"...Yeah, this is Tea Delgado in...oh, hi...good, good...listen, I need some bags brought down to the front. Yeah, right now...great, thanks. Bye."

Sykes walks into the PD around the same time. He goes through his usual morning routine, hang up the coat, get the coffee. He sits down at his desk, pensive. Something's been bothering him all night, ever since he saw Tea in her office. Something about the way she was acting wasn't sitting right with him. He couldn't quite put his finger on it...it was almost like she KNEW something was up. But...no, she couldn't possibly...no way.

He keeps telling himself that, but for some reason, it isn't making him feel better. He sighs, tapping his fingers on the desk. Then he checks his watch. He thinks another moment...then gets up suddenly, heading for the stairs.

He gets up to Tea's office...door's closed, all's quiet. He looks around...nobody's in yet. He tries the knob...it turns and clicks. His brow furrows in. Left unlocked? Slowly, he pushes the door open, thinking she's still inside.

"Tea?" he asks quietly, peering inside. But she's not there.

He walks over to the desk, looking around. He glances at the paperwork on the desk, all in neat piles, each with a post-it note on them. Curious, he reads one of the notes. "Hank - all my pending cases---nothing major. Jeff should be able to handle it. -T."

Sykes stares at the note. Jeff? Her assistant? Hmmm. He puts it back down, and reads another.

"Hank or Jeff - this motion needs to be filed with the courthouse by the end of this month. -T."

Wheels turning, he rubs the note in his hand, leaning on the edge of the desk. He takes another look at the desk...all the tidy piles, with notes on them...instructions for Hank and Jeff. But WHY would she be leaving instructions?

Suddenly his face pales as he realizes why. He grabs for the phone.

Tea opens her door to find the one of the bellhops smiling at her.

"Good morning."

"Hi..." she says, opening the door wider. He points at the bags on the floor.

"Just these?"

"Yes, thanks. Um...are there any cabs outside?"

He swings a couple of bags over his shoulder. "Uh...I think so...I'll hold one for you."

"Great! Thank you so much. I'll be right down."

He trudges back down the hallway with all her bags. Tea goes over to the bed and grabs her coat, purse and carryon. She swings her keys around her finger as she does one last check of the place. Satisfied that she's all set, she goes to the door...

...and the phone starts to ring. She stops dead in her tracks, then turns slowly and looks at it ringing. Her eyes narrow...she KNOWS who's on the other end. She throws her coat over her arm, grabbing the doorknob. She gives the phone one last venomous look, walks out and closes the door.

Not wanting to wait for the elevator, she sprints down the stairs to the lobby. She puts her coat on as she heads out the front door to the valet area, where a cab sits waiting.

Five rings, six, seven...no answer. Sykes starts to swing his head around, temper flaring.

"Damn!" He slams the phone down and storms out.

The bellhop opens the back door of the cab for Tea as she approaches.

"Have a safe trip, Ms. Delgado," he says, with a polite smile.

"Thanks," she says, starting to get in. Then she stops. She looks at the bellhop, then digs in her pocket. She pulls out a bill and holds it up. His eyes widen when he sees how much it is.

Tea leans in closer. "If ANYONE asks...you DIDN'T see me. Clear?"

He grins slyly. "Absolutely."

"Good." She hands him the bill and gets in. He closes the door for her, then slaps the top of the cab, and it takes off.

About a half-hour later, the phone rings at Llanfair. Jessica answers.

"Hello?"

A scratchy, staticky connection. "Hello...is Viki there?"

"Yeah, who's this?" Viki comes walking in to the living room and up to Jess.

"It's Tea..."

"Oh, hi Tea...hang on," Jess says, turning around and handing the phone to her mom.

"Tea? Are you okay?"

"Yes...fine. Just wanted you to know I'm at the airport. I'll be boarding in about fifteen minutes."

"Oh, that's great. Listen, I called Dr. Atherton...I told her you were on your way."

Over at the airport terminal, Tea holds a finger in one ear as she holds her cell phone to the other.

"Good. Thanks Viki...I'll call you when I get there."

Viki smiles. "Be careful, sweetie. And...tell Todd I'm thinking of him."

"Well do. Bye." Tea punches the "end" button on her phone and looks around. The terminal is fairly crowded. Wearing jeans and a big sweatshirt instead of her usual business wear, she figures she's less likely to be spotted. But she sits down anyway, looking in all directions. No sign of Sykes. She slouches down and hides behind a book.

Suddenly her book is pushed down out of her face. She looks up, ready to bolt...

...only to find RJ grinning at her. She lets out a breath, grabs the book and hits him with it.

"God, you scared me! DON'T DO THAT!"

He laughs as he takes a seat next to her.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" she whispers.

He just sits there looking at her with a big grin. She shrugs.

"WHAT?"

He leans in, putting his head against hers.

"Just taking a last look. I have a feeling I won't be seeing you for a while," he says sadly.

She sighs, bumping him. There's a silence, as they share the closeness of the moment. Then Tea whispers...

"Ohhh, god...I'm scared..."

He rests an arm on her back, and touches her hair.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on that loser...if he makes any moves, I'll call you."

She closes her eyes, pushing her head against his.

"Not just about John...about everything. I...I don't know what the hell I'm doing, RJ. I could be making a HUGE mistake...AGAIN."

RJ lifts his head up and pulls her into a hug. He really doesn't want her to go, and he's worried for her...but knows that this is what she has to do. He whispers into her hair.

"Hey, listen...if it doesn't work out, come home. You'll always have friends here."

She pulls away and looks at him with a sad smile. Just then, over the loudspeaker...

"Good morning...flight twelve-seventy to Great Falls is now boarding at gate three. Please have your tickets ready."

They stand up, holding hands. RJ nods at her.

"You tell that crackpot militia man of yours...if he don't do right by you, I'LL be sending HIM a letter bomb."

She laughs in spite of herself...then wraps her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. She kisses his cheek and whispers into his braided hair.

"You're the BEST, RJ. I'll call you as soon as I can."

They separate. Tea grabs her coat and bags, and starts backing away, stepping toward the line headed for the gate. She waves.

He waves back, watching her as she turns and moves up through the line. He takes a look around...no sign of the jerk. He looks back just in time to see Tea getting her ticket taken. She walks to the doorway and turns back one last time. Their eyes lock. RJ makes a "get outta here" brushing motion with his hand. She smiles again, waves, and disappears down the gangplank.

Sykes races up to Tea's hotel room and bangs on the door.

No answer. He takes a quick look around, then reaches into his pocket, pulling out one of the PD's lock-picking tools. He jams it into the lock and turns it until it clicks. The door cracks open...he pushes it open gently, looking around.

The bed's unmade. The bathroom door is open. He sees the envelope made out to Renee on the desk. Walking over to the dresser, he pulls one of the drawers open. Most of the clothes are gone. He shoves the drawer back in, then covers his mouth, thinking. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the ticket he took from the locker, examining it.

He curses to himself again, seeing that the departure date is...today...in five minutes. He runs out, slamming the door behind him and taking off down the stairs, his mind racing along with him...she found out. BUT HOW? There was no way she could have known it even EXISTED...

He stops thinking as he runs outside...and spots the bellhop standing off to the side. He gets right in his face.

"Did you see a woman leave here earlier this morning?"

The bellhop looks over Sykes, remembering his instructions. He shrugs casually, shaking his head.

"Na...sorry, man."

Sykes turns his head, about to take his rage out on the poor guy when the sound of jet engines rumbles through the air, starting low then getting louder. He looks up just in time to see a plane pass overhead, having just taken off from the airport. Sykes turns and follows it, his body slouching with defeat. The jet noise settles and the plane soon disappears out of his view.

The bellhop watches as he walks over to his car. In a momentary loss of control, Sykes bashes his fist on the roof of his car. The bellhop raises an eyebrow, trying to hide a grin as Sykes gets in his car and drives off.

Sitting back in her seat, Tea sighs. In her lap, the puzzle piece sits sandwiched between her hands. Finally, she clenches it in one hand and brings it up, resting her head on it and nestling into the seat. She leans against the window and closes her eyes.