Subject: [SpikesSalvation] Phoenix Dreams- Chapter 7 (This one really is ch. 7. The last one was 6) Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2003 15:01:21 -0800 (PST) From: Jerusha Hancock Reply-To: SpikesSalvation@yahoogroups.com To: SpikesSalvation@yahoogroups.com Chapter 7 "Do you love me?" Erin's voice broke the stillness of the early evening. William looked over at her from where he sat on the balcony, his blue eyes almost black in the fading light. His bare feet were propped up on the railing, and he held a bottle of beer in his hand. The question seemed to come out of nowhere, and startled the truth out of him before he could even think. "Yeah. I do." But he didn't ask if she loved him in return; there was a part of him that feared her answer. Some part of him did not believe he could be loved. She sat up straighter, a fire lighting her eyes. "Then marry me." His head whipped around and his eyes were wide. "Excuse me?" "Marry me. I love you, William. I want to be with you." She hesitated. "Unless you can't, because—" He shook his head. "No. I wasn't married before. Of that I'm sure." William found himself unable to tell her about the dreams that had begun after Ty's birth. They had needed one another from the beginning; they were both alone in the world. The police hadn't had any reports of a missing person matching his description, he wasn't a wanted criminal, there was nothing to explain where he had come from or who he was. In the end, they had managed to get through the nightmare of paperwork that came with his new existence. And when she had asked him to help her in her bookstore as her pregnancy advanced, he gladly accepted. And when she asked him to be the father, it had felt exactly right. But he and Erin had never discussed what their relationship was exactly. When the dreams began, he found himself silent on the matter, unsure of what they meant, but certain that it was nothing good. "Is there someone else?" she asked. He shook his head, looking off into the distance. "If there was, it was over a long time ago." There was a long pause. "I dream sometimes. I don't know if they're memories or not, but I don't think I was a good man, Erin-luv." Erin stood. William was the most real person she'd ever known. He was who he was, always. It was as though whatever had happened to him had peeled away all the masks most people wore. And she still remembered that moment when touching him had been like touching a living flame. "You're a good man now," she said with conviction. "And you're a wonderful father. I love you." Surprise and delight lit his eyes. "Truly?" "Truly. We can get married by the Justice of the Peace in a few days." She reached out to caress his face. They had not touched much at all. She'd not wanted to be touched during her pregnancy really, and then after it had taken all their time and energy to take care of Ty and the store. But now their words had removed that barrier, and she couldn't resist tracing the line of his jaw, the scar on his eyebrow, the bridge of his nose. William cupped her cheek with one hand, pushed her hair back with the other. "Erin—" His lips covered hers and it was several minutes before either of them came up for air. She suddenly grinned at him. "You know, I think we should get married as soon as possible. I don't think I can keep my hands to myself for very long." A rare, slow smile pulled his lips. "Then let's get it done." "But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed." 2 Cor 4:7-9 ---------------------------------