Every aspect of our short trip seems to be smoother, brighter and more beautiful than ever before. The buildings sparkle, the streets glisten, the grass shimmers, all bathed in the radiance of the sun from its position high above our heads. Despite all of the wonderful majesty that abounds, the world is unaware of the blessing that has been bestowed upon us, continuing to spin and sustain life just as it always would. But for Lucy and I… we feel like the lords of all creation. Lucy’s beaming smile won’t leave her face and she lets out a giggle of pure bliss every few moments. She keeps stealing glances at me as I drive, quickly averting her eyes as her cheeks redden and she giggles again. I can’t wipe the dopey smile from my own face, either. Of course, only my left hand manages the steering wheel as my right is thoroughly encased by both of Lucy’s hands. She cups her fingers around mine, gently rubbing them as she continues producing her whimsical and hopeful noises. As we make our way through the city streets en route to our picnic destination, I finally speak into the giddiness surrounding us. “Ninety-six percent, huh? Doc said it was the highest she’d ever seen!” Lucy giggles again as she caresses my hand. “You’ve obviously got some good working equipment to be putting out numbers like that.” “Me? You’re the one that has to do all the heavy lifting! You probably made up ninety of that percent!” She blushes further. “Stop! This is a team effort!” Careful not to take my eyes off the road for too long, I slide my hand out from between hers and hold my palm to her face, brushing some of her hair away as I glide my fingers along her cheek. “I’m just blessed to have such a beautiful and wonderful teammate.” She lets out a sigh as she leans into my hand, closing her eyes and whispering, “I love you, Anon.” “I love you too, Lucy.” From where my fingers rest against her neck, I can feel her pulse quicken. My own heart rate increases to match, understanding the heat gathering in the air all too well. She draws in a steady breath to calm herself which I mirror. As desperate as we are to get to work on the next chapter of our lives together, we have two barriers we must overcome. First is this picnic I so short-sightedly scheduled for us after our viability tests, not realizing we’d already have our results and, of course, the excellent news that came from those results. This isn’t much of a barrier at all since we could theoretically be home and entangled in one another’s forms as soon as we finish our sandwiches, but… the second barrier is much higher, and much more daunting. The missing piece. The part of Lucy she lost and can’t find. The blockade that prevents her from reconnecting with our old friends. I have a suspicion as to what it is, but… I don’t know if I’m right. I don’t know if this is the correct path, or even if this will end well. There’s a very real possibility I could be making a tremendous mistake, potentially undoing the progress she has made. But… I can’t just sit by. I have to try. For her sake. For our sake. As we turn down Park Street, Lucy's eyebrows rise and she glances in my direction with a grin. “Hmm… I might have an idea of where you’re taking me for this picnic now.” I return her grin. “You have your detective cap on today, I see.” She giggles. “Well, that and ‘Park Street’ really only goes to one place, you dweeb.” As she says this, the familiar wooden sign for Volcaldera Park appears before us over the hill. Beyond it, the sea of redwoods block visibility to the ocean just beyond, their enormous wooden forms barren of the needles they normally carry. Fall has treated them as it does every year, robbing them of their green and replacing it with sullen brown, but their towering splendor is no less impressive. As we weave through the winding park road, we notice a slew of other vehicles. Despite being a Friday, it seems we’re not the only ones who want to enjoy the remaining nice weather amidst the trees. A particular row of vans are parked in the lot I pull into, adorned with a logo consisting of smiling human and dinosaur children holding hands above the words “Volcano Preschool”. Be it a field trip or a simple day of outdoor activity, the nearby playground equipment is absolutely buzzing with the tiny forms of squealing and laughing children, flanked on each side by a handful of attentive adults. Lucy’s eyes beam at the sight, her excited giggling returning in an instant as she sees the little ones playing. This wasn’t an intended result of coming to the park today; I had no clue there would be a preschool gathering here. The part of my imagination that envisioned a romantic rendezvous in which we made love under a majestic redwood tree is dashed as I observe the goblins running around and ruining my perfectly reasonable fantasy with their existence. As I head to the end of the lot and pull into one of the empty parking spots, Lucy quickly realizes where exactly we are in the park, taking note of the familiar gazebo before us. Her smile drops as she turns to me. “... Here? Why here?” It’s the same lot I pulled into on Saturday when I had to explain to her that I wasn’t cheating on her, but had instead met with Reed and Trish behind her back. I let out a sigh. “I’m sorry to bring you back to this spot in particular, but there’s a reason for it. When we… had our fight on Saturday, and then suddenly made plans on Sunday to meet with Reed and Trish the next day, I was really mixed up emotionally. I felt awful about our fight and about making you so upset, but then suddenly things were looking up when you agreed to… well…” I trail off, not wanting to relive the entirety of the events that occurred on Monday evening. Lucy glances down, obviously not wanting to relive them anymore than I do. I continue. “Of course, I didn’t know then what I do now about everything, so on Monday I came over here on my lunch break. I wanted to do some thinking.” She glances at me again, still wearing a puzzled look. I answer her question before she can ask it. “I don’t know why I wanted to come back to this spot in particular. I guess… to get a different view of it. To expose myself to the place where I felt so much went so wrong, and to really think things over.” I pause for a moment. “... Erm, well, to be entirely honest, I also wanted to get away from all the office gossip about Kevin for a little while.” At this, traces of a smile creep across the corners of her mouth. “... ‘Fucking Kevin’, huh?” I chuckle. “‘Fucking Kevin’.” I glance out the windshield and up the grassy hill before us. “When I came here, I didn’t just sit in the car the whole time. I explored a little bit, and… well, do you want to see?” She follows my gaze up the hill and takes a deep breath. After a moment, she gives a nod. I offer a reassuring smile, hoping I haven’t already botched my plan so early. We exit the vehicle and I gather the picnic basket and the blankets from the back seat. As I do, Lucy watches the playing children further. I come around the vehicle and reach over to take her hand in mine, blankets tucked under my arm and basket in the other hand. As she turns to me, I see the lingering hopefulness in her eyes, but it is tinged by a hint of concern. I get the distinct feeling that she remembers all too well our discussion from the night we told one another we wanted to have a baby; as much as I want to have children with her, she has to get herself right before we can take that plunge. She has to overcome her personal struggles to give our child the best chance to grow up happy. She quickly notices the multiple items I’m juggling and scolds me as she snatches the blankets from under my arms. “Geez, Anon. I can help carry some of that!” She cradles them under her other arm as she squeezes my hand and offers a smile. “Lead on, Mr. Explorer.” I guide her up the hill and past a line of trees towards a particular, solitary redwood that seems to stand apart from its brothers. The walk is very short, only about two hundred feet from the car, but as soon as we crest the hill and can see past the treeline I hear Lucy gasp. It’s the same reaction I had when I first found this place. Before us stretches the seemingly infinite ocean, lapping at the stone shore far below but virtually adjacent to the hill on which we stand. The roots of the lone redwood hold a tenuous clump of earth and grass to its form as the tree seems to peer over the cliff to admire the waves crashing upon the rocks below. We can’t get close enough to share its view due to a chain link safety fence that blocks our path, but our vantage is unimpeded by the interlinked metal from the hill on which we stand. She turns to me with her mouth ajar. “I had no idea we were so close to the ocean!” I nod. “Surprised me, too. I knew the park was next to the ocean, but with how winding the roads are you get a bit mixed up on where you’re at. Heck, when I walked up this way I figured I’d find a nature trail or something, not… this view.” She looks back to the crystal blue expanse, the midday sun causing its surface to shimmer in its perpetual dance. “It’s beautiful.” I place the picnic basket on the grass. “You okay with us setting up here?” “Yeah…” She doesn’t look my way, simply passing the blankets to me as she continues gazing at the sprawling sea. I unfold the patchwork-patterned cloth and lay it across the hilltop, following suit with its striped companion. I plop down on the blankets, the grass underneath providing adequate cushioning for comfortable cross-legged seating. I glance over my shoulder, still able to catch brief glimpses of the colorful shapes at the nearby playground through the obscuring treeline. Their cheerful voices reverberate across the pleated bark, mixing with the sound of seafoam slapping against the briny rockwall from my other side. After a moment, Lucy finally turns away from the oceanic view and joins me on the blankets. I’ve already started withdrawing our lunch items; I hand one of the bagged-up sandwiches to her as she sits. She subtly shakes her head, clearing her daze. “Wow. What an incredible view.” I smile and place a hand on hers. “I was hoping I could make a happier memory here with you than the one we had from before.” She returns my smile. “You’re off to a good start.” She giggles, catching some of her whimsy from this morning again. “Though, it’d be hard for you to put me in a bad mood right about now.” My expression wavers. I hope that’s true, I really do. We enjoy our lunch together with a calm sense of serenity between us. We share a little smalltalk, but mostly just appreciate each other’s company. Lucy shifts between staring out at the ocean and gazing towards the playground children in the distance, sneaking in an occasional furtive glance at me. When my eyes meet hers, she averts her look quickly, blushing as she fights back a grin. Her behavior is reminiscent of the night I asked her to marry me. I was only back from my deployment for three days before I purchased the ring and made plans to pop the question. Of course, this was after spending an extra month in military care after getting eviscerated by bone shards that once belonged to my friend Weston; the additional time away and the lingering shock of almost having died lit a fire under my ass to marry Lucy sooner than later. I booked a reservation at one of the more high-end restaurants in town. At first, Lucy playfully complained that I wasn’t taking her someplace that served everything deep-fried and slathered in grease, but when I told her I had a special night in mind her eyes lit up and she dropped her protestation. I managed to avoid her suspicion of something bigger by hand-waving the gesture as a nice way to celebrate coming back home and being with her again. As we pulled up to the restaurant’s valet parking entrance, she could barely contain her beaming smile as she gazed up at the building’s beautiful exterior. The place was definitely up-scale, the kind where a hundred bucks a head was considered “cheap”. I had gotten a fair amount of money from my contract with the military and tucked most of it away, having spent a small chunk of it on the modest diamond ring I carried with me. I tapped its hidden location in my suit jacket pocket as I got out of the car, ensuring the purpose of this luxurious dinner was still secured. I quickly moved around the car and opened Lucy’s door for her, eliciting a giggle from her as she admired my gentlemanly gesture. The amber-colored dress she wore for the occasion flowed around her form as she stood, its captivating color perfectly matching her radiant eyes. We were seated on a private second-story balcony that overlooked the city, its sparkling lights bathing the horizon in electric beauty. The late summer air was still warm, despite the sun having nearly completed its descent by the time we arrived. The topics of conversation were similar to the others we had during my short time returned home: how things were going with her job and her church, how her parents were doing, updates on Naser and his schooling. We also discussed a little about our burgeoning future together, though I purposefully steered the conversation away from talk of marriage. It was the plan, of course, but I wanted to catch her off guard with my proposal, if only to keep her upcoming reaction in my memory forever. The food was exquisite and the bottle of wine that accompanied it tasted better than any I’d had before, though admittedly my wine expertise was nearly nonexistent. As our plates were cleared and they took our order for dessert, I gave the waiter a subtle nod which he returned. Part of my pre-arrangement was to let the staff know that I’d be doing something special at this point, so he knew to give us some privacy for a few minutes. As we sat together, the only sounds being those of the calm thrum of the nightscape and the serene music playing quietly through the restaurant’s subtle speakers, I gazed at Lucy. She gave me a warm smile, and I returned it. “You are beautiful.” Stunned by the suddenness of my comment, her smile dropped for a brief moment as her cheeks reddened. It returned swiftly as she began beaming. “Ohh, stop it, Anon! You charmer!” Her feigned indignance couldn’t hide her swelling happiness. Putting on a bit of a show, I forced my eye to twitch slightly as I leaned my head and looked past her. “I just wish… I could see you a bit better, is all. That building past you is so bright. What is that?” Raising an eyebrow, she rotated in her chair, putting her arm over the back as she craned her neck to look at the building I pointed out. All according to plan. She stared at it for a moment before answering. “Oh, I think that’s the Fukuisaurus Building. Those lights look amazing at night. I can tell why it distra- OHHH!” She nearly screamed out her gasp of surprise as she turned back towards me, clapping her hands to her beak. I had utilized the momentary distraction to stealthily drop to one knee and withdraw the ring case. As I popped it open, revealing the silvered band adorned with a small diamond, she emitted an adorable kind of whimpering noise. I gazed up into her eyes with every ounce of love in my heart for her. I did my best to recite my semi-prepared speech, but my voice wavered as I spoke: “Lucy, from the moment I met you in high school, you made every day I spent with you brighter and happier than the last. I had to leave you for three years to serve our country, but while I was overseas, and especially at the end when I was recovering from my injuries, it was the thought of you that filled me with hope and conviction. Now that I’m home, I don’t want to spend a single day without you again. I want to share the rest of my life with you.” Lucy held her composure as best she could, despite being overcome with emotions. Her tail was vibrating at such a frenetic pace that it clapped against the wooden posts of her chair’s backrest. Her wings fluttered at speeds that very nearly allowed her to hover in place. Her eyes were wide and tears of joy had already begun spilling down her bright red cheeks. I took a deep breath. “Lucy Aaron, will you marry me?” She sharply inhaled, then responded not with words but with a sort of high pitched squeak. I slightly cocked my head, but before I could inquire as to whether her noise was an affirmative, she flew across the patio and embraced me, very nearly knocking me over. “YES! YES! OH MY GOD, ANON! YEEEEES!!” I threw my arms around her in return, a task made slightly more difficult by the imprisonment of her wings. The enveloping feathers coiled tightly around me as Lucy sobbed joyously, repeating her exclamations of acceptance. During a momentary lull in our exuberance, I removed the engagement ring from its case and slid it onto her finger. She loosed another squee of joy as she gazed at the twinkling stone on her finger before throwing her arms around me again. There was no doubt in my mind that she would say “yes” to my proposal, but all the same I felt like I could lift a mountain. Her pure ecstasy filled me with such love and warmth that I wanted to bottle that moment and keep it forever. After we finally made our way back to our seats, wiping away tears and fighting back giggles, the waiter rejoined us with our desserts in tow, giving Lucy a knowing smile as he glanced at the ring on her finger that hadn’t been there before. He offered his congratulations and a simple bow before leaving us to our privacy again. As we enjoyed our desserts, our beaming smiles remained. Lucy shifted from enraptured awe of her new ring to longful sighs, staring dreamily towards a horizon of marriage. She stole glances at me, but when my eyes met hers she would rapidly look away, blushing fiercely as she bit her lip. The gesture lit a fire in the most primal parts of my body, causing me to ache with desire. Her parents might not be pleased that she wouldn’t be returning home that night, again, especially given their religious background, but I didn’t care. I wanted Lucy. Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. Spiritually. I wanted all of her. All that matters is her. We continue peacefully munching on the other picnic items, taking in the serene view and peaceful sounds as we near the end of the basket’s contents. The voices of the children have traveled off, most likely as their caregivers collected them for their own lunch break elsewhere in the park. As we clear the chip crumbs from our hands with the napkins Lucy thought to throw into the basket, she scoots over and comes into contact with me. She rests her head on my shoulder and wraps a wing around me, snuggling against my form. I want to remain with her like this forever, with the gentle autumn breeze gliding past us, nudging the fallen leaves and needles across the grass. The ocean continues singing its eternal song for us. Everything about this moment is perfect… except for one thing. The missing piece. The remnant of hurt that still resides in Lucy. I don’t know if I have the solution, but… I have to try. I kiss Lucy on the forehead. She lets out a sigh of contentment before looking up at me. I give her a warm smile before I speak. “Lucy… this might be an odd request, but… could you close your eyes for a minute? I want to get something from the car.” She cocks her head, a playful smile emerging on her lips. “A surprise for me? You’re not pulling any stops today, handsome.” I put my hands on hers, but I don’t answer her question. She gives me a nod before closing her eyes. “I’ll be right back.” She smiles again, tilting her head to listen as I get up and collect the picnic basket along with the small bit of garbage we generated. The car isn’t too far away, so it only takes me about a minute to arrive and toss the basket in the back seat. I pop the trunk, retrieve the item I had stowed there yesterday and head back towards Lucy. As I get within earshot, I see her turn her head slightly with her eyes still closed. “That’s you, I hope, Anon.” “It’s me. Keep your eyes closed for a second longer.” She smiles at my words and obeys as I arrive in front of her, setting the case on the ground between us. She cocks her head and wears an inquisitive look as she tries to deduce what I might be handling. I pop its two latches and swing it open, gingerly withdrawing the contents from its felt-lined home. I slide the case over, sit across from Lucy with my back to the ocean, and extend my arms towards her. “Okay. You can open your eyes now.” She opens her eyes with a big smile which quickly falls away as she sees the item I hold before her. She looks from it to me with visible confusion. “... My guitar?” I nod. More specifically, I present to her one of her acoustic guitars, one that holds an air of nostalgia for us both. Its tan coloration has lost a little bit of its luster after having been in storage for so many years, but it still appears to be in good shape. Whether it’ll sound any good remains to be heard, but… She still appears puzzled. “Wh- why did you bring my guitar?” I take a slow, deep breath. “... I wanted to hear you play it.” She is taken aback for a moment, then waves a hand in front of her face as she lets out a chuckle. “Hah, nooo, no… it’s been so long, I won’t remember anything.” I don’t respond except to continue holding the guitar towards her. She shakes her head, her small smile faltering. “I can’t. It’s been too long. Thank you for the gesture, though.” I don’t respond, merely keeping my eyes affixed to hers. She takes a quick breath. “I’m sure it’s out of tune, and the strings are probably about to snap off of it. Plus, I…” She sighs. “... I don’t want to play it.” I don’t respond, continuing to insist without words. She lets out a huff as she glances towards the guitar case. “Anon, put it away. I said I don’t want to play it.” I don’t respond. Her lips curl slightly as she looks at me with growing anger. “Why are you doing this? I don’t want to play it! What about that don’t you understand?!” I don’t respond. Her anger rapidly turns to sadness. “Anon… why? I… I don’t want to play it! I… can’t…” I don’t respond. Please, Lucy. You can do this. She lowers her head, slumping forward in her seated position. Her wings slowly sink. “I can’t… it hurts too much… I let everyone down…” Please, Lucy. Her head sinks further, her hair obscuring her features as it slides in front of her face. Her hands slowly move towards her feathers. “I can’t… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” I have to step in, but I can’t physically intervene. She has to get herself out of this pit. I need to borrow a page from Dr. Fitzgerald’s book, but… what do I bring up? Our wedding? Our engagement? Or… I glance down at the guitar in my hands. “... Lucy. Do you remember our finals, back in high school?” Her hands stop. She doesn’t say anything, but she is clearly perplexed by my question. I continue. “Well, not the finals themselves, but… when they were announced. It was a Friday, and you asked if I wanted to come over and study with you.” She still doesn’t say anything, and I can’t see her face past her hair, but I think I notice her offer a miniscule nod. “Heh… I gotta be honest, I can’t think of a time when I was more nervous. I had alarms blasting in my head, and I couldn’t get the sound of Bill Withers’ voice out of my brain. I was completely petrified, but I still followed you back to your place.” She raises her head just the slightest bit. Her breathing is still labored, but I see the tip of her snout peek through her hair as she listens. “We… didn’t really get any studying done that day. Instead…” I turn my attention down to the guitar again. “... You showed me how to play this. God, I was awful. Sounded like I was strangling a cat.” I hear her take a quick, quiet breath through her nostrils. It might have been a tiny laugh, but she remains still. I press on. “You were patient with me, though. You were kind. Yeah, you teased me a little, but despite my fuck-ups you kept helping me practice and improve, and by the end of our time that day I even felt like I could play a little.” Her head lifts a little more. I can see from the tip of her beak that her lip is quivering. “But that wasn’t all you did. You helped me play, but… you showed me a part of yourself, too. A part that was personal, intimate and meaningful. You… showed me a part of yourself that was so ingrained into your soul, yet hidden away from the world. You let me in. You revealed your true self in that moment, how so many fibers of your being were woven into your music. The song you played for me carried with it words you couldn’t say out loud. You showed me who you are…” She raises her head just enough for her hair to fall away from her eyes. She shudders and trembles as she wages the internal war against her sadness and pain. She beats against the final wall of her prison with her fists, trying desperately to break free. As her tears stream down her face, she lifts her head enough for her eyes to meet mine. I meet Lucy’s gaze with my own. “That was the day when I first realized that I loved you.” The wall crumbles. All at once, she erupts into heaving sobs as she collapses forward, catching herself with her hands on the blankets below. Only now do I set the guitar aside, rapidly moving forward to offer my embrace. She clutches my arms and pulls herself to my chest, choking out her cries between gulps of air as she lets all of her pain out. It soars above and around us, echoing from the trees, diffusing itself with the wind, drowning in the gentle swaths of the ocean waves. She unburdens herself further with each sob and draws in liberation with each breath. I let her get it all out, cradling her in my arms and stroking her hair as she weeps. I feel awful for putting her through this, but cling to a hope that it will have been worth it. She is worth it. All that matters is her. As she slowly regains her composure, still letting out occasional hiccups and sniffles as she returns herself to steady breathing, she gazes up at me. I smile at her, using my sleeves to wipe the remaining tears from her cheeks. She takes a deep, unsteady breath before speaking in a quavering voice. “M-me too…” I cock my eyebrow, unsure of her meaning. She rests her head against my shoulder and speaks into my chest. “... That day… that’s when I… realized I loved you, too.” My heart practically swells out of my chest. I try to reply, but my voice catches in my throat. Instead, I squeeze her form even more tightly to my own as tears begin welling in my eyes. She squeezes back, releasing more muffled sobs. This time, however, they carry no pain with them. They only carry love. Several minutes go by with us simply remaining in one another’s arms. Her tears have dried, as have mine; she rests peacefully with her head still nuzzled into my shoulder and she takes slow, steady breaths. Finally, she makes herself upright, bringing her eyes to meet mine. The look of determination I had seen when she first told me she wanted to have a baby has returned. She emits a level of serenity and calm that would put the most devout monk to shame. Slowly, she turns her head to gaze down at her guitar. She outstretches her hand, running her fingers along the polished wood surface and up the neck. She gives it a welcoming smile, as though reuniting with an old friend. Soon, the guitar is in her hands, resting on her lap in its familiar position. She gives the strings a soft strum without applying pressure to any frets. Upon doing so, she cocks her head slightly and begins fidgeting with one of the tuning pegs. She quietly plucks the string as she does so, seeking its correct pitch. Once satisfied, she moves on to another, making short work of retuning the long unused instrument. With a final strum, she nods gently to herself before bringing her eyes up to meet mine once more. For a moment, she simply looks at me as she breathes steadily. At first, I’m unsure if she’s waiting for me to say something, perhaps give a request for a song, but I don’t speak up. Finally, she gives me a loving smile and looks down at the instrument. The song she plays begins soft with gentle tumbling trills before growing into something more. I recognize it from the first note. She soon begins humming along with the tune, the harmony and beauty of her voice blending seamlessly with the melody. Her fingers glide across the fretboard as though they haven’t been separated for even a day. It all melds together into a captivating and breathtaking piece of beautiful serenity. It is her lyricless ballad. Her instrumental aria. Musical notes that bore the weight of feelings she once couldn't find, but has reclaimed as her own. As Lucy’s strumming slows and her humming quiets, the song lingers in the air for a moment longer, encircling us with its graceful resonance. The final notes fade into the sky, but she keeps her head down and her eyes closed as it vanishes. She is more beautiful now than she has ever been before. She speaks, still keeping her eyes closed. “... Thank you.” I put my hand on hers. “You were the one who found your song again. I should thank you for letting me hear it once more.” She shakes her head slightly as she looks up at me. “But it’s our song-” She cuts herself off, her eyes widening as she looks past my shoulder. I rotate around to see what caught her attention. Oh. It seems she’s got another audience member. A pterodactyl boy, in fact, who looks to be three or four years- Oh my God. He’s on the wrong side of the fence. How the hell did he get over there?! Now that the music has stopped, he’s lost interest and begins wandering- oh no. Before I can even climb to my feet, the cacophonous clatter of the guitar’s hollow body fills the air and a mint green blur rushes past me. The boy waddles towards the tree that peers over the cliff’s edge, ignorant to the horrific danger the spot poses. When she’s still several feet from the fence, Lucy’s wings open wider than I’ve ever seen before and slap down hard as she launches from the ground, clearing the seven foot high chain link fence in a single bound. Everything seems to move in slow motion. I feel true terror in my gut as I watch the boy marching towards his potential demise, and the woman I love charging at him with furious speed. I envision a nightmarish scenario where one or both of them disappear from sight. I can only stand and watch in horror. Just as the boy arrives at the side of the tree, Lucy snatches him up, sliding to a halt so quickly that her feet come up from underneath her and she lands on her back. She holds the squirming, now crying boy in her arms as she scoots away from the cliffside, shushing and comforting him as she does so. My heart begins beating again. They’re okay. They’re safe. Thank God. Standing on the other side of the fence, I begin looking left and right to try and identify where there may have been a break for this kid to wiggle through. Not seeing any, I run back to the blankets, grab them, and return to the fence. I toss them over the top of the linkage as Lucy hustles back to me with the boy in her arms. She continues shushing him as he squirms and cries, and we pass him safely over the top of the fence, the blankets providing cushioning and preventing any part of the child from getting caught or cut by the wires. As I take his writhing form in my arms, several voices approach. Panicked preschool chaperones who discovered their missing child run towards us as soon as they notice the boy, with one particular woman bawling furiously. The boy’s crying calms down as I pass him to the woman, and the other chaperones thank us profusely. A park ranger accompanies them. I mention to him that I didn’t see any holes in the fence, and he sighs, saying it’s likely down the stretch a ways where teenagers will pop open the links and crawl through to, as he put it, “smoke doobies and thrill-seek”. He also profusely thanks us for our bravery, going so far as to call Lucy a hero. As they thank us once more and depart, I turn to Lucy who has since rejoined me on the proper side of the fence. Her eyes are wide and her pupils are diminutive, darting around as she seems to scan the area for any other dangers. Though her breathing is steady, it seems labored as she sucks air in through both her nostrils and mouth. Her fingers involuntarily open and close; I reach over to take her hand, sliding my fingers across her wrist as I do so. Holy shit. Her heart rate is jacked. At my touch, her head spins in my direction. The moment her eyes meet mine, lucidity seems to return as her pupils regain their focus and slowly dilate. Her breathing, however, becomes much more pained as she begins hyperventilating. I quickly take her in my arms and caress her back. “Lucy, it’s okay. Everything is fine. You’re okay.” Her pained breaths soon become frantic sobs. “Oh my God… oh my God… I thought…” “It’s okay, you’re fine and the boy is safe.” She shudders and collapses to her knees, weeping in my arms. I follow her down, continuing to hold her close. She cries out, “I thought… I thought it was Naser… oh my God…” I stroke her hair as I continue reassuring her. “You may have saved that boy’s life today. Lucy, you were incredible.” Eventually, her heart rate lowers and her breathing steadies again. She grips me tightly until we separate, still holding one another’s arms as we gaze into each other’s eyes. I speak up again. “Lucy… I’ve never seen that side of you before. The way you jumped over that fence, how intense your eyes were…” She glances away, her cheeks flushing. “I’m… sorry. I probably scared you-” “You were a mother.” Her eyes widen as they meet mine again and her face reddens even further. I press on. “I couldn’t be more proud of you than I am right now. You overcame your inner turmoil and hurt, you found your music again, and you literally saved a child’s life. At this point, I don’t know if there’s anything you can’t do. You’re going to be the most amazing mother in the world.” Her lip trembles. Her eyes are locked onto me with incredible intensity. She takes in a sharp breath before speaking frankly and seriously. “Anon. We have to go home right now.” For a moment, my thick skull keeps her implication from sinking in. I cock my eyebrow and give her a puzzled look. Thankfully, she clarifies for the sake of my dumb caveman brain: “You need to put a baby in me this instant.” I spring to my feet and retrieve the blankets from atop the fence as Lucy jams the guitar back into its case and quickly clasps it shut before we both sprint back to the car. I’m not too proud to say that I may have broken several traffic laws in our mad dash to arrive home, partially due to my own fervor and partially due to the handsy onslaught of the woman seated next to me. She can’t keep to herself as scorching heat blasts from every part of her. The tires screech as we pull into our driveway much faster than we should have; we’re both out of the car before the engine even finishes spinning down. The instant we’re through the front door, Lucy is on me in a flash, wrapping her limbs around me as she collides her mouth with mine in furious passion. I have to carry her to the bedroom as her legs aren’t exactly touching the ground right now. Little regard is given to our garments as we arrive at the bed; I’m fairly certain a few buttons fly from my shirt as she practically tears it off of me. She emits sounds that drive me wild as I free her from the cloth and denim that separates our forms. We mince no words and waste no time. In this moment, we have but one goal. The fire is lit. The room swelters with our combined heat. We make love as we’ve never made love before, the electricity of our actions arcing between our bodies. Our voices echo across the ceiling, equal parts ecstasy and longing. Our fingers are interlinked as we grasp one another, sharing in our enraptured deed. When her eyes meet mine, she gazes at me with desperation and awe. I bring my lips to hers again as we rapidly approach the conclusion of our act. We are two halves of a whole, now joined together with a new purpose. When once we shared intimacy together merely to express our love and bring pleasure to one another, we now forge ahead with the next stage of our lives, brimming with hope, courage and resolve. It may not happen now, it may not happen for several months or even longer… but I will have a baby with Lucy. I collapse next to her, panting and covered in sweat. She fares similarly, working to catch her breath and slow her heartbeat alongside me. As sense returns to us and stability eases into our internal workings, I shift to my side, putting my arms around Lucy and nuzzling my forehead to hers. We share our mutual afterglow with one another as she smiles at me, still steadying her breathing. Lucy is absolutely dazzling, emitting radiance and beauty like I’ve never seen in her before. She gazes into my eyes, her amber irises twinkling in the early afternoon sun that peeks through our bedroom window blinds. I bring her into a kiss, feeling her form tremble as she returns the gesture. As we separate, I repeat to her the words I want to say to her every day for the rest of our lives: “I love you.” She closes her eyes as she draws in a long, slow breath, soaking in the bliss of those words. She does not return them, however, as she would typically do. Instead, she opens her eyes and seems to look beyond me with an intense expression of introspection. Her diamond-shaped pupils gently shift as she sorts out whatever’s going on in her mind at this moment. For my part, I simply wait patiently for her, gently running my fingers through her hair as she thinks. After a moment, she gives a decisive nod. Regaining focus on me, she draws in a breath before speaking clearly and with conviction: “I’m ready to reconnect with our friends.”