A Second Chance

Chapter 25

It had now been a week since I proposed and it was the day of our 'wedding'. Carley's father would read from the bible and we would exchange vows; probably the best we could do in the circumstances. Kat had checked Carley over a couple of days before, deeming her once again safe to resume sexual activity. We had decided to wait until we were officially married before we made love once more, wanting it to be special.

"So…" Kenny laughed that morning, whittling away at a branch and shaking his head in disbelief. "You're definitely goin' through with this, huh?"

"Yeah." I replied, reclining in the one of the lawn chairs and resting Logan against my chest. He clutched my shirt and shifted himself so he was comfortable. "Besides, Carley's dad isn't exactly happy about us having him out of wedlock." I said, pointing to the squirming infant on my chest.

"Ah, I hear ya, bud. Tryin' to calm the father-in-law." The older man laughed, resting his elbows on his knees and cocking his head to one side, stopping his whittling to talk to his friend.

"That's the fucking problem; He's not my father-in-law." I laughed, gently taking a few of my son's hairs and spiking them into a faux-hawk. Surely, Carley would kill me but… oh to hell with it! He was my son and I could do what the hell I wanted. "Still, we won't have that problem soon."

"Yeah. Just keep tellin' yourself that." He laughed, rolling his eyes and resuming his whittling. He looked up, still moving the knife in a downwards movement. "You still had a kid when you weren't married. He's gonna hold that against you two for a long time."

"Ah shut up man!" I laughed, kicking some fallen leaves at him. Kenny played along, dodging them and using his arms as a shield.

"Lee Everett! What are you exposing our son to?!" Carley's voice chirped up as she approached them from behind. She rested her hands on my shoulders and I leaned my head back, bringing her in for a gentle kiss. We separated and her eyes widened, seeing her son's hair. "What have you done to his hair?!"

"Nothing." I lied, grimacing and looking downwards. My shoes could be very interesting when they needed to be, I found.

"What're you doing over here anyway? It's supposed to be bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before the wedding." Kenny asked, snapping us from their domestic bubble.

"We're in a fucking apocalypse. How much worse can our luck get?" I scoffed, earning a slap to the back of the head.

"Language, Lee!" She hissed, covering Logan's ears protectively. "When're you going to stop swearing in front of him?"

"I don't!" I argued back, smirking slightly.

"Liar." She commented, reaching down and taking the small boy from me. "Now come on LJ. I want some snuggle time before you go to stay with your Aunt Lilly tonight."

"You know you could have asked me and Kat to take care of them!" Kenny said, almost scolding. Carley looked back sympathetically.

"You know we would have if we weren't in tents. Yours is crowded enough already." She replied, smiling sadly. "Lilly offered because she has the spare compartment for Clem."

"I'm not complaining, I was just saying." Kenny laughed, seeing Carley walk off towards our tent.

"Anyway…" He said after a while, huffing slightly. "Welcome back into the joys of marriage."

I grinned, feeling my heart begin to pound beneath my ribcage.

"Glad to be back."

Two Hours Later

We stood beside each other, holding hands and smiling. Our friends sat to my right (Carley's Left) and we stood in front of her father who was holding an open bible.

"Friends, we gather here to witness the joy of finding love in a cruel, dark world." He started, speaking loudly and clearly so everyone could hear. "Even in these desperate and awful times, Lee and Carley have managed to let love thrive. Such love has blossomed into a child, and later into a family. Please, recite your vows to each other."

I took a deep breath and gulped down my nerves. This wasn't like last time. Last time was in a church and in front of our entire families. Now, it was just our closest friends and our kids.

"Carley… To put it simply, I love you. My first marriage was full of secrets and regrets. I sincerely hope ours isn't. You don't need to hide anything from me. I love you. I love you. Not that flirty girl I met at the drug store, not that sex machine I lived with at the motel, you. Every flaw every quirk... I love everything about you — everything that makes you... you. I love you, Carley.

"I promise to love you until my last breath and beyond. Whether that be tomorrow or sixty years. I will be faithful and true to you. I promise this."

I finished and looked directly into her eyes. They were teary and shining. She sniffed, hugging me tightly.

"Now, Carley… you do the same…" David said softly, obviously straining to keep the tears back.

She took a shaky breath and began.

"Where do I begin, Lee?" She asked, smiling wetly. "I made the best mistake of my life when I walked into your parent's drugstore. I thought you'd resent me for knowing… well, knowing what I know. Then, one morning we woke up next to each other after a drunken night. It was the best thing I ever did because I got you… I got our baby boy… I got a family.

"Whenever people would talk about love, I would just ignore them. I thought it'd never happen to me. Oh how wrong was I? I love you, Lee. I know I don't tell you enough but I do. And I promise to love you until I cross over to the other side and beyond. Whether that be tomorrow or sixty years."

I smiled down at her and blinked back tears. This is what a marriage should be. This is what a family should be. We both looked over to see David wiping his eyes free of tears.

"Well…" He sniffed, blinking rapidly to try hiding his tears. "By the power vested in me, and in front of God and your friends, I pronounce you husband and wife. Lee, you can kiss your wife."

I wasted no time, reaching over and dipping her, connecting our lips to much cheering and catcalls. I felt her stiffen in surprise then relax, bringing her hand up to the back of my head and threading her fingers through my short hair.

Eventually, I pulled away, placing her back on her feet and turning to our friends. Clementine, who was still clutching her little brother tightly, ran over to them and hugged them both tightly. Carley took hold of Logan and clutched one of Clementine's hands in her own. I copied her and started walking into the crowd of happy, cheering people.

That Night

We opened our tent and looked around, not used to the sight of it without the various baby-toys and random debris that had built up over time. Evidently, Carley had cleared it up before the ceremony. She went to step in when held my hand up.

"Whoa, where'd you think you're going?" I asked, stopping her with my human barricade. She looked at me sceptically and chuckled.

"Well, hon. I don't think my dad would appreciate us doing what we're planning to out here, would he?" She asked sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Where'd you think I'm going?"

"No… I mean… Oh, to hell with it!" I said, shrugging my shoulders and picking her up easily, one arm behind her back while the other was under her knees. She shrieked, wrapping her arms around my neck and laughing. I stepped through the open flap and set her down, receiving a kiss as reward.

She eventually pulled away, biting her bottom lip and leaving her arms around my neck. I smiled down at her, receiving a laugh in response.

"You are so traditional. Did anyone ever tell you that?" She chuckled, tilting her head to one side. I just nodded and shrugged my shoulders. "I love you." She whispered, her breath making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

"I love you too." I replied, my voice low. She let go of my shoulders and walked towards the sleeping compartment, only looking back to say one sentence:

"Just, come in when you're ready."

I nodded my head dumbly, watching the sway of her hips as she walked and the slight movement of her hair. She zipped up the door, making me snap myself from my daydream. I was about to walk through when remembrance and fear hit me like a freight train. I crept from our tent, over to Kenny's and tapped on the flap expectantly. Eventually, the man in question opened it, shock all over his face.

"Already in trouble with the wife, buddy?" He laughed, his eyebrows retreating into his hairline. I shook my head and laughed along with him.

"Nah. I just… uh, I left my essentials in here in my pack." I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck in embarrassment. He nodded in understanding and retreated back inside. I heard various ruffling, quiet crashes and crackles before he emerged with my pack and an old CD-Boombox. I creased my brow, looking at it inquisitively. He shrugged, handing them over.

"I just thought you'd want to set the mood." He stated, winking. "Wouldn't want the father-in-law hearing you, would you?"

"You're absolutely fucking right. Thanks man." I laughed, storing the condoms in my pocket and checking the stereo for batteries. I nodded in appreciation towards him and turned to our tent. The last thing I heard before closing the entrance flap was:

"Have fun, buddy. Knock yourself out."

I approached our 'bedroom' and knocked gently, hiding the boombox behind my back. Carley's voice came from inside, telling me to come in. I did as she asked, peeking in and relaxing when I noticed that she was fully clothed. She looked up at me and smiled.

"I uh, had to get some protection from my pack." I explained, following the look of confusion she game me. She walked over to me as I placed the stereo down, pressing play. The baritone of Michael Bublé filled the air and I captured her lips with mine. I picked her up easily and she wrapped her legs around my waist. We stayed in the embrace for longer than I remember, just taking in every inch of the others body.

Didn't they always say we were the lucky ones?

I guess that we were once, babe, we were once

But luck will leave you 'cause it is a faithless friend

And in the end when life has got you down

You've got someone here you can wrap your arms around

I lowered us to our mats, never breaking our kiss and slowly taking off her bubble-vest. She moaned into the kiss, arching her back so I could take the garment off easier. I did so, tossing it to one side and moving her so she was laying on her back, with me hovering over her.

So hold on to me tight,

hold on to me tonight.

We are stronger here together,

than we could ever be alone.

So hold on to me,

don't you ever let me go.

Then, as our hands started roaming further across the other's skin, our need intensified. I, for one, wanted to simply rip her shirt off. I restrained myself, however. Carley didn't. She went for my belt buckle, quickly unclipping it and throwing it across the room. Her hands wandered to my clothed shirt, fumbling with the buttons in her shaky hands and eventually taking it off, revealing my scarred chest.

There's a thousand ways for things to fall apart,

but it's no ones fault, no it's not my fault.

Maybe all the plans we made might not work out,

but I have no doubt, even though it's hard to see.

I've got faith in us, and I believe in you and me.

I easily slipped her green shirt over her head, laying it down to one side. She clambered on top of me, straddling my abdomen and helping me with her bra. I growled when I couldn't get it to budge, much to her amusement. She unclipped it with ease, senting me a look that clearly said "It's not that hard, you know?" I mock-glared, bringing my head up to kiss along her collarbone, earning a satisfied moan.

So hold on to me tight.

Hold on, I promise it will be alright.

Cuz it's you and me together,

and baby all we've got is time.

So hold on to me,

hold on to me tonight.

She moved her hands down to unzip my jeans, gently pulling them off my legs and once again taking her spot on my stomach. I did the same for her, moving her jeans slowly, as to not rush her and make her feel pressured. That just left our underwear separating us.

There's so many dreams that we have given up.

Take a look at all we've got,

and with this kind of love,

and what we've got here is enough.

These lyrics grabbed both our attentions, as they spoke so truly about our lives. We had given up so many things for this life, but we had managed to build a life. I now had a wife and kids. And that, in my opinion, was better than any amount of money or any job I could have. I kissed my gorgeous wife lovingly, hooking my fingers in the seams of her panties and pulled them off slowly. Meanwhile, she had done the same with my boxers, throwing them down next to us.

So hold on to me tight.

Hold on, I promise it will be alright.

Cuz we are stronger here together,

than we could ever be alone.

Just hold on to me,

don't you ever let me go.

Hold on to me, it's gonna be alright.

Hold on to me tonight.

I reached over before we could gog any further, grabbing the condoms and slipping it on. Then, in the confines of that tent on that cold spring night, we became united as man and women could once again. And as soft moans and murmurs filled the air, the final moments of the song played out.

They always say, we were the lucky ones.

A/N- So, there you go! Your fave OTP are 'married!'! I hope you don't mind the slight smut scene there. Don't think it was meant to be fapping material, it was meant to be tender and realistic. The song was 'Hold On' by Michael Bublé, if you were wondering. Please R&R? HPTwin OUT!