Chapter 29

December 6, 1941

"No! Please…"

The anguished protests uttered from Kristin's mouth caused Nathan to stir. Sometime in the night, she'd wriggled from the protection of his arms; she now lay on the other side of the bed, obviously in the midst of a very vivid nightmare.

Another soft moan escaped her lips. Her arms appeared to be pinned on either side of her head. She struggled against an invisible enemy.

Nathan tried to wake her. "Kristin, honey, wake up," he urged. He thought about touching her, but quickly decided against it, knowing that touching her might cause more of a problem. He hoped his voice would at least help her realize it was only a dream.

"No…I…I didn't!" she cried. "Please, I won't tell anyone!" Kristin looked as though she was trying to break free from whoever was holding her down. She struggled and moaned. "Get off me!" she cried, nearly in tears.

"Kristin!" Nathan called louder. "Wake up, please. It's only a dream. You're safe."

But Kristin didn't seem to hear him. She let out a cry and writhed, yet she wouldn't awaken.

"Kristin!" Nathan cried in one last futile attempt to get her attention. "Damn it, Kristin! Wake up!" Nathan wanted to shake her awake, but he knew that would only make things worse. He just wanted so badly to end whatever she was feeling; all he could do, however, was watch helplessly as she continued her nightmare.

"Oh, no, please!" she cried. "No!" Kristin's back arched as she tried to free herself from the invisible enemy. Another pained cry escaped her as she started to sob softly. "I didn't…"

"Kristin, wake up…please," Nathan pleaded, a bit gentler this time. He didn't want to take his eyes off Kristin to look at the clock, but he surmised it that it was in the early hours of the morning. He feared that if she didn't awaken soon, he'd have some neighbors knocking on his door wondering what the problem was.

Kristin moaned, cried, and struggled for a few more minutes before finally letting out a blood-curdling scream. She finally awoke, sitting bolt-upright in bed, hugging herself and sobbing quietly.

Nathan was at her side in a moment, but he waited until she seemed to acknowledge him. He simply opened his arms and waited for her to respond. It didn't take her long to cling to him; Nathan wrapped his arms around her and tried to whisper soothing and comforting words to her. Kristin sobbed quietly, her face buried in his chest.

After several minutes, her sobs quieted. Nathan continued to hold her and rub her back gently since he noted she was still trembling. Another minute or two passed when he finally asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

She gently pulled away enough to wipe the stray tears from her cheeks. "I…I couldn't…" she began, her features twisting as she struggled to find the words to explain what she wanted to say.

"Just take your time," Nathan soothed. "Relax. Take a deep breath," he instructed.

Kristin did as she was told. "It…it was dark. I couldn't find you. I…I was…there was someone…I couldn't see his face. I…" Her voice trailed off as tears crept up again.

"Ssh," Nathan soothed. "It was just a dream; everything's fine now. Don't cry, sweetheart." He hugged her tighter to emphasize his point.

Kristin said nothing, but simply snuggled into him. The dream was so vivid, but she didn't feel like sharing all the sordid details either. It was too frightening. She hoped it was just a dream, but part of her worried it might be more of an omen…and that scared her.

"Why don't we go back to sleep?" Nathan suggested. He finally glanced at the clock. "It's only a little after four."

Kristin nodded and allowed Nathan to help her lie back down.

Nathan wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "Just rest now; everything's going to be fine." He placed a gentle kiss to her temple. "Don't worry, okay?"

Kristin let out a sigh. "I'll try," she replied weakly.

Nathan reached over and turned off the light. "That's my girl," he whispered. "I'll be right here with you; remember that."

She gave another nod and snuggled into him. She knew Nathan wouldn't let anyone hurt her…but what was going to stop her from her mind? She let out yet another sigh and tried to forget, hoping that she would be able to go back to sleep again without any worries.

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Twenty minutes later, Nathan was still awake. He had every intention of going back to sleep, especially since he thought Kristin had fallen back to sleep herself; at least, she hadn't made a sound, save for her steady breathing. He shifted slightly so he could look at her face. The early twilight gave off just enough light where he could see her face; her eyes were wide open. He smiled softly. "I thought you'd gone to sleep?"

She shook her head. "I tried, but…I just couldn't."

Nathan thought for a moment. He knew this was going to be a day where Kristin was going to need him distracting her…a lot. "What do you say we get out of here?"

She sat up and gave him a look. "Where are we going to go? The sun isn't even up yet."

Nathan flashed her a grin. "It's a surprise. Come on, you'll enjoy it."

Kristin gave him a suspicious look. Frankly, she hadn't intended on leaving the apartment today…at least until she was told she had to. "Nathan, I'm not sure I feel comfortable-"

Nathan sighed and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I know; believe me, I know. But this is something I think you need to do. Just trust me, okay?" He gave her a pleading look.

"Oh, all right," she told him, unable to resist the look he was giving her. "Just let me get ready…for wherever it is we're going."

"You don't need to do anything fancy," he replied.

She selected a dress from her bag and headed into the bathroom. "I won't be long," she promised.

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"So, where are we going?" Kristin pressed. They'd been driving for about twenty minutes, and she couldn't help but notice they were driving out of town. She also noticed the sun still had not risen, so she couldn't help but voice her curiosity aloud.

Nathan put an arm around her shoulders. "Well, I suppose I can give you a hint. We're going to one of my favorite places in all of Oahu."

Kristin turned to look at him.

Nathan chuckled lightly. "Yes, I know what you're thinking…and yes, it does exist in our time, so I would hope it exists now. It's probably even more beautiful now…at least, I'm hoping so. And I am hoping you'll be able to appreciate it." He paused for a moment and gave her a tight squeeze. "I know this is going to be a difficult day for you, so I thought that this would help."

"Nathan, I…I appreciate what you're trying to do, but-" She stopped mid-sentence when she realized the car stopped. She looked out the window to see where they were and noticed the road had ended; all she saw was the edge of a tropical jungle and a steep, dirt-covered hill. "Where…" she began, unsure what to make of it.

"Looks like we're going to have a bit of a hike," he said apologetically. "This," he said, motioning to the vegetation, "doesn't exist in our time." He looked down at her shoes. "At least you wore flats."

She nodded. "Yes, thank goodness."

Nathan exited the car and held out his hand. "I promise this will be worth it."

She accepted his hand. Even if it wasn't, this was getting her mind off of Sylvia and her nightmares. The two started their way up the steep hill. After they'd walked nearly to the top of the hill and saw yet another hill, however, she certainly hoped Nathan knew what he was doing.

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Another twenty minutes later, Kristin felt like they'd been walking for days. "If your plan is for me to collapse from exhaustion, I'm getting there," she said dryly, stopping to catch her breath.

Nathan gave her a sheepish look. "I know you're tired, but we're almost there," he promised. He looked at the sky. "In fact, we really need to hurry. I wanted to be there before the sunrise."

"No," Kristin stated, finally putting her foot down. "Nathan, I'm exhausted. Please, can I just rest for a minute? I-" She suddenly heard a sound that she couldn't place.

"You hear that, too?" Nathan guessed.

"Yes…what is that?"

"That is where we're headed," Nathan told her, pointing. He held out his hand again. "I promise when we get there, you can rest all you want. It's just a few hundred yards more. Please?"

Kristin hesitated for a moment, but she knew Nathan obviously had some sort of plan. "Oh, all right," she said, putting her hand in his. She held up a finger. "But this better be worth it; my feet are killing me."

Nathan smiled. "I promise it will be worth it. Now, let's go." He started at a steady pace, pulling Kristin along with him.

Kristin had to run to keep up with him. She was just about to give out a protest when Nathan stopped dead in his tracks. "You…you could have told me…you were going to run," Kristin said between pants, trying to catch her breath.

"Sorry," Nathan muttered, "but it seems my calculations were a bit off."

"Off?" Kristin cried. "Do you mean to tell me you've gotten us lost? Nathan, I know you were trying to do something nice…well, at least I think that's what you were doing, but I am just not in the mood for-"

Nathan simply brought a hand to her cheek and gave it a gentle push to the right. "Look," he urged.

Kristin turned her head obediently and finally realized then what the sound was that she was hearing: rushing water. It still wasn't very light out, so it was hard to make out; but gradually, the sun began to appear on the eastern horizon. As it filtered over to them, Kristin realized they were standing on a rocky ledge bordering a clearing of the jungle. Just in front of them was the edge of a dramatic drop-off into the ocean. A small, but lovely waterfall ran down the volcanic rock beside them.

"As I was saying, I was a bit off in my calculations," Nathan said again, this time a bit quieter. "It was a little closer than I thought." He put an arm around her shoulders and led her to a small grouping of rocks that were large enough to sit upon. He sat first and then helped her sit next to him. He motioned to the horizon. "I thought you'd enjoy seeing the sunrise this way."

"Oh, Nathan," she breathed. "It's beautiful." They both watched the sky change from gray to red, then from orange to yellow. And for that short moment in time, everything seemed at peace.

"Yeah…it is," he agreed a few minutes later.

"I…I'm sorry if I was a little cranky. I didn't realize…"

"No, I certainly think you have a reason," he told her. I should have told you where we were going in the first place. I'd have been a bit cranky about it if I were you, too."

She turned to him and placed a gentle hand to his cheek. "No, Nathan, you don't need… You've been absolutely wonderful. I don't think I could ever thank you for how kind you've been. In fact, I don't know any man who would go to such great lengths to try to comfort and reassure me the way you've done. You've been…such a blessing to me." Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke, suddenly becoming choked up. She then leaned towards him and brushed her lips against his. "Thank you so very much," she whispered with deep emotion.

Nathan returned the kiss, allowing it to linger and deepen. When the need for oxygen caused them to separate, he continued to hold her in his arms. "I've told you before you don't need to thank me. You're always welcome. Please…I didn't mean for this moment to be sad, though. Don't cry. I wanted this to make you happy."

She nodded against him. "I know…and I am, I promise." She kissed his cheek gently. "I am very happy…so much so that I wish this moment could last forever."

"Me, too," he agreed. He hugged her tighter. "We're going to get through this together. I promise. I-"

At that moment, Kristin placed a finger to his lips. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah…what is that?"

Kristin gave him a mysterious smile. She stood and walked towards the edge of the ledge they were on. She knelt down and motioned for him to join her. "Really, Nathan, it hasn't been that long, has it?"

Nathan knelt beside her and tried to follow her gaze. "Long for what? Kristin, I'm just a little-"

This time, it was Kristin's turn to place a hand to his chin and point him in the right direction. "Look," she told him gently. "It's Darwin."

Nathan smiled softly. "So it is. I wonder how he knew."

She shrugged. "I'm not sure, but something tells me he knew we were going to be here. He seems to know that something is going on. We should go down and see him."

Nathan nodded. "You know how perceptive he is." He stood and offered his hand to help her. "It should be much easier walking down."

She smiled and accepted his hand. "I wasn't saying we should walk down exactly." She started unbuttoning her dress.

Nathan quickly caught the hint. "Kristin, you've got to be kidding."

She shook her head. "I assure you, I am not. If I've learned one thing from this experience, I've learned you need to live every moment as though it's your last…because it very well could be. You don't need to come with me, although I'd really like it if you did. But, well, I have always wanted to know what it was like to jump off a cliff into a waterfall…and this one isn't terribly high up. What do you say?" She removed her dress and laid it on the rocks they had been sitting in. She then slipped off her shoes and stockings; she faced him, wearing nothing but her slip and gave him an expectant look.

"Kristin, are…are you sure about this? I thought you weren't a great fan of heights…and we are about forty feet up."

She walked back the edge of the cliff. "I am positive," she replied. "Are you coming or not?"

Nathan stole a peek over the edge. He couldn't believe she wanted to jump from that high up, but he'd also made a promise to protect her. That meant he wasn't going to let her do this alone. He started unbuttoning his shirt. "Just give me a few minutes to undress."

Kristin let out a small whoop of joy. "I promise it will be fun."

Nathan placed his shirt next to her dress on the rocks. "I think this experience may have warped your idea of fun," he teased gently.

But Kristin ignored his comment. Instead, she cupped her hands around her mouth and called, "We'll be down there shortly, Darwin! Don't go away!"

Nathan heard the dolphin's chattering in response as he removed his pants, shoes, and socks. He then stood dressed in an undershirt and boxer shorts; he walked to stand beside her. "You realize we'll have to walk back up here to retrieve our clothes when we're through?"

She waved a hand. "A minor detail. The walk will do us good."

"That's not what you said before," Nathan pointed out.

"This is different." She looked down and took a deep breath. "Give me your hand."

Nathan did so, but he suddenly noted her nervousness. "Are you sure about this?" he asked again. "You don't need to prove anything to me or anyone else."

Kristin was quiet for a moment as she looked down to the ocean below. "I'm sure." She then turned to look at him. "Just don't let go, okay?"

Nathan gave her hand a squeeze. "I don't intend to."

She gave him a small smile and took another deep breath. "On the count of three, okay?"

"Okay."

"One." Kristin's tightened her grip on Nathan's hand as they moved into position. "Two." She shut her eyes tight. "Three."

And with that, the two of them jumped off the cliff, Kristin's breath catching in her throat on the way down.

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Kristin felt suddenly the rush of water around her; she quickly reacted and swam to the surface. Then she looked around her for Nathan. Naturally, when they'd hit the water, they'd been separated. She saw him surface a few yards away from her, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, wow!"

Nathan swam over to her. "Well, was it everything you'd hoped?" he asked.

She gave him a smile and nodded. "It was better. It was…amazing!"

Nathan let out a chuckle. "It was definitely invigorating. The water could have been a little warmer, but it was invigorating."

"The water is a little chilly," Kristin agreed, "but the sun will warm us up."

Before Nathan could reply, they heard a familiar chattering, which reminded him why they had just jumped off the cliff in the first place. He turned and saw Darwin just a short distance away.

Kristin took his hand in hers and pulled gently. "Come on; he's waiting to see us."

Nathan gave her a mock salute. "Yes, ma'am."

Kristin moved over to the dolphin and pet his melon gently.

Darwin clicked and whistled in response, causing Kristin to laugh softly.

"I think he missed you," Nathan replied after a moment.

Kristin nodded and nuzzled the dolphin. "I missed him, too."

Nathan moved closer to pet Darwin as well. There was a lull of silence that surrounded them, a moment where they felt at peace.

But Darwin was the one to break the silence. He splashed Nathan first.

"Hey," Nathan cried.

Kristin chuckled. "I think he's trying to say he wants to play."

Darwin bobbed his head up and down and clicked in response.

"Good…because I plan on getting revenge," Nathan said playfully. He swam towards Darwin, who quickly darted out of his grasp. And so the game of tag began, which had Darwin chattering and Kristin and Nathan laughing as they played. It was a bit of fun they all needed.

After twenty minutes or so, however, Darwin disappeared below the depths.

"What do you suppose that is about?" Nathan asked.

Kristin shrugged. "I'm not sure. Do you suppose he wants us to follow him?"

But before Nathan could answer, Darwin quickly reappeared with a large fish in his mouth.

"Oh, you were hungry," Nathan stated.

Darwin nodded his head up and down, but made no attempt to eat. Instead he tossed the fish towards Nathan. It landed with a slap on the surface of the water next to him, causing a splash of water in his face yet again.

Kristin covered her mouth with her hand to stifle her laugh.

"It isn't funny," Nathan said, a smile on his own face as well.

"I'm sorry," Kristin said, "but it is."

Nathan turned to Darwin. "What was that for?"

Darwin moved closer to Nathan and nosed at the fish.

Kristin laughed again. "I think he's trying to give us breakfast." Then she added, "I am getting rather hungry."

Nathan nodded, but pushed the fish towards Darwin. "Ah, you go right ahead. I think we need to be going anyway." He motioned towards Kristin. "The doctor's shivering."

Darwin nodded and clicked something in response again. He then swam over to Kristin and pushed his melon beneath her hand.

"I think he's saying goodbye," Nathan told her.

She nodded and nuzzled against him. She then whispered something Nathan couldn't make out. After a moment, she gave Darwin a pat and moved away from him so that Nathan could say his goodbyes.

Nathan leaned in close to him. "See you soon, pal."

Darwin clicked in response.

Then Nathan lowered his voice a bit more. "Don't worry; I'll bring her back to you, safe and sound."

Darwin bobbed his head up and down in response; then he grabbed his fish and swam away.

Nathan then swam over to Kristin and took her hand. "Let's get you out of this water so you can warm up."

She nodded, and the two of them swam to shore.

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The sun was quite warm, so it didn't take them long to warm up again. They started on their journey back up the hill to the ledge where they had laid their clothes.

Kristin began to redress. "At least the sun dried us off."

Nathan nodded as he buttoned his shirt. "Did you have fun?"

"Oh, definitely. Thank you so much for bringing me here. I'm almost sorry we have to leave."

"I can bring you back here again…when we get back."

Kristin didn't answer. She simply turned back to look over the ledge.

Nathan knew what she was thinking. He moved to stand at her side. "Please, don't think like that."

"I'm sorry; it's difficult not to," she muttered, avoiding his gaze.

"I know." He then had a thought. "We could stay a little longer; just give me a minute. I'll be right back." He turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" she called.

He turned back to her. "I'll be right back. I promise."

Kristin did as she was told, but followed him with her eyes. He disappeared into the jungle, and for several minutes, she couldn't possibly fathom what it was he was doing. But when he returned a short time later, his arms laden with fruit from the jungle, she knew.

"I thought we could have breakfast here. We have mangoes, guava, and some bananas."

"Oh, that's lovely," she said with a smile.

Nathan motioned for her to sit. Then he took out his pocket knife and cut a mango in half; then he handed part of it to Kristin.

The two ate in blissful silence.

As they were finishing the last pieces of banana, Kristin leaned over and kissed him.

"Hmm…I'm not complaining, but what was that for?" Nathan asked.

"For a wonderful morning," she replied. "Thank you."

Nathan smiled. "You've already thanked me…but thank you for doing it again."

Kristin let out a sigh. "But I do suppose we ought to be getting back."

"Don't sound so disappointed," Nathan told her. "The rest of the day can be lovely, too."

Kristin gave him a doubtful look.

Nathan wrapped her in his arms and gave her a light kiss on the forehead. "We'll get through it."

She nodded and allowed him to lead her back to the car.

A/N: I am finally back. I apologize for the long hiatus, and I am slowly but surely getting back into the swing of things. I promise more updates will be coming. Thank you so much for staying with me. I hope you're still enjoying it.