He watched closely as she took a cautious step closer to him, one hand reaching slowly up to touch her trembling lips as a tear tracked its way down her cheek. It had been centuries since he'd seen that particular face in front of him, but looking at her now, he recognized certain features that had been present during different lives she had lived.

The arch of her brow once when he'd seen her at the church, the curve of her lips smiling at him as she danced in the moonlight, even her delicate hands that had been held within his own firm grasp as he had walked her through their garden so many times. Sadly he had not been able to put the puzzle together before now, seeing just a single piece at a time. Although he had sensed familiarity once in a while, he had never been able to place what it was, since each time it was something different than the last.

Now, seeing her before him alive and herself as she had been so long ago, he wondered how it was possible. How could she look exactly like she had when he was just a human marveling at her beauty? Although looking closer at her as she came nearer, he did notice a few minor changes. Her skin was perhaps a shade darker than he recalled, her hair missing the coppery strands he had been captivated by, but he chalked it up to this being another rebirth.

She was as close as she could come and still be what she was, something caught between being a human and an immortal. After all, she truly was the only creature like her, her cells caught in the midst of the change. Human enough to still die but immortal enough to somehow keep coming back every time.

Sure, an immortal could still die, but it took another immortal to kill them full and true, and even then it was not an easy task. But Dea, his beloved Dea, she had found a way to come back even then. She'd found a way to keep her promise to him, to love him forever and stay by his side for eternity.

Miro could feel his heart give another beat as he finally took a slow step towards her, her own movement having halted just beyond his arms reach as she looked at him with a mix of both love and caution. He honestly couldn't blame her after what he had done last time, ignoring her flinch as he reached out to run his fingertips across her cheek.

"Dea. I'm so sorry, my love. I... I never meant to harm you. I went mad last time, thinking you were trying to keep information from me, but now I realize that you must have been waiting for the right time to tell me, for this lifetime! When you would become my Dea again!" He pulled her into a gentle hug, caressing her long hair as she did her best to stop shaking in fear.

He would forgive her the fear for now and try his hardest to regain her trust. After all, soon she would not need to feel that fear again. Soon she would regain the immortality she'd had centuries ago, so many lifetimes in the past for her, while for him it had been torturous and long enough that the memories had begun to blur until seeing her like this before him now had brought them all back clearly.

Sadly, many of those lives had been cut short when he came into them. Understanding this, he knew he had to make it up to her somehow, especially if he wanted her upcoming immortal life with him to start in happiness.

--------

"And this shall be your room for now, until everything is ready for your change!" His voice echoed through the long hallway as he opened one of the many doors it held, stepping through as he lead her inside.

Reds and greys stood had out against the endless black that filled the city he'd built and this room was the first time she'd seen anything different from that color scheme. Instead of the simple reds she had seen before, the room held copper tones, instead of greys it was silver and white. The black was the only thing that stayed the same, a deep ebony that seemed to suck in the light of the lamps inside the room, much the same way Miro's presence seemed to drain her very energy from her.

"Dea, I am truly sorry to have to leave you here like this but... I need to make a few adjustments to some of the plans I had in place. Please forgive me for not staying by your side but I promise that I will be back as soon as I am able. Until then, please stay here where you will be safe." He gently swept her long bangs behind her ear before leaning down and pressing a kiss to her lips, barely holding back from deepening the kiss when she gasped in shock, but realizing it was still too soon for such actions.

His Dea was truly such a delicate creature, not ready yet in this lifetime for his advances to be more than just a kiss on the lips. But perhaps soon that would change. Straightening up, he pulled back and smiled happily at her before bidding her goodbye and leaving the room.

Behind him, a confused young lady stood there touching her lips, a soft whisper going unheard by all but herself.

"How did he know my name?"