The midnight sky darkened the park...the silence of the night peaceful. No cars...no trains...no sign of technology. The blue vortex that deposited four people onto the ground unceremoniously disrupted the peace only briefly before everything returned to the silence that had existed before the interruption. The tallest of the group, a young handsome man with dark hair stood up, looking around, helping a smaller woman with red hair to her feet. A larger man struggled to his feet, pulling a dark man to stand at the same time. "How much time do we have here Mr. Mallory?" The thick British accent broke through the silence, afraid to disrupt the calm that pervaded the atmosphere. "One week more or less..." The young man's reply came just as softly. "It's so quiet...peaceful..." The woman commented, shivering a little at the chilly air. Quinn silently wrapped an arm around her to share his body heat, a look of unexpressed love in his eyes. "It's dark.... it's a little cold...and I'm tired. We should find a hotel...if there is such a thing around here." He examined the surroundings, seeing a group of log cabins in the distance instead of the familiar city skyline they had grown accustomed to seeing. "I suggest we go get in before the night gets colder. Those cabins look like the best place unless we all want to sleep on the ground." The professor looked around at the others in the group who shook their heads, still trying to work out the kinks from their experience in the forest in the other world. "It's worth a shot." The young adults headed towards the encampment, the older members of the group strolling behind them.
When they reached the small community, they looked around, realizing that there was no one awake. "We may be out of luck professor." Cars were parked outside of each cabin except for one. At Wade's words, a light turned on followed by the emergence of a couple in their nightclothes. "Excuse me...can we help you?" The man asked, the woman following him closely, studying the younger ones. "Mr. and Mrs. Mallory? Quinn and Wade?" The couple looked at each other and then nodded carefully. "We were expecting you hours ago. We thought you had canceled on us." Quinn quickly came up with a story. "We're sorry. Our car broke down on the way and we had to walk here. It was an impossible situation." The woman smiled. "That's alright...we're just glad you're here. You must be exhausted." Wade nodded, smiling in relief at the acceptance of the story. "And who are your friends?" The professor stepped up. "Professor Maximillian Arturo and Mr. Rembrandt Brown." The man looked at them, smiling. "You must be our alternative lifestyle couple." Rembrandt and the Professor started to protest but Quinn shook his head, quieting them. "Um...yeah." Rembrandt forced out. "Sorry for the late arrival." "Quite alright. We've got your cabins ready. Follow me." The group looked at each other, Quinn and Wade struggling to contain their laughter as the other two frowned in disbelief at the situation. Their hosts led them to a large cabin with two doors. "You'll find that each side has a bedroom in the front. The doors at the back of each bedroom will lead to a large common room that you'll share. It has a couch, fireplace, bathroom...all the comforts of home. There will be a wake up call at eight o'clock in the morning for the welcome and the first classes. You'll find your schedules in your room. We hope you sleep well and we'll see you in the morning." The hosts left to go to their own cabin, leaving the sliders to look at each other laughing. Arturo motioned that they should meet in the common room to discuss their situation and angrily opened the door, charging like a bull to the common area. Wade and Quinn followed through their own door, still laughing with Rembrandt following a little embarrassed and confused.
"How could the Cryin' Man be confused with a gay man? Do I look gay?" Rembrandt sat down in an armchair while the Professor paced. Wade and Quinn collapsed on the couch, tears in their eyes from their laughter. "I share the same sentiments Mr. Brown." "Look. You guys will just have to deal with it. We've got nowhere else to go. It's not that hard. It's not like you guys have to be affectionate to each other or anything. Just attend the classes. Whatever they are." Quinn said, finally calming down. "I know you guys don't like it. But you do make a cute couple." Wade set she and Quinn off again, Quinn patting her on the back for her good joke. "You two are impossible. I'll go along with it...just for the food...but I'm not going to like it." Rembrandt marched into their bedroom, shutting the door. "I believe I'll sleep on the couch I believe." Arturo sighed in acceptance of their situation. Wade pulled up Quinn. "We're going to bed. See in the morning...Mr. Brown..." Quinn hurried out of the room to avoid the menacing glare of the Professor.
They fell onto the bed, holding on to their stomachs until their control was regained. Finally, Quinn noticed the binder on the nightstand. He reached out and grabbed it, settling himself against the headboard. Wade laid on her side, looking at him. "What is it?" "An explanation of what's going on. Welcome to Sunnyside's Couple's retreat for couples who want to deepen their relationship. Through workshops and togetherness exercises you'll gain deeper understanding of your mate and a better relationship." He flipped through a few things, finding their class schedule. "Our first class is 'Understanding through Role Play' and then we have 'Physical Understanding through Massage'." "Massage...I'm up for a massage. How lucky are we?" Quinn smiled at her. "Very. I wonder what happened to our doubles though." "Maybe they changed their minds. Let's hope they don't show up before the massage." Quinn stood up. "I'm tired. We should get some sleep. We can get some supplies in the morning...they should have some kind of general store or something." He slipped his shirt and shoes off, beginning to unbuckle his pants. "Wait wait. We're going to sleep in here...together?" Wade questioned about having to be in such close proximity. "Why not? We're friends? I don't bite...I hope you don't." He laughed, joking with her. She shook her head, watching him slip off his pants. "And besides...we've been to naked world." He said, smiling as he crawled under the covers. She slowly accepted his argument, standing and slipping off her shoes. Wade eyed Quinn's discarded shirt. "Can I borrow that to sleep in? Mine's too short." He reached down and tossed it to her. "Close your eyes. You better not peek Quinn Mallory." He held up his hands. "Boy Scouts Honor." He shut his eyes, fighting the urge to peek, only opening them when he felt her crawl in the bed beside him. "Good night Wade...Mallory." "Night Quinn." She whispered, her back to him as she smiled, enjoying the sound of the names together. Quinn secretly smiled before rolling over to face the wall, dropping off to sleep.