I carefully rolled onto my side and looked at him. His features were much softer in sleep, the lines that usually creased his brow replaced by the youthful appearance that matched those of others their age. When he was asleep he lay as still as a brick. The only movement was the slight rise and fall of his chest. In sleep, he was angelic, his face as fresh as a dew drop, making gentle snuffling noises as he breathed. He looked peaceful. Wanting nothing more than to curl up into the curve of his body, I turned around and pulled the blanket up over my shoulder.

As my consciousness ebbed, my mind went into free fall, swirling with the beautiful chaos of a new dream. Waking up is no longer the pleasure it was. There is a fleeting moment when I am whole again but it evaporates faster than summer rain off the burnt earth. Then my kids that were dropping and leader with sleep snap open as violently as if I'd been woken by the ring of a phone. I look where the noise was coming, Samuel cut off his phone. He already was up when I looked at him, he runs his fingers through his hair. This morning wasn't gray but by soothing lavender and brilliant amber. The colors merged into neon pink and peach. She awakened early each morning in the stronghold to watch the sunrise. After all, she could only see so many. As I kiss his neck a wave of pure pleasure runs through my entire body. His scent is intoxicating.

"Good Morning," I say as I kiss his shoulder blade.

" Good Morning, how did you sleep?" he asks the question smoothly, the baritone of his voice reverberating through my bones.

" I slept peacefully, you?" I say back as we wrap my arms around him.

" Fantastic, How about some coffee?" He asks.

"Sounds great!" I say after my belly slightly growls. The moment I slide up in bed I'm served an enormous platter of food. Eggs, ham, piles of fried potatoes. A tureen of fruit sits in ice to keep it chilled. There's an elegant cup of coffee. " Wow, this is amazing!" I say as my eyes widen.

" I hope you like it, let's eat." He says as he sits on my knees, as I pick up the cup of coffee I hear a familiar humming. I look at Samuel and he's chewing on the eggs, he looks up at me and smiles.

"Do you hear something?" I ask as I put the cup of coffee back down and pick up a strawberry.

" No, nothing. Are you alright?" He asks looking at me again.

"I'm fine... This looks so good and fresh." I say as I eat the strawberry is small but perfectly red, like the ones I remember all those years ago, in the farm store. It bears little resemblance to the white-topped monsters in the supermarkets, large with such a diffuse flavor and barely-there sweetness.

" Last night..." Samuel starts to say, " I didn't know what I was doing... WAIT that's not what I meant not in that way! That was my..." He goes on then I stop him.

" Mine too..." I say, he looks at me with wide eyes, all I could do is smile.

"Were you happy...?" He asks I nod saying yes. " I do love you..."

" I love you too, all these years..." I say back as we kiss. "I'm happy, so are you I can see it in your eyes."

"I always hated when you do that, but this time it's different." He says back and smiles. I take a peach and feed it to him. After eating, we go back to the hotel, I explain what happened once more. We both go back to the room, the man named Jack was awake, looking at us.

" You assaulted this woman..." I was about to open my mouth when Samuel ran his hand down my arm. " You have no right to be called a man. Yes, what she did was wrong in a way but it was in her own defense. If you leave now you would be giving all of us a favor." he finishes what he says and he glares at Jack.

" I didn't mean to be in the wrong. I'm sorry, but I will not leave until she forgives me and until you untie me." Jack says with his eyes fixed on me. I look at Samuel and back at Jack.

" You were in the wrong, but... You will never receive my forgiveness. But I'm sorry I tied you up. So, you are going to leave and never think of this day." I say as Samuel unties him. We leave, sitting in the car my hands start to tremble, my stomach starts to turn. " I don't know why I'm like this," I say and look up at Samuel.

" Everything okay, your just nervous. I'm here, okay?" He says I nod and look out the window, once again I hear the humming. This time it triggered a memory, thinking about the first night I started to have those weird dreams, I haven't hand any recently. I wonder why?