There was a time, not so long ago, that a statement from a man, especially one she found her insides tied in loops and swirls over, about<i>needing wood</i>would have made her smile at the very least.  Tatum would have flirted and enjoyed a conversation chock full of innuendo that lasted well until the night until a decision needed to be made: would they be going to her place or his?<br/><br/>In just a few years that previously loaded question was now just a question.  A question that could have dire consequences if the wrong answer was given.  Tatum had not even interpreted his question at anything other than face value until he clarified his meaning.  Was he flirting with her?  Was the tall, dark-haired used-to-be an electrician feeling the same way she was?<br/><br/>Her complaint about not being able to get warm was moot now.  A rush of sudden warmth filled her from her toes to the top of her head, sending a wave of pleasantly prickly goosebumps across her scalp.<br/><br/>When he clarified his meaning, the warm rush blooded her cheeks and turned them a deep shade of pink.  Her thoughts had ventured somewhere he had not intended.  "I believe I do.  I brought some in last night but I supposed I should always doublecheck before I turn in for the night.  Imagine how poor Beth would feel if I froze and turned into a Tatum popsicle overnight all because I neglected a critical chore."  She could picture it in her head.  Poor Beth weeping and wailing over her lifeless body in an almost comical fashion.  Tatum glanced at his face in an attempt to see if his face revealed how he might feel about a frozen lawyer.  Would he miss her or would he move on like the rest of the community?  Death was inevitable in this place.  It seemed that they lost more people during the winter to sickness, or starvation, or the elements.<br/><br/>Another shiver ran down her spine, this one far more ominous and unable to be blamed on the weather.  Instinctively, she clung to Thomas as if his warmth could protect her from whatever had her feeling this way, watching eyes be damned.  She felt uneasy, not because of him but because of the town and his warm body helped keep the panic at bay.<br/><br/>They passed the next few houses in silence.  Tatum wasn't quite sure what to say.<br/><br/>Her house wasn't far yet she was reluctant to let their time together come to an end.  "Do you think," she paused briefly before starting over, "do you mind hanging out for a few minutes while I make sure I have enough wood in the house?"  The utter darkness made her uncomfortable.  It was too dark and too thick.  It even seemed that the starlight and the moonlight couldn't penetrate the blackness that surrounded the town.