I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm

Three

A/n This one was written by myself and @ancilla89 in pretty much equal contributions

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After he ends his session with Doc and before the shared bath, the lights are off again. Linda tells him they have to turn the breaker and everything off because of the gas leak.

"Really?"

"Yes, I asked the internet. And it never lies," she jokes, trying to make him feel better. It sort of works--she gets a smirk out of him.

"How long are we gonna let it leak?"

"I don't think it's leaking anymore--I turned the gas off, like Google said. The gas people won't be here until tomorrow."

"Great, so we're gonna freeze to death!"

She comforts him, tells him it's going to be okay and only for a little while they'll be cold. He doesn't believe her, but he takes that bath with her anyways.

************

"A week? You're freaking kidding me!" Danny groans to the gas guy.

"Sorry, sir, but that's the soonest we can come out," the gas guy says with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "You need a new part, and it takes three to seven business days."

"Three to seven business days? Can't I pay for expedited shipping or some other sorta shit?"

"No, sir, I'm sorry." The guy--who's young, probably inexperienced, and named Carl--shakes his head. "And it could be longer; it seems as though everyone's heaters and gas tanks are breaking."

Danny keeps the monster of a curse word he has inside his head. How on earth is he supposed to survive a week without heat? How on earth is Linda going to survive ice cold showers for a week? She can't even stand lukewarm water, claiming it's cold. They are so screwed.

"Your hot water heater is gas, but it's not leaking, so it'll still work," Carl says, and Danny nearly collapses in relief. Linda will still get her hot showers. He, however...will sneak in as many cold ones as he can.

************

"A week or longer?" Linda asks through the bathroom door late that evening. She's just pulled a fifty-four hour shift, and is dead exhausted. She feels like crying. "How will we ever survive?"

"I don't know," Danny groans, leaning against the door; he's been counting the minutes she's been in there. Her five minutes are nearly up, thank goodness. He really needs to see her.

"We'll just have to get warmed up the old-fashioned way."

"How?" He almost falls down when she yanks open the door.

"Sex!" Her smile is wide in that sleep-drunk way when she's deliriously exhausted.

"Babe!"

She laughs out loud, shrugs. "Or lots of soup. And cuddles." She wraps her arms around him, kisses the tip of his nose.

"A week is far too long! How will we survive?"

"We have heaters to plug into the wall; we have blankets, we have sweaters. And I've got the warmest hoodie in the world!" She grabs the hoodie from the back of the chair in their room and pulls it over her head. "It's like a big hug."

She's wearing his hoodie, the grey one that has actual Sherpa lining. It's an old Christmas present from Linda for the annual Reagan Men Manly Camping Trip, and of course, she'd "stolen it" as soon as it came back from the trip. He's not sure if he's worn it since.