I was walking down the corridor of Luca's floor, trying to make it to his room. The night was quiet and my heart was racing in my chest trying to spread the anxiety all over my body as quickly as possible. There's a coat on the floor, which seems odd. I stop to look at it just as a panting Hervé surfaces on the other end of the corridor.

"Funke! Glad I found you! I need a bit of help." He says running towards me rather urgently

Had he rushed up the stairs? Was there an emergency? Was the baby ok?

"Hi... I..." I stutter as he grabs my hand, pulling me back towards the elevator

"We can just use this. Stairs...they're horrible." He pants as I study his face worryingly

"What's wrong?" I wonder softly at him just as I hear unfamiliar noises

He coughs, loudly, theatrically even before shoving me into the elevator.

"I might be coming down with something." He excuses himself before I can wrap my head around what was happening

I try to explain to Hervé that I was here to talk to Luca about being in love with him but the nursery seems more urgent.

"Luc's not feeling too well, and you can explain it all to him tomorrow probably, but first I'm having an emergency with the nursery. I need your opinion on something." Hervé supplies, pushing me into the nursery and switching the lights on.

I was about to ask how sick Luca was but the nursery... it's stunning

"Luc helped me pick out the mural. What d'you think?" Hervé wonders with a soft smile on his face as I turn to him wide-eyed

"I know white's a risky colour and maybe he'll need more toys, maybe a few plants that he somehow won't eat or won't kill him?" He pries walking into the room and closing the door behind us

"And of course I was thinking of a neon sign with his name right over there...or maybe the name is tacky and it should be an animal or something...or maybe if it's his name then he can have it all his life... I don't know..." he mumbles nervously

I sit on the floor of the nursery with Hervé, going through his ideas for it, trying to calm him of his nerves about the baby, assuring him it was all lovely and nothing in here would kill the baby. Once he's somewhat satisfied, or at least calm, he asks me about my presentation and I show it to him, explaining the charts about Luca and I spending too much time together, the cuddling, the types of kissing that confused my soul and exactly how I hoped to unfall in love with him. I lay my entire strategy out, apparently tickling the heavens out of Hervé.

"Have you shown him this?" Hervé wonders, his face red with laughter

"I was about to when I ran into you." I pout at him

Boyd had pretty much laughed me off the house too when I showed it to him! Terrorists, the lot of them!

"You should be helping me, you know! I helped you!" I hiss at him

He'd known Luca the longest, he should be contributing to my charts not cackling at them like a...a... boabab seed!

"A baobhan sith love... and I can't be one because not only are they not known for their laugh, a baobhan sith, is a beautiful blood-sucking fairy who terrorizes the misty glens and mountains of Scotland, seducing men, sinking her long beautiful fingernails that turn into talons into them and draining them of their blood. They are clever and can speak any language their victim knows due to a form of telepathy, but they will sound as if they have a strange accent...and they can shape-shift...mostly into wolves...and on the rare occasion that they attack a woman she turns into one of them" Hervé reveals with a bright mirth in his eyes

"So... a vampire..." I grumble, Luca had been calling me a vampire...

"Yes and no. No fangs, can eat garlic, only allergic to iron not silver or crosses and they rise once a year to feed and then go back into their coffins. They're more diplomatic I think. Also very irresistible...the downfall of many a Scot." He says as I try to understand why Luca would call me a vampire

Maybe I'd said worse things to him.

"I could use a drink..." I decide,

"I can get you something, what would you like?" Hervé offers as if I'd let him leave me here in the baby's nursery with my charts that he'd laughed at

"It's not a problem. I could use a drink too after seeing your... plan..." He chuckles as I consider fighting him

"Then lets go." I state still a little miffed he'd clowned my charts like that

We tussle briefly with whether to carry my charts with me or not and decide to leave them at the nursery. I'd have to come back this way on my way to see Luca anyway. Hervé wasn't telling me exactly how Luca was sick so I was going to find out for myself. For some reason Hervé insists that we go to the chef's kitchen and not the one on Luca's floor. I'm too vexed to argue much and so we head there. We're settled on the kitchen counter, waiting for the coffee to brew when Hervé pulls me into his arms and kisses my forehead.

"Love's not a burden Funke...it's a gift, you should celebrate it." He cryptically mumbles

I sigh just as the fridge opens behind us, forcing us to turn towards the gorgeous smirk of Marie-Frances in lingerie undone and strained suggestively enough that she didn't have to explain what she'd been up to, skin glistening as she's bathed in the refrigerator's light.

"Sorry to interrupt, I'm just... grabbing some ice for Lucas."She giggles softly, a perfectly sensual smile on her face, her eyes gleaming treacherously at me as she moves her messy hair off her face

I try to stop my heart from moving wildly, my gaze turning to Hervé, reading the expression on his face.

"It's great to see you again Jada." She chimes, bringing my attention back to her as she bangs the fridge door shut

Oh yes, Lucas is sick...of me.

And to think Hervé had lied to me about it, had known exactly what his best friend was up to, had tried to dissuade me from seeing it for myself just to cover Luca's ass!

"It's nice to see you too Marie." I decide, grabbing my phone and jumping to my feet

"Funke..." Hervé gripes as I dash out of the house at a speed sonic would've been envious of.

I should've run up the stairs and beat Lucas AND Marie-Frances! Look at me! Running through London bonkers with my heart in pains I can't even name! Screaming like a banshee in the night! I stop dead in my tracks, turning back for Luca and Marie-Frances. I should fuck them up! I'll fight them both! This is no way to kick someone out of your harem and for that Luca deserved these hands too! I swing wildly in the air, growling for practice as the environment suddenly changes from the streets to a set of twinkling stars that softly reveal themselves to be LED heart shaped balloons flickering by some warm fairylights and flowers

"You're up." Luca's familiar voice brightly says, a softness to it that's more intimate than I've ever known it

I turn my confused gaze towards his voice, finding him perched by the corner of the bed holding some ice to my forehead. This looked exactly like his room except for the balloons and the flowers and the fairy lights and the beautifully scented candles filling the air with a sweet flowery scent. This looked exactly like Luca, mischevious smile et al.

"You were having quite a dream there." He informs me, which doesn't negate the possibility that he knocked me out, sent Marie-Frances away and was now role playing like it never happened

I slap the ice bag away and sit up, frowning at him.

"Where is she?" I demand, clearly in some kind of dream scape...or had I died and gone to hell?

"Who?" He worriedly pries, feigning like he didn't know.

I jump out of the bed, taking full stock of the romantic setup of the room, trying to see where she's gone. She can't have gone too far by now. I lean down and check under the bed and then I burst the bathroom door open and then I rush to the window and try to see if there's anyone running through the grounds.

"Who are you looking for mo gradh?" Luca sensually whispers into my ear, his body pressing mine against the window gently as his hand caresses my tummy

My eyes shut at the feel of him, his scent feeling my nostrils, his hand gentle yet demanding, his lips meeting my shoulder affectionately.

"Marie-Frances." I whisper, trying to remind myself that I'd promised them both these hands and I shouldn't get distracted

I can't believe all I ever get is his bedroom as is, and she gets champagne and LED balloons and fairy lights and candles and a neon sign that says LOVE and petals...petals everywhere!

"What?! Why?" He wonders apparently surprised by my answer

I turn around so I can glare at his handsome confused face even more majestic in the dim romantic lighting of the room.

"So I can beat her and then beat you with her skinny ass!" I decide, trying my best to sound as dangerous and of the streets as I can

It doesn't work apparently, because he chuckles softly at my declaration of war, lifting my gaze to his tenderly with his thumb before affectionately pinching my chin.

"You fainted when I told you I love you and then you woke up a minute ago baying for Marie-Frances' blood. You might've hit your head when you dropped mo gradh" He sighs affectionately down at me as I pout up at him, concern in his eyes

Can you believe the nerve of him? Calling me mad?! And the fact that his free hand was patting my scalp as if he'd be able to detect a concussion that way!

"Is it?" I challenge him, ready to show him her coat that was probably still laying on the corridor outside...

Did he just...did he just say he loves me?

"Actually you undressed, called on the lion of Judah to take you now and then fainted...but who's keeping track." he shrugs playfully, cradling my head affectionately in his hands

I couldn't tell if he was lying or not, and I didn't even get the chance to when his hand slipped down my back and grabbed an ass cheek, a soft satisfied sigh leaving his lips at the feel of it. Unfortunately my body unfurls in a potent luxurious pleasure from the feel of that ass grab. I was in lingerie it seems? He turns his gaze to the twinkling romance of the room, a small smile on his lips.

"You like it? Hervé and I ransacked some shops on our way home and I made Estelle and Wilford redecorate." he says as my gaze turns to the twinkling room briefly

This was... This was for me?

"I was going to have it written in the sky but...apparently that doesn't work too well past five pm." He shrugs beautifully

I don't cry obviously, I just sweat through my eyeballs a little, lifting myself up in an attempt to reach his lips.

"You like it." He sighs beautifully, as if he'd been nervous about it

"I love you." I sigh, letting the eye sweat roll down my cheeks a little

"Promise me you won't faint when I say it this time." the cheeky giant bugger teases, forcing me to nod my head because it was obvious our lips won't meet until he leans down a bit more

"I love you Funke... God, I love you so much!" He grumbles, pressing his lips against mine with the fervour of a starved addict