"Do you want to see something ridiculous that I've kept?" Prue asked delicately, regretting the words the moment they came out of her mouth. All she was doing was making herself seem as childish as the 14 year old girl she had been when they first met.

"Ridiculous?" Rax asked, his curiosity clearly piqued.

"Definitely ridiculous." Prue half-whispered pulling a box from an almost ornate deep varnished chest and placing it on the table with as much care as you would a fragile piece of glass.

Rax pulled the box towards him, being deliberately delicate as whatever the contents of this box she was clearly very careful with it. Lifting the lid he saw folds upon folds of pale blue tissue paper, and his first thought was that it was some item of clothing, as there was no obvious bulk beneath the tissue, but on further inspection he saw that whatever it was, it was paper.

The paper was creased and faded, almost yellow with age and he pulled it out softly before turning it over in his hands. His mouth fell open.

It was the map. The map he had given her the second day at wentworth. When she'd already cast her spell over him. When he'd sat at home sketching it for hours, sketching her for hours, his mind filled with curly black hair and red and white tablecloth.

"You kept it." He said, stupidly, to fill the silence if for nothing else.

"I could hardly throw it away could I?" Prue said, trying to sound casual but her voice was too high, too breathless and when he turned to look at her, he saw that her eyes were shining with barely concealed tears.

"I think we have a lot of talking to do Prue, I think there's a lot that has never been said out loud and things we've both questioned over the years." Rax said softly.

"Please Rax, I don't think I can." She whispered, her eyes fearful.

"Then please, just listen and let me explain." He said gently and she nodded.

Rax took a deep, steadying breath to gather his thoughts.

"When I first met you, I thought you were...interesting. For want of a better word...interesting. You seemed so intelligent and smart mouthed, but behind it I could see there was something more, something hidden. It was almost like you were laughing at us all around you and my interest in you...Well, it scared me." Rax said, as if this still surprised him now.

"Scared?" Prue prompted.

"Scared. You were 14 and I was your teacher. It anyone's standards, that's wrong. I had a wife and 2 kids at home, I had an ordinary life and an ordinary job and then in came you. Extraordinary, and bursting with talent and brains and looks and I couldn't think of anything else, I didn't want anything else and I had to stay away. But I couldn't, I couldn't distance myself. I couldn't stay away and the harder I tried the harder it became. I thought you would be disgusted and run to the police, I was this old teacher! And then..."

"We kissed." Prue whispered breathlessly, her face enthralled, like a child being read a bedtime story.

"We kissed." Rax repeated. "Everything changed Prue. That was it. I fell head over heels in love with you. Just like that, straight away. And nothing else made sense anymore, nothing fit, it didn't feel like my life anymore. I was just going through the motions. I couldn't sleep in bed next to my wife. I couldn't teach. I couldn't paint anything that didn't circle back to you. I was in love with you fully and truly. God knows, I tried then to put some distance between us and forget the feeling but I couldn't could I? How could I keep away from you?" Rax spoke breathlessly and quickly, almost too himself, as if he'd been holding back these words for so long that they were bursting out of him.

"I couldn't keep away. And then...you told me. You told me you loved me and I held you and kissed you and..."

"Everyone found out." She said, her eyes shining.

"Yes." Rax choked. "Yes, everyone found out. And I did something I've never forgiven myself for. I made out that you were a child with a silly crush and I was simply being kind and sympathetic and you had gotten the wrong end of the stick, to save myself."

"I understand Rax..." Prue began, but he cut her off.

"Do you? Do you? Because I don't. I never have. How could I have done that? How could I have sent you away when I loved you that much? Who would ever do that?" He said, the pain in his voice evident.

"A good father. A good man who had to protect his kids and his wife and his reputation. You did the right thing then Rax."

There was silence for a few minutes, where neither of them said anything, and Prue wondered if Rax would say anything else now, When he made her jump.

"And then." He said, "You were gone. And everything was grey. Nothing made sense. My marriage was falling to pieces. I couldn't look and Marianne or touch her without resenting her for not being you. I hated my life and I hated myself. And it took me years until I even became comfortable to cope. I started a new job and a new and a new life and then your flyer came across my desk and I was back there again, needing you."

"And now here we are." Prue whispered.

Rax sighed heavily, and covered his face with his hands. The weight of this long overdue conversation draining him. Until her fingers gently prised his hands apart and took them in hers, at the same time pulling her towards him.

And then her lips were on his and he didn't think anymore. He couldn't think anymore, all he could feel was the softness of her lips, the sweet smell of her perfume and the heat from her skin...

"Take me to bed." She whispered against his mouth. "Please, take me to bed."

All he could do was softly moan as he pulled her desperately towards the bedroom, slamming the door behind them and the same breath, his hands hungrily pulling at her clothes...