A/N: Thank for the reviews! Only four more chapters to go.

Vera's eyes fluttered open then she squinted against the light before blinking to adjust. Looking around, her eyes settled on the figure in the chair beside her bed. "Billy," she whispered.

Billy stirred then smiled when he looked up into Vera's glassy eyes. Reaching out with his free hand, he caressed the hair from her forehead. "Hello, Sassy," he whispered, grinning when she glared at him. He'd done it on purpose to see what sort of reaction he got and she'd just made his day by giving him the usual one. Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss to her head, pausing to get his emotions under control. He'd been so very afraid of losing her.

"Billy," she whispered when she felt a tear run into her hair.

Sitting up, Billy wiped at his eyes. "Sorry, love. I was afraid I was going to lose you."

Vera nodded, she'd been afraid of that herself. "Is he," she started but a cough got in the way.

"Easy. You shouldn't try to talk. You've been under heavy sedation for a week now."

"Week?" she mouthed, deciding talking, even whispering, was only going to aggravate her throat.

Moving away a moment, Billy came back with a wet cloth. Wiping her lips, he let a few drops of water trickle into her mouth to wet her throat. "When the nurse comes I'll ask for some ice chips, hmm?"

Vera nodded then winced.

"Don't move." Billy took her hand again after pushing the call button. "Your eyes are still glassy from the drugs."

"Tell me," she mouthed, hoping Billy understood what she wanted to know. Her mind was still fuzzy.

"You're bruised all over, you have cracked and broken ribs, a lung was punctured, your lip was busted open, and you have a gash on your forehead that had to be stitched up."

"Legs," she wanted to know, her mind wasn't so fuzzy that she hadn't noticed that she couldn't feel them.

Billy looked down at their hands, his thumb tenderly caressing the soft skin of hers. "Wait for the doctor, Love," he said then looked up. "Please."

Vera squeezed his hand. "Haunting me..." she frowned. "...still."

"Yes, I know." Lifting her hand, he pressed a kiss to the fingers. "You've been screaming, even with the sedative. Today's the first time they've been able to wean you off it and you not start screaming."

"Wasn't haunting me with the murder."

"Another more pleasant thing this time then."

"Yes."

"Well I'm glad of that." He smiled at her then turned when he heard the door open. "Look who's bright eyes are open," he told the nurse and smiled when the young woman grinned.

"I'll go get her doctor."

"Thank you."

Vera frowned and squeezed Billy's hand to get his attention. "Conquest?"

Billy laughed and leaned forward to press a quick kiss to Vera's lips. "That mouth!"

Vera sputtered and glared at him. "Billy," she hissed.

Still laughing, Billy shook his head. "Not a conquest. She's just happy to see that you're awake. They've all been very caring and worried about you." The smile left his face as he reached up to cup her cheek. "The screams got to them, too, love."

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize. You couldn't help it." Billy wanted to ask if her own attack had been mixed in with what Hellen had been haunting her with, but he decided he'd wait and let Vera herself bring the subject up and hoped that Hu was there when she did.

"Well hello, Miss Stanhope. It's nice to finally see you awake."

Vera started to turn her head then decided against it when she remembered the pain from before. Letting her eyes do the moving, she found herself staring up at an older gentleman she presumed was her doctor.

"It's your doctor, love. I'm going to go wait out in the hall." Seeing the look in Vera's eyes, Billy squeezed her hand. "I'll be just right outside the room. As soon as he's done, I'll be back. Maybe I'll bring a visitor with me." He winked when she raised an eyebrow. "You'll see."

VS

"Marty, what are you doing?" Hellen asked when she felt something soft skimming up her leg.

"What does it feel like, Love?"

"I don't know. It isn't your hand." She bit her lip then caught a whiff of something she recognized. "A rose?"

"Yes. It's the only thing I could think of that's softer than you."

"Daft man," she muttered then hummed when he brought the flower up over her thigh. "Why in the dark?"

"Because I wanted you to feel."

"I would feel in the light too, Marty."

"But not like this. Tell me you would have concentrated as much if you'd known what I was touching you with."

Hellen smiled. "No, I wouldn't have."

Drawing the rose up her body and circling a nipple with it, Martin found her mouth and kissed her, relishing in the feel of her body pressed into his. She tasted of the wine they'd shared and the chocolate he'd fed her before he'd had her lay back and then turned the lights off. "Best anniversary ever," he breathed against her lips.

Hellen tangled the fingers of both hands in his hair and moaned when his lips left hers and moved to nuzzle her neck. "A real honeymoon," she whispered then gasped when she felt the warmth of his mouth suckling her nipple.

Pulling away just long enough to turn the light on, Martin looked down at his wife. "Have you enjoyed, Bali?"

"Well, I don't know," she grinned. "I haven't seen enough of it to be sure."

Martin laughed and kissed her nose. "I have sort of kept you to myself."

"Have you heard me complaining?"

"No." He winked. "I've heard a lot of things, but none of them were complaints."

"Marty!" Hellen felt herself blush. Sighing when his mouth moved against her neck again, she caressed his head. "I love you, Marty," she whispered.

Pushing himself up on his forearms, Marty looked down at her and caressed the hair from her face. "And I'm the luckiest of men because of it."

Vera whimpered as the pleasant scene changed to images she couldn't quite make out, a place she'd seen but didn't know and pain, so much pain. "I'm not her," she cried. "I'm not her."

"Shh." Billy whispered as he caressed her face. "Vera, love, it's Billy. Wake up now."

Vera turned her face into the hand on her cheek and slowly opened her eyes. "I'm not her."

"No, Love, I know you're not."

"But he wouldn't listen. I'm not her," she repeated as tears filled her eyes.

"Shh. I know you're not, Love." Billy assured her again. "It's alright, I'm right here and you're safe. There's no one to hurt you anymore."

"Why wouldn't he believe me? I'm not her."

"He was sick, and I know you're not. You're my friend Vera." Billy kept his voice even and low, wondering if Vera was really completely awake, his question answered when her eyes slowly closed and her breathing evened out. "Why is Mrs. Kingsley still haunting her?" he whispered to the friend he knew was standing behind him.

"I don't know, Billy, although I suspect what caused that wasn't Mrs. Kingsley haunting her. I think she was dreaming of her own attack this time. She was fine for a while, and she might well have been seeing something from Mrs. Kingsley, but I think it was a nice memory, nothing bad."

"But then her own memories interfered." Billy sighed. "I hate this. I don't like seeing her hurting."

Hu squeezed his friend's shoulder. "You helped her before."

Billy shook his head. "Not much. Stewart was who she turned to back then."

"But you were still there for her when she needed you."

"Yes. Always."

"Then you'll do just like before. She'll need your strength, and you'll give it because you love her."

Billy looked over his shoulder at Hu. "I'm not in love with her."

"And I didn't say that."

"I think you might be, though." Billy whispered after studying his friend a moment.

"You're the second person who's suggested that. I'm not."

Billy shrugged and turned his attention back to Vera. "If you are, she'll fight you. She doesn't want to love again, she's been hurt too deeply and it scares her. She doesn't like not being in control."

"Well I'm not, so we're fine."

"If you say so."

Hu rolled his eyes. What was with these people? Surely he knew his own heart and mind. He was not in love with Vera.