Winter Garden

         The night was cold and somber, the moon shining brightly on the snow that had fallen in the previous day. The ground was covered in a pure blanket, save for the quick footprints that began to mar it,

         "I am so late!" Jonathan muttered, the crunching of his steps nearly drowning his words, "Lara is going to kill me!"

         He had no sooner spoken the words when he finally entered his destination: a garden of unpassing beauty. Though there was no blooms on the ground and no leaves on the barren trees, it was a wintry dream come true. In the center of it all was an angel with ebon hair and pale, fair skin, sitting quietly on a bench. She raised her head to him as he walked towards her, a warm smile gracing her face, though her gray eyes remained untouched.

         "Lara! I am so sor-"

         She cut him off with a raised hand, the warm smile just intensifying like the sun in spring. "I know. Your work keeps you occupied. I understand, my love."

         Jonathan shifted, taken aback by her quiet demeanor. In the past, his lateness had upset her to the point of tears. Tonight, Lara just seemed happy to see him. Trying to make up for his shock, he took notice of her appearance. "Jesus, you must be freezing!" He exclaimed as he took off his jacket and came closer to her. She was only wearing a cloak and a sheer, sleeveless dress for heaven's sake!

         Lara stopped his hand with the extended jacket, merely running her hand up his arm until she cupped his face softly, pushing back one stray blonde curl off his forehead as she lost her gray gaze into his hazel one. "Oh, my love," she said gently, "We need to talk."

         His stomach dropped and a feeling of dread consumed him. "Well, alright. What's on your mind, my dear?" He asked, putting his jacket back on as he enjoyed the warmth of her hand against his face.

         She removed her hand from Jonathan's face and grabbed one of his free hands and brought it to her face. Tracing her lips on the back of his hand, Lara settled his hand on her cheek, holding it there softy, but tightly, "I can't wait for you anymore, love."

         Jonathan's heart tightened and threatened to choke him. "What do you mean, you can't wait for me?"

         Her eyes just held his, forcing Jonathan to look away, "Jonathan. Don't play coy. You know what I mean. Please don't pretend you don't."

         Panic flew through his mind. Yanking his hand away from hers, he turned away, knowing that his anger would show his passion for her better than tears, "So you mean you're leaving me. After all we've been through?" Lara couldn't leave him! He loved her!

         Lara's sad gaze traced over his tall frame, watching him begin to pace. "I will always be here for you, when you are ready."

         Jonathan spun, facing her with unspoken hurt in his eyes, "Then why are you saying that you can't wait for me if you will always be here for me! If you will be here for me, you have to wait!"

         She closed her eyes, shaking her head sadly. "You misunderstand me, love, and I know that this is hurting and confusing you. I am so sorry for that, but I fear you will not get what I am saying until much later," Lara sighed and continued, "The best as I can explain it now is that I cannot be put second to everything anymore. With your work-"

         "My work!" Jonathan interrupted, "You know how important this is to me, Lara! My art is my livelihood! Yes, I know that I've been coming home late and forgetting our dates recently, but you can't hold that-"

         "Please," She said quietly,"Let me finish." She waited until Jonathan looked into the star-filled sky in exasperation, silent. "It is not just your work. It's your work, your family, your friends, your hobbies. Love, I'm not expecting to be first and solely in your life, but...Whether you realize it or not, you are running, Jonathan. You are running as far and as fast as you can, from me and the love I have to give to you. I have waited for you to accept that I am not going to hurt you. I cannot wait in this flesh for that anymore." She reopened her eyes, her calm serenity returning, "I love you, but I can't take this pain anymore, not like this."

         Anguish finally made his heart burst and he looked back down at her, tears streaming freely down his face. "But I love you. I love you!" Jonathan took three strides towards her, seizing her face in his hands. He looked at her for a moment then kissed her like his life depended on it. Feeling her lips respond, Jonathan deepened the kiss, entwining his fingers in her hair softly.

         Lara pulled away with a gasp, clasping his face in her hands, "I love you, too, but you aren't ready for this."

         He let out a cry, resting his head on her knees, "I don't understand, Lara."

         She smoothed his cold, blonde hair, shushing him quietly. "I know you don't. But you will. And I will be right here. I will always be right here."

         Feeling the gentle pull on his face from Lara's hands, Jonathan looked up, exploring her gray eyes. "This is goodbye, isn't it?" He asked softly.

A small smile graced her face, "No, there will never be a goodbye with us. I lied in a way, when I said I wouldn't wait. As I said, I won't wait in this flesh. But I will wait in another. And it is time for me to show you what I meant."

         Lara removed Jonathan's hands and face off of her, a serene look crossing her face. She straightened, placing her palms on her legs in quiet finalization. The gray in her eyes expanded, the white of her eyes fading into the spreading gray. Her skin went next; despite her porcelain white skin turning the stony color, it still remained perfect. After a few minutes, even her clothes went gray and still.

         At the end, the moon just gazed down, reflecting brightly on the new angelic statue that sat quietly on a bench in a wintry dream garden, smiling serenely at the crying man who sat at her feet.

                                                           ~~~

         "What happened next, Uncle Jon? What happened to the man?" A small young girl sat beside an old man, bouncing happily at his side.

         Jonathan looked startled, lost in his story, "Well, Alice, Jonathan was very angry for a long time. He threw himself into his work and hated her. He hated her for hurting him and breaking his heart. Then he got tired of running...It took him a long time to understand why she left him the way she did. But, he eventually learned. She was his real reason for existence, his real everything." He smiled at his grandniece, tweaking her nose, "Maybe one day, when you least expect it, you'll see a young man statue sitting here, right where I'm sitting!"

         Alice giggled, "You're silly, Uncle Jon. It was a nice story, though!"

         "Yeah, it was," he smiled and stroked her hair gently, "Now, go run off to your mother. It's about to snow again and I wouldn't want you to get sick out here."

         "Okay! I'll see you later!" The girl hopped up and hugged Jonathan briefly, then skipped off happily in the freshly fallen snow, "Bye!"

         Jonathan smiled as she disappeared, his eyes wrinkling in his old age. "We did have a nice story, didn't we, Lara?"

         He turned his head to the side, the statue looking back at him, completely human again. "Yes, my love. We did," Lara said, kissing him sweetly.

         "You really waited for me," Jonathan said in quiet amazement.

         She smiled, taking his hand in hers, "Love always does."

         Snow began to fall then on the two lovers, as time began to slip away. By the end of the night, a new statue was added to the woman on the bench: A young man sat beside her, his fingers entwined in hers, their love forever gracing the secret winter garden that created the beginning and the end of their life together, though love never truly ends.