William awoke to find Julia wasn't sleeping beside him. He thought she must have woken early and couldn't go back to sleep. He closed his eyes again and listened for her movements but couldn't hear her anywhere in their suite. He decided to get up and look for her, barely opening his eyes he swung around to the side of the bed and sat up. Opening his eyes fully he looked around, he couldn't believe it. What was he doing here? What had happened to Julia and their suite at the hotel? Why was he back in his room at Mrs. Kitchen's boarding house?

William sat for a while and thought about what had happened. He'd been married to Julia. He remembered their wedding day vividly. How they'd worked together to exonerate Mary Thompson only to figure out, during the wedding ceremony, that she was indeed guilty of murder along with her husband. That it wasn't her husband that was murdered but his business partner. How they'd rushed Father Clements through the ceremony so they could find and arrest them before they escaped on the train. He remembered their honeymoon in Manhattan and how they'd saved President Roosevelt's life. The President had given them the key to the honeymoon suite in gratitude.

Having sat for some time, his mind racing, his senses dulled, William heard a knock at the door. Mrs. Kitchen called to him, "Mr. Murdoch, if you don't get downstairs and have your breakfast right now you'll be late for work." He came out of his reverie, "Yes Mrs. Kitchen, I'll be right down." He quickly got washed and shaved, took out the first shirt and suit he came to, dressed and went downstairs.

Mrs. Kitchen was surprised by William's humour, "Why, whatever is wrong Mr. Murdoch? You look like you've lost the love of your life all over again." William gave her an incredulous look, "How did you know? I have Mrs. Kitchen. Or at least it seems like I have. When I awoke this morning Dr. Ogden wasn't beside me and I couldn't hear her in our suite. I was getting up to look for her when I saw I was back here in my old room." Mrs. Kitchen was confused, "Your suite Mr. Murdoch?" "Yes," William replied, "the hotel suite where Dr. Ogden and I live." "You were living in a hotel suite, with Dr. Ogden, and you weren't married?" Mrs. Kitchen gave William a disapproving look. "No," William snapped back, "we are married. We live in a suite at the Windsor House Hotel." "I can assure you Mr. Murdoch you haven't lived in any hotel since you came to stay here." Mrs. Kitchen assured him. "Perhaps you were having a dream."

William entered his office and sat down at his desk. He stared at the blotter for some time then took out the file for his latest case. He opened the file and turned over the sheets without reading them, his mind still on his dream. It seemed so real, surely it happened, how could he have dreamed everything? He'd thought about having breakfast with Julia in the mornings and sitting down to dinner at precisely 7 o'clock every evening. The only exception being the one time he'd invited Dr. Bajjali to dine with them. That was a little awkward when Julia rang to say she'd been held up at an election meeting and he'd found himself on his own with the archeologist. There was the time he'd gone to Haileybury with George, the first time he and Julia had been apart since they married. Then he remembered … he was shot on the trip to Haileybury. He felt his shoulder. It seemed fine. He looked to see if there was a scar. There was none. Surely he couldn't have dreamed it, it all seemed so real.

He thought of how much he'd loved living in the hotel suite because he no longer had to endure the 'conversations of limited merit' from his fellow boarders at Mrs. Kitchen's. But most of all he remembered being married to Julia and what that felt like. As he thought more deeply about it he realized it wasn't the fairy-tale marriage he'd dreamed of. Oh they loved each other, there was no doubt of that, but the joy and playfulness of their courtship was lost. It felt more like they were roommates than man and wife. The romance had gone….

"Murdoch, Murdoch," the Inspector was trying to get William's attention, "MURDOCH!" "Huh? Sir! Sorry Sir" "You were in another world Murdoch." "Yes Sir," William replied as he shook his head to bring himself back. "Are you all right?" the Inspector enquired, "You seem distressed." "Yes Sir." William repeated. The Inspector looked at William, "Are you unwell? You may as well go home Murdoch." "Sir?" "Take the day off, you're no use like this. Make sure you're back tomorrow and ready to work." "Yes Sir." William said again. He put the file away and left the office picking up his hat on the way out.

Out on the street William started walking and soon found himself outside the asylum where Julia worked. He must have subconsciously set off in this direction. Well, as he was here he may as well go in and see her.

Julia was absorbed in writing a report and didn't see William outside her office. He stood there for some time just watching until she finally looked up. "William, how lovely to see you." Julia smiled and beckoned him in. She held out her hands. William took them in his, quickly scanning her left hand. There was his engagement ring but no wedding ring. He stood back looking at her. "What is it William?" Julia was worried, William seemed distracted, not himself. "Julia, I had the strangest dream last night. It MUST have been a dream but it seemed so real." Julia cocked her head slightly, "Tell me about it William." She led him to the couch and gestured for him to sit down. "I dreamed we were married Julia. That we were living in a suite at the Windsor House Hotel." When I woke up I was in my room at Mrs. Kitchen's. I remembered details about the wedding and honeymoon and things about our life after we were married." Julia encouraged him to go on. "I remembered going to Haileybury with George and getting shot. Why would I dream that?"

Julia must have thought he was crazy but she just stared at him in disbelief. "William, I – I had the same dream!" She went on to recall their unorthodox wedding and adventures in Manhattan and life at the hotel. "Does this mean it happened?" asked William. "But if it did why did we wake up in our old homes and obviously not married?" "I don't know William but something is strange. Although … I have heard of this before, when two people are so close they begin to think alike and it's almost like they can read each other's minds and can even have the same dream. I can't say I've been convinced up until now but perhaps there is something to it." She gave William a weak smile, "I have to say, I'm glad the dream isn't true." William was shocked, "What do you mean? Are you saying you don't want to marry me?" "No William. It's just in my dream we didn't seem like we were married, just friends or companions. There was no romance, no passion. That's not what I want in a marriage." William realized that's what he'd felt too, it wasn't the way he saw marriage to Julia. He loved the idea of the companionship as he'd been very lonely at Mrs. Kitchen's. Despite the other boarders and Mrs. Kitchen trying to include him in their conversations and camaraderie, he just didn't fit in. But marriage wasn't just about that. There should be passion in a marriage, tenderness and yes, a physical relationship. Why get married at all if those were going to be lost? "Julia, perhaps this dream we shared was a sort of sign." "What do you mean William? That perhaps it was our subconscious telling us that we needed to work at keeping the romance once we're married? To not take it for granted that things would be the same as they are now?" "Yes, exactly that. Perhaps we have a second chance to make things right without having to make the mistakes first." Julia put her arms around William and hugged him tightly. "Let's get married William, let's set a date." "Yes, lets, and Julia … I promise never to stop courting you…."