Bright sunlight seared his eyes, and Lucian was forced to squint. He blinked rapidly and felt his eyes adjust to the sudden brightness. In the back of his mind, Lucian wondered where the sunlight had come from, and so quickly. It was the first time he'd seen the sun in a long time since he'd been forced into hiding, and a grin spread on his face.

He took in a deep breath of refreshing, clean air. This was paradise, surely, after the polluted, dirty air of the city. Underneath his feet, Lucian could feel soft, cool grass. He was standing in a thicket of trees, just before a clearing. He could hear the twittering of birds in the canopy above him, and he smelt the warm fragrance of earth.

He took three steps forward, breaking out of the trees and into the clearing. It was small, scattered with wildflowers and a collection of boulders. All questions of where he was and how he'd gotten there left Lucian's mind as he lounged back on the boulders, breathing in the fresh air and appreciating the nature. He closed his eyes and relished in the feeling of the sun bathing over his body.

After a while, Lucian could feel drowsiness pulling him under. Curious, he thought. How could he be sleepy in a dream? For, he had decided a while ago, this must be a dream. Suddenly, a new scent filled the air. Lucian's heart pounded painfully in his chest. He could recognize that scent anywhere. It was cool and fresh, like a crystal clear stream of bubbling water in the middle of a desert. Lucian was almost afraid to open his eyes unless it was his senses deceiving him and she really wasn't there.

A twig cracked behind him, and Lucian's eyes flew open. His body twisted around and his breath caught in his throat.

Sonja.

It was really her, standing there before him in the shadows of the trees. And she was just as he remembered. Her long hair fell almost to her elbows, wavy and dark. She gazed longingly at him through deep, dark eyes with long lashes, and she smiled with those full, wide, perfect lips. She wore a simple, light dress and bare feet.

Lucian stumbled clumsily to his feet, unwilling to take his eyes of the beautiful woman for fear that she would disappear.

"Sonja..." he murmured, his voice croaking.

Sonja smiled wider this time and nodded slowly. Lucian let out a strangled, throaty cry of sheer joy. Sonja had appeared to him in many dreams before, but they had all been memories of a terrible time. She had never looked quite as beautiful in those dreams, her face hardened with worry and the dank, cold walls of the castle around her. Here, Sonja was carefree. She grinned at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes and flipped her hair over her shoulder. She raised her hand slowly and gave him a little wave. It was a simple, friendly gesture. Finally, after an agonizing minute, she stepped forward to him.

Blind panic gripped Lucian as he watched the sunlight wash over Sonja. He broke into a cold sweat as he watched for her to combust at any moment, just like before. But she didn't. Sonja just kept walking to him, seemingly unfazed by the sunlight. In fact, she appeared to be enjoying the heat, as she tilted her face up to the sky and sighed.

Lucian could not help himself. He closed the last few metres between them in two long strides and swept her up into his arms. Without thought, he pressed his lips to hers with a burning passion. He felt her shiver with pleasure in his arms and he finally broke away.

"Sonja," he whispered again, hugging her tight and burying his face in her hair.

Sonja was laughing delicately. Lucian's face split into a grin. It was such a beautiful sound, her laughter. He pulled back again and stroked her cheek with one hand, softly and carefully as if he were afraid she would shatter.

"It's really you," he said, joining in the laughter.

Sonja nodded, "It is. And it's really you."

Suddenly, the smile fell off her face and she looked down.

"What is it?" Lucian asked nervously. What could be so wrong? This had to be the happiest moment of his life.

"You're here..." she murmured.

Lucian frowned, hurt. Had Sonja found someone else?

"And that's bad?" he asked stiffly, bracing himself for the worst.

Sonja looked up again and shook her head vigorously. Lucian was stunned to see tears welling in her eyes.

"No, Lucian, my love, it's not bad. But it's selfish of me to be pleased to see you. See you here, at least," she gestured around them. Lucian could fathom why. This strange wood seemed to be a wonderful place.

"This is just a dream, Sonja, "Lucian murmured, "It doesn't matter where we are, let's just enjoy the time we have,"

Sonja frowned, her eyes full of grief and... pity? Annoyance flickered in Lucian's mind. Did Sonja pity him for dreaming of her after all this time? Did she pity that he still missed her every minute of his life? Did she not yearn for him, too?

"This isn't a dream." Sonja whispered.

Suddenly, memories hit Lucian like a tidal wave. He was meeting with Kraven and his men. There was a loud noise, an explosion. Viktor's men had arrived. Hatred flared through Lucian as he grabbed for his weapons. He argued briefly with Kraven, but suddenly... Pain flared through his body. He dropped to his knees. He could feel silver coursing through his veins. These were a new type of bullet, he realised. He tasted something like rust on his tongue as darkness flooded his vision...

"I'm dead." Lucian voiced his realization dully. Of course he was dead. Why else would Sonja appear so clearly to him?

Sonja nodded sadly, "It would seem so."

A small smile broke over his face, "But you're here. That's all that matters."

"I'm ashamed to admit just how happy I am," Sonja mumbled.

Lucian caught her chin and forced her to look him in the eye, "You've nothing to feel ashamed of. We can be together, finally. Forever."

He pulled her in to kiss her again, but suddenly he felt a jolt of pain in his chest. The clearing and Sonja disappeared and the beautiful setting was replaced by a grey wall. His body ached. He was on the floor. He could hear a battle raging on through the walls. He was alive. Disappointment flooded through him. Why would this happen? How could life be so cruel as to tempt him with just a few minutes of absolute heaven, then drag him right back into hell?

But Lucian took comfort in the pain. The silver in his veins was freezing cold, yet white hot at the same time. He was so close to death. He would surely return to Sonja soon enough. Footsteps caught his attention, and Lucian looked up just in time to see Kraven disappear into a doorway.

Wait for me, Sonja. I just have one last thing to do...

Please review and tell me if you liked it, and if I should be cranking out some more. Love to everyone out there!