Hello there! :D This is just a random AU one-shot, which unlike my recent stories, actually has a happy ending. :)

Oh, and it was inspired by "You're beautiful" from James Blunt.

That's all I have to say for this one, so read on! ^_^

~Always~

This wasn't right. No, it shouldn't be right, but it was the way things had been for the last 5 years.

He watched her stroll around town, a frown marring his pale face as he contemplated her arm being held by another man's. The ghoul was smiling distractedly, not even noticing the look of disappointment on her face as she looked away. However, when he turned to look at her again, she had a forced smile on her stitched face.

Jack almost snarled with disgust at the sight.

How could she have ended up like this? She deserved so much more. She deserved to be happy. But she had gone off and married this vampire who didn't appreciated her much less seemed to love her. Why did she do that? He recalled the day of the wedding, which seemed to be permanently burned in his mind as the worst day in all of his existence, when she had seemed so happy at last, so very content to marry the so-called 'man of her dreams.'

He remembered how much it hurt to see her that day, the day he realized how much he had loved her all along. What a day his heart picked indeed. He had been outside during the whole ceremony, not able to witness it from up close. But when they had stepped out of Town Hall, and she had noticed him standing there, his phantom heart had started beating like it hadn't ever before. She had smiled at him, and then turned to her new husband.

That was when he realized that he had lost her, even if he didn't had her in the first place.

And now, witnessing this sad scene, he again wondered why did it all turned out like this. If only he had spoken his feelings earlier, if only he hadn't been such an oblivious twit years ago... Maybe she could be married to him, not to that ungrateful prick. The thought overwhelmed him to the point that he couldn't even look at her anymore without feeling like crying, so he ran out of there to the only place that could ever give him solace. The graveyard.

The gates creaked as he opened them, but he barely noticed the noise. Making his way through the tombstones, he stopped and sat down in a nearby statue, his mind overflowed by thoughts of the woman he loved.

The way she smiled. The way her eyes sparkled when she looked at him. The way her skin shone under the morning sun.. The way her beautiful hair flowed out with a light breeze... God, she was so beautiful. Every time he sees her, his heart skips a beat. Hell, even just the thought of her could make him feel lightheaded.

He loved her so much... He just he wished he could tell her that.

Suddenly, the sound of the gates being opened echoes through the graveyard again, and Jack, not in the mood to deal with anyone else at the moment, hides behind the statue he was sitting at, his long legs bent in front of him as he waits for whomever it is to go away.

He doesn't know when it happens, but one moment he's remembering all the things they have gone through together, all the good and the bad, and the next he knows, tears are running down his face and he's sobbing softly, wondering just where did it all go so wrong.

Lost in his thoughts, he doesn't notice that whoever had just entered the graveyard is close to him, soft footsteps crunching the fallen leaves of early autumn. He doesn't notice it even when she comes to his side of the statue and watches him in wide-eyed disbelief. It is only when a familiar voice calls his name in a whisper that he realizes he is not alone.

"Jack?"

"S-Sally!" he shouted in surprise, hastily trying to hide the fact that he had just been crying. He quickly wipes his tears away and straightens his suit before standing up, but the act doesn't fool her.

"Why were you crying, Jack?" she asked in concern, stepping closer to him. It surprises her when he flinches away and takes a step back, as if being close to her hurt him.

His voice is hoarse and shaking when he manages to stutter a reply.

"I-I... I d-don't... Wha- What are y-you doing here, S-Sally?"

"Don't give me that," she says, her voice on edge. She's a little upset that he's avoiding even looking at her. Why won't he let her help him? Her voice softens as she says, "Please tell me. I'm worried about you."

And then she looks at him with those eyes full of worry, for him, and how can he say no to those eyes?

"I..." he starts unevenly, and then he can't take it anymore and the words tumble out of him before he can even think about them.

"I love you, Sally. I-I love you so much that it hurts sometimes. I know that it's wrong, but I am so deeply in love with you that I don't care anymore. Every time I see you I just want to kiss you and caress you and make you the happiest woman in the world because I know you're not happy now. I love you, Sally, and I'm so sorry I didn't tell you before."

He takes a deep breath and braves himself to look at her, as much as he's nervous of her reaction. This is the moment he's been dreaming about for so long, and he needs to see how she will really respond.

Her eyes are wide, and her mouth parted in a silent gasp. Well, she's surprised, that much was expected. After a few failed attempts at speaking, she finally chokes out,

"How long?"

He smiles, a bit wistfully. "I..I'm not sure how long. But I do know I realized it..five years ago. That day when..." and he trails off, looking away, because he just can't mention him, now of all times.

He hears her sharp intake of air at his confession, and now he can't even bring himself to look at her. This is looking worse with the moment, and he knows now is when she's going to tell him that they can't be together and his heart will be broken for sure.

When does he looks back at her, curious because of her silence, tears are running down her face and it utterly breaks his heart, so he wordlessly takes her into his arms, just like he has wanted to for so long, and just holds her close, wishing he could make her happy so that he didn't have to see her cry ever again.

When she has stopped crying, she pulls away from his embrace, and he thinks she's probably coming to her senses and realizing this is wrong. He loosens his hold on her, ready to step away and accept cold rejection, but then she looks at him, eyes shining from her tears and a smile playing at her lips, and he swears he can feel the world stopping around them.

Suddenly, she throws her arms around him and kisses him just like that, a kiss that takes his breath away and makes his knees quiver where he stood. Unable to help it, he pulls her closer, his hands trembling from barely concealed desire.

Barely managing to do so, he breaks the kiss and whispers,

"Sally... this is wrong. We...we need to stop before-"

She kisses him again to stop him from talking. "I don't want you to stop..." she says breathlessly against his bony lips.

Oh, how is he supposed to resist her when she wants this just as badly as he does? He tries to cling to the remaining common sense that he has and tries again to sway her.

"But, Sally, you... You're taken. E-Even if I.. I-I have no right to..."

"I don't care," she says with stubbornness, and seeing he's about to argue again, she adds, "...I was planning on leaving him anyway. You were right; I wasn't happy with him..." And then she whispers the words that remove all doubt and uncertainty from his heart.

"I love you, Jack."

A slow smile stole over his face, hopeful and loving as the same time, as he revels in hearing what he had never thought he would hear. He can't help but kiss her again, this time more passionately, feeling happier than he ever has before.

They pull away, faces still close together, and he looks at her, really looks at her, and she just smiles as she stares back, her eyes full of acceptance and love. He can't help it when his eye sockets water a little, the tears falling down shortly after. He was waiting for something to tell him he was dreaming, because frankly all of this felt like a dream, but now the reality is dawning on him and he can't help being overwhelmed by it.

"I'm sorry..." she whispers when she sees his damp cheeks, and he laughs without mirth, some more tears sliding down his face.

"Don't be..." he murmurs, smiling at her. "Just promise me this is not a dream..." His voice breaks at the end, all that doubt he was feeling before coming out in that desperate plea.

"I promise, Jack..." she whispers again, before she kisses him once more to assure him this is really happening.

"Oh Sally..." he sighs out in happiness when she pulls away.

A small silence goes by as he revels in having her in his arms like this.

"It's been so long, Jack..." she murmurs after a while. "So much time and I didn't realize..."

"No, it's all my fault. If I had said something sooner..."

"Shh..." she cooed, placing a finger in his lips. "It doesn't matter now..."

His smile trembled, and for a moment he felt overwhelmed by her affection. But how can he not be, when just minutes before he thought he would never have it?

Her eyes are beautiful, he thinks, shining like that. Now that he knows that they're shining with the love she holds for him, he can't help but feel so happy. He'd never thought this moment would come, and yet, here they are.

He kisses her again, briefly, reveling in the fact that now he can do that whenever he wants.

"I love you," he said when they parted, his eye sockets half-lidded. From now on, he would never let a day go by where he didn't tell her that.

"...Even after all this time?" she asked, still a tingle of doubt present.

"Always."

If you can tell me what that ending reminded you of, you get a virtual cookie! :D