The bus drove along the flat highway that seemed to go on for miles. The interstate ran along the flattest land anyone could have thought to exist. Logan's eyes were tired and dry from staring out the window. His hand came up to rub his eyes; desperately, hoping to get some feeling back into them. He looked to his side and saw that she was still there. Her red hair seemed to capture the light of the setting sun. Her eyes were closed as the back of her head lay against the meager headrest.

Two days they had been sitting together at the back of that old greyhound bus. Their bodies were tired and sore from the long hours of sitting. She was young, roughly about 26 years old. She had fair skin with fading freckles along her nose and cheekbones. He had learned that her name was Ripley and that she was running away from home.

Ripley, what kind of name was that for a woman? The question lingered in his mind for hours after she told him. Eventually, he did ask her the question. Logan half expected her to roll her eyes at him and ignore the question. He wouldn't have blamed her if she had. Any normal woman would have done that, but not Ripley. She merely smiled and gave him an honest answer.

Her name was not Ripley, but Anna, Anna Lee Crestman. When she was seven years old a doctor had told her that she was slowly going blind. They did not know what was causing her to go blind. All they knew is that by the time Anna was thirty years old, she would be completely blind.

When she was 16 she had been classified as legally blind. At night she had to use a special cane to help her see. It was then Anna first saw the Alien and Aliens films; and was introduced to Sigourney Weaver's character Helen Ripley. Eventually her friends changed her name to Ripley. Anna liked how that name made her feel. It gave her strength and courage to continue on with life. Soon Ripley had become her nickname and stuck for years.

Her story made Logan smile. He told her that Anna was a lovely name. His smile grew as he watched her cheeks become flushed with a red hue. A few moments of silence had passed Logan asked the question that had been burning at the back of his mind. "How well can you see now?" He asked her softly for he did not want to offend his new companion. He saw the somber smile form on her lips. Her face now held a distant look as though her mind were somewhere else.

"I can see the light. I can see colors and shapes" she began in a tone just as soft as his had been. Slowly she turned to face him "I can see you sitting here next to me. But, its like trying to see through a frosted glass. Its all blurry. I can't make out your features or the color of your eyes." A soft sigh just above a whisper came from the back of her throat. "Eventually...all I will see is black."

That was their first day on the road together. On the second day, Logan had brought up the subject of her being on the run. Anna...Ripley...he couldn't choose which to call her, sighed softly as she usually did before she answered. "I am tired of people treating me like a porcelain doll. I may be going blind but I am not fragile nor am I febal."

Logan smiled at the spirit within this woman. "No," He said "You're not."

Now it was Anna's turn to smile. Her lips tugged taught at each corner which in turn showed off the cute dimples on her cheeks. They were subtle but he still saw them. "You are probably the first person to say it." Her hand reached out, and her fingers slid along the back of his hand before curling under his palm. "Thank you." Her hand gave his a gentle squeeze which Logan happily returned.

Logan could still feel the pads of her fingers along his hand. He watched her sleep. Anna...he finally chose which name in which he would call her. Ripley was a character from a movie. Anna was a real person. A beautiful person.

Logan finally drew his eyes away from her sleeping form. Her head had fallen from the headrest after they had hit a bump. Her head now lay on his leather clad shoulder. A heavy sigh left his lungs as he let the back of his head hit his own headrest. His legs were beginning to go stiff. Why did they have to make these buses so cramped? His hand came down and massaged his knee trying to get some feeling back into it.

The sun was now gone and the stars were out now. They sparkled in the black sky and gave the people on the bus something to look at. Finally after more hours had passed Logan's eyes began to grow heavy. He could feel Anna cuddling up against him. He hummed in content and pulled the small throw blanket over them. It was small and dark blue. The buss had offered them to ever passenger.

Gently he lay his head on top of hers. He could smell her shampoo, it smelled nice all though he couldn't decipher the actual scent. With one final sigh he fell asleep.