Rain overnight had turned the magical surroundings into a dreary wintry scene. The snow, previously so pristine and white, was now a murky gray color. With each step, Lucy's ugg boots sunk further into the slushy mess.

She was brought out of her inner turmoil by the sound of a car engine purring beside her.

"Lucy." With his window half down, Daniello peered out. "Where are you going?"

"Oh, hello." Lucy said. "I'm off to clean my bus out, so I can stay there tonight."

"Get in. I'll give you a ride."

She watched him suspiciously.

"Trust me," he said shamefaced, "I won't try anything again."

Lucy wasn't sure if that was reassuring or depressing. She could see he was apologetic and contrite.

The water had managed to penetrate the stitching of her ugg boots and had lowered her body temperature hugely, but riding in a car with someone with that much testosterone could be equally catastrophic.

Finally she decided. "Thanks for the offer." She tried to look suitably impressed and then commenced her struggle with the door handle which would have taken a good five minutes, but Daniello popped it open.

"I got it imported."

"What?" Lucy glanced around the vicinity for any indication of what he was talking about.

"The car," he said. "I am a bit of a stickler. I like luxurious things."

Lucy, catching a glance of herself in the side mirror of the car, wondered what on earth he was doing trying to kiss her the previous night then. There was nothing luxurious about her. A third generation tree hugger meant she wore her clothes till holes appeared and conjoined with other neighboring holes. After all... there was so many resources used to make one item of clothing for her to throw them away so frivolously.

"Do you feel comfortable?" He asked.

"Yeah," she lied. Comfortable? Sitting next to a man like him? All of her nerves were standing on end. Every time he moved she was tormented between hoping he was going to kiss her and hoping she'd come to her senses and get over this strange infatuation she'd found herself in.

He started fiddling with a knob on the console between them. Lucy's chair jumped to life massaging her as fiercely as a Korean masseuse. "JESUS CHRIST!" If she hadn't buckled herself in already, she would have been airborne. "What the fuck is wrong with this chair?"

Daniello burst into genuine laughter, and Lucy had to admit it was quite endearing. "Sorry, I was trying to show you how the chairs massage you."

"I thought there was something in there trying to get out." She smiled, shamefaced.

"When was the last time you were in a car?"

"Not for quite a while," Lucy admitted. "And certainly in nothing this new."

"This one has 206 kilometers on the clock," Daniello said. His fingers were deftly poking at buttons on the dashboard.

Lucy stared at Daniello with a considering look on her face.

"What?"

"You are so handsome when you smile."

Her compliment must have reminded him of his mashed groin the night before and all trace of amusement disappeared from his face. He sat back.

"I'm sorry for last night," Lucy said. "When you live by yourself you get a little bit gung-ho with the self-defense caper. You are a really nice man... and quite good looking. But you really should stop when women say no."

He looked shamefaced. "Yeah, sorry about that Lucy. I don't know what came over me."

"It isn't that I didn't find you good looking because obviously..." She spread her hands. "You are Ok."

"Ok?"

"More than Ok."

He seemed happy with that response.

"Although you wear a lot more makeup than I do." She chortled. "Maybe in my younger years I would have thrown myself into your arms... but I'm older now. And I try not to copulate with men who I don't imagine myself being with long term."

"Copulate?"

"I'm not prepared to let my tally of bed mates get so overwhelming that when my Mr. Right comes along I have a gaggle of children to numerous men and am independently keeping medicine companies in business because of my large array of venereal diseases."

"I see."

"That is why I don't do one night stands."

"So all these men you knee in the groin... what if one of them was Mr. Right?"

"Trust me. I'll know my Mr. Right."

"How?" Daniello asked persistently.

"He will utter a magical phrase that I've been waiting for over the last two celibate years."

"Which is?"

"I can hardly go and tell you my 'Open Sesame' can I?"

"Trust me – I'm not your Mr. Right. There was an insane moment last night when I thought I was going to be your Mr. Right Now. But thankfully you gave me the reality check I needed." A muscle in his jaw twitched.

"Well, regardless I'm keeping my magical phrase top secret."

He shrugged. Attempting to look cavalier, Lucy noticed his expression hardened.

"This is my bus here."

"Where?"

"See those tracks leaving the road?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Well, it is over there."

"Crap, Lucy. You are lucky to be alive."

"If you just stop the car I will jump out here. Don't pull over or you'll get stuck."

"I'll go get a tow truck."

"Don't worry about it. Thanks for dinner and the ride. It was nice getting to know you." Lifting her knapsack onto her shoulder firmly, she smiled. "I guess this is goodbye." And then disappeared over the side of the bank.

#

Alessandro sat in his car for a short moment after she'd gone. He could hear the finality in her voice. She was prepared to not see him again. If only it was that easy for him. He shook his head in frustration and cautiously turned his car, heading back toward the Manor. She was absolutely unhinged. She'd slammed a knee in his groin like he was a common rapist (although he had started to admire the fact that she'd done that) and yet part of him wanted to help her. Part of him had wanted to do more than just help her.

Part of him toyed with the idea that if she knew who he was she wouldn't have treated him any differently. But he knew that was just lunacy. Of course she would have treated him differently. She would have whipped all her clothes off in minutes and made it all very easy for him, and then - before he'd managed to close the door upon exiting the room - she'd have PEOPLE Magazine on the phone while she negotiated a kiss and tell that would not only pay for the problems with her bus but give her a very comfortable life. Meanwhile, he would be left in the wake of that.

Alessandro used the car phone to contact his PR. "Nigel is that you?"

"Yes, Boss."

"Could you send a tow truck down toward the river? A house bus went off the road yesterday. Drag it wherever the lady wants. Don't mention my name and tell them not to take no for an answer."

There was a pause on the line while Nigel acknowledged the strange request. "Ok, Boss." The line fell dead.

Well, Alessandro decided, that was it. He wouldn't be seeing her any longer.

Lucy was an entertaining diversion from his life. That was all.

#

"Deja vu," Lucy muttered to her surroundings. Her bus, as clean and shiny as a new pin, was once again parked by the river. Lucy had a mug filled to the brim with bubbles clasped in one hand. She was thankful that she'd managed to salvage a bottle of bubbly from the rubble that she'd found inside the bus – she'd thought she was in dire need of alcohol the last time she was here, but this time it was worse.

The longer she was in this village the more likely she would be to be succumbing to AA meetings. Lucy glanced at the notepad on her lap which she'd scribbled 'Ways to make money'. It wasn't that she needed ideas as such because she had a fountain of them... she just needed focus.

A large truck bounced down the road toward her. A cowboy seated in the driver's seat with an intent look on his face. Catching sight of Lucy he braked suddenly and jumped out. "Hello." His sultry voice was at odds with his attire.

"Daniello? What is with the Brokeback Mountain look?"

"Don't ask," he said curtly.

Shrugging she scooped a mug from her portable table. "Need a cup of bubbles?"

He nodded and sat down beside her in a portable chair. "I just had a few moments between chasing this guy down and I figured that I could pop in and see how you are doing."

"I'm alive."

"You cleaned the bus?"

"Yup."

He took a sip of the drink she offered him. "Wow!" He shook his head in amazement. "This is the finest bottle of bubbly I've ever had," Daniello told her from his portable seat. "Where on earth did you find it?"

"The bargain bin at the local supermarket. It was six dollars."

"Six dollars!" Every syllable dripped with disbelief. "Wow! I never knew alcohol could be so inexpensive."

Lucy sat next to him, "Yep. I don't even have to buy glue to sniff. It is so cheap." They watched the river pass by in silence.

After some time Daniello spoke up. "This is so peaceful."

"I know, sometimes I forget how lucky I am."

"Are those the clothes you designed?" Daniello asked, eyeing the impromptu clothesline Lucy had strung up between the front of the bus and a nearby tree.

"Uh huh. I only just finished hand cleaning the soot off them."

"Hand cleaning?" Daniello was impressed.

"My ex boyfriend Storm... Ummm, I mean Bruce... wanted me to hook a washing machine up to my generator, but the extra weight would mean I spend too much money on fuel."

"Right." He gave her an assessing look. "I can't say I've had this conversation with many of my lady friends."

"Imagine your horror if you'd got here ten minutes ago. I was taking the chimney apart to fix it."

"If I had witnessed that my expectations of future girlfriends would have been severely high."

"As my expectations of future partners have been severely altered after seeing you in that get-up." Lucy snorted with laughter.

After a companionable silence as they sipped at the cheap bubbly, Daniello groaned... "I don't know why I'm asking this, but what are your expectations of future partners?"

"I want to find someone who is my best friend. Someone who loves me and appreciates me. Preferably someone who would still be interested in hearing me carp on about the same stories from my youth ten years down the track."

"Ambitions?"

"It'd be nice if he wasn't living with his Mum, but I'm not too fussy."

He laughed. "You're hilarious."

Lucy started to get cross. "I don't know why you bother to ask me things if you don't trust me enough to listen to the reply. I don't lie."

"Probably you are so busy telling yourself something that it has become your truth, but - let me tell you - when it comes down to it you won't choose the guy living at home with his mum, you will choose the money. Especially now, in this predicament you are in."

"So I'm such a liar. Tell me Detective Daniello... What expectations do you have for a future girlfriend?"

"She has to be rich."

"RICH?"

"Really rich."

Lucy began laughing.

"I'm not joking," Daniello said. His face was deadly serious.

"Why do you need a rich partner? Do you have a lot of debt?"

"No." Daniello gnawed his lip in frustration. "Look, it is a difficult thing for me to explain... and to be honest I don't know why I'm even telling you this. It is just in my position I find rich women less likely to betray me."

There was a silence for a few moments before Lucy began to chortle. "In your position?" She struggled to straighten her face. "Daniello the lowly detective you don't need to be so worried about us paupers. We aren't half as interested in your money as you'd like to think."

"I wish that was the truth. But I know that you are all out for number one."

Lucy was silent for some time. "And last night when you kissed me. You realized I was as poor as a church mouse. So why did you do it?"

"I've been asking myself that question since I left you last night. I don't know Lucy. I guess I wasn't thinking straight."

"You sure know how to flatter a woman." Lucy shook her head angrily. "I thought Italians were supposed to be a romantic bunch."

"Even when we've been physically assaulted by a woman?"

"I didn't just physically assault you for no reason. You weren't listening to me say no. I just don't understand you, Daniello... I keep seeing you around – like one expects to see friends about – but I don't even think you like me. You just told me that I'm not your type of woman. Which just leaves the answer. You are either a sociopath or an absolute narcissist. I don't even know why you are here. Why are you here?"

"I told you why I'm here," he said, indignant. "To see that you are alright."

Lucy stood up. "Just leave."

"Don't be like that, Lucy."

"Like what? Rational? I don't need some guy popping around to spend time with me so that he feels better about his life. Just go home. And don't come back."

"You are being stupid."

"I might be stupid, but at least I'm not nasty." If her eyes could assault someone they would be stabbing Daniello with tiny spears. "And I hope you feel really good about yourself because it takes a real sonofabitch to get someone like me angry."

Daniello sprang to his feet. "Right. Well. Goodbye then." The thunderous look on his face conveyed the flippant throwaway words. Turning on his heel he left her alone in peace.

"Hmmph!" She said aloud as his truck sprayed gravel at his departure. "Now I can really relax and enjoy myself." But instead she felt angry... and then sad and then... instead of enjoying herself she felt another emotion yawn open inside of her. I'm lonely. She shook her head incredulously. I don't think I've ever felt lonely before!