Awoken by the persistent ringing of the telephone, Steele opened one eye and groaned. The darkness that greeted him did little to improve his mood and in fact made him even more resentful at having his dream so rudely interrupted.

He briefly considered not answering but the thought that it could be Daniel or even more worrying word of his friend had him lifting the receiver.

"Steele, here."

"Darling, do you think.."

Steele glanced at the time, "No, Felicia, not at 3am, does anyone?"

"Do you think we.."

"We what?"

"Do you think we have... oh never mind."

"Are you drunk?"

"I don't always drink for lunch you know."

"Lunch? Where are you?"

"Why, Paris, darling, of course, where else?"

"You're in Paris and you're calling me? Is he really that boring?"

"Who?"

"Whichever chap you are there with."

"Monroe."

"You're in Paris with Monroe?"

"Don't be silly darling, of course I'm not. I'm just mulling over something he said."

"When?"

"Oh one time when I happened to listen to him."

"Start at the beginning, I'm terribly confused."

"You're confused? I'm in an awful flap darling and I need your calm reassurance."

"My what?"

"It's when you calmly tell me what I need to hear to feel better."

"I am aware of that it means, but what does that mean?"

"I was talking to Monroe..."

"Recently?"

"Recentish..."

"In the last week? Month?"

"I'm not sure, you know Michael so far you're really not being very helpful."

"Good, I'll go back to sleep then." As he said it visions danced in his head and he hoped his dream would start again from where he left off.

"No! I need you, I mean I need to... Monroe said he thinks you and Lorna..."

"Laura."

"What?"

"Laura, her name is Laura."

"Say my name."

"Whatever for, have you forgotten it? Are you quite certain you're not drunk?"

"Growing more positive all the time."

"Felicia, what do you need my help with?"

"Nothing, I'll call you later."

"What about your question?"

"Asked and answered."

"Really? How did I miss that?"

"I really don't know, Michael."

"You're mad, but I love you."

"Go back to sleep." Felicia replaced the receiver remembering other times she had uttered those words to him, she doubted they would ever be said in the same circumstances again.

Looking around her gorgeous hotel room she smiled to herself, Monroe had been right. She had tried not to believe it but it was so obvious, just the way he said that woman's name. It was as though it was the most precious and sacred word in the English language. She heard the longing, the yearning, even the joy.

She sighed, he had never said her name that way, no-one had and perhaps no-one ever would.

She picked up the phone and dialed again.

"Monroe? Yes I know it's 3am. I win, you lose, they don't have magic at all. I'll be on my way over soon to pick up my winnings."

Monroe's chuckle over the phone lines made her smile. She listened to his reply and tried to keep the tears out of her voice. "Yes, damn you, you're right. I may as well stay here."

"There's more than one kind of magic you know."

"I want what they have... except.."

"You can't have it with him."

"What a waste, they don't even know they have it."

"They will one day."

"Monroe, one thing."

"What?"

"When I come back, if I come back, we never had this conversation."

"What conversation? It's 3:20 am, I'm asleep."

Felicia smiled and hung up, damn him he was right again, there really was more than one type of magic.