…the stars were bright, much brighter than they had been in Sam’s memory. Or maybe their light had just faded away over the years, like so many other details about this island he had desperately tried to hold on to in his mind. He had fought to keep the memory of every smell, every sound, every sight, but after a while they had gotten harder to recall and some of them were finally lost in a life that had felt like it was more than only a few hundred miles away from Greece.
So maybe, he thought, he was lucky that the stars in his memory had just faded and not gone out completely over the past two decades. After leaving the island, after leaving Donna, he had looked for those stars – and therefore in a sense for her – wherever he went. Spain, France, Brighton, Plymouth… but no matter what night-sky his eyes had taken in, nothing was as beautiful and pure as this.
This sky.
These stars.
Shining down on this beach.
On him and Donna and the most perfect place in the whole universe.
A warm gush of wind rushed over the beach, a silent welcome home for the weary traveller. Sam grinned.
Now that was putting it a bit dramatic, he thought.
But still. There was something in the air tonight. And he was not talking about the smell of cocktails and perfume or the sounds of laughter and music drifting down from the Taverna above.
Peace. That’s what it was. And it wasn’t just in the air, it was in his heart as well. His heart which after 21 years was finally not beating out of tune any more.
Now that was not only dramatic, that was downright cheesy.
“What are you shaking your head for?” The mouth that had just spoken these words was now pressing against his neck, hands were sliding down his chest and Sam closed his eyes sighing.
“I am such a fool.”
“I think we’ve established that already a while ago.”
He grinned and thought of something witty to say in reply, but his mind seemed blank, totally at rest and bathing in a state of bliss he never once thought possible. When there was no answer from him, Donna let go and leaned to her right, trying to get a glimpse of his face. His eyes were closed, so this was the first and best opportunity yet to study him more closely since he suddenly stepped back into her life. And now she could do it without the constant fear of him noticing it and getting any ideas.
Well, he had gotten the ideas even without catching her looking at him, otherwise he would not have proposed to her, but still…
Still – as in stop moving – was actually the right word. Those past few days had been like fast-forwarding a Disney-movie in wide-screen and THX. Everything had happened so fast, she felt she was only now catching up with herself and the whole situation.
He was here. Right next to her.
Sam.
She looked at him and had to remember to breathe, when the thought finally hit home.
Her Sam.
Time had gotten to him, as it had to her, but still… There it was, the same smile, that made her heart melt. Under the closed lids were the same bright blue eyes that she used to drown in so easily. There were a few strands of grey breaking through his otherwise dark hair and a few lines on his face that had not been there before. She looked at those lines along his jaw and the very tiny ones around his eyes and had to keep herself from reaching out and softly tracing each single one of them. She would definitely familiarise herself with them later, but right now she was content just looking at him. He suddenly blinked, aware that her hands had gone. His smile faded for a second and was replaced by an expression bordering on fear, but when he moved his head and looked into her eyes it was back as fast as lightning.
“Hello”, she smiled and moved to his side, until she was comfortably sitting next to him on the rock. He slid his left arm around her shoulder and she leaned into him with a sigh.
“Hi”, he said in reply, his voice low and heavy with emotion. He pressed his lips softly into her hair, taking in the scent that was all Donna. The scent that had gone far too fast from his old blue shirt, the one she had worn after their last night together. Later, after that fateful talk about weddings and things he had to do, she had used it as a weapon and thrown it into his face, adding her tears to her scent. He felt a sharp pain as he remembered that moment. Funny, how some memories you want to fade just don’t, he continued his line of thought from earlier on. He could still remember how he had clutched the shirt in hope on his way back to Greece and how he had still held on tight to it in despair on his way back to England 24 hours later.
“Even though we agree on the foolishness of you per se, what exactly are your thoughts on that subject right now?” Donna asked into his chest, one hand reaching up to caress his cheek. He leaned into her touch laughing softly.
“Foolishness per se?”, Sam asked smirking, drawing her still closer to him. “I see your image of me has suffered dramatically over the years. Seems I have a lot of patching up to do.” He felt her grinning wider into his chest, her hand moving from his cheek into his hair. “Patching up sounds promising”, she whispered, tilting her head back to meet his lips. He kissed her softly, slowly, savouring her taste, her soft lips brushing against his, her hands in his hair, a soft sigh reaching his ears.
How could something feel completely familiar and yet excitingly new at the same time he wondered briefly when his bliss-wrapped brain fired a single rational neural test-shot just to prove to itself that rational thought was still possible.
Possible, mind you, though neither necessary nor desirable at the moment.
When the kiss ended, he drew back just wide enough for both of them to catch their breaths. Unwilling to break the contact completely he leaned his forehead against hers.
“You realise we have to go back soon, otherwise they will come looking for us”, he whispered. Donna sighed and then grinned. “But we should be safe for another 2 minutes and 34 seconds. Listen.”
Sam forced himself to reach out beyond the comforting rolling of the waves and Donna’s soft breathing, trying to grasp the sounds from above. When he did, he grinned at the performance Rosie and Bill were giving.
“The stars were bright. Fernaaaandooo. They were shining down for you and meeeee.”
“Two minutes, 34 seconds?”, Sam asked, rubbing his nose gently against hers.
“Two minutes, 34 seconds plus the rest of our lives”, Donna replied before Sam captured her lips again with his and silence descended again over the beach, the stars twinkling above the two lovers, welcoming both of them home.
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