A/N: IT'S ABOUT TO GET REAL CHEESY, PEOPLE. Just go with it. I wrote this post reading the Syndrome, and this was how I dealt with my feelings. I'm only posting it now because with R2 coming out in less than a month (!), I realized that most of this will probably be irrelevant once more canon comes into play. I'm a real procrastinator. BUT ENJOY THE FLUFFY FAMANDA ANYWAY.

**SPOILERS FOR THE SYNDROME & THE RETURN**

Amanda was walking back to her dorm that was a part of the DSI. She was tired. More work with more questions than answers. It was absolutely infuriating. How was she ever supposed to help Finn – and the others – if she couldn't even scrape up one meaningful clue?

There wasn't much change with the DHIS, either. They were still stuck in perpetual SBS. There was the occasional scare. Amanda couldn't stand seeing Finn looking so… dead. So still. From close up, she could tell he was breathing (just barely), but from afar… It made her heart ache. She wished Finn would wake up.

Amanda scraped her black converse on the cement under her feet, watching the pavement move and shift and tilt beneath her. She knew this path well enough by now, walked it a thousand times back to her dorm. She was surprised she hadn't formed a deep rut in the ground by now. It was definitely better than it was in Florida, as she shivered to remember what it was like at Mrs. Nash's, but she would never get over how eerie it all felt. Some of the DSI dorms were old – ancient, practically – and Amanda wasn't too fond of the creepy creaking that she heard groan from the walls in the middle of the night. Needless to say, she tried to keep away from the place as long as she could when Jess wasn't around to keep her company.

She needed rest; she was far too exhausted from the day. A nap, maybe, she thought. Although, it was too late for a nap; the sun was setting in the western sky, now. Sitting. TV. Wifi. Books. Those sounded just as good, too.

There was a noise, a loud scuffling of feet – very out of place compared to the sounds she was used to hearing. Its suddenness caught her attention.

With knitted eyebrows and a quizzical expression on her face, she held a hand over her eyes to block out the blazing bright golden light of the California sun.

Amanda could barely see anything, save for a silhouette in the brightness. The only thing she could make out were the nice leather shoes paired with what she could barely make out to be outdated clothes, the outline of messy hair. It reminded her of the Newsies she sometimes saw in DCA. She discovered the source of the sound – whoever it was walked (more like ran) as if they hadn't walked in days.

The figure grew closer, surrounded by sunlight, seeming to pick up speed with every step. Amanda's first thought was, if they're running, does that mean I should be running, too? It was her first instinct, what with the Barracks 14 and all. People usually ran for a reason – for things they cared about, to save their own lives, when in danger.

Amanda was just going to get out of the person's way, maybe try to look around them to see what exactly they were running from, when she saw.

Amanda stopped dead in her tracks.

Tall. Lopsided smile. Green eyes.

No.

She felt disbelief surge in her veins, a lump rising in her throat.

The silhouette jogged closer and closer, and suddenly, it wasn't a silhouette at all - it was Finn. My Finn.

She felt paralyzed. She couldn't move. She couldn't even think straight.

"Amanda!" Finn closed the distance between them and scooped Amanda up in his arms, held her tighter – closer – than he ever had before. Amanda buried her head into his shoulder. She could hear Finn breathing, feel it, even; she could feel his heart, pounding ferociously in his chest, just the same as hers.

They stayed like that, wrapped in each other's arms. Neither was aware of the time that passed; neither wanted to let go.

Amanda pulled her head away from the crook of Finn's neck, needing to look at him once more. Reluctantly, Finn lessened his hold, but still kept his arms wrapped around her. It had been so long since she'd seen him awake, with wide green eyes and that hint of a smile. Amanda hadn't seen those eyes since she last kissed him, his eyes fluttering open for an utterly heartbreaking second.

Finally seeing Finn awake, looking more alive than ever, was overwhelming. Amanda wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh or cry or smack him hard across the face for being so stupid – so incredibly stupid. Even Finn seemed to be lost in a mix between crying and laughing.

Amanda tentatively raised a hand to the side of his face, held it there as if his skin might evaporate under her touch like a ghost – a mere hallucination.

"You're... here? You're real? You're not…" She couldn't get the words out. She'd dreamed this moment a hundred thousand different ways, wished endlessly for the day that he'd wake up and find his way back to her.

"Realer than ever." Finn smiled. His eyes searched hers in content disbelief. "I've missed you so much." His words felt like an ache Amanda had grown far too familiar with.

"I've missed you too." Relief, along with something like hope and wonder, colored Finn's face and filled his eyes. All this was just too much – both felt near to overflowing with emotion. Amanda held back a smile at the thought, thinking of Finn's heart shaped note, the heart in the tree with their names etched in the bark, the old envelope with her name on it.

But the letter…

"Finn," Amanda began. "What did the note say? The one you left out of the envelope?"

Finn's smile grew somber. "You mean you don't know?"

Amanda shook her head.

"I thought I made it pretty obvious…" A blush tinted his cheeks as he leaned in. The last time he remembered kissing her – kissing her like this – and feeling it all over again made his heart race in his chest.

"I love you," Finn whispered, left breathless. Amanda's eyes were deep blue oceanic pools. He wanted to drown in them.

Amanda tried to bite back a smile, but couldn't contain it. After seeing Finn locked in a death-like coma for days, and now having him standing right here before her in the flesh, she couldn't hide from how she felt anymore. No amount of denial would change what she already knew to be true – what she discovered was true all along, protecting Finn in his room all those nights ago. "I love you, too."

Finn rested his forehead on hers. It took him a long time to realize it, but deep down he'd known that he'd loved her for quite a long time now. If anything, this moment felt overdue. Deep in his chest was a growing feeling of peace, something that not even the familiar air of Florida or the safe sensation of walking through his own house's front door could bring him. No, those things weren't really home to him anymore. Not really. Amanda felt like home.

And he'd finally returned at last.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review if you liked this!