Closing his eyes, Ray sent a silent prayer of thanks to anyone that might be listening, shoulders sagging as he finally let go of the last threads of his doubt. On another day, he might usually have made doubly, triply, quadruply sure before caving but he was tired and desperately wanted to believe that the Asher he knew was back.

"You owe me a birthday gift," he muttered, not caring that it had been summertime on the Island a few weeks ago and neither of them could possibly have known it would suddenly be January.