Carly walked down the hallway for a little while, again skipping many doors. She stopped briefly at one and looked in at herself crawling through a small tunnel in an effort to get too little Shawn-Douglas, who had fallen into a well shaft. After observing the scenes for a moment, Carly moved on. After skipping countless numbers of doors she finally stopped in front of a door that seemed to beacon to her. As she reached for the door handle she felt her heart beat speed up and a fluttering in her stomach. She held her breath as she pushed open the door. Carly released the breath she was holding as she recognized what she was seeing. Her face broke into a small smile as she looked in on one of the moments of her life that she would never forget.
Bo and Carly were in a garden. The night air was warm and still. She was wearing a red blouse and tan slacks. The others had just dispersed and left her and Bo alone. She had her back to him and was moving back toward the house when he spoke.
"Carly? What's got you so jumpy?"
"I think we're all a little nervous, Bo. We all came here for different reasons. I just…hope everyone gets what they want."
"Oh, we will. It's a bunch of good people working after the same thing. We'll get what we want."
Carly turned around to face Bo, her eyes alternating between glances at his face and looking down at the ground.
"Do you mean me too?" she said softly.
"Well, of course I do." Bo said a look of surprise on his face that she would ask such a question. "Julie and Shane and…and Kayla, they're here all by themselves. I'm not." Bo looked deep into her eyes as he said this with a shake of his head.
"You're not?" Carly raised her eyebrows as she said this, unconsciously mimicking Bo's shake of the head.
"No. I've got you."
"I don't know what to say to you."
"You don't have to say anything." Bo said with a boyishly charming, hopeful, yet almost nervous little smile. "I said it all. I just wanted you to know how I felt."
Carly looked at him for a moment then whispered his name as she raised her left hand to touch his bearded cheek. Bo's left hand reached up, and taking hold of her wrist he moved her hand just enough so he could press his lips to her palm, never once removing his gaze from her face. Bo then moved up close to Carly, keeping his eyes locked with hers, he gently wrapped his left arm around her slender waist while placing his right hand on her cheek. Bo pulled Carly close to him and leaned his head down and softly fitted his lips over hers in a sweet, tender kiss.
Carly turned and walked back into the hallway, closing the door behind her. With a contented sigh she looked each way before continuing down the hall. That was the first time Bo had kissed her.
"It wasn't the first kiss." The voice said as she walked.
"I thought it was." Carly replied.
Then from nowhere Carly heard another voice. She couldn't tell what this one was saying, it was just a murmur, but it was soothing.
Carly walked up to a door only a few feet from the last one and opened the door. The scene she saw was as different from the last one as a horse is different from a goldfish. She was dressed in a sequined, blue formal gown and Bo was holding onto her. But this time he had her turned to face Lawrence and Jennifer, and he was holding a gun to her head.
Carly quickly shut the door on the unpleasant memory, and with trepidation continued down the hall. After passing a couple of doors, she stopped at another one that seemed to call to her. Before she could open the door she once again heard that indistinct voice. It seemed to be coming from all around her, yet at the same time it was deep but soft and comforting. She took a deep breath and reached for the door. Left hand poised on the handle of the door, she felt a quick, tingling sensation on the back of her right hand.
Bo's mouth moved silently against Carly's hand.
Please, just help her.
Bring her back to me.
Let her be all right.
I can face anything as long as she's OK.
Bo opened his eyes, hastily wiping at his gathering tears. "Somehow, Princess, someway, I'll bring you back. We have a lot left to do so just summon up that iron will of yours and come back to me." He didn't move from his spot at her side. He just held her hand, tracing whimsical patterns onto the soft skin there. And as he watched her face, still so beautiful, her dark lashes began to flutter.
Carly opened the door slowly, not sure what she would find on the other side. She was looking into a dark tunnel. Inside the tunnel were four people, herself, Frankie, Jennifer, and Jack, who were all shifting rock trying to find a way out.
"Carly? Carly can you hear me?" A voice called out. It was the second voice she had been hearing but this time it was clear and crisp. She turned to look behind her and saw nothing but the dark empty hallway. Just then she heard a rumble and turned back to look at her memory just as the tunnel collapsed around the people in it.
"Carly can you hear me?" Bo repeated as he watched her. After the fluttering of her eyelids had started, she began to move her head slightly, as though she was having an unpleasant dream. As he said this he felt her fingers twitch against his hand.
"NO!" Carly screamed as her eyes flew open and she bolted upright into a sitting position.
Bo sighed in relief. After two weeks his princess was awake.
