The summer ended.
The leaves fell from the trees.
The days grew colder.
Audrey had settled into the routine of work, which she loved.
She always had an amusing anecdote from one of the children to share with the boys, whom she still saw on the nights Egon didn't stay at her apartment.
By now she was spending so much time at the Firehouse, Egon had converted a storage room on the top floor into a makeshift bedroom, complete with a double bed and crates for bedside tables.
They would spend their nights together at the Firehouse surrounded by boxes of glass vials and electrical parts, their bed an island amongst the cluttered storage space.
It wasn't ideal, but it meant a lot to Audrey that Egon would sacrifice precious workspace so they could spend nights in one another's arms.
Plus it meant Egon didn't have to worry about Audrey getting home late at night.
On a cool afternoon on the roof of the Firehouse, Audrey poured soil in a large pot while Egon attended to his fungi collection.
She took the iris rhizomes she had bought and planted them in the soil, patting the soil down around them.
They wouldn't bloom until late spring or early summer of next year.
She knew she wouldn't see them bloom – her teaching contract would have ended and she'd be back in Australia by then.
She was planting them as a leaving gift for Egon, a reminder of her love for him.
Egon had sensed Audrey's reason for planting the irises and it made his heart ache.
He couldn't bare the thought of Audrey leaving.
Not now.
He loved her too much.
Despite his feelings, Egon couldn't seem to raise the issue with Audrey.
He wasn't sure whether they could continue to see each other, or whether the end of her contract would mean the end of their love.
The thought of hearing the answer made him swallow the question each time it was on his lips.
Without saying a word, Audrey stood up and brushed the soil from her hands.
Egon moved to her.
He suddenly needed to hold her close, to reassure himself that she was still here with him now.
Audrey rested her head against his chest, listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat, feeling his warmth while the cold wind blew against them both.
She knew exactly what this was embrace meant.
She felt a sadness stirring inside her, but she couldn't find the words to talk to Egon about it.
For now their fears, the eventual end, was not worth thinking about.