Kelli was ready when Matt came in the door. His favorite dinner was on the table and she had on the way too short black club dress he liked. From the way his eyes narrowed as soon as he took in the trap she had laid out it was obvious he knew something was up.

"What's the occasion? Did I forget an anniversary?" His eyes went back and forth, looking at the candlelit dinner table and back to Kelli. The dress made sure she got more attention than the food.

She reached up and put her arms around his neck, standing on tip toe to kiss him. "Nothing like that! I thought it would be nice to dress up a little for dinner tonight."

His arms went around her waist and held her close. "Not that I mind, but is there something else?"

She smiled and snuggled against him. "After dinner, there's something I'd like to talk about. Is that okay?"

Matt laughed and let her go. "I thought so. Yes, it's okay. And if you thought you'd butter me up first, well, it's working. Is that brisket I smell? With potatoes? Who am I selling my soul to?"

Kelli took his hands and pulled him toward the dinner table. "Corned beef, and I even found a jar of that awful mustard you like. And all it will cost you is a little time tonight to sit and listen."

"It's a bargain. I ought to change first." He still had on his black warden's uniform.

"Matt? Could you wait, till later?" Seeing him in that uniform did things to Kelli. Not only did it make him look handsome but it reinforced her image of him as an authority figure, the man she trusted and obeyed.

The dinner went as planned. Sensing that she wanted to bring up something important later Matt didn't press her for details but stuck to small talk between mouthfuls of brisket and buttered potatoes covered in sour cream. Kelli felt a few pangs of guilt at fixing such a dietary disaster full of fat and carbohydrates but decided the ends would justify the high cholesterol means. She mentioned that she had lunch with Cathy earlier.

"I met her briefly a week ago," Matt added. "I've been going through some of the procedures with her husband Robert this last week. He's going to be a warden and she's supposed to start teaching soon. She was waiting for Robert when we came out of the secure area at the end of the shift."

After dinner she cleared the table while Matt went into the living room. Kelli joined him on the sofa. "Matt? Can we talk now?"

He stretched out an arm behind her on the couch and leaned back. "Okay, what's on your mind?" His eyes strayed down to the hem of her dress high above her knees.

It was no secret what was on his mind. She had overdone it with the clothes but too late now. Her intention had been to get his interest and be receptive to her request, but not to distract him. "I want to ask you about the secure area, where you work."

That got his attention. Before she could continue he held up his hands. "Hold it, Kelli. You know I can't talk about anything to do with that area. I warned you up front there would be conditions for being here…"

"No Matt, you misunderstood," Kelli interrupted. "I haven't forgotten the conditions." She put a hand on the ring of steel around her neck. "They are hard to ignore. I'm not asking you to reveal any secrets. What I want to ask about, is if I can…umm, if you would let me…" Her voice trailed off as her nerve failed. Too embarrassed to continue she stopped, staring at her hands in her lap.

His hand lifted up her chin and turned her head to face him. Between the penetrating gaze from his blue eyes and the quiet "tell me" she couldn't hold back.

"I…I want you to put me in the school." Once she started she couldn't stop. "I can do it Matt, I know I can. Let me prove to you. I can be everything you ever wanted…"

"Shush, now listen to me." She stopped. Matt took her hands in his. "You don't have to prove anything. You are exactly what I want, just as you are. Kelli, you have no idea what you are asking. To be a student in this place, it's…well, it's not something you should wish for." His frown told her he didn't like the idea at all.

"Maybe I don't know what it's like over there, but this is important to me. I have to do this, Matt, for myself." Kelli was glad he held her hands, otherwise they'd be trembling. "Please think about it, don't just say no. I'm not as fragile as you think. As long as I know you will be here waiting for me I'll have the strength to endure anything this place can throw at me."

Her request caught Matt by surprise. To his knowledge no woman currently in the secure area had arrived there voluntarily. Considering the living conditions they had to endure it had never occurred to him they would view it as a vacation. Now his own precious Kelli had put him on the spot, pleading with him to subject her to the same harsh treatment. His instinctive response was to forbid it but the intensity of her request gave him pause. He couldn't ignore the underlying reason behind her plea.

The discussion went on for hours. Time and again he tried to dissuade her with hints of the miserable conditions but she never wavered. In the end Matt agreed not to reject her request before giving it some serious consideration.