AN: Sorry for the delay. In regards of reactions to the last chapter...It seems like half you were all "yay, finally. She needs distance" while the other half was "she is running away, again!". Obviously different people have different opinions about the same issue. For me she isn't running away. She just needs to get away from a situation to regain perspective and reassess. She needs a bit of distance between herself and the problem. Also, there was an anonymous review who suggests Ranger shall move to Miami and forget about her and that Steph deserves to end up all alone…. As much as I appreciate different views on topics and input as well as constructive criticism, I have to wonder with an approach like that why you'd read a Babe story to start with since it sounds like you don't really root for these two. But… that might be just me. I would have replied in a PM to you, but well… as this was a guest review I obviously can't.

UPDATE (02May) I actually put a poll up on my profile in regards of the next chapter and whether people might want Ranger POV. Sorry, only had that idea now!

I watched the world roll by my window, watched how green shifted to grey and blue and yellowish. Houses became meadows and beaches and just… ocean. It was a somewhat soothing feeling to just sit and look out of the window like I had no care in the world.

Of course I knew that wasn't true, I had plenty of issues to deal with. But for a moment… it didn't matter. Nothing mattered. All the sorrow and issues had been left behind for now. I knew I would have to sit down soon enough and deal with whatever I wanted to do next, but for now, I pulled my knees closer to my chest and watched the world roll by.

I wasn't sure what I was hoping to achieve or do, wasn't even sure what I was really thinking, all I knew was that I needed at least a few days of peace and quiet to think. Some people would see my trip as running away from whatever issues I was dealing with right now. But was I really running? It wasn't as if I did plan on going into hiding or never return. I just needed distance and maybe time to gain a new perspective on things. Sure, I could have done that in New Jersey or its vicinity as well, but… truth was I had a suspicion that ranger would be looking for me soon – though I wasn't quite sure why really. He hadn't shown much interest in my doings or whereabouts for the past few days if not even weeks, so why I thought he'd start looking for me now was not really clear. Maybe it was wishful thinking to some extent.

About half an hour after I had boarded the train I knew where we were heading. It didn't come as a surprise, since they announce quite often were we would stop next and where this train's final destination was. Apparently we were heading for Miami. And a part of me wanted to laugh at the irony. Of all the places I could have picked, it had to be the one where RangeMan held another office? Go figure. Though… I didn't need to go all the way to Miami. I could as well just decide on getting off before. But I hadn't made up my mind yet of what I'd do and I figured I had enough time to think about it.

Ranger probably wouldn't know where I was until tomorrow morning, which gave me a bit of a headstart. And since I only paid cash and didn't have to give my actual name for the train ticket, there was no actual trace of me. Sure, there was video footage, but I guess it would take Ranger at least a few days to go down that route that I might have taken a train.

My phone had been switched off when I had left for the train station. The last thing I needed were my friends and family calling, urging me to come back or questioning what I had done. I needed to get a perspective on a few things in my life and having my mother call me every hour, asking whether I'd be home for dinner was not going to help.

It had been a few hours that we were on the road and we had just left the state of South Carolina, when I decided the next stop was where I'd get off. Why I thought so I didn't know. Maybe it was my inner wish to not be found that quick and with a ticket issued to Miami it was harder finding me when I got off a few stops earlier.

Looking at the timetable I saw Savannah, Georgia was up next. Perfect. That should give me a few days – and maybe I'd be home even before anyone would have been able to find me. Or before trouble had caught up with me. I was Stephanie Plum after all, trouble and mayhem seemed to find me sooner or later. It was just a matter of time.

Maybe a few days was all I needed to clear my head and figure out my next steps.

I didn't have a job to get back to, didn't have anything that actually drew me back to Trenton for a few days, weeks even, if I should choose to extend my break. The only thing that might influence anything was money. I had always been short on cash and that circumstance hadn't magically changed overnight. For the moment I was ok, but I guess if matters got worse and I needed to stay a few days more than I could afford, I could always get a job at a supermarket or waiting tables.

But that was still in the future. For now I didn't even know where my trip was taking me, or for how long I would decide that I needed distance.

I just knew I wouldn't return before I didn't gain some clarity about a few issues. Until then…. Everything was possible.

For the moment I was lost and nothing ever felt better!