“Trixie.”

She struggled to open her eyes.

“Trixie.”

Even with her eyes open, it was dark. Why bother?

“Trixie.”

So tired.

“Trixie, wake up!”

“Not yet,” she mumbled. “It's not morning.”

“Friday, we may not see another morning unless you wake up now.”

Those words were enough to galvanize Trixie into action. She sat up abruptly, but Dan grasped her shoulders before she could crack her head on the rubble around her.

“Not so fast,” he cautioned. He watched as she took in their surroundings. They were surrounded by debris. Huge chunks of concrete, metal, and earth enclosed them in a tight grid. Above them, they could see stars shining in the clear night sky, but the opening was at least fifty feet above them.

Trixie chewed her bottom lip, her eyes on the tantalizing night sky. “At least we won't suffocate,” she said absently.

“There's always a way out,” she continued, quoting a maxim Bill had drilled into their heads from day one. Dan was silent. For the first time since she had woken, Trixie looked him in the eye. “What aren't you telling me?”

Dan looked away first. “It might be possible to climb up to the opening.”

“But...” Trixie prompted, knowing that something was wrong.

Dan continued to stare up at the sky. “It won't be easy. Any one of these pieces could come crashing down at any moment.”

Trixie shrugged. “It's not like we have a whole lot of options. We have to try.” Confused by Dan's uncharacteristic hesitance, Trixie touched his arm. “What is it, Dan?”

This time when their eyes met, Trixie saw some of what Dan had been trying to hide. His black eyes couldn't conceal the raw despair, pain, and determination he was feeling.

“Dan,” she burst out. “We've been in worse situations than this. What's wrong?”

A shutter snapped over Dan's eyes, and Trixie knew that whatever it was, he wouldn't be telling her.

“You go first,” her partner suggested. “You're less likely to dislodge debris than I am.”

Trixie searched the rough grid of concrete for a course, looking for stability and hand holds. She sighed. “I don't know if this will work.”

“We don't have much of a choice,” Dan reminded her. “You have to try, Trixie.”

She took a deep breath, knowing that he was right. “Okay. Wish me luck, Danno!”

“You can do it, Trixie.”

She turned back, surprised that he had used her given name. When in the field, and about to attempt something dangerous, they always used their code names. Again, she caught a glimpse of something in his eye before he could hide it.

“Dan?” she whispered.

He reached for her with one arm and hugged her awkwardly. “Stay safe, Trixie,” Dan murmured. “Make sure you get out of here.”

Trixie looked at him, surprised by his tone. Dan was rarely emotional in high-pressure situations. “Dan, we're both going to be fine.”

Then, shocking her completely, Dan leaned in closer. His lips brushed hers. She stared at him in wide-eyed surprise, her breath caught in her throat.

“Go,” he said roughly.

Trixie still stared.

“Go!” he repeated. “Please, Trixie. Get yourself out of here.”

Trixie nodded mutely; it took her a few seconds to find her voice. “See you at the top, Danno.”

“See you at the top, Friday.”

Resolved on the course of action, Trixie turned and began the arduous task of climbing up the randomly placed pieces of debris. The first few feet were relatively easy, knowing that she couldn't fall far. After that, the hand and footholds became harder to find. She focused intently, determined to find a viable route. With steely resolve, she rose higher, foot after treacherous foot. She was halfway to the top when it all fell apart.

Trixie placed her raw and scraped hand on the sturdiest surface she could find, and tested it. It wiggled a little, but seemed to hold. She placed a little more of her weight on it. It still held. She started to use it to pull herself up, but the jagged piece of cement suddenly let go, causing her to scramble back to her last position. She hung on tightly as chunks of wreckage rained down around her. Keeping her eyes closed and ducking her head, Trixie avoided the worst of the avalanche. When the dust settled, she was in complete darkness. The opening to the outside was blocked. A large piece of cement was wedged in the opening above her, and there was no way to move it.

“Dan?” she called.

The sound of a hoarse cough drifted up. “Are you okay, Friday?”

“I'm fine, but our escape route is blocked. I'm coming back down.”

The trip down was worse than going up. Not only did she have to deal with newly dislodged and unstable terrain, there was no hope of escape at the bottom. When she finally reached the bottom, she and Dan sat in dejected silence.

Unable to keep still, Trixie moved around the tiny enclosed space, hoping to find a place to begin a tunnel, but it was too tightly packed, and there was no guarantee that they would be able to make it through to the outside. She pushed half-heartedly at a piece of cement that she knew she couldn't move.

“Maybe if we pushed together,” she said doubtfully.

Dan shook his head. “These pieces are way too big for us to move. And if we did manage it, everything else would come tumbling down.”

Trixie sighed. “You're right. I just want to do something.” She looked up at the piece of concrete blocking their way up and out of the prison. “Maybe if we both climbed up we could shove that block out of the way. It wouldn't hurt to try.”

Dan didn't answer.

Trixie turned to face him, hands on hips. “You're not giving up, are you?” she demanded.

Dan winced.

Trixie sighed and flopped down next to him. “I'm sorry. I know you would never give up. I'm just frustrated that I can't figure a way out of here!”

Dan sighed. “Don't apologize. Going up there isn't a bad idea. We've run out of other options. It's just that...”

“It's just that what?” Trixie asked.

Dan gestured to his leg. “I can't get up.”

Trixie's eyes bulged. “You let me climb up there, without telling me that there was no way for you to follow?” she accused.

“Of course I did!” Dan replied mildly. “If you had made it out, you would have been safe, and you could have sent someone back in for me. It would have been fine.”

Trixie quivered with indignation. “How dare you! Do you think I would ever have forgiven myself if I made it out and you didn't?” Her voice dropped. “I've been through this before, Dan, and I'm not doing it again. We leave together, or not at all.”

“And what do you think Honey is saying, now that she's on the outside and you're not?” Dan countered.

Trixie winced.

“It's the same thing, and you know it.” Dan's rough voice gentled. “You love Honey enough to risk your life to keep her safe. Don't deny me the right to love you just as much.”

Trixie ground her teeth. She thought of a thousand things to say, but settled on, “This sucks.”

Dan laughed in surprise. “No arguments here, Friday.”

“So how bad is your leg?” Trixie asked.

Dan shrugged. “Hard to tell. I tried to get a look at it before, but I decided staying conscious was more important.”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “You and your priorities.” She settled herself beside him. “Do you want me to take a look at it?”

Dan squirmed, just a little. “Um, no thanks.”

“Come on! I'm not that bad, am I?”

Dan snickered. “Trixie, you have the gentle touch of a bull. No offence, but I'll take my chances waiting to be rescued.”

With a sniff, Trixie retorted, “Fine. Just for that, I'm not going to share the cookies I scarfed from my interrogation.”

“Cookies?” Dan perked up. “Where?” he asked curiously.

Trixie blushed, remembering where she had hidden the cookies. “You had your chance. I'm not in the mood to share anymore.”

“Oh, it's too late now,” Dan informed her. “You can't tease a man about cookies and then not deliver. Cough them up, Friday.”

“Fine,” she muttered. Turning her back, she fumbled with her form-fitting tank top. Twisting and turning, she finally managed to extract a cellophane-wrapped package of two cookies. She tossed her hair triumphantly, and then turned to face Dan. She waggled the package of cookies in front of him, but the look on his face stopped her frivolity.

“What's wrong?” she asked, frowning.

“Come closer.”

Trixie sat down beside him, eyes narrowed in suspicion. To her surprise, Dan lifted the hair away from her neck. She swallowed hard as his breath tickled her.

“What is it?” she asked, unable to see what Dan was studying.

Dan cleared his throat. “You have a scrape on your neck.”

Trixie patted her own neck, testing for sore spots. She wrinkled her nose in disgust as she encountered dried blood. “Yuck. How bad is it?”

“Not too bad. But it runs all around the back,” Dan admitted.

Trixie continued to examine the cut with her fingers. “It must have happened when Nathan was trying to get the cross from me.” She swallowed, thinking of both the physical struggle, and the mental one that had revolved around the cross.

“Are you glad it's gone?” Dan asked quietly.

Trixie ran her fingers along the length of the scrape. “I think so. Seeing Nathan like that...” She shuddered. “That could have been me.”

Dan raised his eyebrows. “Hardly.”

“Seriously, Dan. When Nathan was fighting me for the cross, I felt something.” She chewed her bottom lip. “I wanted it for myself, Dan. I told myself I only wanted it to help the CIA, but...”

Dan stopped Trixie from rubbing at her scratched neck by taking her hand in his. “It's gone, Trixie.”

She nodded morosely. “Buried under a mountain of rubble. It's probably for the best.”

“Did you learn anything about the cross while you were being interrogated?” Dan asked after a lengthy silence. He whistled softly when she finished relating what she had learned from the man in black.

“Do you believe all of that?” he asked. “Could one person really influence another person with that technology?”

Trixie shrugged. “You saw the medical reports of Bill's brain activity. And I know it sounds crazy, but I really did feel different when I wore the cross.”

“Different how?”

Trixie drummed her fingers on her leg as she thought. She smothered a yawn as she moved a little closer to Dan. “You know how I was nervous about going to Sleepyside for Christmas?”

Dan nodded and drew Trixie firmly against his chest.

“But it wasn't really that awkward. I'm not saying I could read anyone's thoughts, but, for the first time in a long while, I was convinced that they loved me and weren't disappointed in the decisions I've made. It made it a lot easier to get relationships back on track.”

“And you think that was because of the cross?” Dan asked.

Trixie hesitated. Even though she had seen the scan of Bill's brain activity, it was still strange to acknowledge how the cross had affected her. “I think so. I mean, let's face it, Dan. I'm not exactly the most sensitive person in the world. It's a little weird for me to be in tune with what other people are feeling.”

“I don't know, Trix. I've always thought you were pretty perceptive.”

She shook her head. “About mysteries, sure. Not about stuff like this. I mean, I even kind of knew how Jim felt--” She stopped, a tell-tale blush bringing colour to her cheeks.

Dan rolled his eyes. “Okay. It really doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how Jim feels about you.”

“But it takes a minor miracle for me to actually feel secure about how he feels,” Trixie said quietly. “On Christmas Eve, when he was so worried after you and I went after the person outside the clubhouse...”

“Yes?” Dan prompted.

“When he was all worried and concerned, I wasn't irritated. All I could feel was how much he loved me, and wanted me to be safe. That's never happened before, Dan. Oh, sure, I always knew that with my head, but this time, I knew it with my heart.” She blushed again. “There's a big difference.”

“Yes, there is,” Dan agreed quietly.

Eager to change the subject, Trixie said, “Can you imagine what some people would do with that technology?”

With a grimace, Dan remarked, “There's no telling what could happen. It's not a far leap from being in tune with a person's thoughts to trying to influence them.”

“People could be persuaded to do all sorts of things,” Trixie mused. “Free will could be seriously compromised.”

They both fell silent. “On the upside, it could have come in handy when Honey and I were working on all those cases in high school.” Trixie waggled her eyebrows. “Yes, Moms, it's absolutely necessary for Mart to do my chores while Honey and I go investigate. And the trip we want to go on will be very educational.” She giggled.

“Please. Your Mom let you do pretty much everything you wanted.”

“I know.” She sighed. “Yes, I am glad the cross is gone. It's too much responsibility. As much as I want to believe I would only use it for good purposes, it would be much too easy to use it just to get my own way.” She shook her head. “It's not worth it.”

“Besides,” Dan joked, attempting to lighten the mood, “everyone gives you everything you want, anyway.”

Trixie snorted and wacked him in the side. “Not everything. A way out of here hasn't magically appeared yet, has it?”

“Nope,” Dan yawned. “And if help is coming, they'd better arrive soon. The air quality down here isn't exactly improving.”

For the first time, Trixie noticed how stuffy the enclosed space had become. “How much time do we have?”

Dan yawned again. “A couple of hours. Plenty of time to be rescued.”

“Assuming the others made it out.”

Dan grunted in reply, already half-asleep from the poor air quality, and the chemicals from the destroyed lab that were seeping into the confined space.

“Dan!” Trixie knew that it was important to remain alert, but it was harder and harder to keep her eyes open.

It was becoming impossible to stay awake. Trixie felt herself drift away, and hoped that she would wake again.