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Time is complicated: always moving forward without stopping for anything or anyone. For an Atlantean this didn’t seem to matter much; hundreds and thousands of years passed without them feeling the passing of time, civilizations came and went on the surface without anyone from the ocean having to approach it, and for a long time, Atlantis seemed to be a paradise for all its inhabitants to return there sooner or later, no matter how far they traveled in the ocean.
For Gawr Gura, being in this position was something she hated. She did not know why the rest of the inhabitants had such a perfect image of the place where she was born, which for her was an extremely boring place from her days of studies to her times in different jobs.
Considering what people had told her about the surface, it was no wonder she felt this way.
The surface was a place that many talked about as some kind of forbidden place, one that no Atlantean should call home, and even the few travelers that got there hid everything about it as best as they could. Gura, on the other hand, was nothing but curious about that place that her peers called a hell on earth.
It was late at night when Gura left Atlantis with her trident in hand, wanting to avoid giving any explanation as to why she decided to leave, unlike the travelers who came and went from the city. Ultimately, Gura did not plan to return to this place for a long time.
For years, Gura traveled back and forth across the vast sea, going from beach to beach and city to city, and like a fish out of water, nothing seemed to fit for her. She tried to settle down from time to time, only to end up in the same monotonous world she used to live in on the ocean.
It was easy for Gura to forget the years she lived on Atlantis, but she could never forget the day she saw what was left of it.
Hundreds of years had passed since she searched for this city, which should have been her home, only to find a pile of rocks and the remains of the buildings that once seemed to be indestructible.
What was once a bright and lively place, now was nothing more than memories of a place she never belonged to.
For years, Gura searched for the people she grew up with, the people she once admired, like those travelers who left the city with so much self-confidence, but in the end, she only found the fact that, if there are more Atlanteans out there, they must have adapted to the surface, unlike her failed attempts.
When Gura was about to give up, it was a ray of sunshine that made her change her mind.
On the seashore, Gura sang a song that reminded her of her birthplace, wishing she had found home where others had found it and that she had felt she belonged in this world.
A blonde girl was behind her, listening to her singing from afar, the girl she would eventually learn was the detective, Amelia H. Watson.
Small and big talks, short and long spaces of time, little and infinite distance; that was how the relationship between the blonde detective and that blue-eyed Atlantean used to be.
Amelia knew there was something special about that girl from Atlantis from the moment their lives crossed, something that made her feel so different than anyone else she had ever met; there was something about her that made her smile, something that gave her calm, something that simply made her be herself, and more than anything else, it made her heart ask for more.
She knew that feeling was mutual; she could sense it in the way the shark was able to express herself freely with her, she could feel it when she sought refuge by her side when there were more people around, and she could hear it every time she let her know how comfortable she was by her side.
Hours turned into minutes and minutes into seconds when she was around her, and confidence filled her when Gura could not stop answering every single thing she said to her, no matter how silly it was. A special connection formed between them, one that made them feel accompanied even in those hours when they did not see each other and knew that when they saw each other again, it would be as if time had not passed.
But time passed, and over the years, Gura managed to find a place to call home whenever she was close to the detective. Amelia's cases as a detective led her to meet so many incredible people that it was strange to think that there was a time when they felt alone in the world.
And with the years came more feelings than there were in the beginning.
A great excitement filled the detective even when she wasn't with her, wondering what they would do the next time they saw her, what kind of nonsense they might talk to each other about, and sometimes just remembering her voice made her want to throw herself on the bed and move her legs from the sheer joy Gura made her feel.
In the same way, there was something in her that woke up the moment she heard her sweet voice; every song she heard from her got stuck in her head, and gave her a tremendous calmness every night and day when she remembered the little singing sessions she gave just to her, just leaving a smile on her face from just thinking about that shark.
Amelia was not someone who used to believe in fate, with the number of possibilities she knew existed at all times, with the amount of divergent timelines from hers, and many others; but since she met Gura, she was not so sure about that.
It's as if this one had found her at the perfect time and in the perfect place. She knew that had she met her in any other way, it simply wouldn't be the same as what she has with her now, and that only made her even more grateful that she had come into her life to be the Watson to this Gawr Gura.
No matter how much time passed, she knew that her relationship with Gura would remain as strong as the day before, and even with every little mistake either of them made, she knew that if there was anyone she admired, adored, and understood all that she is; it was her sweet Gura.
“Welcome home, sunshine!”
And that's why, when she started dating her, her life just kept lighting up.
At first, Amelia didn't realize what this connection really meant to her, but it was hard to ignore that seeing Gura's smile made her face feel warm, and she had to put her feet back on the ground before she could speak to her, and sooner or later it would have been hard to keep ignoring everything that went through her head when that shark entered the scene.
She still remembered fondly the night it had happened, how they both came clean about everything they had felt during the time they had known each other, how from one moment to the next every single thing they both did made even more sense; how so many of the times that one of them said something cheesy at the other was more than just them playing around, how they genuinely felt free to be themselves with each other, how one was so important to the other to the point of wanting to be together whenever the opportunity arose.
A couple of years passed before Amelia finally decided to come up with that plan to move in with Gura; what a long time ago was just a fleeting idea, and a little less time ago was a small moment of planning things with her girlfriend, ended up being a reality that she would live with for a long time.
Sometimes Amelia would return to her apartment tired from all the work accumulated in her arduous task as a detective, sometimes arriving a couple of hours late with well-marked eye bags and a clear lack of desire to use her watch to arrive on time, and even so, Gura was there to welcome her in her arms, whether it was at the door, on the couch, or in that bed where they slept together.
There was something enormously warm about coming home and knowing that she was always going to be there, knowing that she could always rely on that girl to let her know that everything was okay, to make her smile even if it was only for a few minutes before falling into bed, and she knew that at the very least something would come out of her mouth every day, “I love you...”
And when she would wake up in the middle of the night, Amelia would begin to think with her girlfriend next to her, telling herself over and over again how lucky she was to have found her, to have her by her side right now, to simply be able to love her like she had never loved anything else; and before long, her tired eyes would begin to close, so calm in the knowledge that the next day she would wake up again next to what in her eyes was the most beautiful girl there is.
Gura longed for the sun, that radiant light she had barely seen from where she came from, and the moment she met Amelia, she knew she had found the brightness she was looking for, the one that would illuminate her life like no other; she had found her sunshine.
Gura was always the first to fall asleep after feeling the gentle kiss on her cheek from her Watson, hugging her tenderly, while the latter could feel a smile come across her face just seeing her girlfriend in such a way.
A thousand and one nights passed, eventually they left their old apartment and moved to live in a quiet house near a lake, a place where they lived the best of their days together, where they formed a family that filled them with happiness, and where today, Gura was waking up again in a bed all by herself.
It has been several decades since Amelia left the world of the living, and today was the 100th anniversary of the day she met that detective on the seashore.
For many years, it was hard to wake up and know that her dork would not be there, that she would not hear her laughter when she said a silly comment out loud, andthat she would not feel her warmth embracing her every night and every morning.
Today, however, Gura got out of bed with a smile on her face.
After getting dressed, Gura searched through her possessions for a box she had been keeping for a long time, and from it, she took one of the many fake lemons inside.
What followed was a short walk, passing through the forest and ending on a hill where the first rays of the sun were already visible, a hill where the grave of her beloved was located, adorned with her peculiar monocle on top of it, and several flowers adorning the sides, mainly sunflowers.
“It's been a while since we last spoke, hasn't it stinky?”
Gura got down on her knees, taking that fake lemon in both hands.
“So, as of today it’s been 100 years since the day I met you... since the day you changed my life... and gave me a place to call home... so I wanted to leave you this as proof that my love still stands... that I'm still waiting to see you again.”
Leaving that fake lemon near the grave of her beloved, Gura was silent for a moment, trying to find the right words with her giggling before continuing.
“You know, the last time we met here, I cried like you have no idea, but... now when I think of you, I can't help but smile.”
Gura pulled her cell phone out of her bag, scrolling down her gallery until she found the photo of a particular establishment, then showing the screen towards where her wife was.
“I hope you still remember that this was an idea we once had, it's a bakery! And just as you would have liked, there's a whole gluten-free section... although, I know that wouldn't have stopped you from eating any of the other desserts.”
Gura zoomed in on the image, specifically zooming into a few white roses and yellow flowers in a flowerpot.
“I was originally planning to do it alone, but Clementine and Naomi offered to help... Maybe setting up the bakery in the same town as our daughter's flower shop wasn't being too discreet, to say the least.”
Gura let out a small laugh, after which she scrolled to another photoshowing that flower shop.
“Sometimes I find it hard to believe how much they've grown, but I guess those two are never going to stop surprising me. I guess Naomi already told you when she gave you the flowers, but I hope you liked her gift.”
Another photo change, this time showing one of Clementine helping to paint the inside of the bakery.
“And she's also probably already told you herself, but Clementine learned a lot from you, as soon as she heard I put up a bakery, she offered to paint and decorate the place, and I'm pretty sure she did the same with her sister's flower shop. She's dedicated herself to so many things, but I'm sure you'd be proud of how well she has used that watch... and believe me, she couldn't be happier that you entrusted it to her.”
Gura turned off her cell phone, putting it back in the bag. After that, she sighed before continuing.
“As for our friends, they're still doing just what you'd think they'd be doing, they've helped me so much over the past few years that I have no idea how to thank them, and I know you'll be happy to know that we're still as close as we were when you were there. It's like you're with us every time we get together, after all, there's always going to be five of us, isn't there?”
With her eyes closed and her smile still in force on her face, Gura confessed.
“The truth is that no matter where I go, it's like you're still with me. I can feel you still supporting me, when I think of the sun's rays, I still think of you. But thinking of you no longer makes me cry because of me missing you, but instead I get hopeful because I know what I was able to live because of you, and because I know that someday I will see you again.”
Gura stood up and, after taking a breath, opened her eyes.
“I love you, Watson, more than you can imagine...”
After this, her ringtone interrupted her thoughts, so without thinking, she pulled it out again, and after seeing that it was her eldest daughter, she didn't take long to answer.
“Hi Clementine!”
“Hi mom, did you go say hi to my Mama yet?”
“Of course I did, and if you're wondering, yes, I told her about you.”
“I... thanks, mom... I was thinking of picking up Lemondrop in a few hours and meeting you at home in the afternoon. Is that okay with you?”
“Of course, I'll wait for you!”
“And... send my regards to Mama, and my sister’s too, okay?”
With a smile on her face, Gura replied, “Sure. Then I will see you soon.”
“See you!”
Ending the call, Gura put her cell phone away again, taking a breath before speaking to her beloved.
“You heard her.” A chuckle came out of her.
“See you later, bozo.I hope you don't mind waiting for me for so long... and thank you... for everything.”
The drive home was as relaxing as it was nostalgic, seeing in the woods those early morning chats she had with Amelia when they had just decided to move into this house, watching in the trees how Clementine tried her hardest to try to climb them, and in the lake she saw the first swimming lessons she gave to Naomi.
Approaching the house, she could see the hours she spent with Amelia moving so many boxes into the house, in the flowers she could see the hours she spent teaching her youngest daughter gardening, and in the ornaments she could see the terrariums she once saw Amelia make with her oldest daughter.
And finally, inside their home, Gura closed the door and leaned against it, looking from side to side at everything they had built together.
In the kitchen, she saw the days when Amelia surprised her by making her breakfast, and those when her daughters were ready to help. In the living room, she saw the evenings when she stayed in to watch a movie with Amelia, always ending up with her leaning on the blonde's shoulder, and she also saw the days when Amelia would hold back her urge to let out one of her trademark screams when her daughters beat her multiple times in a row at a video game. And on the stairs, she would see her daughters coming down from their room when it was time for lunch, as well as their pets that had accompanied them for so many years.
Finally, looking out the window, she saw in the rays of sunshine the detective who changed her life, the one to whom her heart belongs, the one with whom she could say she found a home, the one who made her smile with her simple presence, the one who made her laugh with each of her silly thoughts, the one who made her cry telling her how proud she was of her, the one who made her feel like herself, the one who complemented her throughout her life; simply, that detective, time-traveler, Amelia H. Watson.
“I'll keep waiting for you...”
And so, Gura said goodbye to Amelia, at least until the day they would meet again.