Cole wrapped his finger around the white forelock of hair that stubbornly fell over the left side of Josey's creamy skin.

Waardenburg Syndrome-Type II carried with it the risk of many symptoms, one of which was hypopigmentation. For Josey, this meant she didn't have enough color in certain places on her skin, and throughout her hair. Made to feel inferior by classmates at school years ago, Cole had long since become Josey's knight in shining armor. Unlike everyone else, Cole made her feel special; a treasure to be cherished, appreciating her differences as a jeweler appreciated rare gems. Josey never felt small in Cole's arms. He silenced all her insecurities and made her feel like a princess.

Josie knew how lucky she was, not just in having Cole's love and affection, but also because at present she only had to deal with mild genetic mutation symptoms. Her physician had concerns about her deteriorating hearing, but at the moment, she still bordered on the healthy-enough side of the charts. Future intervention was coming, however, so Josey tried to enjoy every sound around her, even the knocking of a nearby woodpecker, and the noise of a neighbor's barking dog.

"It always amazes me how beautiful your hair is, Baby," Cole said, admiring the rich spectrum of color; white, blond, brown and gray falling through his fingers like grains of sand in an hourglass.

"You say that every time you're here, Cole," Josey replied.

"That's because every time I see you, I fall in love with every part of you all over again," he said, hugging her close and then standing up. "Come on, let's go."

Without a word, Josey let Cole pull her to her feet, grabbing the blanket beneath them. Still holding onto him, the blanket bunched against her opposite side. Josey fell in-step beside Cole as they disappeared behind their nearby gardening shed. They entered the spiderweb-christened doorway silently, tugging the rusty latch across the inside of the door to ensure their needed privacy.

A strange place for a romantic interlude, yes, but Josey had long ago given up trying to talk Cole out of his strange habits. She knew he enjoyed the security of small, dark spaces and was happy to indulge him if it meant he'd stick around longer.

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Things just took a steamy turn. What about poor Percy, though?

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