"C'mon, you're having a nightmare."

"No, Jack, you can't die" -- her voice dropped to a whisper "-- I love

you."

Jack swallowed hard.

"Ellen ... wake up!"

She awoke with a start, wearing a look of absolute fear.

He tried to dilute her emotion with a reassuring smile. "It's all right.

It was just a bad dream."

"D-dream ... it was just a" -- She sat up abruptly, then wrapped her arms around her knees.

"But it was so real!" She moaned.

"It was the same horrible dream all over again. He threw a knife in your

back. I thought you were dead? The glow from the fu highlighlxl her pale

cheeks with a golden wash. Jack restrained himself from touching her face, swallowing the surge ofemotion that appeared from a hidden depth within him. He tried to blamehis sudden shiver on the cold night air that permeated the cabin, notthe fact that he was awakened from a dead sleep by a woman's screams.

After a moment she straightened and looked around, as if reassuringherself she was in a safe place. She pushed loose strands of hair out ofher eyes and releas a sigh.

"I hate nightmares, don't you?"

He nodded, then shifted uncomfortably as a cold chill slithered down his spine.

Ellen offered him a poor imitation of a smile.

"Look at us. Both shivering in the dark. We ought to get back to

Together.

Jack drew in a sharp breath. Where had that thought come from? He

assumed he barely knew the woman and yet the idea of taking her to bed seemed natural. Almost a matter of the next logical step.

Maybe I do know her.

He stared at Ellen, suddenly feeling as if he was on the . verge of

breaking through the barriers stonewalling his memory. She acted as ifshe had never met him before, but somehow, deep inside, Jack began' tofeel as if it was alie. Why wasn't she telling the truth?

Every snatch of memory that fdtered through his perforated mind included her: the way she moved, how she laughed, her delicate scent. It was maddening to be on the verge of remembering, then lose it all inthe next moment.

The fire sputtered, and a sudden flare of light revealed the tension inher face which the darkness had hidden. The truth hit him, This wasn't awoman in love. Tiffs was a woman fighting fear--of him.

"I ... I think I'll try to stay up for a while." Ellen squeezed hereyes shut and turned away from him as another violent h-emor rocked herbody.

"Maybe I can think of something better to dream about."

Jack moved to the edge of the bed. His head pounded with more fury as hestruggled to make sense of the facts as he knew them. However, theconnection between memory and reality seemed oddly blurred, reducing hiscollection of facts to a single revelation: I don't know a damn thingabout myself. Or Ellen.

"You don't have to stay up on my account," she whispered, shattering histrain of thought.

"I can't go back to sleep."

46 A Killer Smile A Killer Smile JACK ROLT. h-m FROM THE BED to the floor with a fluid movement when he heard her screams. Scanning the roomfrom a crouch, he discovered Ellen, writhing in her sleeping bag. Asense of relief flooded through him, easing his thundering heart, butnot his pounding head.

She was idently caught in the throes of a bad dream.

"Ellen, wake up." Moving closer to her, he used one hand to fend awayher clawing fingers as he shook her shoulder.

"C'mon, you're having a nightmare."

"No, Jack, you can't die" -- her voice dropped to a whisper "--I loveyou."

Jack swallowed hard.

"Ellen ... wake upv' She awoke with a start, wearing a look of absolutefear.

He tried to dilute her emotion with a reassuring smile. "It's all right.It was just a bad dream."

"D-dream ... it was just a" -- She sat up abruptly, then wrapped herarms around her knees.

"But it was so real!" She moaned.

"It was the same hornqle dream all over again. He threw a knife in yourback. I thought you were dead!" The glow from the fire highlighted herpale cheeks with a golden wash.

Jack restrained himself from touching her face, swallowing the surge ofemotion that appeared from a hidden depth within him. He tried to blamehis sudden shiver on the cold night air that permeated the cabin, notthe fact that he was awakened from a dead sleep by a woman's screams.

After a moment she straightened and looked around, as if g herself shewas in a safe place. She pushed loose strands of hair out of her eyesand released a sigh.

"I hate nightmares, don't you?"

He nodded, then shifted uncomfortably as a cold chill slithered down hisspine.

Ellen offered him a poor imitation of a smile.

"Loo us. Both shivering in the dark. We ought to get bad Together. Jackdrew in a sharp breath. Where had thought come from?

He assumed he barely knew woman and yet the idea of taking her to bedseemed ural. Almost a matter of the next logical step. Maybe I do knowher.

He stared at Ellen, suddenly feeling as if he was on verge of breakingthrough the barriers stonewalling memory. She acted as if she had nevermet him before, { somehow, deep inside, Jack began to feel as if it wasa Why wasn't she telling the truth?

Every snatch of memory that filtered through his rotated mind includedher: the way she moved, how: laughed, her delicate scent. It wasmaddening to be on verge of remembering, then lose it all in the nextmome The fire sputtered, and a sudden flare of light revea the tins ionin her face which the darkness had hidden. 3 truth hit him. This wasn't a woman in love.

This wa woman fighting fear--of him.

"I ... I think I'll try to stay up for a while." Ell squeezed her eyesshut and turned away from him as i other violent tremor rocked her body.

"Maybe I can tiff of something better to dream about."

Jack moved to the edge of the bed. His head pound with more fury as hestruggled to make sense of the fa, as he knew them. However, theconnection between m ory and reality seemed oddly blurred, reducing hiscolh tion of facts to a single revelation: I don't know a da thing aboutmyself. Or Ellen.

"You don't have to stay up on my account," she wh pered, shattering histrain of thought.

"I can't go back to sleep."

A Killer Smile "Your head hurts?"

"Uh ... yeah." The cabin swallowed up his unspoken questions in anoppressive silence.

After a few moments Ellen's voice finally broke through the shadows.

"DO you want some aspirin?"

"No. Thanks." Mere aspirin wouldn't begin to interrupt the rhythm ofpain that assaulted his temples. A nameless, formless recollectionflashed before him, disappearing as soon as it emerged. Perhaps the sledgehammer which pounded in his brain was loosening some of thememories and allowing them to float free from his subconscious. Hewaited, hoping he'd have a second chance toeaember something--anything,His name, the reason why he was there, reason why sometimes she seemedso familiar to him. Anything to fill the void which was his memory.After a long wait, the words tore loose from the back of his mind.

"Ellen, do you know me?"

She took a deep breath before answering, "No."

"Then why do I think I know you?"

"You don't."

"C'mon. I know what I feel." The huskiness of his own voice surpris him.

Sho offered no reply and he continued. "I was in your dream, wasn't I?You called my name. You said ... you said you loved me."

"It ... was only a dream. A nightmare. It was someone else. Someoneelse named Jack."

His body tightened in response to the way she said his name.

Stretching down from the bed, he grazed the malarial of the sleeping bagwith the tip of his finger. She lay only a few tempting inches away fromhim It would be so easy to reach out to her, to stroke the s'fik of herskin, to memorize her features by the sensation of touch alone. He AKiller Smile wanted to wind her long braid around his hand and pull hercloser.

Why couldn't he remember the sensation of being undressed by her? Thefeel of her hands sliding into his waistband and trailing down to hiships? The visual image sent a stab of longing through him as sharp asany blade.

Her face. It should evoke so many definite memories. Her tentativesmile, her pained concern, even her tears. The void that should befilled with memories haunted him with its emptiness. Somehow Ellen hadto be part of the void. If she would only admit it.

Jack lisle-ned to the uneven rhythm of her breathing and realizedbelatediy that she was a3hng.

He slipped out from beneath the covers and knelt beside her. Even in theshadows of the night, be could see her face twist in uneasyieaiembrance. He hesitated only a moment before raising a hand to touchher cheek in reassurance. "It was only a nightmare."

She trembled beneath his simple gesture, her eyelids fluttering.

"A n-nightmare. You're right She sighed.

Jack pushed away the thoughts of propriety that demanded he keep her atarm's length. With little else but companionship in mind, he took herhands in his. "Stand up," he ordered gently.

After a moment of hesitation, she complied, allowing him to lead her tothe bed. She-wiiained stiff as be coaxed her beneath the covers and slid in next to her. It evidently surprised her when he did nothing more thanwrap his After a few moments of s'-nce, during which Jack could senseher distrust, Ellen relaxed, nestling next to him for warmth if nothingelse.

She sighed and shifted even closer, her fears evidently purged, thensettled into a remarkably easy sleep with her cheek against his chest.When A Killer Smile A Killer Smile he shifted so he could lean againstthe headboard, she didn't wake.

Jack studied her face from his awkward vantage point. He stroked thelength of her heavy braid. Somewhere in the back of his mind heremembered someone else with a braid. A braid which he had slowlyundone, slipping his fingers between the strands and slowly combing thetight ropes of hair into a loose, shimmering cascade. Hair he mussedwhen they began to make love.

A memory?

A dream?

Or merely wishful thinking?

The significance of her dreams worried Jack. Dreams could be a matter ofa fanciful imagination, or memories of things past.

The impact of her words echoed in his mind.

A knife in your back.

An uncomfortable itch danced between his shoulders. Hoping not todisturb Ellen, he snaked a hand down the neck opening of his thermalshirt, trying to reach the irritated spot on his back. When hediscovered the ridge of the thin scar above his shoulder blade, hisstomach twisted in an angry knot.

Oh, hell.

TANT,LTZNG AROMAS penetrated the heavy fog of sleep that blanketedJack's mind. The odor of bacon released a flash of memory that passed bytoo quickly for him to recognize, but the sensation finished waking himup. He stretched and rediscovered a host of aching muscles.

"Good morning." Ellen's quiet voice carried above the s'zzling noisefrom the stove.

"Morning." His words were slurred by a sour taste in his mouth. He satup and ran a hand through his sleep-tousled hair. His headache hadsubsided to a tolerable roar.