The Final Showdown - The Moon Trilogy - Book 3

Chapter thirty-seven:

   The noise had come from the bed.

   The bed that Johnny was supposedly very, very dead on.

   Clarity's head snapped to look down, as if it had a mind of its own, and her eyes widened when she saw that he was breathing. She could hardly see the movement, but it was certainly there. His chest, rising and falling, which it definitely shouldn't be doing. But she definitely wasn't complaining.

   She let out a breath that she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. In fact, she felt like she could breathe for the first time in a long while. She threw herself forward, and wrapped her arms around him. She felt tears running down her face, but they were no longer born from sadness. She was the happiest person on the planet.

   Through the places that her body came into contact with Johnny's, she could feel his breathing strengthen and even out, and after a few seconds, she felt his arms return the embrace. Not only was he alive, he was awake, warm.

   Through her tears of joy, she was aware that Rachel and Sam had left the room, but she didn't care. She had Johnny back, and at the moment, that was the only thing that mattered.

   She would never forget how she'd felt when she thought he'd died. She held onto him as if he was a breath of wind, and if she let go, he would disappear forever, but she knew that he wouldn't. She just wanted to show him how much she loved him. She ran her hands through his hair, hugging him tighter. All the while, tears were running down her face. She wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

   She had a second chance, and she was acutely aware of how lucky she was. In fact, this was almost more of a third chance. A similar situation had played out in Atlantis. So very lucky... Most people didn't get another chance to tell someone how they felt. She was jubilant that she'd been able to get him back.

   She embraced him for a long time. She didn't know exactly how long, but she didn't mind if it was years. It felt wonderful to have him back, and she memorized everything she could. The way his arms wrapped around her, full of strength and assurance, and the way his hair felt between her fingers. She wanted to remember everything, just in case she lost him again.

   He seemed very strong for just waking up from a death-sleep, and he held her just a fiercely as she held him. The way the two of them were acting, you would think that they only had minutes left with each other, but in fact, it was the opposite. They had forever. An eternity.

   "I didn't think you would miss me that much." He whispered. She could hear a tease in his voice, which was just faintly hoarse. She pulled back, wiping trails of tears from her cheeks.

   "Of course I missed you, dummy." She countered, sniffing a bit. "We're soulmates, remember?" she playfully swatted him on the arm.

   "I told you, that isn't the exact translation." He pretended to seem exasperated, but she could tell he was joking. He smiled as he sat up. He was alive!

   When she looked, she couldn't see any trace of the wounds that he'd had only moments before. She smiled back at him, and she almost laughed out loud at his look of surprised when she leaned in for a kiss. He was only slightly more shocked than she was. She really hadn't been expecting to do it, but it just felt right.

   Everything felt so perfectly right.

   His surprise wore off after less than a split second, and he leaned into the kiss.

   She promised herself, as she kissed her true love, that she would never let him go. She would hold onto him until the last breath left her body. She would love him until the end of the world and back. She would never forget how horrible it had felt for him to be gone, the gaping whole inside of her almost too much to bare. It had been like losing an arm. It hadn't felt right at all.

   So she promised. She would never let him go again. She had the distinct feeling that he felt her promise as surely as if she'd spoken it out loud.

   It seemed like too short a time before they pulled apart from each other. She longed for their moment to go on forever, but she knew that time had to move on.

   She looked at him. His eyes reminded her of the sky, right after twilight, when the first few stars came out. They seemed to be a darker blue than they usually were, and the silver flecks that dotted them seemed just a tad brighter. His dark hair was tousled where she had run her fingers through it. He smiled at her. For the first time, it struck her how perfect his teeth were.

   "I know it doesn't seem like the right time," Johnny began. She stood up straighter. What happened? Was there something wrong? "And I don't know if I'm doing this right, but," he stood up and rummaged around it his pocket for a second, then he pulled something out. She couldn't see what he held, because his hands were closed around it, but it seemed important, whatever it was. He held it reverently and paused, as if unsure of himself.

   What was he playing at? Did he have something for her? It was small, whatever it was; small enough to fit in his closed hand.

   "What is it?" she laughed as she bent down, trying to snatch it away, but he held it out of her reach.

   "Not yet." He chuckled along with her, then he made her stand up, nearly lifting her off of her feet in the process. She squealed, trying to get free, and he let her go.

   "What is it?" she repeated, this time trying to act more serious. It was important, after all.

   "You'll see..." he said quietly as he moved back a pace or two. When he bumped into the bed, he stopped. He seemed nervous and fidgety. It was the first time she'd seen him like this, and he when he finally started to do whatever he'd been planning to do, he dropped whatever it was that had been it his hand. It looked shiny, and it clinked as it fell, bounced once, and then rolled to a stop, a foot or so away from Clarity.

   She looked down, and failed to stifle the gasp that rose to her throat.