The only things Troy could hear were the muffled voices of doctors working over him and the beating of his own heart. The voices and heartbeat would fade and return at random intervals. At times, he could feel heat flowing through his body, then at some point heard someone say that his temperature was coming back up steadily. There were moments were he desperately wanted to wake up, and moments where he was perfectly comfortable being unconscious.

When he finally became conscious, his vision was hazy at first. Warm air was being pushed into his lungs, and he became aware of the respirator covering his face. Someone was sitting across from him in the room. Eventually, he could see it was Sheriff Ayers, holding Anah.

"Looks like he's waking up," Ayers said.

"Thank goodness," Anah replied. "May I sit with him?"

"Sure." Ayers stood and brought Anah over to the bed. "Hey, Sam. You're looking a little better." He set Anah on the bed, watching her slither onto Troy's chest and curl up.

Troy was just relieved to see Anah awake and back to her usual self. He said nothing while slowly and gently stroking her.

"You have no idea how happy it makes me to see you alive," Anah said.

There once had been a time where Troy would have countered that with, "Because of the prophecy?" Not today. He knew Anah cared. Genuinely cared.

Ayers smiled a little. "I'm going to let the doctors know you're up, and before I forget—" he picked up something from the chair next to him. "Your hat's over here. I took it before you were brought out to the ambulance, so nothing happened to it."

Troy would thank him once the respirator came off. When Ayers left, he stared up at the ceiling, and his mind turned to Shauna. Were they able to save her? They must have, if Anah's in a good mood. He looked back at Anah, who was content with resting on her coils and being pet.

A doctor entered the room, and him telling Anah to "shoo" earned him an irritated hiss from the cobra. Ayers gently took Anah, leaving Troy to be poked and prodded to make sure everything was functioning properly again. Fortunately, he was able to have the respirator removed, and the first thing he asked was, "How's Shauna? Is she alright?"

"She's in another room. Neither of you are ready to be up and moving about yet. You especially. You came in somewhat dehydrated and undernourished. Shauna is being well cared for. Your job right now is to rest and get some hot food and drinks in you," the doctor's reply was. "You'll have your… snake companion with you."

Troy was given watered down chicken broth and equally watered down, decaffeinated tea. "Moffitt would throw a fit over this," Troy said. He wasn't a tea drinker anyway, but the doctors didn't want him upsetting his stomach with coffee or introducing too much sugar too quickly with hot chocolate. Not much of a choice there.

Ayers gave Anah back. "I've got some things to take care of, but I'll be back in about an hour. Get some rest, Sam."

"Thanks, Sheriff." Troy looked down at the liquid claimed to be tea. He waited until Ayers had left before saying to Anah, "When did you wake back up?"

"When the preacher found you and Shauna," Anah replied. "He was shocked to find you two, and called the sheriff and the hospital right away. Ayers took me while you and Shauna were being looked over, and kept me when you were brought to the hospital."

"And you weren't a pain?"

"No. I was worried about you, and about Shauna." Anah climbed up to Troy's shoulders. "I feel as though I failed by going to sleep."

"You had no more energy. You couldn't help that," Troy replied. "I'm not mad at you."

"I still think I should have hung on a bit longer."

"You did what you could. So did I." He took a sip of the tea. It was hot, and that was really all it had going for it. "You know, this isn't going to convince me to try real tea."

Anah grinned a little. "It is nice to see that you are feeling better, dear."

"I just want to see Shauna." Troy knew they were alone, but looked around cautiously anyway. "Could you unhook the IV and we can go find her?"

"I am not unhooking the IV. Besides, the doctor told you that she is not ready yet. You can wait. Get your strength back."

"Just when we were starting to get along."

"That does not mean I will start doing stupid and risky things with you. Drink your tea and your broth." Anah was quiet, making sure Troy did what he was told for once. She then leaned in to whisper. "I will make you proper food when they let you go home."

"Can I make a request, then?"

"Of course."

"There's a recipe for chicken soup in a cookbook my grandparents brought from Greece. Anyone who wasn't feeling well was given a huge bowl of it. I actually faked being sick once just to have some."

"Well, with me, you do not have to fake being sick. One, you would not get away with it, and two, all you have to do is ask, dear. Yes, I will make it for you."

"Thanks." Troy looked down at the bowl of watery broth in his hands, and gave it a disdainful look. "Thinking about that soup makes me loathe this crap even more."

"You still have to drink it, though." Anah rested her head on top of Troy's, sighing a little. "We are ten days into Moffitt's honeymoon. Four more, and I will be going home."

Troy finished his tea, and realized he didn't want to start thinking about Anah being gone. He was definitely going to see her again, but he had gotten used to having her around. She was good company. Do I want to admit that, though? No. No, I don't. He gave a quiet sigh. Maybe it has less to do with her and more to do with the fact that I don't want to be alone anymore.

"Are you alright, dear?" Anah asked.

Troy bit his tongue. "Yes. I'm… alright." He refused to say "fine" around her now.

"Are you sure? You seem lost."

"Yes, Anah. I'm sure."

She fell silent, giving Troy the impression that she dropped the subject, then she said, "You are going to miss me, are you not?"

Troy gave a nervous laugh. "No, I'm not going to miss you."

"Yes, you are."

"No. I'm looking forward to not having a mess made in my kitchen, and smartass comments made at my expense, and being called a donkey, and being lectured about buying canned soup."

Anah grinned, then climbed further on top of Troy's head in order to lean over and look at him upside-down. "You are going to miss me, dear, you can admit it."

"No. I'm looking forward to having my house all to myself again."

"What about Shauna?"

Troy nearly spit out the broth in his mouth. "We are far from ready to live together."

"But, I am sure that with me gone, you will be more willing to spend time with her, so you are not alone anymore."

"Well, yeah, but, she's not moving in with me."

"Maybe not today, but someday."

"Someday. Let's leave it at that."

It was shortly after noon when Troy was allowed to visit Shauna. She was fully conscious, and wearing a sling for her left arm. As Troy walked in, Shauna smiled at him. "Well, if it isn't 'my husband!'"

Troy stopped. "What?"

"Yes. One of the nurses asked if you were my husband."

"Oh. Okay." Troy flushed red. "No one's asked if you're my wife yet."

"No. Not sure we're there yet, but perhaps we will be one day. After all, I remember very clearly what you said to me in the church."

"And what did I say?"

"You told me you loved me."

Troy grabbed a chair and set it next to Shauna's bed. "Yeah. I did say… I love you, and… I meant it."

"I know I meant it a few nights ago when I followed you out of the restaurant," Shauna said. "When… we were in the church, though, I remember you saying that you doubted me when I told you. What did you mean by that?"

Troy sighed. "I wasn't exactly in a good place, in my head. I couldn't decide if you had just said it to make me feel better, or if you really meant it."

"No, Sam, I meant it. I had hope that it would get through to you. I'd never seen you in such a state before, and wasn't sure how to help."

"It also didn't help that I was pushing you away. I never wanted you to see me like that, but… if we're going to be together, that's something that'll always be an issue. There's no getting rid of it, or ignoring it. What I went through is always going to come back and haunt me at the worst time, or when I least expect it, and I want to be sure that…" Troy paused, unsure of how to express what he was thinking. "I guess, I want to be sure that you can handle it, because sometimes it's ugly. I don't… I don't want it to overshadow the rest of me. I mean, you went three years without even knowing this was a problem. My caring for you over the years was genuine, same way it was when I was in the war. Just because I hid things from you or my men doesn't mean I don't care about you. If anything, it's because I care about you that I hid those things, but I've had to learn the hard way that constantly bottling it up isn't good."

"I know how that goes. At least your men had showed you the same care, and you weren't surrounded by bratty children for five years."

"Yeah. At least… we don't have to put up with that anymore." Troy held out his hand. "Neither of us have to be alone anymore."

"No." Shauna took his hand, smiling. "Thank you, Sam. I should also say that I owe you, since you saved my life."

"I can't claim that. We both nearly died."

"I still had a better chance at surviving with you than I did if I had been left in the truck."

"Yeah, that's true. Still, I feel like I could've done a better job."

"Are we both alive?"

"Yes."

"Then don't worry about it." Shauna leaned over to kiss Troy's cheek. "I will need help once we get out of here. Ayers said my truck was already towed for repairs, so now I have no transportation."

"Yes, you do. I'll come get you for work, and I'll even help out with paying for the repairs."

"Oh, you don't have to, Sam."

"No, I insist. Just promise me you won't do anything as crazy as driving in a blizzard ever again."

"I'll try, but I'm not sure I can make that promise." Shauna grinned at him. "I would do for you what you did for me."

"You would. I won't argue with that. It's one reason I like you."

"Just 'like,' Sam?"

"Okay. It's one reason I love you."

"That's what I thought." Shauna's smile faded a little. "You don't think we're moving too quickly, do you?"

"No. Do you? And when have we ever cared what the rules are?"

"Good point. No one's really ever made me feel… so happy, comfortable, and safe as you do, and I've told you before that I've seen other people in the past."

"Yeah, and how they don't compare." Troy dropped his voice to just above a whisper when he realized he had started leaning in closer to Shauna. "I won't lie, I've seen a handful of other women, but that was before I met you, and before I knew what I really wanted, not just out of a relationship, but out of life. You may not think you're perfect, and your mother may not think you're perfect, but you know what? You're perfect for me, and I sure as hell am not perfect."

"You're perfect for me, Sam." Shauna touched her nose to his before kissing him.

Troy was careful not to squeeze Shauna too tightly as he put his arm under her to bring her closer. A hospital wasn't a particularly romantic place, but in that moment, he didn't care. Every second spent with Shauna was worth it.

Sheriff Ayers was kind enough to bring Troy and Shauna home when they were finally discharged from the hospital. The blizzard had dumped quite a lot of snow all over the county, including Troy's property, but both he and Shauna were ordered to rest and stay indoors for the next few days to fully recover from their hypothermia.

"I can't do nothing while everyone else has to dig themselves out," Troy said when Ayers parked in the driveway.

"You and Shauna need to rest after what you went through," Ayers replied. "No one's going to think any less of you for it, not when they learn what happened. Go stay warm, Sam."

"I will keep an eye on both of them," Anah said, peeking out of Troy's coat.

"Thanks, Anah. I'm trusting you."

Ayers waited until Troy, Anah, and Shauna were entering the house before leaving. Troy watched the sheriff drive off as he took his keys out of his pocket. He glanced at Shauna while unlocking the door. "Looks like you're stuck with me for a bit."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Shauna replied.

"You two can just rest and enjoy each other's company," Anah said. "I will take care of everything."

"That's not necessary, Anah," Troy sighed.

"I insist. You both went through a horrible ordeal, and at least you are here and not at the hospital. Go relax." Anah slithered onto the coat rack, and took Troy's hat in her jaws. She hung it up, then leaned down to whisper to him, "If you wish to have some time alone to be affectionate with one another, I will leave you be."

Troy gave her a look, as though he didn't believe her.

"I promise."

"Okay, but I'm holding you to it."

Anah smiled. "You do not have to worry, dear. Go on. Spend time with the one you love."

Troy waited until Shauna was out of earshot, then whispered to Anah, "I'm still torn on whether or not to thank you for this. On one hand, you forged our signatures, but on the other hand, we never would've asked each other to dinner on our own, so—" He shrugged. "Thank you, you pain in the ass, I guess?"

"That works. Now, go. She is waiting. Do not worry about me."

"I don't want you feeling abandoned."

"I will be alright. I want you to be happy."

"Anah—"

"I do not want you worrying about me. I will be leaving in a few days anyway, and you will be starting a new journey with Shauna at your side. You will always have her."

"Have you seen this in your visions?"

"No. I told Moffitt back when he was going to be introduced to Vanora that it is not my place to see into the future of romantic relationships. Matters of the heart are not my place to interfere."

"But, you made those fake invitations. Wouldn't that be interfering?"

"I will only interfere when it is absolutely necessary. Helping two stubborn donkeys finally admit to liking each other was one situation where I felt it was necessary. Once you understood your feelings, I stepped away."

"Then how do you know I'm always going to have Shauna?"

"Truthfully, I do not, but I know you are both broken people, and the jagged edges of your broken hearts seem to fit together very well. Things could still go wrong, but I know you are capable of fixing them, because you want to keep this. You truly meant it when you told her you love her." Anah kept smiling at him. "And, if you ever need help, do not hesitate to write Moffitt and ask for me. I would be happy to visit."

"Oh, stop. Now you're just trying to get me to admit that I'll miss you."

"You will miss me. For the last time, go spend time with your girlfriend."

Troy knew Anah would just keep pestering him about it until he went. He headed into the kitchen, where Shauna was looking out the window over the sink. She didn't react when he put his arm around her. "I've been told by a snake to spend time with you," Troy said. "What do you want to do?"

"Well, there isn't much we can do, is there?" Shauna asked.

"No, not really. Anah said she'll take care of everything. We can have a romantic dinner here."

Shauna smiled. "I wouldn't mind a romantic dinner. Do you have candles?"

"No." Troy lowered his voice. "Don't say anything about it too loud, otherwise Anah will take my truck again and go buy some."

"Maybe she should." Shauna turned to face Troy and said softly, "After all, we'll have some time alone together if she goes."

"Okay. If that's what you want." Troy kissed Shauna's forehead before going out to the living room, finding Anah curled up on the couch with a book. "Hey, Anah? Could you do us a favor?"

"Sure, dear. What is it?" Anah looked up at him.

"Could you go buy some candles? Shauna wants a romantic dinner tonight."

"Of course." Anah closed the book and levitated it back over to where she found it. "You know I will have to take your truck, though."

"Yes, and this time, you have permission."

"Alright." Anah slithered over to the door, and took the keys. "I will be back soon."

"Drive carefully," Troy said. "Have fun." He looked out at the window, watching the cobra slither through the snow to the driveway. Once Anah was in the truck and slowly backing out, Troy returned to the kitchen. "Okay. We have the house all to ourselves."

Shauna had a huge grin on her face. Despite her left arm in a sling, she still jogged up to Troy to hug him, and nearly pushed him against the wall as she stood on her toes to kiss him.

Four days later, Troy was aware that he only had a matter of hours left before Moffitt arrived to pick up Anah. She was allowed to make breakfast that morning, but Troy couldn't help but notice Anah looking a little sad. He approached her while holding his cup of coffee, and said, "Don't tell me you're going to miss me, are you?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, I am going to miss you," Anah replied, not looking up from the pan of eggs she was frying. "This has been a lot of fun."

"You know what? It has. You've made things very entertaining. Thank you."

"You are most welcome, dear." Anah grinned up at him. "Now, I must get you to admit that you will miss me."

"Don't you already know?"

"I will never tell."

"Of course not." Troy looked out the window, expecting to see Moffitt and Vanora pull into the driveway any minute. He kept his thoughts to himself, and occasionally looked over his shoulder at Anah. She had certainly been helpful, in multiple ways, and he would admit only to himself that without Anah, he and Shauna never would have gotten together. She also helped him open up about his past, his nightmares, and overall trauma. He felt less alone and a little less hurt. There was no erasing or changing what had happened, but Troy didn't feel nearly as weighed down anymore by his repressed emotional baggage.

It was around noon when a car pulled into the driveway, a rental from the airport. Troy grinned when he saw the tall and lanky frame of Moffitt having to duck to get out of the driver's seat—but still whacked his head on the door anyway.

"That's the second time you've done that, Jack," Vanora said.

"I know! Why is this car so bloody small?" Moffitt finally got out of the car, and waited eagerly for his wife before taking her hand and walking with her to the porch.

Troy had already unlocked and opened the door by the time Moffitt and Vanora were on the porch. He greeted Moffitt with a quick embrace and shook Vanora's hand before letting them both in. "How was the honeymoon?" Troy asked.

"It was lovely," Vanora said. "The weather was spectacular the whole time."

"We found the prettiest, quietest little beach and spent the majority of our time there," Moffitt added. "It was just the two of us most days."

"That must've been nice. The weather wasn't exactly great here," Troy said. "We were hit with a nasty surprise blizzard a few days ago."

"You weren't out in it, were you?"

"Uh… I was. I actually nearly died from hypothermia, along with Shauna, and Anah had to go into this hibernation state."

Moffitt's expression sobered. "That explains why I was having weird dreams about being cold. Was this about five nights ago?"

Troy nodded.

"Speaking of which, where is Anah?"

"I don't know, actually. I thought she'd be waiting right here in the living room."

A black-scaled head with bright blue eyes appeared on the armrest of the couch. "Were you looking for me?" Anah asked.

"Yeah. Moffitt's here."

"I know." Anah didn't hesitate to climb up Moffitt and coil around his shoulders to nuzzle his face. "I missed you so much, dear. Did you have a good time?"

"We had a wonderful time," Moffitt replied, stroking Anah. "How about you? You weren't too much trouble, were you?"

"Oh, she was a huge pain!" Troy said sarcastically. "She stole my truck, she forged my signature, she made a mess of my kitchen, she threw oyster crackers at me, called me a donkey—"

"Wait a minute, did you say she stole your truck?"

"Yes!"

"And she forged your signature?" Moffitt glared at Anah. "What did you do?"

"I got Troy to fall in love, that is what I did," Anah said.

Moffitt looked back at Troy. "I'm just more confused. Please, tell me what happened."

Troy and Anah alternated with telling Moffitt and Vanora what had happened the previous two weeks. When they finished, Moffitt took a moment to think about what he just heard, and exchanged a look with his wife before turning back to Troy. "Well, it certainly sounds like you had an adventure."

"We did," Anah said.

"Oh, you certainly did. Stealing his bloody truck! What's the matter with you? And forging his signature!"

"Yes, I know. I was not very well-behaved."

"When are you well-behaved?"

"When we visit your parents. And when we visited Vanora's parents."

Moffitt rubbed his face. "Taking you to meet Vanora's parents was utterly terrifying."

"It had to be done, though," Vanora said, squeezing her husband's shoulders.

"I know. It was still one of the scariest days of my life." Moffitt sighed. "I'm sorry she put you through that, Troy."

"It's okay," Troy said. "I'm… kinda glad she did. Shauna and I are happy together."

"I'm glad you are, but—" Moffitt looked at Anah, wearing an exasperated expression, "you could've done something a little less chaotic."

"Me? Less chaotic? Never." Anah turned to Troy, her own expression softening. "I guess this is goodbye for now, then."

"Yeah," Troy said. "We'll see each other again. Maybe Christmas."

Anah looked back at Moffitt. "He will miss me."

Troy's face reddened with embarrassment. "No, I won't!"

"Be honest, Troy, will you miss her?" Moffitt asked.

Troy folded his arms over his chest. "Maybe a little," he grumbled. "She's good conversation, and a pretty good cribbage player."

"You two played cribbage together?"

"Yeah. Before we went to rescue Shauna."

"We'll have to all play together at some point."

"Actually, Moffitt," Anah spoke up, "I…" She stopped, then looked at Troy, who gave her a small but encouraging smile. Anah sighed softly, and continued. "I would not mind if… you and I played again, like we used to. I miss that."

"All you have to do is ask. We can do that when we get home."

"Thank you. I appreciate that."

When Moffitt and Vanora were getting ready to leave, Anah faced Troy, and dipped her head in silent thanks. She then turned to Moffitt. "Could I say a more proper goodbye?"

Moffitt nodded, then held out his arm so Anah could slither over to Troy. She wrapped around his shoulders and nuzzled him, in a hug only a snake could give, then looked him in the eye. "So long, Troy," she said.

"You're acting like we're not going to see each other again," Troy replied. He finally admitted defeat. "Fine. I'll miss you."

Moffitt gave him a look of concern. "Wait until Hitch and Tully hear how soft you've gotten."

"Hey, they'll feel the same way if they spend two weeks with her. Maybe she can help Hitch fall in love."

"No. I think we've had quite enough excitement in that regard." Moffitt gently pulled Anah off of Troy. "We will see you for Christmas. I'll send an invitation when we get a little closer."

"Thanks. Travel safe, Moffitt." Troy watched them leave. After closing the door, he went over to the window, and gave a heavy sigh as the three entered the car. There's no way I miss her already.

Strangely, he did, but the loneliness he usually felt while by himself in the house was lessened a bit by the knowledge that he would be seeing Shauna again in a few days.

October, 1949

In the same church where they nearly died, Sam Troy and Shauna McPherson were married. It was a quiet, cozy affair, with just the Rats, Dietrich, Anah, and David on Troy's side. With no one on Shauna's side, Troy's group was more than happy to give her everything she needed for a memorable wedding.

It didn't come as a surprise to anyone that Troy asked Dietrich to be his best man, and when the ceremony was over, Troy approached Dietrich, holding a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

"You are supposed to be with your bride, Troy," Dietrich said.

"She already knew I was going to do this," Troy replied. "Come on. Just like Moffitt's wedding."

Dietrich sighed. "Oh, alright." He took one of the cigarettes and followed Troy outside into the crisp autumn air.

It was nice that the land around the church wasn't completely covered in snow, and was instead surrounded by trees in their autumn best, brightly colored in warms reds and oranges and golds. Troy offered his lighter to Dietrich first, while putting a cigarette in his mouth and sliding the pack back in his pocket.

"Thank you," Dietrich said. He took a draw in his cigarette, and looked toward the woods while letting out a breath of smoke. "That was a lovely wedding. I told you when I visited this past summer, you and Shauna make a rather adorable couple. I pray you two have many decades of happiness together."

"Thanks," Troy replied. "I'm happy with her. I'm happier than I've ever been in my life."

"I knew you were keeping things to yourself, ever since we first met in North Africa, and do you want to know how I know? I kept a lot to myself."

"You sure did."

Dietrich smirked, but his smirk quickly faded. "To be fair, I did not know about Colonel Beckmann until you told me a few months ago. I knew of him, but I did not know that he had acquired you at some point. For most commanders, that would have been a punishment, having to deal with you, but… in this case, this was one commander no one deserved to be stuck with. I am glad you managed to escape."

"Well, I escaped physically, but I don't think I'll ever truly escape."

"No. I know I will not escape many of the horrible things I have gone through." Dietrich looked down at the ground.

"That's definitely one thing we have in common."

"Indeed it is." Dietrich took another draw on his cigarette, and blew out the smoke before glancing at Troy. "I noticed you and Anah seem to be getting along better."

"Yeah. We have. We don't argue about, you know, the prophecy much anymore."

"Good."

"She can still be a pain at times, but you know what the worst thing about her is?"

"What?"

"She almost made me cry. I gave her the recipe for one of my grandmother's cakes to make for the wedding. I don't know how she did it, but it tasted exactly how my grandmother used to make it."

"I trust this will be a good cake, then?" Dietrich asked.

"It'll be the best damn cake you've ever had."

"I think that was the only thing Tully did not deep-fry when he and Hitch visited me shortly after I moved into my house."

"What, cake?"

"Yes."

"That sounds really good and really questionable at the same time."

"I am sure if you ask, Tully would attempt it."

"Let's not." Troy looked at his cigarette, then turned to Dietrich. "Back to what we were talking about, yeah, I don't really have much a quarrel with Anah anymore, even though there's a lot we still don't know about the prophecy. The last time we did talk about it, she said it's going to be 'a while' before it comes to pass. Of course, she didn't say how long 'a while' is."

"I cannot say that is a surprise. I think she will continue to be cryptic about it until it does pass."

"Yep. Still… it's strange how she's this powerful being, but she's perfectly happy being with us and baking cakes and all that. She could do anything, but she chose Moffitt, and by extension, all of us."

"If this is what makes her happy, I will not complain. It is better than being a destructive terror."

"That's up in the air. She was definitely a 'destructive terror' in North Africa, but only when Moffitt was in danger."

"Good point." Dietrich was quiet for a moment. "Are you and Shauna taking a honeymoon?"

"We haven't decided where to go. We might take one in the future, but for now, we're just going to stay in."

"You can always visit me, if you would like. I enjoy the company, and you and Shauna can do nothing while I do everything for you."

"We can't do that to you, Dietrich, but maybe we can do the visit."

"It is your choice, though. Just know that I have made an offer."

"And I appreciate it."

Someone came jogging up behind them, and Tully called, "Hey, Sarge! Are we still having the reception at your place?"

"Yeah! You guys can head on down. We'll catch up."

Dietrich looked over his shoulder as Tully headed back into the church, then turned to Troy. "I think we should take that as a sign to head out. We can talk more during the party."

For the briefest of moments, as he looked toward the church, Troy saw himself back in the previous winter, trudging through the snow, carrying an unconscious, injured Shauna. He could still feel the freezing winds striking him like whips, and he didn't realize Dietrich had come up alongside him. When Dietrich gently touched his shoulder, Troy jolted out of his memory.

"Are you alright?" Dietrich asked.

Troy opened his mouth to say "Fine," but he knew he wasn't fine. He hesitated at first, but then let his guard down. "No. I'm… I'm not." He looked at Dietrich, and somehow had the sense that his friend was unquestionably listening. "I… saw myself here last winter, when I pulled Shauna from her truck and was looking for shelter." He sighed. "We need to go so we can join the party."

"I am sure they can wait a little longer. This is more important."

"You think so?"

"Troy, I know you would do the same for me, and you have."

"That's true. I have." Troy looked back toward the church again, seeing Moffitt and Vanora walking out, hand-in-hand, with Anah around Moffitt's shoulders. Anah raised her head, staring in Troy's direction. Troy returned his attention to Dietrich, and began walking with him toward the parking lot, talking about his dreams and nightmares.