The room was dimly lit by a single candle, and in the air was the scent of gardenias picked early that morning. The girl was sprawled out on the four post bed, her eyes closed, one graceful arm slung back over her face, the other resting gently on the softest of silk sheets.
Her long dark hair was loose and flowing, curling gently around her, a perfect halo to her lovely face. Small, childlike lips were parted slightly and she murmured to herself as she slept in the nude.
"I miss you…I miss your hands on me, I miss your touch…."
Fitfully, she slept; her brow creasing as she moved through her nightmare dream, entangled in the blankets and sheets and feeling restrained and helpless. Her body writhed and tears came to her eyes and moved past her long lashes to stain her cheek.
Jack watched her, drawing near and then climbing into her bed, feeling his heart ache with longing, feeling his body respond to the sight of her nakedness. Tenderly, he caressed the curve of her cheek, the round contours of her bottom, and finally, the gentle swell of her small but perfect breasts.
"Sherry." He whispered gently, "Wake up, honey."
The girl jerked, wrenched out of her dream by a low but familiar voice. At first, she could not discern whether the voice was a manifestation of her dreams or of her longing. The last few weeks had been filled with nightmares of him not coming home from the War, and she had not received any letters in over three months. Her tiny hands rose to her exotic, cat-like eyes and she blinked rapidly, her heart pounding and her lips trembling as she stared up at him.
"You're as beautiful as I remembered."
Her eyes grew wide and her hands moved towards his beloved face, feeling the firmness of his jaw, the gauntness of his cheek. Her eyes met his and she began to cry, a low, keening sound as he enveloped her in his arms. "I'm sorry, lover, but I'm home now…It was a terrible place, but it is done…My time is up, and here I am, I'll never leave you again."