Alex shook her head and sniffled as tears filled her eyes. "I'm the lucky one. Thank you for giving me another chance." She wrapped her arms around Nikki's waist and placed her head on her shoulder.
Rachel chuckled. "Why don't you two come back over here and sit down? I'd like to hear about your nightmares, Alex. Will you tell me a little more about them?"
Nikki felt Alex tense in her arms. She ran her hands gently over her back, trying to soothe her. "I love you. It's going to be okay. I promise." She released her, took her hand, and led her over to the couch.
Alex sat down next to Nikki, leaned forward, and with her elbows on her knees placed her head in her hands. "It starts like it always did. My father breaks into the bedroom and beats my mother before stabbing her. I watch her die." Nikki reached out and placed a hand on her back. "It's the end that changed." She felt the shudder run through Alex. "After she turned to look at me, she actually changed into Nikki." She began to shake as she said, "I watched her die over and over again."
Nikki pulled Alex into her arms. "I'm right here sweetheart." She held her close, gently stroking her hair. "I'm not going anywhere."
Her tension began to slowly drain, and she settled into the comfort of Nikki's arms. With her head pressed to her chest, she closed her eyes and listened to the steady beat of Nikki's heart. "I guess the meaning behind that is pretty clear, huh Doc?" she asked. When she heard the quiet chuckle she opened her eyes and looked over at Rachel and Dani sitting together on the loveseat.
Rachel's mouth curved up slightly and she gave her a wink. "I think it is pretty safe to assume the obvious on this one."
Alex looked at Dani and asked, "Have you decided where you'd like to go tomorrow?"
She cleared her throat before replying, "I don't really have anything in mind. Any suggestions?"
"Why don't you take a look at some of the travel guides I have on the various provinces?" Alex pointed to one of the bookcases. "I picked up several when I was researching the area for some of my books."
Rachel watched her wife head towards the bookcase Alex pointed out. "Do you write children's books about Italy too?" she asked.
Alex's eyebrows drew together and her head tilted to one side. "No. Why do you ask?"
"I was just wondering what books you were referring to. I'm only familiar with your autobiography and the Elizabeth Mohr books, and none of those would require travel guides of Italy."
Alex laughed. "I write under several different names and in a few different genres, Ray." She watched as Dani browsed the shelves. "As a matter of fact, you will find a large selection of my work here in this room." She grinned as Dani quickly looked over her shoulder, her eyebrows raised. "Why don't you look around and see what you can find? I'll let you know if you get it right."
They all watched as Dani ran her finger across the spines of books on several shelves before pausing. "You have quite the collection here, Alex."
Alex couldn't help but grin when she realized what had captured her attention. "Find something you like?"
"I see you are a fan of Robbie Ross. I never would have believed it if I didn't see it for myself." She looked at Alex with one eyebrow raised.
Alex stood and slowly walked over to Dani. "There's a lot you don't know about me, Dani. But then that's why you're here, isn't it? To find out who I really am." She reached out and ran a single finger down her bare arm. "The question is, how much do you want to know?" She watched Dani's eyes widen as she took a step back, and chuckled. She reached over and pulled one of the books from her Robbie Ross collection from the shelf. Turning to the last few pages, she handed it to Dani. "Why don't you read what it says here?"
Dani looked down at a picture of rolling hills covered in grapevines in the spot where the author's picture usually resided. She quickly read the brief biography of the author who lived in a small Tuscan vineyard and whose passions were writing, wine, and women. When she finished reading she looked up from the book into Alex's eyes. "You?" she asked incredulously.
"Of course, I should have seen that sooner," said Rachel. "Very clever use of your name there, Alex."
Dani closed the book and placed it back on the shelf. She turned to Alex, her eyes full of questions and a small frown marring her features. Alex waited patiently for her to speak. When nothing was forthcoming she asked, "What are you thinking?"
Dani shook her head slightly as her eyes refocused. "Sorry. I was just trying to reconcile these two sides of you. It's quite a broad range between children's books and erotica."
Alex chuckled softly. "Don't think of me as a coin with only two sides, Dani. I'm more like a diamond, multi-faceted." Her head tilted slightly as she listened. "It's true, there is a broad range between the two types of books you mentioned. Just know that I'm not limited to those two. I've written several other types of books as well. Each style has its own pseudonym."
Dani quickly turned back to the books, scanning the shelves. Alex heard the small gasp as she found the AMore books. "You're missing the latest in the series."
"You're right. One of my best friends needed my copy more than I did. I haven't gotten around to getting another one yet." She watched Dani as she bit her lower lip and ran her finger over the book spines. "I'm not sure I'll replace it."
Rachel walked up behind Dani and slipped her arms around her. "Why's that?" she asked as she rested her chin
