A Love that Lasts Forever

By LordRaven

The little restaurant had not changed much since the last time Jack had been there. It was still a rather romantic place with the lights down low like they were now. This gave the restaurant an almost mysterious air about it. In the back of the restaurant a young couple sat close to one another clearly showing much affection. Jack smiled at the way they were acting. It reminded him of the he and Amanda used to act. Just a few years ago, that would have been him and Amanda in that corner.

The depression grew again causing him to want to leave. He longed to have her touch him, but he knew that was impossible. She was dead and there was nothing that he could do to fix it. Without ordering, Jack got up and left. The pain was just too much for him to bear any longer. Cursing beneath his breath, Jack wondered if there was anything that would not remind him of her.

As he walked down the street, he wondered if there was any chance of happiness for him. Jack even toyed with the idea of trying to date again. All he would have to do is learn the rules again. What was he thinking, Jack wondered to himself? Dating was not something that he wanted to do. He was not ready for a step this big, or was he? Jack shook his head at all the confusion in his mind. Was there no end to his depression?

Deciding not to think about it, Jack walked on down the street. His stomach made a demanding groan that told him that he was extremely hungry. Looking down at his watch, Jack saw that it was nearly twelve thirty in the morning. Nothing would be open at this hour, he thought. Then his friend Sam popped into his mind, and knew that he would be up at this hour. Reaching for his cellular phone, Jack called his old friend.

"Hello," Sam said on the other end.

"What's up?" Questioned Jack.

"Jack, is that you?" Asked Sam, with a surprised tone.

"Yep, how are you doing?"

"Pretty good, it has been a while since I have talked to you."

"Well, I have been really busy."

"Are you gonna come over and say hello, or are you just gonna be a dick."

"Sure, I'll be there in a bit. Order us a pizza and I will pay for it when I get there."

"Cool, I don't see or hear from you in over a month, and you are already offering to buy me a snack. That is just cool. I'll lave the door open for you."

"Okay, I am about a block away. Later."

With that Jack turned off his cellular phone and began walking towards Sam's Apartment. He was about a block and a half from the building. Jack knew if he timed it right, he might just meet the pizza delivery person before he went up to the Sam's apartment. That would keep Sam from trying to pay for the pizza.

As he rounded the corner of Sam's building, Jack stood mortified at what he saw. There was a woman that was directly in front of him that looked just like Amanda. The length of her hair, the way she swayed back ad forth when she walked, and even the clothes that she wore. It took all that he had to keep himself from running up to her. He broke into a cold sweat and chills ran up and down his spine as what he saw was confirmed. This woman looked just like Amanda! Shaking, Jack stood there as if looking for something to be wrong with her anything that would make her not look like Amanda. Unfortunately he could not see anything. This woman was a perfect match. The thought was so scary, that he started to tremble with an unknowing fear.

As she rounded the corner, Jack ran up to Sam's apartment. The cold sweat still pouring off of white face. In front of the door, the pizza delivery person was standing there about to knock. A strange look formed on the boy's face when he saw Jack's face. The look seemed to make Jack tremble even more. Handing the kid two tens, Jack took the pizza and went into the apartment. Reaching down for the knob with a trembling hand, Jack walked in.

Sam heard him walk in the door as he was coming out of the kitchen. He could see that his friend was really shaken.

"Jack you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost." Asked Sam, with an odd look on his face.

"I think that I just did," replied Sam with a deep breath. "You are not going to believe me, but I think that I just saw Amanda."

A look of worry popped across Sam's face. "Are you sure that you were not just imagining things? After all you do still miss her a lot."

"Sam if this was my imagination, the it was the best thing that I have ever imagined. I swear on everything that is Holy; I saw what looked like Amanda down in front of your apartment building."

Sam got up shaking his head then he walked into the kitchen. He emerged with a bottle of vodka and two glasses. Pouring one of the glasses full, he handed it to Jack. "Here drink this and tell me about what you saw."

"You know that I am not a drinker, why are you giving me this?" Asked Jack with a questioning look on his face.

"Well, I figured that you would need it. You look scared," replied Sam.

"Thanks," Jack said taking the drink with an unsteady hand. Slowly, he took the drink and sipped it. Jack told Sam about the day that he had been having. It was not long until he was drunk because not use to the liquor.

Then next morning Jack awoke to the sound of someone typing on a keyboard. Just from the speed and accuracy that the person was typing, Jack knew that it was Sam. He still did not see how Sam could type that fast. As he began to sit up, his hangover kicked in full blast. Making a mental note, Jack vowed never again to drink that much vodka again.

Trying as hard as he could, Jack forced himself up off of the couch and walked into the room that Sam was in. Sam was in his fimliar laid back position in front of the computer. Still, Jack could not see how his friend could sit in that position for hours on end.

"Coffee is on the stove in the kitchen, help yourself," said Sam without even looking up form the keyboard. Jack marveled at the way that Sam seemed to not be suffering from a hangover. For some reason Sam would drink as much as he wanted and never get drunk. Jack really wished that he could do that also. Slowly, as if in massive pain, Jack walked to the kitchen to get the coffee. He really needed to be awake now.

The coffee tasted terrible, but it did the trick. It woke him up enough to make the events of the night before flood back into his mind. Jack still could not believe that he had seen Amanda last night, or what he had thought was Amanda. Had he been hallucinating? The mental picture of her standing in front of him popped into his mind. Her long blond hair flowing behind her as she walked. It was she and he was really sure of that one. No one in the world other than Amanda looked like that, and no one could mimic gestures that precisely.

Standing there, Jack grew tired of thinking about her. Sam was finished typing now so he went into the computer room with him. When he entered the room, Sam was just turning off his computer.

"You look like death warmed over," said Sam with a grin.

"I still don't see how you can drink all that you want and still never get a hangover. You must of had a lot of fun in college," replied Jack, rubbing his temples trying to make the pain go away.

"Jack my boy, getting a hangover is all in the mind. I don't allow the alcohol to take over my whole body, and I also drink only enough to get a buzz going. You know that I had fun in college, you were my roommate." He was grinning from ear to ear.

"You really do suck. You mean you allowed me to get drunk off my ass, and you only drank enough to get a good buzz."

"Yep," replied Sam. "You looked like you needed to get drunk."

"Thanks, but next time don't do me any favors. Okay?"

"Okay." There were a few minutes of silence between the two of them that allowed Jack to collect his thoughts.

"Do you think that I am crazy?" Jack asked with a very serious look on his face.

"Well, I honestly do not know. You claim that you just saw your dead wife. You tell me," answered Sam. "What do you expect you me to say?"

"You could say that you believe me, and that you think that I am not as loony as I feel."

"Jack, if I had not known you all of my life, I would have thought you were. It is hard for me to accept what you saw, but I do not think that you are crazy."

"Then what do you think?"

"I think that you had a very bad hallucination because of the stress that you have been under."

"So you think that I am nuts." Jack could see that this was getting him no where. Sam was too much of a rational thinker to even remotely believe what Jack had just said. At that point, he decided to keep what he saw to himself. For the sake of his friend, Jack also went along with what Sam had said.

"I guess that you are right. I have been under a lot of stress lately. I think that I am going to go home and get some rest."

"Good idea, I think that you should do that." Jack begins to gather his stuff, which was not much. "Wait a sec, and I will walk you out."

"That's cool," replied Jack. Together, both of them left the apartment. As they walked down the stairs, they chatted about where Jack had been hiding himself lately. The lobby was relatively crowed, with the exception of one person standing by the door. The closer they got to her, Jack could see it was the woman that he had seen last night. Both Sam and him stopped dead in their tracks. Neither could believe what they saw before them. It was a person who looked exactly like Amanda. She hadn't seemed to notice the two strange men staring at her, but she soon did. The look on her face was one of fright and intrigue at the same time.

The world seemed to stop in that moment. Both Jack and Sam stared in wide-eyed wonder at the woman.

"May I ask what you two are staring at?" She asked them, in a voice that both of them knew by heart.

Dumbfounded, neither could answer her. She just looked at them with an evil eye and then she left. Without meaning to both Sam and Jack looked at one another in unexplainable surprise. Neither could explain what they had just seen; neither ventured to try either. They just went back up to Sam's apartment and discussed the events that had just happened.

"This is to weird for me," said Sam pacing the floor.

"Ha, now you know that I am not crazy," replied Jack.

"You don't have to convince me any more, I will believe any thing you say to me."

"What do you thing that was? It could not be Amanda, she would have recognized us both."

"It is probably just a person who looks exactly like her. There have been cases where people have twins they are not even remotely related to."

"I guess that could be the case, but still I want to know for sure."

"Okay Jack, if it will make you feel better I will find out for you."

"Thanks Sam." Jack turned for the door and started to leave.

"Where are you going?" Asked Sam.

"To call Amanda's parents to see if they know anything about her still being alive. They might be able to tell me some stuff."

"Okay, see you later. How about we meet around 2:15pm to see what we've come up with."

"Okay, See you at 2:15."

The air outside cold and bitter unlike the way it had been the night before. Jack knew that he wasn't crazy now because both he and Sam had seen her. Thoughts of who this woman was played havoc on Jack all the way back to his apartment. If it was Amanda why had she faked her own death. Thoughts of her played on his mind constantly, and he was getting a little scared.

As he entered his building, the doorman gave Jack his normal greeting. Smiling, Jack exchanged a few words with him then headed for his Apartment. The door stood locked when he got to it. Somehow that locked door gave him comfort, that he was safe form the outside world. He knew that was a false sense of security, but still Jack liked it. When he entered the door, Jack could tell immediately that something was not right. The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the whole apartment. His mail lay on the table opened. Fear began to grip him hard.

The security of the door seemed to have vanished in front of him. Slowly, trying not to make much noise, Jack crept through the apartment. The living area had no one in it, but Jack could tell that there was someone in his and Amanda's room. He could hear them moving around. Great, he thought. Someone has broken into my apartment and brewed coffee? The thought was kind of funny, and any other time he would have laughed his ass off. Right now, however, it was not very funny; it was really freaky. Jumping into his room, Jack's gaze was met by a face that he knew too well. Amanda stood there staring at him like he was crazy.

"Hey, what the hell is the matter with you?" Asked Amanda. "You scared the living shit out of me."

"I scared you, what about me? You have been dead for two years." Jack looked at her with longing eyes.

"Well, not exactly. I have been hiding for two years."

"Why?" It was all Jack could say. His heart was beating so had it felt like it was going to explode.

"I will explain in time but first," Amanda reached up and kissed him fully. "I just wanted to get that out of the way."

"You don't know how much that I have missed you. For the first couple months after your death I was a wreck."

"I know and I apologize for making you go through that hell. I never meant for any of it to happen." Jack could see a tear began to form in her eye. He could see that this was going to be very hard for her.

"It is okay, just don't leave me again. I cannot stand to lose you again. I love you too much."

"The reason that I was hiding was because my family is in some really serious shit. Eventhough I tried not to get involved, they dragged me in. I got blamed for a murder, so I just made myself disappear. A couple of weeks ago I came across some information that will save my ass.

"I was approached by a man that said he saw who murdered the person that I was fingered for killing. He said that if I kept his name out of it, he would tell me all the information I needed to get myself cleared."

"Why did I hear nothing about this murder stuff?" Asked Jack with a puzzled look on his face.

"Because I had my father take care of the investigation. He fixed it where you were not linked with me. It was the only decent thing that he has ever done for me."

"That is why that you never mentioned your father very much."

"I hate that bastard, he ruined my entire life. He took me away from a man that loved me greatly. Now I am going to make him pay for what he did. My father is the one who killed that person, and he let me take the rap for his shit."

"It will be okay now Amanda. We can be together for now, and nothing will tear us apart. I will not let anyone take you away from me ever again. I love you so much."

Jack could not believe that they had been sitting there talking for nearly an hour. Amanda was so beautiful, and he was finally happy. They were together again, and nothing would ever keep them apart. He would protect her with his life if need be. Jack would not let he father-in-law hurt her ever again. All he could do was just hold her in his arms. It was not long until they both fell asleep on the bed.

The next morning Jack awoke to find that Amanda had really been there and it was not just a dream. He could hear the shower running, so he decided to go in and see her. She had always liked it when he would surprise her in the shower. Slowly, as if trying to sneak up on her, Jack crept into the bathroom. He could see the outline of her shape through the curtain; he had to admit that it was a very nice shape. Then in one movement he jumped into the shower with his wife. Amanda had really startled look on her face, but then she kissed Jack passionately.

"I love you Jack. You always know how to make me smile," said Amanda with a loving smile.

"Actually you are the only person that finds what I do romantic," Replied Jack.

"Well, I hope that you don't do this to people like Sam."

"Damnit, I forgot to meet Sam. I was supposed to meet him at 2:15 yesterday afternoon. He is going to be really pissed off at me."

"Go call him and tell him that you got tied up with some other things. He will understand."

Jack walked into the bedroom and picked up the phone. He was trying to think up an excuse that would not get his ass kicked. Jack knew for sure that he would not tell him that Amanda had spent the night with him. That would require too much explanation, and he did not have a lot of time. Jack wanted spend as much time with Amanda as he could. The phone rang and a groggy Sam answered it.

"Sam, you awake?" Jack glanced down at the clock. It said 5:45.

"What do you want? It is too damn early for you to be calling me."

"I was just calling to apologize for not showing up yesterday. I am really sorry."

"Fine, but could we talk about this later so I can go back to sleep."

"Sure, we can. You are not mad are you?"

"No, Jack I am not mad. I am trying to sleep. Now, I will talk to you later on when I am not half asleep."

The phone went dead on the other end. At least he is not mad, thought Jack. Now it was time to fix that coffee that he had thought about earlier. When he got to the kitchen, he found that Amanda had already beaten him to it. She was standing there just finishing the coffee. The smell of roasted coffee filled the air, and Jack knew that everything would be back to normal. Amanda was back on his life, was there anything else that could be better.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, scarring them both. Jack answered it, but much to his surprise it was his father-in-law. Without waiting for an invitation, he walked in.

"Amanda, you are coming with me." He said without paying much attention to Jack.

"No, I will not daddy," she replied sternly. "I am free now, and you will not take that from me."

"Look, Amanda I do not have the time for an argument. I said that you are coming with me."

"You are not taking her," Jack piped up. "She is my wife and I say you are not going to take her."

"Jack, stay out of this." Amanda looked at him. Her eyes told him no, but he did not care. He had vowed to never let her father hurt her, and that was what he was going to do.

"You better listen to her son, or you might get hurt." Amanda's father smiled, showing all his teeth.

"She is not going to go with you. I won't let you take her away form me."

"You will not interfere or you will be silenced." This time he was not smiling; he was very serious. The look in his eye was very clear. Jack would leave him alone, or he would kill him.

"Jack, do as he says. He will hurt you," Amanda screamed, tears streaming down her face.

"Amanda, I lost you once, and I will not loose you again."

"Have it your way." Before Jack knew it, his father-in-law pulled out a gun. The bullets tore through Jack's flesh like a hot knife through butter. Before he hit the floor, Jack was dead. Blood pouring form the wound on his chest and neck. His last thoughts were of Amanda; the last thing he saw was the look of terror on her angelic face.

No one really ever knew what happened to Jack. The official police report said that a prowler had attacked him in his apartment. Sam never believed that nonsense, but he kept his mouth shut. The only people that had attended the funeral were Jack's parents and Amanda's mother. Her father had died in a mysterious car accident in which his car drove off a cliff. Jack was laid to rest next to the women he loved.

"Well, at least you get to be with her buddy." Sam looked at the graves of his two best friends one last time before he walked off. In the distance, a woman stood as if paying her last respects too, and then she also walked off.