Annette re-entered the ballroom. She had reapplied her lipstick and fixed her hair. She looked perfect.

Rumors were already circulating. People had seen Hank leave. They had seen the lawyer. The tension in the room was palpable.

Lucas signaled the band to stop. The music died away with a discordant screech.

Edward took the microphone on the stage. He was sweating slightly under the lights.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," he began, his voice booming. "A slight change in plans tonight."

The crowd murmured. Heads turned. Where was Hank?

"The Adams-Bolton alliance is stronger than ever," Edward declared. "I am proud to announce the engagement of Annette Adams to my eldest son..."

The double doors at the far end of the ballroom opened.

Dereck rolled in.

He was in a sleek, black motorized wheelchair. He was dressed in a sharp tuxedo that fit his broad shoulders perfectly. His face was pale, his expression one of bored detachment.

The crowd gasped. Most of them hadn't seen him in years. They remembered the accident. They expected a monster. Instead, they saw a tragic, beautiful prince.

"...Dereck Bolton," Edward finished.

Silence. Then, polite, confused applause rippled through the room.

Annette walked towards him across the dance floor. It felt like a mile. She kept her eyes on him.

He was handsome. Devastatingly so. Better looking than Hank, with sharper features and an intensity that Hank lacked.

"Hello, fiancé," she whispered as she reached him, bending down to his level so she wouldn't tower over him.

Dereck looked at her. His eyes were dark, unreadable. He subtly shifted his weight, using the armrest of the chair to create a fraction of an inch more space between his torso and her approaching form. She didn't notice the maneuver, attributing his stiffness to discomfort with the public spectacle. "You have terrible taste," he murmured.

Annette laughed, a light, tinkling sound for the cameras. She placed her hand on his knee-the "paralyzed" one-to pose for a photo.

Under the expensive, thick wool of his trousers, she felt something.

Muscle. Unnaturally hard, rigid muscle, not the soft, wasted flesh she'd expected. It felt like stone beneath the fabric.

She frowned slightly. A paralyzed leg should be soft. Atrophied. This felt like a limb locked in a permanent, powerful spasm.

Spasms? she thought. Or severe spasticity? The medical reports mentioned it. This must be what it felt like.

Dereck flinched. It was microscopic, a tiny tightening of the jaw, but she saw it.

"Smile, Dereck. We're on camera," she hissed through her teeth, dismissing the anomaly.

Dereck offered a cynical, crooked smile. It didn't reach his eyes.

Cameras flashed. The image of the Beauty bending over the Beast was captured forever.

In the corner, Bernadine watched, gripping a champagne flute so hard the stem snapped in her hand.

"Shall we dance?" Annette asked, knowing he couldn't.

"Lead the way," Dereck said, tapping the joystick.

She walked beside him as he wheeled towards the center of the floor. They were a spectacle. A scandal. And they were united against the world.

They didn't dance. Obviously.

Annette wheeled Dereck away from the suffocating crowd, out through the French doors to the garden terrace. The night air was cool, a relief after the heat of the ballroom.

They were finally alone.

Annette dropped the smile instantly. She leaned against the stone railing, looking out at the dark gardens.

"Thank you for agreeing," she said.

Dereck adjusted his cuffs. "I didn't do it for you. I did it for the Trust."

"Honest. I like that," Annette said. She turned to face him.

"So, what's the plan?" Dereck asked, watching her closely.

"We stay married," she said. "You get your money. I get my safety."

"And when I die?" Dereck asked.

The question hung in the cool air.

Annette froze. "What?"

"Everyone says I'm dying. Isn't that why you picked me?" he pressed. His voice was smooth, lacking the rasp he used with his father.

Annette recovered quickly. "I picked you because you aren't Hank."

"And because you have a nice face," she added, deflecting.

Dereck chuckled darkly. "Don't get attached, sweetheart."

"I won't," she promised.

"I need to move my things to the West Wing tonight," she stated abruptly.

"Tonight? Impatient?" Dereck raised an eyebrow.

"Safety," she said. "Bernadine will try to poison my coffee tomorrow morning if I stay in the main house."

Dereck looked at her. He saw a flash of genuine fear in her eyes. It wasn't an act. She really knew what Bernadine was capable of.

"Fine," he said. "But stay out of my study. And the basement."

"Deal," she said. "I'll stick to the bedroom."

Dereck hid a smile at the accidental double entendre. "Let's go sign the papers."

They returned inside. The lawyer had the documents ready.

Hank watched from the shadows, holding a fresh drink, his eyes red and angry.

Annette signed with a flourish.

Dereck took the pen. His hand was steady. He signed Dereck Bolton.

The marriage was legal. The fate was sealed.

The servants reluctantly carried Annette's luggage to the West Wing. They whispered nervously as they crossed the threshold, eyeing the shadows as if monsters lived there.

"It's so creepy," one maid whispered. "I heard he talks to himself."

Annette snapped. "He is your master now. Show respect."

Dereck, sitting in his room with the door ajar, heard her defense. He paused, surprised.

Annette entered the Master Bedroom. It was masculine, painted in shades of grey and charcoal. It was cold.

There was only one large bed.

Annette stopped. She looked at the bed, then at the wheelchair.

"I can sleep on the couch," she offered quickly.

"No need," Dereck said, maneuvering his chair toward the bathroom. "I don't bite."

Annette unpacked her silk pajamas, feeling incredibly out of place. She dismissed the maids, Chloe and Sarah, wanting privacy.

Dinner was served on a tray. They ate in silence. The only sound was the clinking of silverware.

Annette watched Dereck eat. His hands were elegant, strong.

"So," she said, trying to break the tension. "Do you have... needs?"

Dereck choked on his water. He coughed, looking at her with disbelief.

"I'm paralyzed, Annette. Not dead," he lied smoothly. "But... everything down there is offline."

"Good to know," she nodded, marking "impotence" off her mental list. It made things simpler. Safer.

Dereck went to the bathroom to "prepare for bed." In reality, he checked his secure comms device hidden behind the mirror. A message from The President: "Status?" Dereck replied: "Asset secured. Marriage cover active."

He came out wearing simple sleep pants. He wasn't wearing a shirt.

Annette stared.

His torso was covered in scars. Not surgical scars. Ragged, ugly scars. Burn marks. Slash marks. Bullet wounds.

"The aftermath of the accident was... extensive," Dereck explained quickly, seeing her gaze. "Multiple procedures." He let his voice take on a weary, pained edge, and she immediately pictured a dozen botched surgeries, of scalpels slipping and infections setting in. The image was more horrifying than the truth.

He wheeled to the side of the bed. He grabbed the overhead bar-installed for the "invalid"-and lifted himself onto the mattress. His arms bulged with effort, veins popping. He let out a sharp, controlled breath as he landed on the mattress, and a thin sheen of sweat appeared on his brow, as if the effort had cost him dearly.

He settled in. Before reaching for the light, he leaned over to his discarded tuxedo jacket, retrieved a heavy, metallic object she couldn't quite see in the dimness, and placed it in the drawer of his nightstand. She heard the distinct click of a lock.

"Lights out," he said.

He turned off the lamp. Darkness enveloped them.

Annette lay on the far edge of the bed, stiff as a board. She listened to his breathing. It was slow, controlled.

She relaxed. He's harmless, she told herself. He's just a broken man.

She drifted off to sleep, exhausted by the time travel and the trauma of the day.

In the dark, Dereck opened his eyes. They were alert, predatory. He turned his head to look at her sleeping form.

"You have no idea what you walked into, Mrs. Bolton," he thought.