My name is Spencer Carlin, and I am not a murderer.

It all started about 15 years past... I had just gotten married to the love of my life, Ashley Davies.

Ashley and I were both of Aiden Dennison's wing-women. He liked to flaunt us, and though he knew he had no chance with either of us, as we both were lesbians, and together...he teased us unmercifully about it.

We were his bodyguards, if you will. Aiden was a successful business man, or mafia boss, depending on how you looked at it. Us? We weren't paid to see. Just to protect.

I know what you're thinking...

How could I look past what he did? I don't know either, but we never knew specifics, we never knew the dirty details, and we were never involved in his misdeeds. Until that horrible night....

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I sighed as the bars slammed shut behind me and walked over to my bunk. Glancing down at my not so fashionable jumpsuit, I let out another sigh and stretched out on the bed, if you could even call it that.

I was just drifting off to sleep, to dream of happier days, many, many years ago, when the buzz of the doors unlocking sounded.

"CARLIN!"

"What?" I snarled.

"You've got a visitor." The prison guard laughed and under his breath muttered "Though I don't know why anyone would want to visit your killing-in-cold-blood-ass."

You see, they all think I murdered him. Aiden Dennison. Successful businessman.

No, I've done my time, simply because the only other suspect in this case was my wife. If it was anyone else, ANYONE, I would have fought the case, no matter how much overwhelming evidence there was.

But I love her too much than to have let her go through what I'm going through now.

One of the only real smiles I have ever had while I've been in here graces my lips.

"Hey love." I say happily.

"Hey baby." The guard allows me to give her a quick kiss, probably just because we're two hot women.

I sit in the chair opposing where she's sitting, and the guard chains me to it.

The pain in her eyes is piercing, and breaks my heart, but still, I know I did the right thing.

I swore I'd always protect her, and that is what I'm doing. Protecting the love of my lifetime.

----

After Ashley left, or rather, I should say, after the guards kicked her out, I lay on my bunk thinking. Remembering.

FLASHBACK

Securely wrapped in my wife's arms, I awoke. I glanced at her face, her beautiful, pure, loving face, and sighed. I didn't want to get up to go to work. I wanted to stay like this, forever.

Unfortunately, I had no such luck.

A fierce pounding on the door jolted me out of my half-awake state, and Ashley out of her slumbering one.

"POLICE! OPEN UP!"

We glanced at each other, bewilderment and fear in both of our faces.

A second passed, with us gazing at each other in shock.

Another heartbeat later, we were scrambling to put our clothes on.

And the next, the door was kicked down, sliding across our living room floor with a resounding crash.

"Spencer Carlin, you are under arrest for the murder of Aidan D. Dennison. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say, can and will be used against you in a court of law."

Ashley gaped, open-mouthed, as the officer grabbed hold of my shoulder and put me in handcuffs. I was too shocked to speak, too stunned to retaliate.

Ashley found her voice then, "NOOOOOO!" she screamed.

I numbly followed the officer to the patrol car, while the other stayed behind and was seemingly trying to calm my wife, to no avail.

END FLASHBACK

Hot tears coursed down my face as I cried silently. That day started out so seemingly perfect, and then went so horribly wrong.

I grabbed my notepad and pen, and began writing her a letter, as I did every time this happened.

My Love,

It's 15 years today since I could last lay in your arms. 15 long unbearable years since I could hold you tight, or kiss you, or simply hold your hand in peace. I say unbearable, because to not have you with me, is killing me inside. I know I am innocent. You know I'm innocent. But there is no one, no one else in this world that does not think me a murderer. I saw you today, and the pain in your eyes nearly broke me. It hurts me to think of you in pain. Know this: You are what keeps me living, what keeps me breathing one day to the next. I live for nighttime, when I can fall asleep and be with you again. For in my dreams I am home. I am with you, and I am safe. All is as it was, and we are happily together. I dread waking, for that means none of that is true, and I am here, in prison, without you near. You are my love, my life, my savior. I love you always baby, and I am trying to keep in mind that it's only two years until my parole hearing.

Always yours,

Your loving wife.

I set down my pen, and slipped my notebook back under my pillow. I sighed, and rolled over on my bunk, to try to dream of her.

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TWO YEARS LATER

I stood at the table in front of the judge, my lawyer at my side. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the light of my life gripping the arms of her chair in white-knuckled anticipation.

"Mrs. Carlin, You are now on parole. You will be monitored closely, and if you so much as step one toe out of line, you will be back in this courtroom, very probably on your way back into that prison for good. Do you understand that?"

"Yes, your honor." I could barely contain my joy. I would be with my wife again.

"Now go back to the prison to collect your things. Your wife may meet you there, with a change of clothes."

The prison guard nodded to me, and I walked for the last time with someone guarding me from escape.

Back at the prison, I walked into my cell, once it was buzzed open, collected my notebooks(filled with letters to Ashley) and the few photos I had.

The guard handed me the clothes Ashley must have brought, and I used the bathroom in the entrance hall of the prison to change.

Looking down at myself, you'd think I was never an inmate.

This past was a part of me now, and I would never fully trust the legal system again. But still, it was nice to be free.

"Carlin, don't let me see you back here." Said one of the nicer guards.

"No sir, You will not." I said back to him with a grin.

God, it felt so good to smile.

I walked out of the prison's front entrance, into broad California sunshine, and just stood there a moment. I basked in the feel of the warm sun, and breathed in the fresh air.

I was free.

Standing there in the warm sun, I took a lingering glance around, and then my blue eyes found her chocolate ones, and everything was right again.

I strode over to her, barely able to keep myself from running full speed at her.

"Hey lo--"I couldn't even get the words out before her lips covered mine. It was a aching, needing, wanting, furious kiss. Her teeth scraped lightly across my bottom lip, and she moaned into my mouth as our tongues met for the first time in seventeen long years. My hands came up to caress her face, and hers were dancing all over my body, before one finally tangled in my golden tresses and the other pressed into the small of my back, pulling me impossibly closer to her.

The kiss went on and on, mouths and tongues meeting over and over again, before we finally had to break for air.

Ashley rested her forehead on mine, and whispered "I've missed you so fucking much.", and her hot breath caressed my lips, and I shivered.

"I've missed you more than I ever thought possible, love." I whispered back.

She slipped her fingers through mine, and we joined hands, and walked to the car.

"Let's go home." Ashley said.

And we did.

For a love like ours can withstand anything, and this trauma only proved that to us.

One thing I learned in prison though, will always stick with me.

It's not about the past. It's not about the future. It's about the now, and what you can do to better the future.