Lost and Found

She turned around not wanting to stare but also knowing that she needed to strip too. She felt that body image was a thing for models and girls who were self-conscious. All her attention was on warming their bodies up and staring at him or being shy would have to wait until the hypothermia was gone.

Worrying about her body was something she felt conceited girls do. Even though she knew that her breasts were large at D cups and her hips and ass held a few extra pounds, there was nothing any guy would not find attractive she felt. She knew that her stomach was flat but still had some weight to it as she felt her body was well within normal proportions.

Leaving her bra and panties on, she stepped in and made room for him to do the same. She turned her back to him and let the water spray warmth unto her much needed cold body. She knew she was giving him a view of her panty clad ass as her thin blue panties were now see-through from being wet.

Kira stared at the wall knowing that this was the first time in two years that she was down to her bra and panties in front of another man, and that man was her doctor. She reached back and then undid her hair letting her black hair drop to her shoulder blades.

"We need to get the heat turned on or the pumps might not work," Victor said as she felt his body up against her from being in close proximity in the shower.

"I can try to see if they can send a snowcat to come pick us up," Kira replied, hoping that they could be rescued as they only missed the evacuations by a little over an hour.

She listened to him step out of the shower as she felt he barely was in there to warm himself up. She turned to him worried that he was still in a state of hypothermia. "You still freezing? You need to get your body temperature up a few more degrees."

"I can warm up once I get the pumps going or we will not have enough heat. The pipes might burst with this storm."

She shifted her body more to talk to him. The water had made her bra and panties cling to her body and were a little see-through now. She quickly looked at his wet body noticing that he kept on his boxers and that he quickly moved to get dressed again.

As he left the room to turn the heat pumps on, she took off her wet underwear and went to unclasp her bra. It was soaking wet and when she did, she felt the clips pull right out making it unusable. "Fuck," she sighed as she knew that was her last bra.

Back at the outpost she packed her clothes and knew that this was the last bra she had. Going back for her clothes was not an option. The only thing in her room here was the basic issue sweatpants and sweatshirt and only one pair of them too.

Wearing a sweatshirt with no bra and sweatpants without panties made her breasts bounce more than she liked. She rushed to the radio room feeling damp from the shower, and also was feeling her tits bounce all over the place. All she thought about now was hoping that they were still able to turn around and rescue them. The loss of her research was still there but she felt her fight or flight mechanism had finally kicked in.

The radio was powered down, but the room still had power to it. She figured the generators were on and with her turning on the radio, she called out for help. Static and more static was her only response. The dread hopeless feeling came over her as she called out for the evacuation ship. The only response was static as she figured the storm was limiting the communications.

Not giving up, she sat on the edge of the chair until she finally switched frequencies and called out again. When a voiced called back to her, she felt her heart jump a beat like they were not lost yet. Kira quickly radioed their whereabouts and their status. The answer she got was not the one she was hoping for.

All flights were grounded, and all transportation was shut down for the entire winter months. She listened to how they were to use the base until a rescue effort could be coordinated. Kira listened to her direct supervisor tell her that they had to stay put and turn on the systems and keep warm.

Switching on the computer and looking at the monitor, she knew why they had to worry. She knew a few things about the weather patterns and what was considered dangerous, but she was far from an expert. She saw that the storm could break through the outer barrier of the base which would compromise the inner buildings.

Kira slumped in the seat as she knew what was going on without being told. She knew the winter crew was pulled because of the danger the storm presented. She also knew that rescue flights during the winter were rare and only if the conditions were good. Being stuck in the base for a few months was now a fact. It was just a matter of surviving the next few hours that counted.

Turning up the heat and sealing the inner doors, she checked the systems to make sure everything was working. The idea of the base succumbing to the storm was a possibility, but she still had feelings that it was strong enough to survive. The base was fully stocked for three people for a year and had fuel for over two years.

The inner buildings had a dome around them. Within the dome were various other buildings with equipment stacked in certain spots. The house building was within the dome and held a comfortable sixty-five degrees year round. The other buildings within the dome were not heated and would get down into the negatives during the winter months. Outside of the temperature was ninety below with the wind and could kill a person even if they wore the right gear. The dome stopped the dangerous wind, but if it got punctured it could compromise the inner buildings.

Kira put her large coat and boots on as she opened the door to the main inner building and tried to see if Victor was on his way or in trouble. She could hear the dome holding up, but it sounded like a bat hitting metal as the wind was blowing hard.

She saw him walking towards her and she moved out of the way to let him in. She then followed him into the locker room where they kept the gear and took off her coat just as he was.

"The wind did not break through, but it buckled on the side. It's bad, but not that bad and once the storm passes, we are out of danger. I put one of the snowcats by where the metal buckled so we are good," he said quickly as he was down to his sweatshirt and pants now.

"I think we are here for the duration. They won't rescue us until for at least two months and then that is if the weather is warm enough for the plane to land."

"All for a bag of bones," Vic blurted out with a scowl on his face and then walked away.

The urge to reply was there as she felt it was worth it but chose to hold back knowing he was upset. She knew he did not have to come back for her and that he did risk his life for her career and not his. It was just a waiting game now to her and she wondered if he would get over it in a week or even a month or two.

Kira slumped herself to her dorm room and opened a book. She could feel the heater kicking on as the fear of freezing was not going to happen. To her it was going to be a painful waiting game or maybe a time to catch up on some reading.

She had no idea how long she was asleep for but her internal clock felt off. It said six but it felt more like midnight. Her hunger was there, and she decided to make something to eat and just go back to sleep. Figuring a good meal was needed as it was the first time the excitement of the day passed.

She walked into the common room where the kitchen was and saw Victor on the couch drinking soda and watching television. He never looked over at her and never made a comment as she heated some microwave food up. Even when the bell sounded that it was ready, he focused his attention on the program he was watching as she felt he was still pissed at her.

***

The following week reminded her of her college freshman year when she had nobody to talk to. That alone feeling now resided in her as Victor did not even say a word to her. The few friends she did have were in high school and they were more like acquaintances than real friends. She knew her people skills were lacking but she still hated being alone at times.

The storm damage was severe to the base, but it held although the communication tower did not stand up to the storm. The chance of talking with her parents, colleagues and her supervisor were not going to happen, and she wondered if she would even if they could listen to her. With no internet and radio, it felt like the Dark Ages.

Victor had not spoken a single word to her in a week and she knew it was her fault he was like that with her. She knew he was angry and debated on apologizing as it finally sunk into her that she was reckless with his life and hers. She wanted to say sorry a few times, but he would quickly walk away every time she was in the same room with him.

She recalled seeing him for the first time when she got on the base and thought to herself how good looking he was, and how charming he came across. He never spoke ill of anyone and she often thought that the girl he had was lucky. Now she hated that the man she thought was cute now hated her and she felt helpless in changing his mind.

Finishing her book, she needed to stretch her legs. She decided that a good walk might help. The cold was not that bad inside the dome and going out for a quick stroll seemed like a good way to move around. It was still cold, but with bundling up it would not be as bad.

She saw Victor watching a movie from the vast collection that had been acquired over the years, and like normal, he did not even say a word. When she put her clothes and her coat on, she cracked the door and stepped out into the dome.

It was a shock as the inner building was nice and toasty but the inner dome was still freezing cold. She walked around and saw that the storage building was open. It was not that far of a walk and she got there to see the snowcat was moved out like Victor said. She stepped inside to see various tools and snowmobiles and a desk in the back area.

This was George's realm and she never once thought about stepping inside for fear that he would blow his lid on her. She walked over to his metal desk and saw tools lying about a desk drawer partially open. With a quick pull of the drawer, she saw a bottle roll to the side.

"Ohh, look at what we found," she said out loud as she spied that George had a bottle of whiskey stashed away.

With her new found loot under her arm, Kira smiled to herself knowing that she had something to get even with George about. She wondered if he had listened to her about keeping the generators going the day before the storm. She knew that he wasted time and that the whole situation could have been avoided.

Kira stepped in to see Victor standing right there at the entryway as if he was either watching or waiting for her return. She felt that he still could not be overly pissed at her as it has been a week, but if he was, she knew the bottle might help.

"Found something," Kira said as she stepped in further removing her coat and then using it to hide the bottle from view.

"Ohhh, what did you find?"

She moved her coat revealing her find and smiling. "Found this. Figure you might be up for a drink."

"You found his stash," Vic chuckled and sat back down on the couch.

"Forgive me?" Kira said smiling and shaking the bottle as if it was a peace offering.

"Yeah...fine. We got two months together and we might as well be talking."

Kira sat on the couch across from him and poured two small glasses of whiskey. She held up one and when he did the same, they both took a hefty swig only to have him fill it up again. She could see the smile on his face and the look on his face like he was either over what happened, or he forgave her.

"I am. I am sorry I got you dragged into this. I just saw my whole career in that bag. It's an amazing discovery and I was so close."

"You can always come back," Vic added as he seemed more relaxed on the couch.

"My grant is gone. Getting another grant is probably not going to happen." She sighed knowing that she could try but it was like fighting the tide.

Vic downed a shot only to talk raspy from the swig. "It might. You have a bunch of people that can help you explain what was down there."

"True, but I exhausted the University's patience and I doubt they will keep me on after being stuck here," she admitted, knowing that her forward and demanding personality turned off a few sponsors.

"There are other universities and other grants. I know you will get back here and rediscover those bones."

"What about you?" she asked, taking a shot herself feeling the burn of the liquor.

"What about me?" Vic answered, taking a swig and then pouring himself another glass.

"Your wife or girlfriend going to be upset about you being stuck here?" Kira said, taking a swig herself.

She knew that her current love life required batteries and that the last boyfriend she had was Stephen, and he was married. He wasn't much of a lover either as she thought but hated being alone sometimes.

She watched as Victor poured himself a hefty glass and drank it fast. "Are we talking personal lives now? Just wanted to make sure since you have never once spoke about yourself the entire time you were here."

She smiled taking a small swig compared to his. She then watched him take another shot and stand up to shut off the TV before sitting back down to have yet another drink. When he sat down, she nodded to him. "Yeah...I can talk personal to you...only if we are honest about it."

"Are we being honest with each other? Like, honest, honest?" Vic said as she heard a slurring to his voice.

"Yeah...I will answer honestly too."

Vic smiled taking another swig of the bottle. "Ookay. I am single now for a year. I wanted more, and she didn't. She broke up with me and left me with the bills and the house. You married, or ever wanted to be married?"

"Me...no. Work has been my main focus. I am not one for relationships," Kira answered, knowing it was a complete lie. She took another swig of the bottle to help her swallow the lie.

She looked at him seeing him as the stronger man that would go back for a woman to save her and not run away to save himself. He looked at her for a few minutes just drinking the bottle as there was an uneasy silence between them as if they were thinking of something to ask.

Kira quickly thought about Stephen or Dr. Franklyn as he was called on campus. Kira knew she loved him back then and the fact she knew he was married made no difference as he always talked about leaving his wife. She knew she was the other woman and felt it was worth it, and for the three years she played sex slave to him she wanted something more, hoping that he would be the one.

The idea of getting out of a bad relationship and away from the world was the greatest thing and having the grant to do this expedition was a life changer. She felt betrayed by her ex and the satisfaction of telling him off was still not enough as she wanted to cause damage to him and his reputation the more she thought about it.

Vic took the bottle and drank again as he spoke. "I am sorry, I...thought different. To be honest with you, I always wondered, or should I say assumed you were either happily married or divorced."

Kira looked at him confused as she could see the bottle was half empty and that he had to be drunk. "Why is that?"

"Well, it's just that. I can't...I am too drunk. I need to get some sleep and sleep this off," Victor said as he stumbled to his feet and then gave her a soft look as if he was about to purge emotions.

As he stumbled to his room Kira felt a twinge of guilt. She knew she was lying and that the past was still pissing her off as she relived the moment she found out he had another girl on the side and that he was never going to leave his wife. The pain of it all came back but so did the guilt. The guilt was of not being honest with herself about what it was and the fact she was still hiding it. She knew her past was dark even before she had the relationship with Dr. Stephen Franklyn.

Not wanting to drink alone and feeling the guilt of failing the honesty game, Kira gave into her body's demand for sleep. She had her own room and quickly made her way into the bed not even bothering to change or get undressed.

Recalling her past years and the pain it was with knowing she was deceived for years by a man she loved brought the tears back. She hated wasting tears on him and hated that he had power over her to do it, but she felt since she was alone, she could allow herself the cry. The only solace was that she felt anger towards him and nothing else now.

The morning headache was quickly killed with a large glass of water and some aspirin. Kira knew she did not drink to the point of wasting a day but wondered about Victor. She had no idea his tolerance but knew he drank most of the bottle compared to her.

The day passed easy as she typed up her reports of what was going on with the station and then measurements of the weather. It was then onto her books and her own reports preparing for another grant to go back for a second try. She still wondered about Vic and still had a guilty conscious about not telling him.

When Victor came out of his room to the kitchen Kira did the same. She sat on the counter looking at him knowing she needed to unload the guilt she had. She hated lying and promised herself to be honest and coming forward about Stephen needed to happen.

"Look, I am not one for talking about the past, but I lied last night," Kira announced as the guilt was too much.

Vic turned around closing the refrigerator and grabbing a bottle of water. "So much for honesty."

"I know, but I am telling you now. I had a long term boyfriend that I wanted to marry. I thought he was the one for me."

Vic smiled as he drank from the bottle and then leaned back against the counter next to the large refrigerator. "So, he left you?"

"No. He was married and using me for sex. I wanted the relationship and he just wanted a side piece," Kira answered, feeling a weight lift from her chest.

"I am going to need to sit down for the rest of this," Vic said, making his way back to the living room and to where they left the bottle of whiskey.

Kira followed wondering how much she was going to tell and how much she felt comfortable telling. The guilt was lifted, and she wondered if she should lift more guilt and tell him more about her personal and sex life.

She watched as he sat on the couch and then she decided to sit on the opposite couch that was close to him. She crossed her legs and sat back. His loose shirt from yesterday was on as was yesterday's sweatpants. She showered and changed into her second set of clothes, but changing clothes was not as easy once the washing machine drew too much power and needed to be used sparingly.

"I guess we are being honest again?" Vic announced with a half smile.

"Yes. I will be completely truthfully, but then you can't hold back either," Kira replied, wondering what he was holding back from last night.

"Okay then...question for a question. So tell me, was he your only love?"

Kira knew the question could be interpreted different ways and to be truly honest would stir hurtful feelings she had of herself from the pastthat she wanted to forget. She remembered the three men she let have sex with her, but also the countless men she gave blowjobs too. She didn't want to over divulge information to him by telling him that she sucked off so many guys she lost count.

Kira thought back to Harold, Joe and Jake. Two of them were from college and Joe was after that. "Love yes, lovers no. I was with three other guys." She remembered how inexperienced they were and how they were more bookish guys who never had a chance of finding a girl.