A very brief AU vignette and a hopeful glimpse into the future. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: Not mine!
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He never expected himself to be here, back in this neighborhood.
Most of it looked the same. He felt a strange sense of déjà vu as he drove down the street he had taken to go home so years ago. His palms began to sweat as the house came into view.
Slowing to an eventual stop, he watched as the front door opened and Natalie stepped into the sunshine. Her beauty took his breath away, just as it had done so many years ago. Her hair was longer and there were more laugh lines around her mouth.
Behind her, a tall man with dark hair followed close behind. Wearing an expensive suit and nice shoes, he kept a hand on Natalie's arm as they walked down the sidewalk. But to his surprise, in the man's arm was a little girl of no more than two or three. She had brown, unruly curls and Natalie's smile. His heart dropped.
Could he have really expected her to hold on to a memory all these years?
Someone else emerged from the house, and it took him a while for his heart to reconcile what he was seeing. It was Julie, except she wasn't a five year old girl anymore. She was twenty now, and just as beautiful as her mother.
From his seat in his car, he watched as Julie took the little girl and tossed her up playfully. He couldn't hear, but he could practically feel their happiness. What right did he have to come in and wreck it when he had left fifteen years ago?
What right did he have to them?
It was better this way, to let them continue to think he was dead. They had moved on and found happiness in their new life. He had sought them out to be sure they were content, and now he knew.
Smiling sadly, Mitch started the car again and drove away, leaving their lives for a second time.
The End.
A/N: Since Mitch just went AWOL and was declared dead, I think this could be possible. What do you guys think? Thanks for reading, and please review!