Open Case File [COMPLETED]

Honeymoon (Part 2)

"Okay, you're ridiculous, mission accomplished," she said.

Donovan grinned and kissed her smile.

"Only for you."

At the lobby floor, Donovan pressed himself against the wall of the elevator, hiding himself from the front desk. Carter stepped out and greeted the worker, giving Donovan the distraction he needed to slip out, and crouched low, sliding along the desk, out of the view of the receptionist. When he felt the worker's gaze drift back to his phone, Donovan popped up and joined Carter. A second later, the receptionist let out a squeak of surprise at Donovan's sudden appearance.

Carter rolled her eyes as Donovan took her hand. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Yes."

As they stepped out of the lobby and onto the hotel's patio, Donovan breathed in the salty air. It was the smell of home. Hearing the crash of the waves, he felt transported back to his childhood. How many times had his brothers and he played along the beach? How many times had they shared their secrets underneath the moon?

Donovan guided Carter out onto the beach. The sand sank beneath their feet, eventually turning solid as they reached the shoreline.

"If your idea of an adventure is taking a walk along the beach, then I'm going back to sleep," Carter said.

Donovan only laughed and spun around, walking backward.

"Growing up," he said. "My brothers and I would sneak out at night to spend time at the beach. It was our favorite time. No one was there, it was just us. There are a lot of nights I remember when we'd share things that we wouldn't in the daytime. I brought you out here because this is a tradition."

Carter nodded, her face ponderous. The edge of her mouth curled and Donovan sense where her mind took her.

"What secret are you going to share with me then?" she said.

"Who said I had any secret to share?"

"You just said that the beach at night is where you would share things you couldn't share in the daytime. So share. And it better be good, you did drag me out of bed for this."

Donovan placed his hands on the top of his head, thinking. Slowly, they continued to walk, Donovan blindly leading the way as he moved backward.

"Okay, I mirrored my moody persona off of Clint," he said.

"Nope, not good enough. I already know this. I've met your brother."

Donovan wondered if anyone would be annoyed by Carter's remark. He only found it interesting, a challenge.

"I spent the last night before I went to protect Link on the beach with my brothers. We all cried, Clint was the only one to not trying to hide it."

Carter pursed her lips, mulling over the snippet of information.

"Nope, I want a secret that never in a million years would you want to tell me."

A thought popped into Donovan's head but he knew he couldn't share it. Not with Carter. She grinned and pointed at him.

"Yes, that secret," she said. "I want to know the one you just thought of."

Donovan stopped walking. He didn't know how he could tell her. He tried to think of something else equally good, but his mind froze.

"Ah, you don't want to share it," she said. "It must be really embarrassing."

She rested her hands on his sides, peering up at him, her head tilted to one side.