~ LOVE IS BLIND ~

***** CHAPTER 151 *****

“It’s no good, he’s not answering his mobile.” Abigail said, reluctantly hanging up the phone.

“It can wait until later, can’t it?” Carlos asked. “He’ll be home soon and then you can talk to Urs.”

“I know but I don‘t want Tyler getting to Kristina first.” Abigail replied, slowly easing herself into an armchair. “Knowing him, he’ll talk Kristina into doing something impulsive. If it was up to me, I wouldn’t let Tyler anywhere near her.”

“You’ve really got it in for Tyler, haven’t you.” Carlos commented.

“Have you forgotten what he did?” Abigail asked, carefully placing the phone on the arm of the chair. “He dragged Kristina back to New York and three months later he walked out on her.”

“He hardly dragged Kristina to New York, Abby.” Carlos smirked. “Kristina made her own mind up. If she didn‘t want to go, she could‘ve easily said no. No one forced her.”

“But he should never have left her like that.” Abigail said, frowning. “He knew she was ill. He made all these promises to her and told her that he understood about Urs but he still left. He didn’t even want to talk to her until now.”

“Be thankful that he did leave her.” Carlos replied. “If he hadn’t, Kristina would still be in New York, and then you’d never be able to get Kristina and Urs back together.”

“That’s true.” Abigail said, sighing. “I hadn‘t thought of that.”

“Now all you’ve got to do is get them to talk to each other.” Carlos replied. “And it doesn’t look as if that’s going to be easy.”

“Well it looked as if Urs was quite willing to talk to Kristina but Kristina didn’t want to know.” Abigail remarked, as she picked up the phone again.

“Who are you phoning now?” Carlos asked.

“Kristina.” Abigail replied, dialling her sister’s number. “I’ve just had an idea. I‘m determined to get these two back together.”

“If Kristina ever finds out what you’re up to, you’re in big trouble.” Carlos sighed.

“Trust me. I know what I’m doing.” Abigail grinned, just as Kristina answered the phone. “And when these two ‘are’ together again, she’ll be thanking me.”

“I hope so!” Carlos replied, just as Abigail put a finger to her mouth, to be quiet.

“Hello Kristina, it’s me. I need you to do something for me.”

“What’s wrong, Abigail?”

“It’s Urs…”

“I told you, Abigail. I don’t want to hear it.”

“Kristina don‘t hang up!”

“If you stop talking about Urs, then I won’t need to. So, is it about Urs?”

“Yes it is but it’s not what you think. I’m trying to get hold of him but he’s not answering his mobile.”

“What do you need to talk to Urs for?”

“I don’t need to talk to him; Carlos does. But we’ve been trying ever since we last spoke on the phone and there’s no reply.”

“Maybe he’s busy. Why don’t you just leave a message?”

“Because I’m starting to get worried now.”

“Why would you be worried?”

“Don’t you remember what happened last time you two argued? He rode off on his bike in a foul mood and next thing we know, he’s in hospital.”

“Of course I haven’t forgotten. Except this time we weren’t arguing; he was arguing with Tyler.”

“So? That doesn’t mean that he’s not angry. You said he came to talk to you about something important and you wouldn’t listen. Aren’t you worried that he might have done something silly?”

There was a few seconds silence and Abigail hoped that Kristina was thinking about what she had said. Would Kristina do as she asked? Or would she guess what Abigail was up to?

“So why are you calling me?” Kristina finally replied.

“I was hoping that you could try calling him as well.” Abigail replied. “Maybe you’ll have more luck than me.”

“You do realise that he could be fine and he doesn’t want to talk to anyone.” Kristina commented. “He could be screening his calls.”

“Possibly. But if he see‘s it‘s you calling, he might answer.” Abigail replied. “Please, will you try calling him? For me?”

“I guess so.” Kristina replied, sounding somewhat hesitant.

“Great!” Abigail replied quickly, not giving Kristina a chance to change her mind. “And don‘t forget Carlos needs to talk to him urgently.”

“Okay, okay!” Kristina agreed. “I’ll tell him.”

“Oh one more thing before I go. I forgot to ask you earlier, but did you ask the woman at the boutique about Mr X?”

“What about Mr X?” Kristina asked.

“Did you ask her what he looked like? Did he have an accent? Was he fat, thin, tall or short? This could be your only chance of finding out who he is, seeing as you‘ve asked him not to contact you anymore.”

“No, I didn’t ask her.” Kristina said, wondering why she hadn’t thought of that before. “I suppose I could always go back tomorrow.”

“Good idea. At least you’ll know if he’s Swiss or American. Then you’ll know what to do next.”

“What to do next?” Kristina replied. “I won’t be doing anything next.”

“Why on earth not? You’ll be able to find out who’s still in love with you. If he‘s Swiss, then it‘s hello Urs. If he‘s American, then bye-bye Tyler!”

“How many times do I have to tell you? I’m not interested in starting up another relationship with anyone. No matter who it is!”

“Not even if it’s Urs?”

“Do you want me to hang up on you again?” Kristina asked.

“Okay! But please, just call Urs and make sure he’s alright.”

“I said I wouldn’t didn’t I? But I’m warning you, if this is one of your hair-brained schemes to try and get us back together, you’ll be in trouble!”

“I’m telling the truth, Kristina. He’s not answering his mobile.”

“Fine. Give me his number.”

“Thanks Kristina.” Abigail replied, grinning to herself.

“You’re looking very pleased with yourself.” Carlos said, after Abigail had hung up the phone. “I guess that was all part of your master plan, getting Kristina to think that something might have happened to Urs.”

“I am pleased.” Abigail grinned. “And yes, it was the only thing I could think of to get her to call him. I know it was a cruel thing to do, after what happened last time. But it just goes to prove that she cares for him, else she wouldn‘t call him.”

“Well let’s hope this plan of yours works and she does actually call him.” Carlos replied.

“Oh she will, believe me, she will.” Abigail said, still smiling to herself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After leaving Kristina’s house, Urs had gone for a walk. He’d decided not to ride the Harley to Kristina’s house, he’d taken a taxi instead. The bike was noisy and stood out like a sore thumb. If Kristina saw it, she would know it was his, and Urs still wasn’t sure how to go about telling Kristina he was Mr X. So if he did change his mind and back out, how would he explain his being there? It had taken Urs a while to work out what he was going to say and then several minutes to convince himself it was a good idea, before finally approaching the house and ringing the doorbell; only to discover that she wasn’t home.

Urs now found himself sitting on a bench in a nearby park not far from Kristina‘s house. Despite her attitude towards him, he was certain that Kristina still loved him but he just had to find a way to make her realise it, and to prove to Tyler that he didn’t stand a chance with her. Urs was now wondering what he’d let himself in for, going up against Tyler to win back Kristina. After all, she had left him to move to New York with Tyler. What was to stop her doing it again? Urs had to talk to her and find out why she left London in the first place. But how was he going to do that now Tyler was back on the scene?

Urs sighed heavily, as his phone started to ring for the umpteenth time. He had numerous missed calls on his mobile, all from Carlos. Urs pulled out his mobile from his jacket pocket and was about to cancel the call, but then he noticed the caller ID; it was Kristina’s home number, he knew if off by heart.

“Hello?”

“Urs, it’s Kristina.”

“Krissy! I didn’t know you still had my number.”

“I didn’t. Abigail gave it to me. She’s been trying to get hold of you for quite a while. Apparently Carlos needs to talk to you about something important. Abigail was starting to get worried that something might have happened to you.”

“Why would she think that?”

“Because… because the last time you left my house and you were angry, you ended up in hospital.”

“Oh…I see. Well, as you can hear, I‘m fine but I‘m glad you called. If you‘re free, I‘d still like to come over and talk to you. There‘s something I need to tell you.”

“Can’t you just tell me now?” Kristina asked.

“I’d rather not.” Urs replied; he didn’t want to take the chance of telling Kristina over the phone, only for her to hang up on him. He knew if that happened, there was no way he would get another chance to explain why he had invented Mr X. “Do you think we could meet? Perhaps I could come round now, I‘m not far away.”

“I can’t right now, I’m busy.” Kristina lied. “I only called because Abigail asked me to. You’d better call her, she did say it was important.”

“I will do, I promise, Krissy. But if you’re busy now, perhaps we could meet up tomorrow?”

“I don’t know Urs…”

“Please Krissy.”

Kristina was determined not to agree to see him, after making a promise to herself that she wouldn’t let any man get close to her again and definitely not Urs. Yet if she didn’t like what he had to say, she could always leave, she didn‘t have to stay. But then what if she found herself wanting to stay? What if she wanted to talk with him? She didn’t want to get hurt again but he said it was important that he talk to her, so where was the harm in that? Before Kristina realised what she had done, she found herself agreeing to meet him.

“What time tomorrow?”

“When ever you want. Just name a time and a place and I’ll be there.”

“Well, I’m due to start back at work in a couple of days, so I was going to pop in to the office and see Angie tomorrow. There’s a small café nearby called Rays, it‘s above Foyles, the bookstore.”

“I know the one.” Urs replied. “What time?”

Urs and Kristina had agreed to meet at one o’clock the following day. As they both hung up the phone, both were already nervous. Urs was feeling nervous about what Kristina’s reaction would be when she found out he was Mr X and Kristina was nervous, wondering what was so important that he couldn’t tell her over the phone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Urs had just stepped out of the elevator and was about to turn and head for his apartment when someone pulled on his arm.

“Hey you! We need to talk!”

“What’s wrong?” Urs asked, letting Abigail lead him to her and Carlos’ apartment.

“Didn’t you get my message?” Abigail said, still holding his arm, as she led him their apartment.

“Your message?” Urs frowned, as she pushed him through the doorway. “Oh you mean, Kristina. Yes she told me that Carlos wanted to talk to me.”

“So where were you going?” Abigail asked, closing the door behind her. “Surely Kristina told you it was important.”

“Of course, she did.” Urs replied, walking down the hallway and in to the lounge. “But I’ve been outside for ages. I was hoping to at least warm up and have a drink before I came here. I’m freezing.”

“Carlos, can you get Urs some tea, please.” Abigail asked, putting her hand on Urs’ shoulder and literally pushing him down into an armchair.

“Abigail, what’s going on?” Urs asked, puzzled by her behaviour. “I thought Carlos wanted to talk to me.”

“It’s me that wants to talk to you, not Carlos.” Abigail replied, sitting down next to him. “I had to tell Kristina that it was Carlos, else she would’ve become suspicious.”

“Suspicious?” Urs said, confused. “I don’t understand.”

“Do you still love my sister?” Abigail asked, suddenly.

“What?” Urs said, shocked.

“You heard me.” she replied. “Do you still love Kristina?”

“Why do you want to know?” Urs asked, defensively.

“Just answer me, Urs.” Abigail replied. “Do you still love her?”

“I… I…” Urs stuttered, still in shock.

“You do, don‘t you?” Abigail answered for him.

“Look, where’s all this coming from?” Urs asked, finally finding his voice. “What’s with all the questions?”

“Because Tyler wants to get back with Kristina.” Abigail replied.

“I know.” Urs said, as another frown took hold of his face. “He told me earlier this afternoon. And how did you know Tyler was back in London?”

“Kristina phoned and told me.” Abigail answered. “She also told me that you wanted to speak to her and then Tyler showed up and you two never got to talk.”

“No we didn’t.” Urs replied. “But then she called me about Carlos, and she arranged to meet me tomorrow.”

“So do you still love her?” Abigail asked again.

Urs still didn’t answer.

“I’m only asking because I want to help, Urs.” Abigail said, reassuringly. “Don’t get me wrong, Tyler’s a nice guy. But I don’t think he can make her happy; unlike you.”

Urs gave a small smile at Abigail.

“I don’t want Kristina to make the same mistake.” Abigail continued. “I‘m worried that if she starts seeing Tyler again, she’ll do something stupid like letting him talk her into going back to New York with him. I’ve heard he can be quite persuasive at times. So if you still love my sister and you don‘t want to lose her again, then you‘d better tell me now.”

“What if I say no?” Urs asked. “What happens if I tell you I don’t love her?”

“If that’s how you feel then fine.” Abigail said shrugging. “But you can’t say I didn’t try.”

“And if I do love her?” Urs asked, warily.

“Like I said, I only want to help.” Abigail answered. “But you have to be honest with me. You have to tell me everything that‘s happened and you have to tell me what happened on the night of the Ball. I want to know why Kristina left London.”

“I don’t know why Krissy left London.” Urs sighed. “Everything was going great until she left the hotel. She kissed me goodbye and never came back. I don’t know what happened to make her leave so suddenly.”

“Are you sure you didn’t say something to upset her?” Abigail asked. “She wouldn’t leave with out good reason. You must‘ve done something.”

“I’ve told you I don‘t know!” Urs said, raising his voice as he got up from his chair. “Why don’t you ask Krissy? You seem to forget that ‘she’ was the one that left ‘me‘. It wasn’t the other way around you know!”

“Urs?” Carlos said, walking in to the lounge, holding a tray of tea. “Calm down, will you?”

“I’m sorry.” Urs apologised to them both. “You don‘t know how much she hurt me leaving that way. It still hurts to think about it even now. But I‘m not the one to blame for all this.”

“I know this is hard.” Abigail said softly. “And I’m sorry. But Kristina refuses to tell me why she left so I assumed it was something you’d said or done. All she kept saying was that you loved one another but not enough. It just didn’t make sense. It still doesn’t.”

“It doesn’t make sense to me either. I couldn’t believe it when she got on that plane.” Urs said quietly, as he sat back down in his chair. “I really didn’t think she’d go.”

“Have you asked Kristina why she left?” Abigail asked.

“No, I’ve hardly had a chance to talk to her. But it’s one of the things I want to talk to her about tomorrow.” Urs replied.

“So what else do you want to talk to her about?” Abigail continued. “That’s if you don’t mind me asking.”

Urs suddenly looked uncomfortable.

“Does it matter?” Urs asked.

"I guess not.” Abigail replied. “But there is another question that I would like to ask you. In fact there‘s two questions.”

"Urs now looked very nervous.

“My first question is does Verity really exist? And my second question is are you Kristina's secret admirer, Mr X?"

***** CHAPTER 152 *****


Urs laughed nervously at Abigail’s questions.

“What do you mean, does Verity exist? What sort of a question is that?”

“I think it’s a perfectly reasonable question, seeing as it’s been almost two months and no one has actually seen her or spoken to her.” Abigail replied. “I just can’t help wondering if you made her up. Although I can’t understand why.”

“Verity does exist.” Urs answered, truthfully. “Hand on my heart, I haven’t made her up.”

“Okay.” Abigail shrugged. “I guess I was wrong then. Because if Verity does exist and you’re seeing her, then you wouldn’t be going behind her back by masquerading as Kristina’s Mr X.”

It fell silent for several seconds; Abigail sensed that Urs was about to say something else.

“Verity does exist.” Urs said again. “But she’s not my girlfriend. I did lie about that part.”

“I knew it!” Abigail squealed. “See Carlos. I told you! He made the whole thing up!”

Urs shot an angry glare at Carlos.

“You’ve been discussing my love life?”

“Sorry Urs.” Carlos said, clearly embarrassed. “But you know what women are like.”

“Hey you, enough of that!” Abigail said, turning and playfully slapping him on the arm. “And don’t apologise, Carlos. He’s gone and made things worse by making up this story about Verity.”

“How have I made things worse?” Urs frowned.

“I some times wonder about you, Urs.” Abigail sighed. “Have you forgotten that when you gave that interview, you told them you had a girlfriend?”

“Of course I haven’t forgotten.” Urs replied. “By why has that made things worse? Oh do you mean if they find out I lied? That won‘t do any damage to the bands reputation though, will it?”

“I wasn’t talking about that.” Abigail answered. “And I think the damage has already been done.”

“What damage?” Urs asked, confused.

“What are you talking about?” Carlos asked, equally confused.

“Men!” Abigail exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. “Urs, you told the interviewer you had a girlfriend. Did you think that Kristina wouldn’t see the interview? Did you think that she wouldn’t find out? She now thinks that what you and her shared meant nothing and that within just a few months, you’ve found someone else.”

“But we did that interview when Krissy was still in New York with Tyler!” Urs replied. “I was so fed up with everyone asking if we had girlfriends and of all the weird looks I received, when I said no. How was I to know that Krissy was going to come back?”

“You couldn’t have known.” Abigail replied. “But then again, even if Kristina didn’t come back to London, that interview would’ve eventually been broadcast in the US.”

“So… she told you?” Urs asked. “I mean... Krissy actually told you about the interview? She talked about me?”

Abigail nodded.

“She brought it up in conversation, the other day when we went out shopping. Kristina started talking about the group, and just happened to mention that she saw you all on television. That’s when she mentioned the girlfriend.”

“How did she seem?” Urs asked, wincing at his stupidity.

“I don’t know.” Abigail shrugged. “These days, it’s hard to tell with Kristina. We talk but she always changes the subject when it comes to you.”

“You’re right.” Urs sighed. “If she can’t even bring herself to talk to me then the damage has already been done.”

“Not necessarily.” Abigail said, her eyes narrowing while deep in thought. “I think we should take that as a good sign. It means that she still cares for you, else it wouldn’t hurt to talk about you. And then she called you when I told her I was concerned that you weren‘t answering your mobile.”

“Abigail….you’ve got that look on your face.” Carlos said, worriedly. ”What ever it is you’re thinking, it’s no!”

“Shhh, I’m thinking.” Abigail said, waving at him to be quiet. “We could just tell Kristina that you’re not with Verity anymore but she’ll pretend she’s not bothered. So if we can just think of a way of letting her find out, but do it in such a way that she finds out, accidentally on purpose.”

“What?” Carlos asked, now more confused than ever.

“What did you have in mind?” Urs asked, his eyes now lighting up at the thought of making things right with Kristina.

“I‘m not sure yet.” Abigail said, before chewing on her lip. “Give me a day or two to think about it and I‘ll let you know. But right now, I‘m still waiting for answer to my second question. Are you Mr X?”

“Don’t be silly, Abigail.” Urs laughed, nervously again. “Do you really think I would do something like that?”

“Like what?” Abigail asked. “Sending someone you love, gifts and clues which will eventually lead them to you? There’s nothing wrong in that. I think it’s a very sweet and romantic thing to do. So, I‘ll ask again, are you Mr X?”

Urs didn’t reply. He looked at the mug of hot tea in his hands before gently blowing on it and taking a sip.

“Okay, answer me this then. One thing that’s puzzled me is how did you know what dress size Kristina is?” Abigail asked, when Urs didn’t reply. “I thought men were useless at that sort of thing.”

“We are useless, that’s why I asked the woman in the shop.” Urs said, without thinking. He then looked up at Abigail, realising he’d been caught out. She was grinning at him.

“Very clever.” Urs sighed heavily. “So now you know.”

“You do realise you very nearly killed me, making me walk all round London Zoo, just to look for a gorilla.”

“A gorilla?” Carlos said, looking horrified.

“Don’t worry.” Urs chuckled. “It wasn’t a live one, it was a statue. It was one of the clues.”

“You had me worried for a moment.” Carlos replied, letting out a relieved sigh. “I was beginning to wonder what Abby got up to, while I’m not here.”

“What makes you think I don’t get up to anything while you’re not here?” Abigail asked, trying to keep a straight face.

Carlos looked at Abigail, not quite sure what to make of her statement, but then Abigail couldn‘t hold it in any longer and started laughing.

“So where do we go from here?” Urs asked, when they had stopped laughing. “I mean, now that you know about Verity and Mr X.”

“I’m not sure.” Abigail replied. “I had to be certain before I did anything. But you can‘t tell Kristina that you‘re Mr X.”

“But that’s what I was going to tell her tomorrow.” Urs replied. “I want her to know that it’s me that been sending the clues and that she doesn’t have to worry about a stranger following her.”

“You can tell her but just not yet.” Abigail answered. “I don’t think now would be a good time. And she’s made another stupid promise to her herself not to get close to anyone because she’s afraid of getting hurt again. She‘s convinced herself she doesn‘t love you anymore.”

“Krissy and her stupid promises.” Urs mumbled. “She wouldn’t date work colleagues but that didn’t stop her dating David or Tyler. But she won’t date me.”

“Well, there was good reason why she didn’t date you.” Abigail reminded him. “At the time she was still with David when she first met you and then you were with Saskia. And of course there was the awful business of Marius lying to her.”

“Did you know that when you two had the kidney transplant, she made a promise to God, not to see me again if he kept you alive?” Urs asked.

Abigail nodded.

“She told me a couple of days after the surgery when we were still in hospital. I knew she would regret it but I couldn‘t talk her out of it.”

“So she just left it at that?” Urs replied. “She seriously believed that by making that promise, God kept you alive?”

“You have to understand Urs, that she felt she was to blame.” Abigail told him. “If it wasn’t for Kristina asking me to be a donor, I would never have been sick. I think she would‘ve done anything.”

“But when she could see you were going to be okay, she could’ve changed her mind.” Urs frowned. “I know it would’ve been going back on her word but if she loved me…”

Urs fell silent and hung his head.

“Just before me and Carlos were about to leave for our honeymoon, I begged her to phone you.” Abigail said softly, gently placing her hand on his arm. “Anyone could see how unhappy she was. I think when she saw how happy we were, that’s when she realised what she’d done by telling you to go.”

“So why she didn’t call me?” Urs sighed.

“But she did.” Abigail told him. “I only found out when we all met in Simon’s office, the day Il Divo were formed. When I saw you there, I called Kristina and told her to come down to the offices. But then you introduced her to Saskia, she got upset and we ended up having a big argument.”

“What about?” Urs asked.

“You. Me. That I should never have talked her in to coming to see you.” Abigail replied. “That you now had Saskia and that you weren’t too pleased to see her.”

“I wasn’t at the time. I thought she was there to cause trouble.” Urs said, as he thought back to that day. “And I was so shocked at seeing her again. I tried to pretend that she didn‘t mean anything to me anymore, and that I was over her and that she hadn’t hurt me. But she had.”

“Well she was hurting too.” Abigail replied. “She hadn’t so much as looked at another man since saying goodbye to you at the hospital. She was still in love with you. I told her it was her own fault that she was alone and that she should’ve called you all those years ago. That’s when she told me that she had but a woman answered. She assumed you’d met someone else and didn’t want to ruin any relationship that you might have had going.”

“I think I know the day you’re talking about.” Urs said, quietly. “It was a few weeks after your surgery. Julianna took the phone and no one answered. I always wondered if it was Krissy.”

“And because your sister answered the phone, she never contacted you again.” Abigail said sadly.

“I can’t believe this.” Urs said, hanging his head and slowly shaking it in despair. “This is all such a mess. Why can’t anything ever go right for us? Is it really that much to ask?”

“You just need to be patient, Urs.” Abigail told him.

“Patient?” Urs said, now frustrated and standing up again. “Do you realise it‘s been over four years since we first met? I can’t go through another four years of this. I’m going to see her and tell her everything now; about Julianna answering the phone, Verity, Mr X and that I still love her. I don’t care what she says, we’re going to talk about this once and for all. ”

“Urs you can’t go barging in and tell her just like that!” Abigail said, struggling to get up out of the chair. “After freaking her out and having all the locks changed, Mr X isn’t exactly in her good books at the moment. And you know how stubborn she is. You’ll end up arguing and you’ll just make things worse.”

“Abby’s right.” Carlos said, quickly getting to his feet and grabbing Urs by the arm.

“I thought you were both on my side.” Urs frowned.

“We are.” Carlos replied. “But didn’t you listen to Abby? Kristina’s convinced herself she doesn’t love you anymore. If you go there now, it won’t do you any good. She’s not going to be interested in anything you have to say.”

“So what do we do?” Urs asked.

“Not ‘we’ but ‘you’. You have to make her fall in love with you all over again. I can’t see that being too hard.” Abigail winked at Urs. “Kristina just needs a little reminder as to why she fell in love with you in the first place.”

“Use some of that Swiss charm that you’re always talking about.” Carlos smirked.

“But what about Tyler?” Urs asked. “He’s bound to interfere.”

“You let me worry about Tyler.” Abigail replied. “Just make sure you keep your date with Kristina tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry, wild horses won‘t stop me.” Urs replied.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kristina was still thinking about what Abigail had said to her on the phone; finding out from the boutique what Mr X looked like. Abigail was right, this might be her only way of finding out who her mystery admirer was. She looked at her watch, there was less than an hour until closing time. She could easily get a taxi and head back in to town before they closed. Kristina picked up her phone and called for a taxi, while slipping on her shoes. She would do it now and get it over with, then she would know once and for all who he was.

A short time later and Kristina’s taxi pulled up outside the boutique. She then spotted someone inside who looked familiar; but it couldn’t be him.

“This is your stop. Are you going to get out love?” the taxi driver asked her.

“What?” Kristina asked, glancing back at the driver.

“I said this is your stop. Are you going to get out?” he said again.

Kristina looked back at the man in the boutique. She couldn’t believe he was there. But more importantly ‘what’ was he doing there? Was he her Mr X?

“No, I’ve changed my mind. Can you take me to Mayflower apartments please; Fitzroy Avenue.”

"Sure thing.” he replied, as he looked over his shoulder, signalled and pulled away from the kerb.

Kristina still couldn’t believe it was him. If he wasn’t Mr X, why else would he be there? Did he still love her? Did he want to try again? Was that the reason he’d come to see her? Kristina needed to tell Abigail what she had seen; maybe she could make sense of it. In no time at all, Kristina had arrived at the Mayflower apartments and had rushed up the stairs to her sister’s apartment and was banging on the door.

“Okay give me a chance, it’s not easy carrying all this extra weight.” Abigail said, after opening the door to find her sister there. “I didn’t expect to see you again today.”

“I have something to tell you.” Kristina said, rushing into the apartment. “I know who Mr X is.”

***** CHAPTER 153 *****



“Is Carlos here?” Kristina asked, glancing around the apartment.

“No he’s gone out for takeaway.” Abigail replied. “How did you find out about your Mr X?”

“I thought about what you said, about asking them what he looked like.” Kristina replied, pacing up and down. “So I went back to the boutique to ask them. But then the taxi pulled up outside and that’s when I saw him inside. It has to be him. He has to be Mr X. Why else would he be there?”

“Who was there?” Abigail asked. “You haven’t told me who it is.”

“Tyler.” Kristina said, stopping suddenly. “He was talking to the woman inside the boutique.”

“Are you sure it’s him?” Abigail said warily, wondering what Tyler was doing there. “He could’ve been there buying something for someone else.”

“But who?” Kristina snapped. “We already know he wants us to give our relationship another go, so why would he be buying outfits for another woman?”

“Kristina will you calm down!” Abigail said, frowning. “Don’t let him get to you.”

“Can you believe the nerve of that man?” Kristina said, as she started to pace up and down again, ignoring her sister. “He even asked about the dress box. He made out he didn‘t know what it was and he was asking me questions, when all along it was from him. I should‘ve known it was him. You’ve got to have more money than sense to buy a dress like that and he’s definitely got the money.”

“Kristina….”Abigail started to say.

“Just wait until I see him.” Kristina said, angrily. “He had me running all over London following his stupid clues, leaving me fancy gifts everywhere and letting me think I had a stalker.”

“I take it you’re not too pleased now that you’ve found out who it is.” Abigail smirked, relieved that Urs hadn‘t told Kristina that ‘he‘ was in fact her Mr X.

“Happy?” Kristina said, raising her voice. “Happy? I’ve got a damn good mind to send him the bill for the locksmith.”

“Kristina calm down, will you!” Abigail said, as Kristina started pacing again.

“He must think I’m a real pushover if he thinks he can buy me off with expensive gifts.” Kristina continued. “I’ll tell him what he can do with his gifts. He can stick them right up his…”

“Kristina!” Abigail said, covering her ears. “Enough! I don’t want to hear it.”

“Well, he just makes me so…. so mad.” Kristina fumed, slamming her clenched fist down on the sideboard.

“Yes, I noticed.” Abigail smirked.

“I’m sorry.” Kristina said, raking her fingers through her hair. “But does he seriously think that this is going to make up for everything?”

A loud bang then came from one of the bedrooms down the hallway.

“Who else is here?” Kristina asked, curiously. “I thought you said Carlos has gone out.”

“He has, no one else is here.” Abigail replied, taking her sister by the arm and leading her towards the lounge. “Why don’t you come and sit down and I’ll make us some tea.”

Kristina then heard another sound and pulled away from her sister.

“No, someone is definitely in there.” Kristina said, as she grabbed an umbrella from the stand in the hallway. “You stay here.”

“Kristina, you don’t want to go in there.” Abigail said, following her sister.

“Shhh.” Kristina said, putting a finger to her lips. “Stay here.”

Abigail shook her head and smiled to herself as she turned and headed to the kitchen to make them some tea. She had a feeling Kristina would need it shortly.

As Kristina made her way down the hallway to where the noise was coming from, she could feel her heart starting to beat a little faster, not knowing what she would find. But she was determined to find out who or what was making the noise. As Kristina flung open the bedroom door, she raised the umbrella above her head, ready to defend herself. Her jaw dropped when she was greeted with the back of a naked man standing in the middle of her sisters bedroom.

Kristina gave a quiet gasp as she cast her eyes over the tanned muscled skin, covered in small beads of water as it trickled down his back, from the dark curls clinging to his head. The broad shoulders, the slim waist and that bum, she would recognise that bum anywhere.

Kristina swallowed hard as a startled looking Urs turned around and looked back at her. But the startled look soon disappeared when he saw it was Kristina and was replaced with a playful look that was already making Kristina feel nervous.

“I hope you’re not looking at my big feet.” Urs said, casually picking up a towel and loosely wrapping it around his hips.

“What?” Kristina said, puzzled. She looked at Urs’ feet and then suddenly remembered Notting Hill- the movie they had watched together. She started to blush.

“You remembered then, hey?” Urs quietly chuckled.

“I was ‘not’ looking at your feet.” Kristina said adamantly, feeling both embarrassed and annoyed at Urs‘ insinuation.

“So you were just checking out the rest of my body?” Urs replied, now standing there with his hands on his hips. “Well, you can’t be blushing at that. It’s not as if you haven’t seen me naked before, is it?”

“What are you doing here?” Kristina snapped, ignoring his comment.

“I could ask you the same thing.” Urs replied, calmly. “I’m not used to people walking in on me while I’m getting dressed. Do you usually come barging into people’s bedrooms?”

“May I remind you, this isn’t your bedroom.” Kristina snapped again as she glared at him.

“That’s a fair comment.” Urs smiled, putting his hands up in defeat. “Carlos kindly let me use their shower, seeing as I’ve got no hot water. There‘s a problem with the water heater in my apartment. Mind you, I’ve got to help Carlos him set up more baby furniture in return for using it. So why are you here?”

“I came to see what the noise was.” Kristina replied.

“Sorry. I didn’t realise I was making that much noise.” Urs replied, now standing right in front of her. “I hope you don’t intend on using that on me.”

“What?” Kristina asked.

“That!” Urs said, nodding at the umbrella.

“Oh…no, I…” Kristina lowered the umbrella, which she‘d been holding up in the air all this time. “I just grabbed the first thing I could find.”

“Well, lucky for me, I don’t think you could do much damage with that.” Urs grinned.

“Oh I don’t know.” Kristina smirked. “I might not be able to cause damage, but I‘m sure if it was aimed in the right place I could cause some considerable pain.”

“I’m sure you could.” Urs said, smiling. “Well now you know what was making the noise, so if you don’t mind…”

Kristina knew that he was suggesting she leave, but she found herself unable to move.

“Was there something else you wanted?” Urs asked, still with a playful look in his eyes as he took a step closer to her and adjusted his towel, causing Kristina to quickly avert her eyes.

“No, I…” Kristina stuttered, as her mind suddenly went blank.

“Are you sure?” Urs asked, closing the distance between them even further.

“Urs….” she managed to say, before holding her breath.

“Yes, Krissy?” Urs said, looking down at her.

As Kristina stared at his mouth, she could see he was saying something but didn’t hear a single word. She continued to stare at his mouth, and suddenly thought of long slow gentle kisses, just the way he had kissed her on the plane. And then there were the strong, deep and passionate kisses, the way he had kissed her in the elevator. She wondered what he would do if she were to simply reach up and kiss him. Would he return her kiss? She couldn’t take her eyes off him. Kristina imagined running her fingers through those soft curls again, being held close to him in those big strong arms of his and feeling safe once more, not having to worry about what the future held.

“What is it, Krissy?” Urs asked, softly, now concerned that she wasn‘t answering him.

“Nothing, I...” Kristina mumbled. Why did this man make her lose control of the most simple faculties; like thinking and breathing. “I…I think…”

“You always did think too much, Krissy.” Urs whispered, as he smoothed his thumb along her bottom lip. He then lowered his head to hers and gently brushed his lips against her cheek. “Why don’t you give your head a rest and let your heart do the thinking for once?”

Urs pulled back and Kristina stood watching him in complete silence.

“I really do need to get dressed.” Urs smiled. “Or I’ll catch my death standing here like this.”

“I… I’m sorry.” Kristina apologised, suddenly regaining her composure. “I’ll go.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Urs said, as Kristina turned to leave.

“Tomorrow?” Kristina said, her head still in a daze.

“Lunch?” Urs replied. “At Rays?”

“Oh… yeah, lunch.” Kristina said, now remembering that Urs had something important to tell her. “I don’t suppose you could tell me now.”

“It’s important, Krissy.” Urs said, his face now taking on a serious look. “But it can wait until I’ve got some clothes on and it can wait until tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Kristina said, quietly. She stared at him for a few seconds longer than intended and he gave her one of his breathtaking smiles that made her weak at the knees every time.

“1 o’clock.” Kristina said, taking a deep breath. “”Don’t be late.”

Kristina hurried out of the bedroom, and closed the door behind her. She leant her head back against the wall, taking several deep breaths. What on earth was she thinking? As soon as she saw it was Urs, she should have left the room straight away. There was no need for her to stay that long, but she had found herself unable to move. Just being alone in the same room with him, had made her feel more alive in those few short minutes, than she had done these last few months since leaving London. She silently cursed to herself, for letting him see how weak she was, to stand there like some love struck teenager. She didn‘t want Urs to think that she still had feelings for him and that he still held a place in her heart. Kristina swore she would never let herself get in that situation again. Because if she did, she was scared that she would let herself fall for that irresistible Swiss charm of his. When she was calm again, Kristina went to find Abigail in the kitchen.

“I told you not to go in there.” Abigail said, trying to keep a straight face as she handed Kristina a mug of tea.

“Yeah well if you’d told me it was Urs making the noise, I wouldn’t have stepped foot in there.” Kristina said, taking the mug from her. “I thought you had burglars.”

“Something tells me you would’ve gone in there no matter what I said.” Abigail smirked. “So was he… you know?”

“If you mean butt naked, yes.” Kristina said, looking up at Abigail over her mug.

“That would explain the flushed look on your face.” Abigail said, grinning. “Must’ve been some view.”

“Can we talk about something else?” Kristina said, leaning against the kitchen counter.

“Why do you always change the subject when it comes to Urs?” Abigail asked.

“Because….” Kristina paused. She didn’t like talking about Urs because it brought back so many painful memories; the fact that Urs loved her but not enough to stand by her. That if she hadn’t written that letter, telling him of her illness things might have been different. Not writing the letter to Urs, might have only delayed the inevitable, but now she would never know what could have been.

“Kristina?” Abigail said, quietly.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Kristina said, placing her mug on the counter. “I should be going. I expect Carlos will be home soon and you two will want to be alone.”

“Kristina, you don’t have to leave yet.” Abigail said, following her in to the hall. “Urs is still here. Why don’t you stay for a little longer too?”

“No, I need an early night.” Kristina said, smiling weakly. “I was going to pop into Cavendish tomorrow and see Angie about starting back at work. And then Urs needs to talk to me about something. He won’t tell me now but I‘m meeting him at Rays for lunch.”

“Yes, he mentioned that you’d agreed to see him.” Abigail smiled. “Will you be okay?”

“Why shouldn’t I be?” Kristina said, forcing a smile. “I’ll call you if I need anything.”

After Abigail and Kristina had said their goodbyes, Abigail closed the front door just as Urs appeared in the hallway.

“I see you managed to put some clothes on.” Abigail smirked.

“I know.” Urs chuckled. “I think some of that Swiss charm actually did the trick!”

Abigail walked down the hallway and in to the kitchen and started to rinse out the empty mugs.

“Is Kristina okay?” Urs asked, as he dragged his still damp hair back in to a ponytail. “She seemed… I don’t know… she seemed like her mind was elsewhere.”

“I think you being stark naked might have had something to do with that.” Abigail laughed softly.

“I’m serious, Abigail.” Urs said, quietly. “I just got the feeling that… that she still loves me. But she won‘t admit it to herself.”

“I told you earlier, Urs. She‘s changed.” Abigail sighed. “I don’t know why, but until we do, you have to take things slowly.”

“Yeah, real slow.” Urs said, frowning. “So slow, that Tyler can talk Kristina in to giving things another go.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. Tyler took her into town today. She went to the boutique and returned the dress that you sent her.” Abigail said, as she placed the mugs on the drainer and turned to face Urs. “She went back later on, as she wanted to ask them about Mr X but when she arrived, Tyler was there. She now thinks that he’s Mr X.”

“What?” Urs said, horrified. “Please tell me that you set her straight and that you told her she was wrong.”

“No way!” Abigail replied. “You should’ve heard her. In fact I’m surprised you didn’t. She’s absolutely livid with him. She thinks he’s trying to buy his way back in to her life, with expensive gifts. For the moment, I think it’s best we let her carry on thinking Tyler is Mr X.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Urs asked, not entirely convinced.

“Of course it is.” Abigail assured him. “All the time she’s mad with him, it leaves an open playing field for you. I’m just wondering what’s going to happen when she confronts Tyler though. I know he was asking about the dress but I don’t think she’s told him about Mr X, so he won’t have any idea what she’s talking about. Of course, she could just assume he’s lying.”

“I wonder what he was doing there.” Urs said, thoughtfully.

“Maybe he had the same idea as Kristina and went back to find out who sent the dress.” Abigail said, looking at Urs. “Perhaps you should give them a call and find out what he wanted.”

“It’s too late now.” Urs said, looking at his watch. “I’ll give them a call first thing in the morning. Well I suppose I should see about getting something to eat. Thanks for letting me use your shower.”

“Anytime.” Abigail said, as she followed Urs in to the hallway. “And don’t worry about Kristina. I’m sure everything will be sorted out very soon.”

“I hope so.” Urs smiled, as he opened the door. “Wish me luck.”

“Good luck, Buhler!”

***** CHAPTER 154 *****



“But Simon, I’m meeting someone.” Urs protested, down the phone. “I can’t go.”

“Is it a matter of life or death?” Simon asked.

“No but it is important.” Urs replied. “I can’t cancel on her now.”

“Her? So it’s a woman that‘s been distracting you just lately.”

“Why do we have to do this today?” Urs said, ignoring Simons remark.

“Look Urs, Josie has already told you why.” Simon replied. “I don’t know what you’ve got against this new publicist but why can’t you just listen to her and do as she asks for once?”

“I’ve got nothing against her.” Urs said, defensively. “And I do listen to her.”

“In that case, you already know the answer.” Simon said firmly. “But I‘ll tell you once again. The magazine have asked if they can rearrange the interview for today. I know it’s incredibly short notice but if we don’t do it now we might not get another chance. This group is still trying to get off the ground and we don’t have the luxury to do as we please. You answer a few questions, have a couple of pictures taken, plug the album and then you’re free to do what you want. You knew that your personal life would have to take a back seat for a while.”

“I know but it’s just…” Urs started to say.

“No buts, Urs. You’re going. The car will be there at noon. Make sure you‘re ready.” Simon said, before hanging up the phone.

Urs sighed heavily in frustration as he placed the phone back in the receiver. He didn’t want to cancel his lunch date with Kristina but he knew if he didn’t there would be hell to pay; Simon would make sure of that. Urs looked at his watch. He didn’t have time to get to Kristina’s house, apologise in person and then get back to his apartment in time for the car to collect him. He would just have to phone Kristina and hope that she would agree to meet him later on. Urs picked up the phone and dialled Kristina’s home number but there was no reply. Just my luck, he thought. He was desperately trying to think of a solution, when he remembered Kristina telling him that she was visiting Angie at Cavendish before their meeting at Rays. Urs quickly found the number for Cavendish and left a message with the receptionist, explaining that Kristina would be there visiting Angie. She assured Urs that she would pass the message on. Urs could only hope that when she got the message, Kristina would understand. One thing he didn’t have to worry about though was Tyler’s visit to the boutique. Urs had contacted them earlier that morning, asking about the dress Kristina had returned and if anyone had been enquiring as to who sent it. The assistant admitted that a gentleman had called in the previous day asking about the sender, but they make it a strict rule never to give out customer details. So Tyler was none the wiser as to Mr X was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kristina had been at Cavendish since 9am with Angie, catching up on office gossip, talking about new clients and discussing projects in progress. She was looking forward to working with Angie again and being in familiar surroundings. After coming to an agreement on what clients she would be dealing with, Kristina had decided to visit her old office. There was some post that would need sorting through, and apparently she already had messages waiting for her, after people heard she was coming back. Kristina wanted to start off organised and get things out ready for her first full day back in the office the following day. But as she opened the door to her office, she was surprised to see Tyler sitting behind her desk.

“Make yourself at home, why don’t you.” Kristina said, as she entered her office and closed the door behind her.

“I heard you were in the building so I thought I would come and say hello and welcome back.” Tyler replied, quickly slipping a piece of paper in to his pocket, as he stood up.

“I don’t officially start until tomorrow.” Kristina said, slamming down a stack of files on her desk.

“Is everything okay?” Tyler asked. “Have I done something wrong?”

“I don’t know.” Kristina replied, putting her hands on her hips. “Have you?”

“Look if you’re talking about what happened with Urs yesterday, I’m sorry.” Tyler apologised. “I didn’t know he was going to be there and I certainly didn‘t mean for any of that to happen.”

“Oh?” Kristina said, now folding her arms. “And what about the part where you told Urs that you want to give our relationship another go? Did you mean for that to happen?”

“No… well, yes but I didn’t plan for it to come out that way.” Tyler replied. “I was hoping we could’ve talked some more first but Urs… he just got me riled up.”

“So how did you plan on telling me?” Kristina asked, taking off her jacket and hanging it on the back of her chair before sitting down. “Were you going to wine and dine me and sweep me off my feet? Or were you going to buy me more clothes or jewellery and just expect me to come running back to you?”

“What are you talking about?” Tyler asked, puzzled.

“I saw you at Sacha’s yesterday.” Kristina replied. “I saw you at the boutique.”

“Oh!” Tyler said, perching himself on the end of her desk.

“Oh? Is that all you’ve got to say?” Kristina said, with raised eyebrows. “You’re not even going to deny it?”

“Well, what do you want me to say?” Tyler asked.

“I want you to tell me what you were doing there.” she replied.

“And why is it so important to you, to know what I was doing there?” Tyler asked, avoiding the question.

“Because I want to know who sent me the dress.” Kristina replied. “And it’s too much of a coincidence that after you showing up in London, you then show up at the boutique the same day. You sent me that dress, didn’t you?”

“Why does it have to be me?” Tyler asked. “I could’ve been there for any number of reasons.”

“Okay, give me one.” Kristina said, leaning back in her chair.

“I don’t have to explain myself to you.” Tyler said, calmly. “But it wasn’t me that sent you the dress.”

“And why should I believe you?” Kristina asked.

“Because I’m telling you the truth.” Tyler replied. “Now, how about lunch? My treat.”

“How about ‘no thanks’?” Kristina replied, glaring at Tyler.

“Kristina it doesn’t have to be like this.” Tyler sighed.

“Like what?” Kristina replied.

“Like nothing ever happened between us.” Tyler replied. “Won’t you even talk about things?”

“I’ve told you before, I don’t date work colleagues and while I work here, that rule still applies.” Kristina said, pushing the files across her desk.

“So quit.” Tyler said, jokingly. “Then you won’t have to worry about breaking rules.”

“Okay.” Kristina said, as she picked up a pen and started scribbling something on a notepad.

“Okay?” Tyler said, confused. “Okay what?”

“I quit but I still won‘t be dating you!” Kristina replied, tearing off the piece of paper from her notepad and handing it to him. “Accept this as my official resignation with immediate effect.”

“But… but I was only joking.” Tyler said, frowning as he read the note. “I wasn’t serious.”

“Well, I am.” Kristina said, as she picked up her bag and jacket. “I’ve should’ve known this was a bad idea coming back here.”

“Wait, let’s talk.” Tyler urged her. “There’s no need for you to quit. We can sort something out.”

“I don’t want to have to ‘sort something out’.” Kristina replied. “I want to be able to come to work and not worry about who’s going to show up in my office every day. I want things to be nice and simple for once.”

“We can do nice and simple.” Tyler told her. “I promise to back off and give you all the space you need. I won’t give you any hassle and we can talk about things when ever you’re ready.”

“You’ll be waiting a long time, Tyler.” Kristina replied. “I’m never going to be ready because I’m not looking to start another relationship, with you or anyone else for that matter.”

“So what about Urs?” Tyler asked, now getting annoyed. “What was he doing at your place yesterday? Is he the reason you came back to London?”

“In case you’ve forgotten, someone convinced me that moving back to New York was a good idea.” Kristina said, through gritted teeth. “But after making all these promises to me, he then decided a few months down the line that he wanted out and ended the relationship. That’s why I came back to London. Did you seriously expect me to stay?”

“I’m sorry.” Tyler said, quietly. “But you know why I ended things and I’m not going to make excuses. I also had a lot to deal with at the time, with my father dying.”

“I understand that.” Kristina said, trying to remain calm. “But it didn’t make things any easier for me. Now if you‘ll excuse me I have to be somewhere.”

Kristina quietly closed the door behind her, and calmly walked down the hall towards the elevator. Luckily when the elevator arrived, it was empty and she was the only one to get in it. As soon as the doors closed, she let out a heavy sigh. She could feel her stomach churning with nerves. What had she done? She’d just quit a perfectly good job and she had bills and a mortgage to pay. If only she hadn’t been so impulsive and just kept her mouth shut, Tyler would’ve gone back to New York in a few days and she wouldn’t have to worry about him. Now what was she going to do? She didn’t fancy crawling back to Tyler and telling him she’d changed her mind. Kristina looked at her watch, it had just gone noon. She wasn’t due to meet Urs until 1 o’clock. It wouldn’t take her long to get to Rays, it was only a few yards down the street. She would be about an hour early but she needed some time to calm down and think about what options she had career wise.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the few occasions that she had taken a lunch break when working at Cavendish, Kristina would always come to Rays. She had only discovered it by accident when she had gone to Foyles the bookstore and had seen people disappearing upstairs. Kristina had assumed it was another level of Foyles but was pleasantly surprised to find Rays Jazz Café. Rays had free wireless access, so even when she left the office, Kristina being a work-a-holic, could still work on her campaigns. At one end of the café, there was a huge selection of blues and jazz CD’s that were on sale. Kristina had bought several CD’s and was slowly starting to build up a wide and varied collection.

As well as being famous for the live jazz bands that played in the evenings, Rays was also famous for its coffee. And although Kristina couldn’t drink coffee anymore, it did smell exceptionally good and she had often been tempted to try some but always resisted. But today she was quite content to just make do with her salad sandwich, while listening to the soothing jazz that was playing quietly in the background. Kristina would always try and sit by the window which looked down in to Charing Cross Road. She had been lucky enough to get her usual spot by the window and kept glancing down in to the street below to see if she could spot Urs. But he was nowhere in sight.

Kristina frowned as she looked at her watch. It was now one 1.30pm and Urs was late. Urs had insisted that it was important he talk to her, yet he couldn’t even arrive on time. From what she’d heard from the others, Urs was never late. David had even joked that Urs had won awards for time keeping. Well he wouldn’t be winning any awards today. Kristina had a very low tolerance for people who were late and she considered tardiness a sign of bad manners. She would give him another half an hour and then she would start making her way home. If he hadn’t turned up by 2 o’clock, then he obviously wasn’t going to show and she didn’t see any point in hanging around. As she sat and ate her lunch, and flicked through the newspaper, her mind wandered back to more serious things. She was more concerned about what she was doing to do next, now that she was officially unemployed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After leaving Rays, Kristina had gone straight home. She had showered, changed in to something more comfortable and had now spent the last four hours updating her CV, searching the internet for prospective employers and printing out letters, ready to post the following morning. Kristina switched off her laptop and picked up the stack of letters and went into the hallway. She had just placed the envelopes in the letter rack when the realised she still this mornings mail to open; most of them looked like bills. She guessed they would be the first of many, and she would have no way of paying unless she could find a job and quickly. But one of the envelopes stood out from all the rest, it was pale blue and the address was handwritten. Kristina picked it up and had only got as far as taking the letter out of the envelope when the doorbell rang. She looked at her watch; it was a little after six o’clock. Kristina just hoped it wasn’t Tyler, as she didn’t want him to try and convince her to withdraw her resignation. She knew it was a silly and impulsive thing to do but after thinking about it for a while, she realised that she actually felt better for doing it. She had no more ties to Tyler and could do as she pleased. When she opened the door, Kristina was surprised to find Urs standing on her doorstep.

“Well, well!” Kristina said, folding her arms. “Look who decided to show up. You‘re only five hours late. But better late than never, isn‘t that what they say?”

“I’m really sorry.” Urs apologised. “I can explain.”

“Forget it. You said it was important but it can’t have been that important if you couldn’t even be bothered to come.” Kristina said, as she went to close the door. “You could have least let me know.”

“Just a minute.” Urs said, putting his foot in the door way. “I tried calling you here but there was no answer. So I assumed you’d already left for Cavendish. That’s why I called there and left a message with the receptionist. She promised she would pass the message on.”

“I didn’t get any message.” Kristina said, peering round the door.

“Well, I can assure you, I did call.” Urs replied. “You do believe me, don’t you?”

Kristina chewed on her bottom lip while looking at Urs. She didn’t know if she wanted to believe him. Because that would mean she had no reason to be mad at him and that he was still the gentle and reliable guy that she’d always known. She knew that he wouldn’t deliberately stand her up. And he was here now to apologise, when he could’ve just called or not even bother at all.

“I guess so.” Kristina shrugged.

“So does that mean you’ll let me in and we can talk?” Urs asked, smiling.

Kristina stepped back and opened the door, allowing Urs to come in.

“Thanks.” he smiled again, as he walked past her.

Kristina followed Urs in to the lounge where they both sat down.

“I’m really sorry about this afternoon, Krissy but I couldn’t help cancelling.” Urs apologised. “One of the magazines changed the date for an interview. I couldn’t back out of it. I tried but Simon wouldn‘t let me.”

“It’s alright, I understand.” Kristina said, frowning as she started to read the letter. “Work comes first.”

“So does that mean you forgive me?” he asked.

“Of course.” Kristina mumbled.

“Are you alright?” Urs asked, when he saw the frown on her face.

“I’m fine.” Kristina said, quietly as she placed the letter back in the envelope.

“Perhaps you’ll let me take you out for dinner tomorrow.” Urs suggested. “To make up for this afternoon.”

Kristina didn’t answer; she stared blankly at the envelope in her hand.

“Krissy?” Urs said, concerned.

“Hmm?” Kristina looked up at him.

“Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?” he asked, his hazel eyes silently pleading with her.

“Yeah… sure.” Kristina said, looking back at the envelope.

“What time?” Urs asked, his smile growing.

Kristina didn’t answer again. Urs was now starting to worry.

“Krissy, are you okay?” Urs asked, getting to his feet. He was about to walk over to Kristina and sit down beside her but she suddenly got up from her chair and rushed towards him.

“Urs, you have to leave now.” Kristina said, walking into the hallway.

“Are you sure everything’s alright?” Urs asked.

“Everything’s fine but please go.” Kristina said, ushering him to the door.

“Did I do something wrong?” Urs asked, standing in the doorway.

“No you didn’t do anything wrong.” Kristina replied. “I just need you to go. Please”

“Can I call you tomorrow?” Urs asked. “So we can arrange a time for dinner.”

“I won’t be able to make it after all.” Kristina said, opening the door. “Something’s come up. I’m sorry.”

“So when can I see you?” Urs said, stepping out side.

“I don’t know.” Kristina replied. “I’ll call you.”

And with those last few words, she closed the door on him leaving a very worried Urs to wonder what was in the letter. As soon as Kristina had closed the door on Urs, she rang Abigail.

“Everything okay?” Abigail asked. “You don’t sound your usual self.”

“No, not really.” Kristina replied, as tears started to prick the backs of her eyes. “I’ve just had some bad news. I need to get to Hatfield tomorrow. If it‘s okay with you and Carlos, can I borrow the car?”

“Of course you can.” Abigail replied. “But please; tell me what‘s happened.”

Kristina sat down on the stairs. As she explained the contents of the letter to Abigail, she could feel the tears running down her cheeks but she didn‘t care. She only wondered how she was going to make it through tomorrow.

**** CHAPTER 155 *****

Urs had a couple of black suits in his wardrobe but he had to borrow a black tie from Carlos. The last time he’d worn a black tie, was at Aimee’s funeral and he hoped he would never have to wear one again. But before going home last night, he had stopped in at Carlos and Abigail’s apartment. He told Abigail about his concern for Kristina and the mysterious letter. That‘s when Abigail explained that Kristina had already phoned her and she explained to Urs that the letter was from a man called Luke. His wife, Gemma, went to the same renal clinic that Kristina used to go to when she was on dialysis. Luke had written to let her know that Gemma had passed away suddenly. He had sent details of when and where the funeral was to be held, should she want to attend.

Abigail had suggested to Urs that maybe it would be a good idea if he went with Kristina to the funeral. Obviously they hadn’t told Kristina as they knew she would object. So Urs had got up early, showered and dressed and had called Simon to let him know that he had some urgent personal business to attend to. Urs was now waiting for Abigail’s call to let him know that Kristina had arrived.

Urs checked himself in the mirror one last time. He smoothed his hair down and straightened his tie. He looked fine, but inside he felt sick. He tried to suppress the churning in his stomach and the lump in his throat. Urs wasn’t looking forward to today but he couldn’t let Kristina go to a funeral on her own.

A mobile beeped and Urs hurried in to the lounge and picked it up. It was a text from Abigail to say that Kristina had just arrived. Urs slipped his mobile in to his pocket, grabbed his coat and keys and headed straight for Abigail’s apartment. When he arrived, Abigail told him that Kristina had already left. So Urs made a run for the staircase and just as he reached the bottom of the steps he saw Kristina on the path outside.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kristina had collected the car keys from Abigail and was now on her way downstairs. She felt sick but wasn’t sure if it was due to nerves or if it was due to lack of sleep. Thoughts of Gemma had been racing around her head late in to the night, until she was too tired to stay awake. But even then, she fell in to a fitful sleep and woke up early. She tried to eat breakfast but she couldn’t manage any more than a couple of mouthfuls of cereal before feeling physically sick. She had just exited the apartment block and was only a feet away from the car when someone called out her name.

“Krissy!”

Kristina turned around to see Urs hurrying towards her. He was wearing a black suit and tie and had an overcoat draped over his arm.

“I can’t stop, Urs.” Kristina said, now heading for the car. “I have to be somewhere.”

“I know where you‘re going.” Urs said softly, as he gently took Kristina by the arm and turned her to face him.

“Don’t tell me…Abigail.” Kristina sighed.

Urs nodded.

“I thought you could do with some company.” Urs smiled. “That’s why I‘m dressed like this.”

“I can do this on my own you know.” Kristina told him.

“I know you can, but funerals are never an easy thing.” Urs said, his smile faltering. “And I don’t like the thought of you going alone.”

“You don’t have to do this.” Kristina said quietly, feeling a twinge of guilt. She had completely forgotten how hard this must be for Urs, after losing Aimee.

“Yes, I do. But more importantly, I want to.” Urs said, taking the car keys from Kristina. “Come on, I’ll drive.”

Urs unlocked the car and held the door open, waiting for her to get in. Kristina slowly approached the car and looked up at Urs.

“Thank you.” she said, giving a soft smile.

She then got in the car and Urs closed the door, a faint smile graced his lips. He knew today would be hard for both of them, but he was just glad that Kristina was letting him go with her. He had a feeling she would need him, as he was certain that she’d been crying. The sparkle in her eyes wasn’t as bright as it usually was, her eyes were reddened and her face looked a little flush.

Only the hum of the engine and the sound of the radio playing quietly in the background stopped the two of them from sitting in total silence. The church was about an hours drive from London. But for Kristina most of it was a blur, as she tried to think about anything else other than the funeral.

They had almost reached the junction for Hatfield but now the traffic had come to a standstill. The queue seemed to be backed up and they weren’t making much progress. Kristina shivered and turned up the heat in the car. There was a bitter chill in the air and even the heater didn’t seem to help. Kristina had been listening to the radio while getting ready earlier; the weatherman had forecast snow. In the middle of February? At the moment the day was overcast, dull and grey. It seemed like it would rain at any moment and Kristina couldn’t see it snowing. But then again, the weather did the strangest things sometimes.

“So tell me about Gemma.” Urs said, interrupting her thoughts.

“What did Abigail tell you about her?” Kristina asked.

“Just that you met her when you were going for dialysis at the renal clinic.” Urs replied. “What was she like?”

“She was a very sweet and bubbly person.” Kristina smiled. “You’d never have thought she was ill, she was always laughing and joking with everyone. She’d been on the waiting list for a new kidney for a couple of years before finally getting one. But her body rejected it and she had to have it removed, else it would make her worse.”

“So she went back on the waiting list?” Urs asked.

Kristina nodded.

“She also went back on dialysis but we all knew she wouldn’t be able to do that forever.” Kristina said, quietly as she turned to look out the car window. “Her disease was far more advanced than mine and I think she knew that her chances of getting a transplant in time were almost non-existent but she didn‘t seem phased by it at all. Unlike me.” Kristina said, laughing nervously. “I don’t know how she did it. I still find it a struggle just to get up in the mornings.”

Kristina could feel the tears welling up in her eyes but she fought them back. Memories of her time on dialysis came flooding back; memories of how scared she felt, not knowing if Abigail would be a match for a donor. Kristina was only on dialysis for a short while, but it was still a frightening time for her. She took a slow deep breath, trying to compose herself.

“Krissy.” Urs said, taking one hand off the steering wheel and reaching for her hand. “Do you want me to pull over?”

“No, there’s no need to do that.” Kristina said, as she looked at him, forcing a smile. “I’ll be fine.”

“As long as you’re sure.” Urs said, still holding her hand.

“I’m sure.” Kristina said, slipping her hand from his. “I think we‘re moving again.”

“Sorry?”

“The traffic.” Kristina replied. “We’re moving.”

Urs put the car in to gear and they finally started moving again. After a few minutes Urs signalled left and they turned off. As they slowly drove down the road leading to the church, they saw the procession of funeral cars parked along the road. A large group of people all dressed in black were already filing in to the church. Kristina swallowed hard, determined not to cry in front of Urs. She wanted him to see that could be strong.

They had managed to find a parking space not too far from the church. Kristina didn’t even notice that Urs had got out of the car until he was standing on the pavement and had opened her door.

“Ready?” Urs asked, softly.

Kristina nodded.

“Come on then.” Urs said, holding his hand out to her. “It’ll be okay.”

Kristina stared at his hand for a fraction of a second before gladly accepting it and getting out of the car. Urs locked the car and they made the short walk to the church.

The funeral service inside the church wasn’t as hard as Kristina had feared. She could deal with the hymns, listening to people talk about Gemma and her antics. She actually found herself smiling several times. It was the burial that was the worst part. It had started to rain so everyone had been given umbrellas when it came to going outside. People were now standing at Gemma’s grave, a steady drizzle rolled off their umbrellas. Luke caught Kristina watching him with their 4 year old daughter Chloe. He briefly nodded his thanks to her before looking back at Gemma’s grave, as tears escaped from his eyes and ran down his cheeks.

“Grandma, why is daddy crying? Where's mummy?” Chloe asked.

“Honey, mummy was very ill so she's had to go somewhere else to live.”

“Will she becoming back?”

“No Chloe, she won’t.”

“Will she becoming back tomorrow?”

Kristina bit her lip, willing herself not to cry as Chloe stood there beside her father, completely unaware of what her life would be like now her mother had gone.

“No Chloe, mummy can't come back, not ever, but she loves you very much and doesn't want you to ever forget that.”

Kristina felt Urs slip his hand through hers. She looked at him and smiled weakly, and then noticed his cheeks were damp with his own tears. She placed her other hand on his and gently squeezed it. Just as the funeral was coming to an end, Luke knelt down by Gemma’s graveside and buried one hand in the freshly dug earth, before scattering it over her coffin and saying his final goodbye.

As everyone left the churchyard, Urs stood waiting by the car, while Kristina went to see Luke. They only spoke for a few minutes before Kristina returned to Urs. She felt as if she was about to cry but still, she somehow managed to hold it in.

“Are you ready to go?” Urs asked.

“Actually, do you mind if we stay here for a little while?” Kristina replied. “I want to be alone. I just need a few minutes to myself.”

“Sure, I understand.” Urs replied. “Take as long as you need.”

“Thanks.” Kristina smiled.

Kristina slowly made her way round the side of the church. She needed to be alone, to clear her head but most of all, so she could cry in private. She swore she wouldn’t cry in front of Urs. She had told him she could do this alone and didn‘t want him to see how weak she was, that‘s why she needed a few minutes to herself. Kristina spent a while quietly walking around the cemetery, with nothing but her thoughts. She read the countless messages that families had written on the gravestones of loved ones they had lost. Kristina stopped suddenly and looked down at a recent grave, wondering what might have been if she hadn’t survived the transplant. She could feel herself starting to get emotional at the realisation that if Abigail hadn’t been a match and if she hadn't donated a kidney, this morning might very well have been her own funeral.

“Krissy are you okay?” Urs said, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Urs… I… I said I needed to be alone.” Kristina said, quickly wiping her eyes.

“I know.” Urs said. “But I was worried about you.”

“There’s no need to be.” Kristina said, turning around to face him. “I’m fine.”

“Well if you don’t mind me saying so, you don’t look fine.” Urs smiled.

“It’s a funeral.” Kristina replied. “What do you expect?”

Kristina then saw a single tear appear at the corner of his eye and once again, she felt that twinge of guilt. She kept forgetting that this was just as hard for Urs, if not harder. He was trying to be strong for her and now she felt awful for allowing him to come with her. Kristina reached for his hand and gently squeezed it.

“This must be so painful for you.” she said quietly. “I’m sorry. I should have said no, when you offered to come with me.”

“Even if you had said no, I still would have come.” Urs replied, as he squeezed her hand back. “I can be stubborn… just like you.”

“Don’t start Buhler.” Kristina said, unable to stop herself from giving a small chuckle.

“Do you feel like eating?” Urs smiled.

“Not really.” Kristina replied. “I couldn’t eat a thing this morning and I don‘t think I could even now.”

“Okay. So are you ready to go home?” Urs asked.

“I think so.” Kristina sighed, looking back at the church. “And thanks for coming with me today. I’m glad you were here.”

“Me too.” Urs said, quietly.

The drive home from Hatfield was just as quiet as the drive there, but somehow this was more relaxed. Neither of them felt the need to talk. Urs was hoping he could spend a little more time with Kristina and was somewhat reluctant to take her home. Her saw an opportunity when Kristina’s stomach rumbled loudly, making them both laugh.

“I guess I’m hungry after all.” Kristina said, laughing.

“If you want, we could go back to mine and I could cook us something.” Urs suggested.

“Like what?” Kristina asked, seriously tempted to accept his offer and not really looking forward to going back to an empty house.

“Anything you want.” Urs replied. “I make a mean Spaghetti Bolognese.”

Kristina looked at Urs, not sure if he was serious but then saw him grinning at her.

“Go on then.” Kristina laughed again. “Spaghetti Bolognese sounds great and I promise not to tip it over you this time.”

“I should hope not.” Urs said, trying to keep a straight face. “Else you’re paying my cleaning bill.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Can I get you something to drink?” Urs asked, as both he and Kristina entered his apartment.

“Juice will be good, if you’ve got any.” Kristina replied, taking off her jacket.

“Here let me take that.” Urs said, taking her jacket and hanging it up with his. “One juice coming up.”

Kristina went in to the lounge and sat down, waiting for Urs to return. She looked around the apartment. It was less than a year ago, that she had last been to his apartment but it looked exactly how she remembered it; clean, stylish and well organised which was surprising for a man. When Kristina had last come here, she had been the one cooking for Urs but now it would be the other way around. She then quietly chuckled to herself as she remembered how she had managed to get her toe stuck in the bath tap.

“Something amusing?” Urs said, returning with two glasses of juice.

“I was just thinking about how I got my toe stuck in the bath tap.” Kristina said, still chuckling.

“Ah yes.” Urs grinned. “That’s my hold over you. You tell anyone about the broken pencils in my cast and I mention the bath tap.”

“Well I’m hardly like to bring that up am I?” Kristina said, taking the glass from Urs. “Thanks.”

“Glad to hear it.” Urs replied. “So, were you serious about Spaghetti Bolognese or did you fancy something else?”

“I’m honestly not bothered.” Kristina replied. “I’m so hungry, I could eat anything.”

“Well how about you give me half an hour while I get everything together.” Urs said, placing his glass on the table. “You could pop round and see Abigail and return the car keys while I make a start on things.”

“Sounds good to me.” Kristina smiled, before taking a sip of her juice and then placing it on the table.

“Why don’t you take a key and then you can let yourself back in.” Urs said, taking a key from his pocket. “Just in case I don’t hear you.”

“Thanks.” Kristina said, taking the key from him, their fingers touching briefly in the exchange. Their eyes suddenly locked on to one another’s and Urs’ eyes bore deeply in to hers. Urs was tempted to lean down and kiss her, he was sure he still saw that look she had only for him but he knew that now was definitely not the right time to be making advances towards her.

For a moment, Kristina thought Urs was about to kiss her. Perhaps he was having second thoughts about their relationship. Even if he was, Kristina wasn’t. But no matter how hard she tried to deny her feelings for him, Kristina knew that Urs could see right through her; her eyes gave her away every time. Yet she wasn’t about to admit it to him and least of all to herself.

“I’ll be back in half an hour.” Kristina said, as she quickly turned and left the apartment to see Abigail.

Urs watched Kristina leave and then stood looking at the door for several minutes, wondering what to do next. He knew Abigail had told him to wait before telling Kristina about Mr X and that he had lied about having a girlfriend. But Urs just wanted everything out in the open so that he and Kristina could try again. Should he tell her when she came back? Or was Abigail right? Should he wait?

***** CHAPTER 156 *****

“So how did it go?” Abigail said, as she stood aside so Kristina could enter the apartment.

“It was tough.” Kristina replied, walking in to the lounge and collapsing on to the sofa. “You should’ve seen Luke, Abigail. He was trying so badly to keep it together for Chloe’s sake. But she didn’t even have any idea what was going on.”

“Well that’s understandable.” Abigail said, sitting down next to Kristina. “She’s still young.”

“I know.” Kristina sighed. “And I was beginning to think that was a good thing. But now I can’t help wondering if she’ll remember any of today when she’s older. Or will she even remember Gemma?”

“Of course she will.” Abigail assured her. “She might be young but I’m sure Luke will talk about her everyday and tell Chloe all about her mum. He won’t let her forget her.”

“Oh I know he won’t let that happen.” Kristina smiled. “But will she have any memories of her own? Like you said, she‘s still young, maybe too young.”

Abigail was unsure how to answer, perhaps Kristina was right.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound morbid.” Kristina apologised. “I just came to give you the car keys back and see how you’re doing.”

“How I’m doing?” Abigail said, raising her eyebrows. “Can’t you tell? I’m about to burst! This baby is getting huge.”

“Hey maybe it’s twins.” Kristina chuckled. “Have you ever thought about that?”

“I think if there was another mini Marin in here, the scans would have picked it up by now.” Abigail replied, gently patting her stomach. “Believe me, there‘s only one.”

“I still can’t believe that you don’t want to know what sex the baby is.” Kristina said, shaking her head in amazement. “If it was me, I would want to know straight away.”

“Well you always were the impatient one.” Abigail smirked. “But we’ve waited this long. I think I can wait another five weeks.”

Kristina’s then put her hand over her own stomach, as it growled, reminding her how hungry she was.

“Want to stay for lunch?” Abigail asked, laughing. “And don’t try telling me you’re not hungry.”

“How can I deny it? Kristina laughed. “And thanks, normally I would say yes. But Urs has offered to cook me lunch.”

“Oh!” Abigail said, forming a perfect ‘O’ with her mouth.

“Don’t say ‘oh’ like that! And don’t go getting any funny ideas.” Kristina told her, when she saw the look on Abigail’s face. “It’s just lunch; two people eating together. Okay?”

“Okay.” Abigail said, slowly nodding her head. “Just lunch.”

“You know I should be mad at you, for telling Urs about the funeral.” Kristina said, leaning back on the sofa. “But if I‘m completely honest, it was nice to have someone there.”

“Well you know if it wasn’t for this, I would have come this morning.” Abigail said, pointing to her stomach. “But I just wasn’t feeling up to it.”

“You don’t have to explain.” Kristina smiled. “There’s no way I would have let you come.”

“But you let Urs.” Abigail reminded her.

“Yes, I know.” Kristina said quietly. “But when I saw the look on his face, I didn’t have the heart to say no. I think it was just as tough for him, as it was for me, after he lost Aimee. I even caught him crying a couple of times.”

“Oh crap!” Abigail said, putting her hand to her forehead. “I’m such a klutz sometimes. I completely forgot about Aimee. I‘ll have to apologise next time I see him.”

“Don’t worry about that.” Kristina smiled. “I’m sure he’ll understand. After all, he could have said no.”

“But he didn’t and I think we both know why.” Abigail said, now being serious.

“Yeah, because he felt sorry for me.” Kristina replied. “And I don’t need his pity!”

“Pity?” Abigail said, confused. “Why pity?”

It had to be pity, Kristina thought to herself. What else could it be? Urs had a girlfriend now, so he obviously didn’t do it out of love. Maybe it was out of guilt. Perhaps he just did it to make himself feel better, after ending things so abruptly between them.

“What else could it be?” Kristina said, quietly. She then looked at her sister, tears welling up in her eyes again.

“What’s wrong, Kristina?”

“The funeral… it suddenly came to me this morning, when I was walking around looking at the headstones.” Kristina paused. “Abigail, if you hadn’t been a match, that could’ve been my funeral this morning. I think Urs knew it too. Do you think that‘s why he came?

“Oh Kristina, why do you say such things?” Abigail said, hugging her sister.

“Because it’s true.” Kristina said, now crying. “You might not have been a match. I might not have found another donor, even if I did my body could have rejected the kidney, just like Gemma. Anything could’ve happened.”

“But it didn’t.” Abigail said, hugging her even tighter. “You’re here, you’re alive. I know it’s hard but you’ve got to stop thinking like this. You’ve got to stop feeling sorry for yourself. And yes, that could have been your funeral this morning, but it wasn’t. You’re one of the lucky ones, so make the most of what you‘ve got!”

“I’m sorry, Abigail.” Kristina said, pulling away from her sister. “You’re right but it’s just so hard sometimes.”

“I understand.” Abigail smiled. “But just so you know, Urs came to see me last night, because he was worried about you after you read that letter. It was only then that I told him about Gemma’s funeral.”

“What are you trying to say?” Kristina asked.

“I’m trying to say that… even before Urs knew about the funeral, he was still worried about you.” Abigail replied. “Doesn’t that tell you anything?”

“What did I say?” Kristina said, looking at her sister. “Don’t start that again.”

“I’m not starting anything!” Abigail protested. “All I was going to say is that he obviously still cares for you if he was prepared to put himself through that kind of ordeal this morning. Remember what I said, you‘re one of the lucky ones so make the most of life. And please, you don‘t have to tell me what happened between you and Urs to make you leave London, but just get things fixed so both of you can be happy again.”

“Abigail, I’m really not in the mood to talk about this right now.” Kristina said, wiping her eyes dry. “Can we leave it?”

“Sorry.” Abigail apologised, not wanting to push things too far. She knew all too well why Urs had gone with Kristina. He really did love her but Abigail couldn‘t give the game away just yet. “So…what’s he cooking you for lunch?”

“Spaghetti Bolognese.” Kristina replied, now smiling.

“No way!” Abigail laughed. “He’s getting a bit daring, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, he said if I tip it over him again, he’s sending me the cleaning bill.” Kristina said, chuckling. “I’m tempted to do it, just to see the look on his face.”

“Aww you wouldn’t though, would you?” Abigail asked, not quite sure if Kristina was serious.

“Depends if he behaves himself.” Kristina replied.

“I’m sure he’ll be the perfect gentleman.” Abigail replied, just as the phone started to ring.

Abigail looked at the telephone but didn’t move.

“Aren’t you going to answer it?” Kristina asked, noticing that her sister seemed reluctant.

“Yeah, of course.” Abigail replied, forcing a smile.

Abigail sat staring at the phone for a few more seconds before mustering up the courage to answer it.

“Hello?” Abigail said, warily. No reply. “Hello?”

Abigail then quickly put the phone down.

“Wrong number.” Abigail said, forcing another smile.

“Is everything okay?” Kristina asked, worriedly. “You literally leapt out of your seat when the phone rang.”

Abigail shrugged.

“I’ve just been getting a few odd phone calls, that’s all.”

“What sort of odd phone calls?” Kristina asked. “You mean like heavy breathers?”

“No, nothing like that.” Abigail replied. “I mean… yeah I can hear them breathing but not… you know. Sometimes they hang up as soon as I’ve answered, other times they say nothing and I end up having to put the phone down.”

“Have you told Carlos?” Kristina asked.

Abigail shook her head.

“He’s so busy at the moment and I don‘t want to worry him.” Abigail replied. “It’s probably just kids playing around.”

“You’re probably right.” Kristina replied. But neither of them were convinced. If it was children, they were more likely to dial a random number, not keep ringing the same person over and over.

“You’re not going to be late are you?” Abigail asked, changing the subject. “You don’t want to keep Urs waiting.”

“I doubt it will be ready yet, but you’re right, hardly seems fair being here while he’s doing all the hard work.” Kristina said, getting up from her seat. “Thanks for letting me use the car.”

“Anytime.” Abigail said, carefully pushing herself up from the chair.

“Oh and I almost forgot to tell you…” Kristina said, stopping suddenly. “I quit Cavendish yesterday.”

“You did what?” Abigail said, shocked. “Did you get a better job offer?”

“No, I just decided that I’d had enough of Tyler.” Kristina replied. “I confronted him about the dress and he won’t give me a straight answer. But he’s admitted he wants us to try again. He just won‘t give up.”

“And you don’t want to try again?” Abigail asked, a little surprised as to why Tyler wouldn’t confirm or deny that he was Mr X.

“No, definitely not.” Kristina replied. “And I feel a whole let better not having any more ties to him. I‘m free to do as I please.”

“So what are you going to do for work?” Abigail asked, opening the front door.

“I’ve absolutely no idea.” Kristina replied. “I’ve already printed off several letters, asking around so I guess I wait and see.”

“Well, I’ll keep my ear to the ground, but just one more thing before you go.” Abigail said, as Kristina stepped out in to the hall.

“Yes?” Kristina said.

“Urs didn‘t come this morning out of pity.” Abigail told her. “He did it out of love.”

“Abigail, I know you’re trying to make me feel better, but seriously there’s no need.” Kristina smiled. “We’ve both moved on. He doesn’t care for me anymore and besides he has someone new in his life. I know he has a girlfriend, I’ve seen the interview. Remember?”

“No, he doesn’t.” Abigail said, watching Kristina for a response.

“What?” she said, slowly as she looked at Abigail.

“He doesn’t have a girlfriend.” Abigail replied.

“But… the interview…” Kristina stuttered. “And I overheard you and Carlos talking…”

Abigail shook her head. She hadn’t planned on telling Kristina this way but she couldn’t let it go on any longer. Kristina had to know the truth.

“But I heard you. You said her name was Verity.” Kristina continued. “I don’t understand.”

“He made it all up.” Abigail told her. “It was something he did just to shut up some interviewer. He was sick of people asking him if he had a girlfriend, and of all the strange looks he got when he said no. Me and Carlos only found out a couple of days ago.”

“So Verity doesn’t exist?” Kristina said, faintly.

“Oh she exists.” Abigail replied. “Urs does know a Verity but they’ve never dated. She’s just someone he knows back in Amsterdam.”

“Oh.” Kristina said, quietly as she stared down at the floor. She knew that it shouldn’t make any difference whether Urs was single or not, but for some reason it did. She couldn’t explain it but she felt a sense of relief.

“I guess that changes things a little now, doesn’t it?” Abigail smiled.

“Does it?” Kristina asked.

“Well, you’re still single and now that you know Urs is single….”

“It doesn’t change a thing.” Kristina said, interrupting her.

“Okay, so why did you agree to have lunch with him?” Abigail asked. “You still care for him, don’t you?”

Kristina replied, unable to look her sister in the eye. “I was hungry and he offered to cook. It’s as simple as that.”

“You haven’t answered my other question.” Abigail said, determined to get an answer from her sister. “You still care for him, don’t you? Why won‘t you admit it?”

“I’m going now.” Kristina said, hugging her sister and ignoring her question. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Okay.” Abigail smiled, knowing full well what Kristina’s answer would have been. She knew all too well, that Kristina still loved Urs. “Have fun!”

Abigail closed the door and went to sit back down. These days, with her due date being so close, she grew tired very quickly. As she sat down, she heard a crumpling sound behind her and suddenly remembered the manila envelope which she had hidden behind her cushion just seconds before Kristina had arrived. She leant forward and pulled out the envelope from behind her and stared at it.

Carlos had already left before the post had arrived earlier that morning, so he knew nothing about it; no one did. Abigail had thought about telling Kristina, especially after the anonymous phone calls she had been getting but for some reason, she found herself trying to brush it off, like it was no big deal, just kids playing around. Abigail opened the envelope and pulled out the large glossy photograph. It was taken the day Abigail and Kristina had gone in to town, following the clues that Urs had left. They were both standing next to Guy, the gorilla at London Zoo.

There was no note, with the photo so Abigail was none the wiser as to who had sent it. All she had was the photo – and in thick red marker pen, a big red cross had been drawn across her face. Abigail put the photo back in the envelope. Maybe it was someone’s idea of joke, albeit a bad one. She could put the strange phone calls down to kids playing around, but the photo, this was serious. Except she didn’t know what to do next, or who she should tell. Abigail didn’t want to worry Carlos or her sister, and she wasn’t even sure if the police would take her seriously. She had no idea who had sent it or even why they had sent it. Or did she? One name instantly sprang to mind. It couldn’t be him, could it? She shivered, as a chill ran down her spine, not with cold but with fear. She only hoped to God that she was wrong.

CHAPTER 157


Kristina walked the short distance to Urs’ apartment, thinking about what Abigail had told her and quietly let herself back inside, using the key Urs had given her. So Urs didn’t have a girlfriend, he’d made it all up. She had to admit, knowing Urs was now single did make her feel differently about him again but Kristina wasn’t going to let that influence her decision to remain single. Or was she? She’d been trying to tell herself for months that she didn’t and couldn’t love Urs anymore. She couldn’t let a few kind acts from Urs make her give in to her emotions so easily. She was reading too much in to the situation and Urs was simply being a friend; which suited her just fine. So why did she find herself hoping that it would lead to more than just friendship? Was she already having second thoughts? Was she willing to try again, if that’s what Urs wanted too?

As she placed the keys on the small table by the door, Kristina noticed Urs’ jacket was laying on the floor. It must’ve somehow slipped off the hanger. She bent down to pick it up and the first thing she noticed was the strong smell of leather. Kristina held the jacket close to her and took a deep breath. She could smell Urs, she could smell his scent. All of her senses instantly came to life; his scent brought back a strong yearning. Kristina now had an image of him in her mind. She was taken back to the night when they were together; when they almost became lovers. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt happier, knowing that Urs really did love her and that they could finally be a couple.

Kristina was so lost in her thoughts and her memories of Urs, that she didn’t hear him approaching.

“You’re back!” Urs said, stopping suddenly in the doorway, when he saw Kristina.

“Urs!” Kristina said, startled. “I… your jacket, I found it on the floor, so I… I was just about to hang it up but seeing as you‘re here…”

Kristina thrust the jacket at Urs.

“Is there anything I can do to help in the kitchen?” Kristina asked, bustling past him and not even waiting for a reply.

Urs didn’t say a word, but couldn‘t help chuckling to himself as he hung up the jacket. He was shocked at what he had just seen, but it was enough to fill him with renewed hope and he wasn’t about to spoil it again. Urs headed for the kitchen, which is where he found Kristina; she was standing in front of the cooker and checking on the sauce. He continued to watch her, and once again found himself smiling. She still looked as beautiful as ever; soft tanned skin, blonde wavy hair framing that lovely face and he loved the endearing way she chewed on her lip when concentrating.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dinner was finally ready and while Urs was dishing up dinner, Kristina set the table. Neither of them mentioned the incident with Urs’ jacket.

“So when do you start back at Cavendish?” Urs asked, taking off his tie, as they both sat down to eat.

“Actually, I…” Kristina paused, not sure if she should tell Urs what had happened between her and Tyler.

“Krissy?”

“I should’ve started today but…” Kristina paused again. “Well, there was Gemma’s funeral but it didn’t matter anyway, because I quit yesterday.”

“You quit?” Urs said, his eyes widening. “But why? I thought you loved that job!”

“I did. I still do.” Kristina told him. “But there were things that made it impossible for me to stay there.”

“When you say things do you mean Tyler?” Urs asked, warily but curious to know if something had happened between them.

Kristina nodded but didn’t look up from her plate. Urs guessed something had happened between her and Tyler but Kristina didn’t look comfortable talking about it; but then who liked talking about their break ups?

“So what are you going to do now?” Urs asked, sensing that Kristina wasn’t about to go in to anymore details.

Kristina shrugged.

“I start looking for another job.” she replied. “I’d just finished printing off some letters before you arrived last night. But I haven’t got around to posting them yet. Hopefully someone out there will take me on.”

“Why don’t you ask Simon?” Urs suggested. “We both know how disappointed he was when you told him you were transferring to New York. I’m sure he would give you a job.”

“I don’t know.” Kristina frowned, not entirely convinced it was a good idea. To her, it sounded like she would only be causing herself more headaches and more complications.

“It was just a suggestion.” Urs said, when he could clearly see that Kristina didn’t seem very enthusiastic.

“I know, and thanks.” Kristina smiled. “Maybe I will give him a call but let’s see what happens with the others first, okay?”

“Okay.” Urs smiled.

The remainder of dinner was spent in amiable companionship, laughing and making jokes. They talked about little things like Kristina’s previous campaigns at Cavendish, Urs’ job as a bricklayer, childhood memories and even the weather. Things seemed to be going fine until Urs mentioned the time he fell through the ice when he was little, and if his father hadn’t saved him, he wouldn’t be here today. That’s when silence returned, and both of them thought back to Gemma’s funeral.

“Not the most tactful of people am I?” Urs said, smiling nervously.

“Don’t worry.” Kristina smiled back. “It’s life, you can’t avoid it. We just have to deal with it and move on.”

Kristina then placed her knife and fork on her empty plate and sighed with satisfaction.

“That was really good.”

“Try not to sound too surprised.” Urs commented. “I might be a man but that doesn’t mean I can’t cook you know.”

“I’m sorry.” Kristina said, trying not to laugh. “But I think that was even better than my mum’s home cooking.”

“Aww you’re just saying that.” Urs replied.

“No seriously.” Kristina replied. “You’ll make someone a great husband one day. Do you clean and sew too?”

“Is that a marriage proposal?” Urs laughed. “Because if it is, the answer’s no.”

Kristina froze. She didn’t know why but all of a sudden her head was filled with images of Urs on his wedding day and she found herself jealous at the thought of him marrying anyone but her.

Urs stopped laughing when he saw the look on Kristina’s face and realised what he had just said.

“I didn’t mean it like that.” Urs stuttered. “I didn’t mean that I wouldn’t marry you…”

“Good.” Kristina replied, now trying to keep a straight face at Urs‘ obvious embarrassment. “Because I don‘t remember asking you.”

“What I meant to say was…was…” Urs stuttered again.

“It’s okay.” Kristina said, interrupting him again. “You don’t have to explain.”

“The answer’s no, I can’t sew.” Urs continued, finally getting his words straight. “But cleaning and marriage… I’m ready, willing and able.”

“Like I said…” Kristina said, putting an elbow on the table and resting her chin on the palm of her hand, now making light of the situation. “…I don’t actually remember proposing.”

“Well, just for future reference.” Urs said, smiling at her.

“Noted.” Kristina chuckled. “Now why don‘t I help you wash this lot up?”

“There’s no need.” Urs said, quickly getting up from his chair when Kristina started to collect the dirty plates and cutlery.

“Yes there is. If I remember right, I never stayed long enough to help you clear away last time.” Kristina replied, glancing at Urs. “And I made twice as much as mess. There’s no way I’m leaving all this a second time.”

“Seriously there’s no need.” Urs said, picking up the empty glasses and following Kristina in to the kitchen. “I bought a dishwasher.”

Urs placed the glasses on the counter.

“See!” Urs pointed. “I bought it a few weeks ago.”

Kristina put the dirty plates on the counter looked in the direction of where Urs was pointing.

“You bought a dishwasher?” Kristina said, now looking at Urs, her eyebrows raised. “You’re a guy living on your own and you bought a dishwasher? Is it really that much for you?”

Urs laughed.

“I’ve been really busy just lately. I don’t always get time to do it. At least with the dishwasher, I can put it all in there and it’s hidden out of the way.”

“I guess so.” Kristina shrugged. “But I still can’t believe you bought a dishwasher. It would only take ten minutes!”

“Okay! Enough about the dishwasher.” Urs said, putting his hands up in defeat. “If you must know, I bought it just in case you came around again and I don’t trust you when it comes to water. I always end up soaked when you go near water.”

Kristina put her hand over her mouth, as she tried to stifle a giggle. She’d forgotten about the incident in her kitchen, where she had covered Urs with washing up water and bubbles.

“So are you going to put those things in the dishwasher?” Urs asked.

“I guess so.” Kristina smirked. “I wouldn’t want you to get worried about a bit of water.”

“It’s not the water I’m worried about.” Urs said, helping Kristina load the dishwasher. “It’s what happens when you come in contact with it.”

Kristina was about to reply with a witty comment but the phone started ringing and her thoughts instantly returned to Abigail and her strange phone calls. Kristina continued loading up the dishwasher while Urs answered the phone.

“That was Josie.” Urs said, returning a few minutes later.

“Josie?” Kristina said, not recognising the name.

“She’s our new publicist.” Urs told her. “She’s nice and she’s good at her job but she’s not as good as you.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Buhler.” Kristina smirked.

“Can’t blame a man for trying.” Urs winked.

“So what did Josie want?” Kristina asked, her skin turning a light shade of pink.

“She wants to know if I can pop in and see her this afternoon.” Urs told her. “Apparently she needs to go over a few things with me and the others, dates and things. She’s got several minor performances provisionally booked and wants to talk them over with us all before she confirms anything.”

“I guess that’s my cue to leave then.” Kristina said, placing the last dirty plate in the dishwasher.

“No, I told her I was busy and Simon already knows about the funeral.” Urs said, quickly. “You don’t have to go.”

“No, I should.” Kristina smiled. “I’ve already taken up far too much of your time and you still have a job to do, unlike me.”

“Well look, if I go now, I’m sure it won’t take long.” Urs said, hoping Kristina would reconsider. “You could stay here and I‘ll be back before you know it.”

“Seriously Urs, I have things to do.” Kristina replied, as her and Urs left the kitchen and headed back in to the lounge. “I still have those letters to post. I really can’t afford to leave it another day.”

“Okay.” Urs said, trying to hide his disappointment.

“But thank you for coming with me today.” Kristina said, surprising herself and Urs as she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. “I’m not sure I would have made it through today on my own. It meant a lot to me, to have you there.”

“Krissy, I’ll always be there for you.” Urs said softly, pulling her closer to him. “You should know that by now.”

“Should I?” Kristina whispered, doubtfully.

If that was the case, why did he end their ‘brief’ relationship as soon as he found out she was still sick? Or was he having second thoughts? In the back of her mind, she couldn’t help hanging on to that small piece of hope. Deep down; she wondered if they could turn back time and try again.

“Of course.” Urs said, pulling away slightly but not releasing his hold on her. “I said I would always be there for you, didn’t I? Just because we’re not together, doesn’t mean that I don‘t care what happens to you anymore.”

Kristina looked up at him, completely lost in his eyes, wanting to believe him. But then she quickly lowered her head, as she remembered the note he had left her.

Urs brought his hand up and brushed it over her cheek and Kristina could feel his gaze on her. She took a deep breath, and she could feel her heart beating faster when his fingers lightly brushed her skin. She could never deny the effect he had on her.

“You’re something else, you know that?” he whispered softly.

She tried not to make eye contact, but Kristina instinctively looked up in to his eyes again.

“What do you say that?” she asked.

“You’re one of the strongest women I know.” Urs smiled.

“I‘m not strong.” Kristina said, looking away.

“How can you say that?” Urs asked, placing a finger under her chin and making her look at him. “You’ve been through so much since I’ve known you and you’re still smiling.”

“Am I? Well, I don’t know why because, I have no reason to.” Kristina said, jokingly as she forced a smile. “I’ve just quit a perfectly good job and if I can’t find another one soon, I might have to sell up and move. I’m going to have to spend the rest of my life taking tablets, visiting doctors and being poked and prodded. And to top it all I’ve just been to a friends funeral when it could’ve quite easily been mine. But yeah, I’m still smiling.”

“Oh come on, Krissy.” Urs said, frowning. “You’ve got so many good things going on in your life.”

“Perhaps you’d care to remind me.” Kristina said. “Because at this moment in time; I can’t think of a single one.”

“Okay let’s take your job for instance. Take it as a sign that you’ll find something even bigger and better. And then you have your health. I know it must be hard, but is taking a handful of tablets everyday any real hardship if it keeps you alive?”

“I guess not.” Kristina said, quietly when she knew Urs was right.

“And then there’s Carlos and Abigail’s baby.” Urs continued. “You’re going to be an aunt soon! Just think of all those nights babysitting, practicing for when you have children of your own.”

“I can’t see that happening any time soon.” Kristina said, raising an eyebrow. “I need a man in my life for that to happen and things don’t seem to be going to plan in that department.”

“Well… there’s always me.” Urs said, gently cupping her face in his hands and smiling.

“You?” Kristina said, looking up at him with confusion in her eyes.

What was he talking about? Was he offering her friendship or something more? Kristina suddenly found herself unable to move, wanting him to kiss her, willing him to kiss her, wanting to remember what it felt like to be kissed by him, to feel his lips touching hers again after all this time. She stood staring at his mouth, as she moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. Almost as if reading her mind, Urs accepted her unspoken invitation and slowly lowered his mouth to hers; but stopped just millimetres from her lips.

***** CHAPTER 158 *****

It was almost as if he was expecting her to push him away. But she didn’t, Kristina finally gave in to her heart, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him, gently at first, their lips barely touching. But when she felt Urs respond and kiss her back more firmly; she instinctively pushed her body closer to him as he buried his hands in her hair, their kiss deepening. A tantalizing warmth spread through her body as her tongue desperately demanded entry to his mouth, tasting, wanting and savouring the essence of him. The minute her tongue touched his, she was lost in her own little world. She couldn’t remember ever loving or ever wanting someone as much as Urs. Her mind had no room for trying to decide if this was wrong or right; there was only his warm, soft lips, full of tenderness and passion. She couldn’t resist the feel of him against her but already their the kiss was now changing in to something else, as both of them showed glimpses of the passion that they had held in for so long. She reluctantly, but gently, pushed herself away from him.

“I think that’s got to be a first.” Urs said breathlessly, as he loosened his collar.

“What has?” Kristina asked, with a small smile lingering on her now swollen lips.

“We managed to kiss without being interrupted.” Urs quietly chuckled. “Want to try a second time?”

Kristina blushed and lowered her head but as she did she suddenly caught sight of her ring; it was hanging on a chain around Urs’ neck. A flash of fear and confusion swept through her. Why was he wearing her ring? Could he still love her? Or was it a trick? Had he hoped she would see it, making her think that he still loved her? Did he want to hurt her for the way she had treated him? Was it revenge? Did the kiss mean anything to him? Did she mean anything to him? Kristina was now afraid that she had made a dreadful mistake by kissing Urs and that he would tell her it was nothing more than a kiss for old times sake. She was confused and too many questions were racing through her mind for her to make any sense of them.

Urs noticed her frowning.

“What is it?” Urs asked.

“Nothing, I… I have to get going.” Kristina said, hurrying to the door and grabbing her bag and coat. “Thanks again for this morning.”

“Wait a minute.” Urs said, hurrying after her. “Don’t go.”

“It’s okay.” Kristina said, already opening the door. “I’ll let myself out.”

“Krissy!” Urs called out.

Kristina closed the door and she was gone. Urs put his hands in his pockets and let out a heavy sigh. He knew it was too good to be true. Things were going well, they were talking, laughing and kissing; and then something went wrong. Urs turned and looked at himself in the mirror, to see what Kristina had been looking at. The first thing he noticed was Kristina’s ring, as the light hit it, hanging from the chain around his neck. Urs had totally forgotten about the ring. Kristina must’ve seen it but surely that couldn’t be the reason why she rushed off like that, could it? After all they had just been kissing and if she had seen it, surely it would only go to show her that she was still important to him. But the question was, what did he do next? He wasn’t sure if he should follow Kristina, but he didn’t want to make things worse.

Perhaps he would leave it a while and then call Abigail and try and find out why Kristina rushed off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kristina left Urs’ apartment and started to make the long walk back home. It was several miles to where she lived but Kristina found the fresh air usually helped her clear her head and to think properly. Except today it wasn’t working and she needed answers; like why had she let Urs come with her to Gemma’s funeral? Why did she accept Urs’ offer of lunch? Why was he wearing her ring? But most importantly why did she kiss him? The obvious answer would be because she still loved him but Kristina couldn’t believe that. How could she after the way he had ended things between them? He’d just caught her on a bad day; it was a moment of weakness, that’s why she had kissed him.

Kristina’s thoughts drifted back to the question, why was he wearing he ring? To say she was shocked to see her ring around Urs’ neck, would be an understatement, that‘s why she had left so suddenly. She wasn‘t expecting him to still have the ring and she was confused about what it meant. Kristina remembered giving the ring to him, while he was asleep in hospital. He hadn’t returned it and Kristina simply assumed that it was removed by a nurse or he had thrown it away. But now she knew differently and it only made her even more confused. She could understand him keeping her ring, but to wear it around his neck - did it mean that he still felt something for her? What could she do now? Should she ask him about it? Was he simply wearing it for sentimental value? Or did it mean that he still loved her? And if he still loved her, did he love her enough to try again? Did ‘she’ want to try again? Kristina had so many questions going around in her head and she didn’t know what to do next.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was now late in the evening and Kristina was laying stretched out on the sofa in front of the television; but she wasn‘t really watching it. Her mind was filled with thoughts of Urs.

Apart from popping out earlier that afternoon when returning from Urs’ apartment, Kristina had been at a loss at what to do. She had no job to go to anymore, which meant she didn’t even have any work to bring home with her. It wasn’t until now, that Kristina realised just how much of her time was taken up with her job. She’d tried to fill in all the gaps in her life with work instead of spending it with that ‘someone special’.

Kristina had thought about going to visit Abigail but she knew they would only end up talking about Urs, and she couldn’t keep showing up on her sister’s doorstep every time she had a problem; it wasn’t fair on Abigail.

Kristina sighed at the predicament she had got herself in to. What on earth had possessed her to kiss him? She knew that they would have to talk sometime, and that she would have to tell him that it was a mistake. Or was it? Kristina was beginning to think it wasn’t, at least not for her. But would Urs feel the same? He certainly didn’t object to kissing her, in fact he had made the first move. She picked up a magazine that was laying on the coffee table beside her, in an attempt to distract herself if only for a short while. She had stopped on the horoscopes page, and was reminded of the time when Abigail took her to see Madame Endora. She didn’t really believe in any of it, until Endora had told her she had to choose between Urs and Tyler; except she never got that chance as Urs made the decision for her. But Kristina still read her horoscope.

~ You’re trying to move on from something that you have invested great love and devotion to. But by doing this, you’re closing your heart to the simple pleasures of life. There’s no point in escaping reality by living in the past and surrounding yourself with nostalgic memories. Painfully honest communication needs to take place but don‘t be afraid of lost hopes, doubt or failure. Reflect on what is truly fulfilling in your life and turn your dreams in to reality. ~


That could mean anything, she thought to herself. She’d given a lot of time and devotion to her career; maybe it meant she should reconsider her resignation. But what if it was referring to her relationship with Urs? The only truly fulfilling thing in her life had been her love for Urs. Kristina decided to sleep on it; perhaps things would seem clearer in the morning.

***** CHAPTER 159 *****

Kristina had woken up early the next morning. Surprisingly, she had fallen asleep very quickly. She would’ve thought that with everything that had happened yesterday, she would be kept awake for ages. But it seemed to have the opposite effect, and she was simply worn out.

As she sat and ate her breakfast, watching the morning news with little interest, her mind wandered back to Tyler and Cavendish. Kristina realised that she needed to write a proper letter of resignation; Tyler could hardly use the scrap of paper that she had given him, as her resignation. It might mean bumping in to him, but she only had to give the letter to Angie; there was no need for her to stay any longer than necessary.

It didn’t take her long to shower, dress, write her letter of resignation and make her way to Cavendish. Kristina was hoping to have at least made it to Angie’s office without running in to Tyler, but it was almost as if he had some eerie sixth sense, because just as she got out of the elevator, Tyler appeared in the doorway.

“Is that for me?” he asked, nodding at the letter.

“What makes you say that?” Kristina asked.

“Because you have no other reason for being here.” Tyler replied, seeing as you no longer work here. “So it must be important.”

“If you must know, it’s my official resignation.” Kristina replied. “I was here to give it to Angie.”

“There’s no need to disturb Angie.” Tyler replied, turning his back on her and walking in to his office.” You can leave it with me.”

Seeing as Tyler wasn’t going to take the letter from her, Kristina had no other choice but to follow him in to his office. She placed the letter on his desk and turned to leave.

“You’re going already?” he said, surprised.

“I only came to bring the letter.” Kristina replied. “Like you said, I have no other reason for being here.”

“You know you could’ve posted it.” Tyler told her. “There was no need for you to come here.”

“I wanted to make sure you got it.” Kristina replied, shrugging. “And I had nothing else to do.”

“Are you sure you won’t reconsider?” Tyler said, his voice softening as he approached her. “I’ll do whatever you ask, just name it. A bigger office, a promotion, a pay rise, a company car? Just don‘t leave Cavendish.”

“When are you going to get the message, Tyler? Money doesn’t interest me.” Kristina told him. “It never did and it still doesn’t; you should know that by now. And if I get a bigger office or promotion, I want it because I’ve worked hard for it. Not because….”

“Not because what?” he said, sharply, raising his voice. “Because you’re sleeping with the boss? Except you’re not are you? And you never have. I‘m beginning to think there‘s something wrong with you.”

“Something wrong with me?” Kristina said, shocked. “Why you…” She raised her hand to slap him but he grabbed both her wrists and pulled her close to him so they were now eye to eye. “I’m beginning to wonder what I ever saw in you.” she hissed, struggling to free herself.

“Are you sure you won’t reconsider leaving Cavendish?” Tyler said, his grip tightening. “I could make it worth your while.”

“Why would I want to stay here with you for a minute longer?” she snapped, finally pulling free from him.

“If there’s one thing that will never change in this world, it’s that money talks.” Tyler said, calmly. “One phone call is all it takes, and I can make sure you never get another job in this industry again.”

“You wouldn’t dare.” Kristina said, glaring at him.

“Try me.” Tyler said, as he sat on the edge of his desk. “You can have time to think about it, if that’s what you need.”

“I don’t need to think about it.” Kristina said, heading for the door. “There’s no way on earth that I will ever work with you again.”

“I’m serious, Kristina.” Tyler said, quickly getting to his feet. “You walk out that door now and that’s your career finished.”

“Goodbye, Tyler.” Kristina said, not even bothering to look back at him.

“You’ll regret it.” Tyler yelled, as Kristina slammed the door behind her.

***** CHAPTER 160 *****

Kristina entered the elevator and stabbed at the button for the ground floor, and then watched impatiently as the floor numbers blinked on and off on the display panel above her. How could Tyler think that blackmail would get him anywhere? Because that’s what it was; blackmail. But did he mean what he said? Was her career over? Could he really be that cruel or was it just a last ditch attempt at trying to convince her to stay? It was a chance that she had to take, as she knew that she couldn’t give in to him. The nerve of that man; how dare he?

Kristina wasn’t sure what to do next. She was feeling too worked up to go home and she knew that she wouldn’t be able to sit still, the mood she was in. Whether it was a sudden burst of courage or just plain anger and wanting to prove to herself that she was still in control of her own life, she decided to call Urs. Perhaps it was a good thing, because she knew they had to talk and the way she was feeling at the moment, she felt brave enough to get through this.

Before she had a chance to change her mind, Kristina took out her mobile and dialled Urs’ number. The phone call was brief. Kristina explained that she needed to see him, and he agreed they needed to talk. They arranged to meet for lunch at the same place as before, Rays, a few yards down from the Cavendish office.

Kristina had at least three hours to kill, until her meeting with Urs. In that time, she decided that she needed some retail therapy. So three hours later, a cold and exhausted Kristina collapsed in to a large arm chair in Rays. It was getting colder outside and she was thinking perhaps the weatherman was right yesterday, snow could be on the way.

As she sat waiting anxiously for Urs to arrive, Kristina kept staring at the doorway. She felt both nervous and excited. Nervous because they would have to discuss their kiss yesterday and excited because she was looking forward to seeing him again. At exactly 1 o’clock, she saw him arrive. He was wearing a tan coloured suede jacket, a black polo neck and snug fitting pale blue jeans. She could feel her heart beating faster just at the sight of him. He smiled when he saw her and came straight over.

“Hi.” he said, still smiling, as he reached her table.

“Hi.” she smiled back.

“Been here long?” he asked, as he shrugged off his jacket.

“Just a few minutes.” Kristina replied, noticing the how tight his top was, and how it clung to his torso, showing off his physique. She could feel her cheeks growing warm. If she didn’t know any better, she would swear he’d worn that top on purpose.

“Have you ordered yet?” he asked, as he put his jacket over the back of his chair.

“No, I thought I would wait until you arrived.” she replied.

“Okay, well I don’t know about you but I’m hungry.” Urs smiled. “How about we get something to eat? Then we can talk.”

“Okay.” Kristina said, forcing a smile as the nerves started to settle in. She was now wondering what she’d let herself in for.

Urs held his hand out, helping Kristina up from her chair and they went to order lunch. Kristina ended up ordering tomato soup with some warm French bread. When Urs saw how good it looked he decided to have the same.

“Did you remember to post your letters?” he asked, as they both sat down to eat.

“Yep.” Kristina sighed. “Not that it will do much good now, after this morning.”

“Why?” Urs asked. “What happened?”

“I went to Cavendish.” Kristina explained. “I went to give Angie my official resignation but I ran in to Tyler.”

“Oh.” Urs said, quietly. “What did he have to say for himself?”

“Not much.” Kristina said, absently stirring her spoon in the soup. “Just that if I don’t withdraw my resignation, he’ll make sure that I never work as a publicist again.”

“He did what?” Urs said, almost choking as he took a sip of his tea. “Can he do that?”

“Oh he can do anything he wants if he offers enough money.” Kristina said, glancing at Urs. “Money talks and his family have plenty of it. It just takes one phone call from him and pow! There goes my career.”

“Do you think he will?” Urs asked. “I mean… would he really do that?”

Kristina shrugged and let out a heavy sigh.

“I guess I’ll soon find out.”

“You know, you could always talk to Simon about a job, like I suggested.” Urs told her. “I’m sure Simon wouldn’t let Tyler and his money influence his decision about employees.”

“I might be good at my job but I’m not that good.” Kristina laughed, trying to make light of the situation. “Why would Simon employee me, when he could make a quick buck?”

“I think you’re underestimating Simon.” Urs said, seriously. “Simon isn’t like that.”

“I’m sorry, Urs.” Kristina apologised quickly. “I didn’t mean it that way. I guess I‘m just feeling a bit cynical at the moment.”

“It’s alright, I understand.” Urs smiled.

Kristina smiled back at him.

“Thanks. So… how did it go with Josie yesterday?” Kristina asked, diverting the conversation away from herself. “Has she got anything good lined up for you guys?”

“Yeah there’s a few things that look quite promising.” Urs said, cheerily.

Urs then began to tell Kristina about the shows that Josie had lined up for them. She was doing her best to concentrate on what Urs was telling her but her mind was else where. She was worried about Tylers threat and her future career.

“Krissy?”

“Huh?” Kristina looked at Urs.

“Did you want me to get you another cup of tea?” Urs asked, nodding at her empty cup.

“No, thanks.” Kristina said, shaking her head. “I’m fine for now.”

Urs then looked down at the floor, and noticed all of Kristina’s shopping bags.

“Should you be buying all that?” Urs asked, nodding at the bags.

“Probably not.” she quietly laughed. “But I needed some serious retail therapy, and it might be the last chance I get for a while.”

Silence then fell between them; that was until Urs caught Kristina staring at him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, frowning.

“Nothing.” she smiled. “I was just admiring your designer stubble. Is it part of your new image?”

“It’s just something I’m trying out.” he grinned. “I believe all pop stars look like this. It’s supposed to make them look sexy.”

“Sexy?” she chuckled. “Okay, whatever you say.”

“You don’t like it?” he asked, running his fingers over the stubble.

“I’m not really in to pop stars anymore.” Kristina said. “I prefer my men to be a little older.”

“Not too old I hope.” Urs said, casually. “Else I might as well give up now and go home.”

“I wouldn’t do that just yet.” Kristina said, feeling brave and flirtatious again. “We still need to talk about yesterday.”

“I know. But I didn‘t think you‘d want to.” Urs said, quietly. “That’s why I was surprised when you called me.”

“Why?” Kristina asked, curiously.

“Because after we kissed, you couldn’t get out of the apartment fast enough.” Urs told her. “I figured if I asked you about it, you’d just say it was a mistake.”

Kristina took a deep breath and decided that she had nothing left to lose. She would tell Urs the truth about how she felt.

“What would you say if… if I told you that it wasn’t a mistake?” Kristina said, cautiously. “What if I told you that I wanted you to kiss me? Would you believe me?”

“Maybe if you let me kiss you again.” he ventured tentatively. “Then I might believe you.”

“Urs.” Kristina said, blushing. “I don’t think this is the time or the place.”

“Well in that case, why don’t we go somewhere else?” Urs suggested. “It doesn’t have to be far because I only have an hour for lunch. But we could go for a walk.”

“Okay.” Kristina agreed. Urs helped her with her bags and they left Rays and made for the park.

It was getting cold again; the sky was an odd grey colour. Kristina wrapped her scarf around her neck and gave a small shiver.

“Cold?” Urs asked.

“A little.” Kristina replied. “Aren’t you?”

“I am a bit.” Urs laughed. “I didn’t exactly come dressed for walks in the park in wintertime.”

“Your idea, not mine.” Kristina reminded him.

“I know.” Urs smiled, slipping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her close to his side. “But I don’t regret it for one minute.”

They walked for several minutes, talking about their day so far when Urs suddenly stopped and took hold of Kristina’s arm.

“Would now be the right time and place to ask for another kiss?”

“I… I guess so.” Kristina said, as a shy smile lit up her face. She then glanced around to see if anyone was watching them.

“What’s wrong?” Urs asked. “You’re not embarrassed about anyone seeing us kiss are you?”

“Of course not.” Kristina said, unable to stop herself from blushing.

Urs moved closer so that he was now standing directly infront of Kristina. He slowly leaned in and gently brushed his lips over hers with such tenderness that it sent waves of desire coursing through her body. Before Kristina could stop herself, her tongue slipped in to his mouth, hungry for the taste of him again. Moments later, they pulled away, both unable to hide the huge smiles on their faces.

“So do you believe me when I say that I wanted you to kiss me?” she asked, softly.

“I believe you.” Urs whispered.

“Good!” Kristina whispered back. “Because if you were going to ask me to kiss you again, I was going to make you shave off that beard. It’s like rubbing your face up against sandpaper.”

Urs threw his head back as he let out a loud laugh, that she loved so much.

“I think I can do that, seeing as it’s you.”

“Urs, can I… can I be serious for a moment and ask you something?” Kristina said quietly.

“Sure.” he replied. “What is it?”

“My ring… I saw you wearing it on a chain yesterday.”

Urs instinctively put his hand up to his neck. He could feel the outline of the ring under his top.

“Why are you wearing it?” Kristina continued.

“Because you gave it to me.” Urs replied.

“And?” she prompted. “Is there any other reason?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Urs smiled.

“I…I need to hear you say it.” Kristina said, now scared that Urs would tell her that the kiss was all a big mistake.

“And…because I still love you.” Urs said, quietly as he reached up with one hand and gently caressed her cheek. “Is that what you wanted to hear?”

Kristina nodded slowly.

“And do you still love me?” Urs asked, quietly.

“I don’t think I’ve ever stopped loving you.” she said, as they turned and continued slowly walking.

“So what now?” Urs asked, as he took some of the bags from her and slipped his hand in her now empty hand. “Does this mean we’re going to give things another try?”

“I want to, if you want to.” Kristina smiled, glancing at Urs. “But there’s still a lot of things we need to talk about first.”

“You mean like why you left me without a word.” Urs said. “It doesn’t change how I feel about you, Krissy. I know you must have had good reason and I forgive you.”

“You what?” Kristina yelled, suddenly spinning round to face him. “You forgive me? I don’t believe I’m hearing this!”

Kristina could feel the anger building up inside her; she knew things were too good to be true. It was all going downhill again.

***** CHAPTER 161 *****

“Don‘t be like that.” Urs said, squeezing her hand. “Like I said, I know you must have had your reasons for leaving but none of it matters.”

“Damn right I had my reasons for leaving.” Kristina said, shaking her hand loose from Urs. “And if you think none of it matters then you need your head examined. Why would i stay when you made it perfectly clear that you weren’t interested.”

“Why on earth would you think that?” Urs asked, puzzled.

“Are you serious?” Kristina asked, not quite believing what Urs had said. “I left because of you.”

“Me? But why?” Urs said, raising his eyebrows. “What did I do? I thought things were going great with us. Next thing I know, you’ve upped and left and you’re on a plane back to New York with Tyler!”

“Don’t you dare blame this on me.” Kristina said, defensively. “You’re the reason I ‘upped and left’ as you put it. That was your doing, not mine!”

“Well, well, look who it is. If it isn’t my favourite couple. Please don’t tell me the young lovers are arguing.”

Kristina and Urs turned to see none other than Marius watching them.

“Just ignore him, Krissy.” Urs told her, lightly taking hold of her elbow and leading her away.

“What’s wrong?” Marius asked, following them. “Aren’t you even going to say hello?”

Urs stopped suddenly and turned, glaring at Marius.

“Give me one good reason why I would want to talk to you?”

“Thought you might want to know what I’m doing in England.” Marius said, causally shrugging.

Urs didn’t reply, he continued to stare at Marius.

“Well, seeing as you’re not going to ask, I’ll tell you anyway. I’m here on business.” Marius continued. “Someone saw my paintings and they’ve offered to show them in one of their galleries, so you could be seeing a lot more of me.”

“I don’t think so.” Urs said, turning again to leave.

“Hey, what’s the rush?” Marius asked, grabbing hold of Urs’ arm. “Can’t wait to get her alone, is that it?”

Urs dropped the bags and suddenly lunged for Marius, grabbing him by the throat with both hands and slamming him against a tree.

“What did I tell you?” Urs hissed. “What did I say I would do if you ever came near us again?”

“Now let me see if I can remember.” as he grabbed Urs’ hands and pushed him away. “Something about killing me?” Marius snorted. “I’d like to see you try.”

“Don’t tempt me.” Urs said, grabbing Marius again, his fist now inches from his face and shaking with fury.

“Go ahead, hit me!” Marius spat. “See where it gets you. You’ll end up spending the night in a cell, courtesy of the Queen and I bet Mr Cowell would love that.”

“Just leave him, Urs.” Kristina said, pulling on Urs’ jacket. “He’s not worth it. Please. Let’s go.”

“That’s right, listen to the little lady.” Marius sneered. “I’m sure she’ll reward you for it later and we all know how, don’t we.”

“I can see you haven’t changed a bit.” Urs said, through gritted teeth.

“Me? It’s not me that’s changed but you and I blame her.” Marius replied. “You changed when you met her. Actually I’m surprised to see you two still together.”

Urs looked at Kristina, each giving the other a knowing look. Neither of them were about to let on to Marius, that up until a few minutes ago, they hadn’t been a couple.

“Why would you think that?” Urs asked, turning his attention back to Marius.

“Well, if I’m totally honest, I was hoping that note would have been the nail in the coffin, so to speak.” Marius replied.

“What note?” Urs asked. “What are you talking about?”

“The one that….oh I get it!” Marius said, now laughing. “You still don’t know. Well this just makes things even more interesting.”

“Will you tell me what the hell you’re talking about.” Urs shouted.

“She knows what I‘m talking about.” Marius said, nodding towards Kristina.

“Do you?” Urs asked. “Do you know what note he’s on about?”

“No, I… I don’t.” Kristina replied, confused.

“Oh come on, we both know that’s not true.” Marius said, pulling himself free from Urs’ grip and approaching Kristina until he was standing just inches from her. “The night of the Ball, the letter left with reception… and the reply.”

“The reply?” Kristina mumbled.

“My reply.” Marius whispered, as a smug grin appeared on his face.

It was only then, that it dawned on Kristina. Marius was the one that had sent her the note saying ‘sorry’. But if he wrote that note, then he must’ve read the one she wrote to Urs. Which meant Urs didn’t know anything about her illness and had no idea why she left London.

“See, I told you.” Marius sneered, when he saw the look of understanding on her face. “She knows what I’m talking about.”

“Krissy?” Urs said, looking at her inquisitively.

“We should go.” Kristina said, quietly. She was starting to feel sick.

“You mean I’m going to miss all the fireworks?” Marius asked. “After all my hard work.”

“Krissy, what’s he talking about?” Urs said, now worried.

“Nothing. Let’s just go.” Kristina replied, as she picked up the bags that Urs had dropped and hurried on.

Urs took one final look at Marius.

“I meant what I said, Marius. If I found out you’ve hurt Krissy again, I swear I’ll kill you.”

“I think you’d better run after the little lady.” Marius sneered.

Urs shook his head in disgust and ran to catch up with Kristina. Neither of them spoke, until they had reached Kristinas house. Kristina unlocked the door and they both went inside.

“So are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Urs asked, unable to bear the silence any longer.

“It was nothing important.” Kristina replied, placing her shopping bags in the hallway.

“I don’t believe that for a minute.” Urs told her. “It has to be important else Marius wouldn’t have brought it up. Are you going to tell me what that was in that letter?”

“Not now.” Kristina said faintly, as she slipped off her jacket and hung it up.

“I need to know.” Urs said, as he became more and more curious. “He said it was a letter you wrote and he mentioned a reply. Who was the letter for?”

“Leave it, Urs.” She said, walking in to the lounge and sitting down on the sofa. “I said it’s not important.”

”Does it have anything to do with why you left London?” Urs continued. “If Marius has anything to do with this, then it can’t be good. Please tell me. Perhaps I can help.”

“This conversation is over, Urs.” Kristina said firmly.

“Kristina, I’m not going anywhere until we talk.” Urs said, shaking his head adamantly.

“Will you please do as I ask?” Kristina yelled, getting back up from her seat. “Why can‘t you leave it alone?”

Suddenly Kristina felt a shooting pain in her head and the room started spinning. Everything went black and she couldn’t see a thing.

“Krissy, are you okay?” Urs said, when Kristina leant forward and reached out for the mantelpiece.

“Get out…” Kristina mumbled.

“What’s wrong?” Urs asked, now worried.

“Just get out!” Kristina said, shouting this time.

“Are you mad?” he said, grabbing hold of her as she started to sway. “I’m not leaving you alone like this.”

“Then call David.” Kristina told him. “Or Carlos. Anyone. But I don’t want you here.”

Urs could see she was upset and didn’t want to make things worse, so he went out in to the hall to call David. Meanwhile; Kristina was still holding on to the mantelpiece to steady herself. She wanted to sit down but she felt disorientated. It was almost as if someone had switched the light off and she wasn’t sure of her surroundings anymore.

“Please…not yet.” she thought, closing her eyes tightly. “Not yet.”

***** CHAPTER 162 *****

When David arrived, Kristina was sitting in the front room, staring in to space – her vision had returned. But she refused to talk to David until Urs left. After much protesting from Urs, David managed to convince him that Kristina would be fine and he would call him later to let him know what was going on.

“So what is it?” David asked, handing her a glass of water. “Is it a migraine? I know you’ve been getting headaches just recently.”

Kristina shook her head and smiled weakly.

“No, it’s a bit more serious than a migraine. Do you remember those headaches I used to get years ago?”

“Yeah, the ones you kept secret from me.” David replied. “All because you didn’t want to go to the doctors.”

“Well, I wasn’t feeling too good a while ago. When we got back from Italy I went for a check up and they found something.”

“Italy? But that was months ago.” David frowned. “That was before you left London. Do you mean to say that you’ve known something was wrong all that time and you didn’t tell me?”

“I’m sorry David.” Kristina said, lowering her eyes to the floor. “I’ve only told one person and that was Natty. I made her promise not to tell anyone. But my headaches… if they get any worse, I could lose my sight.”

David took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

“So Urs doesn’t know.” David asked, softly.

Kristina slowly shook her head.

“Are you going to tell him?”

“I did. I wrote a letter telling him but… oh David, I’m so stupid, so stupid.” Kristina said, lowering her head, as the first few tears started to roll down her cheeks. “I’ve messed up big time again.”

“Oh come on, Krissy.” David said, kneeling infront of her and pulling her in to his arms. “It can’t be that bad. I’m sure that whatever it is, it can be fixed. Why don’t you tell me what’s wrong?”

Kristina shook her head, while quietly crying.

“Please, Krissy.” David whispered. “A problem halved is a problem shared, isn’t that what they say? Come on, I might be able to help.”

“You can’t.” Kristina mumbled. “The damage has already been done and it’s all because I let Marius fool me again.”

“Marius?” David said, warily. “Where does he fit in to all of this?”

Kristina took a deep breath and tried to calm herself before finally telling David about the note she wrote for Urs, telling him of her illness, giving him a choice to end the relationship and then the reply she received believing it was from Urs; when in fact it was from Marius.

“I should’ve let Urs punch his lights out when we found out what he’d been up to the first time.” David said, curling his lip in disgust.

Kristina let out a heavy sigh. She had no idea what to do next.

“So I take it that with Urs being here, you’re both talking again.” David commented.

Kristina nodded.

“Everything was going great until we bumped in to Marius. We were going to give things another go.”

“You still can, can’t you?” David asked. “Nothing’s changed.”

“You’re forgetting about the letter.” Kristina told him. “Urs still doesn’t know about my headaches and the reason why I’ve been getting them.”

“So why don’t you tell him now?” David asked. “By the sound of things you two were getting on fine until Marius showed up. Surely Urs deserves to know.”

“David, I know you mean well but please…”

All of a sudden; her vision started to blur and her eyes started to hurt again, like pin pricks behind the backs of her eyes. Kristina dropped the glass of water on the floor and put her hands to her face, pressing the heel of her palms to her eyes, trying to ease the pain but it became worse. She could feel herself shaking, but she wasn’t sure if it was because of the pain or the fear. She knew there was a possibility she could lose her sight, but she was on medication and everything had been fine up until now, the doctors said she was doing well. Kristina had convinced herself that if it ever came to it, and that she did lose her sight, she was prepared for it. But she started to tremble even more and could feel the bile rising in her throat. This only went to prove the opposite, she wasn’t ready; it was fear.

“Okay that’s it.” David said, standing up and reaching for the phone. “I’m calling Carlos. He can let Abigail know that I’m taking you to the hospital.”

“No don’t.” Kristina said, panicking. “Please don’t. I don’t want to worry her, especially in her condition. And besides, there’s no point. They can’t do anything.”

“Maybe not.” David said, pulling his mobile out of his pocket. “But I’m not taking no for answer this time. We’re going to get you checked out.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kristina and David weren’t at the hospital very long. Just as Kristina had explained to David, there was nothing they could do for her. They could change the dosage of her medication and see if it helped but there was nothing they could do for the pain. They urged her to get plenty of rest and not to let herself get upset. They explained that stress can release certain chemicals in the body which increase a person’s blood pressure, which in turn, makes their heart beat faster and causes the blood vessels to constrict. That’s probably why she lost her vision temporarily.

Kristina knew she should get some rest but after David had dropped her off home, she found herself walking the two miles in to town. A short while later, she somehow ended up standing outside Truly Scrumptious; Madame Endora’s sweet shop.

Finally finding the courage to go inside, Kristina opened the door and a small bell jingled. There was no one in the small sweet shop and Kristina was about to turn and leave, thinking that perhaps she had made a mistake by coming here. But she was caught leaving.

“I didn’t expect to see you again.”

Kristina instantly recognized the voice as being Madame Endora’s. She turned and smiled nervously at Madame Endora, who was peering out from behind a curtain separating the back room from the shop.

“Hi.” Kristina said quietly.

“Are you here to see me?”

Kristina nodded.

“You’d better come through then.” Madame Endora said, as she held the curtain back and waited for Kristina to enter the back room. She then gestured for Kristina to sit down. “It must be important for you to come back.”

Kristina didn’t speak. She still couldn’t believe she had come back here and she wasn’t even sure why.

“So what can I do for you?” Madame Endora asked, when they were both seated.

Kristina shrugged off her jacket and laid it across her lap before answering.

“To be honest, I’m not quite sure what I’m doing here.”

“Well something must have happened for you to come back.” Endora replied.

“Something has happened but…”

Kristina hesitated. What was she doing here? What could Madame Endora tell her that she didn’t already know? She now knew that she’d made a mistake by leaving London. She knew that if she stood any chance of saving her relationship with Urs, she had to tell him the contents of the missing letter. But she had no idea how she was going to tell him. Madame Endora couldn’t give her those answers.

“I’m sorry. I’ve made a mistake.” Kristina said, hurriedly getting up from her seat. “I shouldn’t have come here. I’m sorry for wasting your time.”

“Wait! Don’t leave.” Madame Endora said, as she reached for Kristina’s hand. “Why don’t you tell me what’s troubling you?”

“”Like I said, I’ve made a mistake.” Kristina said, slipping her jacket back on. “I don’t even know why I came here.”

“You came here because you need answers.” Madame Endora said, reaching round to get something from the drawer behind her. “Why don’t you sit back down?”

Kristina turned around to see Madame Endora neatly placing a deck of tarot cards in the centre of the table.

“I’ll start when ever you’re ready.” Madame Endora, said waiting patiently.

Kristina stared at the cards. What did she have to lose? She nodded slowly for Madame Endora to begin.


“This is a time to be courageous.” Endora said, after turning the first card over. “It’s a time to grasp every chance that comes your way. You’ve already taken the first few steps to alter the whole course of your future but you need the courage to see it through else you could lose it again.”

Kristina stood staring at Endora as she continued to turn over the cards.

“Is any of this making sense?” Endora asked.

Kristina nodded, and slowly took her seat back at the table. Madame Endora turned over more cards.

“This will be a time when you have to make some important decisions. It could be a new job, a move, a baby or even marriage. But you should avoid acting on impulse and make sure that you allow plenty of time to realize the full implications of your choices.”

Kristina sat staring at the cards on the table. She knew exactly what they meant. If she wanted to keep Urs, she had to tell him the truth; Kristina had to tell him the contents of the letter if they had any chance of staying together. She had to be honest with him; there could be no more lies or secrets between them. As for the important decision and acting on impulse; well she had already acted on impulse and quit her job, so maybe it meant considering Urs’ suggestion that she ask Simon for a job.

“Does that help?” Endora asked.

“I think I already knew the answers.” Kristina smiled. “I just had to be sure I was doing the right thing.”

“You don’t need a pack of cards to tell you how to manage your life.” Endora told her. She then reached over the table and took hold of Kristina’s hand, and placed it on her chest. “You need to listen to your heart and not the voices in your head. The voices will only confuse you and mislead you but your heart; your heart will never betray you. If you’d listened to me the first time, you wouldn’t be here now.”

“I know.” Kristina said, getting to her feet. “And I know what I have to do now.”

“You know, you have nothing to worry about.” Endora said, reassuringly. “He loves you unconditionally and he’ll stand by you no matter what.”

Kristina left Madame Endoras feeling stronger than ever. She knew what she had to do and now all she had to do now was work out how and when she was going to tell Urs.

***** CHAPTER 163 *****

Kristina had decided to have an early night. It had been a long and stressful day and she knew tomorrow was going to be an even longer day. She had to tell Urs about the letter and assuming that all went well, she had an appointment with Simon in the afternoon about the possibility of a permanent job. She had given a lot of thought to what Urs had said, about asking Simon for a job. Kristina had decided that she had nothing left to lose if he said no, but Simon seemed pleased to hear from her when she mentioned that she was looking for work. He was even more pleased to hear that she was looking for a permanent job with them. Did that mean Simon hadn’t been influenced by Tyler or that Tyler simply hadn’t been in contact with him yet? Either way, that would be something she could discuss with Simon tomorrow. She had also asked him not to mention anything to Urs about their meeting. If things went well, she wanted to be the one to tell him the good news.

Kristina had been asleep for a couple of hours when something woke her. She looked at her clock; it was just after midnight. She laid there for a couple of minutes when she heard her mobile beep, letting her know that she had a text message. She was tempted to leave it and read it in the morning but then with Abigail due to give birth in a few weeks, Kristina decided she had better read it. She reached across her bedside table and fumbled around in the dark, searching for her mobile. She eventually found it and flipped it open; it was a text from Urs.

“If you’re awake, look outside your window xx”

Kristina closed her mobile and got up out of bed, wondering what was going on. She smiled as she pulled back the curtains and saw Urs standing at the gate waving to her. She waved back and then closed the curtains before hurrying downstairs to let Urs in.

“Hi.” Urs said, smiling. “How are you feeling?”

“Better thanks.” She smiled back.

“You’re not going to chuck me out again are you?” Urs asked, half joking and half serious.

“No… I’m sorry about earlier.” Kristina blushed, as she stepped aside to let Urs in before closing the door. “I was going to call you tomorrow so I could explain. But is there something wrong? It’s late.”

“I’m sorry.” Urs frowned. “I didn’t mean to get you out of bed but this is important. I was worried about you. David told me that he took you to the hospital and you’re ok, it was just a migraine. But I can’t stop thinking about that letter. I don’t want to waste any more time. I really want to get things sorted out between us once and for all.”

Urs couldn’t help noticing Kristina’s body tense up at the mention of the letter.

Kristina knew she had to tell Urs about the letter but in the back of her head there was a little voice telling her that it might not happen, she might not lose her sight. And then where would she be? She would’ve told Urs for no reason.

“Krissy?” Urs said softly. “I meant what I said. Nothing’s going to change how I feel about you.”

“I know but… but I’m scared.” Kristina said in a whisper.

“But why?” Urs said softly, as he slid his arms around her waist.

“Because… because when I wrote that letter….”

Kristina hesitated. Urs didn’t speak though. He let Kristina continue in her own time.

“It took every ounce of courage I had in me to write that letter to you, knowing that you could just walk away from everything we had. I wrote that letter because there was something you had to know before we took our relationship any further.” Kristina continued.

“So why can’t you tell me now?” Urs asked, quietly.

“Because I don’t want to lose you.” Kristina whispered, as she looked up in to his eyes. “I opened my heart and soul to you and… and then… and then when I got your reply, I mean Marius’ reply… well, I thought it was over between us.”

“Krissy, I can see this is hard for you but I’m still confused.” Urs said, slowly leading her in to the lounge, where they both sat down on the sofa. “You need to tell me everything. What on earth is in the letter to make you think that I would stop loving you? And how did Marius get hold of it?”

“The night Abigail was taken in to hospital, I wrote you a letter. I gave Natty the letter and she left it at reception for you. I’m guessing Marius impersonated you to get hold of the letter or maybe he just stole it.” Kristina said, shrugging. “But he must’ve been nearby because he overheard our conversation about the red and blue M&M’s.”

“Now I’m really confused.” Urs said, slowly shaking his head. “What does M&M’s have to do with it? I mean, I remember us talking about them but…”

“In my letter, I was giving you a choice.” Kristina interrupted him. “I was giving you the same choice that you gave me. After reading what I had to tell you, you could either stay with me or walk away and we would never see each other again.”

“Krissy… please tell me.” Urs said softly, as he took her hands in his. “What is so important that you felt it would affect our relationship? Have you done something bad?”

“No, it’s nothing like that.” Kristina smiled weakly. “But… but I wasn’t entirely honest about my hospital visit when we came back from Italy.”

Urs sat listening to everything Kristina told him.

“Just before we met, I had to go for some tests. I had been suffering with very bad headaches.”

“I remember you telling me.” Urs said, nodding. “You told me that night you came to stay with me in Paris. You’d been drinking. You told me all about the mix up with the test results.”

“Well, just recently I’ve been getting the same headaches again; except they seem to be getting worse.”

“Is it to do with your kidneys?” Urs asked, concerned.

“No, it’s… it’s something else. It affects the arteries and they think that’s why I’ve been getting the headaches. The reason it’s happening again is because my old medication for my kidneys somehow hid it and slowed it down. But now it’s changed and… and well, this is the result.”

“So is it serious?” Urs asked in a whisper. “Can they treat it?”

“I’m having treatment now.” Kristina told him. “It’s a course of steroids, but it might not work.”

“What will happen if it doesn’t work?” Urs asked, cautiously; not quite sure he wanted to hear the answer.

“If it doesn’t work then… then I...” Kristina paused and looked straight at Urs. “I could lose my sight.”

“You mean… you mean you could go blind?”

Kristina nodded slowly, as a tear ran down her cheek.

“When you were here earlier, everything just went black. I couldn’t see a thing. I was so scared. I thought that was it. I thought I had gone blind just like that, with no warning.”

Urs wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back against the sofa with him.

“I sometimes wonder how your mind works, Krissy.” Urs said, before gently kissing the top of her head.

“What do you mean?” Kristina asked.

Urs took her hand and placed it on her chest, the same way Madamae Endora had done earlier that afternoon.

“Can you feel that, Krissy? Can you feel your heart racing?”

Kristina slowly nodded. He then placed her hand on his chest.

“And can you feel my heart beating, just like yours?”

Again, Kristina nodded slowly. As she sat there, feeling the rapid beat of his heart against the palm of her hand, Madame Endoras words drifted back to her. “Listen to your heart, not the voices in your head. He loves you unconditionally. He’ll stand by you no matter what.”

“You’re the only one that makes my heart beat like this, Krissy.” Urs whispered, now gently cupping her face in his hands. “I only have to see you, to think of you and my heart races. I can’t go a day without thinking about you, wondering where you are, what you’re doing, if you’re okay. When I found out you were coming back to London, I started counting the days until you came home. I even went to the airport the day you arrived; just to catch a glimpse of you again. I love you Krissy, how many times do I have to tell you that? I don’t think there’s anything in this world that could make me stop loving you.”

Kristina was speechless. She couldn’t believe that he had gone to the airport, just to see her. But now it explained the odd feeling she had felt, as if she was being watched; and it was Urs. But what shocked Kristina the most was that Urs now knew she could lose her sight and he still wanted to be with her. How could she ever doubt his love for her? Kristina quickly covered her mouth as she gave a small yawn.

“You’ll tell me if I’m boring you, won’t you.” Urs chuckled.

“I’m sorry, Urs.” Kristina apologized, blushing. “Today’s been a really long day.”

“You don’t have to apologise. But I should be making a move.” Urs said, getting up from the sofa. “I’ll let you go back to bed.”

“No, wait!” Kristina said, quickly getting to her feet.

“Krissy, it’s very late. I shouldn’t have come but I had to know. I can see you’re tired and….”

Urs broke off mid-sentence when he saw the look in Kristina’s eyes; it was something reckless and alluring that made his heart race even faster. Kristina reached out to him, and took hold of his jacket and slowly pulled him to her. She tilted her head up and kissed him, slowly, softly, gently nibbling on his bottom lip. Her kisses gradually moved from his mouth, to his jaw and then his neck.

“Krissy, do you know what you’re doing to me?” Urs mumbled.

“”Don’t go.” Kristina whispered, as she pressed her body against him, causing him to let out a soft groan. “Stay with me tonight.”

“I have to leave.” He whispered in to her ear.

“No.” she said, desperately, as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Please… stay.”

Urs smiled at her response, content in knowing that she needed him as much as he needed her.

“I want nothing more than to stay here with you tonight, Krissy.” Urs whispered against her cheek. “But I can’t, there’s…there’s something I have to do first.”

“You have to do it now?” Kristina asked; puzzled at what was so important at this time of night. “Right at this very moment?”

“It can’t wait.” Urs replied, pulling away. “I won’t be long, I promise but I have to go to away for a couple of days. My flight leaves at 6am.”

“So soon? But you’ve only just got here.” Kristina stared at him, her heart thumping heavily. Had she said or done something wrong? Had she already ruined things or had she simply misunderstood everything? Why was he leaving so suddenly?

“I have to go to Switzerland.” Urs told her. He then noticed the expression on her face. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I… how about I come with you?” Kristina said, cheerfully and trying to banish the negative thoughts racing through her head. “I can keep you company. It won’t take me long to pack. When we first met, you promised to show me around Switzerland.”

Urs smiled and gently cupped her face in his hands.

“And I’m going to keep that promise but this trip; it’s something I have to do alone.”

“Okay, I understand.” Kristina said, giving a small sigh. She was trying to hide her disappointment with a smile, but Urs could tell by the look in her eyes that she didn’t want him to go, and especially with out her.

“When I get back, I promise it will be worth the wait, Krissy. And then I’ll take you to Switzerland and I’ll show my home town.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.” Urs said, gently placing a kiss on her forehead.

“So if your plane leaves at 6am, does that mean we still have a couple of hours before you have to go?”

Urs saw the look in Kristina’s eyes and knew exactly what she was hinting at.

“I know what you’re thinking.” Urs chuckled. “But seriously, I have to go.”

“You’re saying no?” Kristina said, arching an eyebrow in surprise.

“Don’t look at me like that.” Urs said, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. “Believe me, I’m only saying no this one time, because I don’t want our first time to be rushed. It wouldn’t be right, me disappearing in to the night and leaving you before the crack of dawn. I don’t want it to be that way. When we… you know…” Urs winked. “I want it to be special. Nothing’s going to disturb us this time. There’s not going to be a single telephone in the house, no neighbours within 50 miles and the doors are going to be locked and bolted. I want to spend all night loving you and then wake up with you in my arms and nothing is going to spoil it.”

Kristina lightly kissed his mouth.

“And we’ve waited this long, I think we can wait another day or two.”

“Aslong as that’s all it is.” Kristina sighed, leaning her head against his chest. “I’ll go mad if I have to wait much longer.”

“I know the feeling.” Urs chuckled. “But in the meantime, if you’re up for it, how about coming back to mine? We can spend a litte more time together while I pack and then you could come to the airport with me.”

“Give me five minutes to get dressed and I’m all yours.” She said, quickly kissing him on the lips and disappearing upstairs.

Urs returned to the sofa and sat down, and waited for Kristina to get ready. He knew from experience of having three sisters, that five minutes to a woman could be anything from 30 minutes to an hour. But Urs didn’t mind waiting. He’d waited almost five years to get this far and despite all the heartache, he’d wait another five if it meant he and Kristina could be together. Urs leant his head back on the sofa, closed his eyes and let out a contented sigh. He was finally at a stage in his life where everything seemed to be coming together. There was the new crossover project with Il Divo which the public seemed to love; and if the group carried on growing in popularity, he knew that he could keep his promise to his mother and always take care of her and her money worries. But his biggest wish was about to come true; he was reunited with Kristina and when he got back from Switzerland, things between him and Kristina were definitely going to change for the better. He had it all planned out, right down to the very last detail and Urs couldn’t be happier.

***** CHAPTER 164 *****

Kristina sat quietly on the end of the bed, as she watched Urs walk back and forth between the bed and the wardrobe, taking the clothes from the hangers and then neatly folding them in to an overnight bag. She understood that whatever he had to do, it was important to him. But it was killing her, watching him prepare to leave. She had never known a love like this and she was so afraid that something would happen while he was gone and she would lose him forever. They had been through so much these past few years and now everything seemed too good to be true. It was almost as if Urs sensed it too, every now and then he would look up and give her an understanding smile or caress her cheek as he passed by.

As he placed his washbag in the top of the bag, it was clear that Urs had almost finished packing and it would soon be time to leave. Kristina could feel her heartbeat quicken at the thought of not being able to touch him, to kiss, to hold him, for two whole days. They had finally cleared the air and there were no more secrets between them, so why did he have to leave now of all days? Kristina was tempted to ask him, but she didn’t want to ruin things by asking questions and knew that Urs would tell her in his own time. But she was still curious as to why he had to leave in the middle of the night.

Urs could see that Kristina still wasn’t happy with him leaving so suddenly, but if he and Kristina were finally making a go of things, there was one more thing he had to do; he had to put the past to rest. Kristina was now standing infront of the window, staring down in to the street below; she looked deep in thought.

“You’re very quiet.” Urs said softly, as he walked up behind her, slipped his arms around her waist and gently rested his chin on her shoulder. “Is every thing ok?”

“I’m going to miss you so much.” She said quietly, as she folded her arms over his.

“I’ll be back before you know it.” Urs said, as he gently nuzzled his chin in the crook of her neck, inhaling the soft scent of her perfume. “I’m sure you and Abigail will get up to your usual mischief and you’ll be so busy, that you’ll soon forget all about me.”

“No, I won’t.” She whispered, as she turned to face him, her eyes welled up with tears. “I’ll never forget you, ever!”

“I know you won’t.” Urs said softly.

“I wish you didn’t have to go.” Kristina said quietly, as she swallowed hard to keep the tears at bay, but one tear escaped and slid down her cheek.

“Hey silly, don’t cry.” Urs frowned, gently wiping the single tear away with his thumb. “It’s only a day or two; it’s not the end of the world.”

Kristina leant her head against his shoulder and hugged him tightly.

“I’m sorry. But two days without you will seem like an eternity and we always seem to be saying goodbye to one another.”

“You make it sound as if I’m not coming back. I promise you, I am.”

Kristina only hugged him even tighter, not wanting to let go.

“If it makes you feel any better, I’m going to miss you too.” He whispered, before gently placing a kiss on top of her head. “Every minute of every hour.”

“Do you really have to go?” Kristina mumbled against his chest.

“Yes, I do.” Urs whispered back. “I can’t explain it now but one day I’ll tell you. And then you’ll understand.”

“Do you think it will be like this when you all go on tour?” Kristina asked, quietly. “Will it always be this hard to say goodbye?”

“Who said we’re going on tour?” Urs asked, pulling away slightly.

“It’s just something Simon was talking about a while ago. Hasn’t he mentioned it to you?”

“Sort of.” Urs shrugged. “It was just in passing but I didn’t think he was serious.”

“Well, if he is serious, I’m going to hate saying goodbye and not seeing you for six months or how ever long it is.”

“I’m sure it won’t be all that bad.” Urs smiled, pulling her closer to him. “We can email, we can phone each other and you can fly out and see us sometimes. Or maybe you could see Simon about a job, like I suggested. You could come on tour with us.”

“Maybe.” Kristina replied, not wanting to tell Urs that she had already made plans about seeing Simon for a job.

Urs looked at his watch; their time together was running out.

“We should make a move, I need to check in.”

“And we can’t have you being late, can we!” Kristina said, finally smiling. “If the others found out you’d missed your flight, you’d never live it down.”

*************************

The drive to the airport didn’t take long. They laughed and talked all the way there, trying to forget the fact that soon they would have to say goodbye. But although it was only for a couple of days, Kristina was right; it would feel like an eternity to both of them.

“Will you stop looking at me like that?” Urs said, gently wiping more tears from Kristina’s eyes. “You’re making this really hard for me.”

“So don’t go.” Kristina said, before gently planting another kiss on his mouth.

“I have to go.” Urs said, as he pulled away for what seemed like the hundredth time.

Tugging on his arm, Kristina drew him back against her body, wrapping her arms around his neck as she kissed him once again.

“I really… really… have… to… go.” Urs whispered between kisses.

“Just… one more… kiss.” Kristina mumbled, not wanting to let go of him.

“You’re going to make me miss my flight.” Urs chuckled, gently taking hold of her arms from his neck and putting them by her side. “I promise, when I get back I’ll make it up to you.”

“How?” Kristina asked.

“I don’t know, I’ll…” Urs then grinned to himself as a thought occured to him. “I know. I’ll take you out somewhere. We’ll go somewhere really nice for a meal and then a concert. You can wear that blue silk dress.”

“What silk dress?” Kristina asked, totally confused.

“The one I bought you.” Urs said, trying to keep a straight face, and waiting to see the look on Kristina’s face when she realised what he was talking about.

“But I don’t have a blue dress. Well, I did but i sent it back to the shop because...”

“I know.” Urs grinned, when Kristina paused.

Kristina frowned, wondering how Urs knew about the dress.

“The shop called me, to tell me that you’d returned it. So I went and picked it up. I knew that one day you would wear it. It was just a matter of when.”

Now it all made sense to Kristina.

“You? You’re the one who sent me the dress and left me all those messages and gifts?”

Urs nodded.

“You were the one that sent me all those clues and had me running all over London? You’re Mr X?”

Urs stepped back and took a bow.

“At your service.”

“I could kill you, Urs Buhler.” Kristina said, playfully punching him on the arm. “You scared me silly, I thought I had a stalker, I even had the locks changed.”

“I know, you told me in the email. I’m really sorry about that. Will you forgive me?”

“Geez, I even had a go at Tyler.” Kristina said, putting her hand across her forehead as she suddenly remembered her outburst. “I accused him of being Mr X and thinking that he could buy my affection. He must’ve thought I was mad.”

“You had a go at Tyler? Hey, it’s not all bad then.” Urs chuckled.

“Behave.” Kristina said, wrapping her arms around his neck again. “I haven’t said I’ll forgive you yet.”

“But you will.” Urs whispered. “Because you love me.”

“Yes, I do.” Kristina whispered back. “It must be your lucky day.”

“I got lucky the day I met you.” Urs said softly.

“You smooth-talker.” Kristina said, smirking, “Now go on, get out of here. You’ll miss your flight.”

“If you need anything, day or night, just call me on the mobile, ok?” Urs said, gently squeezing her hand.

Kristina nodded and gave a small sigh, and then watched him as he started to walk away. She knew he was coming back but seeing Urs walk away, it was like losing him all over again. She felt as if her heart were about to break in to a million pieces.

“Wait!” she called out. “Urs.”

Urs turned to see Kristina rushing towards him, with a look of so much love and longing that he would only need to remember this moment for years to come and he would forgive her for anything. Urs met her in the middle of the aisle, dropped his bag and swept her in to his arms. It was literally seconds that they had been apart, but the way they clung to each other, it was as if they hadn’t seen each other for months.

“I forgot to tell you I love you.” Kristina said, as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

“And I love you too, angel.” Urs whispered. “Always.”

“You will come back, won’t you?” Kristina whispered. “Promise me you’ll come back.”

“Stop worrying.” Urs whispered back. “Two days, no more and then I’ll be home. I promise.”

Kristina was about to say something else, but before she could say another word, Urs tenderly captured her lips in the sweetest of kisses that left her weak at the knees. That was to be their final kiss, before Urs headed to the departure gate and disappeared from her view.

***** CHAPTER 165 *****



Kristina stood in the departure lounge, with her palms pressed up against the glass and tears threatening to fall at any moment, as she watched Urs’ plane taxi down the runway and lift in to the air. Now she knew how he felt back in Paris all those years ago, when he had declared his love to her and then watched as she got on a plane back home to New York; it was heartbreaking. But atleast Kristina had the comfort of knowing that in a couple of days he would return. But how was she going to make it through the next two days? She was thankful that she would be kept busy, and have things to take her mind off Urs not being there. Later today she had her appointment with Simon, about a permanent job. She knew that if they went on tour, Urs had spoke of his intentions to have her come with him but she wasn’t sure what job she would be capable of that would involve her travelling with him. She was a publicist, not a tour manager. But still, if things went well and she had a job, then she would still have some good news to share with Urs when he got back. And now seeing as they were a couple again, and Valentine’s Day was only a few days away, Kristina wanted to plan something special for him; but she had no idea what. Angie had asked her if she wanted to join her for a night out but Kristina had turned her down, saying she wasn’t in the mood to socialise. But now it seemed quite appealing, to go out and let her hair down. Perhaps she would call Angie and see if she was still up for a night out. Kristina headed out of the airport, in search of a taxi. After being up all night talking to Urs, she needed to get some sleep before her meeting with Simon.


**************

Kristina was looking forward to working again. It had only been a few days but she was already getting bored of sitting at home, with nothing to do and nothing to keep her mind busy. And although she still had to talk to Simon, when she had called to speak him to make the appointment, he was talking as if she already had a job and today’s appointment was a mere formality. But Kristina didn't want to jump to any conclusions; she knew how unpredictable life could be.

As she approached the large black doors that had once had her running to the bathroom, sick with nerves at the prospect of seeing Urs again after so many years, she was now full of confidence. This could be the start of something good. But she hadn't even reached the double doors when they opened and her heart sank at the sight before her. It was Tyler. She slowed her pace as she made her way towards Simon's office. Cavendish still did some publicity work for Simon so he could be here for any number of reasons, but to Kristina his presence here could only mean one thing. He'd kept his promise to make sure she didn't get a job in the publicity industry again. Would Simon really stoop that low and accept money?

After closing the door behind him, Tyler spotted Kristina heading in his direction. He now walked towards Kristina and she found herself holding her breath as he passed her. She glanced over her shoulder and then grimaced when he stopped just behind her and slowly turned to face her. She really didn’t want to have to talk to him if it meant another argument.

"How have you been?" he asked, quietly.

Letting her breath out slowly, Kristina turned to face him properly. She wasn't sure how to answer, not knowing if his question was genuine or not.

“Okay.” She replied a little uncertain of him. “And you? Are you okay?”

“I’m good.” He smiled at her as he took a couple of steps closer to her and sighed heavily. “If I’m completely honest, I’ve missed having you around and although it might seem a little late in coming, I’’m sorry for what I said about... well, you know. I was angry. I guess I’m not used to getting my own way.”

Kristina was still unsure of what to say. She had seen two sides to Tyler and didn’t know what to expect anymore.

“I was thinking of calling you to see... to see if you would come back. We’re having a few problems with a big client. They’re threatening to end their contract and we could really do with your expertise at the moment.”

Kristina knew it was too good to be true. She couldn’t believe the arrogance of this man. He had threatened to have her blacklisted and now did he really think that she would consider coming back to work for him because he might lose a client?

“And why should I help you?” Kristina asked, doing her utmost to remain calm. “You think that you can apologise and that’s it? Everything is forgotten?”

“No, of course not.” Tyler frowned. “I’ve said sorry but I thought that seeing as you’re still looking for work, you might atleast consider coming back to Cavendish.”

“Sorry Tyler but it’s not going to happen.” Kristina shook her head. “Now that I know what you’re really like and how you do business, working for you would be the last thing I ever do.”

Kristina turned to leave and continue on to Simon’s office but Tyler grabbed hold of her arm, jerking her to a halt and pulling her back, forcing her to look at him.

"You're wasting your time." he snapped. "Simon won't see you."

“Get your hands off me.” Kristina said firmly, glaring at him. “And what makes you think Simon won’t see me? Do you really think you have that much control over people? Do you think you can wave a handful of money infront of people's faces and they'll roll over and do as you say? Some people have morals, Tyler even if you don't."

She could see the muscles in his face tighten in response to her comment, as he grit his teeth.

"What's wrong?" Kristina asked, trying to break free from him. “Does the truth hurt?”

“So have you found another job yet?” Tyler asked, ignoring her comment. “Or is that why you’re here now? You’ve come to beg Simon for a job.”

“That’s got nothing to do with you anymore.” Kristina replied, still trying to break free from him. “You lost that right when you ended our relationship.”

“Wasn’t much of a relationship though, was it? You weren’t interested in me at all. You were just after the money.”

“You know damn well that’s a lie. I never wanted to live in that fancy apartment, or hotel or whatever the hell it was.” Kristina said, trying to prise his fingers from her arm. “And if you really believe that I was only after your money, then you don’t know me at all. You know, I guess I should thank you because I suppose in a way, you did me a favour.”

“I have?” Tyler said warily, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Kristina nodded.

“If it wasn’t for you, ending our relationship, I’d still be in New York. But now, thanks to you, it’s given me the opportunity to sort things out with Urs and we’re officially back together.”

Tyler curled his lip in disgust as he released his hold on Kristina’s arm. Kristina could see she’d touched a nerve and found some satisfaction from seeing the look of displeasure on his face.

“Being with Urs means much more to me than any job.” Kristina added.

“Just wait.” Tyler said, as he strode off down the hall towards the elevator. “In a few weeks, when the bills start piling up, you’ll be begging me to take you back.”

“Yeah right.” Kristina muttered to herself as she made her way to Simon’s office. “When hell freezes over.”

When Kristina entered the office, she saw Lilly sitting in her usual spot, behind her desk.

“Hi Lilly. Simon’s expecting me, is it okay if I go straight in?”

“He’s not here.” Lilly said, quickly getting up from her desk and standing infront of the door and preventing her from going any further. “I’m sorry, Kristina but Simon’s been called away rather unexpectedly.”

“Oh... well can I make another appointment to see him?”

“He’s pretty busy at the moment.” Lily apologised. “He said he’ll give you a call personally and arrange another time to see you.”

Kristina smiled politely but got the distinct impression she was being given the brush off. It looked as if Tyler had fulfilled his threat. He’d managed to convince Simon not to employ her. She hadn’t heard from any of the prospective employers that she’d written to; and now her last hope of a job was gone. What would she do now? And what did she tell Urs? Perhaps she could explain things to Urs and ask him to have a word with Simon and persuade him to reconsider Tylers offer. Whatever she decided, she couldn’t tell Urs what had just happened over the phone. She knew that as soon as she mentioned Tylers name, it would only anger him and he might do something silly. But after getting her hopes up of finding a job, she was now feeling so disappointed that she desperately needed to hear his voice.

**********************

Urs hadn’t been entirely honest with Kristina when he told her he was going to Switzerland. He had every intention of going there, but he had to make one stop before heading on to Switzerland later that evening. He had come to Paris, Montmartre Cemetery to be exact. It had been a long time, since he had been to visit Aimee’s grave and he felt guilty. But he knew that he couldn't miss this day for anything. It was the anniversary of Aimee's death. Urs also knew that before he could take things any further with Kristina, he had to clear his head and get things out in the open.

He’d been standing infront of her grave for atleast half an hour, his coat pulled tightly around him, the strong wind ruffling his curls and making his eyes water. He stood in silence, trying to gather his thoughts. He was unsure of what to say but he knew he had to come, he owed her that much. Urs knelt down infront of Aimee’s grave.

"Hey, honey... it's been a while... I should apologise for that. You know... hectic schedule." Urs laughed softly and scratched the back of his neck. "Aimee... I need to tell you something." He looked up to the sky and shook his head. "Although you probably already know what it is..."

A soft breeze made the leaves on the ground, gently rustle.

"I'll take that as a yes..." he said, as he sat down cross legged on the grass.

"Her name’s Kristina. I think you'd like her.” Urs anxiously played with a loose thread on the bottom of his jeans. “We met a few years ago. I knew as soon as I set eyes on her that there was something different about her.”

Urs closed his eyes and smiled to himself, as he recalled the events of that night.

“Aimee… I don’t want you to think that what we had meant nothing, because it did and I’ll always love you. I’ll never forget you but… Krissy… I’m in love with her.”

Urs paused, it was almost as if he were waiting for a reaction, from who or what he wasn’t sure.

“We’ve had a few problems but that’s all sorted out now. I know she loves me and she really is a wonderful woman.” Urs sighed in frustration. “I’m not doing a very job here, am I? I hope you understand what I’m trying to say.”

Of course there was no reply, but Urs continued.

"I haven't felt this way in a very long time, honey... not since... since you... well... you know what I'm trying to say..." He softly passed his hand over Aimee's name. "I never thought I would find love again after you but… I think I’ve been incredibly lucky to find Krissy. I want to ask her to marry me Aimee. You’re the first person I’ve told and... well, you could say I came for your blessing. So... what do you say?"

He looked up to the sky once more, waiting for a reaction but there was nothing; no wind, not even the slightest breeze. Urs frowned.

"Okay... it's not like I'm expecting a lightening bolt to hit me but... could you give me a sign or something, just so I know you understand?"

Urs jumped when his mobile started to ring. He quickly took the mobile from his pocket and was about to cancel the call but he saw Kristina's name come up on the display and answered it immediately.

“Hi Krissy. Everything okay?”

As soon as she spoke, Urs could tell by her voice that something had upset her, but Kristina insisted that everything was fine, that it was nothing serious and it could wait until he returned home. She asked how he was, if he was okay, and did he know what time his return flight was. Urs answered all her questions and they spoke for a few more minutes, and when Kristina sounded more like her old self, they said their goodbyes; but not before Kristina had told him that she missed him terribly and couldn’t wait for him to come home. Urs closed his mobile, and slipped it back in to his pocket, wondering if that was the sign from Aimee; the call from Kristina.

“Is that the sign? Krissy calling me?”

The wind blew stronger this time, ruffling his curls again and he was sure he smelt the scent of violets, Aimee’s favourite flower. It was all Urs needed, to know that Aimee was happy for him. Urs headed back to the hotel to catch a few hours sleep before his flight later that evening. Next stop, Willisau. As Urs left the cemetery, he wasn’t aware that he was being watched and that he wasn’t the only visitor at Aimee’s grave that day.

***** CHAPTER 166 *****

Angie stood in the hallway of Kristina’s house and looked in the mirror to check her make up one last time before they went out for the evening. It had been a long time since she’s been out with Kristina and she’d missed it, they used to have lots of fun together.

“I still can’t believe you’re actually coming out, Kristina. It’s been months since we went out together. If you don’t mind me asking, what made you change your mind?”

Kristina smiled, as she opened the closet and took out her jacket. Angie still didn’t know that she and Urs had got back together. In fact the only person that knew was Abigail. She had promised not to tell anyone, as Urs and Kristina wanted to tell people themselves but Kristina was longing to tell someone.

“I just fancied a night out.” Kristina replied.

“There’s something you’re not telling me.” Angie said, watching her. “You look... I don’t know... different.”

“I do?” Kristina said, raising an eyebrow. “In what way?”

“I don’t know.” Angie sighed, as she studied her friend. “You’ve sort of got this... glow. If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were pregnant but seeing as you don’t have a man in your life...”

Angie’s voice trailed off, thinking she might have said the wrong thing but was surprised to see Kristina turn and give her a cheeky grin.

“And how do you know I haven’t got a man in my life?”

“What? Okay, I knew there was something weren’t telling me. Details. Now!” Angie said, sitting down on the stairs. “We’re not going anywhere until you tell me how you met him, what he does for a living, how old he is and if he’s good looking.”

“What should it matter if he’s good looking?” Kristina laughed again. “You’re with David.”

“Oh quit trying to fob me off.” Angie said, waving her hand at Kristina. “Just give me the low down on this guy.”

“Okay, where shall I start?” Kristina smirked, as she crossed her arms and leant against the wall. “I met him in New York, he’s 34, he’s a singer and yes, he’s good looking; incredibly good looking.”

Angie sat there trying to work out who it could be. Kristina thought it was pretty obvious who it was but perhaps after everything that had happened over the years, Urs was the last person that Angie would think of. She could see that she was going to have to give Angie one more clue.

“Did I mention he’s Swiss?” Kristina added.

Angie’s face turned from one of confusion to amazement.

“Oh... my... God!” Angie squealed, as she jumped up from the stairs. “Urs? Are you serious? You two are together?”

Kristina nodded as Angie literally pounced on her and hugged her tightly.

“I can’t believe it. How? When? I’d given up on you two ever sorting things out.”

“Oh it’s long story.” Kristina said, just as their taxi pulled up outside and hooted its horn. “I’ll tell you about it later. But right now, I want to go out and have some fun.”

“Okay.” Angie grinned. “But just one more thing before we go. You’re not pregnant, are you?”

“Good grief woman!” Kristina laughed. “No! I’m not. Give us a chance. We only got back together last night.”

“So why has he gone to Switzerland?” Angie asked, as she followed Kristina out the front door. “It’s a bit sudden isn’t it?”

“I don’t know why.” Kristina shrugged. “He said he would tell me one day, but whatever it is, I know it’s important to him.”

Kristina and Angie got in to the taxi.

“What time does he get back?”

“Sometime tomorrow night.” Kristina replied. “And I can’t wait! I hate not being with him.”

“You’d better get used to it.” Angie replied. “I was speaking to Lilly the other day and she’s heard rumours that the guys will be doing an international tour next year. So you could be seeing a lot less of him.”

“Great.” Kristina sighed. “That’s what I heard too. It’s going to be awful if I don’t see him for several months.”

“You could always see about going with him.” Angie commented. “I know you don’t work for Cavendish anymore but there must be something that you could do. Why don’t you ask Simon about a job?”

“Waste of time.” Kristina sighed. “I was actually supposed to see Simon about a job this afternoon but he cancelled on me.”

“Well you can always make another appointment. It’s going to be months before...”

“No, it’s not going to happen.” Kristina interrupted her. “Tyler’s made sure of that.”

“I don’t understand.” Angie replied, frowning.

“When I handed my notice in, Tyler threatened to have me black listed if I didn’t withdraw my resignation.” Kristina explained. “I went to see Simon and Tyler was just coming out of his office. Next thing I know, Lily tells me that Simon’s had to cancel our appointment.”

“Are you sure that’s the reason? I mean, Simon... he just doesn’t seem the type to let someone like Tyler influence him.”

“It’s too much of a coincidence.” Kristina replied, shaking her head. “What else could it be?”

“I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation.” Angie smiled.

“Maybe.” Kristina smiled back. “But to be honest, that’s the least of my worries.”

Angie looked at her questioningly.

“I think Abigails ex-boyfriend might be back on the scene.”

“Brian? The violent one?”

Kristina nodded. “But I can’t be sure. And I don’t want to say anything to Abigail incase I’m wrong. But I think she suspects the same thing.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know.” Kristina sighed. “I was going to see if Simon knew of anyone but seeing as he won’t even talk to me...”

“Well, if you need anything, you know where I am.” Angie said, squeezing her hand.

“Thanks.” Kristina smiled. She knew Angie was only being kind, but she couldn’t see what Angie could do. She wasn’t even sure what ‘she’ could do. The police couldn’t do anything until it was too late and if it was Brian; she couldn’t let things get that far. But for the moment, she knew Abigail was safe with Carlos, so she was going to do her utmost to enjoy her evening out with Angie and then tomorrow she would plan something special for Urs’ return.

*****************************

Stepping up to the front door, Urs rang the bell and waited for his mother to answer. He hadn’t told her he was coming, so it would be a complete shock to her because as far as she knew, he was still in London. The door opened, and his mother stood in stunned silence briefly as she stared at her youngest son, before a proud smile spread across her face.

“Hi mutti.” Urs said, as he pulled out a large bouquet of lillies from behind his back.

“Oh Urs! They’re beautiful. But what on earth are you doing here? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” she said excitedly, as she kissed him on the cheek.

“I wanted to surprise you!”

“Well, you’ve certainly done that my boy.” She said, as she looked him up and down. “Now come in, sit down, let me put these in water and then I’ll get you something to eat. You’re looking so thin. Don’t they feed you in England?”

“Of course they do.” Urs chuckled. “But we’re so busy, we’re always on the go.”

Urs followed his mother in to the kitchen and then stood in the doorway, while she looked for a vase to put the flowers in.

“So why are you here? Has something happened? It must be important if you have to come all the way out here and can’t tell me over the telephone.”

Urs walked over to the kitchen table and sat down before answering.

“I needed to talk to you, mutti. I… I have to ask you something.”

“Oh?” his mother said, raising an eyebrow. “You’re not in trouble are you?”

“Of course not.” Urs smiled. “You know me better than that.”

“But it’s serious, isn’t it?” She said, frowning as she stopped what she was doing and took a seat opposite Urs. “I can tell by the look on your face. What’s troubling you?”

“Do you remember me telling you that I’d met someone in New York? You might not remember, it was a few years ago.”

“When you say someone, are we talking about a woman?” she asked.

Urs nodded.

“Was she the one you met when you went to that award ceremony with Stephanie? The American?”

Urs nodded again.

“Yes, I remember you telling me about her. You seemed quite keen on her but if i remember right, nothing came of it. Didn’t she have a boyfriend?”

“She was seeing David at the time, the same David that’s part of Il Divo but that’s another story.” Urs smiled. “And you have a good memory.”

“I never forget anything my children tell me. So explain to me, why are we talking about this woman now?”

“Because I need the ring that grandmother left me. I know I gave it to you, saying I would never use it but… well, I need it.”

“You want your grandmothers engagement ring?” she said, eyes wide with surprise.

“Yes.” Urs replied. “Don’t you remember? Grandmother left it to me in her will, saying that if I were to ever get married, that I was to use her ring.”

“I remember exactly what she said.” His mother frowned. “But let me see if I’ve understood this. You’re going to propose to this woman? Someone that I’ve never even met and that you’ve only ever talked about once, several years ago I might add.”

“She’s not just any woman, mutti. Her name’s Kristina and I love her.”

“But you’ve never mentioned her until now and then you show up out of the blue, telling me you want to marry her? Don’t you think you’re rushing in to this? You’ve always said… ”

His mother paused and bit her bottom lip.

“You mean that I’ve always said i would never marry since father walked out on us? That I had no respect for marriage and what it stood for?”

His mother nodded. Urs thought carefully for a minute before answering.

“I hadn’t planned on meeting Krissy. I’ve been in love with her for years and I know she feels the same way. Krissy’s changed how I feel about marriage mutti. I want to marry her, I want to be her husband. Don’t you understand? It just feels right, like it’s the next step in our relationship.”

“Your relationship? Exactly how long have you been together? I didn’t realise you were seeing anyone, not since Saskia.”

Urs winced at the mention of Saskia’s name. He still couldn’t forgive himself for hurting her, but he knew he couldn’t carry on with their relationship, when he still loved Kristina.

“We… we only got back together yesterday.” Urs said quietly not knowing how his mother would take the news. “It’s a long story mutti, one that I don’t really want to go in to now but trust me, we love each other.”

“So when do I get to meet her?” his mother asked, getting up and returning to her flower arranging. “You are going to introduce me to her, aren’t you, seeing as she’s my future daughter in law.”

“Of course I’ll introduce you.” Urs smiled. “But I haven’t proposed yet. She doesn’t even know why I’m here. I came to ask you for grandmothers ring and then yesterday I was in Paris. I went to see Aimee. It might sound silly but I wanted to explain things to her.”

“You mean about Kristina?”

Urs nodded as he got up from his seat and stood next to his mother.

“I told you, it’s silly. But I just felt that I had to tell her. I feel guilty for feeling this way about Krissy, almost like I’ve forgotten Aimee and she wasn’t important to me.”

His mother stopped what she was doing and turned to face him, gently cupping his face in her hands.

“It’s not silly, Urs.” His mother sighed softly and smiled lovingly at him. “And you should never feel guilty about loving someone. We all know how much Aimee meant to you but she’s gone and there’s nothing you can do to change that. We only get to live this life once and if you’ve been lucky enough to find love twice then don’t let it slip by.”

“So does that mean you’re happy for me?” Urs asked.

“Happy?” she smiled, playfully pinching his cheek. “If Kristina is the one you want to marry, and you’re sure that you’re ready for marriage then I’m more than happy.”

“Thanks mutti.” Urs said, hugging his mother.

“Now sit down.” His mother said, guiding him back towards the kitchen table. “I’ll make you something to eat and then I’ll get you your grandmother’s ring.”

Urs did as he was told and sat down, while his mother prepared him a meal. As he watched his mother, his thoughts drifted to Kristina. He could feel the start of butterflies in his tummy at the thought of proposing to her. Some people didn’t want to get married because they didn’t want to commit themselves to one person. The thought of spending their whole life with one person was scary to them. But Urs put it down to not finding the right person, because Urs couldn’t imagine living the rest of his life with anyone but one person; Kristina.

He couldn’t stop smiling to himself, knowing that later that evening he would be back in London with the woman he loved; and who hopefully would agree to become his wife. His wife; just those two words alone brought a smile to his face. The only thing he had left to decide on now, was how and when he would ask her to marry him.

***** CHAPTER 167 *****

Kristina had enjoyed her night out with Angie immensely. Since her split with David and everything that had happened with Urs over the years, she had almost forgotten what it was like to have fun. Angie had also enjoyed her night out and made Kristina promise that they would plan another night out very soon.

The next morning, Kristina had managed to keep herself busy by straightening up the house and even unpacking some items that she had found in some boxes in the spare room. She didn’t see any harm in getting them out, now that she and Urs were together and she didn’t have any intentions of moving back to New York. She was pleased with her work, and thought it made the place look more homely. Kristina had got everything ready for an evening meal for her and Urs. All she had to do was put it in the oven, as soon as she knew what time Urs was due back. But she still had no idea and she couldn’t reach him on his mobile. He said he would call her and let her know his flight details but it was early evening now and she was starting to worry a little. But then there was a knock at the door and although Urs said he would call her from the airport, she secretly hoped that it was him and he’d come to surprise her. But when Kristina opened the door, her heart sank.

"What do you want, Marius?" Kristina asked, warily as he propped himself up against the wall. She knew that him being here wasn't a good thing and it always meant trouble.

"I came to see you." Marius replied, slurring his words. "Thought you might like to know what that man of yours is up to."

It was obvious Marius was drunk, she could tell not just from the slurring of his words but the fact that he reeked of alcohol.

"Urs? He's not here." Kristina replied. "He's in Switzerland."

"In Switzerland?" Marius laughed. "Is that what he told you? So how come I saw him in Paris yesterday?"

"Paris? You're lying." Kristina shaking her head adamantly. "I don't believe you."

"You're not bothered by the fact that he lied to you?"

"I don't care." Kristina replied. "Because I don't believe you."

"Are you calling me a liar?" Marius snarled.

"You've lied to me before." Kristina replied.

"I'm telling you, I saw him in Paris yesterday." he snapped. "And do you know how I know? Because I was there. I went to lay flowers on Aimee's grave but when I got there, Urs was already there."

"So? That doesn't mean a thing. Going to visit someone's grave isn't an offence."

"So why lie? Why did he tell you he was going to Switzerland?"

Marius' question didn't bother her; Urs had already told her he would explain the reason for his trip one day and that was enough for her. The thing that did trouble her though, was how was she going to get Marius to leave?

"Urs must have had his reasons. But you're just trying to cause trouble Marius and I'm not falling for it this time. You're drunk, Marius. Go home and sleep it off."

Kristina tried to close the door but Marius jammed his foot against it and then put his arm through the small gap and made a grab for Kristina. He somehow caught hold of her arm and held it tightly, refusing to let go of her. Kristina was trying to stop him from gaining entry but he wouldn't budge. Her instincts set in and she knew she had to get rid of him so she bit his arm hard and she heard him howl as he let go and she managed to close the door, quickly putting the chain across it.

"You shouldn't have done that." Marius bellowed, as he started to kick at the door.

"Just go, Marius before I call the police." Kristina shouted.

Marius was still kicking at the door but he wasn't getting anywhere. He was starting to get frustrated and eventually threw his whole body weight against the door, so that the door frame split, breaking the door catch and the chain. The door burst open, sending Marius flying on to the floor in the hall way. Kristina grabbed the phone and managed to dial 999 but before she could say a word, Marius reached across the floor and ripped the cord from the wall.

"Now what are you going to do?" Marius said calmly.

Kristina made a move for the front door but Marius scrambled to his feet and as she went to run past him, he grabbed her arm again making her wince in pain, as he pulled her to him.

"You and me have got some business to take care of."

"I've got nothing more to say to you, Marius." Kristina replied, trying to pull away from him.

His face was now so close to her that she could smell the alcohol on his breath as he whispered to her.

"Who said anything about talking?"

"I... I don't understand." Kristina said nervously.

"Oh come on." Marius said, slurring his words and releasing his hold on her. He turned and slammed the front door shut before looking back at her. But the catch on the door was broken and swung open slightly. "Don't act the innocent with me."

The look on his face started to fill her with dread. She didn't like the way he was talking or what he was implying and took a couple of steps back.

"I think it's time I taught Urs a lesson." Marius said; a faint smile twitched on his lips. "Years ago he stole the woman I loved, and she died because of him. I think it's time I did the same and take something that's precious to him."

"You're drunk, Marius. You...you don't know what you're saying..." Kristina continued to back away from him, her voice faltering as it became clearer what Marius intended to do. "Just go home and... and I won't tell Urs that you were here."

"You think I'm worried about him?" Marius laughed, throwing his head back. "He doesn't scare me. Infact it's a shame he's not here. He could watch."

Kristina's heart started to beat faster, as panic filled her mind and she tried to think of ways to escape. But she couldn't see any way of making it to the front door without having to go past Marius and she suddenly became aware of how much taller and bigger than her he was. He might be drunk but she was no match for his size. She had now managed to get to the kitchen but she still couldn't get to the door and to safety in time. Marius would stop her before she'd had a chance to even unlock it. The only thing between them now was the kitchen table. Marius made a move towards her and Kristina pushed a chair across the floor in an attempt to block his way but he simply kicked it aside and continued to approach her. She decided that she had no other choice but to make a run for it and hope she could get to the front door in time but Marius could see what she was thinking and they both made a move for the hallway at the same time. He reached for her and Kristina tried to duck out of reach, but he caught her wrist and jerked her back against him, so that her back was pressed against his chest and his arm was around her neck preventing her from moving.

"You don't really think I'm going to let you go so easily, do you?" he muttered against her cheek. Without giving it another thought, she bit in to his arm again, hoping he would release her and she could make another run for the door. As she hoped, he released her but it only made him angrier and more determined. "You silly little bitch." He hissed. Kristina tried to run past him, but as she turned, he back handed her across the face, with a stunning blow which sent her slamming in to the wall.

In those few seconds, Marius had closed the distance between them again; his hands braced on the wall either side of her so she couldn't escape. She could taste blood from her cut lip and her body trembled with fear when he leaned in towards her. She turned away, so she didn’t have to look at him. Kristina knew she should try to move but she was paralysed with fear. Her jaw clenched as he roughly ran his hand over her side.

"What do you say to you and me having some fun?" he murmured.

***** CHAPTER 168 *****

His lips found her neck and she squeezed her eyes shut. She stood there, not saying a word, too scared to move like a deer caught in headlights. This had to be a nightmare; things like this didn’t happen to people like her. And it wouldn't happen, she couldn't let it, she was stronger than this but how could she get away? She didn't know but she had to try.

“Get off me." she hissed, through clenched teeth, and pushed against his chest with her palms.

“Shut it, woman." Marius said, as he tried to kiss her. Kristina turned her head away and pushed against him and managed to get her arm free and slap him across the cheek.

Marius surprised Kristina by laughing. "You think that's going to stop me?" He then grabbed her wrists and spun her round in to the centre of the room. "Now we can do this the hard way or the easy way, it's up to you."

"You're crazy if you think you're going to get away with this." Kristina said, as her eyes started to well up with tears. "You can't do this."

“And who's going to stop me?" Marius sneered, as he released his hold on her. He knew she was trapped and had no where to go but that didn't stop Kristina trying to make another attempt for the front door. Marius caught her in the door way and threw her down on to the kitchen floor. "When will you learn?”

Marius dropped to his knees infront of Kristina, just as she managed to scramble to her feet but Marius grabbed her by the ankles and pulled her legs from under her, so she fell to the floor and banged her head on the the tiles, leaving her dazed. Marius pulled her across the floor and then covered her body with his own, so she was unable to move. He gripped her jaw and turned her to face him. Kristina was filled with revulsion when his mouth closed in on hers and he kissed her fiercely. She bit at his lip while trying to fight him off. Marius drew back and put a finger to his lip and smiled when he saw blood.

“Damn you. You’re a fighter I’ll give you that.” He sneered, before she spat in his face.

“Screw you!” Kristina hissed, still struggling to get free.

His eyes narrowed as he stared at her, and she shuddered when she saw how much hatred he had for her. What had she ever done to him, to make him hate her so much? Without another word, Marius pinned her wrists above her head, leaning all his weight on them as he prised her knees apart and repositioned himself between her legs. There was nothing she could do, as he slid his hand under her dress. Fear took over again and she froze, when he started to tug at her underwear. Kristina closed her eyes and bit her lip, her fear and pain now mingled with the horror and disgust of what was about to happen.

But she hadn’t given up just yet. Kristina started to struggle again and screamed with all her might before Marius covered her mouth with his hand. Yet again, Kristina did the only thing she could and she bit his hand. Marius cursed and drew his hand back and Kristina screamed again, as loud as she could. Marius slapped her hard across the face with another stunning blow, which almost knocked her out. Kristina could feel her strength slowly draining away and knew that there was no escape. She began to cry. Marius looked down at her and could see the terrified look in her eyes but it didn't change a thing and Kristina knew it. It was useless; she just hoped and prayed that this nightmare would soon be over. She closed her eyes tightly again and wished that Urs had let her go away with him; then she wouldn't be here now. And that's when she heard it, the unmistakable sound of a zipper.


Sorry it's so short, but there's a reason for that.... it's called a cliffhanger

***** CHAPTER 169 *****

“Please, please don’t.” Kristina said between sobs of tears. “I’m begging you.”

Marius smiled at hearing her pleas but no amount of begging was going to make him change his mind.

“Don’t do this.” Kristina said, her eyes pleading with his. “You don’t know what you’re doing. You don’t really want to do this.”

“Don’t I?” he replied. Tears stained her cheeks as he smiled down at her.

“It’s the drink, Marius. If you do this, you’ll hate yourself in the morning.”

“I’m sure I’ll get over it.”

“But think about what you’re doing.”

“Oh I am.” Marius whispered; his mouth now just millimetres. “Believe me, I am.”

*********************

“Thanks for the lift, David. I really appreciate it." Urs said, taking his bag from the boot of the car and slamming it shut.

"No worries, mate. I won't come in. I expect you and Krissy have things to... talk about."

Urs hadn't told David that he planned on proposing to Kristina but he had told him that they were back together. Urs looked at David to see him grinning and laughed.

"Yeah you could say that."

"Well, I'll leave you to it. I'll see you tomorrow." David waved.

Urs said goodbye to David who was just about to get back in to the car, but they both froze when they heard a woman scream. It was a piercing scream, one that made their skin crawl. Then they heard it again.

"That came from the house." Urs said, glancing at David.

David slammed the car door shut and both he and Urs ran down the path towards Kristina's house. They hesitated at the door, when they saw it had been kicked in. Unsure of what to find, Urs slowly pushed the door open, so they could see inside the house. But everything appeared normal until they heard another scream. Dropping his bag on the floor, Urs ran down the hallway and in the direction of the kitchen where the noise was coming from and David followed behind.

Opening the door, Urs froze for a split second as he looked down at the floor at the sight before him.

"Please...” Kristina sobbed. “Please don’t.”

Hearing Kristina’s pleas brought Urs out of his trance, and he grabbed the man by his shoulders and pulled him off Kristina and threw him across the floor. He then quickly knelt down beside Kristina and helped her to sit up and to straighten herself out.

“Krissy.” Urs said, softly.

With red eyes, tear stained cheeks and a trickle of blood running from the corner her mouth, Kristina lifted her head up to look at him. She stared at him, looking completely lost and defeated. It broke his heart to see her in such a state, and he couldn’t help thinking that this was his fault by not agreeing to let Kristina come with him to Switzerland.

“Are you okay?” he asked worriedly.

Kristina put her fingers to her mouth; her bottom lip was still bleeding and she felt dizzy from the bang on her head but apart from that she didn’t feel too bad. Kristina nodded. Her throat was sore from screaming and it took her a moment to find her voice, as her eyes welled up with tears again.

“I’m ok.” She said in a whisper, her fingers trembled as she pushed her hair back from her face.

“Loverboy to the rescue, huh?” Marius said, finally making his presence known to Urs.

“You? What the....” Urs mumbled, when he saw it as Marius.

“You’re just in time.” he sneered at Urs. “The little lady was about to put on a show for me. Want to join us?”

Urs made a move for Marius but Kristina held on to him tightly.

“Let me go, Krissy. I want you to leave with David.” Urs said seriously as he looked down at her.

“Urs...” She shook her head. “No more, please.”

“Krissy, he’s come between us so many times.” Urs frowned. “Don’t you understand? I can’t let this go on. He has to be stopped and it has to end here and now. Please, trust me.” Urs then gently cupped her face in his hands and lightly kissed her lips and then whispered to her. “I love you.”

“And I love you too.” Kristina whispered back. “But please, can’t we just call the police?”

“Krissy’s right.” David commented, grabbing hold of Marius so he couldn’t move from his spot on the floor. “Leave it mate. He’s not worth it. Let’s just call the police and let them deal with him.”

"I listened to you the last time at the Ball and let him off but not again, David. He’s got to see that he can’t get away with it anymore!" Urs spat back. He was pushed to the limits finding Marius about to rape Kristina and now he was bragging about it. Urs couldn't let this go on.

Urs looked back at Marius who sat there with a smug grin on his face. Wrapping an arm around Kristina’s waist Urs helped her to her feet. She took a deep breath as she stood up, her legs were a little shaky and she clung to Urs for support.

“Go now David and take Krissy with you.” Urs ordered him this time, nodding in the direction of the door. He wasn’t taking no for answer and David knew it.

“Come on, Krissy.” David said, quietly as he slipped off his jacket and then draped it around her shoulders before guiding Kristina to the door. “Let’s go and get some air.”

Kristina didn’t take her eyes off Urs as David led her outside. Before leaving the room, David glanced at Urs, giving him a warning look not to do anything silly. Urs gave him an understanding nod and then turned his attention back to Marius. As soon as David and Kristina were out of sight, Urs grabbed Marius by his jacket, dragged him to his feet and slammed him against the wall.

“What did I say I would do to you, if you ever hurt Krissy again?” Urs hissed.

Marius stared back at Urs, with that ever present smug grin on his face.

“Well? Tell me!” Urs demanded.

“Oh quit with the false threats.” Marius sighed. “You act all high and mighty, like you’re some kind of big man, but we both know you haven’t got it in you. You’re weak, Urs.”

“Why did you come here?” Urs asked, ignoring his comment. “Tell me, what the hell are you doing here?”

“Just thought I’d pay Kristina a visit.” Marius shrugged. “Thought she might like to know what you’re up to in Paris.

For some strange reason she seemed to think you had gone to Switzerland. I’ve no idea why she would think that, have you?”

“How did you know I was in Paris?” Urs asked, curiously.

“I haven’t forgotten you know.” Marius suddenly spat, now trying to break free from Urs. “I loved her. Do you seriously think I’d forget the day she died? The day you killed her.”

“I didn’t kill her. It was an accident and you know it.” Urs said firmly, keeping a strong hold on Marius.

“Is that what you tell yourself at night to help you sleep easier?” Marius replied, still struggling with Urs. “I’ll never let you forget what you did to her.”

“And I’ll never let you forget what you’ve done to Krissy.” Urs spat.

“Actually, I think she was just starting to enjoy it.” Marius laughed. “Why don’t we call her back and ask her?”

With his eyes blazing with anger, Urs slammed Marius against the wall again, winding him. Urs wanted nothing more than to beat him to a pulp, but despite what he’d done to Kristina, it wasn’t in his nature. He wasn’t a violent person and his was struggling to deal with his anger.

“I told you, you haven’t got it in you, have you?”

Urs released Marius and took a step back, and a deep breath to calm him self down. He was determined not to let Marius provoke him in to throwing the first punch. But Marius saw his chance and swung at Urs, taking him by surprise and catching him on the chin so that he stumbled back in to the kitchen table.

Urs rubbed his chin and when he saw the look on Marius’ face, he couldn’t hold his anger in any longer and even though he saw it coming, Marius wasn’t quick enough to dodge the punch Urs threw at him , hitting him right across the nose. Marius collapsed on the floor with his hands to his face, as blood started to trickle down his chin.

“S**t, I think you’ve broken my nose.” Marius said looking at his blood covered hands and then at Urs.

“You deserve a hell of a lot more.” Urs hissed. Marius went to open his mouth but Urs spoke first. “And if you open your mouth once more, you might just get it.”

***** CHAPTER 170 *****

It seemed Marius didn’t care or just wasn’t listening to Urs; he couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

“Is that all you’ve got, Buhler?” Marius said, getting to his feet and wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. “One lousy punch? I thought you were going to finally fight like a man.”

“A man?” Urs glared at him. “You’re no better than an animal. Despite what you think, not every problem can be solved with your fists.”

“No... maybe you have a point.” Marius said, thoughtfully.

Urs turned to see him reach for a knife that was on the kitchen drainer. He took a step back.

“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you’re scared?” Marius said, looking amused.

“Put the knife down, Marius.” Urs said, taking another step back. “You’re only going to make things worse.”

“Worse? I haven’t started yet.” Marius’ eyes were now filled with rage.

“Calm down.” Urs kept walking backwards, away from the knife.

“I'm very f**king calm!” Marius said, waving the knife around.

“I'm not going to fight you, this won't solve a thing.” Urs looked at him.

“You're right, why don't you bring the little whore back in and I can finish what I started!” Marius demanded. “You took Aimee from me.” He moved towards Urs with the knife and a look of determination on his face. “Now I want to take something from you.”

“Whatever your problem is, this is between me and you.” Urs told him. “Stay away from Krissy.”

"Or what?" Marius looked at him. “She's a whore! I mean who continues to live with one man when they claim to another?”

Urs looked shocked at his statement.

“I did my homework." Marius hissed. “I don’t care how, but one way or another, I will get what I want.”

Marius charged at Urs, with his teeth bared like a madman and lunged for him with the knife, but Urs was quick and stepped aside; the blade missed him by inches and Marius slipped and fell to his knees. Before Marius could get to his feet, Urs threw his arm around his neck and held him in a headlock, trying to wrestle the knife from him. But Marius had a tight iron grip on it and refused to let it go. Still keeping one around his neck, Urs started to punch Marius in the back until eventually he wore him down and the knife clattered to the floor. Urs released him and pushed him away and knelt down, scrambling to reach it before Marius. He grabbed it a fraction of a second before Marius and all the time keeping the tip of the blade poised at his throat, he hauled Marius to his feet.

“After all you’ve done, give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill right here and now.” Urs spat. “You don’t mean anything to me, dead or alive.”

“Go on. Do it.” Marius taunted him. “I know you want to.”

Marius was right; he did want to kill him. He wanted to hurt him and make him pay for all he had done over the years. How could he have misjudged someone so badly. How could he have ever called this man his best friend?

“How did things ever get this far?” Urs asked, wondering how his friend could turn on him like this. “You were my best friend. And what did Krissy ever do to you to make you want to...” Urs paused. He couldn’t even bring himself to say the word.

“Don’t get sentimental on me now.” Marius replied. “Not when we’re having so much fun.”

Urs shook his head in disappointment.

“I’m glad Aimee’s not here to see what sort of a monster you’ve turned in to.”

Marius suddenly grabbed the knife from Urs, catching him off guard and rammed his knee in to Urs’ stomach winding him, so he staggered backwards. He was now cornered, with no escape. Marius looked like a man possessed as he went for Urs again, holding the knife high and aimed for him. Urs swung his arm up to defend himself and cried out in pain as the knife sliced in to his arm.

The next few seconds were a blur to Urs, as two policemen appeared from nowhere. They grabbed Marius, and wrestled with him, forcing him face down on the ground before he could take another swipe at Urs. Marius was still struggling to get free, calling the officers every name under the sun, while one of the officers pinned him to the ground with his knee in Marius’ back. He then bound his wrists with plastic cuffs. When Marius was secure, one officer approached Urs while the second one led Marius outside the car.

“Are you alright, sir?”

Urs leant against the wall to get his breath back and take stock of the situation. He couldn’t believe everything that had happened in such a short space of time. He had wanted to arrive back in London and surprise Kristina but couldn’t get a taxi. So instead of ruining the surprise, he had called David and asked him to come and collect him. If only he’d called her instead, and then maybe she wouldn’t have been home when Marius called and he could have prevented this from happening. Or even better, he could’ve agreed to let Kristina go with him like she had asked. He felt awful for letting this happen and hoped she didn’t blame him.

“Sir?”

Urs looked round, to see the officer standing beside him.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes... yes I’m fine.” Urs nodded. “I just can’t believe it.”

“Looks like we got here just in time.” The officer commented.

“Yes, I’m... I’m surprised you got here so quick.” Urs replied.

“That was the young lady’s doing. She tried calling 999 but the phone went dead. We tracked the number to this address and the station always sends out a patrol car just to check everything’s okay. We talked to your friend outside, he explained what happened.”

“So what happens now?” Urs asked.

“We’ll take him back to the station, get him checked out by the doctor on call and keep him overnight. Let him sleep it off. Then it’s up to Miss Sanders if she wants to press charges.”

Urs nodded.

“And what about you, sir?”

“Me?”

“Will you be wanting to press charges for assault?”

“Press charges?” Urs said, stunned. “I... I don’t know. He’s my friend... or atleast, he was.”

“Well it’s up to you, Sir.” The officer informed him. “You can always give the station a call in the morning. We won’t be releasing him until he’s sobered up.”

Urs thought about it for a moment. He thought about all the times Marius had interfered with his and Kristina’s relationship, the lies he had told, stealing the letter, the deception, misleading Kristina and now tonight... He didn’t owe Marius a thing.

“No, I want to have him charged with assault.” Urs said, firmly as he followed the officer out in to the hallway.

As soon as Kristina saw him, she left David’s side and rushed to Urs. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly, content in knowing that she was now safe. Kristina looked up at him with a tear streaked face and trembling lips.

“Urs...” she whispered.

“It’s okay.” He whispered, gently stroking her cheek with the back of his hand. “I won’t ever let him hurt you again. I promise.”

***** CHAPTER 171 *****

“Did you want to press charges ma’am?” the officer interrupted them.

Kristina was surprised by the question. She hadn’t even thought about pressing charges. She wanted to just forget the whole incident but then again, she couldn’t let Marius get away with what he had done. He had to be punished. But despite everything that had happened, Marius had been Urs’ best friend since childhood and she didn’t want this to come between them.

“I...” Kristina hesitated a moment, and looked at Urs. He could sense what was troubling her, nodded and gave her a reassuring smile.

“Yes, I want to press charges.”

“In that case, we’ll need you both of you to come down the station and give a statement.”

“Both of us?” Kristina said, confused.

“I’m pressing charges too.” Urs told her. “For assault. I told you, I’m not going to let him hurt you again. I want him out of our lives for good and he deserves everything he gets.”

“And you might want to get that checked out, Sir.” The officer commented, pointing to Urs’ arm.

Kristina looked to where the officer was pointing.

“Oh my God, Urs. Your’e bleeding! What happened? What did he do to you?”

“It’s nothing.” Urs shrugged. “It’s just a cut.”

“But it’s bleeding alot.” Kristina said, looking worried.

“I think you might need stitches in that, Urs.” David told him, when he saw the amount of blood that had soaked through his clothing. “Let me drive you to the hospital.”

“Miss, we’ll need you to come to the hospital too.” The officer said, now turning to Kristina. “We need to get you checked out.”

“I’m fine.” Kristina shook her head, not wanting to spend any time in hospital again. “It’s just a bang on the head.”

“Miss, if you want to press charges, even for attempted rape, we still need you to have a medical examination. We need to check for any other injuries that might help the prosecution with their case.”

“Oh... I didn’t realise.” Kristina said, worriedly. “I thought I could just make a statement and leave it at that, seeing as he didn’t actually... you know.”

Kristina looked at Urs, as her eyes brimmed with tears.

“It’s okay, Krissy.” Urs pulled her closer to him. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“But if I don’t, he’ll get away with it. Won’t he?”

Urs looked at the police officer for an answer.

“We could do him for breaking and entering.” He informed them, pointing to the damage on the door. “But without a check up and a record of any injuries, I’m afraid it would be his word against yours.”

“It’s up to you, Krissy.” Urs smiled tenderly. “But you know what ever you decide; I’ll be here. I’ll always be here. Okay?”

Kristina nodded and smiled at Urs.

“It’s alright. I’ll do it.” Kristina answered, letting out a nervous sigh. “Just tell me what I have to do.”

The police had offered to call for an ambulance for both Kristina and Urs but they had declined after David had said he would take them to the hospital. They waited for a short while, until another car arrived to take Marius to the police station. The two officers then accompanied them to the hospital and suggested that Kristina take a change of clothing with her, as they might need to keep her clothes as evidence.

Urs and Kristina weren’t kept waiting long, and a nurse came to see Urs about the knife wound on his arm. He had told them that he didn’t want to see anyone until Kristina had been seen and that he wanted to be with her. But Kristina had told him that she would be fine, and that if she was completely honest with him, she would prefer it if he didn’t come in with her. It was only then, that Urs reluctantly agreed to see the nurse. He wanted to be with Kristina but he could understand the reason behind her decision.

After having his arm treated by the nurse, Urs had gone to sit outside the small examination room where Kristina was. He couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for her and now to have to go through this aswell. Again, he couldn’t help thinking that if he had agreed to Kristina coming with him to Switzerland that none of this would’ve happened and they wouldn’t be here now. Urs took out the little box with his grandmothers ring and thought about how much his future depended on what was in that box. But it didn’t worry him at all, he was pretty certain Kristina would accept. He just wasn’t sure when to ask her after everything that had happened.

Kristina came out of the examination room and forced a smile when she saw Urs waiting for her. He knew she was trying to be brave. He could tell by the way she was chewing on her bottom lip that she was anxious and that was understandable.

“Everything okay?” He asked softly, as he got up from his seat.

Kristina nodded and let out a heavy sigh.

“Yes. How’s your arm?”

“Ten stitches.” Urs shrugged. “I’m ok.”

“Good.” Kristina smiled. She then turned to one of the police officers that had been sitting outside with Urs. “Can we go now?”

“Yes, I think that’s all we can do tonight.” The officer replied. “Just remember, you both need to come down to the station tomorrow and make a statement.”

Urs and Kristina thanked them for their help and made their way outside to get a taxi. They didn’t know how long they were going to be at the hospital, so they had insisted David go home.

“Actually, I was thinking maybe we should go back to mine after everything that’s happened.” Urs said, taking her hand in his. “The police are getting someone to sort out the front door tonight. I just thought you might feel safer back at mine.”

“Good idea.” Kristina said; smiling as she gently squeezed his hand.

****************

Kristina waited for Urs to unlock the door to his apartment, wishing that he would hurry up. She felt queasy, her stomach was churning and she just wanted to sit down. Urs opened the door and stepped aside to let her enter.

“Can I get you anything to drink?” Urs asked, after closing the door and then slipping off his jacket off and hanging it up. “Or perhaps you’re hungry. Did you eat earlier? I could make you something if...”

“Urs, I...”

But Kristina didn’t get to finish her sentence. She could feel the bile rising in her throat as she started to think about the attack and what might have happened if David and Urs hadn’t arrived in time. With her hand over her mouth, Kristina ran to the bathroom, only just making it in time. Her legs were feeling shaky again and she was feeling hot. Kristina sensed Urs standing in the doorway. He came over and gently rubbed his hand up and down the middle of her back.

"All done?" he asked softly.

“I think so.” Kristina replied. She moved across to the sink and bent down to rinse her mouth out. But as she stood up she felt light headed and had a ringing in her ears. Kristina gripped on to the side of the sink to steady herself as her vision started to blur.

“Urs…”

But Urs was already by her side and caught her in his arms before she hit the floor. He carried her to the bedroom and gently placed her on the bed, before sitting down next to her. A few minutes later and her eyes fluttered open and her vision slowly came in to focus, to see Urs looking down at her, his eyes filled with worry.

“What happened?” she asked, looking around at her surroundings.

“You passed out.” Urs smiled as he gently brushed a stray hair from her eyes. “Do you feel any better?”

“A little." She said, sitting up. Kristina tried to return the smile, but it wouldn't quite come. Her bottom lip started to quiver.

“Krissy?” he whispered, gently cupping her face in his hands.

A tear slowly slid down her cheek. Urs gently wiped the tear away with his thumb but another appeared; and then another. He pulled her in to his arms, and as soon as she felt his arms around her, Kristina dissolved in to tears.

“I was so scared. I thought... I thought he was going to....”

Kristina started to cry so hard that she could hardly catch her breath.

“It’s ok, Krissy.” He whispered, closing his eyes and wishing that he could take away all her pain and fear. Sobs racked through her body as he gently rocked her back and forth, as if trying to comfort a child. “I told you, I won’t let him ever hurt you again.”

Gradually her tears ceased and she was starting to feel tired. She had worn herself out.

“I didn’t think you were coming back.” Kristina whispered. “Where were you?”

“I’m sorry.” Urs whispered, still gently rocking her in his arms. “I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault. I should’ve let you come with me.”

“Promise me you’ll never leave me again.” Kristina said quietly, as she looked up at him.

“I promise. Now close your eyes.” he said in a gentle voice and placed a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be right here; I’m not going anywhere.”

Kristina nestled into him and he lay on his side, wrapping his arms around her. He gently stroked her hair, as if it would soothe away some of her hurt. Feeling safe once again, Kristina closed her eyes and slowly felt them grow heavy and she drifted off to sleep.

Urs stared down at her. Even though she was asleep, he still stroked her hair softly. He wanted her to rest and get as much as sleep as she could. Tomorrow they would have to go down to the police station and make a statement. He wondered if they would have to go to court or if they could prosecute without Kristina having to go through that ordeal. But all he could think about tonight was holding her in his arms and making sure she felt safe. Tomorrow could wait.

***** CHAPTER 172 *****

When Kristina woke the next morning, Urs was still asleep. Unknown to her, Urs had lay awake most of the night, watching her sleep and mentally beating himself up, thinking that he should have made better choices and should never have let things get this far. He should have hit Marius when he had the chance at the ball, maybe that woud have warned him off. Perhaps he should have let Kristina come with him to Switzerland or phoned her to meet him at the airport; then she would never have been at home when Marius called. But he knew that no one could have expected Marius to act the way he did.

Not wanting to wake Urs, Kristina had quietly made her way to the bathroom, softly shutting the door behind her and ran her self a bath. She felt a little groggy from the bang on her head and her whole body ached; she hoped a nice hot bath would ease away some of the tension. Kristina then caught sight of herself in the mirror. Her face was pale, there were traces of mascara smudged under her eyes, her bottom lip was swollen and a large bruise had started to form on her cheek.

“God, I look a mess.” she mumbled to herself as her eyes welled up with tears.

“You still look beautiful to me.”

Kristina turned to see Urs leaning against the doorframe. Her breath caught her in throat when she saw him, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans, with a slight trace of stubble on his chin and his dark curls in disarray; he looked as handsome as ever.

“Especially in that t-shirt.” He added. They had woken at some point during the night and Urs had given her one of his t-shirts to wear, so that she would be more comfortable.

“Thanks.”

She tried to smile at him but failed. Kristina knew he was only trying to make her feel better.

“You don’t believe me?” He asked, now approaching her.

“Look at me. I look as if I’ve done ten rounds with Mike Tyson.” Kristina said, looking at herself in the mirror. “What will people think when they see me?”

Urs went to stand behind her and slipped his arms around her waist.

“Who cares what other people think? I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. You look beautiful.”

“I get the feeling that you might be slightly biased though.” She said, smirking even though her lip hurt.

“Maybe, but it’s the truth.” Urs replied. “It will heal in a few days. And I’m sure once you put some make up on, it won’t look as bad as you think.”

“You might be right.” Kristina sighed, studying her injuries.

Urs tightened his grip around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.

“I’m always right.” He whispered. “Now I don’t know about you but I’m starving. How about breakfast? Bacon sandwiches okay?”

Her mouth watered at the thought of food. She hadn’t eaten since lunchtime the previous day.

“Sounds great.” Kristina replied, leaning back in to him. “I don’t suppose you’ve got any...”

“Brown sauce?” Urs interrupted. “What would a bacon sandwich be without brown sauce?”

Kristina turned around to face him, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I knew there was a reason I loved you.”

“Oh so now you only love me for my cooking abilities?”

“That and a whole lot more.” She whispered, before noticing his arm and the big guaze that had been taped over it. “How’s your arm?”

“A little sore but it’s not too bad.” Urs smiled.

“When I think about what could’ve happened if...”

“Don’t think about it.” Urs cut her off mid-sentence. “I know it’s easier said than done but just try and forget about it for the moment.”

Kristina was about to reply but her stomach then started to growl loudly.

“I think someone’s hungry.” Urs chuckled. “Why don’t you have your bath and I’ll make a start on breakfast.”

************************

After breakfast Kristina and Urs made a visit to Carlos and Abigails apartment to tell them what had happened. Kristina didn’t want to worry her sister, when she was due to give birth in a few weeks but she also knew that she couldn’t hide this and the sooner she told her the better. Urs and Kristina then made the dreaded visit to the police station. After going over the nights events several times, the officer compiled a written report and when they had checked to make sure all the details were correct, they signed their statements. Kristina had wanted to go back to the house to check that everything was ok and to get another change of clothing. It would be atleast another day or two before the door could be replaced. At the moment it was simply boarded up and they had to use the back door to gain entry.

Kristina paused in the doorway. Everything was as she’d left it. The dinner was left on the side, ready to put in the oven for when Urs arrived, the upturned chair she had used to try and block Marius, blood from Marius’ broken nose and the cut on Urs’ arm.

“Urs, do you mind if I stay with you for a little bit longer?” Kristina said, taking a deep breath. “I... I don’t think I can face things here just yet.”

“Of course you can.” Urs said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “You can stay with me for as long as you want.”

“Thanks.” She said, hugging him.

“Why don’t you get whatever belongings you need to keep you going for the next few days and then we’ll head back to mine.”

So Kristina did exactly that. She packed a weeks worth of clothes, a hairdryer, grabbed a few items from the bathroom and a make up bag; Kristina would need that to try and cover up her bruises. The last thing she packed was the charm bracelet that Urs had sent her. Now that she knew it was from him, she didn’t want anything happening to it. When they had got back to Urs’ apartment, he cleared a space in his wardrobe so that Kristina could hang up her clothes.

“So what did you want to do?” Urs asked, as he sat down on the bed and watched Kristina unpack. “I’ve got a couple of days off so that I can be with you.”

“You didn’t have to do that.” Kristina said, hanging up her clothes. “I would’ve been alright here on my own and Abigails nearby.”

“I know.” Urs replied, leaning back on the bed. “But I wanted to spend some time with you. So come on, tell me what you want to do. We could watch a movie, go out for lunch, or we could go shopping. There must be something you want to do.”

Kristina hung up the last top, closed the wardrobe and turned round to face Urs.

“Well, there is something. But I don’t know if you’ll be able to with your arm.”

“Oh? What did you have in mind?” Urs asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Hey you!” Kristina laughed. “It’s not what you think. I was hoping we could we go out on the bike. I don’t care where we go. I just love the feeling I get when I’m on the bike. Oh and we could get fish and chips while we’re out like we did last time.”

“Your wish is my command.” Urs grinned.

“I thought I was the one that was supposed to grant wishes.” Kristina said, kneeling on the edge of the bed.

“Good point.” Urs said, getting up so he was now kneeling face to face with Kristina. “Do I need to remind you that as my genie, you still owe me three wishes?”

“I haven’t forgotten.” Kristina smirked.

“So when do I get my first wish?” Urs murmured, pulling her closer to him.

“Hmm, how about... tonight?” Kristina said, wriggling from his hold and quickly getting off the bed. “We have more important things to do.”

“We do?” Urs said, looking confused. “What could be more important than...”

“The motorbike!” Kristina replied, as she headed out the door. “Where did you leave the helmets?”

“In the closet by the door.” Urs called out.

Urs flopped back on the bed, chuckling to himself. He’d forgotten how much she loved going out on the bike but couldn’t believe Kristina wanted to go out in this cold weather. But he was just pleased to see that she was looking happier.

“Hey, Buhler.” Kristina said, popping her head round the door. “Did I mention that the last one down to the garage buys the fish and chips? So don’t forget your wallet.”

When Kristina saw the playful look on Urs’ face, she knew she had a race on her hands. She screamed when Urs suddenly jumped off the bed and she ran out of the bedroom, giggling as he chased her down the hallway.

***** CHAPTER 173 *****

After spending the rest of the day out on the motorbike and enjoying fish and chips for lunch, paid for by Urs, after he claimed to let Kristina beat him, they had gone back to his apartment. The fresh air had given them a healthy appetite, so they made dinner and later Urs decided to have a go at making Kristina’s famous apple and cinnamon pancakes on his own. She had to admit he’d done a pretty good job, but she always found that food tasted better when someone else had cooked it and it meant that you hadn’t been slaving away over a hot stove. After putting everything in the dishwasher, because Urs still didn’t want to take the risk of Kristina starting another water fight, they had settled down infront of the television. Urs had been flicking through the TV channels, until Kristina saw something that caught her attention and grabbed the remote control from him.

“Fawlty Towers!” Kristina said, excitedly, as she changed channels. “I love this show. I used to watch this and all the repeats when I was younger.”

“Long time ago, huh?” Urs chuckled.

“Watch it, Buhler. You’re older than me, so you can’t talk.”

“Hey it’s only a few years.” Urs remarked.

“Believe me, the older you get, every year counts. And you’re a heck of a lot closer to forty than me.”

“Excuse me, but did you just admit that you’re getting old?” Urs laughed.

“Do you want me to slap you?”

“No. I want you to give me that remote control back seeing as it’s finished.”

“There’s nothing on.” Kristina replied, handing over the remote.

“Oh yes there is.” Urs said, changing channels.

“You have got to be kidding me.” Kristina said; when the title came up on screen. “The Wizard of Oz?”

“What can I say... it’s my mums favourite movie and there were three other women in the house; me and my brother didn’t have much choice when it came to what we watched on TV. It kind of grew on me.”

“It grew on you? How many times have you watched it?” Kristina asked, snuggling up to him.

“I dread to think. But I could probably recite every line in my sleep.”

Kristina tilted her head up to look at Urs.

“You’d better not. Not unless you plan on sleeping alone tonight.”

“Do you really think I’m going to let that happen? You’re not going anywhere.” Urs replied, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

“I guess we’ll soon find out.” Kristina chuckled; as they both settled down to watch the movie.

****************
Dorothy: “Oh, but anyway, Toto, we're home! Home! And this is my room - and you're all here! And I'm not going to leave here ever, ever again, because I love you all! And - Oh, Auntie Em, there's no place like home!”

“I guess that’s ok if you have a home.” Kristina said; stretching and letting out a heavy sigh as the movie came to an end.

“What do you mean if you have a home?” Urs asked. “You have a home or have you forgotten about the house?”

“Of course I haven’t forgotten about the house but after everything that’s happened, it doesn’t feel much like home anymore.”

“Sorry... I wasn’t thinking.” Urs said, as he tightened his hold on her. “Perhaps you’ll feel differently about it if you give it time.”

“Maybe.” Kristina sighed. “But I was thinking... I could sell the house and look for something smaller. I don’t need really a house that size. And if I can’t find a job soon, I might not have any other choice than to sell up”.

“I have a suggestion.” Urs said, thoughtfully. “Why don’t we get a place together?”

“What?” Kristina said; her jaw fell as she looked up at him stunned. “You and me move in together?”

“Why not?” Urs shrugged.

“R...Really? Kristina stuttered.

“Unless you think we’d be rushing things.” Urs said, now worried that if Kristina was this shocked about moving in together, what sort of response would he get from her when he proposed?

“But if you’re not ready then...”

“No, no... I am... you just surprised me that’s all.” Kristina laughed softly. “But what about this place? What about your apartment?”

“It’s rented. All arranged through work.” Urs replied. “There’s nothing to stop me giving up this place and buying a place of my own. Or us buying a place together.”

Urs could see Kristina was giving it some serious thought. It had never occurred to her to get a place with Urs. But now that he had suggested it...

“So what do you think?” Urs asked. “If you need more time...”

“I think it’s a great idea.” Kristina smiled.

“Okay, I guess that means we’ll have to start looking around for somewhere then. We could always go and look tomorrow seeing as I don’t have to work. Unless there’s something else you’d like to do?”

“I can’t think of anything.” Kristina replied. “I’m not used to having all this free time. I’ve been so bored since quitting Cavendish.”

“Well there must be something you’ve always wanted to do but never had the chance.”

“I’ve really never given it much thought.” Kristina replied.

“Ok well let’s make a list.” Urs said, getting up from the sofa and taking a pen and paper from a desk drawer. “Let’s make a list of all the things that you want to do and then we’ll cross them off one by one.”

“You mean a bucket list?” Kristina asked. “Like in the movie?”

“Yeah. Why not?” Urs replied. “It might be fun.”

“Are you going to make one?” Kristina asked.

“I wasn’t going to but... yeah ok.”

Urs got another pen and some more paper, and the two of them started to write their bucket list.

************

It must’ve been about thirty minutes that passed, while Urs and Kristina sat writing their bucket list, both deep in thought.

“How are you doing?” Urs asked.

“It’s not as hard as I thought.” Kristina replied. “But I can’t see me ever crossing any of these off my list.”

“Well let’s have a look and see what we can do.”

“Remember it’s in no particular order, I just wrote them down as they came to me.” Kristina commented, as she and Urs swapped lists.

Urs started to read Kristina’s list.

1. Swim with dolphins.
2. Go snorkelling in the Caribbean.
3. Start my own business again.
4. See the cherry blossoms in Japan.
5. Buy a motorbike.
6. Ride a Gondola in Venice.
7. Pack my bags and set off for a random location, with no itinerary planned.
8. See the Northern Lights
9. Sing one of my own songs.
10. Visit the Louvre.
11. Learn to ski.

“Well, that’s one thing I can help you cross off the list.” Urs said, briefly looking up from the list. “I’ve always said I’ll show you Switzerland, so the first thing we do when we get there is to teach you how to ski.”

“My own private tutor, huh?” Kristian smirked. “I think I like the sound of that.”

12. Learn how to do the salsa.

“Well, you’re definitely doing that one on your own.” Urs remarked. “I have absolutely no rhythm whatsoever.”

13. Have children - lots of them!

“Now that’s one I can help with.” Urs said, putting the list down on the coffee table and turning to Kristina.

“Really?” Kristina giggled when she saw the look on Urs’ face.

“Most definitely.” Urs whispered. “And I’ll prove it one day.”

“What’s wrong with now?” Kristina whispered back, before getting up from the sofa.

Urs slowly stood up and turned to face Kristina. She leant up and gently kissed him on the mouth.

“Let’s have an early night.” She whispered.

“Are you sure?” Urs said softly, as he took her hand in his. “I was joking this morning, you know, about my wish. After everything that’s happened, if you want to wait...”

Before Urs could say another word, Kristina had closed the distance between them again, swiftly wrapping her arms around his neck as her mouth crashed down on his. Gone was the soft feminine approach. It was a hard passionate kiss, a greedy kiss, a kiss that inevitably would lead to a lot more.

Pulling back and breathing hard, Urs gently pressed his forehead against hers.

“I’m sure.” Kristina whispered softly. Kristina took his hand and led him to the bedroom. When they reached the door way, that’s when Urs stopped her and took hold of her hand, making her turn to face him.

“Krissy, we don’t have to if you don’t want to, you know.” Urs whispered, as his hands gently moved down her back, pulling her closer, fitting her soft curves to the hard lines of his body.

“Will you stop fussing.” Kristina murmured against his neck, pressing her hips against his groin. “This has been a long time coming, Urs.”

Urs tightened his arms around her as he kissed her; placing delicate little bites against the soft skin of her neck. He then slid his hands down over her bottom and picked her up so that her legs were now wrapped around his waist. They kissed as they slowly made their way towards the bed. Urs carefully bent down to place Kristina on the bed, but she pulled him down with her and they lay there laughing. The laughter gradually died down and they lay there looking at each other. She cradled his face between her palms and her thumbs swept over the contours of his cheekbones, over his dimples and then his lips. He was perfect in everyway.

“I love you so much, Urs.” She whispered.

“I love you too.” Urs murmured.

Not another word was spoken as Urs held her, gently removing her clothes and then his own. As they lay naked, body to body, Kristina felt such a joy at being this close to him again.

***** CHAPTER 174 *****

Kristina was the first to wake; the bright sun started to filter in through the heavy and unfamiliar curtains. Her right leg was draped over Urs’, her right arm was across his chest and her head was resting on his shoulder. To sleep, wrapped in the arms of the man you love and to feel safe in his arms, has to be one of lifes most precious moments she thought sleepily as she snuggled closer to him. A smile then crept across her face, as images of last nights love making filled her head. She could still hear his whispers of love, inciting her to do things she’d never imagined. Kristina could feel her cheeks growing warm, remembering how he had brought out a side of her she never knew existed. His effect on her was powerful and he drove her senses wild without even having to touch her.

She carefully moved, under the weight of his arm so as not to wake him up and then looked round at the man she loved. His hair was curly again, the way she loved it, and a shadow darkened his jaw. She couldn’t resist the temptation to reach out and touch him. At first it was to reassure herself that it wasn’t a dream but infact real; she was with Urs. But then it was because she couldn’t resist the temptation to touch him, feel his skin under her fingertips, touching his body the way he had touched hers. She lightly ran her fingers over the dark stubble. Kristina tried to view her future without him. She couldn’t. She loved him and maybe things were finally going right for her, for them. Urs tightened his grip around Kristina’s waist, pulling her back to him, her head against his shoulder. But she looked up at him, and this time she was looking at the strong column of his throat. Almost instinctively, Kristina moved her head a little closer, leaving a soft kiss on his throat. His skin felt warm and tasted faintly musky. She kissed him again, this time her tongue delicately exploring the texture of it, while her fingertips stroked the fine dark hair on his chest. The warmth of his body so close to hers, made her ache in the pit of her stomach. Her fingers continued their journey downwards to his waist; and then even lower.

“Can’t a man get any sleep around here?” Urs growled in her ear, as he rolled her over, so he was now looking down at her.

She looked up at Urs and was greeted with a dazzling pair of hazel eyes. Kristina wriggled underneath him, giggling as he leant down and nuzzled his chin against her neck, his whiskers tickling her skin.

“Are you complaining?” she giggled.

“Definitely not.” Urs smirked. “My genie granted me my first wish.”

As she moved beneath him, she could feel him stirring against her leg.

“Good. Because you don’t seem very tired to me.” She teased, as she moved her hips against him.

“I should be, after the night we’ve had...” Urs murmured.

Urs’ concentration was now focused on her mouth, as he lifted his hand and ran his fingers through her hair. Kristina knew that he was about to kiss her and she could feel her breathing start to quicken. His mouth moulded to hers, gently at first, and then with growing passion as Kristina kissed him back. Urs wrapped his arms possessively around her, pressing her body down in to the bed. She slid her arms around him, as his hand ran up her leg and over her hip. Urs groaned deeply in his throat, as Kristina ran her hands over his back and down to his waist and then his bum, drawing him closer to her. She wanted him as much as he wanted her.

Urs kissed her gently at first, his firm mouth against hers, but soon their kiss became an urgent exploration of tongues and hands and she was aching for his touch. It had been so long since she had felt this way, a craving for someone so deep that it penetrated her soul. She knew that Urs would always be the only one for her.

Urs pulled her closer to him; there was no mistaking his male hardness pressed against her thigh which only heightened her desire for him.

But the moment was interrupted when Kristina’s mobile started to ring and both of them froze.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Urs muttered.

Kristina looked at the mobile, wondering if she should answer it.

“If you even think of answering that phone, I’ll….”

“You’ll what?” Kristina smirked.

“Care to find out?” Urs said, raising an eyebrow.

Kristina glanced at the mobile on the bedside table, which was still ringing and then looked back at Urs.

“I’m always up for a dare.” Kristina said, as she made a move to reach for the phone.

“Oh no you don’t, young lady.” Urs chuckled, grabbing her arms and pinning her back on the bed.

“What if it was important?” Kristina asked, just as the phone stopped.

“They’ll ring back.” Urs said, as he lowered his head and kissed her, instantly banishing any thoughts of the phone from her mind; but it soon started ringing again.

“Must… be… important.” Kristina mumbled between kisses.

“Not as… important… as this.” Urs mumbled back. “What ever it is… it can wait.”

But the phone kept ringing and ringing.

“It’s no use; you’re going to have to answer it.” Urs said, giving in and sighing heavily as he rolled on to his back. “Have you ever heard of a thing called voicemail?”

“Of course I have but what’s the point in having it on when I’m available?” Kristina giggled, as she rolled over so that she was now on top of him.

“But you’re not available.” Urs said, glancing at the mobile when it stopped. “Finally! Peace at last.”

The mobile started ringing again.

“They’re persistent, that’s for sure. Want me to get rid of them?” Urs asked. Kristina nodded and lowered her head as she began to place soft kisses on his chest. Urs reached out to the bedside table and picked up the mobile.

“Hello?... Oh… hi Carlos.”

Kristina stopped what she was doing and looked at Urs who was now looking embarrassed.

“Yes, I know it’s Krissy’s mobile... Why am I answering it? Uhm…”

Kristina giggled at Urs before going back to placing kisses all over his body.

“I… uhm, Krissy’s staying with me for a few days but she’s a bit busy at the moment.”

Kristina’s kisses were now getting lower and lower; they were becoming distracting for Urs, her mouth seemed to be everywhere, setting off desire in his whole body.

“Krissy…” Urs said breathlessly through gritted teeth, as he closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing. “You keep doing that and you’re gonna get yourself in a whole lot of trouble.”

“That’s what I’m counting on.” Kristina murmured against his thighs.

“What? Yes… still here, Carlos…. Now? Yes… I’ll tell her… Where? We’ll be there.”

Urs hung up the phone. He took Kristina by surprise and quickly rolled them both over so that he was back on top.

“Don’t you ever do that again while I’m on the phone.”

“Why not?” Kristina giggled. “Didn’t you like it?”

“I never said that.” Urs said, his eyes darkening with desire. “But just wait until it’s my turn to do the same to you.”

“I can’t wait.” Kristina said, moving her hips against him and causing him to groan.

“I can’t believe I’m about to say this but we have to go.” Urs said, rolling on to his side and sitting up.

“Why?” Kristina said, sitting up. “What for?”

“I don’t want you to panic, but… the reason Carlos phoned is because of Abigail. She’s gone in to labour.”

“What?” Kristina said, jumping off the bed. “But… but she can’t be. She’s not due for another five weeks.”

“Yeah well try telling that to the baby.” Urs replied. “Because I think it’s planning on making it’s debut.”

Kristina went straight to the wardrobe and grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt and started getting dressed. Urs stood up and picked his jeans up off the floor and also began to dress.

“That baby has a lot to answer for.” He said, slipping on a clean t-shirt. “Talk about bad timing.”

Kristina went to stand infront of Urs, and stood there silently looking in to his eyes, her hands were pressed flat against his chest. Just that small innocent touch made his body ache for her.

“We’ll finish this later.” She whispered before standing on tip toe and softly kissing him. “I promise.”

“Deal.” He whispered back.

***** CHAPTER 175 *****


“How’s she doing?” Kristina asked breathlessly, as she turned the corner to the maternity ward and saw Carlos appear in the hallway.

“Kristina!“ Carlos’ face lit up as soon as he saw her. “The doctor’s just seen Abigail.”

“What did they say?” Kristina asked, looking over his shoulder in the hope of seeing Abigail. “Is she alright?”

“The doctor said she’s doing well.” Carlos said, smiling. “She’s a little tired from being in labour for several hours but things seemed to have slowed down a little.”

“Is that a good sign?“ Kristina asked, worriedly. “Is she okay?”

“Kristina, honestly, she’s fine.” Carlos said, reassuringly. “But why don’t you go and sit down? There’s a small lounge just around the corner and it might be a while before anything happens.”

“Did you say she’s been in labour for several hours?” Kristina asked; when she suddenly realised what Carlos had said.

“Yes, we went out for a meal last ngiht and wouldn’t you know it, her waters broke just as they brought our starters.” Carlos replied.

“And you didn’t think to call me?” Kristina said; a little hurt that she hadn’t been told as soon as Abigail went in to labour. “I should have been there as soon as it happened.”

“Abigail didn’t want us to call you straight away.” Carlos replied. “She thought it was going to be hours before anything happened but then things started to speed up. But now… well, like I said; things have slowed down.”

“Do they have any idea how much longer will it be?” Kristina asked.

Carlos was about to reply when a nurse appeared from Abigails room.

“Mr Marin, your wife is asking for you.”

“I’ll let you know as soon as anything happens.” Carlos said before leaving Kristina and Urs and returning to Abigail.

“I guess we could be here a while.” Urs commented, slipping his arm around Kristina’s waist as he led her to the small lounge Carlos had mentioned. “One of my sisters was in labour for almost two days.”

“Two days?” Kristina said, wide eyed as Urs sat down.

“That doesn’t mean Abigail will be here this long.” Urs said, quickly trying to reassure Kristina. “Every delivery’s different.”

“But two days?” Kristina said, pacing up and down in front of Urs. “That’s such a long time. What if Abigail’s labour takes that long?”

“She’ll be fine.” Urs said. “She’s in good hands.”

“But the baby’s so early.” Kristina said, worriedly. “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have said anything about Marius. I should have lied, told her that I fell. I bet it’s stress that’s brought it on. It’s five weeks early. Anything can go wrong.”

“I’m sure it won’t.” Urs replied. “But if it does, then she’s in the best place. And I’m sure that telling her about Marius didn’t bring this on.”

“I can’t believe the baby’s coming.” Kristina said, shaking her head. “It’s too soon.”

“Come on, sit down.” Urs urged Kristina, taking her by the hand. “She’s going to be just fine.”

Kristina reluctantly sat down next to Urs.

“Do you know if they’re having a boy or a girl?” Urs asked, trying to distract Kristina.

“They didn’t want to know the sex of the baby.” Kristina replied. “That wanted it to be a surprise.”

“What about you?” Urs asked. “If the time comes, would you want to know what you were having?”

“I don’t know.” Kristina replied. “I guess it would be nice to know but then again, I can see why Carlos and Abigail are quite happy to wait. I think I‘d probably do the same.”

“Really?” Urs said, trying not to laugh. “You surprise me.”

“What‘s that supposed to mean?” Kristina asked.

“Oh come on, Krissy.” Urs said, still trying not to laugh. “You are the most impatient woman I know. There’s no way you’d be able to last nine hours let alone nine months.”

“I am not.” Kristina said, defensively.

“Have you forgotten that you told me about opening all your Christmas presents before everyone else is awake?” Urs asked, chuckling. “And I’m sure I don’t need to remind you about the time I caught you trying to see what costume I was going to wear for the Masquerade ball.”

As soon as Urs mentioned the Masquerade Ball, he noticed Kristina’s whole body language change. She looked tense and uncomfortable; Urs wished he’d kept his mouth shut now. It brought all the memories back of the letter and her leaving London.

“What about you?” Kristina asked, directing the conversation away from herself. “Would you want to know?”

“I honestly don’t know.” Urs replied, thoughtfully. “It would be nice to know, but I think I could wait until they were born. I’m a patient man.”

Urs looked directly at Kristina when he made the last comment and couldn’t help smirking.

“Okay enough with the comments, Buhler.” Kristina said jokingly when she saw the look on his face.

She then opened her bag and took out her purse to find some loose change.

“I’m going to get a drink.” Kristina said, putting her bag down on the seat. “Can I get you anything?”

“You stay here.” Urs said, quickly getting to his feet. “I’ll get them. What did you want?”

“It’s alright, I can get them.” Kristina said, also getting to her feet.

“It’s no trouble, I‘ll get them.” Urs insisted. “Now what did you want? Tea? Juice? Soda?”

“Juice please.” Kristina replied, holding her hand out to him with change for the drinks machine. “If not then water will be fine.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Urs smiled. “And put your money away.”

“I can afford to buy my own drink, you know.” Kristina said, when Urs gently pushed her hand away.

“I know.” Urs sighed. “But will you please let me do this one thing for you?”

“Okay.” Kristina smiled. “Thanks.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You’re doing great, Abby.” Carlos assured Abigail. He picked up the damp flannel from the bedside unit and wiped the sweat from her forehead. “Just a little bit longer and our baby will be here.”

“How are you feeling, Abigail?” Caroline, the nurse asked.

“I need to push.” Abigail moaned, as another contraction hit her.

“Hold on, Abigail, let me check you first.” Caroline said, while she prepared to examine Abigail.

“I’m so tired.” Abigail said, looking over at Carlos. “How long has it been?”

“Are you sure you want to know?” Carlos asked, looking at his watch.

Abigail nodded.

“Twelve hours.” Carlos replied.

“Twelve hours?” Abigail moaned. “What happened? I thought he was in a hurry to show himself and now he’s changed his mind?”

“He?” Carlos said, with raised eyebrows. “It could be a she.”

“He… she…I just wish they’d get a move on.” Abigail said, another small contraction caused her to wince in pain.

“Are you both ready to meet your son or daughter now?” Caroline asked.

“It’s time?” Abigail said, her eyes widening.

“It’s time!” Caroline said, with a grin. “Are you ready to start pushing?”

“Carlos, I’m…I’m scared.” Abigail said, reaching for Carlos‘ hand.

“I know, Abby. Me too, but it’s going be okay.” Carlos assured her, squeezing her hand. “Just think, in a few minutes it will all be over and our baby will be here.”

Abigail closed her eyes as yet another contraction hit her.

“I hope so.” Abigail said, through gritted teeth. “Because I’m so tired. I just want to go to sleep.”

“Okay, Abigail. I need you to push now.” Caroline instructed her.

Abigail did as she was told and let out an agonising scream.