Until the Tide Returns

Tina continued to stare at Tyler and I not saying anything. I wasn’t sure how she would take the news about Beckett, and I don’t think Tyler was either. “So you’ve been lyin’ to me for the past 14 years?” She demanded snapping out of her silence. Her hands were on her hips and her eyebrow was arched and I knew Tyler was in a lot of trouble.

“Honey, that’s not… Jason just was trying to protect Beckett, I had to respect that.” He held up his hands in defense.

“We’ll talk about this later, right now there is a sweet girl in there that has no idea what’s going on and I am only one of two people she recognizes.” Tina gave me a sad sympathetic smile. “Don’t worry dear, I’m sure she’ll remember you soon. She loves you too much not to.” Tyler let out a sigh watching his wife walk downstairs to where Loraine was currently sitting with Beckett. I didn’t want to leave Loraine with Beckett, but we needed to talk to Tina and I knew more than Tyler did.

“You were right to bring her to me.” Tyler said. “Jason didn’t tell you to?”

“No, he just told me to get her home, but the way she looked at me…” I closed my eyes and took in a breath. “I had to take her to someone familiar. She remembered you and Billy.”

“I’ll see if there’s something medically I can do. Tina bought me a homeopathic book a few years ago, maybe there’s something in there I can dig up. I need to know what happened though if I’m supposed to help her.”

“We were at The Hole, Calvin and Evie’s bar, and Perry came out and began singing and Beckett just kind of froze. Everyone that had a frozen drink suddenly had a melted one and everyone else’s drinks were frozen. Calvin unplugged the microphone halfway through the song, Evie looked like she was about to kill Perry and then she came and took Beckett into a back room. When Beckett came out she didn’t recognize any of us.”

“Have you heard from Maya?” I shook my head.

“I tried calling her but she didn’t pick up. Neither did Gram.” My shoulders slumped. I was supposed to keep Beckett safe. I should have known she was in danger, how had I missed this?

Tyler put a hand on my shoulder. “We’re going to fix this Landon.” I nodded because what other choice did I have? If I had to believe in anything right now it would be that Beckett would get her memory back. Tyler went off to go find the book he told me about and I made my way back downstairs. Beckett smiled at me, it wasn’t the one she gave me every day though. This one was unsure. Tina sat beside her with a protective arm around her shoulders. Loraine stood up and came over to me.

“I have an idea.” She still had the plastic tiara on her head. When I made it clear I wasn’t going to say anything in response she continued. “Usually when people wake up in the hospital with no idea who they are their families bring in pictures for them to look at. To try to jog the persons memory.” I had a million pictures on my phone of the two of us. It was worth a shot.

“Good idea Lo-Lo.” Tina excused herself and I walked over to Beckett. “Mind if I sit?” I didn’t want to freak her out. She shook her head. “Loraine thought it would be a good idea if I showed you some pictures, tried to jog your memory. Do… do you want to see them?” She studied me for a moment.

“Sure.” I pulled up the earliest picture I had of us, one from my birthday dinner, and handed her the phone. “I’m sorry I don’t know who you are.” She said softly. “You look so sad and I know it’s my fault.” Her eye’s were brimming with tears deepening the crack in my heart.

“Hey, no. This isn’t your fault Beckett. We don’t know what happened but we’re trying to figure it out.” I reached forward and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. My thumb brushed her cheek and she closed her eyes for a moment. “Sorry.” I pulled my hand away. “Habit.”

She shook her head and opened her eyes. “I may not know who you are but I think my body does.” Her cheeks instantly turned red and she buried her face in her hands. “That came out wrong.” She groaned. I felt myself smile a little. “What I meant is that I know that I can trust you. That I’m safe with you. You’re always warm. Does that make sense?”

“It does, you’ve told me about it before.” I choose not to tell her about the rest of that evening.

“I have?” I nod. She looks down at my phone. “Will you look at the pictures with me? Help me understand them?”

“Of course.” We look at the picture that Billy took of everyone at dinner. I tell her the names of everyone at the table. When I get to Tank Beckett reaches and scratches a spot on her knee. I want to ask her if she remembers him but I don’t. We move onto the next picture. This one has been taken weeks later.

It was when we had our picnic in the hotel room. She said she wanted to take the picture so she could remember that night. We are both sitting with our backs against the headboard. Smiling with swollen lips. Beckett stares at it for awhile. “I look so happy.” She whispers.

“You were.” I whisper back.

“What happened there?” She zooms into the picture more. “It looks like were in a bed.” Her eyes widen. “We didn’t…?”

“No, and we still haven’t.”

“Oh.” She sounds slightly disappointed. “Why haven’t we? I mean, if we’re together like my dad says we are and are as in love as everyone is telling me we are then why haven’t we?” I stare at her stunned. “Is there something wrong with me? Are you not attracted to me?”

“No, God no, we’ve just decided we’re not going to rush things.” I offer. Beckett loses her memory and all she wants to know is why we haven’t slept together. This has Loraine written all over it. “I’ll be right back.” Beckett gives me a puzzled look before continuing to go back through the pictures.

I find Loraine in the kitchen eating a grilled cheese sandwich with Tina. “What did you say to her?” I demand fighting to keep my voice calm.

“Um, I asked her questions. She told me her dad told her you were her boyfriend and asked me if it was true. I told her it was. She asked if you loved each other and I told her you did. Why, what’s up?”

“Did you tell her to ask me if we’d slept together?” I didn’t care that the wife of the man who has threatened to castrate me is sitting here listening to this. Loraine laughed.

“Nope, that was all her. What did you tell her?” I close my eyes and take in a deep breath.

“Not that it’s any of your business but no, we haven’t.” I look over to Tina. “Make sure Tyler knows that. The last thing I need is him coming at me with a scalpel.”

“Landon?” Beckett is standing in the doorway holding my phone in one hand. I give Loraine a brief glare before walking over to her. “Can I talk to you for a minute? Alone.” She glances over at Loraine and Tina.

“Yeah.” Beckett grabs my hand and leads me upstairs. We pass Tyler on the way down.

“Where are you two going?” He asks eyebrow raised. I shrug. Beckett leans forward and whispers something in his ear. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I’m not. Do you have a better idea?”

“This isn’t some elaborate prank you’ve decided to pull to get back at me for-”

“Tyler, I honestly have no idea what your talking about.” She says. Tyler sighs.

“Fine.” He grumbles. “But only because I’m running low on ideas and for whatever reason the scientist in me believes it may help. You get 10 minutes.” Tyler looks pointedly at me. “And then I’m coming in.” he grumbles something about Jason killing him as he makes his way down the stairs.

“Make sure you knock.” Beckett says pulling me along behind her. She stops at the second door on the right side of the hall, the door is slightly ajar. She pushes it open and shuts the door behind us.

“What exactly are we doing in here?” There’s a bed, a rather large one, in the center of the room.

“I want to try something.” She says walking over and sitting on the bed.

“Beckett I really don’t think this is a good idea.” I don’t move from my spot by the door.

“Oh, no!” She says suddenly. “We’re not going to… I just saw some pictures of us um,” now she looks nervous and her face is turning red, “kissing and I thought maybe, I don’t know, if we kissed it could help.”

“If I have to.” I smirk walking over to the other side of the bed.

“If you don’t want to then we do-”

“Beckett,” I cut her off, “I was kidding.” I gently pull her to me since as far as she remembers she’s never kissed anyone before. I hover over her brushing a strand of hair out of her face.

“What if I’m bad at it?” She whispers.

“Trust me.” I whisper with a smile leaning down. “You’re not.” I start out slow and slightly hesitant worried that this is going to freak her out but she surprises me by running a hand through my hair and bringing my head down to hers, bringing our lips closer. As I kiss her I remember all the other times I’ve kissed her, all of the times I’ve seen her smile, heard her laugh, I remember everything about us and try to send it to her through that kiss. Her hands move, down to the hem of my shirt and begin to pull it up. I break the kiss. “What are you doing?”

“Trust me.” She says pulling the shirt up and over my head. She kisses me again and I feel her shirt slide up against my bare torso.

“Beckett.” I say, she only gives me enough time for that before her lips are on mine again. This isn’t right. In my mind I know this, but my body is telling something entirely different. She places a hand on my bare chest over my heart. I groan at her touch and pull her closer to me knowing this is sending me straight to Hell. Her hand grabs mine and places it on her chest. I feel the fabric of her bra and she nudges my hand a little farther up. That’s when I really feel it. Her heart. My heart. Somehow we are connected, our hearts beating in unison through each other. She breaks the kiss and smiles up at me. Her breath is ragged but she is giving me the most beautiful smile I have ever seen. Her head tilts back as she laughs crying happily.

“I never understood what my mother meant when she said we are meant to be, not really, but now I do. Don’t you see Landon? We are one, two halves of a whole meant to find each other. And we have. And nothing, nothing, can ever take that away.” She laughs again and pecks my lips softly. “We are one.”

“What the hell?” The door behind us slams open but neither of us move. Our connection keeps us frozen in place.

“I love you.” Beckett mouths before kissing me again.

“Beckett Jane Dayton.” Tyler’s voice is on the verge of growling.

“It’s ok Tyler, it really is.” She laughs again and this time I laugh with her.

“What do you mean it’s ok? In no world is this ok!”

“Tyler, look.” I think for a moment she is trying to have me killed when I see what she wants Tyler to see.

“You want me to witness my best friends daughter doing something that should not be happening are you-”

“No,” I say laughing along with Beckett, “really, you need to see this.” We listen for Tyler’s footsteps never taking our eyes off of each others. I know this must look bad to Tyler. Me on top of Beckett, both of us shirtless, smiling and laughing and both with tears brimming in our eyes.

“What is that?” He asks astonished.

“Landon is my soul mate.” Beckett beams. “We are one.”

“Your hands are glowing.”

“Not our hands,” She tells him.

“Our hearts.” I finish for her.

“Tyler?” Loraine calls from the hallway. “You really need to take a look at this. Oh my God! Ew, I did not just see that! I did not just see that! Tyler why the hell are you watching?! You are such a creep!”

“Loraine,” I laugh, “it’s all right, come in here.”

“You really should see this.” Tyler tells her.

“And then have to stab out my eyes? Uh, no thanks.”

“Loraine, seriously, you’re going to want to see this.” I tell her. She groans and enters the room. “Don’t worry, you’re not going to see anything you haven’t already seen before.”

“Seeing your dick when I walked in on you changing a few months ago was traumatizing enough, please do not make me see it again. Oh, whoa. Did you know you’re glowing?” Beckett and I laugh. I move keeping my hand on her heart and her hand on mine so that she can sit up. Loraine rushes over to the door and sticks her head out calling for Tina.

“What? What is it?” She sounds worried as she makes her way up the stairs. I can hear another set of feet besides hers and wonder who is in the house.

“Oh my.” Tina gasps.

“It seems,” Gram says entering the room, “Maya has been keeping more secrets than we knew.”