Santorini, Greece, 2 Days Until Deadline

"Do you have any idea what you're going to say to him?" Kenny asked, as they paused outside Mikkos' shop, "Hey, can I borrow 10 diamonds?"

"Shut up," Max retorted, as he took her hands in his, "I don't know what to do about any of this, okay? I don't want to tell him anything because I don't want to put him in any danger."

"Then maybe we should go?"

"And do what? Walk in empty handed? We need half a lifetime to figure out that clue, and we have less than two days left."

"Ah, Bella," he sighed, "Come on. We might as well get this over with."

"Sorry, I'm just . . . wound up to say the least. I have a terrible feeling about all of this."

"We'll do great. We always do."

Max looked around the lush scenery and ocean surrounding their adopted country, "I love it here. I really do. I never thought that I would be living in Greece, but . . ."

"It's home."

She nodded, as she opened the door, "Mikkos?"

"Isabella! Nikoali! This is a surprise this early. I was about to set some stones," Mikkos said, with a grin, "I thought that you young people would be enjoying the morning."

"We need to talk to you," Max said quietly, "And ask for a huge favor."

Mikkos frowned, as he beckoned them inside. Locking the door behind them he asked, "Why do you both look so worried? Nikoali, why does your wife look like she is about to cry?"

"We're in trouble," Kenny said, "We've been in trouble for a long time, but it's finally catching up to us. We're going back to fix it."

"You can only run for so long," Max added.

"Who are you running from?"

"We can't tell you," Max said softly, "It would only endanger you. It's as bad as it can get. We need your help."

"What can I do?" Mikkos asked, not liking the dual looks he saw in his young friend's eyes, "Isabella? Nikoali?"

"They want diamonds," Kenny offered, "They think that we have them."

"And we don't," Max finished.

"How many do you need?" Mikkos asked, as he moved toward his safe, "I keep only the best in the back."

"Ten," Kenny said quietly, "Mikkos."

He cut him off, "Nikoali, we have all run from something at some point. Some people never stop. Jewels are jewels, and are not as important as friends. Take these, fix your mistakes. When you return, we'll all sit down for a drink."

He handed the bag to Max, who looked at before saying, "Mikkos, thank you. I don't know what else to say."

"Take care of your wife," Mikkos said, turning to Kenny, "She is my right hand here."

Kenny didn't have the heart to tell him that they probably wouldn't be back, "She takes care of me. She has since the beginning of all of this. Thank you."

"Go," Mikkos said, opening the door, "You need anything, call. I've run away before too, but I was too coward to go back."

Rome, WI

"Your breakfast," Giorgio said, tossing the food into the cell, "Enjoy."

"Wait!" Jimmy called.

"What do you want?"

"Have they called?"

"The diamond thieves that murdered my sons? I wouldn't be surprised if they left you here to die with their track record," Giorgio spat.

Jimmy gripped his son's knife in his hand, "You think?"

Giorgio moved closer to the bars, "Don't you? Are you afraid to die, Sheriff?"

"Are you?" Jimmy asked, as he thrust the knife out.

Santorini, Greece

"You're being quiet," Kenny said, as their plane took off, "Isabella?"

"Just thinking," she trailed off, "About what to do when we get there. Nik?"

"Bella?"

She looked at him with puzzled expression on her face, "When we were talking with Mikkos . . . You said I took care of you from the beginning."

"So?"

"Our beginning. What about mine and Tom's? Could that be what he meant?"

Kenny sat up a bit straighter, as his wife's words hit him, "Shit, you're brilliant. Where the hell was yours and Tom's though?"

"We met in the park. Jogging," Max mused, "Down by the ravine . . . that giant rock. You know the one. Teenagers sneak down there to get high."

"It would be a good spot to bury something," Kenny continued, "The ground is always damp, so no one could tell if it had ever been dug up."

Max grinned at him, "I guess we'll need to buy some shovels."

He grinned back, and kissed her quickly, "I love you, Bella."

"I love too, Nik. We're going get these assholes."

Rome, WI

"You crazy bastard," Giorgio yelled, as he stumbled away from the cell, "You're going to regret that in about 10 seconds!"

"What the hell is all the yelling about?" Skeeter asked, as he walked in, "Giorgio! What did you do to him?"

"The asshole stabbed me!" Giorgio yelled, as he pulled out his gun, "Now, he's going to get a bullet in the head!"

"Wait," Skeeter said, as a serene smile came across his face, "We won't get the diamonds if anyone is hurt."

"They don't have much of a choice," Giorgio said, "We're going to kill them all anyway."

"Eventually," Skeeter said, as he eyed the Brock boys, "I have something worse in mind for our dear Sheriff here."

Chicago, IL

Max squeezed Kenny's hand in hers, as they stood in the customs line, "Hey. Do you want to call your parents?"

"And tell them what? The less they know the better."

"That didn't answer my question."

"Of course I do," he sighed, "This is where I grew up, Sweetheart, and they're so close. I would like nothing better than to knock on their front door, and just let them know that I'm okay. That I'm happy, most of the time. That I'm going back to fix the mess I made. I just want to see them. They're my family, Bella. Yours too now."

"And you'll get too," Max promised.

"They probably hate me."

"They'll understand. Sometimes things happen, and no one is at fault. Least of all you."

"I want them to know you too."

Max smiled, "One thing at time, right?"

"Right," he said, as he handed their passports to the agent, "Thanks, Sweetheart."

"Could you step over here?" the agent asked, as he examined their passports, "Nikoali and Isabella Kapali?"

Rome, WI

"Get away from my children!" Jill cried, as Matthew and Zachary were yanked out of the cell, "What are you doing?"

"Something worse than getting shot in the head," Skeeter sneered, as they pushed the boys out of view, "Have a lovely day folks."

Chicago, IL

"Sorry for the delay," Agent Jones said, as he handed back their passports, "It was a random check. Thanks for being so patient."

"It wasn't a problem," Max said, as she slipped her Greek passport back into her purse, "Security is important."

"Especially in these times," the Jones agreed, "Enjoy your visit to our country."

"We will," Kenny promised, as they walked toward the next gate, "Jesus, Bella. I thought that was it."

"Me too," she agreed, as she let out an involuntary giggle, "This is crazy. We are insane. We really are."

"I'm glad you find this funny."

Max giggled again, and buried her head in his chest, "I'm sorry! It's not funny. I know that. I . . . This is absurd."

He tilted her head up, so he could look into her eyes, "Isabella Kapali, you are losing it."

"I'll be better. Come on. We have a long drive ahead of us."

"Do you mind if we take a detour first?"

Rome, WI

"What are you going to do to us?" Matthew asked, as he and Zach were tossed on the floor, "We didn't do anything!"

"Too bad your father couldn't follow your example," Skeeter said, as he handcuffed them to the chairs, "You are going to sit here, and we are going to play a game. It's called, 'How Loud Can you Scream?' You'll love it, so will your parents."

Chicago, IL

"This is your parent's house," Max said, as Kenny stopped the car.

He merely nodded, as he gripped her hand in his. Squeezing it tightly, all Kenny wanted to do was see his family again.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Do not let me out of this car. I mean it."

Max bit her lip, as she watched the front door open and older couple emerge, "Honey."

He gripped her hand tighter, so he would force himself not to run to them, "Don't say anything."

She covered their joined hands with her other one, before stroking his arm soothingly. Just offering the same strong and silent comfort he provided her for the last two years. She followed his gaze, as the other couple drove off. Finally, as the car pulled away, his grip loosened. She flexed her sour fingers gingerly, and Kenny turned the car back on.

"We better get going," Kenny said quietly.

Max swallowed back the tears that threatened to spill, "This should have never happened. Any of it. You shouldn't be hiding from your family."

"Don't you even think of apologizing to me, Bella, ever again. We've been through this before," Kenny snapped, as they pulled back onto the road, "It'll be finished one way or the other soon enough."

She swallowed, "Kenny."

"Don't call me that. I'm not him, anymore then you are Max anymore. We both know that. Kenny and Max wouldn't have done half the stuff we have."

"They're our past, a part of us," Max offered, "Who would you be if you went to see your parents?"

"That's why I can't see them again. Maybe not ever. Going back to Rome is hard enough, Isabella. When we give them the diamonds, there is a good chance that we're not walking out of there alive."

"I'm well aware of that."

Kenny fell silent for a moment, "And you're okay with that?"

"I don't want to die. I don't want you to die. I accept the risk though, so that I can finally do the right thing."

"You're an amazing woman . . . Max."

Rome, WI

"Stop!" Matthew yelled, as Skeeter held the lighter to his feet, "Please!"

"You don't like this game?" Skeeter asked, as he looked at the boy's charred soles, "It's a pity. Stand up!"

Matt let another scream, as he put pressure on the burns, "Don't make me!"

"I'll give you a choice. I can keep burning your feet, or I can start working on your brother."

Heading North

The drove in silence, as the sky darkened around them. Max looked up at the rising moon, before looking at the clock. We have exactly 24 hours until Skeeter's deadline, she thought, 24 hours until we most likely die. I'm taking some of those assholes with me. For the everyone they're holding hostage, Tom, Nik, me . . . This is it.

"That is a resolved face," Kenny commented, as he broke their long silence.

"I'm just thinking," she trailed off, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he promised, "I am. Don't worry about me, Sweetheart."

"I'm your wife. Of course I'm going to worry about you."

"My wife," he repeated, as he looked over at her, "We only got married two days ago? What happened since then? It seems like a lifetime ago."

"Everything happened," Max replied.

"I'm glad that we did it though," Kenny continued, "The one true thing about the past two years is how I feel about you. I love you Isabella Kapali, Cahli Vangas, Maxine Stewart. Whatever your name is, your hair color, I love you."

"I love you too," Max said, "More than I ever thought possible."

"We're taking the until death do you part thing a little literally though."

"If I'm going, I'm taking some of those bastards with me."

"You going to blow someone else up?"

Max smiled, "That damn boat."

"The car too."

"You ran over Franco, and shot that guy on the beach."

"You almost shot me."

"We're horrible people," Max sighed, "How can we be taking this so lightly?"

"They were going to kill us, Bella."

"I know. Look," she pointed, "Rome, 25 miles."

Rome, WI

"Don't hurt him!" Matthew yelled, "Let him go back with my parents!"

"Brave boy," Giorgio said, as he dragged Zach away, "You're going to be our bargaining chip."

Skeeter flicked the lighter again, "Where to next?"

"Wow," Max said silently, as they drove down the darkened streets, "It hasn't changed."

Kenny looked around the familiar surroundings, "Jesus Christ. I didn't know it would feel like this."

"I know," she said, as they drove by the courthouse, "I just want to take it all in."

"O'Calleighs," Kenny said as they drove past, "A beer would taste good about now."

"Or a case," Max added, "My stomach is in my throat, by the way."

"Good. I thought I was the only one. Where to now? The rock?"

"It's pitch black. We don't have a shovel. Or a flashlight."

"We could call and scare the shit of Skeeter, or contact the FBI outside the building."

"We need to let someone know we're here."

"What about Littleton? He isn't being held hostage. He gave that press conference when this first started."

Max nodded, "We should. It would be the right thing to do."

"We might lose the element of surprise though," Kenny countered, "Tomorrow? We'll go dig up the diamonds, and go from there?"

Max yawned, and brushed her hair off of her face, "Sounds like a plan. What do you think our chances are of finding a hotel around here? This place is swarming with the mafia and FBI agents."

Kenny let out a genuine laugh, as they crossed the line out of town, "I'm sure we can make do, Bella."

"We always do."

"You want to give our friend Skeeter a call? Stir the pot?"

"Let him know that we're coming? Set our terms for tomorrow? Why the hell not?"

"Go for it," Kenny said, as she dialed the station.

"Agent Baker," a voice said, as Max pulled the phone away from her ear, "Hello?"

"Uh I was trying to reach. Who is this?"

"Agent Baker, FBI. Who is this?"

"Are you in charge of the hostage negotiation?" Max asked carefully, as she felt Kenny's eyes on her, "In Rome?"

"Yes? Who is this?"

She shot a look over at Kenny, and mouthed FBI. He nodded slowly at her, as she replied, "Um, We're here to help. We have what they want."

"Is this Maxine Stewart?"

"That's a guess," Max said, "Can you put me through please? Tell him that we're ready to deal."

"This is being held through the proper authorities, and we have some questions for you as well about some deaths a few years ago."

"I'm sure you do," Max said, "We have some stuff to take care of first, and then . . . we'll tell you what you want to know. We want to help our friends first though."

"Let's make a deal," Baker said smoothly, "Turn yourselves in tonight, and we'll give you immunity."

"Not tonight," Max countered, as she looked at the dashboard clock, "Tomorrow, right before Skeeter's deadline. Seven P.M. and immunity. Take it, or leave it."

"What the hell are you doing?" Kenny hissed, "Sweeteheart?"

"If you don't show up, the mob won't be the only one hunting you."

"I'm aware. Tomorrow," Max said, as she broke the connection, as Kenny pulled into a roadside hotel, "The FBI is answering the phones now."

"What did you promise them?"

"That we'd how up tomorrow, and they would give us immunity."

"For what?"

"I'm going for the people that we've killed, and the fact that we've been hinding out in Greece for the past two years. We would have had to fo through them anyway tomorrow, and this way they shouldn't shoot us."

"They won't let us in, Bella."

"They won't let those people die, Nik. We need someone to trust."

"You're the only one I trust."

She smiled, and kissed him softly, "I appreciate that, and I trust you too. With my life. I love you too. Maybe it'll be better this way."

"They'll look for us tonight," Kenny said, as he looked outside, "Maybe we should just camp out?"

Max nodded, and tried not to be tempted by the idea of a soft bed after the plane and car trip, "It's getting late, and we have to dig up a buried treasure tomorrow. Lets find a place to sleep."