The next morning, Athena was the first to wake up, as was usual. She carefully looked over to where the kids were still fast asleep, a small smile pulling on her lips as she took in the sight of them all tangled up with one another as they slept.

May was lying on her stomach with an arm around Harry's waist, while the youngest was also on his stomach, one of his legs tangled with Evan's, who was lying on his side with an arm draped across Athena's stomach.

Athena stayed like that for a moment longer as she watched her children sleep before she gently removed Evan's arm around her middle, careful not to wake the boy. She watched with bated breath as he stirred, rolling onto his other side, his arm eventually finding solace when it softly landed on his brother's waist, his hand resting on May's arm.

Athena slowly got up, and her socked feet hit the carpeted floor as she grabbed the discarded comforter by the edge of the air mattress and laid it over her sleeping kids before collecting their mugs from the night before and making her way to the kitchen.

She paused in the hallway when her eyes caught sight of their family memory wall. It was a wall facing the living room that Bobby had ceremoniously claimed as their memory wall as he clipped a polaroid version of their wedding photo he had printed on the said wall when they officially moved into the house.

Over the years, polaroids have been clipped on the wall to preserve precious memories and milestones that their family achieved. Athena trailed her eyes over the pictures.

From Bobby's reaction to her first pregnancy, herself with a newborn Evan in the delivery room, Evan's first day of kindergarten, May's first swimming competition, Harry's first soccer league, and a number of other precious memories, all preserved on that wall.

But Athena's gaze trailed and settled on the very first polaroid that graced that wall when her eyes landed on it, reading the words Bobby had written all those years ago. Words she knew she would always carry with her in her heart, mind, and soul.

Blinking, Athena averted her gaze from the wall and continued her way over to the kitchen, washed the mugs, and decided to go to her room to freshen up for the day, passing the memory wall once more.

She was about to take the stairs when she stopped short, walked back to the wall, and reached for the polaroid. Her hand hovered over it for a brief moment of hesitation before she finally unclipped it from its place.

Athena held the polaroid gently as she looked at the photo as if it was the first time she had seen it, which was absurd because she had the original copy of that photo framed and on display upstairs in the master bedroom.

But there was something more intimate about the polaroid copy she had in her hand. The sentimentality it held weighed heavily on her as her gaze settled on her husband's familiar handwriting.

FOREVER AND A DAY WITH YOU.

Athena closed her eyes as she held the polaroid close to her chest.

"Forever and a day with you, my love," she whispered, opening her eyes to look at the polaroid again.

She delicately traced a finger over his image in the photo before walking off towards the stairs.

Athena entered her room, sat on the bed, and pulled a small empty frame from her nightstand drawer. She encased the polaroid she stole ever so gently inside the frame and set it on her nightstand next to the framed photograph of their family taken a year before the accident.

"I will love you forever and a day," she said, her voice barely above a whisper as she stared at his handsome face a moment longer.

Those eight words were an echo of the vows they each had made on their wedding day.

Athena closed her eyes and breathed in deeply as an onslaught of memories suddenly came to the surface of her mind.

Every memory she had of him-of them-came rushing in like a flood.

And for once, with the knowledge that her kids were still fast asleep and never were early risers, and in the safety of the room she had shared with Bobby for the last twelve years, she allowed herself to get lost in the memories, allowed herself to feel everything.

And if the kids came in to check on their mom hours later and saw her fast asleep with the now-framed polaroid that they realized had gone missing from their memory wall held close to her chest, saw the dried tear tracks on her face, and decided to let her sleep the morning away, no one else needed to know.

And if Athena was surprised and teared up when she saw a clean copy of the polaroid she had kept for herself clipped in its place on the wall along with a note from the kids taped next to it as she passed by in search of her kids when she woke up, no one else needed to know that either.

Athena removed the note from its place as she blinked away the tears that threatened to fall. But her effort to do so was for naught because as soon as she began to read words in Evan's distinct scrawl, the tears she tried so hard to keep from falling trailed down her cheeks as her heart melted with each word.

Daddy made sure we each had a copy of this and one more to spare in case you wanted to keep the original polaroid with his handwriting. He was so sure you were going to keep it, but we argued that you wouldn't since you have the original-sized copy in your room. Guess we should've known better than to argue with him. Haha!

We hung the original-sized copy in the foyer. We hope it's okay.

We love you, Mama. Forever and a day.

- Evan, May & Harry

She heard the sound of feet shuffling just as she finished reading the note. She looked up to see all three kids looking at her with small hesitant smiles on their faces as they waited for her reaction.

Athena smiled back tearfully as she opened her arms wordlessly, and in the blink of an eye, all three kids were in her arms, all of whom were clinging so tightly around her waist.

"We love you, Mama," Evan whispered against her chest, which his siblings echoed shortly after him.

Athena waited for them to lift their heads and look up at her before pressing a kiss on their foreheads.

"I love the three of you, too. So, so much," she replied, her arms gently tightening around them.

"Forever and a day? Like Mommy and Daddy?" Harry asked, tilting his head slightly as he waited for his answer.

Athena couldn't help the tears that fell from her eyes and the small smile that tugged on her lips when Evan and May also tilted their heads at her expectantly before she nodded.

"Forever and a day," she promised.


That night, after tucking in the kids to sleep and taking a shower, Athena found herself going through her drawers in search of one of Bobby's old sweaters.

She pulled out the soft, well-worn maroon sweater she knew was his favorite and pulled it over her head. It was the one sweater of Bobby's that she had kept and never given back to him when he accidentally left it at her apartment when they were still dating ages ago. Athena closed her eyes as a small smile tugged on her lips when the distinct scent of her husband met her nose. It always amazed her how that scent she would always recognize to be his still lingered on his clothes even after years of being laundered.

Or after a year and a half of not being around to wear them.

Shaking her head to get rid of that sudden thought, Athena turned back only to stop short when her eyes caught her reflection on the mirror.

Athena didn't usually wear her husband's clothes, but there were times when she needed to feel him close. Times when she needed to feel like he was right there, hugging her as he always would when he was alive.

Tonight was one of those times.

Shaking her head once more, Athena plopped herself on the bed and burrowed herself underneath the covers, settling on her side to face Bobby's side of the bed.

A sigh escaped her lips, and she closed her eyes for a few seconds before she laid on her back, staring at the ceiling as her heart constricted a little before she shook her head and turned over to turn off her bedside lamp. Her gaze, however, caught a glimpse of the parcel from earlier that day sitting on her nightstand. With her curiosity getting the better of her, she sat up in bed as she reached for it.

A card fell on her lap as she was tearing the packaging off. Athena reached for the card, and her breath hitched as she read the small note.

Athena,

I found this as I was clearing out my station at the office. If my memory serves me right, Bobby asked me to keep this on my station for him because you unexpectedly came by the office to surprise him for his birthday. I had forgotten about it until now. I went to the post office immediately to have it sent to you as I'm sure Bobby must have planned on giving it to you as a surprise sometime before the accident happened.

I hope you and the kids are doing well. Melissa and I are always praying for your family. If there's anything you need, please don't hesitate to call or reach out.

Philip Carson

Athena read the card twice more before she slowly lowered the card on the bed, taking a deep breath as she blinked away the prickling of the tears in her eyes.

The package was supposed to be from Bobby.

Just then, the day Philip was referring to played vividly in her mind. She did come by the office to surprise Bobby for his birthday. The kids had something planned for when he got home that day, but Athena had plans herself.

Athena strode over to her husband's station in the office, grinning as he pulled her into an embrace.

"What are you doing here?" Bobby asked as he dug his nose into her hair.

Athena chuckled softly as she looked up at him, resting her chin against his chest to meet his gaze.

"Thought I could steal you away for lunch to celebrate your birthday with just the two of us, love," she said.

Bobby's grin turned into a wide smile at that.

"You could steal me away every day for the rest of our lives, Mrs. Nash," he flirted shamelessly.

Athena scrunched her face as she pulled away from their hug.

"I see you're still incorrigible as ever, Mr. Nash," she remarked as she leaned against his desk.

"Like I said years ago to that comment, only with you, 'Thena," Bobby snorted as he sent a wink her way before making his way over to his computer to save whatever it was he was working on before she arrived to whisk him away for lunch.

"Better be or there will be hell to pay," Athena muttered.

"Oooh. Athena Nash, is that a threat I'm hearing?" a voice said from across her husband's station.

Athena turned to look at Philip before chuckling.

"I'm gonna have to steal my husband for lunch, Philip. I promise to bring him back no later than one o'clock," she told him just as Bobby came back around his desk and stood next to her.

Now it was Philip's turn to chuckle. "You two go on ahead. I still have something to take care of before I clock out for lunch. Enjoy lovebirds."

Athena nodded as she pulled Bobby by the hand towards the elevators, laughing when he let out a surprised grunt.

"You know. You never did answer Phil," Bobby said once they got into the elevator.

Athena's brow furrowed in confusion and Bobby smiled as he ran a thumb over them to smoothen them out as he reiterated his friend's question earlier.

"Was it a threat?"

Her face cleared as recognition took over her expression.

"Oh no, of course not," she said, pausing as the elevator dinged and the doors slid open.

Athena looked up at him, a serious expression suddenly taking over her features.

"It's a promise, Robert Nash," she told him.

Bobby gulped at the seriousness of her tone and offered a smile as he took her hand in his as they got off the lift.

"You've got nothing to worry about, 'Thena," he replied softly.

"We have our anniversary coming up in a few weeks and there's no chance in hell am I screwing this up. And besides," Bobby continued as he let Athena lead him to her car.

"I've got something incredibly special I can't wait to give you for our anniversary." he finished.

Athena glanced at him, curiosity piqued. "Oh really? Do tell."

Bobby shook his head with a chuckle.

"Nope, nuh-uh. That is all I'm willing to share. You're going to have to wait to find out what it is when I give it to you," he told her.

She rolled her eyes at him as she smiled. "Okay, fine. I'm looking forward to it."

But life had a funny way of screwing with the Nashes, however, because two weeks and five days later, the accident happened.

Bobby died two days before their thirteenth anniversary, and Athena's whole world came crashing down.

He never got the chance to give the gift to her, and she never found out what it was.

Until a parcel came in for her earlier that afternoon, a year and a half later.

She and the kids were spending time playing indoor games and activities that she could think of to keep everyone busy and engaged when a parcel came in addressed to her. Curious and confused since she was sure she hadn't ordered anything online, Athena asked the kids if they had while using her phone, to which they answered no and only added to her confusion. Deciding to look into it later on in the day, she brought it to her room and went about her day with the kids.

Athena blinked away her tears as she stared down at the card once more before setting her gaze on the partially opened package.

This was the anniversary gift he was telling me about that day.

That thought alone made her heart twist in pain. Athena shook her head in an attempt to make herself refocus and continued tearing off the packaging after reading the note for a third time. Soon enough, Athena was staring at a wooden box she now had on her lap.

The soft glow of her bedside lamp dimly illuminated the room just enough for her to read the words engraved on the inside of the lid as she opened it.

FOREVER AND A DAY

THE STORY OF YOU & ME

Athena desperately tried to keep her tears at bay, her throat felt like closing up as she trailed her eyes over the words once more as she traced a featherlight touch on the engraving.

She set the box on the bed and realized that it must have been a wooden tea box. But instead of packs of tea sitting in each of the twelve compartments, Athena saw twelve smaller boxes lined up in them with the years 2009 all the way to 2020 engraved on the lids.

Curiosity piqued, Athena pulled the box that had "Year One 2009" engraved on the lid out of its compartment. She slid the cover off, and she had to close her eyes for a moment when she caught a glimpse of what was inside.

Athena could hear the blood pulsing in her ears and feel her heart going wild in her chest as the sudden rush of emotions overwhelmed her senses. She took a long breath in and gently exhaled as she fought to keep herself in check before opening her eyes once more.

She grabbed the stack of polaroids from the box. Her hands were shaking as she leafed through them slowly, her eyes tearing up as she looked at the images and as she read the captions Bobby had written in each polaroid.

Even before they started dating, Athena knew Bobby had a good eye for taking pictures. And when they began dating and eventually entered a relationship, Athena never failed to compliment his photographic skills whenever he showed her a photo he had taken, regardless of the device he had used. She had even suggested that he pursue it as a career at one point, but Bobby insisted that it was simply a hobby and nothing more.

"It's just a hobby, 'Thena," Bobby told his girlfriend for what felt like the hundredth time.

Athena rolled her eyes. "Come on, babe. Just think ab-"

"No, babe," Bobby said as he cut her off firmly.

Athena raised an eyebrow at his interruption, making Bobby laugh as he pulled her towards him, her back to his chest, and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"I've already thought about it. For years, in fact. But I really can't see myself as a professional photographer," he admitted softly.

"It really is just a hobby, 'Thena, and besides," he paused as he unwound his arms from her waist and gently spun her around to face him, his fingers gently lifting her chin so she could meet his coffee-colored gaze.

"The only subject I want to take shots of is you," Bobby finished with a wink, smirking as a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

Athena rolled her eyes at her boyfriend, but the smile on her lips told him that she was amused.

"You are an incorrigible flirt," she remarked as she began to walk away, but Bobby caught her by the wrist and pulled her back to his chest.

"Bobby, what in the-"

Whatever Athena was about to say next never left her lips as Bobby silenced her by pressing his lips against hers as he held her by the waist, keeping her in place. They parted after a moment to catch their breaths, and Bobby rested his forehead against hers.

"You are incorrigible, Robert Nash," Athena repeated under her breath, her eyes closed as she tried to even her breathing.

Bobby couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him before pressing a chaste kiss on her lips just as she opened her eyes.

"Only with you, Athena Carter. Only with you," he promised.

Athena mentally shook herself from that memory, sniffing as she wiped away the treacherous tears that had fallen on her cheeks with the back of her hand, careful not to get any of the polaroids wet. She tucked the stack back in its box and reached for the next one.

It took Athena all night to get through all twelve boxes. If only because she really took her time as she looked at each photo with love and pain in her heart, reminiscing on memories she thought were lost in the back of her mind.

She laughed and cried all at the same time as she skimmed through all of them, her eyes lingering a moment longer on his face at every single polaroid.

But most of all, she felt his presence more than she ever had since the accident that took him from her.

Athena could still taste him on her lips.

Hear his booming laugh.

See his charming smile.

Smell his favorite cologne.

And more importantly, Athena could still feel his love.

Not only through the gift he never had the chance to give to her, but also through their kids.

For a part of him lives on in their kids.

And Athena knew now how wrong she was for ever thinking that he was taken from her.

Because he wasn't. Not entirely.

Athena knew that she would always have him with her.

In her heart.

In her soul.

And more importantly, in her memories of him.

fin.