A JuddxVicki oneshot that began as being inspired by the songs "Halo" by Beyonce and "We Found Love" by Rihanna and then turned into this instead. Enjoy. I don't own, blah blah, I made up the date, blah blah. Thrown together in an hour. Enjoy!

"It was the 17th of March, 1998 and I was a stubborn, arrogant 16 year old kid who thought he knew everything and believed he was entitled to everything. I was a parent's nightmare; rude, argumentative, a liar, and it just so happened that it was that day, the day I told my parents I was gong to the library, only to steal my fathers credit card and purchase a one way ticket to London that God decided that it was time that His people on earth, join Him in Heaven. While I was sitting on that plane, in less time than it took to bat an eyelid, millions of people around the entire world, vanished right out of their clothes. I knew right away what had happened. I had heard it all before, but I hadn't accepted it. When my plane finally returned back to earth, the planet was in chaos, and I very quickly learnt that the fate of the people that disappeared from the plane, was the same fate of my parents. But it wasn't them who had suffered, it was me. It was us. The ones left behind. That day was, without a doubt, the worst day of my entire life up until that point, but little did I know, just 24 hours later, I would live the day that would, many years later, turn out of be the best day of my life.

"As I sat in that eerily quiet church office that next day across from the forty-something year old visitations pastor who had missed the boat and the three other kids who were as equally lost as I was, I couldn't help but occasionally lock eyes, if only for a fraction of a second with the quiet, hurting redheaded girl who's eyes were full of pain and sorrow, and who's attitude was full of anger. She had been through the same situation I had. She had woken to discover her entire family missing. I would be lying if I said that with her it was love at first sight, because frankly, when I first saw her, I had decided in my heart to put up walls and barriers to protect myself from myself. I had lost everyone I had ever loved, and there was no way I was ever going to love anyone ever again.

"But from that first day, when she reached her soft hand across the backseat of the cab we shared and rested it on my shoulder as I wept over all I had lost, I knew she had begun chiselling away at those walls. The early days were hard, of course, but they were easy compared with what was to come. We were all dealing with our own losses. She had discovered that her home had been burned to the ground and I offered her a room in mine. She began changing as soon as she accepted Christ. She grew fast. I soon discovered that she was a strong, intelligent girl, and that despite we had come from different walks of life, and would probably have never had anything to do with each other before the vanishings, they had levelled the playing field and we were both now just children of God. Even though we lived with the other two boys, we were closest. We would study together, learn together, plan our strategies together, we ran from danger together, we saved our friends together, we wept for our losses together. We became friends. Best friends. It was clear to me what was happening. I was doing it again. I was letting someone in. I was letting her in. yet again putting myself in the vulnerable position of possibly being loved and loving someone else. My feelings for her confused me and somewhat consumed me. With every day that passed, I enjoyed being with her more and more. We got closer and closer. Until one day, it all changed.

"To this day, I don't know exactly what it was. But I think I panicked. I think I realized that I was falling in love. I threw the walls she had been working on back up again and shut her out. I treated her badly. I pushed her away. Our friendship began to strain and we began drifting apart. So far apart, we ended up on different continents. I missed her for years. I began dating someone while I was away, but in the back of my mind, I just couldn't shake it. The feeling that this wasn't right, and that I needed to be back beside her again. I fought it. I really did. I fought so hard that the girl I was dating had to be the one to tell me that I wasn't in love with her because she thought their must be someone else. It must have been so obvious to every one. Every one but me. I remember the day I told her I was coming back as clear as crystal. I told her that I needed to talk to her. We needed to sort things out. I was blessed enough that she didn't just write me off for being the jerk that I was. I began the journey home, and what in normal circumstances would have been a days trip, turned into over a year. Another year of being separated from her. Every day was painful. My heart yearned for her, but there were so many obstacles between us. It was a pure, God-sent miracle that I managed to drive up to where she was staying that day, many years after we had met in the church. I tried with all my might to compose myself, but as soon as my eyes fell on her, now a woman, a beautiful, amazing woman, I crumbled and fell to my knees. I could feel God, tangibly moving in my, changing my thoughts, healing my wounds and strengthening me. He was tearing down the walls of my heart and allowing me to finally let her in at last. And I did. We resumed our friendship and grew it, more and more until I was even more certain than I had ever been that I was completely in love with her. I asked her to marry me, in a less that conventional manner, I must say, but with open arms and tears in her eyes she said yes, and created the new best day of my life. But it wasn't easy after that. We still had hurdles. Between that day and our wedding day, we were separated once again. My own fault, but we both knew I had a mission to go and tell more people about Jesus, before the end. I had challenges on that trip, I thought I'd never see her again, at least not until the Glorious Appearing, but again, God pulled me through and out the other side and I was reunited with her again. We were married in Petra, amongst the rocks, in the safest place in the world at the time. That day was the new best day of my life. We got to spend the rest of the tribulation together, and of course our lives. We were a great team in that last year of trial and tribulation, but God was on our side and we both made it, hand in hand, to the finish line. The day of the Glorious Appearing. The new best day of my life."

Esther Thompson waved a hand at her face, "Dad, you've got to stop this story now. I'm already way too emotional."

Judd smiled at his beautiful daughter. How much she reminded him of her mother. He brushed a lock of her red hair behind her ear, "You're so beautiful."

Esther blushed, "Thanks dad."

"I'm so proud of you." He managed, trying not to let a tear roll down his cheek.

Esther kissed her father on the cheek. She looked beautiful in her white dress.

"Ok, enough daddy/daughter time." Vicki announced, sweeping into the room in her mother of the bride dress, looking as radiant as she did, the day Judd had met her, "Mom want's a hug."

Esther let her mom who was at least half a foot shorter than her wrap her into an enormous embrace.

"I think it's time to head on in now, mom." Esther laughed, as her mother peeled herself away. "I'll be out in a sec."

Esther ducked into the bathroom to check her makeup one last time before heading out to marry the love of her life, Daniel Taylor Graham.

Judd put an arm around his wife and kissed her on the side of her head. He couldn't have been happier. All this life, all these blessings, and all because, one day, maybe years ago, he'd been left behind.

I don't know how that happened. xx