Alex startled slightly at the sudden weight and warmth of a blanket being placed on her shoulders. A small smile darted across her lips as she glanced over her shoulder at Emily; she didn't say thank you, she didn't have to, she knew Emily understood her appreciation for the gesture through gaze alone. With a contented little sigh, she glanced back at the rocky valley stretching out before her, drawing the blanket tighter around her.

Emily said nothing as well. Having been married as long as they had, sometimes just as much could be said through silence as with words. She plunged her hands into the pockets of her coat and stared into the valley as well, waiting for Alex to speak her mind as she knew she was aching to...

"You're with me on this, right?" Alex eventually spoke.

"Who's been doing the driving?" Emily replied pointedly.

Alex gave a small humourless laugh, shook her head slightly. "You could say you want him back," she pointed out, "I haven't heard that yet."

Emily exhaled slowly, knowing that what she said next wasn't going to sit well with her wife. "We're not young, Alex..."

She scoffed audibly. "Well, we're not old."

"We're not young," Emily repeated. She didn't look at Alex, didn't meet her gaze, knew she was breaking her heart with these words.

"Are you saying you don't miss him?" Alex fired back.

She sighed. "I'm saying he's not even in school yet. Hasn't had the chicken pox or rode a bike. He's young...and we're not."

Silence once again reigned. For so long Emily started to fear Alex may never speak to her again.

At length, though, Alex clapped her hands on her knees. "Well...you can drive me into town then and drop me off. Turn around and take yourself back home. I'll do what I need to do and take a bus back home with Finley." She stood, bundling the blanket that mere minutes ago had been an appreciated gesture, and shoved it against Emily's chest.

"Once Maggie's handed him to you?" Emily replied, accepting the blanket. "Smile on her face, happy as a clam? And if they're not down there, then what? You're just going to chase them around the country on a bus? What if they go where Greyhound doesn't?"

Alex placed her hands on her hips, expression full of resolute determination. "Then I'll walk."

"You would too, wouldn't you?" She shook her head slowly, moved closer to Alex so they weren't shouting at each other. "And when you finally learn that what you want to make happen isn't going to happen... What then, Alex Miller?"

She flicked her tongue out over her lip, taking a moment to digest that. "Well, then I suppose I'll learn what I've never been able to." She cocked her head slightly, almost daring Emily to say something. "Isn't that what you've always told me? Over and over? That I don't know when it's time to call it quits..."

Emily exhaled through her nose, seemingly struggling to hold her tongue. "And I'll be the one that has the job of picking up the pieces, huh?" And with that, she turned on her heel and marched off, leaving Alex little choice but to follow her.

As they scaled the hill back up to where they'd parked the car above the valley, it was to find a young man peering through the car's windows into the front seat.

"Hey!" Emily shouted, startling the man and the horse with him.

The man looked up sharply, seeming surprised to see them, then immediately turned and attempted to soothe the horse, just enough to jump onto its back in his haste to make a getaway.

"No, no!" Emily chastized, moving to grab the reins. "Just hold it – hold it right there."

"I didn't take anything, alright?" the young man insisted.

The horse was clearly still frightened and Alex took it upon herself to soothe the mare. "You were just what?" she asked the man atop the horse. She stroked the horse's nose gently, shushing the animal.

"I just saw your car and wondered who was setting up camp here, that's all," the man insisted, seeming much more frightened than perhaps the situation warranted.

Checking that the car was still locked, Emily glanced back at the young man and asked, "Who are you?"

"John Blackwolf, ma'am," he replied. "I live over there." He nodded over his shoulder vaguely. "I've got my own place. And my own money. I don't need any of your things."

And, though Emily still seemed suspicious, Alex no longer was. "I'm Alex Miller, Mr. Blackwolf," she said, offering her hand for him to shake. When he reluctantly took it, she added, "That's my wife, Emily. I apologize if we're trespassing." She offered a soft smile. "And what's your horse's name?"

"Can't say," John said with a shrug. "She doesn't belong to me. She showed up outside my shack one morning. Thought she was wild at first, but...she comes from somewhere. She found me." He stroked the horse's mane gently.

For a moment, Alex's eyes twinkled with mischief...

And before Emily knew what was happening, Alex had traded places with John and was galloping the horse across the field, laughter on her lips. All Emily could do was shake her head fondly, leaning back against the car to watch her wife doing what she truly loved.

John, too, leaned against the car, mouth hanging half open as he watched the way Alex and the horse instantly seemed a cohesive unit, thinking and acting as one. "Maybe the horse belongs to her..." he remarked quietly.

And, smile playing about her lips in spite of the fact that they'd been so recently arguing, Emily agreed, "Just about every horse does." She'd missed seeing her smile like that – it had been damn near three years since a smile had reached to her eyes the way this one did...and she had a strong feeling that she may never smile again if they weren't able to rescue Finley.