Chapter 113

Sparks leapt from the flames,dancing into the gray evening sky like fireflies. Dana had always loved getting lost in the mesmerizing magic of watching fire. Her wood-burning fireplace was one of the reasons she'd chosen her home. But there was something even more wonderful about sitting next to a campfire. Especially given the company.

Full of copious amounts of hot cocoa and s'mores, Claire had retired inside for a nap before the planned Ghostbusters movie marathon.

Jake and Dana remained by the fire, adding bourbon to their hot cocoa, and clinking their tin mugs together in silent celebration. They had survived another case.

The scars from this one would linger, of that Dana had no doubt. But the important thing was they'd made it to the other side. Together.

They sat by the fire in satisfying silence watching the logs glow into ash. Dana snuggled deeper into her jacket as the temperature began to drop. It was remarkably colder under the thick canopy of trees than it had been in town where they'd stopped for groceries.

"Looks like I need to replenish the firewood," Jake said, standing from his Adirondack chair to grab his axe.

Dana joined him. "I'm glad we came to the cabin," she said. "I think it'll help Claire."

"I hope so," Jake replied as they walked into the woods. "I think she really loved Max. Losing someone like that … she's going to need our help to get through it."

Dana nodded, her mind still churning with details of the case. It was always hard to set an investigation aside when it was over, but this one felt different. She still couldn't shake the feeling that they'd missed something.

"I can hear you thinking over there," Jake said as he swung his axe at a downed tree.

"I know I should let it go, but it just doesn't fit."

"What part?"

"All of it. Starting with Max and Dvita. They couldn't be more different. Age, race, height, build. They'd never be mistaken for each other. But the witness accounts don't fit their descriptions. The only matching details were a hooded figure fleeing the scenes."

Jake swung the axe again. "Witnesses get it wrong sometimes. Especially in heavily publicized cases like this one. They're influenced by the media. Say they saw something vague to feel like they're part of the investigation."

"It's not just that," Dana argued. "Each crime scene seemed different. Other than the scythe, there wasn't a clear signature. The first two murders were brutal, more physical than the others. The third was more skilled, with just a single death blow. The fourth was a miss if we're to believe Meredith was the target. The fifth completely deviated from the MO with Dvita and the sixth death was suicide by cop if we're to believe that was Max's goal."

Jake stopped chopping wood. "You still think there was more than one Unsub?"

"I think it's possible. The Alchemist did, too."

"Did you ever discuss that with Richter?"

"Yes, but I was so fixated on Dvita I didn't allow myself to fully explore any other alternatives. I don't know. I guess it could've been Dvita and Max …"

Jake shrugged. "Anything's possible."

Dana stood silently stewing on her thoughts, unable to set them down despite wanting to. "You know, if Lennox hadn't shot Max, we'd be looking for a seventh victim right now." Dana couldn't push past the obvious. "I think they were saving Claire for last. I mean think about it. She and Max were supposedly in love, but Dvita always had this possessive vibe about him when it came to Claire. What if this was all just some big game between them and Claire was the prize?"

Seeing her distress, Jake walked over and put an arm around Dana's shoulders. "Claire's safe. She's here, with us. We may never fully understand this one, but the important thing is, it's over. Let's just enjoy this reprieve while we can. We've earned it. In fact," he reached into her back pocket and grabbed her cell phone. "Let's turn this off so we can do what we came out here to do."

"Hey!" she yelled, trying to take it back but Jake just raised the phone up higher, out of her reach.

Once he'd powered it off, he handed it back. "Already turned mine off," he said when she started to argue. "We came here to unplug and get some peace, right?"

Dana nodded, stowing her phone back in her pocket before picking up the bundle of kindling she'd been collecting. Jake went back to the log he'd cleared. Together they returned to the campfire with their bounty.

"There's one more question I've been wanting to ask," Dana said as she stacked the wood once Jake split it into manageable pieces. "What did you say to Claire at the farmhouse when she was trying to get to Max?"

"I told her she'd see him again."

Dana paused, her eyes meeting Jake's. "As in an afterlife?"

Jake smirked. "I'm not getting into a religious debate with you, Doc."

"That's not what this is."

Finally, he put the axe down and looked at Dana. "Yes, I meant heaven, the place we go when we die. I know you don't believe in that?—"

"Claire doesn't either," Dana interrupted.

"Maybe you don't know her as well as you think," Jake offered.

"What does that mean?"

"Just that she might surprise you if you stopped trying to anticipate and analyze her every reaction."

"I don't do that," she argued, though the defensiveness in her voice betrayed her.

Jake laughed. "Whatever you need to tell yourself, Doc."

Shock left Dana momentarily slack jawed, but her surprise was quickly replaced with indignation. "Is that seriously how you see me?"

"Listen, your mind is an incredible thing. But you overthink everything."

Her hands flew to her hips. "Like what?"

"Like us, for one."

Dana had walked into that trap and was at a loss for words, but Jake wasn't done. He stalked toward her until she was pinned between him and the wood pile. Grinning, he brushed a stray curl from her face. "And more importantly, Claire doesn't have a problem with us being together."

Dana needed to close her mouth before something flew in it, but she was dumbfounded. She tried to step back and break the connection. She couldn't think clearly with Jake's hands on her shoulders, but he refused to let go. "You asked her?"

"No, but she's not blind. She knows both of us too well to not have a sense of what's going on. She said she's happy for us."

"Really? When?"

Jake shrugged. "After what happened to Max. You were with Meredith and Claire was oscillating between despair and despondency. In one of her more lucid moments, we had a bit of a heart to heart, talked about feelings and life being fleeting and all that." He shrugged. "She gave me the green light. Said life's too short not to follow your heart."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

He huffed a laugh, his beautiful mouth quirking up at the corners. "We had a lot going on. Besides I was starting to get the feeling you weren't interested."

It was Dana's turn to grin. "Does the Bureau know how bad your instincts are?"

"What does that mean?"

"It means you're an idiot," Dana said, grabbing Jake's collar and pressing her lips to his.

When they came up for air, Jake's eyes glowed like twin blue flames ready to devour her. "Are you sure?" Fear. Anticipation. Desire. They wrapped each word he whispered, his heart hammering against her chest.

She grinned, reaching up to place her palm over his heart. "I want the same thing you do, Jake."

His hand covered hers as he let his forehead press against hers, his eyes closing as though he were in pain, but when Jake opened them, she'd never seen him look so elated. His breathing was shallow and fast as he shook his head, a grin fighting through a turmoil of emotions to grace his lips. She watched his throat roll before he spoke. "You don't know how long I've waited to hear that."

Then his lips crashed into hers and her feet left the ground.