The roar from the crowd was deafening, it appeared as if the arena seating was full to the brim, from those of the lowest class, all the way to those at the top. She could feel a nervous bubble of anxiety settle in her stomach, almost as if she were about to throw up.

She stood in the centre, in some sort of armour and in her hand was a big stick or wooden pole of some kind. She looked to her right and could see the man, Hagen she thought, from before. He too held a large wooden pole in his hand and was dressed in armour.

She looked back up to a box of sorts in the centre of the stand. The one-eyed man stood with his spectre in his hand as he looked down on the pair. To his right was the lady with the kind eyes and on his left the young blonde man. Next to him was Loki, an unusually grim expression adorned his features, tension clear in his shoulders.

Her eyes continued to scan the crowd and she could see the man, the one she had called father, sat behind the King, his face giving nothing away as to how he felt.

With a raise of his hand, the crowd fell silent and the one eye'ed man spoke.

"Lady Geni, do you insert your claim to Fryke as the firstborn of Lord Alvis?" he said, looking at her.

"I do," she replied, keeping her voice strong as it carried across the crowd.

"Lord Hagen, do you still wish to challenge for that right?" The man asked, looking at her opponent in the arena.

"I do," Hagen almost shouted back in his eagerness to prove himself in front of the crowd.

"Lord Hagen has officially challenged Lady Geni to the right to wield Frykte," the king continued, his hand drifting over to the edge of his box where Frykte was placed on a stand, visible to all. "Lady Geni has already been told she must not use her gifts, and it is only fighting skill which will be rewarded today. They will fight with Staves to prove their worthiness and the winner will be the last one standing."

The pair gave a nod, placing a fist over their chest and bowing slightly in acknowledgement of his words. They then turned to face each other, each settling into a fighting pose. She could feel her muscles tense in anticipation as to what was about to happen.

"It's not too late dear cousin, save yourself the embarrassment and revoke your claim." Her opponent sneered, quiet enough only she could hear.

"Funny, I was about to say the same to you," she said, a smirk across her lips. She took joy in the way his brows furrowed, too stunned to come up with a response to her rebuttal.

A horn was blown and immediately Hagen was on the attack.

She had been prepared for this, knew his fighting style was hostile and impulsive. She easily blocked hit after hit from his stave as he aggressively came after her. At one point she had to roll out of the way, her body easily repositioning to block another quick attack. She could feel his initially burst of energy starting to wane and she took her opportunity, ducking under his next strike and bringing her weapon around to hit him on the back to send him stumbling forwards.

She did not give him time to think as she swung her Stave low and took his legs out from under him. Hagen landed hard on his back, a loud grunt given out as he dropped his Stave and it rolled away from him.

For a moment, as she stood over him, she thought about ending it there, bringing her weapon down to knock him out cold, but there would be no honour in that. Instead she dropped her guard, and offered a hand to her cousin on the floor. He looked at her with surprise but also gratefulness.

He leaned up to take her hand but then his smile dropped. She had no warning when suddenly he pulled her towards the ground, bringing his knee up as he did so and catching her straight in her nose. Her head ricocheted backwards as she lost her balance and ended up on the floor.

For a moment she was dazed, but only a moment. With momentum from her legs she was able to get herself straight to standing from the ground. The moment was all her opponent needed though to retrieve his weapon.

"Poor form!" She heard cried from the royal box, she thought it may have been Loki but couldn't be sure. From the boos and other jeers from the crowd, he had not been the only person unimpressed by Hagen's trickery.

Her hand came up and wiped some of the blood which poured from her nose before locking eye contact with her opponent again. The man simply smirked as he twirled his Stave in his hand, no shame in his actions. It was if a switch had been flipped, and all her previous inhibitions had disappeared.

With a cry from each of them, both leapt at the air and their Staves met in the middle. He had underestimated her though, and her strength easily overpowered his as she pushed him backwards, taking him by surprise.

She swung her Stave round over her head which he managed to block, but she left herself open and he planted a kick square in her chest, sending her backwards. The pair circled each other for a moment, each swinging their staffs to demonstrate their skill.

"Why do you continue, cousin? You know Frykte belongs to me," he taunted, the sneer clear on his face.

"Frykte doesn't belong to anyone, you have to earn it," she spat at him, remembering her father's words from before. "Something you will never do."

Hagen growled as he launched at her again, using high and low attacks. She managed to keep blocking, eventually leading to an overhead attack from him which she blocked with her weapon held horizontally above her head. With a show of her strength, she managed to push his staff backwards, knocking him off balance and giving herself space. Her leg came up and shot out like a bullet, catching her cousin straight in the chest and sending him flying backwards several feet.

She leaped after him, pulling him up and placing him in a choke hold from behind. His Stave lay metres away, useless.

"Yield," she hissed, ignoring the blood running down her face from her no doubt broken nose. When he did nothing, she squeezed her arms tighter, ignoring the way his fingers scrapped at her arms. "Yield!"

"I yield! I yield!" Hagen shouted as he tapped her arm furiously indicating his defeat.

Suddenly she let go and he unceremoniously fell to the floor.

She turned to see the crowd on their feet, the cheering and applause rattling the very ground she stood on. Her eyes searched for one person though and she found her father stood, clapping with everyone else. His eyes were full of pride and the smile on his face was one of pure joy.

"I object!" Her cousin shouted as he ungracefully clambered to stand. The king held up his hand, silencing the crowd again as the young Lord came forward to voice his protests. "You saw the strength she had, clearly she used her gifts. No woman could possess such strength."

"You pompous, sexist-" She started to move towards him, anger she had never felt before at the accusation of cheating.

"This can be settled very easily," the one eyed man said, silencing her and stopping her progression. "If Lady Geni did cheat, then you will have won the challenge Lord Hagen, and Frykte will answer your call."

Her cousin sent her a smug smirk before holding out his hand. For a moment, she held her breath, doubt filling her. But then Hagen's features changed, his eyes closed with concentration and his face started to go red. A small bit of spittle flew from his mouth as he gave a harsh breath in exertion.

She had to look to the ground to hide the amused smile which played on her lips.

"Lady Geni," She looked up to the King, and realised it was now her turn.

Suddenly all her nerves from before came rushing back to her, scared Frykte would not answer when she called. To the King's left she caught the sight of Loki looking down at her with a proud smile. He nodded his head at her and it was the encouragement she needed.

She took a deep breath before closing her eyes. She held her hand out and called to the weapon. Instantly she felt cool metal bound in leather fall into her grasp. She opened her eyes to see Frykte in her hands, shining in all its glory, with the runes glowing their familiar electric blue.

An enormous roar ascended the crowd. She was faintly aware of Hagen storming off, but her eyes were too focused on admiring the weapon in her hand, now her weapon. She turned to the crowd finally, and held her weapon a loft, somehow increasing the crowd's volume by ten.

There were flashes again, multiple corridors as she made her way somewhere. It looked almost like a changing room of sorts with many different weapons layering the walls.

Suddenly hands gripped her around the waist and she was spun on the spot, flashes of silver and red. When she was put back down again she turned to see the blonde man from before, the one sat next to Loki.

His hair sat just past his chin, which was covered in a blonde stubble. The scarlet red of his cape stood out amongst the gold of the buildings. His lips demonstrated a wide smile as he left one hand on her shoulder.

"Lady Geni, you are a mighty warrior indeed. I had no doubt you would win today," the man's voice was deep, matching the confidence he exuded.

"Thank you Thor," she said, the smile still having not left her lips from when she won. She looked over his shoulder to see Loki joining them, walking up behind the first man, both having clearly come straight from their seats to find her. "I'm sure I could show you a few moves if you asked."

She was answered by a loud laugh, causing her and Loki to share a smile before the blonde man continued, "I may hold you to that. Though I look forward to testing Mjölnir against Frytke." He held a hammer of sorts aloft. "Now, get changed. There is a celebration needed in your honour, which will be more epic than the battle you have just won."

"I look forward to it," she gave a genuine smile. She watched him leave before turning her attention to the other person remaining.

For a moment, the pair just looked at each other before bursting into large smiles. She collided with him as he stepped to meet her, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her up slightly. When he placed her back down he pulled back slightly but left her face in his hands.

"Oh dear, it looks like your pretty face may be lost," Loki teased as his thumbs came up and prodded slightly at her nose causing her to wince.

"I am not so sure. I believe I could pull off a broken nose," she mused before a familiar warmth crossed over her nose. For a split moment there was an intense pain before it settled. She knew her nose was no longer disjointed.

"Now you do not have too," he said quietly and with a much gentler smile. His hands remained where they were and she could feel her breath hitch.

Why am I not surprised she did not go straight to the healers?

"My father is about to walk through those doors," she said quietly after the voice she heard but did not see spoken.

"Then I shall leave you with him, besides I remember you saying Lord Hagen is now fair game," he said, stepping back and dropping his hands.

"Will you have time for such mischief before the revelries?" She asked with her own smirk as he made his way towards the door on the far side.

"Lady Geni, there is always time for mischief," Loki shot back with a wicked smirk causing her to laugh.

As soon as he left, her father walked in the main door. He came to stop in front of her and the pair stood in silence. She knew somehow, the pair had not spoken since her declaration in the throne room, she was too afraid to face him and see his disappointment in her.

She looked to the ground, scared what he might say but she was surprised when she felt his arms wrap around her and pull her into him.

"I am so proud of you, my daughter," he said before pulling back and laying a palm on her cheek. "Your mother would be so proud too."

Tears suddenly sprang forth in her eyes. She leapt forward and wrapped her own arms around him. The two stood wrapped in each other's arms for a few moments more before they finally separated.

"Did you know?" She finally asked, he raised his eyebrows asking for further clarification. "Yesterday when you said about what is written. Did you know it never made mention of sex and I had rightful claim all long?"

Her father's lips simply changed into a knowing smirk and she gave out a half laugh/half cry at his response.

"Why did you never say anything?" She asked.

"Because, if you truly wanted Frykte and were its rightful owner, it would not matter what was written in some text from thousands of years ago. If the norns have commanded it, it will be so."

She gave a large smile and then the scene changed.

The cold seemed to bite even more than usual after the warmth of the golden city. She could see Loki in the distance, throwing Frykte to kill the creature which almost killed him. The flash of red she could now see the blonde man from before, his scarlet cape once again clear amongst the blue backdrop.

She was fighting, then she was running before finally she was falling…

Samantha woke with a gasp and to a very concerned air stewardess look at her.

"Are you alright, Miss Jennings?" The woman asked, concern clear on her face.

Samantha's eyes darted around and her location suddenly came back to her. The rows of chairs in the confined space with the dimmed lights, she remembered she was on a plane. She took a few calming breaths before speaking.

"I'm sorry, I get bad night terrors," she lied, but it seemed to do the trick as most people stopped staring. The people on her row though still gave her suspicion looks. "I won't fall asleep again, not until after we land."

Happy with her statement, the flight attendant gave another kind smile before walking down the aisle to answer a call button.

Samantha quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and made her way to the bathroom, grateful there was no line. She gave her face a splash of water trying to wash off the sweat which had formed. She looked in the mirror to see the colour was slowly returning to her face.

It was getting ridiculous now, having not gone a single night without waking up to the dream of falling these last two weeks. And now her mind continued to play cruel tricks with this sudden obsession with the goddess Geni, making up elaborate stories about her life. Samantha took another few calming breaths before making her way back to her seat.

She had to remind herself to focus on the task at hand which was finding her dad. The weird dreams would have to be put on the back burner for now. She just hoped once her the stress of finding her dad had resolved, her dreams would return to somewhat normality. It was a small hope, but one she clung to nonetheless.

Samantha moved her weight from side to side as she stood in the line at JFK, waiting to get through border control. The noise in her head was pounding and it was only contributing to the headache which came from limited sleep and jet lag.

After the incident on the plane, she had stayed true to her word and had not fallen asleep again but it meant she was going on very few hours sleep in the last 24 hours.

In her hand she clenched her passport tightly as she trudged along with the other hundred or so people from her flight. She looked outside to see the rising sun glinting off the frost in the early November morning. Slowly but surely she made her way to the front of the line and stepped forward when called.

"Documents please," The young man behind the counter held his hand out and she handed over her passport as well as the declaration form she had to fill in on the plane. "And what's the purpose of your visit to the United States?"

"To see the sights and visit a friend," Samantha said trying not to sound as nervous as she felt. She could see the man looking at his computer instead of her and there was a small furrow in his brow which put her on edge.

"Put your fingers on the scanner below," he pointed to the green screen below him and Samantha did as she was told. She kept her eyes on the agent though as she saw him look behind him, giving the smallest nod and then turn back to the computer. "Please remove your hands."

Samantha again did as she was told as she stepped back and reminded herself to keep breathing calmly. The hairs on the back of her neck were stood up and she grew increasingly anxious. No one else in front of her had taken this long.

"Is everything okay?" She finally managed to ask but when she was met with no response, it gave her the answer.

For a brief moment she looked around the room, wondering how best to get out of the situation when she saw a man in a suit and another border force agent walking towards her.

One at booth 3, tall blonde girl

Samantha's eyes flicked up and she saw the big number three above her and her heart sank.

"Ms Jennings, do you mind coming with us?" The man in the suit said once he was stood next to her.

"Can I ask what this is about?" She said, trying to remain somewhat polite.

"Just a few extra questions about your visit to the US, shouldn't delay you too long." The man gave a fake smile to which Samantha nodded her consent.

Before she could take her passport back, it was already confiscated by the man in the suit who then indicated his head backwards as to follow him. Samantha felt the eyes of her fellow passengers on her as they watched her being escorted away. With the other border force agent on her heels, it was clear to all what was happening.

Samantha looked towards the exit and part of her told her to run. Somehow she knew she would be able to outrun them but then what? Suddenly she would be fugitive in a foreign country making the task of finding her dad almost impossible.

As they led her out of the main immigration hall and down a side corridor, she had the thought to tell them the truth. Maybe if she told them her dad was in trouble they could help her….but then her dad had told her to trust no one. He wouldn't say that without good reason so right now she had to have belief in her dad, even if it meant lying to the authorities.

Before long she found herself sat behind a table with the man in the suit opposite her. Her backpack no longer in her possession which only put her on edge further. The walls were bare except a clock on the left and the right wall obviously held a one way mirror in the centre. Samantha had to bite down the chuckle in her throat as she looked up at the camera in the corner and thought she was suddenly in an episode of Law and Order.

"My name is Agent Tim Brown with the US customs and border agency," he said as he tucked his tie neatly under the table and then picking a pen from his pocket to begin taking notes of the interview. "I'll start by saying this is a voluntary interview and you have the right to not answer any questions though please note failure to do so may mean you are not granted entry into the United States and may be deported. Do you understand?"

"I do," Samantha said, her hands clenching and unclenching into fists under the table.

"The reason you have been brought to interview today is to clarify the purpose of your visit to the US and to ensure you are not gaining entry under false pretences," he continued after her affirmation.

Samantha's eyes flicked to the one way mirror.

So stupid, Tim's going to eat this girl alive

She bit down on her lip as the new voice entered her head.

"Ms Jennings?"

She looked up to see the agent giving her a questioning look and she realised she had missed him speaking.

"I'm sorry, what was the question?" Samantha asked, keeping her voice light.

"I asked, what is the reason for your visit to the US?" He repeated, making notes on his paper.

"I've always wanted to come to the US. See the sights you know, and I have a friend here I was planning on visiting," she shrugged, giving the answer she had practiced in her head.

"Any sights in particular?" Tim followed up with.

"The Empire State building, maybe see a show on Broadway. I was also hoping to head over to Washington DC and visit a few of the Smithsonians." Samantha lied, making sure to keep eye contact with the middle aged, greying haired man opposite her.

"And your friend?" He prompted, only pausing from his note taking for a moment.

"He lives in New York, we used to work together in London before he had to move back because his visa ran out," she answered, doing her best not to fidget in her seat.

"His name?"

"Gareth Williams," Samantha hated bringing Gareth into this but maybe offering some element of truth/a real person to verify her story, may be enough to get her out of this.

"Do you have a contact number?"

Samantha paused, trying her best to not look alarmed at the question even though she had no answer to give.

"I was planning on messaging him via social media when I landed, as a surprise," she said but the man paused in his writing as he shot her an unbelieving look.

"Odd you don't have your friend's phone number."

"Why would I have his American phone number?" Samantha asked, unable to keep the snark out of her voice. "International calls are expensive, whereas messaging him on an app is free."

Thinks she's clever, once we're in to her laptop we can disprove her story and wipe that smug look off her face

Samantha's eyes once again flicked to the one way mirror as her hands clenched into fists underneath the table.

"And how long do you plan to stay in the United States?" The agent continued, not responding to her sarcasm. "It concerns me you don't have a return flight already booked."

"Only a week, I didn't book my return flight as I wasn't sure if I'm better to fly out of New York or Virginia as I'm not sure of my plans yet," Samantha answered, crossing her arms over her chest, exasperation now clearly in her tone as her limited patience ran out. "Look is that the reason you pulled me in here?"

"Amongst other things," Tim said, keeping his calm. "Which we will get too."

"Before or after you illegal hack into my electronic devices?"

The man stopped writing, almost dropping his pen at the statement. Samantha closed her eyes in frustration of herself, she wasn't meant to say that.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Agent Brown said, trying to play it off.

She thought about letting it go, continuing with the pretence of the whole interview. But her dad was in trouble and the sooner she got out of this room, the sooner she could start looking for him.

"I'm talking about your colleague on the other side of the mirror," Samantha nodded her head to the wall on the right. "Who is currently trying to illegal access the files on my laptop. And before you say it, I know you have a right to search my belongings and electronic devices. But you should do so in the presence of myself which you have never given me the option of consenting to. Anything you gather on that laptop will just be grounds for me to complain to the US embassy on my return to the UK."

The man opposite her resembled a fish for a few seconds as his mouth gaped open and closed. Realising she was giving them further grounds to deport her, Samantha decided to try a different approach.

"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be antagonistic on purpose. It's been a long 24 hours and I'm really jet lagged," she gave a placating smile but from the look of the agent she knew she wasn't winning. "Look just call Gareth, he flew back to JFK 2 weeks ago, on the 25th. He'll be in your passenger logs. He'll verify I'm just a regular person."

Agent Brown said nothing as he gathered up his pad of paper and left the room.

She gave a sigh as she realised what an idiot she had been and the man was probably already arranging her deportation back to the UK. Her arms stayed crossed over her chest as she settled in to what she imagined would be a very long wait.

Samantha could feel her eye lids growing heavy again and her head fell forward for a moment before shooting back up. She gave herself a little shake to try and wake herself up. She was determined not to fall asleep on surveillance, the last thing she needed was them seeing her wake up screaming.

She looked to the clock on the wall and saw she had been sat by herself for nearly two hours now. She wasn't sure how much longer she could last before she would fall asleep, she just hoped they had been able to track Gareth down. But with how the Agent looked at her after she called them out for trying to hack into her laptop, she imagined even if Gareth vouched for her, they would still send her straight back home out of spite.

Who the hell does this guy think he is?

I can't believe they're pulling rank here

Samantha sat straighter in her chair at the return of the voices which had previously been missing the last 2 hours. The door handle rattled as it finally opened but instead of there being Agent Brown, she was instead met with someone new.

The man was in a back suit, short brown hair, another agent of some kind she guessed. His hair was parted to his left and the hair line receding slightly. He gave her a small smile as he entered, and only once sat down opposite her did he speak.

"Hello, my name is Agent Coulson," He said. His voice was mild and calm but surprisingly it only made Samantha more suspicious. "I hope you don't mind if I ask you a few questions."

"I don't really think I have a choice," she said back, too tired to pretend to be nice.

"No, I guess you don't," he shrugged, giving another small smile. "I'm sure you know why you were pulled for further questioning today."

"I imagine it has something to do with my last minute trip and the fact I only brought my ticket and applied for my ESTA this morning." Samantha said, eyes flicking to the mirror again where she was sure the two agents from before were stood watching.

"You would be correct," Coulson said, bring his hands up to rest on the table, clasped. "But I'm not here to talk about that."

"Then what are you here to talk about?"

"I was wondering if you could tell me about the shooting which took place outside your home yesterday."

The drastic change in conversation topic threw Samantha. She somehow managed to stop her eyes going wide in surprise but there was added tension to her shoulders which she knew the Agent had picked up on.

"Shooting?" She did her best to sound confused.

"Yes, there was a shooting reported outside your apartment complex as well as reports of a young woman being chased in the surrounding area," Coulson said, his voice and face remaining impassive the entire time.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that had happened," Samantha lied hoping he didn't have cctv footage which undoubtedly showed it was her being pursued. "It must have happened after I had left for the airport."

"It must have," he gave her a tight smile and she knew that he didn't believe her for one-second. Surprisingly though he didn't persist, instead his line of questioning changed again, sending her for a loop. "Do you know a Keith Jennings? Born 5th of August 1958."

"Yes, he's my dad," Samantha's nails dug into her palms as an outlet for her frustration all the while keeping her face as impassive as the man opposite her.

"He's also in the US, isn't that correct?" Samantha nodded, not feeling the need to answer out loud. "He missed his flight back to the UK last week. Mind telling me why?"

Samantha felt her tongue turn to lead as no answers came forward. Her mind too sluggish from the lack of sleep and she was struggling to keep up with the twists and turns of the conversation.

"Is it safe to assume your last minute trip has something to do with him?" Coulson asked when she gave no response.

"In a way," Samantha said, trying her best to be noncommittal. Her father's words reminding her not to trust anyone came to her, so despite how much she wanted to tell the Agent about her concerns for her father, she instead decided to continue lying. "The reason for his visit unexpectedly got prolonged. I thought I may come out to see him but he's not my main reason for travelling."

"That's slightly odd, if you don't mind me saying."

The pair looked at each other and then her stomach suddenly twisted as she realised something.

"What agency are you from Agent Coulson? You never did give that information." Samantha said, looking him directly in the eye, no small smiles to give.

"Did I not? How careless of me," He gave the tiniest head tilt, and both knew it had been no mistake. "I work for SHIELD."

"And why is SHIELD asking me questions? Do I need a lawyer?"

"I don't know, do you?"

The two stared at each other, waiting for the other to make their move.

Suddenly a beeping sound filled the room and Coulson pulled out a phone from his pocket. With a quick look, he was already standing and placing the device back in his trouser pocket.

"You're free to go Miss Jennings," he said with a polite small.

Samantha almost did a double take, it was the last thing she expected to hear him.

"I am?" She couldn't help but ask as she hesitantly stood up.

"You are, we were able to contact Mr Williams who verified your story" he said as he swung the door open for her to walk through. On the other side stood Agent Brown from before, with an angry look on his face. "The border agents will give you back your personal belongings on your way out."

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Samatha decided not to push it further and quickly made her way to exit. As she crossed the doorway, Coulson's words paused her progress.

"Enjoy your time in the United States Miss Jennings, I hope you enjoy the sights."

Again he gave her a small smile and Samantha knew he had not believed a single word she had said to him in that interview room.

With a sharp nod, she quickly turned to Agent Brown and followed him through the corridors they had previously come from.

The silence was tense, clearly the Agent wasn't pleased with the outcome but could do nothing about it. Samantha was just relieved to be finally leaving the airport.

With an angry grunt, the Agent left her in the baggage claim to make her own way through the rest of the airport alone. Thankfully Samantha didn't have any checked luggage to collect and could make her way straight to the exit.

Her eyes went wide in surprise as she entered the main terminal to find Gareth stood there, watching the arrivals gate closely.

"Sam!" He gave a shout and wave when he saw her as well as a large smile.

"Gareth, what are you doing here?" She asked when she came to stand in front of him.

"Well, when US border force calls me asking about a crazy English women trying to sneak into the country, I thought I better head over to see what was going on." He said and though she could hear the jest in his tone, she could see the tension in his eyes. "What are you doing here Sam?"

She opened her mouth to reply when she became aware of how many people were stood around her, and just how many cameras were probably watching them right now.

"Not here," she said quietly and gave a tight smile.

"Okay," Gareth gave her a worried look but didn't not push further. "I brought my car, come on."

Samantha gave a nod in thanks before silently following him through the terminal into the car park. Only once sat in his car, was the silence broken.

"So are you gonna to talk to me or you going to pretend you're not freaking out over something?" She looked over at him and realised he could tell from the moment he saw her, what a state she was in. It made Samantha remember how nice it was to have Gareth as a friend. He only gave a moment for her to respond before he continued. "Cause you look like shit."

The pair burst into laughter at his statement, easing the tension between them since the terminal.

"I feel like shit," Samantha admitted, desperate for a good sleep. She looked over to Gareth sat in the driver's seat and could see the seriousness in his face.

"You can trust me Sam."

She was tired and despite her dad's warnings, she needed someone. Anyone, to share the burden with for just a moment. Even if it meant he called her crazy and left her alone at the airport, she just needed someone else to know.

"It's my dad, he's in trouble," Samantha finally said. She expected disbelief, even mocking but instead when she looked at her companion, there was only concern there.

"How?"

"I don't know. All I do know is he sent me some coordinates of where I need to go."

"And the reason you didn't tell any of law enforcement personal you just interacted with that, is because…"

"He said I can't trust anyone," Samantha said with a sad smile, looking out the windshield.

"But you're trusting me," Gareth said, causing Samantha to turn and look at him with a look of vulnerability, waiting for him to laugh at her. Instead, his eyes took on a look of determination as he swivelled in his chair and turned the engine on. "Okay, so where are those coordinates sending us?"

Samantha could feel the tears spring to her eyes with the knowledge Gareth was sticking with her. He was dropping everything and it made her truly grateful to have him as a friend.

"Washington DC."

"Oh that's not too bad, 4 and a half hour drive this time of day, I'll just need to stop at my apartment to grab a few things and then we can head." Gareth said as he pulled out his parking spot and made his way to the exit. "Now get some sleep, you're making me tired just looking at you."

Samantha gave a small laugh before conceding. She shuffled her body to rest against the door frame before letting her eyes drift closed.

Hello

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Until next week

Vex