'Why can't you just leave when you're supposed to, just like anybody else,' he thought, releasing a sigh and checking his watch. Killian always was the first one to show up at work and the last one to leave, unable to reduce his dedication to his work at the Hayden Planetarium in New York City. The planetarium was part of the American Museum of Natural History and it was his job to plan new exhibitions and tour small groups of visitors through the museum. They had various tours to offer yet the Earth and Space Tour was his favorite. He loved the night sky and he knew almost every constellation that was dated till now. Right now there wasn't a single star at the sky, though, leaving Killian with the assumption that it must have been very cloudy today. 'Shit,' he thought, 'I should've taken my jacket with me, it's bloody frosty and it's only October!' Just when he crossed his arms across his chest, he heard a cracking under the soles of his shoes.

"What the-," Killian was surprised by the sudden sight of snow on the ground. A thick layer of white puffy snow in the middle of October! Killian's mouth gapped at the sight, his brows furrowed in disbelieve.

"Bloody climate change," he shook his head. Then, as if running through a hard pane of glass, a freezing cold gust of wind passed him by, making his whole body tremble with shivers. But it wasn't only the wind that made him shake, it was a whisper that reached his ears along with it.

"Killian," a delicate voice travelled with the wind. Again and again…

"Killian." He looked around, slight panic in his neck.

"Hello?" he said, but nobody answered. He was alone in the dark alley. Killian shook his head, yet again, convinced he needed a vacation as soon as possible. But just when he took another step, he heard it one more time.

"Killian." No, he was sure, someone was there, watching him. He didn't just made this up in his head.

"Hello?" he raised his voice now, his eyes trying to scan every corner of the street, but without any moonlight it seemed almost impossible to see anything. 'Damn it,' he thought, why hadn't he chosen a shortcut that featured some street light? He was living in New York long enough to know that these weren't exactly the safest places to spend your evenings at. But Killian tried to stay calm. It must have been someone from work, he thought, trying to mess with him. Who else would know his name? 'I bet it's Shelley,' he convinced himself. 'She's the queen of pranks for a reason.' But something about all of this felt curiously odd.

"Shelley is that you?" he shouted now. Killian heard the sound of thunder. Another shiver ran down his spine. He swallowed hard. This wasn't Shelley, somehow he felt it deep in his guts.

"WHO ARE YOU?" A second thunder.

"I KNOW YOU'RE TH-" Killian's eyes widened when the flash of lightning suddenly revealed the figure of a blonde woman, looking at him with the greatest sadness reflecting in her eyes. She was wearing a white ball gown and her pale hair fell in loose waves across her shoulders. Killian's dry mouth gapped slightly, not able to form a single word. He just looked at her… her muddy eyes, her pale lips, her silver hair… this woman looked as much as a stranger as she looked familiar. But who was she and how did she know his name? He took a deep breath, preparing himself to ask her, but just when he opened his mouth a little more to question the woman with the sorrow eyes, the wind started to get stronger, blowing furiously and with no mercy. It was very hard to keep his balance, but Killian managed to fight the storm. One arm covered his eyes from the snow that spun around while his other hand tried to reach for the woman, but somehow he couldn't move. As much as he tried to walk forward, he couldn't. He was helpless. The woman remained just looking at him, her hair flying in the air. But there was something odd about her eyes… the way she looked at him, it felt so intimate… Then she finally opened her mouth, shouting against the loud storm.

"GO FIND ME, KILLIAN." And then a blast took her away, the humming of the wind echoing two more words…

"save ~ me".

Killian's eyes widened in horror, his forehead covered in sweat. His mouth was dry and his throat felt sore because of his heavy breathing. He moved his right hand to his eyes, rubbing the shock out of them. He heard a sigh leaving his lips, heavily.

"Just a dream…," he murmured to himself, relief in his voice. It wasn't the first time he had dreamed such a nightmare. Sometimes he dreamed of the stormy sea, sometimes he found himself in the middle of the dark woods, but all of them had one thing in common: a mysterious blonde woman. It was the first time, though, that he had seen her face. As he got up and took off his sweaty sleep pants and shirt to take a shower, he he still saw her features in front of his eyes. It was such a clear, such a vivid image of her, it almost felt as if she was branded to his mind. Facing the cool water now, Killian tried to force himself to forget her again. The rhythmic drumming of the drops that hit his skin calmed him down a bit, slowing down his pulse to a normal rate. 'It was just a stupid dream,' he reminded himself. 'No need to freak out.'

After he had dressed and finished his coffee, Killian grabbed his bag and keys and opened the door. Outside he met Mrs. Rooney and Murdock, the one love of his life, who were just about to enter their own apartment.

"Heyyy lad," Killian kneeled down to the dog, instantly starting to pet him while the Border Collie gently licked his cheek.

"Good morning, Mr. Jones," the old widow smiled.

"How are you doing today?" Killian looked up from the dog, wearing a faint smile on his face.

"Good, thanks Mrs. Rooney. And how are you?"

"Good, good. I'm just suffering from a little cold, I suppose. Murray and I have to stay at home for a while, I'm afraid."

"Oh, I'm awfully sorry to hear that, maybe I can help out? I can take Murray this weekend, if you like?" The lady smiled gratefully.

"That would be very helpful, Mr. Jones. That's very thoughtful of you. As always." Her kind gaze found his.

"It's alright, really, I'm happy to help." Killian smiled a bright smile now, looking back at the Collie, who seemed to like the idea as well.

"Well, then, have a good day, Mr. Jones."

"Good day, Mrs. Rooney," Killian nodded, getting up again. Leaving the building, he had almost forgotten about the nightmare. Yet, the weird feeling in his stomach didn't leave him. Killian shook his head again, placing his headphones in his ear. Maybe some music would distract him, he thought. And when he pressed play, the smooth jazz rhythms really managed to relax his mind. With every step and every breath he took, he felt lighter, the deep bass and the quick piano tunes reaching every single cell of his body. Killian crossed the street and if this wasn't New York City and people right next to him wouldn't rush to work, he'd just stay there, closing his eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun… but then, suddenly, Killian's feet indeed stopped walking, which caused a collision with several (very mad) New York City citizens, followed with some very nasty swearwords. But Killian couldn't care less. His eyes were locked onto a scenery he couldn't believe was actually happening. Killian's mouth opened in disbelief, his blue eyes wide and blinking. Right across the street there was a blonde woman entering the junior high school together with what seemed to be her son, and when she looked to her back, for just a second, he was sure. He felt the brandmark in his mind itching with certainty. This was her; the woman from his dreams.