Deppfreak - Thanks for reviewing now... not sure about the e-mail thing... I might have typed something wrong... You don't need to be an author to have an account... Thanks for the review...

Thanks for your review on Valentine's Day as well...

LilaGrace: Oh, sorry...

Thanks so much for the review, and glad you're enjoying this... But Tom, well... You'll have to read to find out what happened...

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"We're free now Tommy," Doug exclaimed. "Told ya I'd get you outta there, right?"

"Yeah," Tom whispered silently. Out here, were there was more light, Doug could clearly see how pale his friend was. And he was about to stop and ask if Tom was alright when gunshots littered the air. The older man dove to the ground, pulling Tom with him, as La Bizca shot at whoever was shooting at them. There were other rebels there as well, so soon any soldiers still alive and shooting were dead.

"It is okay now," La Bizca told the officers and Doug slowly stood.

"Tommy?" Doug asked, looking down at his friend's form. He wasn't moving and Doug was afraid he had been shot.

"Tommy, oh god, no," Doug mumbled. No way Tom was dead. Not now; not after all they had gone through to get out here, to stay alive. There was no way he could be dead.

"Please, no," Doug spoke, kneeling down next to the limp form. He rolled the body over and...

He was breathing. Tom was breathing. Doug let out a sigh of relief; Tom was still alive. But unconscious. Doug panicked; had Tom been shot? Doug had pulled him to the ground after a couple of shots, so there was a possibility. A very slight possibility. Doug just hoped he was wrong. After gently lying the younger man on the ground, Doug quickly checked his friend over; dried blood stained his shirt, but there was no visible fresh blood. No red seeping through the dark material. That meant he hadn't been shot.

He hadn't been shot.

"He-he's okay," Doug muttered. "Oh thank God he's okay." Doug pulled the younger into his chest and started crying. After all they had gone through; after everything Doug had done to get Tom out of there, it seemed like it had all come to an end. For a slight moment it had seemed like everything had gone to waste. But nothing had. Tom was alive. He was unconscious, but alive. And Doug smiled. He had promised to get the younger man out alive, and here he was; out of that Hellhole and alive. Doug had succeeded.

"Douglas," came La Bizca's soft voice. "We must hurry now. Will you be able to carry Thomas?"

"Yeah, yeah 'course I will," Doug replied, standing. He was going to get Tom back to America, and if he had to carry him there, then – Doug was going to carry him there. Wiping the moisture out of his eyes, Doug carefully picked up the younger man, not wanting to jolt him awake. Because he had seen Tom when he was awoken suddenly, and Doug definitely did not need him to do that and fall. If he fell, he could get hurt even worse than he was already, and Doug wanted to prevent that. Tom wasn't going to get hurt anymore. Doug would make sure of that.

With the younger man laying in his arms, Doug followed La Bizca and the rebels. He had one arm under Tom's head to support it, and another just under his back. Because Tom wasn't going to fall; Tom wasn't going to get hurt.

They walked through the trees, Doug clutching Tom's body close to his, being careful not to trip over any loose twigs or leaves. He didn't need to fall, drop Tom, and land on the younger man. Because if Doug were to accidentally hurt the younger offivcer, he would never be able to forgive himself; he wasn't even certain he would ever be able to forgive himself for bringing Tom to El Salvador in the first place. No matter what Tom said about it not being Doug's fault.

"Douglas."

"Wha-a?" Doug responded, losing track of his thoughts and nearly tripping. He caught himself just in time and clutched Tom even harder; for a second he had come close to dropping his friend.

"We are here. The village."

Doug turned his attention away from the woman's face, and instead focused it on what lay mere feet in front of him. It was night, but simple light fixtures had been set up, so Doug could see it fairly well; a small village lay ahead, with shabbily built houses and a dirt road. It wasn't the nicest place, but Doug was surprised. The houses seemed professionally built, and although the road was dirt, it seemed flat enough to travel on, and no ditches or obtrusions that could destroy a person's path lay anywhere. To Doug, it seemed to be the greatest thing he had ever seen.

"This is great," Doug spoke aloud. "You guys really built all this?"

"The men," La Bizca started. "They started building for the women with child. They needed homes to rest. Now it is our village."

"It's great. Really," Penhall responded, loosening the grip he had on Tom. This place made him feel peaceful and at ease. He finally felt free; Tom was finally free.

"Thank you. We bring Thomas so he can rest. Come with me."

La Bizca started off again and soon they came to a stop outside of a small house.

"Wait here," La Bizca told them. "I must go tell my mother that you are here."

"Oh, okay." Doug's arms were starting to hurt now; although Tom was light, it got harder carrying him after doing so for that long. But Doug didn't mind, because soon enough Tom would be resting on a bed, or whatever was supplied for use.

A few minutes passed, and Doug shifted his arms a little; Tom moaned but didn't awake and the older man breathed a sigh of relief. A few more minutes went by and La Bizca was coming back out, followed by an elderly woman and a young boy.

"This is Amaelia," La Bizca told Doug. "My mother."

"Douglas?" the elder asked, her voice thick with the Spanish accent. "Está eso usted?"

"Si, senora," Doug replied with a small smile. Tom shifted and moaned in his arms and Doug added, "Y este es mi amigo, Tom. Thomas."

"Thomas," the woman repeated. "Lo danan?"

Doug wasn't sure what she had said, and turned to La Bizca for help. She gave a small smile, then interpreted, "She asked is he injured?"

"Si," Doug replied. His smile disappeared and he looked down at Tom, a grim look on his face.

"Douglas," La Bizca spoke up, pushing the young boy in front of her. "This is Clavo, my son."

"Hey there buddy," Doug greeted, then quickly corrected himself as best he could, "Hey alli conejito."

Clavo looked up at his mother, a confused look etched into his features. La Bizca laughed, smiling at Doug. "Douglas, you called him a bunny."

"Oh I did?" Doug asked, smiling. He turned to face Clavo. "Apesadumbrado."

Clavo smiled and La Bizca responded with, "Buddy is compinche, Douglas."

"Oh alright," Doug agreed, maintaining his grip on Tom and leaning down to be at Clavo's level. " Hey alli compinche."

Clavo laughed, then replied with a quiet, "Hola," before darting behind his mother.

"He is shy when first meet strangers," La Bizca said as an explanation. "Once he gets to know you, he won't be. But come inside. We put Thomas on bed to rest."

"Yeah, that'd be great," Doug answered, following the family inside.

La Bizca led Doug through a small room and to a cot and pointed to it. "It is Marta's bed," she explained sadly. There were two other beds situated beside this one, and Doug guessed that one was for Amealia, and the other for La Bizca and Clavo.

"Have you-" Doug started as he gently placed Tom on the bed.

"No word has come yet. But we will be first to know."

"Okay good," Doug replied. "That's good."

Tom moaned again and rolled onto his side, his back facing the two. Doug looked down at his friend, worried.

"He will be okay," La Bizca spoke up. "I can go get the doctor."

"No. No, not unless Tom says so." Doug remembered Tom's strict order at having nobody touch him, and Doug wasn't about to let anybody. Even if he was a doctor and could help. Sure, Doug knew that Tom needed to be looked, but if anything were to happen, then it would be with Tom's permission.

"Okay," La Bizca replied, smiling sadly. "When he wakes, he can get cleaned up. We have clean clothes he could wear. You can go clean up now."

"I don't think-"

"I will watch Thomas. Don't worry Douglas, he is safe here."

"Yeah, okay. Okay."

La Bizca walked off towards her mother, who was doing something with Clavo – it looked like she was cooking something - and Doug looked down at his friend. He seemed so small because he had curled his legs up to his chest, and his face was scrunched together in pain. Doug sighed; he may have gotten Tom out of that place, but it would be a long time for any of the memories and pain of being there to be gone as well.

Interpretations:

Está eso usted: Is that you

Si senora: Yes madame

Y este es mi amigo, Tom. Thomas: This is my friend Tom. Thomas

Hey alli conejito: Hey there bunny

Apesadumbrado: Sorry

Compinche: Buddy

TBC...