This is the one shot promised to you all! Hope you like it! I was crying!
Ralph POV
Life is beautiful
A young man stood in front of me. His light blonde hair is cropped short enough for his scar to just peak out, his dress shirt was wrinkled and unbuttoned. Pieces of paper were stuck all over the frame of the mirror and they littered the counter tops.
Doctor's appointment
Buy new groceries
Remember your mum's birthday, June 9th!
Hundreds and hundreds of reminders fluttered around me. I was drowning in a sea of forgetfulness. Of course it could have been worse…I could have been drowning in a sea of dirt if it wasn't for Elise and the others. But, life wasn't exactly perfect either. Nothing will ever be perfect again because I am forever changed…we all are. The faces of my friends and Roger's evil eyes will continue to haunt me for the rest of my life…and beyond.
My doctor says not to think so negatively and that it has only been one year since we have been back. He says that we all just need time to acclimate to the real world. Apparently, we are all still on island mode.
I sighed and began the harrowing task of buttoning my shirt. My once nimble fingers were clumsy and childlike…another part of being in island mode. I grabbed the classy black tie picked out by my mum and started tying it. This task was much harder and it took me almost fifteen minutes before the tie sat comfortably on my chest. The clock chimed 6:30 pm as I dashed out the door, snatching my jacket. My mother sat with my father in the car and beeped the horn once. The sky was already beginning to darken for the approaching sunset.
That was the time that they decided would be most meaningful to her.
We love until we die
JACK POV
The clock chimed 6:30 as I madly dashed around the apartment searching for my bowtie. The damn thing probably crawled away or got stuck under some heavy object. Another few minutes passed before I finally unearthed the retched thing…a crumpled mess…bollocks. I checked my watch as I fastened my tie: 6:45…brilliant. She was waiting for me…I could not keep her waiting long…
I pulled up at the church and wound my way through the people. Quite a turn out, I thought to myself. So many people love Elise. I pushed open the doors and found who I was looking for.
Ralph sat looking confused, his bow tie uneven. I shook his shoulder and his eyes unclouded as he focused on me. "Hey there, Ralph, I'm glad you're here."
"Well, Jack, I'm here for her…"he answered, looking around like he would see Elise.
But she wasn't there…because she's not here…she's somewhere else, I suppose, listening to all of us out here.
"Well I'm glad you made it anyway," I said, meaning it. Ever since the island I have come to terms with what an idiot I had been. And I have been trying to befriend Ralph because, after all of the shelter nonsense, I actually thought he was a pretty neat chap. Elise seemed to think so and that always counted in my book.
We picked this date so it would be exactly a year ago that our plane crashed and we ended up on the island. All the original islanders were here. Robert sat next to his sister Susan, who sat next to Maurice. In front of Maurice sat Sam n' Eric, their heads bent in silent conversation. Diagonal from Sam n' Eric was Percy, William, Wilfred and Reginald, their faces serious and too old for just eight year olds boys. I'm sure Arthur, Simon, and Pig-Harold were sitting, er, floating somewhere nearby.
Everyone was here…everyone who deserved to be here was. Hopefully Roger was burning in the pits of hell. Yes, Roger was dead. Killed by himself or some unknown entity. It will forever remain a mystery. I don't believe Roger had it in him to actually kill himself…but maybe after he shot Elise...he felt guilty. Maybe that monster actually loved Elise? Or maybe a vengeful spirit took their chance and returned the favor to their murderer? What goes around comes around…in this case, karma favored sticking a spear through them instead of the normal bite. But in the end he is gone…forever, from all of our lives.
I felt someone pat me on the back; it was Robert. "Jack you're up."
He lead me to my position.
I felt myself twitch and fidget, my hands clasping and unclasping behind my back. My icy eyes scanned the crowd and I felt my heart thump rapidly. Where was she? Was she here? Was she watching me? Is she happy? ….
When you run into my arms,
We steal a perfect moment.
Let the monsters see you smile,
Let them see you smiling.
Then, the doors opened and the chords began to play. All my worries, my doubts, my fears, my insecurities evaporated when I saw her. A vision of beauty, she looked like my own personal angel. Her white dress flowed down her like crème. The bodice was laced, with the veil just covering her blushing face. Her golden hair curled into an elegant low bun, some tendrils escaping and dancing around her face. The train held by Maurice's younger sisters made her look like she was gliding towards me, like she was walking on air. An angel…my beautiful, brave, incredible angel. She walked with her head held high, arm in arm with her mother who looked like she wanted to burst with emotion.
Do I hold you too tightly?
When will the hurt kick in?
All of sudden she was in front of me, her mother extending her gloved hand out to me. And in that moment, her eyes looked frightened and unsure, still not completely convinced of my all consuming love for her. I stepped towards her out of my composed position and grabbed her hand with both of mine. My eyes bored into hers as I squeezed.
Life is beautiful, but it's complicated.
I led her beside me and we stood hand in hand in front of the priest: her father's dear friend Father Jeremiah. His eyes crinkled at the edges as he spoke the words that would bond us forever:
"You may now exchange the vows," he told us.
We barely make it.
We don't need to understand,
My voice felt rough but her blue eyes gave me the strength.
"Elizabeth Anne Everson. I love you more than there are stars in the sky. More than there is sand on the beach. Deeper and truer than the ocean…and endless…fathomless as your eyes. I promise to you that every day I will love you more. I will continue to uphold these vows forever. And when the times get hard I know there is nothing that can break us." My voice cracked with hidden emotion. "You are my angel, you have saved me from everything I was and made me everything I am. I am whole because of you. I came to you in pieces and you made me a man. Your love keeps me breathing and without you my life would be cold, dark, and as meaningless as a moonless and starless night sky. I promise to love you forever."
And with those words I slipped the ring onto her gloved finger.
There are miracles, miracles.
By now, her eyes shone with unshed tears and she was shaking. She turned then to somewhere beside her and somehow I knew that she was looking at Simon. Then she took a deep breath and produced her own ring.
"Jackson Darling Merridew. My love for you burns like an uncontrollable fire. This fire shelters me from the cold and gives my life light. You are this fire. You are my light. You say that I saved you but you have done the saving. Without you I would be a cold lifeless body…I would just be alive; not living. Not relishing every day. A sunset is no longer just a sunset, and the stars are no longer just stars. They are forever changed by you in my life…now they are reminders of us and our journey. You accept all of me so completely and truly that I believe there is nothing like our love. You challenge me, entice me, protect me, believe in me, and you are my angel. We found each other in the dark and now we will live eternally in the light. I promise, Jack, that I will never betray you, I will never let our light die, I will guard our light…our love forever. I love you more than I need to breathe…you are my entire world and I promise to love you forever."
She slipped the ring onto my finger and held it there for a moment.
Yeah, life is beautiful.
"And with these touching words, I bind your souls as one. I pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Merridew and you may now kiss the bride."
I didn't wait for him to finish before I grabbed her waist in my hands and held her to me. Her gloved fingers held my cheeks as we kissed. And as we kissed I felt her tears drip onto my cheeks and my own tears drip on her hands. We were whole…we were finally whole.
Our hearts, they beat and break.
Exiting the church, we stood beneath the golden moon. Our hands interlaced together, our faces smiling, our eyes shining. Elise tossed the bouquet into my startled cousins' hands. This momentarily interrupted her conversation with Ralph. Elise noticed and arched her brow while I just smiled and gave Ralph a casual thumbs up signal.
When you run away from harm,
Will you run back into my arms,
Like you did when you were young?
Will you come back to me?
Shielding Elise from the onslaught of rice, I helped her into the car and, as we drove off, Elise next to me, I relished in the beauty of this moment…and the life stretched out in front of us.
ONE WEEK LATER
ELISE POV
I will hold you tightly
When the hurting kicks in.
Jack's arms wound around my bare stomach; his chest pressed into my back. I sighed in contentment…this was bliss. Going to sleep staring at him and waking up beside him.
Life is beautiful, but it's complicated,
we barely make it.
Ever since the island I haven't had one dream. They have left me and I do not believe that they will ever come back again…I was free.
We don't need to understand,
Back on the island, I thought I was meant to die. That all my life I was supposed to prevent my dreams, not stand by and watch them happen. And when Roger shot me…well, I thought I fulfilled that destiny. But Jack wouldn't let me go so easily. And soon, I was waking up to a world of bright lights, tall figures, and immense pain. Horrible, horrible pain. Roger had shot me in the stomach and his bullet had done some pretty nasty damage. Including my uterus, which meant that I could never have kids…
There are miracles, miracles.
At first I was devastated…to be told at seventeen years old that you can never have your own child was heart breaking. But Jack was there and I was alive. We were together and that was all we needed. When I got out of the hospital I had a menacing scare that trailed from my belly button to my right hip. When I was first allowed to look at it I cried…and Jack held me. But I have come to accept my scars…my external ones and internal ones.
Stand where you are.
We let all these moments pass us by.
I reached over on the nightstand and grabbed a piece of paper. Adoption papers…Jack and I would start our family. We won't have a happily ever after…but we will have something pretty damn close to it and that is worth it for us.
It's amazing where I'm standing,
"Hey what are you doing up?" Jack asked me sleepily.
There's a lot that we can give.
"Nothing," I said, snuggling back into his arms.
This is ours just for a moment.
Yes…Jack and I might not live happily ever after…but we will live.
There's a lot that we can give
Thank you all for going on this incredible journey with me!
Love you all
Taylor
