I couldn't wait. I physically couldn't. After finding it impossible to sleep, I fidgeted my way through the morning until the Greys and Kate arrived.

"Oh dear," Dr Grace said, placing the back of hand against my forehead. "You don't look well at all. Did you get any sleep?"

I shook my head and clung to my tea. It fuelled my fidgeting but also kept my eyes open.

"I'll be fine," I lied.

"No you won't," Kate replied softly. "You haven't looked this tired since our senior year finals week. You nearly passed out the day before your exam. I had to force you to take an eight hour nap and I have no problem doing that again."

"I can prescribe something, if it's dreams that are keeping you awake."

"Honestly…" I started, but Mia (thankfully) interrupted.

"Will you all stop fussing! It was a long night for all of us but the police have Brendan Kyle in custody. They'll make sure he stays there." She smiled at me, a genuine smile to show she had my back.

"Have you heard any more about that?" Carrick asked.

"Annette's alibi is solid but she's not providing one for Brendan. Nor is she continuing to provide GHE with legal counsel. She understood that it would not be good for my business to keep my attempted murderer as my lawyer; though it'll be harder for her to stay afloat without it. My business was the only client she had that kept her and Brendan in their lifestyle and she knows it."

"What a waste… throwing an entire practice away because he suspected his wife of playing away…" Carrick muttered.

"Let's just hope he's as poor a lawyer as he is a murderer. I heard from one of the officers that he's acting as his own legal counsel. Like he knows anything about criminal law…"

There was a split second where Christian shared a look with Taylor, and I knew Mia was wrong. But everyone else went silent after Mia spoke, for an unnecessarily long period of time.

"How's the book coming along?" Kate asked, finally.

"I'm sure you're sick to death of murder mysteries," Carrick chuckled. "Now that you've lived one."

I nodded but said nothing.

"Actually, Ana has been looking into writing a supernatural story. Ghosts and Greek Gods, and the like," Christian piped up.

"Really?" Dr Grace's eyebrows disappeared under her fringe and into her hairline. "Is there much money in that?"

"Not everyone is driven by a salary," Elliot replied.

"I am," Kate countered. "And you'd be surprised how popular fantasy is. It's given half the marketing budget, but fantasy books carry a hefty following if the style is right."

"Oh." Dr Grace's eyebrows returned to their normal position.

"Plus, everyone enjoys a little escapism," Christian replied, putting his arm around me. It felt cold, which for some reason reminded my body how exhausted I was. I yawned, scrunching up my entire face and feeling tears prick at my eyes.

"We'll go," Dr Grace said, standing to leave. She pulled out a prescription pad, scribbled something on it, ripped it off and handed it to me. "Trust me, you'll feel much better once you've slept."

I took it and smiled, as everyone else stood and collected their things.

"We'll come back tomorrow," Kate said as she hugged me. "Make sure you're okay."

"Thanks," I replied, struggling to hold back another yawn. And with that, they were gone.

"You should get some rest," Christian said, closing the front door and beginning to fade back into the sunlight. Since he'd mastered his control of his corporeal self, he was able to be seen in daylight better; but it also wore him out quicker.

"No way. I'll down a Red Bull and then we're going to the Kabuto gardens."

"No, we're not. You need to sleep. I'll send Taylor to get your prescription and we'll go later on tonight."

"But what if Persephone leaves?"

"Then she leaves. We'll find another way. Your health is not worth bargaining."

He had on his 'don't bother arguing' face. But so did I.

"You know the moment you leave me alone, I'll go anyway."

"Well then…" the resident smirk turned the corner of his mouth. "I guess I'll have to find a way of convincing you to stay."

Before I could get another word in, Christian flung me over his shoulder and carried me up the stairs. Because he wasn't solid, it was like being carried by a strong breeze that was cold and concrete underneath me. He carried me into the bathroom, where the taps were already running and steam was pouring out. There was a soft smell of lavender and vanilla, and as Christian helped me out of my clothes and into the bath I felt as if I was being wrapped in a deliquescent hug mixed with a super sweet sixteenth birthday cake.

"Christian, I don't…."

"Shh…"

He pressed his fingers into my back and rubbed along my shoulders. The massage was deep and rhythmic, melting away all tension. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the perpetual motion as his hands moved up and down my back. One of the amazing things about having a ghost for a boyfriend was the lack of awkward discomfort. I was lounging in the water, my head rested on the side as his hands worked through the porcelain. The lavender scent tickled my nose, but the heat and the steam became too much and I felt my body betray me as it slipped into the sleep I'd not managed to find the night before.

Dirty cheat… My mind cursed as it floated away with the steam.

Rude… came a secondary voice in my subconscious. A low voice, with an Italian twang. No, not Italian. Definitely European, but Eastern than that. I couldn't put my finger on it.

Hello?

Hello.

Who are you?

A dirty cheat apparently…

Who would you like me to be?

Is my subconscious… flirting with me?

A smooth, almost silky laugh flowed through my head.

I am Morpheus. God of Dreams.

My dreamlike state changed. Rather than seemingly rummaging in the darkness of my subconscious, I was standing in the centre of a glistening marble temple. Long, purple drapes hung from invisible beams in the ceilings, and the floor below was black with gold splatterings, as if the stars were caught in the very places Morpheus trod.

What am I doing here?

You're not here, I am with you.

Okay… what are you doing here?

You know my purpose here.

I racked my brain for something, anything I might have read about Morpheus. The smile on his face told me he knew I was trying, but like grasping at a cloud, my mind fell through to an emptiness.

All I know is that you're the God of Dreams, The Son of Sleep and Grandson of Night. If you've come to tell me I need to sleep more, I can tell you that you're at the back of a long list of people saying so.

That is not why I'm here, though it would be nice to see you more often.

He stepped towards me, and brushed his hands against my collar bone. The soft chill that fell across my skin was a stark reminder of how he'd found me. I was naked. Naked in a God's temple. If I'd learnt anything from my research, it was that Greek Gods were frisky and unabashed in taking what they wanted. I immediately clutched at my naked body, trying to hide it in any way I could.

No, no. That is not why I'm here… though if you should call on me again I would more than happily…

Then, not to be rude, but could I have some clothes?

This is your dream.

Oh.

As if my subconscious had finally caught up, clothes appeared on my body. Just jeans, and a t-shirt I bought during Fresher's week at college, but everything about it said and felt like home.

You must know, surely you must, and that your quest to find Persephone is a fool's errand?

No it's not, why would you say that? Hecate told me…

Hecate wants you in her thrall. The more you believe what she says, the more power she has. It's the belief in our mythology that keeps us alive. Without you, Hecate would be nothing.

Then why did she send me to Persephone? Why would she lie?

We do not lie. But Hecate knows that that which you seek from Persephone shall ne'er be granted. She cannot make Christian what he was.

Then… what's the truth? The whole truth, not the bent version from before.

Persephone knows of a plant that grows in the depths of the underworld. A plant which can grow the form of a man with any living soul inside it. But the plant is tricky to manage at the best of times, and it's not likely that Persephone could create a likeness for Christian to step back out into the real world.

But, I love him beyond his appearance. Changing his face won't change the way I feel about him.

No. But it will cut a tie from all those who knew him. He'd have to live a life as a stranger to all those who loved him. Except you. Being the sole entity of a man's love is a burden to bear, make no mistake.

But I would be his burden, as much as he is mine. Which sounds repellent when I think it out loud… but that's the direction we've been heading towards since we met.

How very Paris and Helen of you… Very well, if you will not be deterred…

I shall not.

Then my message from Persephone is this. She knows you seek her out and that you've found her on this earth. If you bring her the seeded apple, and the living soul of Christian Grey, then she will grow him a physical form.

And what does she want in return? She's a God after all. You're… (I resisted the urge to think selfish/cruel thoughts too loudly, in case I offended him or any other God who might be privy to our conversation). You're to be honoured, after all.

She wishes to walk for a day with you. Her soul keeps her tethered to the underworld. She can only appear on earth in particular places, where her affinity for spring is strongest.

Such as parks, and gardens.

Exactly. She wishes to be free to walk around a while, beyond the borders she's confined to.

Because of Hades and his trick?

He used no trick. Persephone knew that her soul would tie her to the underworld if she ate its fruit; and she did so, willingly, to be with Hades – the man she loved. You see, murderous and crippling love is something we Gods are all too familiar with. So will you do it?

Of course.

Good, then let's begin…

A swirling black vortex opened up in front of me. Purples and swirls and blue caught light electricity through the edges, and into the temple through this black hole stepped black smoke, with the features of an ethereal woman. She stepped towards me, my arms and legs unable to move, clasped me tightly and sank into my skin.