All my Roads
Disclaimer: As much as I wish I did; I don't. The show, the characters and the song belong to DPB and Collin Raye respectively.
The day was clear and sunny; there wasn't a gray cloud to be seen for miles. The small little church in Belleville was bustling with activity. People were coming and going, cars were arriving and the finally it was time for the Ceremony to begin. The moments leading up to this day could only be classified as long overdue.
First came the night they finally had The Talk,
*Flashback*
He was tired of seeing her go through relationships like someone would go through money: you had it for a brief time and then it was gone. So, he'd gathered up the courage to tell her how he felt and he was now sand in front of her door waiting for her to answer. When she'd opened the door he'd suddenly gone stupid; could move of talk. Finally, though he'd leaned in ever so slowly and kissed her like his life depended on it. When they'd broken apart gasping for air, she said, "We have to talk." They went into her apartment and talked until they fell asleep on her couch wrapped up in each others arms. They went on their first official date two nights later.
*End Flashback*
One of the things they decided on while they were talking that night was that they would wait before having sex. Neither was ready to take that step without exploring their new romantic relationship first and waiting had just seemed like the best idea of the few they had discussed. Of course, the time came when they both had decide to wait no more.
*Flashback*
They'd been dating for almost five months and he was ready to take things to the next level. It was getting harder and harder to resist falling into bed and he felt that they were ready for that next step. So that night as he walked her back to her door her and spent a few moments trading kisses; and while the were catching there breath he asked again(for he had asked after their last few dates as well), "Can I come in tonight?" They both knew he didn't mean for a cup of coffee and that's why she'd said no the first few times (though it had been a hard thing do), but tonight seemed different because saying yes seemed like the right thing to do.
Something that hadn't happened the other times he'd asked. Her response was to pull him down into a heated kissed that consumed them as they stepped into her apartment and closed the door. They separated briefly to hang their coats and turn on a lamp to see by, then resumed trading kisses as they made their way into her bedroom (and if you can't guess what happened next, I'm not going to tell you). The following morning, when they awoke wrapped in each other's arms they knew that they made the right decisions, for both waiting and consummating their love the previous evening. As good as it was, they were determined not to let it rule their relationship (which meant they weren't going to fall into to bed every chance they got) and they succeeded…. most of the time.
*End Flashback*
He had originally planned to propose on their first anniversary but a tough case threw a big wrench in those plans. Therefore, they only briefly celebrated their anniversary with a candlelight dinner on his parents' yacht when they met up in La Jolla during the case investigations. He started making plans again when their caseload lightened, but he couldn't go any where without the people who knew them when he was going to propose. After they'd celebrated their on year anniversary, the questioning got worse. What they didn't know, and what he no plans on telling them, was that he'd been planning his proposal since three months before their anniversary. Eventually, he had everything planned out, except for when and where he was going to propose. When they got their invitations to AJ's (2nd) fifth birthday party (the first was at Chuck E. Cheese's for him and his friends), for the Jag crew (the Admiral, Meredith, Coates, Tiner, Sturgis, Bobby, Harm, Mac, Gunny)and Chloe, who was visiting for spring brake, he knew it was the perfect moment and he set his plan in motion.
*Flashback*
On the day of the party, he sent her a bouquet of roses with a card reminding her of their deal and a package containing a light blue summer dress that had little daisies smattering the fabric of the skirt, with a note that said; WEAR ME! She showered quickly before pulling on the dress and a pair of white sandals. She checked her internal clock and noting that he would be there shortly, she finished getting ready. Twenty minutes before they were supposed to be at the Roberts' house, he knocked on her door. Calling out for him to come on in, she put the finishing touches on her make up, then walked out in to her living room where she grabbed her purse and they left.
An hour later little A.J. was sitting in front of his cake waiting to blow the candles out. He made his wish, blew out his candles and assisted his mom in "cutting" (as both cakes had pre-cut pieces and that's what he was cutting) the cakes. There were two cakes; a yellow cake in the shape of the sun (complete with rays made of another yellow cake and a chocolate cake) and a carrot cake in the shape of the moon. The pieces were then passed out and everyone began to dig in. As she began to eat her cake (a chocolate ray), she noticed that there seemed to be something gleaming from the middle of her piece. She pulled it out, wiped it off with a napkin, and in stunned silence, turned to look at him. For curled around the ring was a small note (on a piece of laminated paper the size of a fortune from a fortune cookie) that, upon being open said; I just wanted to tell you that I love you so much and to ask you this: Will you be mine forever? Not trusting herself to speak coherently at the current moment, she simply nodded, at which time he took the ring from her and put it on her finger. He then kissed her amid the cheers and congratulations from their friends.
*End Flashback*
With the help of Harriet and the other bridesmaids the wedding planning went smoothly (well almost) and when the special day arrived everything, the dress included, looked perfect. Now here they were, just minutes from getting married. He and his groomsmen were just arriving at the church, dressed and ready to go, and she was in the back room of the church, sliding on her dress with the help of her bridesmaids. Her dress was was beautiful and with her hair and make-up done, she looked amazing in it. It had taken them over a month to find the perfect dress and they'd visited many stores before they found it.
*Flashback*
She, Harriet, Bobbie, and Jen had already been to five different bridal shops and the only thing they'd managed to do was pick out the bridesmaid dresses for them (she'd tried on a couple of dresses that she decided weren't what she was looking for). They walked into what they'd decided would be the final shop of the day and almost immediately, she spotted it. There it was, the perfect dress. She found, upon checking, that it was just her size, so she tried it on and walked out to the mirrors and her friends. There was seemingly no response to her entrance and for a moment, she was nervous. Harriet squealed, and then she and the others walked over to inspect the dress more closely. The store helper explained that the dress was a satin A-line gown, which featured two-tone embroidery and a split front overskirt, and then, after hesitating a moment, said that it looked amazing on her. With her friends' enthusiastic agreement to that statement, she bought the dress and they headed for Harriet's house (where she'd be leaving the dress until the wedding).
*End Flashback*
The final guests had arrived and the pews were full. At an unseen cue, the choir began to sing, softly, Amazing Grace and the first bridesmaid began her escorted walk down the aisle. Lilac dresses and naval dress whites filed down the aisle, one after another until Harriet and Bud finally arrived at the altar, where they split and went to their respective sides. All heads turned towards the door as Chloe (the flower girl) and little AJ (the ring bearer) began their walk, with her tossing multi-colored rose petals as she went. As they walked, he took his place next to Bud Once they reached the altar, he walked over and stood in front of his father and she stood next to Jen at the end of the line of bridesmaids. As she took her position, the organist began to play the wedding match and once again, all heads turned towards the back of the church as the doors opened once again, this time to admit the bride and the Admiral. Finally, it was time and they began the walk down the aisle. A few moments later, they were at the altar and the minister began to speak. "Who gives the woman to be married to this man?" "I do," answered A.J. He sat down and the ceremony proceeded. Just after they had said their vows and traded rings, the minister, to her surprise, handed him his guitar. "Sweetheart, I wrote this song for you and I would like to play it now for our friends and family." He began to play and then started to sing:
Looking back from where I stand tonight
I wouldn't change a thing about my life
Wrong turns I had to take back in those crazy years
Could not have been mistakes if they brought me here
'Cause all my roads have led me to
This night, this love I share with you
And though the road was never smooth
Life has made me someone who
Could be the right someone for you
I don't regret a single broken heart
That taught me what love is and what it's not
Someone must have planned our two paths would cross
I couldn't see it then but I was never lost
'Cause all my roads have led me to
This night, this love I share with you
And though the road was never smooth
Life has made me someone who
Could be the right someone for you
Detours, dead ends, endless explorations
You were my only destination
'Cause all my roads have led me to
This night, this love I share with you
And though the road was never smooth
Life has made me someone who
Could be the right someone for you
As the last notes faded from the guitar, he finally looked up and at his bride. Around them, there was not a dry eye in the building; even the admiral had a few tears sliding down his face. He rejoined his bride as the minister cleared his throat and began to read from Corinthians 1:13, "Love is always patient and kind. It is never jealous. Love is never boastful or conceited, it is never rude or selfish, it does not take offense, and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people's faults, but delights in the truth. It is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope. It is always ready to endure whatever comes. True love does not come to an end. "
He paused for a moment, as he waited for that to sink in, and then continued on, "You have declared before all of us that you will live together in marriage. You have made special promises to each other, which have been symbolized by the joining of hands, taking of vows and the giving and receiving of two rings. By the authority vested in me by God and as a minister in the state of Virginia, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." The church rang with cheers and applause as Captain Harmon Rabb Jr., USN kissed his bride, Colonel Sarah Mackenzie-Rabb, USMC for the first time as husband and wife.
*Epilogue*
After trying the old-fashioned way for a year and a half, the Rabbs turned to fertility treatments. They chose to go with in-vitro fertilization and their first two successful tries (they had three previous negative tries) resulted in a 2nd trimester miscarriage and a stillbirth at thirty-three weeks. They decided to wait a while after the burial of the daughter they named Emily Rose Rabb, and when Mac was ready they began to try again. They found out she was pregnant again on their third anniversary. When she had her first ultra- sound at 5 weeks along, they found out that she was pregnant with sextuplets. They had been warned about possible multiple births and been prepared for that scenario but they weren't expecting that and as it turned out all three eggs they'd had implanted, had split in two (giving them two sets of identical twins and a set of fraternal twins).
Seven long, eventful months later, Harm and Mac, via c-section, welcomed their tiny but healthy, miracles; Amelia Michelle Rabb, Allyson Marie Rabb, Alexandra Madison Rabb, Tyler Matthew Rabb, Timothy Michael Rabb and Thomas Montgomery Rabb into the JAG family. As a late wedding/ baby shower gift Harm's parents bought them the five bedroom, four bath, two story house that was for sell next door to Bud and Harriet's new house (the one they bought after their twins were born). After he retired, AJ and his new wife Alayna moved in with them to help take care of the babies. At the time, when they started the fertility treatments, they had no idea what was going to happen but they were excited. With a long, tedious journey of negative results, a miscarriage and the stillbirth of their first daughter behind them, they were a little worse for the wear but Harm and Mac finally had the family they'd always dreamed of.
*THE END*
Author's Note: First, I just want to say thanks for reading and reviewing (Hint, Hint), I hope you enjoyed the story. If you want to see them, the links to the pictures of the dresses are on my profile. When I first posted this story Airborne Girl corrected me on a few things I had written regarding the splitting of the eggs (I think I originally had two eggs splitting into two sets of identical triplets, or something like that), so I want to say Thanks Airborne Girl! Now, I have already had one person question the plausibility of a woman of Mac's size carrying sextuplets. To clarify, we have no idea about what her body would be capable of carrying so I took a little creative license with that part of my story (and in light of some recent occurrences in the last few years, I have to point towards Kate Gosselin; of Jon and Kate plus eight as a perfect example of that). I hope that help's but if you have any other questions leave a review and I'll try to answer them as best as I can. As of right now I am currently working on the sequel for this story and I hope to have the first chapter posted within the next few months.
*~*Bookworm0485*~*