On December Something

Epilogue

Petunia didn't remember how she arrived there. One moment her eyes had been closed and the next she was in a garden. A garden that only she could have dreamt up. The rose bushes surrounded her and the sunflower stalks towered over her as she stood in the clearing amongst them all.

Orchids, tulips, snapdragons, stargazers, lilies, and many more types of flowers were strategically grown in this garden. She smiled at the beautiful flowers but she couldn't figure out why she was there. Who brought her here? Was this a dream? She didn't remember having that much tea before bed. Usually that caused her to have very weird dreams when she slept.

A slight chill ran up her spine and she shivered while running her hands up her arms. There was something different about them. They were smooth, lightly freckled, and tightened. There were no wrinkles of sagging skin. She wore a wine colored dress that left her shoulders bare to the world and covered her to her knees.

She was walking with ease, no wrinkles on her feet, and she wasn't creaking with every step she took. She gazed around the garden and noticed a tiny house in the clearing. The lights were on inside and smoke was billowing from the chimney top. She searched around the delicate maze and found a fountain meant for the birds. Staring into the pool of water she gasped.

Her face. Her hair. Her eyes. They weren't lifeless and she wasn't old. She was twenty-two again and she started to laugh as she ran her fingers through her long blonde hair that cascaded over her bare shoulders.

The sun was going down and it left the glow of the twilight to surround her and the beautiful garden. She wanted to enjoy it. If this was a dream then she never wanted to wake up. The sun dipped behind the mountains and cast shadows on it as she breathed deeply into the crisp air that surrounded her. She didn't mind the cool because this is where she longed to be.

"I'm sorry but we're waiting for someone here. I think you must be lost,"

She heard it. She felt it. She sensed it. She knew who was talking behind her but fear and excitement took control. It paralyzed her in place where she couldn't even marvel at the lush green grass between her toes. This was a dream. This was definitely a dream.

She turned. It took them a minute to breathe and that's all they could do. It felt like an eternity between them as they approached each other. Scared that a sudden movement would scare the other away like a doe in the forest. She was the first to make a move.

I'm dreaming.

She couldn't help thinking it but the possibility that it wasn't made the excitement in her belly grow. She reached out slowly to touch his arm and noting the way his muscles flexed and clenched at her soft caress. She moved her hand from his arm up his chest and feeling the desire he had for her pulsate through the beat in his chest. She continued to roam up and cupped the side of his face before running her hand through his shaggy hair. His eyes watched her carefully as she studied him.

He was young again too. As if time had turned back to their younger years just for them to live these moments again.

"Sirius?" She asked.

"Yes," he answered, breathless.

"Is this real?" She whispered.

"In a way,," he whispered back, rubbing the hand that cupped his cheek.

"Am I?" She couldn't say it.

"Yes," he said sadly.

"Dead," she whispered.

He nodded. He held her hands in his as he looked around at the garden that surrounded them. She was happy and peaceful. She was beautiful. They were finally together. She started to laugh with the slight trace of tears in her eyes. Sirius picked her up and spun her around before kissing her.

She remembered his kisses and she had missed them greatly. She missed his hands in her hair and his embrace when he had been gone for a long time. This time, it had been too long.

"I've missed you," he whispered into her hair.

"I have too. Did you build this garden for me?" She questioned.

"I had hoped that if I did your soul would find it,"

"Earlier you had said 'we.' Who does that include?" Petunia wondered.

"Your sister has been waiting on you for a very long time," Sirius told her, nodding towards the cabin in the woods.

Petunia smiled as they walked towards the house together with their hands knotted together. She stopped him.

"How did you know my soul would find a garden?" She asked, curiously.

"I know, remember?" He came closer and lay his forehead on hers before reminding her of something softly.

"You'll always be my girl," he whispered, giving her a kiss so deep that she knew any thoughts of a dream were completely outrageous.

They both entered the house and silently thanked whomever was responsible for bringing them together on December something so long ago.

                                         Fin.