A/N: Feel free to use your favorite pairing as you read this. This story was inspired by the song "Far Away" by Nickelback.
A blinding light.
That's all she saw at first. She blinked several times, trying to gain sight. It wasn't working. All she could see was this stupid light.
Where was she? And how did she get here?
She closed her eyes, trying desperately to remember. What was the last thing she could recall?
She opened her eyes again. The bright light was shining. Nothing else to be seen.
Bright light. Bright light. She gasped inwardly. Bright light!
She could remember another bright light. Although, different than this one. A light that was accompanied with screeching tires and a loud horn.
She could hear the noises all over again; they overwhelmed her. They were trying to warn her that the other car wasn't going to be able to stop in time and she was in the way. By the time the sounds registered, it was too late for her to react. The sounds of shattering glass and crunching metal were the next to play through her mind.
She gasped again, making the noises stop. Was she…? Could she be…? Dead?
Suddenly, she heard something else. A clicking of some sort. She spun around, trying to find out where the sound was coming from. All she could see was brightness.
No.
Wait.
There was something there. She squinted her eyes, trying to shut out some of the brightness. She could see a figure in the distance. She couldn't make out any features. The sound persisted and she continued to peer at the figure. Was it getting closer?
Maybe she should be afraid. The thought crossed her mind. Maybe she was just having a nightmare. It made sense. Not being able to focus your eyes, a dark figure moving toward you, suddenly losing the ability to move from one place. Yep. She could be about to get whacked by some psycho killer that comes for you after someone speaks his creepy name into the mirror repeatedly.
Even though these thoughts ran through her mind and she had always been incredibly freaked out by horror movies (even the less scary ones), she wasn't afraid, not at all.
She was, however, cautious as she watched the blob of dark color come closer. She didn't move from her spot as the sound of footsteps got closer.
Gradually, the shape came into focus. It was still relatively far off when something clicked in her mind.
Maybe it was…
No. It couldn't be.
She kept herself glued to the spot until she could be sure. The shape continued to get closer. Slowly, her eyes widened with recognition. She couldn't believe it. She didn't let herself believe it, not until she could be certain that this was really happening.
As each step taken brought the outline closer, the look of shock on her face was replaced with one of the purest happiness. Her eyes began to sparkle and her mouth curved up into a smile.
She was now certain. It was him, the love of her life. He looked just as he did on the day he was taken away from her. Gorgeous smile, emotional eyes, broad shoulders. He was dressed in a suit and even though he hated wearing them, he looked so incredibly handsome. His shirt was that shade of blue that accentuated his hair and made his eyes stand out. Her favorite.
Tears welled in her eyes and her breathing became hurried as he got closer. The smile on her face managed to get even bigger and as a result, so did his. She ran towards him and jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. He enveloped her in his arms and held her close.
She buried her face into his neck and breathed in his scent. It was just like she remembered. Everything was.
His eyes. His smile. The way he held her. His arms, tight around her. She could feel how much he had missed her too.
"I've missed you so much. I dreamt about you all the time. I couldn't not think about you." When she finally spoke, her words were mumbled into his neck but he understood every word perfectly. Tears poured out of her eyes and were caught by his shirt. Neither of them cared that she was becoming a snotty mess.
She pulled away from his neck and looked into his eyes. They sparkled and she immediately became lost in them. He smiled and she smiled, tears threatening to fall again. She still couldn't believe it.
"Is it really you?" She whispered, a shaky hand moving up to touch his handsome face.
He leaned into her touch. "It is." His voice was deep and comforting as always. It took her by surprise to finally hear him speak. She had lived without him for so long and even though she continued to hear his voice after he died, it had never sounded like this. This was loud and clear not faint and muffled.
"And I'm really…?" Dead?
"You are."
"And I'm with you…?"
"Forever." He finished her sentence just like they used to.
Once he uttered that word, tears spilled out of her eyes once again. She had waited five years for this day and to her, those five years felt like five centuries. She buried her head back into his neck.
"You'll never have to be away from me again." He whispered the promise into her ear as she remained clutched to him.
"Hold me." She whimpered. "Never let me go."
"I won't."
"I would have given anything, done anything, to be with you sooner." She whispered to him. She wanted to make sure that he knew how much she missed him.
"I know. Me too." His voice became hoarse and quiet. "I would have given anything to stay. But I'm never leaving you again."
"Promise?" Her voice was tiny and it squeaked.
"Promise." His voice was strong and sure.
She pulled her head away from his neck and looked into those eyes she had long since memorized. They held everything for her. Her past, her future, her love, her hope, her strength, her light, her world. She had missed these eyes. They could stare directly into her soul. They could read her thoughts. They could comfort her even when words couldn't.
She leaned her forehead against his, continuing to stare into those eyes. "I've missed you." She whispered again.
"I've missed you, too." She swore she could see tears forming in his eyes as well.
Her eyes ran over his face, reacquainting herself with all of his features. Her eyes lingered over his lips.
It had been five years since she had kissed him, five years since she had kissed anyone. She remembered it so well. The chills he could easily give her by brushing those lips over any part of her body. She couldn't forget all the times he had kissed every single inch of her. The memories had haunted her dreams.
She thought of kissing his lips. How breathless she would get even at the most innocent pecks. Her knees would get weak and he would have to support her quivering body.
Her fingers traced his lips. She was still gazing at their fullness as she spoke.
"I've dreamt of this for five long years." She finished tracing them and looked up into his eyes.
"It doesn't have to be a dream any more." He insisted quietly.
She looked back and forth from his eyes to his lips. She still had her doubts over whether or not this was real. If she was dreaming, this could be the thing to wake her up and she wasn't sure if she was willing to take that chance.
One more look into his eyes convinced her. She had to do this and pray that he was telling the truth that she wouldn't wake up.
She softly pressed her lips to his and a surge of passion swelled through her. Her hand cupped his face and she caressed his cheek lightly with her thumb. She could feel him kissing her back and it was wonderful.
However, she refused to let herself get too excited. She pulled back, keeping her eyes closed, terrified that it was a dream.
She could feel his gentle breath on her closed lips. She smiled excitedly and her heart leapt for joy. It wasn't a dream.
She allowed the passion to take over and pressed her lips back to his. It was real! She ran her tongue gently over his bottom lip, begging for entrance. She could feel his lips part and she smiled again before letting her tongue be welcomed by his.
They connected and bursts of color exploded under her eyelids. This was even more exciting than their very first kiss. She ran her long slender fingers through his hair just like she used to.
Both of them refused to pull away until they were both breathless and light headed. Even then, with the threat of blacking out from the lack of oxygen, it was hard for them to not continue kissing.
"It's been far too long since we've done that." She panted, barely getting the words out. He smiled, his eyes sparkling, making her heart jump.
"I love you." He said suddenly, breathlessly.
She smiled. "You have no idea how good it is to hear you say that." Tears of joy began to fall from her eyes. She loved that he had said it first. However, it reminded her that she hadn't uttered those three little words that she had taken for granted. "I love you, too. I never stopped loving you." The tears were uncontrollable by now. "I could never stop loving you."
"You'll never have to." He whispered, his own eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"Promise?"
"Promise."