Chapter Text
Beatrice died peacefully in her bed at the ripe old age of eighty-six. There was no great fanfare, there was no white light – there was no seeing herself outside of herself, no pearly gates, no choir of angels. One minute she was sleeping, and the next minute there was just a wide open field and –
“Ben!” She ran to him, didn’t stop to think, just bolted right for him and threw her arms around him. He responded in kind, holding her tight and spinning her in a circle. The minute her feet touched the ground she shoved him away, jabbing her finger into his chest. “You left me. You said you would be there when I woke up, and you just –”
“I didn’t have a choice,” He said, gingerly pulling her hand away and lacing his fingers through hers instead, “believe me. I couldn’t control it. Please don’t cry, love. I’m sorry.” He cupped her cheek with his hand, wiping away her tears with his thumb.
“What happened?”
“You went to sleep, and the next thing I knew… I was here.” He paused, glancing around the field. “Well, not here exactly – just... elsewhere.”
“I wasn’t ready.” She mumbled, leaning against his chest, eyes still red and puffy from crying. “I wasn’t ready for you to go.”
“I know, love. I wasn’t ready, either.” He wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head. “But I never actually left you, you know. I just couldn’t talk directly to you anymore, or follow you around. But I never stopped checking in on you. You look good, by the way.” She grimaced, shaking her head.
“I’m eighty-six.”
“Not here, you’re not.” He held Bea’s hand up in front of her face. She looked at it in wonder – the skin was completely smooth again, not a wrinkle in sight. She touched her hair, glancing at it out of the corner of her eye. No longer coarse and gray, it was soft and blonde. “You look just like you did when I last saw you. When I was alive, I mean.”
“This is too much,” She said, staring dazedly at her hands. She looked over to him, taking a moment to soak him in – Benedick, smiling right at her. Benedick, so full of hope and happiness. Benedick, looking exactly as she’d last seen him. She had to turn away, after a moment – it hurt too much to look right at him. She’d spent more than half of her life missing him, and now he was here – here and hers, and it was so much better than she’d remembered.
“Come on,” He bumped against her, “let’s take a walk.”
She let him take her hand, walking so close that their shoulders brushed together. They followed a path through the field, one that led them towards a forest.
“You never got married,” He noted.
“Never wanted to,” She shrugged. Ben winced, like it pained him. “I like the life I had. I wasn’t lonely, if that’s what you’re trying to say. I was an honorary aunt to a small army of children and I had plenty of friends. I went to thirty-two different countries. I had a full, happy life, Benedick. I missed you, but… I wasn’t basing my life around you.”
“Good,” he smiled, and she knew he really meant it. “I wondered.”
“Once, when I was traveling – okay, this is going to sound stupid, but here goes. Once, when I was traveling, I saw a whole bunch of flamingos. One of them looked directly at me, and then all of a sudden they all flew past me at once.” She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “I always thought that maybe you had something to do with that.”
“Guilty as charged,” He said, a mischievous glint in his eye.
“Really?”
“You were the ghost whisperer,” He grinned, “I was the flamingo whisperer.”
“I talked to you all the time,” She confessed.
“I know,” He said, “I heard every word. I always responded, you just… couldn’t hear me anymore.”
“So you had to resort to using flamingos, huh?”
“Exactly,” he laughed.
The trail ended as they reached the edge of the woods. Everything beyond the trees seemed to just… stop. Like the world had gone fuzzy around the edges.
“So,” he said, “are you ready to try again, love?”
She threw her arms around him, hugging him as tightly as she could, springing up on her tiptoes. He hugged her back, pressing his face against her hair, pulling her flush against him.
“I’d kind of like to stay like this for a few lifetimes,” she said. “I missed this. I missed you.”
“I missed you too, Bea. But you know we’re going to find each other again.” He kissed her cheek, and then her forehead. “I promise I’ll try not to be so oblivious this time around.”
“And I promise not to push you away,” She vowed. “Let’s try and find each other soon, okay?”
“You couldn’t keep me away if you tried. I am the unfortunate love of your life, after all.”
She laughed, and peeled herself away from him.
“Okay,” she said, reaching for his hand, “I’m ready.”
-
The basketball sailed into her yard and nearly hit Beatrice right in the head. She picked it up, ready to storm over to the new neighbor’s house and teach them a lesson when something on the basketball caught her attention. There was a message scrawled across it in black sharpie ink.
HI BEA!
I’M BEN.
“Hey,” Someone called. Bea turned sharply, the basketball balanced against her hip, already planning exactly what she was going to say to the jerk. But when she saw him, it was like someone had flicked a switch, and all of the anger drained out of her.
“Do I know you?” She asked, eyeing him curiously.
“I don’t think so,” He said, clearly delighted, “but my mum says we’re gonna be in the same class. Year seven, right?”
“Yeah,” Bea nodded, “how does your mum know that?”
“She ran into your parents at the supermarket,” He explained. When he smiled, it was like a full body experience – like he was happy from his head down to his toes. It was infectious. He gave a little hop, eyes shining. “So now that we’ve met… can I get my ball back?”
“No way,” Bea grinned, and bounced it a few times. “You have to play me for it.”
“Beatrice!” Her mother called from the door, “Come inside for dinner!”
“Probably for the best,” Ben said, “now you have some time to think of a concession speech, for when I totally slaughter you.”
“Oh, it’ll definitely be a slaughter,” Bea assured him, “I’m going to completely waste you, you’ll see.”
“Beatrice!” Her mother called again, “I mean it, young lady!”
“Coming, mum!” She turned back to Ben. “You’ll be here when I get back, right?”
“I’ll be right here,” He beamed, “I promise.”