Here is chapter 2! Thank you so much for the reviews! They are always appreciated and always help my muse!

Chapter 2

What is love and what's it for
I'm stuck outside an open door
And no one's come to get me yet
I never got a second bet
I'm welcomed to your fantasy
If only she was make-believe
Oh what is love and what's it for?
Oh take me back and do me more
Ooh take me back and do me more

-Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Steve Erdody- Break

"Thank you," Anna said, smiling at the barista and taking her coffee from his hands. With both her hands, she cupped the coffee and brought it up to her lips, grateful for the rush of heat and caffeine touching her lips. She used to not be a coffee drinker, but as she wrote and had late nights, she had found herself needing the nectar to keep her awake.

"It's you!" A teen girl excitedly said, rushing over to Anna. "Can I get a picture?"

"Sure," Anna replied with a smile. She leaned in and the girl pulled out her phone to do a selfie.

"Thank you!"

"No problem," Anna answered. It was still weird to get stopped by a random stranger wanting a picture with her. It didn't happen all the time, but when it did, it still threw her off guard. She couldn't believe people wanted to take pictures with her.

She opened the door of the coffee shop and stepped outside. It was a nice, brisk day. She was staying at a hotel across the street. Mary had wanted her to stay with her, but Anna decided against it. She had more writing to do for her next book and needed the quiet of the hotel room of her own.

With the success of I'll Find You, her publishers were hoping for a new story. Anna was struggling with her characters and set up of the story. She knew they wanted another tragic love story, but she wasn't sure where to begin.

Anna clicked the button for the road crossing sign and waited until the light told her it was time to cross. She stepped onto the gravel and took a few steps, before she heard someone scream. But she didn't have a chance to see why someone had screamed, because next thing she knew, her world went black.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

"What?" John questioned, his head shaking slightly. "She….she can't….what…."

"She was crossing the street and….and a car ran a red light. She….it hit her and she…she was killed instantly," Mary explained, her body trembling.

John couldn't seem to breathe. This couldn't be right. Anna couldn't be dead. He fell back against the wall and closed his eyes. Anna….she couldn't be gone. Not his Anna.

"No," John breathed, his eyes popping open. "I just….last night. I saw her last night and she was fine. There has to be a mistake."

"There's not," Mary sobbed. "I…I had to identify her body." Mary's lips twisted and curled, as she wept. The sounds were heartbreaking. "And then…." Mary was having a hard time controlling her tears.

John led Mary over to the couch and set her down. He walked to the kitchen to grab her a glass of water. He felt as though he was stuck in some kind of trance. Nothing felt right.

He took the glass of water to Mary, who gave him a weak smile of thanks. Then he sat down next to her, feeling completely lost. Anna was gone. The love of his life was gone. Tears sprung to his eyes and he brought his shaky hand up and over his lips.

"Once I knew, I….I rushed over here," Mary began to explain. "I…I didn't want you to hear it from someone else. I…." Mary couldn't speak. Her entire body shook and she covered her lips with her fist.

"Thank you," John finally got out. "Thank you for telling me. I just…." He paused, several tears slipped from his eyes. He would never see her again. Never hold her.

Mary wiped under her eyes and glanced back up at John. She placed her hand on John's wrist and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"She loved you, so much, John. Just last night, after the party, she was telling me how much she cared about you. How she wanted you to be happy. Know that she loved you," Mary assured him. John's heart knotted. Here Mary was trying to tell him how much Anna loved him and make him feel better, when he had be awful to her.

You ruined my life.

The last words he had spoken to Anna bounced around in his head. He had been cruel, vile. His stomach twisted and he could feel a sob forming at the base of his throat. Despite it all, Anna had still spoken highly of him to Mary. Sweet, sweet Anna.

At that thought, John couldn't hold his sobs in any longer. She was gone. Anna was gone. He would never be able to take his words back. It would forever be the last thing he said to her.

"You're the only other person in the world who loved Anna like I did," Mary said, sniffling. Her body shuddered with the aftershocks of her sobs. "I….I don't know how we'll get through this."

John closed his eyes. The pain was palpable. He could feel the crushing gloom filling his frame. The anguish was smothering. He wasn't sure how he would make it to the next moment.

"I have to start the arrangements for the funeral and….everything. I'd like you to help. You would know what she would like. I…I want it to be nice for her."

"Yes," John agreed. "I'll help."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

The rest of the day, John had remained locked in his mind. The last four words he spoke to Anna and their last interaction played over and over. He had hurt her. How could he have been so mean to her? Anna was always kind. Always generous.

Why couldn't he have just said yes a year and a half ago? Now, he couldn't even remember why he had been so opposed and hurt at her suggestion. At the time, he was sure she wanted to get away from him, from everything, but now…..now all he knew was that if he had said yes perhaps she would still be here today. Maybe the last year and a half wouldn't have been shrouded in unhappiness.

He stood from his couch and walked to his bedroom. The sun had set and he had to get up early in the morning to go over funeral arrangements with Mary. The word funeral held heavy on his tongue. Anna had only been thirty-two years old. Thirty-two and full of life. And he would never be able to talk to her again. Never be able to apologize for any of it.

Robotically, John prepared for bed. His fingers unbuttoned his front and when he closed his eyes, he could see her standing there in front of him. Her fingers were over his helping him and giving him that sly grin. But when his eyes opened, she was gone. His fingers reached out to where she had been and pulled back at the emptiness.

Once he had brushed his teeth, he crawled into his bed. The book from the day before was sitting on his bedside table. He lifted it and opened it to the page where she had signed his name.

Love you always, Anna.

His fingers traced over the letters multiple times until his eyes were blurry with tears. Closing the book, he laid down and held it close to his chest. Almost as though having the book would bring her back to him.

It took hours, but eventually he fell into a fitful sleep.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

His steps echoed throughout the hallway. He glanced around the huge estate and wondered where everyone was.

"John?" He turned and there she was, standing right in front of him. She looked different, ethereal.

"Anna!" He exclaimed. With quick steps, he walked toward her. When he reached for her, his fingers swiped right through her. "Anna?"

Her head shook. "I'm not Anna," she answered. "I've come to you in her form, but I am not her."

"Then why…..?"

"If you could, would you go back?" The vision asked him.

"Go back where?"

"Before you said no to traveling the world with her," the vision told him. John's breaths sharpened and he nodded.

"Absolutely. I would change everything," he breathed. "Everything."

"Even if you'll still lose her?"

"What?"

"Where there is death, there will always be death. You can go back in time and change your story. Have happiness. But the end will be the same. You will lose her at the same moment, at the same time," the vision explained.

"There has to be a way to save her." The vision's head shook.

"Where there is death, there will always be death."

"Then why would I go back if I will still lose her?" John asked.

"To have more time. Time to fix the past. Time to end your story with you in love and together."

"Yes," John then said, so resolutely. "Yes, I want to go back. I want to do it over again. I….I don't want to lose her, but if I can give her the story she deserves, I'll do it."

"Very well then."

There was a flash of light and then everything disappeared.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

John abruptly awoke. It was a dream. It was only a dream. The agonizing pain ripped through his body again and he curled to his side to hug himself. Anna was still gone. There was no supernatural being about to send him back in time. A tear slid down his cheek and he shifted in the bed to wipe it away.

That was when something shifted in the bed next to him. His heart stopped. Then it turned and staring right back at him was Anna. Her eyes were open, but were full of sleep. She yawned and reclosed her eyes.

John reached his hand out, sure he was still dreaming. As he brushed his hand against her cheek, her eyes reopened. She brought her hand up to cover his and smiled.

"Why are you awake?"

"Anna…." He asked, sure he was dreaming. Anna sat up and the moonlight fell right over her, making her seem surreal.

"What's the matter, John? You look like you've seen a ghost."

To be continued...

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