Chapter Twenty-Three

The following chapter was inspired by a scene from February 1985.

Warren: Honey, when you get to the airport, I want you to get us two tickets to Mexico.

Wendy: Where in Mexico?

Warren: Uhhhhh... anywhere - you pick. I'll meet you at the ticket counter.

Wendy: What airline?

Warren: Air Mayan. Here - use this to pay for the tickets. And put these in a safe place. (Warren produces their fake passports)

Wendy: We can't use our passports!

Warren: No... no, these are phony IDs. Also, get us some seats in front of the cabin, because we're gonna have more room. Boy, I love you, Mrs. Carter! (hugs Wendy)

Wendy: Mrs. Crawford (holds up the fake passport)

Warren: Right. Here, Mrs. Crawford, take these. (hands her their luggage) You go wait downstairs and I will call a cab.

Wendy: Alright.

Warren: (wincing) Wendy, we're going to be a family. (he holds her face in his hands) Nobody is gonna get in our way again. (He hugs Wendy tightly. Slightly crying, he kisses her hair) Do you believe in me? (They lock gazes)

Wendy: (her voice breaks) With all my heart. (they kiss)

Warren: (Smiles as he walks Wendy to the door) See ya at the airport.

*** in this AU universe, Jonah does not exist, so all references to Jonah have been removed from the transcript above***

Characters in this segment: Kristin, Warren, & Wendy

When You're Gone 4

"Warren, where did you get all of this money?" Wendy asked in amazement when he gave her the blue envelope stuffed with one hundred dollar bills.

"Don't ask. Let's just say an old friend owed me a huge favor."

She gave him a skeptical look, but did not comment. Wendy was hurriedly packing bags for herself and the twins. "What all will we need?"

"Just take the necessities. We can buy whatever else we need when we get to Mexico."

"Warren, there's no way I can make it to the airport with all this luggage and both of the babies. Why aren't you coming with me? Why do we have to meet up later?" Wendy asked.

"Honey, please, don't ask so many questions. We are going away together, leaving Henderson to start a new life - a better life, for you, me, and our babies. I promise you; once we get on that plane and start out toward our destination, all of your worries will disappear. We're back together now. I know it will be difficult for you to juggle both of the twins, plus all of the luggage, so I will take our son with me. Just get him in the baby carrier and prepare a small bag with a bottle and whatever else he might need."

"But Warren, where are you going? Where are you taking him? I can't help but worry," Wendy said as she picked up baby William and tenderly placed him in the blue baby seat.

"Wendy, stop," he said, turning her toward him and covering her lips with one finger. "We have to get out of here and we have to do it quickly. No one can find me. Everyone HAS to think that I am dead. If we aren't careful, we'll be separated."

"Ohhh no! I don't want that to happen," Wendy said fearfully as Warren grabbed onto the handle of William's baby seat and picked up the blue diaper bag containing a few essentials for their infant son. "Please be careful. If anything happened to either one of you..."

"Don't say that, sweetheart. We'll all be fine. I'll meet you at the airport," Warren promised.

He gazed into her eyes as though he were staring into the deepest recesses of her soul. "I fought my way out of that prison to come back to you. Nothing is going to stop me now. I swear it to you."

His lips lowered onto hers in a long, passionate kiss. Wendy felt dizzy as Warren grabbed whatever he could carry and left through the door with their son. Tears stung at her eyes. *Ohhh please don't let anything happen to him and our baby boy! Keep them safe!* she was silently begging God.

She gathered everything together, stuffing the fake passports and the envelope containing the money into her purse. Then she carefully lifted little Wyleigh Raine from her crib. "It's okay, precious. We are going on a trip with Daddy. Won't that be fun?" Wendy crooned to her daughter, but even as she spoke to her little girl, her voice was shaking. They had to make it out of Henderson undetected. She wouldn't rest easy until their plane was up in the air.

Xxxooo

Warren had slipped on a fake mustache and beard. He made his way down an alley and arrived at an old run-down cafe. A blond waitress in a faded pink and white uniform came over to his table and asked, "What will it be?"

"I'll just have a cup of coffee," Warren said as he rested his hand on sleeping William inside his baby carrier.

"Cute kid you have there," the waitress commented.

"Thanks," said Warren.

She walked away to get his coffee. Not even a minute later, someone joined Warren at the table. "I can't believe it's you!" she gasped. "What in the WORLD are you doing in Henderson?!"

"Hello, Kris. Thank you for meeting me here. I wasn't sure if you would -."

"Ohhh I shouldn't have. If Brian ever found out -!"

Suddenly the baby boy let out a little cry and Kristin took her eyes off her brother. She looked into the baby carrier and saw her nephew. "Who's kid is this? Ohhh my God! Don't tell me you KIDNAPPED your own son!"

"Will you keep your voice down?" Warren insisted. "I did not kidnap him. Wendy has our daughter and I am meeting her at the airport."

"WHAT?"

"Kristin, I wanted to say good-bye. I don't know when I will see you again, if ever, considering your husband is now working for the FBI."

"Wendy's crazy to go with you... but she's always been crazy in love with you. Warren, how could you do this?"

"Because I love Wendy and our babies... and I would do anything to be with her," Warren stated. "Everyone thinks I am dead and it's gotta stay that way."

"But when they find Wendy missing..." Kristin said with a worried expression. "Brian's not going to stop until he locates his sister and the little twins."

"By then we'll be long gone," Warren said as he reached over and took Kristin's hand. "It really hurt when you didn't come to visit me at the prison. I waited, but you never came. Not even once."

"I wanted to, but..."

"I know. I let you down. I let EVERYBODY down. I'm sorry, Kris. But please know that I do love you. I promise that for the rest of my life, I am going to concentrate on what's most important - Wendy and our babies," Warren said as he looked upon the face of his little son.

"How will I know you're safe?" Kristin asked with tears in her eyes.

"Just trust that Wendy and I are together with our children. And always remember that your big brother loves you."

Warren squeezed Kristin's hand. When the waitress came with his coffee, he grabbed it in his hand and quickly drank it down. He left a five dollar bill on the table.

"I have to go now, Kris."

When he stood up, she hugged him so tight. "I love you, Warren," she said, kissing his cheek. "Be safe. Take good care of Wendy. Tell her that I love her."

He nodded. She got one last look at her sweet baby nephew, then Warren was on his way. She felt a knot unraveling in the pit of her stomach as the tears slid swiftly down her face. *Please, God,* Kristin silently prayed. *Don't let anything happen to my brother, Wendy, or those sweet, little babies. Protect them all and keep them safe.*

Xxxooo

Wendy was standing at the ticket counter with little Wyleigh. She was pacing nervously, waiting for Warren to arrive. She had two tickets in her hand for Puerta Biarda. All she needed now was Warren and their infant son. What was taking so long? Where in the world were they?

At the last minute, Warren showed up, juggling the baby carrier, the blue diaper bag, and some of the luggage. Wendy had to hold back a laugh when she saw his fake mustache. It was slightly crooked, so when he approached, she carefully straightened it above his upper lip. "Where did you go?" she asked.

"I'll tell you on the plane. Did you get the tickets?"

"Yes, Mr. Crawford," she said with a smile. She held up their tickets. "We're on our way to Puerta Biarda."

"Sounds like a great place to put down new roots."

Suddenly their flight was called for boarding. "That's us," she said, still amazed that he had arrived just in the nick of time.

"Did you get the seats with the extra room?"

"Yeah, since we'll be holding two fussy babies on the way. They don't sleep much. I'm warning you."

Warren laughed as they gathered up the babies and their carry-on luggage. "So you keep telling me." Luckily, all of their other luggage had been packed away by the airline.

About twenty minutes later, they were seated on the plane, trying to get comfortable with the twins. William was wide awake, but Wyleigh was dozing in Wendy's arms. As the plane took off, both of the twins started to cry due to the sudden change in pressure. "Ohhh no, here it comes," said Wendy above the wailing.

Warren listened to the blessed sounds of his offspring's cries. It was music to his ears after countless days trapped in prison. He wouldn't even mind Wendy's chattering... Never again. He had missed that, too. In fact, he had missed everything about her. As she cuddled Wyleigh and tried to soothe her, he grinned at his wife, so grateful to be reunited with her.

"Wendy, I love you."

She looked at him and smiled. William lay against his daddy's broad chest as Warren tenderly caressed the infant's silky dark hair. "I love you, too... but you have to tell me everything. Who helped you? How did you escape? Where did you get all that money? Where did you go earlier and why did you...?"

Her questions went on and on. Warren just grinned. Yeah, he didn't mind her incessant questions and constant chattering. It was Wendy; the woman he loved. Warren Carter had finally come home.