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The film was a wrap. The producers threw a huge party on the beach. It promised to be a rip roaring bon fire with plenty of booze. Tracy had already told Blaze and Ramiro that she planned on leaving before things got too crazy and they respected that. There were pictures, there was clowning around. People swam, dumped beer all over themselves, jumped the fires, and there was more than one fire.

They ate and laughed and yelled and generally let out a lot of pent up emotion. The film was in the bag, they could go home, now it was time for the studio to mix that darn thing and get it out to the public. Their job was over for a couple of months, then the promotions would start. It was destined to make them all really famous, it was that kind of good family fun.

Blaze's performance, in Tracy's opinion, had made the whole thing, and Tracy was catapulted into respectability. Ramiro, whose career was fledgling, was also receiving offers he'd never expected.

Dark and good looking, he had one arm around Tracy, pulling her close into his side, as he swayed to the music coming from a band, yelled for someone else, and toasted them with his beer. He was laughing raucously as well. There were calls for Tracy to do a hula, and she got up on a table and did, swinging her hair, her hands, her hips. She'd been taught a little Hawaiian dancing, but it was her natural fluidity that caught people's attention. She was a naturally good dancer. She also had a healthy respect for culture and she wouldn't make fun of hula dancing by doing it in a cheap spirit, or to be sexy, even though it was sexy. There were a dozen cat calls.

"So, where to, Princess?" It was Blaze as she got off the table-- no fell off-- into somebody's arms and then righted herself into Blaze's arms. They were yelling for an encore, so she climbed back up and did one more dance. This time he waited and lifted her onto his shoulders and carried her away from the crowd piggy-back. There were even more calls at that.

"What?" She was yelling, laughing. "What?"

He took her down by the waves, off by themselves, and walked into the surf. "What are your plans?"

She shrugged. "Tonight's not a business night, boyo!"

"Just curious, that's all. Will you be heading back to So. Cal?"

"I think, yeah, to see Danny's grandparents. For like a week, and then Michael has me doing a couple of summer gigs, and then, I think more gigs back in Europe, and we can see Dad and Shanna and the kids." She squirmed around, as his hands climbed up her bare legs too much, and he finally doubled over, head down and let her off. She danced away from him and he stopped and smiled.

"Trace..."

She whirled in the bubbling surf, and then glanced at him, to see the soberness, very unlike him, and she came back up on the dry sand and plopped down. She patted the sand next to her. It was obvious he had something to say.

"Yeah?" She encouraged, when he didn't automatically blurt out what was on his mind.

"Listen," He began, but seemed hesitant, and he fingered his goatee thoughtfully. "I might want to investigate your church."

Tracy's breath came out slowly, a thousand thoughts racing around for purchase. She cocked her head to one side, remembering others who had said this, some were serious and others were not.

"Okay." She said softly. "Om, what about it is drawing you?" That had been a defining question now a couple of times. For Richard, it had been the defining question. Temples and forever had been his starting point.

He shrugged. "I just need something more in my life."

She pondered that one. "Well, have you read the Bible?"

"I've looked at it. Yeah, I've read most of it. I have gone to church before."

"Yeah." She assured him. "So, were there any questions? Like about God, or our purpose here?"

"Why aren't you asking me to read the Book of Mormon?" He was annoyed that she'd started some place he wasn't expecting. What did the Bible have to do with it?

She turned to him, cheeks resting on bent arms. "The something more in your life.... Could that something still be me? I mean we are leaving in the morning, and we probably won't see each other for a while, if ever..."

She'd nailed it; she could see it in his face.

He had a tortured expression in his dark eyes, the irritated set of his jaw, the twitching tick in his cheek.

Tracy leaned into him, and eventually put an arm around him squeezing lightly. "Blaze, I'd love it if religion was at the core of your interest right now. I'd think that was cool, because I believe it. But even though your investigation of my church would probably keep us together a little longer, ultimately you'd be disappointed." She turned his face with one finger on his chin to look into those stormy eyes. "And besides, we've been through enough to know that I will be your friend always."

He flung out a hand roughly. "Because you think you want Richard Mann?" He scoffed in derision.

She leaned away from him, retreating into self. "Why do you mock me?" She asked coolly.

He turned to her, their legs touching, overlapping, his hands reached for hers and she held herself away from him stiffly. He insisted and rested both hands on her clasped forearms. "There's something between us, Trace, something that needs to be explored. There's music and laughter, and common interests, and friendship."

She looked away from him, out to the dark sound of the waves. "You're right." She answered, knowing the rest of her answer before she had to say it out loud, and she felt her heart breaking.

"I am?" He blurted.

She shook her head. "Yeah, Sure, all those things. There's even more than that. We're attracted to each other, that's important. We work well together, we understand each other easily, we don't have a lot of misunderstanding, we're both stubborn, but we respect each other, we give each other space." She sighed, and then leaned back, her hands curled in the sand behind her. "But..." She said slowly and saw his eyes widen. Well, it had to be said... he would never stop any other way.

"But you don't push me to be better than I think I can be. I want to be pushed. You can't see inside me and pull out the insecurity and face it with me. Your patience runs thin when it comes to exploring certain topics that you find dull and boring. I like to explore religious details. I like to do it again and again. And then.... I want to try new things."

"I'm dying to try new things with you." He whispered.

She laughed. "I'm in love, totally and one hundred percent with somebody else."

"No!" he said vehemently.

"Don't push me this way."

"You said you want to be pushed to see things you wouldn't normally see, or something, well, you need to see that we need to be together."

*****