Where you go, I go

by EirienGER

Hailey and Jay's vacation takes a nasty turn, when two strangers show up at their Cabin.

Hailey and Jay's vacation takes a nasty turn, when two strangers show up at their Cabin.

Dislaimer: This fanfiction is just for fun. No money made, no Copyright infringement is intended. All characters belong to their respective owners.
Diese Fanfiction-Geschichte wurde lediglich zur Unterhaltung geschrieben und es werden keine materiellen Vorteile durch sie erlangt. Mit ihrer Veröffentlichung im Netz werden keine Verletzungen der Copyrights beabsichtigt.

Where you go, I go

/

Jay followed the baseball game that was broadcast on TV this Sunday only half-heartedly. He was about to turn off the TV and go over to their bedroom, where Hailey was reading a book. While he was still thinking about it, she beat him to it, when she returned to the couch.

"A good game?" she asked as she settled down next to him.

He glanced at her briefly. "Not really. I'm bored." he then admitted.

"It'll get better." she replied encouragingly, and she stroked his forearm. "You've made very good progress at physio and it will only be a few more days, before you can put full weight on your foot again. Hey, you're already allowed to walk without a splint or crutches. What more do you want?".

She tried to cheer him up. Jay nodded, but was not convinced. On one of the last missions, he had fallen during a chase and after struggling back up, he´d jumped off a wall.

He had sensed something was wrong after the fall, but he had ignored it and kept running. After the jump, it had been clear to him that something was broken.

He had initially tried to manage the pain with Ibuprofen, hoping it was just a sprain. But the pain got worse over the next few days. Much worse. Finally, Kim and Hailey had literally forced him to get checked out.

They had made a plan with Will, who had run into them by chance near the hospital. A coincidence so obviously arranged, that Jay had been immediately aware that there was no escape from that point on.

Will, of course, had not let him out of his doctors' clutches and before Jay knew it, they were sitting in an examination room at the Med. The result had been a sprain with a hairline fracture of the ankle. According to Will, he had been lucky not to have torn the tendon. The diagnosis meant two weeks in a cast, then a splint. Slow muscle rebuilding, restoration of mobility. Great.

He sighed softly. He could return to missions shortly, but behind him lay weeks of desk work. And he hated desk work. It was frustrating.

While the rest of the team went out to solve a case, he stayed behind and did the research and paperwork. Of course he also supported the team, he was even good at it - but he wanted to be there. Right in the middle of it. He needed the action, the adrenaline.

While he stared at the TV, lost in thought, Hailey straightened up a little more beside him and she sat down cross-legged.

"Okay, listen." she began and he turned his head to look at her again. "What would you say if we went away for a few days until you can get back to full work? That way we'll save you a few more days of desk work."

A glimmer of hope sprouted in him. Hailey knew him so well. He had tried hard not to let his bad mood show. And he appreciated how much she cared for him. Whenever she had time, she had cooked for them both, and she had really tried to make his time as varied as possible. But she knew, of course, how he felt. He couldn't fool her.

"I wonder if Voight would be so thrilled, if we were both on vacation?" It was a fair question.

She sighed. "Actually, Mister Negative, I've already spoken with him."

She gave him a challenging smile and he laughed.

"Okay, what do you have in mind?" he asked, as he was infected by her enthusiasm. "Do you want to go to the lake for a day or two?"

She shook her head. "No. I want to get out of our comfort zone. "

He frowned. "Okay...?"

She nodded. "Just you and me, out in nature."

He frowned even further. "You know that nature and I don't exactly go well together? Besides, it's going to snow soon..."

"Yeah, Winter is coming!" she exclaimed with amusement in an imitated English accent. "It wasn't nature that was against you, Jay," she then added a bit more sympathetically.

She knew exactly what incidents he was alluding to. He thought back to his old vacation home in Wisconsin and to the knife attack by Ricarda. Both times he had wanted to leave town for a few days. And both times he had come close to disaster.

"Those had been sick and crazy people trying to hurt you, not nature. You can't keep sitting around here like a raw egg. This city kid needs to get some fresh air."

She nudged him on the upper arm.

"Excuse me?" Him, a raw egg? Briefly he felt offended, but he could tell by the slight smile on her lips, that she was just teasing him, trying to draw him out. "What did you just call me?"

He raised his brows and stared at her, waiting.

She giggled. "Don't do that! You know that I can´t stay serious, when you look at me like that!" she exclaimed.

He grinned. With one hand he reached for her, but she braced herself from the cross-legged position, tilted forward and put a hand on his forehead, covering his eyes. He laughed now, grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away.

"You better look at what you´ve married," he said, chuckling.

She laughed boisterously and he wrapped his arms around her torso. He let himself sink back to his side and pulled her against him. She lay on top of him and after their shared laughter had died down, she kissed him.

He enjoyed the weight and warmth of her body on his and so he left her in his embrace. He inhaled the scent of her skin, burying his face in the crook of her neck. For a moment they just lay there like that and he felt completely satisfied.

Then, however, she raised her head. "Are you coming with me, or what? Aren't you curious at all?"

He smiled and looked into her blue eyes. Actually, he was happy with having her here in his arms and when she was there, he would have lasted a few more days at home. But then he truly became curious. Apparently she had planned something.

"Okay, enlighten me."

He released the hug and she sat back up. He did the same.

"I've noticed that you've been watching these shows on TV during the last weeks. About the gold panners and gem seekers?" she began. "So you seem to have some kind of interest in the subject."

"Oh, really?" He felt himself blushing.

Yes, those shows had indeed been his ´guilty pleasure´ during the first days of his sick leave. He was surprised that she had noticed.

She smiled, leaned forward a bit, and put her hand on his cheek when she noticed his embarrassment. He turned his head and kissed her palm briefly.

"Apparently we're still hunters and gatherers after all," he said softly.

She nodded and took her hand away again after gently stroking over his beard.

"You forget, that we women were once hunters and gatherers, too - and that we're particularly fond of shiny and glittery things, even today."

He blinked. "Does that mean...?"

"Yes! I would find it exciting to search for gold or gems, of course!" a broad smile appeared on her face. "I was talking to Platt about it recently and-"

He interrupted her immediately. "Woah. You're talking to Platt about us? Why?"

She gave him a short laugh. "Jay, don't tell me you never talk to any of our colleagues about us."

Touché, he thought. But why was she talking to Platt, of all people?

"Anyway, Trudy told me that she and Randall own a cabin in the mountains. She inherited it from her father. And not far from there, you can actually pan for gold. There's also a mining dump for minerals. We could dig for gems there. It's probably just a tourist trap, but we could check it out. We can use the cabin for a few days."

He smiled as he imagined seeing her standing in front of him in dusty, dirty miner's clothes. He liked the idea and finally nodded. "Yeah okay, I'm in."

She smiled triumphantly. "I knew it! We're leaving the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow we'll pack and get everything we need."

Jay was surprised. "Has Voight actually approved our vacation yet?"

She nodded. "Someone from patrol is assisting the team, and we have five days in the countryside ahead of us. No Internet, no phone, no car noise. Just the two of us."

"Mmm, that doesn't sound so bad," he reached out to her. "How the heck did you manage to get Platt to offer you her cabin?"

Hailey grinned. "She likes me."

"She likes me too, doesn't she?"

"Mmm, yeah... maybe..." she got down on her knees and moved closer, crawling over him on the seat of the couch. "Maybe she just likes me better?"

Before he could answer, she locked his lips with a long kiss. A tingle ran through his entire body and he surrendered. All too gladly, he let her take the lead.

/

"How much further is it?" Jay asked.

Hailey glanced at the navigation device of their rental car, which they had picked up at the airport. A truck similar to the Dodge RAM Jay usually drove.

"A little more than two miles," she answered him.

They had been driving along a snow-covered, bumpy road, surrounded by dense forest, for about thirty minutes. The cabin was indeed very secluded. Hailey was looking forward to being completely undisturbed with Jay for a few days. The farther out, the better.

"Are you sure Trudy didn't pull a joke on us and sent us halfway across the national park just for fun? It's a miracle that the car hasn´t broken down yet, run over an elk or a bear!"

She laughed softly to herself and bit back a teasing reply. As far as she knew, there were no moose here, nor bears. Or, were there? Well, bears maybe... or wolves? Yeah... She probably should had had a little research...

"Just a little more patience." she said, and she leaned forward a bit, as a huge clearing suddenly opened up in front of them.

Wide-eyed, she marveled as she saw a snow-capped mountain peak looming a little further away, behind an idyllic lake. Jay stopped the car, turned off the engine, and looked through the windshield as surprised as she was.

The lake's water was just as smooth as glass at that moment. The trees around the shore still bore leaves and were colored in the most beautiful autumn colors. A hint of snow lay on the treetops and on the ground. Thick sheets of ice had formed at the edge of the water, shimmering in the Sun. It looked like a photo from a travel brochure.

Hailey looked to the right. From the lake, a small path led up through the pebbled beach to the cabin, which also seemed to have come straight out of an advertisement. The building was in top condition, two stories high, and certainly had several bedrooms.

Once more, she turned her head to look at Jay again. He was grinning all over his face and it didn't take a full second for her to be infected by his smile.

"This is... much better than I expected," he said.

Without waiting any longer, she opened the passenger door and jumped out. Her shoes landed on the pebbles and she took a deep breath of the clear, cold air. A thousand different scents hit her nose and she closed her eyes. She loved this place already.

She heard Jay do the same. He´d just parked the car for now - no one would mind here anyway. They were probably the only people for miles around. He got out, circled the car, came up to her and held out a hand.

She took his hand and together they walked the short distance to the shore. A bird of prey emitted a loud call, as if in greeting. Slowly, the sound faded in an echo.

"Wow." was all Jay could muster in comment as they let their gaze sweep over the lake once again.

The water was so clear they could see the rocks at the bottom. They enjoyed the silence for a few more moments, then Hailey broke away from him. She glanced over her shoulder and toward the cabin.

"How rich was Trudy's father again?"

"I know he was a very successful businessman. I don't think he always acted legally, though. Just before he died, he gave his fortune to Trudy. I guess she and Mouch don't have to worry about their pensions," Jay replied.

She sighed. It had been a shock to Sergeant Platt when she had lost her father to a horrible act of violence back then. Although Hailey herself did not have a good relationship with her father, she felt for her.

"Well, shall we go in?", Jay pulled her out of her thoughts.

She nodded, reached into her jeans pocket, and pulled out the key she had received from Trudy. "I can´t wait."

A moment later, they were standing in the large living area of the log cabin. Hailey was still overwhelmed by the sight.

From the first floor, a wide staircase led to the upper floor with high ceilings. An open gallery branched off to the individual rooms. A large, rustic chandelier hung from the top beam as an eye-catcher. At the same time, it gave the whole place a noble touch. The open kitchen was modern, but still blended in beautifully with the rustic style of the house. A large window front faced the lake and the mountain top.

"We could have easily accommodated the entire Unit in here," she said.

"Elsewhere, a building like this is already considered a Hotel.", Jay added.

"Where do we want to sleep?" she looked at him questioningly. They had more than enough choices here. "Do we pick one of the rooms?"

„Mhm. We could heat the downstairs area with wood and could sleep right in front of the fireplace? We can grab a mattress from one of the bedrooms and make camp.", he suggested.

Hailey looked at him in surprise. She liked the idea. "You´re an old romantic." she said affectionately, and she stepped closer to him.

He grasped her waist and pulled her to him. After a heartfelt kiss, they just stayed in front of the big window for a moment, admiring the view. Then they both started to get cold and they began to bring in their bags and the food that they had brought with them.

About an hour later, everything was stowed away and it was starting to get dark outside. Jay lit up the fireplace and Hailey started getting bedding from one of the bedrooms so they could then get comfortable in front of the fire.

She liked the peace and quiet. They had nothing more to do today, no appointments, no new cases, they could just enjoy the evening together. She felt relaxed already.

It filled her with deep contentment and she had the impression that Jay felt the same way. It was good that they had gotten out of the hustle and bustle of the city.

"Should I bring a mattress?" Jay asked after he had checked that the wood in the fireplace had caught fire and that it burned down slowly.

She set the pillows aside. "I'll help you."

"I'll manage," he frowned and looked at her.

"Don´t forget about your foot. No heavy loads right now," she indicated. "You've already done a lot of walking today."

"I'm fine, Hailey."

She ignored the slightly annoyed undertone in his voice and went to one of the rooms. "Come on, I got the bedding from this room over here."

After a moment, he followed her. She stood at the edge of the bed frame, waiting for him to lend a hand. But instead he walked past her and flopped on the bed.

"What are you doing?" she laughed.

"Testing the mattress, what do you think?"

She grinned and dropped down beside him.

"And?" he asked.

"Not too soft, not too hard," was her verdict. "What do you think?"

He leaned over and looked into her eyes. "Perfect."

/

When Jay awoke the next morning, he had the impression he hadn't slept that well in a long time. Hailey was still slumbering, so he carefully flipped the covers aside and rose from the mattress. It was cold, so he put another log on the smoldering embers in the fireplace.

His gaze fell through the large glass front and he realized that everything outside was covered with hoarfrost. So it was going to be a cold day. But the sun was shining and he loved this clear, fresh autumn air.

They had planned to slip into warm clothes after a hearty breakfast and then they would head to the nearby mineral dump. He didn't believe they would actually find any gems, but the sight of Hailey digging in the dirt alone would make it worth his while.

He looked at her for a moment longer, then he walked over to the kitchen and began preparing things for breakfast quietly. He longed for a cup of coffee. However, not wanting to wake Hailey with the sound of the capsule machine, he settled for a glass of water for now, drawing it straight from the tap. He went back to the fireplace, added more wood, and then he sat down on the couch to watch the flames grow larger.

Hailey stirred and he smiled as she looked around with a sleepy look. She finally spotted him on the couch.

"Good morning." he softly said and a warm feeling spread through him. He was looking forward to spending the day with her.

She squinted one eye shut again. "Mmm... Morning."

She stretched, and Jay felt a great desire to crawl back into bed with her at that moment. But then she sat up a little.

"Is there any coffee yet?" she asked.

"I didn't want to wake you," he slid off the couch and started walking toward the kitchen. „Give me a minute."

"Thaaaank you, I love you." she murmured tiredly, as she lowered her head back onto her pillow and disappeared under the covers.

A wave of affection seized him and he couldn't stop smiling as he started preparing the coffee.

/

Hailey felt a little out of place among all the male visitors, but when she looked into Jay's enthusiastic face, she brushed her concerns aside.

There were about ten other visitors on the mining company grounds, several piles of rubble and debris in front of them. They had been able to borrow buckets and tools at the entrance, and now an older employee was explaining to them how to proceed.

"Here you get the unique opportunity to search for very rare minerals yourself. We get new piles of debris from the mine twice a day. That promises unique finds. Everything you discover, you may keep. The entrance fee includes finds up to three pounds. Anything over that will be charged extra. Good luck."

The man winked encouragingly at Hailey and she smiled politely. She knew that all of this had been her idea. But for now, she felt a bit shy. Maybe when she found her first stone, crystal, or something similar...

Jay immediately threw himself onto a larger boulder with fiery enthusiasm. He wore high-laced mountaineering boots, designed to support his leg as much as possible. He also wore knee pads so he could take the weight off his foot and kneel down.

Hailey had also outfitted herself as well as possible and settled down next to him. She began digging in the loose and dusty soil. She was amazed when, after only a few moments, she discovered a small, blue-purple crystal between her fingers.

"Look." she held it out to Jay.

"A Fluorite," he said. "Pretty, but not rare."

She looked him in the eye. "Who are you and what have you done with my husband?"

He laughed softly and took the small stone from her. He placed it in the bucket where they would collect their finds.

"Come help me with this," he urged her. "This looks like a Druse stone. Try to crack it."

"You're starting to scare me..." she muttered, but as he held the slightly larger stone tightly, she pounded on it with the pointed side of the hammer.

The stone cracked in half and Jay flipped it apart. Tiny crystals appeared inside.

"Oh wow! How did you know?" she slowly felt the excitement growing inside her.

"I really had a lot of time to watch TV. I thought you knew that?" he grinned.

"Yes, of course I did. Go on, keep looking," she urged him.

For the next two hours they kept finding pretty, but not particularly spectacular stones. But they both enjoyed the search and decided to take everything they liked and decorate their balcony in Chicago with it.

The next day they wanted to try their hand at gold panning. The experience here had already put them in the right mood.

Hailey opened another Druse and was surprised when suddenly a completely different color and larger crystals appeared. They were almost black. The employee was just nearby and saw her stone.

"That's smoky Quartz," he said. "A nice find."

She was pleased. "Thank you." She thought the stones were really beautiful.

"She's definitely luckier than I am.", Jay wiped his forehead with dusty hands and looked at Hailey's find. Despite the cold, he was sweating with exertion.

"Come back tomorrow and try again," the staff member suggested. "We always get extra material on Thursdays."

A few minutes ago it had begun to snow and Jay looked around. So in the end, their plans for tomorrow were not finalized.

"Yeah, maybe we'll do that," he answered, nodding. "Thanks."

Hailey leaned over to him. "He just wants us to buy another day pass from him, doesn't he?" she whispered in his ear, amused.

"I think we've found enough nice rocks," he agreed with her. "Let's wait and see how high the snow is by tomorrow. Shall we set off? I'm hungry."

"Me too.", she struggled to her feet and began to pat the dust off her clothes as best she could. "When we get back to the house, though, we'll jump in the shower first. We look like we've been rolling in flour."

His gaze immediately betrayed his thoughts. "I know how we could save some precious water," he then said, and she laughed.

/

They left the bucket with their finds in the trunk right away. Hailey planned to clean the stones and let them dry on the shore of the lake in the next few days. But for now, they really had to rid themselves of all the stone dust and dirt.

Jay couldn't wait to get into the hot shower with her. While she unlocked the front door, he hugged her from behind and as soon as they stepped over the threshold, he turned her to face him and he began covering her with kisses.

"Wait..." she laughed as she unzipped her jacket and slipped it off. He did the same and they dropped the jackets on the floor.

Immediately he was back with her. Her skin tasted like stone dust, but he didn't care. He slowly made his way from her lips to the crook of her neck. She giggled and snuggled against him, while at the same time trying to unzip his hoodie. She succeeded and he dropped the jacket to the floor as well. She ran her hands under his T-Shirt.

Encouraged by her reaction, he grabbed her buttocks and lifted her high on his hips. Then he continued walking with her, toward the couch. His foot protested slightly due to the extra weight, but he ignored it and eventually he lowered Hailey on the back of the large couch. There he kissed her again and she clutched his neck to keep herself from toppling backwards.

"Uh-huh." they both wheeled around, startled, as someone cleared his throat loudly.

Instinctively, Jay's hand went to his hip, where his gun usually was. But of course it wasn't there right now, as he was now painfully aware. They were on vacation.

He straightened up and placed himself in front of Hailey. His heart began to race when he spotted two men in the kitchen. To his horror, he saw that they both had hunting rifles leaning in front of them, holding them by the barrel.

Both were wearing scuffed jeans, mountain boots, and jackets that could hold a lot of paraphernalia. They were tall and stout, both even a bit taller than himself.

Perhaps they were other tourists or gold prospectors from the area? Did they know Trudy or Robert Platt and did they also have a key to the house? Were they perhaps allowed to be here? These were just some of the thoughts going through his mind at that moment.

It was Hailey who spoke first. She pushed past him and was now standing beside him.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked in a firm voice.

Both men looked at her and one, he seemed to be the older one, grinned grimly over his gray, unkempt beard as he let his gaze roam over Hailey. Jay didn't like that at all.

"We thought Robert might have made a reappearance here. Saw your car parked out there." the younger of the two said as he looked at her arrogantly.

"You mean Robert Platt?" asked Jay. "No, we're acquaintances of his daughter. She lets us use the house for a few days."

"I see..." the younger man nodded thoughtfully and ran his hand over his already graying beard. "Trudy, that's her name, isn't it? Is Robert coming back here anytime soon?"

Jay glanced briefly at Hailey. So the two of them didn't know that Robert had passed away in the meantime.

"What's this all about?" she asked in return.

"Well...", the elder raised his rifle a bit and took a few steps forward.

Halfway between them and the kitchen area, he stopped again. Jay watched his every move and the younger man's carefully. The man set the rifle back down on the pommel in front of him.

"Robert owes us a bunch of money," he finally said, and then he looked Hailey in the eye with a slight grin. "Convinced us to invest in his company after we found a lot of gold. But we never saw any money after our investment."

"We don't know anything about that," she said coolly. "We'll give you his daughter's contact information. Then you can talk to her. Now please leave this house."

"Wait a minute." the younger man now stepped forward as well. "I think we're misunderstanding each other. If I count correctly, this house and everything around it is now mine."

"What makes you think that?" Jay asked tensely.

"Simple. Platt owes me a lot of money and this place would make a nice down payment."

The older man laughed softly and the two gave each other satisfied looks. Apparently this stroke of genius had just occurred to the younger one.

"Okay, then, we will pack up our stuff and get out of here. No problem.", Hailey said in a cutting voice.

She was as tense as he was, Jay realized. Neither of them believed this situation would resolve itself for the better.

"Mhm, I don't know..." the older man took another step toward them.

Jay noticed Hailey tense up next to him and that was the moment when he couldn't hold back anymore. He stepped in front of them and walked toward the two.

The younger one picked up the rifle and Jay stopped. He held his hands in front of him to show them he was harmless.

"Listen, this is crazy. Don't make a mistake. You can settle this thing with the Platts. Be reasonable," he said. "We're leaving."

The younger one was still aiming the rifle at him, while the older one calmly took another step towards him and stopped right in front of him.

"We decide if you're leaving," then he turned to Hailey. "Sweetheart, give me Roberts phone number and then we'll see."

"Robert Platt is dead.", Hailey answered now in a firm voice. "He was shot a few years ago."

This news now visibly surprised both men.

"And who inherited his fortune? Trudy, perhaps?" the younger man asked, still holding Jay at gunpoint.

Jay wondered if he could manage to grab the barrel of the gun, wrestle it from the guy, and then lunge at the older man. Maybe they would succeed in knocking them both down. He knew Hailey wouldn't be afraid to stand up to these guys as well.

But if he took that step, the situation would take a turn that could not be reversed. He assessed the two men as extremely violent. But he had to do something, that much was clear.

"What was left of it, yes," Hailey answered the question.

"I'm sure there was more than enough left to pay our share," the older man now reached out to grab Hailey.

Jay sprung in action and stepped between the two, causing the elder to take a step back.

"Nobody touches her, you hear me?" he threatened him with a steady stare.

He didn't see the punch coming. He merely heard Hailey suck in a startled breath. The younger man must had spun the gun behind his back and lashed out. In the next instant, the wooden handle of the weapon struck him in the back of the head.

The force of the blow propelled him forward and he landed on his hands and knees. Before he was even aware of the pain, the Older followed up by ramming the pommel into his forehead.

Jay's head was thrown back and he toppled to the side, as his body momentarily lost all tension. His vision went black. The next moment he was already on the ground and a thunderous pain spread through his head. He suddenly felt sick and had to summon all his strength to keep his eyes open.

"Stop!", it was Hailey's clear, firm voice that finally brought him back to reality and he now realized that she was kneeling next to him.

He felt her hand on his shoulder and then gently on his throbbing, aching forehead. Her fingers were red as she took them away.

"This ends now, right now!" she exclaimed. "We're giving you Trudy's contact information and that's it! We have nothing to do with this. My husband and I are leaving. He needs a doctor."

"Honey, you two aren't going anywhere," Jay heard the older man's voice. "Not until we get this thing cleared up."

Jay forced himself to straighten up a bit, tucking his elbow under his torso. Everything was spinning, but he now saw the two standing in front of them. Both weapons were now pointing directly at them.

"Come on..." he began dazedly.

"We're all Cops," Hailey interrupted him. "And you don't want to mess with Trudy Platt, believe me."

"I know she's a big shot with the Chicago PD, Kid," the younger man now said. "But I tell you something. You're not in Chicago anymore. Different rules apply here. My rules."

/

Hailey bent over Jay, who was still lying dazed on the floor. He moaned softly as his gaze kept wandering. He was visibly struggling to stay awake. She was worried about him. The guys had struck with such brutal force, that it was a miracle that he hadn't passed out immediately.

After their attack on Jay, the two had apparently decided that they needed to discuss their future plans. The older man had grabbed her roughly by the arm and had told her to empty her pockets. He had instructed her to unlock her cell phone so he could find Trudy's number.

The younger man had patted Jay down briefly and had pulled the car keys and his cell phone out of his jeans. He had tossed both items carelessly onto the table in the living room. Then he had grabbed Jay's foot and had dragged him behind him like a sack of potatoes, completely effortlessly, as if he weighed nothing.

Horrified, she had watched as he had dragged him in front of the entrance to the small guest bathroom. The older man had shoved Hailey over to Jay. Then, when he had reached into one of his pockets, she had suddenly gone stone cold. He had pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

"Cuff her to him," he had urged the younger man.

At first she hadn't understood what they were up to, but after a moment the younger man had cuffed her hand to Jay's hand.

"We dont want you to run away." the older man had said with a grin, baring his bad teeth.

They had finally locked them in the guest bathroom, which was next to the living area. The window in this room was so small that they had no way to escape. For the moment, they were at the mercy of these men.

She had managed to reach the sink and now she was pressing a wet towel on the laceration at Jay's hairline. It had stopped bleeding by now. Carefully, she wiped the dust that still covered them both from the rest of his face. Finally, she rolled up the towel and slid it under his neck. With the limited freedom of movement, it was not that easy. He moaned softly.

"Shhht, it's okay," over and over she had to urge him to stay awake. "They're out there conferring."

He seemed to slowly come around. "Where... are we?" he asked quietly.

"In the guest bathroom."

He lifted his arm, only now seeming to realize the situation they were in. Blinking, he looked at his wrist as if his vision had yet to clear.

"What the hell..." he whispered, and he tried to slip off the handcuff with his other hand.

"Tried that already. No chance." she informed him.

"We've got to do something," Jay replied. "Trudy said she keeps a gun and a radio in the house for emergencies."

"The gun is locked in the pantry next to the kitchen. I haven't seen the radio yet. We can't get to it now either," Hailey said. "Listen, we should just play along until they contact Trudy. She's going to send a whole army here. They'll get us out. You know her."

Jay blinked again, then looked at her urgently. "They're going to hurt you," he said.

"I know how to fight back," she returned with conviction. "Don't worry about me. Just back off."

"Hailey...," he struggled to try to sit up, and she supported him as best she could.

Finally, he leaned against the vanity cabinet and his free hand went to the back of his head where the first blow had hit him. They sat on the floor and he continued to look at her. She knew exactly what he wanted to say, but did not say it.

She stroked his hair. "How's your head?"

He just growled and stroked her hand as she took it back down.

"I'm really worried, Hailey. That older guy, he was looking at you like that," he said then.

She sighed. Yes, the man might actually try to hurt her. So the option of waiting it out wasn't really an option. And Jay, for his part, wasn't going to let anything happen to her. In turn, that meant he was putting himself in the men's line of fire. They would not hesitate to hurt him further.

"What about the window?" he asked.

"Too small. We can't fit through it," she replied.

"Listen to me, if they open the cuffs and you have the chance, I want you to get out of here."

She shook her head. No, that was out of the question, she wouldn't do that.

"Hey." he looked her firmly in the eye. "I can keep those two at bay, and you get help. You grab the car keys and go to the mine where we were today. There's a phone there."

"If there is a chance, we'll both get out of here!" she returned with conviction.

"We'll try to do that, of course. But if not, then you have to promise me that you'll run. Okay?"

Again she shook her head.

"Hailey, come on. They're going to play us against each other."

They were both distracted, when sudden noises were heard from outside the house. Someone had just started an engine.

"Our car!" Hailey whispered.

"I wonder if they're leaving to talk to Trudy on the phone?" Jay asked.

"Then why don't they take their own, damn car?"

"When we got back, I didn't see anything," he said.

"Okay... So they came here some other way. Maybe by boat?" Hailey pondered. "Do you think we're alone in the house?"

They listened. At the moment, nothing could be heard from outside.

"Okay, let's try to open the door and find out."

/

In one of the drawers they had found an old and rusty nail file. Too wide to open the handcuffs, but it would probably work for the door lock.

Jay's head was still pounding with every heartbeat. It had been far more exhausting than he had expected to stay crouched in front of the lock the whole time.

Hailey stood beside him, listening to hear if anything was happening outside. It had taken a few minutes, but he had finally managed to pick the lock.

Jay slowly and quietly opened the door while making sure that Hailey was able to walk behind him and stay behind him. He was sweating from the tension and he hoped they were right in their guess that the men had both left the house.

They took each other by the hand, as this was more comfortable than enduring the tug of the handcuffs as they moved together. Crouching slightly, they stepped outside into the living area.

They had proceeded as quietly as possible the entire time. Now they saw that the older of the two men was still here. He was in the kitchen, making himself a sandwich. The gun was leaning next to him at the countertop.

They quickly moved back out of his sight. Jay saw that his cell phone was still on the living room table. But there was no way to reach it unnoticed. Neither were their jackets, which they had stripped off and dropped on the floor on their way into the house. He told himself he wouldn't have had reception to call for help anyway. And once they were outside, they would have to run. Hopefully, that would keep them warm.

Heart pounding, he signaled Hailey to approach the front door together. They crept over and he turned the door knob. It made a clicking sound, but luckily the guy in the kitchen was busy digging through her groceries. He didn't notice any of it.

In the next moment they had slipped outside and the cold evening air hit them. It had continued to snow and now there were several inches of fresh snow on the ground. So they had to be careful when they left tracks.

They kept close to the wall, circling the house and walked to the back so that if you looked through the large window in the living area, you wouldn't notice them.

"Where to now?" Hailey asked nervously. She was already starting to shiver from the cold.

"We head west," he then said. "That's where the mineral dump is."

"They'll be closing soon. It's already getting dark." she replied anxiously.

"We don't have any other choice. There's nothing else around here for miles," he said. He, too, felt the cold creeping into his limbs. "Or we wait until the younger one is back. Then we'll short-circuit the car, if necessary."

"He might not be back until tomorrow?" she mused.

Then they both spotted the small boat the men must have come here in. They looked at each other.

It had an outboard motor and if they could get it running, they could cut a good distance across the lake. They might get to the mine in time before closing after all.

Without another word, they started moving. Taking each other by the hand again, they ran sideways from the house toward the shore. The engine would make a hell of a racket, but they didn't have many other options.

"You duck to the bottom as soon as we get in that boat," he said as they approached. "This guy's going to shoot."

He didn't know why, but he was pretty sure of it.

"And what about you?" she returned in a low voice.

"I'm going to make myself as small as possible, too. I´ll take us out on the lake for a bit first. Then I'll steer over to that shore over there and we'll walk the last bit through the woods."

/

Hailey shivered with cold and with tension. All of a sudden, the area no longer seemed quite so breathtakingly beautiful, but rather threatening. Crossing the increasingly dark forest would be dangerous.

Together they set about detaching the motorized boat from the brushy thicket to push it back into the water. Jay held the edge while she turned and climbed in. Then he followed her.

As he had told her, she knelt on the ground, ready to duck in case the guy actually shot at them. She reached out to give Jay enough slack to pull on the rope that would start the engine.

He tried, but it was not easy for him with his left hand. Jay was right-handed, but he couldn't use that hand right now because of the handcuffs.

Hailey's heart was beating wildly in her chest when a loud erupted from the engine briefly. It rattled, then the engine died again. Jay tried again and gave a jerky tug to the rope. Fortunately, the engine started now. Just in time, because the older man was already rushing out of the house, his rifle already raised.

Jay ducked forward and immediately headed for the center of the lake. He wanted to put as much distance as possible between them and the shore.

With luck, they would get out of range for the rifle in time. But she didn't know if they would make it fast enough. The man could still hit them accurately with the rifle at about 300 meters.

After a few seconds, a shot actually shattered the silence and they both heard the bullet enter the wall of the boat just beside the engine. Jay steered to the right. Then Hailey heard a second shot and it found its target. The bullet penetrated the side of the thin boat wall.

With a choked sound, Jay winced and only moments later she saw the fabric of his shirt turn red above his waist. A shock went through her and she tried to stand up, but he reached out and held her down.

"No!" he groaned, and he pressed his lips together.

Careful not to tip the boat, he also lowered himself a bit more. He contorted his face in pain.

Now she could see the entry wound and exit wound quite clearly. The bullet had entered the soft tissue in the lumbar area. She prayed that no organs were injured.

"Steer over to the shore!" she exclaimed, as she feverishly considered what she could do.

"Not until we're far enough over," his voice quivered, and briefly he raised his head to see how far they had come.

A third shot rang out and hit the water somewhere beside them.

"This guy is crazy!" she yelled in fear.

She felt the adrenaline pumping in her. She wanted to help Jay, but in their situation, all they could do was continue out until they were out of range.

The wound was bleeding profusely and after Jays T-Shirt was soaked around the entry point, the blood dripped onto the ground and seeped further into the waistband of his jeans.

"We need to get ashore. We have to take care of you," she said again after a few seconds.

He just looked at her without answering. He was pale, possibly in shock.

"Jay! We're far enough from the house now!"

Again he glanced briefly over the side of the boat and nodded. Then he steered to the side again, and a moment later the bottom of the boat dragged over the ice and pebbles until they touched down on the shore.

Jay let go of the steering handle and slumped further forward. He pushed some air out of his lungs and remained motionless for a moment.

Hailey could feel him shaking and it brought tears to her eyes. Then he struggled for air again. She tried to support him and he leaned heavily against her.

"Hey, hey! We've got to get out of this boat!" she said, agitated. "Stay awake."

Again he nodded and together they made it ashore. He leaned on her as they took a few steps across the snow to the tree line.

Behind the first log, they settled down and Jay leaned against it. She knelt beside him. He was even paler now than before and he was sweating. She put her fingers to his neck. His heart was racing.

She glanced past the tree. In the distance she could see the house and this madman, who shot once more in their direction. But they were fortunately far enough away by now.

"We have to keep moving," she heard Jay say breathlessly.

She ignored his instruction and instead, she pulled up his blood-soaked Shirt. A small wound, still bleeding profusely, was revealed.

"A through-and-through. I need to take care of that and then we'll move on," she said.

"With what? The guy's going to..."

"Without a car or a boat, he won't catch up with us for now," she interrupted him firmly.

She was sorry for being so rough with him. But it was clear that she had to take care of him, otherwise he could bleed to death. She couldn't give in now and she couldn't give in to her feelings. She had to stay strong and make sure they both made it to that damn phone.

"I can keep going," Jay pushed her hand away.

She stopped and looked him in the eye. "Listen to me. I'm going to tend to your wound as best I can. Then we're going to walk to that mine. I'll support you."

For a moment he stared back, his eyelids heavy with shock and exhaustion, then he finally nodded in agreement. Hailey was relieved that he was cooperating.

Now she just had to find a way to stop the bleeding...

/

Jay took a deep breath in. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but at the moment he couldn't imagine how to go on.

Twice he had almost lost consciousness when Hailey had pressed strips of cloth directly onto the wound that she had torn from her Sweatshirt.

She had cleaned the wound with some snow and had used his belt to tie the fabric as tightly as possible and hold it in place. They hoped to get the blood flow under control that way.

When he looked around, it looked like a battlefield around them. The snow was soaked with his blood.

At first, the injury hadn't really hurt; it had been more of a dull ache. But slowly the adrenaline ebbed away and now things looked completely different.

It was not his first injury of this kind, but the last time an ambulance had been called within a few minutes and he had recieved something for the pain.

This time, he was completely exhausted after Hailey was finished bandaging him. He was shivering from pain and from cold. Still, he was sweating like he had just run a marathon.

"Are you okay?" she asked with a worried look. "Shall we try to go on?"

It was incredible, how strong Hailey was right now. Determined, she continued without giving herself even a short break.

He knew what was coming now. He had to stand up.

"Okay. I'll prop myself up against the tree and you help me over here," he suggested.

She nodded and positioned herself at his side, where the bandage sat. She squatted down and he put the cuffed arm on her shoulder, which inevitably pulled her arm up with it. Then she straightened her legs and he leaned against the tree trunk while trying to grab a foot and push himself up.

The movement tore at the wound and he groaned, but then he made it to his feet. Swaying, he leaned on Hailey, who held him upright despite his height and heavier weight by pressing against his chest with her free hand.

"Slow down..." she pressed out strained. "Stop for a moment."

Dizziness gripped him, but then the feeling subsided.

"Okay. Let´s go." he said, and they finally started moving carefully.

/

As they walked, Hailey glanced back at the house again. She realized with horror that the second man was back with the car.

They would set off to look for them. But she remained silent. She couldn't take away the last of Jay's strength now.

He managed the first few hundred yards surprisingly well, but then she felt him leaning on her more and more and that he needed her support. By now she was afraid that they wouldn't make it to the mine in time after all. He suddenly stumbled and she stopped.

"Pause for a minute?" she asked, out of breath.

Her arm ached from the position she was forced to because of the handcuffs. But Jay had to lean on her, there was no other way. He just nodded. He was so quiet. Much too quiet.

They leaned against a tree and he took his arm from her shoulder. She used the moment to loosen her tense muscles.

By now it was almost completely dark and between all the dense trees, it was getting harder and harder to see his face properly.

"How do you feel?" she asked and she ran her free hand over his forehead.

He was wet with sweat and frighteningly cold at the same time.

"I'm okay," he coughed and she supported him again.

"Are you sure?" she asked, concerned.

He nodded. "Can you still go on?" he then asked. "I'm sorry. I... it must be so exhausting for you."

"Stop worrying about me," she replied, but it stung that even now he was thinking about how she felt. "I'm fine."

She started to move and pulled his hand back up. He put it back on her shoulder.

A slope lay ahead of them and she turned a little sideways to help Jay. Slowly they took each step together, but all at once she slipped.

The earth beneath their feet gave way and the leaves lying on the ground suddenly moved. She fell, dragging him with her.

Jay immediately toppled forward with her as her support broke away. They both hit the ground and they inevitably slid down the leaf-covered slope.

Hailey felt them being tossed, tumbling over tree roots and rocks. Something painfully hit her temple, she felt a twinge in her thigh. Then finally, she eventually came to a stop and, breathing heavily, she raised her aching head.

She pushed herself up and groaned as her body protested. She felt dizzy and her head throbbed. But she ignored it and reached over to Jay, who lay motionless at her side.

Was he unconscious? Nervously, she let her hand slide over his face. He stirred and she breathed a sigh of relief.

His face was contorted in pain and she herself felt something warm spreading along her thigh.

She ran her hand over her jeans and then she felt something that had penetrated her muscle. A piece of wood was clearly protruding from her leg. Now the pain really set in. It was a squeezing, sharp twinge.

"Oh God." she groaned, and she gritted her teeth.

"Are you... okay?" Jay asked weakly.

"Yes." she lied, and she tried to keep her voice under control. She didn´t want to worry him. "It's all right. We're just taking a breath for a moment."

Panic and a new wave of dizziness suddenly gripped her. What if they couldn't go on? What if she couldn't support him anymore?

She closed her eyes and tears made their way up.

"Are you okay?" She felt him squeeze her hand. Apparently she must have drifted off for a moment. "Hailey!"

She blinked and forced herself to take a deep breath. At least that didn't hurt, which was a good sign.

"Yeah." she finally returned. "Listen. It's not far now. The road should be just up ahead. Can you get up again?"

His hand slid to her shoulder again. "O-okay...," he tried to push himself up, but couldn't manage it.

When he put his foot down, he winced. "Ahh, damn. I think my leg got banged up again."

She realized she was asking too much of him. Slowly, her courage left her.

"What about your hip? How bad is the pain?"

He shrugged slightly. What was that supposed to mean? Concerned, she lifted his Shirt and she realized that the wound had continued to bleed in the meantime.

"Damn it." she groaned softly, fear taking even more possession of her. She realized he could go no further. "We'll...we'll rest for a moment.", she said with a trembling voice.

Jay did not react and remained lying with his eyes closed. She took in another breath. She decided to allow herself a few seconds of rest as well. She needed to sort out her thoughts, think about what to do next.

She didn't even feel herself drifting away.

/

He had no idea how much time had passed before he opened his eyes again. He was shaking all over and he felt Hailey's equally shaking body right next to him.

It was dark around them and he startled. How had it suddenly gotten so dark? He blinked, but only recognized the trees above him, through which the night sky could be seen here and there.

"Hailey?" he groaned hopefully. His voice was quieter and weaker than he had expected. "Hailey!" he tried again, this time a little louder.

There was no answer, and he turned laboriously to the side, so he could reach over with his free hand. He gritted his teeth as the pain in his side exploded again.

"Ahhhh.", with effort he reached over and he touched her face.

She was as cold as ice. Jay knew she had hurt herself in the fall. But what exactly was wrong with her?

Just as he was about to rise further, he heard footsteps. He froze. The snow crunched and suddenly something wet touched his face before a bright light blinded him.

He squinted his eyes and realized it was a dog that was now licking across his face once again. He raised his hand to shield himself from the light. The dog let go of him and he heard a voice.

"Well... Who do we have here?"

The men. Despair spread through him. He pushed the air out of his lungs.

"Shit Evan, you almost killed those two," the younger man said. "What were you thinking shooting at that boat?"

"They took off! The little bastard didn't deserve it any other way. Besides, we won't get the money if those two are gone, will we?"

The dog barked and the light was finally taken from Jay's face.

"Good job, Bruno. Good dog." the guy said.

"Well, what good did your escape attempt do you now?" Evan asked Jay smugly.

He remained silent and used the moment to check on Hailey. Horrified, he now realized that she had a bleeding head wound and a branch protruding from her thigh. She, too, had lost blood.

"Help her!" he groaned, and he squinted his eyes as the light blinded him again.

Then he felt the guy tugging at the waistband of his shirt. He grabbed his arm to keep him from uncovering the wound.

"Help her!" he repeated in a quivering voice.

"Take it easy. I just want to take a look. Let´s see if we can patch you up again, or if we're going to let you die right here."

Jay clenched his teeth tensely. He kept his shaking, bloodied hand on the man's arm as he looked at the bandage Hailey had applied.

He was about to slide the belt off the wound, but the pain was indescribable.

"No!" groaned Jay, breathing heavily.

"Shit, he's bleeding like a pig," Evan commented. "Better not touch him."

The other man finally let go of him and leaned down a little further toward him.

"Listen. We made a deal with Trudy. She wants to see some sign of life from you two Lovebirds. Then she'll wire me the money her father owes us." he paused for a moment, as if he had to decide what to do next.

"You'll never see any of that money," Jay pressed out.

The man looked at him thoughtfully. "Then maybe I'll have to show Trudy what we're capable of?"

Jay swallowed. He had no doubt that these men were capable of anything.

"I'm a vet, I'll make sure you guys stay alive," the guy finally said. "Cooperate. Believe me, it will be very unpleasant for you if you don't cooperate. You two will make certain that Trudy will give us the money."

Jay took a breath before answering him. "Help her first."

"I'd venture to say you need it more urgently."

"Are you going to bring those two to your house?" asked Evan at that moment.

Briefly, the younger man seemed to consider. "Why not?"

"Shit, Gordon. No. That Trudy's going to find out where you live! She's a Cop!"

Some hope sprouted in Jay. Had these idiots told Platt who they were?

"True..." apparently Gordon was thinking now. Then he seemed to have an idea. "Help me put the woman in the back of the truck. We're driving to Pete's old cabin, the one with the pit, you know where that is, don't you?"

"Yes. Yes... Good idea! And then we'll have some fun with her!" exclaimed Evan as he rummaged in his pocket.

Jay stared at the older man in shock as he approached and tampered with the handcuffs. Fear crept up inside him. Not for himself, but for Hailey.

He mustered all his strength and buried his hand in Evan's jacket. He tugged him toward him.

"You don't touch her!" he threatened him. "I'll kill you if-"

"Yeah, right," Gordon laughed, interrupting him. Without much effort, he came to his friend's aid and ripped Jay's hand from his jacket. "I´d like to see that, big guy."

He let go of his hand. Jay slumped back to the floor, and suddenly, Gordon was pressing on Jay's wound with a merciless grip in the next instant. He heard himself cry out as the pain exploded.

It took only seconds before he sank into a deep unconsciousness.

/

A cold wind and incessant shaking brought Hailey back to consciousness. With teeth chattering from the cold, it took her a few seconds to realize what was happening around her.

The handcuffs were gone. Jay and she were in the bed of their rented truck, moving at moderate speed through the woods. So, the men had found them.

Jay was unconscious. She pushed herself up and shook his shoulder, but he did not move. Anxiously, she felt for his pulse. She felt something, but the movement of the car made it hard to tell how he was doing at the moment.

Her head was pounding and the shaking due to the rough road didn't make it any better. She ran her palm over her leg, which was still throbbing painfully. The branch was still there, but someone had wrapped gauze bandages around it, probably to stop the bleeding.

She wondered what to do now. Could she manage to jump off the truck and get help on her own, despite her injuries? With difficulty she sat up and she tried to estimate how fast the truck was going. Too fast...

She looked back over at Jay. It stung her chest just to think about having to leave him behind. She didn't want to be separated from him.

Suddenly the speed slowed and she realized the driver was about to stop. In the moonlight, she saw an old cabin ahead of them. The car stopped and the doors opened immediately.

It was too late. She made a decision. If she wanted to escape, she had to do something now. She heard the hatch of the truck bed being opened and she kept quiet. Then she threw herself at the first of the two men and she pulled him to the ground with her. She began to beat him. If she could get a hold of anything on him that she could use as a weapon, then...

A shock ran through her as she was suddenly grabbed and yanked backwards. The second man lifted her effortlessly and flung her to the side, where she landed on her arm and groaned in pain. Nevertheless, she pushed herself back up and she turned to face the two with her fists raised. She couldn't put any weight on her leg, but she still remained standing.

"You want to fight, little lady?" one of them shouted. "Go ahead!"

They tried to circle her and Hailey suddenly knew she had no chance against them. As the younger one walked toward the truck and toward Jay, she turned her attention to him.

"Shall we let him also play?" he shouted, grabbing Jay by the leg and pulling him a little way across the bed of the truck, toward him. "Evan, you hold her and we'll deal with him first. Well, how does that sound?"

Immediately, she put her hands up. She was angry and she was frustrated because she could do nothing. As Jay had said, the two of them were playing them against each other.

"Okay." she said, "You win."

The other man immediately grabbed her and pushed her back to the ground. She propped herself up on one elbow and looked up. She saw only a movement out of the corner of her eye. Something hard hit her in the head a moment later and she passed out again.

/

As if through a fog, Jay perceived that he was being moved. He was being carried, then lowered ungently. Then he had the sensation of slipping and falling.

He did not know what was happening to him. Only indistinctly did snatches of conversation sound through to him again and again.

Briefly his eyes opened and he saw blurred figures above him.

"Welcome to the Honeymoon Suite."

Then everything went dark again.

/

While the older guy didn't take his eyes off her, Hailey watched anxiously as the younger man treated Jay.

As far as she could tell, he knew something about medicine, but he wasn't exactly gentle in his approach. She winced every time he handled Jay more roughly than necessary.

By the time she had woken up, her wound had been taken care of. They had cut off her jeans above the wound, stitched and bandaged it.

The man was finishing stitching Jay up as well. She was sitting on the floor, her injured leg stretched out from her. The guys had taken them to an underground pit, from which the only way out was a ladder.

"What is next?" she asked after a while of silence. "Are you waiting for Trudy to send you the money? How long is that going to take?"

"It'll take as long as it takes," the younger man replied as he put the final stitches in place.

"What if he gets an infection? He needs a real doctor."

"I'm a veterinarian. Isn't that enough for you, Sweetie? He's about to get antibiotics."

"Antibiotics for animals?" she asked.

"You've had a shot too, Princess. Otherwise you wouldn't feel so well in about six hours at the latest. What's good for my animals is good for you."

Everything in her tensed. Who knew what this guy had pumped into her? She watched with an uneasy feeling as the guy gave Jay another shot to finish off.

She was glad that Jay wasn't awake and didn't notice any of this. It would have been pure horror for him to be at the guy's mercy like that.

Then the man put his things aside and turned to her.

"You guys get some rest now. And if you´re good, we'll give you something to eat and drink later."

She watched as the two gathered their things and climbed the ladder. They removed the ladder, as soon as they were up. The older one, Evan, was still looking at her lecherously as he closed the flap.

Hailey listened for the sounds from above. Footsteps, muffled murmurs. She looked around. There was no escape from this damn pit.

Jay moaned softly and Hailey moved closer. She touched his face and was startled to find that he was far too warm. He was developing a fever. She had no idea how quickly the antibiotics the guy had injected him with would take hold. And whether they were even suitable for humans.

She took a deep breath. This was a nightmare. She wondered if Trudy already knew about all this. And if so, had she already taken steps to find them?

Again Jay stirred uneasily, but did not come to. She slid a little closer and lay down beside him. Carefully, she rested his head on her arm and she turned to look at him.

Her head and her thigh throbbed. The stitches burned, but she focused on the way Jay's chest rose and fell, watching him breathe.

Time was passing. Hailey had no sense of how long they had been in here.

She had noticed with concern, however, that Jay's breathing was getting shallower and faster, and how restless he was. The fever had gone up.

Carefully, she pulled her arm out from under his head and she sat up.

"Hey!" she called out loudly and she looked up.

Nothing... nothing was stirring upstairs. Were these Bastards currently sleeping while they fought for survival down here?

"Hey!" she increased the volume. "I need help! Open the damn flap!"

It took a moment, but then she heard footsteps frome above her and someone opened the lock.

/

When Jay next came to, he still felt slain. He could barely open his eyes.

He was lying on his back, the wound was burning like fire and his head was still throbbing. He was sweating. Everything was burning. He was hot, incredibly hot.

"Jay?"

He heard Hailey's voice and turned his head. It was quite dark, but he realized she was moving closer to him and then he felt her cool hand on his cheek.

Suddenly it became brighter and he lifted his head a little to see the wound where the bullet had exited his body. It took all his strength to keep his head up.

Now he realized that he was naked, except for his jeans. His shirt, shoes and socks were gone. Black threads stood out against the reddened skin that surrounded the wound. He felt nauseous from the exertion and put his head back down.

"What's with that noise you're making, Girl?" someone suddenly called out.

It took Jay a moment to realize where the voice was coming from. The voice was coming from above. There was someone above them. He squinted against the light shining down.

Only now did he realize that they were in a hole. It was about two meters deep and about twice as wide in diameter. It was lined with wooden beams.

It might have served as a pantry in the past. A wooden door had now been folded up, like a flap. Jay could still see part of a ladder, but it had been pulled up, so there was no way out of this trap at the moment.

Gordon stood over them, looking down at Hailey and him. Then Jay remembered the brief exchange between Evan and Gordon. Pete's old cabin. The one with the pit. They were here now. In that damn pit.

"He's got a high fever!" Hailey exclaimed beside him now, and he turned his head to look at her again. "We need medicine. And water."

He had a fever? Was that the reason why it was so hot?

"He seems fine to me." Gordon countered. "And besides, what's the magic word when you want something?"

Jay could literally feel Hailey's reluctance to say the next words.

"Please... Please give him some water at least."

"Good Girl.", Gordon disappeared from their sight and footsteps could be heard on the wooden floorboards from upstairs.

Jay tried to lift his head again.

"Lie still.", Hailey said now and she turned back to him. "They treated you, but you still got a fever."

He felt dizzy and put his head back down.

"How are you?" he asked, trying to get a better look at her. "Did they hurt you?"

"It's all good. I had an injury to my leg, but it's been taken care of. Don't worry about me," she replied reassuringly.

But none of this was reassuring. Where were they, anyway?

When something heavy landed next to his head, he winced, as did Hailey. Startled, he turned his head to the side and he groaned as the pain in his side flared up again. He moved more carefully to be able to see what the object was.

Gordon had tossed a plastic bottle of water down to them.

"Here. If you guys keep quiet for the rest of the night, then maybe I'll give you a painkiller next time."

"He needs something now!" Hailey exclaimed.

Without a reply, the door over the pit slammed shut and he heard the flap lock. It went dark around them again. Only at the outlines of the door some light still shone in.

Briefly he closed his eyes and took a breath. His thoughts circled around Hailey. She had to get out of here before they would hurt her.

/

"Here, have a sip," Hailey had slid her hand back under Jay's head and held the open bottle to his lips.

She wished she could have done more for him. He took two small sips, then he had to cough and she took the bottle away.

"You drink," he said then.

"You need it more than I do."

He shook his head slightly. She did not give in and held the opening out to him once again. Again he took a few small sips.

"Okay, now I'm satisfied," she said. She lowered his head back to the floor.

"You need to get out of here," he said. "Can you get up?"

"We're in a sealed pit and the hatch is out of reach. I don't see a way out right now," she replied. "Let's focus on getting you better."

"No." again he shook his head and he looked at her with glazed, feverish eyes. He breathed in short, frantic bursts. "We need to think. We need a plan."

"Jay, calm down," she was getting anxious. "Take a breath. We'll think of something, but right now you need to rest and recover. Close your eyes."

She wet her hand with some water and then placed it on his forehead. Again and again he shook his head restlessly and he tried to stay awake. But she knew he was completely exhausted.

"Shhht," she whispered softly. "it's all good. You can sleep. It's okay..."

/

Again and again, Jay drifted off into a restless sleep.

Tangled and horrible dreams kept startling him awake. His heart raced, but when he woke up, he felt Hailey next to him and that calmed him.

He remembered the water Gordon had thrown down to them. He was terribly thirsty. He wondered if there was any of it left. He wanted to ask Hailey about it, but he couldn't manage to wake up properly.

Once again he drifted off into another nightmare.

He saw Hailey, she was running away from something. Someone was after her. She ran and ran, but she couldn't get away. Then he noticed that he was running too. He was next to her. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't lift his legs off the ground properly. The one chasing them was getting closer and closer, but they could not escape. Something was holding him back, taking away his strength. He couldn´t breathe...

With a scream he came to. Unconsciously he sat up, only to sink back down again. The wound in his side immediately sent out stabbing pains. He blinked against the daze and moaned softly.

Suddenly he realized that Hailey was not there. Panic seized him. He looked up. Gordon was just pulling up the ladder.

"Not a minute too soon," Gordon smiled as he looked down at him. "The antibiotics seem to be working now, I gave you something for the pain. This stuff could knock you out any second."

Jay swallowed dryly. "Where...where's my wife?" he asked.

Anger seized him and he tried to push himself up, but when he tried to bend a leg, something stopped him. His eyes fell on his bare feet.

He discovered a chain that had been looped around his feet and that was locked with a thick padlock.

"Oh yeah, that!" exclaimed Gordon and he pointed to his feet. "Just a little insurance so you don't try to climb up here. I'm going to have to leave you alone for a little while until I get this Trudy business straightened out."

"Where's my wife? Hailey!?" he was now yelling desperately and as loud as he could. "Hailey?"

What if Evan was alone with her right now?

"Take it easy. She's riding in the car with us. So behave yourself. You can thank me for not leaving Evan here alone with your little wifey. I'll keep him under control. But you´d better not give me a reason to give him free rein."

The flap slammed shut again and Jay continued to stare upward in despair.

He wanted to do something, try to help Hailey. But he was so incredibly tired and exhausted.

His body was so heavy all at once that he felt like it was pulling him into the ground.

The painkiller... What on earth had Gordon given him?

/

"Hey Sweetie? Fancy a few cuddles? You have such nice legs..."

Evan pressed himself against Hailey's torso and let his hands slide down her stomach to her thighs. His hand ran over the bare skin where they had cut off the jeans.

"Take your hands off me!" she hissed, and she tried to push him off her.

She was alone in the car with him, her hands cuffed in front of her body. It was light outside by now. She estimated that it was already after noon. So they had been held by these madmen for almost a whole day.

When they had taken her out of the pit, she had tried to resist. But Gordon had pulled Jay up from the ground and had put his arm around his neck. He would have strangled him if she had not given in.

Full of worry, she had realized that Jay, in his fever delirium, had not even come to when Gordon had attacked him. She was so afraid that he was going to die in that hole.

Hailey hated those men. They were brutal and ruthless. As long as Jay and her were together, they would threaten them into doing something to the other.

But right now she was alone with them. As scary and dangerous as this was, she would try to use it to her advantage. She would think of something.

She pushed Evan away from her once again, when the driver's door opened. Gordon got in and sat next to her so that she was now sitting in the middle of the two of them. Hailey didn't know whether to be relieved or worried.

"Evan, keep your hands off of her," he said, annoyed.

"You don't tell me what to do, Gordon," he replied, breathing heavily.

Hailey struggled to remain calm. She stared out the windshield, hoping the situation between them wouldn't escalate.

"Be reasonable, man!" Gordon exclaimed. "We'll send Trudy the photo of the two of them. And the damn video with her! I want Trudy to see that we didn't touch her. After that, you can do whatever you want."

Hailey swallowed and fear crept up inside her. So that's what they were up to...

Evan put his big, rough hand on her chin and turned her head toward him. She closed her eyes in disgust and everything inside her tensed. She held her breath.

"Did you hear that, Sweetheart? I'm really looking forward to being alone with you."

He let go and Gordon started the engine. A shudder of disgust went over Hailey's body and she knew now that she had only this one option to stop the men.

They were probably driving to the house of one of them so that they could send the evidence that Trudy had demanded. Out here in the woods, none of them had any Internet reception.

So the men had already made contact with Trudy. That was good. She hoped that the team in Chicago was already there to uncover the identities of Evan and Gordon.

Gordon steered the car along a bumpy forest road, but after a few minutes, he reached a larger road.

Hailey's heart pounded wildly in her chest. She realized that this was her chance. She waited until Gordon had accelerated a little. Then, in one swift movement, she put her hands up, grabbed the steering wheel and jerked it toward her.

Gordon cried out in shock and anger, and Evan tried to yank her away, but it was too late.

The car steered to the right in a jerky motion and hurtled down a slope.

Hailey saw only trees ahead of her, then there was a loud bang and a huge thrust threw her forward, as the car collided with one of the trees.

/

Thirst...

When Jay woke up again, his body was demanding water with every fiber.

He groped around and after a moment his fingers actually found the bottle from which Hailey had given him to drink earlier. He opened it and put the bottle to his lips. Greedily, he took several large gulps before setting it down and catching his breath. Then his head sank back to the floor.

"Hailey?", hopeful that she might be back, he looked around in the semi-darkness.

But he was still alone. New fear crept up inside him. His entire body ached again now. He wondered if he still had a fever. The painkillers Gordon had given him must had worn off long ago.

How long had he been asleep? Cautiously, he sat up and looked around. Maybe he could get up and could try to reach the flap?

When he suddenly felt sick, he turned to the side. In the next moment, he vomited up the water he had so desperately longed for just a moment ago.

He coughed and doubled over again. After a few seconds, the retching subsided, but he was already drained of his powers again. Tears came to his eyes as a wave of desperation spread through him.

He had to get out of here. He had to find Hailey and help her. He wasn't going to lie here in his own filth waiting for these men to kill them both.

/

Pain...

Hailey's head seemed to explode as she opened her eyes. It took her a moment to get her bearings and until the memory of what had happened came back.

The car, the accident... slowly it all came back and she startled.

A sharp pain in her side made her stop short and she took a breath. Probably a bruised rib.

She looked around the inside of the truck. The car had crashed head-on into a tree and she was lying on top of Evan, but he was unconscious. Next to her, Gordon hung lifeless in his seatbelt. She had to find a way to get past them without waking them.

Outside, it was already dawning again. Night was falling. So she had no time to lose. She had to get to the mine.

She pushed away from Evan and climbed onto the seat. The pain in her thigh literally exploded and she quickly took the pressure off, shifting her weight. She felt nauseous and dizziness gripped her. She quickly took a deep breath to keep from passing out again.

Then she carefully bent over Evan and she reached out to pull the door handle. She managed to reach it with difficulty, but the door did not open!

She cursed inwardly. Maybe the accident had disrupted the electrical system and the doors were still locked?

She turned and looked over at Gordon. Where was the key? The car had no ignition lock, but was started by a button.

She had to find the key to unlock the doors!

Carefully she felt Gordon's jacket and then his jeans pockets, but she found nothing. Her heart was pounding and she felt dizzy again.

Desperately, she took a breath. She needed to calm down. For a few seconds she waited, then she looked around again.

A branch had broken through the windshield, leaving a hole about the size of a fist right in front of Evan's seat.

She braced herself and held out her hands. The handcuffs didn't give her much room to maneuver, but she managed to push her fingers through the shattered glass and then to get a grip on the windshield.

With all her strength, she pulled on it. Her ribs sent out a hot, stabbing pain, but she knew she couldn't give in. She braced her healthy leg against the front console and pulled again.

The glass pressed painfully into her fingers, but then, with a crack, it gave way. A large section of the windshield came loose and splintered further.

Hailey toppled backward. She landed on top of Evan again, but to her relief, he didn't move.

Then she set about climbing back up and escaping from the newly created opening in the car.

/

Small sips. Slowly...

He heard Will's voice in his head as he forced himself to keep taking only small sips of water from the bottle. It seemed like he was going to keep the water in this time. So next he would try to get back on his feet.

Under the metal of the chain he could feel that his ankle had swollen again. But no matter how much it hurt, he had to get up and try to get out of here.

Because of the chain, he couldn't bend his knees one after the other. So he decided to slide over to the wall and then push himself up. He also had to be careful not to tear the stitches of the bullet wound.

He took another small sip of water, capped the bottle, and inwardly braced himself against the pain that would now inevitably follow.

He gritted his teeth and pushed his body up a little with his palms. Then he slid back a little. It hurt like hell.

"Oh God!" he groaned, and he paused for a moment.

His vision went black again and he took a breath. He waited for his circulation to stabilize again. All of this was taking time. Time that Hailey probably didn't have.

He repeated the procedure two more times. Then finally, he had reached the wall of the pit and he leaned his back against it while he waited, completely out of breath, for the worst of the pain to subside.

/

As fast as she could, Hailey kept running. She was limping, her head was hurting almost unbearably by now. But she had to keep going.

Somewhere ahead of her she saw a glimmer of light. It was already dawn, and she kept telling herself that this must be the mining company's compound in front of her.

This thought kept her going. She was completely out of breath and her injured leg hurt, but she did not stop. Again and again she stumbled over branches or roots in the dark, but all that mattered was that she could get help as quickly as possible.

In front of her now lay another hill. On all fours, she fought her way up with all her strength. Finally, when she had made it up, the road appeared in front of her again. Tears of relief welled up and she stopped for a moment.

And then she heard it - behind her, not far away, was someone. Only now did she realize that she was being followed.

"God, no." she whispered.

It had to be one of the men. Panic seized her. She had to move faster.

Immediately she ran on, now directly on the street. Now she could also see the illuminated area of the mineral dump in front of her. Yes! She had actually found it! It was not far now.

She forced herself to run again as fast as she could. She recognized from a distance, how several persons were moving away from the iron fence that surrounded the site. Apparently they were just finishing their shift and were heading for their cars.

"Help!" she shouted as soon as she was close enough. "Please, I need help."

The individuals turned to her and she limped toward them. There were three men, one of them the employee who had helped them find gems the day before, she realized with relief.

"My goodness. Lady, are you all right?" he asked, horrified, as soon as she had reached them.

It took Hailey a moment before she could speak. She had to catch her breath first. She was exhausted all at once. The older staff member stepped forward and supported her a bit. Then finally, she said:

"My husband and I were attacked in our cabin and then kidnapped. I'm being followed. They are right behind me! I need to get to your phone and call for help."

"You need an ambulance, Miss. You're hurt," said another of the three.

They all stared at her, startled. Only now did she look down at herself.

She was completely filthy, the wound on her thigh was bleeding again and had soaked the bandage. She had no shoes on, one of her jeans legs was cut off, the other side torn. Her hands were still tied in front of her body and they were smeared with blood because she had cut herself on the glass of the frontshield.

"No. I'm... I'm fine. My husband... he's been shot and he's still there. Please, we need to call the Police. It's a cabin about two, three miles from here with a pit in the ground and a hatch. He's still there!" the words now bubbled straight out of her. "The men's names are Evan and Gordon. That's all I know."

"Lady, slow down!" one of the men said.

Hailey's mind was spinning. Everything spun suddenly and she swayed.

"Can't you see how confused the poor girl is?" the older staff member now said. "Come on, we need to alert the Sheriff right away.

The man supported her and together they walked back to the gate to call for help. Hailey allowed herself to be pulled along.

Shortly after, they were inside a building. All of a sudden, she couldn't think straight. In her mind's eye she saw Jay, bleeding and alone in the pit. The fever. She had to go back... She stopped.

"Jay! I have to get back to him!" she heard herself say.

The older employee stopped with her, but instructed his two colleagues to go ahead and call the Sheriff.

"Listen, you can't go back out there now. You're safe here. We'll call the Sheriff." he talked at her and he put a hand on her upper arm. "What's your name?"

"Hailey, my name is Hailey.", she pulled away from him slightly and swayed again. "I, I can't leave him alone."

"You're very confused right now." he repeated his previous words. "You´ve hit your head. And you said there was someone out there, chasing you."

Hailey blinked. Yes...there was someone. The sounds. She nodded. The man pulled her slightly to the side, to some chairs. Stunned, she took a seat.

"Yes. The men." she said now. "An older one and a younger one. They were suddenly in our house. No, Trudy's house... Trudy Platt's. And we took...we took their boat and then..." her voice trailed off.

"Listen." the man said. "As soon as the Sheriff is on his way, I'm going out with my men to look for this cabin. You wait here and explain to them what happened."

"No." she got up from the chair again and shook her head. "We need to find Jay quickly. I've been trying to remember the way."

New dizziness gripped her and she suddenly fell.

"No..." she whispered, but she didn't even feel the impact on the floor anymore.

/

"Damn."

That was the only word that kept running through Jay's mind as he stood in place, staring at the pit's flap, which was far higher above than he had assumed.

The pit was not two meters deep, but more like two and a half. And putting weight on his foot was hell. Not to mention the bullet wound. He felt the exhaustion in all his limbs. He knew that he had no chance of reaching the flap in his condition.

"Damn." he repeated again.

What should he do now?

The answer came faster than he would have liked. Suddenly, sounds were heard from above. Someone was coming into the cabin, heavy footsteps rumbled across the floor.

He looked up as the flap was unlocked and opened.

"Aha, I knew that chain was a good idea," Gordon said as he pointed the gun at him. "I knew you were tough."

Jay cringed when he saw the condition Gordon was in. He was completely filthy and blood wetted the left part of his face. His eyes were red and puffy. Had he been crying?

"What happened?" he asked in shock. "Where's Hailey? Is she all right?"

"That little bitch drove the car into a tree and killed Evan!", Gordon now spat out angrily.

Jay looked at him with wide eyes. "What? Is she all right? Where is she?"

"Oh, you would like to know that, wouldn't you? Asshole!"

When Gordon suddenly fired the gun, a bullet hit right next to him. He winced and toppled backwards.

He landed hard on the ground and groaned, as his injuries sent new pains throughout his body. Shocked, he looked back up.

"She killed my best friend and that's exactly what I'm going to do to you now, you Bastard!", Gordon tossed the gun aside.

He disappeared briefly, then he reappeared with a canister in his hands and began pouring a liquid into the pit.

Jay reacted immediately and moved to the back.

"What are you doing?" he asked, horrified.

"Fuck the damn money!" exclaimed Gordon excitedly. "I'm getting out of here, across the border and they can scrape your body out of what's left of this fucking shack. You can thank your little Bitch for that!"

The pungent smell of gasoline now rose to Jay's nose and he had to cough. The stench took his breath away.

"Gordon, stop it!" he shouted, and was interrupted again by a coughing fit before he could speak further. "Don't become a murderer. You'll be on the run for the rest of your life!"

Gordon, however, was beside himself with rage and grief. He no longer seemed sane.

As he lit a match, Jay suddenly went ice cold inside. His entire body froze, his breathing stopped. Gordon stood over him, staring at him with murder in his eyes.

"Don't do this. Please!", Jay tried again as soon as he could speak again.

"For Evan," was all Gordon said - and then he dropped the match.

As if in slow motion, the burning piece of wood fell down. The front part of the pit immediately burst into flames.

The shock that went through Jay's body was so massive, that that he couldn't move. But then, after about a second, his rigidity loosened and he moved as far back as he could. He pressed himself against the wooden beams that lined the pit.

Gordon slammed the hatch shut after making sure the fire would not die. The heat beat down on him, nearly scorching him, even though he was now crowded into the far corner of the pit.

He struggled for breath. The fire seemed to draw all oxygen from the small space. Again he coughed and at the same time he gasped desperately for air.

Panic and the pungent smoke brought tears to his eyes. He was going to die. Here and now. All at once, he longed for Hailey, for Will, for all his friends and colleagues.

The worst part was that he didn't even know how Hailey was doing. Had she survived the accident? Had she made it to safety? Or was she lying injured out there in the cold, in the woods?

Tears were streaming down his cheeks now and he stared into the flames that were slowly coming closer and closer.

He felt the stress and lack of oxygen getting to him. Full of fear, he realized that he would not be awake much longer.

He hoped he wouldn't feel the flames, so he didn't fight the threat of fainting.

"I love you." he whispered as he looked up now, his thoughts full of pain, wandering back to Hailey, his wife, whom he would never see again.

Just before everything around him went dark, he thought he saw a bright glow of light above him.

But he did not know if this was perhaps already the end.

/

"Keep your hands up!" Trudy barked at the man who had just run out of the shabby, old cabin.

The Policemen accompanying her rushed forward and subdued the man. It was Gordon Walker.

They handcuffed him and Trudy gave him a withering look. He was a vile, despicable man.

She quickly ran forward to enter the cabin. Her only goal was to get Jay out of there.

They had been searching for the two of them for hours. After Trudy had received the first call with demands, she had immediately put all available Officers on the case.

She herself had gotten in her car and had driven off. She had taken the next flight out. Hank and her colleagues had kept her informed of any new information.

They had quickly found out the identities of the kidnappers, but they had not known where they had taken the two.

The miners' call to the Sheriff had brought them here.

Hailey was on her way to the hospital.

She had provided enough information beforehand for them to finally move forward. One of the deputies knew which cabin it was and they had driven there immediately.

With her gun raised, Trudy entered the wooden building. Immediately, the smell of smoke and gasoline stung her nostrils. Horrified, she looked down at the floor. It took her only a second to spot the hatch to the pit.

"Fire!" she yelled through the doorway to alert the other Officers.

Then she rushed to the hatch and pushed aside the latch that held it closed. As she grabbed the wood and pulled it up, she felt the heat hitting her from below.

Smoke and flames billowed out and she took a step back as the flap tilted backwards, exposing the entire Inferno.

Through all the smoke she couldn't see Jay and a sudden fear gripped her that she might be too late.

A man bumped into her as he pushed his way to the edge of the pit and began to smother the flames with a small fire extinguisher. Two other Police Officers did the same.

Stunned, Trudy took a step back to let the men fight the flames.

Tears welled up in her eyes. What kind of hell had she sent them to? She had only meant well... and now?

Jay was probably dead. Hailey lay injured in the hospital. How could this have happened?

She realized that the flames were slowly dying out. The smoke was clearing and she thought she could see something in a corner farther back. A moment later, she was sure. It was Jay.

"Oh, God!" she cupped her hands over her mouth and stared into the corner where he lay curled up, motionless.

Tears were running down her cheeks now. He was covered in the soot that had settled down in the pit. She could see no burns. Still, under all the dirt, she recognized the blood on his nearly naked body. She saw the chain that was wrapped around his feet.

These two men were animals! How could they have done this to him? As if in a trance, she took a step closer. Was he still alive?

One of the men took the ladder that was lying on the ground next to the entrance to the pit and set it up, so that someone could get down.

Paralyzed, Trudy watched in shock as the first man reached Jay and pressed his fingers to his neck. It took an infinite number of seconds for the man to look up and find her gaze... her heart pounded wildly.

Then finally the man nodded and gave a thumbs up. A sign that Jay was still alive.

A sound of relief escaped from Trudy's throat and life returned to her. She started moving and ran for the ladder.

By now, three men were down by Jay and they were trying to turn him as carefully as possible so he could be brought up. Trudy clutched the top of the ladder and knelt down.

"Carefully, please. Very carefully." she begged the men as she waited with trepidation for him to finally receive medical attention.

/

When Hailey woke up in the hospital, she immediately recognized Trudy standing next to her bed, looking at her with a gentle smile.

A wave of gratitude flowed through her as she realized that the Sergeant had come all this way to be with her.

Then, however, the gratitude turned to fear. Was she here because something had happened to Jay?

"Is he alive?" was the first thing she asked.

Trudy nodded and Hailey discovered tears in her eyes.

"What?" her heartbeat accelerated and she raised her head.

The Sergeant put a hand on her arm and spoke soothingly to her.

"It's all right, Hailey," she said, "Lie still. We've got Jay."

Relieved, she breathed in and out to calm herself. Tears came to her eyes, too, as she continued to look at Trudy gratefully.

"What happened?" she then asked.

"You made it to the mine and alerted help," Trudy replied. "Hailey, your information came at just the right time. We had already been looking for you. You did a very good job."

"And you found the cabin? What about Jay's fever? How is he doing now?"

"You're both safe. Now get some more rest."

Hailey swallowed. She realized Trudy was trying to protect her from something, to go easy on her. But that's exactly what caused her pulse to rise again.

"Tell me what's going on!" she urged her. "Please."

Trudy pulled a chair over to the bed and sat down. Tensely, Hailey waited. She had to know what had happened to her husband.

"The accident you caused took the life of Evan Hodgens," the Sergeant began. "Gordon Walker, however, survived with some injuries. He followed you. But when you made it to the mine, he backed off and he drove the crashed car back to the cabin."

Anxiously, Hailey looked at her. What had this madman done to Jay?

"He wanted revenge for Evan getting killed. So he set the cabin on fire."

"What?!", Hailey sat up. A moment later, she doubled over as she felt stabbing pains in her side. Still, she turned to Trudy. "Did Jay get out? Trudy, tell me!"

The older woman leaned forward and put her hands on Hailey's upper arms.

"The fire hadn't reached him yet. He suffered severe smoke inhalation, but the doctors say, he'll live. He's going to be okay, Hailey."

Stunned, she stared at Trudy. Gordon had been insane...
How had he been able to do such a thing?

What had Jay been through? He must had been beside himself with fear. Tears ran down her cheeks all at once.

"I'm so sorry... I sent you there," Trudy said now. "I didn't mean to."

Hailey swallowed. Trudy was blaming herself for all of this?

"It wasn't your fault," she pressed out, moved.

"But, my dad..."

"You're not responsible for what your father did, Trudy," she said with emotion. "We never blamed you."

The Sergeant bowed her head and nodded. "Thank you."

"Now..." said Hailey. "Will you call a doctor, please? I really need to see Jay."

/

"I'll never talk you into leaving town again."

Jay realized someone was talking to him quietly.

"If I hadn't had that stupid idea... We should have just visited the lake."

He recognized Hailey's voice and snapped his eyes open.

Everything was blurry and he saw only white and green colors at first, but then someone loomed over him and his eyes focused.

He recognized blonde hair and the brightest smile he had ever seen.

"Hailey.", it was just a whisper and he swallowed because his throat hurt.

She disappeared over him and he turned his head to follow her. Then he realized she was sitting next to the bed in a wheelchair and that she was talking to him.

Her lips moved, but he perceived only a murmur in his ears at the moment. She stroked his hair.

He wanted to ask her what had happened, how she was, why they were here. But he was still so terribly tired. So he just smiled and tried to stay awake to keep looking at her.

Shortly after, he was asleep again.

/

Hailey kept her hand on his soft hair and stroked his head with her thumb. She was so relieved that he had been awake and that he had recognized her right away.

The doctors had told her that they would both make a full recovery. That reassured her for the moment.

Once they were back in Chicago, they would recover from the horrors of the last few days.

She leaned back in the wheelchair and closed her eyes. She wanted to gather some strength until the next time Jay woke up.

She felt herself drifting into a light sleep and then when she came to, she looked into two blue-green eyes that were watching her intently.

Jay smiled softly and a feeling of joy immediately spread through her. She was happy to see him awake again.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, "Why didn't you wake me? Are you in pain?"

"Slowly." he said in a hoarse voice. "I feel fine. No pain."

He reached out to her and she took his hand, careful not to touch the cannula from which his IV was hanging.

"So they're giving you the good stuff, then," she said softly, and she stroked his forearm as she held his hand.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

She furrowed her brow. "I'm fine," she replied.

His gaze turned gentle, but she could also see fear in it. "What happened? Did Evan...?"

"No." she said immediately. "He didn't do anything to me."

"Thank god." he whispered and tears came to his eyes.

She leaned forward a little and kissed him gently on the cheek.

"How did we get here?" he then asked.

"Trudy had already been looking for us with the Sheriff. They found the cabin just in time before..." she didn't speak the next words.

"Before the fire got to me," he added. "Gordon said Evan was dead. How did that happen?"

Hailey hesitated for a moment. It was hard for her to talk about the events, which were still so fresh.

"I was in the car with the two of them. And I knew it wouldn't be long before Gordon gave Evan free rein. So I caused an accident, and I was lucky. I was able to call for help."

She looked at him with mixed emotions. She was glad she had managed to get free. She was grateful that her clue had finally saved Jay. But she also felt guilty.

"You did the right thing," he said then. "Please don't blame yourself. And I'm sorry. I wish I could have done more. I should-"

"What, protect me?" she interrupted him.

She was smiling now because she was glad he had her back, as always. It gave her strength.

"I don't know who you've been working with the last few years," she said then. "But I think I can take care of myself pretty well, don't you?"

He blushed a little and lowered his eyes. "Yes." he said. "Of course."

She laughed softly to herself. "I love you, you know that?"

She kissed him on the lips and he looked at her so lovingly that she didn't need an answer from him.

She knew how much he loved her. He showed it to her every day with so many gestures and in so many little things.

"So I was right when I said nature was against me?" he said then and he tilted his head slightly.

"Not nature, Jay...crazy people." she told him and she shook her head with a smile. "Still... You are going to pick the next vacation spot."

"I think for now we'd better stay at home next time." he replied and again he looked at her with that soulful look that gave her butterflies in her stomach.

She was happy that they had each other. And at that moment she realized that she was looking forward to come home, too. To Chicago.

No matter where they would go in the future, she always wanted to return there with him. She never wanted to be without him again. She knew she would always follow him. All that mattered was that they were together.

- THE END -