"There is something therapeutic about this place. I feel safe. What's with these people anyway? How do you know them?"

"We went to rival high schools." Geoff took a pint of amaretto flavored creamer out of the refrigerator, and opened the wedge-shaped mouth. "We were at a football game. Our team, Hagerstown Hubs, and her team, Boonsboro Warriors, were both undefeated. So, it was a big game."

"If you say so," she said.

"You don't follow football? Just think of the Civil War played with helmets, and shoulder pads."

"No, that's not helping."

"Anyway, these girls sat behind us. Boonsboro fans, in enemy territory. They started cheering the Warriors, and booing the Hubs. Bobby thought it was so cute. He turned around, and Lois said something mature like, 'Why don't you take a picture, it'll last longer'. And, he said, 'Who let you out of your cage?' She pulled the hood of his sweatshirt back, and dumped her soft drink down his neck."

"What did he do?"

"Lois ran off with Bobby right after her-you could hear her squealing all over the stadium. I didn't see either of them again until after the game. Bobby was hopelessly smitten. I swear, you never saw a guy so much in love."

"It's always love at first sight with you Duncan boys, isn't it?" Glenn said. "What happened?"

"They were both very passionate personalities. Fought all the time. He was adamant about joining the Marines, and had their whole life mapped out. It seemed they might make a go of it. Then, Bobby signed up, and Lois broke it off with him. They were so crazy about each other. He thought sure Lois would come around. She was just as sure her ultimatum would keep him home."

"I wish he'd listened to her," Glenn said.

"I never understood what drove him. Anyway, they were both still waiting for the other one to apologize when Bobby went to boot camp. Bobby wrote her from basic training, and they patched things up enough to be friends. I guess things turned out for the best."

"You probably cheered at the end of Romeo and Juliet, too," Glenn said.

"What if they'd stayed together? What if Brianna was his kid? Lois would be a young widow with three daughters to raise on her own."

"But, they would have had those years together. And, your folks would have had his grandkids."

"Romantic notion. What's with you, Prentiss? Going soft?"

"Everybody loves a love story. I'm sorry for them, that they lost it."

She looked at Geoff. He looked like Gandhi: a tall, pale version of Gandhi if he hadn't slept for two days. He headed for the mud porch.

"The clothes must be about dry by now," he said.

"Let me get you something to eat. They must have something. Ooh, look. Cinnamon buns. You, sit down before you fall over." She guided him to a barstool. "Let me take care of you for a change."

"Why does that scare me?"

"Don't tell me you don't trust me? You need to lie down. I'll wake you up in a couple hours."

"Ah, so you're still trying to get me into bed with you."

"I won't be joining you."

"What about the disc? Let's check it out first."

"It's not going anywhere. After you wake up, we'll go fire up the old computer."

Glenn took off his towel, and stood behind him drying his hair. Then, she led him into the bedroom where he sat down. She took a brush off the cherry wood bureau and knelt behind him, combing the bristles through his hair. She caught the cold mass in her hand, bunched it together, and secured it with a rubber band. Then, she used the towel to absorb droplets from the end of the ponytail.

Geoff took her hand, and kissed the open palm. "I ought to be doing this for you."

"I have no hair," Glenn said.

"What's up with that? Why did you cut it so short?" Geoff touched the fringe of hair that duck-tailed behind her ear.

"An act of desperation and spite. You wouldn't understand."

"You'd be surprised what I understand." He put his large hands on her waist, his fingertips touching at the small of her back.

"What would you know about self-destructive impulses?"

"I'm here with you." His words were slow, and slurred as he pressed his cheek against her midsection. "If that isn't a cry for help, I don't know what is."

"Go to sleep," she said into his ear, and kissed him on the neck.

He collapsed backward with his eyes closed. He folded his hands on his chest like a dead man in a coffin. His breathing became deep and regular almost immediately.

Glenn went downstairs to a half-finished rec room. A computer game was already running. She ejected it, and loaded the Bleetz disc. It contained double exposures of prominent people engaged in compromising positions. No doubt fraudulent. The photograph of Bobby was on it, as was 'The Conspiracy', Phil's masterpiece. She wasn't all that surprised to see it with her own eyes, just a little disappointed. Phil had managed to find a way to use her again. She felt a little less sad that he was dead. In fact, as she went back upstairs, she hoped he was rotting in hell.

The girls' room had bedspreads and curtains with patterns of cartoon mermaids and other animated characters, which matched the picture books on the floor. A small table was set for a tea party, where stuffed animals and dolls waited for guests to arrive. Glenn strolled back to the main part of the house, and lounged on the couch finishing her coffee. Then, she prowled the kitchen, opening and closing the doors in the pantry. On the refrigerator she found a school picture of a seven-year old with a wide smile, and intelligent eyes. That must be the oldest girl. And, the Polaroid of the toddler with thin wisps of blond hair and a sweet expression must be the youngest. There was a cabinet with aFar Side calendar on it, and a pad with the beginnings of a grocery list. A drawer next to the fridge held utensils, and the one next to it had odds and ends. In here Glenn found a checkbook. You could tell a lot about a person by how she spent her money.

Glenn discovered it was a one-income family, with a healthy paycheck coming in twice a month. There were the usual purchases for food, gas, clothing, mortgage, utilities, and a big chunk to a Baptist church. What would someone think of Glenn's checkbook? Deposits were sporadic and small, most purchases related to photography supplies.

In the living room was a TV console with a cable box, and a stereo set-up. The rack of CDs and tapes held an eclectic musical mixture of everything from country, to heavy metal, to Broadway show tunes. Glenn got the CD out of her robe pocket, and looked at it. Then, she went to the wooden rack next to the television, and fit it in between Disney'sBeauty and the Beast and Billy Ray Cyrus'sAchy-Breaky Heart . She nodded, and refilled her coffee mug.

She spent the next hour listening to Christmas tunes on the radio, and staring out the sliding glass door that overlooked the valley. The Blue Ridge Mountains were bluish, as advertised. The sky was white, etched with thin trails of smoke rising from chimneys. Flocks of foul soared with purpose, destination south.

Shortly after 10:30, Glenn returned to the bedroom. Geoff's head was turned to the side and one of his hands was raised beside his face. He looked impossibly childlike. The other hand was on his stomach, and the robe was opened over his leg. It was the first thing she touched as she neared the bed. His breathing pattern changed, and his fingers twitched. She put one knee on the bed, and ran her fingers across his leg.

"Geoff? Time to get up."

Geoff grabbed her robe, and pulled her on top of him. "You're still here," he said, nuzzling her neck.

She rolled onto the bed. "I thought about running away. It would have been so easy."

"So, why didn't you?"

"Just waiting for my clothes to dry."

"As they tumble over and over again, becoming tangled in the legs and sleeves of one another."

"Besides, you know where I live."

"Afraid I'd come knocking on your door again?" he asked.

"Something like that."

"Would you let me in? Come on, babe, let me in."

She looked into his face. "I wish I could have let you sleep longer."

"I'm ready to be woke up." He rolled on top of her, and raised up on his elbows. "You know us college men. We don't need much sleep." He pinned both her legs under one of his. "We're used to long hours of cramming, far into the night."

"As you tumble over and over again, becoming tangled in the legs and arms of one another?"

Glenn responded to his touch. It was a reflex, like squinting against the light. To resist might cause injury to herself. She closed her eyes, and let the heat overtake her. She slipped her hand inside his robe, and stroked his back along the sinew connecting hipbone to shoulder.

"Where's your bandage?"

"Took it off in the shower."

"We have to go."

"Not now."

"Don't whine," Glenn said. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but in about one hour the Feds could have me in the clear. I'm getting restless."

"It's a good thing I'm here. I've got a great cure for restlessness."

Their kisses became more passionate, as their hands explored each other. Glenn felt him loosen the sash of her robe, and she reached for his hands.

"Wait," she whispered.

"Shut up." He stroked the skin under her robe.

"Oh, don't do that."

"I don't care what you say, I'm not listening to you any more." He put his mouth over hers.

"Please. Just one minute. We have to talk."

"Oh, no." He pulled back, and looked at her. "Why do you keep doing this to me? What did I ever do to you to make you hate me this much?"

"No, no, that's not it. I just can't keep making this same mistake over and over again."

"Mistake? I know I'm going to hate myself in the morning, but I have got to ask. What mistake are you talking about?"

"You're the one who keeps talking about love and marriage, and all that jazz. How can I defend myself against that?"

"Now she's talking about self-defense." He fell over on his back, and covered his face with his hands. "I give up. This is a woman who I've professed to love until my dying day. But, that's not good enough. She needs more than that. She needs more than eternal love and commitment."

"Yeah, and you're full of crap. Just stop talking to yourself for a minute, and talk to me."

"Sure. Why not? What's the topic of discussion for today: politics, religion, or how about the price of tea in China?"

"I'll overlook the sarcasm because I realize this has been very stressful for you."

"So, now we're calling my affection for you 'stress'. Very complimentary."

"You seem to forget, I've played this scene before. The easiest thing in the world for me right now would be to shut my eyes, and open my heart. I mean, sure, on the surface you seem to be an entirely different type of man, but I did learn a lesson from my time with Phil Bleetz."

"Bleetz! Is that what this is all about? Man, that is so unfair."

"Probably. But, although you and he may be two different men, this is the same little old me in the middle. I can't ignore that fact, and neither should you. Let's face it, when it comes to affairs of the heart, I have ridiculously poor judgment."

"Can't argue with you there." He propped himself up on his elbows. "But, come on. How can you compare that relationship to what we have? Wake up, and smell the half-caf mocha latte."

"The comparisons are surprisingly similar. Look at my track record. I have a habit of getting swept up in the adventure of romance, so much so I find it hard to distinguish my real emotions for the individualman from theevent ."

"You know, if you're trying to keep from turning me on you should probably stop using words like 'adventure' and 'event'. That just does funny things to the perverted part of my imagination, and makes it even more difficult to keep my hands off you."

She sat up, and tightened her belt. "Thishas been an adventure. But, when the danger is over, you're not liable to find me so fascinating. You're going to want to move on to your next adventure."

"Don't judge me by your standards. Do you really think I'm that shallow?"

"I think your main attraction to me is based on a false image of what you think being with me would be like."

"Certainly not boring. Regardless of the circumstances, you could never be boring."

Glenn looked into his face, astounded again by the composition of cheekbone, jaw line and granite gray eyes, softened by shaven skin the texture of silk and liquid lips.

"Oh, my dear, I swear to you, if we get out of this alive..."

"What if?" Geoff asked.

"Let's just say, I'll owe you one."

"You owe me two, at least. No, make that three." He held up three fingers. "And, I'm letting you off easy at that."

"Not that you're counting, or anything." She smiled. "Gee, I hope I'm worth it."

Geoff took her hands in his. "Lucky for you my mom raised me to be a gentleman. However, if you don't get your clothes right this minute, I'm not going to be held responsible for my actions."

"Yeah, sure, like you're not going to be picturing me naked anyway." She put her arms around his neck. "Sometimes I wish you weren't so darned decent."

"Hey, there's no need to get vicious with the name-calling." He tightened his grip around her waist. "By the way, in case there was any doubt in your mind, I do think you're worth waiting for and, yes, I am, at this very moment, picturing you naked."

"Oh, yeah, how do I look?"

He chuckled. "Like trouble. Big, big trouble."

They put together some food in a paper sack, and put it in the back of black, E class Mercedes Benz. They got dressed, and put on their jackets, and she put the red foil present in her pocket.

Geoff was cautious with the vehicle at first, but by the time they reached Downsville Pike he was comfortable behind the wheel. He selected a radio station, which came in and out of range through the rolling peaks and valleys. The DJ highlighted local events, mostly Christmas musicals in schools and churches. All would be happening on schedule as long as, 'God is willin' and the creek don't rise', which seemed a possibility. The area had been saturated with rain. In fact, by Halloween, officials had declared an end to a decade-long drought. Making matters worse was an important celestial phenomenon. The moon was full, and closer to the earth by several thousand meters, making for spectacular viewing, and high tides.