In Memoriam

Chapter 7

After they left Anker lying unconscious on the floor of his secret room, their escape was not at all thrilling.

If anything, Cherizel almost hoped for more explosions or a wild run to escape Anker's guards. But none of that happened. They walked out of the tunnel onto a cobbled-stone canal right next to a dark river. Moonlight hung above them, reflecting on the gently flowing water.

"Cherie," Regis called out and stopped, pulling her back into him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tight.

"Does this mean you remember?" He asked in a whisper. Regis' eyes glowed a soft golden light as he stood there, completely enthralled by her.

"Yes," Cherizel whispered. She smiled up at him, her own eyes glowed in turn. "My memories are still a little jumbled, but I remember."

Regis let out a shuddering breath and wrapped his arms around her, cocooning her in his warmth. Cherizel felt him shake as he held onto her.

"I missed you. I missed you so much, Ma Cherie. I looked for you everywhere... I never stopped looking," he whispered into her hair. Regis sniffled quietly. "I thought I lost you for good."

"You didn't lose me. You could never lose me," Cher said. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him back just as tight.

"I'm so sorry, Regis... I never meant to leave you. I—I never wanted to forget you."

"You're here now, my love, my heart, my everything," Regis mumbled. He pulled back and cupped her face, peppering her with kisses everywhere he could reach. "Please, never do that again. I don't think my heart can handle it."

"I promise," Cher said in between a series of giggles. She missed this.

All the years that she spent on her own, there was this distant longing that she could never explain. Cherizel felt like she was missing something, but she always attributed the feeling to it being about her lost memories.

Now she knew better.

"I missed you, my darling Regis," Cher smiled up at him. "But..."

"Yes?"

"But why didn't you tell me who you were? Why didn't you tell me you're my husband?" She asked, a little frown crowning her brow.

Regis sighed.

"I didn't know how you would react to something like that. Having some random man turn up and claim to be your husband?" He said, shaking his head a little. "I don't know that most people would take that well. Amnesia or not."

"I guess that's true..."

"It doesn't matter anyway, now that you've got your memories back," he said. Regis stroked her hair and smiled. "We haven't properly seen each other in so long."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Cherizel giggled. It had been far too long since she fully looked like herself. And even longer since she'd seen Regis.

"I am," Regis said. His visage shifted and changed. Pointed ears peeked out from his soft blue hair. Atop his head were a pair of black curled ram-like horns that seemed to gently shimmer with gold.

The whites of his eyes turned black and the gold turned inhumanly bright.

Regis was beautiful, more beautiful than she remembered. Her heart swelled with joy at having him with her like this again.

Cherizel felt his tail brush against her leg. She grinned and dropped the human illusion she herself wore. And immediately she felt his tail wrap around hers.

"We have much to talk about, and even more to make up for," he said. He tucked a hand under her chin and tipped her head up.

"I want to know what I was trying to protect you from. What made me go seek Anker out and get my memories taken?" Cher whispered.

"I don't know what it was. I assume you'll remember sooner or later when your memories start to be less jumbled."

"And what about Anker?" She asked, her earrings swaying as she tilted her head.

"He's probably going to be pissed at us. But we can disappear somewhere where he won't find us."

"Why, Regis..." A grin slowly spread across her face. "Are you saying we should run away together?"

"Yes, let's run away like we're a part of some romance movie," he said, chuckling. "Let's run away to where the water is as blue as your eyes and the sun always shines. We can roll around on the sand together."

"Just us?"

"Just us, the sun and the sunny beaches," he leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers. "So... shall we run away together, Ma Cherie?"

"I would love nothing more," she whispered and leaned in, pressing her lips against his. The kiss was soft and sweet and if Regis hadn't been holding her, Cher was sure she would float away.

She pulled back from the kiss and held her hands up.

"I'm a little rusty, but shall we?"

"Of course, Ma Cherie," Regis said and took her hands in his, entwining their fingers together. They smiled at each other as the fabric of reality tore open next to them. Behind the tear was a sunny beach with white sand and cerulean ocean.

Cher leaned in to get a better look and gasp softly. In the distance, she could see the palm trees.

"Regis, look," she whispered in hushed excitement. Her tail would be wagging if it wasn't wrapped around Regis' tail.

"Oh, perfect. Let's go, Ma Cherie, time for a very long vacation," he said. Regis leaned down and gave her a little kiss on the cheek.

He walked through the portal first, sighing happily as the sun touched his skin. Cherizel hopped in through right after him and the rip closed itself up.

She kicked her shoes off and closed her eyes as her feet sunk into the sand.

This was perfect.

The sand and sunny skies, and the love of her life. She couldn't be happier with this arrangement.

"I wouldn't mind if we spent the next hundred years here," she said. Cher took his hand and pulled him closer.

"We could," Regis whispered, slowly leaning down. Their noses touched and he gently nuzzled hers. "We have all the time in the world."

He closed the distance between them, kissing her with an almost desperate fervor.

"For all the time we missed... let's spend it getting reacquainted."

"Well then, Mr. Delacroix... I think we should get started on that now," Cherizel giggled and pulled him in for another kiss.

A lifetime with Regis wouldn't ever be enough for her. But she couldn't be happier.

Cherizel had her memories and her love back at last. And she wouldn't let anyone take that away ever again.