"What are we going to do about the kids?" Holly asked as she stroked Roger's arm absent-mindedly. They had been sitting in the sand silently for almost half-an-hour, just gazing at the stars. Holly had never seen so many. The black night sky stretched above them, limitless, punctuated by clusters of lights.

Now she knew why Roger had insisted that they spent one night in the desert before they left Morocco. She had never seen such a sight, never known such peace. A little below them, at the base of the sand dune they had just escalated, they had left a fire burning, casting cheerful shadows on the side of their tent and jeep.

Roger pulled the wool blanket more tightly over their legs to protect them from the cold. In an hour or so, he estimated, the temperature would drop to a point where they would be able to see their breath. He hugged his wife more closely, anticipating the delicious sensation of snuggling against her in their sleeping bag.

"I don't think that there's anything that we can do, except be there for them if they need to talk," he finally said.

Holly rubbed her hands together and picked up the steaming mug of black tea lying in the sand beside her. "I hate to see Ethan hurting like this, Roger. He just wants to know what's going on. I know that Jessica confided in you and that you promised not to tell, but…" her voice trailed off, her heart breaking as she remembered the disheartened voice of her boy on the phone, merely hours ago, as he told her that he was scared of losing his girlfriend. Uncannily, Jessica's call had followed only minutes after, and she had recounted to Roger how she had met this other man, and how she now felt like her heart would end up ripped apart between the two.

"I don't think that it would be our place to let Ethan know about the situation. She promised that she would talk to him before taking any action, and I believe her. Don't you?"

Jessica's clear, candid blue gaze flashed before Holly's mind. "I guess so."

"The last thing that she wants to do is hurt him on purpose, and I know that whatever happens, she'll treat him with respect. If I thought for one second that she was going behind his back and making a fool out of him, I would call her on it, I hope you know that."

Roger looked so serious and earnest as he uttered the words that Holly could not help but smile a little. "I know."

"She won't string him along; we just have to give her a little time to figure things out for herself."

"I guess we always knew that this was something that could happen. They're so young, and God knows love doesn't always last forever."

Roger fell back on the sand with a thud, bringing Holly down with him. "I wouldn't give up on them just yet. The important thing, however, is that we don't let their problems become our problems. I don't want their relationship to come between us, ever, even if Jessica ends up breaking Ethan's heart, or vice-versa. Can we agree on that?" he asked, holding his little finger in the air for her to grab.

"I agree and solemnly pinky swear," Holly replied, talking hold of his finger.

"Because our love is like this," Roger continued after a while, pointing at the sky above. "It's beautiful and endless and eternal. And I refuse that anyone would come and spoil it, ever."

Holly smiled at her husband's overly romantic choice of words, although the most secret part of her thrilled to hear him refer to their love in such terms. "Well, if eternity does exist, I guess the proof lies right here, all around us. This sand has been here for ages, and no matter how violent the wind or scorching the sun, it has remained whole."

"Then all we have to do is weather the storms, and we'll be alright. We've been apart for twenty years and it hasn't stopped us from loving each other. It's a pretty good start," Roger concluded in a secure tone, making Holly smile again. How she loved his confidence!

"Twenty years versus eternity, hum! We'll see how it goes," she retorted teasingly, burying her face in the nape of his neck.

"Laugh all you want, but don't be surprised that I'm still around when we both turn a hundred." Roger pulled himself up and lifted her. "Let's get back to the tent; it's getting cold."

They half walked and half sled down the dune to their camp. Roger unzipped the tent door and ushered Holly in. "Quick, we don't want to let anything in there but us," he said, following her inside. He turned on the lantern hanging from the ceiling and they both slipped inside the sleeping bag, which was spread on a cot so that they would not get stung by the scorpions that would assuredly end up crawling under the tent. Holly grabbed two blankets from her backpack and piled them over them both. When this was done, she took off her sweater, lay down and wrapped her body around her husband's.

"Have you ever made love in the desert?" she asked as she gently stroked his chest over his wife-beater.

"Yes. Sand ends up everywhere, and I mean, everywhere."

"Oh!" Holly said.

Seeing the obvious disappointment on her face, Roger laughed out loud. "Oh, honey! Take my word for it when I say that this is for the best. I chaffed for days, and so did the lady, bless her soul!"

Holly snickered, pretending to be jealous of Roger's old lover. Roger kissed her before she could make any disparaging remark.

"Besides, if we…exert ourselves in this weather, we'll catch a cold. We have to keep a minimum of clothes on," he continued.

"I don't see how keeping our clothes on ever got in the way before, but, fine, I'll take your word for it."

"I'll make it up to you at our next stop, I promise."

"Speaking of which, we'd better decide where we're going if we are to leave in a couple of days!"

Roger reached for the lantern and turned it off, then flipped Holly on her side so that he could lie against her back. "You decide."

Holly pictured the world map in her mind, quickly dismissing Africa, Asia, Australia and South America as either too far or too hot. They would keep those for the fall and the winter.

"How about Scandinavia? It's cooler but still nice weather," she finally suggested.

"I'm in," he whispered sleepily in her hair. "And the days are long at this time of year. I always wanted to see a midnight sun."

"I'll make arrangements when we get back to the hotel tomorrow. Sweden might be nice."

"Or Finland," Roger said, casually.

"Do you mean Finland, the country with the saunas and the lakes? Or Finland, the country that shares a border with Russia?" Holly asked, craning her neck to look at her husband inquisitively.

Roger's embarrassment was immediately palpable. "What's the harm in being near?" he finally asked. "When this whole ordeal with Paul blows over, Jack might stop by for a visit on his way back to the States. It would rather nice to see him, actually."

"If this thing blows over, you mean. You seem to have this unshakable faith that Jack will succeed in rescuing Paul. I wish I was that confident."

"If it can be done, then Jack is the man to do it."

"And if not?"

"Let's not think about that."

A fresh wave of guilt washed over her. Even after all these years, Paul remained very dear to her, and the thought that his life might be in danger filled her with dread. But if Roger ended up losing his friend so that she could keep hers, he would never forgive her.

"Do you have any news from Jack?"

"Not since he left for Russia, but I'm expecting a call from him tomorrow if all goes well. I left a message at the ranch and gave the housekeeper our number in Marrakech. Jack told me that he would call home whenever he could to know where to reach me."

Holly turned to face him and ran her fingers on his cheeks before kissing him on the lips. No matter how hard she tried, she could not ignore the tension pervading his shoulders or the way he clutched at her back.

"You're right; it's going to be fine," she finally said, desperately wanting to believe it.


They got up at dawn and departed quickly, leaving the rising heat of the desert behind them. By noon, they were back in the soothing shade of their hotel room, where Holly immediately busied herself making phone reservations to different hotels in Finland.

"Would you like to rent a mökki while we're there?" She asked Roger between two phones calls.

Roger folded a pair of pants and crammed it in his already bursting suitcase, making Holly cringe. She made a note to rearrange the content of the luggage later.

"What's a mökki?" He grabbed the suitcase and heaved it to the door. "You know what? Go ahead and surprise me."

"Fine." As she was about to pick up the phone once again, it rang, making her jump.

"Holly Thorpe," she said, expecting Jack's voice.

"Hi, Mom!" Blake's voice resonated trough the handset, making Holly smile.

"Blake! How are you?"

"Not bad. How is your trip?"

Holly frowned, immediately sensing that something was wrong. "It's perfect. Is everything all right? You sound under the weather."

"Actually, I am having a little bit of love troubles," Blake said in a trembling voice. "Do you have a minute?"

"Of course, always! How is Dylan?"

"Samantha Marler is back in town."

"Oh." Holly heart's sank. She remembered how strong the connection between Sam and Dylan had been when they had first come to town a few years ago. She had never really understood why Sam had chosen to leave him for Daniel St. John.

Blake let out a mirthless laugh. "That's the reaction that I've been getting from almost everyone."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Dylan has a past, and so does everyone. I just never thought that his past would come back to haunt us."

"Did something happen between them?"

"No, and he swears that it's over, but, Holly, I know in my heart that he still has feelings for her, even if he doesn't want to admit it to himself."

"What makes you say that?"

"The way he frets over her and the way he looks at her. He never looked at me like that."

"I'm so sorry," Holly repeated. She wished that she could snap her fingers and magically appear in her daughter's apartment. "It might not be over for you two. Maybe he still has feelings for her, but that doesn't mean that he necessarily wants to rekindle their relationship. Maybe he's telling the truth when he says that it's over."

"I know, but the whole thing made me realize something else," Blake said sheepishly. "When I discovered that he still had feelings for her, it made me furious, then jealous, but if I have to be totally honest, the only thing that has been truly hurt through all this is my pride."

"What are you saying?"

"That I am very fond of Dylan, but that I am not sure if I really love him. I don't feel for him what he feels for Sam. I don't even feel for him what he feels for me! I'm a terrible person!"

Holly put a hand to her mouth to repress a smile. In the last year, she had been quick to discover Blake's tendency to exaggerate. In her defense, Blake had never denied her fondness for drama, which she referred to as the spice of life. Yet, when in the midst of it, she seemed to lose all her bearings and immediately assume that the worst was to come. Holly suspected that this was the one thing the peaceful influence of her adoptive parents had not succeeded in rooting out of her. I probably would have made a worse job, she thought.

"You're not a terrible person, honey. You can't control who you love."

"What if I am incapable of ever falling in love? It hasn't happen yet!" Blake replied with the voice of doom.

Again, Holly had to stifle a laugh. "I wish you would not think of yourself as some heartless freak. You're one of the most loving people that I know! It will happen; give yourself time."

"How will I know? I thought that I loved Dylan, until I realized that it was mostly friendship and physical attraction."

"When you'll meet that person, you'll know that you're in love."

"Do you think that there is only one?"

"Oh, no! I think that there are many people out there who could make you happy."

"But for you, it was always Dad."

"Because life played out that way. I met him when I was just a teenager, and he ruined me for all the others." Holly said with a smile, the young Roger flashing before her eyes, with his striped T-Shirt and his shock of black hair.

"But you knew right away that he was the one!"

"Not really; not the way you think. I knew that I loved him, but for a very long time, I thought I would never see him again, and I had to try and build a new life for myself. I know our story sounds romantic, Blake, but the last twenty years have been extremely hard at times. I had lost him, and I had lost you. I certainly hope that it will be easier for you."

There was a short silence on the line as Blake mused over her mother's words.

"I was wondering, if it's alright with you, if I could come and meet you earlier for the summer vacations," she finally said. "I could really use the time away to clear my head, but I can go to San Francisco if it's a problem."

"Don't be silly; we would love to have you with us."

"Don't you want to check with Roger?"

"He'll feel the same, believe me. He won't shut up about all of you for five minutes," Holly said in a confident tone. "We'll be in Finland, I will fax you the address as soon as we check in our hotel in Helsinki."

"I really appreciate it, Mom. I just have to ask Alan-Michael's permission to move my vacation forward, but it should be okay, I think. I'll call you back tomorrow."