A Promise Fulfilled

Author's note: This is a sequel to "On the Strength of a Promise", the beginning of which was originally posted on The Kid & Lou Shrine but then abandoned. The need to explain where Kid was during the war stayed with me though, so it's about time I finished writing it.

Chapter 1

October 1865

Kid lay motionless as he tried to get his bearings. The noises he heard were muffled and unfamiliar, distant voices incomprehensible. He was laying on a bed so soft after endless nights sleeping on the cold, muddy ground that it took him a few moments to recollect where he was. The sheets were crisp and clean, scented with lavender. The combination of senses invoked distant memories that had been locked away his clouded mind for so long. They were memories of Lou. The pillow he rested on smelled of her. The remembrance was so jolting that Kid was fearful he was dreaming again. But the bed was real, the pillow was real. He forced himself to open his eyes to make sure it was not an illusion.

The first thing Kid saw was a pair of eyes identical to his own staring back at him. The deep, speckled blue eyes blinked at him as he focused on the small girl's face, only a foot away from his own. She grinned at him, an open loving smile that puzzled him at first. Kid didn't quite know what to say to her, or even how to react to her presence. Before he could think of what to do she jumped up without warning and ran out of the room.

"Momma! He's awake!" she yelled loudly, clattering onto the landing.

Kid pushed himself into a sitting position with some uncertainty. Every muscle ached from the torturous pace he had set himself on his way home to find Lou. He had walked non-stop for weeks with little food, and now that his body had a chance to rest he felt worse, just like an old man. Kid rubbed a hand over his shaggy beard and supposed he looked like an old man too. He felt just as muddled and frail as a man three times his age, his thoughts sluggish and unsure. He looked around the room he was in, still not quite believing where he was.

It was a small, neat bedroom with few ornaments and trappings. A pale light shone through the curtained window which was opened only a crack, and he felt a refreshing breeze caress his cheek as he took in a deep breath of the familiar Virginian countryside. Kid shut his eyes and tried to recall the last time he had stopped to appreciate that comforting aroma of his childhood.

After a few moments he continued his surveillance of the room, and his gaze fell upon a picture frame on the dresser beside the bed. He picked up the double silver frame and drew it closer to his face. Kid didn't immediately recognize the young Confederate soldier on one side — he was so youthful and serious in his brand new uniform and unlike any of the soldiers Kid had seen in recent years. With a start he realized the boy was actually himself — it was the daguerreotype he had sent Lou from Richmond when he had signed up with the cavalry. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

Kid couldn't look at the photograph for long. The faded memories of those early days of the war were so far removed from the reality he had endured that he felt nothing but bitter sadness when he looked into his own innocent face. If only he had known then what he knew now… Kid squeezed his eyes shut and refused to let the horrific images invade his mind again. Instead he looked at the other picture in the frame, this time of a young girl. She was smiling shyly, her pale face framed by long dark hair. Her name was Virginia, Kid reminded himself. She was his daughter.

The idea was still incomprehensible. Being reunited with his wife after so long had been emotional enough, but to also discover they had a child together had been too much for Kid. But he could not deny it was the truth — Virginia looked so much like Lou that it shocked him every time he looked at her. He couldn't believe he had missed the resemblance when he first starting chatting with the girl, before he'd known who she was. The realization of how much he had missed of her life was the worst feeling — he didn't even know his own daughter. He looked at the door through which she had just fled and wished she was back beside him so he could look into her face again. He felt a great wave of sadness build up in him as he sat alone in the room. Then, suddenly, Lou appeared.

He drew in his breath when he saw her, not yet used to the changes in her. She was far more beautiful that he ever remembered, her dark hair now long and rolled into a heavy chignon at the nape of her neck, her figure shapely but slender. He had loved her for so long but it was like she was a different person now. He couldn't help but wonder if she felt the same about him. Kid's eyes were apprehensive as she paused in the doorway, but then Lou's face lit up with a familiar, loving smile and she crossed the room quickly to his side.

"You're awake," she said faintly, and Kid realized she was nervous too. "We were beginnin' to wonder when you'd ever wake up."

"How long have I been asleep?" he asked, his voice husky after not talking for so long.

"Nearly two days." Lou fidgeted with her apron and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, unable to keep still. "The doctor was here and said we should let you rest as long as you needed, but I didn't think it would be so long."

Kid nodded slightly, unsure what to say to her. Lou stared at him and her eyes flashed momentarily with pain. She had not anticipated the awkwardness between them, having prayed for Kid's return every single day and dreaming of their reunion. Now that he was finally home she found it was impossible to pick up where they had left off — a newly married couple very much in love. Lou reminded herself that they probably just needed time, after all Kid had only been back a couple of days and he had been unconscious for most of that time. Lou buried her fears and forced herself to sit calmly down on the bed beside her husband.

Kid lowered his eyes, unable to look at her now without succumbing to the flood of emotions that were bottled up tightly in his chest. Being so close to her after so long was more difficult than he ever imagined, and he too had imagined their reunion a thousand times over. He never thought he would feel so uncertain and confused in her presence, but he was completely tongue-tied. As if reading his mind, Lou took his hand gently in hers and didn't push him.

"How do you feel?" she asked softly. The gentle tone of voice made him raise his eyes to look into hers, drawing strength from them. He remembered how deep her eyes were, as if he could drown in their gaze. He was trapped in her stare.

"I don't know," he managed to say.

Lou nodded, understanding his inability to reveal his mixed emotions immediately. He could tell she was disappointed, but to her credit she did not verbalize her misgivings.

Lou was burning with questions. She wanted to interrogate him, to find out where he had been for so long and why he had not written to her. Why was he limping so badly? What had happened to him to make him so uncomfortable with her? But she could tell from the look in Kid's eyes that he was not ready to reveal any of this information. Lou decided it was best to wait until he felt he could share it all with her. In the meantime she would have to curb her own curiosity and passionate concern.

"I'll prepare a bath for you, then we can have supper. Would that be all right?" she said as cheerfully as she could.

Kid nodded again, drinking in her beautiful face and trying to recognize the woman he had married in Rock Creek. She smiled at him and gave his hand a quick squeeze, then stood up to leave. Kid felt panicked when she did, he couldn't let her leave so quickly. He kept hold of her hand so she couldn't go, causing her to frown slightly.

"What is it? Are you all right? Do you need somethin'? Should I get the doctor?" Her voice was full of worry for him, but he wasn't sick. He didn't need a doctor, he just needed her.

Kid pulled her back down onto the bed, unable to let her go. A frown creased her brow but he couldn't find the words to reassure her. Instead he leaned forward slightly, his forehead coming to rest on her shoulder.

Lou gulped, unprepared for the flood of emotion that washed over her. She slipped her arms around his back, drawing him closer to her. Kid sighed heavily as he allowed himself to be comforted in her familiar embrace. He just wanted to stay like that for a while, until he knew for certain that he wasn't dreaming all this and would wake to find himself on the muddy frozen ground of some field. He had spent so many nights like that it would take a while for him to trust his surroundings. He drew his arms tighter around his wife and held on. After so many years he had finally come home to Lou and he wasn't about to let go.