Title: Far Away

Author: LadeeBear

Rating: K (or G, for general audiences!)

Summary: I got the inspiration for this story upon hearing the song "Far Away". Now, the way that I set up the story is very…odd, for me. I have big bursts of random deep thought, and then very little dialogue at all. Also, the scene transitions are…well, you'll see. But I hope you enjoy this little ficlet!

Disclaimers: I do not own Danny Messer or Lindsay Monroe. I also do not own Nickelback, so therefore the song lyrics and title are not mine. Nor do I own the quote "Even death won't part us now" because that belongs to whomever wrote the lyrics to "West Side Story".

This time, this place
Misused, mistakes
Too long, too late
Who was I to make you wait?

She sits, watching the couples elegantly sway to the music playing from the speakers by the stage. And she sighs, believing that once again, she has made a mistake. She twirls a strand of hair around her finger and blinks back tears that attempt to force their way down her cheeks. She hated him. Yes, it was true, she hated that man…no, no…she hated that she loved him. Ah, that was it. She hated that he was the first thing on her mind upon waking in the morning, and the last thing before she went to bed. She hated how he could make her laugh or cry, depending on the simple tone of his voice. She hated how she couldn't resist his pout, his eyes, his smell. She hated the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach just after she rejected him…she rejected him, and she pushed him away. And for what? To be sitting at a gala without him…to be alone – the thing that she feared more than death itself was being alone. And yet, oh irony of ironies, Lindsay Monroe had isolated herself.

The woman dropped her hands into her lap and stared at them dejectedly. She loved him…and he was gone. Not gone forever, but possibly. Not lost…but not…not here – not where she wanted him to be. He was hurting and she was hurting because…why? Because she had let her past haunt her again.

"I like you…a lot."

It was true. She did. What went unspoken was the most important part: I care about you so much, that if I tell you my secret, you wouldn't look at me the same way ever again. If I told you, I would lose you – and I can't ever bear to do that.

She rose to her feet and was determined to walk towards the bathroom, where she would be safe to empty her emotions into a box of tissues. But a gentle hand on the small of her back stopped her and she turned slowly around.

Just one chance
Just one breath
Just in case there's just one left
'Cause you know, you know, you know

He smiled.

He didn't know what else to do, and so, logically, smiled. He was happy – ecstatic, even, that he had been able to catch her before she retreated to the bathrooms. But his smile slowly faded from his face.

She stared.

That was all she could do. She didn't know why, but suddenly, the world slowed down, and all of the noise and rush was isolated from her mind. And there was only silence. Silence and him…oh, he was standing there. And what she wouldn't give to be able to open her mouth and say something…anything. But brain and mouth were just not connecting at the moment. So, she was thankful when he finally decided to speak.

"Dance?" he asked.

It was only one word. One simple word, with a question attached to it. And there he was, standing like an idiot, waiting on her for a response. She blinked and shook her head, as if clearing her thoughts, before studying him.

"Come again?" she asked, curiously.

She couldn't have heard him right…could she?

"Dance," he repeated, without the question mark. Without hesitation, he opened his hand, palm outstretched towards her. His eyes never left hers, and she stared for a moment longer before nodding her head and placing a delicate hand into his palm.

I love you
I have loved you all along
And I miss you
Been far away for far too long

She placed her right hand in his, lacing their fingers together. She slid her other hand up to his shoulder, and suddenly felt very as if she was walking on clouds…soft, bright, airy clouds that supported her weight, yet left her feeling breathless. His hand was on her waist, pulling her instinctively closer to him. She met his eyes – his brilliant blue eyes – and for the moment, she felt as if the world had melted beneath their feet. The dance floor that they were on, the people surrounding them, the tables in the room…everything except for the song and themselves had disappeared.

He couldn't believe that he was with her. He was with her – he was with the one woman who he cared about more than anything else. And he had to laugh to himself. Whoever had thought that Danny Messer would fall in love?

His eyes fixed on her chocolate eyes, full of thought, of amazement, and of…

What was that? Did he see it? Did he see the love in her eyes?

I keep dreaming you'll be with me
And you'll never go
Stop breathing if
I don't see you anymore

She could hear her heart beat. One, two, three, one, two, three… Oh, and she couldn't stop it. But she didn't want to stop it. She wanted, more than anything, to remain in his arms forever. And it sounded cheesy to her, like some old black-and-white film with Cary Grant…but she wanted to be with him. Till death do they part.

And she wondered if he felt the same. She tried desperately to study his face in the fading moonlight. She stared at her hands, hearing the taxi doors slam, and listening to the whistling wind on the New York pavement…

And he could only study her face, wondering if she felt the same way that he did. Wondering if she felt the connection between them, if she felt that warmth and comfort whenever she was in his presence. Wondering if she wanted to be with him as much as he wanted to be with her…He placed a hand on her face, and heard his heart beat. One, two, three, one, two three…

Her eyes fluttered slowly, eyelashes beating against the night air. She felt his hand on the side of her face, and locked eyes with him. Words went unspoken and she felt herself slowly leaning in towards him…the space between them grew smaller and smaller…and her lips were mere centimeters from his…

On my knees, I'll ask
Last chance for one last dance
Cause with you, I'd withstand
All of hell to hold your hand

She sits, watching the couples elegantly sway to the music playing from the speakers by the stage. And the moments that she shared with him seem to replay in her mind, as if a slideshow of their relationship was presented before her. She feels the gentle tap on her shoulder and turns her head to see him. She smiles, knowing that the man she loves is standing before her. But her eyes widen…

He doesn't stay standing for long. He can't bear to stand one more minute in her presence. Instead, he looks at her, gently tucking a strand of hair away from her face, and kneels beside her. He takes a deep breath and decides to speak.

"Marry me?"

She stares, eyes widened for a few moments, feeling the steady rhythm of her heart change its pace. One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four…it beats faster, and she swallows, feeling the room fade once more before her eyes. She looks deep into his eyes, before a question forms at her lips.

"Come again?" she asked curiously.

He only smiled and looked at her, displaying a velvet box before her. He took her hand and eyes searching hers, responded softly.

"Marry me."

It was not a question, nor was it a command. It was a plea, filled with longing, wistful hope and eternal promise. His heart changed its rhythm, from the steady to the unsteady…predictability to unpredictability.

I'd give it all
I'd give for us
Give anything but I won't give up
Cause you know, you know, you know

She blinked for a moment, as pearly tears ran down her cheeks, and nodded, feeling her heart melt at the smile on his lips. She laughed as he slipped a ring onto her finger, enjoying the feeling of the cool metal under her fingers. The diamond caught the faint sliver of moonlight shining through the window, as she placed her hand into his and rose to her feet.

I love you
I have loved you all along
And I miss you
Been far away for far too long
I keep dreaming you'll be with me
and you'll never go
Stop breathing if
I don't see you anymore

There was no where on earth that he would have rather been, than on that dance floor with her in his arms. And as cliché and as corny as it sounded, he wanted to be her knight in shining armor. He wanted to be the first person she ran to, the first person she confided in, the first pair of arms to reach out and hold her…he wanted all that and more.

So far away
(So far away)
Been far away for far too long
So far away
far away for far too long
But you know, you know, you know

She sat and stared out the window, watching two children play in the grassy yard. The young boy and girl were laughing, tossing brightly colored autumn leaves at one another, when they probably should have been raking them. The little blonde haired girl yelped as the boy threw a pile of leaves at her, and then retaliated by throwing more leaves at him.

He smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. He watched her turn around and felt his heart soften at the smile that lit up her face. He placed his keys on the counter and placed the dozen roses that he had bought her into a vase filled with water. He then proceeded to move towards the stereo, and chuckled at the puzzled look on her face. When the opening chords filled the room, he smiled at the reminiscent look in her eyes.

He got down on one knee before her and opened his hand, palm outstretched, which she took willingly. The pair swayed to the music, while floods of memories passed through each of their minds.

That I wanted
I wanted you to stay
Cause I needed
I need to hear you say:
I love you
(I love you)
I have loved you all along
And I forgive you
(and I forgive you)
For being away for far too long
So keep breathing
Cause I'm not leaving you anymore
Believe it

She rested her head against his shoulder and sighed, swaying slowly back and forth, back and forth in time to the music. There was silence surrounding them, apart from the music that was playing from the next room, and she was still in love with his scent…with his warmth…with everything about him…

"Grammy?"

There was a tug at her pant leg. The woman stared down at the little girl at her feet and then back to the man she was dancing with. The woman stooped down to the child's level, breaking herself apart from the man's embrace.

"Grammy," she said. The little girl tugged at her grandmother's arm and dragged her into the next room to play a game.

The man smiled, shook his head, and turned off the stereo with a chuckle.

Hold on to me and never let me go
Keep breathing
Cause I'm not leaving you anymore
Believe it,

He exhaled, watching his breath rise into the cold winter air. Stooping down, he stared at one spot and one spot alone. The music would not leave his mind, it would never leave his mind…it would never leave…his heart. There was too much…too much he remembered…too much to forget. He closed his eyes and saw the light…the patterns and colors swirling before him…a dance floor, yes…a dance floor bathed in moonlight. And he stretched out his hand…reaching, reaching…she was there…

But he opened his eyes at the touch of a hand upon his shoulder. He turned around to see the spitting image of her…She touched his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze, while looking reverently in front of her. Then she too stooped down.

"Love," he whispered.

She didn't speak. She didn't know what to say. She had no words of comfort, nothing to soothe his troubled mind or his anguished spirit. And so she knelt, and in silence, she watched his whisper float over the rows of cold marble.

"Love."

He repeated the simple word, over and over. Delusional, yes…maybe. Hopeful, possibly, and hurting, yes…yes he was all of these things. And she…oh, she was in the very air that he inhaled…the very breath that trailed over the snow-covered ground. She was the morning beam of sunlight…the radiant hope for a tomorrow. And she was gone. Like a fading mist…she was gone. He let a tear fall onto the snow, white, pure…alive, alone…

She stared at the man, a sigh escaping her lips as she too wiped pearly white tears that trailed down her face. She looked at the crimson rose in her hand, and tied a white ribbon around it, before placing it on the ground before her.

"Love," she breathed. "Love."

He turned to face her, both of their tear-stained faces meeting. And from their eyes, their hearts were revealed. He wrapped his arms around her, and they slowly rose to their feet. With one longing look at the marble, he began to walk slowly, carefully away…away from his past, away from his wife…away from the love that he had once upon a time held close. But as he retreated, a force tugged him, pulling at the dark leather coat he was wearing.

She paused as the man turned his body around to face the graveyard. She furrowed her eyebrows, seeing nothing or hearing nothing. But it was as if some invisible hand had caught his arm…had pulled him in…

He closed his eyes, and for a lingering moment, he heard the faintest sweet whisper of her voice…a harmonic note hovering above the sharp winter air…something…something…a promise…a promise.

"Even death won't part us now."

The promise of forever…the promise of a lifetime and beyond…he opened his eyes, and blew a kiss to the wind, who returned the gesture with a gentle gust. She took his arm and led him on, and he followed.

"Part we not now, part we not ever…" he silently vowed. No chasm, no valley…not even Death itself would stand in his way. She may have been far away, but far away was not far enough to separate their love….never.

Hold on to me and never let me go
(Keep breathing)
Hold on to me and never let me go
(Keep breathing)
Hold on to me and never let me go

Trippy, right? If you didn't catch it, the scene transitions are really dream-like, with no specified transitions. But, if you wanted to know, it goes as follows: Danny & Lindsay dance for the first time, kiss for the first time, Danny proposes sometime later on, they have children, then they have grandchildren, then Lindsay dies and Danny and their daughter visit the graveyard. Also, if you realized, I switched back and forth between the present and past tense…yeah, I just couldn't decide. LOL. Tell me what you think by hitting the button that says 'Submit Review'. THANKS!