Return to Sender

Despite the overabundance of Christmas decorations in town, it was hard to get into the spirit of things. Holiday cheer wasn't something you could force, and the big gaping hole where he used to be was hard for her to accept. All around her, the snow fell, then melted, giving way to the green of spring and summer before retreating into the brilliant fire of autumn, then hiding in snow again. And still his absence felt like a poisoned knife, stabbing and twisting deep in her heart every time she turned around.

One day, he was there, but not, and for a few short hours the hole started to mend. Then he was gone, and it hurt all over again. She almost wished she'd never been granted the gift of seeing him one last time.

Two months later, thousands of light-years from home, she turned around and there he was.