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The young woman was silent for a few moments.

"I want agreement, Jake-- I really do," she answered. "Two people can't walk together, unless they agree. [Amos 3:3] When someone is trying to do the right thing," she slowly reasoned, "then nothing is ever in vain, even if God is the only One Who sees it. 'Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God.' [Isaiah 49:4] This isn't coming easily, so I hope you appreciate what I'm about to say. If you still have the courage to testify, then I will support your decision. God is the One Who works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure [Philippians 2:13]; if you are this persuaded that God wants you to testify, then I must believe that the conviction is coming from Him, and that it's not just something you want to do in spite of all the risks involved. I don't want you to get hurt again, Jake."

"I know," he said in a soft voice. "Thank you, Abby."

"Please, don't thank me," she sighed, stabbing her spoon into the ice cream and handing the container over to him. "If we're going to do this, it's going to be by promise. I'm going to find a few hundred safe-in-spite-of-the-enemy promises in my Bible. We're going to need all we can get!" With that, Abby went to her room.

Sunday morning, Abby slowly climbed out of bed and looked at herself in the mirror. Seeing the exhausted face peering back at her, she let out a small groan. After getting dressed, Abby found Jake in the living room, looking every bit as tired as she did. Both were nearly asleep on their feet.

"I'm not hungry, are you?" asked Jake, wondering if he should go prepare breakfast.

"No, let's skip it," she yawned, as they both headed out the front door.

Outside, Terry was getting into his pickup to go to church, for as long as Izumi was confined to bed rest, John decided to stay home with his wife and have their own service, because he didn't want to leave her by herself.

"Do you want to ride with us, Uncle Terry?" called out Abby.

"Sure!" smiled Terry, walking across the way and climbing into the back seat of Abby's jeep. "You guys look terrible," he observed. "Didn't you get any sleep?"

"Barely," yawned Abby, starting the engine. "Jake and I had an argument, and it lasted for most of the night."

"Was it about the commission?" guessed Terry, knowingly.

"Yes," answered Jake, "it was."

"Well," sighed the man, "none of us want to see you get hurt, Jake."

"I told him he could testify," announced Abby.

"I see," breathed Terry, soberly leaning back in his seat. "So, Dick's being fired hasn't changed anything?"

"Apparently not," replied Abby, as the jeep made its way down the main road.

At church, everyone knew what was going on. The papers had been full of Warden Doyle and Governor Smith's ongoing public fight over how bad prisoner abuse really was, so that no one could avoid hearing about it, even if they had tried. The fact that someone in their own church had been so cruelly abused, made the headlines hit closer to home than usual. As Jake took a seat in the pew beside Abby, he could feel their stares on every side.

Sheriff Peterson, who also attended the same church with his family, made his way down the aisle and stopped at AJ's pew.

"He's still going through with it," Terry replied, answering Sheriff Peterson's unspoken question.

The Sheriff looked at Jake and then to Abby.

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