Trusting Clovers
Prologue: Such a Way With Words
They were the epitome of irony. If anyone questioned the logic of how these two people came together, the only simple response was to acknowledge that something in the universe loved pulling strings in amusing ways. He never won, she always lost. It was only when they got on the same team that the game was finally changed, and what a force they were to watch together. As strange as they were, people who knew them recognized there was only two options for their romance: either they would destroy the world, or conquer it. Those were the choices, and people sat back quietly waiting to see the outcome of either, because God knows it would be spectacular either way.
But, back to the irony. Anyone who knew Damian Spinelli understood one thing above all else: he was going to talk, and you were going to listen. You might not understand a thing he said, and he wouldn't oblige many explanations, but damn if he couldn't teach you the definition of the world ramble and all its thesaurus suggestions too. Rant, tirade, lecture, speech…He could do all of them, and then some. In one sitting with The Jackal you could expect to learn about Roman gods and Shakespeare's sonnets. It was best to bring a notebook and a tape recorder in order to explore further readings later on the things he had to offer.
Then, there was Maxie "Don't Forget The Sassy" Jones-Spinelli. If there was anyone in the world that could render Damian Spinelli speechless, it was the gunpowder-meets-spark blonde. To say she talked a lot would be like suggesting Leonardo da Vinci drew on occasion. Indeed, it was an art form to her. It seemed that Maxie believed if she talked, and talked, and kept on talking, eventually she would get to whatever point she was trying to make, and if she couldn't maybe she would just tire out any dissenters until they simply gave up and agreed with her.
They were crossfire, rapid fire, or just fire. Whatever you wanted to categorize them as, The Spinelli's had a knack for communication, a style, a flare. They were aficionados. What was even stranger than seeing them talk with the people that crossed their paths was seeing how they spoke to one another. It was its own layer of beauty. He would murmur out of the side of his mouth, low and quiet words that only she seemed to understand. She would reply back with a smirk on the corner of her lips, short abrupt phrases.
It was as if when they were together, they spoke with inside jokes and breathy secrets. This made it harder for others to understand them; maybe if they could be in on the jokes and secrets, they could comprehend the strange pair better. How could two people who seemed so different work so well together on an ethereal level?
In the early days it was speculated that they simply bonded over the unexpected pregnancy of their son, Caleb. As time passed, however, it became clearer and clearer just how wickedly clever fate could be. They weren't just being civil for the sake of responsibility. Perhaps they would have never taken a second glance at one another if it hadn't been for the baby, as many brief intimate connections had a tendency to fizzle.
Sometimes the universe just…finds a way.
Getting the two to the altar had been a feat. They attempted a wedding three times, which in retrospect seemed to only fit them more and add to their legend. Of course, it couldn't be as simple as just walking down the aisle and saying some vows. No, the first time around, Maxie had wrecked her car and spent the time that would have been their wedding, reception, and honeymoon in intensive care while Spinelli was told he had to "make plans, just in case". By then, their baby trying out his first steps in the waiting room of General Hospital had rendered the only smile Spinelli was seen with for weeks.
A very stubborn and angry Maxie quickly recovered, scoffing at how a measly thing like internal injuries and near death experiences had kept her perfect day from being perfect. Now the flowers would be out of season, the venue would be have to be rebooked ("Spinelli, do you know how hard it was to get that ballroom in the first place?"), and of course her dress would be so passé by the time she walked down the aisle after the ordeal. Some couldn't believe how messed up her priorities were after such a stressful event, but Spinelli could only weep with relief that his life was getting back to normal.
The second time was much simpler. Spinelli and Maxie found themselves in Vegas trying to track down Lulu after her latest breakup with Johnny. While debating why Lulu would go to the city of sin of all places to forget her troubles, Spinelli spotted a little white wedding chapel advertising an Elvis minister and he sarcastically remarked that they could kill two birds with one stone. Maxie called him on his bluff and they were only seconds from "I do" before they jointly agreed that they didn't, and would prefer to get married with their friends and family like they originally planned.
So the pair stood at an altar, finally, on their third attempt in a much smaller ceremony than originally planned, where their friends and family waited with baited breath to see Spinelli and Maxie do what they did best: Speak.
And they did, blubbering and shaking and making everyone in the room a mess of emotions with them. She clutched his hands as if pressing her words into the palms forever; he leaned forward in such a way that his vows only really reached her ears.
"I will never call you an angel or a miracle…because you don't like it…but that doesn't stop me from thinking it…"
"I, Maxie, take you Damian, and you Spinelli, and The Jackal too, to be my husband…"
"I'm the hacker, but you took the time to decode me…That didn't sound as cheesy in my head…"
"You pulled me out of a shallow grave. No! No, Spinelli, you did, and you know it."
"You've given me the family I never thought it would be my pleasure to have…"
"With you, the future is…it's so bright, Spinelli…You make it bright!"
The words would echo for years. Anyone who was there in the moment would tell you they could still hear the reverence with which the young couple spoke. Not a dry eye in the audience, one for the books.
Spinelli had his poetry, Maxie had her prose. They had been, and always would be, defined by their language.
Which, of course, was ironic…considering their son (now five years old) had never spoken a single word.
Author's Note: Ask and you shall receive. Welcome to the sequel to "The Luckiest". You will have to read that story before you can understand this one. Some tell me it's worth the read. :D
I can't promise frequent updates, as I am writing this fic and "Deep Roots"…but I will try my best. Summer is coming, which means one of two things: I'lll have a lot of free time, or no free time.
"Trusting Clovers" refers to the four-leaf clover, the good luck charm. I found it fitting.
Read? Now review! Thanks dudes.
Next Chapter: Meet the Spinelli's, 4 and a half years after The Luckiest.
