History Main / AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder

* At the end of ''Film/BatmanBegins'', Rachel Dawes promises her childhood friend Bruce that [[IWillWaitForYou she will wait for the day he stops being Batman to be with him]]. In ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', she comes to decide that Bruce is ''never'' going to stop being Batman and accepts a marriage proposal from Harvey Dent.

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': In ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderMan2022'', this is revealed to be the cause of Peter and Mary Jane's [[StatusQuoIsGod most recent breakup]]. After Mary Jane was trapped in a YearInsideHourOutside AlternateUniverse, she gave up hope of Peter rescuing her during the few years she was stuck there and ended up getting together with the only other adult stuck with her and the two of them adopted two kids they found there. [[spoiler:However, after it was revealed that the two kids were actually {{Artifical Human}}s created to keep her and the other adult together so it could use Mary Jane as a sacrifice, it's becoming harder for the two to stay together, suggesting they only hooked up ''because'' of the kids]].

* 'VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonThree: Protagonist Javier's brother David is separated from his family during the walker outbreak, leaving his wife Kate and young children Gabe and Mariana with Javier to fend for themselves. In the ensuing years spent on the road, Kate develops feelings for Javier. It's the player's choice whether or not Javier reciprocates them.

* ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonThree": Protagonist Javier's brother David is separated from his family during the walker outbreak, leaving his wife Kate and young children Gabe and Mariana with Javier to fend for themselves. In the ensuing years spent on the road, Kate develops feelings for Javier. It's the player's choice whether or not Javier reciprocates them.

* Variant in ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'': Ilsa hooked up with Rick, believing her husband Victor to be dead. Turns out he wasn't. And of course, much of the plot revolves around whether anyone is going to get on the flight to Lisbon at all, and if so, who is going to get the forged papers of free-passage that Rick has ended up with, and Rick ends up with the choice of betraying Victor to his death and leaving with Ilsa himself, or giving the second seat to Victor and staying behind. [[spoiler: It looks to everyone, Ilsa and the Germans included, as if he's taking the first option, right up until ALMOST the end -- then Rick double-crosses the Germans, gets Victor to the airport and on to the plane, and tells Ilsa to go with him, adding that she'll come to regret it someday if she stays behind with Rick. Rick himself stays behind and shoots the German commander, knowing that the only living witness to his double-dealing is a secret resistance member with the ability to "round up the usual suspects" and get him off the hook.]]

* ''Webcomic/{{Unsounded}}'': Emne has been cheating on Emil while he's away on his job in the Peaceguard, she's actually pregnant with another man's child and gets married within a week of Emil's announced death.

* Given an interesting twist in David Eddings' ''Literature/TheBelgariad''. Garion grew up on a peaceful farm, with his somewhat dim-witted best friend, and the flirtatious girl next door... who became the object of both their affections when they grew a bit older, a fact that she enjoyed immensely. Then, Garion get swept up in this whole 'save the world from an evil god' quests, leaving the farm behind, and quickly maturing into a bona-fide, MagicKnight-style hero. Then, 'bout halfway through his quest, the party swings by the old farm, and he finds that his friend married the girl... said friend, however, is terribly impressed with Garion's new heroic profile, and apologizes for snatching up the girl in his absence... and the girl is both ready and eager to dump him to run off with the new and improved Garion, too. Unfortunately for her, Garion's found himself a [[{{Tsundere}} fierce-tempered]], [[HeroesWantRedheads red-headed]] [[WellExcuseMePrincess Princess]] while out and about, and while he still cares for his old girlfriend, he carefully hides it to make sure she'll stick with the steady guy. Besides, he's got a destiny to catch up with...

* ''ComicBook/YoungJustice'': Prior to dating [[Characters/RobinTimDrake Tim Drake]], [[ComicBook/WonderGirl Cassandra Sandsmark]] had been with [[Characters/SupermanConnerKent Conner Kent]], who died. Tim and Cassie had a brief relationship (which could be interpreted as SexForSolace without having ever gone as far as sex), then break up. [[DeathIsCheap Then Superboy comes back from the dead]]. The pair are sure that he's going to be angry at them, but he's cool with it--hey, it's not like they knew his death was temporary.

* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}''

* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}''
** Stephanie "Spoiler" Brown discovered an unpleasant consequence of [[FakingTheDead faking your death]] for a year -- her boyfriend, Robin, has since started dating again. She was gone long enough that Robin's relationship with [[ComicBook/WonderGirl Cassie]] had both come and gone, but at the time of her return Tim was dating Zoanne, a normal girl at his high school, and she took it quite well, acknowledging that it was her fault for disappearing. She and Tim managed to remain friends and crimefighting partners as he stayed with Zoanne. Of course, then a new creative team came on board; Steph was ordered by Batman to betray Tim to a villain to help "make him a better Robin", in the process entirely ruining her friendship with him. Very shortly after Tim then finally hit the end of the TraumaCongaLine that his life had turned into ever since ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis2004'' and Steph's faked death, had what can only be described as a complete nervous breakdown, and in the process of cutting himself off from any and all beneficial human contact, Tim broke up disastrously with Zoanne. And so the whole point was rendered spectacularly moot.

* In ''ComicBook/RunawaysRainbowRowell'', Gert is brought back from the dead two years later, and learns that her boyfriend Chase is now about 20 years old, and thus too old to resume their relationship, as she is still about 16. Chase had hoped that she would wait until she was older to resume their relationship, and does not take it well when he catches her making out with Victor instead.
* A pretty big issue in Shade's and Kathy's relationship in ''ComicBook/ShadeTheChangingMan''. While being separated from Shade, Kathy starts up a lesbian affair with their mutual friend Lenny. Shade himself feels guilty about falling out of love with girlfriend on his homeworld.
* In ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderMan2022'', this is revealed to be the cause of Peter and Mary Jane's [[StatusQuoIsGod most recent breakup]]. After Mary Jane was trapped in a YearInsideHourOutside AlternateUniverse, she gave up hope of Peter rescuing her during the few years she was stuck there and ended up getting together with the only other adult stuck with her and the two of them adopted two kids they found there. [[spoiler:However, after it was revealed that the two kids were actually {{Artifical Human}}s created to keep her and the other adult together so it could use Mary Jane as a sacrifice, it's becoming harder for the two to stay together, suggesting they only hooked up ''because'' of the kids]].
* Bucky in ''ComicBook/UltimateMarvel'' plays it more seriously - he married ComicBook/CaptainAmerica's fiancee while Cap was [[HumanPopsicle frozen in ice]]. However Cap was completely understanding and supportive of what happened between them (being Cap, he was probably just happy that the woman he loved got to have a life and family.)

* Prior to dating Tim, Cassandra "ComicBook/WonderGirl" Sandsmark had been with Characters/{{Super|manConnerKent}}boy, who died. Tim and Cassie had a brief relationship (which could be interpreted as SexForSolace without having ever gone as far as sex), then break up. [[DeathIsCheap Then Superboy comes back from the dead]]. The pair are sure that he's going to be angry at them, but he's cool with it--hey, it's not like they knew his death was temporary.
* Sort of kind of done in ''ComicBook/YTheLastMan''. The story in short: Yorick has a long distance phone call with his girlfriend, Beth, but it gets disconnected before Yorick, who had intended to propose over the phone, can say what he wanted to say. After this, complete {{gendercide}} ensures, and Yorick is left the only living man on Earth! One year and a lot of adventurers later he finally meets up with his dear sweetheart, Beth... only to find out that she had intended to break up with him during that phone call one year ago, because her heart had gone yonder during his absence. Not only that, but she had realized that she was actually in love with Yorick's sister!

* In the ''Film/CaptainAmerica1990'' film Steve Roger's fiance Bernice waited for him for ''16 years'' when he went missing and presumed dead during his first mission as Comicbook/CaptainAmerica. She got married when she was 38 because [[MyBiologicalClockIsTicking Her Biological Clock Was Ticking]]. When they are reunited he is amazed that she waited that long.

--> "[[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome What a child! You think that by saying 'I'm sorry' all the wrongs and injuries of the past can be erased?]]"