Here Without You
Two years has passed since John left Paradise with Six and Sam. Sarah held onto hope the entire time, but that hope is beginning to fade. Will he be able to save their love in time? JohnxSarah.
A/N: I didn't feel like editing this and wanted to give you all something to read. This is the official first chapter. Next one should be up when I get back from vacation in a week.
xxx
A hundred days have made me older
Since the last time that I saw your pretty face
A thousand lies have made me colder
And I don't think I can look at this the same
But all the miles that separate
Disappear now when I'm dreaming of your face
I'm here without you baby
But you're still on my lonely mind
I think about you baby
And I dream about you all the time
I'm here without you baby
But you're still with me in my dreams
And tonight it's only you and me
As depressing as it may seem, after graduating high school, Sarah didn't move away nor did she attend college. Instead, she took a position at a local café, working as a waitress. If John were to show up, for whatever reason, she wanted to be easy to track down. When her shift ended, she came straight home, always asking whether or not anyone had shown up at the door. Each time, the answer was always the same. No. Tonight was no different as she gave her mom an expression of defeat before trudging upstairs to her bedroom. Similar to her life, the room stayed the same. The table containing all of her cameras still lined the wall, pictures hung left and right. Change became her enemy because it meant the old would slowly disappear, John would disappear.
Once upon a time, she grabbed left and right at the selection of cameras, using different angles and lighting to take the perfect shot. Photography used to be her life. Now it was a reminder of what could have been. Not just with her career path, but John as well. Every time she picked up the camera with the special light leaks or stared at the bottle containing the roll of film she gave him, tears sprung to her eyes. For a year now, she hadn't touched one in order to prevent the sobs from taking over her night. This was the only difference in her life, not to mention the lack of happiness in her eyes and fulfillment in her smile.
To say she missed him was an understatement, it was much more than that. There was a constant hole in her heart, a void that only he could fill. Before he left, he promised to love her forever, that on his planet, there was no other option but to fall for only one girl. Apparently she was that girl, but what if he was mistaken. As she laid on her bed, wondering where he was or what he was doing, she had to wonder if he came to the realization that she was not the one, the person he would love for an eternity. Six was gorgeous, strong, and one of his own kind, someone who would understand him more than anyone. Where as Sarah, she was merely a human, having no clue what it meant to live a day in his shoes. Would that ever compare? After two years of waiting for him to return, to prove that this wasn't all a lie, Sarah wondered if she wasted her time.
Upset and furious, she stormed over to the table pushed against her wall and flung all of the cameras to the floor. Each one shattered into pieces, the shards flying in every direction. Some dug through her delicate skin, leaving deep wounds in the crevices of her body. Blood trickled down her trembling frame and she began to go numb from the pain, but it didn't matter. This was what she wanted, to never feel anything again. It was the end, but the start of another lonely, pathetic life.
Time to move on.
xxx
John sat in the passenger's seat of the truck, leaning his head against the cold glass window. He couldn't help but wonder what Sarah was doing right at that moment. Had she given up on him and found someone else? Or was she wanting him as much as he wanted her? Every night, he went to bed thinking about her long golden locks and those beautiful, hazel orbs. Her laugh rang through his ears, that dangerously beautiful smile embedded in his mind. Four contemplated returning to Paradise to see her one more time, reassure her that he would return however Six forbade him from going back until they found the rest of the nine. As Henri mentioned, they were stronger together. While that held true, the pain in his chest, the void that only she could fill was sometimes too unbearable.
So far, they were able to locate number five and seven, but there were two more to go. Five was tough, never backing down from any challenge. He killed three groups of Mogodorians without a protector which to John, was quite impressive. Seven happened to be much more timid, but Six was teaching her to be brave and determined. Together, with the help of Sam in the background, they were practically unstoppable, something the Mogodorians were figuring out rather quickly. Despite their success, Sam could tell John was hurting and understood that if he could see Sarah for one night, his entire view on this journey would change. Even if the two didn't exchange one word, it would give him reassurance that she was safe and he wasn't planning on leaving her any time soon.
The five of them were driving through a small town in Ohio when Sam caught sight of the look on John's face, so desperate to catch a glimpse of Sarah, the love of his life. "Six," Sam suddenly called out, earning himself everyone's attention in the car. The likelihood of persuading Six was unlikely, but needed to try, not only for John, but Sarah as well. After two long years, they needed this to make sure their relationship remained strong.
"What?" she snapped and whirled to face Sam, her blonde curls whipping around with her. The expression on her face was intimidating, but with three other numbers in the car, he was sure that they could hold her back from doing any serious damage. It wasn't so much suggesting something to her that scared him, but suggesting something she adamantly refused on countless occasions. They all knew this was no time to prioritize love over their battle, but Sam knew this was different.
"Let John see Sarah, just for tonight," he muttered quickly, everyone giving him a look of astonishment that he would even think of bringing the topic up. John was the only one in the car to give him a look of gratitude, even if he knew it was unlikely for Six to agree to the idea. Before anyone had a chance to answer, Sam knew he needed to argue his case more. "Look, there is no one on our tail, and we have a few hours to spare. Paradise is only an hour away. I know if John was able to see her, even for one night, he would be so much more focused."
After listening to what Sam had to say, Six contemplated the offer seriously giving John even the slightest of hope. All he needed was one night, a few hours to make things right between them. More importantly, he needed to make sure she was safe and happy, see if she still loved him or had already moved on. With a small nod of her head, she waved towards the door, "Go, but just for one night."
Nothing else was said as Five turned the truck around and made the hour long drive to Paradise, Ohio. John was too excited, too nervous to speak. Six was still contemplating whether or not this was a good idea. She worried that John would become too attached and never want to leave. Sam was astonished that Six even listened to him in the first place. As for Five and Seven, they didn't have a place to say anything, not that they knew what could be said.
Finally, after an hour of driving through back roads to steer clear of the highway, they arrived in front of Sarah's old house. None of them knew if she was still here or if she moved away, but it was their best shot.
xxx
Tears fell, one after the other as she began to sweep up the shards of plastic and glass crowding the floor of her room. Her eyes became clouded, vision blurred as she attempted to blink away the tears but more continued to form. Not paying attention to where she was moving as she moved to grab a tissue, she tripped and fell onto the ground with a thud. Just as she was about to stand up and clean her body free of the blood, sweat, and tears, there was a knock on her window. Three taps, one, two, three. Thousands of possibilities ran through her mind as she slowly stood up and brushed herself off. Was it John? A stranger? What if one of those creepy aliens came to abduct her? Shaking all thoughts away, she walked up to the window and slowly pulled back the curtains. There he was, the same blonde hair and brilliant smile, the face she pictured every night before falling into a deep sleep. "John," she rasped through her tears, continuing to stare at him as if she saw a ghost. He was in the same state of shock, unable to believe how similar she appeared to be since the day he left. Her blonde hair, hazel eyes, it was all mesmerizing until he noticed her blood covered body and panicked. It pained him to know she was hurt, and he just arrived to comfort her. Wasn't he supposed to be the guy who was there before these types of things happened – oh no. His mind suddenly flashed to the Mogodorians and wondered if they had done this.
It couldn't be, because his eyes caught sight of the shattered cameras strewn across her floors. "Let me in," he instantly demanded, his voice firm yet gentle at the same time. With a small nod and a sniff, she opened the window carefully and watched as he crawled through, their gaze never breaking. John didn't hesitate to take her trembling frame into his arms, holding her against his chest. Sarah sobbed, ignoring the pain that coursed through her body from the contact, while he comforted her. His hands ran through her golden locks, his lips pressing against the side of her head softly. "What did you do?" he whispered, allowing his eyes to trail across the shards of what used to be her favorite hobby. The blood on his shirt didn't matter, knowing that Sam, Five, Six, and Seven out front in the truck didn't matter. He was going to stay by her side until she was fixed. Until the day he saw her smile again.