Here we go again, love them, miss them terribly, have no clue who owns them….
No research medical or legal has been done. Didn't feel like it-most soap writers don't either so-what the heck.
Thank you!
Prologue
She would have been married two years today, had their marriage been legal. Instead it was her wedding day. Again. John wanted to get married right away but, by the time her divorce from Jared was final it was only a few weeks until their 'anniversary', so she made him wait. As she sat in a chair next to the fireplace in their bedroom she smiled as she studied the portrait above the mantle.
It used to hang above the fireplace in living room. It had recently been replaced by a portrait of the five of them. And this portrait had been moved up here. It was of her and John on their wedding day two years ago. It was more of a candid picture and everyone had been surprised at her choice to display it. There were two actually, one taken seconds after this one. They were taken by Gigi in between the formal shots taken by the photographer they had hired. Not that it was a large wedding. Just family and a few friends, in the garden at Llanfair.
They were standing in front of the rose bushes with his arm slung low across her back to her hip. Their bodies turned toward each other, their faces angled down but, their eyes locked on each other. Her looking up at him threw her lashes and him looking so tenderly down at her. It looked like they had been sharing a secret, which they actually were. John was whispering that he had seen Roxy pinch one of the servers on the ass and when the server turned around it was a woman. And the woman smiled at Roxy.
The next photograph taken seconds later, had always been hidden away up here. It was a moment just between the two of them that she didn't want to share. That smaller photo sat in an easeled frame on the mantle. Her head thrown back in laughter but, it was the smile on his face and the way he was looking at her that she loved about that one.
There were no pictures taken today. Just a quick trip over to city hall this afternoon and to a judge that was a friend of John's. With just Destiny and her Uncle Bo as witnesses. No reception, or flowers or cake today. They went to her mother's tonight for dinner. Eve joined them and between their two mothers, John and Natalie were persuaded to let them keep the children for the night. It wasn't necessary they had told them. They had thought they were married for over a year already, they'd had their wedding night but, their mothers wanted them to have some special time alone.
"There you are. What's wrong?" He asked her coming into the room.
"Nothing", she smiled up at him, "just remembering the first one." She looked back at the portrait.
"Ah. Actually, that was the third time, if I remember correctly. Well, attempt really", he said as he sat down on the edge of the chair next to hers. She smiled and looked down sadly.
"Yeah, you're right", she said and started to get up. He couldn't read the look on her face.
"Hey, what is it?" he reached out and grabbed her hand as she moved to pass his chair.
She looked down at him and sighed. "I guess I'm just thinking about all the time we wasted. It makes me sad sometimes to think of it. We could have been married for years by now instead of one day."
He stood up and pulled her to him. "Everything happened the way it was supposed to. We might not be together now if things wouldn't have worked out the way they did."
"I know, and I love were we are now so….you're right. No more over thinking things", she smiled up at him. Running her arms up and around his neck, the fingers of one hand buried in his hair.
"At least for tonight", he whispered. Kissing her immediately hard and deep. His hands ran up her back from her waist to the top of the zipper on her dress. He pulled it gently down and pushed the white, lace strapless dress down her hips to pool on the floor at her feet.
She started undoing the buttons on his shirt as he walked them backwards toward the bed. They came to a stop as the backs of her thighs hit the mattress. He stood with his arms around her as she undressed him. She had started on his pants when she suddenly looked up at him.
"What?" he whispered.
She bit her lip, cocking her head to the side and ran her hands over his chest, "I think I would like a bath, just you and me." She whispered back as his pants hit the floor. He smiled down at her as he kicked them away.
"You and me….in a tub full of hot water? I like the sound of that", he picked her up and carried her to the tub.
The next morning, they'd picked up the kids and had breakfast with their mother's. Eve was heading back to Jersey this morning. She had to leave for a cruise in a few days and needed to get back home to get things in order. Natalie would have loved to visit with her for a few days but, they would see her again at the holidays.
Knowing the kids would go down easy for naps after being with their grandparents all night, she started up the stairs with them as soon as they got home.
"Can you grab the mail?" she asked him as they came in. She was carrying Alana, who was now two years old and holding a four year old Liam's hand.
"Yup", he said from behind her, he was carrying the baby. Her sweet little baby, Sean Thomas.
He was almost five months old now. They had a hard time coming up with a name for him. But, when Eve suggested Sean, it was her father's name and for whom John had been named after. Eve had said it was a form of the name 'John' in Irish she knew that was it. And Thomas for John's father of course.
"What's that?" She asked looking over his shoulder.
"An invitation to Blair's new night club's grand opening", he said, " 'Shelter' ." He handed her the post card.
" 'Shelter'? That's a stupid name", she muttered, looking at the card. Setting the diaper bag and her purse down, she turned to ask, "are we going to go? It's in the basement of 'Capricorn'."
"To a night club? I'd rather gouge my eye's out with a spoon", he smiled at her as she passed by him on the way to the stairs. He heard her giggle behind him.
"Hey", John called before she got all the way up. "I need to meet an informant this afternoon, you going to be ok?"
"Right now?" she asked, she was hoping for a nap herself or maybe just some alone time with John.
"Well, yeah. It's about Evangeline and Jared", he said hoping she would understand.
"Yeah", she said, even though she was disappointed, she smiled at him. He was holding the baby, so she set Laney on her feet and reached for him and said, "I got this. Go…but, be careful. Please."
"I will, always. I'll be back in an hour at the most", he said and he leaned over to catch her lips in a quick kiss. She smiled as she watched him leave.
Natalie finally got all three kids down. It was a rare day when they all went down at once. Thinking it had been close to an hour since John left, and she was hoping for some quiet, quality time with her husband she bound down the stairs. Stopping dead in her tracks, she couldn't believe her eyes. It was her worst nightmare coming true. Her mind was scrambling to remember where the nearest gun was hidden.
She had her grandfathers shot gun upstairs locked up in a cabinet and John would have his service revolver with him but usually it would be locked up in a strong box on the top shelf in their closet. John also had a gun locked in his nightstand. She had the key to the gun cabinet, it was an antique key and it hung on a chain around her neck. That would be quickest. And wouldn't that be appropriate since she'd used it once before. If only she could get back up the stairs before she made any noise. Probably not.
She could grab the vase to her right, she never liked it anyways. Either way, she couldn't let her get near her children. No, she had to go for the gun. She took a step backward up the stairs.
"Natalie?"
She snapped her head around, and John was standing right there. It took a moment for her brain to catch up with her eyes. She furrowed her brow trying to decipher what she was seeing. He was standing there calmly, why wasn't he doing anything. She saw another man had walked into the room. Natalie looked back and forth between the two people standing in the middle of her living room, speaking quietly to each other and her husband.
Walking over to where she was standing on the stairs he asked in a concerned whisper, "what are you doing? Are you ok?"
"What's going on?" She asked him quietly and cautiously. He didn't answer her. He looked down and ran his hand over the back of his neck. She tried to control her anger but, she didn't succeed.
"Do you mind telling me why Marty fucking Saybrooke is standing in my living room?!"