He screamed and his shot up in his bed. Sweat coated his body and he was shaking violently. His eyes were filled to the brim with salt water and he could hardly see a thing. "Cinder," he said. His voice shook as much as his body. "Cinder," over and over again he said her name. Just like in the nightmare. He fell back onto his bed and shrank into himself.

He heard the door creak open. "Kai," it was the princess. He yearned to get up and hold her. But he was so shaken he couldn't control his own body. "Kai, are you okay?" she came closer to the bed. Her eyes glinted with the moonlight that crept in from his window. She could see how defenseless he was right now. "Oh, Kai," her voice caring and sweet. She came to a stop a foot away from the bedside and knelt down to be at eye level with him. "Did you have a nightmare?"

"Yes," he said ever so weakly. Her hand rubbed up and down his arm, pressing a warm feeling under his skin. It gave him the strength to move, to sit up. He leaned against the head board and breathed in and out several times.

"What happened?" He closed his eyes, but that was the worst thing he could have done. Images of her bleeding corpse flashed in his mind and he came back to reality with gasped jump start. More tears trickled down his face while he suppressed the whimpers forming at the back of his throat. Her fingers slowly came to his face and fabric-ed fingers banished the tears. Her hand rested on his cheek as he continued to shake. "Do you want me to stay for a bit?"

He weakly nodded and looked back to her. There was no blood streaming down her head, nor was she wearing a wedding dress. She was real and okay, and alive. As she began to crawl onto his bed, he couldn't wait another second. He lassoed his arms around her waist and tugged her into his chest. His head fell into the crevice of her neck and his tears overwhelmed his eyes once more. She hadn't made a sound since she last spoke. But her hands found their way to his back and she gently stroked up and down.

He felt so weak. He felt like he was wimping out in front of Cinder. It made him blush incredibly, but his tears denied him a break. "Kai, what happened?" Her voice so sweet. Too sweet for him. She was so caring and considerate for someone with such a horrid past. He could never deserve her, never make her feel whole. Not even come close to the right fit for her. But she was here now, and she was all he needed.

"You ... you and I," he stammered. "We were married. You agreed be-because Levana said she'd kill m-me if you didn't. Then, she said you'd .. have to .. have kids .. w-with me. You got scared and ..." It was too painful. He didn't want to poison her thoughts with his nightmares. Or to make her think that he was psychotic.

"What happened next?" She didn't seem interested in the terror of it. She seemed more fearful for what he thought. For his well being.

"You sh... you shot," his voice tremor-ed greatly, but not enough to stop him. "You shot yourself to get out of it."

"Kai." Her arms squeezed him for a moment. She drew him closer and kissed the top of his head. He was completely defenseless. He was feeble beyond words. "I'd never do that to you. I'd never leave like that."

"Promise," his voice more stable and less shy. "Promise me you'll never leave me. Please," he begged. He tried not to sound so needy for her, but his walls had been destroyed. All of his sorrow had come to the top layer of his body. He craned his head so that his lips brushed her skin. He trailed light kisses on her neck.

"I promise, I'll never leave you, Kai." She flinched again. It was a swift movement, but he caught it. The act was soon forgotten as she raked her fingers through his hair and held him close with her other hand. He glanced at her hand, which was covered by a silk glove. He reached out and took her hand, then pulled off the glove. Her metal hand was cool, soft and smooth. He pressed the cyborg limb to his face and sighed with delight.

This was his Cinder. This was the one he yearned to spend the rest of his life with. He didn't mind the idea of a marriage between them now. In fact, he hoped that fate would shine upon him and grant him the ability to marry Cinder and have her remain happy. That they could find themselves as a gracious husband and wife who loved one another more than just about everything. She was the angel sent to answer his prayers for a less lonely life. And she certainly looked the part.

Cinder soothed him to a great extent, but there was one thing he wanted to hear from her. "Cinder?"

"Yeah, Kai," her eyes fixed on him. But he wanted her to appeal to him in another sense.

"Do you sing at all?" she crushed her body a little. She took in a deep breath, and reformed.

"Tell anyone and you're dead," she joked. He wanted to hear her voice, to know how she sounded. If her voice was half as good as her looks or her personality, than it had to be beautiful. "So this is love, a hm hm. So this is love." She sang like a bird. "So this is what makes life divine. I'm all aglow, a hm hm. And now I know ... the key to all heaven is mine. My heart has wings, a hm hm, and I can fly. I'll touch every star in the sky. So this is the miracle ... that I've been dreaming of, so this is love. So this is ... love."

A few minutes of silence followed her singing. He was simply awestruck by her sweet voice. She sang with such a gentle feel, yet strong and powerful. He turned his gaze up to her face. "An interesting choice in song."

"Shut up," she laughed shyly. "I heard it all the time when I was a kid. I remembered it, as it was one of the only songs I heard as a child."

"Well, it was gorgeous. I love your voice, just as much as I love you," Kai swooned.

"Then you must hate me quite a bit. My voice is terrible."

"No it's not. I like it, a lot. It's pretty, just like you." His head had been resting on her shoulder for the past few minutes, now he wanted to see her face. He lifted his head from her and pressed a kiss to her lips. She put up no hesitation as he poured his feelings for her into this kiss. He said how much he loved her, how beautiful she was, what she meant to him, and what he thought a future with her would be like, without a single word. After all, who wanted to hear him rant on and on about what he thought. It was much easier to tell her this way.

She broke away, then cupped his face in her hands. "I think we should get some sleep. It's one in the morning and you're getting circles around your eyes."

"But I just want to stay up, ... with you," he pouted. She stood her ground and did not give in. She rolled her eyes wildly.

"You need some rest. If you don't want to go to sleep while I'm here, then I'll just have to go back to my room." When she shifted from his hold, he was quick to take her back into his arms.

"Okay. Okay, we can get some sleep." He feared that if she left, then his dreadful night terrors would return to haunt him. He also adored the feeling of her by his side. On her second night here, he couldn't help but smile the entire time she was in his grasp.

They lied down and drew the blankets over them. Her back plastered to his chest and his face stuck to the side of her neck. The flame in his chest was as fiery as the sun. His arms rung around her like hooks. Her arms covered his, metal hand cooling his warm skin. He had been tired before, but he didn't want to sleep. He wanted to be fully awake for every second that he was with her. Then he realized, if he never got any sleep, he'd never be able to do that.

...............

Kai could tell he was dreaming. All of the walls were bare and too clean. As were the floors and rooms that he passed. He walked the halls for any sign of life. He found servants, visitors, and others among the halls. His heart caught on his throat when he opened a room he hadn't seen before.

There was a little child inside, she was running around in circles, wearing a long black cloak. It was Cinder's cloak. The child stopped to stare at him, "Hi Daddy!" the little girl looked no older than four. She had golden hair and blue eyes, and aside for her lightly tanned skin, she appeared nothing like him. She clung to his leg and giggled, "Do you have any time to play today? I really want to play with you and Mommy today."

"I think Daddy is busy right now, Rose," a familiar voice answered. Followed by a recognizable figure standing up from a bed he hadn't seen upon entering. She walked over to him, knelt down, and spoke to the child. "Why don't you play in the gardens for a while, little Rose." The girl giggled again and left the room. "Hey, Kai," Cinder grinned as she straightened.

"Hey," he said, unsure of how to respond to this. If that girl was his daughter, and Cinder was her mother, did that make them ... together?

"Do you know how much longer you'll have to work? You said you'd spend time with Rose for a bit," her eyes glinted. Her hands draped themselves on his shoulders. He had not doubt that this dream was about a possible future he could have, with Cinder.

"I think I'm nearly done, actually," he really had no idea what was going on.

"Okay. Just make sure you spend some time with Rose before she goes back to Luna, okay. She and I still have to go to see her off for another few months."

"Alright, but if you're leaving, shouldn't I spend time with you, too?"

"Kai," her eyes narrowing. "You said you'd spend time with Rose."

"I know, but I could spend time with my wife, too," he hoped that she was his wife in this dream. Or this would just be awkward.

"Kai," she scolded. She inched back a bit before he caught her back in his arms and splattered her neck and face with kisses. "Kai!" she screamed. She pushed her hands to his chest to force him off of her. She was soon captured in the net of his affection. Kai pressed a final kiss to her lips while his hands tugged at her waist. She almost seemed to be going limp as she slowly stopped resisting him. He broke from her to speak.

"How about, we spent time with Rose .. together," he suggested.

"Okay .." she was surely light-headed and dizzy. She staggered a bit as she walked with him to the gardens to going their daughter. Who was already dancing around the bunches of flowers and bushes. For hours it seemed, the three played in the large yard, laughed, and just enjoyed each others company.

They all were on their backs on a blanket in the garden. Rose had fallen asleep a few feet from where he and Cinder were. Just like Cinder, she made no sound audible to humans as she slept.

"This was the best choice I ever made," Cinder whispered.

"What was?" Kai asked, confused about the subject she was referring to.

"The choice I made to start a family with you." Now Kai knew this had to be a dream. Even if she did think that it was a grand decision, she would never admit it unless she was either being forced to, or there was an outside influence.

"I think so too," he said simply. If this dream could represent a possible future, then he had nothing to worry about, and everything to look forward to.

................

"What's going on, Grandmere?" Scarlet watched as her grandmother store out the window with worried eyes.

She snapped her eyes away and turned to her. "Nothing, Scarlet. Everything's fine," she lied.

"Grandmere, I'm eighteen. I can take the truth. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Now go to bed, young lady. I'm going to need you to help me deliver our crops to buyers tomorrow," the red head slowly climbed up the stairs, and Michelle glanced back to the window. She thought she had seen shadows out in the fields and trees. It was probably her paranoid mind playing tricks on her. Or, they finally found her.

Years ago, she had offered to take the toddler lunar princess with her back to Earth. She said she would harbor her here until she was older enough for the surgery she would need. She even had the stasis chamber in her cellar. But their plans had been ruined by a man who was selfish, and told a lunar guard what they were up to.

Michelle knew that eventually, someone would come after her. That someone would be sent to kill her and make it be viewed as an accident or a suicide. She wasn't afraid of that, death was eminent. But she was afraid for her grand-daughter. Scarlet had just become an adult, but she was still a child in her eyes. She had a pistol on her at all times, but she still seemed too defenseless.

There was a knock at the door, "I'll get it, Grandmere," Scarlet jumped down the stair and raced for the door.

"Scarlet don't!" she yelled, as the door was swung open by the red head.

"Hello, can I help you?" she walked up to be a foot or so behind Scarlet. Her worst nightmare was standing just outside her door.

"I must be lost. I was hoping you could direct me to the nearest Inn." The man who stood on her property was large and tall. He had a broad frame and was very muscular. He had several scars all over his exposed face, neck and arms. His eyes were unnaturally green and his lips stayed close together, for a reason Michelle already knew.

"I think there's one a few miles from here. If you want I could take you in my hover ..."

"I don't think he needs our help to get there, dear," she interrupted. "Why don't you head back inside, and I'll see this man off." Scarlet looked back to her, Michelle replied with a glare. One that her grand-daughter knew full well to never go against. Scarlet sighed and went back inside, up the stairs, and hopefully to her room. Once she was out of ear shot, Michelle turned back to the man.

"Why don't you head out of here while you still can, hybrid," she snarled.

"I'm not here to harm you. I'm here to warn you." He tried to put her at ease, and failed.

"I know what you are, and that what I tried to do was the right thing. If you intend to kill me for it, I have no problem with that. But-" She stepped closer to this man who dared set foot on her property. "If you so much as think of hurting my little girl, I will kill you."

"I don't want to hurt anyone. I'm a run-away from my pack. I've fought them off as much as I can, but they're coming for you and your grand-daughter."

She didn't trust this man. He didn't even come close to someone she would respect or put any faith in. But he had information, that she could use to protect Scarlet. "If you truly are here to warn me, then tell me why you left."

"My pack wanted to interrogate you and use your grand-daughter as leverage. I was supposed to come here and abduct her to lead you away from your home. That's when my pack would come in and subdue you."

"How do I know that you aren't just using this poor excuse of a back story to get into my home and take my grand-daughter? Why should I trust you?"

"I was the alpha in my pack. Now, the alpha is my younger brother, Ran. He has no problem with coming here and taking you and your grand-daughter to our base back in Paris. If you chose to believe me, then you could prepare yourselves and get out of France. If you don't, it could cost you her life." He brought his arm up and pointed up the stairs as he said 'her'.

Michelle stiffened. If this man used to be the alpha in his pack, and his brother had been moved up. That could cause this man to try to complete his brother's mission and report to their leader. Jealousy was a strong incentive, but so was reward. "What do you think you could gain from this?"

"Excuse me?" He was baffled about her inquiry.

"Do you think that I'll give you some kind of prize for helping me? Or do you just feel like being the hero instead of the monster in this story?"

"I-I don't know," he stuttered. He was under quite a bit of pressure. Not only was she putting heat on him, but if he was telling the truth, so was his pack. They must be hunting him down in an effort to keep their mission under raps.

"Why don't you come in for a while?" He gave her a questioning look. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "If you are telling the truth, then your pack must want you dead. If so, it may be safer to stay somewhere with walls and a roof for protection." She stepped back to let the man inside. He hesitantly came through the door way and into the house. She climbed up the stairs and led him to an empty room. It was previously cleaned for guests, that would probably never come. "You can use this room if you like. Either that or your friends can hunt you down and kill you."

"Thank you. But I don't want to be a burden."

"You informed me of an impending attack on my family. This is the least I can do." She left the room and sealed the door behind her. The room this man was currently using once belonged to her son, Scarlet's father.

This man made her feel defensive. Not because he was a lunar hybrid or because he was built like an ox. Not even because she had never met him before. But because he had several key characteristics. Honor, kindness, bravery, sensitiveness, and a good amount of mysteriousness. He was not like the other hybrids she'd seen, with their indistinguishable personalities and their rough toned voices. This one was different, and he reminded Michelle of someone else a great deal. Scarlet. He was like her, but from another world. This man earned his stay here by telling her about a possible attack. But if he dared to engage Scarlet in any way, he'd find himself at the wrong end of her shotgun.