Pairing: Simon/Rafe
Rating: PG-13
Author's notes: Based on a true story. Dedicated to Elaine. This story first appeared in 'Reflections of Rafe' by AngelWings Press.
Summary: Rafe and Simon plan to go on a quiet vacation together, but things don't turn out the way they planned.

It was the kind of night he loved: dark, cold and wet. Richard Soul strolled away from the Washington State Prison knowing he had to hurry. It wouldn't be long before they found him missing, and the hunt for their escaped convict would begin.

He saw his wife, Rose, behind the wheel of what could only be called a wreck. He shook his head; he really had to teach that woman how to steal better cars. They wouldn't be able to go very far on that water bucket.

As soon as he joined Rose in the relative warmth of the car, Richard found himself wrapped in her embrace, her soft mouth melding with his in a passionate kiss. It had been too long... For both of them.

"Missed you," Rose purred softly, once their lips parted.

"So did I, my pet," he smiled, carding his fingers through her soft blond hair. "What do you have for me?"

"A hundred dollars, two handguns and a shotgun. It was all I was able to get us on such short notice."

"You did good," Richard told her, his smile widening. "Those fools thought they could keep me locked up until my trial... I'm going to show them just what Richard Soul is made of. And nobody is going to stop me this time. It's mayhem time!" he gazed into his wife's clear blue eyes. "You with me, pet?"

"Always," Rose breathed, and their lips touched again, a way of signing their pact and their love for each other.

"Let's ride, baby!"

As they drove away, the alarm began to sound within the prison walls. But it was too late. Richard Soul was already out and ready to take over the world. No matter who got in the way.

Same night. Cascade.

A week later.

Brian yawned and stretched the kinks out of his body, while trying to clear the fog in his brain at the same time. It was still early and he'd been driving most of the night. His whole being felt sore from sitting behind the wheel for so long. He leaned against the car, letting his head lay on his arms, which were resting on top of the vehicle.

Brian sighed as he watched Simon paying for gas and getting them something for breakfast. The last week had been a dream come true. Just the two of them on the road, no certain destination, sleeping until noon, eating only when they felt like it, making love when the mood hit... No hours for anything, no schedules. Freedom to do as they pleased.

He heard steps behind him and turned his head lazily. A young woman smiled as she approached him.

"Good morning," she greeted in a somewhat hesitant manner.

"Good morning. Can I help you with something?" Brian asked, returning her smile.

"Actually... Yes," she replied, shy hesitance replaced by a steel, hard expression. Rafe suddenly felt the barrel of gun nudging his ribcage. "Get behind the wheel!"

Simon finished paying for his purchases and left the store. He sighed happily. For the first time in a long time he felt relaxed and at peace, and he recognized Brian had been right about leaving their guns behind. Armed with his gun the temptation to be Captain Simon Banks was just too strong to resist.

His steps faltered slightly when he noticed Brian was back in the car and that there was someone with him, in the back seat. Rafe knew better than to allow a hitchhiker to join them, even if this one seemed to be only a young woman. He checked his surroundings wearily, not seeing anything unusual. Shrugging mentally, he kept going.

He approached the car and was about to say something when he felt someone step behind him. Before he could so much as move, a gun was pressed into his back.

"Don't make a sound," a male voice growled into his ear. "Get in the passenger seat, no sudden moves."

Knowing the woman in the car had to be the man's accomplice, Simon obeyed. He wasn't about to gamble with Rafe's life. He sat beside his lover, feeling their captor join the woman in the back seat and close the door. 

"You okay?" he asked Brian.

"Yeah," came the soft reply. "You?"

"I'm okay too," Simon smiled slightly -- his way of telling his lover that everything was going to be fine -- then turned his attention to their kidnappers. "What do you want from us?"

"Help getting out of the States. We have a few pigs breathing down our necks. Your car and trailer will look harmless enough, and if push comes to shove, we can always use the two of you as hostages. Now, enough small talk!" the man spat, his eyes glaring at Brian. "Get us out of here, now! And don't try anything or Brown Sugar here gets a bullet through his brain!" he threatened, his gun resting against Simon's temple.

Simon's nod was almost imperceptible, but Rafe saw it. He gunned the engine and drove them away from the gas station.

They didn't go very far. Just far enough to leave the main road until they reached a narrow path big enough for the trailer, and completely deserted.

"What now, Richie?" the woman asked.

"Let's check the trailer out and get these two out of our hair."

They left the car and walked to the trailer, the two cops always feeling the pressure of the guns as a persuasion to keep moving. Once inside, the criminal gestured towards the kitchen chairs.

"Sit down."

Rafe felt his heart begin to beat faster as he noticed a screw resting on the chair closest to him. When they had rented the trailer the chairs had been dismantled and the two of them had been forced to put them back where they rightfully belonged. When they were done that screw was all that was left and they never figured where it came from.

Feeling that that small screw could possibly be their means of escaping, Brian managed to snatch it into his hand as he sat, without either of their captors being the wiser.

"Watch over them as I search the trailer," Rafe heard 'Richie' order the woman.

When the man was finished with his search, the trailer looked like a tornado had stormed through it. Everything was a mess. In the midst of the chaos stood Richie, a leer aimed at his captives although his words were to his partner.

"Rose, guess what I found?"

"What?" she asked, a suspicious frown marring her face.

"This!" he replied, a pair of handcuffs dangling from his hand. "Seems we got ourselves a pair of fags here."

"How do you know that? There can be other explanation for..."

"There's only one bed," Richie interrupted. "And I found lube in a drawer. What else could they be?" he grinned, obviously enjoying Rafe's embarrassed blush.

Brian nearly died when he saw the cuffs. He suddenly felt violated. No one was supposed to see that, it was personal. Just the night before Simon had heightened their lovemaking to the point of madness by using those same cuffs, preventing Brian from using his hands to touch his lover. It had been a beautiful moment, that belonged to the two of them alone, and now was tarnished and soiled. He felt his blush deepening, this time in anger, and forced his attention back to the two criminals.

"Well, that will hold one of them," Rose grinned back at Richie. "But what about the other?"

"I found some duct tape. We can use that."

Rafe watched as the man handcuffed Simon to the chair next to him, then felt his own hands being tied behind his back with the tape.

"That should hold you two," Rose said, a satisfied smile lighting up her face. 

"Let's go back to the car and move on. It's still a long drive to Canada."

The two lovers were left alone and remained silent until they felt the trailer beginning to roll.

"I'm sorry," Brian said finally, the misery clear in his voice.

Simon looked startled. "Why?"

"If we hadn't left our guns behind..."

"Bri," Simon interjected softly. "You don't know that. They caught us both off guard. If they'd found our guns and discovered we were cops, we'd both be dead right now."

Rafe sighed. "You're probably right. But we have to do something, Simon! They didn't even bother hiding their faces from us. That means they're planning on killing us as soon as we reach Canada."

"Any ideas?"

Rafe gave his lover a half grin. "Well, sorta. Remember that damn screw we couldn't figure out where it belonged?"

"Yeah. So?"

"I have it in my hand now. If I can cut through the tape with it... I'll get free."

Simon nodded. "Do it. It's our only shot."

Their eyes locked, conveying their feelings for each other, then Brian began the arduous task of getting his hands free.

It took forever, but Brian managed to cut through the tape. It hadn't been easy. The tape was wrapped tightly around his wrists and the constant movement from the trailer threatened to loosen his hold on the screw a few times. His shoulders and back ached from the effort and he could feel droplets of sweat running down his torso.

Brian rested his head against Simon's shoulder for a moment, sighing with relief when the tape finally gave way.

"Bri?" Simon frowned, the worry clear in the unspoken query.

"I'm okay. I'm also free," Rafe added, looking up at his lover with a devilish gleam in his hazel eyes.

Simon grinned. "Great! Now get me out of here."

Rafe nodded and rose from the chair. After a five-minute frantic search of the bedroom area, he returned to his lover's side, a nearly panicked expression on his face.

"Simon, I can't find the key. The bastard must have found it when he found the handcuffs and kept it."

"Shit! There's no way I'll be able to get free from these cuffs without the key." 

Brian looked around, trying to find a solution to a problem that at the moment seemed impossible to solve. Finally, he sighed wearily.

"Okay. I'll have to overpower the two of them. Maybe on the next stop, if they come check on us."

"I don't like it, Bri. They are both armed and they obviously know how to use a gun. These are no amateurs."

"I know. But I can't see any other way. We have to escape, Simon!"

Simon took a deep breath. "Fine. But be careful!"

Brian grinned cheekily. "Aren't I always?"

Simon rolled his eyes. "Please! The only person that has you beat in ER visits is Sandburg. The doctors and nurses are on a first name basis with the two of you. That should tell you something."

Brian knelt by his lover's chair and caressed Simon's cheek tenderly. "I promise I'll be careful, okay? We still have a week off and I plan to enjoy it. Without any bad guys around to spoil the mood!" he kissed the older man passionately, then sat down on his chair. "I guess there's nothing left to do now but wait."

Half an hour later Simon and Brian felt the trailer stop and heard voices outside. They looked at each other, feeling their hearts beating faster as the voices grew nearer. Their chance of escaping was a moment away from coming true.

Rafe moved his hands behind his back, not wanting to let the criminals know he was free until it was time to act. Both cops watched as the door opened and Rose and Richie stepped inside.

"We're going to buy something for lunch," Rose announced, Simon's full wallet in her hand. "So we're going to gag you. Can't afford to have one of you sounding the alarm on us."

She moved closer to Simon, the barrel of her gun resting against his temple as Richie used a piece of tape to silence Brian. Once that was done, it was Richie's turn to aim his gun at Rafe's head while Rose gagged Simon. The couple then left the trailer with matching grins as Rafe huffed from behind the tape. Both he and Simon had been covered at all times; he hadn't been able to make his move. 

He shrugged mentally. Maybe when the couple returned he'd still get his chance.

Brian landed hard on the asphalt, feeling a wave of blinding pain settling over him and nearly causing him to pass out. Gritting his teeth against the throbbing in his left arm and the ache in his ribcage, he forced himself to stand and search for help. He knew what would happen when the criminals found out he had escaped; Simon's life wouldn't be worth a thing.

Rafe stood in the middle of the road and a driver heading in his direction was forced to hit the brakes to keep from running him over. 

"Are you crazy?!" the man yelled, furious.

Ignoring the rhetorical question, Rafe approached him. "I'm a cop," he panted weakly. "You have a phone I can use?"

"Umm... yeah," the man replied, his anger disappearing as he took notice of the pale man in front of him. He handed his cell phone over to Rafe, who immediately called for backup.

Five minutes later the first police car was arriving. Assuring the two officers he was okay to keep going, Rafe told them what was happening and gave a brief description of the car and trailer they would be searching for. Then, ignoring his growing pain, he settled inside the black and blue to watch the coming pursuit.

Fifteen minutes later they had the trailer in sight and were joined by four other units in the chase.

"Police!" one of the cops riding with Rafe shouted from his loudspeaker. "Pull over and stop!"

"Shit!" his partner swore as they noticed the vehicles in front of them moving faster. "The damn fucker is trying to make a run for it. He's a fool if he thinks he can outrun us with a trailer behind," he shook his head in bewilderment.

"Do you have tire shredders or spiked strips of some kind? That'll stop him," Rafe suggested.

"Good idea," one of the cops grinned. "We have tire shredders, brand new ones, in fact."

"Let's do it, then."

The cop driving hit the gas pedal, overtaking the runaway vehicle, and kept going for a few more minutes. Then he parked the car by the side of the road and he and his partner ran out, spreading the tire shredders on the asphalt. When the criminals finally reached them, they drove through the spikes, causing two of the car tires to blow along with another from the trailer, forcing them to stop.

The police cars rapidly surrounded the vehicle, jumping from their cars, guns aimed at the couple.

"Hands on the hood!"

"Don't shoot!" Richie shouted, as he and Rose obeyed.

Rafe got out of the car slowly, leaning against it as he watched the couple being handcuffed and thrown into one of the police cars. His attention was caught as another cop stepped inside the trailer, exiting minutes later with a very much alive Simon behind him.

The two lovers drew near, Brian swaying slightly, knowing he was at the end of his rope. It didn't matter. He had to be with Simon again.

"Simon..." he whispered.

"Bri..." Simon whispered back, wanting desperately to hug his lover, but knowing it was impossible with so many people around. "Are you okay?" he asked with a frown. 

A sudden wave of dizziness caught Brian by surprise, preventing him from replying. When he opened his eyes again, he was lying on the floor, cradled in his lover's arms.

"Call an ambulance!" Simon shouted, frantic with worry.

A moment later they were rushing to the hospital, a semiconscious Rafe resting on a stretcher as Simon held his hand tenderly.

Epilogue.

Richard Soul pleaded guilty in Court and was sentenced to life for several charges of kidnapping, assault and murder. Rose Soul pleaded not guilty and was sentenced to fifty-three years to life in jail. She filed for an appeal and lost.

THE END