Part 3

The desert in Nevada was big, it was easy to lose your way there. The Australian outback was different. It seemed to be impossible not to get lost in here. And nobody seemed to be there. They had been on the road since the early morning and since Sara had taken over the steering wheel an hour ago they haven't seen a car around.

"Spooky."

"Makes me wonder if we're really on a highway."

"Or on a dead road." Sofia changed the CD. There was no radio station and the cell phone they had bought in Sydney because their own cell phones didn't work here, was out of signal even longer.

"How much water do we have?" They had heard enough stories of people who got lost in the outback and ran out of water and died of thirst.

"I bought ten liters, which is around two and a half gallon."

"Plus the juice, we should be fine for two days. Or three."

"Don't try. I'm glad when we arrive in Dubbo."

"So am I. Broken Hill was quite a detour but it was worth going there."

"Absolutely. I loved our day trip." They had booked a day trip from the motel they had stayed in. At five in the morning the tour guide got them out in the cold morning and out of town into the outback. In the Broken Hill Sculpture Symposium they watched the sunrise. Twelve sculptures made of sandstone by different artists all over the world gave the perfect background for photos.

On their way back to Broken Hill they saw a lot of kangaroos and emus and the tour guide had stopped so that everybody could take pictures from car because they weren't allowed to go out. An attack of an emu wasn't something the guide wanted to responsible for.

"I saw snakes, dragons, kangaroos, emus and my beloved koalas. Are there any other lovely animals, Australian animals, I need to see?"

"Magpie."

"A pie?"

"No, niot a pie, a bird."

"Oh, the colorful one? With these amazing red and green coloring? The birds we saw when we saw the koalas?"

"No a magpie is black and white, the nasty ones that attack you."

"The big birds?"

"Yes, they are quite big for an ordinary bird. I'm sure we'll see them again. You didn't see a crocodile."

"They're not typical Australian and I don't want to see them. Like snakes they are not on my 'I like you' list. I prefer something more cute."

"Echidna."

"Bless you."

"Stupid woman."

"How do they look?"

"Like a hedgehog. But they are not related."

"I can't remember that I saw a hedgehog that isn't one. Oh, my dingo, I almost forgot my watchdog."

"You were too sleepy." Sara had told Sofia that in her first night in a swag, a dingo came up to Sofia in the middle of the night, sniffed at the blonde's head and walked away. Sofia had felt that there was someone or something but wasn't awake enough to realize, it was a dingo.

"Yeah, pity. So I need to see this hedgehog thing. What else?"

"We probably saw Wallabies and thought they're kangaroos."

"Yeah, they look the same. We need to find Nemo."

"Dory."

"Okay, we'll have a look for her when we're back in Sydney."

"I'd like to see a Tasmanian Devil."

"Do they look like Taz?"

"Uhm no, but they do make that much noise. I saw them on TV once."

"We need to go to Tasmania for them?"

"Yes."

"Mhm, next time. We need more time for this country. Maybe we should take a sabbatical."

"And who pays for all the things we want to see?"

"We need to start gambling."

"I don't think that will help."

"Neither do I. So more work, a sabbatical and we'll make a world trip."

"Sounds good. When we start saving money now we might be able to leave when we're fifty."

"I don't even want to think of that time. Fifty. Old. Awful." Sofia shook her head in disgust and then started smiling. "We'll be married for ten years by then."

"Or divorced."

"And remarried to Mister Right. That's fine with me too. As long as we're both happy."

"We'll work on that." Sara blinked at her best friend. Whatever they would do, whatever would happen to them, they would work out everything together.

"Are you happy now, lieutenant?"

"Yes." They were on the beach of Port Macquarie, feet buried in sand, heads on their backpacks, shades on and enjoying the sun. Sofia had seen her beloved koalas, she wasn't allowed to touch them, but one elderly lady had taken a lot of time for Sofia and Sara, showed them everything, told them stories about the koalas they had in the hospital.

It had broken Sofia's heart when she saw a photo of a koala which fur was burnt to ninety percent. It was a wonder that he had survived and she was happy when she saw 'Billy' in a tree, eating eucalyptus. He was fine again but needed some more time to get fit for his old life back in the forest.

Burnt koalas, koalas that got hit by cars and attacked by dogs were a lot in the hospital. The lady told them that some koalas fell in pools and drowned there because they had no chance to get out. Only when the owner left a thick rope on one end, the koala was able to climb out. If there a was an angry dog waiting, everything was worthless.

"I was so close to a koala. They are cute." Sofia turned so that she could see Sara. "Do you go with me to the zoo in Vegas?"

"Do they have koalas?"

"I don't know, I think so."

"I go to the zoo with you, Sofia."

"Thanks."

"You're cute."

"Huh? Why?"

"You want to go to the zoo."

"I like animals. When I'm a mother my child will be on a regular base in the zoo and in national parks."

"You really like the idea of becoming a mother, don't you?"

"Yes…you think I'll be a good mother?"

"You are very dedicated to everything you've done so far, I think you'll be a great mother."

Two more years…or three…in two years was the wedding."

"I hope you'll find a man until then."

"So do I. Luigi was cute but too young and he didn't want children. Pity."

"You need a man in Las Vegas, lieutenant."

"I know. We definitely have to go out more often."

"We will."

"And I need a dog."

"Wasn't the dingo enough?" Sara grinned.

"I want the whole family picture…oh god I'm becoming a house wife."

"Sounds like. You'll be busy with the house instead of becoming a captain."

"My mom managed both I can do the same."

"I know."

"Do you want to be the godmother?"

"Would you like me to be the godmother?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll be the godmother."

"Perfect. Now I need a man…if there's no decent guy around in the next two years I need some guy and be a single mom."

"Did nobody told you to practice safe sex with strangers?"

"Tell me how I get pregnant with I've safe sex."

"That's what hospitals are for."

"Why do you have to be so damn sensible?"

"Because I'm right."

"Okay IV…damn I really hope I'll find a father for my child. And a husband for me. Would be nice if it's the same person."

"I thought you were thinking of the same person as a husband and a father for your child. Seems like I'm very old-fashioned."

"Yes you are. I like that."

"Keane was on a charity…"

"Don't go on, Sara. Not him."

"He would like to have you in his bed."

"I haven't heard from in weeks and I'm more than happy about that. Okay, not him. Somebody else."

"Greg is available."

"He's cute." Sofia grinned. "But he still has a thing for you, love."

"Nick?"

"No, he's too ordinary. I need some….I don't know, there has to be something special about him."

"So why do you want me as a backup plan?"

"You are very special, Sara."

"We'll find you a man; and me too."

"We will. One like…the one who's jogging there." Sofia pointed to a man who was running towards them.

"Sporty…wait a minute." Sara could see two guys following the man. "They look like police and if he's running…he's…" She couldn't finish the sentence. Sofia had seen the same and came to the same conclusion. Within a second she was on her feet, pretended to walk slowly to the man to jump at him when he was close enough. Surprised by the attack he fell in the sand found his arms pressed on his back and Sofia's knee next to his arms.

"What the…"

"Don't move, I'm a lieutenant, I can break your arms within a second."

"Get off, bitch."

"And I thought Aussies are nice. You're the first rude one. Oh well, the first thief I met too." He tried to move and Sofia pressed his arms a little bit higher that he moaned of pain.

"Ma'am, what are you doing?" The to police officers finally arrived at the scene.

"Lieutenant Curtis, LVPD. I thought I help you catching a running suspect. He's all yours."

The older officer got down and handcuffed the man.

"All yours." Sofia got up. Meanwhile Sara was at the scene.

"Thanks Ma'am, but it's dangerous."

"I know, but I thought I stop him, he was quite ahead."

"You're not supposed to catch thieves in Australia, Sofia. This isn't your district. It's not Las Vegas."

"You two are from Las Vegas?" The younger one asked.

"Yes. On holidays."

"Seems like you can't get away from crime. You didn't stop a thief, you stopped a murder suspect."

"What is it with you and murder?" Sofia turned and looked at Sara. "You draw murder like moths to the flame. Can't you stay away from killer for two weeks?"

"You jumped at him." Sara grinned. "Not me."

"You're a lieutenant too?"

"No, CSI. That's why I let her catch him. Suspect on the run is the police's job."

"We appreciate your help but we need you to come to the police station and get a statement."

"Of course. We can do that. I get our stuff." Sofia looked at the suspect. "You know, running away on the beach is not very clever. No chance to hide." She shook her head. Some people were too stupid to run away. A few thousands years ago people like that would have end up as a dinner for a wild animal. Sometimes she wished the old days back.