It was a dark and stormy night!..... umm, actually it was more a typical dreary autumn afternoon that we sometimes have in England where everything just seems to be a little bit damp and droopy, but who would want to read a story that started like that?

So there I was sitting in my comfy chair watching the news and supping a freshly brewed cup of tea (it's compulsory in Britain as you know) when there was a loud and insistent knocking at my door! Such occurrences just don't happen in this quiet little village in Kent.

In fact, the last time I heard of something like that happening around here was when a chap with a funny moustache started to get up to some mischief over in Europe and everybody had to go to the village hall to decide what should be done about it. So you can imagine my surprise at the banging at the door as I hadn't seen anything on the news that would warrant such a disturbance. I mean, I almost spilt my tea!

Having regained my composure I went to the door but there was no one there. I was just about to go back in when I noticed something moving in the hedge, a young woman.

With a quick glance up and down the street she stood up and rushed towards me. Clearly distressed she clasped my hand with both her hands, and with a pleading look in her eyes she spoke a language that certainly wasn't English. I may not have understood the words but I certainly got the meaning and with my free hand gestured for her to come inside. Then with one final glance over her shoulder she dashed past me and into the house.

As I closed the door and turned around she was nowhere to be seen. Then I noticed a small pair of shoes peeping out from the alcove under the stairs. Sure enough, there amongst the coats and shoes she was curled up with her knees clasped tightly under her chin and crying so hard she was shaking.

Not really knowing what to do I stood there for a moment, then having moved some shoes I quietly sat down beside her. After a few minutes the tears began to slow and she looked out of the corner of her eye at me. After a brief hesitation, she wrapped her arms around me and with her head on my chest began crying again. As I held her tight, memories I had been trying so hard to ignore came rushing back and silently I cried with her.

As I stroked her hair all I could think about was my daughter and how I used to comfort her. I don't know why, as I was sure she wouldn't understand a word I was saying, but I found myself telling her all about my Chloe. I am not ashamed to say it, she was my little princess, and clever too, a Masters Degree at 21. It's two years ago now, but the pain of that day when the police came and told us she had been killed in a car accident is still as vivid as though it happened yesterday.

Until this day I have not been able to bring myself to talk about it and I can't help thinking why I am doing it now?

As if shaking myself out of a daze I noticed that she had stopped crying and was almost asleep in my arms. She stirred and gave me a squeeze and said something. I got the impression she wanted me to keep talking, perhaps she was being comforted just hearing me talk to her.

We can pick up almost as much from the tone of the voice as the words themselves sometimes. My wife was so good at that, she could read me like a book. A phrase often over used but is actually something very rare, 'Soul Mates'. Well, Heather and I were without question soul mates. We were married for nearly thirty years and we ran a small business together, in all that time we never once had a row. Ok, like any normal couple we didn't always agree but somehow it never became a problem. Loosing Chloe was devastating for both of us but somehow we managed to hold each other together.

It was a year after loosing Chloe, we were slowly getting ourselves back on our feet and thinking we might just have a future again when that fateful day came. I had popped out for some groceries and came home to find my beloved Heather dead with her phone in her hand and my number on it waiting to be dialled. The doctor said it was an intracranial haemorrhage and it must have been almost instant.

All I know is I died that day too.

I don't know how long we had sat there amongst the shoes and coats. But by the time I had finished talking, for the first time in two years I didn't feel empty inside. And as I looked down at this strange girl in my arms I felt myself smile. Then as if sensing me look at her she raised her head and smiled back at me. A smile that seemed to radiate out from her and lighten everything it touched... and I felt happy.

Hungry!

I suddenly realised I was hungry and wondered if she was too? I did the universal hand gesture for 'eat' and she nodded. I stood up a little too quickly and got tangled up in the coats. Then I managed to step on an upturned shoe and in a flurry of coats and jackets I landed in a crumpled heap! I started to chuckle, it was the strangest feeling, it was almost like re-living a distant memory, has it really been so long?

Then I saw her look at me. There she was with tussled hair and a look that seemed to be a mix of fear, concern, confusion and amusement, all at the same time. I couldn't help but laugh. Then with the most delicate of movements she covered her mouth with her hands as if trying to hold it in, and then she giggled too.

Still grinning we made our way into the kitchen and I sat her down while trying to decided what we could eat. While preparing a quick snack I was wondering how we could find a way to communicate and I had a flash of inspiration. So while she made a start on the food I went into the other room and pulled out the Atlas (Yes I am old enough to still use books. Huff!).

I opened out the double page spread that showed the whole world, pointed to Britain and gestured 'here' and then 'you?'. It took a couple of goes but she got the idea and pointed to the middle of Eastern Europe. Having opened the pages to that general area she just kept shaking her head.

Time to boot up Google Maps. Ok, I admit it, sometimes technology can be better. For a couple of minutes she clicked around and eventually zoomed in on the tiniest of dots on the Russian boarder. Sohvekiia. Who knew? Even Wikipedia didn't know much, but it did say that the second language was Russian and that was what I was looking for.

Stage two of my cunning plan, an Audio Translator.

It didn't take long to find an online programme and after a little clicking around I spoke into the microphone "Hello, my name is Peter". Hit the translation button, and out burped "дравствуйте, меня зовут Питер".

I didn't understand a word of it, but her eyes lit up and she just started gabbling into the mike. I eventually managed to calm her down, and although the translator clearly had its limitations, by keeping to very short sentences we started to make progress.

All of a sudden there was an almighty racket outside! That instantly recognisable sound of a car crash... followed by a lot of shouting... and then... gunshots? Surely not, not around here. I was just getting ready to be thoroughly British and indignant at the disturbance when I saw the terror in her eyes and I hesitated.

By now it clearly was weapons fire and the standard response of brandishing a brolly at ruffians tends not to be so effective when they have machine guns. And then as suddenly as it started there was silence.

I cautiously looked thorough an upstairs window and could see two large cars wrapped around each other and about a half-dozen men in Mafia style suits apparently lying dead in the road. She timidly slipped in beside me and peered out the window, pointed and said something. I think she was trying to tell me that these were the people who were after her.

Very quickly the whole area was swarming with police. The big question now is, what do I do about her? It's going to be my door they will knock on next. But it took just a moment to decide that the best thing I could do is keep her hidden until everything had calmed down, I would deal with any consequences later.

I had just managed to get her safely tucked away in the loft room when sure enough there was a knock at the door. After two cups of tea, half a packet of digestives, and what seemed to be an endless list of questions, the police finally left. By this time the road was empty and everything had been cleared up. It was surreal, it was like nothing had happened.

Breathing a sigh of relief I went upstairs, pulled down the loft ladder and climbed up. I had barely gotten into the room and the next thing I know she is hugging me so tight it was actually a little difficult to breathe. Her whole body was trembling, "What on earth have they done to you my poor baby" I whispered.

"C'mon, let's go back downstairs and have another go with the computer".

We were soon back in the swing of taking turns with the translator programme. Apparently she had been kidnapped years ago because she was 'special'. She was being taken to London to be given to someone and that absolutely terrified her. Then while stuck in traffic, a car ran into the side of them bursting the door lock, and as the car she was in tried to accelerate away she jumped from the moving car, knowing they would rather kill her than let her go. Which considering the gun battle we had witnessed was entirely believable.

Oh, and I found out her name is Catarina... just as the laptop battery went flat.

By this time I could see that she was getting tired, as was I. So I lead her to the spare bedroom and got out some fresh linen and made a bed for her.

She kept looking at me and the bed with a very confused look...

Oops, how could I forget? I went and got her a towel, spare toothbrush and a nice fluffy dressing gown.

She looked even more confused....

Ugh, done it again, I gave her a quick guided tour of the guest bathroom and where everything was. I even had some of my wife's unused powders and potions in the cabinet (a complete mystery to me but women seem to know how they work). I was actually feeling rather pleased with myself and my efforts as a host...

She still looked confused...

I sighed. By this time I will admit I was too tired to start hunting around for the laptop charger and the call of my own bed was getting too loud to ignore. So I gave Catarina a gentle hug and light kiss on her forehead, and said goodnight. While I was getting myself ready for bed I heard the shower so I knew she was ok, and my head had barely reached the pillow and I was asleep.

I awoke to the sun streaming through the curtains. I haven't slept like that since, well, you know, and I luxuriated in just slowly waking up. As I lay there thinking over yesterday it all seemed so surreal. I had almost convinced myself it must have been a dream when I heard something to the side of the bed.

As I propped myself onto one elbow, I looked and was astonished to see Catarina curled up in her bedding on the floor. So much for the 'dream' theory. She seemed fast asleep, so as quietly as I could I got up and made my way to the kitchen for my morning cuppa. I had barely got the kettle on and I turned to see Catarina still wrapped up in bedclothes with her hair tussled and a very sleepy look on her face.

She looked adorable.

With the tea brewing and some toast on the go I braced myself to open the Drawer-Of-Doom! Every house has one (don't deny it).

It's the drawer that hides all the old adapters, leads with funny plugs, batteries that are almost but not quite flat, the torch that never worked, all those little things that you don't actually use but can't quite bring yourself to throw away. And there lying on top was the spare charger for the laptop, result!

With the laptop running again we had a leisurely breakfast as we chatted through the translator programme.

I had a box of Chloe's clothes stored in the loft that I hadn't managed to bring myself to get rid of and wondered if Catarina might be able to find something in there to wear. The box was a lot bigger than I remembered but between us we managed to get it down from the loft, and having opened it up for her, I left Catarina with a broad grin on her face as she started pulling everything out of the box.

Girls really do love their clothes.

Knowing she would be busy for a while I decided to quickly nip to the village shop. Unsurprisingly everyone was buzzing about the excitement of the previous day. It had even made it onto the cover of the local newspaper. I didn't hang around to chat as I usually do as I didn't want to leave Catarina alone for too long and for her to start to worry.

As I opened the front door I called out to say I was home. I looked up the stairs as she stepped out onto the landing wearing a pale yellow summer dress and matching heels, and with the sunshine streaming through the window behind her, her blonde hair shone like a halo. Then with a slight tilt of her head she gave me a coy little smile that quite literally took my breath away!

Then with a grin she rushed down the stairs and gave me a great big hug.

We went into the kitchen and spread the newspaper out on the table, and as I read the newspaper article I explained the important details through the translator for her.

It said that there was an incident between two rival Russian gangs and there was a large consignment of drugs in the boot of one of the cars. It was an ambush that went wrong which developed into a shootout with one survivor who later died. Arrests have been made in London and Russia, and they had managed to shut down two of the biggest Russian gangs operating in London and the police were not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident.

It took a few attempts through the translator to get Catarina to understand, then as the realisation hit her she fainted.

I saw her start to go and caught her, then scooped her up and carried her into the lounge. It didn't take long for her to recover and having got the laptop and the newspaper from the kitchen we carried on going through the article.

I will admit it was with trepidation I finally asked what she wanted to do now? Perhaps with a little too much haste I added that she could stay here while she decided. Then she floored me! Looking straight at me she said "Here.. to.. stay.. please?"

In one fluid motion I hugged her, gave her a kiss on the cheek, took both her hands in mine and said "Yes, you must stay!"

At which point I suddenly realised what I had done, gave an embarrassed cough, got up and went into the kitchen to make a fresh pot of tea. I was reaching up to get my stash of Scottish Shortbread (the ultimate dunking biscuit) when Catarina came up behind me and put her arms around me, kissed me on the neck and whispered "Spasiba".

The next few weeks were amongst the happiest of my life. Having Catarina around got me thinking about my own future again.

One of the reasons I bought this house was because there was room to build a good size garage, looks like its time to get on with building it. It's physically hard work but I found I was getting fitter by the day and all the weight I had put on over the last two years just seemed to melt away from me.

Catarina wanted to learn English so I set her up with one of those online tutorials. I have never seen anything like it.

Within a couple of days she was doing better than the translator programme, by the end of the week she could carry out a conversation, two weeks she was fluent though with an accent, and by the third week she was faultless and actually correcting me. I didn't think it was possible to learn a language so well, so quickly.

I have noticed she has a real knack for picking things up, it's like she only needs to see something once to be able to do it. This must be what she meant when she said she was special.

It was four weeks to the day after Catarina came into my life. Over breakfast I noticed she had a look on her face I had come to know well, she was puzzling over something. It's funny how you can get so in sync with somebody that with just a glance you can know exactly what they are feeling.

Today there was something different though. Whatever it was, it was really bothering her and as the morning progressed whenever she saw me she paused as if she was going to say something then looked away. For the first time since she came here she went to her bedroom and closed and locked the door, taking the laptop with her. As the day went on I will admit to getting increasingly worried.

By teatime I had just about worked myself up to defcon2 on the panic scale, and for the umpteenth time I stood outside her door trying to pluck up courage to actually knock... when I heard the lock go! I dashed over to my bedroom and tried to look all nonchalant as she stepped out. She gave me a tired smile and said "don't worry" and went downstairs.

Umm... hello?... was that it? and I stood there feeling deflated and thoroughly bemused.

Pulling myself together I went downstairs and heard Catarina in the kitchen. As I walked in she gave me her usual bright smile and said "Fancy spag-boll tonight?" as though the strangeness of the day hadn't happened. A little taken aback I said "Yes, that would be nice thank you, but are you ok? I have hardly seen you all day and something seems to be worrying you?"

There was a momentary frown that crossed her face then she smiled and said "Don't worry, everything will be ok, just trust me please?" One thing I have learned is that when a woman really doesn't want to talk about something, pushing the matter isn't going to end well. So I gave her a gentle shoulder hug, kissed her on the head and started helping with dinner.

We spent the rest of the evening watching the telly. It was still nice just being in each others company without having the need to talk too much, but there was also no ignoring that we were avoiding 'it'.

Making my excuses I decided on an early night, I was genuinely tired but also finding it hard not to bring the subject up. As I went upstairs, Catarina followed me and as she stood by her bedroom door she said "Thank you for trusting me, I love you" and with that she stepped into her room and closed the door.

I stood there dumfounded! How could you say that and then just close the door? Oh great, no sleep for me tonight then!

I was muttering and fretting while getting myself ready for bed, my teeth have never been so clean! I sat on the bed wondering what to do? Truth is that I am crazy in love with her and have been since that first day, but I also knew it would have been inappropriate to say anything.

Oh, we are sooo going to have a conversation tomorrow!

I awoke feeling very groggy and out of sorts. As I tried to move, my head started swimming and I came over nauseous. "Think I might lay here quiet for a while" I thought to myself. Then in a panic I thought about Catarina, is she ok?

I tried again to get up and was immediately hit by a wall of nausea and giddiness. I lay there perfectly still, willing my body to calm down so that I could move. All I could think of "Is Catarina ok?"

Slowly everything started to settle and I began to be aware that there was something in the bed with me. I forced my eyes open against the sharpest of headaches and as they came half into focus I could see... Catarina? It that Catarina? She was in bed with me, laying half on me with her head on my shoulder. Somehow I managed to force my arm to move and was able to brush her hair from her face and I could see that it was my Catarina.

But I know that she was blonde, so how is her hair now dark? What on earth is going on?

She stirred and I could tell straight away she was in a similar state to me. She struggled to open her eyes and as she noticed the colour of her hair she whispered "it is done" and just closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

I didn't have a clue what was going on but at least I could feel that as deeply unpleasant as this was, it wasn't dangerous, and with Catarina laying beside me I knew she was safe. And with that I drifted back off to sleep.

It was early evening by the time I began to re-surface. I felt like I had been run over by a stream roller... twice, and my whole body was tingling. But I did feel a little more human and at least I could move again.

Catarina was still in a deep sleep but she was breathing easily. I gently stroked her hair, it felt even softer than when she was blonde and now my eyes had cleared properly there is no doubt it was now a beautiful rich auburn with almost ever hair a slightly different shade.

Definitely not from a bottle.

I was completely lost in the moment when there was a knock at the door. I managed to extricate myself from Catarina without waking her and slipped on a bathrobe. I was still very wobbly but at least I could walk now. As I opened the door I am not sure who was more surprised, me or them?

I must have made quite a sight, though I think they had the edge on me. Standing there was a young man, and an old woman who looked about 150, both wearing clothes that a Mongolian yak herder would call 'old school' (no offence intended to any Mongolians who may be reading this).

The young man, in very halting English introduced himself as Vad and the woman was his grandmother. He showed me an old torn and tattered photo of a girl about 14 with a head of vibrant blonde hair. The old woman was staring intently at me and then started talking with increasing animation to Vad.

Then everything stopped.

From upstairs we could hear a voice "babuska?" And then a little louder "Babuska?" All our heads turned and looked to the top of the stairs to see Catarina with a blanket wrapped around her. As she saw the old woman she shouted "BABUSKA!"

How she didn't trip and fall I don't know, but she ran down the stairs and wrapped herself around the old woman. Then looking at the young man she said "Vad?" and he nodded. All three of them dissolved into tears and hugged and kissed and kept touching each other as if to prove they really were there.

After a little while I gave a polite and somewhat embarrassed cough and gestured to come in, and Catarina grabbed their hands and swept them into the lounge.

Now standing there all alone at the front door I muttered to myself "Better get the kettle on then".

Thinking it better to keep out of the way I went to the kitchen and got a brew on the go because if nobody else wanted a cuppa I certainly did. After a few minutes Vad walked in and said "Catarina say you to come".

I followed him into the lounge and saw Catarina beaming and waving me to come in. "This is my Grandmother Berta, and this is my brother Vad" and turning to them she said "Он дыхание моего сердца". They both looked at me with wide eyes and just nodded.

Then with perfect timing I heard the kettle come to the boil and I gestured for Vad to help me with the tea. While we were sorting drinks and a few nibbles I asked Vad what Catarina had said?

"Hard to translate" Vad said, "Catarina 'special', can choose only one, you are her heart".

I said that I know she loves me and... Vad interrupted "No, no, much more than love. You are her.... there is no word... her breath, yes?".

I nodded sagely and patted him on his arm and said "Shall we join the others?" and we each picked up a tray and made our way back to the lounge.

The rest of the evening was a blur with the three of them talking non stop, only pausing for tears of joy and tears of sadness. Oh, and lots of hugging. It seems that Sohvekiians love to hug. Hey, I can live with that.

I did manage to get out of Vad that their whole family had been held captive and then four weeks ago the camp in which they were being held was overrun by the police and they were set free. The police explained about the accident and how that lead to their release. But they knew something the police didn't, that Catarina was also part of the delivery and that she wasn't among those killed, so they came looking for her.

It was really getting late now and apart from the incessant tingling, every fibre in my body was screaming for me to go to bed and I could see that Catarina was struggling too. I explained I would love for them to stay but that I only had the one guest room.

Thankfully Vad said that they had a hotel booked nearby but also that they would have to get back home tomorrow now they had found Catarina. There were more hugs and there were more tears, but now only of happiness. And then we were alone again.

As I closed the door I looked at Catarina and said "We really do need to talk",

"Yes we do" she said.

Then she gave me a look that I know I will never be able to say no to "But can we do it tomorrow please?"

I looked at her and sighed "The whole story?"

She smiled "Yes everything, I can tell you everything now. But can I please be with you tonight? I cannot bear another night alone. In my country, to share a bed, or at least a bedroom, is part of what defines a close and loving family. To be made to sleep alone is a severe punishment or sign of deep sorrow. In all my life I have never been alone at night and I have been so very lonely these last few weeks, and with everything that has happened today I just need you with me".

I was stunned! There I was thinking I was being kind and considerate and respecting her privacy, and she thought I was rejecting her. Like scales falling from my eyes I could now see how blind I had been, the signs were there and yet I had missed them all. How could I be so stupid?

For a moment I stood there not knowing what to say. Then I took her hand, smiled, and said "Time for bed" and lead her up the stairs.

If there is a perfect way to start a day, this morning was it. I awoke to the glorious smells of breakfast and the sounds of Catarina singing happily to herself. Her voice has a delicacy and clarity that can soothe and excite at the same time, and the house seems to just ring with her happiness.

Trying not to appear too eager (I think I might have failed though) I got to the kitchen to see her wearing one of my shirts. Phew! How can someone look so cute and innocent and downright sexy all at the same time?

I looked at this vision of loveliness, with a cooked breakfast and a steaming brew waiting for me on the table, and thought "It really doesn't get any better than this".

With the warmest of smiles Catarina said "Morning sleepy head. I was just coming to wake you". Then with a flourish and a curtsy "Breakfast is served".

With a bow and flourish of my own I said "Why, thank you Madame" and then gently brushed some flour from her cheek and kissed her.

Of course the breakfast was cooked to perfection and the tea was spot on. It was when I broached the subject of yesterday I saw the look of a little girl with her hand caught in the biscuit jar. With her head down she said "Could we finish breakfast first? We have all day and I thought it would be nice to just wake up with a relaxing breakfast".

"Ohhh no" I thought. "I am being softened up, what on earth is she going to tell me?"

After what I will admit was a wonderful breakfast. I suggested we went for a walk in the park. It was a lovely day with a soft autumnal sun and at this time of year the park truly is beautiful, and with benches along the path and around the lake there are plenty of opportunities to sit and talk.

We took the long path down to the lake and I could see her start to relax. "So is Granny really 150?" I asked.

Catarina laughed "No, not quite, though she is really old".

We found a bench and with a little more gentle coaxing she started telling me about her family and the history of her village and the 'special ones'. We must have sat there for a couple of hours, it certainly felt like it as not only have I still got this infernal tingling going on, my bottom and thighs were now totally numb.

There is a small cafe in the park so I suggested a coffee. As I tried to get up it was obvious I really had been sitting for too long as everything felt stiff and achy and numb. As we walked it did get easier, though I think I must have pinched a nerve or something as my walking definitely felt off and nothing felt right.

As we walked to the cafe, "So let me get this straight" I said "Going back into the mists of time to when it's impossible to distinguish between myth and fact, for each generation in your village there is a 'special one'. Always female and always blonde and fair skinned. In contrast to everyone else who has jet black hair and ruddy complexion. They are strongly intuitive and empathetic to other people's physical, emotional and mental state, and they are somehow able to channel natural energies to cure illnesses and heal all but the worst injuries".

"How am I doing so far?"

Catarina smiled and said "A bit basic but not bad".

I took a deep breath "Ok, so everything was fine for generations until the collapse of the Soviet Union and then the Russian Mafia came along and started taking over. Eventually they came to your village and found out about the 'special ones'. Realising they could use someone with those talents they came looking, and found you.

They kidnapped you and your family and subsequently have been forcing you to work for them. The reason you ended up here was because you were to be given to the most powerful Boss in Europe. Then one of the other gangs found out about it and tried to intercept you and kidnap you for themselves. But the attempt was botched, you managed to escape and found yourself at my door?"

Catarina nodded and said "In essence, that's about it".

As I opened the door to the cafe I shook my head "It's a lot to take in. I am just so thankful it was my door that you found".

While we waited for our order to be served I looked at her and said "There is something I don't understand. What you have told me is incredible and while you thought your family was still in danger I understand you keeping it quiet. But it doesn't explain just how worried you have been the last couple of days, or why you felt you needed to soften me up this morning. Which worked by the way" (as I gave her hand a squeeze and a little wink).

"There is something important you haven't told me yet isn't there?"

She looked down at the table and said "Yes there is"... just as the waitress came to our table.

We had only been sitting for a few minutes and the discomfort started to come back. I said "Would you mind if we had these while we walk? I am feeling so uncomfortable sitting down". I called the waitress over and asked if we could have our order to go.

We walked towards the lake in silence, but not the 'happy just to be with you' silence, it was 'I don't know what to say next' silence.

As we got to the lake we stopped and while looking into the distance Catarina said "I didn't come to your door by chance you know? I just knew that whoever was behind that door I would be safe with them".

"Then as we sat amongst the coats with my head on your chest, I listened to your voice and I could feel your pain but also such a great depth of love, and as I soothed your grief I could sense your heart, your essence, and knew I would never want to be anywhere else. But then as the days past, although I could feel that you loved me, you kept me at a distance and treated me more like a daughter. I couldn't understand?"

I gently pulled her towards me and held her tight, and I could feel the tension in her body. With my head on her shoulder I said "Oh my dear Catarina, how could we have something so perfect and still get it so wrong. From that first day I have tried so hard to make you feel that you were safe with me. I was sure you had been mistreated and didn't want to give even the slightest hint I would do anything to you. So I was careful to give you your own safe space, never dreaming that by doing so I was making you feel you were weren't loved and were being punished".

"Catarina, I am so sorry. I am also aware, to put it bluntly, I am old enough to be your father (almost). But I think most of all I have been afraid. Afraid to think that someone as wonderful as you would be able to love me. Because I know that if I allowed myself to even hope, it truly would be more than I could bear if you were to then leave.

As I held her I could feel the tension start to ease and as she rested her head against mine she said "I could feel the struggle within you and as each day went past I found it harder and harder to understand. But Peter, I am actually slightly older than you, it's just that we age more slowly".

At which point I will admit I couldn't contain myself anymore, and with a very un-British "Woohoo!" while still hugging her I lifted her off her feet and spun her around. Then I cupped her face in my hands and we kissed. Which I have to say that in the world chart of top kisses it would definitely be in the top 5!

With a slight feeling of euphoria I took her hand and went to continue our walk, but she didn't move. My heart sank, "There's more isn't there?" she nodded.

Catarina took a deep breath "There are some things we keep secret, you already know that we can feel the emotional and physical state of a person? Well, we can actually do rather more. Given time with someone we can become almost empathic. We can't actually read peoples thoughts but we can become so in tune with them that we know them better than they do themselves".

"There is one more thing that is never spoken of. Given the right circumstances we don't just feel the other person, we absorb their character, their essence, and become a perfect reflection of who they are".

"This is the real reason I was being taken to London. Somehow they had found this out and I was going to be forced into becoming his ideal partner, a perfect match of his character and personality. As dark hearted as he is I would become".

I stood there in shock. I needed to sit and made my way to a nearby bench.

As Catarina came and sat next to me I said "I can see now why you were so terrified when you realised the kidnappers were outside the house. But I have to ask, for something that has to be kept so secret, why are you telling me?"

I noticed that she was nervously wringing a handkerchief in her lap, and while looking at her hands she said "There is one more thing". She swallowed hard and said "It's not only being able to heal, we can actually change people. Make them taller, stronger, whatever... It is dangerous and it comes at a great price, but it can be done".

Suddenly very aware of how my body has been tingling since yesterday, I looked at Catarina and said "What have you done?"

Looking at me the words started to tumble out of her non stop and with rising anxiety "I had run out of time, at four weeks there has to be a joining or the link is severed forever. I would have joined with you, changed for you willingly but you kept me at a distance and I didn't know what to do! But I knew your heart and that we were already completely aligned. That never happens! Never!! This should be perfect, but it wasn't, I was so confused I didn't know what to do! I tried looking for clues, I watched you, I even went through your emails and internet history, anything I could think of. Nothing! And then I found that hidden folder with those stories and pictures where men magically became women. Then it all made sense, why you kept me at a distance, why we were perfectly matched. Inside you were a woman. It all made sense!"

Then as she took a breath I said "Catarina. You might have wanted to talk to me first".

"I will admit that I didn't expect you would find that folder, but you have to remember what I was going through. I had lost the two most precious people in my life, my wife and my daughter, I yearned for female company but I knew I was in no fit state to be in any kind of relationship".

"Everything on the telly seemed to remind me of what I had lost. I even had a brief look at porn, but I am too fond of women to get any comfort there. Then I stumbled upon TG Fiction, I think that's what they call it. It allowed my imagination to play and it did give me some solace. But the whole point was that it is fantasy, I have no desire to be a woman in real life".

She buried her head in her hands and started sobbing "What have I done, what have I done!", and while still holding her face and sobbing she got up and started to run.

I tried to stand up and go after her "Catari.... oof!" as my legs gave way under me and I fell in a crumpled heap.

She turned around and saw me on the ground and rushed back to me and kept saying "I am sorry, I am so sorry".

I managed to get to my feet and taking hold of both her hands I said "Look at me".

And gazing into her eyes I said "Catarina, you are my love, you are my heart, you are my very breath, you are more precious to me than life itself and I will never, ever, let you go".

For the rest of my life I will never forget the look of absolute love I saw in her eyes at that moment.

Well, that was six weeks ago and a lot has changed. We now look like sisters and I keep ribbing her that I look younger than her, though she won't have it. The closeness we have is beyond description and although it's still very weird being female, having Catarina beside me I don't really care.

Looking as I do now it would be hard to argue that being a man again would be a step forward and I hate to admit it but girls really do have more fun. Though every now and then I still allow my blokeishness to sneak out, which Catarina takes great delight picking me up on.

The price has been high though. It's not just her hair colour that changed, it seems that she has lost her gifts. She still has great empathy and insight but she can't feel the part of her that made her a 'special one'. She is finding it hard coming to terms with the changes but she knew it was the price she would have to pay and I love her all the more for it.

As for the future? No idea. Catarina has spoken to Berta and in all their history we seem to be the first to have linked in this way, so we are into uncharted waters.

More disturbing is that knowledge of the 'special ones' is out there now, and although I think we are safe for the moment I cannot help but worry. But for now I have my Catarina, I am happy and I am content. Who could ask for more?

Catarina calls from the kitchen "Petra, fancy a cuppa?"

Ahh, that's my girl "Perfect".