Heroes and Friends

by calliopes_muse

See Part 1 for disclaimers

Chapter 7

Emma had safely been tucked away in bed for about an hour when Olivia went to the closet to pull out the maps. Josh sat on the couch as he watched her hover over them in deep thought.

“Any ideas on where she could be?”

She tapped a pencil against her lip and put a hand on her hip, “Possibly. There were three main entrances to the castle. One of them was badly damaged by the earthquake.”

“I remember that.”

She nodded her head, “Yeah, who could forget it? Anyway, we don't want a primary entrance. We need to sneak in. There were some underground tunnels, catacombs, used in the event of attacks to hide the family. They weren't used much while I was there. No need. Until you guys showed up.”

She looked up and smiled at him, and he smirked back. “The dashing prince racing in to save his princess.”

He laughed, “And look, history's repeating itself.”

“Hey, are you saying I'm the prince in this scenario?”

“Well, you are dashing!”

Olivia actually blushed, “Of course, I am! Hopefully, Natalia will think so.”

“She'll swoon, I'm sure.”

Her smile turned serious, “I just hope we get to her in time.”

He stood and came over to her side. Everything between them was left unspoken. Just the look in their eyes was enough to say it all. Josh got it. He had been there and loved that deeply. He knew what Olivia was feeling at that moment so he simply ran a comforting hand over her shoulders and looked down at the map, pointing.

“There. That's where we'll come in.”

“How do you know?”

“It's a drainage tunnel that leads to the ocean. It has to lead to the castle somehow.”

“That just means we have to get there.”

He slipped his phone out of his pocket, “I'll make a couple of calls. Get a chopper and boat reserved for us. Tomorrow?”

She took a deep breath, and nodded, “Tomorrow.”

Olivia went to find her own phone and call Ava. It was time to tie up loose ends. Tomorrow she'd drop Emma off at Phillip's, go back to the farmhouse to get some things, then head out to meet Josh. But tonight, she needed to talk to Ava about custody since it wouldn't be long before Mel showed up. She wanted to make sure Ava would agree before going further.

“Hey, Ava. It's mom. You got a minute? I have something important to talk to you about.”

“Sure, mom. What's up?” Olivia could hear noises that sounded like Ava was in the kitchen. A pot was banged here, water was running there, and she couldn't help but think of Natalia when she heard those sounds. When she thought of home, she always thought of Natalia.

“Well, it's kind of awkward so I'm just going to blurt it out. How would you feel about being put down as Emma's legal guardian if something happened to me or Phillip?” She winced a little internally. Nobody liked to talk about these things with their kids, and honestly, it's something she should have done a long time ago.

“Um, okay, where did this come from?”

Olivia ran fingers through her hair and scratched at the back of her head. She opted for the partial truth instead of worrying Ava too much, “Well, I had a chat with Phillip earlier, and it seems he's very ill…actually, he's terminal. No cure. I, um…I haven't told Emma yet, but you know, after my transplant and now this, it just makes sense to think ahead. We never know what will happen so it's good to be covered, you know?”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

“So, what do you say?”

“Well, yes, of course. I love Emma, you know I do. But mom, what about Natalia? I thought you'd want her to have custody.” Olivia stopped in her tracks. She didn't see this coming.

“Why, why would you say that, honey?”

There was an extended silence, “Mom…I know.”

“Know?”

Then Ava chuckled, “Yes, about you and Natalia.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, it wasn't hard to figure out. Every other word out of your mouth when you visited me last was about Natalia.” Both were silent then. Olivia wasn't sure what to say and she couldn't read how Ava felt about it. “It's okay. I'm happy for you.”

Olivia let out a breath that she hadn't realized she had been holding, “Oh good.”

“But that still doesn't answer my question, why not Natalia? Why me?”

Olivia rubbed at the bridge of her nose. Here goes another half truth, “She left. We were going to go to the Bauer barbeque together but she never showed, and I haven't seen her since. I think she got cold feet.”

“Oh, mom…I'm, I'm so sorry!”

“Thanks, but it's okay. I'll be okay. I just wanted to cover my bases and make sure Emma was protected so…you'll do it?”

“Of course!”

“Great! Look, honey, I'm going to have to go. The lawyer is actually bringing over some paperwork in a little while. I'll have to sign it and then take it to Phillip for him to sign. It'll then be sent it to you and when you're done, you can mail it back to the lawyer. How's that?”

“Sure, I'll take care of it. And mom?”

“Yeah, baby.”

“I love you.”

Olivia squeezed her eyes closed and swallowed around the lump in her throat, “I love you too…always.”

When she hung up, she let the tears finally fall. She hated lying to her children. She feared she'd never come back from this and they'd only know that she kept it from them. She couldn't worry them though. She knew they'd try to stop her and she couldn't allow it. Not now. Now it was time to get Natalia back so they could finally start their life together.

******************

She was up early in the morning and had a duffle bag filled with comfortable clothes and her heavy hiking boots. She called room service and had them bring up breakfast with a little bit of everything on it. If this was the last morning she'd spend with Emma…ever, then she'd make it the best she could. She packed Emma's small suitcase with a few outfits, gathered her camp supplies, and wrote out Ava's contact information for Phillip just in case.

She waited until the last possible minute to wake Emma, partly because Emma was very much like her mother and didn't like waking early but also because the longer she put it off, the longer she'd have with her. Even though Emma was asleep, it calmed Olivia to know she was safe and protected for even a few more minutes.

They sat and had a slow, comfortable breakfast. Emma told her about a silly dream she had, something about a frog who was secretly a prince and the antics he went through to rescue his true love in an abandoned castle. Olivia laughed at her animated retelling of the story, soaking it all in, enjoying every minute of normalcy with her daughter.

When she couldn't put it off any longer, they gathered everything and headed to the car. Emma was so excited to spend time with her dad that she barely let the car slip into park before jumping out. Olivia followed at a more subdued pace.

Seeing Phillip and Emma laughing and playing did her heart good. If she never came back at least she knew that Phillip would care for Emma as best he could in the time he had left. This was good for them. That was her story and she was sticking to it.

When Hilda came to take Emma's bags, Olivia convinced her to go help Hilda get her settled in and that she'd come up to say goodbye before she left. It took a little encouragement, but eventually Emma gave in leaving her parents alone.

“I have the papers Mel drew up,” Olivia pulled them from her purse and handed them over to Phillip. “It has the little tabs on it to show you where to sign.”

He immediately took them and went to his desk. He didn't even look them over, just took a pen and signed his name wherever it was required.

“Here you go,” he stood and walked around the desk, handing the papers to Olivia. “Oh, and this.” He reached back to his desk for an envelope. “If she makes it back with you, I want her to have my parental rights. I've seen her with Emma and I've seen her stand up for both of you. She's the one, Olivia.”

She cleared her throat and tried to hide her tears, “I know. Thank you.”

She took the papers and rummaged through her pockets to find the small piece of paper with Ava's contact information on it, “If you don't hear from either me, Natalia, or Josh in two weeks, assume the worst.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

She shrugged, “I don't have a choice. She's everything to me, and I have to get her back.”

He shook his head, “You love her that much.”

She quirked a half smile at him, “She's the love of my life.”

In less than ten minutes, she had gone upstairs to Emma's room and said her goodbyes. She managed to hold onto her tears until she walked out the doors of the Spaulding mansion, but by the time she got to her car, she couldn't see enough to even recognize objects in front of her. She slumped into the front seat and finally let herself give out completely. When the last of the tears fell, she pulled herself together, drove to the post office, dropped the legal papers in the mail to Ava with clear instructions on sending them back, and then she headed out to the farmhouse.

There was only one last item she needed for this trip. She mumbled an apology to Natalia for even considering taking it with her. This was an exception to the rule, and she was pretty sure that Natalia would understand given her circumstances.

***************

She tettered at the top of the small step ladder, trying to stretch into the far back corner of the shelf in her old closet at the farmhouse. When she nearly lost her balance, she gave up and climbed down.

“Damn it!” Looking around she tried to think of a way to get the box down. Eventually, she ran to the hall closet by the bathroom and pulled out a broom. Climbing back up, she used the handle to locate the box and nudged it forward the mere inch needed for Olivia to finally get a hold of it.

Carefully, holding the heavy wooden box in her hands, she climbed down and placed it on the bed. She made one last climb up the ladder and used the broom to slide out three smaller boxes. When she finished, she put everything down and sat on the bed. She needed to check to make sure everything was still in working order. She unlocked the box and smiled.

“Oh yeah.” She weighed the heavy revolver in her hand before gripping it by the hilt and faking an aim at an inanimate object. She opened a small box and pulled out six bullets, inserting each carefully into the cylinder then flipping it closed. She ensured it was set to safety, slid it back in the box, and grabbed the extra bullets, along with the box, and left the bedroom.

When she got outside and turned the corner for her car, she wasn't looking up as she scrambled in her purse for her sunglasses and nearly ran over Rafe in her haste to leave.

“Jesus, Rafe! You scared the shit out of me.”

“Where's my mother?” She really wasn't in the mood for his tantrum right now so she bought time and patience by slipping on her glasses.

“I don't know.”

“Man, don't lie to me! Frank told me that you think she's been kidnapped. Now either that's really true or you've finally just lost your mind, and unless you can tell me differently, I'm just gonna believe you're crazy. Not much of a stretch.”

“Fine, Rafe. Believe whatever you want. But right now, I really don't have time for your special version of ‘kick the queer', okay?” She tried to push by him, but he spied the wooden box clutched under her arm and spun her around.

“What's that?” He pointed at it.

“It's none of your business what it is.” He reached for it but she slapped his hand away.

She could tell he was getting angry and he got in her face, “That came out of my mother's house so I have a right to know what you're taking out of her house while she's not here.”

“It's mine, Rafe. I'm not stealing anything from your mother.”

“I don't believe it.” He reached for the box and got a decent hold on it, making Olivia have to struggle, and in the altercation both of them fell to the ground. Rafe stood first and when he did, he saw the sunlight glint off of something shiny by Olivia. He picked up the bullet and then looked at her.

“That's a gun! You've got a gun.”

Olivia stood and brushed herself off, shaking her head, “Gee, that's a brilliant deduction there. Yes, I have a gun.”

“Why?”

She gave him a look that would have withered anyone else, but since Rafe wasn't particularly paying attention to her, it had little effect, “Protection?”

“I mean, now. Why do you have it now? Why did you come get it?”

Finally, she sighed and rubbed between her eyes at her now aching head, “Because I'm going to find your mother.”

“Excuse me? What the hell do you mean you're going to her, with a gun? I don't think so!” She realized by his look that he completely misunderstood her. It seemed to be a common occurrence between them.

“No! God, because she has been kidnapped Rafe, and I'm going to find her and bring her home.”

She started walking to her car and he followed, “By yourself?”

“No.” She opened the door and tossed the box and bullets on the passenger seat, then turned back to him.

“Who's helping?”

“Josh Lewis.”

“Just Josh?”

“Yeah, so? He knows the area almost as well as I do. It makes sense that he helps. Besides, he's a friend and he offered.”

He crossed his arms over his chest, “Well, I'm her son and I'm offering too.”

“What? No…just no.”

“Why not?” His anger almost sounded like a whine and for a second, Olivia could imagine what he must have been like as a little boy.

“I think that's pretty obvious. You could get hurt…or worse, and I can't take that chance. Besides, if you did go and got hurt or worse, your mom would definitely kill me, and I sure as hell am not taking that chance.”

“Olivia, come on! I'm not a kid. I can take care of myself, and I want to help.” They stared at each other for a moment, and a flicker of understanding passed between them.

“I know you want to help, Rafe, but I can't risk your life. You mean too much to her, and I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you.”

She moved to get in her car, “What if something happens to you?” The words stopped her in her tracks.

“What?”

He shuffled his feet uncomfortably, unsure how to really say what he thought, “It's just that she cares about you, you know? She'd be really upset if something happened to you too, and then there's Emma. What about her?”

She shook her head, “That must be a patented Rivera move or something because both of you are really good at it. She's said those same exact words several times to me.”

“She has a point. Come on, let me help.”

She ran her fingers through her hair and looked back at him, “I know you mean well, and your heart's in the right place with this, but I can't allow it, Rafe. I just can't take that chance. I'm sorry.”

She slipped into her car before he could protest anymore, but he stood in the way of her car so she couldn't back up. She rolled down the window and yelled at him, “Get out of the way!”

“No!”

She revved the engine, “Damn it, Rafe! Get out of the way!”

“No!”

She slammed the car back into park and jumped out of the car, sliding off her glasses and coming toe-to-toe with him, “Get out of the way! Don't try to stop me, Rafe.”

“You won't hurt me. You said so yourself that it would kill my mom if anything happened to me, so I could stand out here all day and all night if I have to.”

She pointed at him then, clearly frustrated, “You, you are as stubborn as your mother!”

“I'll take that as a compliment.”

She closed her eyes, the tears starting to come again. She didn't have time for this. She had to get to the helicopter and get to the boat docks. “Please, Rafe. Get out of my way.”

He looked at her then, really looked at her. The fear, apprehension, even anger flickered in her bright green eyes, but there was something else, right there, mixed in and shimmering at the surface.

“Why are you doing this?”

The tears came down faster, the pain in her voice shooting through him like lightening, “Because I love her, and I won't live without her. I refuse to. Now, please…move.”

Stunned by the intensity of her words, the certainty of it all, he stepped aside and watched her leave. He stood there for a few minutes, caught up in his own whirlwind of emotions. Looking at the farmhouse, at the home his mom was trying to make for him, and realizing for the first time that Olivia was a part of that home. Even now, it felt cold and empty here without her fire, a fire that may never come back. He wasn't so sure he could live with that either.

He pulled out his phone and made a call.

Chapter 8

Frank studied the hunched over figure of his young mentee sitting on the gazebo bench. Rafe ran his fingers frustratingly through his thick black hair before letting out a deep breath and looking up. Seeing Frank approach, he straightened up.

“Hey buddy. What's up?” Frank sat down next to him.

“She's telling the truth. She's been telling the truth all along. She does love my mom. Anyone that would take off on a wild goose chase with nothing but a gun and an ex in tow has got to love the person they're searching for. I mean, this Edmund, that's who you said she thinks took my mom…he's supposed to be like crazy, right? He could really just go nuts and kill all of ‘em, right?” He looked Frank straight in the eye.

“I wouldn't put it past him.”

“Then why didn't you do anything? Why aren't you doing anything now? Why didn't you take the clues seriously? My mom never runs from trouble…ever. You know this isn't like her.” He stood and started pacing.

“I know Olivia. I didn't trust that her intentions were pure. Still not sure if I do.”

“But is that her or you, man? Are you that determined to believe she's the bad guy in all of this?”

Frank stood then, “I love your mother. I could have made her happy.”

Rafe shook his head, “No you couldn't. Not when she's in love with someone else.”

“You buy that now?”

Rafe crossed his arms, his expression stern towards his mentor, “I'm starting too, and I've seen the look in Olivia's eyes. I really looked at her and saw a woman terrified of losing my mother. She's going after her, risking her own life. To me, that's love.”

Frank held up his hands, letting the beginning of the conversation catch up to him, “Whoa, wait. Back up. Did you say she's going after Natalia?”

“Yeah, she's leaving right now. I ran into her at the farmhouse, and she has a gun and all.”

Frank started to take off in a run and Rafe followed behind him, “Did she say where she was going?”

“No,” he caught up with Frank at his car, “she just said something about getting to a helicopter.”

Frank considered the information and looked thoughtful for a long minute. Finally, a look of understanding came across his face, as if he had found the answer to all the world's mysteries, “San Christobel. She's going back to San Cristobel.”

“What?”

“It's where she's from and it's where the Winslow's, Edmund's family, ruled. The castle is mostly in ruins after an earthquake struck there not long before Olivia came to Springfield. I bet that's where she thinks Edmund took her.” He opened his door to get in.

“I'm coming with you.”

“No, you're staying here where it's safe. Besides, you're still on parole. You can't leave Springfield.”

Rafe slammed his hand down on the roof of Frank's car, and for the second time in less than twenty four hours, Frank jumped, “Damn it! Everyone needs to stop treating me like a child. This is MY mother he has, and the one person that loves her as much as I do is risking her life to save her. I have a right to be there!”

Frank looked at him stunned at his vehemence, his voice practically pleading, “You can't leave town, Rafe.”

“I can if I'm under the supervision of my mentor.”

He took a deep breath as he looked at the determined expression on the young man's face. If he didn't take him with him and look after him, Rafe would just go on his own and be more at risk. He couldn't allow that. Even if he came back unscathed and had gone on his own, he'd be in far more trouble and spending a lot of time behind bars again. Natalia would never forgive him for that either. He didn't like it, but he was resigned to his fate.

“Fine. Get in.”

*****************

Olivia tossed her bag into the space behind the rear seats in the helicopter. She turned to look for Josh who went to get the pilot. She leaned against the edge of the machine and looked around. It was the height of summer with crickets chirping and birds singing in the trees. The barely noticeable wind did little to alleviate the misery of the oppressive heat. She slipped off the thin shirt she had over her white tank top and pulled her hair back loosely in a ponytail. Anything to help.

It seemed like Josh and the pilot took forever to exit the terminal. By the time she saw them, she was close to going in to look for them. She tapped her foot restlessly as they approached. She looked at her watch and then at the sun starting its descent in the sky.

“It takes four hours flying time and another hour by boat to get there.”

Josh held out his hands, “We're fine. In fact, it's better this way. If we arrive at dusk we can use the darkness to make headway inland without being seen.”

“But then we can't see.”

Josh strolled around to the other side of the helicopter, moved the seat up, and showed her the night vision goggles and other equipment in his bag.

“That's what these are for, and these,” he lifted the lights on top to reveal several large guns, machetes, and other weapons, “will help us once we're there.”

Olivia's eyes were huge, and she ground out her words in a harsh whisper so the pilot couldn't hear, “Where the hell did you get those?”

He smirked, “Safely locked away since my last escapade to San Cristobel.”

She shook her head, “Jesus! My little gun is puny in comparison.”

They both climbed up into the back of the helicopter at the same time and he reached over to take her hand, “Look, I know. But there's only two of us and we're going to need all the help we can get. With any luck, we won't have to use any of these.”

“I just can't believe this is even happening. I keep thinking I'll wake up and it'll just be some bizarre dream that I had after eating some of Natalia's extra spicy fajitas.”

They looked at each other, smiles slowly spreading across both of their faces, until Olivia finally spoke, “And that's why I have to get her back.”

“Let's go then,” Josh tapped the back of the pilot's seat signaling they were ready to take off.

***************

Frank could see Olivia and Josh climbing into the helicopter from the entrance gate where he was stuck being questioned by security. When the blades started to turn, he lost his patience with trying to explain himself to the guard and finally flashed his badge, demanding to enter. He got through just as the helicopter lifted off.

“Damn it!” He slammed his hand against the wheel as he skidded to a stop where the helicopter had just been.

Rafe looked around, “There's lots of other helicopters around here. Maybe we can use one of them.”

“Do you magically know how to fly one?”

“No, but someone around here should!”

“You're right!” Frank jumped out of the car and ran to the small terminal with Rafe right on his heels.

After thirty minutes and lots of arguing, the two men and their reluctant pilot were loaded up and taking off in pursuit of Josh and Olivia.

*****************

It was late in the afternoon when the helicopter landed on the runway of a small island an hour west of San Cristobel. Olivia and Josh unloaded their cargo and walked the half mile to the boat docks. By the time they got there, both were drenched and exhausted.

Josh dropped his bags at Olivia's feet, telling her to sit and wait while he went to find the dock manager to get the keys. When he came back, he had a moment of panic when he saw Olivia stretched out on the bench he'd left her on.

“Hey, you okay?”

She jerked her head up, “Yeah! Of course, why wouldn't I be?”

“I…nevermind. Tell you what, I have some sandwiches in the small cooler there and some water. Why don't we rest and have a bite before we take off.”

Olivia sat up fully and started to stand, “No, the sun's setting. We need to get moving before it's too late.”

Josh grabbed her hand and pulled her back down, “No. We're sitting and resting and eating. You're exhausted and need your rest. You have to be at your best when we finally get to Natalia. You can't let her down.”

The last words did the trick and Olivia dropped her bag and sat down with a resigned thump, “Fine.”

“Good. Now hand me that cooler.” They sat quietly munching on their sandwiches and plain chips as they sipped their water. When they finished, Josh took the trash to throw it away and fill up their empty water bottles at a water fountain at the edge of the dock.

When he came back and sat down again, Olivia had a far off look in her eye, as she watched the sky turned a multitude of soft glowing colors in the setting sun, “Penny for ‘em.”

She smiled and shook her head, “I forgot how much I loved being near the ocean. It's so peaceful and calm.” She looked down and swallowed hard, “I had thought of bringing Natalia here. Well, to San Cristobel, when we finally leveled out and got our relationship solid. I wanted to show her where I grew up and tell her about all the things that made me…me. Now it's all ruined. I'll never be able to share this with her without these memories tainting it.”

He wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder, “Then you'll find new memories and new places that you both can discover together. She already loves you, flaws and all, so I doubt your past would make any difference now.”

She smiled, and sank further into the hug, “Thanks.”

He gave her a quick squeeze before standing up, “Think you're ready?”

“Yeah, let's go get my girl.”

They loaded the boat and Josh climbed in while Olivia unwrapped the ropes from the dock and tossed them inside. She took Josh's hand to step over the edge when a voice stopped her.

“Got room for two more in there?”

Both turned to see Frank and Rafe approaching, “What the hell are you two doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing, Olivia,” Frank countered.

“I asked first.”

He tilted his head and looked at her and then at Josh, “Well, I'm not here to stop you if that's what you're wondering. I'm…we're actually here to help.”

“And you dragged Natalia's son and her only child along on this little adventure? What the hell were you thinking, Frankie?” Olivia was shocked that Frank had been so…stupid. Then again, part of her really wasn't that surprised.

“Actually, it was my fault he did this,” Rafe piped up, “I convinced him to come along because I was coming with or without his help, and really, he's just here to make sure I don't get hurt.”

Olivia pulled herself back out of the boat and stomped over to Rafe, “You. Are. Not. Going. Got it?” She turned and stomped back to the boat.

“Why not, Olivia?” He yelled in a voice reminiscent of his mother, stopping her movement. “I love her too, and if you can go rescue her, why can't I?”

Tears fell and she walked back to the young man that was fast becoming like a son to her, in spite of the circumstances, wrapping him in a hug, “Don't you get it? It's because you're a part of her, and loving her means loving you. I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you.”

His stiff grasp softened at her words and to her surprise, he held on to her, “Then I guess that means I love you too, and that makes us family. So wherever you go, I go, and we take care of family business together.”

She pulled back and smirked at him, “You really are as stubborn as your mother.”

“That's why you love her.” Olivia just shook her head and rolled her eyes, earning a laugh from Rafe.

“Fine, you two. Guess it won't hurt to have more eyes anyway. Damn, Natalia's gonna kill me!”

They all climbed in the boat and headed out south of the coast. The deep blue-green, choppy waters near the coast slowly transitioned to a midnight blue and became smoother the further out they went. San Cristobel was an hour away and not even visible yet on the horizon. Josh drove while Olivia shared provisions with their stowaways.

“What's that?” Rafe reached for what appeared to be some other food sealed off and buried under ice.

Olivia popped at his hand, “That's not for you.” She ran a hand over her hair, hesitating on telling Rafe about Natalia's illness, but he needed to know. “That's actually for your mom. Before the barbeque, she wasn't feeling well so I insisted she go to the doctor. Dr. Rick ran some tests on her and the other day he stopped by the farmhouse to tell her the results, but she obviously wasn't there so he told me.”

Rafe stopped chewing his sandwich, “And?”

“She has diabetes, Rafe, and she doesn't know it. Rick said it's at a pretty bad stage.” He dropped the sandwich back in the cooler before putting his head in his hand, then he stood up unsteadily on his feet, looking around before flopping down to the side of the boat and vomiting.

After he pulled himself together, Olivia handed him a warm diet soda and some crackers to settle his stomach.

“This is not good.”

“I know.”

Rafe waved a hand around, “If she's not being taken care of, she could…”

“I know. That's why we can't waste time getting there. Every second counts. In fact, when we arrive, we're not pitching a tent or anything. We're going to find the drainage tunnel that leads into the castle and go in tonight.”

Frank objected, “Whoa! Wait a minute, that's insane. How can we even see in drainage tunnels in the dead of night?”

“Night vision goggles,” Josh piped up from upfront. “Lucky for you, we brought extras.”

“Wonderful,” Frank had lost his appetite too and put his own sandwich back in the cooler.

*******************

Natalia listened intently to the sounds around her. With her vision cut off by the sack over her head, everything became more pronounced. She could swear she could hear the scratching of mice claws off in a far corner. She tilted her head, concentrating as best she could and willing her body to ignore the pain in her limbs and the gnawing ache of hunger, a hunger that seemed to be making her dizzy and weak. She caught it then, a whiff of salt air and the distant sound of a ship's horn.

“Where the hell am I?”

She jumped at the shrill screech of the door opening and was temporarily blinded when her head covering was removed. The bright light entering the broken windows disoriented and shocked her senses. She blinked hard and shook her head trying to clear her vision, but it didn't work. Instinct made her attempt to rub her eyes but she was quickly reminded that she was tied to the chair she was sitting in.

“Welcome, Ms. Rivera,” the smooth lilting voice spoke to her from behind. She tried to look over her shoulder and was rewarded with a backhand slap to her face. It wasn't a hard slap but it was enough to make her eyes water. She was somewhat grateful hoping it would help her see better. “Don't even try to do anything without my permission.”

She closed her eyes when she realized trying to see clearly was impossible. All she could make out around the room were some blurred walls, a darkened corridor where she assumed a hallway led, and a possible table in the corner, or maybe it was another chair. Trying to focus though was making her head pound more incessantly from the force of the slap.

“Who are you and what do you want?”

Her captor chuckled low, “Vengeance.”

“For?”

“A horrendous loss.”

Natalia felt her blood run cold at the tone in his voice. It was empty, desolate, and hopeless. He was a man who had lost something important to him and hadn't recovered from it. It didn't take someone with a psychology degree to know her odds of getting out of this situation dropped considerably, but she was going to do all she could to try.

She had heard that the best thing to do with kidnappers was to keep them talking, find their motivation and empathize with them, “Tell me about it.”

He kicked over her chair then, making her head come down with a hard thump, “No! No! You're not getting in my head. Don't try to fuck with me!”

She tried to focus on the location of his voice, hoping she could see his face to know who and what she was dealing with, but the room was spinning and the edges of darkness curled in around her peripheral vision, until she remembered nothing.

****************
The last rays of golds and reds streaked across the sky as the boat coasted to about a hundred yards from the shore and dropped anchor behind a small stretch of tree-bearing barrier island. A tall stretch of palm trees hid the boat from view even from the castle's turret. Josh tossed everyone their night vision goggles wrapped in plastic bagging to keep the water out. Everyone stuffed their supplies into large plastic bags and one-by-one slipped quietly into the warm ocean. They swam slowly, methodically, so they didn't make too much noise or waves.

When they all arrived ashore, Josh led them close to the line of trees, where they unwrapped their goggles and stuffed the plastic into their supply bags so they didn't leave trace evidence behind. He showed them how to put the goggles on and use them. Then he handed each a walkie-talkie that they tested and set to the correct frequency.

“Just in case we get separated.”

He then pulled a map from the supply bag and spread it out in front of everyone, pointing and orienting them to their location.

“This is where we're at.” He slid his finger across the map a few inches and down the shore, “This is where we need to go. This part should be easy. We stick close to the tree line and we should be undetectable, especially in the dark.” He looked at his companions. Olivia just nodded her head in determination and Rafe fidgeted nervously as he swiped at the sand fleas nipping at his legs, while Frank looked like he wanted to bolt back to the boat. “Alright, let's go.”

Not surprisingly, Olivia led the group as she sprinted along the sand, dunking low when the vegetation thinned out, and at one point, scooting along her belly. Josh followed close behind taking his cues from her moves. Rafe completely missed every cue and found himself out of breath quickly as the other two gained ground ahead of him. At one point, he looked over his shoulder to see Frank struggling to keep up and well behind the rest of them. He went back and grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him along.

“Come on, dude. I thought you were a cop.”

Frank huffed out his reply, “A cop in Springfield, not New York, okay? Big difference!”

They caught up to Olivia and Josh, the map already out as they studied the drainage pipe in front of them. Olivia was gesturing with her hands indicating the direction and angle of the pipe leading up to the castle.

Josh was nodding at her comments, “Right, and this spot looks like a good place to rest.” Olivia gave him a withering look. The more time that passed, the more determined she got, “At least for a few minutes anyway.”

She looked over at Rafe who looked uncomfortable and kept scratching himself, “What's your problem?”

“What? Something's biting the hell out of me, okay?” He whined.

She pointed beyond the water, “The boat's that way. You're welcome to wait for us there.”

“No way!” He gritted his frustration out through his teeth. “I want to do this. I need to do this. Besides, I have to get used to it if I'm going in the Army.”

Olivia stopped what she was doing with her supply bag and looked at him, incredulous, “The what?”

He shrugged as if it was nothing, “The Army.”

“When?”

“End of summer,” he looked down at his sneakers.

Olivia peeked around his shoulder to his mentor behind him, “And you knew about this?” Frank didn't respond and could barely look her in the eye. She rolled her eyes, “Fabulous. Your mother's gonna have a conniption. You know that, right?”

He shrugged again and the gesture was starting to make Olivia want to turn drill sergeant on his ass to hopefully wake him up, “Army, huh?” She looked him up and down, “Well, guess now's as good a practice as any.”

She tossed her supply bag at him and then grabbed Josh's and did the same. He stumbled backwards at the weight and force behind it, “You get point then, tough guy.”

Rafe hoisted the bags over his shoulder to make it easier to crawl through the drain pipe and then knelt down. He swallowed at the vast darkness spread out before him when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Olivia was handing his goggles over to him, “You might want these.” He slipped them over and caught sight of the tunnel in front of him, including about five different species of roaches crawling in it.

“Ummm, how do we…?”

Olivia anticipated that question, “You don't. You just crawl over and around them. If they get in the way, just remember…we're bigger than them.” She slammed her hands together and made a squiking sound like the smashing of a bug.

Rafe gave her a startled look, much like his mother would've done, “You said you wanted to get used to this. Here's your perfect opportunity, soldier boy.”

Olivia smirked as the young man fought to pull himself together and move forward through the cobwebs, dirt, and trash.

The path through the pipeline was slow going, mostly from Rafe getting the creeps from the bugs. More than once he jumped back as a particularly large bug crossed his path and once he accidentally kicked Olivia behind him. She let out a litany of curses just to keep from pummeling him. He apologized profusely, and she waved him off.

Twice they ran across points where some of the pipe had caved in. Olivia assumed this was from the earthquake they experienced while she was there. Weeds, grass, and earth was falling through and the crumbled concrete partially blocked their path. The first time there was enough room to crawl over, but the second time it took Olivia and Rafe squeezing in side-by-side in the small space to kick the concrete away.

Eventually, they came to a split in the line. Olivia had seen it on the map and the path to the right led to the servant quarters out back, while the one to the left went directly into the catacombs of the castle. If her estimations were correct, they were three-fourths of the way to the castle. The trek wouldn't be much longer.

She directed Rafe to go to the left and they all followed. When they had gone about fifty yards, Rafe suddenly dropped from view and after a short scream, Olivia heard a thud.

“Rafe!!!!!” Cautiously moving forward, she felt the edge where he had dropped off and carefully leaned over. She could hear a muffled moan from below and slowly the blurry green shadows on her goggles cleared. Rafe had fallen into what appeared to be a collection basin about thirty yards across and twice as deep.

Frank fought his way past Josh and next to Olivia, who grabbed him before he could go over the edge too, “What happened? Rafe, are you okay?”

Another moan.

She could see him in the shadows below and he was moving. That was a good sign.

“Rafe? Say something.” Another moan and then some shuffling of what sounded like his feet. He was trying to stand and then he let out a painful scream.

“Rafe! Rafe, what's wrong?”

He hissed as he struggled to talk, “I…I think I broke my arm.”

“Damn it!” Olivia slammed her hand against the concrete wall.

“You guys go on without me. You have to get Ma.” Olivia shook her head.

“No. We're getting you out of there. Just hold tight.”

He tried to argue with her, “Olivia!”

“I said no and that's final!”

She tried to roll over and look at her ex-husband behind her. He was already rummaging through his supply bag, anticipating her question. They needed a rope or something to get Rafe out with. With three of them, they could probably pull him out. A tap on her shoulder from Frank drew her attention back.

“Look, there.” Frank pointed to the side of the curved wall and sure enough about ten feet over was a narrow ledge that ran around the entire wall to the other side where a tunnel appeared. It was much larger than the small pipe they had been crawling through so they could probably walk the entire way to the castle.

“Good eye, Frank!” Olivia smiled at him.

“How are we going to get to it though? And, more importantly, how are we getting Rafe up there?” She thought for a minute then looked back at Josh.

“I know we weren't going to use them unless we had to, but you did bring the flashlights, didn't you?”

“Yeah.”

“Get one out. I have an idea.” She took off her goggles as he searched through Frank's bag. At the bottom were two large flashlights. She flicked one on and ran it a few feet above the ledge on the wall.

“Back when this castle was first built, there wasn't electricity…obviously, but this ledge was here for prisoners that were taken during war.”

“Why?” She paused from her search and looked at Frank as if he had grown a second head.

“Torture, Frank. They could easily move prisoners from the cells in the catacombs down here, where they could torture for information or simply dump dead bodies. A heavy storm would wash them away out into the ocean.”

She continued her search and quickly found what she was looking for, “Ah ha! Just what I figured.”

Frank took off his goggles to see better and Josh slid up between them looking in the direction of the light as well. Josh laughed to himself, “Of course.” He went back to his bag and pulled out a long stretch of rope and a three prong hook used for rappelling.

She looked back at Frank with triumph on her face, “If people came down here back then, they had to have somewhere to hang their lanterns so they could see.”

Josh came back up and had hooked and tied everything together, “Let's just hope those spikes aren't rusted.”

Olivia and Frank moved back to give Josh room. He spun the hook several times and let it fly. It didn't catch the first time, but it did on the second try.

“Got it!”

“What's going on up there?” Rafe's voice sounded tired and weak. Olivia knew he couldn't sit much longer without going into shock from the pain. They had to get him moving.

“We may have a way to get you up. Just hang on.”

“M,kay.”

Josh gave a hard tug on the rope, leaning back over the side of the opening to the basin below to ensure its sturdiness. He leaned his head up and looked at Olivia, smiling, “I think it'll work.”

Still holding onto the rope, he scooted further out of the pipe until his feet were out in front of him. Slowly, he shimmied his feet across the wall being careful to maintain his balance until he was only a couple of feet from the ledge. He maintained a grip on the rope and eased his feet down onto the ledge.

Olivia breathed a sigh of relief. They may just pull this off after all! Josh took the spare end of rope that he had attached a weight to and tossed it back to Olivia. When she caught it, she handed it to Frank.

“No, you go.”

“Oh, please, Frank! Stop with the chivalrous good man crap and go.” He gave her a long look before shrugging and taking the rope. Not being as athletic or adept at physical tasks, it took him a bit longer than Josh to reach the ledge, and when he was there, he had to get Josh to grab him by the belt loop and pull him the rest of the way over.

A couple of minutes later, Olivia was on her way to the ledge when she dropped suddenly a few inches. All three looked up to see the spike slowly sliding out of the wall.

Her panicked eyes found Josh's, “Oh shit!”

Chapter 9

No sooner had the words slipped out then the spike gave way, the rope and hook clattering to the stone floor a few feet from Rafe. Josh dove across the ledge and made a desperate grab for her hand and ensnared her wrist instead. She fell against the hard wall with a solid thump.

“Frank! Grab my legs!” Josh was fighting to hold Olivia and also maintain his balance on his stomach. He knew he didn't have much leverage in this position. “Frank, grab my belt and pull. I need to get to my knees.”

Frank scrambled to get a good grip on Josh and with a hard tug got him back away from the edge. A few more tugs and Josh was on his knees, still holding onto Olivia, but his hands were sweating from the exertion and she was slowly slipping. Suddenly, Frank was at his side and on his stomach.

“Swing her a little this way.”

“What?” Olivia gasped and Josh looked at him like he was crazy.

“Just do it!” Very carefully, Josh started her moving in a pendulum and Frank grabbed at her waist as she got closer. After a few passes, he caught the waistband of her jeans and started pulling up. Josh immediately felt the relief in his arms and stood for the extra leverage. As Josh pulled her up, Frank got to his knees and she took one of his hands in her free one.

When she cleared the ledge, all three fell against the wall, heaving.

Olivia looked at her exes on either side of her, “Let's not do that again, okay?” She then patted them both on the shoulders and got up.

They looked at each other and shook their heads. Josh spoke first, “Maybe we should rest for a few minutes, Olivia.”

“Really, I'd love to, but we need to get Rafe out of here. Speaking of which, how ya doing, Rafe?”

He groaned and mumbled, “Tired…cold.”

“See?” She looked at the two men now on the other side of the basin from her. “Come on.”

They stood reluctantly and walked around to where she was standing. Frank put his hands on his hips, “Why are we all the way over here?”

“There's more room to work here to get him up.” She looked over her shoulder and he followed her gaze down the large tunnel.

“Good point.”

She squatted down, “Hey Rafe, can you stand up?”

“I don't know.”

“Come on, buddy. Try okay?”

“M'kay.” The shuffling of feet was heard and a long, deep groan of pain. He was trying hard to not let it show she could tell, but he had to be in excruciating pain. All the more reason why he had to move so his body wouldn't shut down. “I'm up.”

“Good. The rope and hook fell next to you.” She shined her light on it for him to see, “Pick it up and bring it over here with you.”

He silently did what she asked, but when he bent over, she had to hold back the gasp. His right arm was covered from just below the elbow with blood and she caught sight of a flash of white poking through the skin.

“Jesus. Josh?”

“I saw.”

“Fuck!”

Rafe walked weakly over to the wall with the hook end of the rope in his hand. Olivia looked into his tired eyes and pale face, “Hey, this is going to be hard for you, but I need you to toss that hook up to us, okay?”

He slowly nodded and appeared to be gathering his strength. She could see him grit his teeth and give the hook a toss. It made it up the wall about twenty yards but not nearly enough for her to grab it.

“Okay, Rafe, that's good. But this time, give it a really good, hard toss.” He did it again and this time grunted in pain and fell to his knees, but the hook cleared the ledge and Olivia caught it.

“You guys need to go. I can't do this.”

“Yes you can, Rafe, and I'm not leaving here without taking you with me. There's just no other option.”

“Olivia, I can't!”

“Yes, you can! You have your mother's blood in you and her strength. She needs you. Now come on! Do it for her.”

He nodded his head, “Okay.”

“Good. Now, I know you only have one good hand, but I want you to wrap the rope around your waist and try to cinch it in a knot, okay?” Rafe struggled but finally got it looped around and tied off as best he could. “Great! Now, grab the rope and hold on tight, okay?”

Olivia, Josh, and Frank all took a section of the rope and began to slowly pull Rafe to the edge. When she saw his hand come over the side, she rushed to grab it.

“Come on, Rafe. I've got you.” After what seemed like an eternity, Rafe was up and over, lying flat out on his back. He looked like he had been hit by a bus and Olivia pushed back his thick black hair. It was softer than it looked and reminded her of Natalia's. Angry tears came to her eyes seeing her injured son on the dirty ground.

She jumped up and stomped off, “Son of a bitch!”

Frank and Josh turned to her, knowing exactly where her mind was going right now. They had known her long enough to know she kicked herself when things went wrong.

Josh came up to her, “Don't. Don't do it.”

“Do what?”

“Blame yourself. That's what you do. That's what you always do, and honestly, Olivia, we don't have time for your self-abusive crap. Somewhere in this castle is the woman you love and every second you waste beating yourself up is a second gone in trying to get to her. Now, do you think you can forget about yourself for a moment?”

She looked at him stunned and slowly blinked as the brutal honesty sank in. Eventually, she nodded and he went back over to Rafe. Scrounging around in his bag, he found what he was looking for. He pulled out some gauze and tape then a long needle and a small vial.

Frank pointed at the vial, “Is that…?”

Olivia jumped in, “How did you…?”

“Don't ask. Really, it's better you don't know, especially you,” Josh looked pointedly at Frank.

“Right,” Frank nodded and turned away, pretending he saw and knew nothing.

Josh leaned over the young man, “Rafe? I have something here that'll make you more comfortable, okay? There will be a sharp sting but then you'll feel a lot better.” Rafe nodded weakly and jerked a little as Josh found the vein in his good arm.

After a few minutes, Josh checked Rafe's pupils. He was out cold. He unrolled the bandages and loosely bound the broken arm to slow the bleeding. When he put away his supplies, he motioned to Frank to help him. They picked Rafe up carefully with his arms slung over each man's shoulders. Since he was on the side of the broken arm, Josh was conscious of not putting undue pressure on the arm. Instead he looped his hand securely under Rafe's belt and pulled him along.

“What are we going to do with him, Josh? We can't just drag him through this whole thing. What if we run into Edmund?”

“I thought of that. If I recall on the map correctly, at the end of this tunnel is the entrance to the south side of the catacombs. The left hallway leads to the stairs up to the basement area and the next floor up is the main floor, but if we go to the right, that's where the prisoner cells used to be. They ran all the way around to the other side.”

Olivia thought that sounded like a lot of cells, “How many prisoner cells do you think there are?”

“It's a little hard to tell from the map, but a rough guess would be around fifty or sixty.”

“Wow!”

Frank paused to lift Rafe further up on his shoulders, “This place is huge. Do you really think we have a chance of finding Natalia in all of this?”

“I'd bet money on her being down in these catacombs, actually.”

Olivia smiled at the thought, “I guess we'll find out soon enough. I can see some light so we can't be far from the end.”

**************

As they reached the end of the corridor, the group could see the split where one hallway led to a stairwell and the other led into a long labyrinth of cells. It looked like all were the open cell kind seen in modern jails. Frank leaned against the wall as he tried to steady his grip on Rafe.

“Okay, so what do we do now? We can't drag him any further.”

Josh inclined his head toward a doorless cell adjacent from their position, “There. I have an idea.”

Carefully, they angled their way into the cell and guided Rafe down to the corner closest to the wall where they had entered. Josh gestured for their supply bags and he pulled out a thick wool blanket. He draped it over Rafe's head and shoulders, turning his head slightly so he could prop the blanket away from his face, giving him room to breathe. When Olivia saw Josh gathering the musty straw covering the floor and laying it over Rafe's legs, she joined in.

Frank stood by confused, “What's the point of this?”

Olivia and Josh continued to work and she talked, “We can't carry him, but we can give him cover and protection. In this spot, he's pretty much out of the light so he's less likely to be seen by Edmund if he passes by, and the straw will merely give him extra coverage. The blanket though protects him from this dirty straw being directly on him.”

She stood up and brushed her hands off on her jeans, while Josh shuffled his feet around the cell trying to make it look like the flooring hadn't been disturbed. He finished and turned to the bags, removing smaller plastic bags inside. Olivia opened her own supply bag and rummaged as well. He handed one of the small bags to Frank who realized immediately what it was.

“A gun?”

Josh pulled out a larger bagged item and began to unwrap it, exposing the barrel of a semi-automatic rifle, “You really don't think Edmund's hanging around here unarmed, do you, Frank?”

“Where the hell did you swipe that from? The Israeli Army?” Josh and Olivia smirked at each other and then spoke in unison.

“You don't want to know.”

“Jesus!” Frank looked like he was about to be sick. He may have been a cop but he had never had to pull his gun on anyone, not in a sleepy town like Springfield. This was all new ground for him, and he wasn't liking it one bit. There was little choice in the matter for him though. Rafe was already badly injured, and it was his fault so he had to do everything he could to make sure he got Rafe out of there alive.

Olivia saw the discomfort on Frank's face and approached him, “You don't have to do this. Maybe it would be best if you stayed with Rafe to make sure he's okay.”

For a flicker of a second, the offer sounded appealing to Frank, but no matter what had happened between him and Natalia or the fact that things had changed between them, he knew he still loved her and wanted to look out for her and Rafe in any way he could.

“No, I want to do this.”

She nodded at his resolute look, “Okay…okay.” She turned back to Josh, “So, you think she could be down here somewhere?”

“It seems like a logical place.”

“Well, let's get started.”

Josh led the way down the hallway of the cells away from the tunnel they had come through. On the main hall of cells, light from the full moon was plentiful since it was coming through openings high on the wall above them. These prisoner cells were obviously for the less serious or threatening criminals. As they rounded the corner though, the darkness became thicker and heavier as the floor sloped slightly and headed into the bowels of the castle. Eventually, there was no light at all and Josh flipped on his flashlight to help them maneuver.

The cells in this stretch were for the more hardened criminals. The worst of the worst. The heavy concrete doors were completely solid and there was nothing but a small slit at the bottom, probably used for food delivery, and a handle to open the door. Olivia coughed as the thick, putrid air gagged her. It was a smell she had never known before but it made her wonder if this was what death smelled like.

She tugged at the handle of a door but it didn't budge, “Okay, how will we know if she's here? We can't tell what's in these cells, if anything.”

Josh shrugged, “Call for her? Not too loud though. Sounds really echo in spaces like this. We don't want to be heard.”

She nodded and started calling for Natalia in a low but urgent voice, “Natalia! Natalia, are you here?”

All three stood still, listening. Nothing. They walked a little further and Olivia called again. Again, silence.

“What if she can't hear through these walls? Natural soundproofing.” Josh and Olivia turned to Frank, both showing surprise at his thought.

“Good point,” Josh commended. “Frank, take your flashlight and go to the far end. Let's check each cell.”

“How?”

“If the doors don't open, lift the food latch and call for her. You may even need to get down and look. If she's passed out or asleep, she may not even hear us.”

He nodded and headed to the far end of the block. Josh looked at Olivia, “I'll start over here. You take care of that side.”

“This is going to take forever with all these cells. It's wasting time.”

“Got a better idea?”

“Yeah, find Edmund and then beat the shit out of him until he tells us where she's at.” Josh smiled at her.

“Let's try the nonviolent approach first.”

She rolled her eyes and got to her knees in front of the first cell, “This coming from a man with a really big gun.”

*****************

Olivia guessed that it had taken them about an hour to check each cell but eventually, they all met up in the middle of the hallway and figuratively right back where they had started with being no closer to Natalia than when they had started.

Olivia gave Josh a hard look, “Okay, so I was wrong. She has to be in this castle somewhere though.”

She ran her hands through her hair, “We have no choice then. We head upstairs and look for her there. She's obviously not here.”

Frank shook his head and rubbed at his aching back, “Then we risk the chance of Edmund catching us.”

Olivia held up her gun, “And we'll be ready for him.”

They walked back to the beginning of the cells where Rafe was still quietly resting. Olivia went in to check on him. His heartbeat was still strong but a fine layer of cold sweat had broken out over his face. She felt his forehead. He was burning up.

“We have to hurry. He has a fever.”

Josh believed her but came over to check for himself, “Great! This is not good. Come on.”

He broke into a half jog as he made his way to the other hallway and the stairwell leading up to the basement. Olivia and Frank followed behind. When Josh came to the door at the top of the stairs, he put his ear against the heavy wooden door in hopes of hearing any movement on the other side. When he heard nothing, he eased the door open and peeked his head around.

The basement was practically empty except for a few boxes against a far wall and enough cobwebs to make the worst horror movie envious. He stepped further in and motioned for Olivia and Frank to follow. With caution, they checked the entire basement to ensure they didn't miss a secret passage or room, something old castles were notorious for having.

They found no sign of Natalia or even that anyone was there. Josh sighed, “Nothing here. Let's keep going.”

Josh led the way again up the next set of stairs that came out at the main floor. He listened again but heard nothing so he eased the door open. A loud creak made all of them cringe but Josh pushed on. Seeing no sign of Natalia or Edmund, they all exited the stairwell. The main floor was a faded relic of the once extravagant foyer. Olivia held her breathe. In spite of its current condition, she could still see the glittering chandelier that used to hang from the ceiling and hear the sultry music that had played that night at the ball. It was like being back in time and she felt a wave of sadness pass over her. So much had been lost here yet all of it had happened in a way that brought her back full circle. Here she was again over twenty years later. A young girl who had gone out on her own against her mother's wishes looking for love had come back today a woman still seeking that one true love.

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

“Indeed.” Three heads swung around at the voice and caught a glimpse of a smirking Edmund as he took off down the hallway behind him.

“Son of a bitch!” Olivia took off after him.

“Olivia!” Josh called after her and tried to follow but they were both gone in the darkness of the castle in a matter of seconds. “Damn it!”

Chapter 10

Josh turned to go back to the foyer and tell Frank to go in the other direction, but instead he nearly ran over Frank who was right on his heels. He pointed past Frank and over his shoulder, “Take the other hallway. Look for Natalia. I'll deal with this, okay?”

Frank looked over his shoulder to the foyer and the long, dark hallway on the other side. He nodded as Josh disappeared into the inky blackness beyond before going back to pick up his flashlight and gun. Assuming now that Edmund knew they were there, there was no need to be quiet, so he took off down the hallway calling out Natalia's name.

***************

As best he could, Josh held his flashlight in one hand and the heavy gun in the other. He didn't want the light because it gave away his position, but in the utter darkness, there was little choice. Sure, he could have gotten the goggles but precious time was wasting and he couldn't afford to go back for them.

Rounding a corner, he heard a crash from the end of the hallway and took off after it. Dirt, debris, and fallen pieces of ceiling tripped him up as she worked to get to the place where the noise had come from. Before he even made it all the way there, he could see movement ahead. The figure slowly rolled up from a crouched position, its shadow elongated across the littered floor under the jittery motion of Josh's flashlight.

He raised the gun, preparing to pull the trigger if need be, “Hold it! Don't move.”

“Don't worry.” The familiar voice of his ex-wife sounded weary but laced with something else entirely. She rose to her full height and he saw, in the light, the shining reflection of the blood running down the side of her head.

“What happened?”

“What's it look like, Josh? The sorry bastard hit me! Hard too.” She touched the wounded area gently with her fingers and drew a hiss in through her teeth at the deep cut along her hairline. “Damn it, I was so close!”

Josh reached for her head to pull it closer in the light he held, but she brushed his concern away, “It's just a cut, Josh. It'll be fine. Come on, he went that way. Let's go get him!” She pointed behind her, further into the darkness.

******************

His heart was racing as he turned a corner in the semi-darkness. The last of the moonlit night was giving way to the first rays of morning. He was exhausted and unfocused, his eyes drooping in spite of the adrenaline rush he had been living on for the last twelve hours. He called out Natalia's name again but only heard silence.

He sighed as he reached the end of a hallway. The only option forward was a long curving stairwell leading up to the next floor. Resting for a moment, he considered heading back the way he came and see if Josh and Olivia were having any better luck; however, he knew with how determined Olivia was at the moment that nothing would stop her from covering every inch of the castle. There was little doubt in his mind that they'd never head back to the foyer but only head deeper into the castle.

With a resigned grunt, he stood and began to take the stairwell two steps at a time. He reached the landing and a closed door. He turned the antique handle but nothing happened. He rammed his shoulder into the door and it barely budged. Giving it another hard shove, it gave way and he tumbled and rolled through the opening.

When he heard the shuffle of feet, he scrambled to his feet and turned just in time to see the maniacal smile of Edmund Winslow, grinning at him down the barrel of a gun.

*****************

Natalia jumped at the sudden noise, cradling her pounding head in her arms, willing the drumbeat to go away. She tried to look up at the sounds coming from the doorway, but the bright light now coming in made her head throb worse. She knew she was in bad shape and it wasn't just her head. The steady diet of mediocre meals she had been receiving had ceased long ago, and she was now drenched in a cold sweat, her hands shaking uncontrollably. There was little she could do but pray. Every minute that passed made her situation more dire. She knew this and she was ready to accept her fate. The only regret she held was not taking more of a chance and sooner with Olivia. If she had the chance and if the Lord saw fit for her to live, she'd never waste another moment with the woman she loved.

The thought of the green eyed woman who had captured her heart and soul renewed her. Between bouts of prayer, she imagined the life it looked like she'd never know with Olivia. Images of long walks by the lake, holding hands over a candlelit dinner, and dancing slowly in front of the fireplace at the farmhouse passed through her mind and thoughts of slow kisses and Olivia's passionate touch warmed her chilled body.

The thought of never knowing Olivia this way was more than she could handle so she mumbled the soft and steady prayer since she had ended up in this nightmare, “Lord, help me survive this.”

A low moan answered her back and she jerked her head up, “Who is that?”

Movement and another moan came from the corner. She wasn't alone, “Hello? Who's there?” When there was no answer, she scooted closer, feeling her way in the darkness. She felt an arm and shook it, “Hey, who are you?” No answer. She shook a little harder, trying to rouse the person now sharing her cell. When nothing happened, she slid her hand over the torso and could tell it was a man. Her hand slid further up his chest, searching for his face, when her hand ran over something wet and sticky. Feeling closer, her fingers found the indentation of a wound, causing the poor soul to groan and thrash in pain.

“Oh my God! I'm sorry…I'm so sorry.” She reached for where she expected his hand to be and held it tightly. “It's going to be okay. I think you've been shot, but you're going to be okay, you hear me? I'll make sure of it.”

******************

The loud bang startled Josh and Olivia. They took cover thinking it was intended for them, but it quickly registered that it came from the other side of the castle. In the next instant, Olivia reached for Josh's arm, “Oh my God, Josh.” The terrified look in her eyes said it all. Without thinking, they took off down the dark corridors and raced up stairs, weaving their way through debris determined to trip them up.

Throwing open a set of heavy wooden double doors, Olivia ran into the room and immediately slipped on the floor. She landed with a hard thump on her back and felt the thick substance all around her. Josh came in behind her but was able to barely miss tripping over her. She rolled over a little and realized what she was laying in at the same moment Josh came to stand over her.

She jumped up and nearly fell back down, but Josh grabbed her arm and steadied her, helping her step away from the pool of blood now spread out on the floor.

A now bloody hand came to her mouth and she stopped just in time before she covered herself in it, “Dear God…Frank.” Tears came to her eyes as fear and guilt overwhelmed her. Everyone she cared about was getting hurt in this and she feared if any of them would get out alive.

Josh brought her out of her thoughts, “Look.”

Leading away from them was a streak of blood that looked like a body had been dragged and bloody footprints. They lead through a closed doorway.

Without another word, she followed the trail. Josh grabbed her arm, “Olivia, we need to be careful.”

“We need to find them.”

“We will but we still need to get out of this alive, okay? If we can get them, great, but…”

She jerked her arm away, “There's no option here, Josh. We're all getting out of here. All of us.”

*****************

Natalia leaned back against the cold wall, cradling the head of the injured man in her lap as she silently prayed over him. She wondered how he had come to be here and how many others there may be. Did this have anything to do with her and her kidnapping or was she just one of many pawns in a madman's game? So many thoughts raced through her mind. So many possibilities. The situation was not only bizarre but overwhelming. Why in the world were they here and what was the point of it all? There had to be a reason. There was always a reason.

When the door opened again, Natalia didn't flinch. She wanted and needed to know who held them captive, but the figure that took up the doorway got all of her attention.

“Rafe?” She sat shocked to see her son standing there, but his eyes were closed and he wasn't alone. Behind him, she could see the outline of their captor – tall with graying hair and a slightly elongated face. In another time, he would have been considered handsome, even dashing, but his menacing smile ruined the façade. She recognized him from the newspaper the day Olivia had come home from San Francisco. Obviously, Edmund Winslow wasn't dead.

“You. Why?” Edmund narrowed his eyes at her, the emptiness in them chilling her.

He stepped a little further in with Rafe and set him on the other side of Natalia. It was an oddly gentle gesture considering the situation, and it wasn't lost on her.

“You weren't supposed to be there. Wrong time and place, my dear Natalia.”

She reached a hand to her son, feeling for his pulse and a wave of relief came over her when she found it. It was weak but there, and as long as that was the case, there was hope.

She shook her head, “You were hiding out in my barn the whole time. I don't understand. Why? Why were you pretending to be dead?”

He leaned nonchalantly against the door, “I told you. Revenge. The ones I love were taken from me without regard or concern. I had to make those involved pay. I'm truly sorry you got caught in the crossfire, but now I have to see this through. You're a parent. You'd understand.”

“There's no excuse for hurting another human being. None.”

He looked pointedly at the men on either side of her, “You mean to tell me that you don't want to hurt me even a little right now?”

For the first time, she realized that she hadn't looked at the face of the man she held in her lap and when she looked down, she broke down into tears. The bile rose in her throat at the gaping wound just below Frank's chest, and she fought the images in her mind of hurting the man taunting her from the doorway. She knew she had little chance against him even if she managed to get up off the floor and get her hands on him, but the mere thought that she wanted to, that she wanted to hit him and hurt him, caused a rush of nausea to rise up.

“You do, don't you?”

She shook her head, “No.”

He smirked at her, “If Olivia is the next one tossed in here with you, I bet you would.”

“Olivia? She's here.”

He laughed evilly, “Or maybe Emma. I could make it happen. A child for a child.”

Whatever force had held her back vanished as she jumped to her feet and rushed him. She may not have been able to see that well or have that much strength, but she would be damned if she let him get his hands on Emma without a fight. He'd have to kill her first to make that happen.

She managed to get her hands on him, pulling at his hair, scratching and clawing at any part of him she could reach. He simply laughed and taunted her attempts. It was like one of those bad dreams you have where no matter how hard you fight, you feel like you're moving in slow motion and powerless to make an impact. Natalia cried in her frustration, wailing at her captor, and begging God for the strength to make him pay.

What felt like an eternity passed in a matter of seconds as he gripped her painfully by the arms, lifted her off her feet, and tossed her against the wall. Then he bent over her, picked her up again, and slapped her viciously across the face as her world once again went black.

**************

Olivia heard the scream and knew instantly it was Natalia. She ran harder, dodging piles of rubble on the floor and plaster hanging from the ceiling, seeking out the location of the sound. She lost the track of blood and could only hope that she was on the right path.

Light was coming through openings in the structure and in the windows making it easier to see where they were going and hopefully seeing any dangers ahead. She was so intently focused on finding Natalia that she didn't notice the small cuts and scrapes she was receiving in her frantic pursuit.

She wanted to call out to her to try and fix her location again or at least let her know they were coming to get her, but she knew any sound would put her and Josh at risk. Enough had been hurt already, and she didn't want to add her ex-husband to the body count.

At the end of another corridor, she stopped and peeked around a corner. She really didn't expect to see him there, but when she did, she knew Natalia had to be close by. A surge of anger and hatred rose up in her so fast she didn't even notice the shift. All she knew was that the object of this nightmare was unaware of her rapid approach as she raced over the piles of broken furniture and concrete, gaining ground on him.

“Eddmmmuuunnndddd!” He turned in time to see Olivia launching herself across the open space in front of him and Josh a few feet behind, a look of terror on his face, as Edmund reached behind him to pull his gun and fire off a quick shot.

“Ollliivvviiiaaa!”

Chapter 11

Josh fell to the floor as the bullet whizzed past his head and embedded into the wall behind him. Olivia heard nothing except the rush of air and crunch of ribs as she barreled into Edmund's chest, shoulder first. The hard landing he took cushioned her fall and she was instantly straddling him, her hands gripping what she could of his short hair and ramming his head into the concrete beneath him over and over again. She punctuated each crash of his skull into the concrete with curses and incoherent rages. He made a feeble attempt to raise his hand, the gun still gripped tightly in his fist, but Josh came up and kicked it from his hand before he could even turn it on his attacker.

Josh pulled Olivia off of Edmund even as she struggled against him, wanting to make him suffer and feel every bit of pain all of them had experienced.

He struggled to control her, but eventually got her attention the only way he knew how, “Olivia! Olivia, look at me! Where's Natalia? We have to find Natalia.”

It was like she came back to herself at that moment. The knowledge that they still weren't sure where Natalia was struck her hard and she may have very well incapacitated or killed the one who knew definitively.

She swallowed and looked down at Edmund, blood coming from his nose and ears, evidence of the force of her attack, “I…I'll look for her.”

Josh nodded and bent over Edmund, checking for a pulse. It was faint, but with the extent of his head injury, he wasn't sure if survival was a good outcome for him. His head rest in a thick and widening pool of blood and a gurgling could be heard coming from his throat. He sighed, knowing that wasn't a good sign. He said a quick prayer over Edmund and waited. When no movement or sound came, he felt again for a pulse. Nothing.

He felt around in Edmund's pockets and when he found what he was looking for, he stood and went to find Olivia.

******************

Olivia checked every door down the hallway, banging on each, frantically attempting to open them. She had to be here somewhere. Why else would Edmund have even been in this area if she wasn't? She tried not to think about what she had done to Edmund. It was hard to believe that he was the same man she had played Rock Band with just months ago. What had gone so terribly wrong to make him do this?

She incriminated herself in the painful possibility that she had put the woman she loved and their family and friends at greater risk over her inability to control her anger. She had always been an out of control type of person, but she had never had to consider the pain and danger it put others in until now. One moment of losing control could very well cost Natalia her life.

The tears welled up as she banged relentlessly on doors, “Natalia! Natalia, where are you? Baby, answer me!”

She turned at the end of the hallway and ran her hands shakily through her hair. Josh came toward her, a grim look on her face. He shook his head and she finally let the tears fall.

“Oh God! Josh, what have I done?”

He pulled her to him and allowed her a moment to pull herself together. He didn't allow her the chance to wallow in her self-pity and recrimination though.

“Any luck finding her?” She shook her head but didn't answer. He reached into his pocket, “Maybe this will help.”

She pulled back to see him dangling a set of keys from his fingers. A huge smile broke out on her face and she actually started to laugh a little. She took the set and tested each until she found the one that works on the palace doors. She opened the first door and the room was completely empty. She tried the key on the next door and it worked as well. This room only held a small cot.

Door-by-door she worked her way down the hall. They were almost back to where Edmund's body now rested and Olivia became more concerned that the assumption that Natalia had to be close to where they found Edmund may have been wrong. With each door she opened, she prayed harder.

They were now less than ten feet from where they found Edmund and there were only two doors between them left to check. She looked to Josh, hoping to see some glimmer of optimism, but he only gave her a short nod of acknowledgement as she turned with shaking hands to unlatch the door in front of her. She held her breath for what now felt like the hundredth time today. She knew even if they found her it may not turn out good. She pushed the door and found resistance. She pushed harder and it gave some. Josh stepped up and helped her. Enough light came into the room to see a pair of jean clad legs that Olivia recognized as Rafe's.

“Oh God, Josh. Push harder, they're here.” There was a risk of breaking his leg or otherwise hurting him, but they had to get in the room.

They forced the door enough for Josh to get his foot in the door and edge Rafe's legs out of the way, and as they pushed more, they essentially rolled him onto his side. Olivia stuck her head in the door and on the other side, she could see Natalia limp as a ragdoll against the wall and just to her left was Frank.

“Natalia!” She desperately squeezed herself through the opening and when she got in, she slid Rafe out of the way so Josh could open the door all the way. The light spilling into the room highlighted the wretchedness of Natalia's living conditions. The stench was overwhelming and Olivia felt the urge to throw up.

She crawled over to Natalia, gently running her fingers over her face, “Baby…Natalia…come on, baby, wake up.” She found the place where her pulse would be and felt it, strong and steady. Olivia closed her eyes, “Thank you God.”

She could hear Josh behind her checking on Rafe and Frank, but all she could think of was Natalia. Carefully, she checked her for injuries and couldn't see anything except for a dark bruise on her cheek. She was hoping this was what had her unconscious and not a head wound. If she'd just wake up, she'd feel a lot more confident about that possibility.

“Olivia,” Josh spoke from behind her and she turned to look at him, “How is she?”

“She's breathing and her pulse is strong, but she's out cold. I think he knocked her unconscious.” The thought of Edmund physically hitting Natalia took away a good portion of the guilt she felt over killing him. “I'm afraid to ask about them.”

He sighed, “We have to get out of here right away. There's no time, Olivia. Rafe's holding his own but Frank…it's not good.”

“Okay. Well, there are three of them and two of us. What do we do? I don't think we can use the main exit. I'm pretty sure that crumbled in the earthquake.”

He nodded his head, thinking of their options, “A couple of the rooms we opened had cots, right?”

“They were really basic though.”

He smiled, “That's all we need. We can strap two together, and I can pull those. You can get Natalia on the other one.”

“That could work. How are we going to get them over that basin and out the tunnel though?”

“We're not. We're going out the front door or whatever is considered the front door now. I really don't think that Edmund managed to get an unconscious or even struggling woman down that tunnel and around that basin. There has to be another entrance, an easier entrance into the castle.”

She held Natalia's hand in her own, looking at her peaceful face and realizing that they had no choice. They had to get out of here, “Okay, let's get started on those cots.”

For the next hour, they pulled three cots out into the hallway and dismantled them so that all was left was the actual bed and two bars on the sides. Josh found a remaining cot in another room and pulled strips of cloth from the padding to make ties to hold the two cots together and also hold their passengers on without sliding and causing further injury.

When they were finished, they carefully moved Frank, then Rafe, and finally Natalia to their respective cots. Natalia was on the single cot that Olivia was pulling to keep the weight distributed evenly on Josh's load. Once Frank and Rafe were stabilized on the cots, he tested the weight to ensure it would hold. Satisfied with their work and ready to go, he looked at Olivia.

“Ready?”

“Show me the way home.”

**************

The progress was slow weaving their way back through the castle. Every few feet, Josh would have to set Frank and Rafe down to move rocks and debris from their path and when they reached a stairwell, Olivia would have to set Natalia down and help Josh get his pair down the narrow and twisting steps. Then they'd have to go back for Natalia.

It seemed like hours before they reached a possible option for getting out. Olivia surveyed the familiarity of the room and it suddenly struck her. It was the room where the ball was held that she had attended as a teenager. The images of that night assaulted her, but instead of letting them paralyze her with the fear it usually instilled, she focused on other memories of that night, most notably how she got to the room in the first place. She backed up her steps from that night and saw a set of large doors opening into the ballroom, before that was a long, wide entryway that led out to a balcony with a long curving staircase on either side that ended at the palace gardens.

Her memory stopped at the end of the garden path, where her life changed forever, but even to this day, she can hear the sound of the surf as it crashed in the not too far distance.

“This way,” she pulled Natalia and her cot over to the doors and tugged at one. It swung open and revealed a long and brightly lit hallway. Olivia sighed and looked back at Josh, his shoulders sagging. “Well, at least we can see where we're going.”

He looked up at the wide swath of roof that had caved in about halfway down and the large pile of concrete blocking their path. He opened the other side of the double doors and pulled his load through it.

Olivia looked at him, incredulous, “You have a better idea, Olivia? I'd love to hear it.”

She followed behind him, “Exactly how do you plan to get past this?”

“The same way we got up and down the stairs.”

“Okay, Josh, I know I've been acting crazy, but this is truly insane. If one of those rocks slip, we could all be crushed beneath the avalanche.”

He didn't listen to her as he set Rafe and Frank down a safe distance from the rocks and began to climb over them, testing for their sturdiness as he went. His foot slipped on a small piece of rubble and Olivia cringed, ready to cover Natalia with her body to protect her. When he reached the top, he turned back and smiled at her.

“Daylight, baby. I see the way out!”

“You do?” In spite of the anxiety of climbing the treacherous pile with their precious cargo, she wanted more than anything to get them all out of there and to safety as quickly as possible.

Josh scrambled back down and picked his end of the cots up, “Let's go.”

The strain of climbing and holding up two grown men took its toll on Olivia. The first few rocks she climbed weren't too bad but once they were more than halfway over the debris, her arms started to ache and her back began to knot up. Below she heard a low moan come from Natalia and she nearly dropped Frank and Rafe in her panic.

“Olivia! Come on, the faster we get them over, the faster we can get her over. Let's go.”

With renewed strength, she pushed up and over the rocks. The path down was easier since the rocks had settled mostly to one side and were more leveled out. They managed to get Rafe and Frank down fairly quickly, and Olivia barely took a breath before heading back over to Natalia. When she reached the top and started her descent back, Natalia let out a scream and thrashed against her restraints. Olivia jumped down the remaining distance and scrambled to her side.

She took Natalia's hand and ran soothing fingers through her long dark hair, now matted with sweat and dirt, “Natalia, it's okay. Relax, baby, I'm right here. It's okay, you're safe.” She leaned close and whispered in her ear, continuing to run gentle caresses through her hair and over her face. Eventually, Natalia calmed and her breathing settled.

Josh squatted down beside them, “I think she had a small seizure.”

“No.” Olivia didn't want to hear that. Seizures were not a good thing, and she didn't want to think about the possibility.

“Either she has a head injury or it's complications from the diabetes, but no matter what, we have to get her out of here. Let's keep going.”

Olivia swiped at the tears covering her face and resolutely picked up the bottom half of the cot and followed Josh quietly over the rocks. They made quicker time with a lighter load and within a half hour they were moving out of the entryway into the sunlight.

***************

The heat of the mid-afternoon sun had never been so welcome to Olivia. She literally breathed a sigh of relief as she and Josh passed under the large archway leading into the ballroom. The grounds now overrun with a variety of tropical plants at one time had been a breathtaking garden that led out to the cliffs overlooking the Caribbean. Above them the four-story castle sported a long balcony that ran half the length of the castle providing a fabulous bedside view of the ocean for several members of the royal family.

To each side of the balcony, turrets rose up high into the sky lending protection from invaders. Olivia recalled one particular turret with a spectacular view of the full moon sparkling over the ocean as music played in the ballroom below. She had been enchanted that night, but now the castle they moved away from carrying their cargo down and around the grounds to the side where their boat was moored, only held sadness and regret.

Josh sought a line toward the beach that had the most shade to protect their friends on the cots. When they finally reached the point where they had come ashore, he turned to a tired and concerned looking Olivia.

“Stay here with them. I'll swim out to the boat and put in a call to the mainland to have them send two rescue helicopters.”

While she wouldn't say it, she was thankful for the chance to rest and check on Natalia. While Josh dove into the crystal blue water, she checked Frank and Rafe. Rafe was still clammy and feverish, but his breathing was heavy and his heartbeat was strong. She didn't have to get close to Frank though to know he was in trouble. His wound was already infected, a garish looking ooze and stench emanating from it. She checked his pulse anyway. It was slow and his breathing was shallow.

She gave his hand a squeeze, “Thank you. I know you love her too, and I know this has been hard for you but we wouldn't have gotten this far without you. Hell, I'd probably be at the bottom of that basin if you hadn't pulled me up. You're not just my friend, Frank. You're my hero.”

She leaned over and gave him a light kiss on the forehead, “Now hang in there, okay? I want the chance to say all of that to your face.”

In the distance, she heard the motor of the boat turn over and knew it would be at least another half hour before Josh got back. She crawled through the sand to Natalia's side and curled up beside her as best she could, letting her fingers lazily trace the contours of her face. Even in her condition, dirt and grime causing her beautiful dark hair to stick together in clumps and the near week she had spent without a bath or basic hygiene, Olivia still thought she was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Put her in a skimpy little pirate outfit and she would have looked like she had walked off the set of Pirates of the Caribbean, with her exotic looks and smudged and dirty face.

“Don't you dare leave me now. We're just getting started. We have so much left to do, so much left to see and experience together. I've waited all my life for you, for a love like this.” She took Natalia's hand in her own, and nestled against her, “I love you…always.”

************

When Josh came ashore again, he saw Olivia asleep and curled up against Natalia, her arm draped across her stomach. The rescue crew would be there shortly but he didn't wake her and allowed her every moment of peace she could get. He knew she had to be exhausted and the long trek back would be tough on all of them, not to mention the unknown of Natalia's condition, so any rest she could get now would help her later on. So he let her rest as he leaned against a palm tree and waited.

He watched Olivia sleep and marveled at the woman she had become. She wasn't the Olivia Spencer he had known and loved. She had become more, probably more than she ever imagined she could, because of Natalia's love. Old Olivia would have never risked her life for anyone. She never would have considered the safety of anyone but herself, but he had seen her fight, cry, and breakdown over Rafe's insistence on joining them. If anything happened to him, he knew that Olivia would be irrevocably damaged by it and it concerned him what would happen to Olivia and Natalia's relationship if that did happen. All he could do was pray that Rafe and Natalia would both make it through this with as few lasting scars as possible. If not for their own sake, then for Olivia's.

Frank was his biggest concern. Every moment that passed, he became more pessimistic about his survival. Anyone else would have been dead now, but something had him hanging on, fighting for each breath. He shook his head. Frank's misplaced heroism, whether he realized it or not, in the hopes of winning Natalia's affections, may have very well got him killed.

The gentle lapping of the waves against the shore had lulled Josh to sleep, but the steady thwacking of helicopter blades and the sting of flying sand hitting his face woke him up with a start. He shielded his eyes and found his way over to Frank and Rafe, covering them as best he could to keep the sand out of their wounds.

Olivia rolled herself further onto Natalia and covered their heads with her arms, until the helicopter came to rest on a level part of the beach about a hundred yards away. She glanced up to see a swarm of medical personnel scurry out of the belly of the helicopter like rats and race toward them carrying equipment and supplies. Further down the beach a second helicopter came in for a landing.

In a whirlwind, IV bags were hooked up, pulses were checked, and conditions were radioed in to the hospital on the mainland. The small laceration on Olivia's head that Edmund had given her was cleaned and bandaged quickly and she was ushered into the helicopter with Natalia. On the flight back, her vitals were checked and she was given a bottle of water to rehydrate.

The questions seemed to be never-ending and it was wearing her patience thin. She just wanted them to look after Natalia, not interrogate her. She knew there would be time for that, but now she wasn't humored by it.

The trip back to the mainland seemed to be taking forever, but in reality, they made better time getting back than when they had first flown down. The helicopter with Frank and Rafe landed first, followed by Olivia and Natalia. They were quickly whisked into the emergency room. Olivia fought it, but they insisted on separating them so her own injuries could be assessed. It took a lot of convincing and struggle, but Josh finally talked her into letting them do a scan to ensure she didn't have any brain injuries. She only agreed to it though if Josh swore on Reva's life that he'd find her as soon as he heard anything. When the doctor's determined that Olivia was fine, except for some minor cuts and bruises, she was released but still not allowed to see Natalia. In the waiting room, she paced back and forth in front of Josh until he grabbed her hand and made her sit.

“You're making me dizzy. Sit.”

Olivia plunked down heavily in the seat next to him, her feet and legs still moving in spite of her stationary position. He glanced sidelong at her and she looked back.

“What, Josh? I'm worried, okay? They need to come out and tell us something. They've been in there forever.”

He took her hand, “They haven't even been in there an hour.”

“They haven't?”

He shook his head and she leaned back in her chair defeated. He let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her, and she gratefully sank into the comfort.

“Thank you. For everything. Not many men would do this for their ex-wife.”

He smiled a little then, “You're not just any ex-wife, Olivia. You're a friend too.” He kissed the top of her head, “She's going to be fine. You'll see.”

Josh didn't need to see her face to know she was crying. He could feel the quiver in her shoulders as she tried to hold it in. He simply pulled her closer in response and she curled a little closer into him, “I don't know what I'll do without her.”

Josh wondered that himself but wouldn't let himself believe she'd ever have to face it, “You'll never have to know, Olivia. She'll be fine.”

To be continued...