Myles' stomach was churning. He felt awful.

In his traveling clothes, Myles had been on the road with Wanda and Gregory (her pudgy and half bald husband with lots of facial hair) for two hours. There were two and a half more hours to go - without bathroom breaks - and he was now regretting going on this journey. He couldn't stand Wanda and Gregory; they were too chipper, sang annoying car songs on repeat, told each other the same inside jokes that he was oblivious to, and they were constantly - and annoyingly - rubbing their noses together and calling each other pet names like 'bon bon' and 'boo'. Gag me with a spoon. What was wrong with plain old 'love' or 'babe?'

Myles thought to himself, "I'd rather be in a car with Howie and Otis right now…and that's saying something. Maybe I should tell them to let me out, and I'll take a bus there." He then rubbed his stomach again. "Ugh…damn medication."

So that Myles wouldn't be a burden on the hosts, he made sure that he took his medication; however, it was bothering his stomach again. It was either get better, but suffer with side effects, or don't take the medication, feel better, but have persistent flashbacks and memory problems. No, he couldn't do that to this lovely, generous, yet irritable couple.

Wanda, took a quick peek at the backseat to see what her guest was up to, and noticed him looking uncomfortable. "What's wrong with you? Car sick?"

Myles raised a brow at how she asked that question. "I have a stomach ache from my medication. It is a cross to bear."

Wanda asked, "Oh. Did you eat anything after taking them?"

"No," Myles grumbled.

"Well…that's your problem right there, sir."

Myles inhaled. "Ma'am, if it were that easy, I assure you, I would take my pills with every meal, but if I do that, breakfast or supper will come up twenty minutes later."

Gregory chimed, "I'll pick you up some applesauce when we reach the next town. There, we can give you some time to eat, and allow your stomach to settle. I find applesauce helps me with my nausea after I take my blood pressure medicine."

Myles nodded in approval. "Applesauce…that's not a bad idea."

Half an hour later, Myles found himself at Mt. Jackson's Visitor's Center, looking at brochures of towns, lakes and other cities worth visiting in the state of Virginia. He was also finishing his second cup of pink applesauce that Wanda was kind enough to provide for his upset stomach. After a few minutes of browsing, he finally discovered a four page brochure that was solely dedicated to Lake Moomaw itself. He couldn't see himself spending two weeks with these monstrosities, so if he planned on splitting from them during day time, he better have an idea of what he'd like to do. He definitely wanted to try fishing as it was a relaxing activity, but maybe he could also find a group of hikers to go onto the trails with. After placing the brochure and map underneath his armpit, Wanda appeared beside him, and said:

"All ready to go?"

Myles replied, "Yes, I am."

"How's the stomach?"

"Much better, thank you."

Wanda placed her hands on her hips. "Y'know, you should smile more."

"Smile?"

"This is an exciting trip for you, full of new experiences." She then said in a tune, "We aren't leaving till you give me a genuine smile."

After rolling his eyes, he faked a smile to appease her. When she was pleased, Wanda said, "Let's get going then. I see you grabbed some brochures. Is there anything in particular you want to do?"

"Mostly fishing and hiking," Myles replied.

Wanda responded, "Yes, and you'll love the hiking and fishing locations. If there's a particular fish you want to catch, let us know and we'll boat to where we know they are. Some of the fishing areas are very quiet and peaceful, and we like it that way. Normally, it's busy here in the summer, but this place tends to slow down in the fall, so we can get a little bit of time out here without being interrupted. I don't recommend hiking right now as the bears are entering their hibernation period and are keen on eating as much as they can before the winter season."

Wanda's words were reassuring. Maybe Myles didn't have to do his own thing if Wanda and Gregory were privy to silence on their fishing trips.

Wanda continued, "Myles, I know we are a bit extra, but you're doing well. Once we teach you how to fish, you can split from us and bask in the sun as you hear nothing but the sounds of nature.

Myles gave a half smile. "If it's not too much trouble, that would be nice. I need to do activities that are quiet and keep me calm, so the less noise the better."

They finally reached Lake Moomaw. The park was huge, spacious, and beautiful. The colors of fall were apparent on the trees and the ground, there were vast hills and forests, and the bodies of water seemed to travel for hundreds of miles. Twenty minutes after entering the state park, they reached a small area of land where personal cabins and cottages were located. Besides homes, there was also a small department store, a tavern and a boating dock at the shore of the lake itself.

Wanda said, "Welcome to our summer home. Our cottage is located just outside of this area. Most of the people who live here year round are retired. This tiny town has a small grocery and hardware store that carries fishing equipment. It also has a place to eat, and a place to rent kayaks and canoes. But let's get settled at our place first before we decide to jump the gun and do anything too exciting."

Once they reached their destination, Myles took a good look at their surroundings. The couple's cottage was bigger, and nicer than what Myles had anticipated. For some reason, he had pictured them living in a run-down bungalow sinking into its foundation, and acquiring an outhouse; but instead, he was met with a two story building with electricity and plumbing. Myles looked around as everyone unpacked the car. Their cottage was surrounded by autumn trees, and covered in fallen leaves. He then looked down the nearest hill, and saw a trail that led to an empty fire pit area where six plastic chairs surrounded it. He could see dozens of logs and an ax hanging around the fire pit also.

Afterwards, Myles entered the cottage with the couple and was led upstairs to one of the guest rooms. The interior looked very modern. In total there were three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The bedroom he was appointed to was quite large, and looked cozy. He thought for a moment. Maybe he would skip supper and go straight to bed. Traveling days didn't always put him in the best of moods. Then, a female voice said, "We'll be starting a fire in an hour. We are cooking grilled cheese and hotdogs, and drinking beer. You can join us if you'd like."

Myles looked at Wanda standing in the doorway. She was smiling, and anticipating that her guest would say yes. He replied, "I'll think about it. Thank you."

At 9:00pm, Myles tried to call it a night and sleep very early, but due to his brain replaying the memory of killing Diana Ray, he decided to join Wanda and her husband. They had a huge fire going in their fire pit, plus they were drinking beer and cooking grilled cheese and hot dogs. They had been out there for at least an hour, so one more couldn't hurt; there was plenty of wood and newspapers to burn.

For two hours, Myles didn't talk much. He just watched Wanda and Gregory laughing, telling each other stories and inside jokes, and dancing around the fire with no music. At first it was annoying, but then he found watching their fun amusing; he had to admit that their attitudes were contagious. He needed to learn how to relax, and let irritable people have fun.

Then, Wanda decided to turn on her cassette player, and placed a tape inside. She pressed play, and polka music immediately surfaced. Without hesitation, she grabbed her husband, and they continued to dance to a polka while Myles sat, looking awkward with his hot cocoa. He didn't sit for long though, because Wanda grabbed his hands and lifted him out of his chair. "Come on Myles, let's dance," she said.

"Uh," Myles was speechless. What on earth was she doing?

"It's a polka. Do you know it? I was sure that a man like you would know how to dance? Maybe not."

Myles was too proud to say no. "Don't be ridiculous. I've been to dozens of weddings. Of course I know." He then swallowed his pride, grabbed her hands and waist and then started to move to the music. As they danced, Gregory put another hot dog on a stick and placed it into the fire, burning it. Once they were all tired, Myles returned to his seat; however, Wanda grasped her empty beer bottles, and yawned.

Slightly laughing, Wanda said, "I'm going to go to bed now." She waved at Myles. "Stay as long as you like. We will discuss our activities tomorrow during breakfast."

When Wanda was finally gone, Gregory got up, and decided to move into the chair beside Myles. He took out a long metal tin by his feet, and opened it. Inside the tin were four long cigars. He grasped one, and showed it to Myles. "Do you smoke? I usually do it on the first and last day at the lake as a way to celebrate."

Myles shrugged. "Not particularly, but I will for your sake."

And with that, Gregory gave Myles a cigar and his lighter from his shirt pocket. Gregory took one too, but waited for Myles to finish with his lighter. Myles coughed briefly. It had been at least seven years since he smoked a cigar last. Once they were comfortable in their white plastic chairs in which the legs were on the verge of snapping apart, Gregory started:

"So, you're FBI. You were in Brandy Station before?"

Myles placed the cigar in his mouth, and drew a breath. "Golly, she can't keep a secret can she? Yes, I'm FBI, and my team and I were in Brandy Station once. We were investigating a plane crash and your eccentric wife was our waitress when we were getting lunch. She wouldn't stop convincing me that the blue plate special was equivalent to real and delectable steak and lobster. Not only that, she made sure that we wouldn't forget her name. To be honest, I was quite intrigued by her. She's a character."

Gregory agreed. "She is. That's why I married her."

Myles joked, "You should learn to control her."

Gregory snorted, "I wish I could, Mr. Leland."

After more silence, Myles continued, "I appreciate you inviting me to your abode. We barely know each other…we are practically strangers, so it took me by surprise that you and your wife would allow someone like me to join you so easily."

"What do you mean someone like you?"

"I'm perfect, elegant, unblemished, handsome, sophisticated, and so arrogant that I'm a lost cause. I'm also not the friendliest man to be around, so yes…a man like me…at least I'm self aware."

Gregory responded, "I trust Wanda. She is a good soul, and she knows when people need cheering up. It looks like you fell on that list. Maybe it's either our personalities, or it's the small town of Brandy Station talking."

Myles lightly scoffed, "I doubt it's the small town in you guys. I met some of the folks out there, and they were quite the gossipers." He drew another puff of the cigar. "But, I guess I did need some cheering up. It's been a tough year."

"Oh? Do you mind sharing?"

"Not really," Myles quickly said. Then, he felt bad for snapping. He should really be more appreciative of these people. "Sorry…I'm just a really private person. But…to be fair…I'll say that I'm on forced vacation due to medical reasons. Getting out of the city and away from my current life is what's best for me at the moment. I've never camped or fished, so this is a new experience for me. I heard that fishing is calming, and that's what I need to get better…silence. To be honest, after traveling with you two, I wasn't sure if I was going to achieve that, because you guys are nothing but energy. Be careful, your energy was very contagious tonight, and I fear that I enjoyed it."

Gregory chuckled as he placed the cigar back into his mouth. "I agree. Fishing can be relaxing, but it can also be boring. I think you'll achieve calmness on the waters here. We will go over the details during breakfast, and we'll rent you a rod and buy you some bait. Once we teach you the ropes, you can either fish with us or on your own. It'll be fun."

"As long as I don't get swallowed whole by a whale. That would be embarrassing," Myles said as he puffed some more of his cigar. He coughed again.

The other man laughed, "Well…luckily there are no whales here. The swans that swim in this lake are more of a threat than any other creature living in this water." He then pointed back at his cabin up the hill. "I know Wanda and I's rules are no phones, but that excludes our landline. It's in the living room if you need to call anyone. Something tells me that this trip was so spontaneous that you forgot to tell someone where you were going."

While gawking into the fire, and watching the embers dance, Myles thought about that statement. He didn't forget to tell anyone. The only person he told where he was going was Anne, but she would be no good if something happened while she was across the Atlantic. The more he thought about it, the more he felt like a jerk. He should have told his friends in D.C. He should have told Jack at least, but the last thing he wanted was his friends to worry about him, and to follow him out here. He just wanted to get away from his life for a week or two, and that included temporarily leaving his closest friends. He'd only been gone for an evening, so he should call someone in the morning before they go to his home, and break down his door. He would prefer to talk to Sue over Jack and Bobby right now; he was still mad at how they approached his leave of absence, but he couldn't text since his cellphone was at home. He'd have to call her at work, so that she could see what he was saying. Myles answered the man beside him, "Thank you, Gregory. I plan on it."

Then, they sat in silence until their cigars were finished. After dousing the fire, they went to bed, and Myles lay there, afraid. What kind of nightmare was he going to have tonight? He didn't want to find out. Luckily, he didn't have any, and he slept through the entire night. Maybe it was the fresh air, or it was the fact that he was running on so little sleep already that his body and brain submitted to the inevitable.

Chapter 11 is next…