Ch 1

Relena raised a hand to measure the distance and compare the angle of the portrait as the workman placed it for the exhibit. "Happiness" by Leonid Afremov would be an excellent addition to their modern impressionism exhibit celebrating the recently deceased painter. She had always loved his art; the life and emotion captured by oil paint on the canvas always moved her and spoke to her in a way that left her feeling warm and happy. He even made a winter's day look warm and inviting. Being the museum's youngest curator, it was her job to oversee the installation, set up and removal of all displays both permanent and temporary and she had been utterly thrilled when her bosses had approved the use of this particular artist's paintings for the show.

"A little more to the left… a little more… perfect!" she called out, and the workman finished the placement. "Thank you very much gentlemen. Please feel free to take your break now and we can start on the next piece once you've rested." The men thanked her and made their way to the cafeteria. She took a moment to review the placement of all the pieces and then pulled out her tablet to go over her tasks.

The list of things to do seemed to grow by the day. The pre-Columbian art exhibit needed reorganized, the Medieval art display had two new contributions donated by a mysterious wealthy benefactor. Those were the pieces she simply could not wait to get to. Supposedly they were taken from a famous castle in Transylvania many years ago and thought lost to time. Now, she would be one of the first art historians to see the pieces and help ensure their preservation. The prospect of it made her near giddy and was almost enough to fend off her exhaustion.

Brushing her bangs off of her forehead, she sighed and closed her eyes, allowing herself to lean momentarily against the cold marble of one of the museum's pillars. It had been a long forty-eight hours of paperwork and phone calls. Complications in registrations and authorizations made for difficulty in acquiring the spaced and pieces necessary to fill so many areas. Since the museum was remodeled it had been her job to ensure that all of the displays and exhibits were back to the way they needed to be. She had to catalogue and count each and every piece with a detailed eye and a steady hand. It had been painstaking work but the results spoke for themselves.

"My, my, falling asleep on the job. Not very responsible, Miss curator."

Relena opened her eyes, startled by the voice of her old friend. Dorothy Catelonia made quite the statement in her purple designer pantsuit with matching heels and hoop earrings. The older blonde always looked overdressed for normal life as though she had stepped off the cover of a magazine. Technically she had. Dorothy was a model and a designer that Relena had met while both were students studying the arts at the local university. The two had started out as roommates; frienemies from day one. As time passed, however, the two formed a bond from shared experiences and late-night study sessions. Dorothy would set Relena up on dates and Relena would do all she could to get out of them. It was a strange and interesting dichotomy that hinged on the unhealthy but in the end, the two were stronger friends for it.

Relena noticed the two hot beverages her friend held and nodded her thanks as Dorothy held it out to her. The steam tickled her nose as she inhaled the heavenly aroma of fresh spearmint and chamomile. Taking a small sip, she offered the other blonde a look of sheer gratitude.

"So, another day, another dusty display to arrange?" Dorothy's voice held the joviality of mock-disdain. In truth, her love for the arts was just as strong as Relena's.

"The head of the museum wants three exhibits ready to go by tomorrow. I'm afraid we've only just finished the one right before you arrived." Dorothy 'tsked' at her and made her way over to admire the portraits.

"I like his command of color and form. It has an almost Monet sort of feel to it the way he uses paint splotches to form his vision." Relena nodded and took another sip. "And," The older girl continued, "speaking of feel, I have a friend of mine I would very much like you to meet. He's tall, handsome, and loves art almost as much as you." Relena groaned and turned to her friend, rolling her eyes emphatically.

"Not again, Dorothy," Relena chided as she moved to pick up her tablet and stylus. "I am far too busy to even consider seeing anyone.

"You mean you don't want to." Dorothy flicked a finger across her forked eyebrow, a habit she seemed to have that never ceased to give Relena the creeps.

"Of course I would want to, but I truly do not have time. I'm married to my work right now; you know that."

"Ah, yes, I have heard that excuse before, dearie." Dorothy sat on top of an empty crate and crossed her legs. Relena noticed how one of the men returning from break early admired the model's long legs and felt a pang of jealousy. "However, I wonder if it is the job, or a dream that keeps you from the dating scene." Relena felt a blush heat her cheeks.

"No! Of course not! Honestly, Dotty, you can be such a pain, bringing something like that up here."

"Oh? So you don't want it well known about your tall, dark and handsome dream man?"

"Keep your voice down!" Relena felt her cheeks continue to burn. "I never should have told you."

"Come, now, Relena. I quite enjoyed hearing your description of your enchanting encounters with your mystery man." It was true enough. She had been having dreams about this man her whole life.

As a child, she felt she had a guardian angel keeping her safe wherever she went. When her parents were killed in that horrible fire, she knew it was he that had saved her, though her brother swore no one else had been there. That was the first of many times that she continued asking herself if it was just a dream; if HE was just a dream. She even day-dreamed about him at school on occasion which earned her more than her fair share of reproachful looks from her teachers. Still, the dreams remained.

Some nights, she could swear she felt his arms wrap around her as he buried his face into her hair, but only for a short while. These more intimate visits had only occurred after she had returned from college. The life insurance policy from her parents' deaths provided her and her brother with more than enough to live off of and provided for her college education as well as her brother's. The apartment she lived in was paid for using a small portion of her inheritance. It seemed as though her family came from old money though she didn't know the details behind it. It allowed her to live comfortably, but she still had a job. She had found the apartment after returning from college located in a nice neighborhood downtown and fell in love with it.

Her four years at the university had been the only time he hadn't made his presence known, a fact she once confided in Dorothy after they had reached the point of friendship where such conversations could take place. Indeed, it was as though he had disappeared from her life entirely. Once the dreams resumed, however, it made coming home feel even more right. He would still keep his visits almost painfully brief; gone before too long leaving her to feel more alone than ever. Most women would be freaked out or even call for some sort of night-time security, but not her. She wasn't afraid of him. She knew that of all the things in the world to fear, her mysterious visitor would never be one of them.

Besides, what if it always was just a dream and he, a mere figment of her lonely imagination? She had never been a social child and often preferred to be by herself. It wasn't too far-fetched to think she might have imagined him from the start. She might have begun to believe that to be true had it not been for the sudden change. The more physical the dreams began to be the more she doubted it ever being just her imagination. Usually, the dark figure only stayed at the window and watched her sleep. Occasionally, she would feel him run his hands through her hair or gently caress her cheek. She remembered blushing each time under the heat of his gaze: deep blue pools of midnight and mystery boring into her very soul.

"Hello, Earth to Relena." Dorothy's voice snapped her back into the present. She smiled sheepishly at her friend. "Honestly, I bring him up and you go into dreamland!"

"I'm sorry. I guess it must be the lack of sleep." Relena shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Indeed." Dorothy nodded with a small, sarcastic smile which earned her a glare from Relena. "Well, I have to be off now. I wanted to stop by and offer you the chance at that date but as you prefer dreams to flesh and blood, I suppose it just leaves more for me." Dorothy smirked and winked at the men who were now all returning and staring at them.

"I'll talk to you later, Rel. I have a shoot in an hour! Say hello to your mystery man for me!" Dororthy waved as she walked away, leaving Relena blushing and speechless. Yes, the rest of the night was going to be long and tiresome but at least she had her tea. She took another sip, smiled, and went back to work.