Gwen bent low to pick up the shattered remains of her cup. When she stood, the mysterious woman had disappeared. She furrowed her brow, dropped the ceramic pieces, and ran out of the kitchen.

"Hey, wait a minute," she yelled. "You can't say something like that and just disappear."

Thud!

In her hurry, Gwen wasn't watching where she was going and ran straight into Aunt Jasmine. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... Are you hurt?" Gwen asked.

Aunt Jasmine brushed Gwen's concern away politely, "No harm done."

As Gwen helped the older woman to her feet, she was confronted with a bunch of questions, duly punctuated with vigorous arm movements.

"Where were you rushing off too? Whom were you talking to? And why on earth are you awake at this hour of the morning?"

They seated themselves in the kitchen and put on fresh coffee as Gwen explained the morning's events. She did mention her dream but chose to leave JT out of it. She described the mysterious woman she was chasing and asked Aunt Jasmine what her name was and whether she knew her.

"Are you sure that's what she looked like? And you say she spoke perfect English?" Aunt Jasmine tapped her fingers on the table as she searched her memory. "No, I'm afraid dear, I'm not sure if someone of that description lives at the shelter."

"No, no I am certain about what I saw and heard," Gwen insisted, pouring hot coffee for the two of them.

"Okay," nodded Aunt Jasmine. She ran her fingers around the rim of the cup as she spoke, "I guess at my age, my memory could fail me about these things. I don't exactly spend as much time here as I used to. It is possible that I do not know all the new faces so well. Tell you what. We'll ask Mrs. Puri and see if we shelter someone with that description."

"Thank you!" Gwen exclaimed, clapping her hands in excitement. She felt a weight lift off her shoulders and boy did that feel good! It was unsettling to know that the mysterious woman knew what Gwen had been thinking. Even more upsetting was the fact that she seemed knowledgeable about Gwen's dream and what it meant. It would not do to not have answers!

It was also somewhat eerie. You don't just walk up to someone say something mysterious and then poof! Disappear. In a way, Gwen was excited. She finally had something else to focus on, other than her situation with JT. At that thought, her smile turned into a frown, and Aunt Jasmine seemed to catch the change in her emotions.

"Is everything all right dear?" The older woman asked, leaning forward and rubbing Gwen's shoulder.

"Yes ...yes, fine," Gwen mumbled not wanting to discuss it. JT and Aunt Jasmine were close relatives. It was simply impolite to be explaining what had passed between the two of them. She was also confident she would sound ungrateful if she shed light on JT's and her own less than appropriate behavior. She didn't know Aunt Jasmine well enough to be able to gauge her reaction.

Minutes of uncomfortable silence passed as Gwen pretended to study her coffee while Aunt Jasmine studied Gwen.

She reached across and patted Gwen's hand. "You can tell me what's disturbing you."

Gwen smiled at that offer. The older woman's concern genuinely touched her. "I'm fine, it's nothing serious," she replied.

"If it's about my nephew, say so, please. I can still pull his ears." She squeezed Gwen's fingers as encouragement.

Gwen laughed a small laugh. A gentle smile played on her lips although her brow was still furrowed. "Now why would you think that?"

"Well, for starters, he was here every day asking about you and each time he visited, you were ..." Aunt Jasmine paused as she searched for the right words, "perky and glowing." Gwen thought back to her last meeting with JT. The way they had sat in silence. The close comfort of being with him in their private world. The soft feel of his lips and the tingling she felt when his hands skimmed up her waist.

Aunt Jasmine smiled as the younger woman blushed, then continued "But it seems that of late, he isn't here as often as he used to be. And while that is normal, given his unpredictable work schedule, what is odd is that some of the other women observed that you've become ... withdrawn. Sad."

Aunt Jasmine shifted closer to Gwen. The soft sound of the chair scraping the linoleum floor gave Gwen something else on which to focus. Her blush disappeared, and her smile was replaced with a sad, far-away look. Aunt Jasmine put both her soft, wrinkled hands on Gwen's cheeks and lifted her face so that their eyes met. "Fear not, dear. I was once your age. There's nothing that you have done that I haven't. You can tell this old hag anything. Is everything all right between you two?"

Gwen wanted to explode into a teary mess. Everything was a mess. And in that moment of comfort that Aunt Jasmine was offering her, suddenly the weight of her problems multiplied ten-fold. It was all her fault. She left home. She traveled across the sea and settled somewhere new. She had invited Tom's anger towards her. She had left everything she had known and placed herself in an even more vulnerable situation. Then she was frolicking around with a man she had no business being attracted to. She was in this shelter, which although friendly, was not her home. Home... Her home was ... another mess! She hadn't done anything about it in all this time. She had clothes to buy, and furniture to find. A kitchen that was almost non-functional. A dead garden with half a fencing and so much more. She no longer knew who she was, what her purpose was or even what she was doing.

The sun had risen by now, and Gwen closed her eyes, took a deep breath and drew some strength from the warmth pouring in. She composed herself before smiling at the older woman. "I'm a little bit lost. I will admit that much. But it's nothing serious. Please do not worry so on my behalf. I'll figure things out."

As Aunt Jasmine contemplated whether or not to push Gwen further, one of the younger girls scurried in.

"Tara, you must come quickly. There's a woman asking for you."

Gwen and Aunt Jasmine exchanged curious looks before following the young girl out.

At the entrance to the shelter stood a woman Gwen hadn't seen in a while.

"Tilly, how lovely to see you again." Gwen greeted the stranger. The two women hugged it out before introductions began.

"Aunt Jasmine, I'd like you to meet Matilda. We went to high-school together."

The older woman smiled at the visitor, mumbled something about leaving the two girls alone to catch up and disappeared inside the house, sending the other spectators back to their daily chores. "Something is not right," Aunt Jasmine said to one of the older women. "Watch them, please," she instructed.

"Would you like to come in for some tea?" Gwen asked Tilly. "In there? With all those women watching? No thanks. How about I buy you a cup? Know any good places around here?" Tilly asked.

"Let me grab my things," Gwen said. After her crazy morning and her near meltdown in front of Aunt Jasmine, she felt she deserved a little space. A little time outside catching up with an old acquaintance should be a pleasant change. Her thoughts wandered to the military training field, and for a brief moment, she was so very tempted to drag Tilly there with the hopes of catching a glimpse of JT.

Aalam's voice rang loud and clear in her head. "Yeah, JT's girl!" Gwen shook her head to clear her thoughts. No, she said to herself. To preserve her sanity, she would do the right thing. She would stay far, far away from JT.

********************

JT explained to the doctor on call that his 'friend' had been in a motorcycle accident. The late hour, the lack of assistance from night staff and the desire to hide in the staff lounge and catch some sleep, saw the doctor accepting that explanation enthusiastically. He looked over Tom, quickly checking for indications that no serious injuries lay hidden beneath the superficial cuts and bruises. Satisfied that nothing was worrisome about his 'accident,' he instructed a male nurse to stitch the gash on Tom's chin. He quickly scribbled a prescription for antibiotics, painkillers and anti-inflammatory medicines and then disappeared into the staff lounge.

Tom wanted to yell and scream at the doctor to give him some message about being taken against his will. However, he kept quiet. This was a military hospital. The staff would never believe Tom over men they had probably tended to numerous times before. He would have to think of another way to escape.

Just as the needle began its work, slipping in and out of the skin around Tom's chin, JT's phone rang.

JT frowned as Aunt Jasmine's number glared at him. Something didn't feel right about this call. He quickly slid his thumb over the screen and raised the phone to his ear.

"She's gone, James!" Aunt Jasmine cried even before JT could say hello.

"Who is gone?" JT asked, his eyes closed, and his mind madly praying that her answer wouldn't be 'Gwen.'

"Tara" came Aunt Jasmine's sobbing response.

Relief flooded JT, and his eyes snapped open. It wasn't Gwen! She was safe. Probably still furiously upset with him, but safe nonetheless.

"Who is Tara? Is she new? When did you last see her?" he asked. He thought he was pretty sure he knew every woman sheltered in that house. However, this name was new to him. His brow furrowed as he mentally ran through images of the women that lived at the shelter, hoping to be able to place a face to that name.

"No," Aunt Jasmine sighed with frustration. "Tara is what the other women call Gwen. It was easier for them to pronounce."

The silence stretched on for what seemed like an eternity as the information sunk into JT's brain.

"Gwen's gone, James." She whispered.