He waited for the second letter for over a week. He wondered if he'd get one at all. When he spotted the envelope, he couldn't help but smile. It was the only connection he'd had with her. He'd told the guys, all of which were glad to know how she was doing. They said they understood her situation. All but Munch.

He'd looked up where Eugene was. It sounded nice. All of Oregon sounded nice. He wasn't sure why she was there or where she was going. He had a pad in the top drawer of his desk at work. There was only one item on it, so far. He wasn't sure what he'd do with the information, but it was one way of keeping track of her whereabouts. He tore open the flap and smiled at what he saw. Shaking his head, he unfolded the rose-colored paper. Little hearts lined the sides, and he couldn't help but laugh.

Hey, partner. I wanted to write last week but I didn't have a chance to get away for very long. Uncle Sam has kept me busy. I get a few dollars a week. Nothing noticeable. The group would get suspicious. It's amazing what you can buy at one of those dollar stores. What do you think of the paper? Pink, Olivia?

It's been pretty nice here. I expected more rain, I guess. I've never been here before, but I've always wanted to go. I didn't get a chance to bring my tennis shoes. I'll never complain again about walking around back home. She sounds different. As if she's accepted that she isn't going home for a while.

Tonight we're in the forest. Pretty fitting for this region, huh? I've never seen anything like it. The trees are so big. I've never thought about how many are cut down to make paper like the kind I'm writing on. I don't agree with the way we do things, but I understand the reasoning behind it. The way they do things. Bombs. Explosives. Who knows what else? His heart went out to her. Is she in danger?

My mother almost moved here. I never told you that. One day after school, I saw a bus ticket on the counter. I don't remember how old I was. She'd forgotten to put it away. I asked her what it was for and she started crying. I never brought it up again. It wasn't until later on after she passed away that I saw she had some family there. I always wondered why she stuck around. He felt the moisture collect behind his eyes, and had to blink several times to clear his vision. He stared at the paper so hard his eyes crossed. He pictured little Olivia Benson; too young to understand that her mother was planning on abandoning her. He didn't know a lot about her childhood. He shook his head and continued.

There's one person here that I've gotten to know. You learn a lot about someone when you're traveling. She has a little boy that got taken away after she quit showing up to pick him up from school. He doesn't know that when she's in town she stops by the playground to watch him play. I learned the first year on the job not to judge people's choices in life. I keep reminding myself of that now. He let out a sigh of relief. For what, he wasn't sure. Just to know she had someone to talk to, was enough for him to function without her for the time being. To know that, for the past two weeks, she hasn't been alone.

I think about kids, you know? I see all the bad out here and I'm scared to death. How do you protect someone so young and innocent? How's Fred? Fred. A diversion from the topic she didn't want to discuss any further. She was afraid. Of what? Of the group? Society? He often wished she'd had a child or two. She'd be a great mother, if the right man came along. She deserved a family.

The stars are out tonight. You can't see them that well in the city. I wish I had paid more attention to the constellations when I was in school. You'll have to ask Dickie what the technical term for the big dipper is. She sounds peaceful. Content.

I'm PMS'ing. I'm sure you wanted to know that. I bet your face is turning red, isn't it? No pun intended. Was that a pun? He chuckled as he thought of the time she'd been at work and had started to feel bad. After an hour of watching her try to focus on work, he'd gone down to the corner store and gotten her a chocolate bar and a box of Midol. He wouldn't go down the other aisle. She was on her own on that one. He'd never forget the look of astonishment on her face when he dropped the bag onto her desk. At the time, he'd simply shrugged it off, saying he didn't want to have to deal with her hormones any longer. Secretly, though, he just didn't want to see her in pain.

I washed my hands before sending this one. You're welcome. I miss the long, hot showers I used to take before work and the way the pipes would rattle after the fifteen minute mark. Maybe that's nature's way of telling me to conserve water. I think I've been hanging out here too long. Fifteen minutes? He'd always pegged her as the 'get in and get out' type.

It's brighter out here. I miss my sunglasses. One of the guys used to be a weather major back in college. He went on a rant the other day about how people claim to know about the weather. The next time anyone says it's too cold to snow, I'll think of him. I don't know his real name. Maybe I'll find out before I leave. Elliot peered out the blinds of his apartment. It was snowing upstate. He recalled a conversation about her having never made a snow angel before. He'd pulled over to the side of the road and told her he wasn't moving until she got out and made one. She didn't budge, but as he pulled away she thanked him, saying how much of a stubborn son-of-a-bitch he was.

I missed someone's birthday, but I can't remember whose. I'm not even sure what the date is, just that we've got an "event" coming up. I wonder how that one is going to play out. I'm pretty sure I hate the smell of gasoline. Among others. He wondered where Star was and how much longer she was going to drag his partner all over the state of Oregon. As silly as it sounded, he wished it had been his birthday instead of Fin's. He'd have wished for her to come back.

I threw up twice yesterday. Nothing today, yet. Just a friendly reminder, don't drink lake water. The girl I told you about held my hair back while the guys went on their way. A real family, we are. You can tell she's seen enough spit up and runny noses as a mother. Elliot thought of the time he'd seen her lose it. Back then, he'd let her have her privacy and simply offered her a mint. If he had it to do all over again, he'd have gone over there and done the same thing that woman had for her. That's what partners do. It wasn't in the initial job description, but he was sure it was in an amended version.

I have to go now. It's getting dark and I can't see to write. I'll send this in the morning. There's a little post office a few blocks away from where we're meeting up next. By the time you get this, it'll be all over the news. He quickly grabbed the envelope and read the date. Four days. He did the mental math and when nothing added up, he turned on the television. He held the letter in his left hand and flipped the channels with the thumb of his right. His heart beat faster as he approached the news stations. The channels that would tell him what had happened. He found nothing. Not even in the scroll at the bottom of the screen. Of course he'd missed it. It had happened days ago, whatever it was. He hadn't heard anything. Maybe that was a good sign.

Thanks for listening to me ramble. I'll write more next week. Don't forget to ask Dickie about the stars.

PJ. That's what they call me. (Sounds like a sandwich, doesn't it?) He flipped the television off and read the last line again. It took a while before he remembered what the second letter was. He realized he didn't even know all of the initials of her real name. He regretted that the letter had to end. He folded up the pink paper and carefully placed it back in its original home before placing it next to the other. With nothing else to do, he trudged down the hall and into the bedroom. The quicker he got to sleep, the quicker it would be the next day. The closer he would be to finding out where she was when she'd written the letter. He prayed for another to come soon.