A/N: Okay, I'm almost done posting this. Mostly because I know a couple of you are anxious to see how it ends, and I don't want to drag it out too long, so enjoy.

Disclaimer: Not mine. still.


The rest of the day was a blur for Natalia. She knew that the two of them went shopping again, though she wasn't certain what had been purchased, and they had spent some time at the beach, but she couldn't remember much about that either. Her mind was dually focused on two things and that left little room for anything else. Half her time was spent thinking about her dream from earlier, and how dim Calleigh's world had seemed, and the rest of the time was focused on that little sheet of paper that Calleigh had worked so hard to keep hidden from her view. As hard as Natalia tried, she couldn't get any further with either subject.

As for Calleigh, the day ticked by agonizingly slow. While shopping she was half certain that Natalia had figured out her plan, but Natalia said nothing about the new flashlight, the extra thick blanket, or the tent stakes and plastic tarp. She was certain that Natalia would notice when she snuck off down to the Ranger's Station, or when she made a trip to the pay phone. And Natalia didn't say anything at the beach either, when Calleigh spent 15 minutes looking for the perfect spot to stake themselves out for some R & R. Luckily for Calleigh, Natalia's mind was somewhere else.

Natalia continued to be distracted, while Calleigh worried herself senseless. Natalia missed the secret meeting outside the shower house, where money was passed off, along with some of the new possessions, while Calleigh agonized over the same meeting. For anyone who was watching it would seem that Natalia was so busy thinking about Calleigh's plans, that she missed all the clues that were right in front of her. And Calleigh was so busy worrying that Natalia would notice that she never noticed how distracted she was.

Eventually the time passed, they had their ice cream, and the sun fell, the moon rose and the stars came out to play. Finally, Calleigh forced herself to pull away from Natalia's arms and off the hammock, where even in their distracted and anxious states they had still managed to gravitate towards each other. Natalia watched Calleigh move across the site and remove a picnic basket from the trunk of the car, before extending her hand to Natalia.

Natalia looked up at Calleigh and breathed in her beauty, "Now?"

Calleigh smiled, entwining her fingers with Natalia's, "Now."

Hand in hand, they walked through the campground, and to the head of the beach, where they found reassurance in the whispering chirp of crickets and the gentle crashing of the waves. They walked slowly down the stairs, and into the sand, destined for the same perfect spot that Calleigh had picked for them that afternoon. Though now there stood a make shift tent from the tarp Calleigh had purchased that afternoon, with the extra think blanket inside, and a telescope set up in front of the tent. Natalia just looked around in surprise while Calleigh set the picnic basket inside the tent.

Calleigh couldn't help but grin at the surprise written all over Natalia's beautiful face.

"Cal, what is this?"

"It's just what it looks like darling. I thought you might like to do some stargazing tonight."

Within a second Calleigh found her arms filled with the other woman. "I guess you like the idea?"

All Natalia could do was smile against Calleigh's skin. She pulled back for a moment and looked at the other woman, bathed in the starlight, "What's the tent for?"

Calleigh looked down sheepishly, "Well, it's supposed to rain tonight, and I didn't want to cancel my arrangements, so I paid a couple teenagers to set it up for us… just in case?"

Natalia just smiled, before pelting Calleigh with more questions, "What about the rangers, no ones supposed to be on the beach at night? And where did the telescope come from?"

"Well, for the Telescope I saw a flier about a man who rents telescopes out to people who want a closer look at the night sky. And well, I went down and talked to the rangers this afternoon and I told them how I had found this woman, and she was quickly becoming the light of my life. That her smile outshone the sun and her beauty out dazzled the stars. I told them how she had the kindest heart and the softest soul; I told them how important this place was to her. And I told them how my world changed when I first saw her, and that I just needed this night to show her all of that."

Natalia just stood and stared at Calleigh, overcome by the strongest of feelings brought on by those words. "Is that all?"

Calleigh grinned, "Well … I might have brought out my gun?" "Funny slick." "I know."

"CALLEIGH!"

"I'm just kidding darling, it was just my wallet. I might have made a slight donation to the camp ground"

"How slight?"

"Not enough to break the bank, but enough to put a new safer jungle gym in at the play ground?"

And all Natalia could do was stand and stare at the goddess in front of her. The normally composed woman couldn't seem to close her mouth or take her eyes off of Calleigh.

"J.R.? You out there?" "Yeah, whatcha need Blondie?" "Did I break her?" The voice laughed, "No Cal, you just shocked her a bit." "A good shock, or a bad over crossed the lines with the jungle gym shock?" "It's a good shock, it's like you're giving her back a piece of me, that's all." "Should I tell her about the plaque? You know, the one that says in memory of you?" "Maybe not tonight, unless you want her in shock the rest of the evening?" "Good point, thanks." "Hey Blondie…" "Yeah?" "Thank you."

Calleigh stepped closer to Natalia, cupping her face in her hands softly, "Tal? Tal, you okay?'

Natalia shook her head, looking at Calleigh again, "Yeah, just really surprised. Thank you."

Calleigh smiled, wrapping her arms tightly around the taller woman's waist, "Shall we look at those stars now?"

"In a minute-" and with that Natalia lowered her lips to Calleigh's expressing everything she could in the sweetest of kisses. One minute turned into two, then three, then five, as the kiss continued, and they found themselves completely wrapped up in each other, hands and fingers stroking skin softly, while lips and souls melted into each other.

Some time later the women managed to separate themselves and Calleigh focused the telescope on a series of stars, showing Natalia her favorite constellations, and relaying the ancient myths that explained the forms taken in the sky. They each made a wish on a falling star before lying back in the sand to look at the sky with their bare eyes. Calleigh unexpectedly found her head resting on Natalia's stomach and their fingers entwined as they stared up at the sky.

Natalia pointed at a set of stars, "See, I think those look more like a bunny then anything else."

Calleigh just smiled, "That's not what the ancients saw honey."

"Well, they were wrong."

Calleigh just giggled slightly at Natalia, and curled closer, watching the night sky. Natalia propped herself up, glaring mockingly down at the blonde, before looking up at the lighthouse a few miles down the beach.

"Watch it, Sauron's eye is looking for you."

Calleigh looked up, slightly surprised, "Did you just seriously liken a light house to one of the most evil fictional characters ever?"

"No comment."

Both women found themselves swallowed up in laughter and a need to be closer to each other. It was several minutes before either could breathe properly enough to speak, and when they had calmed down, Calleigh looked up at the woman she loved, "Fine, but you're Sam. I get to be Frodo." And with that, the rain started to fall.

Calleigh popped up from her place in the sand and tossed the cover over the telescope to protect it from the rain, then pulled Natalia after her into their little makeshift tent. The tent had been situated far enough away from the water's edge that even if it stormed all-night they would be safe from rising water and splashing waves. They curled up together, wrapped in blankets and each other's arms, and watched as lightning crashed over the lake. The thunder was practically deafening and the waves crashed with a roar onto the beach.

As the watched the sky fall Natalia told Calleigh stories from her childhood and her younger years. And Calleigh shared the anecdotes of her early fascination with guns and bacon. And before the storm had spent its last lightning bolt the two women had fallen asleep safely wrapped in each other's arms.