This is so cool over TWO HUNDRED reviews! You guys rock. Thank you all so much for enjoying this story enough to review.

Chapter Twenty-Two

The crick in Sark's neck woke him from his uneasy sleep. He looked around him, unsure of where he was, when everything came rushing back.

After having fled from the motel room, he and Chloe had sought refuge in the small band of trees behind the motel. They hid there until the coast was clear. By then Chloe had already fallen asleep, and Sark, rather than wake her, decided to stay put.

Now, as he looked up at the canopy of branches and leaves that filtered the sunlight, Sark was glad that they had not moved. He was still weary from all the running and the fighting. It was good to have at least one night of uninterrupted sleep. He sat up slowly, careful not to wake Chloe, who slept with her head resting on his chest. Bracing himself against a tree, Sark shifted the young woman so she sat curled up next to him, her head falling onto his shoulder. He held her to him closely, and ran his hands through her hair, picking out rouge leaves as he did so. Chloe murmured sleepily, and nuzzled his neck. Smiling down at her, Sark placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and rested his chin on top of her head.

He had to think of what to do now. Though they remained one step ahead, the CIA was close on their tale. Sark needed to have a plan. As Chloe continued to sleep, Sark racked his brain for any idea he could come up with.

Finally, Chloe yawned and looked up at Sark with sleep filled eyes.

"Morning," she said as she sat up straight and stretched out the kinks in her back and arms.

"Good morning," he replied with a smile, leaning in to kiss her. Chloe pulled back before he could though, and pulled her lips into her mouth.

"Mmm," she murmured, shaking her head, "morning breath. Not at all sexy." Sark smirked, pulled her back to him, and kissed her on the cheek.

"Come on," he said, forcing himself to stand, "we need to get moving."

"I don't wanna," Chloe pouted. Sark shook his head and bent down to pick her up. He loved how light she was, and how perfectly she fit into his arms. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck. Her warmth seeped into his skin.

"Where are we going?" she asked, burying her face in his neck as Sark walked.

"France," he replied. Chloe's head shot up, the crown of her head hitting Sark's nose. He nearly dropped her.

"What do you mean France!" she cried, looking at him as if he had grown another head.

"We have to get out of the country," he said putting her down on the ground, "god Chloe that hurt." He rubbed his nose gently and checked to make sure it wasn't broken.

"Sorry," Chloe said sheepishly. She looked down at her hands, which were running over the creases in her jeans nervously. What the hell did Sark think he was saying? There was no way she was leaving the country like some fugitive of the law. No, she wouldn't do it. She'd kick and scream if she had to.

"It's fine," Sark growled lightly, he reached out to take Chloe's hand, but she pulled away. "What is it now?" he asked irritated.

"I'm not going Julian." She replied stubbornly as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, "I'm not running anymore."

"Do you want to find out what the hell that disk means?" He barked.

"What disk," Chloe said, "you left the laptop over there." She pointed towards the tree they had walked away from.

"Damn it," Sark mumbled as he turned around and went back for the laptop. When he returned Chloe looked him square in the eye.

"Why do we have to leave the country?" She asked him, having been able to gain control of her suddenly frazzled nerves while he was fetching the computer.

"Because the CIA does not have reason to follow us, it's not like I committed some big crime in abducting you." Sark said slowly, as if he were trying to explain his plan to a toddler. "Dixon will not waste his agents on following us when there are other things they could be doing that are more important. Even your grandfather will not be able to get him to send a team after us. We'll be free to work on the disk all we need."

"Until the Covenant tracks us." Chloe said, "There are so many holes in your plan Julian," she looked up at the trees and drew in a calming breath, "But," she said looking back into his eyes, "if you think it's the best idea, I'll do it." Sark smiled and kissed her lightly on the lips. Chloe drew back quickly, still uncertain if they were doing the right thing.

"There's one more thing," she said, "I need to get my passport. It's in my dorm."

Sark looked up at Sanderson Hall, the first place he had ever laid eyes on Chloe. He wasn't so sure about her going back in there. What if she was seen? What if someone called the police, or worse, her parents?

"Are you sure you want to go in there?" he asked, grabbing her arm as she started up the steps.

"It's not that hard Julian," she chuckled, prying his fingers off her arm gently. "I'm just gonna go in and get my passport out of my desk. I'll be back in a couple of minutes. With that she left him standing there.

Chloe checked to make sure nobody was coming as she climbed the stairs inside the dormitory. She reached the third floor easily and slipped through the door that separated the stairs from the hallway that housed the dorm rooms. The hall was empty and she quickly walked down to the sixth door on the right. She tested the knob. It was unlocked. Chloe was so glad that her roommate never listened to her and kept the room open all the time. She walked inside quickly.

Everything was the exact same as she had left it. It was like she had never even left. Grinning happily, Chloe wandered over to the desk and began to shift through the drawers, searching for her passport. Finding it hidden beneath a pile of old term papers, Chloe turned around and headed back for the door. Voices sounded outside of the door, causing her to stop mid-step. The knob began to turn and Chloe looked around the room, searching for a place to hide. She couldn't risk being seen.

Without thinking she dove beneath her bed just as her roommate walked in. She watched two pairs of feet move in front of her bed. She was so certain that they could hear her pounding heart. So intent on quieting her breathing, Chloe didn't even hear what the two girls were talking about. After a few minutes the girls left and Chloe was free to emerge from under the bed. With a sigh of relief she hurried down the hallway, down the stairs, and out the front door.

After purchasing the plane tickets, and going through airport security quickly, Sark and Chloe safely boarded the plane that would take them to Paris, France. Sark held his breath as they waited for the plane to take off, and was relieved when they were in the air. Nobody could stop them now.

The plane taxied down the runway, and the couple was soon disembarking. Sark looked at the city as an old friend. Paris had been his home for so many years. Looking over at Chloe, Sark couldn't help the smile that crept up his face. She had the awed look of a kid in a candy store. Her mouth was hanging open, and her eyes kept darting around her as if she couldn't take in the sights quick enough.

"Is this your first time in Paris?" He breathed into her ear teasingly as his arm wrapped around her waist protectively. A group of teenage boys had set their eyes on Chloe and were whispering quietly to each other. Sark felt a surge of jealousy surge through him as one of the braver teens approached them. Sark glared at him and the boy stopped where he was, uncertain of what to do. With a glare of his own, he turned back to his friends who teased him quietly.

"It's so beautiful." Chloe whispered, her voice filled with wonderment.

"Come on," Sark said with a laugh, "there's a beautiful hotel that's not far from here. It's got an amazing view of the Eiffel Tower."

"Really?" She asked. He could hear the eagerness in her voice.

"Really." He replied. Chloe smiled and Sark felt his heart lurch within his chest. He had never seen that smile before. It was a smile of complete and utter joy. He smiled to himself as he took her hand and led her over to a waiting cab.

All right, this chapter was complete and utter CRAP. There's no use in you all trying to tell me it was good, because it really wasn't. But, it at least sets the stage for the rest of the story. You can review if you want, but I'll understand if you don't. After all, who wants to review a bad chapter? The only reason I actually posted this one is because I needed to come up with a chapter, and I didn't want to keep you all waiting for too long. Hopefully I won't have as much trouble with the next chapter.

Sarks-Girl-89: Don't worry, there'll be plenty of confrontation in later chapters.

Alias-Addict-4-Life: Yes, last chapter was short. Sorry 'bout that and about how short this chapter was as well.

Zeriae: Chloe is p.o'd, but her anger won't surface for awhile.

neptunestar: Thank you so much for all the great advice you've given me, not just for last chapter, but for all the past chapters as well.

KatelynEmma, Rock-Witch, KoreanSpy05, Ressie06, Kiki, Illyria04, Wicked-sista, freakygirl, cg's-gal-72689, Beautiful Tragedy: Thank you all for taking the time to read and review this story. Y'all rock!