No easy reentry back to consciousness. Her eyes flashed open and she gasped. She was more relieved to see Simon right then than she had ever been. She remembered running, with a great deal of determination, in a village that looked even more ancient than Stenton, but she was not running away from anyone or anything. She was running towards something, or rather, towards someone.

Simon.

She had heard him calling to her, and he had sounded frantic.... like nothing she had ever heard from him before. Like nothing she had ever heard from anyone before quite honestly. It was an inky black night, but the sky was ablaze, literally, with deep reds, bright yellow and oranges, and a few streaks of white. Was it lightning? Extraordinarily hot embers? She did not know and cared not a whit. She had to find him. He sounded distraught.

Over and over again she kept calling out to him, desperate to find him. Desperate to reassure him. "Simon, I am here. Hold on. Just please hold on, love. I am right here." And then the next thing she knew she was looking into his beautiful, but very concerned eyes. Still not completely caught up to the reality of the current situation, her relief propelled the words from her throat that heart was bursting with joy to say, and it was a perplexing sentiment to her boy to be sure. "I found you. Thank God, I found you."

She kept her focus glued to him. She could feel his hand combing through her hair, and she began to slowly blink and relax. She was not ready to break eye contact just yet, but she was coming more into herself with each passing moment. After about 10 or so seconds, her head seemed to have almost completely cleared and without moving, she smiled at him and whispered, most sincerely, "You know, waking up next to you is a habit I could so easily get used to. But tell me this: are we, both of us, stretched out on the floor of the Duck & Waffle lobby?"

He nodded, saying only, "Yes, my love," but his worried gaze remain fixed on hers as he continued to tenderly pet her. A relieved smile finally lit up his face when she stated dramatically, "Well, that is embarrassing. No, really. It is," she chirped while rolling her eyes and chuckling as she began to sit up, trying to be as nonchalant as possible in an effort to ease his concern.

Simon, of course, was already ahead of her and was up and offering his hand for support as she got her bearings. When she smiled and made her surprisingly graceful attempt to stand, he offered one of his arms for her to lean on as his other circled her waist, drawing her immediately to him, squeezing her tightly and resting his cheek against her head. She closed her eyes and melted into his embrace, knowing he was her best medicine in that or any other moment. She actually felt 1000% better, but he stepped back all too soon, looking to her in a now clinical fashion as if trying to determine whether or not she might go down again. "Easy. Easy. I've got you." His eyes once again met hers, no longer triaging her, but silently questioning her.

"No worries, love. I feel much better. I just got so dizzy coming down in the elevator. That initial fast drop on a full stomach was not a winning combination for my constitution apparently. It really messed with my balance for a bit and had me extremely nauseated." She leaned into him and wrapped her arm around his waist as she told him, and Aunt Maggie, "I am sorry to have scared you... the both of you. I swear I am as right as rain, now, and much as it pains me to say it, we should probably get going."

She wanted nothing more than to look into his soft gaze right then, but the threat of tears was looming, so she settled for the next best thing and squeezed his waist three times before he bent down to pick up his jacket. When he righted himself, their hands found their mate and they headed out the lobby door and back to the townhome, mostly in a silence that spoke volumes to the other's aching heart. Even Aunt Maggie was solemnly quiet as she walked along Simon's left side.

AngelFyre had had a few minutes to think on her recent episode. She knew, or thought she knew, what part of the vision had meant at least, but the last part utterly confused and terrified her. Before she would even consider telling Simon anything, about any of it, she wanted more time to process it. He already knew she had not "hit" on anything in the restaurant, so she thought it very likely he would not put her little episode together with his father. If he did, it would consume his thoughts, and she selfishly wanted them on her and on them her last couple of hours in London.

To redirect his thoughts just a bit and to interject a bit of intrigue and hope for the both of them, she pointed to a travel agency window as they walked by. It was a very exclusive establishment as one had to be buzzed in to enter. This was a nice area so she knew the act of having to buzz to be allowed entry was not being done as a safety precaution.

She stopped him just briefly and pulled him over to the window to look at the gorgeous destination photos. A smile brightened her face as she caught sight of their reflection in the storefront window, much like she had done her first day there, only this time, the female behind them was Aunt Maggie and not the pink panther herself, Mia Anderson. When his eyes had taken in the entirety of the window display and met hers in their window reflection, she released his hand and brought both of hers up and together before her, making the symbol of the heart by pointing her thumbs down and curving her fingers inwardly to her palm. With nothing but joy and gratitude in her heart at that moment, she looked at him and silently mouthed 'I love you'.

When she turned to him, she had a slightly breathless with excitement tone in her voice and her eyes were dancing. "Simon, I want you to promise me that you will get a Passport before school starts in September. It is always better to be prepared, and I know the boy scout in you knows that to be true," and she playfully placed her hand once again in his larger, stronger one as she started them back on their way, swinging their arms like Simon always did when he was feeling particularly carefree and happy. She even tossed in an occasional hip check just because she could.

"You just never know what adventures lie in wait."

Her knees literally threatened to give out on her as Simon held her as close to him as was humanly possible while pouring his heart out to her in their private goodbye in the guest room. She had been preparing herself for this day long before she even arrived in London 5 days ago.

Was it really only 5 days ago? They had packed a summer's worth of fun into that time, yet it flew by much too quickly. It always did when they were together and passed much too slowly when apart. AngelFyre always took comfort in that fact of their existence as a couple; it had to mean they were doing something right. She would take missing him any day of the week over simply tolerating his presence for any extended amount of time. Big love brought big hurts, but the scale seemed to tip much more to the side of their joyous, big love than to their sorrowful, big hurts.

She had promised herself she would not dissolve into tears in front of him. Her parents would be the ones to bear witness to those on the train, but her fellow definitely was not going to be left with the pictures of a tearful AngelFyre in his mind's eye for the next 5 weeks. She would miss him every second of every day. He knew that. No need to make him feel worse. He was going to be dealing with his own grief and she simply did not wish to dogpile hers on top of his. That would just be cruel and selfish.

She smiled an honest smile when he made his solemn promise and put his hand to her heart and also to his. She nodded and could do nothing but put both of hers on top of his. She looked deeply into his eyes, knowing there was nothing she could say to top perfection, so she wisely chose silence and the nearness of him to convey what he knew already.

As they made their way down the stairs to a patient Aunt Maggie, AngelFyre did manage to tell him through an only slightly tearful grin that she would definitely be wearing his black tee that evening and feeling him with her every moment that she did. There was some comfort in the thought that her heart would be beating next to where his had just the night before.

It was not close to the forever and always she wanted to be able to spend with him, but it was definitely a necessary step in the journey to getting there.

Thread completed.