Thanks for all the reviews! They are much appreciated! This whole story is unbeta'd. Owning Ashes=Not me :( DATE UNKNOWN
She had a name at one point. She knew that. She had a life, and mates, and a job. She had a love, a secret love. She tried to recall her name. It came up blank. Everything did. She didn't know who she was, where she was or what she was doing here. All she knew was that she had a name. Hadn't it started with an "A"? A something.
She stopped. She couldn't remember. It was giving her a headache. She drank some water from a glass that was sitting on a table next to her bed. She needed to calm down. She inhaled, and looked at her surroundings.
There was a bare light bulb hanging from the ceiling. The floor was wood; it would creak under her feet if she walked over it. Faded wallpaper was on the wall, but it was old and peeling. Sunlight streamed in the window.
The door opened, and a man walked in. He was tall and skinny, but not in a bad way. His eyes were ocean blue, and his hair was brown, almost black. She looked at him. The man smiled.
"Hello," he said quietly.
"Hello," she responded.
He looked at her. "Are you hungry?"
"Yes." She was starving. The man gave her a bowl of broth, which she ate slowly, even though her stomach was telling her to gulp it down as quickly as possible. Something told her this wasn't the right thing to do.
The man watched her the entire time she was eating. She finished and returned the bowl.
"How are you feeling today?" he asked.
"Strange."
"I would expect so, after getting over a fever like that. You had us worried for a while there, Catherine."
"Catherine? Who's Catherine?"
The man smiled sadly. "You still don't remember? You are Catherine, love."
"Who are you?" she asked.
"I'm your husband, Matt, remember?"
"No." She was concerned. Shouldn't she remember her husband? "What happened?"
"We went on holiday to Spain, and got home for Christmas. Right after the New Year you developed a terrible fever. You've been delirious for about a week. It'll all come back to you, Catherine. I promise." He looked at her hazel eyes, full of confusion and fear.
"What year is it?"
"It's January of 1983, love. Now if you don't mind me saying, you need your rest." He stood up.
"Wait, Matt." Matt stopped. "What's my last name?"
"Williams."
"Catherine Williams. I like that."
Matt started walking to the door and turned around. She was looking more content. He walked out the door.
The men standing outside the door grinned at each other. The final phase had begun.
TBC...