True Love Never Ends

by RevSue

The Ghost and Mrs Muir at Gull Cottage Fills in a few blanks left during and after the TV episodes and provides an ending? Just read it hard to summarize! Thankyou!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, and I make no money from this work of fiction!

The Captain sighed as he propped his feet up on the stool in front of him and put his hands behind his head, relaxing against the high back of the big chair in his wheelhouse. Despite the frustration of not being able to touch her, he couldn't remember the last time he had been so content. He watched the woman moving about the treasures he had stored up here, smiling as she dusted off one after another. His smile widened as she spoke to the fine figurehead and draped her dust cloth over it. Prudish, was she? He hadn't expected that! Then again, it was probably her sense of humor!

For the first time in a century, he was feeling like his old self. How could he have known that years of waiting would bring him a treasure like this woman who puttered around in his past? He wasn't sure he was up to admitting it, but, Aye, there was even gratitude for the darkness of his ghostly past. If there had been no darkness, how would he have appreciated the light Carolyn Muir had brought with her?

She and her family had hurtled into his existence with the force of a hurricane and swept him up along in her life almost before he knew what was happening. How could he do anything but admire her drive, her enthusiasm, and her pleasure in the simple things that he had long since ceased to mark? Through her, he smelled the tang of the salt air and tasted the hundred-year-old Madeira he hoarded for very special occasions. Hmm, perhaps he should invite her to share some of the Madeira? Some day...When she knew him a little better!

But he was not just drawn by the changes she had brought to his existence…There was the woman herself. Her smile delighted him, her laugh enchanted him, her bewitching green eyes held him captive. It was with real pain that he realized he would never be all the things to her he wanted to be! He would never hold her…Touch her hair, lift her face up for his kiss…He would never lay beside her at night and hold her slender body next to his. He would never pick her up in his arms and carry her to the beach to love her in the warmth of the summer sun…Perhaps it had taken these decades to pare away at his soul and leave him capable of feeling such regret for joys lost!

Seeing her rubbing and blowing on an old lamp, he couldn't resist materializing, and giving her a start. Only a few minutes later, he realized her attention was on his sea chest. It would never do for her to open it and find all the treasures therein! He had to be firm with her. She was a woman, after all!

Only a few days later, when she arrived back from a quick trip to Schooner Bay, she came up to their cabin and informed him that she had invited a stranger to their home. A stranger! How dare she! Yet, even as she endeavored to give her reasons for her actions, his attention strayed to the window, and he felt a jolt such as he had not known for almost a century. Vanessa! No…It could not possibly be Vanessa…But who was it? Intrigued, he studied the beautiful young woman, all of his past feelings for his lost love coming to the fore.

Then he realized Mrs. Muir had asked him what he thought. Swinging back to her, he said, "I say it's not very hospitable of you to leave your guest standing outside all this time!"

It was truthfully an exciting few days. Seeing this Vanessa, the great-great-grand-daughter of the woman he had loved so long ago, a flood of memories brought his sentimental and deep emotions closer to the surface than they had been for a long time. What a joy to watch this Vanessa…For she had been named for her great-great-grand Mother, examine the gifts he had so carefully chosen for his betrothed! She was so like the Vanessa he remembered, that it quite took him back in time to those halcyon days when he had scoured his ports of call for all the treasures.

This Vanessa's reactions to everything were exactly how he had pictured his Vanessa reacting. He wouldn't be human, or formerly human, if he had not become aware rather quickly of Mrs. Muir's jealousy, and enjoyed the opportunity to force Mrs. Muir to reveal her true feelings for him. It flattered him to know that he was still a figure to be admired and whose attention could be vied for by attractive members of the opposite sex! In his lifetime, there had always been a veritable bevy of beauties surrounding him in every port.

What started as innocent pleasure in reliving the past, however, turned to something quite different when he overheard Mrs. Muir telling the children that they had to leave Gull Cottage because Vanessa wanted the house, and she…And the…House belonged together. He was still vain enough to know that she had almost said, 'The Captain.' Suddenly, however, he himself was forced to look at his true feelings. Yes…He had loved Vanessa long ago…But time and events had conspired to separate them.

Then Carolyn Muir had come into his life…Had it only been last week when he had watched her in his wheelhouse, his private sanctum, and not thrown her out wrathfully? Had it only been a few months since he had watched her sleeping that first night, acknowledging that he had been searching for her all his life and since? Yet with the arrival of this Vanessa, he had promptly thrown that out of his mind! Truly he must be getting soft…Now he would have to find some way to send off this Vanessa. He would go mad were she to live in this house, and Carolyn Muir leave!

Materializing in his wheelhouse, he reached for a pen and some vellum. It didn't take long before he had written what he thought of as his masterpiece. It would send this Vanessa away…And yet Carolyn Muir, being the writer and astute person that she was, would realize the true timing of it. She could not help but realize that he was happier now than he had been in his lifetime…And yet, he couldn't help but wonder. Was he in love with her? He certainly had thought so that first night she spent in Gull Cottage…Yet did he really know what true love was?

According to his Vanessa, he had a lot to learn about love…Had he learned it since knowing Carolyn Muir? He hoped so…He thought so.

The effect of the letter, once he managed to get through Vanessa's romantic haze long enough to have her find and read it, was all he expected it would be. She stormed out of the room and down the stairs…Hastily gathering her belongings together. After theatrically declaring that she wouldn't stay in Gull Cottage another minute, Vanessa snatched the shawl off her shoulders and thrust it into Carolyn's arms. Claymore obligingly agreed to take her to Schooner Bay, and tripped over the Captain's well-placed foot in his haste to get out of the house.

Then the Captain moved over to the one he realized he loved more than life itself…Trying to act nonchalant…Once more determined to hide his true feelings, he said, "Unfortunate…Her finding that letter. Vanessa is obviously oversensitive."

Carolyn smiled faintly. "Oversensitive, perhaps, but not overly perceptive." Rather taken aback, the Captain questioned her viewpoint. She continued, saying, "That letter couldn't have destroyed your romance with her ancestor. You never mailed it."

Surely she knew just when that letter had been written! She couldn't possibly think he would write and actually send such an epistle, could she? Yet…He needed to test her.

"Oh, well – That was only the first draft. The second draft, which I did mail, was much more ferocious!"

Nodding wisely, Carolyn said, "Oh, I see." Then she added brightly, "That was clever, including the line about the coward and the brave man."

The Captain beamed. She knew!

"I thought so…Oscar Wilde, wasn't it?"

"Yes." Carolyn concurred, "Taken from a poem he wrote about thirty years after you died!" Her eyes were fixed on him; hope warring with the questions she was obviously feeling.

More to string her along than anything, the Captain grumbled, "Blast…I should have thought of that!"

After a moment's silence, Carolyn spoke again. "Why? Why did you do it, Captain? You seemed so charmed by her."

"I was…Oh, I was." His voice was soft as he thought of his sweet Vanessa again. "She was a sweet reminder of the past." Then he took the shawl from her arms. "But when I first saw this shawl on you, I should have known..."

"Known what?" Carolyn questioned, but joy was growing in her expression.

The Captain spoke gently. "That no one can wear it as you do. It really belongs to you. You will accept it, won't you?"

Barely able to speak from the happiness flooding over her, Carolyn swallowed, and then raised her eyes to his. "Yes, I'll accept it."

Carefully placing the shawl about her, and wishing fervently that he could enfold all of her in his arms, he left his hands resting on her shoulders as he said, "The past is a pleasant place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there...No, for the long term arrangement, I much prefer the present."

Unable to speak for the moment, Carolyn merely looked at him, her green eyes glowing with their promises. He knew that now, for sure, she understood completely. And by accepting the shawl, she was also accepting all the love, devotion and commitment he had left to give. He found himself hoping that she would reciprocate, but was content to wait until she had overcome any doubts she might still be harboring.

Just then, the school bus could be heard stopping at the gate. The Captain, with one last, long, lingering look, disappeared. He had much to think about…And perhaps they would find time to speak later that night.

Sure enough, once the children were in bed, Carolyn again wrapped herself in the shawl and stepped out on to the balcony. She stood by the wheel, and the Captain watched her for a few minutes, enthralled by her beauty, before materializing by her side.

"It is a nice night, and good to have our ship to ourselves again," he said.

Carolyn nodded, looking down and fingering the shawl. "Captain, I know you don't like curious women, but...But I am curious. Will you tell me about Vanessa? Your Vanessa? I'd like to know what happened." Her eyes lifted to his again.

"My Vanessa was the daughter of an acquaintance. She was much younger than I was – Yet I was enchanted by her youthful enthusiasm for life. We were betrothed for two years. I would pick items up on my voyages to give to her…In fact; I kept that sea trunk full of them for her. I was planning to give them to her as a wedding gift.

"But you never did."

"No."

Carolyn waited for more elaboration, but it was not forthcoming. She thought for a moment, then said, "All her letters to you were lost at sea?"

"Aye. Even the final one…Yet I shall never forget what she said. It has been burned into my 'memory banks,' as they say. She had been drawn by the romanticism of a sea Captain, but had found the tedium of being alone for so many months at a time too much to bear. Being young and pretty, she longed for a gay life. She was writing to beg me to marry her and give her the life she felt she deserved. All I had to do was give up the sea. Should I refuse, she would break the betrothal. She must marry at all costs. She did not tell me the entire story."

"I wonder why she had to marry? She must have been young if she felt that only marriage could give her the life she craved. A life, which you were to spend dancing attendance on her. And yet, Thomas Fuller said, 'That which is bitter to endure may be sweet to remember.'" Carolyn murmured, unable to prevent the huskiness in her voice.

"I believe the key word is may, Mrs. Muir. I found it bitter to endure and bitter to remember. Vanessa demanded that I make the choice between her and the sea! I was to make it immediately. I wrote back that were I to make the choice, it would have to be the sea. I broke our betrothal before she could – Hoping it would save her from ill-natured gossip. Then I received a note from her Father. I was told that she was with child. I was asked what I was going to do about it."

"Your child?"

The Captain drew himself up. "I was and still am a gentleman, Madam! I had no children." How could she even think such a thing?

"But she was this Vanessa's great-grand-Mother!"

"Aye. Vanessa married and I believe she may have had a child or two. I was no longer interested, of course, so did not maintain my ties with her family. She tried to force me into giving up the sea! I could not think of such a thing."

He was determined that this woman would not feel pity for him.

"You loved her." She said softly. "You loved her, yet let her go. Not only let her go, but sent her away, as you sent this Vanessa away."

"Love is many things – Yet perhaps it is not in me to love." He turned away, and his voice sounded husky. "Perhaps it never was…Perhaps the sea meant more to me than any female did or could."

"Perhaps. So you broke the betrothal before she could?"

"Aye."

"Did you ever see her again?"

"Of course not! Why would I keep in touch? As I said, I did not maintain my ties with her family. Vanessa died in 1881."

"So you kept some track of her." Carolyn spoke softly. "And you kept her trousseau intact."

"I preferred to keep it until this Vanessa arrived."

"How did you know she would, if you hadn't kept track of the family?"

Carolyn thought it a reasonable question. "As a matter of fact, Vanessa died after you did. You obviously were checking on her to know that. Have you seen her since?"

The Captain's jaw tightened. "Women! So confoundedly curious! I had no need to see her."

"My Father always speaks of wants and needs. He said that generally speaking, if we are living a decent life, our needs are all taken care of. It's our wants that we continue to work on. You may not have needed to see her, but you wanted to. You speak of women being curious, but what about men being obdurate and stubborn and, occasionally, wrong? Captain, are you sure...?"

By now he was infuriated. How dare she question him! "Females are all alike! They never change! They want a man to change completely! Well, I am a man and I act like one, and I always have and I always will."

There was a pause as the two looked at each other. Then the Captain frowned. "I was a man." He amended abruptly. "And, I wanted you from the moment I saw you. I do believe I even needed you." With that, he disappeared.

That couldn't be true, of course! She didn't think she was the kind of woman who inspired instant passion, but Carolyn thrilled at the words anyway. Oh, if only he were alive! How easy it would be to slide into teasing and tenderness and a long, slow lovemaking...Carolyn sighed, and fingered the shawl, then wrapped it more firmly about her slim figure. She wished he had said something more, but she wasn't sure just what she wanted to hear, or, more to the point, what it would accomplish. He still was an illusion!

After checking to be sure that the children were covered, Carolyn went back to her own bedroom. She glanced out at the balcony, carefully put away the precious shawl, and slid into bed. She allowed herself only one regret--That she could not for this one night be just a woman, not a Mother. She wanted to sleep in the Captain's arms, wake with her head pillowed on his shoulder, and rub her palm over his bearded cheek. The fears and longings, all that would crowd her tomorrow, she held at bay tonight. He wanted her, not Vanessa!

Having a hard time juggling her writing, time with her children and the increasingly precious time with the Captain, Carolyn thought reminiscently about her childhood…When things weren't so complicated…When her parents could solve all her problems. Now she was struggling to make the kind of home for Jonathan and Candy that she had had…And she felt woefully inadequate.

She had re-furnished the alcove…Fighting the Captain all the way, and now was wondering if it had all been worth it. Candy was happy, but Jonathan was rather disappointed that much of the ship's character was missing. The Captain certainly wasn't overly pleased either, although he had given way when she had threatened to leave. That, too, was bothering her…She felt she had acted childishly, and wondered what in the Captain's character brought that side of her to the fore. Oh, to be young again…Young, and carefree, with no worries or responsibilities beyond the moment!

"What are you thinking, my dear?" The Captain was suddenly at her side as she stared broodingly out over the darkened sea from the balcony.

"Does everyone miss their childhood?" She queried, knowing that the question was coming at him out of the blue but that he would know instantly what she was thinking.

Shadows harshened the Captain's face, as he said with a singular lack of emotion, "No…Some of us don't miss a single thing about it."

Her heartbeat hit a bump. "What do you mean? Tell me!" She demanded, swinging around to look at him.

"Nothing so terrible…My Father was away at sea a lot. My Mother died when I was eight. An Aunt, who believed that children should be seen and not heard, was the one who raised me until I ran away to sea at the age of eleven."

"Oh, dear." Carolyn said, inadequately.

His shoulders moved in a shrug. "It could have been worse."

"How?" She moistened her lips, not really expecting an answer. "No wonder you don't feel comfortable about...About me living here."

His eyes, unfathomable and dark in the dimness of the night, held hers. "Living with you and your family has been my salvation." His face gave nothing away, but his eyes glowed now with blue fire…A fire she recognized as heat rushed through her. Passion. Desire.

For some reason, this man who guarded his emotions with a barbed-wire-topped wall was starting to make Carolyn imagine how deep those emotions ran. Would he make love as carefully, as deliberately, as he did everything else? Or could he be goaded into losing control? And if he loved a woman, what expression would she see in his eyes, just for her?

Carolyn was suddenly grateful for the dusk. She was all too afraid of what her own eyes would have shown him, had he been able to see the expression in hers...The yearning that shocked her with its intensity. She looked down. It was a good thing he couldn't read minds…She hoped.

She had dated occasionally, but had never been even slightly tempted to take any one of those men into her bed…Far less imagine him there forever, "Till death do us part." In fact, since Robert's death, she had been on no more than a dozen dates. Kisses had been cool, a dry unemotional touching of lips. Anything warmer or more seeking had sent her into flight. A step back was all it took…A disinterested smile, 'Thanks for a pleasant evening,' and her date didn't call again. Carolyn had begun to think something was wrong with her. Did her grief run deeper than she had realized? Or was it the other way around, that she was channeling anger at Robert onto these other men?

Certainly it had been a long time since she had responded to her husband with real passion…Those last years, she had been docile rather than enthusiastic when he reached for her in bed…She had begun to feel not real at all. But now...Was she capable of genuine passion? Of inciting it?

Suppose the Captain were not an illusion. Suppose he could kiss her? What if his kiss…Too, failed to touch the part of her that felt so remote, as if her innermost self stood apart and watched critically? Worse yet, what if the brush of his lips lit her on fire but he kept the kiss brief, impersonal? What if he was the one to step back and say pleasantly, "I've enjoyed it, but..."?

The Captain cleared his throat, and then said huskily, "I think this is the moment to say good-night."

She couldn't help herself; she made a small sound of protest. It was a beautiful balmy night, the sky littered with bright stars, a three-quarter moon beaming enough soft light to take away the darkness, a gentle breeze wafting cooler air in from the ocean. Carolyn heard distinctly the sound of the surf breaking on the sand.

It was a night made for romance, and Carolyn felt her body quivering with the need for it. So many years had been barren of any romance since Robert. She hadn't trusted it, hadn't wanted to invite more disillusionment, and hadn't met anybody who attracted her enough to give it a chance.

Could the Captain possibly answer that need? Could he ever succumb to more than a superficial involvement with her? Was it even a possibility? She had no idea.

Again the Captain cleared his throat. Tugging on his ear, he looked away and said, "I have given a great deal of thought to your choice of furnishing for my home..." He caught her sudden movement and quickly said, "Our home. It does not look as alien as it once did."

With a small smile, Carolyn said, "Jonathan hates it. I love it, but I find I do miss some of your furnishings."

"My sofa?" He teased.

"Certainly not! That moth-eaten old thing has gone to its reward by now, I'm sure! But I was thinking of buying back your chart rack." She confessed softly.

"My dear, that is the very least you could do!" He spoke approvingly. "After all, I was sure you would eventually come to your senses and realize that I, as a man, as a spirit who is knowledgeable and wise about many things, would certainly know what is best to keep aboard. Once you have retrieved the chart rack, I believe there are also a few small items..."

With a snap in her voice, Carolyn said, "If this is how you go about trying to persuade me to do something, let me give you a tip. You're going to fail."

His face darkened. The air fairly crackled with tension as they stared each other down. If it was a contest, Carolyn won. He stiffened, and Carolyn was suddenly appalled at her own boldness.

"I...I'm sorry," she murmured.

"No. Do not be sorry." He tugged his ear thoughtfully. "Clearly I need to be shamed into acting like a human being…Obviously it has been longer than I thought."

She lifted her face to his. "No! I...I was judging you..." The words dried up. She was humiliated to have to voice them.

His eyes searched hers. "Based on your husband," He finished slowly.

Carolyn ducked her head and mumbled, "Yes." The Captain's mention of her late husband put Carolyn's brain into focus. Robert had died two months after Jonathan was born. Carolyn had missed her husband terribly at times prior to her arrival at Gull Cottage, especially when life overwhelmed her. People thought he had been a good husband and Father. He had been…In his way. But Robert had had his secrets…Secrets she had never suspected. Nor had anyone else in the family…Their parents still didn't know.

Carolyn thought about her own parents…Loving to her and good companions to each other…She owed them a lot for giving her a grounding to pass on to her own children, and for helping her cope with them, too. What her parents had taught her had helped her to eventually forgive Robert when she discovered he had been having an affair.

That secret had come to light with his death…In the woman's house...In her bed. Carolyn rarely thought of it now. Sometimes, though, it still hurt to know a man she trusted had betrayed her.

Above all, Carolyn was scared to death to get out in the man-woman social world again. Yet, here she was…Out in the moonlight with the most magnificent...What was she doing? She ought to have her head examined! She ought to, but she probably couldn't, and very likely wouldn't. The whole thing was too embarrassing to admit. She already knew the answer anyway…She was a woman with needs who wanted to respond to a man…Well, to the very good illusion of a man! She obviously needed more time…And a wiser, safer choice in men! She couldn't be in love with the Captain! She couldn't love such a man! Yes, she could have loved the man…But he was now an illusion. She had to come to her senses!

"This is insanity! It's a temporary aberration on both our parts, and will eventually go away. It's...Its just propinquity. Because I'm living with you. I mean, living in your house..." Her voice trailed away.

He said nothing for an agonizing moment, and then spoke gravely, "I think the physical attraction between us is serious."

"You aren't physical You're an illusion! I can't feel you!"

The Captain's solemn face creased into a smile he couldn't help. "Then what is the problem?"

"You know very well! Physical attractions come and go…Let's face a few personal facts between you and me. You should feel nothing for me beyond the physical."

"You just said I'm not physical." He pointed out.

Ignoring the fact that she was indeed sounding illogical, she carried on. "I have children whose feelings I have to take into consideration. I have to set an example of good behavior for them. If I follow an impulse, I'll be terribly hypocritical telling them not to follow theirs! Secondly, I don't trust men generally…Men can't take the pressure of daily life. My husband was unprepared to deal with children. He didn't want any more children after I had Candy."

The Captain seemed to be trying to follow her wild words. "He didn't want Jonathan? The man was an addlepated fool!"

"No, he didn't, and yes, he was." Carolyn smiled briefly, her eyes bitter. "He said all the right things after Jonathan was born, but he never once held him. Robert died in another woman's bed. He left me with a mess, frankly, because he couldn't cope with our life. You, a confirmed, self-confessed bachelor, would run like a scared rabbit at the first true taste of my life. And third, the most important of all...I'm just too tired to handle the emotional ups and downs that a relationship with you would bring in to my life. Now you know about my marriage. Children create a tremendous amount of pressure. Either a marriage survives that, or it doesn't."

"Would yours have survived if your husband hadn't died?" The Captain had to ask.

"I don't know," She admitted, with some surprise that she would actually tell the Captain something like this when she had never really acknowledged it to herself. "I was willing to do my best, but...Well, I doubt it. But I'm glad, in a way, that I really will never know the answer. I must have been inadequate somehow for Robert to turn to someone else…Pressure or not."

"What blathering is this?" The Captain looked astounded. Then he muttered a profanity and said harshly and distinctly, "The man was an idiot. I trust that you find I am not!"

Carolyn stared at him. The expression on his face brought a hitch to her half-drawn breath. Had Robert ever looked at her with such mingled desire and...Oh, not love, surely…But something close enough to it to squeeze her heart? Fear thrust its claws into her. Not until this instant had she realized how very close she was to being deeply, irretrievably in love. She shivered slightly, but not from the cool breeze. She was actually far from cold. Could this be what people meant by rebound? Surely people didn't rebound further than they'd bounded in the first place…And she had never felt quite this way with Robert.

Inwardly, Carolyn groaned. If nerves were visible, she was sure she would look like a porcupine! Every single one stood on alert, distended, and ready. She needed his hands on her. His mouth. His body. It was the only thing that would soothe those nerves back into place. Her skin felt as if it were on fire. What on earth was wrong with her? She must be crazy, she thought in some disgust.

The Captain was stubborn, arrogant and overbearing. He was also honorable, virtuous, and breathtakingly handsome...And dead. She would be very, very foolish to allow herself to fall in love with a man from another time and another world, so very distant from her own. And yet, she was very much afraid that she had.

"I will try to get your chart rack back." She murmured. "But it's too late tonight to do anything except go to bed. Excuse me, Captain." And she turned quickly and escaped his presence.

It was the next night that her life in Gull Cottage took a definite turn for the worse. A storm had come up, and a branch of the Monkey-Puzzle tree had broken a window in the living room. Carolyn reacted quickly and without much thought as she phoned the next morning and arranged to have the tree cut down. She knew the Captain would be unhappy, but he had said she should make this into the home she wanted for her children. That included having no trees likely to hurt either the people or the house they lived in. Surely if he thought as much of her as he seemed to by his actions, he would understand why she was having the tree cut down!

Yet the minute the tree crashed to the ground, Carolyn felt as if her life had shattered around her. Her despair was palpable. What had she done? Why had she done it? Was it that desire for control that Robert had accused her of harboring? If only the Captain would appear, blast her as she deserved, then allow her to make amends! Jonathan's despondency when he informed her that the Captain had gone broke her heart and her spirit. Late that night, out on the balcony, she called to the Captain, tears clogging her voice. But there was no response.

At last, dry-eyed and drained after an all-night vigil, Carolyn had gone to Boston to search for another Monkey-Puzzle Tree. She didn't care what the clerks thought at all the nurseries she tried. Her tightly wound body was now running on just the one thought. Surely if she planted a new Monkey-Puzzle Tree, the Captain would relent and would return. Surely! She could not bear to think of what she would do next if he did not…She could not imagine continuing to live in Gull Cottage. The empty house was too much to bear. She had already mourned one loss, and realized that losing Robert was nothing like the thought of losing Captain Gregg!

Taking the tree out of the station wagon and getting the shovel, Carolyn vowed to herself that never again would she try to dominate another person. She would not lie down and allow herself to be walked on, but neither would she attempt to take over, assuming that only she had the right answers to every question. Had she killed his affection for her? His desire? Dare she even think it, his love?

Savagely, she dug the spade into the ground. She would not think like this! If he returned, he would still be a spirit. There could be nothing physical between them anyway! It was ridiculous to be so worked up about the loss of someone she had never touched! Just as a small voice inside her head piped up, saying, 'Your hearts have touched, and will be forever joined as one,' She heard the Captain's voice.

"That's a puny specimen for a Monkey-Puzzle Tree!"

Such joy and relief rushed over her that Carolyn couldn't move for an instant. Then she sagged briefly, closing her eyes in a quick prayer of thanksgiving. Determinedly, she kept the talk light, afraid that any show of emotion would send him away again. Still, she admitted that all humans were dull compared to him, and felt a surge of satisfaction when she felt his reaction to that. He, too, waved it off, and then vanished to the widow's-walk. Fine. They would keep things light, on as even a keel as possible. They would be companions, friends. And Carolyn would force down her longings for the impossible, and accept what she had.

Captain Gregg paced on the widow's-walk, his usual lonely but self-imposed night-watch above Gull Cottage. The house seemed to be humming with the life in it. He had only noticed how quiet it was after the Muirs had been there for one night, then left again. His skill at tempering the amount of 'life-noise' to affect him had grown over the year, so that now he noticed it only as a background hum, as much a part of his existence as the sound of the waves on the shore.

He stopped and briefly touched the minds of those in his care. Jonathan was dreaming of playing fetch with Scruffy on the beach – Candy of being with her 'gang' and finding pirate treasure in an as yet undiscovered cave by the seashore – Martha was reveling in a state-of-the-art kitchen, baking up a storm for a wedding banquet. He hesitated before touching the mind of his dearest one of all.

Following last year's episode with Vanessa, he and Carolyn had agreed to respect each other's privacy, and he had never told her of his ability in this respect.

At last, he reached out with his thoughts, and found her laughing at him from behind the wheel of a magnificent ship. Her small hands held it firmly, and she called joyously for him to come to her. Captain Gregg drank in the sight of her wind-tossed hair and dancing green eyes, then, unable to resist, he stepped up behind her. His hands closed over hers on the wheel, and she leaned back against him, her body warm in the circle of his arms...

As always, staggered by how much she meant to him, and how his rigid code of manners had taught him to be wary of such invasions of her privacy, he pulled away abruptly, and held his clenched fists to the heavens above Gull Cottage.

"This is too much to demand of me!"

There was no answer.

Growing up with his Aunt, Captain Gregg had learned a sense of honor, which never had deserted him, regardless how far he roamed. No gentleman would dream of trespassing in a lady's mind! It was unthinkable…Yet he found it so very hard to resist…He found Carolyn Muir so hard to resist…Drawn to her from the very beginning, he had grown to love her deeply. He knew it had been hard for her to put thoughts of her previous marriage behind her. She hadn't believed that he could accept her as she was, and attempt to fit into her world.

The Captain grinned as he thought about the glasses of Madeira they had shared while discussing that very topic! It had taken months before Carolyn had finally seemed to cast aside all doubts about the feasibility of loving a spirit – She had even traveled to Philadelphia to consult a psychiatrist! A few months after that, he had dared to confess in verse his longing to touch her and love her, as she so richly deserved. He still remembered with exquisite pleasure the sight of the faint blush rising in her cheeks as she listened to the young man's voice singing the Captain's thoughts.

Then, at the Centennial observation of the Seafarer's Games, he had broken his own rigid code of ethics and given in to the uncontrollable desire to hold her dainty form in his arms, albeit through that incredibly useless bit of humanity. And he had held her not only for one dance in the parlor of Gull Cottage, but also for a number more at the ball later that evening. Claymore had been hanging around the food table; bent on making up for all the calories he had expended that morning.

It was only right that the Captain, who had invested so much in honing that pitiful excuse for a body, should take it over in order to chase away all the men vying to dance with Carolyn! Again they had shared a waltz. When the music changed to a slow dance, he had reluctantly begun to pull away, but Carolyn had drawn him closer, snuggled into him and, with her head on his shoulder, her eyes closed and buried against his chest, had begged him shamelessly to talk to her. With his lips at her hairline, he had complied, and they had swayed together until he could bear the sweet torture no longer.

When that silly woman had attempted an exorcism, and Carolyn had thought he had gone, he had seen and felt her anguish. The rapture in her eyes when she turned and saw him standing before her more than made up for the fact that she had gone against his wishes and allowed that twittering fraud on board his ship in the first place!

Only a few months before, as a Christmas gift, he had once more invaded her dreams…Telling himself that it was the only gift he could give to all those dear to him, he had guided Carolyn's dream in a direction away from the others. He had taken her in his arms, his own arms, and held her against him, and touched her lips with his own. Even then, she had not said the words, "I love you..." He had spoken of how she was the one...Had been honest and forthright with her. Yet although the words were not spoken, the look in her eyes on the porch that night, and more than anything, the kiss she had shared with him, had given him heart to press onward.

Although he had managed to evade detection that night, he had not wanted to risk it further…Until tonight. He hoped that slight infraction would not be taken amiss…And somehow he sensed that it was all right.

Every day he realized more and more how much Carolyn had added to his existence at Gull Cottage...Once so empty and so full of hate and anger and fury, now so full of love and laughter. It was a real home, no longer just a house. In all ways but the physical, they were a family, and he and Carolyn were a couple. They shared so much together – They were wonderful companions and friends. Oh, they had their arguments, of course…But underneath the love ran true and deep and lasting!

"You want us to what?" Carolyn stared at the Captain.

"Collaborate again – This time on a book of my memoirs." He repeated patiently.

Narrowing her eyes, Carolyn said, "Will you promise to not change it without telling me? I'm not writing another 'Maiden Voyage'! I still get funny looks from some people in Schooner Bay!"

Captain Gregg chuckled. "I assure you, my dear, this will be a different sort of story. The unvarnished life of a sea captain!"

"How unvarnished?" She asked suspiciously.

The Captain shrugged and changed the topic. "You go ask that fumble-fisted pea-brain for anything he might have that could assist us. He is bound to have some papers and things in his position as Town Clerk. I know I had a box of important papers that went missing about the time of my death. I have some still in the wheelhouse which I will look for whilst you are gone."

"I have to go now?"

"What better time?" He looked genuinely surprised that she had to ask. With a little bow, he vanished.

Carolyn looked at her half-full cup of coffee. Sighing, she got up and readied herself for a trip to town. A book on the Captain's memoirs could be rather interesting. She began to wonder how many of his stories could be included in the works, and even began to plot chapters. Her enthusiasm for the project grew as she neared Schooner Bay, and was not at all diminished by Claymore's reluctance to aid her. After slyly saying that the Captain was sure to be disappointed by Claymore's attitude, she had only a few minutes to wait before the man dug through some drawers and practically threw a file at her.

Arriving back at Gull Cottage, Carolyn called for the Captain, but heard nothing. Concluding he was still searching the attic, Carolyn sat at her desk and began to read through some of the papers Claymore had given her.

'And the realization that she is mine, all mine, is a sweeter ecstasy than I have ever known.'

The romantic artist in her thrilled to the written words and the sentiment behind them, even as the woman in her battled faint jealousy. Ridiculous! The Captain had written this a hundred years ago. Carolyn looked back at the first few sentences. The Captain had written that he had fallen in love at first sight.

'She is a most fascinating, compelling creation. What would I have done if our paths had never crossed? Truly I would have been the poorer. She is dainty and yet has a mind of her own.'

Then Carolyn read aloud the final sentence again, softly and meaningfully.

"And the realization that she is mine, all mine, is a sweeter ecstasy than I have ever known."

She put the paper in her lap and sighed. It was so beautiful...so poignant...

The Captain's sudden appearance, questioning her sigh, would normally have startled her. However, she was still under the spell of his romantic words. That was soon dispelled when, after asking if he had any mementos of this first love, he had replied proudly that he had her wheel.

Carolyn sagged into her chair. Blast! She thought she had been reading some of the Captain's love letters. Remembering the ones he had written to Vanessa, she had been looking forward to more. They were sheer poetry in their beauty. And to think he wrote like this about a ship!

After chiding her for her thoughts, the Captain was eager to discuss the project. The phone, however, interrupted them and Carolyn was horrified to hear that her cousin, Harriet, was arriving in a couple of days. The only saving grace was that Hazel was busy and wouldn't be able to make it with her sister.

It was only four days later when Carolyn and the Captain had a chance to work on their project in spite of Harriet's presence. She had been annoying Carolyn by talking about the isolation and the loneliness Carolyn must feel, but finally had been persuaded to go out with the others to the movie theatre. The Captain sat with Carolyn in the living room on the sofa, engrossed in some old letters. He was sitting so close that she was finding it hard to concentrate. His presence was so instantly fulfilling, it was easy to forget where they were.

"It's awfully warm in here, isn't it?" Carolyn said, rather desperately. She looked around to make sure the windows were open, but no fresh breezes were coming through.

"That's one thing I miss not being at sea. There, except in the doldrums, there was always a breeze to cool the skin." The Captain watched as Carolyn fanned herself with a piece of paper. His eyes traced the drop that ran from her forehead down her cheek, and then dropped off her chin to trickle down between her breasts. "You are warm!"

Carolyn felt herself flushing, and drew his attention once again to the papers. The Captain's arm was resting along the back of the couch, and they were chuckling over a story he had recorded so long ago. Carolyn looked up at him, her eyes sparkling, her lips parted in her beautiful smile and she was arrested by the look in his eyes. A look of love and desire – and pain so great she couldn't move. Then, almost imperceptibly, their lips edged closer. Her gaze dropped to his mouth and she wondered for a wild moment if she dared to risk touching him. Her eyes drifted closed and she realized that she didn't care about improprieties or anything – she could not bear not kissing him any longer. But it was not to be.

He cleared his throat, and picked up another letter. Carolyn sat up straighter and grabbed at one herself. Soon, mercifully, they were interrupted by the arrival home of the rest of the family.

After the children hurried up the stairs, Carolyn was horrified when Harriet found the Captain's pipe on the coffee table by the typewriter. She tried to talk her way out of the innuendoes Harriet was so fond of making, and had to endure the Captain's sly comments and actions as well. At last Carolyn fled, Harriet's mocking "Sweet dreams" following her up the stairs.

Although she fell asleep quickly, it was a restless sleep, full of strange dreams. Carolyn finally got up to go out on to the balcony to think.

"Is something the matter? Why the night-watch?" The Captain spoke as she neared the French doors.

"Nothing. Just wanted some fresh air. I'm still warm." Carolyn almost stammered. She tried to steady her voice by taking a deep breath.

The Captain held the door open and she had to duck under his arm to go through. Her shoulder brushed against his chest with the lightest of touches. Shock waves rolled through her. She wasn't supposed to be able to feel an illusion! Carolyn shot out the door on to the balcony. Breathless, she gripped the balustrade and waited for him, repeating the mantra of "cool, calm and collected" that Mr. Hampton had placed on her. Mistakenly, as it had turned out. Carolyn didn't want to remember that, either!

"It's a beautiful night," The Captain commented when he joined her.

Carolyn looked up at the moon. It was full, huge, and a beautiful pale yellow. It seemed to gaze down on her, smiling as if endorsing her standing outside her bedroom with the Captain. The thick, velvet sky behind the moon seemed to cloak her clandestine meeting. She returned her gaze to the water in front of her, her mind truly calmer. Her heart still beat with anticipation, however.

Neither said anything for a moment or two, and then Carolyn looked up. She began to speak, but found her words deserted her as she met the look in his eyes.

"I know I should not be doing this...It is expressly forbidden. But so help me, I cannot resist you." He leaned forward and captured her lips with his own. She tasted salty and sweet and a little bit like the sea, all at the same time. Her mouth was warm and soft, her lips incredibly pliable. Even with the shock she had at the first touch of the kiss, she responded, adjusting to the pressure of his mouth on hers. Both felt a bond flare into life between the two of them, as if a channel had been cut between their souls, allowing a bit of her to seep into him, and a bit of him into her.

The Captain's brain kicked in just as suddenly as it had turned off, and he pulled away from her. He felt as if he had just been hit by a tsunami. His body trembled with the shock of what he had done...To a lady...To this lady...And with how blasted much he had not wanted to stop! Noting her bright red cheeks and finding it 1mpossible to get an apology out, he simply vanished. An instant later, he was back.

"That was inexcusable of me, Madam."

Carolyn glanced away from him, and then back again. The faint flush had not quite faded from her features, giving her face a soft glow that only enhanced her attractiveness.

"The kiss? Or leaving immediately after?"

He glared at her. "You know! Isn't an apology enough?"

"I...you weren't alone in the kiss...In what happened, I mean. I know I'm not innocent, and I won't allow you to take the blame all by yourself." Carolyn looked up at him. "Oh, Blast!" She put her hands up and cupped his face, bringing his mouth to hers.

As their lips met, an electric spark passed between them, jolting both of them to awareness. The attraction seemed like that of a magnet and she leaned yearningly into him, kissing him with all the fervor that had been pent up inside her since she had met him. Even before.

If she took him by surprise, he didn't act like it. The passion exploded between them. Then he eased his mouth away, but only to plant a string of satisfying kisses from ear to throat, hitting every sensitive nerve along the way. He returned to her mouth, caressing her lips with his, lightly at first, then with a second full kiss that took all the strength from her legs. She sagged into him, every bone in her body dissolving until she had no will, nothing but the kiss to end all kisses.

"I should not be touching you like this," He whispered at last, his voice so husky and suggestive that it melted her inhibitions even further. "You are a lady. We are not even betrothed. It is forbidden in the afterlife!"

Carolyn hardly heard him. She knew she was far too aggressive, but she couldn't help herself. She had to touch once she found out it was possible. She stretched up on tiptoe and kissed him again. It would be nothing, she thought, to take this to its inevitable end...

She had honestly thought that the past two years had seen her love for the Captain expand to such an extent that the physical part was not even missed. This dream was proving to her just how wrong she had been. It was a dream, wasn't it?

Suddenly she was alone again. As her heartbeat slowed, Carolyn gripped the wheel tightly, and then angrily gave it a spin. How dare he talk so beautifully about a blasted ship and not say anything to her! Remembering her enthusiastic response to his touch, she realized that she could be accused of chasing him like all the other women he had spoken of in his past. Hadn't he said something about it being forbidden? Writhing with shame, not sure she wanted to see him again, Carolyn moaned inwardly. What could she ever say to him now? She had told him about Robert, how she had been determined not to repeat what she felt was a mistake, yet the first time she discovered she could touch him, she forgot everything! Hoping fervently it was a dream; Carolyn crawled back into her bed and pulled the covers up over her head.

The next morning, Carolyn was convinced the idyllic time on the balcony had been a dream. The Captain had finally relented and given her some of his love letters to read. She curled up on her bed and read through them. Reading one aloud, she realized that he was standing by Her…Listening. She looked up at him with a lovely smile.

"It's amazing how fresh and timeless they sound."

The Captain spoke quietly and very meaningfully. "What happens between a man and a woman is timeless..." His gaze spoke volumes.

Carolyn suddenly found it very difficult to breathe. She finally tore her glance away, and looked down at the letters in her hands again. "You know, Captain, you would have made a very good writer.

'Beloved, the loneliness in my heart is the loneliness of the single ship adrift on the endless ocean. I wait suspended on the silence of a windless sea..."

Suddenly there was a sound at the bedroom door, and Harriet burst in. Grateful in one way for the interruption, yet also annoyed with her cousin, Carolyn coolly folded up the letters, explaining yet again that she was writing a book. Harriet did not seem convinced. Shortly she was out the door again. Carolyn shook her head in exasperation. She hoped Hazel could talk some sense into her sister, but it seemed highly unlikely.

Sure enough, it was only a short while later that Harriet was back in Carolyn's room. This time what she said caused Carolyn to shoot out of her chair. "You actually think I am in lo...?" Now look at the mess the Captain's games had landed her in! Carolyn wondered, even as she protested against the absurdity of Harriet's claim, just what the Captain had done this time, to provoke Harriet's worry.

It wasn't until Carolyn arrived back from Schooner Bay after securing Claymore's rather unwilling agreement to help the next morning that Carolyn was shown the bouquet and note Harriet had found that morning. She tried to wave it off, but Harriet was having none of it. Carolyn finally escaped to her room, the note in her hand, while Harriet busied herself arranging the flowers again.

Closing the door firmly behind herself, Carolyn opened the note and read it through again.

'Dearest Carolyn...Last evening was the sweetest ecstasy I shall ever know. The beauty of the moment was surpassed only by the beauty of you, My Love.'

She read it, and re-read it. Was it merely a ploy for Harriet? Or had her dream, by some miracle, been real, and was he writing this for her to read and believe? Her hand traced her lips wonderingly again. Then Carolyn gently smoothed the paper with fingers, which trembled slightly, and she carefully put it into her jewelry box for safekeeping.

Just before supper, Carolyn was in her room looking over some of her papers. The Captain appeared, inquiring as to the plans with Claymore.

"Yes, he'll come. For a price, of course," she muttered. "So much for one performance as you!"

"He could never be me in a thousand lifetimes!" The Captain growled.

Carolyn looked at him for a moment, and bit her lip. "Captain, was it..." She stopped. How could she ask him whether or not it had been a dream? She couldn't do it! But, oh, how she wished...

"Dreams are often born out of wishes and become reality." He spoke softly. She looked at him, startled. "You are wishing, are you not?"

"Oh, yes..." She breathed. She went on tiptoe and touched her lips to his again, just because she wished she could.

Watch what you wish for. It was a rational thought. One of the last Carolyn formed. She had wanted to taste the fevered hunger of that kiss. But she wasn't prepared to defend herself. This kiss simply destroyed her. Heat and need. Give and take. A bone-threatening trembling beset her. Sensation after sensation battered her, too many to deal with at once. She could only feel. Some soft, accepting sound rose from her throat. She couldn't stop the kiss, she couldn't stop the trembling or contain the bewildering need to let everything she was melt into him.

Her head fell back, and the Captain studied her face. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were closed, her breath ragged. Her lips were moist and parted, fully colored with passion. And he thought she would look just like this lying beneath him. His body clenched with need until he ached. He must not do this!

Carolyn opened her eyes and he saw they were dazed and held a little fear. She struggled free of his arms. She had to regain her balance, emotionally and physically. Now she knew she was dreaming!

She had practically – No, there had been nothing practical or sensible about the way she had thrown herself at him!

"My dear, I..." His words halted as she made a quick movement.

"Please." The word was an effort to speak.

"Carolyn..." She shook her head when he softly said her name, but he continued, "You should go down. They'll wonder about...us."

Carolyn shot him a quick, startled glance, and wrapped her arms around her waist. The heat of passion had suddenly become terribly cold. "How can there be an us?" She whispered, more to herself than to him. He had kissed her because she had begged him to do it. Hadn't he? Her agony of indecision gnawed at her, even when she hurried downstairs to escape him.

The next morning, the charade she, Claymore and the Captain put on for Harriet's sake succeeded beyond Carolyn's wildest dreams. After Harriet and Claymore had disappeared down the walk, Carolyn went thoughtfully into the kitchen, running over the Captain's words in her mind. He would have made a wonderful writer! He had such a way with words. Even now, she could remember everything he had said, and she hugged the words to herself with delight.

'Forgive my frivolous badinage, but it hides a heart that is heavy with the despair of having to leave the one I cherish. A seafarer's life is a difficult one at best, but when he finds someone as gracious and loving as you, it makes parting a burden almost impossible to bear. Be assured that my feelings for this woman are deep and true. For in this small hand lie my hopes, my dreams, my past and my future.'

Could it really be true? Could he love her so deeply? Was there a chance they could be a couple – In their own eyes, if no one else's?

"Captain?" But there was no answer. The Captain did not reappear for the rest of the day. Late that night, Carolyn wandered out on to the balcony again and stood by the wheel. She stared at the sky, the moonlight across the water, and remembered the love letter the Captain had penned for her...Not his ship, not a long-gone Vanessa, but her. Carolyn Muir. Her eyes grew blurry, and she closed them just for a moment. Oh, how she loved him!

Suddenly her skin prickled, and she opened her eyes. The Captain must be near.

"Captain? Where are you?" she called softly.

He appeared, looking as discomforted as a guilty schoolboy. He was uneasy, and did not meet her eyes fully.

Carolyn rushed into speech. "I don't know if it was a dream or not the other night, but really, Captain, it was a mutual thing. I wanted it as much as…Or…Or maybe more than you did…Your other world thinking is rather outmoded...Really, we should have known. We've felt an attraction for so long, it was bound to happen sooner or later..."

Still the Captain said nothing. Carolyn felt her face flaming and cursed the pale skin, which showed up the blush even in moonlight. Finally she said, "Blast it, Captain, say something! I know, you're thinking I'm just a silly, yammering female, but...Well, sometimes it's necessary to speak up! Obviously you aren't going to say anything, and someone has to talk about it! We can't just forget that it happened!"

His face had changed and a scowl had intensified. He opened his mouth to speak a few times, but she kept babbling nervously.

"And speaking of which, how did it happen? I thought you were just an illusion! But it was real, wasn't it? It wasn't a dream? Tell me it wasn't a dream..."

Then she felt his hands close around her face. He breathed, "A dream?" and his mouth closed over hers, effectively silencing her. The electricity was still there. Afraid to put her hands out and perhaps touch nothing, Carolyn clenched the wheel at her back as she kissed him passionately, pouring her heart out to him through the touch of her lips.

Her chin and cheeks were roughened by his whiskers as the Captain kissed both cheeks before returning hungrily to her mouth. Her moan caught in her throat. As he at last released her mouth so she could breathe, his lips traveled to her ear and she tilted her head so he would have easy access to the passion points there.

"Captain..." Came her faint whisper. "Oh, Daniel ..."

Again he put her away from him. "This cannot happen." He said, firmly. "We cannot do this, my dear. It is not right. There are certain rules, which must be obeyed. I cannot tie you to me, such emotions and such meddling in mortal affairs are strictly forbidden by my spectral fraternity. I want to go before them to plead my case, but until then, I cannot touch you further. I regret it more than you can ever know, my dear." He paused, and she swallowed, but said nothing. At last he spoke again. "I bid you good night, my dear. And may you have pleasant dreams in spite of my behavior."

He was gone, even as Carolyn reached for him longingly. Sighing, Carolyn went back into the room and snuggled into her bed, thinking about the Captain and how their love had grown. Maybe they should not touch each other physically, but their hearts could and did touch all the time. It was only in a few unguarded moments that the "if only's" surfaced, but she ruthlessly suppressed them. The Captain was right. They had to remain sensible.

A few tears trickled down her cheeks, and then she reached under her pillow and touched the note she had retrieved from her jewelry box. He had called her 'Dearest Carolyn' and 'My Love'... and she didn't think it was solely for Harriet's benefit!

"If I were alive, Madam, there'd be diamonds and rubies and palaces..." The Captain's voice was deep and husky.

Carolyn swallowed, and looked up into his eyes. "If you were alive, Captain," She began, and the look of love radiating from his face caused her to glance away momentarily before she met his gaze fully again, "Gull Cottage would be a palace..."

For a long moment, both were immobile. Then a look of naked longing came into the Captain's face, and Carolyn knew that it was reflected in hers. She could feel his desire all through her body. Abruptly, her practical nature asserted itself. What was she doing? She must have had too much to drink at the supper tonight! The tension from an evening of trying to mislead her parents must have overcome her. Here she was, outside in the moonlight with someone she loved more deeply than she had ever imagined possible, and he was an illusion. According to some "rules" of the afterlife, he could not physically give her what she craved. Yet right at this moment, her parents were inside helping Martha get the children ready for bed, while she lingered outside with him.

As if unaware of her feelings, the Captain said, "I now feel as if we had exchanged our "I do's' before a man of the cloth...As if we were married..."

"But we're not." Carolyn's voice was curiously flat.

"We are as much as we can be..."

"But is that enough?" Her voice was wistful. She wondered why he was pressing the issue but her brain obviously wasn't functioning properly. "It has to be." The Captain's voice was full of determination.

Could he possibly mean...? What did he mean? Carolyn decided it was beyond her to think any more tonight. She had almost been married to Claymore, of all people! It had taken some talking to convince her Mother that no, she was not going to elope with the Captain, in spite of what he had said. She had faithfully promised to tell her Mother before marrying again, knowing in her heart that she was safe. She would never marry again. Not as long as she loved Captain Gregg. Her thoughts began to twist and turn again, and Carolyn slammed the door shut on them. Turning abruptly, she hurried inside. She would not allow her frustration to get the better of her! She loved him, and had done so since cutting down his precious Monkey-Puzzle Tree and realizing she may have driven him away forever.

Oh yes, admittedly she backslid occasionally. Her blasted practicality had arisen and she had begun to doubt herself. So much so that she had actually consulted a psychiatrist! Fortunately the Captain had forgiven her. For the most part, they were excellent friends, not to mention constant companions. Yet now, after Harriet's recent visit when she had discovered that she could feel the Captain's kiss, she felt like she did that first moment when she was forced to acknowledge the powerful attraction she felt for him...Torn between wanting him and knowing it was not possible. Dreams just wouldn't cut it anymore! And suddenly she was also experiencing feelings that she knew were not hers, but the Captain's! What was going on?

Carolyn managed to evade her parents' questions by claiming fatigue. Once the children were in bed, she, too, retired, falling asleep almost immediately. Suddenly she was enveloped in a dream much like one she had her first year in Gull Cottage.

She was dancing with the Captain, and at the end of the dance, they had drawn closer. She was about to kiss the Captain, when he was pulled away. Carolyn cried out in her sleep, "Daniel! Oh Daniel, please..."

Suddenly he was there. "Madam? What is wrong?"

Carolyn sat up, her nightie sliding unnoticed off her shoulder, green eyes wide in the moonlight. "Daniel, you're still here!"

"But, of course, Mrs. Muir, I'm..."

"Kiss me, Daniel. Now."

"Mrs. Muir!" He drew back, a shocked look on his face.

Her hands stretched out imploringly. Amazingly, her fingers locked around the lapels of his jacket. She could still feel him! That gave her extra courage.

"Daniel, stop calling me Mrs. Muir, and Madam and Woman! Use my name! You used it tonight, and in the letter you left for Harriet to find..." Her voice trailed away. That had been when the dreams had started again. When he had kissed her and written that it had been the 'sweetest ecstasy he had ever known.' Every night since, she had awakened with tears streaming down her cheeks as he faded away and she was left with nothing. "Please?" her voice was a little forlorn now, but her fingers strong. She struggled out of the bedclothes to stand close to him.

There was a pause, then, "Carolyn, my dear, you were crying out in your sleep..."

"You were leaving me." She said, simply. "I can't bear the thought."

He shook his head. "I will not leave you. I cannot leave. Not now. Not ever. But I cannot allow myself to..." He pulled away firmly, his face growing stern as he struggled to master his own desires.

Her voice barely audible, Carolyn took a step closer to him. "Hold me, Daniel, please." She whispered.

He forced himself to stand still. "No. I may care about you," His voice was husky with needs he was fighting to suppress. "But I could do more harm to you than good. You deserve a man who will stand beside you, who belongs to your time, and who has a life you can share. You need a future, and I cannot give you that. All I have is the past."

He refused to move. She wanted to snap at him, accuse him of being blind to everything good the present held out to him, but to her own surprise, she did something quite different. She wrapped her arms around his neck, straining upward to kiss him.

He tried to hold himself in check, but as she coaxed his lips apart, a long shudder rippled through him. "You do not know what you are doing," He gasped, his arms tightening around her.

"Of course I do." She answered. "And if you would stop talking, you could do a better job of it, too."

"Are you criticizing the way I kiss? Blast it, woman!" Hunger shot through him like a lightning bolt, and he no longer resisted what she offered. His mouth crushed hers, and her response fueled the fire he felt.

"You go too far!" He groaned, as he felt her soft hands against his skin. "Please…Stop. I need you too much."

"I won't run away," She promised breathlessly. "I've spent too many years running. No more."

"I can offer you nothing. Nothing." He repeated.

Responding wordlessly, she kissed him passionately. Then she drew back slightly. "Tell me you don't feel anything for me, and I'll move away." She whispered.

There was a pause in which she died a little. Then he groaned and shook his head. "I cannot lie. I have wanted you and needed you for a long time. A lifetime and beyond."

He belonged here with her, and the rightness of it took her breath away. "Daniel, fate has brought us together, because this is our time. Don't you see?" He had come from a life with much hardship and violence and too little compassion. It filled her with the desire to touch him with kindness and love for the rest of her life and beyond.

"Aye, My Love! I shall never regret the love I have found with you." At this moment, he realized there was only this one truth. Eternity had destined this woman for him. Even if they were not fated to spend their lives together, their hearts and their souls would be forever entwined.

"So we have some sort of telepathy now? Just because we kissed? Do you really believe that?" Carolyn stared at the Captain.

"I cannot see any other possible explanation. After all, I knew that contact is forbidden. I regret that I do not understand all the consequences. Perhaps crossing the line between our two worlds is what has caused this...This phenomenon. We seem to have become...Linked in some deeper way. I wonder if this is why such connections between the mortal world and the spirit world are prohibited." He sighed. There was so much he did not understand about himself in this existence, even though he had endured one hundred years of it. "I must get to the next meeting and find out the truth."

"But I could sense you before. Sometimes." Carolyn argued, half-heartedly. Somehow, she had the feeling he must be right. Since finding out that she could touch him, something had changed. Now she was very aware of his feelings. She had never before felt so linked to anyone. They had a new awareness of each other that transcended words, as if their souls had become entangled. "Oh, I don't want to talk or even think about it right now! It's too confusing. Let's get to work on some of these papers, shall we?"

The doorbell rang. Martha grumbled as she wiped her hands dry and went to see who was there.

Swinging it open, she stared at the woman on the doorstep.

"Harriet?"

The woman smiled broadly. "No. I'm Hazel, Harriet's twin sister. I've come to see cousin Carolyn."

"She never said you were coming." Martha looked at the suitcases piled around her.

"She doesn't know. I only have a night or two. I thought I'd slip up and surprise her."

"You will at that." Agreed Martha.

"Is she at home?" Hazel questioned.

"Yes. She's upstairs. I believe she's working on the book. The Captain's memoirs, you know."

"Yes, Harriet mentioned it. Is she with the Captain now?"

"I wouldn't be surprised at all by that," Muttered Martha. "Such goings on lately!"

"I beg your pardon?" Hazel looked startled.

"Oh, nothing." Martha said hastily. "I'll just run up and tell her you're here..."

"No, please, I can see you're in the middle of baking. I'll go on up myself. I'm sure I'll find the room. Harriet told me the lay of the land, you know. We don't have secrets from one another." Hazel giggled a little, and started up the steps.

"Oh no…Well...All right." Martha sounded resigned as she watched Hazel going up. Heading back into the kitchen, Martha consoled herself with the thought that surely the Captain at least had heard the doorbell. He was usually ready to repel boarders!

As it turned out, neither the Captain nor Carolyn had heard the taxi drive up, or the doorbell, or Hazel's discussion with Martha. They were engrossed in research for the book. Carolyn sat curled up on the foot of the bed, the Captain lounged in her desk chair. He tossed a letter over to her.

"There is no date on this one, but you might be interested in reading it."

"Oh?" Carolyn reached for it, and unfolded the paper.

As Hazel, unnoticed, reached the closed door and listened the way Harriet had, Carolyn read the letter out loud.

"You hurtled into my existence with the force of a hurricane and swept me up along in your life almost before I knew what was happening. How could I not admire your drive, your enthusiasm, and your pleasure in the simple things I had long since ceased to mark? Yet I am not just drawn by the changes you have wrought. There is you, yourself. Your smile delights me, your laugh enchants me, your fathomless emerald eyes sweep me into a seascape of translucent waves and misty hidden coves, your exquisite face and inward beauty enhances my existence. It is with real pain that I acknowledge I can never be all the things to you I long to be, my beloved Carolyn..."

Carolyn's voice faltered on the last word, and she looked up at the Captain. She sensed his apprehension, and her heart overflowed with love for him. "Why...?" She began, and then couldn't continue.

"Why? I remembered your reaction to my letters to Vanessa, and wanted to write something to you…My True Love."

"You did already. You wrote 'Last night was the sweetest ecstasy I shall ever know..." Her voice trailed away.

His voice was incredibly tender. "Last night and every night, from now until eternity…After all, this is what I believe is referred to these days as our honeymoon."

"It is not our honeymoon!" Carolyn gasped.

"Oh, but it is. Thanks to your Mother arranging our wedding."

"Mother did not arrange our wedding! Well, she arranged it, but...Oh, Daniel, if I had to marry Claymore, I'd be furious! Poor man." Carolyn changed the subject adroitly.

"Poor man! He little knows how narrowly he escaped total annihilation!" The Captain growled.

"You can't possibly blame Claymore for any of this!"

"Well, I will not be thanking him! Still, it has made a difference, saying 'I do' before a man of the cloth. Have you noticed it?" The Captain grinned at her.

"We shouldn't consider ourselves married! I don't think saying 'I do' counts when the minister couldn't hear or see you." Carolyn busied herself with the letters again.

"But you could." His voice was tender. "And you still thrill when you think about it."

"You're reading my thoughts again! Kindly keep out of my mind!"

"I cannot read your thoughts, just feelings. So far. And you know mine, too, now."

"All right, it's not thoughts in words, but the feelings are still personal..." Carolyn sighed. "You're right. As usual. I'm sorry, Daniel, I don't know why I'm so edgy these days. This whole thing is still so new to me!"

"It's a way of communicating, talking without words, just the same way that I can be myself and not be embodied."

"But I am in a body, and I need words! Oh, I can't seem to get you out of my head, no matter how hard I try!" Carolyn got to her feet, and began to pace restlessly. "Even Martha is beginning to notice the difference. I hope the children don't catch on, but...Oh, Daniel, it's all so difficult. It really would be so much easier if you were alive!"

With that, Carolyn flung open the door to head downstairs. Hazel jumped back guiltily. Carolyn stared at her in astonishment.

"Surprise!" Hazel tried to act nonchalant, but her inquisitive gaze darted past Carolyn to scan the empty room.

"Hazel! When did you arrive?" Carolyn summoned up a smile. "I had no idea you were coming!"

"No, I'm sure you didn't. After hearing Harriet's story, and talking to Aunt Emily two days ago, I just couldn't resist. I wanted to meet your Captain for myself."

"My...My Captain?"

"Yes. You were just talking to him. I heard you. Just as Harriet did. But you, you naughty girl, you played a trick on my poor sister!" Hazel wagged an admonishing finger at Carolyn.

"Hazel, really, I don't know what you're talking about." Carolyn bit her lip.

"Oh, I heard you reading the letter he wrote to you. My, he is a wonder with words, isn't he? So poetic. So romantic. I just wish I could have heard his side of the conversation. He's in your head, is he? And he considers you a married couple, based on last week when Aunt Emily and Uncle Brad were here? Carolyn, I want to hear everything. Everything."

"It sounds as if you already did." Carolyn muttered. She mustered up another bright smile. "Really, Hazel, you must have misunderstood. Writers often talk to themselves! Out loud. Just to hear how things sound, you know."

"That letter sounded as if the writer was madly in love with you." Hazel shivered in delight, and took Carolyn's hand. "Oh, my dear, dear Carolyn, you need not be embarrassed! I know how practical you are trying to be! But you needn't play games with me. I understand perfectly. Isn't it far better, instead of denying his existence, that you have communed with the spirit of Captain Gregg?"

Carolyn stared at her cousin in disbelief. "Communed with his spirit?"

"Now, no need to deny it! I overheard you. I did not eavesdrop, of course. When a couple argues, it is a private affair. But you must be careful. Splitting hairs with the spirits can lead to grave difficulties."

"You can say that again." Muttered Carolyn.

Hazel sighed. "It's such a shame Captain Gregg is not alive, but then, one cannot have everything."

"What?" Carolyn asked, astonished. "What do you mean?"

Hazel's eyes studied her, and Carolyn felt a flush rising directly from her toes and ending within her cheeks. "One cannot choose where one loves," Hazel said, simply. "One can only love."

"I...I...don't..." Carolyn started to object. Then she stopped, unable to say anything more. She could not deny him again, knowing he was listening.

"I am glad you have found love again, dearest," Hazel gave her a hug. "It's the only thing that matters in life, and your family has so wished it for you again." She shrugged slightly, "And what does it matter if he is a ghost? Other couples have their own obstacles to overcome as well." She said it in a very reasonable tone. "After all, his only problem is that he is a ghost, nothing frightful like a criminal, or traitor or something bad like that. Now, shall we go down and ask Martha for some tea?"

Hazel started down the stairs, and like an automaton, Carolyn followed. She was feeling dazed. She didn't know whether it had been easier when Harriet was pestering her, or Hazel! Sensing that she was at a loss, the Captain appeared at Carolyn's side, and his presence sent a wave of reassurance and love over her. She stepped closer, feeling as if she were wrapping herself in a blanket of protection. Hazel stuck her head in the kitchen and begged Martha to put the kettle on, then led the way into the living room. She was used to taking charge, and Carolyn simply followed. Her thinking abilities seemed to be blocked by the Captain's blanket of feeling.

"Where are Jonathan and Candy?" Hazel queried.

Carolyn forced herself to think. "Umm, birthday party. They're both sleeping over."

"I see." Hazel's voice was full of innuendo. "That's rather...Nice for you, isn't it?"

"I don't know what you mean." Carolyn spoke evenly, although inside her ire began to rise.

Hazel laughed lightly. Then she said, "As you wish, dear Carolyn. You know how sensitive Harriet and I are about these things." She looked at the Captain's portrait for a moment, and then leaned closer to Carolyn. "You know, it's the strangest thing, but I can sense the Captain's presence right at this very moment! He's here in the room with us, isn't he?"

Carolyn rolled her eyes, and the Captain snorted. "Not another twittering fraud! Well, no more! She is convinced I am here, and so I shall be!"

He swirled around Harriet; ready to sweep her out the door much the same way he did frequently with Claymore.

"Captain, please stop!" Carolyn called, forgetting herself for a moment. She only thought of how he had 'scared' Madam Tibaldi into a séance, and was not prepared to have a similar problem with Hazel.

"For you, my dear." And the wind died down.

Hazel, her eyes huge in her thin face, brushed back her hair and took a deep breath. Then she said, "May I see you, Captain?"

He obliged, even as Carolyn was shaking her head at him and hissing "No!"

Hazel gazed at him in silence for a moment, and then said, "Your portrait does not do you justice."

"I am fully cognizant of that fact, Madam."

"I do wish you'd shave off your beard. They can be so untidy."

There was a great and surging invisible wave of indignation all around Carolyn, and she spoke up quickly. "Hazel, now that you have met the Captain, what are you going to do about it?"

"Do? Why, nothing, dear. He's your Captain." Hazel stared at her, an innocent expression on her face. "I should think that what you are going to do about it would be more the question here. By the way, can you two touch?" Her glance slid slyly to the Captain.

"Hazel!" Carolyn gasped.

"Have you kissed her, Captain Gregg?" Hazel persisted, ignoring Carolyn's outburst.

"In a dream." He admitted, willing to let her know that much. She was showing much the same sort of spunk he admired in his Carolyn.

"Try touching her now. Here."

"Hazel, really!" Carolyn tried feebly to protest.

The Captain, however, bowed suavely in Hazel's direction. "Far be it from me to disobey the order of a lady. However, when it involves another lady..." Then he straightened, and said gravely, "I must tell you that we do not need to experiment. You are correct. It is not impossible to touch."

Hazel was smugly satisfied with herself, and immediately hurried out to phone Harriet. Carolyn started after her in alarm, but the Captain held up his hand to stop her. Hazel was clicking the phone, saying "Hello?" over and over, but the phone was not working. Carolyn glanced quickly at the Captain and he winked at her roguishly.

She smiled back in relief, and then went out to the hall.

"Hazel, dear, perhaps you can try Harriet again in the morning. It's getting late, after all. This phone is temperamental, but it might be working later."

"Very well." Hazel put the phone down, and then clasped Carolyn's hands. "My dear Carolyn, you don't know how happy you and the Captain have made me today...And will make the rest of the family tomorrow."

"Hazel..." Carolyn began.

"I know, I know, you'd like to keep it a secret. Well, I promise I will tell no one but Harriet. That poor girl was so confused when she was here. I just have to let her in on it. It's just so exciting!"

"Hazel, I'm sorry, but I'm not up to any more visiting tonight. I'm very tired. It has been a long and rather eventful day." Carolyn gave up.

Hazel nodded sagely. "I know, dear. You run along. I'll just have a cup of tea with Martha and have a bit of a visit with her. Good night, Carolyn dear, and pleasant dreams! As if you could help it." her smirk was knowing, and Carolyn's face felt heated. She didn't bother to protest, however, aware that it would do no good whatsoever.

After Carolyn had gone upstairs, Martha heard Hazel in the hallway and came out of the kitchen to see her bang the phone down in frustration. "It's still not working! How am I going to tell Harriet the good news?"

"These modern inconveniences don't work much of the time here in Gull Cottage." Martha said, guiding their visitor in to the kitchen and seating her at the table with the cup of tea.

"You know, of course, don't you, Martha?"

"Know what?" Martha asked.

"Why, all about Carolyn and the dashing Captain Gregg!"

Martha spoke cautiously. "I do? Perhaps you could refresh my memory?"

"Why, that they are in love! Such a shame that he is no longer alive, so I suppose that is why she would not marry him last week when Aunt Emily arranged it. But they can touch..." Suddenly Hazel sat up. "Why didn't I think of that! Of course, they can touch! And we know what that means!"

"We do?" Martha's thinking was muddled. Hazel knew that Captain Gregg was a ghost? Yet she still thought he and Mrs. Muir...Well, it was a natural supposition...

"I'll bet Carolyn is pregnant!"

"Pregnant!" Now Martha was flabbergasted.

"Of course!" Hazel got up and went close to Martha, saying in a low, rapid voice, "She has put on weight, she admitted that to Harriet. Well, and it's fairly obvious, isn't it? Also, she has seemed to be quite edgy since I arrived. Yes, I know that's only been a few hours, but really, you know, Harriet said the same thing. And Carolyn claimed that she was tired, and we know what that means, don't we?" She nudged Martha and simpered.

Martha could say nothing.

Hazel asked Martha about Carolyn's food tastes, and whether or not her appetite had changed. Martha pulled herself together. She had to help Mrs. Muir out of this predicament! She forced a chuckle, and then said dryly, "I hardly think that after 100 years, the Captain would be in any shape to father a child. We never heard any stories of such a thing while he was alive, I cannot believe it would happen now!"

Looking disappointed, Hazel sighed. "Well, perhaps you're right."

"Now, I'll show you to the guest room, shall I?" Martha was in a hurry to talk to Mrs. Muir. She had to warn her of Hazel's conclusion--And she hoped to be relieved of the faint doubt Hazel's belief had engendered!

After settling Hazel in the spare room, Martha went down the hall and knocked on the door of Mrs. Muir's bedroom. She called quietly, "It's Martha, Mrs. Muir."

"Come in, Martha."

Martha poked her head in, and saw that Mrs. Muir was still dressed – Sitting at her desk again! "You aren't planning to keep writing now, are you? I thought you were tired."

"I was trying to get my mind off of my troubles." Carolyn sighed.

"Which is difficult when the biggest trouble is in the other cabin at this very moment!" the Captain growled from the chair by the fireplace.

"Speaking of her, I just thought I should let you two know what she is planning to tell her sister."

"That the Captain really is a ghost and that I can touch him, and am obviously madly in love with him." Carolyn's voice was resigned.

"And that you are pregnant with his child." Martha said. "Mrs. Muir, have you and the Captain been keeping something from me?"

"What?" Both Carolyn and the Captain sprang to their feet in shock.

"How could she think such a ridiculous thing?" Carolyn gasped.

"I'm glad to hear you think it's ridiculous. I personally would find it scandalous." Martha said.

"Actually, I think I'm rather flattered." the Captain put in. "How many men do you know who could Father a child at 139 years of age?"

Both women glared at him. He smiled blandly.

"You know, Mrs. Muir, I must confess that lately...Well, since your cousin Harriet was here...There seems to be something...Well, something more between the two of you." She gave a short laugh. "I almost feel caught in a crossfire at times. But I can't explain it. It's just a feeling I have." She shook her head in disgust. "Can't imagine what causes my strange reactions." She gave them both a sharp look.

"I am certainly not pregnant, Martha." Carolyn said firmly. Then she sank down in the chair again, and put her head in her hands. "But how am I ever going to convince my cousins that I'm not?" she moaned.

"I think I have the perfect solution, Madam." The Captain announced.

The two women looked at him.

"I will give Cousin Hazel a dream, reviewing all of what has transpired this evening, then will have it spin off into something so completely impossible that she will never believe it really happened. I can also create a fog, blocking her memory somewhat, so she really won't remember much about the dream or the evening, beginning with her arrival here in Gull Cottage. She will assume she was welcomed, established in the spare room, and will expect to cut short her visit tomorrow morning because of a phone call from Philadelphia where her presence will be required in the afternoon."

"You can do all that?" Martha was clearly skeptical.

Carolyn sensed the irritation he was holding back as he merely said, "Yes, of course I can." With that, he vanished.

"Well, I certainly hope so. I guess I'll say good night now, Mrs. Muir. Sleep well." She turned to go, then suddenly swung back. "He can really control dreams?"

"Up to a point, I believe." Carolyn said.

"Hmm. So, that Christmas dream was his doing? I heard that Jonathan and Candy had it, too. And Claymore. Did you?"

"Yes." Carolyn admitted.

Again Martha looked at her closely. Then she shook her head. "And you'd have married him, too, I'll bet...Probably on Christmas Day when I was rooting for New Year's!"

Carolyn's face flushed, but Martha didn't wait for an answer. She left the room, closing the door carefully behind her. Carolyn closed her eyes and rubbed her temples wearily, then undressed and climbed in to bed.

"Carolyn?" the Captain's voice came softly through the dim light of the room.

"Yes, Daniel?"

"Sleep well, My love. I will keep watch above our room. And please, do not concern yourself overmuch with your cousin. It will be all right in the morning. You will see. After Hazel has departed, we must talk about our newfound abilities. It seems you were right about Martha knowing."

"Yes. Good night, Daniel. And thank-you." Carolyn smothered a yawn, and then fell asleep before she was aware of his leaving. He watched her for a few seconds more, and then materialized on the widow's-walk.

The next morning, both Carolyn and Martha were delighted to discover that Captain Gregg had indeed managed a miracle. Hazel said only that she had had a most fantastic dream, but couldn't remember much about it, and what little she remembered was fast fading. "I think it had something to do with the Captain. I know now that he's just a friend. Aunt Emily told me that. Harriet said he was charming, but that his twin brother was even more amusing. Perhaps I should look him up."

Just then the phone rang. When Martha answered it, she called Hazel to the phone. Soon Hazel was rushing back in to the kitchen.

"I'm so sorry, Carolyn, but that was Harriet. Imagine! She has arranged a blind date for us tonight! Twin brothers! I must get back to Philadelphia at once! I know I came expecting to visit with you for a few days, but this is so exciting. I couldn't bear to miss it! She said they sound divine! Oh, it must be providence! I'm glad you're looking well, though. Maybe we'll see you at Christmas?" Without waiting for an answer, Hazel hurried upstairs to pack.

In no time at all, Martha and Carolyn were waving at the taxi which arrived to take Hazel back to the airport. As they turned back to the house, Martha remarked, "I'm rather glad to see the end of her. Imagine, though, the Captain having such power! It's rather creepy, I think." she shuddered. "I'm not so sure I'll feel quite so comfortable in Gull Cottage now."

"Then put that cherry pie lover out of his misery and agree to marry him!" Came the Captain's tart comment, and he materialized beside them.

"Perhaps I'll wait until I'm asked." Martha sniffed.

"I'll put in a good word for you." The Captain's grin was wicked.

"Don't you dare! Mrs. Muir, he's joking, isn't he?"

"Of course he is." Carolyn soothed. She frowned at the Captain.

"Well, Mrs. Muir, I'll go in to do the shopping in Schooner Bay, so I'll pick up the children and bring them home." "Thanks, Martha."

After Martha left, Carolyn and the Captain were silent for a moment. Then the Captain said, "I have spoken with the spectral fraternity."

Startled, Carolyn looked at him. "When?"

Rather impatiently, he waved his hand, saying, "That is not important. What I was told is important. I was told the legend of the archangels who defied the law and loved as mortals love. The two were banished to opposite ends of the universe, but yearned for each other which, over thousands of years, built a bridge of light towards the other. When they held each other close once again, it was conceded that what love has built, nothing can destroy. That is the story of how the Milky Way came into being."

"It's beautiful..." Carolyn murmured. "But, what...?"

"Therefore, although our love certainly is not encouraged, what has happened cannot be denied. They have tacitly recognized our...Attachment, and I will not be punished."

Carolyn felt such joy welling up; she knew it was not hers alone. She smiled shakily at him. "And this...This telepathy?"

"Obviously connected, but no one knows for sure. It has not happened before. I was thinking perhaps we should experiment a little with it, to see just what power we have."

He sensed her faint reluctance and apprehension, and reassured her quickly. "I do not foresee any problems, but I do think that if we are to continue on this way, others besides Martha will be wondering. If we can control it a little, it would be to our advantage."

"You're right."

"Now, if we concentrate, perhaps we can tamp down the feelings, put up a block, so to speak. I will go to the wheelhouse, and we shall see what happens."

In a moment, he was gone. Carolyn tried to concentrate, and found she couldn't feel even a flicker of him in her mind. Then she gradually reached out, tentatively probing to see if she could feel him.

As their minds touched, both reacted violently. For the Captain, it was as though the touch of her mind to his burned through his body like a blinding white heat that roared inside him and exploded in a flash of heightened awareness. It was the most marvelous sensation he had ever experienced.

As for Carolyn, it was as if someone had flipped a switch inside her. A dazzling white heat had filled her, and suddenly she was able to clearly sense his emotions; even now he was worrying for her, wondering if he had frightened her, yet loving her for her courage to accept new and incredible ideas. It was a strange awareness, a pressure that he was near, surrounding her.

Her love flowed out to him, his back to her. His stroked and soothed, hers caressed. The distance and the difference between them dwindled and vanished. They met, mingled and blended. For a time, there was a single being that was both, sharing all with the other. Carolyn was aware of nothing else until he drew back from her. She took a deep breath, thinking that never had she experienced such an indescribable yet wondrous contact before. She wondered how she was even still standing upright in the entryway of Gull Cottage!

When the Captain popped back to her to compare notes, both felt a rush of sensation that almost knocked her off her feet.

With a wry laugh, Carolyn managed to say, "We'll have to work on that..." She wondered how she could even speak after such an incredible phenomenon.

"Actually," He grinned, "It was a common reaction to my presence many times in the past. Especially with the ladies."

She grimaced at him, and both laughed. But they soon sobered. What was between them defied all logic, but was a reality. Questions, fears, and finally acceptance swirled between them. Yes, this new relationship would take work, but they had eternity in which to do it. Their love was of the lasting variety.

True love never ends.

The End