History Main / FondMemoriesThatCouldHaveBeen

!!This is a DeathTrope, so beware of unmarked spoilers!

-->-- '''Natalie''', ''Theatre/NextToNormal''

** When her daughter Alicia died, workaholic Precia Testarossa deeply regretted that they had never been able to spend quality time together. In despair, she used all [[MadScientist her knowledge]] to create a [[CloningBlues perfect]] [[ReplacementGoldfish replacement]], and thus Fate was born. Unfortunately, even with her likeness and [[GeneticMemory memories]], Fate grows up into a different individual, causing her mother [[LoveMakesYouCrazy to go crazy]] and see her as a failure, keeping her only as a mere tool in her new plan to resurrect Alicia.

* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist: Towards the end of the manga and 2009 anime, [[spoiler:Pride sees a quick vision of Bradley and his wife while begging Edward Elric to not kill him. In the end, the monstrous being realized that he did love his adopted family]].

* ''VisualNovel/{{Air}}'': Haruko weeps for her adoptive daughter Misuzu to stay alive, bitterly imagining the times she wished she could have spent with her as she dies in her arms.

This trope is an incredibly painful but nevertheless important [[AnAesop Aesop]] that is appearing in works that are centered around relationships. It's common in regards to parent–child bonds, but other relationships (siblings, lovers, etc.) can be used as well.

In desperation to hold onto what could have been, they will [[HowDareYouDieOnMe plead them to stay]] so that they may spend the quality time together that they were too proud or aloof to make, often accompanied by imagined images of happy memories that could have been. This will be made all the more painful by the dying person ''forgiving'' for their mistakes, [[GoOutWithASmile Going Out with a Smile]]...

Your character has stayed aloof from their kind and loving partner, parent or child, often TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth, a [[DelicateAndSickly victim of a terminal illness]] or [[ChosenOne destined to give their lives for the good of humanity]]. This is usually because of their refusal to become emotionally attached to someone they don't believe they can hold onto.

* Subverted in ''Film/DeadPoetsSociety'' -- all Neil's father has to say is "my son, my son" (in a true ItsAllAboutMe way), and he blames Neil's teacher for the boy's being DrivenToSuicide, completely unable to accept the blame. His outward denial of responsibility and rage at the teacher are driven [[MyGreatestFailure by his own guilt]].

Your character has stayed aloof from their kind and loving partner, parent or child, often TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth, a [[IllGirl victim of a terminal illness]] or [[ChosenOne destined to give their lives for the good of humanity]]. This is usually because of their refusal to become emotionally attached to someone they don't believe they can hold onto.

* Kaori with [[IllGirl Shiori]] in ''VisualNovel/{{Kanon}}''. Kaori can't bear to be close to her terminally ill sister and pretends like her sister doesn't exist, so she can stay emotionally distant. This causes Shiori [[DrivenToSuicide much anguish]] for years. Only when Shiori has very little time left does Kaori's composure crack and she tries to be the big sister she should have been all along. Fortunately, Ayu's miracle gives them much more time to spend as a family, thankfully averting this trope at the end of it all.

Compare BelatedLoveEpiphany and CantLiveWithThemCantLiveWithoutThem.

->''"When I thought you might be dying,''
->''I cried for all we'd never be."''

--> '''Shion:''' But... It's okay, right? To make it into something like this? It's okay, right...? I'm sorry... for being born.

--->'''Jigsaw''': Seems to me that the knowledge of your son's impending death is causing you to act... Why is that we're only willing to do that, when a life is at stake?

* In ''Series/Librarians'', this is given what may be both the quickest example, and the lowest budget version. When GirlOfTheWeek Mabel Collins helps Stone through a field of energy powerful enough to kill one or both of them, they both pretend to go through all the times they had together, if they had both met earlier, and left their towns. No flashbacks are used, but the gist remains the same.

* A ''Franchise/StarWars'' comic focuses on Vader thinking back on what would happen if he hadn’t betrayed the Jedi.