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Chapter 10: But They Lived Happily Ever After
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August 18th 2038
This tale was not for the faint of heart, it has led you through the depths of depression, understanding, mortality, mourning and love. So I chose to end this story the way it began, with a warning. After layers of hard shell were chipped away, what remains shines; sparkles so bright it can hurt your eyes, so beloved readers beware, because there is only so much cutesy one person can take.
If at points while reading this final installment you are overwhelmed with their disgustingly mushy love, try to look back, to remember all of the difficult steps they took to be here, lest you unleash a torrent of rainbow smiles on all that you meet. You have been warned.
"How do I look?" Randy asked goofily from across the room, slices of cucumbers placed over his eyelids as if he were getting a facial.
"Randy!" Soli squealed, stomping her little feet.
"Don't play with the food, you're supposed to be helping me." She tried to sound stern but he looked so damn cute, she couldn't help but smile, and it was hard to sound mad through a smile that took over your entire face. She slid over to him as he removed the slices, popping them both in his mouth with a grin. He loved making her squeal like that, even if he had to make himself look like a fool to get it, there was just something about the way her blood rushed to the summit of her perfect cheeks.
"Sorry," he said with a halfhearted pout that made her stomach drop, she loved his pouty lips.
"S'kay," she caved, letting her eyes roam over the wide expanse of his shoulders. He was enticing, even when he was being silly.
They were busy preparing for Soledad's first time playing host to the wolf-girl Sunday brunches, Soli had gone a bit overboard. The entire kitchen was covered from end to end with enough food to feed the entire pack, though only the girls were set to come. It was a triply special day for Soli because it not only was it her first time playing host like a real adult, but it was also her twelfth birthday. Thirdly, and most special was that today was the day of her brother Fredrico's return to La Push.
He had called her about two weeks previously and announced his sudden arrival. He officially told her that a life of academia was not for him, but knowing him as she did, she knew this was a lie because Fredrico had always loved to learn. She didn't question it too much because she loved him, and the very idea of having a member of her family back with her made her heart flutter.
She scurried with Claire, Mark and Jordan, trying hard make the larger of the two guest rooms inhabitable. The apartment wasn't large but after a couple hundred dollars and a few hours of elbow grease, the place was set to be home for the youngest Calls, the youngest of which was at this very moment landing a few miles away in Seattle.
So in Soli's mind this triply important day needed to go off without a hitch, it was vital. Randy was set the minor task of finger sandwiches, but since he ate one for every three he made, it was a slow process. Soli whizzed around him trying to make everything look neat but relaxed, the girls would start coming in an hour or so.
"Are you going to wear that? Not that I mind or anything, but I'm staying if you do," Randy said popping another sandwich in his mouth as he added a layer of them to the pyramid shaped pile. Soli was wearing a pair of red stiletto Manolo Blahnik's that her mother sent her from France where they were currently residing and a very short black teddy over a killer red lace set of lingerie. The lingerie was also new, sent to her as an early birthday present from Amber with a note that read "Drive him wild" and she was, he'd never thought so little of food in his life.
"I'll get dressed when everything is done, Snuggle Bear, so hurry up," she huffed, putting the last embellishment on her strawberry-cream pie.
"I didn't say I wanted you to get dressed, just that I wouldn't leave if you didn't," Randy clarified, pulling her into his lap the second she was close enough.
In truth she knew he wouldn't leave because this was one of the only days they had to spend together, but she didn't point it out. He took his pointer finger and ran in down the middle of her chest making her squirm before he pulled the teddy back and looked underneath.
"Do you like?" Soli asked with a mischievous grin, placing her hand on the side of his face.
"Yes," he answered honestly. He didn't do coy or flirty, he couldn't; he was just entirely, one hundred percent enamored with her and he didn't hide it. This was exactly what Soli needed and everyday when he showed her just how much he cared for her, she was overcome with the kind of joy she couldn't assign words to.
She had work to do, tons, but she wanted him, no matter how she tried to dim the fire she felt for him, it was uncontrollable; she needed him.
She swiveled in his lap so that her butt was pressed firmly against his member, her head titled back and resting on his shoulder. He kissed the exposed skin of her neck, touching down the front of her body, her nipples standing at attention under the thin silk garment as his hands slid down.
"Not in the kitchen," she moaned as he moved to undo his pants. She laughed, a sweet peeling laugh that lightened his heart as he flipped her over and carried her fireman style over his shoulder and into the first bedroom he saw, the small unoccupied guest room near the bathroom.
"Will you get mad if I say you look really sexy when you cook?" He asked, fumbling with the elaborate bows and closures on her underwear before she giggled and pushed his hands aside, sliding out of them.
"No, so say it," she commanded, slipping the black silk and the tiny pieces of red lace off of her body so that she stood before him donning only a very tall set of heels.
"You look so sexy when you cook…and when you clean…and shower…and watch TV…and read," he continued, as he undressed in front of her. She pulled him down with her, spreading wide to allow him the space between her legs.
She gasped when he entered her, surprised again by the perfection of their bodies, the way they fit so perfectly.
"Ugh! Randy. I love you. I love you so much, so so so much," she breathed in his ear, growing louder with every thrust. This had been her promise to Randy, the promise she made after Devlin's death. She would tell him every day for as long as the sun rose and set, that she loved him, as many times as she could because they never lost meaning. She never understood that before, but the words 'I love you' could be just as powerful as the first time they were uttered, and no matter how many times you said them if you meant it, and she did.
He moved faster, revitalized by the sincerity in her voice, they were in love. She was the center of his world and they were in love, madly so. She clenched around him, shook and released, he slowed his pace for a second, brought his fingers down to slowly massage her swollen bundle and roared back to life.
She cried out, rocking her hips with him. He had the insane ability of bringing to life a string of orgasms that lasted upwards to an hour, making her weak.
"You're so perfect," he kissed behind her ear, repositioning himself so that he slid even farther inside of her, when the doorbell rang.
"Fuck! They're early," Soli cried rolling from under him.
"Coming!" She screamed out the door.
"Randy, get it, I need clothes," Soli screamed grabbing the small red bra and panties and running naked into the bathroom where her clothes for the afternoon were hanging. Randy using his werewolf speed answered the door for Tara and her now 7 months old daughter, Hope. Hope was a beautiful shade of pale brown, with almond eyes and cute little baby lips, a perfect combination of her mother and her father.
"Hey, Randy," Tara said knowingly, walking in the door with Phil not far behind. Phil was looking a bit rounder in the face now that he had stopped phasing and was aging with his imprint, but he was happy.
"Hi guys, she's um, getting ready she should—" he stopped talking when she glided in the room, looking stunning in a sophisticated black and white lace dress that was still entirely sexy as it clung tight to her body. She had applied red lipstick that matched her shoes to a tee and Randy was instantly enthralled again. She was perfect, plain and simple, there would not and could not be one person he loved more than her.
Soli winked at him with a playful grin as she watched him stare at her, taking the beautiful baby girl in her arms and lovingly nuzzle her to her chest. He was just seventeen, a few days away from starting his senior year but whenever he saw her hold a child as she was now, he thought about starting their family. Soli was determined for him to go to school and fulfill his dream of becoming a horticulturist, wherever he wanted to go she would enroll and, at the moment, a school in Vancouver seemed to be the destination.
He would study trees, she would study music and only then would he be allowed to daydream about their family. Soli however was free to dream about it whenever she liked and she did it often with the growing families that surrounded her. She'd already picked names, one for a boy (Tristan) and one for a girl (Ivory), whichever they might have.
Tara placed a small birthday present for her on the living room table and the sight of the little hand tied bow made Soli's eyes water. She was not used to so many people outside of her immediate family knowing or remembering her birthday. Every wolf-girl to grace the doorstep of her house that day bore a present, including Claire who brought the best present of all, her brother Freddie now fully grown and huge.
She ran to him, it had been two years since she'd last seen him. He lifted her up, twirling her around so that her fabulous stilettos dangled under her.
"Que bonita," Freddie sighed, placing a small kiss on her cheek. He'd never in his life seen his sister look so happy, it was beautiful. She beamed, her eyes shining in a way he could never have imagined.
"Si, muy bonita," Randy agreed from behind her. In the last year, he'd spent hours familiarizing himself with her mother tongue. The learning process was much easier when the incentive was her touch, her kisses and her rather perfect body. He knew how to say absolutely every body part you could kiss and you can just believe me when I say, he's kissed all of them.
The house was full, very full, but Soledad did notice someone she'd never seen before. She stood out in the crowd because one, she was not a wolf-girl and two, because her hazel-green eyes were striking.
"Maribel, this is my sister Soledad," Freddie said putting his arm out. The girl, no older than sixteen, walked forward, placing herself in the crook of his arm as if she did it every day and smiling up at Soli nervously.
Maribel Castillo, fifteen and madly in love, had heard a lot about Soledad, Freddie's beloved sister. She had met Freddie just two weeks ago, but he had talked about Soli so much she felt almost as if they had met, though she was shy all the same.
"Hello," Maribel said with a thick Spanish accent.
"Soledad, this is…my Maribel." He said her name as if it were a song and his chest swelled as he pointed to her. Soli knew without being told he had imprinted. Maribel had taken a leap, a huge leap of faith following him here, but it was things like that, the magical way he said her name, that proved she had been right.
"Oh my God! Freddie, why didn't you call me," Soli screamed pulling him into a hug. Randy shook his hand, and then hers, not entirely sure hugs were appropriate for the imprint of your imprint's brother.
"Can we talk about it later?" He asked her in Spanish and she nodded, making room for every wolf-girl present to welcome him home and meet his girl.
'She's young' Randy signed to her, knowing that because of the size of the room and his sensitive hearing Freddie would hear no matter how low he spoke. They signed a lot now, with little Eli in their lives. Soli had always been close to Mark and Jordan but now that they had their hands full with three English bulldogs (T, Solace and Call) and a seven-soon-to-be-eight-year old, Soli spent a lot more time there.
'I know' she responded with a worried face. Melody who was not trying to watch in on their conversation responded nonetheless, snapping her fingers twice to get their attention before posing a very important question.
'So where are her parents?'
'Good question' Soli and Randy signed in unison, laughing and catching the attention of Freddie; they all dropped their hands to a resting position a bit guiltily.
Jordan and Mark arrived bearing presents and holding one of Eli's hands each. He was a hyperactive boy and Mark and Jordan often had to hold him to keep him from flying wild in the streets. As soon as they were safely inside, he shot out of their hands and headed to Maribel who he inspected closely, she didn't seem to mind. She knelt down so she was at face level with him and he smiled, the widest and most adorable half toothless grin Maribel had ever seen.
"Hello," she said softly and he shot back to Jordan.
"Da da da!" Eli, who was not entirely deaf, was learning how to speak, it was a slow and hard process, but he had at this point found names to distinguish his fathers. Jordan was "Da" and Mark was "Pa".
'Yes Eli?' Jordan signed down at him.
"Up," Eli commanded and Jordan scooped him up, giving an apologetic look to Tara who had been in the middle of a conversation about teaching children how to read, something Eli was having a difficult time with.
'What's up?' Mark signed, pinching Eli's cheeks once; they were perpetually rosy against his pale skin and therefore irresistible.
'Beautiful' he answered, pointing to Maribel.
"Well, we got a straight one," Mark joked, moving in close to place two giant kisses on either side of Eli's round cheeks. Tara laughed, leaning forward so Eli could trace a gentle finger along Hope's cheek.
"Yeah, definitely straight," Jordan agreed, kissing Mark casually. They had been together for years, but the slightly muted explosion he felt in his chest every time they kissed was still phenomenal.
Kim and Annabelle arrived late, Brady carrying in a special cake made just for Soli by the master homemaker, Jared; it was shaped like a black stiletto and made Soli finally release the tears of joy she had been holding in since Tara arrived. After smelling Freddie, Brady pulled Annabelle in instinctively and refused to leave her side. Brady had accepted Freddie and Annabell's kiss as a one time thing because he was leaving, but his return was worrisome to say the least.
"My imprint, Maribel," Freddie presented her to Annabelle, smiling up at Brady as he held onto her. Annabelle was beautiful, she had grown more beautiful as the years had gone by but Freddie only saw his Maribel.
"Oh! Great, that's awesome," Brady said more than enthusiastically. No matter how many times Annabelle assured him her world was not big enough for another man, Brady grew self-conscious when he thought of Freddie. He wouldn't want to compete with Freddie's rugged good looks and it seems he wouldn't have to.
"How old are you?" Brady asked conversationally beaming so widely Annie chuckled.
"I'm fifteen," Maribel said loudly, making sure those around her, who were all listening in could hear.
"Oh, yeah that's cool," Brady said clumsily.
"We have runs away here," Maribel said with accented, slightly awkward English.
"What?" Soli spat from the kitchen where she was standing with Randy.
"Okay, well since you'll all find out soon anyways…we've come here without the permission of her family," Fredrico said simply.
"You kidnapped her?" Claire asked nervously, scratching the back of her neck.
"Technically…yes," Freddie sighed, and the room grew silent, before Mark could no longer hold it in and he laughed.
The facts were these: Freddie Call, returned to Ecuador where he was studying biology, which he intended to use as a starting point for his career in medicine, when he saw her. The world shifted, the sun dimmed, and all of that dramatic imprint stuff. She was his world and she was just as enthralled with him as he was with her. This would have of course been the cause of celebration for Freddie, but that happiness was shot down when he realized just how little he could see her.
It wasn't only his schedule, which he would put off without a second look for her, but her family. She was the only child of a media-mogul, the kind with money but enemies and her life wasn't always completely safe. He used this and only this as an excuse to sweep her away. Though, in truth, it was mostly because he could not bear not being with her every moment of the day. It was the rashest decision he'd ever made in his life. Unlike Soli, Fredrico was extremely even tempered and every move he ever made was measured, but when it came to imprints, there was just no way to think logically.
"It's not funny!" Soli howled at Mark who was still laughing, happy that Freddie was no longer in his pack so he did not have to deal with the problems this kidnapping would ultimately bring. In fact as of the moment Mark was in the midst of retiring. It was difficult, the pack was small now; just himself, Brady, Seth, Krys, Taylor, Randy, Melody and Levi. Seth would for obvious reasons be the best choice of Alpha but he was staunchly opposed to stepping up, he did not want the mantle of power and when Mark really thought about it, he agreed that it just didn't fit. Freddie's return lightened his dark mood as of late, because Freddie, as Mark knew well, would suit the position perfectly…when he wasn't kidnapping teenage girls, that is.
"It sorta is," Kim agreed, looking at the girl closely. She was obviously healthy and happy, so she had come willingly and Kim didn't need to know the reasons why, she knew Freddie well enough to trust his judgment.
"Can we talk about this tonight?" Freddie asked lovingly, pulling his sister into yet another warm hug. They were back together and she didn't argue; she wanted him around no matter what act of felony abduction he had committed.
"She can stay in your other guest room, right?" Freddie asked with concerned eyes.
"Not with you?" Soli asked in a whisper.
"We're not at that stage in the relationship," Freddie answered.
"Well at least that's something," Soli nodded. She of all people knew the importance of not rushing into bed, this was something that five years ago she would not have been able to fathom but every heated kiss that went unanswered, every dream and feeling of longing that went unfulfilled just made the event, the first time they were together and every time after, that much better.
Around three, the men started to drift in, hungry and informed by their wives and imprints that there were still piles of food still left to devour.
Eli jumped from Jordan to Taylor resting his head on his godfather's shoulders. Jared sidled in next to his wife, smiling warmly at Brady before giving his beloved daughter a kiss that landed half on her nose half on the cheek.
Phil cradled his youngest daughter in his arms as he escorted his older two through the door. He had adopted Ava and Chloe, Tara's children from her previous partner, weeks after their marriage papers were signed and it was one of his proudest days. Tara had shared with him completely her biggest joy, her children, which he loved as if they were his own.
Michael came with Levi, who went to Melody's side holding her tight for a moment before Eli, who was infamously a people hopper, begged to be held. He hopped again seconds later when David, his silly uncle walked through the door.
Collin, who had come with Seth and Krys, attached himself to his Helen, who leaned into him as she watched the crowd. It was a tight squeeze and warm, with the massive block sized men that filled the rooms and hallways they had all lived in at one point in time.
"Hey Seth, look the dent in the cabinet is still here from that time you—"
"Shut it Brady or I'm going to have to tell Annie about Olympia Music Fest circa 2011," Seth warned from his spot in the living room where he stood close to his imprint Jessy. The stories, the laughter, just the sight of the pack here, with her, for her, filled Soli's heart till she felt she might burst.
She got many kisses and more hugs throughout the night but by the time the sun was setting both she and Randy were craving the alone time they so desperately needed.
"I can't wait to get you out of that dress," Randy said truthfully in her ear. The passion behind it made her knees weak.
"Is your mom going to let you stay tonight?" She asked with a pout, loud enough for Helen to overhear from the other side of the table.
"Happy birthday, Soli," Helen said with a wink, turning back to Rachel who she was previously talking to.
"How can we get everyone out of here quicker?" Soli only half joked as he ran his hand casually down her side, his thumbs grazing the outside of her breast making her gasp.
"I don't know, but maybe if I took this off of you they'd get the hint," Randy said, very lightly lifting the bottom corner of her skirt. His hot hand brushing the back of her knees sent a spot of longing so deep in her body; she had to use him for support.
"Presents," Melody announced shooting them an understanding look as she carried the first one to Soli. Soli ripped through them, making sure to give each present the appropriate 'oohs' and 'ahs' before she moved on, but it was hard with Randy sitting next to her so warm and perfect. Her life, her soul, her love; the best present she'd ever received, she wanted him now, naked…maybe with a bow.
He watched her as she undid every ribbon carefully or as she joyously ripped off every wrapping; she was a goddess. He had always known she was beautiful, this was something that was apparent to him even when she was a baby. When he first saw her, as a tiny infant in her mother's arms, he remembered examining each little finger and toe in complete awe, she was the first thing in his short life to amaze him.
When she just three, though appearing about six in human years, and he was seven, he was blown away by her beauty as she mischievously shook presents around the Christmas tree. And every day now, as if by magic, he noticed something more beautiful about her than it had been before.
When she got to his present she paused, moving things around her out of the way so she could lay the package flat and tear it open with both hands. A dress. A wedding dress.
They were going to college before they started a family but she had agree and he was holding her to it, that she would marry him on his eighteenth birthday which was just seven months away. She had looked at this dress countless times online, the picture she took with her cell phone was a constant kick-back when she was bored. It wasn't what Randy would have chosen for her, it was in his opinion too plain for a women of such outstanding beauty, but she loved it and he had to save, a lot, to get it for her. He worked part time with Jared the whole summer, moving heavy construction material to buy it: long white, a snug size two.
"Randy!" She screamed, launching herself off the chair and into his arms.
"So can we set a date already?" He asked sweetly and she nodded through tears, allowing him to lift her the full foot height difference.
"Yes," she breathed. There was no reason to wait, they had been destined for each other, she couldn't and didn't want to fight it anymore.
And that's all folks, that is the tale of Randy and Soli. You can condense it simply to this: Once upon a time there lived a boy who loved a girl, a wild girl, who drove him crazy but loved him just the same. She didn't know how to say it, but she knew how to show it. It wasn't always easy, but they lived happily ever after…