In the Golden Triangle

Epilogue

Kitt removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. The light in the room had grown dim and staring at his computer screen for so long had caused his eyes to strain. He set the glasses on the desk and glared at them balefully. Another painful reminder of his age. The hateful lenses were a constant reminder that he wasn't the same fit young man he had once been.

He leaned back in his chair and glanced at the clock. It was far past his bedtime, but he was waiting for a call from Teh. As usual, his brother was late.

A slender arm wrapped around him from behind and pulled him into a hug. Devon's nose nudged into his cheek and she sniffed quickly, a subtle tease to a Thai practice she didn't understand but had grown to appreciate.

"Why aren't you in bed, old man?" she asked gently, her voice raspy with sleep.

Kitt groaned. "Mean." he could point out that he was only a year or so older than her, but years of being in a relationship had taught him the value of holding his tongue. "Waiting for Teh." he gestured to the video chatting window opened up on his laptop.

Devon hmm'd and gave his neck another hug. "I'm bushed, so I'm going to hit the hay. Tell him I'll catch him on the next one." she leaned down for a proper kiss and Kitt took a moment to breathe in her scent and study the face he had never grown tired of looking at. Her hair was a little lighter, and there were new wrinkles she lamented about when looking in the mirror. But all Kitt could see were those beautiful green eyes that hadn't diminished in all the years he had been looking at them.

He watched her walk into their bedroom and felt a smug sense of pride. Devon was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

And she was still as fierce as the day he had met her. Time had not slowed her down—she still outpaced younger journalists, and never turned down an assignment that sparked her interest. For a time, Kitt had joined her. After he was discharged from the military, he joined Devon in her never ending quest to find a good story. He watched her ferret out the truth with a determination that made him fall in love with her over and over again. Between bouts of malaria (twice), getting shot at (too many times to count), and one memorable occasion of plucking cactus spikes out of his ass, their relationship flourished into something beautiful and lasting.

Their wall was littered with photos they had taken over the years. Each frame containing a story and an adventure that he would never forget.

But there came a time when Kitt needed to do something for himself. Devon encouraged him, and so he returned to school to get a communications degree with a concentration in Photojournalism. It was a scary time in his life. Kitt wasn't sure how to be on his own. While Devon was off knee deep in some story or another, Kitt was beginning to build his own career.

As it turns out, Kitt was quite good at it.

He found a second passion in his life, something he never imagined possible. He and Devon were still in love, but they found it easier to grow as individuals with support from the other. For a few years they both prioritized work and spent a great deal of time apart. But as they got older, they started accepting fewer and fewer out of country projects, opting to spend more time with each other.

Eventually Kitt accepted a job at his old University. He spent his time educating the next generation and in that he found his third passion. Turns out all his practice babysitting baby soldiers translated really well to education.

His computer trilled and pulled Kitt from his reminiscing. With a final glare at the glasses he refused to put on, he accepted the call.