Disclaimer: Candy Candy and all characters belong to Kyoko Mizuki, images to Yumiko Igarashi and anime to Toei Animation.

Note: Once again this chapter is loosely based on the manga version, and I have introduced one new character, Mr. Simpson. Also, I have decided to give a name to the restaurant where Albert worked.

Thank you very much for your continued interest and enthusiasm in this story! I hope you will enjoy reading this chapter as much as I have enjoyed writing it. As always, feedback, reviews and suggestions are welcome, and please note that I do value your inputs and read them very carefully.

My appreciation goes to my beta readers for their help and valuable feedback.

-Ms Puddleglum

Chapter 12: Home

Albert appeared so peaceful, so Candy didn't have the heart to disturb his slumber at all. Yet she wanted to check one more time if he indeed had high temperature.

She carefully knelt down next to his sleeping body, watching the gentle rise and fall of his chest. He didn't normally snore, but now he did due to his congested nose. Watching him sleep reminded her of his first day in Room 0, when he was lying in bed unconscious. Before then, she only knew that he had a pair of striking blue eyes and didn't know that he was in fact a handsome man with blond hair, for he used to wear full beard with darker hair or cover his eyes with sunglasses most of the time.

Right now, he looked kind of pale too, but he was still handsome in his sleep. His forehead was partially hidden by strands of his wavy hair. A morning shadow of beard covered his chin and lower cheeks, making him look masculine rather than messy. Even though they had lived together under the same roof for months, since he was an early riser whereas she liked to sleep in, she seldom saw him with overnight stubble. For some reasons, the more she looked at him, the more she felt like running her hand over those short, stiff hair on his face. Hence, in order to chase away this funny thought, she told herself to get down to business.

With her body hovered over his, she lightly stroked his hair away from his face, but as soon as she placed her palm on his forehead, he woke up with a start, goggling at her with confusion reflected in his wide eyes.

Totally astonished, she gasped and rapidly withdrew her hand as if she had just touched something hot. Since her head had been blocking out the sun from his eyes, once she moved away from him, he immediately raised his arm to shield his eyes from the brightness of the sun, squinting at the same time.

She blurted out, "Oops! Sorry!"

In puzzlement, he murmured, "Candy... what were you doing?" His voice did sound stuffy, and obviously his cold was worse than before. Then he sat up slightly by propping himself up on his elbows. After blinking a few more times, his eyes seemed to adjust to the bright light at last.

She took a quick glance at him, cheeks hot from the embarrassment earlier, and remarked, "Albert, I believe you have fever."

Feeling a little groggy, he cleared his throat and replied, "Have I?" Then he started having a coughing fit. He swiftly whirled himself around to avoid coughing directly at his friend.

Candy said apologetically, "Albert, if only I had not followed that man... Your cold has gone worse just because ..."

"Trust me," he interrupted her in mid-sentence, facing her now with a smile. "I actually don't feel too bad at this moment, and my headache has gone too, but..." His voice trailed off as he sighed, looking seriously into her eyes. "Candy, please promise me not to trust a stranger so easily next time."

She lowered her head in shame. "I'm sorry. When I heard Terry's name, I lost my mind already and thought it was safe to go with the man..." [1]

Believing that she had already learned her lesson, Albert decided not to drill on that anymore. He gave her a pat on her shoulder, smilingly said, "Candy, look! It's another fine, clear day, without a cloud to be seen."

On one hand she was glad that he had changed the topic, but on the other hand she actually had wanted him to ask why she wanted to meet with Terry. Last night she was too agitated to notice his reaction when she told him she followed the stranger just because the unknown man told her that Terry was expecting her. So far, Albert had not asked a single question about it as though he assumed that she still loved Terry. He hadn't asked her about what had happened when she was with Neil either, which worried her tremendously because it seemed that he wanted to avoid this topic altogether.

She resolved that she had to tell him the details sometime later. Presently, the trees around them rustled in the breeze, and she felt chilly.

"Albert, you must be cold..." said Candy with a worried look. "Your hair and your clothes are slightly wet from the morning dew too. Do you want to share the coat with me?" While she was saying that, she was taking half of the coat off and was more than ready to share it with him.

He quickly helped her put it back on with a small smile on his face. "No, Candy, you keep the coat. I think I can manage." Just then, Pouppe had just woken up and ran to him, so he bent down to pet her fur with fondness.

"Are you sure?" she asked skeptically, a soft frown marring her features.

"Yes, absolutely..." His voice trailed off as he coughed again. Later, he stood up on his feet, saying, "Let's see if there's any soul around here to help us."

He stretched out his hand to Candy invitingly, and she got the clue and willingly gave him her hand. As he gently pulled her up, she accidentally slipped over the wet grass and practically threw herself onto him. This totally caught him off guard, but he managed to grab her upper arms to help her steady herself as she held onto his forearms. After they had stabilized themselves, they released each other, laughing over their clumsiness.

When their laughter faded away, Albert tenderly said, "I almost forgot my manners." He cleared his throat and greeted, "Good morning, Candy. It is so wonderful to be able to see you the first thing in the morning."

"Good morning, Albert!" she replied cheerfully. She couldn't have agreed more. Seeing him every morning was something she had taken for granted until he was gone.

While she was stretching and yawning, he studied her without her being aware. Though her golden mane was completely messed up after the night, she looked effortlessly beautiful under the sun, her round emerald eyes rimmed with heavy lashes, her skin soft-looking, her cheeks rosy and her lips sensual.

Noticing that he was unusually quiet, she glanced at him and met his eyes. She nearly jumped in surprise as he was staring at her, looking dazed.

"Albert, are you alright?" came her soft voice, rousing him from his brief reverie.

He quickly answered, "I'm sorry. My mind has wandered off a bit."

When she was pondering where his mind could have drifted just now, she heard his deep voice, "Candy, do you want to fix your hair?"

"Oh yes! It must be a ghastly mess now..." She made herself meet his eyes, flushing.

Without delay, Candy loosened one of her ribbons. But what happened next astounded her. Albert gently took her ribbon from her hand and helped her do the same to the other one, allowing her blond curly hair to cascade like a waterfall over her delicate shoulders. The sight of her hair turning into a mass of molten gold under the sun mesmerized him, and he couldn't take his eyes off her anymore.

While his sky blue eyes lingered upon her, wide and unblinking, he mumbled, "You look beautiful, Candy."

"Really?" she whispered, the pink glow travelling down her neck and her heart thumping between the walls of her chest.

"Yes..." Albert murmured and blushed a little too.

Candy shyly looked away, unable to hold his gaze. She was fairly stunned by his compliment because she was beyond doubt that her hair looked terrible now and she felt grimy after spending a night outdoor. But in fact, her hair was down just as he liked it. Besides, he was fantasizing about running his fingers through those loose curls over her shoulders.

Regrettably, the romantic moment was spoiled by a man's voice from afar, "Hello? Do you need help?"

In no time, Albert cried out at the tops of his lungs, "Yes! We're coming up now!"

Despite being a little disappointed that her time with Albert had to be cut short abruptly, Candy prayed in her sweet voice, with her eyes closed and hands folded, "Oh thank God for sending someone to us!"

Then he spoke to her with excitement, "Quick, Candy! Let's get out of here!" After that, he swiftly put her ribbons in his pocket and picked up the bag of snacks, which were mostly consumed by now.

"Come on, Pouppe, let's go!" After Albert was sure nothing was left behind, he grabbed Candy's hand as though this was something very natural to him. She actually liked that of course, and they ran up the hill together in high spirits. Soon, they spotted a middle-aged man, who was examining their wrecked car. It was obvious that he was a chauffeur because he was dressed in a uniform with a matching cap.

Once Albert got near, he exclaimed with delight, "Sir, thank you for coming to our rescue!" He shook hands with this man enthusiastically and continued to introduce themselves, "I'm Albert, and this is my sister, Candy. We have spent the night out in the open, waiting for the daylight." Of course Candy understood why Albert referred to her as his sister.

"My name is Simpson," the man grinned heartily, and they both responded, more or less in unison, "Good morning, Mr. Simpson."

Then Mr. Simpson told them that he worked for one of the rich families in the area, and he was supposed to pick up some guests in the train station in Chicago. When he drove past he happened to notice their wrecked car, so he decided to make a stop just in case somebody needed help. Needless to say, both Albert and Candy were ecstatic to hear that, and Albert asked if he could give them a ride back to the city.

"Certainly! Please come with me." Mr. Simpson kindly led them to a very elegant looking car across the other side of the road. Albert opened the rear door for Candy, and he and Pouppe sat on the passenger side next to Mr. Simpson.

On their way back, Albert, coughing occasionally, explained to Mr. Simpson how his car had broken down last night and asked for his advice on what to do with it now. Mr. Simpson suggested he contact some automotive garages. As they were getting near the outskirts of Chicago, they were asked where to drop them off. Since Candy was worried about Albert's condition, she told Mr. Simpson the neighborhood where Happy Clinic was located.

When they arrived at the park, Albert and Candy got off the car and expressed their gratitude. Luckily their dirty clothes didn't leave stains on the seats. After Mr. Simpson had shaken hands with them, he left for the train station.

"Albert, let's go see Dr. Martin now," urged Candy anxiously. He conceded and walked to the clinic with her. Since it was very early in the morning, they seemed to be the only ones in the park, and everywhere else was very quiet except for the birds' chirping. They both agreed to first check if the doctor was still taking his rest. If so, they would simply go home without disturbing him.

But surprisingly, by the time they got to the front door, the doctor was enjoying his breakfast already. When he spotted the blond couple through the window, he quickly opened his door to welcome them in.

"Good morning!" he greeted them with great relief written all over his face, giving each of them a bear hug. "Albert, so you did find Candy, didn't you?"

"Yes..." he mumbled under his breath, striving to keep his embarrassment from showing, but to little avail. After all, they had just spent a night together, and it wasn't something to be very proud of. Nevertheless, Albert helped Candy take off the coat and they sat down together with the doctor.

"So coffee for anybody? I think I have enough for you both and it is still hot," the doctor offered.

They both nodded to him eagerly. While they were finishing whatever snacks they had left in the bag to fill their stomachs, Albert began to describe what had happened to him since he had left the clinic yesterday and how they could come back here intact with the help from a chauffeur who had happened to drive by.

The doctor sighed heavily after pouring himself another cup of coffee, "I could hardly sleep last night... I was so worried about you both..."

Candy immediately raised from her chair and bowed low to apologize, "I'm awfully sorry, Dr. Martin and Albert. It's all my fault."

Albert reached out to pat Candy on the shoulder. She returned a faint smile at him and slowly lowered herself back to the chair.

Facing the young man, the doctor kindly offered, "Albert, it seems to me that your cold has gotten much worse. Do you want me to examine you?"

Candy responded with urgency in her voice, "Yes please, Dr. Martin."

The doctor chortled loudly before he snickered, "Okay, I will do it just for your sake, Candy." Unable to come up with a riposte, her face turned pink right away at his teasing.

While the doctor was checking Albert carefully, Candy was secretly watching her hero when she was supposed to clean up the dishes and cups on the table. Albert probably felt being observed, so his head turned in her direction. When their eyes met, she quickly averted her eyes and scurried to the kitchen, bringing the dishes with her.

Sometime later, the doctor said, "It's just a bad cold, Albert. You should take it easy and after a couple of days of rest, you should feel a lot better. Your mild fever should go away on its own, but your coughing might last a little longer."

Then Candy came back to join them. After casting a fleeting glance at her, the doctor said to Albert, "My nurse should know how to take care of you, young man."

To her, this was too good to be true, so she asked cautiously, "Dr. Martin, are you saying that you let me take a day off today?"

Albert wanted to protest that he was more than capable to take care of himself at home, but before he had a chance, the doctor affirmed, "Yes, dear! I can handle everything here for today." Then he turned back to Albert and said, "Remember to drink lots of fluids for these few days and rest as much as you can. It's not a good idea for you to work in the kitchen anyway."

Then the doctor practically shoved them away to the door, saying, "It's time for you both to go home and rest."

Albert decided not to argue with him, and he thought to himself that once he accompanied Candy home, he would go home himself to rest. When Candy thanked the doctor for his thoughtfulness, the doctor appeared to remember something suddenly. "Wait, Candy. I have something for you before you go."

While they were puzzled about it, Dr. Martin came back with a thick envelope in his hand. "Candy, take this with you or you can give it back to Albert yourself. Please bear in mind - this is a clinic, not a bank."

The two looked at each other for a brief moment. Both recognized that this was the money Albert had meant to give Candy a while ago, which she had refused to receive, so it had been left in the clinic since then. She thanked the doctor and put the envelope in her pocket for now, inwardly thinking that she would hand it back to Albert later. After that, they politely bade the doctor good day and left.

On their way to her apartment through the park, there were still not many people around them, and the kids were not even out yet. Candy began to eagerly plan the day for Albert, "You're lucky that you have left your pajamas and your old razor at my place." With a bright smile across her face, she carried on, "If you want, you can even take a shower first before you take your rest because I have recently bought a new set of towels..."

"Candy..." he hesitated. Only then she realized that he had stopped walking with her but remained standing at where he was, watching her with an apologetic smile. It didn't take her long to perceive what he had in mind. She questioned quietly, with a look of disappointment crossing her face, "You are not coming home with me, are you?"

For a second, Albert held her gaze. Then his apologetic smile melted into a frown as he uttered the next few words wistfully, "Candy, your home is not my home anymore."

He saw her eyes widen a little before she nodded her head slowly, pursing her lips in thought while staring at him for a moment or two. He would love to spend time with her at her place, such as having dinner, but sleeping in that bunk bed again was a totally different matter. He knew that once he had broken his rule, it would be easier for him to break it again the next time.

"You know you're more than welcome to take your rest at my place," she said, trying to sound positive.

"Thanks for your offer," he cordially declined before he added, "I'm sorry, Candy."

Then with a pleading expression filling her eyes, she persisted, "Albert, please let me take care of you, just for today."

He swallowed hard and continued to speak patiently, "You need some rest too. Once I take you home, I'll stop by Parkview [2] to apply for sick leave. It's actually on my way back."

She gazed at him uncomprehendingly. "Why?" she moodily asked, pausing to try to grasp the reasons behind his reluctance, which reminded her of the time when she had tracked him down in Chicago Nature Park, trying to talk him into letting her care for him until his recovery. Coincidentally, he looked almost the same today, even wearing the same outfit!

He snuffled, pulled out his handkerchief, and wiped his nose. "It's just a cold and I can take care of myself," he said with a matter-of-fact tone. As though his body wanted to emphasize his point, he suddenly started sneezing, followed by coughing. Afterwards, he muttered, breathing through his congested nose, "See? You will easily get infected."

"I don't mind!" she countered strongly. But she instantly regretted about that. Softening the tone of her voice, she came closer to him and gently tugged at his arm, saying, "Albert, you're sick because of me..."

At last, something dawned on her. She figured that he had probably misunderstood why she wanted to see Terry last night. If that was the case, she didn't want to give up yet. As long as he was willing to go home with her, she could take her time to explain the whole thing to him.

"Candy..." He couldn't speak for a moment as he was deeply touched by her kindness to him. Debating with himself, his jaw tightened and his fists clenched. It was indeed very tempting, but his conscience told him to leave her the sooner the better before he changed his mind. When he spoke again, his voice became deeper and hoarse. "I promise to meet with you as soon as I get better."

Not knowing when exactly she would see him, she wished she could persuade him otherwise, but apparently he wouldn't budge now. The eager expression on her face gradually changed to that of dejection.

"Fine. I respect your wish, Albert," she uttered, sounding wounded. Turning her back to him, she took off running, which totally caught him by surprise. As if prompted by an invisible force, he instantly chased behind her, hollering, "Candy, where are you going?"

Trying to gain control of her shaking voice, she answered him aloud, "I'm going home myself." She didn't look back at him lest he saw the tears welling up in her eyes.

Though he was sure that he had made the right decision of not resting in her place, her feelings were noticeably hurt because of that. Besides, she wasn't heading in the right direction either. With Pouppe loping along by his side, he had no problem catching up with her in the middle of her aimless run, when she almost bumped into a tree.

She froze with wide, incredulous eyes as she felt his hands come down on her shoulders from behind her. Then he wrapped his arms around her protectively, cradling her back against his chest and resting his chin on her head. Being so close, they could practically hear each other's heartbeat and irregular breathing, especially after their running.

They remained standing that way in silence for a while. Albert had hugged Candy many times before but he had never held her like this. Feeling an odd mixture of excitement and mounting tension, she was going crazy inside her head wondering what was in his mind. At the same time, her cheeks were burning hot and her heart was thumping against her ribs.

"Albert?" came her questioning voice sometime later when she had decided not to wait for him to speak up anymore.

Being sick, he knew he was supposed to keep some distance from her, but he couldn't help it. The fact that she wanted to take care of him today was a good enough indication that she wanted his company and he needed no other assurance from her. Plus, he could no longer keep his feelings inside after overhearing what she said last night in her dream about being happy with him.

He then moved his cheek closer to her golden locks, keeping his head just above the crook of her neck. He asked in his stuffy voice, "Do you mind?"

"No..." She couldn't have been faster to respond. She placed her trembling hands on his, not daring to move her head at all because she could feel his warm breaths on her hair.

Feeling her silky strands tickle his face, he took a few moments to inhale her sweet scent before telling her something that had been buried in his heart, "Candy... I wasn't being totally honest when I wrote my letter to you..."

She didn't miss the tremor in his voice and she heard herself repeat after him automatically, "Letter..."

She would never forget her devastation when she thought she had lost Albert after reading that letter, and she had desperately wanted to discuss it with him since then. The tears she had been suppressing started to roll down her cheeks as this was the moment she had been waiting for.

Some of her tears landed on his forearms, so he held her closer to him. "You're crying... should I continue, Candy?" he asked quietly.

She nodded hastily in agreement as she struggled to hold her tears back. He went on shortly after that, "When I said I wanted a new start... to be your close friend or your brother again... it was because I thought you would never see me in a different light..."

As his voice trailed off, she couldn't quite decide whether to tell him that she had memorized every single word of his letter or to inform him that he was wrong to make that assumption. Then to her astonishment, he slowly loosened his grip on her and began gathering her shining blond curls away from her neck. She could hardly breathe, her heart pounding even more furiously, as her exposed neck was so sensitive to his touch.

He could feel her yielding to him, which gave him the strength he needed now. After he had moved her hair out of the way, he bent down to lay his chin on the crook of her shoulder with his cheek almost touching her neck, circling his arms around her shoulders once again. He then said in a barely audible voice, "But when I saw my own portraits in your bedroom yesterday, the ones drawn by Anna... it gave me strong hope..."

Those portraits! I forgot to put them back into my drawer before I left home yesterday...

Knowing that he had indirectly discovered her feelings for him, her already weakened legs were giving up on her, becoming wobbly. He could probably tell that was happening, so with his hands clasping her upper arms, he gently spun her so that they could now face each other. She quickly lowered her eyes to avoid having eye contact with him, a wave of shyness washing over her features.

Her bashful silence only encouraged him more. As he fastened his eyes upon her face, he called her name patiently, his voice tender, "Candy?"

When she willed her eyes to meet his steadfast gaze, she felt like fainting. All she could do now was to grasp onto his lower arms, clutching them firmly. He finally confessed, "You have never once left my thoughts even when we were apart..."

He paused to gather up his courage, lovingly scanning her adorable face at the same time. Her beautiful eyes were shiny, with more tears threatening to spill over. After taking a long breath, he resumed his confession in a determined voice, his penetrating gaze never left her for a second, "...and my love for you is deep and true."

Upon hearing this, Candy was overcome with emotion. She flung herself onto him, winding her arms around his waist, and started to bawl hard on his chest, murmuring his name over and over between her sobs, as if she wanted to relieve the stress that had been building up in her since he had moved out. Although what was happening now seemed surreal, she knew full well that this was not a dream.

Her tears were soaking his shirt but Albert only tightened his arms more, closing his eyes against the hot tears that burned behind them. After months of longing and loving her from a distance, he felt rapturous that he had finally professed his love for her out loud, which released himself from the burden of keeping it as a secret. The way she reacted to his confession assured him that her feelings for him were no longer fraternal and that she now loved him as a man.

Listening to his steady heartbeat and inhaling his familiar scent, the sense of safety and protection was so strong that Candy felt that she had come home at long last. There was nothing better than being enveloped in his embrace, knowing for sure that he loved her. Gradually her sobbing dwindled and she believed it was her turn to tell him her side of the story. "Albert, do you remember that I was in a hurry when you came to deliver your letter to me?"

"Oh yes... but you denied that," he replied softly.

After a brief pause, she withdrew herself from him so that she could glance up at him. With a weak smile, she began, "I was actually in a rush to see you... but you appeared out of the blue..."

Being perplexed, he asked incredulously, "You were in a rush to see me? Why?"

Because I had finally figured out why my yearning for you had consumed my every thought... and I wanted to tell you as soon as possible...

She struggled to meet his inquiring gaze, floundering for words to describe her inner thoughts. Yet she was getting more and more nervous; she just couldn't seem to get the words out of her mouth.

Subsequently, she stammered instead, "Because... I had missed you... so much..."

Albert was genuinely moved by her ardent words. Even though Candy didn't say anything about her love for him, he was content just to hear her say that she had missed him. He brushed his hand along her teary cheek and swept her blond hair from her face, saying, "I longed to see you too, Candy. But I still don't understand... what was the hurry?"

Watching his twinkling blue eyes peer into hers searchingly, she collected herself and managed to finish what she had meant to say, "Because I had read a letter... from Anna." Then she blushed and hastily looked down, avoiding his intense gaze.

He couldn't stop himself from embracing her again after hearing this from her. She breathed out a sigh of relief and said, "There. I finally got it off my chest." Then she timidly slid her hands inside his jacket so that she could rest her cheek and her palms against his solid chest.

He was dying to know what was in Anna's letter that made Candy want to see him right away, although he sort of guessed the answer already. There were beats of silence, each waiting for the other to speak first.

Then Albert took the initiative to break the silence. Caressing her luscious curls, when he was sure his tone would be neutral, he remarked, "Anna has written to me too... she told me that you knew everything..."

"That's right," affirmed Candy in a low voice. Then, she hid her face in his chest and murmured, unable to keep the jealousy out of her voice, "I know that... she kissed you..."

In spite of her voice being muffled, he heard each of her words. Before he had a chance to respond, her hands grasped his shirt tightly in her fists, grumbling, "How could you let her..." Of course she understood that he was tricked, but she didn't know how else to handle her jealousy fit.

Without saying anything, he simply held her closer and covered her hand with his, pressing it to his chest. Feeling his heartbeat against the palm of her hand, it didn't take her long to cool down. Meanwhile, he couldn't have been happier knowing that she was far from being indifferent about what Anna did to him. Everything made sense to him after all this time, including her wish to see him all dressed up after the wedding reception, her intention to introduce him to Miss Pony and Sister Lane, and her lingering kiss on his cheek when he was stricken by his conscience.

But then something struck him hard.

Holding onto her shoulders, he discreetly pushed her away from him so that they could see each other face to face. Keeping his eyes fixed unwaveringly at her, he said with a serious tone, "If only I had known earlier... I'm terribly sorry, Candy... my letter must have caused you great grief..."

He paused when he saw a few drops of tears escape her eyes again, rolling down her face. This confirmed what he had speculated, and he could practically visualize her pain when she was reading his letter. Moved by his love for Candy, Albert cupped her face with his warm hands and leaned in to kiss her forehead affectionately, this time much longer than his 'amulet' last night.

Placing his hands back onto her shoulders, he reassured in his tender voice, "Candy, the truth is... I have not stopped loving you at all."

"Albert... I..." She longed to tell him of all the love she had for him in her heart, but now she could only manage a choked sound. Then what happened next made his heart leap. Candy reached out her shy hand to stroke his chin and cheeks with her fingertips, her teary eyes, those that were luminous with joy, never leaving his. Albert recalled the time when she had done the same to him after buying him a new razor. Back then she had asked him first, and her touch had almost caused him to lose control. This time, she didn't even ask, but the effect of her lingering touch was the same.

"It prickles!" she remarked, smirking at him. Knowing that she meant the short hairs growing from his face, he ran his hand over his jaw, gazing at her with a tender smile forming on his lips. His hand then moved over the soft hand that was stroking his cheek, pressing it against his face. His other hand gently wiped her tears, caressing her at the same time with his long fingers. All the while he was peering at her with intensity and passion. With butterflies in her stomach, she could feel heat suffusing her face again.

Looking at her round emerald eyes, the ones that sparkled with anticipation, he carefully grabbed her hands to put them around his waist. With his right hand cupping her jaw and his left hand cradling the back of her head, she took the hint and closed her eyes. Lifting her chin, he leaned over to gently and ever so lightly kiss her on the eyelid. Next, he kissed her temple and said to her ear, his voice dropping to nothing more than a whisper, "I'll be a fool if I let you go again."

Candy felt so touched by his words that her arms tightened, pulling Albert closer to her. Meanwhile, he continued to softly kiss away the remnants of her tears on her rosy cheeks, his hands supporting the back of her head. Feeling his breath and the scratchy bristles of his stubble against her cheeks, her pulse pounded and her heart raced. At the same time, she raised her hands to his head, ruffling his wavy hair with her fingers fondly. She felt so dreamy, like she was floating on a cloud, as she had never felt so cherished before and she would have gladly stayed like that all day.

Yet this was not entirely true because she definitely wanted more; she missed the sensation of his soft lips against hers very much. Thus, as he planted a sensual kiss on the corner of her mouth, her breath hitched in anticipation. But he froze all of a sudden instead of kissing her soft and waiting lips. Next, she heard him groan as if he had to rein in his feelings. Right after that, he brought her into his embrace, slouching himself to bury his face in the crook of her neck. His strong arms wrapped around her frame very firmly as though he couldn't bear to let her go.

She drew in a deep breath and returned his embrace despite being greatly disappointed. She could hear his heavy breathing and feel his racing pulse, like he had run a long race. Little did she know that he was biting his lip hard to fight his burning desire to crush her lips with his own. He thought, what a bad timing! I shouldn't have kissed her at all... not with my cold symptoms... Just then, as he had predicted, he had to remove himself from her to cough.

As much as she wanted him to kiss her, she knew that it was better to wait till his cold was over. Afterwards, he sighed and apologized, "Candy, I'm sorry if I have passed the cold to you."

Surprisingly, her tear stained face broke into a bashful grin, half joking, "Albert, it's totally worth it. As you said, it's just a cold!"

He lifted his eyebrows in disbelief as he returned her glance, looking a bit embarrassed, but soon returned a grin matching hers exactly. Meanwhile, loud laughter from the kids in the park made them aware of the passing of time. Needless to say, the children had come out to play already. So Albert held her hand and said, "Candy, I should take you home now."

When they glanced around to look for Pouppe, Albert called his pet's name and a gentle breeze blew by them. Candy used her other hand to try to keep her hair from getting out of control, and suddenly, she recognized their surroundings. They were standing near the tree where the lion attacked them about a month ago. If the tree could hear or see, it could have been their witness all this time.

Then, she saw Pouppe behind this tree. She abruptly withdrew her hand from his grasp, dashing after the skunk. Bewildered by her strange action, Albert questioned, "What's the matter, Candy?" As he approached her, he suddenly realized where they were as well.

"Candy, do you remember you were supposed to hide behind this very tree to escape from the lion?" asked Albert emotionally as the memory of that day was still vivid in his mind. That night he had lost his control and everything started from that moment.

"Yes, I remember it very well, Albert," replied Candy in a sentimental voice, advancing towards him with Pouppe in her hands. When their eyes were locked together, she told him, "I was so blind... I should have known back then that you loved me."

With a lump forming in his throat, he immediately pulled her back into his arms. She let go of Pouppe again and held his torso as tightly as possible. Come to think of it, she wondered if she already had hidden feelings for him then because she had been immensely worried that the lion would kill him.

A long while later, she shyly asked, "Are we... are you my boyfriend now?"

A few chuckles escaped his mouth before he playfully answered, "Well, Miss Candice, would you give me this honor then?"

She giggled a little and placed her hands on his sides. "You know? I have always wanted to find out whether..." She unexpectedly broke off and poked his sides, tickling him. He flinched at once and began to laugh, wanting to poke her back. But she squirmed and squealed, swiftly retreating from him to keep a safe distance between them.

With her mischievous grin turning into snickers, she finished her sentence aloud, "You are ticklish, Albert!"

He feigned to be mad at her, pacing toward her slowly with his fingers curled, "Now it's my turn to see if you're ticklish too!"

She started to run away from him, challenging him, "Catch me if you can!"

"Chasing game again? You're unbelievable!" he cried after rolling his eyes, running after her nonetheless. Pouppe ran along with him too. Unlike the previous time, she ran with great speed, like a deer through the forest. Luckily, there weren't many people present that might get in their way yet. Otherwise, they would have attracted curious glances.

No wonder she told me that Terry had always called her "Freckled Tarzan".

Remembering Terry, he slowed down unconsciously. The name that used to rouse uneasy feelings within him still had a mild effect on him, but it was only a dull ache in his heart this time. It was undoubtedly a sign of progress. Recalling their intimate moments earlier, Albert was absolutely certain that Candy was quite over Terry by now. Shaking his head to snap himself back to the present, he found out that she had gone so far ahead already.

"Candy!" he shouted her name, picking up his speed immediately.

Candy kept running at her top speed and soon she saw her apartment building down the block. She gradually slowed down, wondering why Albert hadn't caught up with her yet.

What am I thinking? I must be out of my mind! I almost forgot that he's not feeling well today...

Just when she wanted to turn back to find him, she felt a pair of arms snake around her waist, causing her to inhale sharply. The person behind her chortled out loud with his body pressed tight against her back.

"Albert!" she yelped after recognizing his voice, pretending to struggle from his grasp though secretly she liked to be held like that.

"I got you!" he exclaimed with excitement, sounding as if he just won a prize.

Then they heard a honk. In shock, they looked at where the noise came from; they both gasped and quickly drew away from each other as if being caught in the act.

"Good morning!" A smirk and a devious smile came across Archie's beautiful face after he let out a low whistle. "Is there something I should know?" asked Archie. Albert and Candy were both mortified as they didn't expect to see him here today.

He then parked and nimbly got off his car. By then, both Candy and Albert had regained their composure and were approaching him. Leaning against his car while waiting for them, Archie displayed his ever charming smile. As usual, he was quite a sight to behold, dressed in the stylish, fashionable clothes with his well-groomed long hair hanging just above his shoulders. Even his shoes were well polished. Compared to Candy and Albert, Archie looked so fresh and sleek.

Candy sincerely said, "Archie! It's so great to see you!"

"Candy, how are you?" he said as he bent to kiss her hand like a gentleman.

Albert then asked with genuine interest, "So what brings you here today, Archie?"

He explained, "I came this early in order to catch Candy before she goes to work, but I'm surprised to see you here with her, Albert! I thought you had moved out."

Albert returned a resigned smile at Archie, shrugging. "It's a long story why I'm here actually."

Archie believed his words right away. They looked drained and exhausted like they had just come back from a long journey. Apparently Albert hadn't shaved this morning and Candy's eyes were slightly swollen, so he guessed she must have cried earlier. With a dubious look on his face, he cautiously asked, "Long story? What's happened?"

Candy quickly answered, "Archie, I'm having a day off today, so let's go up to my place and talk inside." She assumed Albert would stay longer than he had originally planned due to Archie's surprise visit.

As they were walking up the stairs, Archie further noticed that Candy's hair was unusually let down and definitely demanded a fix, and Albert's blond hair was disheveled to say the least. Their clothes looked tattered and dirty, with grass stains all over their boots.

When Candy inserted her key into the door lock, she stole a glance at Albert, and it happened that he was watching her as well. She blushed and her face broke into a sweet smile. They didn't know that Archie had been quietly observing them.

As the door was swung open, Pouppe went in and helped herself right away. Candy ushered them in, beckoning them to sit down on the sofa.

Being the hostess, Candy suggested, "Let me fix some drinks for all of us first."

Snuffling, Albert explained, "Archie, I have a bad cold, so I'd better keep a safe distance from you both." Then he pulled a chair from the dining table and brought it near the sofa for himself.

When Albert and Archie were chit-chatting waiting for Candy, she saw the food Albert had prepared for their dinner last night. She felt terrible that they were now wasted. Soon, she spotted his note on the kitchen counter, the one he had left for her yesterday before he had gone out searching for her. His note moved her to tears because it was clear how much he had worried about her. She held it near her heart with her eyes closed.

Oh this seemed like ages ago already... while it was only yesterday... when I still wasn't sure about his true feelings for me...when I was out there all alone… so lost and so scared…

The whistling sound from the kettle snapped her back to reality. When the drinks were ready, she came back to give Albert his mug first, saying, "This is for you, hot water with honey and two slices of lemon."

"Thank you, Candy," said Albert, looking into her eyes with appreciation.

She answered cheerfully with a wink, "You're very welcome. I'm still your nurse you know."

She and Archie just had tea. After she sat herself down on the sofa next to Archie, she asked casually, "So Archie, why do you want to see me today?"

His striking brown eyes brightened up in an instant. "Oh I have good news for you both actually!"

Candy jestingly questioned, "Is it something to do with you and Annie?"

Archie gave her a fake glare but went ahead to tell them that the men that Great Aunt Elroy sent to find Stear in Europe had successfully tracked him down, and they were in the process of persuading him to come home.

"That's good news indeed," exclaimed Albert, but soon he added with a straight face, "But do you think Stear is willing to come back?"

Archie exhaled deeply through his mouth, shrugging his shoulders. "Oh well... let's just pray that he will. Patty was overjoyed to know that he's alive and well, and she can't wait for him to come home."

"That's totally understandable... poor Patty..." Candy murmured in an almost inaudible voice.

While they were sipping their hot drinks, Archie raised a valid question, "So Candy, are you going to tell me the long story now?"

She gathered in a breath and threw Albert a quick glance before telling Archie what actually had happened yesterday, how Neil had tricked her into one of his family's villas and how Albert found her near a forest after she had escaped from Neil, only to spend a night together near a lake and could only come back to the city this morning.

Archie could hardly contain his anger after listening to her story. Yet he mildly rebuked her first, "You're simply too trusting, Candy! I know that Neil has interest in you, but I have never expected that bas..." He stopped abruptly, wanting to call his cousin a bastard. Yet he had to swallow the word to keep his manners.

Albert glanced at Candy first and then turned to face Archie, saying, "I have already talked to Candy, and I firmly believe that she will not repeat the same mistake again."

With a solemn look, she made a promise to them both, "That's right. I will not trust any stranger so easily next time."

Just then, Albert got his handkerchief to his mouth just in time before his sneezing fit. He hastily excused himself, dashing towards the bathroom right away. Meanwhile, Candy informed Archie that Albert was sick because of spending a night outdoor in the cold, but she was lucky to have a big coat with her. As a result, Dr. Martin suggested him take some rest for the next couple of days to recover from his bad cold.

As Albert came out of the bathroom, he overheard Candy telling Archie that Dr. Martin was kind enough to let her take a day off to rest as well, but she didn't mention anything about taking care of Albert for today at her place. When Albert sat himself down on the chair, he quickly finished his drink, heeding Dr. Martin's advice. Candy darted a shy glance at him, but this didn't escape Archie's eyes.

"I see... so Albert was taking you home just now?" asked Archie with an amused tilt of his lips. Under Archie's inquiring gaze they both blushed, recalling their encounter earlier. Despite the fact that his smiling brown eyes appeared innocent, Archie remembered exactly what he had witnessed. He had long sensed mutual affection between Candy and Albert, and the way they acted around each other today had confirmed his suspicions.

While Candy lowered her head in a bashful manner, Albert pushed back his chair to stand up. Then he came over to sit down next to her, resting his arm over her shoulder protectively. He told Archie, "Yes, Archie, I want to make sure she is safe before I go home myself."

Candy, now sitting between Albert and Archie, was slightly surprised by Albert's reaction to Archie's question, but she was more than glad that he was willing to show his affection for her in front of her cousin.

Archie raised his eyebrows with a curious smile. Being long time friends with Candy, he resolved not to beat around the bush, so he asked, "Seriously, when did you two start?"

This direct question sent another flood of warmth up her neck and into her face. Candy answered with a shy voice, "Believe it or not, we just started..."

Then Archie saw them exchange loving glances, but he didn't feel even a hint of jealousy. On one hand, he must admit that his relationship with Annie had advanced a lot lately. On the other hand, it felt so right that Albert and Candy belonged to each other because they shared a seemingly invincible bond. Archie then reached out to shake hands with them to extend his heartfelt congratulations.

But Candy suddenly looked Archie in the eye, pleading, with urgency in her tone, "But please do not tell Annie and Patty yet!"

Troubled by her request, Archie expressed his doubt, "May I know why?"

Albert was a little baffled too, but he decided to wait for Candy to explain herself.

"Well..." began Candy. Noting Albert's silence, she held his free hand before she continued her clarification. "it's mainly because we don't know if Stear will come home safe or not." She paused briefly before she added, "I'm not sure if Patty can handle this now, and if Annie knows, she might let it slip out."

Albert nodded understandingly. He gave Candy a quick glance and smiled. "I agree with you, Candy. We'd better wait."

"You're always so considerate of others, Candy," replied Archie admiringly.

She simply smiled as her response. Then Albert stated, "Archie, so we trust that you will keep this secret for us in the meantime."

"Certainly! I will keep my mouth shut for now," promised Archie readily.

Candy cast Archie an appreciative look before going on, "When the time is right, I will personally tell Annie and Patty the good news."

Then Albert gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. Prompted by their loving gestures to each other, Archie could no longer withstand his urge to ask the question in his mind, "So, Candy, why did you want to see Terry?"

Candy grasped Albert's hand tighter before she answered with a casual tone, "Well... I used to love him, but not anymore." She then gave Albert a reassuring smile before she went on. "Yet I must say I'm still worried about his well-being and I thought I could talk some sense into him."

"But you saw Neil instead..." uttered Archie, unable to keep the irritation out of his voice.

Archie then kept his silence, trying to absorb the whole picture. Soon he realized that Candy had omitted some important details. Wondering why Neil tricked Candy into a remote villa, he nervously asked, "So what was Neil's intention, Candy?"

Albert wanted to know too, so he went still for a second. Bracing himself to prepare for the worst, his hand held Candy's shoulder even more firmly.

She pursed her lips tensely, brow furrowing. The incident itself was awful enough, but retelling it in details was much worse. Now she truly appreciated that Albert had not asked her about it beforehand, but she believed they have the right to know, especially Albert. Failing to muster up her strength to describe the humiliating incident in words, she buried her face in her hands and began to sob.

Albert's heart sank as he wasn't sure he wanted to hear the details now. With his hand squeezing her shoulder affectionately and his other hand clasping hers, he said soothingly, "It's all right, Candy. You don't need to tell us if you don't want to."

She turned her face into his shoulder, getting emotional support from him. Archie then added sincerely, "I agree with Albert, Candy. Just forget about my question."

After a while, she straightened up and cleared her throat. "It's all right... It's probably better for me to get it out of my system." Then she began telling them the details about how Neil locked her in a room giving her his so-called marriage proposal and how she escaped from his indecent advance.

As soon as she finished, Archie stood up with clenched fists, his beautiful face flushed with annoyance. He snorted, "That Neil... I can't believe we are cousins..."

Then he headed for the door with hurried steps, which shocked both Candy and Albert. They had never seen him lose his cool like this. "Archie!" she exclaimed and rushed to his side.

She pleaded, "Don't tell me you're going to confront him..."

"Why? Are you defending him?" demanded Archie, exasperated.

She urged him to pretend that he didn't know anything at all. Noting his stunned silence, Albert came to him and explained, "I believe Candy didn't want your Great Aunt to know anything about this. After all, your Great Aunt has got a lot on her plate already."

Archie raked his hand through his long hair in frustration, trying to digest the whole thing in his mind. Exhaling deeply to will himself to simmer down, he said grimly, "You're right, Albert. She would likely twist the incident around by blaming it on Candy using her feminine wiles to trick Neil..."

Archie paused and smiled bitterly. Then, with a shrug of resignation, he said to Candy, "Well, I guess I have no choice."

Seeing that Archie had complied with her request, albeit reluctantly, Candy's face broke into a small grin. At this moment, Albert started coughing again.

"Albert and Candy, I see that you both need some rest today, so I might as well leave now," said Archie, smirking at them. "Annie and Patty are actually waiting for me, and they didn't expect I would stay this long."

Albert also added, "Yes Candy, I think it's time for me to go too."

Archie quickly shot Candy a glance, struggling not to show his surprise at Albert's remark. As expected, she looked a bit upset about it. He then raised his doubt on her behalf, "Are you sure, Albert?"

Albert nodded at his direction, saying, "I should go to the restaurant now before the kitchen staff wonder why I haven't shown up yet."

Archie kindly offered, "Sure. I can give you a ride then."

"No thanks, Archie," Albert thoughtfully turned him down. "Annie and Patty are waiting for you and I don't want to cause you any trouble."

"Come on, Albert! Aren't we friends?" Archie winked at Candy, who was standing just beside Albert.

"Archie, I'm glad that you are taking Albert home," said Candy appreciatively. "Could you please give us a few minutes? I want to talk to him before he goes with you."

With an understanding smile twitching his lips, Archie said meaningfully, "Of course, Candy. You two need some privacy." Then he lifted her hand to his lips for a light kiss.

"Albert, I will wait for you in my car. You can take as long as you want and come down when you're ready."

"It won't be long, Archie," assured Albert, slightly mortified by his bantering remark.

"Archie, please pass my regards to Annie and Patty," said Candy, waving goodbye at her cousin.

"I will. Have a good day, Candy!" With that, he turned to go. The apartment was suddenly very quiet after they heard the front door click shut.

Then Candy hugged Albert again, leaning her petite body against her boyfriend's tall frame. She asked sullenly, "Why do you have to leave?"

She sincerely wished he would stay. She had so many things that she wanted to talk to him. Yet he just held her in his arms, taking in her warmth without saying anything.

She looked up at him, mildly complaining. "How far away is your place anyway? I don't even know where you live, Albert."

He replied in his kind voice, "It's not close by, but it's not far either. I guess it might take me about half an hour to walk home from here."

"If you say half an hour, then it's likely much longer than that," she argued, hugging him even tighter. "Do you want me to go with you and take care of you there?" she earnestly offered.

The tinge of plea in her voice touched him profoundly, but since he knew her feelings now, it would be much more difficult for him to control his emotions and desires. Thus, he steeled himself and gently moved her away from him. "Candy, I promise to meet with you when I feel better, and you're welcome to come to my place one day too."

By now she knew he was firm with his decision, so she let him go. "Albert, before I forget, I want to return this to you." She then retrieved the thick envelope in her pocket and passed it back to him.

"Why don't you keep the money, Candy?" he asked, a bit concerned.

"Albert, you know I don't want your money," she commented and snuggled into his sheltering arms again. As he embraced her, she continued in her sweet voice, "Please keep it yourself."

He remained silent for a while presumably lost in thought, but soon he conceded, "All right Candy, I will keep it for now."

"Thank you for listening to me, Albert," she replied with relief. Then she asked, "May I ask you something?"

"Yes?" came his simple answer.

"Why didn't you ask what Neil did to me?" she asked directly, her voice a bit muffled as she buried her face into the warmth of his chest.

He began to gently stroke her upper back, seemingly at a loss for words. Finally he made up his mind and told her, "You were so agitated last night that I thought something dreadful must have happened, something that you probably wanted to forget or something too painful to recall. In either way, I'd rather wait for you to tell me when you are ready."

She nodded while resting her palms on his chest to feel his heartbeat. "And why didn't you ask me why I wanted to see Terry last night?" she asked, glancing up at him.

Soothing his hand lovingly over her hair, he told her his experience last night, from the moment of despair when he first heard Terry's name to the moment of bliss after overhearing her sleep talk.

"Did I really say that?" she exclaimed with surprise and straightened up herself immediately, aware that her cheeks were very warm.

Clearly amused, he chuckled to himself, asking, "Why would I lie to you?"

"I don't know," she teased, winking at him at the same time. As she stared into those blue pools of light, she felt like she could drown in them. Then her face turned serious suddenly and she grabbed both his hands, saying, "Albert, I will miss you very much."

With a thoughtful smile on his face, he leaned in, whispering to her ear, "It's just a few days... but I'm sure I'll miss you terribly too."

As he stood up to his height, he watched something dawn on her face. "Wait a minute! I have something for you!" Then she let go of his hands and ran into her bedroom.

A couple of minutes later, she came back and presented her own portrait to him. "I don't think you have seen this, have you?" she asked modestly.

He discreetly took it from her and studied the portrait for a few seconds. "It's a beautiful drawing, Candy!"

"It's my birthday gift from Anna," she shyly responded.

"Is it?" he asked smilingly. With his vibrant blue eyes fixed on hers, he gently stroked her cheek and genially said, "But just as Anna said in her letter, she couldn't fully capture your beautiful eyes."

She swiftly lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering. He then lifted her chin to gently make her meet his gaze, saying, "I know I wasn't fair."

While she was truly puzzled by his statement, he leaned down to softly kiss her other eyelid. Then he added, "Now, that's fair."

A sweet smile quickly spread across her face and she felt colour taint her cheeks. She chastely suggested, "You can keep my portrait with you so that you won't forget about me."

Unable to believe his ears, he exclaimed with mock dismay, "Candy, how could you say that? How can I forget you?"

She giggled girlishly and gestured him to lower his head. As she put her hand on his forehead, she remarked with a professional tone in her voice, "Albert, just as Dr. Martin said, your fever is not as bad as I first thought."

Once her hand was removed from his forehead, she clasped her hands around his neck and surprised him with a long kiss on his cheek. When she released him, he could see that her eyes were filled with adoration. At this moment, he couldn't have been more content, so he responded with a wide grin, "You know? I can get used to this, Candy."

Looking at him with a satisfied smile gracing her lips, she said, "Albert, I'd better let you go before Archie comes back up to look for you."

Then Albert retrieved something out of his pocket, saying, "Candy, I almost forgot to return these to you." He stretched out his hand and on top of his palm were her ribbons.

She closed his fingers around them and suggested, "Albert, I want you to keep them to commemorate what happened between us today."

Gazing at her with loving eyes, he remarked in his tender voice, "Candy, you never stop to fascinate me!"

She responded with a bashful grin, "You're flattering me, Albert."

After he put her ribbons back into his pocket, he took her hand near his lips, kissing on her fingers lightly. Then he turned her palm up and gently spread open her fingers into a fan. Leaning forward, he placed a lingering kiss right in the middle of her palm. His kiss seemed to rush from her hand up her arm and into her heart. Candy gasped at the sensations as she had never been kissed like this.

Right after that, they cuddled each other one more time, as if parting was unbearable. Unlike their numerous embrace beforehand, this time it was different to both of them because they were no longer keeping secrets from each other. She just loved the fact that he always made her feel at home when she was around him. Yes, to Candy, home was where Albert was.

A short while later, he reluctantly stepped back from her and started to look for Pouppe. Once he put his pet on his shoulder, he made sure he had brought Candy's portrait and the money with him. Then he lightly brushed the tip of her nose and remarked, "Take care, my sweet Candy. See you in a few days."

Overjoyed to hear him call her 'my sweet Candy', she hastily followed him out, saying, "Let me go down with you."

When Candy saw Albert get into Archie's car, her heart ached, longing and yearning for his presence already. It seemed that so many things had happened since they met near the drug store yesterday, and she and Albert had got a lot closer to each other as a result. Deep in her heart she knew that he was the best thing that ever happened to her; now that they were in love, she was eagerly looking forward to her future with him.

=o=o=o=

Footnote:

[1] This is an idea from one of my readers, slamdunk. She wanted Albert to scold Candy about trusting a stranger, but I took the liberty to soften it down.

[2] I think it's about time to name the restaurant where Albert worked.

Author's note:

Believe me, when I was writing this chapter, I actually suffered from a cold myself, but without fever. I knew exactly how annoying it was to sneeze and cough with runny nose and all that.

=o=o=o=

Revised: May 1, 2012