Lost

Danielle eyes Misty with suspicion, her face still pale as though she's seen a ghost. Her hand is still locked tightly with Amy's, her eyes showing something close to panic.

But she stands and listens to Misty, another tear rolling down her cheek. Hearing the plea for one hour, she looks between Misty and Carson for several moments, before swallowing hard. She couldn't even begin to describe how she was feeling. She was shocked, confused, angry...nothing was making sense. But something...something pushed her forward despite her fear. "Alright. One hour."

Amy looks to her quickly. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Danielle nods with confidence - none of which she felt.

"Do you want me to go with you? Or Roger?"

Danielle looks to her brother and stares into his pleading eyes...those eyes that had been the eyes of her childhood hero. They were older...tired...glistening with an agony that could only come from a heart torn in two. "No..." She lets Amy go and turns around to take a tissue from the break room counter, dabbing her eyes. "No, he won't hurt me."

Carson's shoulders drop slightly, signaling his relief. At least there was half an ounce of trust there. "Can we go somewhere else?"

Danielle thinks for a moment. "A ten minute drive will....will, um, get to a part of the beach. We can...we can go there."

Carson gives a little nod. "We'll follow you."

Danielle sniffs and uses her tissue again, turning back to Amy. 'Tell Tanya to take over for me this afternoon, and tell Roger I'll be back in the morning."

"That's a whole lot longer than an hour."

"I don't think I can finish out the day." Danielle sidles past Carson, still keeping her distance. "I...I have to get my purse. You can, um...wait out front."

Carson obeys, not wanting to make any more waves, and takes the couple turns back down the hall to the reception area again. Once outside, the heat feels almost overwhelming, but Carson barely notices. He looks down at Misty for a moment, searching her eyes before pulling into a strong embrace, kissing the top of her head. "Thank you," he whispers. Rocking her slightly, he sighs deeply. "I'm sorry...for yelling at you this morning. I could never regret you coming along."


The station's front door opens, interrupting their exchange. Danielle eyes them with a little skepticism, unsure how to read their display of affection. She speaks to Misty, finding it difficult to look at her brother again. "I'm in the yellow car down there. You can pull out and block the traffic until I get in front of you so you can follow."

Carson watches her walk to her car, his emotions still high, but finally breaks away to get behind the steering wheel of Misty's car again.

It doesn't take long for the two cars to make their way to the edge of the city, following a quiet road. It leads them to a small gravel parking lot in front of the beach that was peacefully void of others. It was in a little nook along the shore, one that appeared to be overlooked by most ocean goers who were gathered at least a half mile away.

Danielle parks, but just sits for several minutes alone, trying to regain her composure. Her mind was reeling, bouncing back and forth between so many thing. She almost wondered if she were dreaming. Her older brother had been her hero when she'd been a child. His big strong arms had been her protection, his laughter her joy. And he...had died. Along with the rest of her family. She had been crushed...devastated. She had been shipped out of Australia for reasons unknown, then placed in a family here in the United States. Nothing had made sense...she didn't remember a whole lot about that year.

But during her teenage years, she began to come out of her shell again, bouncing back as children are able to do. Going to school, making friends, and having a loving family had all been of help. God had become a big part of her life, helping her find meaning and purpose, guiding her to stretch her wings and move out on her own. Her life was quiet. She liked it. She worked full time, had her own apartment with her best friend as a neighbor, and her weekends were usually spent down at the beach. Things were good.

And now...today...in an instant...everything seemed to have turned upside down. She didn't want to believe that it was really Carson who was here...but she couldn't mistake those eyes...that voice.

Saying a quick prayer for help, Danielle finally gets out of her car.

Carson waits until he sees his sister move before getting out of Misty's car. Throwing Misty a quick look, his eyes convey that he still wants her with him. But he couldn't forget their mission entirely. "Keep an eye out," he warns. "Zane said he's got men everywhere, and if they think we're trying to take her away or pull a fast one, we'll all end up dead."

Locking the car once he and Misty were out, he looks to Danielle for the lead.

She just stands for a moment, studying him...taking in the way he looks. As her lower lip quivers again, she turns to lead the way down a narrow little path into the sand.

Carson follows, hooking his thumbs in his jeans pockets, wishing for a moment for another shot of whiskey. If his nerves made it through this, he would be more than relieved.

Danielle slips out of her sandals to carry them, letting the warm sand envelop her feet and toes. She walks a ways until arriving to the point just out of reach of the surf where she stops, just looking out at the water, letting the wind comb her hair.

Carson comes slowly up beside her, careful to stand several feet away to give her space.

Tears stream silently down Danielle's cheeks as she sees her brother in her peripheral vision. "Why, Carson?" she almost whispers. "Why did you let me think you were dead?"

Carson swallows hard, grinding his teeth in an effort to keep his own tears hidden. "It wasn't a car accident..."

"What?" Danielle turns to him. "They said..."

"I know what they said." Carson looks her in the eye. "But it wasn't true."

"Well what...what happened then?"

"There were bad people...really bad people that Dad was involved with."

"He was a good man," Danielle defends. "He was just a businessman who..."

"Who didn't realize what he was doing," Carson interrupts. "It's just...the way it was."

Danielle swallows hard and glances at Misty, then back to Carson. She wasn't sure she wanted to know the truth. "So if it wasn't a car accident..."

Carson draws in a shaky breath and shifts his gaze to the water. "They were murdered."

Danielle puts a hand to her mouth in shock. "Murdered?"

"Yeah." Carson looks down, trying to keep his mind from replaying that day.

"How...how did it happen?"

"You don't want to know all of that."

"Yes I do!" Danielle suddenly raises her voice as her emotions come to a high. "Since I was twelve, I thought all of you were dead! I thought it was a car accident! You can't just appear out of nowhere and tell me my parents and sister were murdered without telling me all of it!"

Carson shifts his gaze to look at her again. She was no longer a child. She deserved to know. "They were gunned down. Shot in the backs."

Though having asked, Danielle sucks in her breath. Searching Carson's eyes, she knows the truth. "You saw it, didn't you?"

"I did."

New tears being to overflow Danielle's eyes as she pictures the horrific event. "Dad...and Mum...and Sarah?"

Carson nods. "They died instantly."

More questions surface in Danielle's mind. "Why didn't they kill you?"

"Because they knew my type...I was a coward that wouldn't stand up to them...and..." Carson hesitates. He had been a scumbag, hired to torture. "...and they wanted me to work for them instead."

Danielle can feel just a bit of anger. "You worked for the people that killed our family?"

Carson stands tall, receiving the blame bravely. "I did. I was scared...I didn't want them to retaliate against you...I didn't want to die. So yes...I did. And I was wrong."

"What did you do for them?" Danielle's tone indicates she suspects he had not done good things, and was angry with him.

Carson shakes his head. "I did bad things...real bad things." His eyes rove quickly to Misty for support, then back to his sister. "But...but not all that long ago I finally got out...realized I couldn't work for them anymore."

Danielle turns away from her brother, unable to control the tears. "I just can't believe it," she sobs quietly. "But I know it's true. I was just so...so alone. And you never even tried to contact me...not once... I missed Mum and Dad, but you...you were my hero...and in my mind, I always imagined that you had died a hero. But now...now I find out that not only did you not die, but you lived because you were a coward."

Carson's heart sinks as he feels the rejection he had hoped against. He looks to Misty, not knowing what to do now. After several moments, he finally reaches out to tilt Danielle's face back to his own, with a gentle finger under her chin. The pain coursed through her eyes and stabbed his heart like a dagger. He moves his hand to wipe away some of her tears with a rough thumb. "I'm sorry, Danni," he whispers. "I'm trying to do what's right."

Danielle looks at her brother through her tears, fighting the turmoil within her. But she can't stand up under it alone. Breaking down, she falls into Carson's arm, the sobs coming forth as she cries onto his chest.

Carson wraps his arms around her, holding her close, holding her tight, a single tear finally escaping to roll down his cheek as he closes his eyes against the emotions.

"I can't believe you're alive," Danielle sobs as she clings to him. "I just don't understand."

"Shh." Carson desperately tries to comfort her, feeling so inadequate. Helpless, he finally turns to Misty, questioning what to do...questioning how to go on...he was at a total loss.


Rick finishes his examination of Jason's knee, and rewraps it, seeming to be deep in thought.

Jason looks to him with question, trying not to flinch under the painful movements. "What's wrong, Rick?"

Rick shakes his head a little. "I'm afraid that there's some infection setting in. We'll have to keep an eye on it."

"Great. Just what I needed." Jason sinks his head further into his pillow, discouragement setting in. It had been a long, boring day, he was missing out on fun with friends tonight, and he was in too much pain to care anymore.

Rick quirks an eyebrow. "Hey...copping an attitude never helped anything."

Jason sighs. "I know...when can I get out of here."

"It hasn't even been twenty-four hours. Settle down, Hotshot."


Bret sits against against the large rock, hidden in a nook along the lakeside beach. The wind blew through his hair, and his eyes were closed, letting just his eyes and skin receive what was going on around him. He hadn't moved since he'd arrived hours earlier, and didn't understand why he didn't want to leave. He simply didn't want to go home. He was upset and didn't understand why. He was miserable and didn't understand what had spawned it. Something was missing...something had been taken from him. But what...and why.

Bret knew the answer. But he didn't want it. He knew what was bothering him, but didn't want to acknowledge it. If he did, he would have to admit that he'd made a second mistake.