Jim decided to celebrate his recovered memory by making an elaborate breakfast for the two of them. As he buzzed about the kitchen, working on his culinary masterpiece, Melinda called Delia from the living room.

"Hello?" Delia answered.

"He remembers!" Mel practically shouted into the phone.

"What?" Delia asked. "Slow down here… What happened?"

"Last night I couldn't sleep. I was depressed and just couldn't stop thinking about everything I'd lost when Jim died, and how it doesn't even matter that his soul is in Sam, because it will never be the same if he doesn't remember." Melinda babbled quickly. "And I was sitting in the kitchen looking at my memory book when Sam came in. He'd had a nightmare about the lodge and getting shot, and when he started talking about it, it seemed like it was all coming back to him. Then he passed out for a few minutes. Scared the hell out of me. But when he woke up, he remembered everything!"

Delia was speechless for a moment. "….So…. Jim's back?" She asked.

"He's back!" Melinda said excitedly.

Melinda and Delia chatted for a few more minutes, and Delia insisted that Melinda take the day off work to spend time with Jim. By the time Melinda hung up the phone, she realized that exhaustion was finally catching up with her. By the sound of things in the kitchen, Jim wouldn't be done cooking for a few minutes, at least. She decided to lay down and rest her eyes for a moment…

Jim was putting the finishing touches on the meal, when he called for Melinda to let her know that breakfast was ready. When he received no reply, he made his way into the living room to see what she was up to. He found her lying on the couch, sleeping soundly. She was curled up in a fetal position, her head resting on one arm, her hair fanned across the armrest. He sat down beside her, and brushed a few loose strands of hair away from her forehead. He then bent down and kissed her temple, smiling at how peaceful she looked. For a moment he simply watched her sleep, not wanting to disturb her. Then he decided that she would be mad if he didn't wake her for breakfast, so he gently shook her and called her name.

"Mel. Honey, wake up."

She stirred a bit, and whimpered, but didn't open her eyes.

"Mel. Time for breakfast." He tried again.

This time Melinda gasped and shot up, straight into Jim's arms. She was shaking and breathing heavily.

"Hey. Are you okay?" Jim asked.

Mel took a deep breath and relaxed. "Yeah. Sorry." She breathed. The look on her face, though, was one of fear.

Jim studied her. "What is it?" he asked.

Melinda forced a smile, and lightheartedly said. "Nothing. It's nothing. You just startled me."

Jim gave her a who-do-you-think-you're-fooling look.

"Jim. Really, It's okay. It was just a dream. I don't even remember it now." She lied. But Jim took the cue to not press her about it.

"Okaaay…" He said, and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Well I have a fabulous assortment of food waiting for you in the kitchen."

"Oooh, yay!" Melinda squealed, and jumped up, taking Jim's hand and pulling him behind her into the kitchen.

After breakfast, Melinda and Jim decided to go for a walk. It was a beautiful spring day, and the weather was finally warm enough for them to be outside without coats. They walked hand-in-hand, and enjoyed the scenery, and even more than that, each other's company.

"So you really remember everything now? It's all come back?" Melinda asked.

"Yeah." Jim said. "Everything before… My death…." He chuckled, still not used to hearing himself say that. "And everything after." He looked over at her.

She looked into his eyes. "So you also remember not remembering?"

Jim sighed, and looked down at the ground. "Yeah. You know, it's weird. It's like it was all somewhere in the back of my mind… I just couldn't get to it. I can't really describe it."

Melinda nodded. They walked in silence for a minute. Jim kept glancing at Mel, who was staring at the ground as she walked. Something was bothering her, he could tell. And after thinking about it, he had an idea of what it was.

"You tried to tell me." He stated.

She looked at him, confused. "What?"

"You tried to tell me who I was, what happened… And I didn't want to believe you." He said softly.

Melinda remembered that day.

"Look, there's something I have to tell you. And it's not gonna be easy for me, or for you, I'm sure… Do you have an open mind?" She asked Sam.

"More like an empty one, but…" He joked.

"Do you believe in the afterlife?"

"Heaven or ghosts?" Sam questioned.

"Both…" Melinda said. "What about stuff like reincarnation?"

"Like, respect cows because they might be your ancestors?" He said, straight-faced.

Melinda laughed a bit. "Sort of…" She whispered. And then took a deep breath. "My husband just died." She continued. "And you just had a brush with death also…"

Sam laughed. "Wait. You're not gonna tell me you think I'm your husband reincarnated? Because you're the only sane person I've met since I woke up."

Melinda blinked, trying to drive away the tears that were threatening to show. "No." She said softly, and then let out a less-than-convincing chuckle. "No, of course not. I just, um… I just thought that maybe you'd be able to understand what he went through. Since you just kinda died yourself, and, um… I just need to know that he's okay, wherever he is."

Sam looked at her regretfully, seeing the hurt that was written across her face. "Oh." He said softly. "Sorry."

Jim stopped walking, pulling Melinda out of her thoughts. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes, silently willing her to talk to him.

"You were confused." She said quietly.

"I hurt you." He whispered.

"It's not your fault." She reassured him. "You didn't know."

Jim pulled her in for a hug, and they stayed like that for a moment before they broke away and began to walk again, Jim's arm around Mel's shoulder.

"So how do you feel about all of this?" Melinda asked.

"It's like you said last night" Jim said. "I'm here. That's all that matters." Then, looking down at himself, he joked, "I kinda miss my old body, though."

Melinda laughed, and slapped him playfully.

That night, Melinda went to bed blissfully peaceful for the first time in months, with Jim sleeping right beside her. The peace didn't last long, though, as her sleep was soon plagued by a disturbing dream.

She was in the woods, in complete darkness. The only thing making it possible to see at all was the faint light being given off by the stars above. She shivered as a frigid wind bit at her face and tousled her hair. It appeared that she was alone, until she heard a familiar voice ring out from behind her.

"Melinda." The female voice said.

Melinda spun around quickly, fearful of the voice, even though she knew that it meant no harm. She stared anxiously at the nameless guardian spirit that not so long ago had warned her about a price she might have to pay for what she does.

"What do you want? Why am I here?" Melinda asked desperately.

"We've been watching you, Melinda." The spirit stated calmly. "We saw what happened to Jim…. What he went through to come back to you… And we know that he now remembers it all."

"What's your point?" Melinda questioned, knowing that there was something more coming.

"You should know that it's not over yet. Big things are coming. Dark things. Things that may change your world forever."

Melinda let out a nervous and bitter laugh. "Haven't I gone through enough? Why is this happening to me?"

"I already told you." The spirit reminded her.

Melinda sighed and shook her head. "So what do I do? How do I make it stop?"

"You must choose wisely, and pay close attention to what surrounds you. There's already a lot you have missed."

"Missed? What have I missed?" Melinda asked. But the spirit was already gone, vanishing into the night.

Then Melinda heard something else… Laughter. But it sounded evil and menacing. She began to walk forward, and suddenly she was standing at the lake, outside the lodge.

"No…" Melinda cried. "Not this. Not again…"

She watched as a bullet crashed through the glass door. She heard her own screams echoing in her ears. She saw Carl draw his weapon, and she tried to warn him, to stop him, but she couldn't speak. It was only then that she noticed the figure standing directly behind Carl.

Romano.

"NOOOOO!" She screamed, so loudly that her throat and lungs burned. But she was awake. It was only a dream. She was safe, wrapped in Jim's arms as he whispered words of comfort in her ear.

"Mel, honey, it's okay. It was just a dream. It's alright." He said quickly but softly.

Yet Melinda couldn't shake the image of Romano from her mind. The spirit's words were still ringing in her ears. She couldn't catch her breath, and she had to grab onto Jim's shoulders tightly to keep her hands from shaking.

"Mel… Breathe." Jim said firmly. "Take a deep breath. You're okay. I'm here."

After a few minutes, Melinda finally calmed down, although her mind still wasn't at ease. She realized then that she hadn't spoken a word to Jim since she woke, and it was evident that Jim was becoming increasingly concerned. Her eyes met his, and he squeezed her hand gently.

"Are you alright? What happened?" He asked.

Melinda looked down at her hands for a moment, as if she didn't know where to begin.

"Mel? Talk to me." Jim begged.

"I…" She began, and then stopped. She stared intently into Jim's eyes. She had only just gotten him back. And now she was getting these warnings again? A few tears spilled from her eyes and ran down her cheeks, plopping onto the comforter covering her lap. "I can't think about it right now." She said through her tears. "I'm just so tired…"

Jim held her close. "It's alright, babe." He whispered, desperately wanting to know what was bothering her so much, but knowing that it wasn't the time to push her. "I love you." He said, and placed a series of small kisses on her forehead and temple.

"I love you too." She replied, snuggling her face into the crook of his neck.

Minutes later, they were lying back in each other's arms, trying to forget their worries as they drifted off to sleep.

A/N: So, what do you think so far? REVIEW! Let me know if you love it/hate it/are indifferent. If I should keep writing, scrap it.... Whatever you thought, I'd love the feedback.