"What?"

"Toni, when was the last time you ate anything?"

"Huh?"

"Did you have dinner last night?"

"Oh...um...no, I don't think so."

"Well, how about I make us something to eat?"

Thinking for a moment, Toni said, "If it's okay, I mean...I'd like to get cleaned up a bit. That is, if you don't mind?"

"Of course I don't. Bath or shower?"

"What?"

"Do you want a bath or a shower?"

Toni was uncomfortable, and it was beginning to show. Coffee conversations were one thing, but sitting in Laura's lounge, dressed in pajamas, made her uneasy. She didn't like new. She didn't like change, and the more she looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings, the more nervous Toni was becoming. Running her fingers through her hair, she croaked, "I don't think I can do this."

"Yes, you can. Be right back," Laura said, picking up the suitcase. Giving Toni a quick smile, Laura ran up the stairs and left the woman alone with her thoughts.

Sitting tight-kneed and rigid on the overstuffed sofa, Toni nervously rubbed the back of her neck as she looked around the room. By the thick wood moldings and the high ceilings, it was clear that Laura's house had been built long before the age of "less is more." The front wall housed a bay window, the seat of which was covered in small, mosaic tiles of brown, tan and gold. A few houseplants sat near the panes of glass, and a row of votive candles, in glass cups of dark green, lined the front edge. In lieu of draperies, each window had Roman shades, and the fabric, a muted pattern of yellow, green and tan stripes, accented the soft yellow of the walls perfectly.

To her right was a small fireplace. Covered in flagstone, it was capped by a thick, white mantle and above it hung a simple watercolor of two lilies reaching for the sun. Like many of the older homes, built-in storage units flanked the hearth, but those in Laura's lounge were low to the ground and acted as window seats. The fabric on their cushions as well as the sofa was off-white, but while the ones under the windows were solid in color, the sofa's upholstery had a light olive leaf design running through it.

"Are these okay?"

Startled from her thoughts, Toni looked up to see Laura holding a pair of her pajamas in her hand.

"What?"

"Never mind," Laura said, handing Toni the clothes. Pointing to the stairs, she said, "First door on the left. I ran you a bath."

"I didn't ask you to do that."

"No, you didn't, but I think after the night you had, a long soak in a hot tub is just what the doctor ordered, don't you?"

"I shouldn't be here."

"What? All of a sudden you don't like my company?"

Shaking her head, Toni asked, "Why are you doing this?"

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't."

Toni couldn't remember the last time she had taken a bath. Her apartment had only a shower, crammed into the tiny bathroom as if an afterthought and Thornbridge had offered even less. There, her weekly wash took place in a large, tiled room filled with other women, all fighting for position under the shower heads suspended from the ceiling, hoping that the drizzly spray of tepidness could wash away a week's worth of dirt.

She couldn't help but grin at the mountains of bubbles that floated on the water and the smell of strawberries and cream that filled the air, but as she put her foot in the water, she hissed. It was hot, the type of hot that takes one's breath away, but nevertheless, you crave more. Toni wanted the heat to surround her, to soak into her pores and extract the tension of the last twenty-four hours, and as she lowered herself into the water, it did just that. She washed and scrubbed and then relaxed against the back of the claw foot tub, allowing seconds to turn into minutes, content in listening to the sound of the bubbles as they slowly faded away.

When the water cooled enough to cause goose bumps to appear on Toni's skin, she climbed out, pulled the chain and allowed the water to escape. Drying herself with a fluffy green towel that Laura had left folded on the sink, Toni stopped when she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror.

The bruises were long since gone, but she could still see them, and while many of the scars had also disappeared, they still existed in her mind. Under her left breast was one that would never go away, put there by a rotund guard whose belt was long and heavy-buckled. He had stood there in the shadows and chortled as he inflicted yet another punishment, and the sound of his laughter echoed through her brain. Running her fingers over the scar, she heard the crack of leather in the air and she winced, remembering the pain of that night.

Mentally, Toni shook her head and reached for the pair of pajamas Laura had picked out for her. They were Toni's favorite pair, and she wondered how Laura knew. Dark red and softened by dozens of washings, she pulled them over her long legs and smoothed the flannel, welcoming their comfort and their warmth. They made her feel safe...and she liked that.

As she gathered her things, making sure she hadn't forgotten anything, Toni noticed a pair of thick, wooly socks knotted in a ball on the sink. Soft and bulky, she knew they weren't hers, but she also knew they were meant for her. Pulling them on, she softly padded from the room.

Returning to the lounge, the first thing Toni noticed was her clothes were missing from the chair, and the second thing made her mouth water. Following her nose, she hesitantly walked into the kitchen and silently watched as Laura fiddled with something on the stove.

It felt odd to be there. To be in a place cozy and filled with home-cooked aroma was new. She knew that just under the surface her fears existed, but for now, for this split-second of her life, it felt good to be alive.

Laura turned and discovered Toni standing in the doorway. "Hey there. Feel better?"

"Yeah," Toni said, looking down. "Thanks for the socks."

Laura glanced down and smiled. "The floors get cold, and I couldn't remember packing any of your slippers."

"I don't own any," Toni said as she looked toward the lounge. "Speaking of packing, where are my clothes?"

"Oh, I put some in the wardrobe in your room and the rest are on your bed. The dresser is empty, so feel free to use it."

"You act as if I'm going to be here for more than just today."

"Well, Kris said they were going on a two-week holiday, and between my schedule and yours, that doesn't leave a lot of time for apartment hunting, so I thought we'd just wait until they got back."

"Two weeks? I can't stay here for two weeks!"

"Why not?"

Toni stopped and tried to come up with a valid argument. The only place she had ever felt safe was safe no longer. Her flat held memories of an intrusion now, a violation of her existence and no matter how many new locks could be put on the door, it would never be enough. "I...I just don't want to intrude. That's all."

Placing some plates on the table, Laura chuckled softly. "Toni, you're not going to intrude. This house isn't huge, but there's plenty of space for both of us. Now what do you want to drink with dinner?"

Laura had made a chicken and rice casserole, and while it was a simple recipe, her guests had always asked for seconds, all of them except for Toni.

"Let me get you some more," Laura said, reaching for the pan.

"No, I'm fine, Laura. I don't really eat very much."

Laura knew Toni was telling the truth. She had stopped by Toni's classroom enough in the past few months that seeing her eat half of a sandwich for lunch had become commonplace. Even when they had gone out to dinner that one time, to a restaurant known for its large portions, Toni had ordered the smallest filet on the menu.

About to clear the dishes, Laura stopped when she noticed Toni frowning. "What's wrong?"

"I...I want to apologize for what happened last night," Toni said, staring at the table. "I didn't mean to hit you or...or push you. I was just scared."

"I know you were."

Raising her eyes to meet Laura's, Toni whispered, "I still am."

"Of me?"

"Of everything," Toni said, drawing in a ragged breath. "Of being here. Of not being able to go back to my flat. Of people and strangers, and places I haven't been. Everything."

"Toni-"

"Look, I was thinking, maybe I can get a room at Calloway for a while."

"There aren't any rooms open, and even if there were, you can't stay there. You don't belong there."

"I don't belong anywhere."

"You used to."

Toni sat in silence, trying to remember what it was like to be whole...to be her. That person had all but disappeared now, but like dust particles floating in the air, tiny fragments of memories swirled in her mind. Remembrances of dinner parties with colleagues and drinking with friends and brief flickers of evenings requiring tuxedos, and mornings when she awoke in the arms of another went in and out of her mind at breakneck speed. The collage of images seemed familiar, but they also felt foreign and false, as if they'd been put there by somebody else.

"That person is dead, Laura," Toni said with no emotion in her voice. Getting to her feet, she went to her bedroom, closing the door on her memories, her pain, and on the woman who was trying to be her friend.

Saturday was a quiet day in the MacLeod household. Laura tapped away on her laptop, entering information, working on reports and compiling data while Toni remained sequestered in the guest room, making an appearance only once when she came out for coffee.

By early afternoon, Laura began to worry. Scanning over the travel plans that Kris had left her, she picked up her phone and called Toni's best friend.

"Hi, it's Laura."

"Hey. How's Toni? Everything all right?"

"It's kind of hard to tell. She's only come out of her room for dinner last night and coffee this morning."

"She's out of her element."

"Tell me about it," Laura said with a sigh. "Kris, what do you know about her not eating?"

"She's not eating?"

"Well, no, last night she had some dinner, but honestly, a three-year-old could have eaten more, and this morning, all she's had is coffee, and when I offered to make her something, she refused. Said she wasn't hungry."

"Honestly, I'm not sure. She's been like that since she got out of Thornbridge. She only eats so much, and that's it, except when she was pissed off at you over that apple thing. She devoured half a pizza that night."

"She likes pizza?"

"Doesn't everyone?"

"Kris, do you know what her favorite food is?"

"Oh, that's easy. Lasagna."

"Lasagna?"

"Yeah, back in the day, she could finish off a whole one all on her own."

"Wow."

"Tell me about it. It used to piss me off how much she could eat without gaining any weight. She's got the metabolism of a bloody horse, that one."

Although tickled by the jealousy she heard in Krista's voice, Laura stayed on track. "Anything else?"

"Sorry?"

"Foods, drinks...snacks?"

"Laura, what are you trying to do, fatten her up?"

"No, I'm trying to get her to talk to me."

"By feeding her lasagna?"

"Well, it's better than an apple, isn't it?"

Toni spent her day lying on the bed, staring at four walls and a window. It had been easy to construct walls around her mind and her heart. Prison had taught her that, and over the past few years, she had managed to keep Krista at bay, her questions silenced by a look or a threat, but Laura was different and Toni didn't know why. Hearing the knock, Toni sighed. It wasn't even easy to keep doors closed when Laura was around. "Come in."

The door opened just a smidge and Laura peeked in. "Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes, and I'm not taking no for an answer."

"I'm not-"

Pushing the door open, Laura glared at the woman on the bed still dressed in red pajamas. "Don't start with me, Miss Vaughn. I didn't spend my afternoon making you your favorite dinner just to have you tell me you're not hungry. Now get out of that bed, put on some clothes, comb your hair and meet me in the kitchen."

Before Toni could utter a syllable, Laura closed the door on the conversation leaving Toni to contemplate the consequences if she didn't follow the orders she had just been given. Remembering Laura's temper when her arm was injured, Toni climbed out of bed and began to get dressed.

After putting on jeans and a T-shirt, along with what was rapidly becoming her favorite pair of socks, Toni opened the door and found herself surrounded by the smell of something delicious. Quietly walking to the kitchen, she saw the table set with plates and glasses, and a bottle of Chianti at the ready.

"You're late."

Laura meant it as a joke. Something to lighten the mood and calm Toni's worries, but her playful reprimand had done just the opposite. Toni immediately stuffed her hands in her pockets and stared at the floor.

"Toni, I'm sorry. I was just kidding. You're not late and even if you were, it's okay. That's what they make microwaves for."

Raising her eyes, Toni noticed a foil-covered casserole on the counter. "What's that?"

"Lasagna. I was told it's your favorite," Laura said, removing the foil.