Alice woke quietly from her sleep, she dreamily replayed the events of the previous night in her head as she moved into a more comfortable position, snuggling into the pillows and once again resting her eyes. She remembered almost every detail of what had happened, the way he had spoken softly to her in the restaurant so that no one but she heard his words. The way he had held her as they danced in the night club, the warmth of his body as he had slept in her arms. Most of all she thought about how peaceful his face had been as he slept, he had held her tightly all through the night as if he was afraid that she would escape him or that he would wake up and find that she was only a dream. She hadn't seen him as peaceful as that for a long time now.

She pulled the remainder of the blanket around her so that it wrapped her entire body. She hadn't expected him to be lying next to her as he was far to animated to lie still. She had never known him lie still with her after he had woken up, especially when he was on a mission.

She turned over to face out of the window. Beams of sunlight shone through the window creating small rainbows on the carpet. The clouds outside had an orange glow, the beauty of the city was one that is only seen through a lovers eyes as they're heart has been opened to the wonder inside the most mundane of objects, or that of a convict awaiting his sentence, knowing that this will be the last time he will see such heavenly beauty and wanting to remember every detail.

She saw Tommy kneeling in the early morning light on the balcony; he was silhouetted against the sunrise. She could see the small gun in his left hand; it was what he would use to complete his duty. She pulled the thin white sheet from the bed and wrapped it around her body and stepped out onto the balcony behind him.

"Why do you always want to be alone? Is the bed not comfortable?"

Tommy laughed; his eyes remained shut as he allowed the gentle heat from the sun and the cool whipping wind to intermingle around his skin.

"If you must know I'm scared to be happy."

"That's strangely honest for you." Alice said with a smile, sitting down on one of the two chairs at one end of the balcony, against the railing. The sheet rose up as she sat.

"I really don't understand why you want to be with me." Tommy couldn't help but allow the emotion he felt to seep into his voice; he silently cursed himself for doing so. "I'm nineteen years old; today I'm going to kill my forty-seventh person. Do you really think that this is the kind of man you want?"

Alice knelt in front of him, she stroked his face as she spoke, he opened his eyes to see her.

"I see another man, a man who is honest, loyal and genuinely loves me. I feel safe with you. I know you won't leave me."

He reached up with his right hand and held hers. She couldn't decide whether he had said all of that stuff just to get that response for her or whether he had genuinely been as upset as he seemed, that was her problem. She never seemed to be able to read him as well as he could her.

She moved and sat in his lap, resting her head on his chest, he held her close as they gazed over the skyline of the city, for the first time in years they really took in the magnificence of the view.

"Tommy." Alice spoke softly, this was a touchy subject, she hadn't dared bring it up before. "What happens if they find out about us?"

Tommy exhaled deeply collecting his thoughts and trying to keep a level head. "Well I guess it would be the same as if we got into too serious a relationship in the outside world. They'd take our lives."

"It's a big risk to take." Alice replied. Her grip around his shoulder got tighter.

"Maybe" Tommy shrugged. "But we've managed to keep it a secret for this long, why should they find out now?" Alice made a small noise in agreement. "Anyway, now you've completely ruined my relaxation, how about I take a shower?"

Tommy slid his arm under her legs and carried her back into the room. He gently laid her down on the bed and replaced his gun in his drawer. He pulled a towel off the rail just outside the bathroom. He looked back across at Alice as she lay on the bed; she smiled at him and waved. He laughed and walked into the bathroom.

He shook his head and rolled his eyes at the white tiles. He hated things like this, it was so impersonal. Maybe it was against convention but he would have much preferred coloured tiles, at least they felt more welcoming. He turned the dial in the shower cubicle and waited as the water heated up. He threw the towel over the top of the shower screen door. As he did so he felt Alice's soft hands stroking across his chest and down his stomach. She pressed herself closer to him so he could feel her nakedness against him. She slowly moved her hands down and took down his pants. He turned and smiled at her; he bent slightly and kissed her. He took her hand and pulled her into the shower with him.