When one has been without their significant other for as long as he had he had, it's the little things you start to forget like the way they take their tea or to remember to get out two cereal bowls instead of one. It was these things that were the hardest to adjust to.
Stood rigidly in the middle of the small, bleak looking room next to the roaring fire stood John Smith, completely at odd ends as what to do with himself. He took to peering around the space cautiously, despite the fact that it was his own home, as if afraid to see something that he shouldn't. The walls were bare apart from a vintage style 1950's St John's ambulance emblem hanging desolately on the wall surrounded by a sea of deep blue. The room its self was sparsely filled with only the bare minimum that would be needed to be habitable. A mere shadow of what it used to be; before she disappeared. The warmth of the flame crawled into every crack and crevasse of the quaint space, filling the room with light and a somehow out of place sense of calm because he certainly didn't feel calm. His heart was beating so hard and fast he was sure that it had somehow multiplied into two or simply split the moment she turned up on his doorstep again and threw his life out of balance.
With striking silver hair and a weathered face that told of wisdom and age but it was when you reached his eyes that you truly realised the depth of the ancientness reflected in the forest green orbs. Uncertain hands shook at his sides before restlessly carding through his grey locks, in a nervous fashion that belied the air of confidence portrayed by his rigid stance and firm posture. He had always been somewhat emotionally inept but usually he made up for what he lacked in feeling with words and gestures but he couldn't think of a single thing to do or say.
Curled up in a battered, white leather armchair sat a woman with piercing green eyes and masses of unruly golden ringlets that fell to just below her shoulders. With a blanket wrapped around her thin shoulders and her knees pulled up to her chest in a self-comforting gesture, she stared, almost hypnotised, into the open flame in front of her.
Not able to stand the silence anymore, John took a tentative step forward until he was stood directly in front of melody, blocking her view of the fire and forcing her to meet his eyes unsteadily. All of a sudden but not suddenly enough at all she lurched forward until she was encased in his embrace, wiry but deceptively strong arms wrapped firmly around her back. There was no way that even she could ever escape his hold, not that she'd want to.
The bottom had just collapsed from his world.
He sat unblinkingly, mind far away from the words being aimed at him, brain echoing with the one phrase over and over again.
There were no survivors.
The words ricocheted off of the very walls of his consciousness until he was sure that they would forever be ringing in his ears. It had just been an expedition; to a library of all places. What bad could happen in a library? She was his world and now she was gone.
He remembered the day he thought he'd lost her forever and buried his face further into her hair, trying valiantly not to let his tears show, knowing full well that she was doing the exact same.
Never show the damage.
Pulling back finally to look into her eyes swimming with tears, he almost broke down right there. "How?" he managed to croak out hoarsely, knowing he sounded like a fool but not caring regardless.
"I really don't know, my love." She spoke softly, trying to conceal a slight sniffle, giving away the fact that she was just as close to tears as he was.
"But I don't understand. How can you be here? It's not possi-" He was cut short by her soft admonishment of,
"A wise man once told me that sometimes miracles just happen. Can this not just be our miracle?"
His eyes softened instantly, unveiling a loving fondness that hadn't been seen in what felt like the centuries since he had last seen her before her expedition. "Our miracle? I think I could handle that." He leaned down slightly to press a sweet kiss to the bridge of her nose, just to see her wrinkle it in the adorable way he'd always loved.
"Our miracle." He repeated over her shoulder, watching as the embers of the fire slowly simpered down until they were barely glowing anymore. He didn't need their light anymore, he realised, he had once again found his light in the darkness and he would follow her to the end of the tunnel for as long as it would take to get there and longer since afterwards.