Mercury blinked in surprise as Zoisite's educated guess. She hadn't expected him to figure out so much in such a short period of time. But she had promised to speak, and it wasn't deeply classified information. She wondered if Zoisite would think of them all differently if he knew the full truth though. Being from the Moon was one thing, but from a distant planet? Would it be too strange for him to tolerate?

"...You would be correct," she said, looking away at the garden again. "The Princess was born on the moon, but we were not. The name I'm using is my title as the princess's guardian, reflecting my connection with my home world, Mercury," she explained further. "All four of us were brought to the moon as children to preform our duty."

The look in Endymion's eyes as he spun her and lead her in a certain direction gave Serenity a thrilling feeling. She knew they were about to do something daring, and the fact that she was doing it with Endymion made it all the more exciting. Her hand was held comfortably in his as they walked around the hors d'ouevres table. Grinning, Serenity reached over and plucked one for her to snack on, holding it carefully in her hand so she wouldn't spill it on herself as she walked with Endymion. 

The walked behind a curtain and through a hidden door, into a small hall. Serenity knew this must be where the servants go, for she had multiple hidden halls like this in her own palace. The excitement sneaking out gave her was almost too much for her to hold back. Her smile was wide and full of joy as she walked hand-in-hand with the man who had a hold over her heart. 

"Do you sneak out often, Endymion?" Serenity giggled, taking a bite of her snack. "I must say, I quite admire how cunning you are."

Kunzite smiled at Venus, giving the hand he held a gentle squeeze. "I believe it is a very strong possibility," he said. Internally, he was not sure what he was referring to. He wanted the possibility of a unity between the Earth and Moon, but he also wanted a possibility of maybe...finding love himself. As he looked into Venus's captivating blue eyes, he knew that was his greatest desire, beyond keeping Endymion safe. Ever since joining Endymion's guard, Kunzite had understood that finding love and having a family of his own was out of the question. His one and only priority was to his prince. But if Endymion fell in love and married this woman whom he was so enchanted by, could it be possible that Kunzite could do the same?

He wanted to believe it. 

Why couldn't he believe it, just for one night? Would the gods punish him if he dared?

"I am glad I met you, Lady Venus," Kunzite said softly, so no one could hear. There were a gazillion other things he could have and wanted to say, but he knew he had to hold back. "May I ask you something...personal?"

"Only when I'm being bad," he spoke in a teasing voice and returned her grin. At first it annoyed him that people were staring, but now he found it amusing. People knew him as a big flirt so to see him captivated by one woman must have been shocking! He led her out of the palace and they entered the gardens. Jadeite was feeling no regret for taking them away from the princess and Endymion. They deserved a night of fun too.

He took through a rose garden which led to a fountain. He glanced around and saw that they were all alone. He sat down on the fountain and looked up at her. The moon was shinning down and illuminated her hair. He stared at her for a moment before realizing he was being impolite. He let out a little cough.

"So, Lady Mars," he spoke up saying her name for the first time. "What's it like up there? Is the moon beautiful as it is down here? Are there plant and wild life? What about the culture? And what about you? Are you originally from Mars like your name suggests?" Jadeite then bit his tongue. He was asking too many questions. He felt like Zoisite, but his curiosity was killing him.  Jadeite hope he didn't overwhelmed her.

His hand was warm around hers. Venus felt safe in his arms, and it was an odd feeling to feel for a man she barely knew. He believed that peace was possible. Then she wanted to believe it, too. She was tired of thinking only of the worst case scenarios. They hardly ever happened, anyway. She just thought them up to be prepared for them. And she would be. But… she could also hope for the best case scenario. Maybe it would make a nice change.

Maybe she could pretend just for tonight.

She shivered when he used her real name, the first time he’d ever spoken it. It felt nice to hear it from his lips. She managed a mischievous smile at his question. “You may,” she answered, “but I can’t make any promises about the answer. You know, for security reasons.”

It had been a very long time since she loosened up like this.

It felt really nice.

Even after he led her through the door, she kept hold of his hand. The realization made him blush faintly; he made no move to let go,  but he didn't hold tighter either, not wanting to come on too strong. He led her forward, halfway thinking about which room he should take her to, the rest of him focused on her. Her sweet smile, the cute way she giggled, the way she bit into her finger-food - everything she did just endeared her to him more. Her question, on the other hand, gave him pause. His breath practically caught in his throat - what should he say? He looked forward, down the hallway, considering his options as quickly as he could. He didn't want to admit this was one of the first times he had attempted something like that - she seemed to enjoy it. Should he attempt to come off as a "badboy", like Nephrite or Jadeite? Someone who shirked responsibilities and snuck out of 'stuffy' functions? Would he seem more exciting to her if he hinted that that were true? 

The thought was barely formed before it was dismissed. He couldn't lie. Not to her, not to anybody - he wouldn't respect himself anymore if he lied, especially to her.

"Thank you," he replied, looking back at her with an apologetic smile, "I actually don't do that often. The last time was to get out of a sticky situation with a Countess." He paused, "What about you? Do you sneak away often?" He asked in a teasing tone.

Kunzite chuckled and nodded in understanding.

"If..." he paused. "If the consequences were nonexistent, would you..." he paused again, struggling to find the words. "Would you ever consider...falling in love?"

It was a very personal question, one that Kunzite himself didn't necessarily have an answer for. He had spent his entire life putting Endymion's needs before his own, and the very thought of doing the opposite was absurd. Anything that implied self-gain was a ridiculous idea. But after spending so much time with Venus, he couldn't help but wonder...what if?

“Breath…taking!,” she muttered as they entered the garden. Flowers upon flowers in all kinds of colors were right in front of her eyes. But what caught her attention the most was the lovely fountain in the middle of all that. “This is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to,” she quietly said to the handsome knight next to her. “You have a nice taste for pretty things, mister!” The Martian princess grinned.
 
Together they both walked towards the fountain where they eventually sat down. Mars’ eyes immediately went to the sky with all its stars. Earth was such a beautiful place. Why – just why – weren’t they allowed to visit this place? When her escort started to speak, Mars lowered her head and looked into his eyes, his heavenly blue eyes.

But as he started to speak, Mars couldn’t help but grinning. His curiosity was so cute. “Well, let’s see. We also have plants and such things – however, we don’t have a great variety as is the case here. Our culture is a bit different from yours too, I was really surprised when we arrived here.” Mars paused but corrected herself when she noticed her last sentence could be misinterpreted. “Surprised in a positive way of course!” She smiled. “And yes, you’re right: I’m originally from Mars. Actually, I’m Mars’ princess…however, it’s our duty to protect the Moon family and its entourages.”
 
The more she talked to him, the more relaxed she got. He listened carefully, with an understanding expression in his eyes, and always looked at her with a friendly smile.
 
“But it’s a pleasant duty. They are like a family to me,” she added, a slight smile appearing on her face. “What about you? Tell me something about you! You have a similar duty, don’t you?”

"It gets boring after a while, so regimented. I occasionally sneak down the the city and get involved in bar fights to keep my senses sharp," he admitted. It was definitely a different type of fight, being more think on your feet and react rather than the regimented back and forth that the palace trained them to fight. It had saved his skin a few times when he'd had to defend the Prince on their travels around the Kingdom. 

"What kind of training do you do?" He could only imagined what kind of fighting they had. How would it differ than what was on earth? Were they more agile? Slower? Did they prefer range or close combat? He himself preferred to get up close and personal for when he gave them the final blow.

Jupiter listened as Nephrite spoke. Her eyes widened when he mentioned getting involved with bar fights. She couldn't imagine the Prince would approve if he knew, but she didn't judge. He had his reasons which he explained. She could understand that, especially with her training. 

She responded before answering his question, "I can understand that, wanting to be in the fight, it helps you become more agile, more atune to what is around you. My training has mostly virtual training, it feels real, but isn't very satisfying. Sometimes the others and I train with each other, rather against each other, no one ever gets severely hurt, but it's also hard to fight against your ally? " She paused before continuing, she wasn't sure she should tell him what she enjoyed about fighting, would he think less of her, would he think her less a lady, she decided to just tell him, after all this was a one time visit right, it wasn't like their paths would cross again....

"Well truth be told, I do quite enjoy the fighting, I train any chance I get, but I haven't had a good fight, not in a long time. I actually got in trouble the last time I fought someone," she said as she giggled raising her hand behind her head in an awkward gesture. "See, sometimes, I can very protective of the princess, and there was this one boy who was trying to get too close to the princess and she wasn't for it, but the poor girl doesn't have a mean bone in her body, and when he wouldn't back down, I took the initiave, and when he still wouldn't back down, well I, something just came over me, I picked him up and threw him in the rose bushes, now I wouldn't normally do something like that, its not my style, but he wouldn't back off, ever since then I have not been with Serenity to escort her from her trips outside the palace...."

She had gotten caught up in her story and had turned her gaze from the princess to show Nephrite respect and attention. Before she allowed him to respond she added, "I think I much prefer your style of fighting, the bar fights, but I don't know they would let a lady like me in, and I don't think it would look good for me to fight, but I just want to be able to protect the Princess, you know and if we are ambushed, I want to be prepared to fight and give it my all to protect her."

Venus watched him curiously, wondering what kind of question he had in mind. When he finally managed to say it, she was taken aback. It was a really personal question, but somehow she understood why he was asking it. It seemed as if it was a question he himself had struggled with. Venus had answered the question of love long ago; it was not for her, ever. No one should ever be more important in her heart than Serenity. The princess was the only person she was supposed to devote her life to.

But if the consequences were nonexistent?

She had never opened her heart, had never even allowed for the possibility of falling in love. It was a danger to Serenity, and it was her job to negate that kind of threat. But suppose she could have everything. Suppose they did manage to create this peace between moon and earth and Serenity and Endymion could be together with no consequences.

Suppose she could be with the one she loved too…

“Yes,” she said breathlessly. “Venus is supposed to be the goddess of love, you know.”

She had always been the one who desired it more than anyone.

Quote :

As each pair continue to talk, getting lost in the party, the clock ticks closer and closer to midnight.

In the distance, twelve chimes can be heard, slowly pulling everyone's attention.

And that's when the senshi and the shitennou realize both their prince and princess have gone missing... that they have taken their eyes off their charges for just a bit too long.

“It sounds like your life was not so far off from ours,” he admitted. “The other Shittennou and I were brought to the castle as children to learn to guard the newborn Prince.” Sometimes he couldn’t help wonder what his life would have been like if he had been raised in his castle in his own lands with his family instead of at the Kings palace. It was nice to dream sometimes, he supposed, but he wouldn’t give up the bond he had with his brothers or the Prince for anything.
 
The bells chimed, signaling that it was now midnight, startling Zoisite out of his musings. Dammit, how had it gotten so late? How had he lost track of time so easily? He turned towards the main party, eyes sweeping over the guests looking for the Prince and Princess.
 
“Where are there?” he muttered, becoming more and more frantic as it became clear they weren’t in the ball room. When was the last time he had turned to look at them? If anything happened to the Prince he would never forgive himself.

Nephrite absent-mindedly paid attention to Lady Emerald as she spoke, keeping most of his attention focused on the people around them.  Were they listening to their conversation? Part of him wondered if the others could tell that Lady Selene and her ladies in waiting weren’t from this world. Was it glaringly obvious? It seemed so to him, with Lady Emerald’s height and her easy strength was apparently with every move she made. He always did prefer stronger women, not liking the court women who preferred to be dainty, helpless creatures.
 
When the clocks chimed midnight, the browned haired man cursed. How had it gotten so late already? Returning his gaze to where he had last seen the Prince and Princess dancing, he found the spot empty, nor could he seem them in the area.
 
“I think we have a problem. It seems both of our charges have slipped away from us. We must find them immediately,” he said, leaning down to whisper into her ear. It would do no good to alert everyone around them that something was wrong. “Stay cool and don’t react. I’m going to walk you off the dance floor first.”

The Shittenou seemed to serve the exact same purpose as the Sailor Senshi did, more or less. How interesting to learn... And Zoisite didn't appear to be thrown off or disgusted by her admittance of her alien status, which put Mercury at ease. Time went by as they talked, and before she even realized how long it had been since they had walked out onto the balcony, the clock was chiming to signal midnight. She hurriedly looked up at the moons position and sure enough, it was high in the sky. They needed to return home before anyone noticed their absence. 

"What?" Mercury looked into the ballroom at Zoisite's question, and quickly saw the problem. The Prince and Princess were gone. But how? "I don't know, last time I had looked, they were still dancing!" Either somethign had happened to them, or....they slipped away on purpose. Serenity probably didn't want to leave, regardless of Venus's curfew. "We need to start looking for them, maybe they just went to a more private area," she reasoned, trying to stay calm.

Zoisite nodded at Mercury’s assessment of the couple perhaps trying to find a quiet place to be and enjoy each other’s company. It was much better than thinking of the alternative. Scanning the ball room again, he realized that Nephrite had clued in to what was going on, if the tenses that Zoisite could see in his posture was any indication.
 

“Come on, I believe Nephrite has noticed. We should met up with him and Lady Emerald and form a plan,” the blonde Shittennou said. He gently took her hand in his as he began to lead them back into the ballroom, smiling politely at the various guests that called out to him in greeting.

Mars could have listened to him and his stories for an eternity. His life was so interesting and in many points he reminded her of herself. She smiled. “Do you also-,” Mars wanted to ask but got interrupted when twelve loud chimes were audible.
 
“What is that?,” she asked with a start, her brows knitted. “Does it have to be this way?”
 
Suddenly a bad thought came to her mind, a very bad thought. Her eyes widened, her mouth opened. “Serenity! And Endymion!,” she said, her worries were written all over her face. “Where are they?! When did you see them the last time?”
 
How could she be so reckless? She didn’t pay attention, she left the princess’ side and now she didn't know where Serenity was. “Jadeite, we have to find them!”

Serenity laughed, thinking of the last time she had tried to sneak out of her palace. "I never had the courage to sneak out until the day we met. And I have to say, I am glad I did gain the courage that day." 

Thinking of the countless charges Endymion must have met over his lifetime caused a twist of jealousy in Serenity's stomach. She loved the way Endymion held her and looked at her, and the thought of any other woman receiving this treatment from him was discomforting. But Serenity pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind and focused primarily on enjoying what little time she had left with the man of her dreams. The places he showed her were all so bright, colorful, and full of life. It was unlike anything she had ever imagined, and Serenity knew she would be daydreaming about all of it for weeks. 

Suddenly, the clock struck twelve, pulling Serenity out of her private world with Endymion. She glanced back to the palace with concern, wondering if her senshi were still enjoying themselves. Maybe, Serenity hoped, they were all so distracted by the shittenou that they didn't hear the clock chime. It was wishful thinking, but the young princess was willing to think of anything just so she could forget about her senshi and focus primarily on her knight in shining armor.

Kunzite felt like his entire world had been lit up with thousands of optimistic lights at Venus's words. Despite his overwhelming elation, Kunzite maintained his smooth smile and leaned closer to Venus, bringing her ear closer to his lips so he could whisper. "Oh yes, I am well aware," he breathed.

Throughout the remainder of the night, Kunzite enjoyed himself in Venus's company, making her sample different Terran treats, teaching her new dances, and even trying to make her laugh with snide comments about some of the less...coordinated dancers at the ball. He hadn't remembered having this much fun since he was just a boy, fighting with wooden swords in his village. 

The fun soon came to an end when twelve chimes rang through the hall, signaling the twelfth Terran hour. Realizing he had completely lost track of time, Kunzite glanced around the room for his shittenou and his prince. Like a magnet drawn to metal, he quickly spotted Zoisite and Nephrite, taking Venus's hand and heading over to them. "Zoisite, Nephrite, where is Endymion and the princess? And where's Jadeite?"

Having lead Jupiter off the dance floor, he spotted Zoisite, with Mercury in tow, headed towards them. Good, they would be able to split up easier this way if there was more of them in order to locate their missing charges.
 

“Jadeite should be around here somewhere,” Nephrite said answering Kunzite’s question. The man was fast and had appeared by their side before Nephrite had had a chance to say anything to Zoisite. “As for the Prince, I’m assuming all of us lost sight of him and the Princess?” There were eight of them to guard two people yet they had been foolish enough to get wrapped up in their own thing. Dammit, how stupid could he have bee to have allowed himself to be distracted by a woman?

Jadeite has never been in such engaging conversation with a women before. He could sit here for hours and just talk. Then he heard a chime ringing from a distance. It took him a moment to realize it was the clock tower. It was now midnight.

"Stupid bell," Jadeite muttered under on his breath. The ball would be ending soon. Before he could say anything Mars looked panic and brought up the prince and princess. Jadeite then mentally kicked himself. He didn't mean for them to spend their whole time in the gardens. He planned on showing it to her briefly. He rose to his feet. "I'm sure they're all right. I bet they're still on the dance floor." 

He gave her a reassuring smile. Jadeite was trying not to panic. He didn't want to cause anymore worry to Mars. "Let's go back." He then made his way back to the palace. He didn't bother to see if Mars was following him. Jadeite was trying his best to stay cool. He entered the ballroom and spotted his brothers. They looked worried and he then glanced around the dance floor and saw no signs of Endymion or Serenity.

'moon turds,' he thought to himself. 'Kunzite is going to kill me.'

He just walked over to them and didn't beat around the bush. "They're missing aren't they? I'll go look in the gardens. I'm sure Endymion is showing her around the palace. He then took off avoiding Kunzite's eyes and he returned to the gardens.

Kunzite's gaze was hard as he spotted Jadeite, wondering what would have possibly been a good enough excuse for him to leave the ballroom, but not saying anything as the blonde spoke and left. He knew he was in trouble, and that in itself was enough satisfaction for Kunzite. Bringing his attention back to the other two of his men, Kunzite cleared his throat.

"I'm sure Endymion has everything under control," he said, hoping to quell the worries of the girls. "Nonetheless, we must find them immediately. I want us all to split up. Jadeite has the gardens, but Gaea knows if he can handle that on his own. Nephrite, I want you to accompany him. Zoisite, you and I will check this wing of the palace and the adjacent wing. Ladies, you are more than welcome to come with us if you so desire."

"If you'll excuse me Lady Emerald," Nephrite bowed slightly after giving Kunzite a nod. He hurried after Jadeite, hoping that the Princess and Prince were in the gardens. They were vast, but he already had a few ideas where the Prince may have taken the Princess. She seemed to be fascinated with the plant life on Earth. He remembered telling the Prince a few spots he had taken women before to have some more…quiet and alone time with them.
 

“Jadeite,” he said grabbing the younger man’s arm. “Kunzite wants us to search the gardens together.” Keeping his voice low, less he rouse any suspicions. “Do you have any ideas where they could be? I have a few myself.” The lecture that they would all get from Kunzite later was not one that he was looking forward to but one he perhaps deserved. He could only hope this turned out alright and they were panicking for nothing. 

Jadeite was startled, when Nephrite grabbed him by the arm. He frowned, when Nephrite told him he was ordered to help him. Kunzite did think he couldn't track down the prince himself? He got out of Nephrite's grip and walked forward. Yes he screwed up tonight, but he was more than capable to handle this situation alone.   

"I was in the rose gardens," he replied in hush tone. He was trying not take his anger out on Nephrite. "I didn't see them in there. Maybe we can try the gazebo?"

Jupiter felt regret for getting caught up in talking about herself as she heard the clock chime. She felt even more regret when she heard Nephrite tell her the prince and Princess were gone. She had failed to keep an eye on the princess and hoped they could find them. She followed Nephrite off the dance floor, she hadn't even danced, bit that didn't matter not now. It was time for her to think about Serenity. Did the others know she was missing, what about the other knights, but as they made their way off the dance floor it became clear that the others were aware of the missing prince and princess as they gathered together. 

"I am for searching with you, or maybe we should split up to search different parts of the garden?" Jupiter asked hoping she wasn't stepping on any toes, she just thought the more areas they could cover, the quicker, they could hopefully find Serenity and Endymion.

Mercury wasn't expecting Zoisite to grab her hand and lead her over, and she stumbled in her dress and blushed before refocusing on the task at hand. At least with Nephrite and Jupiter, they would have more people to search with. Kunzite and Venus also joined their group, and Mercury dreaded the talk the senshi would get from her after this incident was resolved. They shouldn't have gotten so distracted...

Kunzite seemed to have ideas on where to look first though, and quickly started giving them all areas to check. "I'll come with you," Mercury said to Kunzite and Zoisite, looking determined. "It's partially our responsibility to make sure they're safe as well..."

Venus nearly lost all her common sense when Kunzite’s lips came dangerously close to her ear. She was hopelessly defeated now; Serenity had successfully infected her with her careless attitude and Kunzite’s promise of the possibility of peace didn’t help either. She relaxed completely for the remainder of the night, learning about all the new things he had to show her, even laughing like she hadn’t laughed in a long time. It felt like loosening up all the muscles that had been bunched up tight and tense all this time.

It was like a dream. A dream that came to a crashing end when the twelve chimes of the clock rang in the distance. The curfew. Venus immediately snapped to attention, looking around for Serenity. But to her increasing panic, the princess was not in the room anymore. She felt as if a bucket of cold water had just been dumped on her. Fear gripped her heart as she thought about Serenity disappearing again. This time, from right under their noses.

Kunzite seemed to have realized his own charge missing as well, and was leading her to the others. Venus had to use all her self-restraint not to outwardly panic. She needed to act as if everything was fine. She was still supposed to keep them under the radar.

As the shitennou started talking about places to look for, Venus couldn’t believe that not a single one of them had noticed those two slipping away. But then again, she hadn’t. She was supposed to be the responsible one and she’d just dropped the ball so catastrophically. The Queen would have her head for this.

The way Kunzite immediately gave out orders comforted her a little, because she was about to have a panic attack and was definitely not ready to start leading anyone. Not when she was still so focused in her failures. She was grateful that he could do this for her now. Besides, it was his palace. He would know the ins and outs the best. If she or the other senshi tried to look on their own, they’d get hopelessly lost or attract attention. Both, probably.

“Go with them,” she told Jupiter and Mars. “We don’t know the layout of the palace; I don’t want any of you getting lost. Let’s meet back here when we’re done.”

She turned to Kunzite and Zoisite. Mercury already had the same idea, so Venus simply nodded. “We’ll come with you and help look inside.”

Venus made a prayer to the moon, hoping that wherever Serenity was, she was safe.

And after this, she was definitely getting grounded for life.

The hours that passed were as those in a dream. While he showed her the elegant palace rooms, the breathtaking vistas in the gallery, and the expansive gardens with their night flowers in bloom, he was far more enchanted with her than with anything in their surroundings. Their conversation was easy, if a little intense at times, as interspersed with bouts of laughter as with deeper discussion. He felt new and alive with her - he felt charming and likable, and, for the first time, he felt like he had a real connection with a young woman. Someone who wasn't interested in him for his titles, or his deeds - someone who liked him for who he was, and brought out what he felt was the best in him. And she - Serenity - she was amazing. She was bright, and fun, and saw through the facades of Golden Palace life and made comments that instantly got to the heart of things. She was funny, and interesting, and beautiful, and as the night wore on he was subconsciously attempting to find ways to be closer to her. Putting a hand on her shoulder to point out the brush strokes in famous paintings, taking her hand to lead her to the next point of interest.

And now, as they stood together on the main balcony overlooking the gardens, with flowers and lovers walking hand in hand below and the constellations above, all he wanted to do was to kiss her. 

He was reaching for her hands when the bells began to sound, announcing the midnight hour, and suddenly she was gone from him. She had not moved, had not said anything, but he noticed the shift in her immediately, noticed her distraction, and felt like the moment had passed. His palms still itching to hold hers, he did take her hands, hoping to bring her back to him. "What's the matter?" he asked softly.

Serenity was startled from her thoughts by Endymion's words. Gazing up at him, she scrambled for something to say. How could she voice her thoughts without sounding weird?

"Oh, nothing, I just..." she paused, biting her lip. "I am enjoying our time together, and...I am afraid I do not want it to end."

The confession caused a bright blush to rise to Serenity's pale cheeks, and she put her head down in an attempt to hide it. Endymion had taken her hands, and she could feel the warmth and electricity running through them. She wanted to hug him, to feel comfortable in the safety of his arms. In fact...she wanted to kiss him. The emotions running through her were too confusing and overwhelming, and Serenity was afraid that if she were to become trapped in Endymion's eyes once more, she would not be able to escape.

Endymion smiled, relieved to hear that it wasn't his presence that troubled her but her upcoming departure. As the meaning sunk in he paused. He had forgotten the time, and its meaning; had allowed himself to forget their responsibilities, their differences, and a small panic began to rise in him. She would be leaving soon, and he would have to face his parents, explain himself and his absence during the ball. Choose a wife. Reality threatened to crash down around him, and in a desperate effort to hold onto the moments that were quickly slipping through his fingers, he squeezed Serenity's hands gently, but with urgency. He felt as though she were floating away from him, she and the dreams he had not recognized until that moment. He did not want to take any wife - he wanted her. He wanted to be with her - he wanted her to stay with him for as long as time gave them. But did she feel the same way? 

He wanted her to look up. He wanted to see her eyes again, to see if he could find in them what he was feeling now. He wanted her to stay, but he wanted her to want to stay. In an attempt to regain her attention, he replied softly, "I don't want it to end, either."

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