Okay...wrote this kind of quick. I was trying to get another one up because I'm not sure how much time I'll have to write this week. Thanks so much for the reviews.

Chapter 7

Once the guys headed out, Caitlin began watching all of the people that were left in the camp.

"What makes you think it isn't someone who went out there with Hawke and Doc?" Ally whispered.

"They won't risk it," Caitlin whispered back. "I have a strong feeling that whoever it is may have more explosives hidden around here."

"Should we look?" asked Ally.

"Yeah, as soon as this last group goes back to their tents," said Caitlin. "We'll go inside ours at the same time so it doesn't seem suspicious and then we'll come back out."

"Okay," said Ally. "It's a plan."

The women sat quiet for awhile before Ally finally spoke up. "Cait, I know you don't know me all that well but I have to ask. What's going on with you and the guys? I can tell that both like you a lot. Hawke and I saw you and Doc kissing when we found you by the stream."

Caitlin was a bit surprised by Ally's comment. "You saw us?" she replied blushing a bit. "I think Doc is great."

"But?" asked Ally.

"I'm in love with Hawke," she admitted. "It doesn't matter though. He doesn't feel the same way about me. He thinks I'm some kid or something."

"I don't know Cait," said Ally. "I saw the look on his face when he saw you kissing Doc. I don't think he liked it very much."

"I think your imagining things," Caitlin said with a laugh.

"Then why did he tell Doc to leave you alone?" Ally replied.

"What?" Caitlin asked while turning in her chair and giving Ally a shocked look. "You're kidding me, right?"

"Nope," Ally replied. "Doc told me about it tonight."

"What did Doc say about it?" she couldn't help but ask.

"I think he just told Hawke that he liked you and if Hawke wasn't going to make a move then he was," Ally told her. "So how do you feel about that?"

Caitlin shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know," she admitted. "If there's no chance with Hawke then I'd be crazy not to see what happens with Doc. Still, I hate making Doc a second choice. It's not very fair to him."

"No, it's not," said Ally. "But you're the only one who knows what you really want. I say follow your heart no matter what."

"Thanks," Caitlin replied softly. "My head tells me one thing but my heart says another."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

An hour later the women found themselves searching the check point grounds. They had to be extra quiet because they knew that Chris was still up and waiting for word via radio from Hawke and the rescue group.

"Look," said Caitlin as she pointed to a large rock formation about fifty feet from the camp. "Does that look like a cave opening to you?"

"Yeah, it does," replied Ally. "Let's go and check it out."

The woman quietly slipped past the Chris' tent and made their way to entrance of what they found was definitely a cave. Caitlin turned on her flashlight as they headed inside. They had only gone about twenty feet in when they stumbled on a large stack of crates.

"Oh my gosh," said Caitlin. "There are a ton of explosives here. It's enough to nearly bring down the whole mountain."

"Who would want to do this?" asked Ally.

"Good question," a voice came from behind them. "Now that you know, I'll regretfully have to take care of you."

"Chris?" said Caitlin. "Why?"

Chris sighed. "I'm just the one who does all the dirty work here," he replied. "You'll have to ask the other organizers the reasons why. I get paid and I don't ask questions."

"You won't get away with this," Ally told them. "Hawke and Doc will figure it all out soon enough."

Chris laughed. "By the time they do, it will be too late," he told them. "It's too late for you anyway."

A large man came from the shadows behind Chris. "Tie them up," he ordered him. Then bring out enough explosives to seal this entrance."

"No!" screamed Caitlin. "You don't want to do that. You could risk blowing the whole mountain up including yourselves."

Chris smiled. "Believe me, I know what I'm doing," he told her. "You and all the other evidence will be buried here and no one will ever know what really happened."

The large man tied the two women up and sat them up against one wall of the cave that was opposite of the explosives.

"Leave the flashlights on," Chris instructed. "Let them watch in agony as they go out, leaving them alone in total darkness until they suffocate or die a slow death of dehydration and starvation."

Caitlin felt her heart race. She was suddenly thrown back to the day that Sawyer had tied her to a bomb and Michael had to come and rescue her. The pain she felt at being betrayed hurt her more than she ever realized. Suddenly she knew why her dreams consisted of Hawke's face. Tears ran down her face.

"It's going to be okay Cait," Ally tried to assure her. "Hang in there."

"Sorry," said Caitlin as the men headed out of the cave. "That's not why I'm upset. It just brought up a memory that's all. I'm not ready to give up just yet."

The women braced themselves for the explosion that came quicker than expected. They watched as the debris fell and covered the cave opening.

They began to cough and had to fight to catch their breaths as the explosion sent tiny particles of debris into the air inside cave.

Once it all settled, Caitlin began working on a way to untie her hands.

"Hawke and Doc are sure to hear that and come back up," assured Ally.

"Yeah," replied Caitlin. "I just hope Chris doesn't get to them first."