Jessica woke up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night, disoriented. Her heart was pounding in her ears and her breathing was haggard. Vaguely, she became aware of the arms that wrapped around her and the soothing voice in her ear. In the darkness, with only a sliver of moon lighting the room through the curtains, she could not remember where they were at first.

Images started to filter through her brain though, as she took in her surroundings. She remembered that they had come to this cabin in the deep woods of Maine yesterday to have a romantic weekend celebrating their one year anniversary of being together. They still weren't married, but Jessica was warming to the idea. They were renting this cabin for a long weekend and there was not a soul around for miles. The evening before they had made dinner and made love in the dark, falling asleep in the nude with the blankets piled high on top of them, to keep them warm in the coldness of the early spring night.

Once she was able to recall recent memory, she knew she had to get her breathing under control first and focused on each inhale and exhale, while holding his arms in place. She still could not focus on the words he was saying, only the basic need of supplying oxygen to her body. After several minutes, she realized that her face was wet from tears, even as she felt them being rhythmically wiped away by him every few seconds.

Coming out of the tunnel of fear, she began to focus on his voice and then his words.

"Jess, my love, I'm here. You are safe," his words on repeat over and over, in his rumbling voice.

Finally, she turned in his arms, pulling her body flush with his own. His frame was strong and firm against her, and she melted into him, the tears continuing.

"Seth, it was awful," she whispered in his ear.

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

She nodded against his shoulder, even as she knew she could not make eye contact.

Gathering her thoughts, she said, "I dreamed that we were here as though I was reliving last night and after we made love, you started having chest pains and…had a heart attack and I couldn't drive you to help…and…I called for an ambulance and started CPR, but before they could get here, you…"

"Did I die?" he asked quietly.

She nodded her head. She could not bear to say the words.

"Well, to state the obvious, I'm not dead. I'm right here holding you."

"But Seth…what happens if you do have a heart attack one day? I can't lose you the way I lost Frank."

"I hope that never happens, my dear, but you know that we all die. You and I understand that better than most, I'd wager."

Rubbing his shoulder with one hand, she confessed, "It's the main reason I took so long to admit that I had fallen in love with you. Fear of losing someone I loved deeply again has been difficult to try to overcome."

"You think I don't have the same fear?"

She did not answer, but squeezed him tighter.

"Jess, if I knew that we could both live to be one hundred and die in each other's arms at the same moment in time, I would have wooed you years ago. It's terrifying to love your other half and know that despite that love, one of you will in all likelihood outlive the other."

"Seth, I understand that most of that is out of anyone's control, but some of it could be helped perhaps."

"What do you mean, Jess?"

Pushing back from his arms to look into his eyes in the darkness, she says, "I know you have been eating better and exercising more this year and I am grateful. But have you had a yearly physical and blood work lately? Are your cholesterol and blood pressure okay?"

He considered her questions before answering, "I think it's been over a year now, so when we get back home next week, I'll make an appointment with one of my colleagues and have a full work up. Will that make you feel better?"

"A little. But there is something else."

"What is that?"

"I want you to teach me to drive."

He looked at her incredulously, "What did you say, Jess?"

"You heard me, Seth."

"I did, but you do realize, my love, that if I did have a heart attack in a remote place such as this, that even if you knew how to drive, you would never be able to get me in the car on your own?"

"I'm aware, Seth. I'm also aware that fear isn't logical. But still, what if you injured yourself in some other way and couldn't drive? I am not going to risk your life waiting for help to arrive. I want you to teach me here, since there is no one around and at least if I know how to operate the car, I could drive in an emergency."

"Does this mean that you are going to get a drivers' license…" he trails off.

Even in the darkness, her body stiffened against him, before she said, "At my age?"

"I would never say that. But you know what I mean, Jess."

She did know what he meant and she was too tired and upset to give him too much grief. But she did tease as she said, "Yes, lucky for you, I do know. And no, I have no intention of actually driving at my age. Or getting a license or any one of the myriad things that one does to drive. I have no interest in it whatsoever. No, I simply want you to teach me how to drive your car in the morning. I need to know that if it was within my control to help you, that I could."

"Alright, woman. I don't think there is another soul for at least twenty miles. I think it would be safe enough to show you the basics in the yard here. There is plenty of room, and the road we came in on appeared to be flat and mostly private."

"Thank you, darling."

"You know I would do anything for you, woman."

"Yes, I do," she said, before closing the few inches between their lips in a heated kiss, gaining quick entrance to his mouth, surprising him, even as he tightened his arms around her, and groaned in reply.

Breaking for air after a few moments, she continued moving along his jawline, to his ear, before using her nails to scratch across his chest in the way she knew drove him crazy. It was her way of telling him exactly what she wanted. He murmured, "Jess, I thought you might be hesitant…after your nightmare…are you sure?"

"Which is exactly why I need you. I'm not going to let that nightmare take anything from us. I need to rid this demon right now. Is that alright?"

"I love you, Jess. Let me show you just how alright it is," he said, as he did his best to give her all the love, comfort, and satisfaction he could in the middle of the night. Her cries of pleasure were frequent and built to a crescendo that crashed over them both.

Wrapped in their afterglow, she rested her head against his chest and listened as his heart slowed to its normal rhythm.

"Feel better, my dear?"

She nodded against him, keeping her ear directly over his heart.

"If I keep my head right here and listen to your heartbeat, I think I will be able to go back to sleep."

Seth rubbed her bare back with his hand, feeling her soft warm skin, before placing a kiss on the crown of her head.

"Jess?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

She turned her head to look up at him, while keeping her head over his heart, "And I love you, Seth. So very much."

"Thank you for loving me."

"It's a privilege to be yours, Seth."

"I feel the same about you. Now go back to sleep."

They nodded off together, as they waited on the sun to come up.

S/J

After daybreak, they made breakfast and plenty of coffee in the small kitchen in their hideaway in the woods.

Seth had hoped that Jessica would forget about her desire to learn to drive in the light of day, even as he knew there was no chance, she would let it go. It wasn't that he minded teaching her. She was such an intelligent woman and he had no doubt she already knew the basics, despite never driving before. No, it was more that he was worried that she would let the fear from the nightmare linger. He did not want her to give it anymore power. It was a nightmare and nothing more.

But just as he knew she would, she pushed back from the kitchen table when she was finished eating, and began pouring coffee into traveling cups for their drive.

Jessica heard Seth sigh, even as he tried to cover it by acting like it was a yawn. She chose not to comment though. She was feeling nervous now that the time had arrived for her lesson, but she would not back out.

Heading out to Seth's trusty old station wagon, he paused to look around. The back of the cabin was surrounded by a heavy tree line, but in front of the cabin there was a very large road that led to a flat clearing to the side of the cabin. Considering options, he said, "Jess, let's just start here in the driveway and yard first. Why don't you go ahead and get in the driver's seat and I will explain all the mechanics and switches? You can practice feeling the pedals and there is plenty of room in this yard to pull forward and back up a few times."

Jessica followed him around to the driver's side, as he opened the door for her. He shut it behind her, before walking around to the passenger side and getting in beside her. Moving over to the middle, he put the key in the ignition but did not turn the car on yet.

Jessica felt her heart pounding, but listened to Seth carefully, as he explained everything to her in his soothing voice. She had watched him drive for years, as well as Frank and many others. She understood the concept of accelerating and braking, but knew the reality of actually engaging the pedals and turning the steering wheel would feel far different.

"Alright, Jess, go ahead and turn the key in the ignition."

Her nerves were still on high alert, but she followed his instructions, hearing the car turn over and the engine come to life.

In his steady voice, he explained each of the dashboard lights and such things like if the oil light ever came on, the car must be stopped immediately. He showed her how to turn the lights on for nighttime driving, the hazard lights, turning indicators, the windshield wipers, and got her to lightly tap the accelerator while the car was still in park, as well as the brake, so she could get a sense of the pressure needed for both.

She asked a few questions about shifting gears, but knew that an automatic like Seth had, was far easier than some of the older models that Frank had driven as well as her father, with a manual transmission.

"Do you feel ready to put it into drive?"

"I think so."

"Alright, this is fairly flat through here and there is plenty of room to just pull forward fifty feet or so and brake. Put your foot on the brake and move the car into drive."

The automatic gear shift was on the steering column, and Jessica carefully pushed with her right foot down on the brake pedal, while pulling the gear shift towards her and moving it down until the "D" was highlighted.

"Good, Jess. Now, slowly push the gas and go to the end of the yard here."

She did as he instructed, but when she came to the end of the grassy area, she pushed the brake far harder than she realized, causing them to both jerk forward against their seat belts.

"Oh, Seth, I'm sorry!"

Seth chuckled, "No harm done, Jess. Better to push the brake too hard than not enough."

"I suppose so," she said, even as she felt a wave of embarrassment.

Seth could read her so well though, because he patted her thigh and said, "You are doing well, my love. Now, look in the rearview mirror to make sure nothing is behind us, and then put the car into reverse and back us up where we started."

She did, but going backwards was more terrifying, and once again, she stepped on the brake far harder than needed.

"Oh dear," she muttered under her breath.

He coaxed her to go forward and back three more times in the yard, until she could press the brake pedal smoothly without causing them to be jostled.

After the fourth time, he asked her to put the car in park.

Still with his hand on her thigh, he asked her how she felt.

"Alright. My heart is pounding though."

"Would you like to try driving on the road here for a bit or we can find a field somewhere and let you try a few turns?"

Looking over at the road, she considered her options. The road right by the cabin was dirt and she had not heard another car on it since they arrived. It appeared to exist solely to reach the cabin. She wanted to learn the basics of driving today, but she certainly did not want to put anyone else in danger.

"Yes, I think maybe we could see if this road goes any further?"

"That'd be fine, Jess."

Jessica was a fast learner, as Seth knew she would be. The dirt road to the cabin was about two miles long, and although it did dead end past the cabin after a few hundred feet, it provided plenty of opportunity to practice, while staying under ten miles an hour.

After going back and forth several times, Jessica felt she had gained the confidence she needed to not be a liability to Seth if there ever was an emergency where he could not drive for them. She did not enjoy it, but she felt like she had done what she needed to do for her own peace of mind.

Deciding not to turn into the driveway of the cabin, she continued on the dirt road one last time. Pulling up at the dead end of the dirt road, she put the car in park facing the woods.

"Everything alright, Jess?"

Turning to him, she unhooked her seat belt, before reaching to unhook his own. She moved to his lap and reached for him, putting her hands on his shoulders, before she leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Have you ever gone parking, my darling?"

"Once or twice with Ruthie when I was a young sapling," he chuckled at the memory. Pulling back to look into her deep blue eyes, he said, "What about you, my dear? Did Frank ever let you tempt him in a parked car?"

"Oh, once or twice…" she said. As her warm breath caressed his ear, she began kissing a long line down his neck and behind his collared shirt, freeing the top couple of buttons for more access.

Moving to his mouth, Jessica captured his lips with her own, engaging all her focus and energy on kissing him, while slipping her tongue into his warm mouth. She heard him groan, which caused her heart to swell. She tried deepening the kiss, but before she could begin to explore with her hands, he grasped her arms pushing her away.

"Woman, it's daylight!"

"But we haven't seen anyone since we arrived yesterday and it's private here," she said, trying to kiss him again.

"Jess, I don't particularly want to stop either, but I somehow doubt if a policeman found us, he would feel the same way."

"Alright, we won't get in the backseat. But can we at least make out for a while?" she asked coyly.

"Well, it might hurt my reputation if anyone found out, but I suppose we could go to second base, my love," he said, winking at her, even as they both laughed together.

Resuming their embrace, they spent time kissing, caressing, and whispering words of love. Thankfully, the windows fogged up and no one was ever the wiser.