CHAPTER TWO

It was still early and the sun had just risen. Adalind was asleep in Nick's arms. Her hair smelled like fresh flowers, her skin felt as warm as a ray of sunshine, and the sound of her breath was music to his ears... she was alive. He kissed her forehead so gently, not meaning to wake her. But she had. She slowly opened her eyes and gazed up at him.

"Good morning" he whispered, smiling down at her.

"Hey... how long have you been staring at me?" she chuckled.

"Since last night... I didn't get much sleep."

"Why not, is something wrong?"

"Just the opposite, everything is right for once."

This time he kissed her lips. He simply could not bring himself to pull away from her, not that he wanted to. But after a moment, she broke the kiss.

"Nick... we didn't really talk about what happened in the other place."

"There's nothing to talk about, it's over."

"Yes, but... I feel like there's something you're keeping from me."

"Adalind, I promise you. Everything is fine, there's nothing to worry about."

She looked at him intensely, searching his blue eyes for a hint of uncertainty. But all she found was complete calmness.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Zerstörer is gone, he will never hurt us again. Nothing will. We can finally move on with our lives, you and me, and our children."

Adalind stared at him, her eyes filling up with tears.

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked, concerned that he had upset her.

"No, not at all... you said 'our children'... like Diana is yours."

He wiped her tears away, holding her chin in his hand. He looked deep into her eyes.

"Diana may not be mine biologically, but in my heart, she is my daughter. I love her just as much as Kelly and..."

He wanted to add the word 'you', but he stopped himself. He realized he had never told her he loved her... he did, in the other place, but the whole time they had spent there had been wiped away when he had come crashing through the mirror in Monroe and Rosalee's living room.

"And what?" she asked.

"And... and that's never going to change."

"Diana loves you too, Nick... I see it just by how she looks at you. It took some time, but she finally understands you're not going anywhere. She knows I love you, not Sean. And that's never going to change" she said, repeating his words.

She kissed him, pulling him closer to her. This time, he wasn't going to let her break the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. He felt like his chest was about to explode. The love he felt for Adalind was so incredibly strong, it could no longer be contained. He had to let her know just how much she meant to him, he had to tell her she was his everything...

"Nick..." she whispered between her lips.

"Adalind..."

"I love you."

This was his chance to say those three words right back to her. But he couldn't. He had waited so long to let her know he felt the same way about her, she deserved better than a simple 'I love you too'. It had to be special, a moment she would never forget.

So instead, he rolled her onto her back and gently kissed her before making love to her, over and over again, until they both fell asleep.