It was early fall in Paris and the wind blew in through the flat. Kala was cold and pulled her dark red cardigan a bit tighter but didn't close the tall balcony doors, long white curtains billowing in the breeze to either side of her. She turned and leaned her back against the iron railing watching the man sleeping in the tall, luxurious bed. It had been 24 hours since they had made their way back to Paris from London. Wolfgang was unconscious for most of it. His chest lay bare covered with bandages, protecting the 2nd degree burns that he received from the electrical shocks. The sheets and bedding covered his body up to his waist, purposefully avoiding the wounds. The rest of the cluster remained in England but they agreed it was best for Kala and Wolfgang to proceed to Paris. Wolfgang would need medical assistance and Kala was the only one capable of providing it – and they all knew about the unspoken feelings between Kala and Wolfgang. No privacy in a cluster.

Kala beat back the thoughts in her head that told her it was wrong to keep her lover in a flat that was rented and paid for by her husband. After seeing and feeling the pain and torture that Wolfgang experienced, and knowing how close she came to losing him she no longer cared about the consequences of her choice. She now knew what love was and she wasn't going to give that up – social propriety be damned. She walked closer to the bed and lazily dragged her fingers up his arm, feeling the muscles that pushed against the skin. She was thinking of kissing him while he slept when his eyes suddenly flashed open, he gasped in terror and quickly skirted up against the headboard, "WHERE AM I?" She could feel the adrenaline running through him, the total abject terror that he was experiencing. "Shhhhh, it's okay Wolfgang. You are here with me, Kala. We are in Paris. You are safe."

He looked at her confused, his mind racing, examining the surroundings trying to figure out a way to escape. "I'm not visiting Wolfgang. I'm here, physically, for real. We are here together just like we planned." She could feel his confusion and mistrust. His head hurt and he clapped his hands around it, closing his eyes, as if trying to still the buzzing that seemed to be rattling around. She slowly reached out to touch his arm again, whispering, "Wolfgang, look at me." He opened his eyes to see her big brown pleading eyes staring at him, the smell of jasmine coming from her hair and yet, he still didn't trust his senses. Kala knew there was little she could do to get him to believe his own eyes so she firmly placed her lips against his, allowing her body to gently lean into him. At first he hesitated, but the passion, both his own and the passion he knew she was feeling had an intensity that he hadn't felt before and he realized in a flash that she was real.

He pulled away to look at her as if once more questioning his own disbelief and then laced his fingers through her hair and pulled her mouth tight against his. Kala couldn't help but giggle with happiness. His smile quickly diminished though as his memories of the past couple of days flooded back.

"Kala, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I showed you to Whispers. I…I've put you in danger." She interrupted immediately, "and your last dying thought was of me." He flushed and looked at his lap. "Wolfgang, how could I be angry about that? You love me, you were worried, you didn't think you would.." but Wolfgang interrupted, "No! Kala! Whispers!" His eyes darted back and forth willing her to understand the enormity of what he was saying. She gently stroked his face, "Will has Whispers. We got him. He's not going to bother us."

Wolfgang pulled his hand through his hair and heavily sighed. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. He instantly felt dizzy and stumbled forward but quickly steadied himself. Kala reached out but he ignored her and walked out onto the balcony. The sun was warm but the air was cool. He leaned heavily against the railing and breathed in deep. The crisp air, the smell of patisserie, and the murky scent of the Seine all raised up to meet his nostrils. He turned around as a mischievous smirk crawled across his face, "So, this is Paris?" Kala couldn't help but smile. Wolfgang tucked his chin and leered at Kala, curling his finger to indicate that she needed to come to him. Kala giggled like a young girl and quickly ran to him flinging her arms around his neck and kissing him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed her tight against him, ignoring the pain of his chest. He buried his face into her hair and rocked her back and forth. She smelled delicious and he was flooded with joy. Every nerve ending was standing at attention as he felt overwhelmed by the sense of her being this close. It was like holding sunshine and he never felt less deserving.

Kala pulled away and looked at the frown that now was resting on Wolfgang's face. "Why do you do that? Why do you punish yourself?" He shrugged, not wanting to give words to his feelings. Kala gently grabbed his hand, "your mother loved you Wolfgang and that love is still in you. Your father might have raised you and abused you and I don't want to even think about it, but your mother loved you. And that part," she paused and gently patted his chest, locking her eyes on him, "that is the Wolfgang that I love. The man for whom I fled my family and my husband to be with. The man who is brave and courageous and yes, loving." Wolfgang couldn't look at her. He wanted to believe everything she said but the darkness he had inherited was like a heavy blanket that felt impossible to toss away. She slowly glided her fingertips up his arms, tracing the veins that popped from the muscles until she was holding his face in her hands. "Now, kiss me again"

Wolfgang readily complied, slipping his hand into her hair and pulling her mouth to his. He didn't want to think any longer, he wanted to be lost in the warmth that seemed to swallow him up every time he touched her. She took his hand and guided him back to the bed. She gently pushed him down and climbed on top of him, straddling Wolfgang on the giant kind sized bed with it's over-stuffed comforter and white pillows. She placed her hands on either side of his head, kissed him again and whispered, "I believe you know what I want." Wolfgang locked his legs around hers and flipped her onto her back, pressing his hips hard against hers, "I know exactly what you want."