Epilogue
"You look good, son," Sidney said proudly, smiling as he fastened the silver and quahog turtle pin to Nathaniel's dark purple ascot tie, then tucked it into the elaborately beaded buckskin vest he wore with a white shirt, his hair pulled halfway back and secured with a wide beaded strip of buckskin. When Sidney was done, he placed his hands on Nathaniel's shoulders. "I'm proud of you. You've found a woman who makes you as happy as your mother has made me all these years, and I can't tell you how that eases my mind after everything you went through before."
"Thanks, Dad." Nathaniel replied quietly, hugging his father. He turned to the mirror above the guest room dresser to make final adjustments, tugging at the bottom of the vest and then donning the dark charcoal grey suit jacket to finish off his wedding attire. "In retrospect I'm glad things turned out the way they did. Cora was worth all of it, for sure."
"Hey, man, looking sharp!" Brian grinned as he and Uncas walked into the room, wearing lighter grey suits with lavender shirts and deep purple ties. "Jack's dressed too, and he said Alexandra has our boutonnières and to see her when we're done here. He's out there wrangling the chaplain and laying out details like he does best."
Nathaniel laughed and looked at Uncas. "Isn't that your job as Best Man?"
"Jack's better at that stuff than me. Besides, I'm here to wrangle you."
"As if you need to twist my arm to stand up there and marry Cora," Nathaniel replied. "I go very willingly to my fate."
"I'll see you boys out there," Sidney interrupted. "I'm going to go check on the food in the kitchen and make sure everything's in order for the reception."
"That's code for 'I'm going to sample the food,'" Uncas joked.
"I'll leave you two alone for a bit, too," Brian said. "Cora's buddy Frejo got here a little bit ago and he's going to help me finish setting stuff up out back. He's a pretty cool guy, I like him!"
Nathaniel smiled. "Yeah, he is. I'm glad they could come out for this." Gabe Frejo, his wife Serena, and their now almost ten-month-old baby girl Anisa had flown in from San Diego the day before, and the Heywards had arrived earlier in the week to help with preparations at Cora and Nathaniel's house, where the wedding was being held. It would be a relatively small and simple affair with close friends, coworkers, and family, and they had been granted the gift of mild, sunny weather this first week of October. It made today perfect for an outdoor celebration, especially with the leaves beginning to change colors in the woods along the back of the meadow in a picturesque sweep of red and gold. Rows of rented white chairs had been set up along the pathway to the red barn, and Alice, Cora, and the other women had decorated the open doorway with an artful drape of lavender and cream fabric, and a garland of greenery and purple flowers. Tables were being set up on the expanse of backyard by the meadow, and Brian, Uncas, and Nathaniel had moved the furniture off the big deck to make it into a stage and dance floor for the reception. All in all, it promised to be a perfect day.
"So, how's wedded bliss on your part?" Nathaniel asked Uncas when they were alone. "Everything still rosy?"
Uncas grinned sappily. "Yeah. I mean not a lot changed except making it official, but we're definitely happy. I hope you and Cora will be, too, man."
"I think it's safe to say that we will. We've had enough ups and downs over the last year to know we'll be fine."
"Yeah, we all have." Uncas' face grew serious. "I'm really glad for you, Nathaniel. This hasn't been easy for any of us, and with all the stuff before, you know, after John, and Judith…"
"Yeah, we're not talking about her. She's irrelevant now, like you always said. Cora is all that matters to me, especially today."
"I know, but I just want you to understand that I'm really proud of you for working past that. You and Cora had a lot going against you from the beginning, and you've both worked really hard to be happy. I can't think of two people who deserve what you've got now more than you guys. John would be glad for you, too."
"Thanks, Uncas." Nathaniel swallowed hard. "We feel the same way about you and Alice, and we love you guys. But shouldn't you be saving all this for your Best Man speech later?"
Uncas chuckled. "Probably, but I wanted to tell you privately, too. And I, uh… have a little pre-wedding gift for you, so sit down."
Nathaniel sat on the bed and took the bag Uncas handed him. He pulled out the paper and removed a folded t-shirt. "You bought me a smartass shirt for my wedding?"
"There's one for every occasion, trust me." Uncas replied. Nathaniel unfolded it and held it up to read the print.
UNCLE
(un·kuhl) – noun
Like a dad, just way cooler
[see also handsome, exceptional]
Nathaniel stopped breathing for a moment and dropped the shirt into his lap, his gaze shooting to his younger brother. "Wait… does this mean what I think it means?"
Uncas nodded with a nervous smile. "It's early, and we haven't told anyone else yet, but I wanted you to be the first to know. Alice is going to tell Cora, too."
Nathaniel sprang to his feet and bear-hugged Uncas, lifting him a few inches off the floor. "I'm going to be an uncle!"
"Yes, you are. Now put me down and stop squeezing me so hard," Uncas groaned painfully.
"Dude. Mom and Dad are gonna flip, after all their talk about having grandchildren someday, continuing the family line and all that. And they're going to kill you for telling me before you told them."
Uncas shrugged. "They'll all find out soon enough. We just wanted you and Cora to know now, since you guys have been there for us so much and all. It seemed like the right thing, you know?"
"Just when I thought today couldn't get any better. Congratulations, man."
"Thanks, we're pretty excited even though it was a little unexpected. Now… you know you and Cora are going to have to catch up soon, right? Because I'm kind of jealous of that shirt, and this kid needs a playmate."
"Not so fast," Nathaniel held up a hand. "Can I at least marry her first?"
Uncas laughed. "Well, since we're here I guess you probably better. Come on, let's go. It's getting close to time, and Alice will freak out if you're anywhere near Cora before she comes down the aisle."
Cora lifted her arms and turned around as Alice fastened the last button at the back of her wedding gown, allowing her younger sister to see her from the front.
"It's so beautiful," Alice breathed. "Wait till Nathaniel sees you!" She reached out and adjusted a stray lock of Cora's dark hair, pulled loosely back from her temples with strands framing her face, the rest of it worked into a relaxed cascade of soft waves down the middle of her back.
"Now for your flowers, gorgeous bride," Ashley smiled, standing behind Cora to tuck delicate white starflowers and English lavender from the garden along the length of her hairstyle. "And no peeking yet, you still need your moccasins and jewelry when I'm done with you."
"I feel so incredibly doted on," Cora laughed. "I wish I'd had you guys to get me ready for uniform inspections in the Navy!"
"Oh, that reminds me!" Alexandra interjected from where she sat on Cora's bed with Susan. "Lenore introduced me and Jack to your friend Gabe Frejo last night at the rehearsal. He's darling, and so is his wife! And that baby! She's precious!"
"Oh, I know! I'm so glad they could make it all the way out here for the wedding. And Chaps, too." Cora replied, smiling happily. 'Chaps' was an often-used nickname for many military chaplains, in this case for Captain Foster, the Navy chaplain she had met during her recovery after the helicopter crash. Cora had gotten in touch him a few months earlier after she and Nathaniel had gotten engaged, and to her delight, he had agreed to come and officiate the wedding.
When Ashley finished with the flowers, Yvette took over putting the finishing touches on Cora. As she had done for Alice, Nathaniel's mother had made Cora a pair of moccasins and a set of bridal jewelry. The moccasins were creamy white buckskin, the vamps encrusted with deep purple beaded flowers on a lavender-pink background outlined in white, and the ankle flaps had fine pink embellishment against a dark purple background. Her earrings were simple dangles of purple quahog wampum beads with silver turtles hanging from the bottom, and the necklace was made of several delicate strands of the same tube-shaped wampum beads, interspersed with silver spacers and a section on one side of creamy round whelk beads that stood out beautifully with all the purple. Rather than a beaded sash, Yvette had taken Cora's wedding gown and done beadwork across the silk band at the waistline, with a purple and white turtle at the center and delicate little vines and purple flowers extending out from either side.
"All right, naxëm, now you can look in the mirror!" Yvette smiled and clasped Cora's hands before she made her way over to the cheval mirror in the corner of the room to see how she looked. She felt a little overcome as she smoothed her hands down the front of the creamy ivory gown Alice had helped her choose. The solid sweetheart bodice was overlaid with delicately embroidered sheer lace that formed a V-neckline with three-quarter length sleeves and extended down over her hips where the A-line chiffon-over-silk skirt fell to the floor.
"Miss Cora, you look like a real princess!" Susan exclaimed.
"She's right. That dress is absolutely perfect," Alice said, standing beside her. Her Maid of Honor gown was deep plum with a satin bodice and long chiffon skirt, and Ashley and Alexandra wore different styles in the same color. Susan would be the flower girl, and wore a pretty dusty lavender dress with a dark plum sash. Everyone's hair was worn half-up, with loose curls and a single burgundy stargazer lily pinned at the back, to match the wedding flowers. Cora's bouquet and the bridesmaids' nosegays were made up of the very apropos stargazer lilies, deep purple dahlias, lavender ranunculus, ivory chrysanthemums, and sprays of lavender and greenery.
"You look so beautiful, love," Yvette told her, giving her a hug and rocking her a little. "I must be the luckiest mother-in-law in the world to have Alice, and now you. You girls are worth every minute of six solid months of wedding beadwork!"
"You and Sidney raised the man of my dreams," Cora said softly. "I don't even know where to begin to thank you for that, or for everything else you've done."
Yvette touched her cheek. "And I should thank you just as much for loving him the way you do, and for making him so happy again. Now I'm going to go make sure Sidney is staying out of that brisket I cooked for the reception. I'll see you soon." She kissed Cora's cheek and bustled out of the room, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief.
"Alex and I are going to make sure everything's ready for the ceremony, and get the guys squared away with boutonnières." Ashley stood up and picked up her flowers.
"And that James and Ryan aren't wreaking havoc somewhere." Alexandra added, handing Susan her basket of petals as they left.
"Almost ready," Alice smiled wanly, a light sheen of perspiration visible on her forehead as she handed Cora her bouquet and adjusted the drape of her necklace.
"Al, are you okay?" Cora touched her shoulder. "You look a little pale."
"I'm fine, just queasy and a little nervous."
Cora laughed. "Wait, I'm the one getting married, isn't that my job?"
Alice sat down on the bed, shifting her gaze. "It's not that… I… um… I have something to tell you. I wanted to wait, but Uncas wanted to tell Nathaniel now, so I figured you both ought to know that your wedding today won't just result in 'Mr. and Mrs.', it will also make you 'Auntie and Uncle'.
Cora's jaw dropped. "Wait… what? Al, you're pregnant?"
Alice nodded sheepishly. "We just found out last week. We weren't planning for it to be so soon, but sometimes we don't get what we plan for, as we all well know. Hence the queasiness. I'm about six weeks along, but not feeling too bad so far."
"I'm going to assume Sidney and Yvette don't know. And you haven't told Pop yet either?"
"Not yet, but soon. I wanted to tell you first."
"You have to tell them after the wedding! Surprise them during the reception."
"But I don't want to horn in on your special day!" Alice protested.
"Screw that! You'll just make it ten times more special! Oh my God!" Cora burst into tears and grabbed Alice in a tight embrace. "You're going to have a BABY! I'm going to be an Aunt! This is amazing!"
"And you're getting married!" Alice started to cry, too. "And then someday we'll have Tiny Uncas and Tiny Nathaniel running around!"
"Be careful what you wish for," Cora laughed and sobbed simultaneously. "Oh God, we have to stop crying or we're going to ruin all Ashley's hard work." She grabbed a box of tissues and dabbed at her face, handing one to Alice, too.
"The pregnancy hormones sure don't help any," Alice joked with a sniffle.
Cora hugged her again. "Hormones or not, this is going to be the best day of my entire life. I'm so glad you're here to share it with me."
Cora stood with Ed as the rest of the wedding party began to make their way up the aisle toward the barn and took their places on either side of Nathaniel and Captain Foster, clad in a black minister's robe and a rainbow-hued stole, reading glasses perched on his nose. Susan brought up the rear with her basket of petals, guests laughing softly at Monty walking next to her with the wedding rings tied around his neck on a purple ribbon – Cora's diamond band with the meteorite inlay, and Nathaniel's matching one, plain with the same inlay. Cora giggled quietly, watching the massive, friendly wolfhound stopping to get a pat on the head here and there, and Susan having to urge him onward.
"Ready, Pop?" she whispered, reaching up to brush something off the shoulder of Ed's uniform jacket before taking his arm, clutching her bouquet in her other hand.
"I should ask you that, sweetheart, but I know you are." He looked over at her and covered her hand on his arm with his own. "I love you so much, and I'm so glad I never have to worry about you or Alice being happy. Nathaniel is a fine man."
"I love you too," she replied, holding back tears as they began to walk forward together. She hadn't expected to feel quite so emotional, but between Alice's news earlier and the awestruck, worshipful look on Nathaniel's face as she came toward him on Ed's arm, she couldn't help the tears that welled in her eyes. She saw nothing and no one else but him, enthralled by the sight of him looking so striking as he waited for her, and hit with the sudden feeling that she couldn't reach her intended fast enough. After what seemed like an eternity of slow motion, they arrived at the arbor over the barn doors, and Ed left her with a kiss on the forehead as she handed her bouquet to Alice. Nathaniel picked up her hands and smiled down at her, the corners of his eyes crinkling. After all this time it still made her insides go to mush when he looked at her like that, and she loved it.
"Hey, beautiful," Nathaniel murmured, his thumbs stroking the backs of Cora's hands, lifting the left one to gently kiss the bare finger that awaited her wedding ring. Her lips curved in a radiant smile back at him as Captain Foster began the ceremony. He could hardly focus on anything but her; beautiful was a woefully inadequate word to describe everything that this woman was to him, let alone how she looked today. The chaplain's words barely registered with him until Uncas covertly nudged him a little to indicate that it was time to recite the initial vows and expression of intent. Once Captain Foster had guided them through the words and they had said their "I do's", he asked for the rings, which Alice and Uncas gave to him.
"These rings are an external and visible sign of the internal and spiritual bond of love which unites these two hearts in the holy covenant of marriage," the chaplain said, placing his other hand over the bands. "May they serve as a seal of the vows Nathaniel and Cora make to one another today. May God bless these rings, symbols of eternity, beauty and strength. May God bless the couple who give them and wear them - may they ever live in harmony, unity, love, and happiness from this day forward."
Nathaniel took Cora's hands in his to recite the vows they had written together, mostly their own with a small quote from one of their favorite books, David Jones' Love and Space Dust. "I, Nathaniel, take you, Cora, as my wife today and for as long as we both live, with the promise that when I do so, I take every part of you; your perfections and your flaws, your past, present, and future. All that is mine and all that I am is yours, body and soul. I give you my family, and I take your family as my own - " Monty interrupted with a loud bark from where he sat in the front row at Ed's feet. "And I take your dog as my dog," Nathaniel added with a grin, laughter breaking out around them. "I promise that I will always make sure you are taken care of. I will make you soup and hot toddies when you're sick, I will hug you when you have bad dreams, and I will build you treehouses. I will celebrate joys with you and love you through every sorrow and time of despair. I will trust, honor, and respect you, and I will always tell you the truth, even if it means showing you parts of myself that are imperfect, because we can only be fully loved when we are fully known." He took Cora's ring and placed it on her left ring finger, then pressed her hand against his heart. "Take this ring as a symbol of the infinite bond of love between us. My heart beats for you as eternally as the light of the stars pulses in the heavens, and in the end, I will seek you out amongst the stars. The space dust of me will whisper 'I love you' into the infinity of the universe; for in the end, we are nothing more than love and space dust."
Cora looked up at him, too overcome for a moment to even breathe. She had practiced these vows to herself at least a thousand times, but their magnitude in this moment felt indescribable to her. All she could think was how different things had been a year and a half ago, how scared she had been to let this man into her heart, even though he had placed enormous trust in her with his own from the start. How she had at last laid that guarded heart at his feet, and he in turn held it with so much faith and devotion that she hadn't believed it possible but for the proof of it standing before her now. She stepped closer to him and gently took his face in her hands.
"I, Cora, take you, Nathaniel as my husband today and for as long as we both live, with the promise that when I do so, I take every part of you; your perfections and your flaws, your past, present, and future. All that is mine and all that I am is yours, body and soul. I give you my family, and I take your family as my own. I promise that I will always see that you are taken care of. I will hug you when you have bad dreams, I will cook you pancakes for breakfast, and I will always be your stargazing partner. I will celebrate joys with you and love you through every sorrow and time of despair, and I will never, ever leave you to face darkness alone. I will trust, honor, and respect you, and I will always tell you the truth, even if it means showing you parts of myself that are imperfect, because we can only be fully loved when we are fully known." She reached downward to slide his wedding band on and in turn placed his hand over her racing heart, covering it with hers. "Take this ring as a symbol of the infinite bond of love between us. My heart beats for you as eternally as the light of the stars pulses in the heavens, and in the end, I will seek you out amongst the stars. The space dust of me will whisper 'I love you' into the infinity of the universe; for in the end, we are nothing more than love and space dust."
Captain Foster smiled, his kind eyes twinkling behind his reading glasses. "Nathaniel and Cora, I remind you that marriage is a precious gift, a lifelong dedication to love and a daily challenge to love one another more fully and more freely. As the writer Richard Bach has so beautifully stated, 'A soul mate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are; we can be loved for who we are and not for who we're pretending to be. Each unveils the best part of the other. No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person we're safe in our own paradise. Our soul mate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of direction… Our soul mate is the one who makes life come to life.' Today you acknowledge the gift you have been given in the form of one another. Enfolded in joy, inhabited by hope, bathed in the eternal light that is love, may you always be infused with it and beautifully illuminated by it. May God bless you both, may every desire you have for your love be fulfilled, and may you be given the vision with which to clearly behold one another, the listening with which to perceive one another most genuinely, and the endless generosity of spirit with which to nourish one another's soul and sweetly keep the promises you have made here today. Therefore, by the power vested in me by God the Father, the United States Navy, and the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Nathaniel, kiss your bride."
Cora's arms twined around her husband's shoulders as he slipped one hand around the nape of her neck to draw her to him, his fingers tangling in the softness of her hair and his thumb resting on her cheek. She smiled softy as his lips touched hers, gentle and reserved at first, then gathering her against him as she yielded to him, taking the joy and silent promises from him and giving her own in return.
Rather than have the Lenape marriage blessing included in their formal ceremony as Uncas and Alice had done, Nathaniel and Cora chose to begin the reception with it, with their wedding dance immediately following. The reception itself was fun and fairly informal given the setting, with a long buffet table full of delicious food the two families and some friends had prepared over the last two days. Uncas and Alice both made beautiful, emotional toasts to their brother and sister, with a few others including Ed and the Heywards chiming in afterward to express their pride and happiness. Cora and Nathaniel finally managed to convince Alice and Uncas to announce their happy news once the initial toasts were over, and their parents' reactions did not disappoint. Ed and Sidney were both too overcome in the moment to say very much, but Yvette let out a whoop and started jumping up and down, grabbing Kate to hug her while hollering "I'm going to be a Gramma!" Once that second round of congratulations had settled down, Yvette and Sidney's band played a short set while everyone finished eating and mingling, stopping when it was time to cut the cake.
"I see it wasn't a mistake to put Alice and your brother in charge of the cake topper," Cora laughed as she and Nathaniel stood together to cut the first piece. It was almost too pretty to eat, sparsely decorated with the frosting scraped thin over the layers of browned cake to mimic the texture of a tree. Their initials were carved into a heart at the bottom, a direct copy of what Nathaniel had done on the trunk of the tree he had built their treehouse in. On top, looking mildly out of place on the pristine cake, stood little M.A.S.H. action figures of Hawkeye Pierce and Hot Lips Houlihan, placed beside a model helicopter.
"This is probably Uncas' way of getting me back for the Spider-Man I stuck on their cake," Nathaniel chuckled, angling the cake knife to deposit the piece they had cut onto a small plate.
"Maybe, but I have no doubt Alice helped. Either way, I think it's adorable – we should keep it on the fireplace mantel." She broke off a chunk of cake and fed it to him per tradition.
"Deal." He returned the gesture, smearing a little icing on her top lip with a mischievous grin and then kissing it off before Alice and Alexandra moved in to help cut and serve the rest.
As the sun was starting to get low in the sky, Nathaniel claimed Cora for their first dance on the wooden deck, the rails draped with soft white twinkle lights to resemble stars. They had chosen Dire Straits' 'Why Worry' as their song – the first one Nathaniel had ever played for her on the guitar. She let him go reluctantly afterward, sharing her dance with Ed while Nathaniel had his with Yvette. Uncas took a turn next, using the opportunity to tell her how thankful he was that she had made his brother so happy. He passed her off to Sidney afterward, taking Alice back from Nathaniel with a grin.
"You're popular tonight," Charlie Heyward joked after he had stolen Cora from her father-in-law. Lenore had likewise taken Nathaniel from Kate.
"Hey, I take it where I can get it," she laughed. "I'm so glad you and Lenore could be here today."
"We'd have never missed it, not for you or Alice, but especially for you. We're so happy for you, Cora, and I mean that." He looked at her sincerely. "Duncan would be, too, and I hope you know that. I think he would have liked Nathaniel a lot."
"Thank you, Charlie," Cora said softly, her eyes swimming with tears. "I think Nathaniel would have liked him, too."
Nathaniel approached a moment later to tap Charlie on the shoulder with a smile. "May I cut in?"
"By all means!" Charlie laughed and handed her over to him, leaving them to locate Lenore where she stood with Yvette, Ed, Kate, and Magua.
"Sorry if I interrupted, I just wanted my wife back." Nathaniel grinned, pulling her into his arms. "Hmmm. I love the sound of that. My wife." He leaned down and brushed his lips over hers.
"I have to admit, husband has a pretty nice ring to it, too." Cora kissed him back.
"Well, I'll tell you a secret, Mrs. Poe," he whispered close to her ear, "There's a bottle of champagne on ice and a pile of blankets waiting for us up in that treehouse, and I can't wait to have my wife all to myself when this party is over."
"Well, if that's the case, I shouldn't have to worry about getting cold," she whispered back, laughing softly and letting him lead her back out for a dance to one of her favorite Adam Ezra Group songs. "What a day," she sighed as she settled into him.
"What a life," Nathaniel mused in return, holding her closer with a gratified smile. With the optimistic strains of the music playing in the background, they looked around at their family and friends, who had shared so much of this journey with them. The Heywards, like a second set of parents to Cora and Alice. Alexandra and Jack, blending their families and sharing different bonds of loss. Brian and Ashley, loyal and giving and supportive in every way they could be. Ed with his arm around Kate, secure in his newfound happiness. Sidney and Yvette, who had chosen so long ago to love Nathaniel as their own son, and who had given him the brother he loved so fiercely. Uncas and Alice, dancing together nearby and so radiant in their joy and love for each other, starting out on another new road to being their own little family. And through it all, everyone here would continue to love one another and see each other through, just as they always had.
"Look," Cora said softly, pointing up at the darkening sky. "It's the first star. You have to make a wish."
Nathaniel shook his head and smiled gently, touching his forehead to hers. "It's all yours. Mine already came true."
"You've got a style
That come on like a hurricane wind
You've got a spark
That lights the fire that never ends
And in the times when hope is gone
You give me the strength to carry on
I know the path is long
But I believe
You've got a light
That rise up like the dawning, restless day
You've got a voice
When there are no words to say
And through everything you do
You know I'll be watching out for you
I know your path is true
'Cause I believe
Yeah I believe in the strength of one
I believe in the change to come
I believe that there's never been an easy way
And I will walk through the wind and the rain
And I know you will do the same
'Cause I believe
Yeah I'll stand with you now
When your heart beats in a crowd
And I'll stand with you now
When your soul it screams out loud
And through everything you do
You know I'll be watching out for you
I know your path is true
'Cause I believe
Yeah I believe in the strength of one
I believe in the change to come
I believe that there's never been an easy way
And I will walk through the wind and the rain
And I know you will do the same
'Cause I believe
Yeah I will stand on the top of the mountain
I will raise my hand to the fire
I will not back out under cover
I will not back down from the fire
I will make my voice a hurricane
Set my soul alight
I will not stop, I will not stop, I will not, I will not stop
'Cause I believe, yeah I believe
I believe in the strength of one
I believe in the change to come
I believe that there's never been an easy way
And I will walk through the wind and the rain
And I know you will do the same
'Cause I believe
Yeah, I believe."
-Adam Ezra-
Author's Note:
Well… this is it, guys, I can hardly believe it's the finale of Flying Into the Fire. And what a rollercoaster it has been. I've been so happy to see readers enjoying it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I have loved not only giving Nathaniel and Cora a wonderful, deep story in a modern setting, but adding Uncas and Alice to the mix and getting to know them and give them so much life and determination, too. Not to mention both of these amazing families and all their friends who have shared this story with them as well. I can't begin to tell you how much I've grown to love all these characters even more than I already did. Magua too! It was so nice to let him be a good guy for once.
So, not just one, but TWO weddings in this story. No way were Nathaniel and Cora getting off the hook without getting hitched. The farm seemed like the perfect place for everyone to gather (and the dog had to be there), and like Uncas and Alice, they found a good officiant. Since Nathaniel was raised in a Delaware family it stood to reason that some of that culture would be a part of their special day as well, but maybe a little differently in parts than Uncas and Alice. And Yvette had to get in a crack about doing wedding beadwork for six months with both these weddings being fairly close together, XD. She is seriously the best mother-in-law in the world. I've really enjoyed writing individualized vows for both couples, and I really love Nathaniel and Cora's. As mentioned in text, the line "And in the end, I will seek you out amongst the stars. The space dust of me will whisper 'I love you' into the infinity of the universe; for in the end, we are nothing more than love and space dust" is a quote from David Jones' book Love and Space Dust, which contains all manner of beautiful little things like that, and it was entirely too perfect not to use as part of Nathaniel and Cora's wedding. All in all, I felt like it was a really nice affair, and it tied everything up in a neat package in the end - including Uncas and Alice and their little impending bundle of joy! Like I did for Uncas and Alice, I will post collages of the inspiration photos for Nathaniel and Cora's wedding on my Tumblr page: blog/brynnaraven. I'm not sure what else to say here. In a way it's always a triumph to finish a story, especially one this long, but it's sad too, because I'll miss the characters in this incarnation. I suspect there might have to be a one-shot or two down the road for this gang – I'm just not going to be able to let them all go that easily.
Since this was the epilogue it didn't really have a theme song, per se, or a title. When the wedding starts and Cora is walking down the aisle, and all through the ceremony, I couldn't get 'Crystal' by Stevie Nicks out of my head (for the entire three days I spent writing the wedding, seriously). It seemed so appropriate for them, as well as their first dance being 'Why Worry' (the song Nathaniel played for Cora in Chapter 7). The Adam Ezra song I refer to at the end is 'I Believe' from the album Hurricane Wind, and those are the lyrics I closed out with. I have to thank BlueSaffire for suggesting that song ages ago. She saw the Adam Ezra Group perform a few months ago and told me that when she heard that song it just seemed like a really good song for Nathaniel and Cora, and I completely agree! I knew I wanted to use it somewhere in the last part of the story, but I couldn't figure out where until last week when I decided it was really perfect to end the entire story with. It's a happy, hopeful, and loving song, and that seemed like the right place for it.
That's about all, my lovely readers. I posted an idea on Tumblr about a 19th century AU for one of my next stories, and given the positive feedback, I think that one will definitely get written. I'm going to take a break for a few weeks so I can settle into my new job and get used to working as a nurse again (I'm so excited), and then hopefully you'll see some new material soon after that. I can say with certainty that I won't be as quick with updates as I have been thus far, but I will enjoy writing just as much. You are all wonderful, and I so appreciate your support, PMs, forum participation, Tumblr follows, and commentary. I appreciate every comment no matter how long or short, whether English is your first language or not, etc. It means the world to me to know how you feel about what you've read, and this story has been such a great experience. So much love to you people, and to MohawkWoman and BlueSaffire, my ride-or-dies, I could never laugh my way through this mess without you.