Richard Weston's POV

Conflicting emotions flitted across her face as she said the words: "I remember everything..." She remembered... Oh, thank God! As her body collapsed, I caught her delicate frame. She'd been willing to die for us all, and had carried that burden with grace for far too long. Gently, I lifted her in my arms and carried her outside. "Guys, clear the backseat. We have a new passenger that needs to lay down." The concern that I had for her must've been evident by the way that Gabriel swore as he moved to the driver's seat and turned on the GPS. Roarke went to sit with him, while Janos and John let down the remaining passenger seat and piled into the back.

Lifting her body up with mine, I climbed into the second row of seats and held her leaning back against my chest with my arms wrapped around her.

"So where are we going, Richard?" Gabriel asked a bit tensely

Clearing the hair from her face, I raised my eyes to look in the rearview mirror. "To the town on the other side of Black Lake. There's a Holiday Inn there. It's my hometown where my cafe is."

Gabriel frowned slightly not quite understanding. "Why not just take her to your place? Or there's always doctors too..." He fired up the ignition and we sped on down the driveway.

"Doctors? Are you out of your mind? Aria has just passed out. Besides, she would just be a lab experiment to them." My arms tightened around her warm body. "As for my place... I'd rather not have Aria see what I had become before meeting her. The place is not really habitable anymore." Gabriel's mouth made an 'O' in understanding as he nodded while driving.

When I first met Aria, I had felt like less than a man. Too many memories of those that served the Marines, and had died under my command on foreign soil. When I had returned, it was as a war hero, but I had never felt like one. I took the deaths hard and sank into a deep depression that lasted years. Slowly, I was beginning to drink. It wasn't a pretty sight.

At first, I cursed having met Aria. Mostly because she was making me feel things again. Aria made me smile when otherwise I wouldn't have. She made me want, and need again. Not just by primal instinct, but through love. Allowing me to stay by her side all this time... She unknowingly allowed me to feel a sense of redemption too. Even I hadn't realized this until Xavier came into the picture.

She gave me a sense of completion, that I refuse to let go of. Aria had given me back a reason to live, other than just for me. She gave me herself.

Turning off Goldonna Rd, we traveled Mammy Trail, until I ha e directions from there since the Holiday Inn wasn't coming up on the GPS. "Make a right at the next stop. As we pass the trees, it should be there." Gabriel nodded and did exactly as I told him. +

When the trees cleared, the Holiday Inn was visible. Back and away from the road, it was nice and secluded.

John and Janos popped the back of the silver SUV open, almost the second that we parked. As usual, John Mayfair was busy taking calls on his phone.

A bit of peace had settled over Roarke and Gabriel as they went to check us all in. As they did this, I just sat by and waited with Aria, who was still fast asleep in my arms.

The place was huge and clean. With while panels of vertical wood lining the outside. Each white door is set with gold-tone numbers. There were only two other cars, so I figured that that was all that was in residence.

As Gabriel and Roarke came back from the office, Gabriel went to unlock doors leaving the key cards behind while Roarke came to help me with Aria. Together we carried her into room number seven.

It was a single room with a king-sized bed that had barely been used. A closet, TV on a long dresser at the end of the bed, a walnut table, and two chairs with dark navy blue curtains covering a large hip-high window of storm glass. The small generic paintings, I didn't bother to look at. My only concern was Aria.

"Shouldn't she be waking up soon?" The lycan asked as we laid her body down carefully on the bed. His brow was probably about as furrowed as my own with worry. "I mean, how was she when you first saw her in there?"

Sitting down next to her, I sighed and ran my fingers through my dark brown wavy hair. "She looked different. In her mist form, she was white like the white dwarf star that she once was. I almost mistook her for being Xavier. So her molecules have been through a form of trauma, I think. As for her core, I have no idea. Though her memory loss at the start points to it too. All I know is that she saved all of us, and I am eternally grateful. I'll do everything in my power to help bring her back to normal again."

Roarke smiled and began to chuckle. "Wow, man... You really are whipped, huh? Not that I can blame you...

I raised my head and looked at him bit sheepishly, grinning. " Yeah, I am. Which luckily is not a bad thing. Aria's worth it." I placed my hand on her hip so Roarke would get the message.

Laughing, his eyes shined brightly with his mirth. "Since I am not needed, I'll just leave you two lovebirds alone and go find out if Janos is getting settled." Turning he walked out the door, losing it behind him.

It was a bit of a curt goodbye, but I figured he had other things on his mind as always.

Turning on the light on the bedside table, I gazed upon the woman I loved. She was still breathing, though she still seemed a bit pale. Gathering her into my arms, I pulled up the duvet and turned the light off to nap with her for a while.

4 hours later...

Aria's POV

When I woke up my core began to spin wildly. Where was I, other than in Richard's arms? His presence and warmth calmed me immediately. I knew that if he was asleep, then we must be in a safe place. My mind was just whirling.

Pulling his shirt down to cover my hips again, I sat up slowly not wanting to wake him. Climbing out from under the duvet, my feet hit the soft green carpet. Standing up, I walked around the edge of the bed and moved toward the window. Cracking the dark navy blue curtains looked outside, the sunlight warm against my skin. I could see the overhang for the driveway and the pool off to my left. But most of all, I gazed across the road at the schoolyard where children in the loser grades played. I think they call it Elementary School. The antics of them made me smile.

So focused on what was going on across the way, I did not hear Richard get out of bed. Suddenly there were large hands sliding around my waist and hip. "How do you feel love?" He whispered near my right ear.

Settling back against his large warm frame, I smiled up at him. "I'm doing a lot better. Thank you for caring for me while I was...asleep. My mind keeps wondering now and then, but it is settling down." His arms tightened around me as he pressed his body against mine.

Smoothing the hair back from my neck, he gently licked my earlobe. "I was so worried about you when you couldn't remember me... Aria, I don't know what all happened with Xavier and I don't care. But I do know that somehow you saved us all from him. Thank you for that. Thank you for giving me purpose in my life again..." I turned around in his arms and when I looked up at him, I could see the unshed tears in his eyes which touched my core and set it to spinning, making my breath hitch.

"Richard, don't you realize yet how much I love you? I'd do anything for you." I smiled at him softly caressing his stubbly cheek. Taking a step back he dug into the pocket of his pants

"Anything?" He asked with a grin

"And everything!" I replied, basking in his loving eyes.

Raising a small velvet blue box, Richard bent down on one knee. "This was the last present for you, that I was going to give on the night we had our dinner and our dance." Slowly he opened the box. There was the most beautiful diamond solitaire ring which he removed. Placing it gently over the finger in my left hand next to my pinky. "I may, or may not deserve you, But I must ask you Aria..." Everything he felt toward me was reflected in his eyes. And I knew it must be shining in mine too. "...please do me the honor of becoming my wife, Aria Weston?" He waited quietly with bated breath.

With all the happiness in my core, I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and facing him nose to nose with tears of happiness streaming down my cheeks.

I whispered, "Yes!"

Our lips met fiercely and our bodies sank down further onto the carpet...