The last month and a half in Dallas and Texas as a whole was spent getting things packed into boxes and looking at apartments on the internet. There was a website where you could search for places to live without ever leaving the comfort of your own home or couch for that matter. They—with the help of the DEA relocation department—found a great 2 bedroom loft apartment in Hoboken, New Jersey on Garden Street which was 4 streets away from the Hudson River. It was located near the PATH train station, Lincoln Tunnel, and the ferries; all of which could take people to Manhattan from New Jersey and back again. There were other tunnels and bridges like the famous George Washington Bridge but that was farther north than where they were looking at. Ironically, the way the apartment complex stood, it was exactly parallel opposite to the DEA New York Division Office on 10th Street in Manhattan where Allen would be working soon.

    Allen had already called his mother and relatives in Queens to tell them the good news about his move and they were all very excited. They knew by now about Hannah and were looking forward to meeting her. She too was very stoked about making the trip and move. This was really the new beginning she had needed; though Dallas was a big area, it would always hold both good and bad memories for her. She needed a fully fresh start. She was constantly speaking to the real estate agent the website provided for that area about every little deal. She had the poor woman on speed dial. Until they moved to New Jersey, she would keep her old phone and number and after that she would update both. She would only give the new number out to a select few people.

    She had many meetings and dinners with the Mother Superior and Caddie. The latter was very upset about Hannah's departure but both women understood the reasoning though they would miss her terribly. Caddie sobbed the first time Hannah told her.

"I just got you back and now you're leaving." She said as she cried in Hannah's arms.

"Honey, I'm not going to be far. We'll still talk every day and I'll just be a plane ride away. It's not like I'm leaving the planet or the country."

"I know and I don't want to be selfish but it won't be the same. I can't see myself ever leaving Texas."

"Up until everything happened to me with the M.E., the meth addiction, and meeting Allen, neither did I. But life has a way of surprising you. It's that leap of faith that I must take." Hannah explained to her. They spent the rest of the evening walking around SMU with their arms around each other.

    Through her contacts at the center where she volunteered, she found a place within Columbia University that dealt with M.E. and the research for finding a cure. She spoke to the people in charge via phone, email, and Skype and made friends very quickly and easily. Her outgoing personality and loving nature was what everyone gravitated to even if they only spoke to her through writing. She wore her heart on her sleeve though with a much tougher exterior than what she started out with.

    She hadn't even left Texas yet and was already invited to two dinners in New York City to meet with people who suffered from the disease. One woman was having what she called a 'dinner party' at her house on the Upper East Side that was going to be catered because she barely left her bed let alone the house due to the severity of her illness. Hannah felt very honored and privileged to be invited to this person's home due to the fact that technically they were complete and total strangers. Something told Hannah that her work with the disease that nearly took her life both on its own and with the meth addiction would be even more fruitful in New York City then it ever was in Texas. 

    Meanwhile, the Peters' had heard about Hannah filing for divorce and outright scolded Chris for being too selfish to know what to say in order to perhaps fix things somehow. They felt that he wasn't good enough for Hannah, especially when he called them the day after she served him the papers and pitifully told them how everything had transpired; verbatim. When he told them that he saw Allen, he was stunned to hear that his parents already knew about him and that they thought he would be a way better man for Hannah than Chris had been or ever would be. They were especially appalled that Chris couldn't even get the three of the simplest words out of his mouth towards his soon to be ex-wife; 'I am sorry." It was the very least he could have done and said to her.

    Allen was letting Hannah handle the apartment stuff because he had to close out the rest of his case load and/or reassign them to other agents. He was busy at work every single day making sure he didn't miss a single detail before he moved on to his new life and new cases in NYC. He was in his office one afternoon when a small package caught his eye. It was addressed to him from the state of Florida but the name on the envelope wasn't one he recognized. There was a stamp on the package labeled 'check' which meant it was a cashier's check for a large sum of money.

    Curiously, he opened the package and looked inside. He then carefully took out the check and a letter. It was the letter that got his attention; it wasn't addressed to him but to Hannah. Allen was stupefied. He quickly left the office and headed toward St. Bernadette's where he was supposed to pick Hannah up. He got out of the car and walked over to her as she looked at him with confusion on her face. He handed her the package then.

"There is something you should read. It came to the office for me but it's meant for you."

"Why would someone send..."

Her voice trailed off as she opened the package and looked at the cashier's check. It was in the sum of $1,500. She then looked at the letter and began to read.

Dear Hannah:

    I told you I would pay you back someday. I meant every word. Though I am not typically known for being a man of my word, in your case, I was serious. You gave me this money when you thought my life was in danger and you wanted to help. You didn't have to. I had been lying to you from day one but none of it mattered because you were buying my meth and that's all that it ever was. But I felt wrong taking your money. You always reminded me of my sister, Carlita. How would she feel if I took money from her and never paid her back? I couldn't do that.

    I'm sure you're wondering how it was possible for me to even get you this money considering I didn't have a legal dime to my name. Well it so happens I have an uncle in Florida that disowned me many years ago. I had to beg and plead for him to send you this clean and very legal sum. My attorney did all of the pleading rather as I have thought of you often. As I sat and continue to sit here in Arizona in my solitary cell in this cold federal prison, I know there isn't anything I can do or say to make right for all I have done in the past but at least, I want to make sure that I was able to give you back what was yours. It was and is the right thing to do.

    I don't want you to contact me. You should get on with your life which I hope has improved since I last saw you. Do with this money what you please; it's yours. Take care of yourself.

With respect,

Randall

    Hannah was completely at a loss for words or thoughts as she reread the letter from Randall 3 or 4 times and stared at the check. She couldn't believe it. This hardcore murderer/drug lord actually paid her back in full and still had a soft spot for her. It brought her back briefly to that day at the warehouse on Southland Street when she had given him the money and he had looked at her as if questioning her sanity. But she told him it was the right thing to do for her and all of these years later, those words had haunted him that he was able to find empathy and repay her.

"He means it you know." Allen said out of the blue.

"Means what?" She asked him while looking blank.

"The 'with respect' part. I've studied many letters he had written both under Randall and his street name Scorpio and he almost never wrote that part unless speaking to a family member or someone he truly cared for. So that's huge." Hannah nodded.

    Since the money was 100% legal; Allen than drove her to a Bank of America branch where she deposited the check into her bank account. She would need every penny when they moved and now she had $31,500 in that account. That amount would increase upon the sale of the house on Four Seasons Lane.

    The weeks flew by and soon it was time to leave. Allen traded in his old car for a white hybrid Toyota Prius and they decided to drive across the country while an 18 wheeler from a moving company would take all of their furniture, clothing, and other accessories to the new apartment in Hoboken, New Jersey. The last night before they were set to depart was very sad but they had a lovely going away dinner with Caddie and Ryan. The office had given Allen one a few nights before and he and Hannah had a lovely time at a party thrown especially for her and them at St. Bernadette's by the nuns. She had some private one on one time with the Mother Superior.

    Though Hannah was very glad to be moving across the country and starting fresh with Allen, that didn't mean she wasn't scared stiff. She was leaving the only home she had ever known behind and the only place she ever felt safe; St. Bernadette's. But the Mother Superior said that she would be just fine and if she wasn't, she could always come back. It wasn't like they would never see each other again. As Hannah told Caddie, they would only be a plane ride away instead of a drive. And with the new technology, there were so many different ways to keep in touch every day.

    Now sitting at dinner on their last night, Caddie and Ryan had surprising news for the couple leaving; they were officially in a relationship and Caddie was going to move in with Ryan when her sober living contract was up. They were perfect for each other and Caddie was glowing. Hannah couldn't be happier for them both as everyone hugged. It was truly a new beginning for them all.

    The next morning, all of the nuns, Caddie, Ryan, and the Mother Superior had tears in their eyes as Hannah and Allen stopped by St. Bernadette's one last time for hugs and the last goodbyes. They all waved as the couple drove away. Their last stop on the way out of town was at the cemetery to lay flowers on Sister Grace's grave and Allen stayed in the car while Hannah had her final moments with her beloved adoptive mother.

    She fingered the cross necklace as they took the highway out of town saying goodbye to Dallas, Texas as they headed towards Louisiana and stopped in New Orleans on Bourbon Street after which they continued towards the east coast. They stopped in South Carolina and then in Washington, D.C.—where they spent a few days hanging out with Allen's old friends from both his Georgetown and Quantico days—and arrived in Hoboken finally, a week and a half after leaving the Lonestar State.

    Hannah texted Caddie and called the Mother Superior telling them both they had arrived safely as Allen called the moving company to bring the furniture to the apartment on Garden Street. They both parked the car in a parking garage specifically built for the complexes on the blocks and walked hand in hand towards their new apartment; Allen had the new set of keys in his pocket. It was spring time in the tristate area as Hannah looked around and saw the flowers blooming as the sun hit her face she realized something and started laughing.

"What's so funny, honey?" Allen asked her smiling. Because anytime he would hear her laughter, it would make him smile too.

"I just realized that before, I lived in a house on Four Seasons Lane and now I live in an area which has four seasons."

And wasn't that just the perfect irony in all of this? The past predicting the future. True kismet.