Friday Morning

Charlie Eppes paused in packing his backpack to look around. He didn't see anything that he'd missed, but he methodically checked his closet, drawers, and desk for overlooked items.

"So, how long is this trip?" Alan asked from Charlie's doorway.

"It's just overnight," the younger man answered automatically. He rearranged the contents again to make it fit better.

"And where are you going?"

Charlie wrapped his compass in a small towel and carefully stowed it in a side pocket of his backpack. "Into the mountains, heading north."

"Who all will be in your group?"

Charlie finally stood up and looked at his father. "It's a group of physics students from our department. It's actually a class project that Larry devised to study the feasibility of developing new roads. I'm going along to consult on the math aspect." Cocking his head, he stared at Alan. "Am I allowed to go now?"

Alan chuckled at the subtle jibe. "All right. I can see how that looked like I was grilling you. I give." He looked over the gear still stacked on the bed. "But I do have to ask. Do you have a first aid kit?"

"Yep."

"Extra clothes?"

"Two sets."

"Cell phone?"

Charlie pulled it out of the padded carrier attached to his belt. "With GPS."

"Extra snacks?"

"'Plan for one, pack for three.' Yes, Dad, I know. I'll be fine." Charlie quickly finished stowing the last few items. "I'm not trying to be sarcastic, but you've trained me and Don very well over the years."

"I know. It's just that any time you go out like that, accidents can happen."

"I'll be careful, Dad."

He did accept a ride from Alan because he couldn't ride his bike with the hiking frame. The group of students were milling outside the math building on campus.

"I'll call you tomorrow evening when I get back into town," Charlie promised. Alan accepted the assurance, wished him well, and drove off.

"You're late," a husky female voice drawled in his ear.

He turned to smile at Amita, taking note that she looked adorable with her hair braided into twin ropes that hung over each shoulder. The style suited her, but also made her look very young.

"I made it," he teased. "Although I considered just ditching the whole thing. You know, I've got that paper to get finished."

"Oh right. You love this stuff," she said as she smacked his arm.

By this time Larry had taken his position on the stairs and began giving directions to the students. It only took a few moments to give out the driving assignments.

Charlie frowned. "Did he forget me? He knows I don't have a car," he said softly to Amita.

She smiled, bringing to Charlie's mind an illustration of the Cheshire Cat. "Don't worry. You'll get there."

"How?" he asked suspiciously. "You don't have a car, either."

"You'll see." She moved forward to help assuage the general confusion as the twenty or so students moved toward the assigned vehicles.

It was only after the last of the students had been stowed and left that he turned to face the only person left. "Okay. What'll I see?"

Charlie wondered at the playful attitude of his friend. He followed her obediently, winding across the emptier than normal parking lot. Surprised, he saw her stop beside a very nice, but very small car. She turned and jingled the keys at him.

"I borrowed it for the weekend. And it's only a two-seater," she said enigmatically.

Shrugging, he struggled to fit his and Amita's backpacks into the tiny trunk as she got into the driver's seat. He quickly got in and fastened his seat belt, looking over at her as she settled in comfortably. The ride to the rendezvous point was very pleasant, and to Charlie's mind, too quick. He was so distracted by the comfortable rapport between him and Amita that he didn't even notice at first that they were the only ones visible.

"Where is everybody?" he asked in confusion.

"I told Larry that we'd meet up with him this afternoon. There's something I want to show you." She heaved her frame up on her back. "I used to come up here and hike a lot in high school."

"Lead away," Charlie said. He wasn't sure what was going on. Amita's behavior had definitely been unusual since that case where they'd met the Indian girls. Charlie blushed slightly. It wasn't the case that had gotten his attention, he admitted. It was the quick kiss that an enthusiastic Amita had given him.

He was used to giving her appreciative glances, but it had unnerved him to catch her staring at him at odd times. After the disastrous date, he had pretty well resigned himself to the fact that he couldn't have a normal relationship. Thirty years was long enough to have been able to form at least one relationship that lasted longer than two months. Yet something about her kept catching his attention.

It didn't take long to realize that he needed to keep his attention on the trail. It had quickly turned quite rough. Several portions of the trail required climbing over stones and winding through brush. Charlie had always considered he rocky terrain to be fascinating. The brilliant blue sky contrasted with the sandy blonde hills, making him glad that he had worn his sunglasses.

His trips into nature had begun as urgings from his parents to get him out of his room and away from his books. It was also one of the few situations where he and Don had been on nearly equal footing. The family outings had continued until the year that both of them graduated, but Charlie had missed them fiercely. He and his mother had made a few attempts, but they had found the overly verdant and humid weather of the Mid-Atlantic not as refreshing as the much drier climate of L.A.

An hour later, Amita led him up onto a ridge. Charlie stopped and gazed about in awe.

"This is gorgeous!" he breathed. The height of the ridge gave them a spectacular view.

She smiled happily. "I used to come up here and do my thinking. I even brought homework sometimes. If you want to come this way a little further, there's something else I want to show you."

"After you."

Amita led him down a faint path. The loose gravel and sandy surface made the going much slower than the ascent. Both of them carefully placed their feet, making sure that the surface wouldn't slide as they worked their way downhill.

Fifteen minutes later, Amita showed him a little cave up a narrow ravine.

"This was my secret getaway. I found it one day and just loved it."

Charlie looked around appreciatively. "This is great. Do you know how far back it goes?"

"Not very far. But there is a little spring back there, just out of sight."

"Where does it drain to?" Charlie asked, interest plain on his face.

"I don't know. Did you bring a flashlight?"

He produced one with a flourish. "'Plan for one, pack for three.'" He ducked his head uncertainly. "One of Dad's little proverbs. Plan for one day, pack for three days."

"Smart." She took the flashlight, turned it on, and led him toward the spring.

They could hear it before they saw it. A tiny stream of water leaked out of crack in the back wall of the cave. It trickled down an indentation into a rather wide, but shallow pool.

Amita shone the light into the dark water. "It looks like there's a subterranean outlet down there." She gestured with the beam. "I never actually thought to look before."

As much as Charlie appreciated the time alone with Amita, he realized that they did need to rejoin the rest of the group. Glancing at his watch, he asked, "What time did you say we were meeting up with Larry?"

"About lunchtime. What time is it?"

"It's almost ten-thirty. We need to get moving."

They both sighed in unison at the necessity of having to join the others. Amita handed the light back to Charlie, who stowed it back in his pack. They headed out of the cave.

Blinking in the bright sunlight, they took a drink from their canteens and began ascending the path. They were nearly to the top of the path when Charlie felt his foot slide on the ground. He looked around at the curious dust clouds rising.

"Is the wind picking up?" he asked, just as it hit. This time he recognized the tremor for what it was, an earthquake. He reached forward for Amita just as she lost her footing and began sliding back down the steep trail.

Bracing himself as well as he could against the shaking ground, he caught her. The added weight forced his knee to buckle, throwing him backward with her. He heard her screams ringing in his ears as he wrapped his arms around her to protect her as much as possible as they tumbled down the hill.

Charlie felt something rip Amita from his arms as his rolling became more of a slide. He tried to blink the dirt from his eyes to see where she went when the world stopped abruptly and went dark.

Amita lay gasping as dirt and debris rained over her. She realized that the shaking had stopped, and from her own survival training, she lay still until she could analyze the situation.

Opening her eyes, she saw a thick haze of dust hanging over her. She couldn't see Charlie yet, so she concentrated on her own position. Her backpack had caught on a rocky protuberance, halting her fall down the hill. She mentally sorted out whether or not she was hurt, and other than a number of scrapes and bruises, she didn't think anything was too badly injured. Sitting up, she pulled her pack loose from the rock.

"Charlie!" she called, cautiously scooting down on her behind. "Charlie, are you all right?"

Through the dust cloud, the silence was unnerving. The only sounds she heard were the clatter of small rocks that she was dislodging with her descent. She kept calling his name with no answer.

She was really getting concerned when she saw something through the dust. Charlie's pack was lying against a large rock just ahead of her. Quickening her pace, she slid down beside it to see that it was still partially attached to him. He was lying on his side, facing the boulder.

"Charlie!" she gasped as she pulled the tangled and dusty curls back from his face. Through the dirt she saw blood leaving dark trails across his forehead. He was unconscious. She pulled the pack from his shoulders and rolled him onto his back. There was a nasty knot forming under a second, deeper looking, cut.

"Charlie! Can you hear me?" she pleaded, panicking.

His low moan never sounded so good to her. Blinking back tears of relief, she gently brushed as much grime as she could off of his face.

He blinked a few times before opening his eyes and focusing on her face. "Ow."

In spite of herself, she giggled. "I'll bet." With him awake, she began looking to see if there were other obvious injuries. "Hold still. I need to check you out."

With the pounding in his head he was more than willing to stay as still as possible. Even her gentle hands brought winces as she found sore spots.

"It doesn't look like anything's broken," she said. "At least, no arms or legs. How's your head?"

"Splitting in two," he gasped as he struggled to sit up. He accepted her assistance as she helped him sit up and lean against the stone. He reached for his cell phone when he realized it was gone. Looking down, he saw the remains of the strap still clinging to his belt.

"Where's your cell phone?" he asked Amita. "Mine's gone."

She pulled hers out of her pocket and flipped it open. Her face fell as she turned it toward him to show the spider-webbed and dark screen. "It must have …"

"Broken during the fall," Charlie finished for her. He sighed as he leaned his head back, considering their options. He looked up the trail. "Do you think you can help me up?" he asked. "We aren't going to be able to stay here."

"Yeah," she said, taking heart from his calm assessment. "Are you sure?"

Inhaling, he grabbed the rock and began trying to pull himself up. Amita quickly assisted. Charlie leaned against the boulder, panting against the pain in his head. "Let's get moving."

He pulled himself upright and took a step forward. His knee gave out from him and he collapsed forward.

"Charlie!" she cried as she knelt beside him.

He moaned as he rolled over. "My knee."

Amita carefully pulled his jeans leg up over his knee and hissed at what she saw. The knee was already swelling and discoloring.

"Bad, huh?" Charlie groaned as she eased his jeans back into place.

She sat down in a heap. "Um, yeah. There's not going to be any way you can climb up the mountain with that." The seriousness of the situation began to sink in as she thought about the ramifications of her words.

He propped himself up on his elbows. "What about down?"

"Down?" she repeated.

"Yeah. I can't go up, but do you think I could get down? We need shelter, because it'll be at least tomorrow before someone starts looking for us."

Amita sighed and nodded, but was at the same time reassured that he was thinking so clearly. "Shelter? You're thinking the cave?"

He nodded.

"Won't that make it harder to find us?"

"That's a risk we're going to have to take. We can't stay out here." Charlie sat up and began pulling his pack over to him. "I've got enough stuff for three days. What did you pack?"

"I have enough for two," she said.

"If we're careful, we could probably stretch it out a little longer than that. By that time, maybe my knee will be good enough for us to get out of here if we haven't been found." Holding up the hiking frame, he stared at it with a critical eye.

"What are you looking for?" she asked.

"I'm thinking that if we can rig up the pack part to wear on my back, I can maybe use the frame to help me walk. It's going to be too dangerous if you have to support us both."

"Don't worry about wearing the pack. I'll come back and get it. Let's just worry about getting you settled down there." She stood up and pulled her pack back on.

Charlie stripped the pack down to the frame. Accepting help from Amita, he climbed to his feet, avoiding putting too much weight on the twisted knee. Cautiously he tested the frame, digging it into the ground and leaning on it. Satisfied that it would hold his weight, he looked at her. "Ready?"

She nodded and turned question back at him. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah."

They began carefully making their way back down the hill to the cave. The fall had taken them most of the way down the hillside, but there was still some very tough spots to navigate. The debris that was still settling didn't aid their trek.

Amita still wasn't sure about Charlie's idea until the aftershock hit. She dropped to her knees as the sandy ground began sifting under her feet. She looked up to see that Charlie had dropped down and was protecting his knee. Wincing at the small rocks bouncing off her, she tried to shield herself as much as she could.

The quake didn't last long, but it was long enough to demonstrate the necessity for shelter. As soon as she was sure that it was safe, she rose shakily to her feet and held out her hand. "Are you all right?"

Charlie wiped the sweat off his face, smearing dirt and blood. "Alive. How about you?"

"Fine," she said as she heaved him back to his feet. "Go on?"

He nodded and they proceeded slowly. The hike that had taken them fifteen minutes originally took over an hour to return. Charlie kept swiping at the sweat that his efforts produced, and grimaced when he saw blood staining his arm. Breathing silent thanks that Amita was walking behind him, he pressed on. He sighed happily when the cave came into view.

Amita carefully walked past Charlie, who had stopped at the entrance to lean against it and catch his breath. She dropped her pack and turned to face him. "Charlie! You're bleeding again." She quickly cleared a space on the cave floor for him. Rushing over, she slipped under the arm on his bad side. "Come on."

He allowed her to lead. His energy had been focused on getting down there, and since they were there, the adrenaline was fading quickly, letting him feel all the aches and pains. She settled him down as comfortably as possible before giving him a drink from her canteen.

"At least we have a water supply," she said gratefully.

Charlie agreed as he sipped the warm water. "Sit down and rest before you go back out to get the rest of the stuff."

She sank down reluctantly. "I really want to get everything in here before it gets too late."

He squinted to read his watch through the cracked face. "It's only noon. You've got time."

Acknowledging his point, she took the canteen and sipped slowly. "Larry won't even be missing us yet."

"I hope Larry's group was luckier than we were. That was a decent size quake."

"I never even thought about Larry," she admitted in embarrassment.

"Understandable." He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

"Don't do that," Amita said sharply. She flushed at the uncertain look he gave her. "You've got an awful knot on your head, which means that you could have a concussion."

He nodded slightly. "Do you have a first aid kit in your pack?"

"Yeah, but it's just a small one." She rummaged around before she pulled out a small plastic box. Scooting over to his side, she began pulling out bandages.

"Actually, I was wanting some aspirin," he said.

"Oh." She dug out a small package of pills. "Here."

He took them silently. "I'm all right now if you want to go get the pack."

"Are you sure?" At his nod, she stood up. "I should be back in a little while."

Charlie watched her leave, feeling really hopeless. He hoped nothing happened to her while she was out there.

Don felt the tremors in his office. It didn't feel like much, but he'd learned from that buildings weren't always the best gauge of how strong an earthquake was. Out of habit, he dialed his father's number. He got the answering machine and started to be concerned until he remembered that this was Alan's day to volunteer downtown and Charlie was still in class. He left a brief message explaining that he was just checking on them and hung up.

After the aftershocks had finished rumbling through, he put the whole thing behind him. It was only a mild one, and there were no reports of major damage anywhere in the city.

He had just filed his weekly paperwork when his phone rang. Scooping it up, he said distractedly, "Eppes."

"Hey, Donnie."

"Hey, Dad. What's up?"

"I was just wondering if you tried calling Charlie when you called here," Alan said, trying to keep the worry out of his voice.

"No. He's in class, isn't he?" Don asked, not understanding his father's concern.

"He went on a hiking trip with Larry's class, and when I called his cell phone, I got his voice mail."

"Yeah, so? He probably forgot to take it."

"Don, I watched him pack it. He strapped it right to his belt."

Finally Alan's concern shot though the agent. Still trying to play devil's advocate and not assume the worst, he asked, "You saw him pack it. Is it possible that he had it turned off?"

Don could almost see the hand that went over Alan's eyes as he answered that. "Yes, it's possible. It's very possible." He laughed uncertainly. "And that's probably much more likely than something happening. I just thought that with the earthquake…"

"His phone has GPS, right? Even if something did happen, we'll find him, Dad," Don assured him.

"Thanks, son. I'll just keep trying him and see if he checks his voice mail."

"I'll check it out, too." An idea flashed to him. "I'll keep you posted, okay?"

"All right." There was a short pause. "Thanks, Don."

"You're welcome, Dad."

He had barely hung up the phone when Megan poked her head into his office. "I saw that look. What's up?"

"Dad can't get a hold of Charlie and he's worried." Don pulled out his cell phone and began paging through his stored numbers. "Apparently he's on a hiking trip with Larry." He held up a hand as he dialed Larry's cell number. He frowned as he got Larry's voice mail. Don left a short message and hung up.

"They might be out of cell range," Megan suggested, obviously trying to keep a positive attitude.

"Yeah, now that's possible. Or that quake could have knocked out some cell towers," he said slowly. Looking up at Megan, he said, "Can you find out where the epicenter of that one was? I'm going to call Dad and see if he knows exactly where Charlie went."

She nodded and left. Don really didn't want to make this call, but he needed the information. The phone was answered on the first ring.

"You've found him?"

"No, not yet, Dad. Listen, did Charlie mention where he was going?"

"He said they were going to the mountains, heading north."

"If Larry's taking his class, he probably let exact directions on campus in case there was an emergency. I'll call over and check it out."

Don put in a call to the department chair's office, where the secretary gave him an exact route they were due to take, along with an approximate timetable. He took the information and plotted it out on his office maps. Laughing, he sat back and relaxed.

Megan stuck her head in the door again. "The epicenter was about thirty miles northeast of here," she said. "Now, what's so funny?"

He pointed at the map. "Larry really knows how to pick them. His group was out of cell range before they even started hiking." Sighing in relief, he observed, "And that epicenter wasn't that close to them."

"So they're both out of range and chances are that there's nothing wrong with them," Megan said in relief.

"I'll tell Dad not to start worrying until tomorrow evening, at least," Don said. Picking up the phone he dialed his dad's number for the third time that day.

"You found him?"

"No, I didn't. But don't worry," Don said easily.

"Don't worry? I got Larry's voice mail too," Alan protested.

Don wasn't surprised that Alan's instincts ran so close to his own. "There's a good reason for that. The trail that Larry picked out is completely out of cell range. There's nothing up there." There was a long silence on the phone. "Dad, are you still there?"

"Then what's the point of having those annoying little things around if they're not going to work when you need them?" he ranted.

"We checked where the epicenter was and it's not that close. I wouldn't start worrying until at least tomorrow afternoon," Don said. "There are very logical reasons for why we can't reach them."

"You're right, Donnie. You're right." Alan sighed. "It's just that, well, I feel like something happened to Charlie. I can't explain it."

"All right. Worst case scenario. Is he alone?"

"No, he's with a group."

"Is he unprepared?"

"No, he packed enough for three days." Alan conceded, "All right, all right. I'll wait until tomorrow to worry."

"Listen. If I knew Charlie was in trouble, I'd be the first one out there, but right now, there's no reason to think that he's doing anything except having fun on a hike."

"You're right. So, I'll cook if you want to come over," Alan offered.

Don heard the plea in his father's voice. "Yeah. I'll be done here about six. I'll see you later, all right?"

"See you."

The agent sat back in his chair. He trusted his father's instincts, but there was absolutely no evidence that there was anything wrong. He just hoped that he wasn't wrong at the cost of his brother's safety.

The final trip back to the cave was the most exhausting for Amita. She was worried about Charlie. That knee didn't look like it was going to be all right in three or four days. She chided herself for not checking the joints. She had just checked for major broken bones.

She climbed back over the last little rise of debris. There was no noise in the cave, and fear shot through her. Rushing her steps as much as she could, she saw Charlie where she'd left him. He had constructed a pillow out of her pack and had laid down and gone to sleep.

Dropping his gear, she rushed over to him. "Charlie? Wake up, Charlie. Charlie!"

He jerked awake, then pressed a hand to his aching head. "What?"

"You're not supposed to be sleeping. Remember?" she said a little sharply.

Charlie grimaced and sat up. "Fine. You win." He saw his pack. "How about we sort out our supplies and see what we have?"

"Not yet." She went back over and pulled his first aid kit out. "I knew with Alan you'd have a better kit than me. Mine came from the campus bookstore." Taking his flashlight, she used one of the camping bowls and brought back a pan of clean water from the back of the cave. She sat down and began cleaning the cuts on his head.

Charlie knew that it hurt, but for the life of him, he couldn't quite bring himself to care. Seeing Amita this close was intoxicating. Every so often, she leaned close enough for him to feel her breath on his face, and it took every ounce of self-control not to just lean forward and kiss her.

For the first time in his adult life, Charlie Eppes gave in to an irrational urge. He waited until she leaned close again and kissed her. He enjoyed every millisecond he could, fully expecting her to pull back in shock. Instead, she seemed to be waiting for him. He waited another breath length before pushing just a little farther.

Amita had no idea when her hands stopped cleaning and started clinging. All she knew is that her hands were buried deeply into his hair and they were kissing, hard. A very small part of her, the analytical part, screamed at her that there was something wrong here. She was successfully ignoring that until her conscience joined the battle. Abruptly she pulled away and stared at him, dazed.

Charlie's eyes were round and so dark they looked black. He had an expression on his face that she wasn't familiar with, and he looked unusually accessible. "What was that?" she demanded breathlessly.

He stared at her for just a little longer before breaking the contact. Ducking his head, he said softly, "I kissed you. Since you kissed me before, I thought…well, I guess I didn't think."

"Charlie…" she began helplessly. No words came to mind for that particular confession. Charlie, not thinking? "Charlie, I think maybe…Well, you did hit your head," she said weakly.

"No! I'm tired of nobody thinking I know my own mind," he snapped. His eyes were alight with something else now, and Amita couldn't help but notice that the anger was almost as striking. "I was trying to respect your own words that you weren't ready for a commitment. Then you go and kiss me. Since I know you're not a shallow woman, I thought there was really something there. Was I wrong?" His voice had turned appealing, and he sought her gaze again.

She wondered why words refused to come in response to that, and she simply stared at this new man. He was the same old Charlie, but what had happened to him? Wasn't this what she had been hoping for? Carefully, she reached out and took his hand.

He twined his fingers within hers readily and slowly pulled her forward. They stared at each other until their faces were only inches apart. This time neither made the first move, but somehow they met in the middle in complete harmony. Amita shuddered as his free hand slid up her arm and ended up caressing the back of her neck. Emboldened by his move, she combed her hand into his hair.

It took something as banal as a rumbling stomach to separate them. They finally pulled back and looked at each other before bursting out laughing.

"Who was that?" Amita giggled.

"I don't know, and I really don't care," grinned Charlie. "Does it matter?"

"It is past lunchtime," she said, backing off slightly.

Charlie sighed before pulling his own pack over to see what was in it. They sorted out supplies and made a light lunch, keeping in mind they didn't know how long they would be stuck in the cave. It didn't dampen their spirits too much, though.

After eating Amita finished bandaging Charlie's head, laughing as she dodged kisses. They also wrapped his knee, trying to produce enough to support so that he wasn't entirely helpless.

It was only when the sun set and the temperature began to drop did they begin feeling odd. Neither of them wanted to admit that this made sleeping arrangements uncomfortable. Without really discussing it, they laid their sleeping bags out on opposite sides of the cave floor. They settled in early, although neither one was sleepy. A long silence stretched between them, which started becoming strained. Charlie finally broke the spell with a question about an algorithm that he and Amita had been working on earlier. Within moments they had a deep and spirited discussion going.

Another silence grew, but this one held no threat. Charlie marveled at the difference.

"We're fine if we talk about math, and we're fine if we're…not really talking," he said. "Do you think that's enough?"

"Enough for what?"

"Enough to build a relationship on," Charlie continued. "I mean, my mom and dad were really different, but they had a good marriage."

Amita considered that. "You know, I don't know. I've always had things to talk about with the guys I dated, but afterwards, I felt like we didn't really say anything." She let out a husky chuckle that sent a tingle down Charlie's back. "Discussions with you leave me…stimulated."

"Stimulated? Really."

"Yeah. I mean, I've never talked to another guy who could really push my…mind like that." She giggled as a rolled up sock bounced off her sleeping bag.

"Your mind?" Charlie sounded indignant, but there was a muffled snickering noise coming from his side of the cave.

"Yeah. I'm a deep woman."

Another hush grew, but this one was broken by an occasional snicker or chuckle. Eventually, the cave grew quiet as they both fell asleep.