The Broken Road
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this fic!
Chapter Thirty-Eight
The helicopter gently touched down on an airstrip that seemingly appeared out of nowhere in the dark and foreboding desert. Trixie smiled her thanks at the two agents who'd flown them there and, since it appeared that they were going to have a bit of a wait until Max and Dan showed up, opened the door. Carefully, she climbed out of the helicopter, Jim a quick step behind her. She scanned the area, noting that while the lone building on the site appeared to be on the old and decrepit side, the runway was extremely well-lit and in terrific shape. There wasn't a pothole to be found. In fact, the asphalt looked as if it had recently been tended to. She couldn't say the same for the dirt road leading up to the building, or the building itself. Not that she was surprised. Looks, as she had come to learn through her years of service with the CDA, were often deceiving.
"Where are we?" Jim came up behind her, puzzled about their whereabouts. An old, rundown, and certainly not a very thriving, airfield hadn't been his first thought about where they would land.
"We're still in Nevada," Trixie answered, recalling Max's departure plans. "If my calculations are correct, we'd be about a forty-five minute car ride away from Vegas."
"So we have some time to kill before Max and Dan join us," Jim deduced, pathetically grateful that he had a few more minutes remaining with her before it was all officially over. The thought of leaving made him frown. He turned away, faced the velvety dark of the desert, and thrust his hands into his pockets, lost in thought and struggling with regret.
Trixie didn't answer. She didn't need to. She knew exactly what he was thinking. Their impending separation was hanging over both their heads, like a heavy anvil just begging to fall. Needing something to occupy her mind, she focused on the building. Broken windows, boarded-up doors, and a trio of old, outdated outside lights placed along the side of the building, offering three pale, ugly circles of yellow light that didn't do much to counteract the darkness of the Nevada night. She guessed that the airstrip hadn't been used in a long while. At least, not in an official capacity. Its remote location made it the perfect destination for clandestine usage by her agency. She swung her head around. Her frown deepened when she noted the small commuter plane sitting off to the edge of the tarmac. Two people leaned against it, chatting away. More agents. She returned their casual wave of greeting, acknowledging their presence.
Jim tapped her on the shoulder, curious about the plane. "What's that for?"
Trixie paused before answering. She needed the time. When she felt she could force the words past the sudden lump residing in her throat, she mumbled faintly, averting her gaze, "It's your ride home."
Jim's hand tensed reflexively on her shoulder. Hearing her put into words what he didn't want to hear hurt more than he'd anticipated. With a rawness to his tone he couldn't quite hide, he inquired more forcefully than was needed, "What do you mean?"
She didn't answer. She waved to their helicopter pilot as he sauntered past them, on his way over to hang out with the other agents. Wanting some semblance of privacy away from the prying eyes of her fellow agents, she tugged his hand and started walking along the length of the building. It wouldn't put much distance between them and the other nameless agents but at least no one would be able to hear their last moments together. "I know what Max is planning," she began the second they reached the last circle of light at the end of the building.
"What does that have to do with me going home?" Jim studied her face intently.
"He'll tell you once he gets here but I know that plane is for you and Dan." Trixie jerked a thumb towards the sturdy aircraft. "I bet you'll be flown to another private airstrip, just like this one. Max won't want you and Dan to fly into an airport, big or small. He won't want there to be a record of this flight. And he won't want anyone to learn about an unrecorded flight plan. The FAA kinda frowns on that, you know." Her lips tilted up in a smile, a valiant attempt at levity.
"I can imagine." Jim blew out a long, slow breath. Since her agency seemed to be all-powerful, he figured they didn't need to file proper flight plans with anyone, not even the FAA. After all, they basically did whatever they wanted to. After his time in Vegas, he could attest to it. He imagined there were plenty of unrecorded flights taken by the CDA over the years. "So, you guys have carte blanche over the skies, too."
"You'd better believe it." Allowing a minute of silence to descend, she courageously continued on with his dismissal plans, "Once you land at the undisclosed airstrip, there'll be a vehicle waiting to drive you to a commercial airport, where you'll be able to board your flight home in the normal style. By this time tomorrow night, you'll already be back in New York City. Sounds great, doesn't it?" She forced a small laugh. It rang hollow to her own ears.
Jim half-turned, looked directly down into the sapphire blue eyes that didn't carry an ounce of their normal sparkle to them. Evenly, without a catch to his voice, he stated another truth, "And you'll be back in San Diego."
"Facing down the Chief." Trixie let out a small sigh and rested back against the building, her gaze on the broken concrete that had once served as a sidewalk at their feet. At least thinking about her upcoming debriefing with her boss helped keep her mind off his imminent departure. Her shoulders drooped before she resolutely straightened them. Trying to find a thread of humor in their current situation, she declared with another little mirthless sort of a laugh, "Let me tell you, it ain't gonna be fun."
"I gathered that already." Not knowing what to do with his hands, Jim took them out of his pockets. He lifted them as if to touch her, then dropped them, and ended up pressing one against the side of the dilapidated building, all the while wondering how they could make small talk when all he wanted to do was gather her in his arms and never let her go. A quick glance over his shoulder at the other agents proved how inappropriate the thought was. Frustrated, and miserably unhappy, he rapped a fist against the crumbling wood. "I'm sorry the mission wasn't a success."
Trixie's head shot up. She stepped away from the building, into the center of the circle of yellow light, allowing him an excellent view of her face. Earnest and heartfelt, without an ounce of condemnation to it. "You don't need to be sorry," she stated imploringly, grabbing one hand with both of hers and holding on firmly. "Really, you don't. I don't care that the mission failed. I truly don't. There's no need for you to be sorry."
"Yes. There is." He couldn't deny the need any longer. He took a large step forward, stood directly in front of her, and tucked a finger under her chin, tilting her face up towards his. Speaking quietly, sounding apologetic, he explained emphatically, "I didn't need Max to rub my face in the truth. I know I made it harder for you to do your job. I knew it, from the very beginning. Without me here gumming up the works, everything would have gone much smoother. You'd probably already be back in California, readying for your next mission. I'm the one who screwed it all up."
"Maybe it would have gone smoother. Maybe it wouldn't have." She lifted a nonchalant shoulder and spoke quickly, her words tumbling out in a rush. "There's no sense in going down this particular road, Jim. None at all. We don't know what would have happened, if things had gone as we'd originally planned. All we can do is concentrate on the cards we were given and how it all panned out in the end. This is Vegas, after all." Reaching out, she laid a gentle hand on his arm, surprised at the tautness underneath, and insisted strongly, wanting to alleviate any guilt he may be experiencing, "Listen to me. You have nothing to apologize for, Jim. Nothing!"
He covered her hand with his but understood it was useless to contradict her, not with the way she was looking at him, all solemn and sincere. She believed what she was saying. It was as clear as the pert nose on her face. Left with no other choice, he tried a different tack to get her to accept an apology from him. "Max said that this was your first loss on a mission. At least let me be sorry for that."
A thread of pride rang out in her voice while she declared, "Sometimes Max is quite wrong, Jim. I didn't lose." Her lips curved into a small, satisfied smile. She moved just a little closer to him and spoke with a fierceness he couldn't miss, "I didn't lose. Max never knew that my prime objective shifted once you took over for him. When that happened, everything else became secondary. Something became more important. It took precedence over gaining Mr. Young's trust or completing that stupid deal. That something was much more vital, much more imperative."
Forgetting that they weren't alone, Jim closed the miniscule amount of distance remaining between them. And this time his hands knew what to do. One hand rested at her waist; the other threaded its way through her soft silky curls. Huskily, he inquired, although he already suspected the answer…and the answer absolutely delighted him, "What is this something else?"
"You, of course." Her smile broadened, allowing her lively dimples to dance vivaciously in each cheek. Even though the lighting could be considered pathetic at best, her eyes had never shimmered more; her face had never been so open and so very genuine. "I couldn't lose this mission, Jim. And I didn't. You came out of it, safe and sound. It's what I wanted; all that I wanted." She tilted her head back, delighted to finally admit the truth. "Max doesn't see it that way. Neither will the Chief or the rest of the agency. But I do."
Caught in her triumphant gaze, Jim was rendered momentarily speechless. Realizing that she, a dedicated and excellent agent, had willingly chosen to put him ahead of her assigned mission, and ahead of the wishes of her superiors, made more than his head swim. His heart started pounding; an erratic, powerful beat. This time when he moved to her, there wasn't any more room to separate them. His leg ended up between hers. He was no longer merely holding her waist. He was gripping her, pulling her towards him. "Trixie," he said, softly but with a grittiness underneath.
Reacting to the feral tone in his voice, Trixie's blood hummed wickedly through her veins, all in a rush of undeniable anticipation. For the first time since they'd left the helicopter, she looked, really looked, into his face. What she saw made her gasp. Shock, wonder, and something dangerously close to reverence shone out from the emerald eyes staring back at her. Hell, it made her heart hurt, just knowing he could look at her like that, and that he could see so much of her and into her. "I didn't lose," she repeated again, the words flying out of her mouth, untapped and unplanned. "I know the truth better than anyone else." She drew in a breath, brought her hand up and traced the side of his beloved face with the back of her fingers, touching the very person she'd wanted to keep safe throughout the entirety of the mission. "I didn't lose."
With eyes blazing with a barely suppressed need, he cupped the back of her neck. Slowly, very slowly, he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. It wasn't a passionate meeting; it couldn't be, not with an interested audience a good fifteen feet away. But, for all its softness, for all its sweetness, there was a rawness to it, one that Jim briefly let live as he nipped her bottom lip with his teeth. Her answering moan nearly broke the thin leash he held over his remaining control. Reluctantly, he broke the kiss but not the embrace. Breathing heavily, he touched his forehead to hers.
Well aware of the picture they made, a gorgeous silhouette in one of the miserably few circles of light afforded in this desolate part of the desert, Trixie allowed herself a long minute to savor the feeling, the security, the loveliness of his embrace before she forced herself to pull away, with a regret that was practically painful. But she had to. Her fellow agents weren't that far away. They could most definitely see them. With the memory of his lips still tingling on hers, she smiled up at him apologetically, letting him know without words that she hated to break their connection. "It won't be too much longer before Max gets here," she said, searching for something to say.
"And Dan." Jim gave a small cough. Unable to lose contact with her, he kept his hand at her waist but dropped the one from her neck. "Do you think they had any trouble leaving the hotel?"
She gave a barely imperceptible shake of her head. "Absolutely not. Max had everything planned down to the last second. I wouldn't be surprised if they…" A noise could be heard, coming from somewhere in the distance. Rising on her tiptoes, Trixie peered over his shoulder and pointed out into the night with a small triumphant cry. "There. Right there. Do you see the headlights?"
Sure enough, he could see two headlights slicing through the darkness, coming their way at a rapid pace. He could actually make out the dark line of dust the vehicle was kicking up in its wake. Damn was all he could think. It was time. He grumbled under his breath, "There they are."
"Yeah. There they are." She suddenly felt an insane urge to cry. Despising the weakness, she pushed it as far away as she could, telling herself that there was simply no way she was going to allow herself the indulgence. She would not cry, she absolutely would not, especially when she was working. No, she decided on a shuddering breath, she would do it later. At her house. In San Diego. When she was alone and no one could see or watch or know. It took a moment but she did it. Steadier now, Trixie pinned a grin that didn't come anywhere close to reaching her eyes and said with forced cheer, "It'll be quick."
"What will be?" he wondered aloud although he already had a very good idea. A finger was busy drawing small circles on the soft fabric of her camisole, something he didn't even realize he was doing.
"Our departures," she murmured, stepping back against the building as the big black SUV came into view and rolled onto the old asphalt. It pulled to a stop not far from where they were standing. She was able to make Max out in the driver's seat and sent a half-hearted smile to him. Without looking at Jim, she reiterated, "It'll all happen pretty quick."
Pretty quick. An unpleasant scowl crossed his face. He didn't like the sound of that at all. He finally had to let go when she pulled away to go over to the SUV, walking carefully to avoid some of the gaping holes in the sidewalk. Choosing to hang back, to think and plan and try to come up with some way to prevent the impending departures, he watched as Dan exploded from the passenger side and sprinted to her. He even managed a tiny grin when Dan picked her up in his arms and swung her around, surprising an honest-to-goodness laugh out of Trixie.
"Nice to see you're not the jealous sort," an amused voice declared by his side.
Jim lifted an eyebrow, a wry chuckle on his lips in spite of the seriousness of the moment, and stared at his friends instead of the agent who'd spoken to him. "How'd everything go?"
Max spread out his hands, more than pleased with the final act of the mission from hell. "For the first time since this godforsaken mission started, everything finally went like clockwork. The surveillance tapes are up and running. I have it on good authority that the proper authorities have already viewed them. The penthouse was cleaned from top to bottom. A new window was installed. We meticulously replaced Young and Ritch to match the reality created in the new tape before the cavalry arrived. Young's been taken to the hospital. He's already pointing his finger at Ritch. Truly, it couldn't have gone better."
"How'd the police get involved so quickly?" Jim asked with half an ear, more interested in watching Dan and Trixie. Their meeting was too happy for him to feel any sort of jealousy at their closeness. Or maybe he'd finally laid a few of his old demons to rest.
"Oh, that. Young can thank his butler. Caine came back earlier than expected." Max shot him a side-ways glance and admitted, "As my last act before leaving the hotel, I engineered it so that he received an SOS text from Young right about the time of the 'shooting'."
"Good thinking. It's completely done, then." When Dan draped a brotherly arm around Trixie and started leading her towards them, he waved a hand in greeting.
"Almost. We have our debriefing left and then we can finally table the mission. Thank God," he muttered as an afterthought under his breath, so quietly Jim barely heard him.
Jim waited until the pair reached them. Quirking an eyebrow, he called out jokingly, "Look who finally decided to show up."
Dan stopped in his tracks and glared at Jim, clearly offended by the tone and the uncharacteristically cocky deliverance. "Excuse me?"
Jim shook his head in apparent sadness, shared a look with Max who understood where the redhead was going and jumped into participate with the same disappointed expression on his face. Satisfied he had some back-up, Jim continued after sighing loudly, "We could have used you up there in the penthouse, Mangan. Such a shame. I never thought I'd say it but you're starting to slip."
An unpleasant frown crossed his face. "I was seriously detained. Frayne," he tacked on, aiming a dark glower at his friend. He dropped his arm from Trixie, who was covering her face with her hands to prevent a sudden case of nearly hysterical giggles.
"I know. I know. By, what, one agent?" Jim knew the correct answer but it was so rare to get a chance to poke fun at the monarch of mockery, the sultan of sarcasm. He wasn't about to let the opportunity slip by. And it allowed him to push the final ending off for a few more minutes. Plus it warmed his heart to hear Trixie's choked laughter. He didn't know when he'd be able to hear it again.
"Four. It took four extremely well-trained agents. Not just your regular, run of the mill agents, either. Super agents," Dan gritted out through clenched teeth. His eyes narrowed when Trixie finally let out a full-blown laugh that she had attempted, and failed, to completely cover up.
Jim turned to look at Max and released a deep, loud sigh, spurred on by the twinkles of merriment winking in the sapphire eyes in front of him. "He must be catching a cold or something. Usually Daniel Mangan doesn't let something like four men stop him."
"Four agents," Dan grouched again, his glare promising retribution at the first possible moment. He'd make damn certain of it. "Four CDA agents."
Shaking his head solemnly, Jim clapped him on the shoulder. "There's no need to feel bad, Mangan. Better luck next time."
Dan shrugged Jim off and threw up his hands. Although he firmly believed no explanations were necessary, he tried to explain it away anyway, "They had tranquilizers, Jim. Tranquilizers! If I didn't stop putting up a fight, they were going to sedate me. I didn't want to be sedated."
"Excuses, excuses," Jim declared cheerfully, absolutely delighted to have the shoe on the other foot for once. It so rarely happened. He only hoped it would happen again. Placing Dan on the receiving end was an experience he'd love to repeat again…and not just once, but many, many times.
Dan nearly growled in frustration. He opened his mouth, with the intention of saying something not quite so flattering to Jim, when Trixie, who'd finally regained control of her laughter, interceded.
"Calm down," she ordered Dan quietly. She put a soothing hand on Dan's forearm and faced Max, in professional mode once again. "Tell me. How is the Vegas situation?"
"All clear." Max gave her a thumbs-up, proud of their work. He glanced at his watch. "I used our time on the road to brief Mangan here on his departure. Have you told Frayne what's going to happen?" At her suddenly stiff nod, he understood that she was hiding her feelings behind a very thin shell. As expected, a quick and hopefully painless rip was the only way to go. He coughed softly before giving her the dreaded time limit, "Well, then, I need to check on a few last minute details with our pilots over there. I'll be back in…ah…say…five minutes."
"Okay," Trixie agreed, once again finding the ground interesting.
"Make the most of it." Max gave her a small wink she didn't see before fading back into the shadows. There wasn't a serious need to talk with the pilots. They knew their destinations; he merely wanted to give the three Bob-Whites a chance for a semi-private farewell. One glance back told him that it wasn't going to be easy. Not on any of them.
Trixie couldn't have been more grateful for Max's gesture. Lifting her head, she looked first at Dan, a little longer at Jim, and then pinned a bright smile on her face. "Well, this is it," she remarked as cheerfully as she could muster which, she admitted, didn't sound cheerful at all.
His earlier agitation with Jim forgotten, Dan stepped up to her, took both her hands in his, and squeezed. "It is it," he repeated, somewhat inanely. Leaning down, he brushed a swift kiss on her cheek before dropping back. "It was quite a vacation, let me tell you. I've always heard stories about how crazy Vegas can be but I never expected it to be this…interesting."
With an exaggerated roll of her eyes, Trixie shook her head. Wanting to leave with a little bit of humor, she said, shaking a small finger at him, "At least you learned something from it all. Remember to call the next time you want to drop in on someone else's vacation, all right?"
Dan barked out a quick laugh. "Hollywood, you've got it all wrong. I did call. I did text." He jabbed a finger at Jim, who was suddenly very, very quiet. "I think you should be telling someone over there that he needs to check his cell once in a damn while. If he'd bothered to, he could have told me to mind my own business. I mean, I truly thought I was coming to help alleviate any boredom Jim might be feeling. That's why I decided to crash his vacation. I never expected to find all this."
Jim didn't join in the next round of light, and slightly forced, laughter. He couldn't; not with the minutes rapidly ticking away. He found it so hard to believe that only the night before they'd been intertwined as closely as two people could possibly get; hearts, souls and bodies. And now, they were getting ready to say goodbye, for who knew how long. It made him ache. All over.
"Well, if I'm telling the truth, I must say that I'm glad you decided to crash Jim's vacation," Trixie told Dan, earning a shocked glance for her admission. And she was glad, extremely so. If Dan hadn't arrived and, subsequentially, blown her secret, she highly doubted if she and Jim would have become so much closer, so much more than they'd ever been. She threw her arms around Dan. "Take care, Mangan. Have a safe trip home."
Dan gathered her into his arms again. He held on, squeezed, and reluctantly let her go when he caught sight of the solemn-faced agent retracing his steps and heading their way. Their time was up. Tucking back a stray curl, he murmured, "Same to you, Hollywood. When do you think we'll get to see you again?"
Her shrug looked defensive. She couldn't help it. She couldn't give him an answer. "I don't know. I'll get back home. When I can."
Entering their quiet realm one more time, Max reluctantly cleared his throat, bringing their attention back to him. "I hate to break up the party but…" He left the rest hanging and gestured towards the two aircrafts. The pilots were already back inside, readying for their upcoming flights in opposing directions.
"Yeah. I know." Pressing her hands against her thighs, Trixie began nervously playing with the material of her skirt. She offered one last smile to Dan, and, taking a deep, fortifying breath, turned to do what was the hardest thing she'd ever attempted to do while on a mission. Say good-bye to Jim. Wide blue eyes skimmed over him, making a conscious memory, while she quickly recalled how hard it had been to say good-bye in Sleepyside, a few days after Honey's wedding. That farewell, painful as it had been, had absolutely nothing on this one. Their separate lives truly did suck. "Jim," she began simply, a small hitch to her voice that didn't go unnoticed by anyone present.
He smoothed back the one curl that always refused to stay put. One edge of his lip edged up when he watched it bounce back into place, just as vigorously as normal. Just like his girl. "Trixie," he murmured, simply and softly.
Working under a time limit, Max tapped his watch, feeling like the meanest man in the world. But they had to go. There was no denying it. And it would be better if the leaving wasn't prolonged. For her, he tempered his voice. "Time to go. Let's move, people."
Trixie blinked her eyes quickly, reminding herself that she would not cry. She couldn't; it simply wasn't done. "Yeah. I know," she replied, her voice thick with unshed emotion. However, she didn't move. Couldn't. Her feet were currently glued to the ground. She was too focused on the emerald eyes staring back at her.
Wanting to break the tangible tension and give them a few more precious seconds, Dan questioned, "What's going to happen again, Max?"
As if looking for some much-needed patience, Max glanced up at the heavens, aware of what Dan was doing. "We…" and he pointed at himself and Trixie…"are on our way to San Diego. By helicopter." So there wasn't any further confusion, he gestured towards Dan and Jim. "You two. You will be flying by a commuter plane to your next destination. You'll be shuffled from the plane to a car and then to an undisclosed, well-known airport. After that, you will board your flight and fly back to New York. Remember? We went over it on the way here."
"Oh, yeah. I guess I forgot." Observing the two closely, he couldn't help but notice that neither Jim nor Trixie had stopped staring at each other. He nearly stifled a groan. Having a love-sick Jim by his side was going to make for one hell of a long trip home. "I think me and Jim can handle it. What do you think, Frayne?"
Jim almost jumped when Dan clapped a hand on his shoulder. He glared at his assigned travel partner and grumbled out, "It sounds easy enough."
As the silence stretched on again, Max shared a sympathetic look with Dan, aware that both of them were going to have pathetic partners for the upcoming trips home. Stepping up to Trixie, he faced the other men. "Thanks for all your help with the mission, Jim. While we may not have won the day, it definitely ranks as one of my most favorite ones to have watched. You and Belden made an….oh, what is the word I'm looking for?"
"Amusing," Dan supplied helpfully.
"Ah. Yes. Amusing couple," Max finished with a flourish. He reached out, shook Jim's hand. "I trust both of you will keep everything you learned a secret, correct?"
Since Jim seemed incapable of speech, Dan answered for him. "Yeah. We won't say a word. Scout's honor." He pitched his voice lower. "We understand world peace would be at stake if we told anyone. Mum's the word. Promise."
"Oh, Dan!" Trixie gave him a playful punch, the lone move telling him more than words could how grateful she was to have him there to help lessen the break.
Anxious to leave, Max held up his wrist this time to better show them the time. "The night's not getting any younger, kids," he declared with a sarcasm they could practically feel. "We really can't stand around here much longer. The pilots are ready. The aircrafts are ready. It's past time for us to board."
She heard the finality and bravely straightened her shoulders. "Goodbye, Dan. I'm glad you came." Standing on her tiptoes, she pressed a small sisterly kiss to his cheek. And then she turned to Jim. The time had come, whether she wanted it to or not. She never knew that saying goodbye this time would be so agonizing. It cut, deeper than any knife, sharper than any sword. Inhaling sharply, she made herself look him in the face. Ever so quietly, sounding more like the teenager she had once been, she mumbled, "Goodbye, Jim. Thank you. So much."
"No. Thank you," was his answer. Forgetting the two men that made up their quartet, he pulled her close, reveled in the warm feeling of having her cradled in his arms again. He swiftly brushed a gentle kiss on her forehead before reluctantly letting her go.
For once, Trixie didn't blush. She dropped back on her heels, her hands fisting at her sides. She squeezed hard enough to make small crescent moons appear on the skin of her palms and declared through the knot threatening to choke her, "I guess we should go, then."
Max couldn't help but notice she didn't move. At all. It was like her feet were made of lead. Fed up, Max cupped her elbow and gave a small tug, finally breaking the heavy contact between the two. "Enjoy New York," he said with a two-fingered salute towards the two and pulled her away.
"Yeah. Enjoy New York." Jim heard himself say the words. Even as the words tumbled out of his mouth, he realized how right they were, what they meant, what he really wanted to do. Just like that, his heart suddenly felt pounds lighter. And a mile-wide grin spread across to his face, crooked and lopsided, but as big as he could make it. It was so easy, so clear, and made him wonder why the hell he hadn't thought of it sooner.
Much to Max's chagrin, Trixie halted in mid-stride and wouldn't budge when he tugged her again. She whirled around, incredulous and hardly daring to hope she'd heard right. With eyes as big as saucers, she asked, her voice coming out as a high-pitched squeak, "What?"
He tossed the grin her way, unknowingly making a swarm of flittering butterflies take up residence within her stomach. "I was just telling Dan to have a good time. In New York," he added, the green of his eyes brightening with unlimited joy and peace. Oh, yes. He'd made the right choice. The stunned wonder on her face told him so.
She didn't hear Max swearing under his breath, obviously annoyed with the fact that they were, once again, not leaving. Tugging her arm away from him, she skipped forward, until she stood right at the edge of the light. "You want Dan to enjoy New York," she repeated, although she knew what he meant. In her heart, she knew. And she couldn't be happier.
"I don't want the bon voyage. Not yet. Not tonight." When he was right, he could move with a speediness that made her blink. He was at her side before the words were out of his mouth. He picked up a curl, twirled it around his finger, before sharing, "I'm thinking maybe it's not time for my vacation to end."
Her eyes were sparkling, making a mockery of the millions of stars shining above them. "Oh?" was all she was capable of.
Uncaring of the fact that Dan was currently pumping a hand in the air, obviously cheering him on, Jim took her hand. She immediately laced her fingers through his, making him grin even more. "You see, I've never had the opportunity to visit California before."
"Oh, you don't know what you're missing," Trixie hastened to assure him, her fingers tightening their hold on him and her smile big, bright and absolutely, breathtakingly beaming. "Is there a specific…place you'd care to visit?"
He winked back at her. The euphoria he was feeling couldn't be bottled, would never be manufactured. It had to be experienced. It was just too damn good. "The southern end has a lot of great sights, doesn't it?" Bending down, he murmured as he nuzzled near her ear, "Especially if you're there."
Jubilant, she went on her tiptoes. "I'll be there," she whispered, squeezing her eyes shut and wondering if this was all a dream. When she opened them, she was still in his arms. They were still in the Nevada desert. And he'd just decided to fly away with her. She picked up her head, glanced at Dan, and called out cheerfully, clearly dismissing him, "We'll see you later, Dan!"
It was impossible to miss how much happier she sounded. Or how much happier Jim looked. "Yeah, yeah. I know when I'm not wanted," he grouched although he was secretly pleased for the two of them. He offered them a lightning flash grin before sauntering his way towards the commuter plane. Alone. When he reached the set of short steps, he paused to look back, to check their progress. They'd just made it to the helicopter. He shook his head, wishing he had someone he could share this moment with, and whispered quietly into the night, "Way to go, Frayne. Who knew you had it in you?"