"This was a wonderful Christmas..." I giggled, as we surveyed the confetti and wrapping paper all scattered around us.

"It's always wonderful with you around," my fiancé grinned into my ear, in an uncommon display of affection.

"I want you to know something Andros," I whispered to him, as he wrapped his arms around me.

"And that is?"

"That no matter what part of the galaxy we're in, I will always love you." He seemed to stiffen, as if I'd reminded him of something.

"What? What's wrong?" I scrambled off him, turning to see him press the balls of his palms hard against his eyes.

"Ashley... I didn't want to tell you now. Gods, I just wanted one more happy day."

"Andros… what's going on? Just tell me. Please." I felt a damp anxiety pass through me as he gripped my arm tightly.

"Please my love. You must understand that I did this out of duty, nothing more, nothing less." I nodded breathlessly, seeing the white pain flashing in his eyes.

"I agreed to go on one more mission with Zhane and Karone. We're going to the Outer Rim to negotiate a peace treaty with the Acrasions." My heart fell out of my body, leaving me empty and numb.

"Another mission? Andros, you said that it was all over! That we could finally have a quiet life together!"

"I know I did, but I could not refuse, not to Karone-"

"How long will you be gone? You know, our wedding's in three months." I interrupted, not wanting to hear another excuse. How could he? How could he go back on a promise? Andros was silent for a long while, only staring into my eyes. When he finally spoke, I felt my legs go weak beneath me.

"It'll take about 13 months just to get to Acra, and another year for the treaty negotiations to go through." I looked at him in horror, stepping farther away from him. In the back of my mind, I wanted him to just reach out for me and draw me back, but he didn't.

"I'm sorry Ashley, but we'll have to postpone the wedding." He cast his beautiful eyes downward. I could see the torment, the guilt bright in his eyes, but I couldn't keep my hurt in.

"So your mission is more important than us?" I tried to stop my voice from cracking, but to no avail. Andros jumped up and glared at me.

"Never! How can you say that?? You mean the universe to me!"

"Than how come it always feels the other way around?" Tears overtook me, and I fell back to the sofa crying. He hesitantly pulled me back into the circle of his arms, and murmured into my ear.

"Never the other way around Ash. Never..." I don't know how long we sat there, with only my sobs as evidence that we were still awake, but when my fiancé finally spoke it was with pained regret.

"If I were a better man, I would not ask this of you, but... will you wait for me Ashley? Will you wait for three years just to marry me?" At first, the answer didn't come clearly to me. Would I really wait that long for him? I mean, I wasn't getting any younger, and I wanted to have children before it was too late. But then, what was a family if there was no love? If I didn't want my husband, would I still be happy? No, never. It didn't matter if I had children or not, just as long as I had my Andros.

"I'll wait until you get back. I promise you I will if you promise me you'll come home safe."

" I promise..."

I waited, and waited. After a year, my grandmother didn't think that he'd be coming back, and started trying to hook me up with her friends' sons and all. I agreed to go on one date, but never any more. I was Andros', and he was mine. Two years came and past, and I still clung to the hope that he'd be coming through that door any time now. But by the time the third year was over, and another Christmas had gone without him under the mistletoe with me.

"I'll be home for Christmas... you can count on me..." I sang softly, hoping my Christmas wish would come back to me. No. He would come home, I just knew it. As Christmas Eve of the third year of waiting slipped into morning, I trudged down the stairs, mentally preparing myself for the morning ahead. Grandma, now 91, had scheduled a "little" party with all the eligible bachelors in the neighborhood and me, to see if I'd fall in love and forget about Andros. She wished. By the time I'd reached the kitchen, I could have sworn that I'd heard music. But I'd turned the stereo off last night... weird. I turned the corner into my small living room.

"I thought for sure-" My words were lost on my lips. There lying on my couch, snoring quietly, was the only Christmas present I could ever want.

"Andros!" I knelt besides him and kissed his face, the cool lines of his features, the silky hair. He had silver intertwined with the blond and black, and he seemed sharper, more rugged than before. He slowly opened his eyes and met mine, and for a split second, I saw the rawest love I had ever witnessed.

"Ash… oh gods, how I've missed you!" I leapt into my fiancé's arms, reveling in their warmth and strength.

"You're home! You kept your promise!" I cried, breathing in his smell and kisses and adoration.

"As you kept yours. Marry me, my love?" He ran his finger over my engagement ring that I'd refused to take off.

"Of course, of course… I will marry you if you can promise me a happily ever after." We kissed, and whatever vows we could have said in a church melted away to leave but one thing.

Love was a promise we could never break...

Just promise me you'll wait for me
'Cause I'll be saving all my love for you
And I will be home soon
Promise me you'll wait for me
I need to know you feel the same way too
And I'll be home, I'll be home soon
When I go away I'll miss you and I will be thinking of you
Every night and day
Just promise me you'll wait for me
'Cause I'll be saving all my love for you