"Why did you leave me?" A voice filled with heartbreaking pain asked, causing Diana to freeze where she stood and whirl around to search for the person who had spoken. She didn't see anyone, but she knew they were there. She'd heard them. In a strange way, she could even feel them. It was an odd sensation, but she felt as if…as if some type of electrical current was rushing through her bloodstream and propelling her forward - closer to the source of the electricity.
The bright moon lit the pathway before her and guided her down toward the beach. She was a few feet from entering the clearing of her favorite spot, when the man suddenly spoke again, his voice soft and low. "We had so many plans, you and I. So many dreams. It wasn't supposed to be this way. We were supposed to have forever. It wasn't supposed to be…like this. I wasn't supposed to be alone. You were supposed to be with me. Forever. That's what we said. That's what we promised. Forever. But you didn't keep your promise. You left me. I didn't even get the chance to say goodbye."
Diana could hear the slight tremor in the man's voice and even without seeing his face, she knew there was tears in his eyes. They had to be, because they were in hers too. Whoever this man was, he was in a lot of pain. Her heart ached for him because of it. The pain in his voice told of how deeply he felt for the person he grieved for, a woman unless she missed her guess, and she could definitely relate to the pain he felt. The sorrow she could hear in his voice. She'd felt the same way after remembering her love that died.
"I know you're listening to me."
Diana froze. He knew? Had she made some kind of noise? She swallowed hard and opened her mouth to answer him, but his voice stopped the words from entering the air. "I know you're somewhere close by. I can feel you. It's almost as if you're standing right beside me. How is that possible though? I mean ever since I came to the island I've felt your presence all around me. I swear I can even smell the soft-scented shampoo you used to use."
"And last night...last night I dreamed of you again. We were on the Titanic and…and we kissed. The kiss seemed so real. I mean really real. It was almost like the time we were watching the Spain slides and we fell asleep then woke up to find that we were locked in a kiss." He laughed, but she was too focused on his statement about the Titanic to pay attention to the sound.
He had dreamed he was on the Titanic? He had dreamed he had kissed someone? How was that possible? How was it possible that they both could have had such similar dreams? Wasn't the chances of that happening like…a billion to one or something?
"I can still see Mama's face when she opened the door and turned on the lights." He said, laughter still clear in his voice, but not so much so that it hid the pain. "I swear I felt like I was sixteen again and had just gotten caught kissing my girlfriend. God, we wasted so much time. So much energy. Pretending we didn't care. Fighting what we felt. What we should have been doing is savoring every second of every minute of every day.
Memories just aren't the same. I miss you. I need you. My life doesn't seem to have any meaning without you in it."
Diana reached up to wipe away the tears traveling down her cheeks then slowly drew in a deep breath, images without sound, without names, playing inside her head.
She was sitting on a couch with a man. They were relaxing and looked as if they were about to watch a movie or something. The man was smiling at her, a smile filled with joy as if he'd just been given something he'd searched his whole life to find. She felt as if she were floating. Her heart was racing and her palms were sweaty.
She wasn't sure she could be so close to him and still hide her feelings. She didn't think he'd caught on to the fact that she was in love with him yet, but she knew it was only a matter of time. Sooner or later, he would figure it out. After all, that's what he'd been trained to do. What all cops had been trained to do.
She shook her head then lowered herself onto the couch, her lips curving into a smile as she watched him setup the projector. A second later, he lowered the lights and three seconds after that, he joined her on the couch. The moment the first image popped on the screen, she couldn't resist stealing a glance at him. A half smile was floating across his lips and it made her wonder if maybe he was imagining what it would be like if they were actually there…in Spain…together.
Spain? Diana blinked. Had she just imagined that because of what the man had said? Or had it been a memory triggered by what the man said? She didn't know, but someone she felt as if she should. She swallowed hard then shook her head and refocused her attention on what the man was saying.
"I've dreamed of you every night since you went away. I know logically there is no possible way you could have survived the explosion or the water we were thrown into, but…but my heart still refuses to believe that you're gone." He paused for a second and she imagined him closing his eyes and drawing in a deep breath.
"I know it's crazy. I mean I saw you myself. But even knowing it's not possible doesn't change the fact that somehow I still feel you. Right here. Right Now. I feel as if you're close enough I could touch you. All I have to do is turn around and you'd be there. Standing right behind me, wearing that brilliant white smile, your blue eyes sparkling beneath the moonlight."
Emotion welled within her and before she even thought about it, she took a step forward. The moment she was in the clearing, she froze.
His back was to her, but there was something about the way the moonlight reflected in his hair that pulled at her memory. She furrowed her brow, trying to remember, but then he spoke again and the words he whispered did more than just pull at her memory. They flooded it.
"Wherever you are right now, I hope you're listening to me. I hope you can hear me because I'm speaking from my heart to yours. I love you, Sheridan Crane. I love you with all of my heart."
Sheridan…Why did that name seem so….
Luis framed her face with his hands then whispered four words she would never forget, "I love you, Sheridan."
"Say it again." She pleaded, her heart practically bursting at the seams. "Say it again."
"I love you."
She gasped in remembrance then watched with wide eyes as the man slowly turned, so slowly it was almost as if it were happening in slow motion. The moment he was facing her and they eyes met, she knew…her true love hadn't died at all. He was standing just a few short feet away from her. "Luis."
"She…Sheridan?" His dark eyes scanned her face, almost as if he didn't truly believe his own eyes, but then all at once his eyes widened and…and a second later, he closed the distance between them. "Tell me this is real. Tell me I'm not dreaming. That you're alive and that I'm not imagining you or…or seeing a ghost."
She laughed then shook her head and slowly lifted her hand to his cheek. "It's real. I'm here. I'm not a ghost or your imagination. And if you're dreaming then we're having the same dream again."
"But how…" He shook his head. "I don't care how. It doesn’t matter. You're alive." He shook his head again then suddenly lifted his hands and framed her face. "My god, you're really alive."
"Yes," She whispered, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. "I'm alive and…and I remember, Luis. I remember everything."
He looked as if he were going to ask her what she meant by that, but she didn't give him the chance to voice the question. Instead, she told him what was in her heart. "I didn't break my promise, Luis. I didn't leave you. I may not have been with you physically, but I never left you. I was always with you…in your heart…just as you were always with me in mine. Forever, remember?"
"Forever." He whispered, tears glittering inside his eyes. "Forever and ever and ever…"
"And ever." Sheridan finished, leaning forward to catch his lips with hers. "Until the earth stops spinning and time stands still."
THE END