The late Saturday afternoon sun struggled to come out above Ethan's cozy little log cabin nestled at the foot of snow-topped mountains, but the heavy winter clouds marched slowly in front of it, blocking it's warm gaze. The cabin was a modest retreat used by Ethan, a successful novelist, whenever he needed time alone to focus on his latest work. It was a place Gale knew well too, having spent a few weekends there with Ethan in the past.

    The stone chimney attached to one end of the cabin puffed a steady flow of smoke into the cold air, while the dutiful generator that supplied the cabin's electricity motored all to itself inside it's own quaint little cabin built to keep it safe and quiet. Inside the cabin Ethan and Gale sat on the floor near the fireplace, leaning back lazily against a sturdy couch and sharing a blanket over their flirting legs as they sipped wine from tall crystal glasses.

    They gazed off into the flames of the fire, happy to be shoulder to shoulder with one another, enjoying the bliss of the moment. Ethan raised his arm and Gale sunk down to snuggle up under it, resting her head comfortably against the soft sweater covering his chest with a glazed look of content. She was nearly overcome by how much she had missed him, how much she loved every aspect of his person.

    The pleasant silence between them spoke volumes about how much they cherished each other. Just the nearness of one to the other was enough to pacify their longing hearts, which were in rhythm whenever they were together. Endless conversations barring no subjects were common between them, but their affections for one another had never needed more than an adoring stare or gentle touch to manifest themselves.

    It didn't take long after Gale met Ethan many years ago for her to realize he was the one for her. His amiable personality and kind way had charmed her almost immediately, while her caring manner and warm devotion sealed him to her. They were captives of each other. His proposal came not long after, being answered with a passionate, resounding "Yes!" that began a lengthy engagement stretched out over three years because of Gale's fears of revealing the Vandarmensen heritage of herself and family to him, which ultimately led to her renouncing their commitment to each other.Parting with him had been like watching her own heart walk sadly away, shattered and lost.

    As her eyes drifted away from the dancing flames in the fire place to the puddle of wine leaning in her slightly tilted glass, those same fears arose in her yet again, threatening the harmony she found in his arms once more. When she agreed to go away with him on this trip, she did so having resolved within herself to confront him with the truth about her heritage before she allowed their relationship to return where it had ended, having received unanimous consent from her siblings to reveal all to him in the hopes it wouldn't matter in the face of their love. She held on to that resolve and pushed her fears away for just a little while longer.

    Night eventually closed in around the cabin, forcing Ethan away from Gale long enough to top of the generator with fuel and bring in enough wood to feed the fire until morning. It was just after he'd placed a few logs near the fireplace and stoked the glowing embers that he turned to see a moment of dilemma streak across the face he knew so well. Despite her efforts to hide her inner concerns about taking a leap of faith with Ethan, the man who loved her caught a glimpse anyway.

    "Is something wrong?" he asked, moving back to Gale's side who now rested on the couch.

    "Hmm?" she muttered indifferently, trying to avoid Ethan's discovery.

    "For a moment you looked as though something troubled you. Are you alright?" he observed, with eyes and voice full of regard.

    Gale smiled weakly at him in an attempt to disarm his concern, but staring into his tender brown eyes made her feel guilty for withholding something that could affect how those eyes saw her. Her smile fell into a conflicted frown. Knowing that the truth should be a part of their love instead of a sneaky burden always looming over it, she sighed and dropped her head to prepare herself for what she had to do. 

    "You know...," Ethan started before she could, slouching back against the couch and staring sadly down at his feet,"...this past year without you in my life has been nothing less than agonizing, an unbearable sentence."

    "Oh Ethan, the same is true for me," she assured, reaching over and taking his hand, causing him to lock gazes with her. They searched each others eyes for a moment and found the mutual hurt suffered from their separation.

    A solemn expression possessed Ethan's features. "When you called me nearly two months ago, and wanted to meet with me, I couldn't think about anything else during the wait to see you again, my world stopped until you walked through the door of that coffee shop," he confessed.

    Gale listened quietly, knowing intimately the sentiments he was expressing. He slowly pulled away from her hand to reach into his pocket, timidly retrieving a small black box that he presented to Gale, who knew all too well what was inside. She braced herself with a deep breath, then began searching her panicking thoughts for a way to handle what she suspected was coming next.

    Ethan opened the box cradled in his palm to reveal the glistening engagement ring that Gale had returned to him when they parted ways, each with a broken heart. With a fragile, yet brave tone in his voice he said,"I was hoping...that maybe you would consider making me whole again, by taking this back."

    A wave of desire crashed over Gale, urging her to reach for what she wanted dearly as she stared at the ring, but her resolve surfaced and she looked up at Ethan with trembling eyes.

    "Oh Ethan, I want to...I really do, you must believe me," she implored.

    "Then what's stopping you," he coaxed.

    Gale stared into his expecting eyes for a moment, then she looked away with a heavy-hearted sigh that drooped her head. "Ethan...," she uttered as she turned back to face him with a frail expression that tugged at his heart,"...there are things I must tell you about me, about my family. Things that may be difficult for you to understand and accept, things that might change the way you feel about me."

    Ethan chuckled quickly under his breath, refuting any notion that Gale could tell him anything that would change his feelings toward her. "Gale, I don't..."

    A solid knock at the door rudely interrupted them, causing them both to  cast perplexed glances at the door, then at each other.

    "Who in the world could be way out here?" Ethan questioned. Gale shrugged, having no idea.

    Ethan closed the ring box and slipped it back into his pocket as he got up from the couch to answer the door. Gale sat still, watching closely to find out who could be at the door. As soon as Ethan twisted the door knob to loosen the door from it's frame, the door was kicked in, sending Ethan stumbling back as Gale rose quickly with a startled gasp. Two men wearing ski masks and dressed like winter soldiers rushed inside the cabin. One forced Ethan up against the wall with an assault rifle wedged long ways under his chin while the other approached Gale slowly with a pistol trained on her.

    Ethan was stunned by the sudden attack, but when he saw the gunman walking toward Gale he pushed against his assailant and protested with,"Hey! Leave her alone!"

    The masked man forced his rifle harder against Ethan's throat, taming his resistance and silencing him. The other man continued toward Gale, reaching into his coat and pulling out a couple of large zip-ties.