Hey everyone! Thank you all for following and reading my new story :) Not much to say because its basically self explained. It may seem like some info is missing or lacking but trust me it'll all be explained :) Thanks again and take a look at Yva J's story, it's great!

5 years earlier

A shrill cry shattered the silence and peace of the Reiker house. The high pitch scream jolted Patty out of a dead sleep and sent her into a panic as she threw the covers off and followed the screaming that was coming down the hallway. To Patty, it felt like she would never reach her daughter in time to save her from whatever was harming her. It was the worst five seconds of her life.

Finally, she yanked the door opened, turned the light on and desperately tried to awaken the seven year old who seemed to be trapped in a bad nightmare. "Anna!" the terrified mother screamed and shook her daughter. "Anna, wake up!"

Anna's eyes finally snapped open and jerked upright. "Mama?" she asked frantically.

Patty pulled her shaking into her arms. "It's ok, baby, I'm here." She cooed into her ear.

"I had a bad dream." She cried into her mother's chest.

Patty's arms instinctively tightened around her daughter as she rocked her back and forth. "It's all over now, I've got you. Nothing is going to harm you." She whispered, meaning every word.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the figure of her husband come into the room. "Is everything alright?" He asked in a voice laced with concern.

"Bad dream." She explained shortly as their daughter continued to shake.

Anton's eyebrows furrowed together. "Another one?" He asked worriedly. Indeed, this had been the third nightmare the seven year old had suffered that week.

Patty just nodded her head as she tried calming the little girl sobbing in her arms. Anton sighed as he walked over and sat on the other side of them.

"What seems to be troubling you tonight, dear one?" He asks softly.

Anna looked up at her father with puffy eyes. "I had a bad dream." She says fearfully.

Anton gently brushes the stray hairs and tears away from her eyes. "Is that so?" he whispers and she nods her confirmation. "And what was causing the terror tonight?"

"Shadows." She replies fearfully as she grips Patty tighter.

"Shadows?" Anton asks in a bewildered voice.

"Yes, they were chasing me and I couldn't get away." Her voice quivered.

The fear was written all over the child's face as she began to shake again. "I see." Anton whispers, trying quickly to think of a way to handle this situation. It doesn't take long for an idea to spark. "You know, I may have a remedy that may help calm your fears." He offers.

Anna's ears perk up as she returns her attention back to her father. "Would you be interested in hearing my thoughts?" He asks. Anna wipes the remaining tears away from her eyes as she nods and accepts his offer.

Anton gets up from the bed and walks in front of the lamp, causing his shadow to appear on the wall. "What do you see?" he asks as he points to his shadow.

"Your shadow?" she answers skeptically. Even Patty wondered where her husband was going with this one. Yet at the same time it was Anton and she knew he could be going anywhere.

"Exactly right." He smiles. He walks over and puts his hand over his shadow. "A shadow is perfectly harmless. It cannot physically harm you or speak to you. You have full control over it. Oh! And watch this trick." Anton walks over to the overhead light switch and turns it on, causing light to fill the whole room. Anton looks back to the wall and jumps back. "Well, would you look at that?!" He pretends to be surprised. "The shadow has disappeared!" Anna and Patty smile. "I have one more thing to show you." He says as he turns off the big light and returns to the lamp. He takes a tiny doll, sets it front of the light and it cast a really big, slightly intimidating shadow on the wall. "And though they may seem frightening at times, keep in mind that a scary shadow can be caused by an object that is small and frail." Anton hands the doll to Anna and she holds it to her chest, taking in everything she just learned. "So just remember these three things. One, shadows cannot hurt you or speak to you. Two, a shadow's worst enemy is light and three, though a shadow may seem scary, it is more than often caused by a tiny, tiny object trying to make itself look big. You are more powerful than any shadow and there is no need to fear. Do you understand?"

Anna smiles and unfolds herself from her mother's arms and wraps her own tightly around Anton's neck. "Thank you, Daddy." She cheerfully replies. Anton kisses her head and returns her embrace.

Patty sits back and smiles warmly at her two favorite people in the world. Countless times she thanked the Lord for keeping her best friend safe during the war. Shortly after the war had ended, Anton had returned to Germany and had written to her often. On her nineteenth birthday, he secretly arranged a surprise birthday party with the help of their old friend, Ruth and Patty's younger sister, Sharon. Needless to say, there were many tears of joy and relief that they had found each other again. Nine years later, Patty found herself sitting here in her cozy home in Tennessee with her first love and their sweet, beautiful daughter Annalise Marie Reiker. Though she had been through many trials, including being disowned by her parents and pretty much all of Jenkinsville, what she gained was far more than she could have ever asked for.

"Mama, you're crying." Anna's worried voice filled her ears.

Patty shook her head and realized that both eyes were on her and they both wore the same look of concern. She just smiled and replied, "Don't worry, honey. They're happy tears." Their expressions softened and Anna let out a sleepy yawn.

"Looks like you need to go back to sleep, little one." Anton whispered to Anna.

Anna didn't object as her eyes began to droop. Anton pulled back the covers and lowered his daughter softly into bed. Tucking her in, both parents kissed her goodnight and it was a matter of seconds before she drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

Patty watched over Anna protectively until she was convinced nothing was going to harm her. "Come along, liebling." Her husband offered his hand.

Accepting his hand, they tiptoed out of the room and carefully closed the door. They stayed in companionable silence until they were safely in their room. Patty reorganized the comforters that had violently had been yanked out of place.

"You could be held down by shackles and they still would not stand a chance against your motherly instinct." Anton teased playfully while helping her pick up the pillows off the floor.

A giggle escaped from Patty's lips. "Maybe so but it's your nightmare solutions that always get her back to sleep." She grinned at him.

Anton smiled brightly. "We make a good team." He winked.

"That we do." She agreed as she settled underneath the covers.

"Tell me, though," Anton switched to a serious topic. "why so many tears shed earlier?"

Patty sighed. "It was nothing bad. I was having flashbacks again."

"Oh," Anton replied. "I do hope they were pleasant flashbacks."

Patty offered a small smile. "They were. Starting with my nineteenth birthday and ending with today. It still amazes me how everything has fallen into place. If I hadn't met you…" she trailed off into a bitter memory. "I wouldn't have known what a true friend was and I wouldn't have had Annalise. I'd be…I'd be completely alone." Patty fell silent and the tears began to fall.

As bitter childhood memories threatened to haunt Patty's mind, Anton gently grabbed her face in his hands. "No more tears, P.R. The reality is that you have a family now that adores you. You are the mother of a precious little girl sleeping down the hallway and you are not only my wife who has been faithful from the very start but also my dear friend that I will always treasure for as long as I shall live. Life has not always treated you fairly but all is in the past now and you have plenty more pleasant years ahead of you. You are not alone, liebling. And you never will be."

Anton's words warmed and brought life to Patty's heart as he pulled her into his arms and fresh tears escaped her eyes, making soft pitter patter noises on his shirt. She felt safe and protected in her husband's arms. He gave her a love that nobody else could give or take away. Peace overwhelmed her being and as he kissed her softly on the lips, she drifted off into peaceful sleep in her husband's arms.