The car jerked to a stop, jolting Niles out of a sound sleep. Despite the constant motion, the bumps and jerks, it was the most restful sleep he'd gotten since the whole disastrous, much-too-long journey from Spokane had begun. The dream he'd been having, however, was lost forever and although it mirrored real life (He and Daphne were kissing passionately; hidden away in secluded cave, listening to the sounds of the Caribbean waves), it was nothing like real life. Kissing Daphne was better than any dream. But that dream was all that he had. And he feared that it was all he was left with.

Once again lost in his own little world, he was barely aware that someone was speaking to him.

"HEY!"

Niles winced at the elbow in his ribs and he turned to find Carl glaring at him. "She's talkin' to you!" He shouted.

"What? Oh…" Niles clutched his tender ribs and returned his attention to Danni. "I-I'm sorry. I-." He paused, looking through the window. "W-why are we stopped?"

"We're here!" Danni announced.

"Where's here?"

"Ritzville."

Niles blinked. "Where?"

"Ritzville, remember? I was going to drop you off in Kennewick, but I thought that you'd rather be closer to Seattle. But if you want I can turn around and-."

"No! Absolutely not! You've been more than generous and I can't thank you enough. You've done more for me than anyone."

In the rear-view mirror, he saw her smile and he smiled back. But his smile soon disappeared and his heartache returned. Sure, he was in Ritzville, which meant that he was closer to Seattle than he'd been when he was in Spokane, but it also meant that he was much too far away from Daphne.

"Well…" Danni said after a long silence. "I guess we should get your things."

"Yes, I guess you're right." Niles agreed. He climbed out of the car and attempted to grab his luggage. But then he remembered. He had no luggage, nor did he have a power cord for his deader-than-dead cell phone. He had his briefcase but that was of little consolation. What good were notes on a lecture on psychology going to do him in Ritzville?

Anger threatened to consume him but he managed to control it. He didn't want to lose his temper in front of Danni and Carl, even if Carl was completely inebriated. It was obvious that Carl didn't feel too well, and his face was surprisingly green. It was a sight that Niles knew all too well and he immediately began to panic. It could only mean one thing.

Oh God…

"Dad!"

Niles jumped back, trying to avoid the mess of Carl's vomit, and his stomach churned at not only the sight but the sickening smell. Quickly he turned and averted his eyes, doing his best to hold his breath. He kept his gaze away as Dannie went to the car and retrieved a box of wet wipes, which, Niles knew, she most likely used to clean the mess from her father's face.

"Dad, I told you not to drink so much!" she scolded. "It always makes you sick!" And then she turned around. "I'm sorry, Niles. He didn't get anything on you, did he?"

"Um… No." Niles said. At that moment he was extremely grateful that his clothing was still relatively clean. As much of a nightmare as this journey had been, it would have been even worse without shoes or (dare he think it) pants. Any soiled item of clothing as a result of Carl's drinking would have had to be discarded and burned immediately.

"Well, that's good." Danni was saying now. "I would hate-"

Once more Niles saw Carl's face turn green and he quickly stood behind the man, gently guiding him to a cluster of bushes where he could get sick without risk of making another mess. While Niles kept his hands on Carl's shoulders, Niles tilted his face toward the night sky. The night was filled with stars and he wondered if the same stars were twinkling over Seattle. The thought that he and Daphne could be looking at the very same stars brought tears to his eyes.

"Niles?"

Startled, he turned around to find himself face to face with Danni. "Oh…"

Her expression was one of concern. "He's all right, isn't he?"

"Who?"

She smiled. "My father. I'm sorry his-."

"No, it's fine." Niles said. "I mean, what else is there to do in a place called Saddle Inn Tavern besides get completely drunk?"

Danni laughed. "Well, you're right about that. Not much else to do in Four Lakes, Washington."

Niles nodded. He couldn't argue with that logic. "You're right."

Another silence followed.

"Well…" Danni finally said.

"Right…" Niles said.

"It's late, Niles. Are you going to be okay?"

"Oh yeah, I'll be fine." Niles replied. "I'll just…"

She reached into her purse and removed a notepad and pen, scribbling something on it. "Here."

He took the piece of paper from her and glanced at it curiously.

"My phone number." She explained. "In case you need anything else."

"No, I couldn't possibly." He said firmly. "You've done more than enough."

She took the piece of paper from him and the pen and wrote on the paper again before handing it back to him. "Here. My address and my email, just to make it complete."

"Right, of course." Niles said. "May I see that notepad?"

She seemed surprised by his request, but she handed him the notepad and pen. Upon it he scribbled his name, address and phone number, along with his email address before handing it back to her.

"What's this?"

"My information." She replied. "It's only fair, right?"

"Right… Well, I guess we should be going."

"Of course. You… Oh wait!" Niles said a bit too enthusiastically.

"What's wrong?"

"Just my head." He said, noting that he'd confused her even more. He reached into his pocket for his wallet and opened it.

Now she looked really confused. "Niles, what are you talking about?"

He looked into the leather flap of his wallet, surprised to find a crisp one-hundred-dollar bill, stashed behind the leather flap. Quickly he pulled it out and handed it to her. And somehow it made him feel better.