grumbled, scrambling to her feet. Seeing that the distance between them was growing, Laura drew in as much air as her lungs would hold and forced herself to run again, but after only a few minutes, she knew she had lost the battle. Slowing to a jog, she tried her best to stay in Toni's footprints, and then something in the distance caught her attention...and her heart stopped.

Calling on every ounce of energy she had left, Laura broke into a run, but within seconds she fell again. Dissolving into tears, she pounded her fists in the snow, berating herself for being so weak. Again and again she struggled to rise, but her body refused to listen. Spent, her lungs burning and her limbs shaking, she looked toward the heavens and howled, "Toni!"

The wind swirled around Laura as she knelt in the snow. The sound of her ragged sobs and desperate gasps were muffled by the whiteness surrounding her, and for an instant, the world turned deathly quiet...but then she heard a noise. It was a thudding, breathing noise that seemed to grow louder by the second, and looking over her shoulder, Laura saw Stephen running toward her.

"Laura! Jesus! Are you all right," he said, falling to his knees by her side.

"Stephen! Oh, thank God! Stop her. Please, stop her! There's a bridge," Laura said, pointing across the field. "There's a bridge, Stephen. Oh, dear God....please....please, you've got to stop her. You've got to stop her!"

Following Laura's line of sight, Stephen saw the small bridge in the distance, and looking back at Laura for only a moment, he rose to his feet and took off running as fast as he could.

Between the physical demands of his job and those that he put on himself, Stephen Wallace had always kept himself in shape. Hours in the weight room at the station and long bicycle rides on the weekends afforded him not only muscle, but also discipline. When he set his mind to do something, it would be done, so when he noticed Toni had begun to slow, he knew she was running out of steam, and he was not. In a few minutes, she would be his...or so he thought.

Toni's body was no longer hers. She told it to step. She told it to run, and she told it to breathe, but frozen and stiff, her body refused to listen any longer...and then the earth ended.

Somersaulting down the hillside, Toni grunted as she tumbled over the uneven ground until her fall finally came to an end at a downed tree drifted over with snow. Sitting in the cold, her jaw dropped open as she gasped for air, but when she heard a man's voice behind her, she struggled to her feet once more. Commanding her body to obey, Toni ignored the pain and plodded through the snow. One step, two steps, three steps...never again. Four steps, five steps, six steps...never again.

Delirious, Toni smiled at the cadence as it repeated in her mind...and then suddenly, she was on fire. Her feet, ankles, calves and thighs burst into flames, and as she opened her mouth to scream at the pain, water rushed in to silence her.

Scrambling down the embankment, Stephen jumped through the broken ice into the inky pool below, and hissing as the frigid river sucked away his strength, he waved his arms through the water, trying to find her. Again and again he swooshed through the blackness, and when something soft brushed against his hand, he yelled to the heavens, "Yes!"

Grabbing Toni by her hair, he brought her to the surface, and struggling to keep her head above the water, he dragged her to the shore. Climbing out, he took hold of her arms and with one strong yank, he pulled her onto the snow-covered earth and fell to his knees. Rolling her over on her side, he let the water drain from her mouth, and then lowering his ear to her lips, he held his breath and waited...but there was no sound to be heard.

"No, you don't!" he barked. "No, you bloody don't!"

Tilting Toni's head back, Stephen took a deep breath, and squeezing her nose shut, he placed his mouth over hers. Forcing air into her lungs in two quick puffs, he listened for only a second before he began chest compressions. Less than thirty seconds later, he filled his lungs again, and giving her two more quick breaths, when Toni still didn't respond, he started the process all over again.

Stephen lost count as to how many breaths he had given her, but when he felt the rumble of a cough growing in her throat, he quickly pulled her to her side. Watching as the water emptied from her lungs, he sat back and smiled, mindless of the shivers that had taken control of his body.

"Toni!" Laura screamed as she stumbled down the hill. "Oh, dear God, no!"

"She's okay. She's okay," Stephen shouted back. "She's...she's alive."

Scrambling to Toni's side, Laura said, "Oh, Toni. Sweetheart, talk to me. Please talk to me."

When Toni didn't move, Laura looked to Stephen for help, and with frozen fingers, he felt for a pulse. "She's alive, Laura. Sh-sh-she's hypothermic. W-we all are. We need t-t-to get help. Can you make it b-b-back to the house?"

"I'm not leaving you here!"

"You've got to...got to tell B-Bernard what's happened. He'll know what to do."

"I am not leaving you two here!"

"D-d-damn it, Laura, listen! I'll follow. I-I-I promise, I'll follow. I-I-I won't let her die, but the f-f-faster one of us can get back there to tell them what's happened, the b-b-better her chances. Laura, she doesn't have a lot of time."

That was all Laura needed to hear. Quickly pressing her frozen lips against Toni's icy cheek, she said, "I love you" in a kiss and then sprinted up the hill.

"How's your back?" Eleanor asked.

Shaking his head in disgust, Bill continued to stare out the window. Seconds after Laura ran from the house he had tried to follow, but slipping on some ice on the patio, when he hit the slate, his back gave out. Defeated, he returned to the house, fixed the window with duct tape and cardboard, and then waited like all the rest.

"It's fine now."

"Don't be so hard on yourself."

"They've been gone too long, Ellie," he said, wrinkling his brow. "And none of them were dressed properly."

Taking his hand, Eleanor gave it a squeeze. "I know, sweetheart, but Laura is smart and Stephen is strong, and God will protect them all. I know he will."

After insisting that the rest of the family stay in the lounge, Nancy strode into the kitchen and shouted, "Now, what the hell is going on here?"

"Not now, Nancy," Bill said, peering out the window.

"Yes, now," she said, placing her hands on her hips. "This is my house and my afternoon tea. How dare you bring a crazy woman-"

"Shut the fuck up!" Bill yelled, spinning on his heel to glare at his sister. "You shut your mouth, woman. You don't know anything about Toni, and I am not going to allow you to call her names! When and if the time is right, you may find yourself privy to that information, but right now, I'm worried about my daughter, her fiancee and your son-in-law, so I think it best you shut your mouth and say a prayer...for all of them. Do I make myself clear?"

"I'm afraid prayers aren't all they're going to need," Bernard said, striding into the kitchen with Dorothy, Alice and Peggy in tow. "I've asked Ron to call emergency services and then start the fireplace in the library. Nancy, I need you to gather as many blankets as you can find and put them in there, too."

Rolling her eyes, Nancy said, "Bernard, don't be ridiculous. There's a perfectly good fire burning in the lounge. Why bother starting another when-"

"Because the lounge is too bloody large, that's why. We can close the doors to the library and make it warm quickly, so please stop asking questions and do what I say, and while you're at it, find them all some clothes."

"Oh, now you're just being silly," Nancy said, crossing her arms across her enormous bosom. "This isn't a department store. I don't have clothes to fit them."

"Bloody hell, woman!" he yelled, causing everyone in the room to jump. "Do as I ask...now!"

Splaying her fingers across her chest, Nancy stumbled back a step, and then mumbling to herself, she stomped from the room.

Letting out a long, heavy sigh, Bernard glanced at the other women in the room. "Peggy, are you doing okay?"

Grinning at her brother-in-law's concern, Peggy said, "I'm fine, Bernard. A bit worried, but Stephen's strong, and I know he'll bring them back."

"Good, that's what I want to hear," he said, running his fingers through his hair. "Okay, Dorothy, I need you to put on some water. Make it warm, but not hot, and Alice, do you know if your mum has any hot water bottles?"

"Yeah, she used to."

"Well, then be a love and go find them. Can you do that?"

"Of course. Right away," Alice said as she scurried out of the room.

"There's Laura!" Eleanor screamed, pointing out the window.

Mindless of the ache in his back, Bill rushed outside, careful to avoid the ice on the patio as he ran to his daughter's side. "Oh, my God, Laura. We were so worried."

People can do the unimaginable when fear and adrenaline mix, and after she had placed a kiss on Toni's frozen cheek, Laura raced across the snow-covered fields with energy she didn't know she had. Mindless of the ice coating her hair or the burn in her lungs, she hadn't slowed a step until she reached the house. Gasping for air, she bent over as she struggled to breathe and her knees buckled instantly.

Pain crossed Bill's face as he gathered Laura in his arms, but refusing to acknowledge the twinge in his back, he carried her to the house. Met at the door by Eleanor and Bernard, he was ushered inside, but after taking only a few steps, Laura came to her senses.

"Put m-me down!" Laura said, squirming in her father's arms. "Put me down!"

"Okay, sweetheart. Okay," Bill said, allowing Laura to stand. "There you go."

"We need...we need to g-g-get help," Laura said, panting for air. "We've g-g-got to g-g-get help!"

Bernard walked between them, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the woman shivering uncontrollably in front of him. "We need to get you warm. You're hypothermic."

"No!" Laura said, pushing him away. "Toni...Toni...Toni fell in the w-w-water. Stephen got her out, and he t-t-told me to come back here. He s-s-said you'd know....you'd know what to do."

"Jesus Christ," Bernard said, rubbing his chin. "That puts a wrench in things." Seeing Ron come back into the room, Bernard asked, "Did you get through to emergency services?"

"Yeah, but with the snow, they said it could take hours. Apparently, there have been a few accidents and some of the roads are closed."

"All right then, we'll do it ourselves," Bernard said, reaching into his pocket. Tossing his car keys to Ron, he said, "There's a black bag in the boot. Get it for me, and then find Nancy and tell her to put the blankets and clothes in the library."

"Got it, doc," Ron said, quickly jogging down the hall.

Bernard moved closer to Laura, but when she backed away from his touch, in a tone soft yet stern, he said, "Laura, you aren't going to be any good to Toni like this. I need you to listen to me and do what I ask. Okay?"

"No!" Laura said, putting her hands up to keep him at a distance. "Toni...y-y-you have to...you have to help her. Not me. Not me...only her. I'm...I'm...I'm okay."

"No, you're not," Eleanor said as she strode over and took Laura by the shoulders. "So, we're going to do whatever Bernard wants us to do. I'm not going to stand by and allow your stubbornness to reign supreme. Do you understand me? When Toni gets back, she's going to need you, so the sooner we get you warm and into some dry clothes, the better off she'll be when she returns. Do I make myself clear?"

Laura's cheeks were covered in frozen tears, and as the new ones began to fall, they traveled down the same tracks to her chin. Shivering, she looked up at Bernard. "Don't...don't you...don't you let her die!"

"I have no intention of allowing that to happen," he said softly. "Eleanor, take Laura into the library and get her out of those clothes. All of them."

"I-I-I can do it," Laura said, taking a step.

"No, you can't," Peggy said. Getting to her feet, she looked at Bernard. "Stephen's had training in this. I know what to do."

"Good girl. I'll leave her in your hands then."

Having just piled clothing and blankets on a chair in the library, when Nancy saw Peggy and Eleanor guiding Laura into the room, her heart fell. "Oh, dear God! What can I do?"

Warmed by her mother's concern, Peggy said, "You two get her shoes and socks off, and I'll start with the rest."

Shaking her head, Laura said, "I-I-I can do-"

"No, you can't," Peggy said firmly, looking Laura in the eye. "Lesson 101 when treating hypothermia is that you never allow the victim to help. Moving about causes the cold blood from your arms and legs to travel toward your heart...and that's bad. Now, stop making a fuss, Laura. It's not like we didn't used to take baths together."

Fifteen minutes later, Bernard slid open the doors to the library, and when he saw Laura lying under an assortment of throws and quilts, he smiled at Peggy. "Well done."

Going over to the swaddled woman, he asked, "How you feeling?"

"Better. Warmer. Any sign of Stephen?"

"Not yet, I'm afraid, but the man runs marathons, Laura. He'll be here," Bernard said, kneeling by her side. "Do you mind if I check you over?"

"No, but I'm fine."

Bernard's eyes twinkled as he looked back at his knowledgeable patient. "How about you let me be the judge of that?" he said, reaching for her hand.

After taking Laura's pulse and checking her fingers and toes for frostbite, he reached into his doctor's bag and pulled out a stethoscope. Placing it in his ears, as he reached under the blanket, he said, "This may be a bit cold."

Snorting, Laura gave him a weak smile and a few minutes later, Bernard got to his feet. "You're going to be just fine. Your heart is strong, your lungs are clear and there's no sign of frostbite."

"Can I get up?"

"You can even get dressed, but you stay in here where it's warm. All right?"

"She won't leave," Eleanor said, rummaging through the clothes Nancy had piled on the chair. "Trust me."

Outside the library, Bill paced up and down the hallway, so when the doors finally slid open, he was at Bernard's side like steel to a magnet. "Is Laura okay? Bernard, is my daughter all right?"