Caltech, Los Angeles, CA, mid-November 1999:

Amber was working on one of her rare shifts now that the peak season for the LA beaches had passed. With less people on the beaches, most of whom chose to stay out of the cooler waters of the winter months, the number of lifeguards on the schedule had been cut back. This worked well as November marked the beginning of the competitive swim season for Amber. This Friday evening though, Amber was working, pulling a shift on one of the LA county rescue boats.

Amber and Jonathan, her partner for the day, had responded to a Mayday from one of the charter party boats that operated in the area. A fire had broken out on the boat and the limited crew could not get it under the control. The fire was still burning and the last report from the captain of the boat was that passengers were seeking refuge in the water.

"Coast Guard is on route to assist as are two other of our boats," Amber told Jonathan as she ended the radio call.

"Good. Hopefully, this boat had enough life jackets for all people on board like they were suppose to and those who have abandoned the boat have the life jackets. Our priority are those who are already in the water. Look for people who are in trouble or who don't have life jackets."

"Understood," Amber said, as she pulled the zipper of her wet suit up the rest of the way.

It wasn't long before the boat could be seen in the distance. Amber slipped the strap of the rescue can over her head, as her eyes scanned the approaching scene. Black smoke rose from the stationary boat. Every so often someone could be seen jumping from the deck, deciding that they would be better off taking their chances in the water over the deck of the burning deck. Others, were throwing life jackets down to those in the water who had jumped in without them.

Jonathan got on the loud speaker, trying to reassure everyone that everything was going to be okay. Telling them that help was on the way and that they would get them out of the water shortly. Amber scanned the crowd closest to her, looking for anyone that might be in immediate trouble. Though she saw a lot of frightened faces, everyone she saw were wearing life jackets and until the Coast Guard Cutter got on scene, would be okay.

A hysterical voice above the others calling for help caught Amber's attention. Looking in that direction she saw a woman yelling and waving her hand in the air. Others around her were trying to get the attention of the lifeguard boat to. Amber could tell there was no way that they could get the boat safely through the crowd of people to the woman.

"Jonathan, I'm going in," Amber told her partner as she readied to dive into the ocean.

"Be careful," Jonathan told her.

Amber nodded, before she dove into the ocean and started in the direction of the hysterical woman. As she swam Amber stayed aware of the people in the water around her, knowing that one panicked victim could take her under.

"My little girl! She went under! She can't swim well!" the woman screamed as Amber got closer. She could hear other approaching boats and the whirling of helicopter rotors overhead.

"I'll find her," Amber told her. Seeing that the woman was not wearing a life jacket, Amber pulled the rescue can strap over her head and thrust the can in the woman's direction. "Hold onto this," Amber instructed before diving beneath the surface.

Looking around the murky depths, Amber didn't have much hope of actually locating the child. She wasn't sure how deep the area they were in was, but she couldn't see the bottom. Amber searched for as long as she could. With her lungs screaming for fresh air, Amber started toward the surface when she noticed a still figure, sinking downwards. Amber started in that direction, trying to ignore the pain in her lungs, she was determined to reach the kid. Finally, she had to admit defeat and kicked to the surface, determined to make another attempt. On her way up, she saw someone else making their way down. Amber pointed in the direction she had come, letting them know where the victim was. The other swimmer nodded and continued downward as Amber kicked to the surface.

As soon as her head broke the surface, Amber drew in a deep breath of air.

"She didn't find her!" she heard a hysterical voice scream.

Turning her head, she saw one of her fellow lifeguards were now in the water with the woman whose daughter was under the water. Amber wasn't about to tell the woman how close she had been to her daughter. Instead, taking in another deep breath of air, she dove back under.

She met the other rescuer as they were heading up with the still form of the girl. Relief flooded through her, as the two swimmers headed back up. Reaching the surface, Amber immediately looked around for the closest boat. She saw one of the life guard boats not far away.

"Over there," she told the other swimmer, which she now realized was one of the Coast Guard Personnel.

Reaching the boat, Amber climbed on board while the lifeguard on the boat helped pull the little girl on board.

"You got her?" the Coast Guard swimmer asked.

"Yeah," the life guard replied as he laid the girl on the bottom of the boat. He and Amber started assessing the little girl.

"She's not breathing," Amber said, just before she started mouth-to-mouth.

"I got a pulse," the other lifeguard replied.

Amber felt exhausted as she walked into the Sun and Surf Café. The rumbling of her stomach was the one thing that kept her from heading right back to the dorm. Looking around, it didn't take her long to spot Maria, Chelsea and Vince in a booth not far from the front door. As she walked toward the table, the three of them started clapping.

"You made the news this evening," Maria explained, seeing Amber's confused look. "They got a shot of you giving mouth-to-mouth to that little girl."

"It wasn't just me out there. Besides, it was the Coast Guard swimmer that was able to reach her," Amber told them as she slid into the booth next to Maria. "We would have been overwhelmed if the Coast Guard hadn't been there to help," she continued. "It's amazing how well they can coordinate a rescue operation like that even with working with lifeguards who they don't normally work with."

"Sounds like they really made an impression on you," Vince commented, as he signaled to their waitress.

"It was definitely and eye opening experience," Amber told him as the waitress appeared at their table.

"Are you ready to order, now?" the waitress asked cheerfully, as Maria, Chelsea, and Vince had waited for Amber before they had ordered themselves.

The four friends placed their orders and wanting to avoid the previous subject resuming, Amber brought up their current English assignment, as they all had the same class. The distraction worked as talk of the rescue was forgotten. They were still talking about the assignment when their food was brought out.

As Vince waited for Chelsea to finish with the ketchup so he could use it, he glanced up at the side of the café he was facing. He spotted Dr. Reid taking an order from one of the tables he was covering.

"Hey, Amber, too bad you weren't sitting over there," Vince said nodding in Reid's direction. "You could get a soda bath."

Amber tossed one of her fries in his direction as retaliation for the comment.

"He's a nice guy. Be nice," Amber told him.

"I forgot you've gotten friendly with our TA," Vince commented. "It's a good thing you're good at Chemistry or people might think you had an ulterior motive for hanging out with him."

"Everyone needs a few friends, especially in a big city like this," Amber commented.

As far as she could tell, the only friend Spencer had in the area was his roommate Ethan. Though she hadn't met Ethan yet, Spencer had mentioned him a few times in the conversations they had over the last few weeks.

"Hey, I told you to invite him along on the bike ride we've got planned for Sunday. Which reminds me, is he coming?"

"Yeah, he is though I'm starting to wonder if I should have invited him or not. If you and Mark plan on teasing him . . . "

"I'll be on my best behavior," Vince said, interrupting her. "I'll also make sure to keep Mark in line."

"Good luck with that," Maria commented.

"Thanks," Vince said, knowing exactly what she meant. Though Mark was a decent guy, he liked to kid around and sometimes he went to far without realizing it.

As the friends continued with their meal, the conversation changed from their English class to their planned outing in a couple of days and exactly what area they wanted to cover.

Caltech, Los Angeles, CA, December 1999:

The night was breezy as Amber and Vince made their way across campus to take their Chemistry final. For Amber it was her last final of the semester. Vince had one last final the following morning for his History of American Music class.

"So have you decided what you're going to be doing for the Christmas break?" Vince asked.

"Not yet. Maria has invited me to spend it with her family, so there is that option. I haven't called my Dad yet to see what he's up to, though he might have plans of his own as I spent Thanksgiving with him and he was expecting me to spend Christmas with my mother. My other option is to just find a hotel room near-by and hang out in LA over the holidays."

A week ago, her mother had informed her that she and Ned, her current husband, were going on a two week cruise over the Christmas holidays. Her mother had invited her along of course but Amber had no desire to spend two weeks cooped up on a cruise ship with her mother and step-father. She had politely declined the offer.

"Spend Christmas alone?" Vince asked. "That doesn't sound like much fun to me."

"Believe me, it's preferable to spending it on a cruise ship with my mother and step-father. I don't mind being around them but I want to be able to get away when necessary. You can't exactly walk out the front door when someone gets on your nerves when your in the middle of the ocean."

"I've got another option for you. My brother and I are going to Vegas for two weeks while my parents go on a second honey-moon. Why don't you join us?"

"Your brother won't mind you inviting me along?" Amber asked as they headed up the front steps of the building. Reaching the door, she pulled it opened and let Vince enter before her.

"Not at all. He's bringing his latest girlfriend along. It'll even things out and give me someone to split the cost of the hotel room with," Vince added with a wink.

"Should have known there would be a catch," Amber commented with a smile. "I'll think about it. I'll let you know tomorrow."

"Okay. You're done with the semester after this final right?" Vince asked as they strode down the hallway to the lecture hall the final was being held in.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, I was planning on starting the drive up to Vegas tomorrow night. Beat the mad rush out of here when the semester officially ends the following day. That's if you want to tag along that is."

The two friend's entered the lecture hall. There was still ten minutes until the final exam started, and the room was only about half full.

"Okay, but I think I'll follow you up in my truck so I don't have to worry about finding some place to leave it while I'm gone," Amber told him as they took seats in a row about midway toward the front of the classroom.

"Suit yourself," Vince replied. "Sounds to me like you're already planning on coming," he added settling down in a seat leaving an empty one between him and Amber.

"All this talk is just theoretical right now," Amber told him. "I'll give you a definite answer tomorrow by lunch time."

"Okay. We'll talk details over lunch tomorrow then," Vince said, convinced that his friend would decide to accompany him to Las Vegas. He was looking forward to having someone under twenty-one along on the trip as he was sure his brother and his girlfriend would want to spend some time in the casinos or nightclubs while they were there. Perhaps it would keep him out of getting in trouble from trying to sneak in where he didn't belong, which was what he had been planning on trying.

The two friends continued chatting while more of their classmates filed into the room. Eventually the ten minutes had passed and one of the three TA's at the front of the class called for attention and then started addressing the class, Spencer and the other TA more than happy to take a step back and let him address the class.

Other than the group bike ride, Amber hadn't seen much of Spencer outside of lab sessions. Though she usually saw him at the Sun and Surf Café when she stopped in, because he was working, there wasn't much opportunity to talk. As the swimming season heated up, it started taking up more of Amber's free time. Despite that thought, she had managed to meet him a couple of times down at the beach to play chess. She had yet to beat him at the game, but she was learning things during the matches. Still, there was something awkward about the relationship. Amber was willing to chalk it up to the distance imposed due to the student and TA relationship. She couldn't help but wonder if they would meet up again when they all returned to campus for the spring semester or if they were destined to go their separate directions after this class.

As she took the test paper from the student on her right, Amber forced herself to put those thoughts aside. Right then she had a test to concentrate on. She took one of the exams and then passed the pile to Vince on her left. Taking a deep calming breath, Amber opened the exam and started answering the questions, looking forward to the freedom that was hers as soon as this exam was over with.

"What time is it, anyway?" Maria asked, opening her eyes half-way, as she heard a dresser drawer close. Even in her half asleep state, she new it meant that her roommate was awake and moving about the room. Deciding the light was way to bright, she pulled her pillow out from under her head and placed it over her face.

"About eight o'clock," Amber replied, not stopping what she was doing.

"And you suddenly feel the urge to start packing. My final isn't until eleven, I was hoping to sleep until at least ten," Maria replied, her voice muffled because of the pillow.

"Then go back to sleep and I'll try to be quieter," Amber told her.

It was too late. Like it or not, Maria was awake. Given up the pretense of even trying to sleep, she removed the pillow and tossed it to the side of the bed. Propping herself up on one elbow, she watched her roommate for a few minutes.

"What is the sudden urge to get everything packed up?" Maria asked, when she finally decided to speak up. The last she knew, Amber hadn't planned on leaving campus until the next day. "Did you decide to join one of your parents for the holidays after all?"

"No," Amber said, as she put a stack of t-shirts into her suitcase. "Mom and Ned are still going to enjoy their cruise in the tropics alone and I haven't talked to Dad in a week, though I may run into him during the holiday break," she informed her roommate.

"Then you decided what you're doing?"

"Yes, I have. I'm going to Vegas with Vince. He and his brother were planning to celebrate the holidays there and he invited me to tag along. Dad's current book tour takes him to Vegas, I'll just have to see what day it is."

"Vince asked you to go to Vegas with him? Is there something I should know?"

"Don't go getting any ideas," Amber told her, knowing exactly where her friend's train of thought was going. "Vince and I are just friends. It'll help him pay for his hotel room and give me something to do over the holiday break."

"You could have come home with me. Mom and Dad would have loved having you."

"Yeah, but your Aunt and Uncle are coming with their family. It's already going to be a crowd."

"All the better. No one would notice one more person," Maria said, as she swung her legs over the side of the bed, and sat on the edge.

"I think its better this way. Besides, I've never seen Las Vegas before. It'll be an experience," Amber said, placing more clothes in her suitcase.

"I've always wanted to go to Vegas. I think I'm jealous."

"We'll just have to make plans to go together after we've turned twenty-one," Amber told her.

"You know, you're right about there being a crowd at my parents' over the holidays. Think anyone would miss me if I tag along with you?"

"Somehow, I think you're Mom would at least. Besides, I thought you wanted to see your cousins."

"I do. Somehow, I think you're going to have more fun than me over the break," Maria told her. "Besides, I still think Vince had more of a motive asking you along then just the cost of the hotel room," Maria said slyly as she got to her feet. She grabbed jeans and a blouse out of her closet, walked to her dresser to retrieve her under garments and then headed for the door. She plucked her towel off the hook on the back of the door and reached for the handle. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do," she told her friend, looking back over her shoulder as she reached for the door handle.

Amber strode over to the bed and grabbed her pillow off the top bunk. She tossed it in her friend's direction as Maria disappeared out the door. As the door shut behind her, the pillow hit it and harmlessly fell to the floor.

Amber crossed over to the pillow and picked it up from the floor. She tossed it back on her bed as she went back to packing her suitcase. Maria was just teasing her. Vince was just a friend and this trip meant nothing more than two friends hanging out together.

"Ah, there's my little brother, Vince," Chad Dillaway said, as he spotted Vince walk into the lobby of the Las Vegas Hilton.

Vince and Amber had left Caltech the night before, beating the rush of students who would start leaving the campus for the holiday break. They had taken Interstate fifteen out of Los Angeles and drove up to Barstow. In Barstow, they had found a hotel near the interstate exit that had vacancy and booked a room for the night. They wouldn't be able to check into the hotel in Vegas until the afternoon so they hadn't seen a point in driving through the night.

Even sleeping in and having breakfast before the hit the road, they were still in Vegas a little after noon. Chad had called Vince around eleven thirty saying he was already in town and the two had agreed to meet at their hotel.

"Hey, Chad," Vince called out, walking toward his brother. The two hugged, as they hadn't seen each other in awhile, with Chad in law school on the east coast.

"Let me introduce you to my fiancé, Alyse," Chad said, as he broke away from his brother and held his had out to the pretty red head that was standing near him. Alyse came forward to stand by Chad's side.

"Fiancé, huh? Congratulations!" Vince said, both surprised and happy. He knew Chad had been serious about Alyse but he hadn't been expecting an engagement announcement seeing as none of the family had met her yet. "Welcome to the family," Vince said, giving his soon to be sister-in-law a hug.

"Thanks," Alyse replied.

"When did this happen?" Vince asked, looking toward his brother for an answer.

"A couple of days ago. I was going to wait until Christmas Eve but decided that I didn't want to wait, so I popped the question," Chad said, his arm around Alyse's waist. "You're the first person I've told, so no spilling the beans to anyone."

"My lips are sealed," Vince told him. Remembering Amber, he turned to look for her. She was standing near-by watching the scene with a smile on her face. "Chad, Alyse, this is my friend, Amber Rossi."

More greetings were exchanged and then Chad suggested that they go to a restaurant for lunch and kill the time they had until they could check-in to their hotel rooms. They did just that, walking down the strip to a restaurant. They took their time with lunch, getting to know one another over the meal. By the time they were ready to leave the restaurant, it was past three o'clock.

The group checked in at the desk and then took the elevator to the eleventh floor where their rooms were located. As Chad and Alyse walked into their room, Amber followed Vince into the room they were sharing.

"Do you want the bed near the window or not?" Vince asked walking into the room. He placed his bag on the waist-high dresser and turned to face her.

Amber shrugged. "It doesn't really matter," she told him.

"Take that one, then," he told her, pointing to the bed near the window.

Amber nodded and then walked over to that bed. She placed her suitcase on the bed and walked over to the window. She pushed apart the curtains and looked at the view outside. Below her the city stretched out to the horizon. It was a spectacular site even in the daylight and Amber figured it was probably even more breathtaking at night. She couldn't wait for the sun to set.

"What do you say we go exploring and unpack later?" Vince suggested, breaking through her thoughts.

"Sounds like a plan," Amber replied turning from the window. Leaving the curtains open, she and Vince left the room to go explore the Hilton.