Into The Black FINAL PART

Katheryn took one look at the men who came bursting through the door of the cabin and held her eyes steady, studying them over as carefully as she dared while one of them paced the small area restlessly and the other went straight for the stash of ammunition. The latter began cleaning a rifle and eventually loading it. After fifteen minutes of this charade, a knock sounded on the cabin door. Both men perked up and grabbed their weapons before the first man, the same man that had captured Katheryn back at the pit, inched his way to the door and opened it cautiously.

The man slipped his rifle through the opening before peeking around to gaze into the darkness. "Who's there?" he whispered.

"Darrin. Rio sent me," the voice replied, shaky and uncertain as he kept his eyes on the rifle aimed at his midsection.

"Come in." The rather uncouth man spat on the wooden porch and stepped aside, only partially lowering the gun as the other man entered. "Rio called and said he was sending someone our way. If we get the law on our tail because of him, he'll pay!"

"Aw, don't worry," the man cleaning his rifle once again threw back at the other. "No lawman has ever found this hideout, and they won't as far as I'm concerned."

"What's with the girl?" The man named Darrin questioned as he removed his coat and threw it across the meager table. He had a slight glimmer in his eyes that caused Katheryn to feel even more uncomfortable…if that was even possible at this point.

"Found her snoopin' around the place. Thought it best to play it on the safe side."

"You can't be serious!" Darrin retorted, his nostrils flared as he pushed the little man up against the nearest wall with a snarl that almost surprised Katheryn. "The moment her friends start missing her, we'll have every cop within fifty miles on us!"

With a groan and cough, the victimized mountain man realized his error. "What else did you expect me to do?!"

Finally releasing the man, Darrin scoffed, "How about letting her go? At least in the dark she may have not remembered your face."

"Yeah. I didn't think about it. I guess we'll have to kill her now."

"Kill her? Not that! So do you want to go to prison that bad?!"

The other man didn't say another word but shrunk away to baby his rifle, casting a flirtatious smile or two in Kath's direction as he did so. But a glare of disdain was all he would receive from her in return.

##

Carlos began to rouse only slightly as he felt a stinging in his eyes. He cringed, opening his eyes to a blurry view of scattered camping equipment and furniture. Sunlight streamed inside the little cabin, highlighting what he could only assume had been one world-class fight or a futile furry of a search. As last night began to return to his memory, Carlos realized that it had been the latter. Carlos rubbed his eyes intensely with the thumb and forefinger of his left hand while he propped his weight up with his other hand. Then he proceeded to push himself up from the floor, instantly feeling the aches and pains from a night spent on a hard surface. Suddenly, the place seemed foreign and familiar all at the same time. It was as if he had been here before but was there for the first time.

As he regained his balance with both feet planted firmly on the floor, Carlos braced himself with one hand on the edge of the little square table and sat down in the chair provided. He then rubbed his face fiercely in the palms of his hands before trying to recall everything that had happened last night. Like a flash of lightening, Carlos saw Katheryn's face reddened with fear as she screamed for help. The very notion made him cringe and jerk out of the reverie. He flashed his eyes wide open and pounded a fist on the table before he shot out of the wooden seat and ran outside, barely having enough time to open the door.

Seeing the beautiful lake before him for the first time, he smiled. "Katheryn?!" Carlos' voice echoed into the trees and back again with no response save the call of the morning birds as dawn's gentle atmosphere was coming to life around him. "Katheryn!?" He tried again; but it was no use.

You are wrong if you think I'd ever leave the moment things got too rough, he remembered Katheryn's heated voice from last night. Suddenly, Carlos realized that he was no longer blind. He wanted to shout for joy. He wanted to see so many things again that he thought he would never be able to see again. But most of all, he wanted more than anything to see Katheryn. The thought of losing her at this point was so abhorrent to even think about. It sent a feeling through him that only evil itself could invoke. The only thing that seemed to keep his mind from fearing the worst was picturing Kath's smile as he finally found her and could kiss her and tell her he was sorry.

Returning inside the cabin, Carlos stopped at the threshold and surveyed the damage. With a smirk, he remembered his hastiness as he ran back into the cabin late last night and began searching for their cell phones, praying that Trent had not withheld those also. After five minutes of destroying the little abode, Carlos had slipped and fallen somewhere between the doorway and their sleeping bags, falling forward towards the unseen table. He had recalled the rather nasty bump on his head as he aroused seconds later from the cabin floor only to fall back into a deep sleep that he had no control over. When he woke up seven hours later, his vision had returned.

Despite the overwhelming desire to celebrate, he didn't have the time. If Katheryn had not returned, it could mean only one of two things. She had meant what she said and not returned, or she was in danger. Either way, Carlos knew he had only a matter of time to rectify the situation. He knew Katheryn. He knew that once she set her mind to something, there was no holding her back. It would be up to him to make things right. And he knew he deserved every ounce of obligation that accompanied the fear of losing her. He had pushed her away. Anything that would happen to her…or that had already happened to her was his fault.

On bended knee, Carlos grabbed Kath's smaller backpack and emptied its little contents before restocking it with what he could only guess that he would need—rope, a flashlight, two bottles of water, the first aid kit, and some unperishable food—all with an overwhelming sense of urgency. Then with one last look over the disheveled cabin, Carlos sighed, setting aside the odd feeling of not having his pistol with him long enough to start out of the cabin and into the woods with no knowledge of what he might encounter.

##

With the tip from the rather uncouth storeowner he had encountered yesterday, Trent had quickly informed Walker of the information over the phone as soon as he had made completed all the stops on Walker's list. Even though other shop visits had resulted in a few vague leads, Trent's ever-broadening gut instincts kept telling him that the most disturbing one was the most trustworthy. He still couldn't quite shake the feeling that place had given him and hoped they wouldn't have to go back there if at all possible. Thankfully, Walker recommended that they both pay a visit to the airport first thing this morning. That is, if Trent could get away from the house and his siblings antics long enough.

Trent arrived at Ranger Headquarters a few minutes passed eight o'clock, pausing to hold the door open for a few other familiar faces. As he finally shut the door and ambled over to Walker's desk, the Ranger was just getting off the phone.

"Sorry I'm late, Walker," Trent smiled. "Tandy and Tyler decided to bathe Moses all on their own this morning. There was a bit of a flood to clean up."

Walker grinned. "No problem. There's been a change of plans anyway."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. A security officer at the airport saw a man that looked like Darrin leaving the airport with someone else. He passed along the license plate number to us. There's an APB out on it now." Walker sighed. "There's just something I don't understand."

"What's that?"

"The security guard said it was a Louisiana license plate."

Trent sank into his thoughts a moment before he spoke. "Why would that be unusual?"

"Well, as far as we know, Darrin was only associated with a few drug rings in Texas. He's never been connected with any others out of state."

"Except Chicago," Trivette's voice caught Walker and Trent off guard. They both turned toward the Ranger as he glared at his computer screen.

Ranger Walker was behind his partner's desk, looking over Trivette's shoulder seconds later.

"Your good buddy Darrin was once bailed out of prison by an anonymous source out of Chicago. You think it could be Rios?"

"Who's Rios?" Trent queried.

Trivette turned halfway to acknowledge Trent. "Rios is a heavy out of Chicago. He's tried to start a branch of dealing down here. Most likely to get closer to Mexican cartels. But we shut him down every time. He still tries to control a middle man down here every once in a while though."

Trivette scanned a few more items on the screen with a click of his tongue. "Seems that Texas isn't the only place Rios has a toe in. He's been linked to organizations in Miami, New Orleans, and Las Vegas to name a few."

"So we're talking a big scale operation here," Trent scoffed. "Could Perez have been just henchman of his?"

"Yeah," Walker admitted just as his phone rang once again. He returned to his desk and quickly put the device to his ear. "Ranger Walker."

Trent looked on with interest as various noises from the large room filled in the silence.

"Alright." Walker began reaching for his Stetson. "We'll be right there." He hung up the phone, nodding to Trivette. "Darrin's getaway car was just spotted heading east into Louisiana near Shreveport."

"Wait." Trent raised his hand, a bit of concern playing on his voice. "That's the same way Katheryn and Carlos went."

The three men instantly knew exactly what each one of them was thinking as they exchanged wary glances and quickly hurried from the headquarters office together. Trent hoped that this new-found discovery would just turn out to be a fascinating coincidence in the end. Still, it may have been a good idea for Katheryn to have taken her firearm after all.

##

Carlos crept along the edge of the woods alongside the lake when he suddenly spotted a length of rope tied to a tree deeper into the woods. Diverting from the path, he eased into the wooded area, aiming for that tree when he suddenly caught himself slipping. Thankfully, he caught himself in time, feeling his heart rate climb as he looked down into a rather slovenly pit. He noticed a few sets of footprints surrounding the pit's edge and concluded that they were not too old. He then took a good look around himself and called out Katheryn's name once. All that returned was his own voice wrapped in a nice echo against the trees around him. He sighed and then took a look at the pit once again. Squinting, he tried focusing on something that had caught his eye. With an aggravated sigh he stood back upright. It was just a piece off of a nearby tree.

He then noticed that the tracks ran together and continued on beyond what he could see. Maybe it was a long shot, but it was all he had. At least it beat sitting around feeling sorry for himself, something he'd never do…especially when the life of the girl he loved was at stake. He could not shake the desire to have her back with him safely. He prayed silently that it was not too late and quickly hurried forward at a soft run as he followed the tracks into the unknown.

Descending upon a secluded cabin about three miles away from the pit, Carlos immediately began to hear voices and ducked behind a nearby tree just as the cabin door opened. He then slowly peered from around the large trunk to see a man step out onto the porch. He slung his weapon around behind his back, the strap catching at his shoulder to safely keep it in place as he reached inside his shirt pocket at his chest for a pack of cigarettes. Carlos almost snickered as he saw the man tremble, almost failing to keep a grip on the tiny stick of death. The goon then reached for his lighter and shook the entire time as he drew the flame to the tip of the paper that hung on his lips.

Almost accidentally, Carlos crunched a small pile of leaves beneath his hiking boot and hid himself quickly. The man on the porch tossed his cigarette and lighter to the ground by impulse, sweeping his semi-automatic weapon from his back and aiming it at every corner of the property.

"Who there?!"

"Tom?" Katheryn's captor stepped out on to the porch and surveyed his friend who stood shifting his weapon from one tree to another, a snarl narrowing on his face. He glanced to the man's shaky hands and scoffed. "You'll be no good to us in that state, Tom. Why don't you get a smoke and calm down?"

"That's what I was trying to do! I could have sworn I heard something!"

The other man scoffed yet again as he turned to go back inside the cabin. "Just have a smoke and chill out. Geez!"

The man named Tom eventually did manage to light himself a cigarette and "calm" down before he returned inside the cabin, still casting many wary looks behind himself into the woods as he did so. Once the men were out of sight, Carlos quickly maneuvered his way across the property to the side of the cabin closest to himself. He prayed there was a window on that side. Sure enough, a small window was situated right towards the front. He guessed that it would be the one over the sink of whatever meager kitchen this dilapidated cabin had.

Stooping below the window, Carlos slowly eased upward and peeked inside. It took a minute for his eyes to adjust while a bit of blurriness still played at his eyes. He blinked really hard and rubbed each eye with the tips of his thumb and forefinger before looking inside once again. Immediately, he caught a glimpse of Katheryn. Heat rose to his face as he saw her hands and feet tied while her head was bowed and her face was smeared with mud. She looked exhausted. Carlos hated seeing her like that. He felt helpless; and he knew that her defenses were weak when she was weak. God only knows how long she had forced herself to stay awake in order to stay on her guard. Yet even the best can only stay alert for only so long.

Carlos quickly ducked back down as one of the men approached the window. He squatted downward with his back against the wooden wall and rubbed his face in one hand while he wrestled with several solutions in his mind. Truth be told, he wanted to rush the cabin, take Kath up in his arms, and run away as fast he could. But then he reminded himself that logic would not allow such a luxury. These men had far too much ammunition for him to take a chance of getting them both killed. What he needed was a good distraction.

##

It only took a quick flash of two seconds for Carlos to snag the lighter that the criminal had so carelessly tossed away in the grass just a few short moments ago. With the lighter in hand, Carlos quickly hid behind the same cluster of trees he had found shelter behind upon arriving. He struck the flame once or twice to make sure it was working before he glance around the tree for another look at the cabin. Nothing.

Carlos then bounded from tree to tree, hiding briefly behind each one for a second or two as he made his way across to the other side of the cabin where a small shed and pile of straw was. Striking the lighter, Carlos set the flame to the pile and quickly retreated. He could hear the licking of the flames grow larger and louder as he watched the burning pile from the edge of the woods out of sight. Soon smoke began to rise into the air. As figured, one or two of the goons quickly hurried outside to check it out. In a matter of seconds, all of them were outside, scrambling for buckets and any other helpful tools from the shed to aid them in fighting this little mystery fire.

Once he knew that every man was out of the cabin, Carlos sprinted down and around the back of the cabin, using a back entrance to find Katheryn. He quickly bent low and put his finger under her chin to raise her eyes to his. She hardly even knew he was there as she slipped in and out of a stupor of exhaustion.

Letting go of Kath's face, Carlos sighed sharply, immediately setting his pocket knife to the ropes that held her bound and sawing back and forth. "I'm going to get you out of here, Kath."

The ropes fell from to the ground seconds later, and Carlos took them and tossed them across the room. After safely returning his knife to his pocket, Carlos reached down and placed his arms securely around Katheryn before he lifted her up and into his arms. Without hesitation he started for the door, kicking it open when it tried to shut on him.

Carlos was nearly to the edge of the woods with Katheryn when the group's leader spotted him from across the distance as the other men battled the deliberately-set brush fire.

"They're getting away!" He yelled as he dashed inside the cabin to retrieve a larger weapon as if his sidearm was not sufficient enough.

Carlos barely dodge two bullets from another one of the men's pistols as he nearly stumbled with Kath still in his arms. As she by now was beginning to rouse, Carlos found shelter behind a large trunk of an oak and gently set her down. He stooped low, still catching his breath and glancing up and back down as more gunfire ensued.

"Kath," Carlos whispered sharply, gently caressing the side of her face. "Are you okay?"

Katheryn slowly focused her eyes on his as she came to and recognized Carlos' voice, much to his relief. Yet their shared smile was only brief. "What's going on?"

"Stay here. I'll be right back." Carlos pressed a kiss on her forehead and leapt for the safety of the next tree and the next, thankfully without being seen. Flanking them would be the only hope he had of taking them by surprise. He only prayed that his feet would carry him fast before they had a chance to find Katheryn again. If he was lucky, he might even be able to steal a weapon from the stockpile he had noticed inside the cabin. But even he doubted that as he thought of Katheryn. No, he would have to fight them directly. There was no time to seek the luxury of a weapon.

As Carlos inched alongside the opposite side of the cabin, he drew closer and closer to the first man who was unarmed and was stilling alone, battling the brush fire he had set. Setting a few taps on the man's shoulder, the man whirled around just as Carlos struck him in the face with his fist, his body thudding against the ground.

"Hold it right there, Jackie Chan!"

Carlos froze and slowly turned around to see the violent end of an AK-47 pointed directly at his midsection. He cocked smiled. "Can I be of any help you?"

"Stop your firing!"

All five men ceased fire at once and turned around, the presence of the man before them surprising even them.

"Tie him up," the mystery man barked and the other henchmen.

"Why?" the one named Tom retorted with his nose in the air and his voice laced in southern drawl. "We don't answer to nobody except Mr. Rios."

"Well then say hello, Tom." Rios smiled and then began laughing quite maniacally.

Cautiously, Tom stepped forward to do as he was told. But found himself unable to do so as he was taken completely off guard by a blow to the face delivered by an unseen party. Seeing that Tom was out cold, Trent glanced up to see Walker and Rios engaged in a heated struggle that wasn't about to let up anytime soon. Trent and Carlos then fought their own battles as the other four men launched an attack on them both. As the fighting came to a victorious end Carlos offered his best friend his unrequited thanks.

"Where's Kath?" Trent replied as he caught his breath, watching Walker lead Rios and another goon to a patrol car that had just arrived.

"She's safe." Carlos was also having difficulty catching his breath as he watched the red and blue lights blur in his eyes. He still could feel a slight throb where his head had met with the corner of that wooden table last night.

"Wait a minute," Trent chuckled. "You can see me?"

Carlos grinned. "Yep."

"How?"

"I don't know. It's a long story. Come on. Let's get Katheryn."

##

It was almost like that first afternoon all over again as Katheryn waited with Carlos in that sun-lit hospital room one day later. Having cut their trip short because of what had happened, Katheryn and Carlos fought every ounce of anxiousness that welled within them as the doctor delayed in coming. The room held a deafening silence, the clock almost containing a rhythmic beat all to its own that began to annoy Katheryn. She sighed and paced from the window back to Carlos. After exchanging smiles, Katheryn couldn't believe that the man she loved could actually see her, something she had perhaps taken for granted all these months. From now on, she promised herself she would never do that again.

"Good afternoon," the doctor announced his presence, causing the twosome to jerk their heads around as their brief reverie was intruded upon. "How are you doing, Mr. Sandoval?"

"Very good," Carlos grinned. "Ready to get back to work to be honest."

"Not so fast." The doctor grinned as he glanced over his patient's file, recalling his original diagnosis. His eyes narrowed as he studied the nurse's notes intensely. "So you regained your vision the same way you lost it?"

"Yes, sir. It appears so."

"Well, I can't say that I've seen that very often."

"Doctor," Katheryn inserted, stepping forward to slip her hand into Carlos'. "No matter how it happened, all we want to know is if he'll be okay."

"I understand." The doctor nodded. "It appears that there was no left over damage. You are perfectly well, Mr. Sandoval. As cliché as it may sound, I guess you could say it's a miracle."

Grinning proudly, Carlos wrapped Katheryn in an embrace as their victorious smiles and laughter filled the tiny room.

"That's not to stay you still should not take necessary precautions," the doctor interrupted. "Rest is still a key part of your recovery."

"Yes, sir. I understand." Carlos nodded, unable to take his eyes off of Kath's broad smile. It was something that he too would never take for granted ever again.

##

C.D.'s luminescent sign lit up the entrance into the bar as the sun was setting over Dallas. Walker was busy polishing off one of C.D.'s latest culinary experiments while Trivette threw a few darts at the nearby dart board. So far only one of his four darts had come even close to the general mid-section of the board. With an aggravated sigh after his last dart planted itself in the outskirts of the bull's eye, Trivette ambled over to the bar and plopped down onto the barstool next to Walker, cradling his chin in his hands.

Walker raised his fork to his mouth but stopped half way and turned to look at Trivette. "Why the long face?"

"How come you're so good at darts?"

Walker forked his food with a smile. "Luck…I guess."

"Yeah, right!" Trivette scoffed, rolling his eyes towards the other end of the bar.

Yet both Rangers quickly turned their attentions to the entrance as Alex strolled inside, the atmosphere change bringing a smile to her face and gracing her pleasant features.

"I see somebody's in a good mood." Walker stood up to kiss Alex as she arrived by the bar.

"So?" Trivette urged. "What gives?"

"Two of Rios' men turned state's evidence. With Kath's testimony and this, Rios and all of his henchmen are looking at a nice long stay behind arms. From stolen arms to assault and kidnapping, the charges stack up pretty high against them."

"That's great," Walker smiled and nodded. "How about the drug charges?"

Alex shook her head. "Without sufficient evidence, I could add that charge. I know you wanted to get him for his drug-related dealings, but he seems to have kept all of that secret."

"Don't worry," Walker reasoned. "I don't think his operation in Chicago will last very long without him. We'll see to it."

Trivette straightened up on his barstool. "So how's Kath and Carlos?"

Alex took a deep breath as C.D. paused in front of her and set a cup of coffee on the bar for her. "She's doing better. Still catching up on some much-needed rest. But you know her. She won't let this keep her out of the game for very long."

"That's right," Trent chimed in, approaching the others from behind with a hand around Alex for a hug and Molly by his side.

"Hey, you two!" Alex offered them both a quick hug. "Where's Katheryn and Carlos?"

Molly's subtle smile hid a tiny amount of suspicion from her eyes. "They'll be here…I hope. If they can stop looking at each other long enough."

"It's that bad, huh?" Trivette grinned.

Trent nodded, perhaps too over-emphatically as his eyes widened. "Yep. Sure is."

Alex sighed, not denying herself a smile. "I'm just so glad they worked things out. They are so great together." Walker shot her a glare that she swiftly refuted with a glare of her own as she raised her voice in her own defense. "And I'm not match-making! They took care of that all on their own."

##

Seconds seemed to pass into minutes into what soon felt like hours as they watched the sun sink slowly behind the Downtown Dallas skyline in the distance. From the narrow little sofa in Carlos' apartment they sat in silence, each absorbed into their own thoughts…thoughts mostly about each other. A soft tune played through a CD player nearby. But neither paid it much heed. Instead, Katheryn felt Carlos slip his hand into hers before she finally gave in and settled her head gently on his shoulder. For a brief second, she wanted to close her eyes and take in every second of this moment with the man she loved. But the breathtaking view simply would not let her. Still, the moment was more gentle and sweet than any other they had experienced since they had begun dating at the beginning of the year. As if something that had so ardently tried to pull them apart had brought them closer together than even she could have hoped for.

"I, um," Carlos cleared his throat, watching their intertwined hands as he whispered, "I never really got a chance to apologize."

"Apologize? What for?" Katheryn breathed, still taken by the moment and unwilling to remember anything bad that had happened.

"I shouldn't have pushed you away like I did," Carlos confessed, briefly surveying the rest of his apartment instead of the view they shared. "It was wrong. And you have every right to hate me for it."

In her mind's eye, Katheryn played back the entire timeline of events from the past week that had brought them to this moment. She couldn't deny feeling somewhat angry. Not at Carlos necessarily but at the circumstances that had tried so hard to tear them apart.

"I know." Katheryn took a deep breath as she sat upright, turning around to look Carlos square in the eyes. "I know that you are the most kind-hearted man I've ever met. I know that you care about those around you. And I know that that is what drove you to say what you did. The anger was at the problem…not me. I know that now."

Carlos' breathy chuckle caused him to subconsciously turn his head away in thought. As the brief laugh dissipated, he returned his gaze to Katheryn's which still remained fixed on him. "Tell me again why I deserve a girl like you?"

"You don't!" Kath teased, poking him in the ribs. "But I think I'll stick around to see what happens next anyway."

Without hesitation, Katheryn leaned forward to press her lips to Carlos'. He didn't reject this one bit and slipped his hand around her neck to draw her in even closer.

As they reluctantly drew away from each other, Katheryn's smile never subsided as she gently held her hand to Carlos' face. "Don't you ever scare me like that again. I thought I had lost you."

Carlos stifled a chuckle as he reached up to slip Kath's hand away from his face. He lowered her hand and secured his around it. "Are you kidding me? I thought I had lost you."

Kath let her gaze wander, regret for having left Carlos playing on her emotions. "I—I'm sorry I left that night."

"No, don't apologize. It's that fire in you that I love so much. I wasn't talking about that night anyways."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." Carlos eased up and away from the sofa, slipping his hands in his jeans' pocket as he crossed to the window. "When that doctor first came in and told me I was blind, the very next thought in my mind was that I'd never see you again." Carlos turned around slowly to face Katheryn. "That I couldn't love you how you truly deserved."

Tears stung at Katheryn's eyes as she finally stood to her feet, the worry of what she thought Carlos was about to reveal immediately falling away from her. A small stream of pink and red-hued sunlight streamed into the little apartment as she drew closer to Carlos. She slipped her hand into his once again and wiped at a tear with her free hand. "Carlos Sandoval, there's not another man on this earth that I could love more than you. You're more than enough for me. Shoot, I never thought I'd meet someone who had so much love to give."

Smiling, Carlos was the one to kiss Katheryn this time. His eyes were lit up with joy at hearing Kath say those words. Never had he known a feeling like this. And somehow through all his searching and desiring, he was lucky enough to have a girl that was just as strong, loyal, and beautiful as she was overwhelming, mysterious, and adventurous.

Drawing away, Katheryn flashed Carlos a smile and reached for her cross-body purse. "Come on. We don't want to be late."

"Late for what?" Carlos couldn't deny his memory being somewhat absent over the past couple of minutes until he finally remembered something else in its place. "Oh! I almost forgot." He hurried across the room to his bedroom and returned with an envelope in hand. He handed it to Kath with a broadening smile. "Go on. Open it up."

Curiously, Katheryn slipped her purse over her head, settling it on her shoulder before taking the envelope from a still-smiling Carlos. She retrieved two plane tickets to Park City, Utah, that had her smiling before Carlos could even explain.

"I thought we could try again," Carlos explained, pleased with Kath's reaction. "We can go whenever you'd like. Consider it a standing offer. I know you were pretty upset when you couldn't go with us last year."

Katheryn nearly leapt forward as she wrapped her arms around Carlos, still gripping the paper in hand. "Oh thank you so much, Carlos! Thank you." She then caught a glimpse of the wall clock as she nestled her face in Carlos' shoulder and gasped. "Oh my goodness. We're late!"

Carlos snagged a look at the clock also before frowning. "Goodness. We are. Trent will be out looking for us soon if we don't hurry."

"Molly will be too!" Kath chimed in as Carlos opened the apartment door for her. "She's been wanting to have this party at CD's ever since we came back home. Say, why don't we take my car? It'll be faster."

"Works for me," Carlos chuckled as they hurried down the stairs side by side. "Mind if I drive just this once?"

With a grin, Kath tossed her keys his way just as they passed through the entrance into the cool spring evening. "You don't even have to ask me twice."