CONGRATULATIONS phyl7375! Whoopsies. For some reason, I get so engrossed in writing, I tend to forget to write some visual things into text, like where Sunny is, or masks, or some such things. When I write, I see it in my brain as if I was watching it, so some things get lost in my mind, I think. I've clarified where Sunny was in this chapter!
?-?
"Guys? Guys!" Tara exclaimed as she ran into the store, embracing each of them. "We thought you were dead!"
"We were hoping you weren't." Myles said, following Tara inside.
Sue looked around, but because she, Mya and Jack were the only people in the room without masks, she didn't really know what was going on. Mya interpreted for her.
"READY GO-TO HOME?" Tara asked.
"Definitely." Mya replied, starting to walk to the door, everyone else following.
"Just one minute!" Wally exclaimed. Everyone looked towards him, Sue following everyone's gaze. "I'd like to see at least some identification please?"
"Yes, of course." Myles replied, taking his badge and ID out of his pocket.
Wally scrutinized it from all angles, then handed them back to him. "You seem to check out. Have a nice ride home."
"Yes, thank you." Myles replied, and then all five of them left, and squeezed into the car, back to their hotel rooms to pack up. The first thing each of them did was take a long hot shower to wash away both the dirt, and their stresses away. It was so good to be safe.
"I'm so happy we're OK." Sue said as she and Jack sat on the couch that evening.
"ME-TOO." He signed back.
Sunny woofed, happy she stayed in the hotel room for the excitement.
"I'm also happy they got them."
"ME-TOO AGAIN." He signed, then moved slightly so she could see him clearly. "I hear they cut a deal to rat out all the names of the members for a shorter sentence."
Sue frowned slightly. "I'm not quite sure I like that. They're dangerous."
"Don't worry, they won't get out for a long, long time. By shorter sentence, I mean from 40 years to 30 years." He replied, signing the numbers.
She smiled again. "Good."
"And Evan's real name was Aaron. I guess he ran some sort of scam a few years ago, and was running from the police, and that's why he changed his name."
"I'm glad they caught him this time!" She said as she got comfortable, but immediately after, she popped up. "Hey, you know what today is?"
Jack shook his head. "FRIDAY?"
"GOOD FRIDAY." She replied.
"Oh yeah." He replied as she settled back down. Once he was sure she was asleep, he grabbed his phone. "Hey Howie, can you grab some things from the store?"
?-?
"Ready to go?" Myles asked when Jack opened the door the next morning.
Jack nodded. "Almost."
"I wish we didn't have to leave. It's so nice here!" Sue said, smiling as she came out of her room, suitcases and Sunny's leash in hand. Sunny woofed her approval.
"Alright, let's go." Myles replied, turning to walk towards the entrance.
They silently drove home, going over what happened that week in their minds. The three cars drove in a line until Tara and Mya turned off to go to their homes. Sue, Jack and Myles drove to the dealer to pick up their real cars, then parted their separate ways.
"Ah, it's so good to be home!" Sue exclaimed as they walked into the door. "What's that smell?"
"It's the smell of Easter!" Howie exclaimed as he came out of the kitchen. Jack pointed to Howie since Sue was looking in the wrong direction, and Howie repeated what he said.
"Oh?"
"It's an old Swedish recipe my Mom used to make. I thought it would be good with coloring eggs." He explained.
"Coloring eggs?" Sue asked, then looked from Howie to Jack. Jack nodded and smiled, happy she liked her little surprise.
?-?
So how was the case?" Maddy asked as Mya came into the door.
"KNOW YOU DON'T WANT." Mya replied.
"WHY?" Maddy asked.
"Can we get off the subject please? I really need to relax." Mya replied, plopping down on the couch and closing her eyes.
Maddy shrugged. "Alright."
Mya kept her eyes closed until she heard her phone vibrate. She looked at the text message and smiled. It was good to be home, and safe.
?-?
Once Myles got settled at home, he drove to Cathi's.
"Hi." Cathi said when she answered the door.
"Hi." He replied. She let him in, and they sat on the couch. "How are you doing?"
Cathi nodded. "Better." She wrung her hands. "Like I told you, I talked with Reverend Capp. He, he has a friend here in DC, a pastor friend, and I talked with him yesterday, and he, he invited me to watch Easter church tomorrow, and, and I was wondering if you would like to watch with me?" she asked, nervous about his response.
Myles smiled. "Of course."
Cathi smiled as well. "Thank you."
?-? LISTEN TO: White Horse by Tenille Townes
"Wow," Sue said as she sat down at the kitchen table, which was all ready for decorating eggs, the dye and everything. "This is amazing, thank you, Howie!"
"You know what my favorite thing about decorating eggs is?" Howie asked as he sat down across from her.
"What?" Sue replied, smiling.
"Easter egg salad on Easter Monday."
Sue laughed. "Of course."
"COLOR EGGS YOU WANT?" Jack asked as he sat down next to her.
Sue nodded happily. "Definitely!"
Howie smiled as he got up to finish his meal he was making.
"Hey!" Sue exclaimed as Jack playfully tossed something at her.
"THIS FUN." Jack signed.
Sue nodded in agreement. "YES."
They both smiled at each other, quietly coloring for a bit.
"NEXT-YEAR US-TWO DO-DO AGAIN?" She asked.
"EVERY-YEAR US-TWO DO-DO." He replied.
Sue smiled widely. She liked that idea. Their life might be a bit scary at times, but she loved every second of it, and couldn't wait to see what would happen next. Whatever it was, it would be beautifully amazing, and she couldn't wait. This Easter will be very strange, but with Jack by her side, what could go wrong? He was her knight in shining armor, and she loved him for everything he was. It sure was going to be unique, but whatever happened, it would be the way He wanted it, and it would be perfect.
THE END