I slowly opened my eyes. My whole body hurt, especially my back, and the light shining into my eyes didn't help my headache. I turned away from the light and looked at my surroundings. I was no longer in the Inn, that was obvious. The surroundings were more homelike and the bed was decidedly cleaner. Zac sat in a chair right by the bed fast asleep. I got the impression it had been a hard restless night for him.

I saw my pack leaning on Zac's chair and made to get up to reach it. Pain flashed through my body and I settled back. I had many bandages over wounds I didn't remember getting. There were scrapes and burns on my arms and a bandage around my head. There was also a great bandage around my chest and I realized the cause of my back pain. I must have gotten some burns on my back, for that was the most logical cause of that kind of pain. I carefully turned onto my side and wished that I could fall asleep again, for then at least I would have some respite.

"How is your daughter?" I managed out of my cracked lips with my swollen tongue.

"Much better than you." She smiled and her face lit up until she was almost pretty, "I would like to . . . to thank you for all that you did. I would also like to apologize for my behavior two nights ago."

"Two nights?" I asked shocked. The woman helped me sit up and gave me something to drink.

"Yeah. You've been out for a while." Zac answered for the woman whose name I didn't yet know.

"And this young man was by your side constantly." She smiled at him warmly, "Without him I think the town would have fallen into chaos. It was he who guided the putting out of the fire and kept some semblance of order. You two were a blessing coming to this town when you did. I am Tarissa, Kedrik's wife. My daughter, whom you saved, is called Megean. Here let me check your wounds." She was obviously the one who bandaged me up and whose home this was. She seemed to know what she was doing so I was reassured. I was only wearing a light cotton shift and my underwear but I didn't mind Zac there. Actually, I needed him there.

Tarissa had me turn on my stomach and she lifted up the shift, with the covers covering my bottom half, and exposed the bandage covering my back. Rather than unwind the linen, she just used a knife and slit it. She started to remove the linen and pain shot through me. I sucked in my breath sharply and grasped Zac's hand tightly. I worried that I squeezed too tight, but he squeezed right back so I knew it was okay.

"How . . . how does it look?" I asked tentatively. Just breathing hurt.

"It's healing very well, I don't think there will be very much scarring, maybe even none at all."

"Scarring? Oh shit . . ."

"It's actually healing remarkably fast. I don't believe I've ever seen any wound heal as much as this has in such little time. Maybe it's just not as bad as I thought it was." She applied a soothing poultice of herbs to my back and rebandaged me up. She then checked my other wounds with similar results and more poultices applied. She then bid us good day and left after giving me wine to drink and a slice of bread with cheese. I felt much better after her administration and the food, though at first I was a bit hesitant about the wine. It helped to dull the pain though. It might have gotten me a bit tipsy too, but as I was bedridden that didn't really do much damage. Besides kill a few brain cells that is.

"Melli? Are you really okay?" Zac asked me.

"Yeah, you heard the Doc, barely any scarring." I was a bit bitter about that and Zac knew it.

"She said there might be none at all. . . . .I'm sorry. I should have done more to help."

"No. You did all you could. Thank you. Don't blame yourself about it. I don't regret doing what I did. Those animals were magnificent . . . especially the black mare. . . and then there is the girl . . . no I do not regret it one bit."

"You are a hero now you know. The town is buzzing, just talking about you."

"When they should be talking about you, my bodyguard, the guy who faithfully sat next to me day and night while I was out cold and kept the town from falling into total chaos" I smiled at him. Then I saw the circles under his eyes and the lines on his brow. His whole being was tired, he was even too tired to make any jokes. I moved over in the wide bed slowly. "Come on. " I patted the bed. " You deserve a rest and there is room for both of us."

"But . . ."

"No 'but's. Come on." He climbed on the bed a little reluctantly, "Now get under the covers boy! What? You nervous about being in the same bed as me? It's no different than being in the same sleeping bag. This bed is even bigger than that!"

"But now you're too sick to do anything fun . . ." I got his implication and slapped him on the arm, it seemed he had regained some of his ability to joke. He grinned at me pretending that I seriously hurt him, "Ow! I was joking! Geez! Don't you trust me?"

"If I didn't then you wouldn't be in the same bed with me right now." I said very seriously.

"Oh. Right." He paused for a little while. "In all actuality though, I was worried about your being injured. I don't want to hurt you more."

"Zac, you won't hurt me." I was very touched by his statement.

He tried to turn the seriousness into a joke, "Yeah, cause if I do, I don't think I'll live to regret it."

"Rest, Zac, you need it and so do I."

"Good night . . . or should I say good afternoon?" He tried one more crack. I just smiled, sighed and closed my eyes. "By the way, I never thanked you for the other night at the inn . . . ."

"No thanks necessary. But you're welcome . . . . I'll always be there for you Zac." I murmured already half asleep.

Neither of us realized as we fell asleep that we were still holding hands.

I was cold and hot at the same time, shivering in a dream world of bright colors and unrecognizable shapes. The one thing I knew was that I had to get to a man in brown and I was frantic. I just had to get there, I didn't know why. It was like I was drawn to him. I couldn't see any details, everything was a blur. I was scared and so confused. Then I felt a presence by my side through the whirling colors and strong arms enfold me. The presence comforted, helped me, brought me closer to the brown, gave me a sense of stability in the chaos and confusion. The presence was the one thing I could see clearly, and the sight calmed the sea of color around me to warm secure black and I felt safe. The presence was Zac.

"Cold . . . color . . . have to get to . . . have to . . . no . . . help me . . . so cold . . . brown . . ." She was mumbling words. He moved closer to her and pulled the covers up around her shoulders because she said she was cold, but that didn't help her condition any. He put his hand on her hot forehead and she almost seemed to respond it it, calming just a bit. He then lay down next to Melli and put his arms around her carefully so as not to aggravate her injuries. He no longer cared if it seemed bad, or that she was only wearing a cotton shift, or any consequences of his act. It was worth it because Melli calmed and pulled towards him, settling in his grasp. "Zac . . . ." He stopped himself from jerking or tensing with difficulty. He had no doubt whatsoever that she was fast asleep, and yet she knew it was him.

Before, when Melli had lain in this bed for two days straight after the fire, he had sat by her constantly and spent many hours just watching her. This he did again, just studying her features and movements. He took in her sweaty scratched face, still in his eyes beautiful. He fingered her curly hair. He loved that hair, so soft and lively, even though he knew she despised it. He knew the way her chest lifted rhythmically when she breathed, he knew the way she curled up in her sleep. He knew her.

As Zac lay with his arms around Melli, studying her, he realized that he did love her. He couldn't care for her as much as he did without loving her. He knew he loved her as a really close friend, more or different than that he didn't know. He was actually a bit confused about it, but he KNEW he loved and cared for her as a friend and felt bound to her, so he left it at that. He trusted her like he trusted no other right then, not even his brothers back in Tulsa. He could joke around with her and have a good time, but she was perceptive and had a good heart, she knew when joking wasn't appropriate. She was serious when it was needed, and oh so very honest. His and Melli's relationship was a strange one though. He never thought it would be a natural thing for him to sleep in the same bed as a girl, even hold her in his arms, and her not be a sister or a lover. But here he was, with Melli in his arms, and it just seemed . . . right.

A thought occurred to me and I couldn't help but giggle a little. "I'll be with you in your dreams . . . ." I hummed softly. Zac had been in my dreams all right . . . . I was just glad the rest of the song, or at least the technical meaning of it, didn't apply.

I sighed and glanced around the room. Judging from the light filtering in through the window it was pretty late with most of the day already gone. I knew we should probably get up but I was very reluctant to move. I was so comfortable and safe, for the time being separate from the strange world Zac and I had found ourselves in.