Chapter 25

Elliot and Olivia's journey back to Donegal was nothing exciting. They were both tired after their eventful day so they slept on the plane. It wasn't long before Elliot had to try to wake Olivia from her sleep, which was no easy task. He gently nudged her with his elbow a few times but nothing. Then he tried shaking her shoulder and telling her to wake up but still nothing. She only ever slept like this after she had been drinking. He paused for a moment and tried to remember how he woke her the last time this happened. Then it hit him. He knew exactly what to do.

He looked around to see if anyone was watching and when he was satisfied that nobody was he dropped his hand on to Olivia's thigh and began to rub it gently. She immediately began to stir from her sleep but she still wasn't awake. He knew he was going to have to go a little further. Once more he looked around but nobody was watching them. He knew they were going to land soon and Olivia needed to wake up so he leaned in close to Olivia's face, with his hand still on her thigh, and ran his tongue across her jaw-line. She snapped straight up in her seat, her eyes wide with wonder.

"What the hell Elliot?" she groaned.

"I couldn't get you to wake up" he explained as he tried to halt the smile that tugged on his lips.

"Yeah sure you were" she quipped as she rolled her eyes and slapped Elliot on the arm playfully. Before they knew it the plane had landed and they were on their way back to the house.

Although their night away had been delightful they were glad to be back. The wedding was in two days and they were both pretty drained with all the preparations and of course they were frightened to hear what Casey had planned. They were expecting something elaborate and over the top.

Elliot opened the door and allowed Olivia to enter the house first. They heard crying coming from the kitchen and were immediately worried. When they entered the kitchen they saw Liz sitting by herself with her head in her hands crying. There was nobody else in the house.

"Liz, are you alright?" asked Elliot as he sat down beside her.

"Yeah I'm fine just thinking" she replied softly.

"Anything we can help you with?" questioned Olivia.

"Oh don't mind me I'm just being silly. I am just thinking about how much my life has changed in the space of two weeks. It's a bit overwhelming to say the least" explained Liz as she wiped away her tears and stood up from her seat at the table.

"I know what you mean" announced Olivia and Elliot in unison.

There was a little laugh shared among the three until the silence set in and turned awkward. Liz then quietly left the kitchen and went upstairs leaving Elliot and Olivia on their own.

It wasn't long before the rest of the group returned. Casey came running in the door bursting at he seems to tell Olivia and Elliot what she had planned for their parties tomorrow. She explained how she and John had both planned them and that they would cover the costs. Olivia and Elliot were flattered by how generous everyone was being. It was humbling. Casey then continued to tell them that they would both be going to different places and different things but never gave them a clue as to what she had planned. Elliot and Olivia were growing increasingly nervous yet excited. Casey was so unpredictable.

As the night drew on the events of the past few days were beginning to take their toll on everybody. Melinda had fallen asleep in Fin's lap on the sofa and Liz and Don had retired to their room over an hour ago. Casey and John had gone into the library downstairs to take care of some loose ends. The only people awake were Elliot, Olivia and Ciara. Ciara was listening to her i-pod while Elliot and Olivia were trying to decide on the music for their first dance.

"I don't know Elliot is that not a really common first dance song?" remarked Olivia.

"But Liv its Sinatra that's like perfection." Argued Elliot.

"I'm not a fan" said Olivia.

"Ok then what do you like?" Asked Elliot who was growing tired of the conversation.

Olivia took a moment to think. She was a huge Bruce Springsteen fan but she wasn't sure if any of his music was first dance material. She looked around the room as though she would find the answer. She didn't find an answer but she did find something that could help her.

"Hey Ciara can I borrow your i-pod?" she asked.

"Yeah sure" replied Ciara as she handed it to Olivia and left the room.

"What's your bright idea?" inquired Elliot.

"Well" Olivia said seductively "I was thinking that we could just turn on the music and Dance and see which song feels right"

Elliot liked the sound of that. He quickly got up from his seat and extended his hand to Olivia who smiled and took it happily. They pressed play on the i-pod and danced along to the music. By the end of the night they had narrowed it down to three songs: Too Good to be True by Lauryn Hill, Its Your Love by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill and Clown by Emile Sande.

Ciara, Don and Liz had heard Elliot and Olivia giggling from upstairs and decided to see what was happening and came down stairs. The sight of the couple who were deeply in love warmed their hearts. Don looked at Liz and whispered "That will be us soon" and planted a kiss on her cheek. Ciara's eyes filled with tears as she watched the two couples show their love for each other. She was so glad that she was now considered part of this family. A family who loved each other and who would do anything to protect one another. She felt blessed.

Thanks for reading please review!