A/N: Last chapter!!! Thanks so much for sticking with this. I'm thinking a sequel may be in the future.

Thinking back, she would remember opening the door and seeing him. For the first time, her brain unable to calculate what she saw before her. His arm in a sling, his body more slender and less of the muscle mass than she could remember. But, none of that would matter.

And when the dopamine, norepinephrine and other brain chemicals finally calmed and her brain was able to focus once more, the only thing she would remember was his arms around her, his lips against her face and his words, whispered gently against her temple. "I promised I'd come back."

And when they lay in her bed that night, her wrapped in his arms as he slept, she'd think back to how she always imagined how she'd feel when he returned. She imagined she would cry or be angry. Thrash at him for leaving her. Strike at him because he hurt her. She imagined holding him close while she sobbed or he cried. And worst of all, imagined the utter emptiness that would finally consume her if he died, breaking his unspoken promise to never leave her, committing the final act of betrayal.

But not once, in the thousands of scenarios, did it once play out like it had in reality. She hadn't cried or declared her undying love for him. He hadn't ravaged her with his lips or thrust her against a wall, desperate for the feel of her skin against his.

Instead, he only held her and kissed her gently, putting her hand over his heart and offering the only physical evidence he could that he was still there. The proof she would need to understand what was happening around feel of his still beating heart in his chest. An hour passed before he shifted his position, the exhaustion catching up with him. Without a word being muttered, she turned off all the lights and bolted her door shut before twining her hand with his and leading him to her room.

He felt her hands on his chest, lightly tracing the scars that marred his skin. He felt no shame when she touched them and lay quiet while she explored. He only felt his lips on one scar. The one on the right side of his chest. The one he took for her. He ran his hands through her hair, smiling when she looked up at him. With a gentle kiss to his lips, she settled against him once more, his hand coming to tangle on the necklace she still wore. "I thank my God when I remember you." She felt his lips move against her temple and smiled with him, watching his finger run along the inscription. "And I promise to never leave you." Her eyes flicked over to the glass figure that still rested on her nightstand. "I was afraid you wouldn't get them." Her response was a kiss to his neck and the tightening of her arms around him.

She didn't ask about what had happened. She trusted in time he would tell her. Soon enough the nightmares would start to haunt him and they would have to face the troubles of both of their pasts. Troubles that at times, would threaten to tear them apart.

But for now, the sun shone through the windows, glistening from the drops that hadn't yet disappeared from the night's storm. Like the myth of winter that had been retold months before, she felt the emptiness in her chest disappear and she could breathe once again. Life was slowly returning.

When her thoughts cleared and the chaos calmed, the only thing she would remember would be him holding her close and the promise he whispered to her as she slowly slipped back into sleep.

FIN