Beth was awakened by the sound Alex moaning and thrashing around. They had arrived back at their suite earlier and went straight to bed. Alex had been very quiet, turning something over in her head. The older woman's normally veracious appetite for her wife was also muted, wishing to simply cuddle her until sleep claimed them.

"Darling? Darling? Wake up!" Beth shook her partner.

In Alex's dream, she sat across from her commanding officer. "You have no choice Dalton."

"This will destroy Rowe Sir. There must be another way!"

"Dalton, the lives of your unit, countless Allied soldiers and, most importantly your country depends on you accepting this assignment. Will you do your duty?"

Alex stood up angrily threw the chair to the side and marched to the office door. She grabbed the door handle and said. "I always do my duty."

Suddenly the dream changed. Alex allowed herself to be punched in the jaw and wrestled to the ground in the small attic room.

Rowe grabbed Alex round the neck and said.

"How could you do this to me? We were brothers in arms! I would have died for you and every one of our team."

"I know...you...would Rowe. I had...no choice. I...won't fight you..."

Rowe squeezed harder as she tried to choke the life out of her former friend and commanding officer.

"I will kill you!"

Poni and and a few other officers burst in. "Rowe no!"...

"Alex...wake up...please...!" Beth implored, as her partner grabbed Beth's wrists.

"No!" Alex shouted to her dream opponent.

The older woman's grip tightened on her wife's wrists. Beth was then flipped over on her back; she frantically covered her face as Alex pulled her arm back ready to punch. She reached up in desperation and touched the face of her love.

"I love you, my lord."

The older woman's eyes snapped open and she looked down at her wife being held terrified beneath her.

"Beth? What?" Alex looked at her hand cocked back ready to strike.

"Oh, god? Sweetheart? What have I done?" She jumped off of Beth as if she were on fire.

Beth sat up and reached out to Alex. "You were dreaming darling. It's alright. We're fine now."

"I was holding you down. I was going to hit you..."

"No you wouldn't have. You would never..."

Alex turned and dropped to her knees at the side of the bed. "I'm so sorry little bit. Forgive me?"

"Oh course I forgive you. Will you tell me what the dream was about?"

Alex stood and walked over to the window. Even though it was four in the morning, the lights of New York City were still dazzling.

"It's nothing."

Beth got up and joined her partner at the window. "Alex? Look at me."

The older woman turned and hesitantly looked down at her wife.

"You've never had a dream like that with me before, and even discounting that, I can read you like a book my lord. You've been so tense since we met Rowena earlier."

Alex sighed. I can't lie to her, but I can't tell her the whole truth.

I used to have dreams all the time. I told you before the war was a dark time. Poni and I weren't just in the RAF, we worked with military intelligence. We were recruited soon after taking commissions in the Air force. They saw us being unique in the fact that we were women, and so were less suspicious but stronger than normal."

"Is that where you know Tommy from?"

"Yes." Alex turned back towards the window, unable to look at her innocent wife and think of the things she had to do in service to her country.

"Rowe too was involved. I was our unit commander. Seeing her tonight stirred some dark memories. The war called for us to do things...things...in defence of our country, that are difficult to remember, and difficult to talk about."

Beth opened up her arms, Alex went into them gladly. "You don't have to say anymore darling, if it hurts you. When you feel like this, just remember that I love you and I always will, no matter what you have done or will do."

Alex squeezed her wife tighter in her arms. "You soothe my soul little bit."

Beth pulled back and looked into the blue eyes that she adored, and repeated the words that Alex had said to her at the club earlier. "It's my job. Allow me to do it." Beth took her partners hand and pulled her back to bed, where she tenderly showed her how much she loved her and did indeed soothe Alex's soul.

The next morning Beth wakened to find Alex gone from the bed. She worried that, after last night, Alex was upset again.

She just started to get up when fully dressed and beaming Lord Dalton came through the door with a breakfast tray in her hands.

"Good morning little bit!" Alex said very cheerily.

"You brought breakfast?"

"Yes I ordered it earlier. Thought you would like to have it in bed this morning. Oh! I almost forgot. Excuse me one minute." Alex put the tray down on her wife's lap and went out the bedroom door. She returned seconds later with a large bouquet of flowers.

"For the most wonderful wife in all the world!"

Beth inhaled the scent and laid them down on the other side of the bed. "They are wonderful! You are very happy this morning darling?"

Alex sat on the bed and kissed her hand. "Well, I am happy. I'm the luckiest Lord to have you as my wife. I wanted to apologise again for last night, and thank you for making me feel so much better. I swear to you it will never happen again."

Beth squeezed her partner's hand. "You don't need to apologise my darling, and I will comfort you whenever you need me. I am your wife, and that's what I do."

"Thank you, sweetheart. Now eat up! We've a lot more to do today. I told Laura you would call for her when you were ready to dress."

Beth sipped her tea and smiled. She is transformed from last night. Back to her old self! I pray I will always have this effect on her.

"I thought when you were finished eating; we might telephone home to the Woodward's. How would you like that?"

"Oh, I would love that! I miss them all. We must visit the toy shop you were telling me about and get Kitten some things to take back." Beth said excitedly.

Sometime later, Alex watched her wife giggle and laugh on the telephone with Lotty.

Alex had spoken with Poni first, and had been assured the Foundation was running like clockwork.

They had also discovered that their friends Jo and Billy had finally come together. In fact, the Woodward's had them to dinner the previous evening.

Alex sniggered at the thought of bad boy Billy, finally tamed, as she had been.

Before handing over the telephone to Beth, Alex had extracted a promise that the Woodward's, would come to Dencotte for a few days, after they had returned from honeymoon. Poni had promised to invite Billy and Jo as well.

Alex watched Beth whisper into the receiver, telling Lotty some secret, or other. She guessed it may be something steamy as Beth went bright red when Alex raised a questioning eyebrow towards her wife.

You were right Poni old friend. Married life is wonderful! Alex thought.

Oh my! I forgot how truly beautiful it is! said Beth, as they drove up the road towards Dencotte House.

They had returned home from New York and had been met by Alfie, who drove them back home.

"Yes, no matter how many times I leave it, it always takes my breath away when I return home, and now I'm returning with my wife."

Beth gazed longingly at the beautiful house. Home... this is my home now. Beth's heart rate picked up as they stopped in front of the entrance. The staff had gathered, lined up to meet them.

Alex took Beth's hand.

"Are you ready to start your new life my lady?"

"As long as it's by your side my lord."

Foster and Mrs Mckluskey stood at the head of the welcoming party. A footman walked forward to open the doors for the newlyweds and another started to help with the luggage.

They watched as Alex helped Beth out of the Rolls Royce with a look of utter adoration on her face.

"Well Mrs Mcklusey our Alex has finally settled down and grown up to be a fine master."

Mrs Mcluskey smiled warmly. "Yes Mr Foster, and brought us home the lady of Dencotte house, at last..."

The end.