Disclaimer: I don't own the Books of Beginning, otherwise I wouldn't write fanfics for it. Just a short drabble I wrote to feel better about the ending of the book.

The Dire Magnus was gone, but so was he. As the life left his body, he watched Kate. He thought about the life they should have had together, about the birthdays and kids and sunsets he would never get to see. About the world he had left behind, and how he was going to enter a new one. The afterlife.

With a sigh, he kissed her cheek. His spirit couldn't linger in this plane of existence now that he belonged in another. "I'm never going to forget you, Kate," he said, even though he knew she couldn't hear it. Even though no one could hear it, save him. And, with that final goodbye, he left her.

For 40 years, he kept his promise. He never let go of her, always looking out for her from above.

Rafe watched her cry for him at his own funeral, watched her reunite with her mother and father. He watched her as she met someone and get married, watched as Kate had children with another man. He watched her grow up and change again and again, without intervening. But she didn't quite seem . . . complete.

Sometimes Rafe liked to think it was because he wasn't there. But that was stupid; she had kept her word. Kate had lived for him, made a life for herself. She had no reason to think of him anymore. Maybe he should do the same.

For the longest time, Rafe refrained from keeping tabs on Kate. He knew she was fine; she had to be. She was still alive. She still had her family. She must be okay, right? Rafe didn't know.

The truth was that looking at her was oftentimes too painful. It was better not to see her life. Even if that meant her might never see her ever again.

But he wouldn't ever stop waiting. No, his traitorous heart refused to stop believing Kate would want to see him again, would want to make the wait worth it. So he sat there in the realm of death, and began to watch her life again.

"Five years," he muttered to himself, "Is a long time to catch up on."

Finally, the day had come. The day she went for being old and gray to old and dead.

Kate was at death's door, and it was apparent to Rafe. The shadows around her pale face were sharp and deep, blossoming in her skin. Her very soul seemed to brush against the afterlife in an almost enticing way. Yes, Kate would be joining him soon. And he was devestated.

Of course he wanted to see her again. Of course he still wanted her to want him again. But there was one thing he had always wanted more than that; for her and everyone else she had cared about to live. That's why he died in the first place; to save her life. And now she was about to go into the light forever. So as she took her last breaths, he wasn't overjoyed; he was crying. Rafe was bawling, knowing that his long wait was coming to an ultimate end.

In and out. In and out. Her breathing formed a sullen pattern, slowing and slightly hitching, until it stopped altogether. Rafe gazed hopelessly at the scene as her spirit rose from her body, not quite a full blown ghost yet, still lingering in the real world. She sighed and looked at her children, staring at her body with tears in their eyes as they realized she had died. Kate pressed unfelt kisses to each one's head, and then murmured, "I'll never forget you." And with that, she entered the afterlife, emerging on the other side as her 14 year old self.

She looked thoroughly depressed until she saw Rafe. Her eyes locked with his, and for the first time since he died, he swore he felt his nonexistent heart kicking into overdrive.

"Rafe," she whispered before barreling at him. And then, without warning and with happy tears streaming down her face, she grabbed his neck and kissed him. After what seemed like an eternity, she pulled away, sporting a full blown grin. "I've been waiting for nearly 65 years for that kiss." Her eyes were shining. "I never forgot you. Did you see me? I lived. But I never stopped waiting. I love you." Her voice caught at the last part, and Rafe's imaginary heart stopped beating completely. "I love you, Rafe." With that, he kissed her soul again, caught up entirely in the moment. After 200 years, she was finally his. Kate was all his, forever.

"I never forgot you. I love you, too, Kate."

"Always?" she asked him, biting her lip and thumbing her locket in the way that he loved.

"Always," he answered back firmly. And yeah, after this, all of that waiting was finally worth it.