He corners her one night, in the dance studio. She is alone and it's dark and he stops to say goodbye. She looks at him and she's crying. He goes to her, and sits next to her, and taps the touch lamp once. The room grows warmer with the soft light and he can see her face.

(He comes to her one night, in the dance studio. She is alone and he knows she's waiting for him. He wants to say goodbye, but he can't. Tears fall from her eyes and leave tracks down her cheeks. He sits next to her and takes her chin in his hand.)

He opens his mouth to speak, to offer words of comfort, to apologize. She sighs and looks away, so he stays quiet. He turns to sit on the couch in the corner because he knows she wants to yell at him.

(Her fingers wrap around his wrist and he keeps his hand on her face. He says her name he is used to calling her. Not Aubrey,but "mi Princesa", and her chin jerks and she pulls on his wrist. His hand drops and she sighs.)

He loosens his tie and leans back into the cushions. The silence is nice but she breaks it. He sits there and takes her insults and her screaming and her crying. He knows he deserves it and he really is sorry. She is right when she says he never should have brought up her parents During the Conversastion with the other crews

(He sits on the couch and gives her time. The silence is nice but she breaks it. She stands up and he hears her heels click on the floor. She stands in front of him and he hates that the studio is dark.)

He doesn't say anything but she knows that he's sorry. She puts on her coat and walks by him, but he grabs her arm. He looks her in the eye and asks her to go for a drink. 'I'm sorry, Mi Princesa.' She agrees and they leave.

(He looks at her freely for the first time. She is beautiful and he tells her so. She laughs and rambles on about guilt and fault and forgiveness. Her hands gesture in the air in front of his face and he grabs them in his own. Her eyes are shining in the dark and he pulls her down beside him on the couch. She's still talking so he silences her with a kiss. He pulls away and rests his forehead against hers. He uses her real name, Aubrey, and apologizes. She kisses him this time.)

(He thinks, with what rationality he has left, that he's kissing His Princesa. No, this isn't his Princesa. Princesa was, Aubrey is. He's kissing Aubrey. They need air so he focuses on the pulse point in her neck. Her hands grip his biceps and he's glad that he works out. She makes a strangled noise and he smiles to himself.)

(He stops smiling when she returns the favor. She smells nice and he tells her so. His hands slide under her shirt and caress the soft skin of her stomach. He unbuttons her blouse and his mouth moves to her collarbone. Her eyes close and her lips stop moving and she's feeling for the first time in a long time.)