Warning: This chapter contains supreme angst, slight suggestive themes, some violence and yes, a touch of fluff. :D

It's a doozy! (well, at least in my own mind.) Anyway, enjoy!

"Wake up, memsahib." Ali gently shakes my shoulder when it seems like I've just gotten in a comfortable position to go to sleep.

"Ouch! Watch the arm!" I roll over and pull my sore bicep closer to my chest, wincing at the pain.

"So sorry." Ali says in a hoarse whisper. "But we must hurry. Our horses have been stolen and surely the guards will be after us at daybreak. We must start now while it's still dark before we run into any more trouble. If all goes well, we will reach your destination at noon."

I immediately sit up, forgetting about my current inability to support my own weight as I try to stand.

Unfortunately, my aching ankle relents and I collapse back onto the ground.

Now what?

"Do you think you can walk if I help you?" Tintin appears out of nowhere, his ginger hair dusted with sand and his cheeks slightly sunburned.

"I think so. Thank you." I accept his hand as he helps me up and allows me to wrap my arm around his broad shoulders. Snowy at first doesn't seem to like this very much, but his growling eventually stops and soon enough he's happily trotting ahead with Elizabeth, Ali, and the Captain.

He's so sweet… I find myself thinking dreamily.

Oh, Katrina! Not again! Honestly! My conscience shakes its head.

Oh, shut up. I was talking about Snowy. I argue as I continue to enjoy the landscape as the dawn approaches.

Right…

The horizon slowly changes from its foggy gray hue into a powdery orange as the sun begins to make its ascent into the rapidly brightening sky, bringing the heat of the day along with it.

"It's beautiful…" I breathe in awe after a few minutes.

Tintin smiles. "You've never seen the sun rise?"

"I have, but I was born and raised in New York City, and from my apartment window I can't remember ever being able to see the horizon very clearly. I guess I never appreciated it as much or took the time to look at it,"

"I understand." The young journalist smiles wider.

"I don't mean to pry, but I've been wondering. Why did you leave the United States in the first place? You seem to love and miss your home and I'm sure work is better over there and easier to find."

"I suppose that's true, but it wasn't really a matter of finding work that caused me to leave. It was for a more…well, personal reason than that," My voice trails off, hoping desperately that Tintin will leave it at that.

"It was because of a boy, wasn't it?" Elizabeth suddenly pipes up; I can almost see the mischief gleaming in her copper eyes.

The young reporter and I both abruptly freeze in our tracks, unable to look at each other.

"It was! It was!" Elizabeth exclaims, jumping up and down triumphantly when the silence stretches on. "Please Katrina! Tell me! It's so romantic!"

I shudder at the meaningless "r" word.

"Sorry Elizabeth, but it was by no means quote on quote 'romantic'."

"What was his name?" Elizabeth presses on; obviously not realizing the pain the question brings to me.

"That's enough, Elizabeth." I say quietly. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"But Katrina…"

"I SAID THAT'S ENOUGH, ELIZABETH!" I yell, instantly regretting it.

"Sorry." Elizabeth sighs and hangs her head as she continues to tread on, her expression all too familiar to me.

Disappointment.

Don't think about it, Katrina. You've been doing so well; don't ruin a day like this by thinking about…

But it's too late.

"He's using you, Katrina!" Violet protests, looking more desperate than I've ever seen her.

"No!" I defend. "He'd never do a thing like that! He's my fiancé and he loves me!"

I gaze down at my engagement ring as the sunlight catches the diamond, causing little beams of light to sprinkle across the whitewashed walls.

"You don't understand, Trina. As your best friend, I love you and I don't want to see you get hurt. Please believe me when I tell you that Eric is dishonest." Violet wipes away a tear.

"How do you know?" I slowly look up into her blue-gray eyes; dreading what she could possibly say next.

"He's been cheating on you for months now! I've seen him with your next door neighbor everyday when you're at work…"

"That doesn't mean anything." I interrupt. "So what if he's with Joanna? I don't mind if he has other friends. Anyway, Joanna's married."

"Maybe so, but I happen to know that they've gotten intimate. Joanna told me herself, she made me swear not to tell you…"

"You mean they've…"

Violet nods slowly.

"And Joanna's certain that her baby isn't her husband's. It's Eric's."

The words resonate as I sit there motionless, trying to swallow the painful silence as I contemplate the possible truth.

I reminisce the first time I saw the baby. In fact, I'd been there when she gave birth; I'd even caught the child and cut the umbilical cord. I remember what a joyous moment that had been, a satisfied feeling that I'd helped give someone life and how beautiful I'd thought the child was. But now, the warm memory slowly fades away into a nightmare and each time it replays in my mind, the more I recall the baby having more of a resemblance to Eric instead of Joanna's husband.

All those promises he'd made me.

Those vows.

Those dreams.

The hopes.

They were gone just like that.

And I'd never get them back.

Unable to take it anymore, I collapse onto the floor into a fit of uncontrollable sobs.

"…Katrina. Katrina! KATRINA!" Tintin shouts, worriedly putting a hand on my shoulder.

"What? Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention." I pull away from Tintin's grasp, despite my sore ankle as I surprisingly quicken my pace up to catch up with Elizabeth and Snowy.

"I'll say, lass! The landlubber was calling your name over and over again; we thought you had heatstroke!" The Captain shoots me yet another look of disapproval.

If you were faking the whole thing about your injuries just to get a hold of Tintin, so help me, I will make sure that you have some injuries that you will really need assistance with. His eyes read.

I'm about to glare a message back that would get my mouth washed out with soap if I vocalized it, when our guide grabs my good arm.

"Are you all right, memsahib?" Ali wants to know, his dark, exotic features pleading for an answer. "Is it your injuries? We can stop for a moment, if you wish."

"No." I assure him. "We simply must reach Khemikhal before noon, Ali. Stopping is out of the question."

Ali shrugs and turns to Elizabeth.

"Anyway, you said that you were going to Khemikhal for a different reason, little girl. And that would be?"

"My grandmother lives there." Elizabeth brushes away her jet black hair. "My mother wanted me to go see how she was doing."

I raise my eyebrows at this statement.

"That's not what you told me. You said that you were escaping your father in Wadesdah and were going to live with your aunt in Khemikhal."

Elizabeth's cheeks darken, despite the sunburn that already leaves an inflamed tone on them.

"Right. That's what I meant."

"Elizabeth…" Tintin begins; a slight warning note in his voice.

The little girl immediately looks away, clearly trying to escape from the tense conversation.

"Lass, if you're going to continue with us, we expect an honest answer. Why are you going to Khemikhal?" The Captain demands.

Elizabeth ignores him, focusing intently on the fuzzy horizon. Her copper eyes suddenly dilate.

"There it is!" She screams triumphantly, pointing and jumping around excitedly.

"It is true!" Ali joins in the excitement. "There is Khemikhal!"

The Captain immediately has a bounce in his step as he begins to sing obnoxiously.

"Oh, the Grand Old Duke of York! He had ten thousand men!"

Then without warning, Tintin envelopes me into a tight hug that catches me completely by surprise. But soon enough, I return the gesture as much as my injured arm will allow me.

My senses are fully alert now as I grasp the reality. This feeling is completely different from the way he carried me to safety after I was injured, it's more intimate, yet it's gentle at the same time. Right now, I ignore his sweat and the fact that he desperately needs a bath. He's here with me.

We pull away and I find myself gazing upon his round features; sweat glistening on his sunburned brow and his intense sky blue eyes staring into my hazel ones. He slowly brushes a strand of hair out of my face and smiles, making me weak at the knees.

Oh no, Katrina! Don't do it! You know what always happened at this point when there were silent moments like these with Eric…

But before anything else can happen, a shot echoes through the sweltering heat once again and the bullet hits Ali square on the chest. He unleashes a pained groan and tips over onto the sand, letting out his last strained breath before his time is up.

Hahahaha!

*sings* "Cliffhanger! Hanging from a cliiiiiiiiifffffffff! And that's why he's called cliffhanger!"

Uhhh… anyway. Wow, a lot of things happened in this chapter! I'm still trying to recover from it myself… I'm exhausted!

So what will become of Tintin, Katrina, Elizabeth, and the Captain? How will they react to this sudden tragedy? Is the Professor REALLY in Khemikhal? Why did Elizabeth lie? And what about Tintin and Katrina? Can the Captain get a grip on himself and just leave the poor girl alone? Find out in the next installments!

Unfortunately, life is getting very hectic for me at the moment and it might be a while before my next update…(yes, I love you too, leaving you especially at the cliffhanger! *mwah ha ha!*) Hopefully, no more than two weeks (maybe sooner…)

Still, thank you for continuing to read this all the same and please leave a review with your thoughts! :D

(And btw, it's okay if you didn't recognize that song I sung…BUT if you did, 555 brownie points for you. If you really want to know, look up on youtube: "Cliffhanger: Between the Lions")

Once again, thanks for reading! See you soon!