Good morning, my love. Can you hear the birds a-singing? Can you hear my heart a-ringing?

Nick was exhausted. Exhausted and sore. He couldn’t remember what he had dreamt about last night, or if he had even been able to get a restful sleep at all.

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin hadn’t allowed it.

She’d run him completely ragged. After their first time having sex together, she had insisted on more. And Mary’s objections didn’t really count.

So, needless to say, Nick had endured quite a night. Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin had made sure of that. In previous times with the women in his harem, he had always wondered what could have happened if he’d slept with them their first night together in the Master’s Suite. She’d showed him why maybe it was a good thing that he didn’t. Without realizing just how hungry she was for him, she’d pushed him to the brink, and he still wasn’t sure if he could fully recover.

When he woke up, he just felt exhausted and sore.

At least we made it to the bed… wait, did we make it to the bed? I don’t even remember at this point, geez.

Whatever had happened last night, it was just a blur of faint images. But what Nick did know for certain was that he was lying in bed right now.

And he was going to make the most of it.

He yawned and turned over, eyes still closed. He winced slightly as he felt the warm sunlight streaming in through the window, and reached his hand up to shield his face.

…

Wait a second.

Nick’s eyes snapped open and he sat up in bed, ignoring his aching hips. The windows in the Master’s Suite were all on the far wall, away from his side of the bed! Why would sunlight be streaming in right on his face, huh!?

Now that he could get a better look and his eyes had adjusted to the room, he noticed that he wasn’t in the Master’s Suite at all.

He was in… a bedroom.

A nice bedroom, yes, but one much smaller than the Master’s Suite. Not that he had any complaints about that.

Nick LIKED small and modest. He didn’t care much for the inflated and frankly embarrassing opulence of the golden suite at all, it had long-since served its purpose after Dakota did away with the old room designs Sylvia had dreamt up.

No, this was much more his speed. It seemed like the kind of place he would have back home, a nice, simple master bedroom with a large bed, a TV on the wall, and things set up so peacefully and domestically…

But what was he doing here?

As Nick got out of bed, he realized that even if his legs were a little shaky, the rest of him had certainly changed. Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin had shredded his clothes, but he was dressed again, though not in anything he would have chosen to wear for himself.

He was clad in pajamas. Like something out of an old movie. He didn’t wear pajamas, he usually went to bed in just his boxers, or if he was tired, whatever he’d worn that day. …Or, more recently these days, buck naked.

But he had never really gone to the effort of wearing pajamas, so what was going on here? He looked around in confusion.

A glance at the dresser answered his question in the most out of the blue way imaginable.

Sitting there beside his pillow and the turned-off alarm clock was a photograph. A picture of a couple holding each other close and smiling big, cheesy smiles at the camera as they posed in front of what he assumed was a waterfall of some sort. It looked like the kind of place you’d go on a honeymoon, which he felt was the intent of the photograph.

Because, obviously, he was the man in the photo, and the woman with her arms wrapped around him, gazing adoringly out of the frame?

Rose.

Nick was actually taken aback by how happy and content she looked, smiling up at him. It was like she was completely at ease.

Right. Of course she would use Dream Alley for our date, Nick realized, putting the pieces together immediately. He set the photo down and looked around, wondering what she was aiming for with this one.

Rose: 9600 BP – 5000 BP = 4600 BP

The girl in question was nowhere to be seen, though. Judging from the size of the bed, the décor of the room, and the fact that he could see her clothes in the open dresser drawer and some dresses hanging in the closet, not to mention the ring on his finger (which was definitely NOT the one he had exchanged with Mary) he could guess that they were supposed to be a married couple of some sort. That seemed like a safe guess, anyway.

But she wasn’t here.

Apparently, breakfast in bed wasn’t part of the fantasy, which was a little disappointing. But maybe there would be something else. He walked over to the dresser and changed out of his pajamas, glad to see that she had at least brought his clothes in for him. That was good. He got changed and took a look at himself in the mirror.

He looked about normal. He had briefly considered that Rose might leap them ahead in time, but whatever she was doing, it hadn’t changed much on the surface.

Deciding that he’d dallied long enough in the bedroom, he headed out to explore the rest of the house.

It was big- he realized that just upon getting a look at the hallway. But it was cozy, too. This wasn’t some luxurious mansion like he would have expected Rose to conjure into being, no, it was more tranquil and domestic than that, like something from the suburbs.

He had a feeling he knew what fantasy she was exploring with this little plan of hers, and it brought a smile to his lips.

Then he heard some humming in the distance.

Nick headed down the stairs, in the direction of the hums. The house was as big as he imagined as he saw more of it, practically as if it had been pulled from his own fantasies instead of Rose’s. He made his way into the kitchen, and there she was.

Rose hovered over the stove like a hawk patiently watching over her hatchlings. She had a warm smile on her face and a soft gaze in her eyes, and she didn’t even notice Nick’s presence at first.

She must have heard him let out the breath he’d been holding because she raised her head and turned to him, and a gorgeous smile stretched across her radiant features as she took him in.

Rose looked beautiful. That was nothing special- she always looked phenomenal. But she this morning she looked beautiful in a way she didn’t often. She was dressed down, wearing a comfortable blouse over a pair of lazy-looking sweatpants, the kind of clothes you would pick out for a nice, relaxing day at home- one step removed from mom jeans! …But she made it work. She was beautiful in the way an ordinary woman could be beautiful, when her best feature was her loving smile that radiated content. A silk apron added the finishing touch to her guise of domestic bliss, and she greeted Nick with love in her eyes as she approached him.

“Honey, you’re awake so soon?” She cooed, batting her eyelashes. “I haven’t even finished breakfast!”

Nick could smell the bacon sizzling on the stovetop, and it mixed together with something that smelled just so sweet he found his mouth watering. Whatever she’d prepared, it was almost so delicious he didn’t even think to question the rest of what he saw before him.

“Wait… Rose, you made me breakfast?” He asked like an absolute fool. In his defense, the day had gotten off to a strange start and he was still waiting for his brain to catch up to where he was right now.

Rose looked blankly at him, then she shook her head. “Silly boy,” she tittered, “of course I made breakfast! That’s what a good wife does!”

She reached up and pinched his cheek while Nick just stared at her. Forget unpacking the logic behind “a good wife makes breakfast” since when did he get married to Rose?

So that’s her idea for today’s date then. I should have expected something like this. First the stunning day in Paris, then for a follow-up, she’s imagining if we were a happy newlywed couple? Okay, I can get with that. It’s kind of cute, seeing her try so hard to be a perfect wife.

Nick certainly wasn’t the sort of fellow who believed that a woman’s place was in the kitchen, but if that was the kind of ideal Rose wanted to cultivate on today’s date, he wasn’t going to object.

“I was almost expecting to wake up to some craziness,” he admitted with a laugh, pulling up a seat at the well-loved kitchen table. “You know, something glamorous to trump our last Dream Alley date, in Paris. But this was a nice choice too.”

Rose blinked and looked at him in confusion as she took the skillet off the stove. “Dream Alley?” She questioned, scooping a few pieces onto their plates, right beside the freshly-baked croissants. “What’s that, hon?”

Nick stared at her. “Uh… Dream Alley? You know, the place that makes your dreams into reality? Where we are right now?”

What was she playing at here?

Rose looked at him and giggled, her eyes puzzled over with confusion. “We’re in the kitchen, silly,” she told him. “I know we just bought the place, but surely you haven’t forgotten that?” She gave him a loving look. “Although… ‘Dream Alley’ that does sound like a wonderful name,” she sighed, casting her eyes across the kitchen. “Living here with you, in a house like this… sometimes I wonder if this really is a dream.”

Uh, yeah. It was. What, was she trying to punk him right now?

Nick, thoroughly confused, stared at his supposed wife and wondered what the heck was going on. This is just a dream she made for Dream Alley, right? So what’s going on? Is she trying to pretend that we’ve actually been married all this time? That Harem Hotel and all that, that was the dream?”

She looked completely clueless, so much so he questioned whether or not she’d removed her memories as part of the fantasy. He wouldn’t put it past Rose, to be honest, but then again, she was a phenomenal actress. She could be pretending…

“What is it?” She blushed, shying away from him. “Is there something on my face?”

…If she was gaslighting him, she was very good at it.

“…Here’s your breakfast, honey,” Rose said, setting out a plate of bacon, diced potatoes, and croissants for him. It all smelled delicious. She winked when he looked up at her. “And there’s french toast for dessert,” she added in a breathy voice. “Nothing’s too good for my husband.”

“…Thanks,” Nick said, accepting the plate gratefully. Whatever was going on here, he was pretty sure now that this was just an act. So there was no harm in playing along, right? If Rose wanted to put all that stuff about Harem Hotel to the side and play house together on their date, he could do that.

He took a bite of the bacon, and it tasted even more delicious than it smelled. Wow, waking up every morning to a wife that looked like Rose, eating food that tasted like this…

Okay, part of Nick really wanted to believe.

Still… he knew it wasn’t real. That didn’t matter, of course, but it wouldn’t have hurt for her to let him in on things, at least give him a nod or a wink that showed she was well aware that they were both on the same page, playing pretend. But she was stubbornly insisting that nothing had happened, that they were really just newlyweds.

“So you really don’t remember anything about Harem Hotel?” Nick questioned.

Rose gave him a flat, serene expression.

“I remember,” she said coolly, reaching over and placing her hand over his, “getting married to the man I love, in a wonderful ceremony in front of our family and friends. As for the rest…? All those details are just… details.”

She took a deep breath and exhaled softly, her eyes watering. “What matters to me is that we’re together now, and we’re happy. Don’t you think?”

He could feel the heat in her gaze, and understood the weight of her pleas. She really did just want to put all that behind them, and just enjoy a life of wedded bliss together.

Nick wanted that too, but…

No, it just wasn’t right.

“Rose,” he said softly, placing his hand over hers in turn, “I-”

“Rose?” She giggled, sounding incredulous. “You haven’t called me that in years!”

“Oh?” Nick blinked, taken aback momentarily. “That… huh?”

She shook her head.

“You always call me Rosemary,” she reminded him gently. “That’s my full name, after all.”

Right… Nick had called her Rose so many times, he almost forgot that it was just an abbreviation.

“Can you call me that?” She almost sounded ****. Her eyes widened and she pulled down the tone of her voice a little. “Please? I like when you call me that.”

Nick nodded. “…Rosemary,” he said gently, and the look of joy that flashed through her eyes melted his heart. They sat there together in their kitchen, looking deeply into each other’s eyes, and in that moment it didn’t matter that this was all a dream, because the feelings involved were real.

“I like it when you call me that,” Rose whispered, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear as she smiled bashfully up at him. “Rosemary.”

“Well if you want, I’ll call you that from now on,” Nick offered, not sure if he was talking to the Rose from Harem Hotel or the vision of his perfect wife she was trying to play.

She looked overjoyed at that, and yet she shook her head. “Maybe when we’re alone together,” she suggested. “Just the two of us.”

A private name for just them. He liked the way her mind worked. It was as if she’d pulled herself right from a romance movie.

“Rose,” Nick said, feeling his heart ache. He didn’t like what he was about to do, but he still felt the necessity of it.

Rose could see his intention in his eyes, and she winced in anticipation. But she didn’t try to stop him, almost like she knew that they needed to have this discussion, and it needed to happen sooner, rather than later.

The question was, how should Nick initiate it?

He swallowed and pushed forward. “…You know you can tell me anything, right?” He said softly. “Anything at all.”

She looked at him with uncertainty and slowly nodded. “Of course…” she murmured.

“So that’s why, I think we should speak honestly with each other. Right now, I mean,” he said bluntly, staring at her.

She stared back at him, playing dumb. Or maybe she really had given herself a memory wipe.

“Part of the reason I fell in love with you, was because of the moments we shared together,” Nick reminded her. “Those times, the fun ones and the crazy ones, they’re part of what made me fall for you,” he said, thinking back on all the times Rose had driven him crazy in every meaning of the word. “You feel that way too, right?”

Rose bit her lip. “I… understand what you mean,” she agreed.

“And believe me, I love this,” Nick added, reassuring her that his problem wasn’t with the scenario she’d dreamed up. “But a part of my fantasy is being able to share it with you for real, not… not with someone who doesn’t even remember how we met.”

“I do remember how we met,” she said. “It was in a hot tub!”

True. But Nick suspected the circumstances behind that were a little bit different this time around.

“If you want to reminisce on those times together, I’m happy to have as much domestic bliss as you want,” Nick assured her. “You and me, together. In Dream Alley. Does that work for you?”

A sigh escaped Rose’s lips. The look she gave him lasted only for a moment, but it was enough of a signal. There was no memory wipe, she was just playing a part. And she let her mask down just enough to bring him in on her little charade.

“Oui,” she nodded. “I want to make this the perfect dream for you, after all, mon amour.”

Honestly? That was all he’d ever wanted.

Nick smiled and nodded.

“Okay then,” he said, squeezing her hand. “You and me.”

She giggled and looked back at him. “That’s right. A nice dream of domestic bliss,” she echoed back with a nod.

Then she took back her hand, and hopped to her feet.

“Oh! I almost forgot!” She gasped, suddenly back in the role. “Look at the time! I got so caught up in our breakfast, I almost forgot about the kids!”

Nick’s heart stopped in his chest.

Wait… what?

“Jacques! Madeleine! It’s time for breakfast, come, come!” She called, clapping her hands together loudly.

“Maman!”

“Papa!”

Nick stared in shock as two blonde-haired kids approximately six or seven years old rushed into the kitchen with big smiles on their rosy red faces. They gazed adoringly up at the both of them with sparkling blue eyes, looking expectantly at Nick.

At their father.

“Look at you both, aren’t you just so lovely?” Rose cooed. She turned and looked at Nick, her face burned with a smirk of triumph. “So and say bonjour to your papa!” She ushered them over to Nick.

“Bonjour, Papa,” the little girl, Madeleine, said, standing up on her tiptoes and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

“Bonjour, Papa!” The boy, who must have been Jacques, said next, kissing him on the cheek as well.

Nick still had trouble processing what was happening. “Good… good morning,” he managed to get out, looking past the overjoyed faces of his children to meet his wife’s eye. She radiated a look of smug superiority.

His dearly beloved housewife obviously had no qualms about playing dirty, as usual.