A/N: The usual disclaimers apply.
It was a dark and stormy night...
We were sitting in front of the fire place, the crackling flames warding off the chill that threatened to engulf us. The wind was howling in the chimney, the noise telling us just how bad the weather really was.
The only light illuminating the room came from the fire and a few candles scattered throughout the room; the lights had gone out nearly an hour ago. You could hear the rain beating against the windows and every once in a while the room was illuminated by lightning, followed closely by crashing thunder.
Despite all this I felt safe and cozy, tucked away for the night on the couch, a soft blanket surrounding me. I was holding a mug of hot chocolate in my hands, thank God for gas stoves, and the only thing that could have made this evening more perfect would have been if my husband had been with us. But he was out of town on assignment.
Our boys were sitting in front of the fire, staring into the flickering flames, watching them dance and throw shadows all around us, fascinated by the power it held. With 5 and 8 years they were getting easier to handle, but they missed their Daddy just as much as I missed him.
"Mom, tell us a story about you and Dad," Lucas, my youngest, asked me.
"Hmm, have I told you yet how Daddy proposed?" I was pretty sure I hadn't but it never hurt to double check.
"No. You gonna tell us now?"
"Yes, Dave."
"'Kay.
"It was a dark and stormy night, just like tonight."
"Ohh," Lucas said.
"I think the weather was even worse. I was living in a small apartment with Rex-"
"Your hamster?"
I nodded before continuing.
"Yeah. He'd scurried into his soup can as soon as the first thunder rolled over the city. The electricity had gone out as soon as the storm started in full force, and with it my heating. It was getting cold in my apartment pretty quick so I headed to bed, hoping the covers would keep me warm for the night.
"Were you scared, Mommy?" The boys had come over to me where I was sitting on the couch and Lucas was asking me while trying to climb onto my lap.
"Yeah, sweetie, I was really scared. I was all alone in the apartment."
"What about Dad? Where was he?" Dave seemed to be content having Lucas ask all the questions. He had settled in beside me, leaning his head against my shoulder.
"He had to work out of town and I didn't expect him back for at least another month."
"Did he at least call you sometimes?"
"No. He had to go undercover, you know what that means. He can't call anyone in case the bad guys are listening in on his calls. That could get him hurt. You know that, don't you?"
I looked down and both were nodding their heads.
"So what happened then?"
"I tried to sleep, but the thunder was too loud and the lightning kept illuminating my bed room, so I got up to watch the storm."
"You did?"
"Storms can be fascinating. Just think of the power behind it, the force within it. I find it fascinating to watch the lightning light up the sky for a heartbeat before everything falls into darkness again."
"What happened then?"
"I have no idea how long I'd stood in the darkness like this, staring out the window when I felt that someone was with me in the room."
"Your spidey sense was tingling, Mom?"
"Yes, but in a good way. I knew that your Dad was home again. I couldn't see him in the darkness, but I felt him coming towards me. The lightning running across the sky lit up the room for just a short moment, but it was long enough to see him standing right in front of me. He was dirty and looked like he hadn't slept and showered in a few days. He even had a beard growing.
I fell silent, remembering the night that changed my life.
Lucas wriggled in my lap, trying to get more comfortable, when Dave spoke up.
"What did he say?"
"He told me how sorry he was that he'd left me alone for so long. And then he got down onto one knee and asked me to marry him."
"What did you say?"
"I fell onto my knees right in front of him and hugged him to me really tight. I had been so scared for him while he was gone. And I couldn't stop saying 'yes' over and over again."
That's when I felt it, the same presence I had felt that nine years ago, the night he had asked me to marry him. The intensity of the feelings his mere presence brought up in me made me gasp.
"What's up, Mom?" It was hard to get anything by Dave.
"Daddy's home."
They jumped up and ran towards him, barely visible in the dim light the candles provided. I got up as well, reeling from the picture they made. Our kids were clinging to my husband, welcoming him home. I walked over and he set the boys down.
He looked like he had all these years ago, tired and dirty, but unharmed.
I jumped into his arms, my arms automatically slipped around his neck and my legs locked around his waist. I kissed the living daylights out of him, not caring that the kids were watching. I had just missed him too much to care.
When I drew back in desperate need of a breath he whispered against my lips. "Happy engagement anniversary, Babe."
The End.