April 15th, 1890

Hannah hiked up her wedding dress with one hand and held her bouquet of white roses in the other. She ran along the beach, her bare feet sinking into the sand. Alongside her a little boy ran, cheering her on. The sun was beating down upon them and the sea breeze was gentle and sweet.

He was just up ahead, waving her on. Hannah's smile grew wider. Then suddenly, the sky was black, the water was read and the sand was grey. Fear overtook her being. Hannah dropped the bouquet and whisked the little boy up off the floor, caressing his head full of blonde hair a she whispered muted words to him.

As she ran, trying to get to Alois, the sand pulled her down, making her slower and slower. The sand was turning to Tar. Hannah felt as if she couldn't breathe. Her hands shot upward, holding the child above her head as she sunk lower and lower into the tar. It ruined her lily-white wedding dress and burned her skin.

'WerE cOmiNG FoR YOU haNNah' It was as if thousands of disoriented voices spoke at the same time. Hannah opened her mouth to scream but tar slipped down her throat.

Hannah's eyes snapped open, staring straight at the canopy. Her breath was hard and her body was coated with sweat. She sat up and held her belly until she calmed down. It didn't happen right away, but soon she was breathing normally.

Hannah looked over to the window and saw that it was still night time. The stars were still out and the moon was full. The sounds of owls and nightlife was clear to her and she could hear the fountain and the stream from her room.

Throwing her covers off, Hannah stood up from her bed still holding her swollen belly. She didn't bother fixing the covers. Hannah hobbled out of her bedroom and across the hall to the master suite. She gently pushed the door and peeked inside. A

Alois looked up from the picture frame he was holding. Seeing Hannah, Alois perked up a bit.

"Can't sleep?" He asked.

Hannah sheepishly nodded. "Nightmares…" She said softly.

Alois threw back the covers and patted the spot beside him. "Sleep with me?" He asked.

Hannah gently smiled. 'Sleep with me?' she remembered what that meant. Sex. Now it meant innocent cuddles and naps. Hannah hoped it would mean both after she had the baby. She sauntered over to the bed and sat next to him, pulling the covers upon herself. She let out a content sigh.

Alois smiled at her before looking back down at the picture frame. Hannah looked over at him then down at the picture. It was a picture of a young woman with pale skin, flaxen hair and baby blue eyes. She wore velvety gowns and her lips were red. She held a small baby with flaxen hair that slept peacefully on her bosom.

"Who is that?" Hannah asked curiously.

Alois didn't answer right away. He licked his bottom lip, eyes trained on the picture, on the woman. He bit his bottom lip then let out a sigh.

"This," Alois said slowly. "This is Alois' mother." Alois didn't look at Hannah as he spoke. He knew fully well what he said and what it meant. He knew very well what he was risking. "Sometimes I wished she was actually my mother…"

Hannah stared at the woman for a bit longer. She looked exactly like Alois. His hair, his eyes and even his little cowlick. "Then who are you?" She asked curiously. Hannah looked over at him with her wide uncut sapphires.

Alois didn't speak. He couldn't even bring himself to look at her. How could he? He'd lied to her about who he was for the past few months he'd been close to her. "I sometimes wonder what Alois was like…"

"Probably like you…" Hannah said softly. "I bet he looked like you too."

Alois let out a chortle and shook his head. "Like me? No. He can't be like me. His father would have loved him."

Hannah frowned and stared at Alois for a bit. Then she said "What makes you think his father would have loved him? He's a boy, is he not?"

Alois ran his thumb over the photo, sadly peering down at her. He sighed and closed his eyes, grasping the picture frame.

Hannah placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. We all have secrets." She said softly. Alois slowly looked over at Hannah. She smiled. "I'm Hannah, Hannah Annafellows and you are?"

Alois blinked. "I'm Jim, Jim Macken."