"I guess it's just you and me tonight, Star" Adrien said to the cat as she milked Buttons, "Maybe it's better no one remembered."

Beauty nickered softly from her stall as to comfort her. The tiny black kitten peeked out from behind the stack of hay to reveal a small white star on its head. Adrien sighed softly. It had been one of those days that she seemed to be the students' energy supply. She was ready for the day to be done. She was hoping that today would be different, but it was regular day. Adam had not been by in a few days, but he had been leaving for a few days at a time on business for the ranch. She knew that she was not the person who had the monopoly on his time, but the time alone made her think more and more about what had happened between then the last few months, and she had replayed their last conversation at the school house over and over.

He wants to try, she thought, he wants to give me a chance. It's such a huge risk. What if I do try and I lose him? But I melt inside every time I am near him. The effect he has on me….

She poured a bit of the milk into a bowl and set it towards the cat and backed away, trying to put the thought out of her mind, but memories of how his kiss felt surrounded her. The warmth of his arms around her was hard to forget too.

"Come on, Star, it's all right. I won't try to pet you." The cat cautiously came out from behind the stack of hay and began to drink the milk. Adrien grabbed a rag and began to rub down Beauty. "It's funny how much you think you won't miss them until you're apart."

"Apart from who?" a voice asked from the barn door. Adrien jumped in shock and then spun around to find who the voice belonged to.

"Adam," Adrien jumped, "how long have you been standing there?"

"Not long, now, whom are you separated from?"

"It's nothing. I'm just thinking about my brothers. It's just one of those days." She sighed again.

"No, it's that day." He smiled widely.

"What do you mean?"

"Here this might make things better." From behind him, he pulled out a shingle with Beauty's name carved out of it and a rose.

"Oh, Adam, it's beautiful." She exclaimed as she reached out to hug him.

"Then why don't I hang it now?" he said as he began looking for a hammer.

"That's fine with me," she answered. "Why are you here anyway?"

"I just thought that today would be a good day to come over."

"But what did you mean by 'that day'?"

"You know, it's just that day, and if we're asking questions, have you been in the house yet?" Adam was trying not to but grinned anyway.

"Not since I got home, why?" Adrien answered suspiciously

"Come on." Adam ordered with a gleam in his eye, pulling her out of Beauty's stall and through the barn door. Waiting inside for her on the kitchen table was a small cake and a package with a bow on it. There were two lit candles shedding light into the room, but they did not have the same effect they usually had because it was still an hour until sunset. The scene nearly took Adrien's breath away.

"Adam, this is beautiful. I can't believe you…"

"Happy Birthday, Adrianna," he interrupted, "Now why don't you change into one of your party gowns that I know you have up there somewhere?"

"Adam, I haven't sent for any of my gowns. A lot of those are in my grandparent's attic in Virginia."

"The belle of every ball in Boston doesn't have a single gown to wear? I never thought I'd see the day," Adam laughed.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you," Adrien glared, not appreciating the joke.

"Well, then there is something that's in your room that you might want to see."

"Why, what is it?" she answered.

"Why don't you go upstairs and see," he instructed.

"Adam, what in the world have you been up to?"

"You'll see, my dear. You'll see."

She smiled brightly and ran upstairs.

An hour later, Adrien came back down wearing a beautiful blue silk and taffeta dress. The sleeves were off the shoulder and there was lace with beads off the top of the bodice.

"I think I have a new favorite dress." Adam commented as her took her hand and escorted her to the dining room. He had been busy in that hour too. While Adrien was putting her hair into perfect spiral curls, Adam had changed into black pants, a white shirt with a string tie, and a grey jacket.

"You look handsome yourself." She replied blushing.

"It looks like I guessed correctly on size. I had that made especially for you." Adam said spinning her around.

"But how did you get this, this kind of gown takes at least a year to make."

Adam looked down for a moment.

"Adam, what is it?" she asked, reaching out and physically lifting his gaze back to her eyes.

"I have a small thing to confess."

"What?"

"That dress." He stopped.

"What about it?" Adrien coaxed.

"Well… I hope you don't get angry…but …that dress was supposed to be a wedding present."

"It was for me right."

"Yes, of course, I had it made for you before we left Boston. It was packed when I left, and when I got home I just couldn't bring myself to get rid of it."

"Adam, that's so…"

"Wait there's more."

"When you came back I wanted to give it to you anyway, … but I wanted it to be special… so I was waiting for the right time to give it to you … and I haven't had that chance before now, so I decided that it'd be your birthday present, and I just saved it for that." He tried to read her face before he received a reply. "I guess I was kind of selfish, wasn't I. I'm sorry, you probably think I'm just trying to get rid of it."

"Adam, what you did was very sweet, and thoughtful. Just keeping this around is so much a grand gesture in itself. I can't feel anything but lo…I mean… I feel like the luckiest girl on earth right now to have a man…to have a friend like you." Adam breathed a sigh of relief, as he pulled a chair out from the table for her, but instead of sitting down, Adrien hugged him as tightly as she could, then she gently kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you," she began, "I felt so forgotten today. My family didn't send a thing, and I was sure you'd forgotten, but you…you made everything so…so perfect." Her voice cracked. It was getting hard for her to hold back the tears. She let go of him and sat down. Adam escaped to the kitchen and returned with a wonderful meal that he had cooked himself.

The night went on pleasantly. Adrien laughed and talked, as she never had since she came. It was almost as if they had never been separated. Adam looked at her and saw a new fire in her eyes, and felt as if he fell in love with her all over again. Her smile seemed to have rekindled a fire in his heart. A fire that made him feel, once again, complete.

That night Adam lay in his bed at home, exhausted, but unable to sleep. The last words of the night played though his head over, and over, and over…

He could not help it he had to say it as he was leaving.

"I don't see how I could have ever left Boston without you."

"You left because you thought it was what I wanted. That's what is so wonderful about you. When you let yourself love, you love deeply, and you'll do anything she wants, as long as she's happy. You're a wonderful catch, Adam. Any woman would be a fool to let you go. You have a beautiful, wonderful heart. Don't ever forget that." And with that he kissed her on the cheek and they said goodnight.

My dear Adrianna, he thought to himself as he went to sleep, I may have physically left once to make you happy, but in my heart, I never left you. And I swear on my grave, I'll never leave you, in any way, ever again.