To my readers/reviewers – Thanks for the reviews. They really do encourage me to keep writing and also won't let my muse shutup (lol). This chapter is a little short, atleast by my standards, but I wanted to specifically wrap up the trip before I went onto the final chapter.

A/N – "Thoughts"

Chapter 7 - Checkout

It was early Monday morning and the end of a long weekend. The class had been told to meet in the lobby at eight o'clock for check out and the bus would arrive at eight thirty to take them home.

Lizzie and Miranda were one of the first to arrive in the lobby and claimed one of the couches for themselves.

"So how was your weekend?" Miranda asked sarcastically.

Lizzie grinned, "Well lets see. Got yelled at, saw Kate get attacked, got hammered, made an ass of myself, tried to seduce Gordo, and then got sick in front of him. All in all, it was a great weekend."

They both start laughing. "Well you did get Gordo in bed," Miranda teased her.

"Yea. Too bad I was too sick to do anything."

Miranda sobered slightly. "So are you two?"

"No, at least not yet."

"Not yet?" Miranda asked with a grin.

"We realized that our friendship as been screwed up for awhile now. We gotta fix that before we try dating again," Lizzie then turned towards her and smiled a smile of her own. "So what's up with you Larry?"

"Wh…What do you mean?"

Lizzie laughed softly. "For someone who spent the last few years denying any kind of attraction, you looked awfully cozy when you came back to the room yesterday."

Miranda smiled shyly and shrugged. "Maybe I'm just starting to see that Larry isn't as bad as I thought."

As they were talking, Miranda looked up and watched Larry and Gordo walk in. Slowly getting up, Miranda looked over at Lizzie. "I'll be back."

"Where you going?"

"To see if Larry's offer is still open," Miranda answered as she started to walk towards the guys.

Lizzie watched her walk away, "Offer?" Brushing it off, she smiled as she saw Gordo walk towards her.

"So how's the town drunk this morning?" Gordo joked as he sat down next to her.

"Tired," she answered moving closer and leaning against him. Yawning, she put her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. "Sit with me on the bus?"

"Sure," Gordo said laughing as he watched her snuggle up against him and try to get a few more minutes sleep.

Meanwhile, back in their room, Claire and Kate were finishing packing. As Claire finished, she wheeled her suitcase over to the door. "You almost done?"

Kate looked up at her for a moment, "In a minute. Go ahead. I'll catch up."

"You sure?" Claire asked a little apprehensive about leaving her best friend alone.

Before Kate could answer, someone knocked. "Who is it?" Claire asked cautiously.

"Ethan."

Claire glanced at Kate and giggled as she saw Kate's huge smile. Opening the door, Claire looked back at Kate. "I'll meet you in the lobby."

Kate watched Claire leave and Ethan walk in. Ethan walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "Hey beautiful."

Kate closed her eyes and leaned back into him.

"The police say we have to come back in a few weeks to testify against Brian," Kate just nodded and Ethan continued. "They don't have enough evidence to charge him with rape, so they're gonna charge him with assault."

Ethan felt Kate stiffen in his arms. Leaning in, he whispered into her ear, "Don't worry about it. No matter what happens, I'll protect you. I love you."

Kate slowly turned around and kissed him, "I love you too." Letting go of each other, Ethan grabbed Kate's suitcase. Walking hand in hand, they head towards the lobby.

All Kate wanted to do was put this weekend and the Brian drama behind her and move on with her life. Her life with Ethan.