Laura sighed contentedly as the hot water from the shower massaged her sore body. Though it wasn't so much the soothing water as the fact that this was the first time she'd been able to do this on her own.

She remembered wondering the first few days how she was going to manage that -- or really who was going to help her do it. Stefan informed her he had hired a woman for that very purpose. She'd been relieved, of course. But a wicked part of her had been a little disappointed.

She carefully toweled herself dry, and looked at her mending body. Some of the bruises had disappeared, some were now only slight discolorations, but there were still some that stood out plainly against her light skin.

Putting on her robe, she walked back to her room. She sat on the bed, and began the painstaking process of dressing, making sure not to move in a way that would cause her to utter unladylike phrases.

She unclipped her hair, and brushed the tangles out of it, pausing every time her arm started to feel like dead weight.

Once the grooming process was done, she laid back on the bed, exhausted.

"Good afternoon, Laura."

"Stefan!" She sat up too quickly, and winced. "Shit."

"Mrs. Roshenko tells me you've made excellent progress."

Laura chuckled at his funny pronunciation. "Well, I can wash myself now. That's always a plus. What's that in your hand?"

"The annulment papers, ready for your signature."

"That was fast." She put out her hand, and Stefan gave them to her. She scanned through the print. "Almost as if it never happened..." she murmured as she signed. This was turning out to be a great day. "I think this calls for a celebration!"

"I suspected you might feel that way," Stefan smiled. "And I brought something else with me." He walked out of the room and reappeared moments later, pushing a wheelchair. "I thought you might enjoy going outside."

"Yes!" Laura nearly shouted.

"You do know you aren't a prisoner here?" Stefan asked, a worried frown on his face.

"Oh, I know! Believe me. Just habit, I guess." She looked at the wheelchair. "I don't need that."

"Yes, you do. Unless you would prefer going through the town by car. But that may be a rather short drive."

"All right, you win."

*****

Standing in the middle of the town garden, Laura felt completely free for the first time in too long. She spread her arms, ignoring the slight tenderness that was still there. She turned to Stefan and grinned. "Could we do this every day?" she asked.

"I'd like that," Stefan smiled.

"Sit with me," Laura ordered, as she planted herself on the grass.

Stefan looked amused, and did as he was told, not mentioning he would have done so even without her mandate.

Laura noticed he kept moving his head to one side. "Cramp?"

Stefan nodded.

"Turn around."

Laura started massaging his lower back, using her whole hand as she moved up and down. She then started kneading his shoulders, making small circles with her thumbs. She worked her way in slowly, spending extra time on the base of his neck. "Does that feel better?"

"Yes," Stefan said, his voice strained. He reached behind him to stop her hand, and turned to face her. "Thank you, I think that's enough."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

He was still holding her hand, making them both more aware of how close they were. The air between them became electric. Stefan felt his body react as her eyes lowered and fixed on his lips, then back up with what he would swear was a glow of desire in those blue eyes.

But suddenly she looked away, and stood up. "You better get a good night's sleep tonight," she admonished.

"Yes," he agreed, standing up himself. "We should return to the house, the sun will set soon."

"Good idea," Laura said, sitting back on the wheelchair.

*****

"I'll come visit as soon as I can. Yeah. I love you, too." Laura hung up the phone, tears pricking her eyes. She hated lying to her mother, but she'd be able to tell her the whole story once they were face to face.

She took her nighttime medicine, and let out a deep breath. The walk earlier that day had tired her, but invigorated her at the same time.

The confusing feelings of that day returned, and she shook her head as if that would make them go away.

They hadn't talked about what had almost happened. Actually, they hadn't talked at all. They'd walked back -- well, he had walked -- to the house, and eaten dinner, without a word. And she knew he wouldn't say anything, not if he thought it would make her uncomfortable.

Wondering where he was, Laura walked into the living area. Once there, she almost laughed at the sight before her. He had fallen asleep on the couch. "Don't require much sleep, my foot," she thought. She walked over to him, kneeling down to raise his legs and put them on the cushions. She took off his shoes, and placed them on the floor.

She hadn't ever seen him sleep, which wasn't surprising. It was always the other way around. She touched his face, lightly tracing the edge of it. He looked so peaceful, despite the dark circles under his eyes. She smiled. He really was her angel.

She walked to a comfortable chair, and sank into it. She would look after him tonight.