This is foolish, she thought. I'm not ready for this. I'm not ready to wait at an empty train station. Not ready for him to not come back. She had looked up all the different religious figures imaginable, prayed to more saints than she could count, looked to the sky every night, but still he was not here. He had told her he would be here, his exact words had been, 'If I'm alive, I will be there.' Well, he's not here, and its past the time of the last train, he should have been here by now.

When the realization comes she definitely feels it, like something burning through her insides, not a pleasant feeling, like when you stand too close to a bonfire for too long. The heat becomes uncomfortable, you start to sweat, she was sweating, tears, and they were coming fast enough to form a small pond.

He's gone, Mary-Lynette, the one boy that you have ever loved is gone, and he's never coming back. Her subconscious is screaming at her, and the voice is so real, the words so painful, she lets out a small cry. The hobo sitting on the next bench over looks at her, curious, probably hoping she will pass out so that he can take her wallet. She wouldn't rule out the possibility too soon, if she kept going on like this she would lose all of her energy soon enough. It didn't help that she hadn't been able to sleep last night.

He had told her he would be back, her knight in shining armor, out slaying dragons, or whatever is was that made the Night World so dark. The final battle, she had been waiting months for this, not so much eagerly, as forlornly, but she had been eager to see him again. It had never occurred to her that he might not make it, that he might not come back to sweep her off her feet. That they might never watch the stars together again, no, none of that had ever occurred to her.

She wasn't ready for it, and her shoulders rose and fell with the effort t of containing her sobs, in the end, it's best to just let them go. Let her body release what needed to be released. Think later.

Except she couldn't think later. Or, more accurately, she couldn't not think now. Their first date, that wonderful night of stargazing, the small smiles, and the tear-filled goodbye, she couldn't allow herself to forget about all of that. Her mind wouldn't let her, just as surely as her heart wouldn't stop throbbing.

"Oh, Ash!" She whisper choked, "Why?"

"Why what?" Her head lifts up, she would recognize that voice anywhere, it had played over and over in her mind since the day they had last parted. The throbbing eased, a little bit of the weight was lifted from her shoulders; she could feel her sobs being swallowed.

"Ash?" She gets up, looks towards the voice, and spots the blond-hair; the large, strong frame; those beautiful, ever-changing eyes, now light and happy. She runs to him.

"Oh my God, Ash! Oh, my God! I thought you were dead!" He envelops her in his strong embrace, holds her tightly.

"No, no, not dead, just late. I missed the train; I had to drive out here. I'm sorry, Mary." His voice is calm, but she can feel the emotion in it, can feel the love seeping in. She can feel it even as she continues to sob into his chest.

She knew that this was irrational, she should ask him about the battle, ask him about Quinn, hell, just ask him how he'd been in general. Actually, she really should ask him if Circle Daybreak won, but all that could wait till later. Right now there was only one thing she wanted to do, apparently he had read her mind.

He pulled her back at elbow's length, took her face in his hands, and kissed her. Long, hard, and good, there would be time to chat about their time spent apart later. For now, there was this, one amazing, beautiful, passionate kiss. For now, that would do.