Holly couldn't bring herself to get out of the shower. The hot water felt wonderful on her skin and brought some relief to her sore muscles. She felt safe, sheltered under the water, lost in time. Still, she couldn't stay in the bathroom forever. She had to go back out there and face whatever awaited her. She turned off the tap and wrung her hair. Luckily for her, the immediate future only entailed a dinner with Johnny at the hotel restaurant. She could easily face that.

She sat in front of her dresser and picked up the mascara she had bought when they had arrived in Panama City a few hours earlier. Johnny had been a life saver, she reflected as she started applying the first coat. Not that she was surprised; he had always been so reliable. He was also kind, affectionate, charming. And handsome, Holly mentally added as she put her mascara down.

When she had first woken up in the hut a couple of days ago, she had been too distraught to notice all the subtle changes that Johnny had undergone. Since then, she had become aware that the years had been very good to him. He looked wiser and manlier than before. She glanced at the door separating their two hotel rooms; she felt safe knowing he was close at hand.

She picked up her new dress and pressed it against her skin. It was a pale pink gauzy number that was probably too expensive but that Johnny had insisted on buying her earlier that day. She put it on and put the finishing touches to her makeup. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled. Not bad, she thought. She felt herself relax for the first time in days. There was nothing more she could do now but to wait to get back to Springfield, so she might as well enjoy herself in the mean time.

There was a knock on the door and Johnny came in. "Ready?"

"Just about. I'd just like to make one more phone call," she said as she picked up the phone to call Ed one more time.

The first thing she had done when she had arrived at the hotel was to call Ross's home number, only to discover that it was out of service, a fact that had unnerved her more than she cared to admit. The same thing had happened when she had tried to reach Blake. Finally, she had called Ed and left a message on his answering machine. He had not called back yet, but there was some comfort to be found in the fact that at least one person she knew had stayed put in the last few years.

She put the phone down when she heard the familiar voice of her ex-husband instructing her to leave a message, once again. Johnny put a sympathetic hand on her bare shoulder, now lightly freckled from the sun, than retrieved it more quickly that was necessary. "You'll get there soon and then you can get to the bottom of this," he said after clearing his throat.

He opened the door for her and they were both met with the sound of an orchestra playing from the hotel's dining room. "I bet these guys are practising for the carnival," Johnny said as they made their way down the marble stairs.

"You heard them before?"

"I stay at El Paradiso every time I come down to Panama City, so yes; I know them pretty well by now. The staff too, which has its perks. For example, I was able to get one of the best tables on the patio tonight, overlooking the canal."

"Trying to impress your old boss, are you?" Holly asked playfully.

He smirked and replied "Well, you're not THAT old!"

She pretended to punch him on the arm but soon became earnest. "I ought to thank you for everything you have done for me, but there is one more favour that I need to ask you."

Johnny replied softly: "Anything."

"I want you to show me a good time tonight. I don't want to think about tomorrow; I want to eat, to drink and to dance until I drop."

He took her by the arm and led her to the candle lit patio. "I am your man."

"Can't you hurry up?" Ross asked the taxi driver on their way to El Paradiso hotel.

It had not been too difficult to retrace Johnny and Holly's itinerary once they had gotten back to the village. The company for which Johnny worked had been more than willing to give them his schedule and the name of the hotel where he usually stayed in Panama City, for a small "administrative fee". With this information in hand, Roger and Ross had immediately left for the airport to catch the next flight, leaving Miguel behind. Roger was reluctant to let him go, but it couldn't be helped, so he simply threw a ridiculously high amount of money in his face and left. It was becoming too dangerous to have him tag along now that they were on their way to find Holly.

They were going to find her at that hotel, Roger was sure of it now. When they had called Blake, she had told them that Ed had traced her back in Panama with a message from Holly, saying she was with Johnny at El Paradiso. It was only a matter of minutes now until he could kiss his wife's beautiful face again.

In the front of the cab, the driver only grunted in answer to Ross's question but accelerated none the less. They were now flying past the streetlights. Roger kept looking ahead, his eyes on the prize.

A feast of lobster and four glasses of Chardonnay down their throats, Johnny and Holly sat contented at their dinner table, gazing at the majestic canal below them. With the soft lights, the sweet-scented breeze and the music playing in the background, Holly almost felt happy.

"Would you like a dessert? Their crème brûlée is something else."

Holly rubbed her belly and got up. "I couldn't it another bite if I tried. Besides, I want to get a better look at this gorgeous view." She walked up to the balustrade and stared at the myriad of boats gliding on the water.

Suddenly, an unbearable sadness clutched her heart. The music receded in the background and the canal seemed to expand, turning into an ocean. Looking down, she gasped as she discovered that she was now wearing a lacy black negligee. And then she felt his hand on her shoulders. Roger's hand. She turned to face him and saw that tears were streaming down his face. He was apologizing about something but she couldn't make out the words…

"Are you all right?"

Holly snapped back to reality with a shudder. Johnny was standing next to her, looking concerned.

"I just had the most curious feeling, like I was somewhere else for a second."

Johnny took her hands in his, suddenly excited. "Maybe it was a memory trying to come back! What happened?"

Holly turned away, feeling uneasy. "Never mind, I doubt it was a flashback." Roger is definitely not the crying type, she added to herself.

She grabbed the ramp running alongside the terrace, trying to calm down. She could still hear Roger calling her name and tried to shake the voice away until she realized that someone was actually calling out to her across the patio.

Turning around, she saw Roger and Ross making their way around the tables, knocking chairs and people in their haste.

"Thank God you found me!" she whispered.

And she ran into Ross's arms.