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            Frechette felt something strange was happening to him.
            He was in his office, listening. Simply listening and taking notes, hardly asking any questions at all as he interviewed the long line of volunteers Jaclyn had brought with her to talk about Trevor. The air seemed soft on his skin, calm all around him, sunlight falling warmly on his shoulders as it poured through the window behind him.
            As the stern faced doctor listened his pen moved fast on his notepad, jotting down contacts, names. But slowly, things began to change. Minute by minute, interview by interview, the doctor's harsh expression was slowly turning into one of wonder. He was listening to so many people that all of it was starting to blur soundlessly together in his mind, their words echoing, mingling. Faces, stories, feelings, all passing through his thoughts as one by one, a different person came into his office.
            Each one entered alone, unique in their experiences, gliding silently through his office door and into the austere interior within. He held onto the images of them standing up, sitting down, talking to him, those impressions almost merging into one another. Each of them was there to tell a story. A story about Trevor and how he had helped them find something vital, something precious in their lives. More than just companionship, more than just sex. Even more than love. It was as if Trevor had helped them to see themselves, helped them  free themselves for the first time.
            Blinking, Frechette realized Trevor did the same thing he did as a therapist. Or tried to do, anyway. And as he listening to what they said, his expensive pen pausing more and more over his notes as he became lost in their stories, he began to realize with increasing clarity one simple truth. Trevor did it better.
            As a doctor, had he ever helped anyone to the extent Trevor had helped these people? He wasn't so sure now. The faces continued to change, blurring together as people came and went from the long line waiting outside, their mouths moving silently as they spoke. The angle of the sun visibly shifted across his back as the day progressed. He wrote and listened, a sparkle of amazement growing in his eyes.


            That same, soundless serenity seemed to cover what appeared to be an endless two lane road, rolling calmly closer, silent in the desert. Yellow stripes and dark asphalt slipped past underneath, the road stretching gently down a slope to a horizon of red, rocky formations, dry bushes and cactus plants sliding peacefully by.
            Above, the sky was warm and blue, a glaring bright sun bracketed by puffy white clouds floating in the dry midday air. The flat lower edges of the clouds were dark blue with waiting rain. Through all the wide open spaces, the sun was illuminating the desert below as everything moved gracefully past to either side of the road. Everything was silent, as if safely isolated from the rest of the world, simple and beautiful.
            The shiny black hood of the mustang convertible came into view, the road still sliding past beneath it. Sitting behind the steering wheel, Trevor was driving them through the remote region, the sun's glow bright on his face. The air rushing over them was warm and full. Looking over at Claire sitting beside him, Trevor watched her dark hair dance on the breeze as they sped forward, red desert rock passing behind her. They had left the snow capped peaks of the Rocky Mountains glinting in the sunshine hours behind them. Now  they headed deeper into that isolated part of the desert. As he watched her, Claire's eyes were on the road before them, lost in her own thoughts.
            Looking ahead again, Trevor couldn't explain what he was feeling. Both he and Claire were letting go of the stresses of the past few days, even if only for a few hours. Ahead, the road was turning around a large rocky outcropping, before dropping again in a gentle incline. And as the new vista opened up before them, Trevor pause at what he saw, looking ahead in amazement as he drove.
            In the distance, dark thin streaks of rain were falling from underneath the clumps of floating white clouds, finally releasing their moisture onto the shadows of thirsty desert beneath them. Between the clouds, the sun was angling down in golden shafts, beams sliding across the desert. But more startling than that, everywhere the rain had already passed, almost magically, a sea of unexpected new green tinge had sprouted up under the blue of the open sky. The field of color was alive and new over the browns of the dead desert plain. It was a wide,  amazing image of newborn growth, beautiful and serene.


            One by one, they kept coming into Frechette's office, and he realized he didn't have to ask too many questions. They were all very forthcoming, willing to talk, their words sincere. He looked at the man before him, listening to his tale. It was Lawrence, and he was different this time, no longer reluctant or evasive. Instead Lawrence was speaking honestly, the words pouring out of him without condition.
            "It was a tough time in my life. I guess I hit rock bottom. But Trevor kept bumping me forward, telling me not to give up..."
            Suddenly Mike had replaced Lawrence in the seat before Frechette's desk, and his demeanor had changed too. He smiled as he remembered, his words soothing, his movements animated. "And when I finally listened to Trevor and took that leap--... I mean, it was just amazing. And for the first time in all of my life, my life seemed... full of possibilities."


            Still amazed by what was laid out before them, Trevor looked over at Claire as they silently drove through the desert. He saw Claire's eyes sparkling happily at the beautiful vista of vibrant color stretching to the desert horizon. He could feel it too, being there with her. With a smile he looked back at the amazing sight, the two of them suddenly filled with hope.


            In Frechette's office, a young blond woman was speaking now. "Trevor was great. He helped me through it. Didn't let me wallow for too long. He gave me a shoulder to cry on. But after, he was pushing me back out there, telling me to get back in the game..."
            "I had never even though of Lawrence that way," Tina was explaining to Frechette with a smile, the previous blond woman gone. "Until somehow, Trevor planted this thought, this possibility in my head. Wasn't too long after that before my heart followed. Trevor helped me see past my preconceptions of how the world had to be. To see the possibilities of what could be."
            A thirthy-ish businessman had replaced Tina in the chair, a knowing smile on his face. "I mean, I didn't know where this connection Trevor had started was going, you know? But what surprised me was that because of him, for the first time I wasn't afraid to find out. I mean, she could really be the one."


            Claire looked over at Trevor in the driver's seat of the convertible, the amazing image of the green tinged desert passing behind her in the warm sunlight. She felt happy, but a question was bouncing in her mind.
            "Trevor... what's it feel like to really fly?"
            Laughing, Trevor simply kept looking ahead.


            "It feels... amazing."
            Another woman with long, curly light brown hair and kind eyes was seated across from Frechette, answering. "I mean, now that I'm with Jim, it's just... wow. It's just like... I'm floating."


            Thinking about Claire's question as he drove, Trevor looked over at her, the sunlight bright all around them as the woman's voice in Frechette's office continued to speak.
            "Like gravity didn't matter to me anymore..."
            Finally Trevor got an idea, freeing one hand from the steering wheel, he tapped the top edge of Claire's seat in the convertible as the car continued to drive through the verdant desert.
            "Get up here, Claire."
            "Really?" she asked, wondering what he meant.
            "It's okay. I'll hold you."
            Smiling but looking a little reluctant, Claire rose out of her seat as red rock walls passed behind her. Cautiously she positioned herself and sat on the top headrest of her car seat, feeling exposed by the open air around her precarious position as they drove on. She gripped the seat tightly with her hands to either side of her legs. With his one free hand, Trevor held her ankle gently, trying to overcome her reluctance. Claire felt very high above the mustang, her hands no letting go yet.
            The woman's voice speaking to Frechette could be heard again.
            "I really was floating. Like I was stepping up, rising, spreading my wings..."
            Looking away from the road for a moment, Trevor gave her an encouraging look. And slowly, Claire let go of her hard grip, Trevor still gently holding her ankle. Tentative, she lifted her arms, spreading to either side, growing braver by the moment.
            The unseen woman continued to speak. "And just like that, in the space of a single heartbeat, I was soaring..."
            Claire couldn't believe what she felt, perched in the air above the rest of the car as everything else slipped by around her. She felt the warm wind flowing over her face, nothing but open spaces to either side as they sped down the black asphalt road, her arms spread out, unguarded, unburdened. And in that exhilarating flash of freedom, Claire couldn't help herself, finally laughing.


            There was a twinkle in Lawrence's eye as he smiled at Frechette. "I feel alive now. The sun is warmer. The sky brighter. Everything feels alive again."


            With her arms spread, Claire simply reveled in the sensation of everything that was happening, the red and green desert surrounded her as it passed in the bright sunshine. Behind her, distant falling rain caught a twinkle of sunlight, and unexpected rainbow arching in and out of view in the otherwise dry desert air. With a smile, Claire tilted her head back, enjoying the sun's warmth on her face. And closing her eyes, her arms outstretched, she flew.


            Another man was in Frechette's office, a grateful look in his eyes. "When I really think of Trevor, all I can say is... 'Thank you'."
            "Thank you..." a red headed woman seemed to agree.
            "Thank you." Lawrence nodded.
            "Thank you." Tina said with a smile.


            Carefully, Claire dropped back into her seat with a contented sigh, her 'flight' over, but still with a sense of exhilaration in her chest. Catching he breath, she looked over at Trevor as he drove, grateful for what he had given her.
            "Thank you, Trevor." she said simply.


            Pausing for several moments in his office, Frechette didn't know what to say, his pen still in his hand but now motionless over half completed notes he had abandoned writing earlier in the process. Slowly, he put the pen down, looking over his polished desk at Jaclyn, the last person to come in after a long day of interviews.
            "Thank you, Jaclyn. I think I'm beginning to understand."


            Claire smiled at Trevor as they drove. "I think it's time I returned the favor, Trevor."
            He looked at her, blinking. "Return the favor? How?"
            Her eyes glinted wickedly as she kept her secret.
            "You'll see. Pull over, Trevor. I'm driving."


            The sun was finally starting to lower past midday, green tree leaves waving gently in the soft breeze. A simple dirt road cut through the trees lining either side, moving up to the  two story house with a covered wooden porch along its front. The small, isolated dwelling was the same one where Trevor and Claire had stayed for a night, the Bennett household, serene in the quiet countryside.
            Suddenly there was the scraping roar of tires on dirt, and a police cruiser came into view, moving down the dirt road and leaving am expanding line of dust kicked up in its wake, floating on the air. The police cruiser drove further away, heading for the homestead at the end of the road, in no apparent hurry. When it reach the building, the cruiser turned slightly, pulling parallel with the front porch and coming to a stop.
            After a few moments, there was two dim thumps of car doors closing on either side of the vehicle, as two uniformed police officers got out and shut their doors again. Birds chirped in the trees, content in the early afternoon light. After a few moments a man and a woman came out of the front door of the homestead, having seen the policemen's arrival, curious as to what was happening.
            The two policemen moved up the wooden steps, addressing the Bennetts politely. Although nothing could be heard in the distance, the small group stayed on the porch as calmly, the police began to ask the Bennetts some questions.


            Claire had taken over the driving duties, speeding the agile convertible along a small dirt road, over and around various small desert rises. They were driving along, apparently in the middle of nowhere. Trevor was sitting beside her, wondering where they were going, but he didn't question her. She only repeated what she had already said, that she was going to 'return the favor'. Claire seemed certain in her direction. All around the speeding car, the dry land was brown and flat, covered in brittle shrubs and small weeds sprouting from the dirt as far as his eyes could see. Far off in the distance were the hazy reddish brown rocky heights, leaving wide open spaces of dry desert air around them. The cloudless blue sky still stretched in the heat above.
            As Trevor looked into the sky, his eyes caught something metallic glinting brightly, high above in that blue. The object turned, and Trevor realized it was a small two person prop plane, circling, swooping.
            Claire saw the object too, smiling. "Knew we were close. Turn off's around here somewhere."
            Finally an even smaller road appeared to one side, and she pulled the car off the road they were on, following the smaller road into the dry desert, leaving dirt slowly rising in her wake. Looking past the front windshield, Trevor saw a a tiny airfield bouncing towards them, safely tucked in that remote desert expanse. The entire facility was little more than a large metal shack that served as a hanger, and  a small administrative shack outside. Stretching into the distance away from that was a small, worn looking, light gray asphalt airstrip that had seen better days. Slowing the mustang down between the two buildings, Claire stopped the car in the desert quiet, the engine rumbling softly, before she turned it off. Trevor and Claire got out on either side, looking around, the sun hot on their faces. Calmly, Claire took his hand, before she called out into the air.
            "Samson!"
            Walking out of a small door in the side of the metal hangar, an older man came over to them. Seen dimly through the open doorway was the edge of another two person prop plane under repair in the shadows of the hangar, obscuring something white behind. The man approaching them was tanned and muscular despite his age, strong bulging arms covered with tattoos, wiping black engine oil from his hands with a rag. But despite his imposing demeanor, his eyes were kind, smiling at them as he approached.
            "Clarinette," he said happily, his voice as gruff as his appearance, like sandpaper on wood. "Oh Claire, how have you been?"
            "Good to see you, Sammy." Claire hugged the older man, obviously knowing him.
            Like a worried father, the gruff airplane mechanic looked her over. "My god, Clarinette, how long has it been since I laid eyes on you?"
            "Well, since... before Jack died." Claire replied somberly. She turned to wards Trevor. "Samson, I'd like you to meet Trevor Hale. The love of my life..." she said with a smile.
            Samson gave Trevor a strong, welcoming handshake. "Nice to meet you, Trevor."
            "Hey man, likewise," he said back.
            "Trevor, this is Sam Conathan. Jack's father."
            Trevor looked down, remembering Jack Conathan, Claire's pilot boyfriend. Reaching out, Trevor gave Sam another consolatory hug. "Hey Sammy, sorry about what happened."
            "Yeah..." The old man said, surprised, but appreciating the gesture. "The pilot lesson business hasn't been the same here since he left for Chicago. Not as many customers lately. And then I heard about the accident... well, at least I know Jack died doing what he loved." He looked at Claire. "Miss you out here too, Claire. Sorry things didn't work out with you and Jack. He' always been... flighty. How you holding up?"
            "I've been better. Things are pretty hectic right now."
            "Yeah, I heard the news. But you know, you're both always welcome here, Clarinette."
            "Thanks, Sammy." she replied gratefully, "We're not staying long. Just need to lay low for a few hours. Wait for night before heading into Vegas. We have a contact meeting us there. Where's Benny?"
            "Oh, he's up in Number Three, checking out the engine repairs I finished on it. Still following in his big brother's footsteps. Used to be Jack's favorite plane before... he left."
            "Yeah... I'm glad I could see you again. Sammy. I was wondering... Think I could stretch my wings a bit?"
            The older man gave her  a knowing look. "I think that could be arranged. Let me go inside." He disappeared into the hanger with a smile.
            Trevor turned to her, the two of them alone. "Planning to fly us out of here, Claire?"
            "No. Training planes don't have the range. And landing at a major airport would draw too much unwanted attention. Just waiting for nightfall. Enough time to stretch my wings and return the favor."
            Trevor blinked. "Stretch your wings? What do you mean?"


            The inside of the hanger was black, covered in shadows, until suddenly, with a whir of a small electrical motor, the main hanger doors began to slide to either side, opening onto a desert vista, the shiny black mustang parked on the asphalt behind, three figures standing there, outlined against the blue sky. The trio walked in, Trevor looking around. The moved deeper into the echoing hanger, the air cooler than the heat outside. Samson turned to Claire, pleased.
            "Benny's on his way down. I'll go get her ready."
            With that, the older mechanic walked away, ignoring the two person prop plane he had been working on, going past it. Trevor was still not sure what was happening. "Claire, what's going on?"
            She smiled walking past the two person prop plane and guiding Trevor deeper into the hanger. "Just returning the favor, Trevor."
            As they stepped forward, the prop plane slid past to reveal a slender white vehicle behind it, its lines smooth, delicate and beautiful. Trevor looked at it in awe. It was a glider, simple and amazing. It had no engine, no props, nothing to distract from the sense of flight, the sense of freedom waiting to be released. Looking over, he saw a name written on the side of the plane in fancy cursive, Claire.
            She smiled proudly at him. "Jack gave me glider lessons. Named the glider after me."
            Smiling, Trevor was still watching the glider in wonder.
            Claire took his hand, giving it a squeeze as she looked into his eyes.
            "Time to fly, Trevor..."



            The blue desert sky stretched full and blue above, alive with possibilities in the warm sunshine that glowed brightly down. Below, a small prop plane raced across an cracked dried out runway with a barely perceptible black line connecting it to the graceful shape of a pearly white glider being pulled behind. Both were small in the vast desert, gaining speed.
            Inside the bouncing glider cockpit, sunlight fell through the clear canopy onto Trevor's smiling face, his heart pumping as the glider picked up speed, bouncing, as if straining impatiently to go back to its natural place up in the deep sky. Behind him, Claire reached from around his sides to the controls, her breath on his cheek as she smiled as well, ready to control the glider once they were airborne.
            Trevor held his breath... and suddenly, after the shaking stopped, they were in the sky, pulled by the small black cable stretching from the prop plane flying before them. Carefully they rose higher, Trevor feeling alive as the sun shifted through the canopy. Soon they were high above the desert, and Claire reached past Trevor to key the radio.
            "Ok, Benny. Let her go..."
            The cable dropped out of sight as the small plane swerved slowly away. And then... they were FLYING. Exhilaration filled the inside of his chest as the glider tilted over the desert far below, the late afternoon sky a beautiful clear blue around them. He felt gravity turn around them, felt the delicate glider swim through the sky like a dancer. And finally, Trevor couldn't help it.
            He laughed.
            "A touch of home." she said. Claire smiled behind him, her hands accompanying his on the glider controls. "Feel familiar?"
            His eyes sparkled happily. "You have no idea..."
            "Wanna try it?" Claire nodded to the controls.
            "Oh yeah." He nodded enthusiastically.
            Claire let them go, and Trevor took the glider controls on his own. Cautiously, she started to speak. "Now be careful with the stick, it's very--"
            Confident, Trevor dropped the glider into a steep dive, laughing. Claire held onto the seat as they increased speed, the ground racing towards them until he pulled the flying machine gracefully back up. They now soaring higher, and higher, flipping the glider vertical until she worried they would stall in mid air. But like he had been doing it all his life, Trevor turned the glider expertly on one slender wing tip as it paused, pointing the nose down until they flew graceful down once again in a smooth arc. Claire seemed to relax, exhaling when it looked like Trevor knew what he was doing. Her eyes were amazed at the maneuvers he was performing, effortlessly guiding the glider like he had been flying forever. Maybe he had been.
            The sun was starting to dip towards the horizon, painting a beautiful swath of colors before them, and she smiled as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, the golden light flowing on both of them. He kept the glider aloft longer than anyone Claire had ever seen, like a professional dancing on air. Trevor continued to fly for several minutes longer than she thought was possible, until she sensed a change.
            "Trevor what is it?"
            His hands seemed impatient as the glider slowed more and more, its momentum now almost over. "Not enough control..."
            His eyes shifted past the canopy, the sun shining at them, and he seemed to want to soar beyond the simple glider that was encasing them. And almost without thought, his hand slowly reaching for the canopy latch, already rising out of his seat--
            With a smile, Claire placed her hand over his, stopping him. She spoke gently, feeling the pull inside him. "I don't have wings, Trevor..."
            Trevor seemed to come out of a daze, looking away from the sky at her beside him. He pulled her hand to his lips, kissing it gratefully.
            "Thank you for this, Claire."
            "You're welcome, Trevor."
            The sun was still a few hours away from sunset, but the sky was already a beautiful glowing red, as outlined against it, the slender outline of the glider slowly turned for the runway on the desert floor below.


            "Ok... thanks, Dwight."
            Standing on a noisy Chicago sidewalk in the late afternoon light, the assistant to the police detective pressed a button and folded his cell phone shut. Walking over to where the head detective was finishing up an interview with a shop owner outside his establishment, the assistant looked a down at the notepad in his hands where he had written down information from the phone call he had been on, still on the case to find Trevor and Claire.
            The two men in suits stood there on the sidewalk as cars sped by on the road, drowning out what the head detective was saying to the nervous looking man before him. Finally the gruff detective thanked the shop owner and turned away, a frustrated look on his face. As the shop owner went back inside, the older policeman scowled at his younger assistant, already not liking what he knew the young man was about to say.
            The younger detective breathed in, steadying himself, but still feeling confident. "Ready for this..? Just got off the phone with the unit we sent out to the Bennett household."
            The older detective's face soured even more. "And?"
            "And... both Bennetts claim neither of them have seen or heard from Mr. Hale or Mrs. Allen since before they moved out of Chicago. But after when the detectives looked around... they noticed a black mustang registered to Mr. Bennett's name was missing. When pressed about it, the Bennetts had no explanation. They assumed it must have been stolen."
            "Yeah... right."
            The assistant nodded, holding up his notepad. "Took down the make, model, and license plates... so we can put out an APB on the car."
            The harsh looking detective shook his head, then bobbed it towards the store front beside them. "Same story here. Yet another person who claims to have not seen or helped them in any way. But this guy was nervous. I know he was hiding something, like the others. And he told me something else... He's already been interviewed... by Dr. Frechette."
            "Another one?" The younger man sounded incredulous. "What's that make, seven outside interviews he's conducted now?"
            "Nine," The detective corrected him, his frustration simmering angrily in his words. "Frechette's been conducting an investigation of his own. Just like I suspected... the good doctor's been holding out on us."
            The assistant looked at him for a long cold moment. "So what do we do?"
            The detective paused as he stood on the noisy sidewalk, thinking. Slowly the sun finished slipping below the edge of the city's skyline, dropping beneath the horizon and slowly darkening the sidewalk around them. The detective looked at his assistant, now a shadow in the dim light.
            "Which judge's got the docket tonight?" he asked.
            "Flanderson..." the young man  answered.
            "Yeah... He'll do. I've had just about enough of this. Time to force the good doctor's hand..."


            It was early twilight, the mustang's now dust covered black finish was reflecting the delicate swath of colors from the remaining daylight above, purple and blue. The silent, empty road stretched through a dry wide plain towards a cluster of lights set against the darkening horizon. Claire was asleep in the passenger seat beside him as Trevor drove and looked ahead. Everything seemed to have settled down, quiet and peaceful. But there was also an alertness in the air around him, as if something were waiting to happen. Trevor couldn't shake a feeling of unease, blinking to himself, stretching his shoulders, feeling the tension there.
            Ahead, something approached unexpectedly. It was a small wooden structure, alone in the silence. Slowing the car, Trevor watched it pass by. It was a small white cross made of wood, pushed into the dirt beside the road. And then, it was followed by another. And another, nothing else around for miles in the flat desert. There were flowers and notes clustered around the base of each, faded and forgotten. It suddenly caught up with Trevor that these were memorials, markers where someone had died in a car accident on the very same road he was driving down. It seemed surreal, nothing else around for miles. As the small shadowed crosses passed into the dim light behind, a chill went through Trevor's body at the ominous sign.
            He looked over at Claire sleeping, seeing how beautiful she was. He knew that despite everything, he wouldn't let anything bad happen to her. The bright blinking city lights of Las Vegas got closer up ahead. Forgetting his unease, Trevor smiled instead, carefully reaching over to touch Claire's face and wake her.
            "We're here, Claire..."


            Harshly pushing back the black night sky, a sea of gaudy lights strobed and blinked all around Trevor and Claire as they drove the shiny black convertible down the main Las Vegas strip. There were cars and people everywhere. Claire seemed nervous, despite knowing they had timed this to enter at night and be less conspicuous, to blend in as two more tourists.  But still feeling suspicious, she carefully read each passing street sign, searching.
            Trevor kept an eye out as well, watching for police cruisers. But by the grace of the gods, there were none in sight. At an intersection, he turned the car slowly, trying not to be distracted by the bustle of the sparkling electronic display. They were supposed to meet their next contact somewhere in this chaos, if they could find the spot.
            "Turn here, Trevor" Claire said. "I think we're close."
            Trevor turned the steering wheel again, reflections sliding colorfully across the car's hood, the engine growing louder as they left the hectic activity of the main drag, driving onto a darker street behind. After a minute or so, he pulled into a small parking lot set before the lit front glass of a tiny, out of the way coffee and doughnut shop.
            There was a woman outside, waiting there patiently.
            Claire looked down at her watch. "Right on time..."
            Trevor pulled the car up beside the woman, and with a smile she called playfully out to them. "So... want a date?"
            "Hi, Susan." Claire replied gratefully, sounding tired as she got out of the passenger side of the mustang, moving up and giving the woman a hug as Trevor got out on his side as well.
            "Susan!" Trevor looked over at her in surprise. She was the woman who had received a heart transplant, and he hadn't seen her in a long while. Was he going to run into all his bead matches on this trip?
            "Hello, Trevor. Glad you found me. I brought you guys some more money and supplies from the group, and a place to stay..."
            Trevor also gave the woman a excited hug, genuinely pleased she was there, growing more animated as he stood beside her on the darkened sidewalk with Claire. "It's good to see you, Susan. My 'perfect match'. How have you been?" he asked happily.
            "Good. Happy. Alive." Her eyes sparkled at them. "I, umm... moved here to Vegas after Chicago. Jaclyn contacted me yesterday. Seems more out going than I remember her. The Resistance is going strong it seems. But let's go inside. You must be starving."


            It was a few hours later when Trevor and Susan were walking side by side outside the coffee shop. Several steps behind them, Claire was  on Susan's cell phone, discussing their next move through a complicated set of cross call contacts Jaclyn had set up. For the moment, Trevor and Susan were alone, the street before the coffee shop silent, only an occasional car driving by. Still they kept well away from it, walking in the shadows.
            "So, the FTR arranged a place for you to stay tonight," Susan was explaining again.
            Trevor nodded, looking down. "What, some cardboard box in a back alley somewhere?"
            "No, a rooftop luxury hotel suite on the main strip, actually."
            Surprised, Trevor looked at her, realizing she wasn't kidding. He was impressed. "How'd you manage that?"
            "It's usually saved for performers, musician types. It's open for you and Claire to use, courtesy of one Sophie Gill. It was already reserved for her this week, but she left early."
            "Sophie was here?" Trevor asked, remembering Champ's recording artist friend, thinking of road trips and stretch limos.
            "Yeah, but she cleared out. Went to her next stop early with Brian. Don't worry. The suite's set up for reclusive rock star types who don't want to be seen. Private elevator. Underground limo access. No one will see you."
            "Yeah..." Trevor grew quite, thinking of all that had happened. He and Susan continued to walk, the mustang parked far behind them. Claire followed them several steps back, voice quiet as she talked on the cell phone. Trevor couldn't help but wonder how much his life had changed, being on the run with Claire, having to hide from place to place.
            Susan looked at him. "Still going west?"
            "Yeah. I feel it's where I'm supposed to go."
            Susan seemed to sense his mood, glancing over. "Crazy times, huh?"
            He nodded. "Life can throw you for a loop sometimes."
            "I know..." She kept walking along beside him. "Makes you realize things. Makes you realize how short this is. Life, I mean. Like the short time I spent with Dan? It was so worth it. Despite what happened, I'm glad I knew him. Glad I loved him. Glad I took that chance, thanks to you. And he's still here," she touched her chest fondly, "With me."
            Trevor looked sadly away. "Well, you know more than anyone. Not everything ends well for people who are with me. Look at right now. I'm a wanted fugitive. Claire's on the run with me, not knowing where we're going, or how it ends."
            "Who says it ends?" She smiled, still walking. "Doesn't matter, Trevor. That's what you showed me. You can't let the world hold you back, no matter how much it wants to. You have to grab hold of your own life and not let go."
            "Yeah? How do I do that."
            They were approaching a smaller building, brightly lit with blue and white neon on a garish peaked roof, alone on the darkened street. Susan looked at him. "You do it by taking the opportunities, when they're there. Regardless of  what the world around you wants instead.  You do that by following the only thing that matters."
            Knowingly, Susan looked over at the bright building in the distance they were standing in front of. Trevor looked over as if seeing it for the first time. A neon sign flashed, reading FOLLOW YOU HEART. Trevor stopped, thinking, wondering if somehow Susan had planned this. He looked over at her, a question in his eyes.
            She smiled back at him, her face lit dimly in the shadows by the small nearby building's neon lights, a certainty in her expression. "Someone once told me, you can't live life like you're going to die. If there's one thing I've learned from that, Trevor, it's... don't wait."
            Looking down, Trevor allowed himself to imagine, to dream of the what ifs. And suddenly, it all  seemed so simple, a weight falling off his shoulders. It was so clear now, so obvious he that he didn't know why he had never seen it before. He felt a wave pass through him, washing away his doubts. Suddenly it was as if his soul had been freed.
            Somewhere in the quiet Vegas night, an acoustic guitar began to play as Trevor looked back at Susan, his eyes sparkling with sudden joy. Accompanying the unseen guitar, a man's voice began to sing, floating over everything.

            I won't talk, I won't breathe,
            I won't move until you finally see
            that you belong with me...

            Trevor suddenly turned, an eager hop in his step as he walked back to where Claire was trailing them as she spoke on Susan's cell phone. Coming up to her, Trevor bent the cell phone shut, interrupting her call. Claire blinked at him in surprise, not understanding his sudden change in demeanor.
            The guitar continued to play, the man continued to sing.

            You might think, I don't look,
            but deep inside, the corner of my mind
            I'm attached to you...

            Before Claire could ask anything about what was happening to him, Trevor rushed forward and kissed her deeply, holding his body against hers as he took her into his arms. Claire was confused for a moment at his sudden embrace, but then she couldn't help but fall into the kiss with him, closing her eyes as her arms wrapped around his back in a loving caress, leaning closer. Several steps away, Susan looked away with a smile, swaying happily.

            I'm weak, it's true, because I'm afraid to know the answer
            Do you want me too? Because my heart keeps falling faster...

            Claire felt her whole body swoon, catching her breath as Trevor pulled back, breaking the long, passionate kiss. Gently, he took her hands as she tried to get her bearings, guiding her eagerly after him, moving past Susan. Claire didn't understand, but for the moment she was too exhilarated to care, following him towards the illumination ahead.

            I've waited all my life, to cross this line,
            to the only thing that's true...

            "Trevor, what are you doing?"
            His face beamed as he looked at her, as if everything finally made sense. "Something I should have done a long time ago..."
            Still holding her hand, he guided her towards the brightly lit building ahead.

            So I will not hide, it's time to try,
            anything to be with you...

            Suddenly the two of them were dark figures in the distance, outlined against the lights. Susan was watching off to one side. Trevor turned and faced Claire, shadowed against the neon draped form of a small out of the way quickie wedding chapel, covered in blue and white glowing bars as another sign continued to flash FOLLOW YOUR HEART. Claire glanced at the building, shocked, before she watched Trevor slowly drop down to one knee before her. The acoustic guitar music still played softly. Kneeling in the distance, Trevor's words were too far away to hear as he looked up into Claire's eyes. She looked even more shocked at what he was saying, but it was only for moment. Then she was nodding happily, laughing as he rose and took her into his arms, swinging her around in absolute bliss.

            All my life I've waited, this is true...

            Susan opened the door to the brightly lit interior of the busy coffee shop with a smile, calling happily in.
            "Hey... You guys want to attend a wedding?"
            Inside the main room of the tiny wedding chapel, a red neon outline of a heart glowed near the crest of the peaked ceiling, placed over a podium underneath. The 'minister' smiled kindly having done this so many times before. Trevor waited nervously by the podium, looking towards the back of the room, a huge smile on his face.
            But when the door opened opened, it wasn't Claire, it was a crowd of talkative, happy patrons from the coffee shop, some still holding coffee cups and doughnuts, guided in by Susan to fill the empty rows of seats. Trevor looked at Susan with a question.
            With a pleased expression, she shrugged. "God of love deserves a bigger audience than just one person if he's getting married, don't you think?"
            Trevor laughed, nodding at her. "Thank you, Susan."
            "You're welcome."
            Trevor straightened his hair, fussing over his ordinary clothing as he waited. He exhaled, happier than he had ever been. The suddenly the door at the back of the room opened again. The guitar continued to play over the scene, but now it was joined by a soft cello in the background , as the male voice continued to sing.

            You don't know, what you do,
            Every time you walk into the room,
            I'm afraid to move...

            Trevor paused, his jaw dropping, stopping in wonder.
            Looking into his eyes, Claire smiled, walking into the chapel as all eyes turned to her. She was wearing a different blouse, simple blue silk. In her hands was a bouquet of white flowers, nothing out of the ordinary, but somehow... she was absolutely stunning. She looked like an angel, gliding forward, more beautiful than he had ever seen her, happiness exuding from her like a light brighter than any sun in the sky. Slowly, she came up to him, reaching out. Gently she took his hand into hers, holding it tenderly, pausing it there in mid air with a slight squeeze. A spark flashed through him, feeling amazingly alive.

            I'm weak, it's true,
            I'm just scared to know the ending...

            The minister looked at them expectantly, waiting to start the process, his pen in hand over some forms. "Names?"
            Trevor paused thinking about how much he should answer. But then it came to him.
            "Trevor Claire." he said altogether. "My full name is Trevor Claire."
            She smiled at him, her eyes beaming. The minister blinked, as if remembering something, something that should be familiar.  Then he turned to her.
            "And your name, miss?"
            She squeezed his hand slightly.
            "Claire Trevor."

            Do you see me too?
            Do you even know you've met me...

            Still trying to rekindle his memory, the 'minister' finally just pushed it out of his mind. "Okay. Shall we begin?"

 
            For Trevor, the rest of that night was like he had lost any sense of time beyond what happened. It was like the only thing that existed, that ever existed, were those next few hours.
            Images passed together in a mosaic, the music growing louder as orchestra strings joined the cello and the male singer. The 'minister' spoke, Trevor and Claire kissed, and suddenly they were husband and wife, and it was like they always had been.  The crowd rose and applauded, some giving yells of approval, throwing white coffee house sugar packets  instead of rice, as Trevor and Claire walked happily back down the aisle. The sugar filled packets fell on their shoulders, some cascading down their smiling faces, followed by rose petals someone had found, filling the air.
            Several champagne bottles popped behind the happy crowd at the same time, foam spurting up. A real party was starting in the room. Trevor and Claire, the happy couple, staying, mingling with new friends. Images blurred, women giving Claire congratulatory hugs, Trevor laughing as he spoke with several people. Claire looked over, smiling, when she saw Trevor guide a reluctant looking man over to the woman he had obviously been watching the whole ceremony. She nodded, realizing that was Trevor. It was they way he should be. Love's greatest advocate until the end.  No weddings followed after, the chapel theirs as the music continued to play,  orchestra strings joining in now as more instruments playing along, even  as more people came in and joined their celebration.

            I've waited all my life to cross this line,
            to the only thing that's true...
            So I will not hide, it's time to try,
            anything to be with you,
            All my life I've waited, this is true...

            Outside the small wedding chapel, as the cheering coffee house crowd followed Trevor and Claire out still tossing sugar packets, a stretch limo waited, Sophie Gill's limo. Susan had called ahead. Happily, Trevor and Claire got in, pausing inside. There were two champagne glass and a bottle on ice, a note left behind long before they had even entered Vegas, which simply read HAVE FUN YOU GUYS. LOVE, SOPHIE AND BRIAN.. Touched, Trevor and Claire looked at each other in the quiet of the limo. Suddenly they were truly alone, kissing, just the two of them.
            Outside, the crowd cheered as the limo pulled away, sugar packets and rose petals sliding off it's roof as it disappeared into the night. Champagne in his hand, the 'minister' applauded with the rest, still trying to remember what he had forgotten, taking yet another drink as he went back into the chapel with the others to continue with the party.

            I know when I go, I'll be on my way to you,
            The way that's true...

            As the music still played, the limo pulled into the dark underground garage. The car door opened, and no noticed. The private elevator door shut, and no on saw. Claire walked forward, guiding Trevor by the hand into the dim, luxurious sweet, the glittering bright expanse of Las Vegas glowing in the night beyond the wide glass windows. In the shadows, Claire looked into Trevor's eyes, looking for the same reluctance she had seen after the first time they had made love. It wasn't there, his eyes certain, unafraid. And in that moment, they knew. This was right. Slowly they kissed, tender, as outlined against the dazzling city lights of Las Vegas, they began to remove each other's clothing. As the music played, there was no other sounds, clothing gently falling to the carpet like rose petals.
            Trevor and Claire gave into each other, proceeding without hesitation, kissing each other, skin lit by the dim light coming through the window, as  they slowly dropped out of sight, leaving only the city lights beyond twinkling like stars, witnessing.

            I've waited all my life to cross this line,
            to the only thing that's true...
            So I will not hide, it's time to try,
            anything to be with you,

            It was the next morning and the sun hadn't even risen yet when the 'minister' of the small chapel finally roused himself from where he had passed out in the main ceremony room and entered his cramped office, head pounding with a champagne hangover. It had been quiet a celebration last night, and he smiled at the memory of the happy couple, wishing them the best. Something was strange about them, however. Something about their names. Something he should remember.
            And then he saw it. There was a small Post-It note on his bulletin board, placed there so long ago that it started to fade and age, long forgotten. But now he remembered. Remembered receiving a call from some psychiatrist in Chicago, asking him to call back if anyone ever showed up under a specific set of names, Trevor Claire and Claire Trevor. Confused at how the man could have known what would happen so far in advance, the minister pulled the post it off the wall, looking at the phone number written there, blinking with curiosity.
            "Dr. Frechette..." he read. "Hmm. Guy must be some kind of psychic."
            The man paused, suddenly reluctant. Finally he shrugged and picked up the phone.
            "What could it hurt..."

            All my life I've waited, this is true...

            Finally the music ended, the singer stopping his song as the acoustic guitar hit a final chord and faded away, leaving only the sound of a ringing phone in the minister's ear. As he waited for this Dr. Frechette to answer the call, the minister tried to clear his head.




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