Daisy read the brief message one more time:

"Go to where you met."

She wasn't sure what it meant, but felt it must be important. She had stopped at the restaurant where she talked with Mike. That wasn't it. She even tracked down her van and drove it to the spot where Coulson had found her. That wasn't it either.

"Go to where you met."

"Cryptic much?" Daisy sighed.

She was running out of first meeting places, then it hit her.

"No. That couldn't mean there, could it?"

She dared not to hope. Would he be there? Would he know her? How would it go?

xxx AOS xxx

Walking into Afterlife was surreal, really surreal. It looked the same. The same people were there, wandering about enjoying their day like nothing at all had changed.

Daisy had to stop and take a breath. Now that she was here, she wasn't sure she could continue.

She briefly wondered if her mother was there too.

A fleeting thought of her mother crossed her mind, but she let it go. There was still too much pain there too. That was not what this trip was about. Not this time. She would deal with that later … maybe. Her current mission was too important to be sidetracked.

As she reached the room, she flashed back to their first meeting. That smile. He had such enthusiasm for what was happening. She wished she could have appreciated it more in the moment.

Daisy walked over to the table where she had been receiving their special acupuncture treatment for her transition. She touched the pillow and looked over to the nearby computer.

Another flashback to his weak burnt popcorn metaphor. She chuckled.

"Hello?"

Daisy froze. That voice. She closed her eyes and committed it to her memory, reinforcing the fading voice from the past.

"I'm sorry. Are you lost?"

Daisy still couldn't move. If she turned to look at him, she'd never want to leave.

"No," Daisy replied, her voice cracking slightly. "I'm not lost."

"Oh. I wasn't expecting anybody to be in here yet. I'm Lincoln."

Hearing his name, hearing him speak it pierced her heart. She almost broke down right there, but she gathered her courage and strength. She needed to see him … one last time.

Daisy slowly turned to face him. There he stood, in that red shirt. He looked so good. This time she couldn't hold back the tears.

As Daisy began to cry, Lincoln stepped closer to her, trying to catch her eye, holding out his hand, not sure if he should touch her. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head, "No, I'm not."

He hesitated once more, then slowly and gently, wrapped her in his arms. She clung to him like a lifeline and began to sob.

"Shhhh, it's okay," he whispered into her hair as he tried to calm her. "Shhh … shhh, it's okay. Everything will be alright."

"No, it won't." She held him tighter, losing herself in his embrace. Temporarily safe in his strong arms.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because this isn't real," she softly replied.

"What do you mean?"

"It's a dream, an elaborate dream."

"Ah. If that's so, then why are you here?"

"You, for you," Daisy said as she leaned back to meet his gaze, "to see you one more time before I have to leave."

"What?" He chuckled and smiled at her.

She sighed as she thought, "Oh, that smile."

"I have something to tell you," she continued. "Something I need you to know before I go … I … I miss you … and … I love you, Lincoln Campbell."

Just as her time there was winding down, she made the most of her last moment there and kissed him … one last time.

As she disappeared, Lincoln said, "Daisy?"

xxx THE END xxx