**Writer's comment:  It's time for Frank and Janet to have a little chat...**

Janet sat on her living room couch, flipping through a magazine in a desultory manner and checking her watch every couple of minutes.  9:05.  Where was he?  Okay, he'd only estimated he'd be there sometime between 8 and 9, but she couldn't rid herself of the fear that he wouldn't show up at all.  What if he was having too good a time with his friend to bother with her?  From the pause before he'd used the word "friend," she was certain there was nothing platonic about their relationship.  The idea made her burn with jealousy, although she recognized the absurdity of the reaction.  Lord only knows how many lovers he'd had since she'd last seen him.  And it certainly wasn't as if she'd ever had any claim on him to begin with.  On the contrary, she was well aware she'd been nothing more than just another body for him to play with.  So why was she so anxious to see him?

Her musings were interrupted by the peal of the doorbell.  Her stomach lurched as she got up to answer the door.  There, as promised, stood Frank. 

Damn him, thought Janet.  He's as cool as a cucumber.  The least he could do is look nervous!

As she stood in silence at the door, Frank looked at her curiously.  "I'm sorry I'm a bit late.  I hope I didn't inconvenience you.  May I come in?"

She recovered some semblance of composure.  "Oh, I'm sorry.  Of course, come on in."

He stepped in, looking around the cozy living room.  "This is lovely.  It looks exactly like the kind of home you'd have."

She smiled.  Whether he'd meant the compliment or not, she appreciated hearing it.  "Thank you.  Can I get you anything?  A glass of wine, maybe?"

"A glass of wine would be greatly appreciated." 

She went into her kitchen, and returned with two glasses of white wine.  Frank sat down on the couch, and she settled into an armchair next to him.  She looked at him expectantly.

He sighed.  "I don't quite know where to start."

She smiled and shrugged her shoulders.  "I've always thought the beginning was a good place to start."

"Fair enough."  So he did.  He told her of the early experience with anti-matter that saved his life later on.  He told her about the start of his mission on Earth, and the long process of building a new Earthling identity.  Finally, he told her about what he'd been through in the time since the attack – how he'd struggled with his past behavior, and tried to build a new life for himself.

When he finished, she sat in silence, momentarily overwhelmed by what she'd heard.  "My God,' she whispered.  She looked at him.  "Thank you.  I appreciate your telling me those things.  I had no idea how much you've been through.  So everyone back on Transexual thinks you're dead?  Even your mother?  There's no way to get word to her?"

He shook his head.  "No.  As far as I know, all the Transylvanians who'd been stationed on Earth have returned home.  And there's certainly no existing technology here that would enable me to get a message back there."

She tried to imagine what it would be like…to be light-years away from home, with no way to return, knowing that everyone you love believes you to be dead.  Her eyes filled with tears.  "I'm so sorry."

He saw her tears, and spoke briskly in an attempt to break the melancholy mood.  "If nothing else, I'm a survivor.  I've learned to live with what happened…to make some sort of peace with it.  Perhaps it all happened for a reason.  While I'm often dreadfully homesick, and miss my loved ones terribly, in other ways I'm happier now than I ever was."

She stared at him.  "How can you say that?  You were royalty.  You had everything you could possibly want."

He shook his head again.  "My position brought me a great many advantages, certainly, but they all came with a price.  For one thing, I could never go anywhere on my own…an entourage always had to accompany me.  I often felt like some sort of prisoner.  My every movement and action was subject to public scrutiny.  People held certain expectations of me from the time I was born.  Even if they weren't expectations I would have chosen for myself, I had to live up to them.  Perhaps most importantly, I never knew if anyone outside of my own family genuinely cared about me, or if they merely wanted the thrill and status of being around royalty.  At least here on Earth, I know people are judging me for the kind of person I am, not on what my social position happens to be."  He laughed wryly.  "Of course, it's probably a good thing I wasn't judged on my personality and behavior back on Transexual, as both left a great deal to be desired.  You witnessed that firsthand, that night in the castle."

Janet smiled softly and looked into his eyes.  "I think you've come a long way since then."

Frank looked away, a touch uncomfortably.  "Enough about me.  What happened to your relationship with Brad?  Did you two ever marry?"

She rolled her eyes.  "Oh, yes.  And it was a disaster."

"Why?"

She sat in silence for a moment, trying to put her thoughts into words.  "I don't think he ever came to terms with what happened that night in the castle.  The thought of you and me together really drove him crazy.  He tried to control every aspect of our lives, and I think it was because he'd had no control at all that night.  Before, he'd always been so gentle and considerate.  But once we got married, he made me quit my job.  I didn't want to, but he insisted.  He only wanted me to see our friends from school, so it would seem as if nothing had changed.  He even tried to force me to get pregnant, as if that would have made everything all right between us.  I wanted a husband, not a live-in dictator.  I finally had to give up, and acknowledge the relationship was never going to work." 

She sighed.  "You know, he was never the most exciting guy.  But after I'd been with you, he seemed even more boring.  Especially in bed.  He was so hopeless, and he refused to do anything about it.  It was unbelievably frustrating."

Frank grimaced.  "I made a real mess of your lives, didn't I?"

Janet considered his words.  "Well, yes, in a way I guess you could say that.  But I'm not sure it was a bad thing."

"What do you mean?"

"All I would have ever been was a wife and mother.  The more I learn about myself, the more I think I would have ended up feeling resentful and unfulfilled one day.  Now I have the chance to do what you've done…you know, to forget about what everyone else expects me to do, and figure out for myself what I want to do."  She blushed.  "And I never would have understood why people get so worked up over sex.  I probably would have assumed that Brad was good in bed, and it was my own fault that I didn't enjoy it.  Or I would have figured that people were exaggerating when they talked about how good it could be."

Frank wasn't sure he cared for the direction the conversation was taking, and decided it would be a good time to call it a night.

"It's been wonderful seeing you, but I really need to get going.  I have an 8:30 class in the morning."

Janet stared at him.  Quickly, before her courage failed her, she moved from her chair and sat down beside him on the couch.

"You don't have to go."  Before he could answer, she put her arms around him and kissed him passionately, extending her tongue to caress his. 

Frank, momentarily caught off guard, instinctively responded to her kiss with equal ardor.  He felt her body melting into his, and heard her moan softly.  The sensation was deliciously erotic.  Nonetheless, when she finally drew back to catch her breath, he gently disentangled himself from her embrace and stood up. 

He couldn't allow Janet to see his internal struggle.  Her newfound sexual assertiveness made her even more attractive to him, and it took all his willpower to turn down her enticingly delivered invitation.  Refusing sex with someone he wanted was completely foreign to him.  However, he knew full well if he were to make love to her again, it would be disastrous to her emotional health.  And, much to his amazement, he realized he would feel as if he were betraying Andrea.  Now that was something he'd never considered before.

With these thoughts in mind, he looked down at Janet, to all outward appearances completely unflustered.  "You're very sweet, and very lovely, but I'm afraid I really do have to go."

She too stood up, bewildered.  "But why?  You may have taken advantage of me before, but this time it's different.  I know what I want, and I want you." 

Frank stood back and shook his head.  "Well, for one thing, you're my student.  There are certain things a professor isn't supposed to do, and sleeping with a student is about ten of them."

"I'll drop the class, then."

Frank rolled his eyes.  "I would recommend you not do that.  I assure you, I'd be much more useful to you as a professor than as a lover."

Janet looked at him in frustration.  "What on earth are you talking about?  Don't you understand?  I love you!"

She stopped in horror.  She'd never intended to say that to him…it had just come out, before she could stop herself.  Oh, God, how mortifying.

Frank froze for a moment, then sat down heavily on the couch.  "Janet, that's absolutely absurd.  You can't possibly love me.  What you're feeling is lust, not love.  You Earthlings have a very bad habit of confusing the two, or of thinking they're the same thing.  They're not.  Both have their place, and it's wonderful when they come together, but it happens much less frequently than people think."

Janet sat down next to him.  "I know, I'm just not sexy enough for you.  That's it, isn't it?"

For the first time, Frank looked angry.  "You're not listening to me at all, are you?  Would you care to tell me what made you fall in love with me?  Was it the delightful way I butchered Eddie right in front of you?  Or perhaps my endearing trick of serving him to you for dinner later in the evening?   Or my not being content with simply robbing you of your virginity, but robbing your fiancé of his as well?  Yes, I can see how that kind of behavior could make one fall hopelessly in love." 

He stood up again.  "I know very well how powerful great sex can be…I've spent the greater part of my life using it as a weapon, both for my own physical pleasure and for the sheer joy of reveling in the control it gave me over others.  However, one must keep it in perspective.  Don't fool yourself into believing that great sex necessarily equals great love.  You have a real opportunity to create a wonderful future for yourself…don't waste it pining after me.  I'll never be able to give you the love you need.  I may be able to provide it physically, but not emotionally.  I can say with absolute certainty that would never be enough for you."

Janet's eyes filled with tears.  "You can't love me?  What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing's wrong with you.  I've had countless lovers, but I can count the number of times I've been in love on one hand, with fingers left over.  I can't explain why that's the case, but it is."

Frank knelt down beside her and took her hand.  "Look, I do care about you.  I admire the way you're taking charge of your life.  That's why I'm doing you the favor of not sleeping with you.  I disrupted your life once, which may or may not have been a good thing.  However, I have absolutely no intention of doing it again.  Just stay in my class.  Allow me to help you with what you're trying to accomplish."  He released her hand and stood back up, awaiting her reaction.

Janet sat quietly for a couple of minutes, considering his words.  She finally allowed herself to hear what he was trying to say.  In her heart, she realized he was right.

She looked up at him and smiled weakly.  "Okay, I will.  Thanks for trying to explain things to me.  I promise I won't forget what you said."

Frank smiled back at her, relieved.  "You're welcome.  And now I really do have to go."

Janet looked at him.  "Are you going to be with your…friend?"

He grinned.  "Well, yes, as a matter of fact, I am."

"What's your friend's name?"

He looked at her curiously.  "Andrea."

"Do you love her?"

He looked thoughtful.  "We just met last night.  It's too soon to tell.  But I'm quite taken with her."

Janet took his hand as she opened the door.  "I hope it works out for you.  After all you've been through, you deserve to be in love."

"Thanks.  You, too."  He smiled and left.