How soft a whisper can get
When you're walking through a crowded space

Sometimes, he was sure he could hear her voice. He knew he couldn't - he wasn't crazy - but there was just something about her voice, it's tone so soft and beautiful. Like the touch of her skin had been as his fingers had entwined with hers, sharing that dance what seemed like ages ago. He could not forget it. It was wishful thinking to be hearing her voice, however. It was only his heart and his mind conspiring to sadden him again. Two years, only two years, she had said. When he listened carefully, he realized that she was not there and only heard the whir of the people around him, and their endless conversations about nothing. Wait two years.

I hear every word being said
And I remember that everyday
I get a little bit closer to you

Occasionally, he found himself staring off into the distance on breaks. He'd sit down, take off his hat and sip from a fresh cup of coffee and be lost for many minutes at a time. Frequently, one of his men would have to come over and ask him a question – repeating themselves three or four times before he would notice. She was all he thought of.

How long an hour can take
When you're staring into open space

How many days left? Four hundred and fifty-one. He should know, he'd counted just this morning. Sipping his coffee again, he sighed. It felt like he would never make it. But he knew that the days were slowly dwindling and prayed every night that he would be allowed to live this time.

When I feel I'm slipping further away
I remember that everyday
I get a little bit closer to you

He thought of her on the important days; her birthday, his, New Years, Christmas, Thanksgiving. He thought of her on the not so important ones as well. He thought of that day, Valentine's 2008 when he'd be able to spend time with her - instead of just thinking of her.

These are the days
That I wont get back
I wont hear you cry
Or hear you laugh

He thought of all he was missing, but soon realized that these two years were but moments for her. He would not miss anything, and she could never know the longing that he had suffered to be with her. Four hundred and fifty-one days. It wasn't that long.

You know there's nowhere else
I've wanted to be
Than be there when you need me

Kate couldn't help that they lived two years apart, cruelly separated by time and space. She sat quietly at the foot of the mailbox, hoping and praying. She wished that he didn't have to wait. She wished he would just come already. She began to cry, fearing the worst. She feared something had happened again - something out of her control.

I'm sorry too
But don't give up on me
And just remember that when you were asleep
I get a little bit closer to you

The flag moved gently down onto the side of the mailbox, but Kate did not notice. She simply sat there, sobbing and thinking of all the possible outcomes. She could sit there forever and he might not come, if he had been taken from the world again, or if he simply chose not to wait. Or he could show up, and be everything she had hoped for. She prayed that he knew that after all those days that he could finally see her. She prayed that that would be enough to drive him, keep him safe this time and bring him to her.

The sound of an engine approached and she inhaled deeply. It only took a split second to recognize him. A smile widened across Kate Foresters' face.

He hesitated a moment before rushing towards her. He took her face in his hands and kissed her with the kisses of seven hundred and thirty days. He kissed her with every bit of longing, every bit of desire he'd held for her these past two years. He kissed her in case he'd never see her again. In case this was all a dream, but it wasn't.

Their embrace was even more memorable than the kiss. She just melted in his arms. His grip on her body so firm and protective, yet gentle and caring. Her head on his shoulder, she breathed in and smelled his cologne; it was the same smell as she remembered from their first dance. This was home.

I got a little bit closer to you