"Will you tell anyone?" asked Isadora as quietly as possible. She spoke as if she was nervous, but I could tell by the curious glint in her eyes and the glowing of her face that she was just as excited as I.

I tried so hard to hide how eager I was, but my desires were wearing me down. "I promise," I whispered to her. "I won't tell a soul."

She breathed in slowly. "Okay," she finally replied, reaching for my hand. "I'll go."

A grin spread across my face as I grabbed her soft hand and began to run. I pulled her across the field, glistening with December frost. I could feel her pulse beating against mine, I could hear her breathing, and I was happier than I had been in years. As we neared the grand willow tree, I knew that this was it, the moment I had been waiting so long for, and I began to feel a little choked up. I gulped and held back the joyful tears that threatened to pour.

Finally we reached the tree. I led her underneath its branches to a spot completely concealed by icy vines. It truly was a breathtaking sight, those frosty boughs at nighttime. Sneaking out for this was worth it. Violet wouldn't worry, she would know that I was safe. She always seemed to know if I was alright.

"Wow," Isadora breathed, gazing up at the wonderland surrounding us. "It's so beautiful. Positively breathtaking."

"I'm glad you agree," I replied, squeezing her hand gently.

"A thousand couplets couldn't describe the beauty of this place," she went on. "I..." she stopped and looked at me. "Klaus, you wanted to talk, correct?"

"Oh, yes," I said, my nervousness returning. "I wanted to talk to you about something. But truthfully, right now I can't even remember what it was. You're just too damn distracting."

She blushed, the rosiness in her cheeks made her even more appealing. "You're pretty distracting yourself, Klaus," she said quietly, and I could hear her voice quivering. As a breeze blew her hair away from her face, the gleaming in her eyes was revealed. She was glowing, she was completely glowing, and I could barely stay off of her any longer.

"Isadora..." I whimpered, stroking her face. "You're so perfect..."

We stared into each others eyes, and it was intense. Our passion was firey, and I knew then that she was hoping for the same thing I was. But she looked away and said, "Klaus, you must tell me what you wanted to speak about."

I let go of her hand and looked at the ice crystals all around us. "Do you see how beautiful the ice is?" I almost whispered. "The extent of your beauty is even more infinite. And I love you Isadora, I love you. I love you and I will never be able to stop."

"Oh my goodness Klaus," she cried, "I love you so! I love you more surely than I believe in anything, for you are the only thing in my life that truly makes sense, you're the embodyment of perfection and each day I only love you more."

I was awestruck. How could she love me just as I loved her? This was not normal, this wasn't human, this feeling. The way I felt wasn't healthy, it was obsession, passion, love, all molded into a heartbreaking and intriguing picture of a girl. And now, she loved me. I saw her standing there in the cold and simply coldn't remain distant for another moment. I pulled her close to me and kissed her passionately, tasting the sweetness of her lips, savoring every moment.

Her hands were in my hair, on my back, her love evident in the way she caressed me. I touched her face, her shoulders, felt the rising of her chest as she breathed heavily. We kissed for what felt like an eternity, basked in the bliss of a shared love. I nedded her more than anything else, and now here she was, kissing me beneath the wintry branches of the old willow tree...

She fell to the ground abruptly, and I stood dazedfor a moment before realizing that she had pulled me down, as well. We sat on the ground and kissed ridiculously, it was heaven. All of our struggles melted away in the heat of those kisses, the bot of us panting and our bodies growing hot. After many moments more we collapsed, both breathless and in complete ecstasy.

"Oh God I love you," I said. "I love you I love you I love you I love you. I LOVE YOU!" I screamed.

Isadora giggled, turned over, and whispered into my ear, "I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you."

Now see if our lives could have stayed this perfect forever, I would be the luckiest man alive. I would have the most beautiful woman on the planet in my arms, and every day I could tell her how much I love her. But this is no perfect life. Now I have to fight for her, fight just to get a glimpse at that angelic face, to bring her back to me and tell her what I've not said in so many years. We would rescue Violet together, and then we would travel home and live together for the rest of our lives. But today, I cannot make this happen. All I do is live this night in my head, over and over again, praying that one day, I'll open my eyes and see the same face I smothered with kisses in my fondest memories. I can pray, but I cannot do a thing. Not yet.