The continuous roll of the drums was deafening. Please make it stop, Louis begged as he looked up at the steep steps, knowing he had no other choice but to climb them. People were screaming, and to his utter amazement, he realized it was for his blood. But what had he done? Whatever it was, he was certainly sorry, but he wished someone would tell him so he could apologize.

They reached for his hands to bind them, and panic surged through him as, for one of the very few times in his life, he rebelled and put up a struggle.

"Sire." A gentle reprimand. He held his hands out to them.

He found that a priest was beside him, holding him, supporting him. He looked down to see he was dressed in eighteenth century French peasant's garb. Somewhere way back there, he knew she was waiting. He was supposed to have gone to see her. He'd promised, and he never broke his promises.

But they had told him not to see her.

The drums had stopped now, and all was quiet as he walked the short distance to the steep steps and began to climb them.

When he finally reached the top, he saw it, and his heart froze with terror. He tried to run but they were holding him, pushing him down, moving him into position. A switch was pulled, and a blade fell -

He gasped awake, his heart pounding, his brow drenched with sweat. Why on earth had the nightmare returned now, of all times? He looked over to see, not Marie's blonde curls, but Anne's dark tresses, spread fan-like across the pillow. He remembered her nightmare, the one she'd told him about. You both would have been decapitated.

He knew he could never, ever tell her about his own nightmare.

As he watched her sleep, her chest gently rising and falling, an overwhelming love swept over him, and with it came the intense desire to protect her, even with his own life if necessary.

The alarm rang, and she yawned, stretching her arms wide, and blinked awake. Her eyes met his, and they both smiled.

"I can't think of anything lovelier than waking up to find you in bed with me," she said. His response was to lean over and kiss her lips.

"I'd better get breakfast started," she mumbled, sitting up in bed. "Frozen strawberry waffles and yogurt OK? I don't have a waffle iron, and I'm too lazy to make them from scratch anyway, like my Mom always did."

"Whatever you have is fine with me." He wished he could fix breakfast for her instead of the other way around, but it was her home, her kitchen. The next time we do this will be at my place, he promised himself.

If there is a next time. He fervently hoped there would be.

Anne went to the kitchen, put the coffee on to percolate, and put the waffles into the toaster, while Louis stood awkwardly, wondering what to do with himself. A few minutes later, they were seated across from each other at the small table in Anne's combination kitchen/dining room. The margarine wouldn't melt on the waffles, so she nuked them for a few seconds, which rendered them soggy and rubbery.

"If I'd known you were staying over, I would have been better prepared," she apologized.

"Oh no, this is fine," Louis insisted.

As they both had to leave soon, there was little time for chit chat. Louis finished his breakfast, thanked Anne and gave her a hurried kiss goodbye, stopped briefly by his own place for fresh clothing, then hurried on to work.

There must have been a special spring in Anne's step as she went in to work that morning, for Anna noticed something different about her right away.

"Oh, something very special happened for you, didn't it?" Her eyes were dancing with mischief.

"You mean it shows?" asked Anne.

"It sure does!" Anna grinned. "It's Louis, isn't it? Did you spend the night with him last night?"

Anne blushed and giggled.

"Oh, you did!" Anna giggled along with her.

The morning flew by, the memories of Louis' warmth, his touch, his masculine scent, his hot breath on her skin, lingering on her mind, both calming and exciting her.

Just a tiny sliver of anxiety went up her spine. She'd completely bared herself to him, exposed all her vulnerabilities. What would he think of her now? Had the passion they'd shared drawn him closer to her or cooled the feelings she knew he'd previously felt?

The telephone was ringing when she got home. She dropped her purse and raced to answer it before fully shutting the door. "Louis?"

"You'll never believed what just happened!" Kitty whined.

"Oh, it's you, Kitty." Anne struggled to hide her disappointment from her cousin. "What is it?"

"Henry hit on me!" the young woman exclaimed. "Jane and I were in line at the theater yesterday afternoon when I felt someone pinch my butt. When I turned around to see who it was, I saw him grinning at me."

"That's disgusting!" Anne assumed that Kitty either didn't know about Tom and Jane or didn't care.

"I'll say! What a creep! How did you actually stay married to him so long?"

"Well, Kitty, at the time I thought I loved him."

"Yeah, I guess he can put on a good front for awhile, can't he? Hey, how's your love life going?"

"I'm still seeing Louis. We were almost killed Saturday. A piece of sheet rock from a truck in front of us fell off and crashed through the windshield. If Louis hadn't pushed us both down when he did, we would have been - " Unable to say the word, she bit her bottom lip as she blinked back tears.

"Oh my God - that's so scary!" Kitty squealed. "I'm sure glad you're all right!"

"Thanks. I was so shaken up the hospital kept me overnight, and I asked Louis to spend the night with me last night because I was scared of being alone."

"Oh!" Kitty giggled. "And how was it?"

Anne smiled. "We had a very nice time together."

"Tell me! I want all the details!"

"Maybe another time. I just now got in from work. All I want is a few minutes of relaxation and a cold drink."

Besides, perhaps Louis would call soon.