The End

Chapter 56: We're Really Doing This

"We are asking for trouble, Pompeo," Patrick said as he pulled into the very crowded parking lot of Runyon Canyon Park. "You know this is probably the most famous hike in Los Angeles, right?"

"Well..." Ellen tossed her hands, already a little irked. "We could drive all the way to Malibu. Or we could hike where I used to hike with my ex-husband."

Patrick smiled, even though she was starting to get worked up.

"What?" She asked, catching him looking at her.

"Ex-husband sounds nice."

Ellen laughed a little. He always found a way to diffuse her.

"It does sound nice, doesn't it?" She realized, as she heard herself say it for the first time.

"Yeah," his eyes twinkled as he held her gaze. "Come on," he tapped her hand and opened his door. "Let's go meet some fans."

He hopped out of his Porsche, grinning.

Ellen shook her head with a soft smile tugging at her mouth as she followed him out.

"I'm going to kill you."

They left the car along Mulholland and walked toward the entrance.  The early morning sun already warm against their shoulders. The dirt parking lot kicking up dust by their feet.

Beyond the gate, the trail stretched ahead through dry brush, and steep edges. The crowded path causing them to slow their pace.

"It's a matter of time anyway," he said with his own shrug.

"That I kill you, or we get photographed together?"

"Both." He smiled.

Ellen led them to the right, toward a narrow, more intimate path. It was immediately steep.

Patrick, naturally, found a dog to pet.  "Oh, he's so sweet," he crouched down and ruffling the head of a bulldog.

Ellen kept her distance watching with a smile as she pushed her sunglasses higher on her face.

After a moment, Patrick stood and they continued up the wooden steps built into the hillside. The path bent abruptly into the brush, the tall vegetation enough to block the views of the city around them.

"Now who's asking for trouble?" Ellen raised her eyebrows, and nudged him with her shoulder as they continued up the path.

"That guy isn't going to out us," Patrick rolled his eyes. "My ex-wife is going to." He took another step and glanced over at her. "Probably tomorrow."

The terrain grew steeper, Patrick slowed to let her move ahead of him. Ellen glanced to him. She knew exactly what he was doing, but she couldn't help but bite. "It does sound nice," she said holding back a grin.

Without warning, her foot slipped on the loose dirt. Patrick caught her before she could fall, his hand instinctively reaching for her arm. She regained her balance and looked back at him. "Nice reflexes, McDreamy." Her voice filled with sarcasm but her eyes lingered on his quick reflexes.

Patrick let out a quiet laugh and helped her step back onto the trail, guiding her past him. The path plateaued for a moment, opening to views of the Hollywood hills in every direction.

"I can't believe it went so well with Stella."

"You?" She said with surprise. "It took me ten minutes to realize it was going so well. I was shocked." Her breath getting a little heavy from the first steep hill, "Who would've thought she'd be Team Patrick." She added, giving him a playful side-eye.

"I'm relived," his tone turning more serious. "Did she ask anything...?"

"Just a little about the timeline," Ellen began, "then said she'd never watch the show again." Ellen laughed, "said it was our sex tape."

"Ha!" Patrick laughed. "She has a point."

Ellen swatted his arm as the trail took a deep valley. They made their way down it with ease. The descent offering a needed break from the climb.

For a few minutes, they were alone. There were groups of hikers ahead and behind them, but down in the valley, the trail belonged only to them.

"I think she'll have more questions," Ellen said. "When it all settles."

"It'll be cool," Patrick said thoughtfully. "Getting to know her." His eyes lingered on Ellen, unhurried. "All of them," he followed.

"Yeah," Ellen smiled.

"Feels like finding a missing piece of you," Patrick's voice softened.

She glanced over to him. Her expression contemplative.

"We're really doing this."

"We're really doing this," he reached for her hand, his thumb brushing gently over the back of it before their fingers slipped apart.

They continued along the path, breathing heavy from the climb. Their eyes dancing over each other as though they were on a first date.

Their hands brushing at every opportunity.

A woman in her thirties laughed with her friend on the bench at the overlook, the city beneath them. They clinked their water bottles in a little toast, celebrating their climb to the top. They stood, heading in their direction.

Patrick watched the woman's brow furrow. Then her eyes widened.

"Uh-oh," he murmured under his breath.

Seconds later, he heard her voice carry across the hillside.

"Oh my god, Meagan. Look."  She leaned in to whisper to her friend. Meagan's eyes widened too. Their paths were closing in quickly. There was no escaping it now.

"Excuse me," the woman said. She had no need to confirm who they were. Patrick gave a wave, hoping that would be enough. It wasn't. He kept walking anyway. "Can we get a quick picture?"

Ellen slowed her pace and a gave a small shrug, "Sure."

"Here," Patrick said thinking quickly, "I'll take it, and then we can switch."

"Thank you so much," the woman said, handing him her phone.

"I seriously can't believe this..." she added, barely containing her excitement, "I literally just got the Radar Reporter notification about you guys."

Ellen froze.

"I'm sorry?"

"We weren't even sure it was real."

Ellen's glance immediately went to Patrick. His worried eyes already shifting to his phone. He lifted it toward her.  A string of missed calls and messages smeared across his lock screen. Then she saw the name of his publicist flash across the screen.

Within seconds, she felt her own phone vibrate against her bag.

"We've been rooting for you for, like ever," the woman said sweetly, catching a hint of their uneasiness.

"Nice to meet you," Ellen managed.

The two women stepped away, still visibly excited. "Good luck with everything," the other woman called back.

They looked up at each other, phones immediately pressed to their ears. There was a quiet panic between them.

And just like that, the world was in on a twenty-year secret.