I put the few clothes that I had into a bag while Rowen watched quietly. His expression was a mix of emotions ranging between contentment to pain. He seemed relieved to finally have me headed home, but also upset to see me go.

"Well, that's everything," I said as I slung my bag over my shoulder.

We went out into the living room and I saw that Rick was already there. He stood up from the couch when he saw us. "Got everything?" he asked me.

I nodded and we went to the front door. "I want to be back by morning," Rick said as we stepped outside. "It's a nasty drive when it's snowing and we're supposed to have a small blizzard soon."

I was walking toward's Rick's truck when Rowen stopped me. "Can we talk for a minute?" he asked.

"What is it?" I asked, eager to head home already.

Rowen scratched his neck. "I just wanted to make sure this little accidental trip wasn't a total bust," he said, ruffling my hair in a way that felt very much like the old Rowen and not all at the same time. "I'm sorry about everything that happened, but I don't regret it. I'm glad you were here at least for a little while."

He did his best to smile, and I offered up a smile of my own. "Yeah," I said. "Me too, I guess."

I didn't want to stand around making sappy speeches, so after waving to Rowen one last time, I hopped into Rick's truck. Rowen looked disappointed, but he didn't show it for more than an instant. As we pulled away from the cabin, he smiled again and waved.

I kept my head down and waited until we were out of sight of the cabin before I sighed quietly and closed my eyes. What a relief, I told myself.

"You don't seem like you want to leave," Rick said from the driver's seat.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at him and simply turned away. "I don't know what you're talking about," I said.

Rick shrugged casually. "Say what you will. I still think this is a mistake," he told me.

"No one asked your opinion," I retorted, scowling at him.

He chuckled. "You'll find, over time, that I'm good at putting my two sense where it doesn't belong."

"There won't be time to go over. I'm going home and I don't plan to ever come back," I said. Rick shrugged like he knew something I didn't, making me frown. "What?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Nothing. I'll tell you later when I park the car," he said.

Concerned and confused, I sat up to look around the rapidly darkening exterior of the car. As I watched, the edge of town came into view and Rick pulled the car over to an empty gas station. I turned to him with a questioning gaze, ready to bolt the second anything tipped me off to trouble. "This isn't funny. I want to get home," I said as Rick put the truck in park and turned it off.

"This story might take a while, so you better bundle up," he warned, pulling on a jacket of his own. "I'm not wasting gas to keep the car warm."

Though wary, I did as I was told, hoping to get this over with quickly so we could get back on the road. Rick waited patiently for me to get my jacket on. When I was finished, I asked, "What's this story you were talking about?"

Gauging my reaction, Rick began the story. "Back when I was in my late teens I signed up for the military without my parent's consent. That's where I met Rowen. He was smart, smarter than any of the other recruits, and he immediately caught on to the fact that I was underage. He promised not to tell anyone if I told him why I willingly signed up for a 'death warrant', as he put it. I did, and shortly after we became good friends. He always had my back and I always had his. Anytime we were in the field we knew we'd be okay because we had each other," Rick explained.

The cold began to seep under my jacket as the last of the car's heating system filtered out, so I pulled my legs up onto my seat.

"But Rowen was flighty. He never liked to stay in one place for too long and it didn't take him long to get bored with the military. One night he told me he was going to run away. He had a foolproof plan to get out, and he wanted me to come with him. There was only one problem," Rick said. "It was a two-person plan, and I wasn't willing to be that second person. I was too afraid that we would get caught and face a dishonorable discharge, and because I refused, Rowen did something reckless."

"What happened?" I asked, and Rick sighed.

"We had another friend in our platoon who would gamble and drink with us. He said he would help Rowen. But... after they left the tent that night I didn't see or hear from Rowen for three months. I thought he got out, but... he didn't. When he finally came back, he was a whole different person. Our friend lied. He turned Rowen in to the commanding officers the same night they left. The three months that my best friend was gone were three months of him being beaten and starved as a deserter by the platoon's lieutenant."

My mouth felt dry. I had no idea that had happened to him. Rowen was always so cheerful and joking. I never would have guessed.

Rick continued. "He only had two friends in the whole world, and one was too cowardly to help, the other too selfish. Even that kid he raised turned on him after some time to go off on his own. I can only imagine how much he distrusted people after that," Rick said.

"What does that have to do with me?" I asked.

"I patched our friendship as best I could, but it's still strained from time to time. I know you couldn't hear us when we were talking back at my place, but if you could have you would know. He didn't come just to see me. He doesn't have that kind of trust and he certainly doesn't want that kind of friendship. Rowen came because of you. That's something I haven't seen him do since all the time that I've known him. He came because he cares about you. I hear it when he speaks about you too," Rick explained. He smiled to himself. "He's probably drinking himself silly right now at having to send you away."

"If he doesn't want me to leave, then why did he ask you to take me?" I asked. "Rowen is the most selfish person I have ever met, and he's sadistic."

"You want to go home, right?" Rick prompted. I nodded and he gestured mater-of-factly. "Then there you go. He's doing it for you. He's willing to let you go home because it's what you want."

Rick had a point, but not one that I understood. I couldn't grasp the concept that Rowen would do anything that didn't help himself. But Rick had a purpose to this conversation and he had known Rowen longer than I. However bizarre his point was, it was probably valid. "What do you want me to do about it?" I asked.

"Talk to him. Or, at the very least, listen to him. He acts like everyone else on the outside, but he's so broken. The only reason people don't see it is because he's good at smiling. He's put up such a thick wall around himself, and he needs someone to tell him it's safe to come out, someone he trusts." Rick placed a hand on my shoulder. "Will you do that for him?"

"I don't know..." I admitted, sighing. "But if it's just listening, I can try."

Rick smiled. "Thank you. I was almost afraid I wouldn't ever find someone to save him."

After Rick started the car, we pulled back out onto the road. "I'm not going to take you home today," Rick said. "If he's drinking, you'll get more out of him tonight than you will in a million years. At least spend one more night with him."

I looked ahead of the car as we began climbing our way back up to the cabin. "Okay," said, and I really did hope everything would be okay.

*******

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