"When will we be there?" I asked for the millionth time in boredom. Dominic's robot, Quincy, had been driving on an empty road for what felt like eternity. Nic had told me it would be awhile before we got to a location that was once used as something called an 'airport'. 

     "It won't be much longer, Miss," Quincy replied reassuringly. 

     "She's no longer a 'Miss', Quincy. I thought I already informed you to address her either as 'Mistress' or 'Mrs. Estis'," Dominic replied.

     Throughout the entire trip, Nic had been spacing out periodically, only being brought back to reality when I'd shift due to the uncomfortable seats in the vehicle. Eleanor's death seemed to genuinely hit him hard, but I knew better than to believe it. The only possible explaination was that he was what killed her. However, I'd been thinking greatly on that assumption the entire ride. 

     "My apologies, Master. I was programmed only to refer to Mistress Aradella as the Mistress," Quincy said in his gravely voice. 

     "Well you no longer have need to do that. I've practically disowned her by this point. Once we get to our stop, I'll have to reprogram you," Dominic calmly said before nodding to himself in satisfaction. For a split second, our eyes clashed from across the car, but I quickly broke the contact and turned to look out the window. 

     The scenery consisted of miles upon miles of a desert terrain. The occasional cactus would zoom past in a blur, and a few tumbleweeds could be seen in the distance. It was relativity flat, therefore no sand dunes were in the area unless you were to look very far off into the distance. Putting my chin in my left hand, I rested my arm against the window edge. I was just about to fully close my eyes due to exhaustion before Dominic's smooth voice broke the silence. 

     "My dear, why have you been avoiding my gaze? Ever since we left your room, you've never looked at me for longer than three seconds, believe me, I've been counting," he sadly chuckled. I'd gotten used to his slightly creepy comments by now. Hearing the scratchy sound of someone moving against leather, I was about to turn my gaze across from me before my face was gently turned to face Nic. 

     His brilliant blue orbs met mine, and I gazed back at him tiredly. Rubbing a comforting circle against my cheek cupped in his hand, I lazily leaned my head into his palm before yawning. 

     "Would you like to take a nap, Cutie?" He softly asked with amusement, and I nodded. Moving back to his respectable seat across from me, he motioned for me to come to his side.

     Deciding to comply with him since it would help pass the time, I went to stand before the van was tossled to the side due to a bump causing me to fall face-first into Dominic's chest. My arms landed on either side of his torso, and my current body's position was snuggly between his legs. A chuckle escaped his lips as he looked down at me, and I tried to move away with a blush on my face before his arms wrapped around me. 

     "Ya know, when I told you to come here, I meant beside me, but this position works just as well," he said with a small twinkle of life that returned back to his eyes. Pouting at him, I tried once more to push myself away from him, but he only held on tighter. 

     "Please let me go," I ordered nicely. I wasn't going to beg to him, but it must have sounded like it due to my voice being muffled from his shirt. 

     "Aww, no need to plead, sweetheart," he jokingly said before releasing his grip. Right when I moved to fully stand and brush myself off, I was jerked down beside him with my head resting in his lap. 

     "What-" I started to ask before he placed his hand across my mouth. 

     "Hush, my love. Take a nap. We'll be there soon," he told me before running his fingers through my pulled back locks of (h/c) hair. Sending a glare at him for cutting me off, I turned on my side facing away from him and attempted to get comfy until I felt him tugging at the elastic band in my hair. 

     Immediately reaching back to him, I reflexively swatted his hand away before tightening my hair and looking at him from the corner of my eyes. A small chuckle was heard before he softly ran a finger along the side of my face, and I decided to ignore him as I firmly closed my lids. 

     "I love you," Dominic whispered, and I replied with a quiet 'mhmm'. Feeling a sudden change in pressure, I opened one eye to reveal the dangerous look of Dominic. His hand that was delicately running through my hair had now roughly grasped it and turned my head to face him. 

     "I said 'I love you'. Don't take that for granted, (Y/n). When I say that, I expect to get an 'I love you' in return," Nic darkly said, and I merely rolled my eyes due to tiredness. Any other time, I would have cautiously replied, but my nerves were already thinning. Grabbing his hand in my hair, I pried his fingers away and sat up from his lap before moving away from him against the rear door. 

     "I'm not one of your robots you can easily manipulate, Dominic. I'm my own person," I told him before resting my head on the glass. Before completely blocking him out, I heard his soft whisper that was clearly meant for only himself to hear. 

     "I wouldn't be so sure of that," was what it sounded like. Snapping my eyes back open, I immediately replied. 

     "What does that mean? Eleanor said something similar to that as well. I can't be kept in the dark forever," I said with questioning eyes. A look of surprise crossed his face before he turned away to face the front window. Rolling my eyes, I scoffed at him. 

     "You're so childish," I insulted before placing my attention on the desert sand being kicked up behind us. I faintly heard Dominic grumble to himself, but I was no longer in the mood for conversation. 

     In no time at all I was back in the world of sleep, and the feeling of eyes on me followed me even then. 

               •                  •                •

     "We're finally here, Master," informed Quincy as the van came to an abrupt halt. I felt myself shoot forward only to be stopped by two firm arms that held me against a sturdy chest. Groggily opening my eyes, I looked up to find the defined chin of Dominic above me. Somehow within my nap, Dominic must have moved me onto his lap. I was curled up with my head on his shoulder and my legs against my chest. The warmth radiating from him was enough to make me stay against him, but I soon felt him shifting causing me to grudgingly move off of him. I'd nearly forgotten why I was mad at him to begin with. 

    "Come on, my love. One more trip and we'll be done. You can sleep more on the plane, I promise," Dominic told me as he moved to the rear door. Opening it revealed the sun setting across a decomposing building fallen long ago. It looked like it belonged in Rubble City, but it also gave off an extremely lonely and eerie aura. 

     Dominic got out of the van first, and I soon followed. Nic had offered his hand to me, but I'd declined and hopped out on my own. He sent me a displeased look before grabbing my hand and leading me towards the unstable looking building. 

     "Are you sure it's safe to walk in there?" I asked Dominic. My agility and ability to quickly flit between falling objects hadn't been tested for awhile, and I wasn't too keen on it being tested now. 

     "Not entirely, but I'll protect you. The worst thing that could be in there would be a rabid animal. You won't have to worry about robots," Dominic assured me, completely missing the main point of my worry. Deciding not to press on it any further, I nodded my head and we continued walking with Quincy behind us. 

     "Where's Corrine?" I inquired while glancing up at Dominic with squinted eyes due to the position of the sun. 

     "She should already be on the plane. They arrived here a lot earlier than us. I was considering taking two planes, but I wanted us to be the first ones to step on Alaska," he answered while looking straight ahead at the crumbling stones. 

     We reached the entrance to the airport a few minutes later, and that was when Quincy departed back to the van to go home. Dominic had told him to tidy the place up, and to preserve Eleanor's body until we returned to give her a proper funeral. He stepped over a particularly large pillar that had fallen, and then turned around, reaching for my waist. Allowing him to grasp me, he lifted me over the pillar in an attempt to make a romantic moment.      

     I smiled at him in return before planting a small kiss on his cheek and wandering around. I'd already made it quite a few yards away from him before he came after me, but I payed little attention. Scraps of what used to be posters dangled off what was left of the walls, and the occasional bench was seen strewn across the floor. The wood they were made of had molded, and holes made by insects could be seen. Dust, rocks, and leaves littered the tiled ground, but even some of the tiles had been uprooted. 

     I was so engrossed exploring the building that I hadn't noticed Dominic holding my hand once again. When I reached the end of the building with shattered stained glass windows, Dominic placed a kiss on my knuckles causing me to face him, nearly oblivious to the large piece of glass I almost stepped on. 

     "You have to be more careful in here, darling. Our plane was back a ways further, but you just looked so adorable looking around that I had to let you explore. We've really delayed our flight quite awhile now, though, so we should get going," Dominic said while ruffling my hair. Sending him a sweet smile, I turned our hands over and kissed his own knuckles. 

     "Alright, let's get going then," I replied with the same sweet smile. Giving me a love struck gaze, Dominic nodded at me before bringing our hands back down and swinging them back and forth as we walked to a nearly untouched arch that led to a tunnel-like ramp. 

     "Nic?" I questioned while we were walking up the ramp. 

     "Hmm?" He hummed in reply to signal me he was listening. 

     "What were airports used for?" I finished, looking up at him with curiosity. 

     "Oh, my dear, dear (Y/n), there's so much you need to learn. I'll be glad to teach you, though," the bluenette answered with a flirtatious wink before continuing, "An airport used to be for people that needed to make it from one place to another as quickly as possible. People would get tickets and wait for their plane to arrive. Then they'd ride the plane to another airport where they got off probably hours later."

     "Oh," I said, slightly disappointed. I had expected the backstory to be a bit more interesting. Uncovering ancient artifacts like this always seemed amazing to me. Being in a place such as this made me want to pretend that I lived in a time era before the robots where living was so much simpler. I wish that among all the technology advances scientists used to make, that they'd have created a time machine to go back and fix the mistakes that had been made. 

     "Cheer up, Cutie. I hate seeing that little frown across your face," Dominic said with a pout of his own. Lifting one corner of my mouth, I gave him a half smile before we were finally on the airplane. 

     The inside was nearly empty besides a bed nailed to the ground, a few chairs, a coffee table, and an overhead tv. The plane was split in half by a white,  opaque curtain. I assumed Corrine and Aradella were on the other side, but if they were talking, that made the sliding curtain sound proof. Dominic and I were in the front half. 

     "Does it seem comfy enough?" Dominic asked with concern from behind me. His arms found their way around my waist, and his chin rested on my right shoulder. 

     "It looks fine," I told him before pulling his arms away from my waist and walking towards the curtain. Right before I went to slide the curtain back, Dominic rested his hand on top of my own. 

     "Can we just spend this time together? Alone? I've already told them not to bother us. I just want you all to myself for once," Dominic pleaded. His face conveyed pure agony and pleading. It felt like a heartwretching decision, but I slowly removed my hand from the handle in compliance with him. I felt obligated to be a good wife to him in this moment. I'd be away from him soon, and betraying him none the less, so the least I could do was spend this small bit of time with him. 

     "Alright, but isn't Orson over there?" I asked, looking at him with my own pleading gaze. 

     "Yes, and I assure you he's safe. Now, why don't you try to resume that nap you were taking earlier?" Dominic rhetorically asked. 

     "I thought you wanted to spend time with me?" I said with pure confusion as he led me to the bed.
 
     "I do," he gently said before carefully pushing me onto the bed. Insincts kicked in the moment I lost my balance, and I reached out to Nic in order to remain on my feet. 

     "It will be okay, (Y/n). Trust me, I won't hurt you. Just lay down," his voice dripped of honey, and I found myself hypnotized from it. Gradually loosening my grip on his shirt, I fell further and further back until I landed on a soft matress which sunk down due to the new weight. Looking up at Nic, I watched him innocently as he removed his shirt and tossed it to the ground. My eyes were drawn once more to the scar on the left side of his chest, and I continued to stare until Nic coughed in an attempt to get my attention. 

     Changing my line of vision to his own eyes, I took in the light pink that dusted his cheeks. Sending him a content smile, I shut my eyes figuring he was going to join me in bed. In the next moment, I felt his warm fingers tracing the shape of my lips. Cracking my eyes open, I was startled to find Nic's face significantly closer to my own. 

     Bringing my body closer to his, I held myself up on my elbows. In the space between my back and the bed, Dominic snaked his arms around me and brought me to his warm chest. My arms were pressed against his chest as well, and I found myself looking up into his shimmering blue eyes. Planting an innocent kiss on his lips, he looked down at me mischievously causing me to send him a curious gaze. 

     In the next moment, I felt the elastic band around my hair release its grip as my hair fell around my face. Gasping in surprise, Dominic let me go as I fell onto the bed with my hair fanning around me. In Dominic's right hand was my hair tie, and it was snapped. Right when I was about to scold him he practically fell on top of me and locked his lips with mine, tangling his left hand in my hair as the right hand rested on my waist. 

     "Was breaking my hair tie necessary?" I panted after Dominic allowed me space to breath. Sending me a devious smirk, he simply kissed my forehead before collapsing on the bed beside me. Rolling my eyes, I shook my head at him before turning on my side to face him. 

     Wiggling my body closer to him, I curled up next to him and he wrapped a single arm around me, pulling me closer. I placed my forehead on his chest with my hair trailing behind me, and I soaked in the warmth he provided. 

     "And now you can take a nap," he said while placing another kiss on the crown of my head. I smiled against his chest as another wave of tiredness crashed over me. When I woke up, I knew I'd be in Alaska and one step closer to my end goal. 

            •                    •                   •

     "Master?" The faint whisper of Corrine asked. I'd been in limbo between sleep and waking for a short while before I heard Corrine. 

     "What? Didn't I tell you not to disturb us?" Dominic lowly growled with me still cuddled against his chest. He was trying to keep his voice quiet so as to not wake me, so I looked up at him and ran my hand along his chin to signify I was already up. His eyes softened when he looked down at me, and he planted a kiss above my left eye before returning his attention back to Corrine who was standing awkwardly between her half of the plane and ours. 

     "There's only about an hour until we reach our destination, but it's nighttime here at the moment, and those lights you've always been so thrilled to see are out," Corrine said with a downcast expression. In the next moment, Dominic had practically lept from the bed and raced to the window. He had to move the curtain up to peer outside, but when he did, joy lit up his face as he stared in amazement outside. 

     "(Y/n)! Come look!" He excitedly called, and I pushed myself up from the bed to go to him. Corrine was still standing off to the side, and I sent her a smile before walking over to Dominic. When I was finally over by Dominic, I had to bend over him to look at the sky, but I wasn't disappointed. 

     An array of greens, purples, and light blues waved around the sky. Each beam of light seemed to have its own pattern, and they reminded me of snakes slithering across a dark canvas. The stars behind them completed the look, and from the distance the lights appeared to touch the snowy mountains in the distance. 

     Snow was hard to find in this world due to global warming that happened a long time ago, but occasionally I'd be able to stumble across a patch or two. However, I'd never seen an entire area covered in it. The snow was nearly as beautiful as the lights, especially with the lights reflecting onto the snow, painting it in vibrant colors. 

     "It's even more amazing than I imagined," Dominic sighed, "I'm so glad I'm able to share this moment with you."

     He softly smiled at me and took my small hand before turning his attention back to the view. I felt another hand on my shoulder, and I jumped before turning my head to look behind me. Corrine's bright orange hair was what I noticed first, and her equally orange eyes glowed at me. Giving her a curious look, she put her finger to her lips to keep me quiet, then she gently pulled on my arm. Glancing to Nic, I determined that he was too focused on the brilliant light show to notice my presence gone, so I carefully removed my hand from his loose hold and tiptoed away behind Corrine. 

      I was correct in believing he wouldn't notice, and in no time at all I was on the other side of the plane with the curtain shut tightly behind me. From this side, the curtain was a deep red. The only furniture on this side was two chairs and a coffee table. They were only missing the bed and a tv. This side did have a miniature bed for a pet, though, and Orson was laying snuggly in it. 

     (Y/n)! How've you been? I haven't seen you since the wedding!" Aradella exclaimed with puffy bags beneath her eyes. It wasn't hard to tell she'd been crying earlier, and slightly runny mascara further proved my point. 

     "I've been good. You?" I politely asked. 

     "Honestly," she laughed, "Not good. These chairs are terrible for your back, and I was already on the road when we got the news about Grandma." 

     "I'm sorry, Ella. I know how close you two were," I empathetically said. She gave me sad smile in response and her eyes started to well up. Before the first tear even fell, Ella had ran into my arms and was hugging me like a lifeline. We didn't say anything as I reassuringly patted her back. I felt her tears forming a wet patch on my sweatshirt, and her neck seemed bent at an uncomfortable angle for her to be able to cry into my shoulder due to our height