Both of them kept quiet on their way to the company. Thought’s running through their minds, one’s they couldn’t get out. Carlos turned his Durango off one road into the next, he glanced at Trent a few times. He could see Trent was thinking, just sharing infront of him, not saying a word. Trent watched people flying past the widow, going about their business. His mind then dwelled, and the images came back again. He didn’t stop them. Seeing the nossel of the pistol froze him in his tracks, he couldn’t move. He glanced to his right seeing Monica coming up to him, raising her hands and knocking him out of the way. He fell hard to the ground, and looking up he heard the loud thunder noise. She was just standing there still, she then looked down at him, fear in her eyes. She started falling towards him, Trent spread out his arm and sat up. She fell into his arms, and as he turned her around he saw all the blood on his hands. He heard a cry of rage and saw Carlos coming up, firing his pistol and the receiver falling to the ground. Trent looked back down at his wife in his arms. Her eyes filling up with tears, and her lips shiffering.

"Oh God no! Hang on sweety! Please hang on! Your gonna be ok!" He remembered saying to her. But it was as though she couldn’t hear him, she just gave a weak smile. Carlos came running up to them, he took out his mobile phone and dialled a short number before telling the person on the other line that he needed an ambulance immediately. The fear in her eyes disappeared as she looked into Trent’s eyes again, his filling up with tears. She lifted her hand, wiping the single tear away and then placing it on his cheek. Trent held her hand there with his.

"trent...I..love you.." The weak voice said, Trent felt his heart starting to break into pieces.

"I love you too baby! Don’t do this to me please! I can’t go one without you!" Trent cried to her, trying to keep her awake, almost feeling her slip away.

"yes...yes you can. I’ll always be with you. Right here." She said placing her hand on his chest. He held her hand tight. Her eyes then looked away, and then finally closed. The air stopped passing through her mouth, and her heart came to a halt. Trent closed his eyes, grinding his teeth together and then wrapping his arms around the lifeless body, bringing it close to him, rocking back and forth.

"No God please!....Nooooo!..." He cried out, tears flowing and the pain and rage building inside of him. He didn’t know for how long he held on to her, probably till the paramedics came and took her from him. It felt as though his heart was being ripped out of his chest when they took her, placing her on the stretcher and after checking her over, threw the white sheet over her body. The last time he saw her face before it disappeared under the white cloth. Never to see her sweet and beautiful face again. Trent heard a voice in the background, getting more clearer and louder.

"...trent.....Trent!......Trent we’re here!" He finally turned his head and saw Carlos looking at him. "Come on, we’re at the company." Carlos said before climbing out of the Durango. Trent closed his eyes, placing his hands on his face, he took a deep breath and wiped his eyes. He then turned and also climbed out of the car. Outside in the sunlight he saw Carlos walking towards the entrance of, what seemed to be a large stucco building. The warehouse too up half a block; the rest of the block was a weed-grown vacant lot. Several cars and a rusty old can were parked on the lot next to the loading dock that ran along the side of the building. Trent then started toward the entrance of the warehouse. Half a dozen concrete steps bordered by a railing made of metal pipe led up to a small concrete landing in front of an office door. Joining Carlos infront of it, the brown haired PI tried the doorknob and found it unlocked. He exchanged a glance with Trent, then stepped into a windowless room. Inside was the huge open area where workers were busy loading boxes of fish and large blocks of ice. They then turned their attention to the gray metal desk, a swivel chair with upholstery that sported several duct-tape patches, a file cabinet, and a fluorescent light fixture that was buzzing from a faulty ballast about to go out. A man with a salt-and-pepper hair pulled back into a ponytail held with a rubber band was sitting at the desk poking at a computer keyboard. He looked up at the two PI’s with a friendly smile and said, "Hey guys. What can I do for you?"

"We’re looking for Mr Higgins," said Trent.

"You the two PI’s?" Both of them nodded.

"Sure. He’s here." The ponytailed man then leaned forward over his desk closer to Trent and Carlos.

"Hey listen. I don’t know what’s Mr Higgins has told you but something’s up here." He said to the PI’s. Trent and Carlos shared a glance and then looked back at the guy.

"You now what?" Carlos asked him.

"Well I think they’ve been smuggling money here. That’s why there’s so much of it here. The guys have even started taking some for themselves, but their dead when Higgins finds out." He informed them. Carlos and Trent could see the worried look on his face. It was almost as if he was afraid to talk to them, but frightened enough to let them know the truth at what was going on here.

"You mean he’s killed someone?" asked Trent.

"Not him. His partner. Scary guy. Has this long scar on his face." The young man told them guiding his finger down his one cheek. Something then went off in Trent’s head, there was something about a guy with a scar on his face in Higgins’s file. It was his brother, the criminal.

"Where are they?" Carlos asked him.

"In Higgins’s office. Through the loading bay at the entrance of it." He told them pointing at the large open doors of the loading bay. After looking behind them, Trent and Carlos then turned back to the guy. "Alright, I want you to stay here and call the police." Trent told him.

"You got it." He said picking up the headpiece of the desk phone. Trent and Carlos then turned towards the large open loading bay. Passing workers who stared long and hard at them, they ignored the awful smell of the rotting fish. Once outside they turned to their right and saw a small office on the side of the warehouse, one of those of wheels. They walked up to it, and Trent knocked on the door. After hearing a quiet struggle inside the door was flung open and in the doorways stood and elderly man. His short hair already grey and also the small beard. A huge smiled appeared on his face when he finally recognized the two men standing infront of his door.

"Gentlemen! Thank you for coming! Please come in." He said stepping back into the office. Trent followed first with Carlos right behind him. Inside the small stuffy office they saw a slim well dressed man sitting on the couch inside. He had long dark hair with a curl in it, and on his right cheek a long terrifying scar. Something a knife would do to you.

"Guys, this is my partner. Mr Gore. This is the couple of PI’s I told you about Mac. This is Trent Malloy and Carlos Sandoval." Higgins introduced them. The scared man gave an evil smile as he waved his one hand to the PI’s. Not much of a warm greeting, so Trent and Carlos didn’t either give one.

"Now fella’s. On to business. That was nice work finding that worker who was stealing from me." Higgins said going to his office desk. He picked up an cheque book and his pen. Opening it he started writing numbers and letters on it.

"Thank you Mr Higgins. Just doing our jobs." Carlos thanked him. He couldn’t help feeling as though he could kick himself under the butt. Here they were to pick up a pay cheque for a very large amount of money, and they wouldn’t be able to claim it. But it was for a good enough reason. People stealing money and killing innocent workers.

"No my boy. More that just your jobs. That’s why I’m afraid you can’t leave." Higgins said taking out a pistil from under his jacket. The scared man doing the same, taking one out behind his back. Both aiming them at the two PI’s. Trent and Carlos kept still and raised their hands.

"You see. You weren’t supposed to be snooping around. All you had to do was find the thief and collect your money. I guess I underestimated you boys, your better than I thought." Higgins said with a smile on his face.

"The police are on their way. And you fire that gun, a lot of angry workers are gonna be coming this way." Carlos told them but quickly got quiet when both men shared a smile and took out silencers and screwed them onto their pistols. "Oh boy." Carlos muttered to himself.

"Good bye boys!" Higgins said and raised the pistol, but in a instant both PI’s sprang into action. Trent kicked a chair standing beside him, it flying through the air right into the scared man, Higgins’s brother. The chair knocked his arm with the pistol in it the other way, the pistol went off and the bullet crashed through the window. Carlos picked up a huge file and thew it into Higgins, throwing him off balance and over his office table. The two PI’s then quickly made their way out of the office, closing the door behind them. Once outside Carlos took out his pistol and loaded it.

"Ok....that went well." Carlos joked looking at Trent who only grinned at him. Bullet’s then came crashing though the door window, right above their heads. They quickly moved away and ran towards the loading bay. Workers heard the crashing windows and when they saw the two PI’s running towards them they didn’t hesitate to start running themselves. Trent and Carlos took cover behind huge blocks of ice, and waited for the two brothers.

"Where’s the police when you really need them!" Carlos said looking behind him, the loading bay no empty with not a worker in sight.

"They’ll be here. We just have to make sure Higgins and his brother doesn’t leave." Trent said, but quickly covered his head when bullets started chipping into the block of ice. Carlos took a quick look and saw Higgins firing at them from behind huge crates fill with fish. He then glanced at the block of ice they were hiding behind, which was being chipped into by the bullets. He saw some sort of small package inside and reached inside the block of ice. Taking a closer look at it he realized that it was a plastic bag filled with hundred dollar bills. He exchanged a glance with Trent who also saw what it was.

"Guess now we know how they were smuggling the money huh?" Carlos said to him throwing the bag away, rising his one eye brow. Something then flashed in Trent’s head. He remembered Carlos saying almost the same thing that night when it happened. ‘Well, now we know how they were smuggling the drugs huh?’ Remembering Carlos showing him the bags of drugs hid in crates which were supposed to be transporting medicine. Trent snapped out of it again hearing the gun fire again, chipping deeper into the block of ice, he knew they had to get out of their. Carlos leaned over the block again and returned fire and then sat down again beside Trent on the floor.

"I don’t see scarface!" Carlos said to Trent before covering his head again as more streams of bullets flew above their heads.

"He’s close. Cover me!" Trent said and before Carlos could stop him Trent sprang to his feet and started running deeper into the warehouse. Higgins taking a few shots at him, but each time hitting either a block of ice or crates. Trent then disappeared behind some machines, and with that Higgins also got to his feet and started running in the same direction. Carlos saw this and pulled his trigger but Higgins was quickly out of sight behind the packet crates. He decided to chase after him, running up to the last place he had seen him, Carlos peered around the wooden crate. But pulled back when a bullet almost hit his face and sank into the crate. Higgins obviously just around the next corner, Carlos came around again and fired off another few shot’s, seeing Higgins swing back around the corner he was hiding behind. Carlos pulled back and slapped a fresh clip into the butt of the pistol, and then took a deep breath.

Trent heard the gun shots when it suddenly went quiet. He just hoped Carlos was still ok. Trent came around the huge loading machine, peering around the corner he saw that it was clear. But then something went off in his head and he flung around, bringing up his right leg he knocked the scared man’s pistol right out of his hand. Shocked he stepped back and held his sore hand watching the blonde PI step closer. He threw a right punch at Trent, one the PI easily blocked off. Trent returned the punch, with a closed fist that jerked the man’s head sharply to the side. He took a step back and then glared back up at Trent with an evil look. The man then lunged forward again, this time with a middle kick which Trent blocked off with both his hands. The scarface then swung his right fist around sinking it into Trent’s face. Trent absorbed the pain just in time to stop another fist coming towards him. Blocking off the man’s fist, Trent spun around and sank his foot into the man midsection. He gasped and bent over, wrapping his arms around his stomach, but lifting his head he saw Trent once again leaping into the air in a spin. Bringing his foot around once more, it hitting the scarface once again in his face. His head snapped sharply to the one side, and he doubled over. Moaning in pain Trent glanced down at him for a second before turning and heading back to where he was going.

Carlos peered around the corner again, nothing. Higgins was gone, he must have slipped away further down the one hallway of huge crates. Carlos then slowly started making his way down the hallway, keeping his pistol ready to fire. He then heard sirens coming closer from the distant. ‘About time.’ He said to himself and then continued down the path. Trent also heard the sirens coming closer and then stopped in this tracks. Thinking that he had heard something, he listened closely when he saw a shadow appearing infront of him, moving. Trent quickly turned around and was ready to throw a fist, but relaxed when he finally saw who the shadow belonged to.

"Ah, man am I glad to see you Walker." Trent exclaimed and sighed in relief as the Texas Ranger came walking closer.

"Sorry I couldn’t be here earlier. I got your message and came as soon as I could. Where’s Higgins?" Walker asked him, his .45-caliber Sig P-220 semiautomatic pistol in his one hand.

"I don’t know. I took out his brother back there. Carlos is around here somewhere after Higgins." Trent quickly explained to him looking around him.

"Alright, you continue down this way and I’ll head the other way. Be careful." Walker said to him.

"Gotcha." Trent said and with that the two parted.

Trent going down the hallway and Walker the other way.

Trent came around the corner when he saw a figure in the darkness in the shadow. He fist stood ready to fight seeing the figure heading towards him, but stood easy seeing that it was Carlos. Trent then moved forward and in an instant Carlos swung his pistol around towards him, Trent raised his hands.

"Easy it’s me!" Trent yelled to his friend a few feet away. Carlos then sighed in relief as he lowered his weapon and came walking closer.

"You get yours?" Carlos asked him referring to scarface.

"Yip, you?"

"Nah I lost him." Carlos said in frustration. Trent smiled at his remark but the smile disappeared when he saw a man behind Carlos coming around a huge crate, his gun pointed at his PI friend. Carlos saw the look in his eyes and then came to a stop, turning around he saw Higgins aiming the gun to his head. Like a reflex Trent sprang to a run towards Carlos, coming behind him he grabbed hold of Carlos and tackled him to the ground just has Higgins pulled his trigger. Three shots went off, but two where returned and sank into Higgins’s chest. He looked up seeing Walker to his left with his pistol drawn, and then Higgins dropped to the ground where he laid not moving. Carlos watched him drop while lying flat on his back, he then turned his head the other way and saw Trent lying there next to him.

"You ok?" Trent asked him lying on his stomach out of breath.

"Great. Thanks to you." Carlos answered him smiling as he then sat up and looked back at Walker who came walking closer. He looked back down at Trent and saw that he wasn’t moving anymore, his eyes closed.

"Trent?" Carlos said coming closer, crawling on his hands and knees and placing his hands on his friend’s back. Feeling something warm he lifted his one hand and saw it stained with blood. Carlos’s eyes filled with fear as the franticly turned Trent over on his back and then saw the blood stain on his shirt under his black leather jacket.

"Oh no! Trent! No dammit! Walker! Trent’s been shot!" Carlos yelled and turned his head to Walker who was coming closer but went from a walk to a fast run hearing Carlos’s words. Carlos turned back to Trent and took of his jacket, placing it on Trent’s chest, applying pressure. He then saw Trent eyes open, seeing him look around terrified.

"Agh...carlos..I..I can’t.."

"Shh, don’t talk. Just take it easy buddy, your gonna be ok." Carlos said trying to comfort him as much as he could. But he could see that Trent was loosing a lot of blood, fast. Walker came up to them and bent down at Trent’s side, hearing the other officers coming closer he turned to them.

"Get a paramedic in here now!" Walker yelled at them and they agreed instantly, one of them running back to the other cars arriving. Walker then turned back to Trent checking his pulse. Trent started gasping for air, also moaning in pain trying not to cry of pain.

"Come on Trent. Hang in there." Walker told him placing his hand on Trent’s forehead, he glanced up at the Ranger and gave a weak smile.

"I..I don’t want to....I’m not...afraid...I’ll be able to see her again." Trent tried hard to say, blood starting to flow from out of his mouth.

"No Trent. Don’t give up! I need you buddy, don’t you dare give up!" Carlos said to him with sorrow in his voice, and tears starting to form in his eyes.

"It’s ok Carlos. Your gonna be fine, you’ve got Michelle now to take care of you." Trent said to him and tried to smile, Carlos starting to cry, holding Trent’s right hand tightly.

"But your my best friend, how am I supposed to go on without you?" Carlos said to him. He couldn’t loose his best friend, growing up they had done everything together. Always through the happy times and the hard, they were always there for one another. And to loose his friend now would be too much.

"You will. Just try to keep that sarcastic charm of yours in once and a while ok?" Trent said to him joking, trying to laugh, but then he moaned in pain. Trent then turned to Walker at his other side, smiling down at the blonde Walker felt a great deal of pain build up inside of him. The same kind of pain he felt when Monica died.

"Walker...I just wanted to know...if after knowing each other all these years....if you ever...saw me...I mean thought of me...as a son?" Trent said to him, tears flowing down his cheeks. He got harder to breath and the pain in his chest was starting to disappear, almost going numb.

"I’ve always thought of you as a son Trent. Always. And if I ever had a son one day, I’d want him to be just like you." Walker said to him, he had always felt that way about Trent. From the early days when he had helped him right by teaching him martial arts, he always saw Trent as his own son.

"I always...saw you as a second father...Thank you...for always being there Walker...You changed my life..in the best kind of way. I’ve just always...wanted to make you proud of me." Trent said pleading out his heart at him, he just had to let him know.

"I’ve always been proud of you Trent. Like a father would be proud of his son." said Walker smiling down at him.

Trent grinded on his teeth of the pain and closed his eyes before looking up a Walker again and smiling once more. "I love you Walker.." He breathed hard through his teeth before slowly closing his eyes, letting out the last breath of air. Carlos placed his fist on his mouth, and before breaking out in a cry he stood up and walked away. Walker started breathing hard before closing his eyes and lowered his head, he then opened his eyes and glanced at Trent. "I love you too Trent." Walker said with a smile on his face. Carlos walked a few feet before stopping and slamming his fist into one of the crates, his fist going right into it. He then leaned against it and let out a cry, slamming his fist on the crate. He then backed off and started walking back towards Walker and Trent. He bent down by Trent’s side and started shaking the lifeless body.

"No this can’t be happening! Come on Trent! Don’t do this to me!" Carlos cried shaking the body, Walker leaned over and tried to stop him.

"Carlos he’s gone, there’s nothing you can do! Let him go!" Walker said to him coming around the body. He wrapped his arms around Carlos and tried to pull him back, Carlos finally let go of Trent and fell backwards, sitting down he sinked his face in his hands, crying tears of pain. "No God please...Not him too." Carlos said crying, looking down at the lifeless body. He had lost another friend, and once again it was his fault. Monica died saving Trent’s life, and now Trent had lost his life saving Carlos’s life. Walker tried to comfort Carlos by hugging him tight, and he too felt the tears coming down his cheek. Carlos looked at Trent again, not wanting to believe that his best friend was gone.

"Trent!....No...Trent!" The voice cried, but it sounded so far. It went quiet for a second when he heard a voice again, hearing his voice, Trent forced himself to open his eyes. "trent...Trent wake up!" He finally opened his eyes, finding him lying down on his back in his own bed. The room around him was half dark, but to his right was a blurr of light and beside him someone still calling his name. "Trent please wake up sweety." He turned his head and saw the blurr figure become clearer until he saw a beautiful long, dark haired women look down at him. With a worried look on her face she placed her hand on Trent’s cheek and spoke again. "Hey, you ok? You were having a nightmare." She said sounding worried. Trent thought for a second before sitting up straight and looking around him. He was back in his bed at the Ranch. It was all just a dream. He glanced back at the women and out of pure joy wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.

"Thank God you ok!" Trent said and then kissed her soft lips, something he felt as though he had done ages ago. He then hugged her again, taken by surprise Monica smiled and took his face in her hands.

"Of course I’m ok. You were just dreaming." She said to him and Trent smiled brightly and kissed her again with even more passion.

"Mmm, I should wake you up more often!" She said joking as their kiss broke. Trent stroked her face with his hands. To see her eyes again, her mouth filled him with a great joy.

"I’m just so glad to see you again." He said to her.

"What was your dream about?" She asked him, clearly it must had been something really big to get him worked up this way.

"It doesn’t matter. What matters is that we’re together." He answered her. The dream didn’t matter, it wasn’t real. Even though it all felt real, the pain, the surroundings. But it all wasn’t real. ‘Thank God’ He said to himself. Trent leaned forward again and kissed his beautiful wife, both then leaning back onto the bed. Monica lying flat on her back with Trent’s body covering hers. Breaking the kiss for only a second they looked deeply into each others eyes and smiled before kissing again. Truly this was the real world. A world in which they were still together. In love, married. ~Together Forever~

THE END!!