Tim and Kathryn stood side by side, looking down at the unfolded map he'd laid on the floor. There were five locations circled. "These are the only spots I think make any sense. The roads are large enough to accommodate a truck the size you're expecting, and they're secluded enough to be usable for your guys."

"Deputy Gutterson..." she trailed off, looked over at him with a smile, "Color me impressed. I never would have been able to do this so quickly." She clapped her hand on his back, "I'm glad I didn't go with the Marine after all." Tim was pleased by her reaction. Praise never got old, no matter what anyone might say about it. And he knew he'd done a good job; his time in the Rangers meant he had an eye for terrain and his instincts for this sort of thing, while obviously subjective to an extent, were rarely wrong.

Kathryn turned and grabbed a small stack of manifests from her bed. "I've got about a dozen trucks, which is a lot, but certainly not unreasonable. We could probably narrow that further tomorrow." Tim watched as Kathryn bit her thumb again, looking at the map thoughtfully. "Are any of these spots near a campground?"

Tim knelt down and circled three of the spots he had previously indicated. "You think that's important?"

"I think they'll have whoever is picking up the truck there at least the day before. It would make sense, if they're already using the park, to use the amenities available to them."

Tim stood. "These three are close enough; just a short hike through the woods."

Kathryn looked over the map again. "You think you'll be up for a hike tomorrow? I'd love to get a feel for each of these spots. Might help us narrow it further."

Tim nodded. He liked that she wasn't fighting him on his involvement anymore. He wondered whether that was because of his contributions to the cause, or their newly physical relationship. He hoped it was the former. "How many guys you think will be there for the truck when it comes?"

Kathryn rolled her neck and it popped loudly several times. It was late and they were both showing signs of fatigue, despite their best efforts-and the entire gallon of iced tea they'd shared. "That's a wild card, honestly. I'd guess four or five, maybe? But I don't know exactly how they plan to make the swap, so there could be more or less, depending on what other vehicles are involved or how concerned they are about this being intercepted. I don't know if they still think I'm alive; if so, that could mean they beef up the security."

"Where was this drop supposed to happen originally?"

"In that field. That's why I knew so familiar when you were brought in; I'd been scoping it out for this before they asked me to meet there ahead of time."

Tim tapped the pen against his nose. "How did you know Ibsen was lying when he told you about the truck stop?"

Kathryn smiled. "I didn't know for sure, but it seemed off. Too out in the open. I think he picked the first spot he knew they'd used before, but that was for a pretty standard exchange of drugs. This is different. Either way, I figured if I threatened genital harm, he'd reveal the truth one way or the other."

"Did your guys pick him up already?"

"Probably. Though, if he's still lying on that concrete floor, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it."

Tim turned toward her. "You don't like him very much, do you?"

Kathryn laughed. It was loud and biting; a jarring sound that filled the whole room. "No, Deputy, I don't." She looked at him and he waited for her to continue, but she didn't.

"You know, it might be easier for me to understand the job if you were more forthcoming. Should I threaten you with genital harm? Or something else?" he asked suggestively.

The smile left Kathryn's face and she stepped away from him. She picked up the bottle of scotch from the bureau and poured herself her second drink of the night. "You asked me what my tattoo said earlier." She took a sip of her drink and Tim waited. "Primum non nocere. Deinde noli pati," she said, "It's a poorly construed teenage translation of 'do no harm, take no shit.'"

Kathryn bent down and folded up the map, tucking it carefully back into its compact rectangle. She put it on the bedside table along with the truck manifests she thought were promising. Tim realized she had ducked the actual question he had asked her by instead answering a less important one. He watched her turn off the DVD player and tidy up the leftover containers from their dinner. He knew he should help, but he was too busy trying to decide whether he was irritated by her evasion or pleased she had finally answered a personal question about herself. He had to hide a chuckle behind his hand as he imagined an energetic and determined teenage Kathryn striding into a tattoo parlor spouting bad Latin and demanding her homemade translation etched permanently into her skin.

He was suddenly very grateful that he had been in his mid-twenties before he'd gotten his first tattoo.

"What?" she asked, looking at him from where she was packing away the manifests she no longer needed into the envelope they'd come in. He guessed he didn't hide his laugh as well as he'd thought.

"You're a strange bird, Ms. Kathryn No-Last-Name," he said by way of answer, and made his way back to his own bed.

Kathryn ignored the unasked question and crawled into her bed as well before turning off the lamp between them. Tim's eyes remained open for a moment, staring up into the dark at nothing.

And then, "Quack!" The sound came from Kathryn's bed in the dark, and though both laughed more heartily than they should have. Now he knew they were both exhausted, because that was too dumb to be so funny.

#

Tim and Kathryn were both up early the following morning, and they packed their belongings quickly and without ceremony. Kathryn stuffed her clothing into a plastic Walmart bag from the night before, and Tim pulled the rifle out from beneath the bed. They ate a frozen burrito each, and left the rest behind for the next occupant to deal with.

It was just over a three hour drive to Daniel Boone and they were both eager to get on the road. About halfway to their destination, Tim pulled the car into a gas station to fuel up and grab some food. Kathryn disappeared to use the restroom while he stepped in line to buy gas, and he smiled when he noticed a display of Kentucky gear near the front door, though he didn't see any holsters.

When Kathryn climbed back into the car with a bag full of snacks and caffeinated beverages, there was a little blue backpack and a baseball cap waiting for her on the passenger seat.

"What's this?" she asked, inspecting the items.

"Thought you could use a proper bag for your new compact discs," he said. "Consider them repayment for the pizza and burritos."

Kathryn opened the backpack and stuffed her gas station purchases into it. Tim caught a glimpse of some granola bars and a bottle of water as she packed. "Thank you, Deputy Gutterson. You truly are a testament to your rank and office."

Tim was grateful that the radio stations in Kentucky didn't seem to play the kind of music Kathryn had forced him to listen to last night, and that she hadn't tried to put one of her CDs into the player instead. He wasn't sure he could listen to anymore yelling. He was also pleasantly surprised that she seemed to enjoy the country music he had chosen just fine; he'd even caught her singing softly along to an upbeat Collin Raye song. Their path took them through part of Harlan County and his mind drifted to his co-workers and what they were doing with their Monday morning. It was too early for most of them-except Rachel, maybe-to yet be in the office, but he hoped his absence would cause a bit of a stir. He liked the idea of being missed.

As if triggered by some sixth sense as one of his Marshals traveled through the most troublesome county in his jurisdiction, Art's name and number suddenly flashed on Tim's cellphone. He took a deep breath and answered.

"Good morning, Art! How are you?" he strove for overly cheerful and hoped he was successful.

"Cut the bullshit, Tim, where the hell are you?"

"I'm on vacation. Didn't you see my text?" Tim spared a glance at Kathryn, who looked amused.

"Tim," there was a warning edge to Art's voice, "This doesn't have anything to do with the little redhead you left here with on Thursday, does it? Because Raylan has cornered the market on stupid romantic entanglements for the Lexington office. If you insist on following in his footsteps, you're gonna have to transfer."

The lie came easier than it should have. "I just needed a few days off, Art. Nothing untoward here. Want to catch up on my reading. Did you know The Hobbit has a sequel? A couple of 'em. I heard they're pretty okay."

He heard Art sigh on the other end of the phone and he could picture him pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stave off a headache. "All right, Tim. Enjoy your vacation. We'll see you Wednesday."

And he hung up without another sound, which was fine with Tim.

"Are you sure the Marshal service will be okay without you for a few more days?" Kathryn asked, and he couldn't tell whether she was looking for an excuse to get rid of him or if she was disappointed he might have to leave.

"My colleagues are more than capable. I have every faith they will be just fine."

Kathryn put her foot back up on the dashboard and Tim wondered at the familiarity it stipulated. She'd done it yesterday, too, and if someone like Raylan had tried the same thing, Tim knew he would have threatened to shoot his foot off if he didn't take it down. But he liked that Kathryn felt at ease with him, and he didn't actually know why. He hoped it was just the adrenaline and proximity of the last few days; that the closeness they seemed to prematurely share would dissipate with distance and distraction.

He didn't want to think of how he would feel if that weren't the case. Kathryn had given zero indication they would have any relationship-professional or otherwise-following the completion of this mission; hell, she'd already tried to dismiss him several times. If the feelings bubbling up in his chest were real and not merely a side effect of circumstance, the fallout would be brutal.

"What's the game plan, here?" he asked as a way to distract himself from the less than helpful line of thinking he'd found himself unexpectedly entrenched in.

Kathryn stared out the window as she spoke, "Enter the park. Hike to the three locations you indicated to see if we can get a better feel for which one they'll use. Camp overnight. Hopefully stop the bad guys tomorrow. Go home and take a nap."

Tim wondered where 'home' was. "Camping, huh? You got a tent in that Walmart bag I missed earlier?"

"I know you've got a sleeping bag in your trunk, Mr. Army Ranger," she said. "And I don't plan on sleeping much, anyway."

Tim quirked an eyebrow lasciviously and looked over at her. "Oh, yeah?"

She finally turned her head back in his direction and he delighted in the flirtatious smile she flashed him. "Yeah. Because I'll be working." And then, more seriously, "This is the only chance I have to get this right. No missteps." She turned and looked back out the window and he wondered if the thoughts racing through her mind were as jumbled and confused as his own.

#

Daniel Boone National Forest was a beautiful place; he'd come here many times on his own to run the trails or spend a night in the woods away from the noise and lights of Lexington. It cost them $5 for a parking pass that would get them through to Wednesday, which Tim paid for because Kathryn's stolen money clip had finally run out. "I expect to be reimbursed in full," he said as he hanged the orange tag on his rear view mirror. Her response was a glare.

Tim parked his car in the lot as directed and moved to the trunk. He opened it and stared at the contents, trying to determine what the next 48 hours would likely entail and how he could best be prepared. He watched through the car as Kathryn packed a spare t-shirt into the backpack he'd bought her and secured the gaudy Welcome to the Bluegrass State hat on her head. He was glad he'd bought it, even if it had mostly been an attempt to annoy her. She was pale and he doubted she'd thought to purchase sunscreen at that gas station, since she had yet to remember to buy a toothbrush. At least the hat would keep her face out of the sun.

Tim reached into his duffel and pulled out his own baseball cap and a small rucksack. Into it, he stuffed a spare t-shirt and dry socks, as well as a sweater before securing the tightly rolled sleeping bag to the bottom. He knew Kathryn had food and water, so he opted to forgo any such supplies in lieu of using remaining available space for ammunition for his personal firearm. He slung the backpack over his shoulders and stared at the rifle case, wondering if he should bring it. The thought of lugging it with him all day was unpleasant, but not impossible.

"Bring it," Kathryn said. "I can carry the backpack if that helps."

"How chivalrous," he said, heaving the rifle case out of the back and slamming the trunk closed. "I think I can handle it, though." She watched him guiltily as he maneuvered his gear into position. She was carrying the map he'd marked for her and he nodded toward the trails. "Lead the way."

The tranquility of being in nature settled over both of them comfortably. They stayed on the main trail only for a mile or two before peeling off into the wooded area beyond in order to circumvent nosy hikers or park rangers who might be too chatty or have questions about the shape of Tim's cargo. For their part, both Tim and Kathryn seemed content to take the walk in silence. It was a humid early fall day and they were both sweating unattractively. Tim was glad for the cap because at least it kept the sweat out of his eyes. When they were about six miles in, Kathryn took a seat on a rock and pulled the water and a few protein bars from her pack. Tim was glad for the rest. It had been a long time since he'd carried this much weight through terrain like this.

"You all right there, Deputy?"

"Just fine, ma'am. I'm not nearly as delicate as I look."

They ate their meager lunch in silence, passing the water bottle back and forth between them.

"I think the first spot you marked should be about another mile and a half," she said. Tim nodded, shoving the last of the bar into his mouth and stretching his back before donning the pack once more.

Tim had been right about one thing; this would be a good spot for shady dealings of any sort. The road that cut through it was wide, but in the entire time they spent surveying it, not a single vehicle had come through. They circled a few miles around, but found no evidence that anyone else was there or had been, so after consulting the map once more, they headed in the direction of the second location Tim had indicated as a possibility.

As they came over the crest of a hill that overlooked the area, Tim looked around with keen eyes and knew immediately they were in the right spot.

"This is it," he said, and Kathryn turned to look at him quizzically.

"How are you so sure? We just got here."

"See those guys over there?"

Kathryn glanced in the direction Tim's eyes were looking. There were two men standing thigh-deep in a creek fly fishing. She nodded.

"That guy on the left just started as we came up over the ridge, but he doesn't have a lure on the end of his line."

Kathryn obviously trusted his judgement because she nodded and kept walking as if nothing had happened, straight back into the woods and away from the men's view. She pulled out the map and inspected it once more. "So they probably have a vehicle here," she said, pointing toward the nearest recreational campsite. "It's a great way for them to hide in plain sight."

Tim agreed, wondering if there were other people located nearby they hadn't yet seen. His head swiveled around instinctively, but there were too many places for a person to hide. "We should keep moving; reconvene further away to discuss our approach."

Kathryn nodded, tucking the map away and leading them on an invisible course through the trees.

When they'd put what they both considered a sufficient amount of distance between themselves and the inept fishermen, they both removed their packs and sat onto a downed tree. Kathryn took out her cellphone and made a call. "We've got it. Any word on the trucks?" A pause. "Okay. Yes, I will." He watched as she pulled the phone away from her ear, but instead of hanging up, she left it open on the tree trunk next to her. Tim raised an eyebrow and she simply pressed a finger to her mouth in response, asking him to stay quiet.

After a minute or two, she ended the call and closed the phone. "Letting her track my location," she said, "And she's narrowed it to four possible vehicles based on travel today, so we're getting closer." Tim noted the use of a singular pronoun for the first time; previously Kathryn had used 'them' or 'us' to describe who she was talking with on the phone. He wondered if she had intended to let that small piece of information slip.

Tim checked his watch and saw that it was a little after four in the afternoon. They'd maintained a healthy pace, given that he estimated they'd traveled just over 16 miles. Granted, it wouldn't have passed muster at Fort Benning, but considering Kathryn was no Ranger, he figured he'd give her a pass. He surveyed their current location, noting how flat it was on all sides. While the visibility was certainly a good thing, he would have preferred to have something at his back. "Is this where you want to stay tonight?" he asked.

"I'll defer to the resident Ranger on that."

Tim stood and grabbed his pack, Kathryn following suit soon after. He started walking further into the woods, away from the road that rain through the park. He found an alcove near a rise in the terrain a few miles in. He told Kathryn to stay put and traded her the rifle case for the map. He walked a half mile perimeter and scrutinized their location in relation to the spot he'd marked on the map, as well as other trails and campsites nearby. He was satisfied they were far enough away from any high traffic areas and returned to Kathryn to let her know as much.

They built up a small fire from some branches and brush. Tim was all set to show off his outdoorsman skills when Kathryn pulled the lighter she'd taken from Ibsen's house out of her pocket and started it easily.

"Well, you're no fun," Tim said and settled back with his back against the rock face he'd positioned at their backs. They'd be SOL if it rained tonight, but at least the outcropping would protect them from the wind somewhat. They had both changed into a fresh t-shirt and left the sweaty ones they'd worn on their hike hang over the low branches of a nearby tree to dry. Kathryn pulled bags of beef jerky and trail mix from her bag, which they split for supper.

After they'd eaten, Kathryn pulled the map out once more and started making notes in the margin with the pen she'd taken from their last motel. Tim assumed that if she needed his input, she would ask, so he leaned he head back and let his eyes drift closed. He had no intention of sleeping, but his eyes were tired from the long, monotonous drive, and he enjoyed listening to the soft sounds of nature interrupted only by Kathryn's occasional scribbling or muttering under her breath.

Tim inhaled the scent of the fire and the early autumn leaves, and it was easy to forget why he was here. Instead, he let his thoughts fade and blur; allowed the muscles in his face and his neck relax against the stone. And he was content.