Lifeline

A/N - This had a working title of Secret Pleasures, but I changed my mind. Character death - sorry but an HEA in the end.

Nightfall and nighttime in the desert is surprisingly cold. You can actually make ice on a flat dark slab of stone, you let it soak up the sun all day then pour water onto it, when the temperature drops, the thermal differential makes the water freeze fairly fast. The lack of clouds let the heat of the day escape into the night sky.

The millions of stars makes the night sky special. Uncountable tiny chips of ice spread across black velvet. Or maybe diamonds, though one diamond is all I want. Rolling over onto his back, his hours of watch over for the time being the tired man pulls out a small Ipod and threads the single earpiece into his helmet and into an ear he flicks the power lock off and hits play while hiding the faint light in a palm.

fssssssbeep
Are you OK?

First message I ever saved. First person to ever bother wondering if I was OK. The Ramos deal when I was FTA. Not was I innocent, was I OK.

fssssssbeep
a gentle sigh followed with a sleepy g'night

Wonder if she ever noticed that she was the only person with that number ... after I noticed she would call when I was in the wind to hear my outgoing 'Talk!' I started changing my outgoing message to give her more to listen to. Still, nice to think that someone was thinking about me that I didn't owe a paycheck to.

fsssssssssbeep
I had a *great* day - three skips all caught in the morning, nobody rolled me in garbage and I didn't kill my car!

*snicker* Happiness sounds so odd here, almost like my own little cheerleader.

fsssssssssbeep
What an asshole! I was doing admin when I got a call to go to the ER to meet Binky and Walton because a break in threw a chair at them and Walton ended up with stitches and a concussion. So there I am talking to Ruth - I think she has the hots for Lester, she keeps asking about him. I think I need to set them up. Carl and Big Dog are talking to Binky when Asshole storms in already in bitch mode. He has the *nerve* to ask me if you got tired of me and were passing me around like *candy* yet. frustrated pissed off sigh I was amazed, Carl shoved him and told him to go away. I got pissed and Big Dog had to take me for coffee. I was yelling at him that you had 3 other companies, and as CEO did have to travel to the other offices, as if it were any of his damned business anyway. hmf sound. She sounds pissed. Anyway, be safe and get back soon, I miss you.

I love the way she has all our backs. And she misses me. *Me* Sighing again, he powers down the Ipod and flips the power lock back on, rolls the earpiece and the Ipod up and tucks it back into the protective case and slides it back into his pocket.

Snuggling into his shelter half, he falls asleep, at peace in his soul.

Will There Be A Tomorrow - Chip Dockery

Can you say will the sun rise tomorrow
Will there be any time left to borrow

Will the poet make a rhyme, will there be any time
Can you say will there be a tomorrow

Seems to me I have been here forever
Will this war ever end, maybe never

Will the dawn still arrive, will I still be alive
Or will I sleep alone here forever

There's someone who I'm sure loves me only
She's the one on my mind when I'm lonely

Does she know, can she see, is she still true to me
Does she know what it's like to be lonely

From the sea comes the sun, dawn is breaking
Soon, the fight for my life I'll be making