A/N: Hello all! I have replied to everyone who logged in. And in response to the many questions about the beginning of the previous chapter, just try to think about what you know of Isabel and why Caitlin might be chasing her around threatening her. Use your intuitive powers. I'm not really one to be talking about intuitive powers but… whatever. Enjoy this chapter!
Huan made it about ten miles. But the poor puppy simply could not hang on for another mile, and before anyone could do anything, Boromir's arm was sporting a wet patch. Boromir closed his eyes and said nothing, but his lips were moving silently as Huan scurried across his knees onto Caitlin's lap. "What?" Caitlin had not been watching the guys, fortunately for Huan and unfortunately for Boromir.
A giggle almost snuck past her lips as Boromir pulled the soggy sleeve away from his muscular arm. Huan tried to wag his tail and wound up smacking his butt against the steering wheel instead. All the occupants of Old Rusty winced as the horn wheezed loudly and as the little girl who had been riding her bike on the side of the road jumped, screamed, and spun out on the gravel.
An indignant face turned and pressed against the rear window of the miniscule red car in front of them. Caitlin was following it close enough to see first a tongue 'tasting' the window followed closely by the one-fingered salute. "Good grief!" Caitlin exclaimed, sticking her tongue out in return.
The eyes on the face opened wide, blinked twice, and then the face turned quickly around. "Did that child just stick her tongue out at you?" Boromir asked, finally settling on peeling the shirt off him.
"And she flipped me off."
Boromir stuffed the shirt on the floor, grimacing at the odor. "Is there a problem with that?"
"Oh yeah. She's what, six?"
"I'd guess her to be closer to thirteen."
"Whatever." She pushed Huan onto the seat between the two, "Oh right. The finger. It's the middle finger and it's a crude, rude, ugly remark."
She demonstrated in her lap. "My suggestion is don't do it in a large crowd of people—especially not in Chicago—unless you want to end up dead. Again."
He sighed, "The equivalent, I suppose, of the V."
It was Caitlin's turn to be educated. She looked over at him and he held up his index and middle finger in the peace symbol and turned them so that the back of his hand was facing her. "This is what we do in Gondor."
She laughed, bit her lip, and blushed. Her parents were dead, was she supposed to be laughing? She didn't think so. "What sort of reception does that get?"
He smiled, "Technically, dueling is banned by law." Caitlin ventured a small smile in return.
"Here that means peace." She turned her eyes back on the road but found after a few seconds her eyes were drifting to the side and peeking at Boromir. He was so hot. Perhaps Huan had been naughty to pee on Boromir's shirt, but she mentally blessed the dog for giving Boromir a reason to go shirtless. Small blessings…
He glanced over at her just as Caitlin tore her gaze away from his strong, golden muscles. "I'm sorry," he murmured, "Am I bothering you?"
Caitlin smiled. Brilliant she scolded herself. The lopsided grin she wore could not have looked more clueless. "No." Really Brilliant.
She tried to pay more attention to the road (and to the six/thirteen year old in the car in front of her, who continued to occasionally turn around and show Caitlin how much her tongue and middle finger cared. But the little girl in the little window of the little red car was much less interesting than the gorgeous man sitting next to her. She stole another look at him, turning her head just as he noticed her stare. Her head stopped midturn, swiveling back to inspect Boromir a little more closely. "Are you okay?"
He glanced at her, "I'm fine."
Frowning, Caitlin peered more closely at him, wondering at the beads of sweat gathering on his face"You're sweating." He shrugged and nodded, turning to look out the window, a tactic Caitlin recognized from her dad. She bit her lip, eyes welling with tears at the thought of her gruff but lovable and now dead dad, "I'll turn on the air conditioning," she choked and flipped the switch to sixty.
Ten minutes later, Boromir was not sweating any longer. Unfortunately, he had instead donned a rumpled blanket that had been stuffed in the glove-box for approximately three years and was now sleeping fitfully. Caitlin was freezing and Huan had temporarily overcome his dislike of Boromir and was huddled beneath his strong arm. Goosebumps were appearing on her arms and she kept shivering. Why was it so cold? It shouldn't be this cold yet! She decided to stop at the gas station and get a coffee. That should warm her up—and she was hungry. She'd get some pretzels, too.
Boromir did not wake even when she pulled into the poorly-paved, pitted gas station and parked. She turned Old Rusty off and hurried into the building. The smell of stale chips and sweat swept out to meet her in a gust of super-chilled air. She shivered and hurried to poor a big cup of coffee and grabbed a bag of pretzels. On second thought, she also got water for Boromir.
It wasn't until she got back in the truck and turned on the ignition that she realized why she as so cold. The air condition was on as high as it could go. Groaning, she turned it off, rolled down the window, and sped down the highway drinking a twenty-four ounce caffeine-laden coffee.
When Boromir woke up, the pretzels were nearly gone and Caitlin had drunk all his water and her coffee. She was squirming uneasily on her seat, a painful look on her face. He watched her fidgeting for a few minutes before asking with a knowing smile if she was all right. Caitlin shook her head and bit her lip, "I've gotta go!" she whined.
Boromir chortled and settled back. "So why don't you?"
Caitlin looked at him, shocked. "What?"
He laughed at her, shoulders shaking. Huan barked at him, hair on the back of his neck standing up. Boromir winced suddenly and stopped laughing. "You okay?" Caitlin wiggled on the seat and tried to cross her legs.
He nodded, "Fine."
"How's your chest?"
"It's fine."
Caitlin would have argued with him except that she finally caught sight of a long-awaited gas station and stepped on the accelerator. She needed that bathroom!
Caitlin left Old Rusty running and leapt out of the seat, running through the doors. Boromir was smart. He'd be able to take care of the truck. She had more important things to worry about. "No!" she wailed. The Out of Order sign posted on the ladies' room smirked and laughed at her. She shuddered and looked at the door next to it. Then she looked back at the counter. The attendant had her feet up and was listening to music on her headphones that Caitlin could hear from where she was, and was painting her fingernails. In other words, she wasn't paying attention. Caitlin threw the door open without another second of hesitation.
A large, bearded old man turning away from the urinal was the only occupant of the room. "'Scuse me," she yelled, brushing past him and practically throwing herself into the stall. The last thing she saw before closing the door was the old man rubbing his eyes and staring at the stall door.
Caitlin exited five minutes later, feeling foolish—foolish but happy. The gas station attendant had not moved from her watchful post and was still bobbing her head to the music. Boromir was waiting impatiently for her at the door, holding the keys in one hand and Huan in the other. She grinned at him. "Hey Bo."
He grunted and handed the squirming, hairless bundle to her. Huan licked her chin and she grimaced, pulling away, "Manners, mutt," she reminded him.
Caitlin was thirsty again so she got a six pack of sixteen ounce waters. Boromir followed her, holding the items she piled on him. A pack of gum, a bag of licorice, another bag of pretzels, the water, a box of Cheezits, and a bag of treats for Huan. She finally returned to the counter and motioned that Boromir should set everything down. The attendant did not heed them. "Excuse me," Caitlin called. No response. "I'm ready." Still no response. "Look, I'm going to take all this stuff and walk away without paying. The girl held up her fingers and blew on them.
Huan barked and she looked up, a bored look on her face. "You do know you're not supposed to have dogs in here."
Caitlin motioned to her ears and mouthed 'down.' The attendant looked confused for a minute then pulled her headphones off. "What?"
Caitlin sighed. "Look, I'm really sorry to bother you, because I know that your nails and ACDC are really important, but is there any way that we could just pay for this and go?"
"Hey, how did you know who I was listening too?" What an idiot. The CD case was sitting right in front of her.
"I'm psychic. Now, can we get moving?" The girl shrugged and her face returned to its apathetic expression as she languidly ran each item up. "Twenty-five thirty-one…Out of thirty. Here's your change. She gave her a five in return. Rolling her eyes, Caitlin dug into her pocket and threw a quarter and a dime on the counter, grabbed the bags and left.