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It was fifteen minutes past eleven o'clock, their meeting time. Nick was getting antsy; perhaps she wasn't going to show. She hadn't seemed too sure of agreeing to meeting him yesterday, and maybe she had changed her mind. He took one more look around and decided he should give up waiting and go call Mandy.
"Nick, wait," a voice called out.

Nick spun around and stood looking at Lorena as he hoped he would this evening. He smiled at her warmly. "You're late."

"I know, I know, but you don't have to fight traffic from parking lots and screaming girl fans." She paused and chuckled at what she'd said. "Well, I guess you face those."

"I'm just glad you showed up." They stood face to face for what seemed like an eternity before the awkwardness got to Nick. "Let's take a seat in one of those booths."

The hours seemed to fly by as they sat talking, but Nick could tell they were taking a toll on Lorena and himself. Lorena's eyes were drooping and she yawned several times, but tried to ignore it so that they could continue talking; he could tell that was what she was doing. Most girls he talked to or met after concerts didn't want to admit they were tired because they didn't want the night with him to end, or they were waiting for an invitation back to his room. He decided to do what he had never asked of other girls.

"Do you want to go up to my room?"

"Do you want to go up to my room?"

Nick smiled at Lorena as she blushed. It had probably taken her a lot of guts to ask him that question; he had to muster up the courage to ask that question as well.

"Let's go to your room, Lorena. Probably less distractions, and, well, the other guys probably aren't around your room either."

They got up from their seats and made their way up to her room; all the while Nick kept looking around him, checking around corners and glancing behind them. He felt like someone was watching them; he felt sure about Lorena, but he felt something warning him at the same time.

*****

It was that dream again, the dream from which he couldn't tear himself away from until the pain surged through his body.

The dream was longer this time. He was in a chamber, a decorative bedroom; the queen was lying next to him on what was probably her bed. He was holding her in his arms - she smelled nice, he could smell the woman in his dreams, or was it Lorena next to him that he could smell? He felt contentment, happiness and serenity. At this moment in the dream, he didn't think life could get any better.

He heard footsteps in the dream. Both he and the woman started hurrying to get dressed. Nick managed to pull on his pants before ducking out the window. He hated leaving the feeling that he had in that room, but there was a sense of urgency from those footsteps.

Next came the part that Nick knew all too well. His arms were sore from the grip the guards had on his arms. His eye was swollen from one of their fists colliding with his eye, and his groin was throbbing with pain from recieving a kick. The floor he was thrown down on was cold as his chin landed hard upon it. He looked up at the faces that were familiar, the king and his sneer and the queen and her eyes swollen from tears.

"Execute him," the king said while glaring in the queen's direction. Nick looked at the queen, knowing it was the last time he would see her, wanting to hold her again, wanting to make her stop crying. He knew her tears were for him; they had been careless lovers and the king had found out through a spy.

He felt his arms swell with pain as he was being dragged away from the chamber, the guards making sure to inflict as much pain as they could on him as they went. The dungeon came next; Nick knew the whips would soon follow. Feeling the contentment he felt in that room made him forget the whips hitting hard against his back, then his front. He could barely stand as he was moved to the rack, and he smiled with the first pull.

It was over, and Nick could wake. He hated the pain he felt in that dream, but was glad that it was merely a dream. It was longer and more vivid this time, only leaving him to wonder why. He looked around him; sun was streaming in from Lorena's shades and she was sleeping peacefully next to him, fully clothed. They must have fallen asleep while talking; he couldn't remember when they had stopped talking.

He sat up and put his hand through his hair; he was sweaty as usual. He took one more look at Lorena and decided there would be no harm in him using her shower while she slept.