Author's (Kate) Notes: This ride is definitely taking a toll on me. Having incredible motion sickness and having to type in the back seat is absolute hell, even while wearing a preventative patch. Here is hoping that it is all worth it in the end.

To see pictures from our trip, make sure to check out PSH-Stories on Twitter.

Thank you to all of our readers, both new and old. We love you all. 3

Disclaimer: I Don't Own (IDO) Overwatch (OW). IDO OW... IDOOW...IDOW...WIDOW (Its 4 am)

Chapter 2: Goodnight Cab

A couple of hours out as the taxi continued down the freeway, the night sky only seemed to get darker and darker with each passing moment. Taking away from the city gave a whole new environment to the passenger that she had never known before. Alongside the road, scenery passed by with the scarce illumination from vehicles going the other direction. Save for the smattering of shrubbery close to the roadside, the expanse of the valley floor stretched as far as the eye can see; the land stretching upwards to form dark and looming foothills before stretching up and forming barren mountains.

Having left the heavily glowing city a time ago, the pollution from countless buildings had disappeared, leaving the inky blackness of the night sky stretched above them. Resting her head on the back of her hand, Amélie leaned towards the nearby window. Never before had she seen so many stars, each one possessing the ability to shine clearly and brightly now that the brown haze of Los Angeles was behind them. Not unlike a city itself, the night sky was bursting to the brim with this variation of illumination as bright stars littered themselves around, giving light as the smaller formed large streaks across the sky, giving a personal view to their spot in the universe.

Amélie's eyes began to drift downward from their fixed position on the sky, part of her making note of the sky's lack of a moon. As they settled back down, her gaze caught sight of a train traveling alongside them, only partially light by the taxi's high beams. Stretching impossibly either way, the boxcars were stacked two layers tall as the rusted supports of the cars dragged the cargo along. Graffiti decorated the wagons like a gradient, starting heavily on the bottom where teenagers with little to prove would tag, eventually scattering as the cars reached higher. Her sights remained on this stretch for a while.

With their speed competing with the train, they eventually drove past the rocky face of a growing mountain, allowing the cab to disappear behind it, leaving Amélie once again without any form of comfort or company. No part suggesting that escape was an appropriate response.

With the mountains becoming further spaced as the valley floor expanded all around them, the stretch of desert engulfed everything that had been known up until that point. With the mountains giving way to shorter, smaller hillsides, the nothingness of the desert's floor produced equally as barren hills. Decorated only with tiny shrubs, dead grass, and the occasional tree, it was hard to believe that anything lived there save for ants and possibly a few lizards somewhere deep in the ground. To a point, the term wasteland was a little too kind.

The plexiglass divider remained open, allowing a bit of airflow between the two. Occasionally, whistling could be heard from the front seat, providing a bit of song to cut through the silence since the radio turned to static and fizz. The driver had been quiet on the trip so far after finally agreeing to let the passenger get her way. With a quick scan of her dark eyes, Amélie looked over the windshield, catching sight of Lena's licenses displayed on the dashboard, posting her personal information for any suspicious passenger to take note of.

Eventually, the wastelands were left behind them as the highway continued to stretch out further, producing more nothingness; flat, empty, plains. Never before had Amélie thought of America to be so large and barren. Having lived in cities her entire life, the silence and blackness of the atmosphere seemed so foreign.

In the distance, all that could be seen was a small town, if it could even by called that. The passing signs advertised the best a person could get as far out into the desert. A small water tower, and a gas station priced at $3.85.

After some time, the accented voice of the driver called out through the hole in their barrier. "Forgot to ask, but I didn't get your name. Mine is Lena Oxton."

"Amélie Lacroix," the dark haired woman responded, her voice still quiet as she mainly kept to herself.

As they continued on, light could be seen from the tops of surrounding hills, both from possible houses and towers as they snaked through the slightly elevating land. Semi Truck after semi truck was passed as they continued along, each one carrying non disclosed items tucked firmly away behind the metal walls of trailer.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," she began, her lips turning up a bit in a polite smile. "Just may I ask, why are you doing this?"

"It's a long story." Amélie simply said, avoiding any suggestion of the related conversation.

A slow breath could be heard let out from the front seat. "Well, we got another 38 hours."

The passenger simply turned her head towards the nearby window, watching the lack of scenery go by. "Just drive. I don't want to talk about it."

A sigh escaped Lena's lips as she kept her fingers wrapped firmly around the steering wheel. Having turned off the radio a while ago, she driver kept herself awake by humming and whistling to herself. The farther from Los Angeles they got, the flatter the road turned, the valley floor following in its footsteps. The lack of details and general monotony produced an air of boredom that she hadn't experienced in a while. Already, she could feel the lids of her eyes beginning to slip closed, resting them at a halfway point as she continued on, the grip on the wheel becoming a bit harsher. At least to her, Lena hoped, that if she wouldn't change her mind, that the other woman would at least attempt to help keep her awake with idle chat.

They passed sign after sign, each detailing how far they had gone as small towns came and went with a blink of the eye. It also, however, gave insight as to how long they unfortunately had left. Catching sight of a sign advertising the distance to Las Vegas brought the crippling reality of what she got herself in to.

To have only gone one state over made Lena defeated, in a sense. Seeing wasteland after barren, dry, and dusty hills and plains depicting no possibility of life only brought by boredom. There was nothing to look at, nothing to focus on other than the lanes ahead of her and the occasional glance to her fuel gauge.

An hour passed until Lena caught sight of the gas gauge having dropped too low for comfort. "Hope you don't mind, love," she began, signaling the cab as she navigated it into the next lane. "Just going to get some gas." The second a station came into view, the ramp was taken as the driver practically barreled down the street. Pulling up and getting the whole operation going took no time at all as she began stretch, soothing the cramped feeling caught in her feet up to the lower parts of her hips.

While she busied herself with refueling, she pulled out the phone from its dashboard holder. Sliding the lock screen open, she began to type out a message with the smooth pad of her thumb.

Me: I'm out with a customer. Don't know when I'll be back.

BossTorb: Fine, just come back when your done.

Me: That might be a problem. We are going to New York, but I'm hoping see changes her mind. soon.

BossTorb: She must be crazy. Just make sure she pays you well, and keep safe.

Me: Will do boss.

As the gas began to trickle down to drops, Lena stashed her phone back into its holder before putting the nozzle back before sliding into the driver's seat. "How are you feeling, love?" She asked, her eyes catching sight of Amélie in the back.

The other woman seemed too lost in her own thoughts to respond, part of her believing that she wasn't even heard to begin with as her eyes remain firmly placed on the window, hands wrapped around her arms as she idly hugged herself.

With no other prompting save for the promise Lena made, she just turned the keys back into the ignition and continued on their way.

A couple of hours had passed since they turned off last, leaving them almost alone in the plains. More and more, Lena's ability to drive became nonexistent as the time reached 3am. Still, she tried her best, keeping the cab speeding along despite the slight swerving sleep deprivation had left her. Soon, the signs around her changed their messaged, welcoming her to Las Vegas.

It took little time for the backseat passenger catch sight of the signs. "Pull into a hotel." She said, managing a soft and subtle voice despite the commanding nature of the order. "We will stay here tonight."

The air of relief hit her in a moment as the driver suddenly became more awake given that their stretch of travel was almost over. She parted down the main strip, searching for any place; anywhere the two could stay on such short notice. Having never been to the city, this feat proved to be difficult for the driver as she continued down, eyes catching the lights of the signs but still struggling to figure out which one her passenger was looking for.

This brought a clear annoyance to Amélie as she watched place after place be passed; the driver's indecisions getting to her. In a matter of moments, she reached out, making sure that the driver would see her as she pointed across the way. "Go there. I will get us a room."

In front of them, stood a curved hotel stretched high. Lights of purple and gold shined upon the building. A large fountain stood in front. All colors of light illuminated on the fountain as it dance around creating a water show.

The cab pulled through to the checkin area, passing through the narrow road leading up to it. Slowly, she came to a stop with the waving of a man in the hotel's uniform, soon coming up to the car once it had come to a stop and the window had been rolled down.

With an offer to park the cab for her, Lena simply agreed with little to no thought, proving to be too tired to do so. Before handing over the keys, the driver made her way over to the trunk, popping it open and grabbing a bag before throwing it over her shoulder.

Amélie simply walked into the lobby, still dressed as she had for the party. Around her eyes, makeup was lightly smeared as the tears that had caught in her eyes had been rubbed away. Having been held up in the back for so long, her dress proved to be wrinkled in some places and in a good need of a lint roller. Her updo had been released from its restraints, allowing loose locks to tumble down, hitting the middle of her back.

Her heels clicked against the floor as Amélie made her way through the lobby, stepping across the large expanse of creamy yellow tiles, dark criss-crosses of black thorns inlaid in a symmetrical fashion. She walked past the large sitting area, dismissing the couple of leather couches and armchairs, all of which were situated on a rug larger than any she had seen before. Immediately above the space harbored an equally as large lighting system, the bars of lights covered by large flowers ranging all across the color spectrum. This illuminated the entire lobby with a low light, bathing the lobby in a comfortable yellow glow.

Amélie approached the desk, taking little time to ask for a room, handing her credit card over before the clerk could confirm or deny vacancy. In a matter of minutes, her card was returned to her, along with a plastic room key reading 'VIP'. With a quick 'thank you,' she departed down the hallway, leading the driver into the nearby elevator.

One of the buttons was pressed before the heavy metal doors closed in front of them, leaving both women alone once again. Idle elevator music filled the silence as Lena stood a few steps away from the other woman. She had not expected Amélie to be so tall.

Due to her inability to judge time in her current mental state, it felt like the elevator had stopped or completely escaped time, leaving the two of them stuck in a never ending limbo. This, of course, was not true as they finally reached their floor, the elevator producing a 'ding' as the doors slid open once again, leading the duo down the somewhat narrow halls. Step after step down the black and yellow swirled carpet, they eventually found their room at suite 35057. Amélie produced the white and silver key card from her clutch, sliding it into the open slot. With the click of the lock and a turn of the handle, the heavy wooden door swung open.

Cream colored tiles decorated the walkway, as she followed Amélie down the short hall, passing two closed doors to their left. They entered the conjoined living and dining rooms placed in the middle of the suite. The dark haired woman set her clutch on the small table placed in the middle of the long, tan, u-shaped couch. Lena's eyes opened in almost amazement as she looked around the room, taking in the sights.

Apart from the sitting space, the suite gave way to a dark dining table with cushioned seats, an elegant, yet simple piece of decoration taking residence smack in the middle of it. Immediately behind it sat an armoire, dark oak in nature and decorated with twin lamps, a candelabra holding residence in between. Throughout the space, paintings hung across the wall, each exhibiting large and blocky bits of colors, each changing and swirling throughout the piece's composition.

Amélie spoke up after a few moments, pulling the driver back to reality. "Your room is down there." She said, gesturing down the small hallway to the right.

The driver couldn't help but stare once again, finally able to get a better look at her passenger. Her eyes caught on the dark haired woman's features, staring as her gaze drifted from the makeup about her hazel eyes, part of her taking note of how much she could have been crying due to the dark smudges around the lids, creating the only imperfection about her. This inspection continued as she examined the other woman's sharp cheekbones, eventually ending at her painted lips.

Eventually the driver caught herself peering for too long, shaking it off despite the air of awe that still hung around the other woman. Lena gestured to the bag looped around one of her shoulders. "I got an extra shirt if you would like to borrow it tonight."

Momentarily, Amélie's eyes drifted down, part of her wondering why the driver had extra clothing on her, but decided to brush it off instead. "I'm fine."

"Alright, I'm just going to bed then." Lena said with a small smile painted on her lips. "Good night." With no further words shared between the two, the driver simply parted through the door, leaving the passenger alone once again.

Author's (Alec) Notes: This was weird to write. Two people just meeting each other gets weird and awkward, and all while being drove to the Grand Canyon and from that to Roswell… And finished driving to Kansas… at 3am, At least we get to rest.