(947 words) Just something I came up with while missing someone.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Happy Family

Hope didn't know how much longer he could keep going like this.

He sat on the couch – the couch that she had shared with him before – in their living room, listening to the heavy rain outside, a glass in his hands and a half-empty bottle of whiskey sitting on the table in front of him. He didn't know how many he had consumed since that day.

It was such a beautiful, normal day.

She had been up before him, making coffee before she left for work. She had smiled warmly at him – something that was rare to anyone else – and kissed him softly. He, of course, had picked her up in his arms and kissed her again.

Losing her was the farthest thing from his mind when she had left that morning.

It should have been normal. She should have come home at six in the afternoon like she always did, kissing him softly on the cheek, smiling tiredly at him later that night when they went to bed.

But no. The Goddess would not allow it, it seemed. He had been happy for too long, and so Her Providence had punished him for it, tipping the scales toward normalcy. A certain amount of happiness warrants an equal and opposite amount of despair. And he had been so happy with her for so long. He had upset the balance.

And this was how it was to be set right again? For him to lose the woman he had loved – the only woman he had loved – since he was young?

He placed his head in his hands, sadness and grief welling up in his chest beyond measure.

"Daddy?"

He turned his head towards the hallway, where his four-year-old son stood, teddy in hand, staring at him with the wide eyes of a child. And those eyes... they were hers. He looked away.

"Go back to bed, Jonathan. You shouldn't be up at this time." Despite the amount of alcohol he had consumed, he was still lucid enough.

Jonathan nodded solemnly and turned to go back to his bed. He still didn't quite understand that his mother wasn't coming back; he was too young. But in time, he would.

Despair consumed the space where Hope sat. Despite it having been a solid month since that day, he still grieved for his love as though it was only yesterday.

Time stretched on, though he was stuck in the same state he had been when he had heard she was gone. How could he live without her by his side?

"Hope," a small voice called – her voice. He shook his head – he must be going mad.

"Hope," she reiterated. "Wake up."

If only he could. If only it were that simple.

"Come on, Hope." The voice was getting louder, more insistent... more real.

The world was dissolving around him. He felt something shaking his shoulder gently.

And then his eyes opened.

He looked blearily around his room. The first thing he noticed was that the blinds were open, light streaming in from outside. It was so sunny...

Wait, wasn't it raining before...?

"Finally," an all-too-familiar voice said from his right. "I thought I'd have to kick you out of bed this morning."

He looked over to where the voice was coming from... and almost cried in relief.

She's here. She's here, she's here, alive... The words ran amok around his head, repeating indefinitely. He smiled, so genuine he made his wife blush pink as her hair.

Lightning...

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, smirking past the blush on her cheeks. He reached over and pulled her on top of him, kissing her soundly. Here she was; warm, solid, real, breathing slightly heavily, kissing him back just as passionately as he was kissing her. Alive in his arms. He held her tightly, smiling when he felt her grasp a handful of his hair and run her other hand down his bare chest.

Lightning pulled away, breathing just the tiniest bit ragged. "What was that for?" she asked playfully.

"Because I love you," was his only reply as he sat up, taking her in his arms to kiss her once more.

A small knock on their door broke their trance. Hope grinned at his wife.

"Here comes trouble," he said as their two children – Jonathan and Avery – ran into the room. Avery jumped onto the bed to tackle her Mom back onto it.

"Mommy!" Avery exclaimed.

Lightning kissed her daughter's cheek fondly. "Good morning."

Jonathan stood at the foot of the bed, rolling his eyes at his twin sister. He was only one minute older than his twin sister, but held it over her every chance he got nonetheless.

"Morning, Dad," he said. "Avery wants to know – "

"Can we have pancakes, please please please?" Avery piped up from her place in Lightning's lap.

She sighed dramatically, though a tiny smile gave her away. "Give us a moment. We'll be right there."

"Yay!" Both kids ran back out of the room, shutting the door behind them.

"Now," Hope said, grinning as he caught Lightning's hand and pulling her over to him. "Where were we?"

Lightning smiled, brushing her lips over his, teasing him. "Getting out of bed."

"Mom!" Jonathan called. "Avery broke – "

"Did not! You did!"

Hope sighed. "Those kids have no timing whatsoever."

"I wonder who they got that from?" Lightning winked as she sauntered out of the room.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Hope hastily pulled off the covers and ran after her.

"Exactly what I said."

All through that day, he refused to dwell on the awful dream he had had the night before.

Hope you liked it. The next chapter of The Light to Darkness will be up on Sunday. See you guys then :)