Destiny's End

Destiny's End

         The old guy vanished around the corner but soon reappeared, now riding instead of walking. He was seated on a golf cart and pulled up by Sabastian's Jeep. "I'll give ya a lift over, then when we come back you can get your buggy."
         Sabastian climbed in and they sped off down the gravel road. "They call me Stu, I own the place. Ya got any trouble, come and tell me, I live behind the office there. There's one of those four wheeler buggies for you to run around on when you're working, but it's in the shop getting winterized. My wife, Myrtle, runs the little store and gas station on the other end of the park, and you can keep it gassed up there for free. She keeps a pretty good variety of stuff over there, so ya don't have to run into town for everything, and ya only pay cost as an employee. I think that about covers most of it, 'cept the work ya need to do. I'll stop over tomorrow, oh say round eight and show ya the ropes."
         "Nice to meet you Stu, I'm Sabastian. That sounds good to me."
         A half hour later Sabastian was parking behind the little cabin and carrying his stuff in. It wasn't as small as he thought it was going to be. The main cabin had a kitchen with a dining area, and a comfortable living room. What was once the back door now gave access to an addition that made up the bedroom and closet. The closet had run the entire length of the bedroom at one time, but half of it now made up a small bathroom. There was a toilet, sink, and small shower.
         It came complete with furniture, and most of the stuff was in pretty good shape. The cupboards where bare, no dinnerware or cookware. Stu had told him Myrtle had some stuff he could use. "Taint nothing fancy, now. Just some odds and ends folks left behind."
         He had driven over to meet Myrtle, and ended up hauling a big box of assorted kitchen items back with him. She had quite a collection going in the back room and packed up a little of everything for him. She threw in a few cans of soup, stew, and two boxes of macaroni and cheese.
         "Here, this should get you started, but if you need something, come let me know, chances are I got it back here someplace. Take these cans of soup along, there still good, just getting kind of old. Oh, here take these, too. I don't have no milk left, but the truck come tomorrow."
         He had thanked her and bought a few items he needed, soap for himself, some for dishes, and pack of general purpose washcloths and the last two towels she had. He also asked where he should go to wash his cloths.
         "There's no place around, you'd have to run into town or wash them in the lake and scrub them on a rock." She burst out laughing, then added. "Just kidding. I love the look on folk's faces when I tell em that.  We have a washer and dryer for the park. It's around back of the office in the same building as the maintenance stuff. We don't charge, but there's a can on the dryer for donations. You'd be surprised how much change people toss in there. You don't need any laundry soap, either, there's a half dozen different kinds folks have left behind."
         They both seemed like very nice people. He was just about set now, he had a job he had only dreamed of, a second job that gave him a little more spending money but also provided him with a place to live. Sure, it may not seem like much to some people, but he was excited.
         The theatre was dream job, and he would soon be managing it. He wouldn't be directing the actors, Tom the owner would be doing the actual directing, but he didn't care about that part so much. He would be running the business side with assistance from Tom, he would be doing the design and lighting, too. He was excited to meet the crew; Tom had filled him in on the rest of the members of the small group. Everyone else acted, or worked with costumes and make-up, but they also did a lot of the other behind the scenes work and would be assisting anyplace they could. Also, if he worked out, and he knew he would, he would get a small raise and a percent of the profits. Tom said he'd give him three months, but if he was doing well, it could come sooner.
         He got up and stretched, "I wonder what Janie would think of my set up, not much I'm sure." He voiced the thought out, and remembered her telling him how he should have an office job, wear a suit, and get rid of that old Jeep. She had a taste for the high life that was for sure.
         He looked around at his new living quarters. "What a dump, that's what she'd tell you. But it's not, it's just old. Well taken care of, but old." He walked through the small area and looked. It reminded him a lot of the apartment over the store he lived in growing up. His mom and dad had purchased the business shortly after getting married, and turned the upstairs into an apartment to live in. They had kept it up but never remodeled it, so it was still the same when they moved out, as when they moved in.
         Sabastian sat down and closed his eyes. He missed Janie, even if she was high society and he wasn't. "Frontier crude." She has called him after he had told her about camping out. He had left out Lanae, however.
         "Frontier crude? I don't think so, I prefer frontier savor. I guess we were from different molds, Janie, and I know it's for the best. It will work out, it always does."
         He smiled, now finally realizing how often he used that phrase. "You really hit me hard, Lanae. I know I'll never forget you. What would you think of my new job? How about my pad?"
         He knew she would approve. She didn't seem too impressed with money, but more into the simple things in life. "Yeah, you'd approve. I don't know how I know, I just do."
         He also knew how lonely he was; how lonely he'd been since he'd been in high school. He had longed for a girlfriend to take to the game or a dance. But, he wasn't the most popular sort of guy, kind of shy and introverted. Mostly, though it was his family life. His parents were simple folks, trying to make a living and just barely getting by.
         They didn't believe in owing money, but they offered charge accounts to a lot of people who never were able to pay them off. "Peter, I know you don't understand why we keep letting Mrs. Walworth charge, but it's just the right thing to do. Her man died a few years back and she don't have much. She tries, but there isn't enough to go round. If we made her pay up her charge, she'd have to go without something else. She tries her best and pays what she can, that's enough. We may not have much, but we have the joy of knowing she has food and something decent to wear, and we help make that possible.
         Back then he didn't understand. They both worked long hours, so they had little time to spend with their son and couldn't afford to hire anyone to work for them, so he had to. He had worked in the store ever since he could remember. By the time he was in high school, he worked after school and weekends. He got to know a lot of the people who shopped at the little variety store, and through them, he learned just what his mother had tried to explain to him.
         They did take family vacations, but not very often. Once in the spring and once in the fall they would all pack up and go camping. Dad would close the store for three days and they would camp out together. When he moved out, Dad had given him the camping gear. "Pete, you keep this now, it's your time to enjoy life. Mom and I, well it's getting hard on us to sleep in a tent on the ground, and with you all grown, I reckon it's time to give it up."
         He understood more now, than ever before. Yeah it had been tough, and he had been lonely. He didn't have time to date, and even if he had, he didn't have any money. Most of all, he had been embarrassed to show anyone his life. Now, he finally understood the full lesson his mother had tried to teach, it's not what you have, it's who you are and how you treat other people.
         Lanae enjoyed her company. She didn't tell anyone, but she was feeling very alone. She had felt lonely since her dad had died, but this was even worse. She knew why, Sabastian had filled the emptiness. While she was with him, she felt whole for the first time in a long time, but ever since then, she had been even more alone.
         She knew her choice was the right one, hell her mother had brought that point home just recently. "You can't lean on other people, you have to be able to make it alone." And, she was now. But even if she was finally living her life and in control of her own destiny, it was still very lonely. She wondered if she would ever meet another guy like Sabastian. She doubted it, and in truth didn't want to meet anyone else. In her heart she wanted him.
         By Monday she was busy and it filled most of her time. She worked as often as she could, she attended her classes and put a lot of her time into studying. Even so, there was still time to feel, and when she did, she felt alone, very alone. Her dreams were often of Sabastian and more than once she wished she had a number to call him and just hear his voice. She thought she had heard him once, at work.
         She was just finishing her shift and walking out the door when she thought she heard him order a burger and fries. She had stopped, sure it was him, and stood holding the kitchen door open. She almost walked into the dining area to look, but then reminded herself it was impossible. Kate was waiting to bring an order out, so she let go of the door, "Sorry Kate, thought I heard someone."
         Kate had smiled at her, like you would at someone insane. Lanae, a little embarrassed went out the back door and home. She walked home thinking of Sabastian. She missed him, but really didn't know him. Somehow, though, she knew she did, she felt like she always had.
         She got up and looked out the window. A full moon was rising over the campus. Another lonely night was starting. She had her homework done, and didn't feel like reading. She wished her roommate would come home and at least fill the room with another person. But that was unlikely.
         Her roommate, a young girl just out of high school. Funny, Lanae wasn't much older but somehow she was much older. Lanae seldom seen her roommate and couldn't even think what her name was. It was Kathy, or maybe Katie, something like that. She had seen her a few times, that was it. She was usually gone, but did show up once in a while, would spend the night and then disappear again.
         "Well, if you're having a tough time now, what's going to happen next week?" she asked herself. "You get four days off from work, and class. You will go stir crazy sitting in here alone." She was almost done with her two classes, and would finish the week of Labor Day. Regular classes wouldn't start until Tuesday after the holiday, so she had a four day weekend from work and five days off without class. She did have to go take a final on Thursday, but that was it. She knew it was going to be easy, just a short essay on the orientation class.
         She sat down and picked up the paper, and flipped through it. The paper was delivered to the dorms and she liked to look through it just to learn a bit more about her new hometown. An ad caught her eye, Maple Grove Campground would be open for tent camping only starting Labor Day weekend. She read further and seen there was a broken water main and many of the campsites would be inaccessible while renovations were in place.
         Camping, that was an idea. A nice quiet camping trip away from everything may be just what she needed. She would have to find supplies and gear, but if she could, maybe this was it. She would have time to think about everything, face her grief, and get past this obstacle in her life.
         The next morning she called the number listed and a kindly sounding woman told her the whole campground pitch. "Do you know where I can rent camping gear at?'
         The lady answered, "We have everything you will need, even groceries. In fact, we have stocked up for a busy weekend and now we won't be very busy at all. Most folks want to camp in some big fancy trailer or motorhome, so they won't camp here with it all dug up. But, we have a walk in area that is unaffected and there won't be anyone working over the weekend anyway. Oh, and there is water on that side; well water, but good water."
         Lanae talked to her for a half an hour and had everything set. They would have everything ready when they got there, even the food. Lanae had ordered up a few things, and the lady filled in the rest of what she would need. She was sweet, even telling her anything she didn't use would get refunded when she checked out. "How much to stay until Monday afternoon?"
         "You come in on Thursday, anytime is fine, and then leave on Monday. Tent, food, and supplies; comes to - how does forty dollars sound? Oh, and what you eat will be added up when you leave."
         "That sounds terrific, are you sure that's all?"
         "With half the park shut down for construction, that's plenty, I think. Luckily there's a nice lake access right by your site, and a nice sandy shore, too. Kind of late in the year for swimming, but it's been so nice this fall, who knows."
         Sabastian had been busy, very busy. That was good, it left him little time to feel how lonely he was. Now, with Labor Day just a few days off, he would be hustling around the campground. It was one of the busiest weekends for camping, and he was ready for it. The theatre was closed down so everyone could enjoy the last holiday weekend of summer.
         That meant he would have time to think and to feel, and right now he didn't want to have that time. He was miserable lonesome and liked to just keep busy. He went up to the office to get a list of sites being rented, so he could sent things up and get an early start.
         Stu met him at the counter. "So you get a nice vacation out of the deal. What's your plans for the long weekend?"
         Sabastian looked puzzled. "Um, working around here. It's going to busy, isn't it?"
         "Didn't I tell you yesterday?"
         "I didn't get back here till late, tell me what?"
         "Oh, that's right. Yeah we had some water pressure problems for a while now. Well, one of the fellers camping on the west end of the park said there was dirt in his water. I went over and sure nough, dirty water. I called the utility people and they came out and poked around a few sites. Bout that time another feller comes into the office and says that's a nice spring over by the playground. I tells him we aint got no spring, so he shows me. Yep, there's a nice spring of water coming up outta the ground there. Well, I tell the utility people and they look around over there and find a couple more springs. Seems we had a water main leaking in a few spots. They tell me that line is thirty years old and should have been replaced when they did the rest of the lines round here."
         "There's no water? I took a shower this morning and it was fine."
         "We got water right here and down to you, it's on the old well. The rest is shut down tight. Those guys will be ripping up the whole campground putting in new lines. It's on the municipal budget, since they was supposed to do it a few years back and didn't. I got to talk to the insurance guy this afternoon, sounds like we may get some reimbursement for loss of business, too. Probably won't be much, but what can we do?"
         He looked around. "So, until they get working, won't be much round here for you to do. Don't worry bout the wages, we'll make it up later, I'm sure we'll have lots to do to get things back together again. For now, you got yerself a weekend vacation, enjoy. Oh I do have a couple of people going to be camping in tents this weekend, I got one over by you, the other out back by the store. The couple by the store have kids, so I put em close to the park and the candy."
         He chuckled, "I already got em set up, so not much to do for you. Like I said, enjoy the free time when you get it."
         Sabastian went back home, settled in and did some cleaning. He decided to put the tent to use for the weekend, since it was likely the last time he would get a chance this year. The weather had been mild and warm, but it would change soon enough. He hauled his gear out in the yard and looked around. He found a spot and soon had everything set. He had a short distance between him and the cabin, the fire pit was close by. Next he moved the picnic table over and then walked down by the lake.
         There was a dock for his use, and he could use a rental boat if he wanted, but he hadn't had time so the dock was empty. It was a big, permanent thing going out pretty far. It had a rail on one side, and a bench on the end. He walked out and sat looking out at the water. It was a two foot drop to the water, and the dock was supported on metal posts. Fishing, that's what this would be good for. He thought about it, yep, I'll do some fishing this weekend.
         He made a list of what he needed from town. A fishing license for one, he had a rod and reel, some tackle. Maybe some bait, and a net. He also decided to eat well, and wrote down on his list, "Look at steaks and chops."
         Steak cooked over the fire, now that sounded good. He had a grate that he could set up over the fire to cook on, but he didn't have the cast iron cookware they had always used when they camped. Of course, it was also the same cookware his mom used every day. He added a cast iron skillet to his list, with a note not to spend too much.
         He looked around one more time, making sure he had everything he needed on his list, then jumped in the Jeepster and headed into town. He found everything, and even purchased a full cast iron cook set. It was much like his parents, and on sale at the local hardware store. He packed up his stuff and headed over to the grocery store. By the time he got out, it was getting dark. No problem, he would be set to start camping in the morning.
         When he got home, he noticed a fire burning close to his place. Must be those campers Stu told me about. I hope they aren't going to be noisy. He unpacked his stuff, then sat down to a dinner of roasted chicken. He had picked up chicken and potato salad at the deli, the salad would be good with everything, and it was too late to cook tonight, so deli fresh chicken.
         After he went and stretched out on his bed. He was tired, but sleep didn't come right away. He couldn't get over a feeling he had. He didn't know why, but his gut just told him to go check on the camper next door. He got up and looked out the window. He couldn't see anything from here, too many trees between them. Also, they would be down closer to the lake. He had a nice spot here, isolated by trees, and very private. It was even posted, so he could have his privacy when he was done working around the campground.
         Only he didn't want to be alone, he was tired of being alone every day. Of course, he wasn't, but he felt like he was. He had felt alone since the morning he drove away from Lanae. He eventually fell asleep. His sleep was restless and he tossed and turned most of the night. He got up twice wanting to go see how the campers were doing. "Your just lonesome and want to infringe on them just to talk to someone, that's all."
         He finally fell into a deep sleep early in the morning and slept hard till almost noon. He woke up feeling better, looked out at the bright sky and decided to for a morning swim. It was late for swimming, but heck, it was nice enough out yet, the water should be fine.
         He put on a pair of trunks, walked down to the dock, and hesitated for just a minute before taking a plunge. The water was cold, but not so bad he had to get out. He swam out a little, then came back in. As he got close to shore, he stood and stubbed his toe on a rock. The bottom was pretty rocky here, and between the rocks, mud and weeds. He turned and dove back into the water, going out a bit further and then swam toward the dock. He would just climb out there.
         Only, it was just a bit too high for him to reach the edge. He knew it was sandy over on the other side; from the dock there was a beach area that ended about five feet from the dock. He ducked under the water, kicked his feet and swam under the wooden platform, then surfaced on the opposite side. He again stood up, and yes, sand was now under his feet. He waded up to shore and grabbed his towel, the air was cold on his wet skin and he hustled up to the cabin.
         He dried off, and got dressed. He started a fire outside then finished setting up his gear. He decided on steak and eggs for breakfast, even though it was now past noon. Soon enough the fire was hot and he was cooking brunch. He was still feeling a bit of a chill but didn't want to eat inside. He grabbed a jacket and enjoyed his meal sitting cross-legged by the fire.
         He put the pans right in the fire and burned them clean, then pulled them free with a metal rod he used for stirring the fire. He took his plate inside and washed it in the sink, no use being barbaric about it, after all.
         He had forgot bait, but they had some down at the store, so he drove over after cleaning up. He ended up with a half dozen minnows in an antique minnow bucket, Myrtle found in the back room. "If you want worms, go look around where they started digging up those water lines, it's so wet you can pick them off the ground over there. No sense buying worms when you can pick them for free. She handed him a plastic margarine tub, you can have this to keep them in, I got a lode of them stacked up here."
         He decided to go round up a few, mostly because he wanted to look around over there and see how bad it was. Also, if he didn't get anything on minnows, he could rig up a worm setup and let it sit out on the bottom, and take a nap.
         He found enough big worms, over there, with very little work. Myrtle was right, the ground was saturated with water and they were right on top. All he had to do was turn things over and pick them up. Stu was right, too, there was going to be a lot of work getting the place put back together when the work was done.
         He went back home, set up his rod and grabbed a folding chair from the closet. He carried everything down to the dock and cast out. Sitting back and sipping on a can of pop, he let his mind wonder back to camping with his mom and dad. Mom would clean up and sun, reading her paperbacks while they went down to fish. They always fished from shore, but his dad new a few good spots and they seldom got skunked. The never caught any trophy fish, but like his dad said, "All that counts is the fish is big enough to eat, and we get enough for a meal."
         He hadn't seen anyone over at the campsite when he set up, but they could have been in the tent. It was hard to see, they had set up in the trees. "Picked a good spot to set up, out of the sun and sheltered from the wind. They had access to the sandy side of the beach and he wouldn't mind letting them use the dock. He thought about telling them they could, but then changed his mind. They don't want to be bothered, leave em be.
         He smiled and spoke softly, "Way to go Stu, now you have me saying it, too."
         Nothing had touched his bait, so he spread out the blanket he had brought with and stuck the end of the fishing pole in a hole on the edge of the dock. It held it tight, so he could lie back and watch the clouds. He had almost drifted to sleep when he heard a buzzing sound. It took a minute to realize it was his fishing reel. He jumped up and grabbed in. He pulled and felt a nice size fish on the other end.
         It took a few minutes but he landed the fish, a largemouth bass, and pretty nice size, too. He put his catch on the stringer, then baited his hook and tossed it back in the same area. He sat down and waited, and soon, there was a tug. He let out a little line, waited, then pulled back. Another one. This one was a little smaller, but still nice. Two fish, that's enough. He packed up his gear, took his catch up to the cabin, and cleaned fish for supper. "Surf and turf, as Dad always said. I'll have me a chunk of steak and fresh fish, with a baked potato."
         Lanae went for a walk along the water. She had gotten set up with some help form Stu the afternoon before. She was tired and turned in early, but was up early as a result. She skipped breakfast and went exploring then came back for a late lunch. She had gotten some water in a bucket from the pump over by the trees and used that for washing up. The shower was out, but the couple said she could use theirs. They also had water over by the store she could use, but she didn't want to carry it that far.
         She had plenty of drinking water, and the lake water would be fine for washing. She set the metal pail closer to the fire, so it would keep warm, then changed cloths and went for another stroll. It had been kind of chilly this morning, but now it was nice and warm. She heard someone splashing in the lake this morning and thought they must be nuts to swim when it was so chilly. But, when she got the pail of water, it was actually pretty nice yet.
         She waded out a little as she walked and seen someone out on the dock. She watched for a minute. He's fishing, I should have thought of that. I haven't fished in years. Oh well, I don't have anything to fish with, and I can't afford a whole lot right now. She made a mental note to look into some fishing gear, maybe by spring she would be able to go out. That was a good idea, by then she planned on having her driver's license and maybe even a cheap car.
         Lost in thought Lanae waded along and then turned and followed a path. She ended up at a playground, and sat on the swing, lost in her thoughts. She gave a little push and felt the swing move beneath her. It had clouded up and it was getting kind of dark. She thought about going back when a memory of her dad came crashing in. She was little, sitting on a swing and had lost track of time. It was getting dark out, and the sky was filled with rolling black clouds, then the booming started and the sky split open with streaks of lightning.
         Lanae had been terrified and started to cry. She didn't know what to do, it was too dark out and the storm. She felt a hand against her back and her Daddy's voice telling her, "Shh, it's all right. It's just a little rain coming."
         She turned and looked up at him, "I'm here now, and I'll take you home, Honey. But first, how about a push."
         She felt safe as soon as he was there, and nodding, she soured into the darkness, lightning flashing above, thunder echoing around them, but she was safe, her daddy was there. She felt the first tears start, then a flood came rolling down her cheeks. "Oh Daddy. Why did you have to go? I need you so much, Daddy. I miss you so much, why did you have to go?"
         Lanae cried for a long time as she remembered her dad and faced the truth finally that he was gone, forever. She took in a sobbing breath and wiped the tears away. It had gotten even darker out, and she had to hustle to get back to her tent.
         By the time she did get back, it was dark out. Her fire had burned out, and she didn't feel like lighting another. She dug through her cooler and snacked on a cold hotdog and some chips. She was feeling so alone again, and sitting there in the darkness wasn't helping at all. The sky was clouded and dark, but the air was still warm and dry. She could see just enough to walk her way to the shore and sit and toss pebbles into the water.
         After a couple minutes she waded out up to her knees. The water felt good and she longed to let it wash her grief away. She turned and went back to the shore, stopped and undressed, then turned and waded back out. Soon she was up to her thighs, and with a deep breath she dove forward into the dark water. She felt herself jet through the dark wetness and it felt wonderful against her skin. She wanted to stay under, but she needed to breath, so she angled her head and kicked her feet, with a push of her arms she shot out of the water and...
         Sabastian had enjoyed a nice dinner. Now, with his belly full, he spread out next to the fire and watched the clouds. They had filled the sky and it had gotten pretty dark early on, but it was nice out, no wind, and he was comfortable. Before he knew it, he was sound asleep, lost in his dreams. He was swimming with Lanae, under a hot sun. He opened his eyes to darkness. There was a little of the fire still going, so he stirred it, and put a few more chunks of wood on it.
         He sat for a few minutes, then got up and walked to the dock. He heard something splash a little ways off. Probably ducks swimming around. He walked along the edge of the water a bit and then decided to go for a dip. He walked out on the dock, so dark he couldn't see anything except a little ripple here and there. Stripping down he sat on the edge of the dock and then slid into the cool dark water. It felt wonderful.
         He swam along the dock so he wouldn't get disoriented, then as his fire grew, he could see the flickering glow and moved further out. Again he heard a splashing from the other side of the dock, and decided to go investigate. He'd have to get out on that side anyway. He swam until he was sure he was at the dock, then he ducked under and pushed with both hands. He went as far as he could to make sure he cleared the dock, then came up fast for air. Just as he broke the surface someone collided with him.
         He felt himself going over backwards and instinctively grabbed out at anything. Even as he did, someone was grabbing him and screaming. Together they went part ways into the water. His feet touched and he stood, shoulder deep holding someone in the dark.
         She had screamed until the water came up and forced her to stop. Now, still clinging to Sabastian, she drew a deep breath and he was sure she would scream again. He let go, and she yelled out, "No, I can't touch."
         He knew that voice, but from where? "OK, I got you. Just don't scream, alright, I won't hurt you. Here, this way to shore. Can you touch here?"
         She didn't answer, and she didn't let go of him. She pulled him even tighter, although he was sure she could touch now. "I'm sure you can touch here, and see up there, my fire flickering? That's the shore in front of us now."
         Still, no answer. "Are you alright?"
         "Sabastian? Is that you?"
         Now he knew who the voice was. Maybe he had all along and just wouldn't let himself think it. "Lanae? Oh my God, Lanae I found you."
         He pulled her close and kissed her. Then after they stopped to breath Lanae asked "How is it you're here? I thought I would never find you again?"
         I work here, I'm in the cabin up there. I thought I you were - it doesn't matter, we have a lot of time to catch up. Right now I just want to hold you and never let go.
Together they waded out of the water, once on shore Lanae kissed him again. "Remember how we met?"
         "How could I ever forget?"
         "And now, the same thing again, it's got to be destiny."
         "Yes, it always works out, doesn't it?"
         The clouds broke up and a beam of moonlight flooded down on them. They collected their cloths and walked together to the fire. Under a partly cloudy sky they made love next to the fire. After they lie in each other's arms. Soon the sky turned dark again, and a thunderous boom followed a shaft of jagged lightning across the black sky. Lanae jumped and Sabastian held her tighter. "It's alright, I'm here, Honey."
         "Yes, it is alright now." They felt the first few drops of rain, then it was an all-out drenching rain. They held the blanket over them as they ran for the cabin. Once inside they dried off and snuggled on the couch. "I have a bottle or two of wine in my tent."
         "Maybe later, right now I just can't force myself to let go of you." She snuggled in deeper and soon they were in making love as the storm raged outside the cabin. After, they snuggled deeper under the blankets and fell asleep holding each other.
         They woke together. Sun was shining in through the window. Sabastian got up, leading Lanae to the doorway, together they watched as the sun rose over the lake. She turned to him, tears in her eyes. "What's wrong, Lanae?"
         "I don't want to ever lose you again. I don't want this to ever end."
         He kissed her lips, closed the door and led her back inside. As he pulled her down onto the bed he whispered, "It never has to."
         She smiled down at him, "I'm ready now. Your right, it never has to. Destiny brought us together the same way, twice. And, well you know, things always work out."          He kissed her again, "Yes, things work out, and somehow, we've found our destiny's end.

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