It was quiet on the drive back home. The night had already fallen. There was snow on either side of the road. Thinking to herself, Elena looked at Anton for a brief second and then looked away again. "Was she your friend?" She asked him.

Anton knew she was referring to the red-headed woman he had spoken to this morning. Annaliese Erikson, a woman he had not seen since his childhood. He turned his head to the left and answered, "She was until you came along."

"But you didn't love her?"

"No. If I did, it would only be the same equivalent as loving a sister."

Elena said nothing and continued to focus on her driving. Her eyes were bright and dazzling, but they looked sad.

"Does that concern you?" Anton asked her.

"Not if you put it that way", Elena answered him.

"But you were worried about it before."

"Well, a little bit, yeah. I mean, I just thought maybe you and her had a thing in the past or something."

"That's foolish. The last time I saw Annaliese, I was five."

Elena turned her head right and looked at him for a minute and then returned her gaze back onto the road. Anton did the same thing. Not another word was spoken until they got back home.

The house was dark inside. Elena unlocked the door and opened it and walked in and went to turn on the lamp. Anton stepped inside and shut the door behind him and walked over to where she was standing. He stood behind her. His right hand took hold of her wrist. Her body tingled from his strong and firm, but gentle grip. For a moment, she held her breath.

"Do not think that I don't care about you", said Anton. "No woman has ever made it this far with me but you. I know I am not an easy man to live with, but the last thing I want is for you to be afraid of me."

"I'm not afraid of you, Anton", said Elena.

"You're the only woman I've ever loved in this world. I've been faithful to you this whole time. All I ask is that you remain faithful to me in return."

"I have been faithful to you, haven't I?"

"Yes, you have. You had doubts before, and so did I, but no matter how much you and I have hurt each other, we still can't deny the feeling we have for one another. I regret decisions I have made in the past, but had I not chosen them, I never would have met you. Regardless of choice, I want you to feel the same way I feel about you."

Anton released his grip on her wrist and moved his hand up her arm. Her skin was cold as ice. Elena remained motionless, letting him handle her. His hand rested upon her shoulder, dominating every nerve and senses in her body. He smelled the sea breeze on her neck and found himself aroused by it. Elena turned around and looked at him. His face was pale. His pupils were dilated.

In the soft light of the lamp, Elena stared at him for the longest minute and carefully placed her hand on the left side of his head, touching his hair. Slowly, his face inched closer to hers. Their vision concealed with darkness as their eyes closed. Their sense of sight was gone for a moment, and Elena found herself being kissed by Anton. His right hand traveled down the side of her neck and rested over her breast. He felt her heartbeat fluttering inside her chest. He bit her bottom lip, earning himself a pleasurable moan from her throat. In return, Elena threw her arms around his neck.

In the middle of the night, Anton and Elena were sleeping next to each other in bed. Their clothes were on the floor, but the blanket shielded their nakedness. Anton did not know what it was that woke him up, but just to be safe, he turned his head and sat up and looked at the foot of the bed. There was nobody there. No ghosts. No victims of the past coming back to haunt him. He got out of bed and walked over to the window, looking out for any sign of disturbance. He didn't care that he stood bare for the world to see. Nobody would notice, for there was nobody around. It was quiet.

In the morning, the snow started falling again. Anton stirred in his sleep and turned over onto his back. He opened his eyes and turned his head left to look at Elena, but she was gone. He sat up at once and threw the blanket off of him. He picked up his clothes from off the floor and got dressed and walked out of the bedroom. He was buttoning up his shirt by the time he got into the kitchen. Elena was standing over by the stove, cooking breakfast. She turned to look at him.

"You didn't wake me up", said Anton, tucking his shirt into his pants.

"I wanted you to sleep", said Elena. She turned her attention back to the stove and said, "You were kind of restless last night. I thought you were having a bad dream or something."

Anton ignored her and turned to the fridge and opened the door and took out a carton of milk. He shut the door and went to open the cupboard and took down a mug and poured himself a drink. He stood there for a minute and looked at Elena, thinking. He walked over and set his mug on the table, just as she turned around and came over carrying two plates filled with eggs, ham, and toast.

"I need to ask you something", said Anton.

Elena set the food on the table and looked at him. "Like what?"

Anton stuck his hand into his pocket and took out a receipt and asked her, "Do you know this address?"

Elena took the receipt from him and looked at the address written on the back of it. She looked at him with a frown and asked him, "What are you up to now, Anton Chigurh?"

The house was not hard to find. He drove slowly down the street, glancing to his right on occasion to make sure he hadn't missed it. He parked next to the curb and turned the engine off and got out and walked up to the house. He knocked on the door and waited for somebody to answer. He turned to his left and looked at the house across the street. An old woman was sitting in a chair by the window. He heard the door unlock and turned and was greeted by Mr. Erikson.

"Can I help you, sir?" Asked Mr. Erikson,.

"I'm here to speak with your wife", said Anton.

"Oh, yeah. Anna told me she'd be expecting you. Just a sec." Mr. Erikson turned his head and called over his shoulder, "Anna, that Chigurh fella's here to see ya!"

"All right, Joshua! Be out in a minute!"

Mr. Erikson looked at Anton and told him, "She'll be right with you in a jiff. She's just stepping out of the shower. I have some business I need to take care of in town, so I'll leave you two alone for about an hour." The husband stepped out of the house and zipped up his coat and walked past the friend of his wife and went to the car parked in the driveway.

Anton stepped into the house and shut the door behind him and walked into the living room and stood there for a minute. He tucked his hands into his pockets. He looked to his left and stared at the wall. The wallpaper was some kind of floral design. He glanced over at a wedding portrait sitting on top of a twenty-two inch television. He heard footsteps and turned around and saw Anneliese come in wearing nothing more than a sunshine yellow bathrobe. Her hair was damp. She wore no makeup, but it made no difference to him.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in", said Annaliese.

"Did I come at a bad time?" Anton asked her.

"No, not at all", said Anna. "Can I offer you some coffee?"

"No, thank you."

"Well, take a seat. Make yourself comfortable."

Anton removed his hands from his pockets and turned around and sat down in a chair and placed his hands on his knees.

Annaliese walked over and sat down on the couch. She picked up a box of cigarettes and pulled one out. She offered the box to her friend and asked him, "Do you smoke?"

"You know those things will kill you, don't you?" Anton asked her.

"We're all dying a little everyday, Anton. We just don't know it", said Annaliese. She put the box down and picked up a silver lighter and lit her smoke. She held the cigarette between two fingers and inhaled. She blew out a ring of smoke and looked at him again.

"I don't suppose you came over just to give me a lecture, did you?"

"No. I came over because I wanted to talk to you."

"Well, talk. I'm listening."

"You've been married to your husband for a long time", said Anton. "Was it worth it?"

"It was very much worth it", said Annaliese.

"How much do you know about Marge Gunderson?"

"Margie? She's a slice of apple pie, she is. Put her and her husband together, and you got pie à la mode." Annaliese chuckled at her own description of the couple.

Anna smiled and laughed with her, lowering his head for a moment and then looking at her again.

"You thinking about marrying Elena?" Annaliese asked him, taking another inhale.

"I never said that."

"You didn't have to. I already know you love her, but the problem with you, Anton, is that you're too chicken to admit the truth."

The smile faded from Anton's face. He stared at Annaliese with confusion and asked her, "What do you mean?"

"When I first met you, you were this shy, reclusive little boy that didn't want anything to do with anybody", Annaliese explained to him. "You lost all hope in humanity because you thought you were wronged. I thought the same thing you did when I lost my own parents. But then I met Joshua and everything seemed different to me. Love can change a person, you know. It may not work for some, but it did for you. I don't know how she did it, but in a way, Elena transformed you."

Anton tilted his head slightly to the right, looking away from the red-headed woman. She was not aware of his past. In a way, it scared him of what she might think. If Annaliese knew of what he had done, she would not be speaking to him.

Annaliese noticed the look on his face and thought she had ruined the conversation by bringing up a sensitive topic for him. "You do love her, don't you?"

Anton shook his head, not looking at her. "I don't know. I think I love her, but then again, I never thought romance would become part of my life."

"You scared of loosing her?" Annaliese asked him.

Anton looked at his friend again and answered, "I think about it." He thought it over a minute and added,"Every morning, I wake up and I look at Elena and I ask myself, 'How did a beautiful woman like her ever learn to love an ugly-looking son of a bitch like me?'"

"I never thought you were bad-looking."

"That's not the point."

"Then what is?"

"The point is I don't know what I should do. I love her, but I fear I'm not the right man for her."

Annaliese took another inhale of her cigarette and blew out and said, "Anton, you got nothing to worry about. Elena is a lovely woman. Twenty-four years of age, with hair like brown silk and eyes like turquoise stones freshly plucked from the seas. I don't think God Himself could have given you a better woman. You want my honest opinion, I think you and her make a cute couple."

Anton was silent. He lowered his eyes for a minute, not knowing what to say. He looked at Annaliese again and noticed her eyes for the first time. They were not turquoise like Elena's, but they were not the same shade of blue as Hartman's. Her eyes reminded him of innocence. An element he no longer possessed.

Annaliese decided to change the subject and asked him, "By the way, how's that little one of hers doing? What was her name again? Shosanna?"

"Sophia", Anton answered.

"Yes, that's the one. How is she?"

"She's back in the hospital."

"What happened?"

"She suffered a seizure and went into a coma. Nobody knows how it happened. We won't know until she wakes up."

Annaliese blinked and looked away from him and took another drag of her cigarette, half-finished from the start of their conversation. "What's she like? Little Sophia, I mean."

"She's a sweet girl. Bright and innocent, you might say."

Annaliese paused for a minute and inhaled her cigarette again, searching for something else to say. "It's a shame what happened to her father, I think", she said. "Gordon Burrows was never a crude man before, you know. When his wife was still alive, he was just like any ordinary man. He was a loving husband and a good father. His wife meant the world to him. I didn't know him much, but I did see his wife come into the bar about once a month with Elena. Natalia, she was a saint, she was. She was shy, but at least she wasn't child-headed like that Hartman woman." Anneliese inhaled her cigarette once more and dowsed the rest of it into the crystal ashtray. She placed her hands into her lap, sighing.

"Do you even know how Elena and I first met?" Anton asked.

Annaliese glanced over at him, listening.

Anton quickly thought of a way on how he could cover the details of his murderous crimes and endless bloodshed from months ago, deluding her. He had to lie a little to save himself.

"I was paying a visit to a woman who had just come back from a funeral. I offered her my condolences and then I left. As I was coming to the intersection, a car ran through a red light and crashed into me. I broke my arm. Elena was just passing by when it happened...I blacked out...I don't remember feeling any pain, but I remember hearing a voice telling me I was going to be all right. I woke up the next morning and I saw her. I didn't know who she was or if I should even trust her, but I decided to give her a chance."

"You always had a problem trusting people, Anton", Annaliese noted. "You were suspicious of me when I first knew you, remember?"

"I still have a problem knowing who to trust, Anna", said Anton. "But Elena is not like most people. She is a righteous woman who strives to look for the good in people like me. I've done nothing in my life to warrant somebody like her, and yet, she thought she could save me from a life of self-destruction. Strange enough, she has become a part of my life I never thought I could get back. There is a fine balance between light and darkness. She and I are the example of that."

Annaliese stared at him, not understanding a word he was talking about. She had heard him speak like this once before when they were children and hoped he would grow out of it one day, but he hadn't. Nevertheless, she had a feeling she knew what he was trying to get across.

"You love her that much, do you?"

"I do."

Annaliese patted her hand on the empty space next to her and said, "Come here."

Anton stood up and walked over and sat down beside the red-headed woman, who took hold of his hand and told him, "You know, I always wondered what happened to you after I left that orphanage. Now that you found Elena, I don't have to worry about you anymore. You and her were brought together for a reason. Whatever doubt you have about yourself, I don't want you to linger on it. You treat Elena like she's a queen and you'll have her heart forever. You understand?"

Anton nodded.

Annaliese embraced him into her arms and hugged the man that was once her best friend, completely unaware that he used to be a murderer. Anton prayed she would never find out about his reputation the same way Elena had.

The front door opened and Anton stepped out onto the porch. Annaliese followed him and saw him out.

"I'm glad you came by", said Annaliese.

Anton was about to speak to her again, until he looked over across the street and saw Mary Hartman standing on the neighboring porch, crouching down to pick up the newspaper. The blonde woman stood up and gave a terrified look on her face the moment she saw him. His cold eyes locked onto her. Mary turned and went into the house and shut the door behind her, locking herself inside.

"What is she doing there?" Anton asked, his voice sounding harsher in tone.

"She lives there", said Annaliese, sounding uninterested.

"Does she live alone?"

"Just her and her mother. A lot of strange folk come and go, but the old woman doesn't even notice."