Alice laughed bitterly.  “I know how you felt.”

“I’m sorry,” Dana said suddenly, not even sure what she was apologizing for.

“I am too,” Alice agreed.  “For so much.”

“Al, I’m sorry about our breakup and that I – ” Dana began.

Alice lightly placed a hand over her mouth.  “Don’t be.  We can’t change the past.”

Dana rubbed at her eyes again.  “God, you don’t know how much I’ve wished I could in these past nine months.  I’ve analyzed every little word I said to you then and wished I could take it back.  But it doesn’t work.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Alice agreed.  “The past is over, but there’s still the future.”

“The future of what?” Dana questioned with a harsh little laugh.  “There is no future without you in my life.  I love you too much to be without you.”  There, I said it. 

“Did I ever say there was no possibility that you’d never have me in your life again?” Alice said softly.

Dana’s head whipped around to look at Alice so quickly she feared she’d given herself whiplash.  “What?” she whispered.

Alice’s hand found Dana’s.  “Do you think I ran out on my own wedding and ran barefoot in a dress for what felt like ninety miles down the beach for nothing?”

Dana stared down at their intertwined hands before meeting Alice’s tear-filled eyes.  “You mean it?  Are you sure?”

“Dana, I’ve never been more sure of anything else in my life,” Alice said honestly, her thumb caressing the back of Dana’s hand.  “The only way I want my future to be is with you.”

Unable to stop herself from grinning, Dana sniffled and wiped away a stray tear with the back of her hand.  “I love you, Alice.”

“I love you, too, Dana,” Alice replied, a tear trickling down her cheek.

Using her thumb, Dana brushed the tear away.  Gazing into Alice’s eyes, she allowed her fingers to trace Alice’s face:  first her lips, then up to her cheekbones.  “You lost your flower,” she suddenly noticed, seeing the lily missing from behind Alice’s ear.

“It’s okay,” Alice said, nuzzling Dana’s hand with her cheek.  “It was starting to itch anyway.”

Dana couldn’t stop the giggle from escaping.  Soon it caught on, and both were outright laughing with happiness.  Alice surprised Dana by suddenly grabbing her by the shoulders and pushing her down to the sand.  Dana cut off mid-laugh as Alice covered Dana’s body with her own.

Looking down into Dana’s eyes, Alice quietly said, “I love you, Dana Fairbanks.  Always and forever.”

“Forever,” Dana repeated, her lips meeting Alice’s for a soft kiss that quickly grew.  Soon they were kissing furiously as the waves began to wash up over their legs unnoticed. 

Alice pulled away breathlessly.  “What do you say we run away together?” she whispered, her breath tickling Dana’s ear.

“Won’t everybody wonder where we are?” Dana murmured back, laying light kisses on Alice’s jaw line.

“Who cares?” Alice replied boldly as she brought her lips crashing back down to Dana’s, her hands entangling themselves in the curly brown hair.

The tide continued to sweep over their legs and sand clumps stuck to their hair and arms, but both were too enraptured with one another to care.  They had more importantly things to worry about:  like each other.