Unfortunately, because of the news about Philip and Cassandra’s wedding, they had to go back home. They could have stayed for a few more days, but both of them decided that it was time to actually face what they had to.

“Pam could be dead by now,” Angelica gasped beside Henry. His wound had not completely healed, but he was capable to drive now. She shifted on her seat and looked at him. “Do you think something happened to her?” she asked.

Henry shook his head. “She said Garrett’s going be away for a week or so, so I think he just got home—that is if what you suspect is true.”

“Of course I’m sure. The man is freaking creepy, if you must know.”

“He’s always been like that,” Henry told her. “He is always distant and weird.”

“Then how about John? You believe he’s the killer, right? I’m sure he’s always been friendly.”

“He’s too friendly to you,” he pointed out.

“I’m a very likable person,” she argued, lifting her chin up.

Henry snorted. “But you can’t argue that he was there before Kevin’s death.”

“Well, whatever, I don’t really care who the killer is as long as we catch him,” she humped back against her seat.

“I will be doing the catching, Angelica,” he said, shooting her a glance. “I don’t want you tailing my back once again just like with those Russians.”

“I saved your life,” her eyes widened.

“You wouldn’t have to if I was not distracted by your presence,” he retorted.

“Yeah, go kill yourself next time. I’ll bury you myself,” she waved off her hand and turned to the window. “I just remembered I need to go shopping.”

  *****

Henry was always in shock by her sudden change of topics, just like now. “What for?”

“The wedding, of course. I have to call Cassandra about the theme. Give me back my phone.”

Henry shook his head. “Not until you give me back mine,” he said.

Angelica sighed and searched inside her bag. Not a minute longer, she handed him his phone and he felt a weird feeling as he took it in one hand. Having his phone back and giving Angelica hers was an actual sign that they would be back to real life. No more waterfalls to go to, no more Salmon for breakfast, no more streams and hammocks.

He mentally shook his head. He couldn’t stay stuck in something he knew he could only have in passing. He had a mission to finish, and he had to eventually go away when it was done.

“I think it is going be a beach wedding,” he heard Angelica say as she turned on her phone excitedly.

How could she be worried about someone else’s life one moment, and then be excited about a wedding the next? Maybe it was the doctor in her, he thought. She was used to losing people under her care. She was used to letting go.

Would it be as easy for her once he had to leave? Surely, that would be the case. She would find someone else to chase and have fun with as she usually did.

And what about him? Could he lock the memories he shared with her in that distant part of his mind like all the skeletons he had in his closet? Could he actually make it possible not to watch her from a distance to check if she were okay from time to time after they parted ways? Would he be able to stop himself from thinking about her?

Those were a lot of questions—with no answer. Well, maybe there were answers and he was just trying to ignore them.

  *****

Instead of reaching New York City in two hours or so, Henry dragged the time that it took them about four. And the moment the two of them stepped into the gloomy apartment, he suddenly missed the light of the room they had at Woodstock. He missed the smell of the pines. He missed the gentle sound of the stream. And he missed their hammock.

“It’s dark in here,” Angelica said, walking over to the window. She pushed the drapes aside, letting in natural light. She smiled and looked at him over her shoulder. “Let’s go shopping,” she said.

“I have to go meet my superior first,” he told her, holding up the briefcase.

Her face fell. “I’ll go to Cass and Philip’s then.”

He nodded, “I’ll drop you off—”

“Okay then, let’s go,” she said, walking toward her room. “But I got to change first.”

Henry shook his head and took out his phone.

He was nearing the end of his conversation with Grissom, who was obviously furious about his lack of communication, when Angelica emerged wearing a simple white shirt and tight black pants. He raised his eyebrows. “What? No dress today?”

She rolled her eyes, “I’m not out to impress anyone. I’m going to a couple’s house.”

“Good,” he nodded and opened the door for her.

  *****

“As expected,” Philip sighed when he opened the door and found her standing outside.

Angelica smiled at him. “Where’s Cass,” she asked, making her way around him.

“Inside,” he said curtly. “I don’t know if this new friendship you have with her is making her better or worse,” he heard him mutter behind her.

“Would you rather we’re enemies?” she asked, making her way toward the glass backdoor, already seeing Cass standing in front of a canvass.

Cassandra’s husband did not get a chance to answer because her friend already spotted her and waved her toward her.

“See yah, Philip,” she waved and walked out to Cassandra.

“Are you okay? How’s Henry?” her friend asked with concern.

“He’s up and running,” she answered nonchalantly. “As for you, I’m really wondering why you two want to get married once again.”

Cassandra rolled her eyes. “It’s a long story. He urged me to sign the damn divorce papers and then proposed all over again. And don’t make me recount everything that happened because as I think about it right now, it’s too cheesy for my own taste and I’m sure you’ll agree to that.”

Angelica held up her hands, “Okay, no questions. But why Philippines? Do you know the distance we all have to travel?”

“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to,” Cassandra shrugged.

“What? Of course I’ll come.”

Philip reappeared carrying a glass of orange juice. “Where’s Henry?” he asked, his eyes knowing.

Angelica threw Cassandra a look. “What? I didn’t tell him anything. Chanty did,” her friend explained.

Shoot, she forgot about Chanty.

“He’s at work,” she answered Philip’s question.

“Tell him to come by,” Philip said before going back inside. “And babe, the kitchen’s a mess.”

“Whatever,” she heard Cassandra mutter under her breath. “He always gives me chores and I’m starting to have second thoughts about this marriage.” She knew, of course, that her friend was not really serious.

“Okay, what are your plans for the wedding?” she asked excitedly.

Cassandra’s face lit up and she chatted on about her plans. Angelica helped at some parts and they ended up doing a lot of lists and a lot of changes.

  *****

“Tell Henry to come by. You two should have dinner with us,” Philip told her as he helped his wife clean up the kitchen.

“I’m sure he won’t go,” Angelica said, but tried Henry’s phone anyway. “Where are you?” she asked even before he could utter a hello.

From the corner of her eye, she could see that Philip and Cassandra shared a secret smile.

“Philip wants you to come here. No, of course I did not plan it,” she hissed and heard a small laugh from the couple behind her. “Yes, I swear I didn’t! Yes, of course he knows. Chanty told him. What? No, I don’t think so,” she answered the last part when he asked if Philip knew about their little adventure at Cassandra’s house. “So, are you coming or not?” she smiled when he said yes. “Of course you’re coming. You still have to pick me up anyway.” When the call ended, she dropped her phone back inside her bag and announced, “He’s coming.”

  *****

Since Philip and his wife were bantering inside the kitchen about the way Cassandra cooked the chicken, Angelica went to answer the door when it rang.

“Hi,” she said with a smile when she saw Henry standing outside, his face unreadable.

“This is not necessary,” he whispered.

“Oh, sweetheart,” she almost shouted, “this is really necessary,” she pulled him inside.

“Angelica, whatever this is, stop it,” he hissed.

“What? They all think we’re a couple so why not join the fun?” she answered innocently. “Henry’s here!” she shouted. “Come on, they’re in the kitchen.”

“No, because you overcooked it, babe,” Philip was saying with irritation in his voice.

“No, I did not,” Cassandra answered back. “Oh, good, you’re here,” she said the moment she spotted Henry. “Get him away from here, please.”

Philip sighed and walked to Henry and shook his hand. “Want a drink?”

Henry looked at the mess in the kitchen, then at Cassandra, then at Angelica and he nodded. “I definitely need one.”

And they were gone in an instant.

“Want help?” Angelica offered.

“Yes,” Cassandra said and they looked at the chicken.

“I think Philip’s right. You overcooked it,” Angelica said, peering closer.

“Yeah, I guess so too,” Cass said, pointing at the cookbook. “That stupid book is useless.”

“Let’s just make another one,” Angelica offered.

  *****

“I don’t think we’re going to have a proper meal,” Philip sighed beside him.

Henry nodded. He knew Angelica well enough to know the lady had no skills in the kitchen as well. “I suggest we order in.”

“I’m fine eating my wife’s cooking, but if you can’t stomach it, I think we should order in.”

“No, it’s fine. I can stomach Angelica’s cooking so I guess we’ll live.”

Of course they turned out to be right. The food the two ladies prepared was no near good, but they were edible enough if you knew how to add pepper and some salt. The salad was good though.

Henry found out hanging out with the couple was not as bad as he had feared. Philip and Cassandra didn’t ask a lot of questions. They just talked about other things, which was a good thing. Angelica and Cassandra talked a lot about the wedding plans and Philip joined in from time to time to remind them that they didn’t need that much flowers or candles or wines.

All in all, Henry found himself admitting that he enjoyed the dinner as he and Angelica drove back home.

“I only have two more days to shop,” she said. “We didn’t get to shop today. You didn’t pick me up on time.”

“You didn’t call,” he reminded her. “And I was caught up with my superior’s raging sermon about being out of reach for a week.”

“Whatever. You have to help me shop tomorrow,” she said, closing her eyes. “I’m so tired. Cooking’s not really for me.”

“I completely agree,” Henry nodded.

  *****

Henry and Angelica spent the next day shopping. Well, she did. All he did was shadow her wherever she went. He was grateful though that she forgot about Pamela. He was concerned for the lady as well, knowing what Angelica told him about the older lady’s fears, but he had to keep Angelica safe first. If anything happened to Pamela, he’d know then that he was wrong about John Stewart and that Angelica was right about Garrett.

The next day after that, he and Angelica started packing. They would have to leave that night so they could reach the Philippines a day before the wedding, giving them enough time to rest. And then, they were off.

“I should have called Pamela,” Angelica told him while they were on the plane.

“You can call her when we land,” he said, closing his eyes. “For now, rest and sleep. We have a long flight.”

  *****

They had the same flight as the Strindbergs and Cassandra’s family and honestly, Henry didn’t fully like it. Unlike the couple, Chanty and her mother threw the two of them a lot of questions as to how and when they started dating. He didn’t want to lie so he gave Angelica the entire honor to tell everyone her version of the story. She was so believable that everyone believed every word she uttered. Well, who wouldn’t believe her? Everyone thought she always said the truth.

They finally landed in the Philippines and immediately took a connecting flight to Boracay, where the couple was already waiting. The heat of the sun and the discomfort it brought them was soon diminished by the beauty of the island. The water was cool and the air was fabulous.

The wedding wouldn’t start until tomorrow, so they had to settle inside the hotel already reserved for them. The older ones chose to stay and sleep. Henry was forced to go out with Angelica, Chanty, Cassandra, and Philip.

“Good thing you’re here, man,” Philip told him. “I don’t want to babysit all of them alone. Do you know that the last time Cassandra went island hopping, she was actually left behind in a freaking island?”

“No, I didn’t know that,” he said with amusement. “How did you find her?”

“We searched every island they went to,” his friend said with a shake of his head. “That’s why we can’t let them out of our sight.”

Henry looked ahead at the three ladies. “Yeah, I guess so.”

  *****

Angelica and Henry didn’t mind sharing the same bedroom, of course. Actually, it was fun for both of them, if you get the picture. Once again, Henry was back to his old self like that when they were in Woodstock. And by the time the wedding was due, he was all smiles in his white bohemian shirt. Angelica and Chanty wore white light dresses and braided their hairs.

They were transported to a private island where a pastor was already waiting. It was near sun down and the wind was with them. The candles flickered almost everywhere.

Angelica had tears in her eyes. It was a wedding she had secretly dreamed of and she was happy and envious of Cassandra at the same time. Her friend finally got what she wanted. And twice!

As Cassandra walked down the little aisle, surrounded by family and a few friends, Angelica couldn’t help but look across where Henry was standing beside Philip. He looked so calm the whole time they were in the island. She would do anything to be able to build a big wall around them so they wouldn’t have to go back home.

But home they would have to be.

The magic of the wedding died inside her when Henry woke her up the next day and said, “We have to go now, Ange.”

“I want to stay here,” she murmured.

“You’ll ruin Cass and Philip’s honeymoon,” he pointed out with a laugh.

“They already had a honeymoon a long time ago,” she complained.

“Angelica,” he said, this time his tone was serious.

“Okay,” she yawned. “Pamela’s still not answering her phone,” she said after a while. Henry stopped his packing.

“We’ll see her when we get back,” he promised.

“We better. I can’t imagine what her husband’s doing to her right now,” she said.

“If it’s true that Garrett’s doing the killing, I don’t think he will try to kill any more of the members. It will draw not only the police’s attention, but also the organization’s. He won’t be that stupid.”

“But he would still want to kill me, right?”

He nodded. “After all, you are your father’s daughter.”

“Okay, I think I don’t want to stay here any longer after all. In here, it’s all about magic and fun,” she tried to make it sound casual, but deep inside, she was eager to get this over with. No more running or vacations for now.

  *****

If you’ve ever flown over the islands of the Philippines, you would be amazed how there were so many greener pastures. Having been used to seeing buildings on a plane, Angelica couldn’t help but stare out the window the whole time. She only looked away when they reached Central Luzon where buildings and cars roamed the area.

She and Chanty went shopping inside the NAIA as they waited for their flight, and Henry, not so sure if she was safe, followed them wherever they went.

“I’m going to the bathroom,” she announced, giving him her bags.

“Where’s Chanty?”

“She went to buy something for Willie.”

He looked around and saw a coffee shop across them. “I’ll be there.”

“Yes, yes,” she answered and turned around.

After she was done, she went to the mirror to freshen up among other Filipina ladies. As an American, she towered over them and just like almost everywhere, she made them feel uncomfortable that they immediately left.

Angelica shrugged and continued applying her lipstick.

“Say a word and you’re dead,” a very familiar voice, that one that still visited her dreams from time to time, said from the direction of the door.

She turned her head and surely, standing just a few meters away from her was Mr. Scarred Guy. His black hair was longer, but his oily face was still the same, and the scar running across his left eye was still there. And beside him was Mr. Black Guy whose balls obviously were now okay after she kicked them to the point of necrosis. Her eyes went to the door. It was already closed and bolted.

She closed her eyes and groaned, “Not again…”