Here's chapter two my Burster fans. J I own nothing. Some strong T in this one. And just so we're clear, his last name is Atherton. He says so in episode Headlock (2x18).
Their wedding is in a week. She can't wait to marry this man. She loves him more than she has ever loved anyone, and she will admit it. And he loves her the same way.
She's picking his clothes out to match with the dress she's wearing to his parents house for their 2nd Saturday of the month dinner when she sees two papers sticking out from under the shirts she's pulling out from the drawer. He should really get a better hiding spot for surprises. She nosily peeks at them. Two plane tickets. She checks the date on them. The day before their wedding day. THE DAY BEFORE? Her head screams at her. Where is he going on the day before our wedding? And who is he going with? She can't process what she's seeing. The man she loves about to walk out on her, the day before their wedding. Maybe the date was just a mistake. Hopefully it was just a misunderstanding.
She hears the shower shut off and quickly returns the tickets to the drawer. She takes his shirt over and puts it on the bottom of the bed. "I picked your clothes out." She calls out to him.
"Thanks, Gill." He calls back.
She pictures the wedding dress that she bought. She pictures walking down the aisle. She pictures them reciting their vows to each other. She pictures them shoving cake into each others face. She pictures them happy. And she pictures them together. She then pictures the tickets lying in his shirt drawer.
She wants to ask him. She wants him to be honest. I'll give it a day or two. That's what she decides.
She found the tickets. That's that. She'll put it behind her for a couple days, act like normal. If he doesn't say anything, she'll bring it up. What is normal? She walks into the bathroom and watches him doing his normal morning routine. Once he is stationary, she pushes herself up to stand on the tips of her toes and nuzzles his neck.
"Hey there, baby." His deep voices rumbles, sending vibrations through his veins that are currently under Gillian's tongue.
She breaks away from his neck long enough to say, "Hey, babe."
"What's gotten into you?" He says when her hands snake around his waist and her fingertips slide under the edge of his boxers.
"Hopefully you." She purrs into his ear.
"We have to leave for my parents soon, and we're already running behind. You know I would, I just don't want to tell my mother we were late because I was screwing your brains out." His voice becomes slightly strained at the end of his sentence when he hears Gillian moan behind him.
"I wouldn't want you telling your mother that. Okay fine, what about when we get home?" She asks, scooting between him and the sink.
"When we get home," He looks down at her dark blue eyes, "I promise to screw your brains out."
"Can't wait." She says barely above a whisper, trying to control herself from getting too turned on.
"David! Gillian!" Exclaims his mother, Lynn, the second they crack the door open. "You're late."
"Sorry Mom." He leans over and hugs her.
"You should know better than to be sorry." She says before hugging Gillian.
"Yeah, come on." Gillian teases him.
He leans over to Gillian, whispering in her ear. "You keep that up and I'll tell her why we're late."
Her eyes widen and she shakes her head 'no'. He snickers and wraps his arm around her waist. She leans against him as they walk into the kitchen. Gillian and Dave each reach for one his mom's famous chocolate chip cookies. They make adorable faces at each other between bites and sit on the bar stools while his mom continues to cook her pastries.
They're in the middle of sharing a chocolate chip kiss when David's twin brother, Steve, comes in. "Break it up you two." He says lightly smacking David on the back of the head and reaching for a chocolate chip cookie.
"Hey! We're getting married in a week. We deserve to be a little naughty." Gillian whispers to him as if she doesn't want Dave's mom to hear.
"I heard that!" Lynn yells over the laughter of the guys while Gillian blushes slightly.
Gillian then smacks Dave on the arm for laughing at her.
"You look like you need rescuing." Says Michelle, Steve's wife, to Gillian.
"Yes! Please!" Gillian hops of the bar stool, blowing a kiss to her fiancé as walks past. She interlocks arms with Michelle, who has practically grown to be her sister. "How do you plan to rescue me?" She says as they walk out of the room.
"I'm going to show you the orchard. Where you're getting married!" They both smile and half squeal in excitement.
Dave looks out the window and sees Gillian and Michelle in the orchard, now joined by Steve's oldest girl Anna-who is 15. Anna is waving her arms about, trying to explain how to set the flowers on either side of the aisle. Michelle has pulled swatches of color out of her pocket and is holding them up to the surrounding trees, the grass, and Gillian. Not only is Michelle like a sister to Gillian, but she is also her wedding planner. Gillian is laughing and posing when she needs to be matched to a color swatch. Michelle now produces a pen from her pocket and is writing something on the back of one of them. Steve snaps and brings David's mind back to the kitchen.
"Come on. You get to spend the rest of your life staring at her. Can't you spare ten minutes for your twin brother?" He asks, smiling.
"Fine." He smirks mischievously and hits his arm. "Tag!" He starts to run off and Steve starts after chasing him when their father comes walking down the stairs.
"Steven! David! Stop that! You are 40!" They immediately stop.
"Aww, Dad. He can't help it. He's in love." Steve says, picking up an apple.
"So what if I am? It's not illegal." He catches the apple that Steve tosses him and starts walking outside to the orchard.
"I swear, he just can't stay away from that girl." Lynn says once Steve and Dave walk out.
Dave sneaks up on Gillian and picks her up around the waist, swinging her around in circles. She squeals loudly and he plants kisses on her neck.
"Hey there!" He says in her ear. For the first time all day she remembers the tickets she found and her stomach begins to knot up.
"Hey baby." She says, trying not to sound upset. She doesn't want to worry about them. She shouldn't have to. What if there is just a mistake? She knows how much he loves her.
"Gill? Did you hear me?" He's saying, looking her in the eye.
"What? No, I'm sorry. I was paying attention to the color swatches. What's up baby?" She tries her best to cover for her thoughts.
"I got a surprise for you." Her eyes light up for a second before he starts tickling her.
"David! Stop!" She says between laughter. He stops and pulls her up onto his back. "Honey! Just because I'm tiny doesn't mean I'm your rag doll." She holds onto his shoulders to stay on his back, to spite her words. He looks into her baby blue, saucer-like eyes.
"I love you so much, Gillian." He reaches a hand up and runs it through her soft brown hair. She smiles shyly, just the way she had the first time he said it. A soft rosy color appears on her cheeks.
She contemplates asking him now about the tickets. She's pretty sure she won't be able to wait two days to figure out the mystery behind what they are.
"Hungry?" He offers her the apple core, poking his tongue out.
"Oh gee thanks." She grabs it from him and tosses it toward a nearby tree. She quickly returns her hands to his shoulders. "I'm scared I'm going to fall." She explains when he looks at her funny.
"Don't worry, baby girl." He tightens his grip on her legs. "I've got you."
Any other guy wouldn't have done that, she tells herself. What is going on with those damn tickets?
"Babe?" She says, "I have to talk to you later, okay?" She tries not to sound upset.
"Okay, hunny. Is everything okay?" He turns his head as much as he can to see her.
CLIFFHANGER ENDING TO THIS CHAPTER!