Four months and two weeks ago, Elena Olmsted never would have thought that she would become involved with a dangerous criminal. The first time she saw Anton Chigurh, she did not take him for a murderer. All she saw as an injured man in need of some help. The first time they met, she had offered to bring him to her home in Minnesota and take care of him, thinking him as being helpless. This wounded Anton more than when his arm broke during the car accident. Over time, the hitman had learned to let go of his wounded pride and accept things the way they had occurred. He never expected to fall in love with anyone, thinking of it as a trivial matter. Elena helped him to change his mind about that. Eventually, the woman he loved discovered his true nature and wanted nothing more to do with him. He gave her a choice to determine both their fates with the flip of a coin and forced her to call it. She chose tails and won. Because of the choice, Anton was forced to walk out of her life. Three days later, Elena was involved in a hit-and-run.

At the moment, Elena was driving down the road in her car, listening to the radio and mouthing the words to Baby Love by The Supremes. Tapping her right hand on the wheel, she had just gotten off work and had her cast taken off. She came to a stoplight and turned the radio down. Leaning back in her seat, Elena turned her head right and then left. Her smile faded when she looked on the corner and saw a white vehicle parked on the side of the road. The car was a 1956 Ford Mainline.

Elena heard a car honking behind her and looked at the stoplight and saw it was green. She looked at the vehicle on the corner again. The car had changed from white to black. Brushing off the figment of her fear-filled imagination, Elena returned her focus back to the road and continued driving. She did not like to admit it, but she still had nightmares about her second encounter with death. The hit-and-run that almost killed her two months ago was caused by the escaped convict, Andrew Pittman, a delusional man who stabbed her months prior to her meeting Anton. Though it still worried her that she did not know the whereabouts of Andrew, she knew the police were still searching for him.

Reverting back to reality, Elena glanced over at the radio for the time. It was almost three o'clock.

The station wagon drove up to the school and parked next to the sidewalk. Elena opened the door and got out. She walked around the car and stood there waiting. The bell rang and the children were released.

Two boys were talking to Sophia when she came out of the building. The girl looked over at her mother and smiled. Elena waved to her. Sophia said goodbye to the two boys and ran over to Elena, who knelt down and embraced her daughter into a tight hug. Sophia threw her arms around her mother's neck and hugged her back in return. Elena released the child and stood up and opened the door. Sophia got into the back seat. Elena shut the door and walked around the car and got in and turned the engine on and headed down the road.

"Did everything go okay at school today?" Elena asked.

"Yep", Sophia answered.

"Your teachers give you any homework for the weekend?"

"Just a history report we have to turn in on Monday."

"Okay, when we get home, I want you to get started on it. No lazying."

"Fine."

When they got home, it was 3:18. The station wagon drove down the trail and parked in front of the little white house. Elena and Sophia got out of the car and walked up to the front porch. Elena took the key from her pocket and opened the door and entered the house with her daughter.

Anton Chigurh was sitting on the couch, reading a newspaper. He turned his head to the left and saw both mother and daughter come in. Sophia looked at him as she walked across the living room.

"Hi, Anton."

"Hello."

Sophia looked away from him and went down the hall to her bedroom.

Elena shut the door behind her and walked over to the couch and sat down next to Anton, who lowered the newspaper he was reading and looked at her.

"How did your day go?" Anton asked her.

"Good", Elena answered. "Do you mind if I borrow this?"

Elena took the paper from him and read the front page news to herself. Fink dead at age 73. Broadway playright Barton Fink died in his sleep last night at 3:33 a.m., as confirmed by his wife, Isabelle. Fink was born in New York City in 1907. He is best remembered for writing the play, Bare Ruined Choirs. Fink moved to Hollywood in 1941 and began writing scripts for Capital Pictures. He remained in Los Angles for the rest of his life.

"That's unfortunate", said Elena. She folded the newspaper and set it on the coffee table. She looked to her left and asked him, "Did you miss me?"

"Why would I miss you?" Anton asked her.

"Because you love me."

"I never said that."

"Yes, you did. If you never said it, you wouldn't be here right now, would you?"

Anton gave her a rare smile and said, "You're finally learning."

Elena giggled and leaned in and kissed him. She looked into his eyes and said, "I didn't know I was suppose to be learning anything."

"Your lose", said Anton, grabbing Elena by her shoulders. He kissed her fiercely, receiving a moan from her pale throat. Elena placed her hands on both sides of his face and returned the kiss with equal passion. The phone rang. Anton broke away from the kiss first. Elena gasped for air and looked at him in a daze. He remained his stoic self, acting as if though nothing just happened. The phone continued to ring. Elena stood up and went to answer the phone. She put the receiver to her ear and answered.

"Hello?...What?...No, there's no Roderick Jaynes here. You've got the wrong number." Elena hung up the phone and rolled her eyes in annoyance. She looked at Anton.

For a long minute, Anton said nothing. Not wanting to repeat another incident of awkwardness between them, Elena cleared her throat and walked away into the kitchen.

Another week went by. On a late October evening, as they were sitting around the table eating dinner, Sophia looked at Anton and asked him, "Have you decided on what you wanna dress up as tomorrow?"

Anton looked at the child and asked her, "I beg your pardon?"

"For Halloween. You gotta wear a costume", said Sophia.

Anton looked away and told her, "No."

"Why not?"

"Sophia, I think Anton and I are just gonna stay home on Halloween", said Elena.

"You're not gonna dress up either?" Sophia asked, sounding disappointed.

"No."

"Are you gonna visit Cousin Norm and Cousin Margie?"

"Maybe. I don't know yet."

Anton looked at Sophia again and asked her, "Have you decided on what you want to be yet?"

"I wanted to be Snow White this year, but Mommy said she couldn't find the dress", Sophia answered.

Elena wiped her mouth with a napkin and, "That reminds me." She stood up and walked over and opened the cupboard and pulled down a shoe box from off the shelf. She turned around and walked back over to the table and placed the shoe box in front of Sophia. "Maybe this will cheer you up", she said.

Sophia looked at her and asked, "What is it?"

"It's a surprise", said Elena.

Sophia looked at the box and opened the lid and pulled out a long garment of blue and yellow fabric. She gasped in excitement. She looked at her mother and said, "I thought you told me you couldn't find it!"

"I know", said Elena. "That's why I made one for you. Do you like it?"

"I love it!" Sophia exclaimed. "Can I try it on, please?"

"It's your dress. You can do what you want with it", Elena answered.

Sophia pushed her chair back and jumped out of her seat and ran out of the kitchen and went to her bedroom to try on her costume.

Anton rose from his seat and started to gather up the dishes. Elena stood up and picked up her own dishes, as well as Sophia's. They both walked over and placed the dishes in the sink.

Elena turned to him and said, "By the way, I have something for you, too."

Anton looked at her and asked, "Like what?"

Elena lowered her head and reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a condom contained inside a plastic wrapper. She looked at him and smiled.

Anton took the condom from her and looked at it. "Where did you get this?"

"From the pharmacy."

Anton looked at her and said, "You know these are not one-hundred percent effective, don't you?"

"Yes, and I've already thought ahead of that." Elena reached into her other pocket and pulled out a device that looked like a compact.

"How long have you been taking those?"

"Two weeks. I've taken one every morning since I got them." Elena opened the case for him to see. "I've been thinking about what you said and...I feel like I'm ready to take the next step into our relationship."

Anton stared at her for a minute, not sure what to say. Finally, he asked her, "You're sure about this?"

Elena nodded her head and answered softly, "I'm sure."

"Ready or not, here I come!" Sophia announced.

Anton and Elena turned around and placed their hands behind their backs, hiding both the condom and the compact from the child, as she came back into the kitchen wearing her costume. "What do you think?" Sophia asked them.

Anton nodded and said, "You look nice."

Elena gave a look of disapproval and shook her head. "Mmm, I don't like it", she said.

Sophia frowned upon hearing this, looking confused. "What?"

Elena pointed to her head and asked, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Sophia thought about it a minute. "The hairbow!" She gasped.

"I'll pick one up for you after I get off work tomorrow", Elena reassured her.

Sophia breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Okay. Thanks, Mommy." She turned around and left again.

Anton looked back at Elena and asked her, "How do you propose we have sex while a child is still in the house?"

"Sophia got invited to a sleepover at a friend's house tomorrow night", Elena explained. "I offered to take her trick-or-treating, but she said she wanted to spend some time with her friends. I already told her she could go. So, if you're not doing anything special tomorrow, I suggest you meet me in the bedroom at 7:30."

Elena raised her eyebrows at him in a suggestive manner and turned around and walked over to the laundry room.

Anton stood there for a minute, thinking it over. He did not expect her to give in so quick. He did not think she would ever give in to him at all.