This is Prompt No. 54-Distance

The next morning, Mitchie awoke, curled up comfortably in Shane's arms. "Morning," she said, her grin stretching across her face.

He smiled back at her. "Good morning," he said cheerfully. "Sleep well?"

Mitchie knew that he was teasing her, and so she blushed as she replied, "Yes, what little sleep I had. Someone kept me up all night."

It was Shane's turn to blush, and Mitchie laughed. "Ready for breakfast?" he asked her, trying hard to change the subject.

"I suppose," Mitchie said, twisting to slide out of bed, but Shane drew her back, holding her tightly.

"I love you so much," he whispered in her ear, his lips brushing softly against the sensitive appendage.

Mitchie grinned widely again. "I love you too," she replied honestly. Without warning, he picked her up and swung her out of bed with him. "Shane!" she cried, surprised. "What are you doing?"

He grinned down at her and then his eyes clouded slightly with worry. "I don't have you for very long," he told her honestly. "I want to have every memory imaginable before I leave."


And so, though he had no idea how, for the next half hour, Shane helped Mitchie dress for the day. She, in turn, helped him, smiling each time her shaking fingers fumbled on a certain button and his loving hands would cover hers to help her.

They spent every day together before they had to leave, and out of courtesy, no one bothered them. Caitlyn, Nate, and Jason all simply nodded and smiled as they passed by the couple in the halls, not wanting to interrupt the small little world they had surrounded themselves in for the three weeks they had together. They knew that they would have too much time for goodbyes, and plenty of time with Mitchie when Shane left.

"Are you nervous?" Mitchie asked the night before Shane was supposed to leave. She had noticed that he had seemed more subdued, and rather sad throughout the day, and she was pretty sure that she knew why.

"No," he said with a sigh after a moment of silence. "I'm actually mad."

Mitchie instantly tensed, wondering if she had done something wrong. "Was it something I did?" she asked, unconsciously inching away from the protective circle that Shane's arms held her in.

He drew her back to where she had been and shook his head. "Don't be silly," he chided. "It's not you, it's the thought of leaving you." He kissed her softly and pulled her even tighter into his arms. "You know that I love you very much, don't you?" he asked her, sounding almost desperate.

"Of course," she said, and it was her turn to chide. "Don't you know that?" she added, teasing.

Shane smiled weakly. "It's better to hear you say it."

Mitchie snuggled a little closer. "I'll miss you so much," she told him, not really expecting an answer.

He gave her one, pulling her close and kissing her deeply with as much force as he could. When he pulled away, breathless, he said huskily, "I'll miss you too, but at least I'll know that you're safe." He kissed the top of her head. "That makes me happier."

And so, even though they wished it wouldn't, the sun rose, flooding the earth with warm, unwanted light. Not having slept at all, Shane untangled himself from Mitchie's body, thankful that she had fallen asleep minutes before, exhausted. Saying goodbye was so hard to do, and he was grateful that he didn't have to go through the pain of kissing her sad face, of hugging her resisting body before he left, because if she asked him to stay, he just might.

He wrote her a quick note, telling her of his love once more, and promising to be home as soon as he possibly could. With the note safely nestled on his pillow, he pulled the covers over Mitchie's body and gave her a tender kiss on her forehead that wouldn't wake her, slipping out the door quietly.


When Mitchie awoke, she instantly knew that she was alone. Though she had only been married three weeks, her body had adjusted to the constant weight of Shane next to her, had welcomed the warmth of his arms, and had thoroughly enjoyed his kisses when he realized that she was awake. Now, she felt none of that, and she felt an instant sinking feeling. She was determined not to go into a depression, though, so she rolled over onto his side of the bed and did as Caitlyn had instructed her three weeks ago, clutching his note to her chest. She began to recall every image she could think of that had Shane in it.

She remembered how they had met, and how she had been drawn to him just by his eyes and his protective demeanor. She smiled as she remembered dancing with him, and how graceful it had felt. In his arms, she knew that she would never fall. "Oh Shane," she whispered into her pillow. "I miss you already."

She knew that there must be plenty of miles between them already. If he had left that early, it meant that he had had a long way to travel. A burning feeling started in her stomach and Mitchie felt an uninvited tear trickle down her cheek. She turned over, burying her face in Shane's pillow. No matter what, she wouldn't cry.

She wouldn't cry because she refused to let "what-if" thoughts cloud her good judgment. She wouldn't cry because she knew that Shane wouldn't want her to. She wouldn't cry because she had friends around her that could help her through the trials she faced. She wouldn't cry because she knew that they knew what she was going through. And finally, she knew that she wouldn't cry anymore because no matter what the distance, she would always love Shane and he would always love her. That itself would keep her going throughout the long winter ahead of her.

A/N: Hope you guys like it! :D Shoutout goes out to Emma, who read this story WITHOUT STOPPING! You're awesome, and thanks so much for taking that kind of time to read my work! :D And thanks to everyone else who has reviewed, and even promised to NOMINATE! Best Overall Story here I try! (Nothing's official so I can't say "come!") Love you guys!