Living in the Past, Chapter Three Part One

                  It was early spring, I could feel the cool breeze blow my hair back as I ran through the trees. Somehow I was able to navigate the wood with extreme accuracy, laughing as I did so. I knew he was close so I pushed myself harder, forcing my feet to move faster than I thought possible. When I came upon the clearing, I skidded to a stop, turning to face the man who had been chasing me.

                  He burst from the shrubbery, a wide smile stretching across his beautiful face. He ran straight for me, lifting me into his arms and twirling. Our laughter echoed through the trees and as our eyes met I felt my heart skip a beat. As he set me down, a feeling of loss flooded me at the absence of his strong embrace.

                  “It would seem that I have bested you yet again husband,” I laughed at him, knowing exactly what buttons to push. His smile grew and I noticed his dimpled cheeks. A lock of long black hair fell into his face and before I could stop myself I was brushing it away, the backside of my hand grazing against his hot skin.

                  “So it would seem, Wife,” he responded, attempting to slow his breathing. I could feel the gaze from his emerald green eyes travel down the length of my body.

                  “Alas, that is not why I brought you here,” I told him, turning and striding towards a small stream that trickled through the woods. I calmly observed the beauty of the place we were in, breathing in the crisp air and inhaling the smells of fresh flowers.

                  “Then why are we here my love?” he asked, joining me by the stream. His arm reached around my waist, pulling me to him gently. I laid my head on his shoulder as we stood to enjoy the scenery. Finally I spoke.

                  “Remember the first time you brought me here? I had never been so far from the village. You taught me that true beauty existed in nature. You showed me the value of this place,” I told him, looking around.

                  “I remember,” he whispered, his eyes gazing at me intently.

                  “This place was the start of our life together and I could not think of a better place to tell you,” I said, turning back to him.

                  “Tell me what?”

                  “I am with child,” I replied. A wide grin erupted onto his face as he pulled me closer to him. The excitement in his eyes was contagious.

                  “Are you certain?” he asked, glancing down at my concealed abdomen. I simply nodded at him.

                  “Yes, we are truly a family,” I whispered. Our eyes met once more. He leaned in slowly and placed the sweetest of kisses on my lips.

                  “My dear, I was the luckiest man in the village when you chose to be mine. Everyday I am thankful for that decision. I never would have thought I could be as happy as you make me. I will spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you and how much I appreciate you,” he said, sliding his arms down mine and grabbing ahold of both of my hands. “I will never leave you. If I should ever be separated for you, I will always find you,” he promised. “Always-“

                  I awoke to the sound of my ringtone echoing through the room. Blinking slowly, I attempted to clear my head. The dream had felt so incredibly real. I shook my head before reaching for the little shrilling device on the bedside table.

                  “Hello?” I grumbled, not bothering to see who was on the other end.

                  “Morning short-fry,” Cyrus teased. “How’s that beauty sleep going?” he wondered.  I simply growled in response. “That good, huh?” he chuckled. “Listen, I was calling to let you know that our buddy from Seattle made it in last night. Should be gracing us with their presence at some point this morning. If I was you, I’d make it in a little early,” he suggested, earning a groan from me. He laughed. “Or not, up to you. See you at the office fun size.”

                  Sighing in frustration, I rolled out of bed and began getting ready for the day ahead of me. Throughout the morning, I couldn’t get the memory of my dream out of my head. This dream was different. It felt more like a memory than fiction my brain had created.

                  When I got to the office, I pushed to strange dream to the furthest corner of my mind. I needed to focus on the new assignment, and making sure that Cyrus didn’t get into too much trouble with the agent from the Seattle office.

                  I quickly settle into my office, avoiding the captain as much as possible. It wasn’t long before Wells had joined me. He didn’t say anything, just sat down with his copy of the file and began to fan papers and pictures out on the desk. We spent the next twenty minutes pouring over data and information, trying to obtain a basic understanding of the case. We were so absorbed in our work that neither of us noticed the man that had placed himself in the doorway of my office. A light tap on the door frame forced our eyes up. What I saw drained the air from my lungs.

The man standing in front of me looked identical to the man from my strange dream. He had short black hair and piercing blue eyes that were attempting to hide behind thick framed glasses. Defined cheekbones and a thin layer of stubble on his face made him look seriously irresistible. His six foot something from made the door look incredibly small. And the shocked look on his face was an exact mirror of the expression from the man in my dreams.

                  Luckily, Wells pulled both of us out of the trance we seemed to be sucked into.

                  “Can we help you?” he asked gruffly, seemingly irritated to be torn from his work. The man in the doorway cleared his throat, casting his gaze to the ground for a second, perhaps to regain his composure. When he looked up, his eyes met Wells.

                  “My name is Killian Elliot, though mostly people call me Elliot. I’m with the Seattle field office,” he said, taking a step into the room. Wells and I both rose to great the newest member of this taskforce. Wells approached him first, hand outstretched.

                  “Cyrus Wells,” he said, shaking Agent Elliot’s hand vigorously. No doubt laying his strength on thick to test the Agent. I stuck my hand out as well.

                  “Sandra Kennsington,” I said. When his hand met mine, I was taken aback by the warmth and tenderness of the handshake. It didn’t last long however, Agent Elliot withdrew his hand quickly, as if it burned him to touch me. My smile faltered for a second. He turned his back to me, as if pretending I wasn’t even there.

                  “Nice to meet you,” he said before glancing down at the papers that were strewn across my desk. “Well, right to work then,” he huffed, setting his briefcase on top of the papers. I glanced over at Wells, hoping to get his attention. Our gaze met and he gave me a look. This was going to be quite the journey.