FLASHBACK

Abigail sat silently at the dining room table, doing a slow burn as she stared at the clock overhead, watching the seconds continue to steadily tick by. Some Valentine's Day this was turning out to be.

Ben wasn't forgetful or unreliable, though his mind was always running on overload and sometimes things that got prioritized lower on Ben's list of importance managed to slip right out of his mind at times. Abigail didn't like being one of those things.

Correction. Abigail knew in her heart that she was never one of those things; Ben loved her. He would do anything for her and she knew that. Without even a second thought, Ben would walk through fire for her, would swim the length of the ocean for her, even give his life to save hers. But a normal day-to-day relationship didn't often require such heroic measures. And sometimes she just wished he thought more about the little things.

That morning she had left for work even before Ben was awake, hoping that he had something planned for when she got home. He certainly had all day to figure it out. By the time she'd gotten home that evening, he was gone, with no explanation of where he went, just a note on the kitchen table that said he'd be home later.

Ben usually mentioned where he was going if he left her a note, which actually made Abigail wonder hopefully that maybe he did remember and actually did have something planned. She busied herself around the house, straightening up the table, gathering up Ben's books and copious notes and putting them in a pile on his desk, even going upstairs to make sure she knew what outfit to change into if Ben came home and told her he was taking her out.

After she ran out of things to do, she found herself sitting at the dining room table, tapping her nails against the hard surface and anxiously waiting for him to walk through the door. It had just gotten to be a little after 8:30 when her hopes of any Valentine's Day plans were finally dashed.

Another twenty minutes went by before Abigail heard the sound of a car door closing out in the driveway. A few seconds later, the front door opened and Ben rushed in, seemingly in a hurry.

He breezed through the living room and dining room where Abigail was still seated, barely slowing down enough to give her a quick peck on the cheek and a mumbled 'Hey Beautiful.' Abigail just sighed disappointedly as he continued his rushed pace through the kitchen.

"How was work?" He called to her from the kitchen, where he'd tossed his jacket over a chair back.

"Fine," Abigail replied coolly.

Ben returned to the dining room and stood before her with a giddy grin and excitement shining in his eyes. Ah, yes…she'd definitely seen that look before. He was too hyped up to even notice her very apparent expression of discontent.

"New development with the Phaistos Disk," Ben announced. "Seems like the theory that it's connected to the Rongorongo code might actually be true."

"Really," Abigail stated with obvious disinterest, not even raising her eyes to look at him.

"Yeah, we still have a lot to uncover to see if it's possible, but this could be huge if it is, ya know? So many attempts have been made to decipher both of them, but only a few have actually considered a connection between them," he continued.

Abigail sighed heavily. "Is that where you've been all day?"

"Yeah," Ben said, glancing up at the clock. "I'm sorry it's so late…I lost track of time. What have you been up to?"

"Oh, not too much," Abigail replied. "Just waiting for you."

"I'm sorry, I should have called," he said, noting the apathy in her voice for the first time. She didn't look up at him; in fact, she had been staring at that same spot on the table since he'd walked into the room. His brow furrowed in concern. "Abigail?"

She finally willed herself to look up and meet the gaze that was now intently locked on her. Her eyes were glassy, and she knew it would only be a matter of seconds before tears began to overflow.

"Abby?" Ben asked again, this time quickly pulling a chair close and sitting down in front of her. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

He reached for her hand, but Abigail immediately jerked it back and abruptly stood up from the table. The smoldering fire inside was rapidly becoming a raging inferno of anger and sadness and hurt.

"Do you even know what day it is?" She inquired.

"What…day?" Ben repeated slowly, looking around for a calendar, but to no avail. He looked at her expression of utter disappointment and desperately tried to recall the date. But as his heart began to pound harder against his chest, he couldn't even think of what month it was. It wasn't her birthday. It wasn't their anniversary. "Umm…of course I know…it's…"

He had no idea. It was obvious.

Abigail threw her arms up in the air dramatically. "I don't even know why I bother with you!" She yelled as the first tears fell from her eyes.

Ben stood up from the table, looking stunned. "Abby, honestly…I don't…I mean, I…" he fumbled on his words.

"It's Valentine's Day, Ben!" She informed him.

Ben looked at her for a moment in confusion, processing her words. As he did, he had to literally bite the inside of his cheek and look down to the floor to avoid laughing. She was this upset over Valentine's Day? Hell, he could make any day Valentine's Day for her. He could easily fix this.

Or so he thought.

Ben took a deep breath and composed himself before looking back up at her. He cautiously took a couple steps toward her, but she simultaneously moved back with each of his steps and crossed her arms over her chest. It didn't take an interpreter to realize her body language was telling him not to come any closer.

'This is stupid,' Ben thought, now getting slightly annoyed himself.

"Abigail, it's a commercialized hallmark holiday," Ben stated, trying to appeal to her practical sense.

"So?" She challenged. "That's all the more reason you should at least know what day it is! Would it really be so much of an inconvenience to even acknowledge it? Acknowledge me? Even if you happen to think this commercialized hallmark holiday is a complete waste of time?"

Ben frowned. "Abigail, I love you. I don't need a designated day on the calendar to remind myself of that."

"How about reminding me?" She exclaimed.

"What?!" Ben protested defensively. "Are you saying I don't show you that I love you enough?"

"Maybe I am," she dared.

"Well," Ben said after a moment of letting those three words sink in. "By all means, why don't you tell me what it is that you need for me to do to prove to you that I love you. Because after everything we've been through, I think it's pretty clear…but you obviously need more convincing, so what is it Abigail? What do you need?"

Abigail shook her head in disgust. "That's the problem, Ben. You shouldn't need to ask me. And I shouldn't need to demand it of you." She turned her back to him and began walking out of the room. "I can't do this now," she muttered.

"No!" Ben called in aggravation, following her quickly through the living room. "Don't do that! Don't just walk away, Abigail. Tell me why you're angry. Tell me how to fix it and I will."

Abigail stopped mid-stride and thought for a moment before turning to face him again. "Ben, I know that you think Valentine's Day is ridiculous, but couldn't you give in just a little for me? I'm not asking you to lavish me with constant affection, and I don't expect you to sweep me off to Paris for dinner at the Jules Verne, or to buy me expensive gifts. But apparently it never even occurred to you that a card, or flowers, or even just a quiet night at home spent together might be something I'd appreciate. I didn't even get so much as a kiss on the cheek before I left for work."

"I was asleep, Abigail!" Ben gasped.

"I know…but…" She said, looking at him sadly before sighing and letting her gaze fall to the floor. She felt exhausted and just wanted to go upstairs and lay down. "I'm going upstairs for a little while."

Ben's eyes softened as he watched her ascend the stairs, and he suddenly felt like the biggest idiot on the planet. He felt guilty and ashamed and knew that he had definitely blown it this time. She meant everything to him; he should have remembered to do something special for her today.

Realizing that he'd already upset her enough for one day, he decided against following her upstairs and trying to smooth things over. She looked tired. Maybe she'd feel better if she slept for a bit and then they could work things out later.

That is, if she was willing to give him another chance.

Ben heard the bedroom door gently close shut and he sighed, turning around and heading to his library to think. Among hundreds of books chock-full of wisdom and knowledge, not one of them was going to help him with this latest mess he'd gotten himself into. He paced back and forth across the room in contemplation for nearly an hour, then finally landed in his favorite recliner for reading and let his head fall into his hands.

Was she right? Did he really not show her enough how desperately in love with her he was? A lump formed in his throat and his eyes became teary as the thought of life without her came to the forefront of his mind. His feelings were so strong for her that he had no idea what to say or what to do to fully convey them. But he couldn't lose her. Not again.

So romance wasn't his forte. Never had been. Then again, it never really bothered him much, and certainly not enough to think it was necessary to "learn" some romantic skills. But Abigail was different. He'd never known a woman like Abigail. She deserved his best, and if that meant he had to become Romeo Gates, he would do that. For her.

The question was how?

Abigail tossed and turned in bed, never actually falling into a deep enough sleep to be restful. She knew Ben hadn't followed her upstairs, and now even a few hours later, he still hadn't come to bed. She hated sleeping apart from him and never slept well when he wasn't there. Abigail had thought sure he'd be up to try to make things right.

She felt horribly guilty. Her words were too harsh and they came out in the heat of the moment, otherwise, some of those things would never have been said. They weren't entirely true, first of all. Besides, she knew she had her own faults…why did she expect Ben to be perfect?

She stared wide-eyed up at the ceiling for several minutes before deciding to get out of bed to find Ben. She knew him well enough to know he'd probably ended up in his library, engaging himself in some historical non-fiction.

Abigail was half correct. As she stood silently in the door frame, Ben was sitting in his favorite chair with his eyes closed. She couldn't tell if he was asleep or just thinking, but he was very quiet and very still. She walked softly across the room to his chair and he didn't open his eyes. Abigail could easily see from the redness around his eyes and tear stains on his cheeks that he'd been crying, which made her feel all the more awful.

Without a word, she climbed onto his lap and pulled her knees in, pressing her face into his neck and breathing in his warm, familiar scent, which somehow always made her feel safe and comforted and loved. Her head eventually settled perfectly in the space between his neck and shoulder, and she sighed contentedly just to be close to him. Seconds later, she felt his arms around her, but not tightly the way he usually held her. There was some distinguishable reluctance there.

"Can't sleep?" Ben questioned hesitantly, after several minutes of silence. He was wondering if the fact that she had taken it upon herself to seek him out and was now curled up in his arms meant that she wasn't angry anymore. But she should be. He didn't feel like he deserved to be let off the hook so easily.

"Not really," Abigail replied in barely a whisper. "It's cold up there without you."

Ben slowly let out the deep breath he'd been holding as he waited for her response and gently drew her closer to him. "I thought you needed some space. And…and I already upset you enough for one day."

There was a sadness in his tone that made Abigail wish she hadn't exploded at him earlier. He just seemed so defeated this time, unlike all of their other arguments when he was more than willing to battle with her.

"I'm sorry Ben…" She said softly after another awkward period of silence.

"Don't be," Ben replied in the same hushed tone. "You had every right."

"I didn't mean all those things."

"Yes you did," he told her. "And it's ok, because you're right."

"No, Ben…all of those things aren't true," she assured him. "I was just upset. I know you love me. I just thought…"

"You thought the man who claims to love you so much would think enough of you to remember Valentine's Day," Ben interjected. "And he should have. But he didn't…because… well, because he was too wrapped up in his own things. I don't want you to ever feel like I'm taking you for granted, Abigail. I'm sorry I screwed up today."

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," Abigail told him sincerely. "I know those things I said hurt you. You know how I get sometimes though, just keep on rambling, not knowing when to shut up…" She paused and Ben stifled a laugh.

"Who, you?" He joked.

There was another awkward, long pause between the couple, neither one quite knowing what to say next. Ben was still contemplating how to make things up to her, and Abigail was still worrying that her words hurt him more than she intended them to. He would never admit to it, but she could tell there was something different…something hesitant in the way he looked and talked and held her.

"What's wrong?" Ben asked, sensing that she was probably overanalyzing things again by her brooding silence. He ran his fingers lightly through her hair as he studied the faraway look in her eyes, fixated somewhere on the opposite side of the room. "What's going on in this crazy, beautiful head of yours?"

Abigail sighed heavily. "Nothing, Ben…it's nothing. I'm just tired."

"Abigail."

"No, really. I'm fine," she tried to assure him.

"Abigail."

With another deep sigh, she admitted defeat. "How do you do that?"

"I know you too well," he replied, giving her a gentle squeeze. "So what are you thinking about, cause it's obviously bothering you."

Abigail nervously shifted around, trying to avoid answering him, but it seemed he wasn't about to give up. His fingers gently tipped her chin up toward him, so their eyes finally met.

"Tell me," he whispered pleadingly, wanting more than anything to do something right for her that day.

"Do you…" Abigail started to say, nervously biting her lower lip as she looked up into his eyes.

"Do I what, Abby?" Ben pressed.

"Still…love me?" She asked with uncertainty, her vulnerability apparent.

Ben was thrown by the question and nearly laughed out loud. Instantly, he hugged her even tighter to him and leaned forward, letting his lips brush lightly over hers.

"Abigail, sometimes you say the most ridiculous things," he told her, then kissed her in a way that erased any doubt in her mind that his feelings for her had changed.

"I love you," she whispered as their lips parted.

"I'll do better next time," he told her definitively, kissing her lightly on the forehead. "I promise."

"Oh, Ben," she said softly, affectionately caressing his cheek with her hand. "You don't have to make up for anything."

"Yes I do," he insisted determinedly.