Kahlan sat on the edge of her new bed and looked around. She had found a small cabin, one hidden deep within a thick forest and she couldn't imagine finding anywhere safer. The home was nearly completely empty, other than the bed, having only two rocking chairs, a table and small wardrobe. She had no need for anything else, but it felt like it was missing something. Looking over to the window, she almost smiled as she remembered the night before.

The Journey Book had remained opened throughout the night and every few hours, when she'd awake, she would look to see if he had written anything more and then reread their short conversation. There was no one around for her to talk to, but if there was, she wouldn't trust them the way she did him, though she wasn't yet sure why. Memories began to come more frequently, but they were all of him, short images of laying beside him while laughing or a brief kiss that they would share when their friends weren't looking. A small part of her wanted to ask him if they were real, if those moments did happen, but she didn't want to hurt him with her questions. He cared about her, she saw it in his eyes and she didn't want to play on his emotions.

«He wants to talk to you again.» her mind whispered. «He wants to be your friend, but how long will that last when he learns what has been done to you. If he ever truly cared for you, he would let you go.»

"He did let me go," she told herself aloud. "It's only writing, he doesn't have to know. I won't tell him."

«You've begun to care for him.»

"He saved me. I have no future with him and I have no future with anyone else..." Walking to the window, she peaked outside at the light drizzle of rain. "I felt safe with him. Is it wrong to want to feel that way again?"

«If that was all you wished to feel. These thoughts cloud your mind.»

"He was warm..." Her words trailed off as she brought her mind back to one of the memories she had regained. "He never touched me the way those men did, it never hurt with him. I didn't think anything like that could exist."

«He sent you away. He has taken all that he wanted from you.»

"Then why would he write to me?" she questioned herself as she moved back to the bed and lifted the book. Her eyes stopped on a single set of his words. 'I don't like being away from you.' She remembered the feeling that flooded her body the first time she read it. It was a warmth she couldn't explain and a small happiness that curled her lips into a slight smile. "If he no longer cared for me, he wouldn't have sent me to be free. He wouldn't have written me after these months. It will stop one day, but until then... He's my friend."

«Foolish child.»

"I wish I could see his face once again."

«Feel his arms around you.» her mind mocked madly. «Do you think he would want to touch you after what those men did to you? He had you first, what more could he want?»

"Be silent."

"Richard?"

The Seeker jumped, blinking as he looked up from the Journey Book. "What's wrong?"

"How is she?"

It was an odd question for his friend to ask, but he was glad that she had. "She seems to be well, but she's not happy. She's hiding away from everything and I- I wish I could help her to see that it's not her only option."

"Is that why you're doing this?"

Returning his eyes back to the book, he sighed. "No. I'm doing this selfishly. I miss her, Cara. I feel like I've lost a part of myself and when I talked to her last night, it was almost like I had just found it again. I could hear her voice in my head, see her smile and for a moment, I felt her warmth. I wish I had never let her go, but if she hated me, I couldn't survive."

"She wouldn't hate you." With a sigh, the blonde sat down beside him. "Even if she doesn't remember who she is, she would not hate you for letting her go. You were trying to keep her safe..." The blonde looked away as he brought his eyes to her face. "You wanted her to have a chance to be happy the way that she was, even if it wasn't with you. She wouldn't hate you for that."

Taking her hand, he squeezed it gently and then released, knowing she would hate any more contact. "Thank you, Cara."

With a quick nod, she stood and moved away, mumbling something about hunting for dinner. He was alone with the book now and he was excited for what was to come.

'Hi.'

'Can I ask you something?'

She responded so quickly, he nearly jumped in excitement. 'Anything.'

'What was I like?'

'I'm not sure I can do you justice like this. You were happy, confident, smart- You always knew what to do and you never did anything you didn't believe to be right. You helped everyone you could and by just being you, made the world a better place. You were just, a great listener; a wonderful friend... You were... You.'

'I wish I could remember that.'

'Me too.' He wished she knew who she was almost more than anything, because he knew that everything else came from who she was, so in his mind, it would all fall into place. 'Did you get any sleep last night.'

'Some. The rains have flushed through, sometimes I find myself listening for hours.' He was just about to respond about how much she loved the rain, when she continued. 'I don't know why it comforts me.'

'It's freeing. You once told me that when you were younger and hiding from your father, you'd wish you were one of the raindrops. They were free and had a single, helpful purpose.'

'Do you know everything about me?'

Her words made him chuckle, realizing how it must feel for her to have him answer every one of her questions. 'I told you we were friends. What kind of person doesn't know his own friend?'

'I don't know very much about you.'

'What would you like to know?'

'The only thing I can think to ask is the only thing I already know about you.'

Confused, he pushed the quill to the paper and wrote, 'What?'

'The kind of man you are.' The page was still for another moment before she continued. 'You broke yourself trying to protect me, that says everything.'

'My favorite color is blue.'

'Like the blue of your shirt?'

'Lighter.' He wanted to tell her that the blue of her eyes were his favorite, but he was afraid he would push her just a little too far. 'Like the sky...' He didn't wait for her to respond, a part of him eager to allow her to view his mind. 'Apples are my favorite and biscuits that are covered in honey.'

'Sounds delicious.'

'You should hear my recipe for spice soup!' he bragged with a smile she couldn't see. 'It's the best there is!'

'You'll have to share it with me.'

'I would rather make it for you.' When she didn't respond, he thought his heart was going to explode. 'I can give it to you, if that's what you'd like.'

'I'm sorry. I don't know what I'm doing.'

'What do you mean?'

'I'm hiding, wherever this is and I want it to be safe, but a part of me wants you to come make me your soup.'

He chuckled, wishing he could look into her eyes for a moment. 'You must be hungry.'

'I could eat.' He imagined her smile for a moment, the one she gave him when she was teasing him about anything. 'I think I've chased away all of the animals.'

'There's always a rabbit or two hiding beside a pine.'

'A family, actually. It seems to be a shame to destroy that.'

His fingers traced over her words, a familiar part of the woman he loved showing on the page. 'You're right. Can you sneak into a garden?'

'I think so.'

He could imagine the shift in her body at the thought of stealing food, but he couldn't help but smile. 'There are a few things you'll need for the soup.'

'You're going to trust me with your recipe?'

'You're right, I'm going to need you to promise me something first.'

'What?'

'I'm going to write it on another page and once you've seen it, you have to promise me that you will eat the paper.'

'Eat the paper?'

He laughed, wishing he could share the moment with her. 'Of course, that's the only way it will be safe from prying, unfriendly eyes.'

'Can I burn it instead?'

'And risk a single piece floating away? No. I'm sorry, I'm afraid you are going to have to eat it.'

'If I eat the paper, I won't be hungry enough to eat your soup.'

'Are you willing to risk it?'

'I might.'

'You're going to need, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes...' He listed things for a few moments and paused for a moment. 'Don't let it sit for too long. It will become hotter than the fire itself.'

'What do I do next?'

'Enjoy!'

'That's it?'

'All you need is a person to have a conversation with.'

'I think I've already found that.'

'Me?'

'No. I usually spend the evening speaking with myself.'

'You must have great conversations.'

'The best.'

'Better than this one?'

'Until I eat the paper.'

'Don't eat everything.'

'I wouldn't dream of it.'

Before he could stop himself he had written something he had sworn he wouldn't. 'I miss you.'

He was about to scream at himself just as the sound left his lips, she began to reply. 'It feels strange that I miss you too.'

'Strange?'

'You are the only person I know, I feel like I've lost a piece of myself.'

'The Rada'Han may'

'As strange as it is- I don't know anything about my magic and maybe that's why that is not what I miss.'

'What do you miss?'

'The feeling I had when I was with you. I didn't know you, but I felt safe and I would give anything to have that again.'

'But you won't tell me where you are.'

'I can't hold on to you for the rest of my life. It wouldn't be fair for you.'

'I wouldn't mind.'

'I believe you, but I think it would be best if we only communicated through this book.'

'And when we run out of pages?'

'Maybe we should stop and save the paper.'

'I don't want to stop talking to you.'

'Maybe you should have sent another book.'

'It wouldn't have been enough.'

'It's late, you should rest. Who knows the trials tomorrow may bring you.'

'Goodnight, Kahlan.'

'Can I ask you one more question about myself?'

'Yes.'

Time had slowed as he waited for her write and though he knew only a few seconds had passed, he would swear it was a lifetime before her words appeared. 'The scar on my stomach, the-'

'It's from an agiel. It's from magic, I gave it to you more than a year ago. There's a story and if you'd like, I will tell you.'

'From the way it appears, it doesn't seem to be the type of scar that came from something pleasant. I don't believe writing the story can do it justice.'

'No, but it may help you- I never wanted to hurt you, but I wasn't myself. Is that the only scar that stands out to you?'

'It matches the one you have. We must have done everything together.'

Smiling down at the book, he nodded. 'We tried.'

'Goodnight, Richard.'

'Goodnight, Kahlan.' He took his time as he wrote her name, whispering it as he formed each letter. It was almost painful for him to speak.

They didn't speak for days, Richard fighting banelings at all hours of the night as he came closer to sealing the rifts. His mission had to take priority and he knew that she would understand, she would know he was doing it for her. He wanted to talk to her, to have her to reassure him and with a single look, tell him that he could do this. He was always afraid that he would fail and she never missed a moment to encourage him, to give him that smile that told him how much she believed in him. At times, he feared he couldn't do it without those things.

When he sealed the rifts, he turned to his friends, his first instinct to grab the woman he loved and kiss her, but she wasn't there. Nodding to his friends, he returned the Sword of Truth home to its scabbard and wiped the sweat and blood from his forehead. Sitting down, Richard pulled out the Journey Book and with a smile, he wrote to her.

'We did it.'

'I knew you would.' She responded so quickly, he found himself giddy. 'It's beautiful to see, are you watching?'

'It's hard to believe it's happening. Are there many open rifts near you?'

'No, but there were a few. A new one opened up a few days ago and I thought it must have been part of the Keeper's last stand.'

'You're safe now.'

'We all are.'

'We are.'

'What will you do now?'

Without hesitation, he pushed the feather back to the paper and grinned. 'Find my happiness.'

Closing the book, he looked up at the long desert view ahead of him, and with a sigh, he stood and began walking. They would follow without fail and with some time and the help from the spirits, he would find her. He had defeated the Keeper, nothing could stand in his way. He didn't know how he knew it, but she needed him and she would never tell him. All he needed to do was find her and everything would would be alright. If only he could find her.

His mind raced through their conversations, pieces of them flooding his memory as though they were currently happening. He knew the types of places she liked and the ones that had made her feel safe, he now needed to piece everything else together. He tried to figure how long and fast she had been moving, keeping himself in her state of mind as he moved through the trees.