Should I really do this? Nick asked himself. After listening to Autumn's message, he phoned Brian and asked if he had Autumn's number.

Brian didn't have it, but instead had the address of the hotel where she was staying for the time being. Nick had headed over to the hotel and now, as he stood in the lobby, he wondered if he was doing the right thing.

*~*

After a few more minutes of heavy contemplating, Nick figured that he had nothing to lose if he went up there. He looked at the room number that Brian had scrawled down on the tiny piece of paper and quickly slipped onto the elevator and pressed the number 3 to get to her room.

The elevator ride went quickly and Nick walked down the hall to Room 57. He took a deep breath and knocked three times on her door. He heard the shuffling of feet behind the door and slowly the door opened.

Autumn smiled a small smile and opened the door wider so Nick's tall frame could slip inside her room. Nick stole a glance at her from the corner of his eye, and he noticed that she looked very tired. Her green eyes were distant and the bags underneath them indicated her lack of sleep. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun and her body was covered in a pair of Nick's sweatpants and a sweatshirt.

"How are you doing?" He asked her, almost shocked to learn that he still had a voice.

"Ok, I guess. I take it you got my message," Autumn said. Nick nodded.

"Here I am, at your service. What did you want to talk about?" Nick asked and sat down on the small couch across from her bed. She followed him and slowly eased onto the couch and carefully tried not to hurt her wounds.

Nick noticed her discomfort and reached for the hotel pillow and motioned for her to lean forward and once she did, he fluffed the pillows and placed them behind her back. She leaned slowly back and she cleared her throat.

"Thanks." She said. Nick nodded.

"So why did you call me here?" Nick asked.

"Well," Autumn began, "I've been taking therapy at the hospital with Richard Jackson, and-"

"You go to that asshole for help?" Nick interjected, remembering the last time that he had spoken with Dr. Richard Jackson.

"Yeah, I do. He told me about your little...disagreement. But, that's not why I called you. I called you to ask you a favor."

"What favor?" Nick asked.

"Well, the police asked me to go back to the house."

"And you want me to go?"

"Yeah. I mean, no one would really understand...except for you. By the way, where are you staying at?" She asked him.

"I'm at the beach house," answered Nick quietly. Autumn nodded.

"So...will you? Please?" Autumn pleaded. Nick looked at her and pretended to think.

"Only under one condition," he said.

"What condition..."

"Promise me you'll get some sleep," he said and his face cracked into a smile. She laughed.

"I can't though. I'm afraid to close my eyes at night," she said. She grew silent and Nick walked over to her bed and pulled down the covers before he walked back over to Autumn and slowly retrieved the pillow he used before.

After her bed was ready, he walked over to her and scooped her up in his arms and slid her under the covers. She cradled her hands in a ball on the base of her neck and she turned over onto her back as she watched Nick walk around the bed and quickly slide into bed next to her.

"Nick, I don't really think-"

"Shh," he whispered. "Just go to sleep," he said and leaned down to plant a soft kiss on her forehead. She looked into his eyes and snuggled deep into his awaiting arms and quickly fell asleep.

*~*

As Autumn slept soundly, Nick ran his fingers through her soft hair and his mind drifted away in thought. As he held Autumn in his arms, his heart broke over and over again inside of him.

Before the attack, Nick would slide into bed and she would just smile lovingly at him and plant a nice, slow good night kiss on his lips. She would snuggle into his embrace and he would wait until she was sleep before he even closed his eyes. And that was what he did that night in the hotel room.

As Autumn's breathing grew deeper within each passing second, Nick's heart would tremble in his body. He missed her so much and the realization of what he had lost hit him then and there.

He lay there in bed with tears streaming down his face, but what he really wanted to do was wake her up, kiss her and take her breath away. But he knew that would never happen.

*~*

The magical feeling that overcame her body made her feel like she was floating above all of the things on earth. His arm's cradled her body towards him, and she gazed up adoringly at him as he carried them to their bedroom. Feeling a gaze on him, he peered down at his wife and she smiled and wrapped her arms more tightly around his neck.

Her wedding dress trailed the stairs as they continued on their ascent, and Nick made sure not to trip on the beautiful satin material. Her green eyes bore a hole through his own equally intense blue ones and his heart automatically did a little flutter. She is mine. She is really mine, he thought as he kicked the door open to their room in their new house.

He stopped once he reached the side of the bed and gently placed her feet back on the floor so she stood in front of him. He smiled and caressed her cheek and tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear.

No words needed to be spoken because the emotion and the love floated about the room like air. Over fifty lighted candles adorned the room and more than a dozen rose stems lay at the foot of the bed.

Autumn looked at Nick carefully and he pointed to the silk covered-blanketed bed and she noticed each and every petal planted along the covers and pillows. Her eyes filled with tears and she wrapped herself into Nick's embrace and almost melted at the feel of heartbeat against her chest. Her wedding ring glimmered in the dim and fiery light and she felt like an angel.

She stepped out of the embrace and looked Nick right in the eye. He took his thumb and placed it on the bottom of her chin and caressed the side of her face with his index finger. He brought her soft lips to his, and he closed his eyes and let the europhic feeling take over his mind, body, and soul. The kiss they shared was nothing like they had ever experienced before. It was filled with so much love, loyalty, and passion that bonded the two of them together in marriage for the rest of their lives.

Nick wrapped her arms around her tiny waist and pressed her up to his body and slipped a tongue into Autumn's mouth. He explored every part and crevice of her mouth before planting numerous kisses on her cheek, jaw, and neck.

Autumn sighed with an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction and stepped back. Reaching behind her, she took the pins out of her hair and let her hair shimmer its way down her back. Her face was flushed and her heart was beating loudly in her rib cage as she slowly inched the zipper to her dress down her body.

As her clothing fell into a heap on the floor, Nick walked over to her and swept her up in a passionate embrace. Without hesitating, she removed Nick's clothes from his body and he took her hand in his and walked them over to the bed. As they leaned back together, Autumn smiled at the thought of her being Mrs. Nickolas Gene Carter for the rest of her life.

"I love you so much," Nick whispered huskily as his kisses covered her neck and shoulders. His breathing became erratic and Autumn stopped him.

"This night is so special for us, Nick. Let's take this slow," she whispered. Nick smiled and kissed her before joining them together as one for the rest of eternity.

*~*

Autumn shot up in bed and her eyes wandered across her room. A cold sweat appeared on her forehead and she wiped the sweat away from her face.

"Come back to bed, sweetie," Nick mumbled groggily and sat up to lay her back down.

I just had the best dream. If only it would come true, she said to herself.