Dom drove his car slowly up a narrow, winding country lane as the sun was beginning to set. The last of the warm sun reflecting off the nearby corn fields gave the horizon a warm, golden glow.

He looked across to see Gabby's head resting limply against the window as she slept and smiled. Given how much she had been through as a result of her involvement in the battle with Tangaroa, it wasn't surprising she was exhausted. It was just one of the reasons he had suggested they take this weekend break together.

He looked back to the road to concentrate, and yet he couldn't stop smiling thinking about all she had done for them. She had stepped up to the plate without a second's thought for her own safety when they needed her. She had taken on a fight that she was unlikely to win, and that could have cost her life, and yet she hadn't complained once.

After the battle, as Flit was tending to her injuries, Dom had taken the others aside. They knew they owed her a great deal. In taking on the battle, she had earned a lot of debts from many of the group. RJ and Lily owed her for taking Lily's place and protecting the baby from harm, Dom owed her a debt for risking herself for Jarrod's wellbeing and Casey owed her a debt for taking the challenge and allowing Camille to remain with Holly. Being the only other member of the group eligible to fight, Camille could have taken on the challenge, but that would have meant risking Holly losing both her parents. This weekend break at the spa was not by any means repayment of those debts, but it didn't take much for him to convince them that it was a good start.

He felt terrible about how much she had been hurt, but that had just provided another excuse for him to take her on this break. Sending her home looking like she'd been beaten to within an inch of her life would only have raised awkward questions from her parents. Without explaining about Pai Zhuq, there weren't many good reasons she would end up in that state. Her parents would only have ended up blaming him. At best they would have thought he was being overly enthusiastic with her training, and at worst that he was beating her. Neither was a presumption that would end well.

She had avoided serious injuries, and so they just wanted to give her a couple of days for the worst of the swelling and bruising to subside. Of course getting a chance to spend some time alone with her was a bonus.

They pulled up outside a large, old-fashioned stone building set high on a cliff by the coast. He had read from the brochure that the building had been a reproduction of an ancient German palace, and had been furnished in that style. It was over five stories tall, and built out of a dark gray, weather-beaten stone that harboured small patched of moss here and there. The main entrance door was almost two stories high, and made out of a dark oak. A valet, wearing a deep, red coat came over to the car, pulling a luggage cart. Dom turned to Gabby and gently shook her awake.

Gabby groaned slightly and stirred awake, looking sleepily up at the Rhino Master.

"We're here." He told her, gesturing to the building. Gabby got out of the car with him as Dom popped the trunk, allowing the valet to unload his bags.

"Can I take the name?" He asked him.

"Dominic Hargan." He replied as Gabby came to his side. He noticed the valet casting a little gaze in her direction, and could swear he got a subtle hint of a judgemental sigh from him. He wasn't sure whether it was the age difference between them that he disapproved of, or if it was the fact that she had clearly been badly beaten recently. Thinking about it, it did have to look a little bad seeing a young girl arriving in that state. The valet loaded their bags onto the cart as one of his colleagues came out of the building to take the car keys from Dom and give him a ticket.

"I'll just take you to reception." The valet said, becoming a little more cheerful as Dom slipped him ten dollars tip. Clearly his indignation at the suspicion Dom was beating his much younger girlfriend was more than a little shallow in the face of financial rewards. "Are you here for the weekend?"

"We are, I wanted to show Gabby a good time." He responded, throwing an arm around her waist. Gabby returned the gesture as they made their way into the building.

If they thought the outside of the building was impressive, then they were blown away by the interior. The floor was a brilliant, gleaming white marble, with a wide, crimson carpet running up the centre of the hallway towards a huge, ornately carved staircase which split halfway up into two branches, leading towards the upper floor balconies. They followed the valet over to the reception desk. The receptionist adjusted her glasses as they approached. Dom had to try hard not to laugh. She was a little jittery, and had frizzy brown hair. In a lot of ways he reminded him of Fran back when he first met her.

"Mr and mrs..."

"Just Mr Hargan and guest." Dom corrected him. "We're not married."

The receptionist tapped some keys on her computer, pulling up their reservation details.

"Here you are Mr Hargan, you and your guest are on the fifth floor in conjoined rooms." She told him, handing him the room keys. "Your reservations are fully comprehensive. Dinner, bed, breakfast and access to all amenities are included. Would you like to make a reservation for dinner?"

"Are you hungry?" Dom asked her. Gabby shook her head gently.

"Could we have a table around 8?" He asked her. The receptionist typed the reservation in.

"Your table will be ready." She informed him. "Enjoy your stay."

Meanwhile at Ocean Bluff Hospital, Theo arrived in a side room, finding Fran sitting, waiting on him. Her left leg was encased in plaster up to her knee, and a pair of crutches rested by the bedside table. The doctor finished writing up her prescription as he arrived, chapping the door gently.

"I've prescribed a couple of mild painkillers. You shouldn't need them, but it's just to be on the safe side in case you have trouble sleeping." Dr. Wallace told her, gesturing Theo inside. "You know, I keep seeing you and your friends. Maybe I should arrange some kind of frequent customer discount."

"We really try not to visit so often." Theo chuckled in response, coming into the room and handing Fran a large bouquet of roses. "Not that we object to your company or anything."

"Dr. Wallace tells me it was a clean break." Fran informed him, sniffing the roses and smiling. "I should be out of the cast in about six weeks."

"Four if she's a fast healer." He replied, sweeping his hand through his curly, red hair and popping some gum into his mouth. "If I remember rightly she is."

"I am." She responded as Theo helped her up onto her crutches. "I've gotten a little experience healing."

"I take it you're trying to give up smoking." Theo commented to Dr. Wallace. "How's it going?"

"The nicotine gum helps, but not a lot." He sighed. "I had my 87th last one this morning."

"Anyway, I was hoping to get Fran home in time to prepare a special dinner for tonight." Theo said, trying to move things along. "Have you signed the discharge form?"

"Oh, right, of course I have." He responded, waving to the door. "Enjoy tonight."

"I'm sure I will." Fran replied, smiling broadly as they left. "I hope it'll be a while before I see you again."

Dr. Wallace watched them leave as he slipped the latest addition into Fran's already extensive file, and once again found himself becoming curious about the group. He wasn't lying when he said he had a habit of seeing them quite regularly. It seemed as if a month didn't go by without one or more of them coming into the hospital for treatment. Even the local skate park kids didn't visit that regularly.

"What do they do all day?" He asked himself as he spat out his gum, and pulled out a packet of cigarettes, making his way outside. "Whatever it is, they really ought to stop."

Just as he pulled out a cigarette, his pager went off. He put the packet away and ran to respond to it, cursing his luck. He couldn't believe he couldn't even get five minutes to curb his nicotine cravings.

RJ was just finishing up in the restaurant, and sending the agency staff he had been forced to hire for the day on break to get something to eat before evening service. He had always hated hiring agency staff, since they cost him almost double what a regular staff member would, and were under no false impression that their shift was a one-shot deal, and so were far from dedicated or hard working, but he didn't have a choice due to recent events. Jarrod, Lily and Fran were in no condition to work for him, Theo had to pick up Fran from the hospital, Susan was just starting her new job at the Rock Porium and Dom and Gabby were away at the hotel. His spirits lifted as he saw his father walking into the restaurant. He was pretty badly bruised, but seemed to be in good spirits. RJ came over, hugging him tightly.

"Dad, it's great to see you!" He yelled excitedly as he released him. Lily came into the room and saw him, running over to join them, also hugging him. "How are the others?"

"They're fine." Master Finn replied. "We all got sent home today."

"That's good to know." Lily chipped in, releasing her father-in-law.

"Swoop's getting a little antsy. The doctors told him he shouldn't practice for a while..."

"They may as well have asked him to stop breathing." RJ commented.

"Master Phant's a little stiff, but he's going to be fine." He continued, chuckling at the thought of Master Swoop trying to sit still. "He was so proud when he heard about what Gabby did. He can't wait till she gets back."

"Well she deserves this little break." RJ replied. "I just wish it hadn't cost so much. I really wanted tonight to be special."

"I know you can't help it." Lily told him quietly, wrapping an arm around him and looking into his eyes. "I don't care if we aren't going out. I have you for the rest of my life, and I know Valentines' day's a busy night for the restaurant. You can't close the restaurant."

"I wouldn't be sure of so that." Master Finn answered quietly. "I'll look after the kitchen tonight to let RJ get the night off. My son's not the only gifted chef in the family."

"Are you sure?" RJ asked him. "It is Valentine's Day; I'm expecting it to be pretty busy."

"As long as the agency staff you have on shift tonight pull their weight, I'll be fine." He replied. "You and Lily just have a good time. This is probably the last quiet Valentine's Day you'll have for quite some time."

"Thanks Dad, this really means a lot." RJ replied. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"I'll hold you to that." The laughed as he took a seat. "Fishing season's starting soon, and I doubt I'll get the boat out of the shed myself in this state."

"Consider it done." RJ replied.

Back at the hotel, Dom and Gabby were shown into her room. Dom felt the joy rising in him as he watched her face light up, seeing her room.

They had really pulled out all the stops for her on this one. There was a large seating area, looking out onto huge French windows, leading onto a joint balcony. There was a large, soft red sofa sitting by a huge, faux fireplace, and a large wide-screen TV in the corner. Looking over to the side of the room, there was a massive, ornately carved four-poster bed covered in brilliant white linen.

"Would you like me to take you through the amenities in the room?" The valet asked him as Gabby rushed to the units, looking through all the drawers and cabinets in her excitement.

"It's alright." Dom replied, taking the bags off the cart. "We'll be fine."

"The adjoining door is over there." He told the Rhino Master, pointing to the edge of the room. "Enjoy your stay."

As he left, Gabby came running out to Dom from the bathroom, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him excitedly.

"Look at the size of this place!" She screeched. "Dom, this must have cost a fortune. You didn't have to do this!"

"We wanted to." He replied, picking her up. "I heard there's a hot tub in the bathroom."

"There is." She told him. "This is just amazing."

"Well you deserve it." He told her proudly. "We wanted you to have a great time."

"Dom, you're here, of course I'll have a great time." She replied, looking at her watch thoughtfully. "Dinner's at 8 isn't it?"

"It is." Dom replied, getting a little sly grin on his face. "What's on your mind?"

"That gives us an hour and a half." She responded, pulling off her jersey and pulling a swimming costume from her bag. "Race you to the hot tub!"

Dom smiled as he watched her run into the bathroom. She didn't show it often enough for his liking, but once she was able to let her guard down, she had an incredible spirit of fun and a childish enthusiasm that was completely infectious. He pulled off his shirt and fished a pair of trunks out of his bag, before rushing after her.

"Start up the jets!" He called out as he stumbled through, removing his jeans. "I'll be right there!"

Xander was just showing Susan the procedure for closing down the shop for the night when the bell on the door alerted her to someone arriving.

"I'm sorry; we're just closing for the night." She called out, continuing to concentrate on the books. Xander placed a hand on the top of her head and turned her head to face the door. He had to chuckle as he saw the expression on her face change, her smile splitting into a wide grin.

"I think he's here for you." He commented as Jarrod came into the room, his arm and shoulder still tightly bound. He scooped her up in his one remaining arm, ignoring the pain from the wound in his chest.

"I thought you were in the hospital!" She shrieked.

"Technically I should be, I signed myself out AMA." He responded warmly, kissing her. "I just thought I'd rather be with you tonight than having an evening alone with more hospital food."

"You two go ahead." Xander replied with a grin. "I'll go through this with you in more detail tomorrow Susan."

"Thanks Xander." She replied, turning back to Jarrod. "I really appreciate this."

"Just go before I change my mind!" He called out in his thick accent. "Have a good time."

"So what did you have in mind?" Susan asked him, wrapping an arm around him and leaving with him.

"We're too late to go out; all the decent restaurants are booked solid." He told her in a sigh. "Does a take-away and a bottle of wine sound good?"

"That sounds just perfect." She replied, brushing her hair out of her face. If she had any lingering doubts at all about her decision to give up her job, they all melted away at that very moment. She loved Jarrod more than anyone she had ever met. She had risked her life to save him, and she hadn't had a second thought about doing so. Casey had gone against his instincts when he spoke to her the other day, and had made her face some hard truths. Since handing in her resignation, she finally felt for the first time in years that she was making decisions for herself.

Back at the hotel, Gabby and Dom made their way down to the dining room for their dinner reservations. Dom had thought far enough ahead to have a cocktail dress packed in Gabby's bags. Despite her noticeable injuries, she looked amazing in the backless. Classic red dress, and her heels boosted her height just a little, almost making her as tall as him. Dom had opted instead to borrow a red silk shirt and a pair of dress pants from Casey. He didn't really have much in the way of formal wear, and Casey was the closest to the same size as him.

The head waiter came over to him, carrying a couple of menus. He was a short, older gentleman, somewhere around Master Finn's age. What little hair he did have was white, and he had a small, white moustache. He was wearing a black tuxedo with a brilliant white shirt.

"Can I take your name please?" He asked them in a deep, Scottish accent.

"Hargan." Dom told him, shaking his hand. The head waiter gave his hand a barely-noticed glance to his hand, noting the tip Dom had just slipped him.

"I have just the table for you, right over here." He continued, showing them over to a table by the wide, full-length windows, looking out over the cliffs and out to sea. At the bottom of the cliff-face, there was a small fishing town that dated back too much simpler times, and retained a lot of local character. The last of the boats were coming into the dock as the light began to fade. He helped Gabby into her seat, before handing each of them a menu. He signalled over another waiter. "Stuart here will be your waiter for the evening; if there's anything you'd like then feel free to ask."

He handed them both a menu before leaving them with their waiter. Dom opened the menu, looking through it.

"What would you recommend?" Gabby asked the waiter. He looked down to her and smiled.

"The soup of the day is bouillabaisse; the fish was sourced from the town this morning." He informed her. "It's excellent."

"That sounds excellent." She replied, handing him the menu. "I'll have that, followed by the poached salmon."

"You're probably the only person I know who'd follow fish soup with a fish course." Dom commented, handing the waiter his menu. "I'll have the bouillabaisse too, but I'll follow with the steak, medium rare."

"Would you like something to drink?" He asked. Dom and Gabby looked at each other for a second. Dom tried to gauge her mood before answering.

"Could we have some rose champagne to begin?" Dom asked. "Make it a bottle."

"I'll bring that right over." Stuart replied, taking their menus. "I'll be right back."

"This place is great." She commented as the waiter left. "That hot tub was amazing, I feel a million times better already."

"Well you have a full day of spa treatments to look forward to tomorrow." Dom reminded her. "I hope you enjoy this."

"Dom, I'm with you." She responded softly. "I'd have been good with a cheeseburger and a movie."

"Well just enjoy this while it lasts." Dom told her as their champagne arrived. He picked up a glass and held it to her for a toast. "To us."

"To us." Gabby replied, clinking his glass with hers. He really was everything she wanted and more in a boyfriend. He had gone to incredible lengths to ensure she had an amazing time with him over this weekend. She had never been made to feel special before, but here with him, she felt like the most important person in the world.