Ok so this is def a filler chapter. So my apologies but it needed to be done. Fun stuff in the next two, possibly three chapters and then we get back into the action. If you guys would rather me spend more time on the vacation aspect I will. Just tell me whatever you want me to do in a review or PM me.

-E-R-A-G-O-N-

The transfer of planes was made much more difficult by the fact that they had two prisoners aboard. As soon as they arrived at the hangar they were forced to wait out security checks and repeated communications with Varden and airport police. It was almost seven in the morning before they were able to board their jet home. He sat in the co-pilot's chair for the whole trip, getting schooled in the art of flying a plane. It intrigued him mostly, but having control of such a huge machine was somewhat intimidating. He didn't know how Saphira did it.

They reached the location told to them by Ajihad and as they exited the plane, Eragon was amused to find Orik and Nasuada waiting by three cars as if they were the chauffeurs. He helped load Firnen into the back of one and waited for his parents to join him before closing the door. Orik climbed in the drivers seat of another and motioned for Arya, him, and Saphira to get in. He frowned.

"What about Murtagh and Thorn?"

Orik pointed to Nasuada who was already leading two agents to the plane.

"That's why boss lady is here. Ajihad wanted her to handle this personally. Get in and I'll explain." Eragon did, sitting in the middle between the two girls. As soon as they were all buckled the bearded man continued. "Apparently those two have quite the reputation within the lore of the enemy. Thorn is a hacker that was snatched up from his life and taken to Galbatorix. Murtagh is the muscle who protected him through his service. According to records, we've had several run-ins with them before and it seems that those encounters entailed no bloodshed whatsoever. The pair always escaped through brilliance rather than violence."

Beside him Arya pursed her lips.

"So do you think what Thorn said is true? Why would he avoid killing people if he was really as ruthless as most of Galbatorix's men?"

Orik shrugged as he started the car.

"Not sure. We'll get as much as we can from them and see where to go from there."

Eragon nodded, getting comfortable for the thirty minute ride back. Beside him, Arya was doing the same and he felt somewhat giddy when she leaned into him slightly. It wasn't much, maybe it wasn't even purposeful, but he would enjoy it either way. Ever since they'd been in the air, Saphira's mood hadn't really changed. She was down, that much was obvious, but there was also an empty feeling to her eyes. Like she couldn't be bothered to care much for anything. Even when he'd shown her their vacation plan all he'd received was a surface-smile. Now, as he glanced at her, he found it was the same. Trying to lighten the mood he brought up the trip again.

"So are you guys excited?"

Saphira seemed confused.

"For what?"

He made a face at her.

"Colorado! You excited?"

She shrugged, looking out the window.

"Yeah, I don't think I'll be joining you two."

His face fell and he noted that Arya's expression was worried as well. She leaned forward to look at the girl.

"Why not?"

Saphira answered in a monotone voice.

"I'm going to go to Virginia for a bit and visit my parents graves. I miss home and I haven't been back for two years."

He nudged her shoulder, trying to get her to smile.

"Ah come on Saph, you need a break."

She nodded.

"I know, that's why I'm going home. That's more of a vacation than Colorado."

He could tell by the steely tone in her voice that she wasn't changing her mind. Sighing quietly, he leaned his head back onto the seat. Arya's fingers brushed his in an effort to comfort him, and, although she pulled back almost immediately, it definitely worked.

As soon as they arrived, Arya climbed out of the car and he watched as she headed instantly for the door. Sighing, he looked away and instead walked over to the car that Murtagh and Thorn had been loaded into. Saphira was standing by, questioning Nasuada.

"You checked them for bugs and trackers, right?"

The woman nodded.

"Yes."

Saphira frowned.

"There was nothing? Are you sure?"

Nasuada crossed her arms, looking affronted.

"Saphira I know how to do my job."

The former blonde sighed.

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm just a little jittery right now."

Nasuada gripped her shoulder and grinned.

"I bet. And you should get some rest, alright? Take a break and go on that vacation."

The girl nodded and turned, facing him. He pursed his lips.

"Saphira you shouldn't cut yourself off from Firnen. It's hurting you." Without even responding, she pushed past him. He grabbed her arm before she was out of reach and turned her around, annoyance in his gaze. "Hey, I know you're upset but shoving everyone away is not the answer. And as hard as you try, I will not be stepping back." He chuckled. "I'll stalk you if I have to but you will smile at least two hundred times a day. That is a guarantee."

She rolled her eyes but he could see the amusement in them.

"You're an idiot. I'm sorry I'm being a bitch, I just want to get away from everything for a while. You go to Colorado with Arya and take a breather. I swear when I see you again that I'll be over all these depressing feelings."

He could tell that she was hiding the pain and it only made him want to reach out to her more. But she was putting up a front for him and so obviously it wouldn't help. At least not now. He just nodded.

"I'll hold you to that."

She quirked her lips in a smile and bobbed her head in acceptance before turning around and disappearing inside. A groan was heard behind him and so he turned, somewhat startled to find Murtagh being held up by two agents. The bandages Eragon had put on him were bleeding through and he was pale as a ghost. But recognition flared through his eyes.

"I know you! Chase!" Confusion found it's way onto Murtagh's face and he frowned. "Wait. . . why . . . I don't . . ." He looked down, shaking his head.

Thorn stepped out beside his friend, his hands cuffed in front of him and Eragon gave him a questioning look. Thorn shook his red haired head.

"He's retained random snippets of his life. But I doubt he even knows why he remembers your name though."

Eragon still didn't trust their surrender but he was willing to test the waters. At least they might be able to get some information from them. He let them pass by him and then caught up with Orik who was only then heading inside.

"Hey so how have things been over here?"

The man grinned.

"Boring, that's for sure. I missed your whining and complaining about training too."

Eragon laughed and shoved him jokingly.

"Shut up you douche."

Orik looked around them for a couple moments and then leaned in closely, his voice low.

"So what happened with you and Arya?"

Eragon pulled back, startled.

"What are you talking about?"

Orik gave him a look that said, 'don't eff with me.'

"There's a mirror in the car, Eragon. I can see."

Relief flooded him. He'd been fearing that somehow the Varden had eyes on the house. Shaking his head, he conveyed his confusion over the matter to his friend.

"I don't really know man. She's confusing." Orik was looking at him with a rather awed expression and he frowned. "What?"

The man shrugged.

"I don't know, you tell me. That woman has the world at arms length and yet you, somebody whose known her for just a few months, has made her lower her hands. I'm just impressed is all."

Eragon groaned.

"I wish. I kind of messed up."

"How did you do that?"

"Well my actions before kind of have her second guessing me."

"What do you mean? What actions?"

Eragon winced.

"My player tendencies."

Orik watched him a few moments before bursting into laughter.

"Oh man, you royally screwed the pooch. There's no way she's going for that. Especially when she wont even go out with perfect gentleman."

Eragon's heart clinched painfully at his words and he felt like he wanted to punch a wall. Damn his stupid arrogance!

"Please don't say that."

Orik, looked over at him and his grin fell from his face. He gripped his arm.

"Damn, Eragon. You got it bad. Wow. I'm sorry I didn't realize you actually liked her for more than a"

Eragon cut him off.

"Don't finish that sentence. I would never. Do I really seem like that to everyone?" Orik looked somewhat torn on how to respond and Eragon gave him a look. "Don't sugarcoat it."

His friend cringed a little.

"You do. Eragon your interactions with women here have been all the same. Flirtatious and friendly, but never serious. And from what I've heard, in Chile it was much the same. Even magnified. I'd be worried if I was her too."

They reached an entrance he hadn't been through yet and Orik pulled the door open. Once they were inside Eragon stopped and leaned tiredly against the wall.

"How do I change that? I want to show her but she's so damned stubborn."

Orik looked at him warily.

"Are you sure she even feels the same?" Eragon felt his face heat up and he looked away, trying to decide how to answer that question. Orik raised his eyebrows. "I think I'm missing part of this story."

Eragon bit the inside of his cheek, debating whether he should tell him or not. Finally he shrugged. Why the hell not. He desperately needed help on this matter.

"I . . . well. . . as you know during the mission we were under as a married couple and so that's kind of how it started. I just . . . .became rather close with her throughout. Every time we had to act as a couple was the most amazing kind of torture." He smiled, thinking back. "And dude, every time I kissed her I about died. I've never been effected like this before."

Orik nodded.

"But even though you felt it, she might not have. It was her job to kiss you. You can't just proceed based on your own feelings."

He nodded, kind of reluctant to tell him the rest. It was something special he held with her and only her. He continued anyway.

"I know. And I wasn't planning on acting on them but she was obviously feeling something. Especially when she instigated one of the kisses, basically climbing on my lap."

Orik gave him a saddened look.

"Again I must say that is her job. And you are biased. You saw what you wanted to see when it came to her feelings for you."

Eragon growled slightly, annoyed he'd have to tell the whole story.

"I know. But then I tried to talk to her about it and she brought up the whole player thing. She said that no matter how she feels about me she isn't going to let herself get hurt. And then in the jet on the way back after she'd patched me up, we kissed again. No cover for pretenses. She did it because she wanted to."

Orik seemed convinced then.

"Well then. That changes everything. It seems you have much more of a chance than I thought. Just prove it to her now."

Eragon breathed a sigh of relief.

"I plan to."

They started walking again and Orik laughed.

"And now you two are going on vacation together. That is just perfect timing. Good luck and have fun with that."

Eragon grinned. Oh, he definitely would.

-A-R-Y-A-

She be-lined for her room as soon as she got inside, not wanting to deal with anyone at the moment. To her surprise and dismay, her mother was waiting outside.

"Arya."

She slowed and stopped before her, wanting to tell her off.

"I'm kind of tired right now."

Without warning, Islanzadi wrapped her arms around her shoulders and hugged her tightly. Complete shock made her still and she couldn't hide the fact as Islanzadi pulled away.

"Get some rest, I'll see you at lunch before you leave."

With that, her mother was moving around her and down the hall. What the hell had just happened? Shaking away her confusion, she pushed into her room and collapsed on the bed, wanting to get even a bit of sleep before she had to get up and leave again. Not that she wasn't looking forward to the vacation, but she didn't know if she was completely prepped to spend so much time alone with the man who kept sneaking under her guard. It was becoming harder to distance her emotions from her actions and it worried her. She'd just about drifted off when there was a knock on her door. She groaned loudly, slumping out of the bed and to the door. Opening it she found Eragon, standing there with a smile on his face and his hands in his pockets. Taking one look at her he frowned, seemingly upset at himself.

"I woke you up, didn't I?"

She had been prepared to snap but his words took the annoyance out of her. Instead she shrugged, turning around and leading him into her room. She didn't want to stand there and talk. Whatever he had to say he could say when she was at least sitting down. She sat at the edge of her bed and waited for him to speak. He gave her a somewhat mischievous look.

"So. . . time to get training again?"

She smirked, collapsing back onto her bed.

"You're an idiot. If you don't actually have anything important to talk about, get out."

He chuckled, sitting down next to her. Alright, obviously he wasn't leaving. When he spoke his tone was serious. She glanced at him, taking in the worried lines on his face.

"Arya, Saphira is pulling back from everyone. Even me. I don't know how to help her."

Warmth spread into her soul at his caring nature and she cursed herself, wanting to ignore the ridiculous emotions that kept leaping out from her. She kept her voice passive when she responded.

"You need to leave her be for a bit, Eragon. I know you don't want her to feel such sadness, but it is part of her learning experience. Let her do what she needs to and we'll see her when we get back from Boulder."

He nodded and was silent for a couple minutes. Finally a smile crept onto his face.

"So you excited?"

She chuckled at his eager eyes.

"Yes. It's beautiful there. And our hotel has really nice trails around it so we'll be able to get you back to where you were." A loud groan escaped his lips, causing her to laugh. "Eragon you need to train. We've been out for so long, I've probably even lost some endurance."

He fell back on the bed next to her.

"But it's a vacation! Can't we start when we get back?"

Arya shook her head.

"We need to be our best the moment we return. I really shouldn't be this exhausted right now like I assume you are as well. This job relies on lightening fast reflexes and unmatched endurance, something both of us are rusty in. It's time to step it up again."

She glanced at him to find his eyes closed, his chest rising and falling at an even pace. Arya scoffed. He was asleep. She reached out to shove him but paused, deciding against it. There was no reason she couldn't let him stay here. And she knew from experience that if you're rudely awakened, it's much harder to get back to sleep. Instead she pushed herself away from him and went to rest her head on her pillow. A smile graced her face as she thought back to his pillow story he'd told her in the car they day before. It really was rather interesting, and yes, she admitted, better than the other two.

Her phone alarm went off at eleven-thirty, waking her and Eragon both. She opened her eyes groggily only to see Eragon try to roll over and fall off the bed onto the floor. In her sleep-ridden state, everything was ten times as funny. And that made this hilarious as she burst into laughter. She could hear him giggling like like a fangirl as he stood from the ground, dropping back onto the covers, his head resting on her shins.

"I totally forgot where I was for a moment there."

She threw her forearm over her eyes, a headache making her cringe.

"I noticed. That was great."

He nodded against her, his hair soft against her skin. She only then realized how cozy they were being. Jolting completely awake, she stood and walked to the mirror, brushing out her hair.

"Come on we need to grab a bite to eat before we take off again."

At that she opened the door and waited for him to catch up. He'd sobered up enough and realized what she was doing almost immediately. It earned her a small frown from him as he walked into the hall.

They arrived in the cafe ten minutes later to find it full of agents and family members alike, all eating and enjoying themselves. They were about to get in line when Orik called them from the front of it, motioning with his hands for them to join him. As they walked up, the beefy man grinned at those behind him.

"You all don't mind, do you? They have to leave here in thirty minutes and we'd hate for them to do so on an empty stomach."

Eragon slapped his friend's shoulder.

"Why don't you come with us, man?"

Orik chuckled.

"Because I've basically been on vacation since you two got stuck in England. I had literally nothing to do. Now I finally get to get back in on the action and I'm definitely looking forward to it. Don't worry though, I'll keep you two posted on the happenings. We might even have to call you back early if something big pops up."

She nodded, glad to hear that. It wasn't likely that something major would happen in the next few days considering Galbatorix's loss, but she could hold out hope that maybe she could use the possible departure as a way to keep Eragon on task and his mind off of her. This was going to be an interesting week.

HelpI'mLostInCorn: Lol I'm sorry I had to! It was the perfect place to end it. But you found out last chapter so it's all good! It really does. Especially with work mixed in. What year for you?

Dragon Imaginer: Thank you. And I believe I'll stick with this one for a few more chapters or more since a lot of people want me to stick with it.

funnelwebs: Thanks I wanted to make her awesome :) Lol yes I do. I love the picture that quote goes to with all those parts from all those different games making a dude. Lol I got it. You can totes be my friend haha. I meant my friends are always like, "psh, women." Or something to that extent. They're kidding so it's funny. Ohhhh I thought you were referencing a movie or tv show or something lmao. Well EDS is full of shit (I hope he reads these) and makes idle threats. Lol that's something I actually do. I'm so violent with words but I would never do what I threaten to. Simple how? I would like to mix it up a bit if possible. I need to step up on how I do my action stuff. I'm failing miserably aren't I? I can do that. Sailing the Shadows would be a good one to switch to.

FanBoyNinja: I'm glad :D

Musicman2013: Oh she definitely will but I can't tell you when! That would ruin the expectation and suspense. I promise you though, there will be fireworks :D

Andy95S: It always makes me happy to know that I changed somebody's mind about my story. Why, If I may ask, was your reason for not liking it at first? I'd like to adjust for future stories? And thank you!

burning book: :D I think it would be a fun scene to write out, personally. Eragon would just be like, "Uh. . . .yeah I don't have an explanation for that."

Flyflyaway: Well Murtagh in't going on the vacation but like, he'll be in the story more as it continues. And it's a college, like you take college courses and stuff, but it's smaller and less expensive. I actually love it and I haven't had to pay for anything. 4.0 GPA and I'll be getting scholarships to go places hopefully.

Lost Grey Soul: I think I will!

CorLeonis92: It's actually always what I focus on when I read or watch something. People be like, "Oh this movie is so bad ass and bloody" and I'm like, "Omg did you see that look he just gave her!? I can't wait until they get together." Thank you!

Loony: Alright I probs will! And I can do that. FtP coming up :) I doubt that'll happen ever so don't worry.

Ocadioan: Thanks and yeah I do. You're completely right about the waiting thing but thing is, I write the chapters as I got and so waiting two weeks would mean two weeks between updates. I went back to read past chapters recently and cringed at all the stuff I saw. Blah.

Microbat98: Lol done!

A Dark Noon: Ah, coolioso. I'll have to check it out :) I can't wait for it to come back! But is it just me, or do the directors really need to have more Shules moments? Like, they barely interact in couply ways at all. Thanks!

Taeyeon: :D and I think from the response I'm getting I'll stick with this one for a while. Lol thanks! I'll make sure to check it out if you do. And It's totally cool! I figured most people wouldn't expect it to be up. Yay that makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside :D What is your account name, btw? I'd like to check out your story. I'm glad it seems so smooth and stuff because I was kind of worried about how it would all play out. I'll probably do that and update this one only for a bit. Maybe throw in chapters of FtP. Lol I don't think anyone has ever asked for me to not give a lot of ExA. I get why I think though.

Elemental Dragon Slayer: Hehe it could probably just sit on you.

My Generation: I'm sorry! Haha I promise that isn't going to happen this time around! Oh yeah and Columbus is like, "That is the worst goodbye I've ever heard." Thanks :D And I always respond to reviews no matter what. But I liked the quote :)

lightingwind: Alright, alright XD I will haha. Most people have been saying that so I think it's basically unanimous. Lol I listed it as my favorite tv show on my profile (along with Doctor Who). It's such a great show! Can't wait for its return!

TheeRoyalJester: Lol true, true. And you'll have some really relaxing and fun chapters coming so I hope you enjoy those :D Thank you! And I think I'll stick with this story for a bit but I'm really happy you read my other ones as well!

N-Six: Alright I can probably do that. Or I'll just keep with this one for several more chapters and switch off. But it all depends on the inspiration that comes.

Walter Peterson: Oh man definitely DAVID TENNANT! You?

Morzan's Elvish Daughter: Yeah it really is. Accounting is kicking my ass still. :D I actually haven't completely decided on what I'll be doing with Murtagh and Thorn from here on. They'll be in it, yes. But I'm not sure which side they'll be on. Hmmm, alright I'll have to think of that. But I'll try to put her in and see how it goes :)

Highheel1144: Thank :) Yeah he will at some point. Most likely I'll throw him into the next mission they have to do :P

Renaissancebooklover108: Ah man and it's only 2 credits? Science is already hard enough without them putting AP in the title lol. :D

Guest: I think so as well. And it will most likely be this one :) Everyone seems to want it.