Tony woke up first, startled to find a woman lying in his bed with him. Then he remembered the night before, the dinner they had shared, and how she had fallen asleep in his arms. He glanced at his watch.

10:27 P.M.

They had slept through the whole day.

Tony got up slowly, making sure not to disturb Michelle. He quietly went over to his dresser and pulled out some sweatpants and a t-shirt. He peeled his jeans and shirt off, leaving him standing at the foot of his bed in his boxers. He pulled his sweatpants on and reached for his shirt.

"What are you doing?" Michelle asked softly. 'She must have just woken up.' He thought.

"Just changing." He replied.

"Mmmm…" she moaned. "Come back to bed." Tony forgot about his t-shirt and crawled back into bed with Michelle. She wrapped her arms around his bare torso, his back to her. She put her face into his shoulder, kissing his neck. He put his arms over hers. "I could stay like this forever." She whispered into his ear.

"So could I." Tony agreed. He flipped over to face her. "You never did change out of those clothes." He commented, running his hands down her curvy frame. Michelle shut her eyes, sensitive to his touch. She pulled Tony towards her, pressing his bare skin against her body. He finally rested his hand on her lower back, and with the other stroked her muzzled hair.

Michelle began crying again, a soft, silent sob. She tried to hide it from Tony, but he felt her hot tears on his shoulder. He pulled away and looked into her sad brown eyes.

"Michelle," Tony whispered, "Baby what is it?" Michelle tried to pull herself together, but just began crying harder. "It's okay, Chelle," he consoled, brushing the tears away from her face. "I'm here." She let out a small giggle, but it couldn't console her pain.

"Tony, I…" She sniffed. "I feel so safe with you… but," she put her hand tenderly on his face. "I'm still so scared!" She couldn't hold it back anymore, and she wept. Tony held her close, comforting her, telling her it was okay. She buried her face in his chest, trying to silence her sobs.

Tony felt so helpless, holding this woman, weeping in his arms, hearing her sobs of pain and anguish. He thought of her smile, her giggle. That was the Michelle he knew. He closed his eyes, whispering words of comfort. Michelle took a deep breath, trying to calm down. She finally looked back at Tony.

He had been crying too, silent tears flowing from his eyes. "Why are you crying?" Michelle inquired, wiping her own tears away.

"I don't want you to feel afraid around me, and when you hurt, I do too." He explained. "I wish I could take all of your pain away, and I can't." he continued.

Michelle stared into his eyes, her own filling with tears again, but happy ones. "I wish I could, but I can't." he repeated. Michelle stroked his face.

"Tony," she began. "I don't want you to try and take my pain away." He gazed at her lovingly. "You have been so wonderful to me. I can't thank you enough for that." She took his hand in hers. "But no matter what, you can't take this away." He shut his eyes. "And I don't need you to." She whispered.

He smiled, and slowly rested his head next to hers, lying on top of her. Michelle turned her head and softly spoke into his ear, "Tony, do something for me,"

"Anything," he replied.

"Show me what it feels like to be loved." Tony lifted his head, looking at her face, confusion in his eyes. It was like she knew what he had been thinking. "Please, Tony. I've never had anyone…" she paused, tears once again forming in her eyes. "No one has ever loved me before. I've stayed away from people for so long…" Her hand wandered to her abdomen. "Because I was afraid I'd get hurt again." She explained, her voice breaking. Tony took her hand. She sighed.

"You don't need to be afraid," he consoled. "I'll never hurt you." He promised. Michelle took a deep breath. Tony laid down on his back next to her. They intertwined hands and he asked, "What happened?" She glanced over at Tony, and then returned her focus to the moonlit ceiling.

"When I was a kid, we were happy. My mother was a teacher, my father owned a bookstore. My brother was two years older than me." She closed her eyes.

"When I was seven, my dad was away a lot- drinking. He'd come home late, and if we were…" she sobbed. "If we were still awake, he'd beat us, saying we should have been in bed. That was how he justified it." Tony looked over at Michelle with his big brown eyes, while she tried to compose herself. He stayed silent until she spoke again. "My mom kept trying to stop him, but he'd come after her. One afternoon after school when I was about nine, I came home and went upstairs to find my mother. I walked into her bedroom, and…"

Michelle breathed deeply. Tony rolled onto his side – looking down at Michelle. "She was dead!" she cried. "The police said it was suicide. But her killed her." Her voice became sterner. "I know he did." Tony hugged her tight, not knowing what to say. She clung to him for a minute, before continuing with her heartbreaking story.

"When I was fourteen, my brother moved out. He said he couldn't take it anymore. He left me there, he abandoned me. That's when it got worse. He started…" Michelle shuddered. "He started raping me."

"Oh, Michelle," Tony grieved, looking into her fearful dark eyes. "I'm so sorry."

"I called the police, but they said there wasn't enough evidence to indite him, so they left me with him. He also had a friend inside the system." She wiped away her tears.

"When I was sixteen, I couldn't handle it anymore. I packed up my things, and walked out the front door. He followed me." Tony caressed her face, trying to take this pain away, trying to absorb it from her to himself, but he couldn't. "He attacked me." Her hand broke away from Tony's grip, and wandered to her stomach. "He stabbed me thirteen times with a pocket knife and left me to die.

Tony laid there speechless for a moment. He had no idea the agony she had been through, and now that he did, he wasn't sure what to do. "Michelle, I promise you, for as long as I live, you will never, ever, feel that kind of pain again." He re-captured her hand, and she smiled.

"I've numbed myself to the pain. I'm okay. I just need to feel someone love me. I've been deprived of it all of my life." Michelle closed her eyes. "I've never… I've never told anyone about this." Tony brushed her cheek with his fingers.

"Hey," he whispered. "I have my secrets, too." Michelle nodded. Her eyes pleaded with him. "Okay." He mouthed silently. "Okay."

He pulled her body close and held her tighter than he ever had before. He kissed the top of her head, and gently lay on his back, taking her with him. Tony looked into her eyes, and kissed her passionately. She moaned as they kissed, which made Tony kiss her harder, her hands running along his naked back, his hands under the back of her shirt, rubbing her skin softly. Michelle quickly opened her mouth to Tony's invading tongue. She let it explore all of her mouth, tangling hers with his, increasing the passion of the moment. Tony laid her on her back, rolling on top of her, never breaking the kiss. He pushed his pelvis up against Michelle's, letting her know exactly what she was doing to him. She groaned louder. He pinned her arms over her head, signaling for her to let him take over. His hands slid down her side, her back arched to his touch. He continued kissing her, their bodies up next to one another's, Michelle moaning as she felt him pressed up against her, neither of them willing to stop.

Tony finally broke the kiss. "Ohh…" Michelle gasped, breathing heavily. Without thinking, Tony whispered, "Chelle, I love you."

"I love you too."