Evening was turning into a night. Darkness had fell hours ago and wind was blowing, making leafs spin in the air. He could feel winter approaching but didn�t want to think about it.
Street was almost empty, distance sound of ambulance could be heard. He was just passing by one building when something made him stop. He looked around but still no one in sight. With few eager steps he reached the door, tried it and for his amazement it was open. He peeked in but it was almost dark there. Against all his instincts he opened the door and went in.

She sat quietly watching altarpiece. Unfortunately she had arrived city so late that there was no one else in the church. She wasn�t looking for other�s companion, she longed for music. But her long journey she�d learned that nothing touched her soul like live music. No microphones, no loudspeakers, no electricity. She would have been happy with just a man and a guitar. She sighed. Soon she�d head back to her hotel. If you could call that almost collapsing house in the end of the city a hotel. But she wanted to sit there a few moments longer, she wanted to feel like a home again. It was impossible but she had to try.

With long steps he approached her. She sat there, looking so calm. But what was she doing in a place like that at that time? He needed to know. So he sat next to her.

She flinched when noticing him but she didn�t run away. She looked at him and found him harmless. And there was something forcing her to stay. She didn�t know what it was but she knew she couldn�t just walk away that time.

"Don�t I know you?" he asked.
"I don�t think so", she said shaking her head. "This is my first time in here."
"You mean this place?"
"This, city around us, whole country actually."
"Oh."
They fell silent.
"Can I ask you what your name is?" He tried to open the conversation again.
"Yes."
"So, what is it?"
"Promise me you wont ask anything more about it", she said and looked at him.
"OK, I promise."
"I�m La."
"La? La. Nice to meet you. I�m Nick Carter."
Rapidly she turned to see him again.
"Nick Carter? As Backstreet Boys Nick Carter?"
"Why do you get to ask if I can�t?" he asked with a tiny smile.
"Sorry."
She stared in front of her again.
"It�s OK. Yes, I am Nick Carter from the Backstreet Boys."
She turned to see him again.
"You�ve grown since I�ve last seen you."
"I just asked if we�ve met before and you denied."
"But Nick�"
"Oh. I get it. You�ve seen pictures."
"Yes, I�ve seen those. Like three years ago. You look� different from that."
"I�d like to think I�m different."
"Aren�t you?"
"Sometimes I�m not sure. What are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here?" She refused to answer question she�d been asking herself last few years.
"It doesn�t really matter, does it?"
"Then why to ask?"
"I guess no reason", he said. "I just� It would be great sometimes to really talk with someone."
"In these days I appreciate more silence."
Stillness plunged in between. Then she heard scratching from the back door. She didn�t look back but kept her eyes on the picture.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I don�t know. It�s maybe just wind."
"Maybe?"
She crossed her hands and looked down, closing her eyes. When she raised her head, scene was different. Whole place was full of candles, every corner floating with shadows those vivid lights made. She looked next to her but he kept his eyes closed. Then she heard scratching again. She looked back, to him and back again. Doors opened like wind was pushing those but view outside was like early in spring. Smell of forests after hard spring rain swam in. Then she saw two figures. Other was looking like Nick and other like� oh my god� it looked just like her.

She followed with her eyes their way to the aisle. She wanted to touch Nick, make him open his eyes but she couldn�t. Behind the curtain came minister and started his speech.
"Dear children of God, you have come to this church so that the Lord may seal your love in the presence of the priest and this community."
She listened man speaking, without believing a word he said. But she heard woman like herself answering allocating to every question asked.
"Have you come here of your own free will and choice and without compulsion to marry each other?"
Nick was still. But she could see his lips moving with the words she heard couple in front of them asking. She tried to reach to him, touch him. Instead she saw woman ahead touching man's arm with hidden passion.
"Nickolas Gene Carter, do you consent to be my husband?"
"I do."
Now she could hear words said by him, sitting there next to her.
"Do you, Laura�"
She wanted to interrupt him. How did he know her real name? Was this some kind of a joke? Was this all just imagination? She pinched herself but it didn't help. She looked back front and saw desperation on woman's face as she was waiting his groom to continue.
"Do you, Laura Elizabeth Ingals consent to be my husband?"
She started to scream. She closed her eyes, tears running down on her cheeks, pulling her hair with despair. This wasn't what she wanted! She didn't want to get married!!!
"To love each other truly,
for better, for worse,
for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
till death do us part."
She yelled like she didn't know she could. And when she opened her eyes, she saw woman in front lying on the floor, bleeding. Man had kneeled next to her, crying, whispering meaningless words. She couldn't speak no more, just watched as her reflection was picked up and carried out of the church in the arms of a man she loved.
She didn't realize that she was standing until doors were dashed off. Nick was standing next to her, his face like a rock, his vault in his upper lip showing contempt.
"What was that?" she cried. "What just happened? Tell me!"
He turned to look at her.
"You're a heart without a home, a rebel without a cause."
"That's not me!" she yelled.
"If you feel as though you're always stranded on the shore like a thief in the night", he continued. " Let me steal your heart away."
"You can't have my heart! No one can have my heart!"
His face twisted, he sat back down and leaned his head to hands.
"I'm sorry", he said with so faint voice she almost didn't hear it. She glanced at him. She wanted to run away but she couldn't. Not yet. There obviously were some unsolved issues between them. She couldn't imagine what those were but she had to stay.
"It's OK", she said sitting down and looking at him. Was he crying? "It's OK. Just� what happened? What was that? They looked like us. Like we would have been getting married."
"We were. Not now. Next summer."
"What do you mean?"
"You're Laura, right?" he asked and looked at her. She nodded. "You're Laura Elizabeth."
"But my last name isn't Ingals."
"I knew that. I knew that and still I said it."
"So you mean that what we just saw was our future?"
"No, not yours. Not future. Vision of mine."
"But Nick, we just met! How could you want to marry me?"
"I did. From the first second I saw you sitting here. I knew you were meant for me. Don't know why but I just knew."
"Are you on something?" she asked. He stood up showing his frustration.
"No! I'm not high! Can't you believe that something like this could happen when you're fully conscious?"
"I've experienced a lot on my journeys but never something like this."
"Ain't you heart without a home? Or why do you keep coming back here?"
"Back where? I just told you this is my first time in this place!"
"But where ever you go, you find a church, sit down, listen to the choir, cherish your memories you've brought from home� You want to stay, every time you wish you could stop but you force yourself going on."
She swallowed her tears. "How can you tell?"
"'Cause I know", he said looking into her yes. "I know. I do it too."
They sat there in the dim room, looking at each other's. She lifted her hand, wanting to touch him but he drew back.
"Don't feel sorry for me", he said.
"I don't. I� I feel sorry for me." She let her hand to drop. "I'm not Laura Ingals. I can't be. I don't want to be. But that's who you want."
"No!" he said roundly. "I don't want Laura Ingals. I want you."
"You can't want me. You don't know me."
"Can't you understand? I know you. I've always known you. Can't say that you don't feel it too? It's unbelievable. But look at me. Look at me!" He took her face between his hands and forced her to meet his eyes. "When you saw me three years ago, you knew I would some day look like this, didn't you? You told your friends to wait up, that I would turn into like this. That my too big mouth would develop into something you'd want to feel all over your body. Look at me. You know me. Not just because you saw some pictures of me. You know me." He let her go, annoyed. "Trust me, you know me."
She was now crying, afraid, alone, forced to face some of her greatest fears. "I don't know you."
"You can keep telling you that."
"And I'm not Laura Ingals."
"I don't want Laura Ingals! I don't want a life out in the big woods."
"Are you sure? Maybe that's just what you want. Instead of your life running around and trying to convince everyone that you're worth something? You are a heart without a home, not me!"
"I'm just scared. I'm so scared, you can't believe�"
"You know why I came here?" she asked softly.
"I think so."
"Let me say it out loud too. I was approaching my home too fast. I've been missing there for three years and now I find myself unable to return. So I thought that I've never been here, would be better to experience it before going back. Maybe I never get to run loose again."
"You do. If you want to."
"Like you? You could if you wanted to?" She shook her head. "We tie ourselves up with different bonds."
"That's why you don't want to get married."
"I guess."
They sat back on their original places, staring in front of them. Wind whined back of them but either one didn't turn.
"I'm sorry", he said with calm voice.
"I know you are. And so am I. I can't believe I've been this rude to the complete stranger."
"I'm not�"
"I know", she interrupted. "And I think it's better for me to go now."
She stood up, buttoning up her jacket and pulling her scarf tighter around her neck.
"Do you really think you can escape your destiny?" he asked. She didn't answer, just waited him to stand up so she could pass him and get the hell out of there. But he didn't move. She forced herself to pass him while he was sitting. But when her hand accidentally touched his face, she wanted to place herself into his arms and never leave from there. With shivering moves she overtook him. Still walking down the aisle she wanted to turn back. But she didn't.

Ten minutes later he stood up. He looked around. Place was dark, dusty, abandoned. Like him. With a sigh he took his jacket but didn't bother to zip it. Wind could try to dump him but he would stand. He would stand as long as she'd be by his side. Not any Ingals. Just Laura. Laura. Like in past. He wanted back. He needed to forget. But all he could do was to walk back to his hotel in that dark night. If that palace in the middle of the city could be called a hotel.

From the darkness of the night came man and said: "What God joins together man must not separate. May the Lord confirm the consent that you have given, and enrich you with his blessings."

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