Archive of Our Own ^beta

She doesn’t knock.

As she opens the door, she figures probably she should - because well, they are on a boat full of strangers. But he doesn’t seem frightened in the least. He doesn’t seem surprised, either.

It crosses her mind that it probably wasn’t lock for this particular reason, and the thought sends shivers down her spine.

Closing behind her, Lidia leans against the wooden door, tightening her night robe around her body. His cabin is small but cosy, just like hers. His smile is small but gentle, just like him.

Back against the cushions, his arm rests on his bended knee, an half burnt cigarette at the end. His hair’s a little disheveled, she can make out his white shirt clinging to his chest, and the candle on his night table throws dancing shadows on his face.

He looks beautiful.

The simple sight of him makes her chest lighter, makes everything a little better, and she realizes she’s smiling. With everything that’s been going on, she hasn’t even had the chance to enjoy what she’s been praying for for more than a year.

He’s back.

Despite everything, Francisco’s back, safe and sound and with her.

“Can’t sleep?” Taken out of her reverie, Lidia snorts.

“No. It’s nothing new, though, so chances are I’ll eventually pass out at some point, at least.”

Nodding, Francisco crashes his smoke in the ashtray. 

“Well, then: you should probably get comfortable for when it comes,” and, moving to make some room, he taps the space next to him. “Come here.”

Lidia doesn’t need to be asked twice.

As she gets under the covers, he lets her rest her head on his arm, her face close, so close to him on that small bed, and she wonders if he remembers the last time they’ve been together like that as clearly as she does - then, remembers that he can’t.

Not just yet.

Lidia decides not to overthink and leaves no space between them, one of her legs even intertwining with his. For a second, he stiffens, but then his arms close around her, and she knows it’s okay.

After a moment, her finger starts travelling on his nose, his eyebrows, his cheek, her eyes following its path. She takes her time. Because she can, because she wants to.

Because she never thought she would get to do this again.

For one year, she tought she would lost him forever, when forever was something she wanted so desperately to spend with him, and now, here they are.

It still feels unreal. 

When she looks back at him, delicately brushing his soft hair from his face, her chest tightens from a million emotions. Relief, guilt, pain, hope, hapiness.

Love, mostly.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you woke up. And I’m sorry you had to live through all of that right after you did.”

She chuckles, her throat tightening a little. “This wasn’t how I planned it in my dreams, you know,” and he chuckles as well. “All these nights, I used to imagine how I’d tell how much I needed you. How much I missed you. I was supposed to hold you so close, the nurse would tear me away from you...And instead, all you got was poison, a knock on the head and bullets fired at you.”

He laughs lightly at that, his eyes softer than they should be. 

“Well, exercise and aventure after such a long sleep was definitely the way to go, if you ask me. And as for missing my big wake up day...if what the nurse told me was true, you’ve been spending most of your nights at my side this year, so I guess I can let this one go.” 

He’s joking, but then, his expression turns serious again. “I never had the chance to thank you for that, by the way,” and Lidia can swear that his hold gets a little tighter at that. 

Just like the traiterous thing in her chest.

“Thank you for staying. For having faith that I would wake up, and for not...leaving me alone.”

There’s so much behind his eyes right now, so much gratitude, so much love she’s not sure she deserves. She’s about to tell him that, to tell him that if anything, it was more selfish than anything else becasue on the nights she didn’t come, it felt like she was going insane. Tell him that she needed to see him just so that she could breathe properly - but he’s not finished.

“And I’m sorry.”

The surprise makes her pause.

“Why?”

In the last two days, he saved her daughter once more, at the risk of his life. He saved Sara, because he didn’t want to let her do it alone. He left everything behind to follow her to the end of the world.

Lidia can’t begin to comprehend what he could possibly be sorry about, when every single time, he chose her before anything else.

He is, though, and he looks so apologetic. Francisco breaks eye contact for a second, before looking back at her, a small, sad smile on his features.

“You waited for a year, and all you got is a man that can’t even remember your name.”

For a second, she’s too distraught to respond. She wonders if that man will ever stop putting her interests in front of his.

Sighing, Lidia lets her hand slide from the side of his face to his shirt and holds on, her eyes burning but determined.

“You did remember, Francisco. That’s the first thing you remembered,” she chuckles, her insides still melting at the thought. “And you know everything else will come back to you, soon - you know that.”

She smiles. “I can’t wait to help you with that.”

“And until then, you’re left with a stranger.”

Lidia takes his hand from her waist, then, intertwining their fingers together, slowly, each at a time. She kisses his knuckles, once, twice before bringing their joined hands to her chest.

“You will never be a stranger. You loved me more than anyone in this world, and you’re the love of my life, with or without memories - you hear me?”

Her grip tightens, and she makes sure he’s looking right at her.

“I know you don’t remember right now. I can’t imagine how this must feel, and I’m so sorry. But, you, Francisco Gomez, have been my family ever since I met you, and that will never, ever change.”

Her heart is beating so fast in her chest now, it’s almost painful. 

“I love you so much, I don’t have the right words to tell you how. And having you back is the only thing that’s keeping sane right now. I really need you to know - ”

She can’t finish her sentence, though, because just like that, his lips are on hers, and everything fades away.

Again, her words fail her.

This time, she doesn’t mind.

She’s not sure when her hands find his face, when his bring their hips even closer, when she starts to cry. All she can feel, all she’s aware of is him, him everywhere, and her heart threatening to burst, and then she’s laughing and he’s kissing her nose, her tears, her cheeks.

Everything’s a nightmare. But in that moment, everything - the year of hardship, Angeles, Carlos - everything goes away, and Lidia feel a wave of true, real hapiness wash over her.

When she opens her eyes again, Francisco is looking right at her.

“Do you realize you came back more than two days ago, and I’m only kissing you now?”

“If I realize it? Lidia, I’ve been wanting to do that since the moment I laid eyes on you,” and her face hurts, her grin is so wide.

Laying another kiss on his lips, she takes his rebellous hair out of his face again. “Well, I guess we have all the time in the world now, haven’t we?”

Chuckling, Francisco leans back in, and kisses her again, and again, and again.