Chapter Four

The sun rose slowly over another picture perfect day. The gentle warmth on his face woke him. He opened his eyes carefully. The sickening pain of the day before had gone. Rose lay on her front next to him, one arm across his stomach, her cheek against his chest. She mumbled something unhappy as he slipped out of bed. He smiled and settled the sheets back around her body. The shower called to him. He grabbed a couple of towels from the trunk at the end of the bed and padded into the bathroom. It was the smallest room in the house, but the view more than made up for it. Trees filled their small garden and framed the valley beyond.

He paused in front of the window and looked out. Red, orange, pinks. A blaze of autumn colour stretched as far as the eye could see. He turned away from the window and tapped the button to start the shower. The warm water felt wonderful as it cascaded over his body. The soap smelt like grass after rain. It tingled on his skin as he washed. He reached up to wash his hair and started a little when his fingertips came back pink. The water dripping down the drain was pink too. He dunked his head under the water again to rinse the suds. His fingers brushed a tender spot at the base of his skull. Something warmer than the water wet his fingertips. He brought his hand back around to his face. Fresh blood gleamed on his fingers.

"What the hell...?" he muttered, and turned the water off with a bump of his elbow. He wrapped a thick, fluffy towel around his hips, then used the other to dab at the back of his neck. It came back free of blood. "I'm going mad. That's it. Loopyloo. Cuckoo." He shook his head and dried himself.

"What did you say?" Rose held a steaming cup out to him. "I heard you talking."

"Nothing." He dropped the towel he'd been using on his hair. "That for me?"

She nodded and passed the cup over to him. "Do you really like this stuff?" She sipped her own drink. "Me, I miss coffee. And chocolate."

"Yeah. Reminds me of..." he paused, eyes pensive. "It reminds me of home, actually."

Hurt rose in her eyes. "I thought this was your home."

"It is now." He huffed a sigh. "I'm not making much sense."

She smiled wryly. "Do you ever?" She nodded at his cup. "Are you gonna drink that or just look at it?"

He smiled, and took a swig. "Wanna sit outside? It's a lovely day."

She arched a brow at him. "I'd love to, but I think you'd scare the natives like that." Playfully, she ran a finger down his chest. She closed the distance between them with a step. He cupped her cheek, then ran his hands down her body to rest lightly on her hips. She smiled at him, and pressed her hand against his chest. "Your hearts are racing." She kissed him before he could draw breath to answer and led him to the waiting bed.

She lay on her side next to him and watched him sleep. It was a rare treat. Usually, he woke long before the dawn. She traced the line of his eyebrow with a feather light touch. His face slowly took on tension as he woke.

"You were talking in your sleep," She smiled gently.

A startled look danced across his face. "Was I? What did I say?"

Everything I need to know, she thought with a secret smile. She tucked the thought away and gave him a teasing look. "Something about a pie, and a cup of tea, I think."

He relaxed. "Weird. Must've been the talk we had before... sleeping." He regarded the soft light with a rueful look. "I'm getting lazy. This is my second day in bed. We should get up."

She trailed a hand across his chest. "I can think of better things to do..."

He smiled and tried to ignore the little, prickling sense warning him of trouble. A tiny, tender spot throbbed at the back of his neck. He touched it and wasn't surprised when his fingers came away damp with blood. Something had nagged at him for a while. Something he had missed before. Or something I didn't want to see... he thought. Someone has been using my mind.

"What?" She tilted her head, a quizzical look on her face. She kissed him on the lips. "Is something wrong?" The smile on her face was forced and a little brittle. Her eyes looked as old as the universe and just as cold.

Betrayal sung deep and hard. He blinked and the emotion shattered. "Nothing... just nothing." He rubbed the golden strands of hair under his fingers.

Her voice turned husky and she cleared her throat. "I need a drink. Want one?"

She wouldn't...that final piece clicked into place. Hurt closed his throat as he watched her walk to the door. The sunlight dappled her skin and turned it golden. Such a beauty... A moment passed before she came back from the kitchen, two cups in her hands. She offered him one, and he took it. It clicked softly against the wood as he set it down and rolled out of the bed. He turned away from her to hide the pain on his face and picked up his clothes from the chest at the foot of the bed. Quietly, he dressed, then turned back towards her.

Her breath caught as she looked at him, so alone, so very alone as he stood then. Desolation put a slump in his shoulders and a furrow into his brow. "I love you, Rose." A smile quirked his lips for a moment before it passed. "I wanted to be sure you knew that. I wanted to tell you..." He stopped and blinked. "Is this the last dose, then? The last drink before you get whatever you want from me?" He whispered the words against her cheek. "Oh, Rose... all you had to do was ask."

She sobbed. "It's the only way... the only way." She met his sorrow filled gaze. "They told me... I never lied to you. Never." Her eyes swam with tears. "I love..." He stopped her with a kiss.

"Don't. Just don't." He closed his eyes against tears. "Forgive me, Rose. Forgive me." His fingertips glowed as he dove into her mind.