They walked along the path in silence for some time before Travis spoke. "I’m sorry about yesterday. I didn’t mean to upset you. When you locked yourself away to avoid me last night, I knew I had made a big mistake."

She looked away from him and around at the scenery while she composed her thoughts. "I’m sorry I reacted that way, Doc. I guess I was just embarrassed. I wasn’t ready to let everyone in on it, especially since I’m not sure what ‘it’ is."

She saw the look that crossed his face and immediately felt bad for hurting him. "I’m sorry, but I have to be honest."

"I know. And I want you to be honest with me. Always. I guess I was just hoping for a different answer."

"I know you were and I’m sorry. But let’s not ruin the day before we’ve even started, okay? Let’s just have a good time and not worry about it right now. Can we do that?"

Travis smiled. "Absolutely," he said as he took her hand in his. They kept going until they reached the spot where the girls had been yesterday. There they put down their blanket and threw off their shoes, sitting quietly for a few minutes taking in the surroundings.

"No wonder you love this place," Travis finally broke the silence. "It reminds me of our little haven back at my old treatment facility."

Sherry smiled. "I think that’s why I liked that spot so much. It reminded me of this place." She studied his face and knew he was thinking back to his old life.

"You miss it, don’t you?" she asked softly, reaching for his hand.

He turned to her and nodded. "Yes. I miss being able to come and go as I please. I miss being my own boss. I miss my family and friends. I miss helping my patients. But I guess I’m no different than the rest of you. I mean, I still get to help people who need it, but it’s a whole different world."

"Yeah, a much darker one," Sherry sighed.

Travis squeezed her hand. "You’re never going to stop feeling guilty about it, are you?"

She shook her head. "How can I? If it wasn’t for me, you’d have never been introduced to this life. You would still be back there, helping people who need you. You’d be with your family. You might even be married with a family of your own by now. How do I forget that?"

Travis sighed. "You don’t. But I want you to stop punishing yourself because of it. I’m glad I met you ... very glad." Then he leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "Don’t ever forget that," he said with a smile.

"Thank you," she said, feeling the guilt over his recruitment ease a little. After sitting in silence for a few more minutes, she asked, "How about a swim?"

"Sounds great," he said as he stood and stripped down to his swimming trunks. Sherry sat admiring his body for a few minutes and he laughed. "So do I pass inspection?"

She blushed and stood up. "Ah, yeah. You’ll do fine," she winked and then removed her top and shorts to uncover her one piece suit.

Travis frowned. "What? No bikini?"

Sherry laughed. "Not this woman. No way. Besides, you’d probably run the other way if you saw me in one."

He laughed. "Oh, I don’t think so. You shouldn’t sell yourself short."

"Believe me," she quipped, "I’m not exaggerating. Not on that one." Then she made a dash for the water and dived in, with Travis right behind her.

They swam until they were tired and then moved back to the blanket to let the sun dry them off. A little while later, they explored the waterfall and the surrounding area. They climbed over rocks and stopped occasionally to rest on them. It didn’t make Davenport’s job very easy, but he was good at what he did.

After lunch, they took another hike through the woods. They discussed the flowers, trees and wildlife, as well as whatever topic popped into their heads. All talk of Section, however, was put behind them by mutual, unspoken consent.

Later they came back to the blanket and pulled it into a shaded area where they could just sit and talk or rest without getting burned by the sun. A yawned escaped Sherry before she could stop it.

Travis smiled. "Why don’t you lay back and rest. You can use me for a pillow if you like."

Sherry apologized. "Sorry. I guess I haven’t been sleeping very well the past couple of nights."

Travis frowned. "That would be my fault." Sherry started to shake her head to deny it, but he wouldn’t hear of it. "I know it’s my fault, don’t try to deny it. We’ve gotten a lot closer and it’s confusing you. I haven’t forgotten about Michael, by the way. I know he’s in your heart."

Sherry nodded. "Yes, he is. That’s why I’m not ready to commit to this, Travis. I mean, I do have feelings for you, but .."

"But you’re in love with Michael. I know. I’ve always known that. I was just hoping maybe you would give us a chance while we were here."

"I know. And I want to, but I don’t want to hurt you or Michael. It’s just so confusing. I don’t want to lose either one of you." Travis was reading between the lines. He knew she was afraid she would lose his friendship if she stayed with Michael. He had a strong feeling in his gut that that was where she was headed, but he wanted to hold on as long as he could. He would truly be surprised if she chose him over Michael. She and Michael had something very special. They had been through a lot together and had forged a deep and abiding love. He only wished to some day find that with someone. He had hoped it would be with her, but he was beginning to realize he would most likely have to let that dream go. Of course, he wasn’t going to tell her any of this. He was still holding on to that last shred of hope.

He leaned back against the tree behind him and pulled her to him. She leaned back against him and allowed herself to relax. He brushed her hair with his fingers and sat quietly, knowing she would be asleep in a few minutes. It didn’t take long before her breathing slowed and evened, letting him know she was out. He sighed and continued to stroke her hair. He was glad that she had given them this time, even if he didn’t think it would lead where he wanted it to. While she slept, he dreamed of what might have been if only there had never been a Michael.

He wasn’t sure how long he had been lost in his musings, when he felt her stir. She opened her eyes and looked around.

"Hey there sleeping beauty," he whispered in her ear.

"Doc? Hey," she said, still trying to come fully awake. "Was I out long?"

"Long enough for me to miss you," he said and placed a light kiss on her lips. She smiled at him and returned the kiss.

"Did you have pleasant dreams?" he asked, as he continued to caress her face and brush back her hair.

"I don’t remember," she replied, leaning into his touch and relishing his attention. It felt good to be cherished in this way. He leaned down and kissed her again. She sat up a little closer and kissed him again. Each kiss grew deeper than the last. Travis finally pulled back.

"Maybe we should go for a swim?" he suggested.

"You’re not enjoying this?" Sherry teased him, with a mischievous grin.

"Yes, I am. Just don’t want to push," he replied.

"I’ll let you know when I feel pushed," she said and then caressed his face. She stared into his eyes, trying to read what was in them. She saw his desire for her as well as the love he’d been harboring for her shining in them. He caressed her face and ran his hand through her hair and pulled her close to him once again. Their lips met once again in a heated kiss.

They were losing themselves in their kisses when something flashed. She ignored it at first, not wanting anything to stop. As the passion flared between them, she caught the flash again. She pulled back slightly and looked down and saw the cause of the flash - the sun was glinting off her engagement ring.

She immediately pulled away from Travis and put some distance between them. He was momentarily confused. "What’s wrong?" he asked. "Am I pushing too hard?"

Sherry shook her head. Not only to answer him, but to clear her mind. "I can’t. We can’t do this," she stuttered.

Travis wondered what had happened. She looked white as a sheet. "What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost."

"We can’t do this, because, because ... Michael and I are engaged," she blurted out and then took off running. Davenport barely caught the fact that she was running away. He stopped at Travis.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"I’m not sure. She pulled away from me and muttered something about her and Michael being engaged. Then she just took off."

Davenport sighed. "I’d better go find her. You can find your way back?"

Travis nodded. He was disheartened. His dream had just taken a major step backward. He was pretty sure she had just made her choice. Totally lost in his misery, he didn’t hear the footsteps approach from behind him.

"You should’a never have hurt her like that," was the last thing Travis heard before everything went black.

Part 6

Sherry was running like her life depended on it. Davenport caught up with her only when she paused for a few moments and bent over to try and catch her breath. She was running like the had the hounds of hell were chasing her. She took off again before he had reached her, but at least he could see her now. She was going to be hurting tomorrow after a run like this. He knew he would be too, but it was his job to see that she was safe and he would do it, no matter what.

Sherry reached the villa and ran indoors. North and Petrosian were clearing away the dishes from the dinner they had shared and Nahla and Jace were cuddling on the sofa. Mentz came out of the sunroom when he heard the door slam. Sherry quickly noticed it all as she flew past them and up the stairs. She got to her bedroom door and slammed it shut. Nahla flinched when she heard the door slam.

"Uh oh," she muttered. Just then Davenport came running into the house. He stopped to catch his breath. "Did she go upstairs?"

Jace nodded. North and Petrosian came out of the kitchen. "Vhat happened?" Petrosian demanded.

Davenport looked around at the expectant faces. "I’m not exactly sure. She and Travis were sharing ... a private moment ... when she suddenly pulled away and took off. I stopped to ask Travis what happened. He said she mumbled something about being engaged and took off."

North headed for the stairs. "Wait," Jace called to her. "I think you need to give her a few minutes. She needs to catch her breath and calm down before you go up." North nodded.

A short time later, North and Nahla went upstairs together and knocked on the door. There was no answer. They knocked again. "Sherry, open the door," North called. Still no answer. Finally, Nahla tried the door knob, surprised that it wasn’t locked. She opened it and they walked into the room. They saw Sherry sitting in the corner staring out the window, tears streaming down her face.

They approached slowly and sat down on the bed. "What happened?" North asked.

Sherry looked at them and wiped at the tears on her face. "I don’t understand. How could I betray Michael like this? How could I lead Doc on that way? What is wrong with me?"

Nahla exchanged concerned looks with North. "There’s nothing wrong with you. You were just confused. They will understand."

Sherry shook her head. "Why should they understand when I don’t? I made a fool of myself ... and Travis. I was hardly away from Michael for five minutes when I started to fall for another man. Doesn’t say much for me, does it?"

North and Nahla sat quietly, not sure how to answer her. Sherry groaned and asked, "How do I face Michael? And how do I ever look Doc in the eye again? I’ve hurt both of them and I don’t even know why!"

She was getting hysterical and they needed to calm her down. "I don’t have the answers you want," North said, "but you’ll figure it out. When Travis comes back, talk to him. I’m sure he’ll understand. He knew all along that you were in love with Michael, nothing has changed."

Sherry laughed sarcastically. "Nothing’s changed? I’ve spent the past two months leading him on, getting his hopes up. My feelings for him got way out of control. I allowed us to get too close and I just don’t understand it. One minute I know Michael is the only man for me, and the next minute I need to be with Travis. It’s like my feelings are at war with each other and I have no control over it."

North and Nahla exchanged looks and North nodded. "I’m going to go downstairs and check on Travis. Do you want me to tell him anything?"

Sherry sighed. "Tell, him I’m sorry, and that I’ll talk with him later, if he’s interested Tell him I’ll understand if he doesn’t want to listen." North nodded and then got up to leave.

Nahla felt for her sister. She had never gone through anything like this herself, but she could see it was tearing Sherry up. "Is there anything I can do for you?" Nahla asked quietly.

"Find me a good psychiatrist," Sherry tried to joke, but as soon as she realized what she said, the tears started again, because she realized she already had the best psychiatrist anybody could ask for and she had just stomped all over his heart. Nahla moved over and hugged her. There really wasn’t anything else she could do but be here for them and listen if they wanted to talk.

"Maybe I’ll have Uncle find me a nice private island where no one can ever find me. That way they can get on with their lives and I won’t hurt anyone else," Sherry said, defeat in her voice.

"Stop it," Nahla ordered. She didn’t like seeing Sherry like this. She was usually so in control; seeing her losing it worried her a great deal. "Do you want me to call Lance?"

Sherry smiled, but shook her head. "No, thanks. There’s nothing he can do, other than what you’re already doing. Oh, he’d probably tell me to knock off the waterworks and pull myself together. Otherwise, you’re doing fine."

Nahla smiled and nodded. "Do you have any idea what you are going to do?"

Sherry shook her head. "Not really. I have to apologize to Travis. And I have to tell him that there can be nothing but friendship between us, that I’m going to marry Michael. But it seems that every time I get near him, my feelings for him take over and I can’t control what I’m doing. You don’t know how hard it was for me to pull away from him and come back here. That’s why I took off like I did. I knew if I stayed, we’d go too far and we’d both end up regretting it."

Nahla was glad to see that she seemed to have calmed down a little. "Maybe you should try and get some rest."

Sherry exhaled loudly. "If only I could. Actually, I took a nap earlier. Travis was holding me and I fell asleep." She smiled at the memory for a moment and then sighed.

Nahla nodded. "Do you want Jace to give you something? I’m sure he has something that’s not too strong."

Sherry thought about it. She didn’t like taking sleeping pills, but she knew she was too keyed up and she needed to calm down. She knew if she didn’t relax, she would end up in bed with a migraine. Eventually she nodded. "If he has something that’s not too strong and won’t put me out forever." Nahla went downstairs to ask Jace for something. She noticed the group sitting around looking worried.

"What’s going on? Where’s Travis?" she asked.

North shook her head. "He hasn’t come back yet."

"You’re worried?" she asked.

"We don’t know. He could be simply taking some time, licking his wounds. If that’s the case, we don’t want to pressure him to come back before he’s ready. But if he’s lost ... we don’t want him wandering around and getting hurt or something."

Petrosian made a decision. "I’m going to look for him. Davenport, come with me. If he’s not where you left him, or in the surrounding area, we’ll do a full-scale search."

North nodded. "Good idea. But let’s keep this quiet for now. We don’t need Sherry hearing about this. If he turns up missing, she’ll go nuts." Everyone nodded in agreement. Petrosian and Davenport left and Jace got up to go with Nahla and get the pill for Sherry.

Jace was in full doctor mode when he walked into Sherry’s room. "Are you sure you’re okay? You looked awfully pale when you came in downstairs. Your color’s a little better, but not much."

Sherry sighed. "I’m fine. I’ve just stomped on Doc’s heart and possibly ruined my future with Michael ... I should look pale." Jace checked her pulse anyway and nodded. "Your pulse is okay. And I doubt you’ve ruined anybody’s life." He dug around in his bag and pulled out the pills he was looking for. Shaking one into his hand, he gave it to her. "Take this now. It’s very mild and you won’t be out long, especially since you’ve already taken a nap earlier."

Sherry quirked an eyebrow at Nahla who was handing her a glass of water. "Well, I thought he should know in case it made a difference in what he gave you," Nahla apologized.

"It’s okay. Sorry." Sherry down the pill and handed the glass back to Nahla. Jace turned to Nahla. "Maybe you should stay with her until she’s asleep. Just in case."

Sherry overheard. "That’s not necessary. I promise I won’t try to jump off the balcony or shoot myself."

Jace shook his head. "I know you won’t. But I insist. Call me overprotective. It’s just a precaution. Besides, Nahla would kill me if I let anything happen to you."

Sherry smiled her first real smile since she had returned to the villa. "Thanks Jace." Nahla walked him to the door and thanked him again. Then she moved to sit in a chair in the corner of the room where she could watch the scenery outside and still see if Sherry needed anything. It took a while, but eventually Sherry dropped off to sleep. When she did, Nahla quietly made her way out the door and downstairs.

A couple of hours later Sherry awoke to see that it was dark outside. She yawned and stretched, then sat up. Immediately it all came flooding back. She wasn’t as worked up as she had been earlier, but she was still upset. She knew she had to see Travis and try to explain to him. She quickly ran a brush through her hair and then headed downstairs.

She walked downstairs slowly and no one heard her coming. She could tell immediately something was wrong. There was a quiet flurry of activity going on. Something had happened.

"What’s wrong?" she said from the staircase as she watched them talking urgently among themselves. All conversation stopped when they heard her voice. She moved into the room and waited for an answer. The men dropped their eyes and looked at one another. Finally North walked over to her and put an arm around her. "It’s Travis. He’s disappeared."

..next