Chapter 13

No matter how hard she tried that night, Carolyn could not get to sleep, all she could think of was Captain Daniel Gregg, and his kiss.

It was wonderful, and even thinking about him made her heart pound faster. She didn't understand why he affected her so, why she so wanted to be with him, to be near him. She yearned for him to touch her again, for the sweet kiss they shared to be deepened into something more passionate. She had never forgotten the feel of his hands as they caressed her body, the feel of his hot lips on her, the heat generated by the two of them as they joined together.

She groaned quietly to herself, shoving her face into the pillow to smother the noise. She was not a woman that slept around, and though she was young and open to more sexual encounters she didn't want them to be meaningless, and so it had been a long time since she had been with a man. She had thought she was in love with Bobby until she had met the Captain, then she realized that just wasn't true. And though she hated it, she knew she had fallen in love with the Captain despite their short time together.

There was also the small detail of her daughter, his daughter too, although he had no knowledge of that. She had been careless, caught up in the moment and the passion that he offered her, and several months later she had paid the price. She couldn't regret the result though, Candy was a wonderful child and already a pretty girl with a personality that belonged only to her, she was special, and Carolyn would never regret having her.

And in truth, after the passage of so much time, she never thought she would see him again. But now here he was, larger than life and taking her out, and it was driving her to distraction. Though she knew she shouldn't be thinking about a future with him, she was. They already had a daughter, and if she could somehow convince him that was a good thing, maybe, given time he could fall in love with her and they could be a family.

It was an incredible fantasy, but she couldn't help imagining it, it was quickly becoming her fondest wish.

She finally fell asleep, remembering the feel of his hands on her body, and the sound of his voice in her ear…

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The door was open to the Master Suite, so Candy entered, and saw her mother standing on the balcony looking at the ocean. Quietly, the opened the French doors and joined her mother.

"Candy," Carolyn said and opened her arms to her grown daughter who fell into her embrace.

"Hey, Mom." She hugged her Mom back before stepping away. "I wanted to see what you are up to? You've been pretty quiet for a while."

"Just standing here, looking at the ocean, contemplating how things will change."

"Are you glad?"

"Glad? I don't know if that's the right word. This is all so complicated and mixed up." She sighed and looked over at Candy. "I am very, very glad that when all of this is done Daniel will be here with me and that he will be among the living. I am glad that we will finally have a chance to have the life together that we've always wanted. Though I understand most of it, I am somewhat confused as to how it is actually happening."

"Do you know what is going on? Do you know if you…well…if you?"

"Slept with him again? Let him seduce me?" She laughed at Candy's blush. "I don't know. I don't have new memories, but when I sleep I get snippets of a life that seem like dreams. I now know that the time before with him was a new reality, those memories seem more like something I dreamed up." She shook her head.

"But nothing now?"

"No, honey. Sorry. You're worried about your brother, aren't you?"

"Duh! He was sometimes an annoying little brat while I was growing up, but I wouldn't trade him for anything."

Carolyn laughed. "We all know that, even Jon."

"Will everything work out?"

"Yeah, I think so. Given our nature and mutual attraction I don't know why it wouldn't."

"Unless Dad refuses to…"

"That thought has crossed my mind, but with Jonathan's life at stake I have to believe that he would follow through and seduce me." She gave her daughter a rueful smile. "It's not like he can't."

"Mom?"

"Oh, no, not any man, my darling daughter, just your father. He kind of has me wrapped around his finger."

"As you do him."

"True enough."

"And Mom?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Are you okay? I mean, this is a lot for me and Jon to take in, it must be worse for you."

"It is, but in a way, it feels right. Like something that went wrong is now being corrected? I don't know." She shrugged and laughed.

"That's a weird way to explain it."

"I think you and Jon were always supposed to be our children. Are you okay with that?" Carolyn gazed into her daughter's now very blue eyes, concerned for her.

"Yeah, I guess. It took me a little while to think about it because I still remember our father, Bobby, but he made us unhappy. Dad was always around for us despite his problems with physicality at first."

"Yes, he was rather challenged, wasn't he?" Carolyn grinned. "And it was difficult enough for me knowing that and trying to deal with the fact I could never be with him. I wonder if it will be better or worse for the younger me knowing that we will someday be together in that manner? I mean, it's a long time to be celibate, but at least I would know…"

"Mom!" Candy blushed again, and Carolyn laughed.

"Glad to see you can still blush." Carolyn paused. "I have no idea what my new memories will be though. I expect things will be mostly the same once we move here, but the times in between? And having not one, but two children out of wedlock? Not a good thing in the era I was in. Do my parents disown me? I don't know. But no matter what I am sure that we will all end up here at home in Gull Cottage." She gave her daughter a bemused smile.

"You are an amazing woman, Mom. And can I tell you how incredibly weird it is that you are now younger than me?"

They laughed together at that.

"Yeah, honey I know. Weird for us to. And I imagine Fox and Dana, though they also seem to have adapted quite well."

"No kidding. They couldn't wait for a day? Really?"

"They've had a tough road too. I don't begrudge them anything."

"I need to get out of the house for a while and stretch my legs. Wanna come with?"

"That's an excellent idea. It will give us both something to do. Let me grab my jacket."

Moments later the women departed the house, taking a well-travelled path onto the beach.

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Daniel stared at the ceiling, unable to keep his eyes closed as the thoughts whirled through his mind, keeping him awake.

If the first day he arrived in this time counted, and he only had a week, tomorrow was almost halfway through it and all he had done was go on a date with Carolyn. In the past he had been able to seduce a woman the same day or evening he had seen them, but that was the past, and truth be told he had no interest in more than a night with them. He wanted, no, had a lifetime and more with Carolyn.

This was all so blasted confusing!

He was still at odds with himself over having to seduce Carolyn, but he knew how serious this was and for Jonathan's sake that he had to succeed. For his beloved son to exist, truly exist as his son, he needed to sleep with his love, and more than once. He would have to man up and seduce Carolyn to his bed. He hated the idea of leading her on and lying to her to achieve his goal, but he promised his boy, and his Carolyn told him to do it. Even with all the consent and all the encouragement it still felt wrong to use her this way.

He put an arm over his eyes and sighed, knowing that he would get very little sleep this night.

Dinner the next evening was more than Carolyn had ever imagined that it could be. Daniel took her to one of the most posh, expensive restaurants in Philadelphia. They were seated in a quiet, intimate corner, softly lit to make them feel like they were the only patrons in the restaurant. They talked about many things and by the end of dessert, she was feeling quite relaxed. When she said she had never stayed at his hotel, he offered to show it to her, and the suite he was staying in.

After the tour of the hotel, they walked arm in arm up to his hotel suite. He opened the door and with a question in his eyes, asked if she still wanted to go in. She nodded and entered the suite. She was immediately amazed at its decadence. Once they were in, he offered to take her jacket which he hung up on a nearby hook, and then went around to the supply side of a bar that was well stocked with liquor.

"What would you like?" He asked, planting his hands on the bar as he smiled at her.

"Umm, how well stocked is that bar?"

"Quite well it appears," he turned around and peered at the contents, and upon seeing more hidden on the lower shelves, bent down to look at them.

Carolyn laughed as he disappeared and decided she needed to see her selections for herself, so she went around the far side of the bar and knelt beside him.

He was absorbed in his task and didn't hear her movement or know that she was there, so when he turned within the small quarters he suddenly found himself face to face with her, their lips inches apart.

"Oh," was all that he could say, surprised by her nearness.

Unable to help herself, she smiled and kissed his warm lips. And he kissed her back, tentatively at first, and then she felt his tongue asking permission, and she granted it, opening her mouth ever so slowly. The slow exploratory kiss, deepened, and he ran his tongue across her lips. They came up for air and stared into one another's eyes, and Carolyn saw not only desire, but love for her and his gaze was so strong that it couldn't be her imagination.

He pulled her up and leaned into her and kissed her eagerly, passionately and she embraced him and his desire, enjoying the feel of him against her, the strength of his arms, the muscular body that held her close, and his obvious arousal which was now pressing against her.

"Carolyn, I would like to make love to you," he said, whispering softly in her ear. "Will you allow me too?"

The sweet way that he asked melted her heart, and she couldn't say no, she didn't want to say no.

"Yes, Daniel, please."

He stepped away from her and offered her his hand, which she took as he led her to the bedroom. She stared at the incredibly large, luxurious bed and couldn't help herself, she laughed.

He arched an eyebrow in amusement and looked at her.

She gestured at the bed. "A bit much don't you think?"

"It came with the room," he chuckled quietly, "I could hardly turn it down."

"Oh, I see." She bit her lip and the smile that lit her face reminded the Captain of how much he loved her. But, he had to remind himself that this was not his Carolyn, yet. She hadn't met his spirit self, that was to happen a few years from now.

He stepped closer to her, took her in his arms, and brushed hair away from her face so that he could gaze into her eyes. After staring into them for far longer than Carolyn wanted, he dropped his head to her lips and began to tease her, nibbling gently, as his lips brushed hers. Her mouth opened to his and their tongues touched, vying for supremacy as the both became more aroused. He drew away and dropped his lips to her neck, and as he softly nuzzled her, she groaned and shivered at the sensations she was feeling again, the way her body responded to this man.

"Carolyn, my love, I want to kiss you," he said trailing kisses down her neck. "And I want to undress you so that I can make love to you."

"Yes," she whispered back, and with great gentleness and more of those warm kisses, he unzipped the back of her shapely, lace black dress, and slowly pushed it off her body.

She moaned, already feeling ripples of pleasure within her. "Bed," she said, and he picked her up and carried her to the bed. When he laid her down, she surprised him and pulled his head down to kiss him aggressively, eager fingers undoing his tie and unbuttoning his shirt. Then she reached for the buttons on his trousers, but he stopped her, and removed his pants himself, letting them drop to the floor so that he was only in his boxers.

Carolyn could hardly understand what this man did to her, the emotions that he caused within her heart. She watched him as he approached her and laid down on the bed beside her. She put a restraining hand on his arm and he paused, confused.

"My love, don't you want this? His baritone voice was seductive.

"Yes, oh, Daniel, it's not that…"

"What then?"

"Condom…" she gestured towards her purse.

"Ahh, of course." He said, but instead began to nuzzle her neck again. Lying with his body pressed against her, his need so apparent, it seemed her hands had a mind of their own as they reached inside of his boxers and wrapped around him. He groaned and she pushed his boxers down. In a moment her panties were gone, but he stopped. Staring into her eyes she saw a myriad of emotions; desire, love and apprehension. She fondled him again and her hands sought to guide him in, but with an abrupt movement, he was suddenly out of her hands and off the bed, pulling on his boxers.

What just happened?

Carolyn raised herself on her elbow only to see that he had departed the bedroom. Confused by his unexplainable behavior, she pulled on her panties, and not wanting to put the dress back on, took the liberty of putting on his dress shirt.

When she emerged from the bedroom she found him standing behind the bar in his boxes gulping down a whiskey.

She approached him slowly, not sure why a man as aroused as he was would stop at such a critical moment. The look on his face was angry and troubled, and she had never dealt with this side of him. She decided to give him some space and sat on a stool across from him. She waited for him to acknowledge her, but he downed another drink before he could even look at her.

"Can I have one?" she asked, and he nodded and poured a shot for her.

She grimaced, but drank it down, and it was enough to earn her a look of amused respect.

"I'm impressed," he said.

"You should be." She folded her hands on the bar and looked at him. "What's wrong?"

"I can't tell you."

"Sure, you can, I'm a good listener."

"No, you don't understand. I really can't tell you."

"That makes no sense. I mean we were about to make love, you were…ready for me and then you just get up and leave?"

"I had to," he got out from behind the bar and paced the length of the room before coming to a stop a few feet away from her. "I didn't use the protection…and once I started I wouldn't have been able to stop."

"Well, we haven't started, and you can still use it, so what's the problem?"

He expelled a long breath. "I cannot do as you ask, I cannot use protection when we make love."

"Why on earth not?" A new set of strange thoughts began to run through Carolyn's mind and she regarded him with suspicion. "Are you hoping to get me pregnant?" She could barely voice the thought.

He gave her a long, guarded look and finally nodded.

"Why? We hardly know each other have only been together a short time, and as far as I know you are not sticking around. You don't seem like an irresponsible man, so I really don't understand."

He grimaced and shook his head. "I can't explain it to you."

"I think you'd better because that's a very intentional course of action and one that I would have to live with."

The Captain gave her a pained look and went back and poured himself another drink. She dogged his footsteps and laid a hand on his arm. "Daniel, please."

"Please? You know what I was about to do, what more do you need from me? Why aren't you angry? You should leave!"

"Because I need to know why. I mean accidentally I can sort of understand, but intentionally?"

He shook his head and muttered several curses under his breath before he turned to look at her again. "Fine, I will tell you as much as I can, but in turn you have to tell me about your daughter."

Carolyn nearly choked on her drink. "My daughter? Why would you want to know about her?"

"I do not believe you to be the kind of woman that sleeps around, the kind of woman that randomly takes strange men to her bed. So, believing that I would guess that it is only possible for the father of that child to be one of two men, either Bobby Muir or myself." He shook his head. "Though I cannot fathom how it could be me as I was delirious at the time." He frowned. "I had some quite vivid dreams about making love to you, but I thought that's all they were. Was I wrong?"

His blue eyes were intense as he studied Carolyn and she shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

"Umm," Carolyn poured herself another drink. She had never imagined the course of the conversation would change to this. Without looking at him, she gulped it down and then steeled her resolve. She knew that she would have to have this conversation with him at some time, she just didn't expect that he would be the one to initiate it.

"Are you insinuating that you could be her father?" She tried to give him a cool glance.

"Maybe, at least if there is any substance to my dreams. Or I surmise it could be Bobby Muir, you and he are an item, I believe?"

"Were an item, and that was before I met you." She finally looked into his searching blue eyes. "But you changed everything for me."

"How so?"

"By just being you," she sighed helplessly. "I hardly know how to answer this."

"The truth is usually best."

"And in exchange you'll tell me the truth too?"

"As much of it as I feel I can, yes." He nodded at her.

"While you were delirious you grabbed me and began to kiss me…"

"I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"Oh, no. You were a bit rough at first, but nothing I couldn't handle. I could have stopped you, but I didn't."

"And I wasn't wearing any protection…"

"Lord, no, you were naked as a jaybird."

"And so we?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Twice."

"I only had dreams about once. Twice?"

"Oh yeah, that. When I woke up we were already started. It seems out bodies didn't care if we were fully awake or not. I think I like morning sex." She offered him a cautionary smile. "Anyhow, when you were better you were so much the gentleman that I didn't know how to tell you that while you were sick I …."

"…took advantage of me?" The Captain shook his head. "That wasn't a smart thing to do."

"Yeah, I know. Not one of my best decisions." She shook her head. "I found out I was pregnant just before I slept with Bobby again, I knew it wasn't his child. Nine months later I had Candy and despite your abrupt disappearance, I was never so glad of anything in my life. She's a beautiful child and I couldn't love her more."

"I hope I will get to meet her soon?"

"Do you want to?" Carolyn felt relief wash over her on so many levels, he was handling the shocking news so much better than she had anticipated.

"Yes, I most certainly do. I want to see the treasure that you've presented me with."

"You don't mind?"

"Well, it's not what I had intended when I landed here, but I am not at all displeased to be Candy's father. It has however, changed a few things in my life."

"You mean that you don't want to stay? You don't want to get married?" The words slipped out before she could catch them. She knew she'd only truly known him less than two weeks of her life, but it felt so natural for him to be with her, and for them to be a family. "I'm sorry, Daniel. I shouldn't have said that. It's presumptuous of me to think that when we've known each other for so briefly."

He barked out a laugh and grimaced. "Carolyn, it is not that, I assure you. I wish I could stay and be the husband you want, and create the family you want, but I cannot. Not now."

"Why do you keep saying that? What are you anyway? A time traveler?" She asked sarcastically, her frustration getting the better of her.

He didn't answer and after a long pause she looked at him and saw a carefully composed neutral expression on his face. "Say something."

He remained silent, but gave her a long, slow nod.

"What does that mean?" she sniped.

"Though you did not mean to, you have stumbled upon part of what I have to tell you. In a sense that is exactly what I am."

"A time traveler? Really?" She crossed her arms in front of her and gave him a skeptical stare.

"I know it's hard to believe…"

"Yeah."

"And how do you feel about ghosts?" he asked with a heavy sigh.

"I think they could exist, though I haven't met one."

"Give it time," he muttered. He gestured to the sunken living room arrangement. "Let's sit down, shall we?" He took their glasses and the bottle of whiskey and set it on the long glass coffee table as the two of them sat on the couch, apart from each other.

"Start," she said.

"I don't know where, there is so much," he tugged on his ear.

"Like you said, start at the beginning."

"I assume you did research after I left the first time? What did you find out about Captain Daniel Gregg?"

"Only that a man with that name lived in Schooner Bay over a hundred years ago and died an untimely death by asphyxiation sometime before his fortieth birthday."

"And Gull Cottage?"

"Since then it has been reputed to be haunted."

"It is, and I am that Captain Daniel Gregg."

Carolyn stared at him first in amazement, until the utter nonsense of his statement registered for her. It seemed that the father of her child was a charming, insane man. She couldn't help it, she laughed in his face.

"You don't believe me?"

"No, I don't. How could that even be possible? And how could you even be here? You're certainly not a ghost, and you're younger than the photo that I found of Captain Gregg."

"It's a long story."

"I have time." She filled her glass and sat back against the couch.

"Very well." He filled his glass and sighed, staring into it for a few moments. "The original course of your timeline through life was altered when you found me and took me in. That may not have changed things irreparably, but when you, when we…joined, and you had my child, that most certainly did."

"Having Candy with you as the father altered the fabric of time?" She raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Yes, it did." He ran a hand through his hair. "You originally met me some years from now when you moved to Gull Cottage. You were a widow…"

"A widow? Who was I married to?"

"Bobby Muir." He couldn't help the look of distaste that flashed across his face.

"Ahh, now I remember. When we first met your referred to me as Carolyn Muir?"

"Yes."

"But I was a widow?"

"Yes, he apparently died unexpectedly in a car accident the year before you moved into Gull Cottage."

"That's when Candy and I moved to Gull Cottage?"

"Yes, you had had enough of your parents and in-laws trying to run your life, so you struck out on your own and settled in at Gull Cottage with you, Candy and….Jonathan." He watched her carefully.

"Jonathan?" Her eyebrow was almost in her hairline. "Who is Jonathan?"

"He is your son. You and Bobby Muir had two children."

"Two children and married to Bobby?" The look on her face was one of dismay. "That doesn't sound like what I would want."

"It was originally, but things have changed because you had Candy with me."

"But not Jonathan?" Her brow wrinkled in confusion. "Is that why?" she gestured to the bedroom.

"Yes, I promised Jonathan that he would live, and this is how it has to happen." He looked ashamed of himself as he studied his glass again. "But I can't use you like this."

"Instead you're telling me this cockamamie story?" He didn't see it, but her expression was one of amusement.

"It's not a story! That young man's life is dependent upon us!" He looked up at her and she saw the fire in his eyes.

"What's he like?"

"Oh, both he and Candy are marvelous children who turned into stupendous adults," he said with pride.

"You sound like a proud father."

"I am, or at least you let me be. I was, am, I'm not sure of the context at the present time, but I am their father in every way but one."

"Biologically."

"Yes. We formed a family, a bit unusual to be sure, but we did. Wait just a moment," he said, remembering that he had a photo of Carolyn and her children when they were small. He went to retrieve it and returned and handed it to her.

Carolyn took the photo and marveled at it. There was no doubt it was her, probably just a few years from now. And comfortably nestled alongside her was Candy, and a younger boy. Candy still resembled her, but her features were different enough that Carolyn could believe that she had a different father, and when she looked even more closely and compared them to Bobby, she knew that the Captain was telling the truth.

"This is almost too much to take in," she said and handed the photo back to him.

"I know, and I'm sorry. But I couldn't just use you to create another child without your consent, no matter what I promised him."

"And what did you promise Jonathan?"

"That he would live, and since the timeline has been altered this is the only way to make it happen."

"For us to have another child?"

"Yes," he bowed his head and looked miserable. "Which means I would leave you alone again to raise my child."

"But you said we are together and we form a family unit."

He raised his head and looked at her, she saw the tears in his eyes. "That is true enough, but the version of me you meet will not know you, for I am but a spirit when we meet."

"A ghost?"

"Most certainly. An extremely talented spirit, but a spirit non-the-less." He gave her a sad look. "I will not know you, and I will not remember any of this."

"What year are you from?" She asked.

"2009. You and I have raised the children to be fine adults and we have been married for many years."

"You became human again? How is that possible?"

"Only recently and I can't tell you."

"I married you as a ghost?"

"Yes, you did, however I did learn to be corporeal." He sighed and shook his head. "I am sure you must think me insane. I would."

There was a long silence and she sat forward and finished her drink, and then she turned to him. "What happens if we don't go through with this?"

"In this timeline Jonathan will be wiped from existence."

"And you?"

He gave her a sad smile. "The timeline will be reset, and I would be a spirit once again." He shrugged. "It's worked for us to this point, err, the future point, so…"

"But in this new timeline, how is it when you return?"

"If this one is followed, and Jonathan is restored, then you and I are alive and young, and finally have a new life together to look forward to," he couldn't conceal the desire for that outcome in his voice, or in his face.

"It's what we both want, isn't it?"

"Yes, in the future you sent me back to do this, despite the reservations that I have."

"But when the moment came, you couldn't?" She was suddenly tearing up, and the basis for his refusal began to sink into her consciousness.

"No, not without your consent."

"Why?"

"Because I love you, Carolyn. You are the love of my life, and I could not exist in any fashion without you. I couldn't simply seduce you for the purpose of having my child. It is far to callous and crass for me to behave that way with the woman I love, even if you are not yet the person I am accustomed to. And the only reason to even consider such an action is for the life of the young man that I love very much, the man I call my son."

"You love him like he is your son?" The tears were shining in her eyes.

"Of course."

This must all be very strange for you?"

"I can assure you, that you have no idea," he said drily. "Do you believe me? Or do you think me mad?"

She paused, and as she looked at him, he gently wiped a tear from her cheek, and nodded. "God help me, but I do believe your crazy, convoluted story."

"The photo helped, didn't it?" He laughed.

"Yes, a lot." She shook her head. "Bobby? I can't imagine it now." She snorted. "He keeps insisting that Candy is his child. I've told him it isn't true but haven't offered up who the father really is. I always felt I shouldn't tell them."

"It is probably best. I don't know what ramifications it would have on this timeline for anyone to find out the truth of this."

"No one else would believe it."

"You could be right."

"So, when I meet you several years from now you will be a ghost? And you won't know any of this?"

"No, I'm afraid not. And I've been told that I can, on occasion be rather difficult to deal with."

"You mean this version of you is a kinder, gentler, Captain?" She smiled at him.

"Yes, you've trained me well over the years."

They both laughed over that and had another small drink between them, enjoying a comfortable silence.

"Has telling me changed anything else?" Carolyn's brow wrinkled in concern.

"I do not know, maybe? Probably? Not at all? I hate paradoxs and this has been nothing but one." He scowled, and she couldn't help it, she laughed at his sour face. She scooted over so that she was sitting next to him and placed a hand on his arm. "I have another theory for you."

"By all means…" he gestured for her to continue.

"Maybe, just maybe, this is fate straightening things out for us."

He shook his head. "I don't follow."

"Maybe we were always supposed to be together, but something went wrong?"

"I died."

"But had you met me?"

"You mean in my lifetime? No, I would have known."

"Maybe I was there but you hadn't met me yet because you…died." She shook her head. "That sounds unreal to me because you're sitting here with me very much alive."

He offered her a bemused smile.

"Maybe." She shrugged.

"That's a lovely way to look at this mess. A bit romantic, and optimistic, but that's how you have always seen things." He looked at her fondly.

"So now what do we do?"

He laughed, but it wasn't a pleasant sound. "I have no idea. I know what I am supposed to do and feel compelled to do for Jonathan's sake, but I cannot do it unless you are willing. The choice must be yours."

"Nothing like a life altering change, is there?" She quipped.

Looking miserable, he shrugged and refilled his glass.

"Can I have some time to think about this?"

"Of course, but there is one other thing you need to know."

"What's that?"

"I only have a week before I am taken back to my time and today is day three."

"We only have four days at best?"

He nodded. "My profuse apologies."

"Daniel, I need time to think about this, to sort things out."

"Yes, I understand." He looked up at her. "You will be leaving then?"

"No, I have arranged to be away for the night."

"Oh? Were you anticipating something?"

"Pretty much what you had in mind before you told me everything." She expelled a long-held breath. "I do need to think, but I would like to do that here with you."

"What did you have in mind?" He sounded weary.

"Can we sleep? Just sleep together? I would very much like to be held in your arms while I puzzle this out."

"Yes, my love. We have done that many times and I promise you I can behave myself."

She stood up and offered her hands to him as she helped to pull him to his feet. "Come on then, we're ready for bed."

He put his arm around her as they disappeared into his hotel bedroom.