Into the Light

181 THE END

She looked at me with a confused smile on her face. "Okaaay," she replied, and let me pull her along with me, up the stairs to my room. I walked her straight to the couch and sat down next to her. "Okay," I said, holding the bear in front of me. "Anna, I got this when we went to Sacramento. I saw how much you loved it, so I wanted you to have it. Here." I passed the bear to her and she looked at it with so much love, my heart actually hurt. She then shot that look my way, and I swear, the intense emotion that I felt from her was more than anything I'd ever experienced before. "Thank you, Colby. You don't know how much this means to me," she said, stroking the bear's head. "Listen to the tape," I urged her. "What, now?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. "Why? Which story did you get?" She started to flip the bear around, so that she could look at the tape. I reached out and stopped her. "No, don't look. Just listen," I replied. Again, she gave me a confused look. "Okay, but I know all of the Teddy Ruxpin stories. So, I'm expecting any of them," she said, with a smile. "You don't know this one. I promise. Now, just listen." "Okaaaay," she laughed out. I was nervous. My palms were sweating and I kept twisting my rings on my fingers, as I watched her press the play button. Teddy's mouth and eyes started to move, then my voice echoed out into the room. "Anna, since the first time that I saw those shining emerald eyes, I knew they were supposed to be a part of my life. That you were supposed to be a part of my life. I didn't realize how big of a part. Our love story is very different from others." I heard myself laugh, but I kept my eyes trained on Anna's face. I wanted to see every emotion that she felt. "It's probably the weirdest one I've ever heard of. A true story that no one will ever believe. You fit in perfectly with my friends, my family here in LA. They love you almost as much as I do. I say almost because no one could ever love you as much as I do. I just wanted to put how much I love you inside of this bear, so that you can play it whenever you want. So that you'll always remember. We've already overcome so much to be together. I know that we can beat whatever life throws at us. God put you in my life for a reason, and I think it was to show me what true love really was. How you'll go to the ends of the earth for that person. How you'll stop at  nothing to make sure that person is safe and well, no matter the risk to yourself. I thought that kind of love wasn't in the cards for me. Then I met you. We've been through literal Hell and back, side by side. I wish that I could give you the world, and even the stars and the moon that I know you love so much. Since that's not possible, I will show you every day how much I love you with Pop Rocks and vintage 80's songs. I will always be here for you, no matter what comes our way. Thank you for showing me what love really is. I plan on returning that favor for the rest of our lives. I love you, Anna. Always." The static from the tape filled the room for a second, then I heard the click, when the tape came to an end. I waited in the silence that followed, with my heart hammering in my chest. She had her head down now, looking at the bear that lay in her lap. I heard her sniff, then she looked up at me with wet trails leading from her eyes down to her cheeks. "Col-byy," she said, with my name breaking, as the emotion filled her voice. The tears came faster now, a never ending trail marked on her beautiful face. "Don't cry," I said, as I wiped her tears with my thumbs. "I'm just so- so ha-happy," she gasped out. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close to my chest. She started crying harder then, and her fingers curled into my shirt. I held her there, feeling her heartbeat against my own and thanked God that he gave me a second chance with her. "I've waited my entire life for you, Anna," I whispered against her hair. She pulled back, gasping for air with her tears still dripping down her cheeks. "I've waited two life times for you, Colby Brock. Thank you for taking me Out of the Darkness and bringing me Into the Light," she replied. Her voice was steady now. I smiled down at her, then lowered my lips to hers. It was a soft kiss, just her lips and tongue moving slowly with my own. Savoring one another. We had the rest of our lives to learn everything about one another. Why speed it up now? No, I was tired of the speed, the risking our lives, the extreme fear that we had been through. Now was the the time to slow down and enjoy life. Now was the time to enjoy my life with her. That's exactly what I planned on doing. Forever and Always.

                                                                                              The End

A/N: I really hope that you all enjoyed this story. I'm going to miss Anna, but they all eventually have to come to an end. I always have this pit in my stomach when I end a story. Like I've forgotten something. There's just an emptiness when it's over. I will be starting another story soon. Be on the lookout for it! Thank you for reading my work. It truly means the world to me that I can share a story that can help other escape reality, if only for a little while. I love you. Always, Jessie