Previously in "Pages in Between", Savannah and Xavier get married, and Brady and Amanda reconcile.
Chapter Twenty-Nine – Epilogue, Part 3
Paris, France…
Carrie rubbed her belly as she felt the breeze blowing against her face while standing on the balcony outside the hotel room she and Liam were staying in for their honeymoon. She then heard a buzzing sound and saw that she had an email on her phone. Picking it up, she saw the pictures from Savannah and Xavier's wedding that Ana sent. She raised an eyebrow at the young man with Bridget and wondered just who he was. She sent a text to Ana, asking about him and waited for a response.
Ana was sitting on a stool at her brother's new home, having spent the night to keep an eye on the mansion while he and Carrie were on their honeymoon when her cell phone buzzed beside her.
Picking it up, Ana saw it was from Carrie, no doubt inquiring about one of the pictures she sent her. When she pressed on the icon to read the message, she saw that she was right. The message read: "Who's the guy with Bridget? Inquiring minds want to know. Get back to me ASAP. Love you – C"
Ana had to giggle at the way the message was worded, but she couldn't leave her sister-in-law hanging, so she quickly typed back, "How quickly you forget. That's Sam, Jasper's brother. You met him at your wedding, remember?"
After a few minutes, Carrie responded. "Oh, yeah, that's right. I forgot that I already met him. Guess all the fun Liam and I have been having here has gone to my head and destroyed whatever brain cells I have left…LOL."
"LOL…I don't believe that, but he's great for Budge, and we all know that it was just a matter of time before Sam proposed to her," Ana wrote back.
Carrie laughed at Ana's reply. "Yeah, he's a great guy, and Bridget is lucky to have him."
Meanwhile…
Meghan got out the photo album of her and Tyler through the years then opened it up to look at the first picture. Her fair-skinned, slender fingers traced over him kissing her cheek and her giggling at him.
Tyler noticed her looking at the album and looked over her shoulder. "Who's that good-looking couple?"
Meghan giggled at his question. "Silly, that's us."
"I know it is. By the way, happy anniversary, my love," Tyler said before pulling his hand out from behind his back and presenting to her a velvet black jewelry box.
Meghan opened the box to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. "Oh, Tyler, it's beautiful." She smiled at him as tears stung her eyes and began to fall down her cheeks. "I love you so much."
Tyler moved until he was sitting next to her then framed her face in his tan hands. "I love you so much, Meghan. Do you remember the first time we met?"
Meghan nodded. "Yes, I do. I remember that day as if it were yesterday. Of course, how can I possibly forget meeting someone as devastatingly handsome as you?"
"Oh, yes, you never could resist me," Tyler said as he tilted his head, brushing his lips in a caress over hers, teasing her.
Meghan smiled against his lips and returned his kiss. "No, I couldn't mostly because I knew that if I did, I'd be missing out on the best thing that ever happened to me."
20 Years Earlier…
Meghan balanced a tray of drinks and a tray of food, spilling it all on the floor and near tears as she knelt down to begin cleaning it all up.
Tyler Lockwood had just walked in when he saw what had happened and went over to see what was going on. He saw the brunette picking up the mess and knelt next to her. "Here, let me help you with that."
Meghan looked at him and shook her head. "You really don't have to do that."
"I know, but I want to," he replied. "Besides, it'll get cleaned up faster if two people do it."
"Why are you being so nice to me? I'm just a lowly waitress with no prospects of getting accepted for the college degree I graduated with," she said with a sad smile as she pulled out a rag to clean up the spilled drinks.
Tyler raised an eyebrow at what she just said. "What kind of an attitude is that? I don't think you're a lowly waitress at all. As a matter of fact, I think you're better than this." He smiled. "And to answer your question, I'm being nice to you because I was raised to treat a lady with respect."
Meghan laughed. "Well, thank you, um, what is your name?"
"Oh, I forgot my manners. My name is Tyler. Tyler Lockwood. What's your name, beautiful?"
Meghan blushed slightly. "I'm Meghan. Meghan Fell."
"You wouldn't happen to be related to a Logan Fell, would you?" Tyler asked as he helped her clean up the mess.
Meghan nodded. "Yes, he's my brother. I also have a sister named Meredith." She looked at him curiously. "Why? The Lockwood's and the Fells aren't bitter rivals in some long-standing feud, are they?"
Tyler laughed. "No, we aren't, thank God. I only asked because your last name was Fell and I was curious." He cleared his throat. "Meghan, when do you get off? I'd like to buy you a cup of coffee."
"I have to work a double shift, because it keeps me paying the bills. I won't get off until late," she replied as she stood back up.
Tyler stood up as well. "It's okay. I'll just wait for you. I've got nowhere else I have to be, so I'll just hang out here."
Meghan raised an eyebrow at him. "You just don't take no for an answer, do you, Tyler Lockwood?"
He chuckled. "I've been told I can be pretty persuasive," he replied.
Meghan laughed slightly. "Yeah, I'll bet you have, being the mayor's son and all."
Tyler nodded. "So, I guess you've heard of me. No doubt you learned about me from your brother."
She glanced down. "Actually, I am sort of friends with someone you might know, an April Young?"
Tyler nodded. "I do know her. We dated in high school. She also went to college with another ex-girlfriend of mine, Caroline Forbes." He ignored the bitter taste in his mouth as he thought about both of them. "Last I heard about April, she was getting married to Matt Donovan."
Meghan nods, knowing he was seething right now and she let her hand reach out to pat his arm gently.
Tyler felt Meghan's hand on his shoulder and placed his own hand on top of it, forgetting his anger. "Thank you, Meghan. You have no idea how much I appreciate the gesture."
"It's no problem," she replied. "I saw that you were upset when you were talking about April." She sighed. "I do feel partially responsible, though, having mentioned her name to begin with."
"No, don't blame yourself," Tyler said. "It's not your fault. You didn't know about my history with her when you brought it up." He smiled at her. "You don't belong in a place like this, handling trays of food and serving drinks to people. You deserve to work in a place where you'll be respected and make decent money, not slaving for tips." He got an idea. "Tell you what, I'll talk to my dad and see if he can pull some strings to get you a better job than this. If paying your bills is a problem for you, it doesn't have to be. I can help."
"I appreciate the gesture, Tyler, but working as a favor to the son of the mayor is going to sound like I'm ready to move on to bigger and better things. Besides, I've been working here since high school," Meghan replied as she leaned down to pick up the trays spilled before heading toward the kitchen.
Tyler gently grabbed her arm before she could walk away. "You are ready for bigger and better things, Meghan. I'm not just saying it. I mean what I say."
Meghan sighs. "Well, my degree is in history, but I haven't been able to be accepted to any school in Virginia, not even Mystic Falls," she told him.
Tyler smirked. "Until now, that is. I'll make sure that you get accepted into any school so that you can use that degree of yours."
Meghan hesitated. She barely knew him and he was telling her that he could make things happen for her. "Can I trust you?"
"You can, Meghan," he replied. "I would never steer you wrong. I know we just met, but I see a bright future for you." He was tempted to say 'us', but it was too soon and he didn't want to scare her.
"I'll think about it and get back to you," she told him, gently removing her arm from his hold and heading toward the kitchen for good.
Tyler watched her leave and then went to sit at the bar, a smile on his face.
Several Hours Later…
Meghan exited the back of the restaurant and immediately caught sight of Tyler leaning against the brick wall on the opposite side of the alley. The door behind her pushed her closer to him and she took the hint, running toward him and pressing her lips to his in a soft kiss.
Tyler smiled against her lips and returned her kiss, pulling her close to him and running his hands all over her body, hearing her moaning as the kiss deepened. Letting his hands pause on her slender waist, Tyler broke the kiss to look down into her amber eyes.
Meghan smiled at him. "I honestly don't know why I did that, but I definitely don't regret it."
"I don't regret either, nor will I regret this," Tyler said as he swept her into his arms.
Meghan giggled as he swept her into his arms. "You're just full of surprises, Tyler."
He chuckles as he carried her out of the alley behind the restaurant, to his car, where he placed her inside gently. Meghan smiled as looked around at the interior of Tyler's car, impressed by it and secretly envied him. He climbed into the driver's seat and caught her staring at the interior. "My parents gave it to me, as congratulations for getting into college," he explained.
Meghan nodded. "It's very nice, Tyler. I must admit, I feel kind of small."
"It's okay, really, it's your first time in my car," he replied. "You'll get used to it, though."
She smiles then decides to play a little game. Slowly, to entice him a little, Meghan began to lift the hem of her relatively short skirt.
Tyler saw what she was doing and licked his lips before placing his hand on top of hers, moving her skirt up with her and leaning in to nibble on her bottom lip and kiss her, leaving her lips to kiss along her jaw line and then her neck, nibbling the skin with his teeth.
Meghan shifted to the side and moved until she was straddling him in the driver's seat. Tyler groaned as he grasped her hips in his hands. "You're so beautiful, Meghan. How is it that a girl as beautiful as you never caught the eye of anyone until now?"
The waitress moved until she was getting his belt undone before pushing his jeans and boxers down to his knees. Tyler kept his eyes on her face while she did this then put his hands at her waist, lifting her skirt and removing her underwear.
Tyler felt himself getting hard as he looked at Meghan, gently massaging her inner thighs with his hands. They felt so soft and his heart hammered in his chest, as though it would explode if he didn't have her.
"Take me," she said in a ragged voice.
Tyler smiled and drove his throbbing member into her core, thrusting slowly at first so that she could get used to him and gradually picking up speed. "Oh, Meghan, you're so tight," he groaned out from between gritted teeth when he felt her walls clamping around his member.
Meghan moaned as he said that, moving her hips in time with his thrusts, keeping in sync with his. She then felt herself getting close to the edge and tossed her head back, letting out a scream of pleasure.
Present Day…
"That was a wonderful day. Not only did I meet a beautiful woman, but I also got to begin my family that same night," Tyler said with a smile.
Meghan returned his smile. "Yes, we did, and it's a beautiful family at that." She kissed him. "Thank you, Tyler, for giving me the life I've always dreamed of."
"Actually, I should be thinking you," her husband replied, returning her kiss. "You gave me a chance at happiness that I thought I'd never get to have."
"And now we have three beautiful children, one of which is getting married soon," Meghan said as she snuggled with her husband.
Tyler smiled and held her close to him. "Yeah, time really does It seems like yesterday that I was changing their diapers, seeing them take their first steps, hearing their first words, and even teaching them to ride their first bike."
"Oh, yes, do you remember the first time we went horse back riding with T.J. and Camilla? I was barely past my 5-month mark for Sean," Meghan said with a smile.
"I definitely remember that," Tyler said. "T.J. was a natural at it. Camilla was a bit hesitant at first, but she got the hang of it." He smiled, picturing Meghan on her horse. "You didn't do too badly. You may have been pregnant with Sean at the time, but it didn't faze you."
"No, it didn't," Meghan replied.
"We should go riding again," Tyler said. "You know, just the two of us."
"Oh, that sounds like fun," his wife replied. "It's been a while since I was on a horse, but I think I can do it."
"Why don't we go now?" Tyler suggested.
Meghan nodded. "That sounds good to me."
Tyler nodded then waited until she got up from his lap to hold out his hand for her to take. Tyler led her to the car and helped her in on her side before getting in on his side, smiling at her as he started the engine.
When they got to the stables owned by Matt and April, Meghan ran ahead of her husband in a slow run, giggling as he caught up with her.
Tyler laughed as he caught her from behind, twirling her around in a gentle circle. "Tyler, you're going to make me sick, stop!"
Tyler stopped twirling her and set her down on her feet. "I'm sorry, Meghan. I guess I got carried away."
"Awe, baby, just remember that your son or daughter is inside of me and be careful…and know that I love you all the same," Meghan said with a smile.
Tyler looked at her curiously. "Wait, are you telling me that you're…"
Meghan nodded. "Yes, Tyler, we're having another baby."
"I'M GOING TO BE A FATHER AGAIN!" Tyler yelled as he spun her around once then put her down, kissing her softly and passionately.
Meghan giggled and returned his kiss. "I love you so much, Tyler."
"I love you, Meghan Rita Fell Lockwood," Tyler said as he smiled into their kiss.
Tyler kissed her one more and took her hand, leading her in the rest of the way to the stables.
Later…
"You're sure you don't mind us staying here overnight?" Tyler asked Matt as he and Meghan sat across from the other couple as well as Fiona.
"It's no problem, Tyler," Matt said. "Our home is your home. Besides, I've let bygones be bygones a long time ago."
Tyler nodded then nuzzled Meghan's cheek as she snuggled close to him. April nudged Matt first then Fiona and they both got the hint, heading upstairs to leave the other couple alone.
Once they were alone, Tyler said, "Now, what am I going to do with you, Mrs. Lockwood?"
She gave him a smirk then leaned up to whisper in his year, "Let's go…skinny dipping!"
Tyler smirked. "That sounds perfect. We haven't been skinny dipping in years. I hope I still remember how."
Meghan giggled then left his arms and headed toward the back door of the ranch house, heading toward the pool house, with the indoor pool. There, she stripped herself free of her clothes then dived into the pool.
Tyler saw what she was doing and followed after her. When he arrived at the pool, he stripped himself and yelled, "Cannonball!"
Meghan swam away from where she was and watched him dive in.
From above them, Fiona watched with a smile while her mother brushed her dark hair. "I'm glad that Uncle Tyler and Aunt Meghan are having fun," she told April before wincing when April snagged the brush on a tangle.
April fought with the tangle. "Yeah, they're definitely made for each other. I'm glad that Tyler is happy. I think he found Meghan at the right time. Kind of like how I found your father."
"Will you tell me the story again, Momma?" Fiona said with another wince.
"Fiona, I told you that story so many times you know it by heart."
Fiona nodded. "I know, but I want to hear it again."
April sighs then nods, helping her daughter into bed before joining Fiona under the covers. "It was a beautiful fall day. I had just been looking at the bulletin board outside the dorm room where Aunt Caroline, Aunt Elena and me lived when Anna arrived," she began.
20 Years Earlier…
"APRIL!" April Young heard her name being called as she stood in front of the bulletin board outside the dormitory she lived in with two of her best friends, Caroline Forbes and Elena Gilbert, and turned to find Anna Vaughn Gilbert running towards her. Anna was also Elena's new sister in law, having gone and been swept off her feet by Jeremy, Elena's younger brother and the two of them had gotten married earlier this summer in a beautiful ceremony.
April smiled at Anna. "Oh hey, Anna, how was the wedding?"
"Oh, it was great," she replied. "I couldn't have asked for a better day. Plus, it helped that my mom adores Jeremy." She cleared her throat. "I wasn't interrupting anything important, was I?"
April shook her head. "No, you weren't. I was just looking at the bulletin board. In fact, before you came, I had just found this flyer that was posted by this photographer who has a studio nearby. He and his partners are looking for models for their next shoot and I was going to tear off the slip with the number on it so that when I get back to the room, Elena, Caroline and I can give him a call."
"What's his name?"
April looked at the flyer. "It says his name is Matt Donovan. His partners are Damon Salvatore and Klaus Mikaelson."
"Wait, I think I know him," Anna said. "Jeremy and I hired him to do our wedding photos."
"He did?" April asked. "That's awesome."
"I know, right?" Anna said. "You couldn't have picked a better photographer. Also, I saw Damon and Klaus at the wedding, because, you know, they usually go to events and stuff together unless they have their own things to attend. Let me tell you, they're pretty hot."
"Oh, really, they are?" April asked. "Well, Elena and Caroline would love to hear that." Curiously, she added, "Which reminds me, does Elena know you're here?"
"No, I wanted to surprise her," Anna said. "Jeremy and I were sorting through the pictures and we found some that Elena and Caroline would like. Of course, we chucked the ones that they didn't exactly look the best in."
"Well, she'll definitely be surprised, no question about it," April said. "Say, did you want to come up with me?"
Anna nodded. "Sure. Lead the way." Before heading to the building where the girls lived together, April remembered to tear off the slip of paper from the flyer and followed along with Anna's quick, even strides as they headed toward the right building. As soon as the two girls were inside the building, where it was nice and toasty compared to the bitter cold outside, they began to divest themselves of their coats and hats, hanging them up on the coat rack in the downstairs lobby. April began jogging up the stairs in front of Anna, and they made it a race, eventually stopping when they saw the tie on the door.
"Oh, this is great! Lockwood is here, which means that we'll have to go back downstairs," April grumbled.
"I heard that!" the two girls heard from inside, before the door was all but wrenched open to reveal Caroline in nothing but her current boyfriend's shirt and his boxers, as well. Tyler Lockwood appeared behind her, a grin spotted instantly on his face.
His smile turned into a frown when he saw who April had brought up with her, not wanting to get into the middle of 'girl talk'. "Babe, I'm going to give you some time alone with the girls. I'll call you later," he said. She tried to grasp his hand to keep him from leaving her alone, but he moved back into the bedroom to get dressed. Caroline turned around and gave the other girls a red-eyed glare, and April returned it softly before moving past the blonde, with Anna following behind her.
Anna bit her lip, thinking that she had done something wrong by coming her today.
"Caroline, I'm sorry. I didn't know Tyler was going to be here," she says to the blonde.
April, of course, wasn't the least bit sorry. She never liked Tyler to begin with, thinking that Caroline was going to get hurt if she continued to date him. In fact, she knew something about Tyler that Caroline didn't yet. The other day, she had seen him locking lips with Hayley Gardner. She wanted to confront the bastard right then and there, but opted to bite her tongue and keep it quiet. It was better that Caroline find out for herself anyway.
Caroline sighed and shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Anna. We were finishing up anyway," she says to the newlywed. She glanced at April and then back at Anna. "So, what brings you by here?"
"Jeremy and I found some wedding pictures that you and Elena might like," Anna said. "We threw the embarrassing ones out, of course."
"Thank you," Caroline said. "I was wondering when we were going to get them. Elena will be back from her Algebra class in an hour, and I'll show them to her."
April cleared her throat, deciding to change the subject before things got too weird. "Oh, and before I forget, I saw this flyer downstairs. You remember the photographer that was at Anna and Jeremy's wedding? Matt Donovan? Well, it turns out that he needs models for his next shoot. Well, he and his partners do. Anyway, I got the number and I thought we'd call later and find out what this entails."
Caroline blinked at that, the earlier scene forgotten. "When does this little session take place? I need to know so I can tell Elena," she tells April.
"That's why I got the number," April said. "We can call and find out."
"Well, you know I'm definitely in," Caroline said. "We haven't been to a decent shoot since the last one we did before the wedding."
"Maybe this one will be more than just decent," Anna said. "Matt and his partners do awesome work, as you'll see when you open the photo packet."
Caroline nodded. She was definitely curious, that was for sure. Hell, she was curious enough to overlook what happened earlier. Once Elena arrived home an hour later on the dot, the four girls sat down on the couch with four glasses of water in their hands, and giggles were soon heard from the outside and even going as loud as to be heard downstairs as they all looked through the pictures. Things like, "Oh my goodness, Anna, you look so beautiful!" and "He's covered in cake!" could be heard through the giggles, and once all the pictures had been looked through, Anna decided to head home to her husband and left the three girls to decide on whether or not to make the phone call now or in the morning.
April made the decision for the girls when she yawned rather loudly and finally hopped off to her room, immediately settling into her nice warm bed once her head was firmly planted into the pillows and falling asleep right away.
The Next Day
April went to her first class then took a chance and called the photographer she'd decided to 'assign' herself personally. She sat down on the bench that was outside her first class' building once she got out then held firmly onto the piece of paper in her hand so it didn't blow away while her shaky fingers began dialing the number on it.
Klaus Mikaelson heard the phone ring as he poured himself some tea. Not sure who might be calling, he checked the Caller ID and saw April's cell number on it. Deciding not to keep her waiting for someone to pick up, he picked up the phone and cleared his throat before placing the phone to his ear. "Donovan Photography studio, how may I assist you, love?" he asked her.
April heard the proper British voice on the other end and tried to keep from literally melting as she said, "Hi. This is April Young. I'm actually looking for Matt Donovan. Is he there by any chance?"
Klaus heard the door opening and closing and looked to see Matt walking in. "Hold on, love, I just saw him walk in," he told April. He placed the phone down and said to the younger man, "Matt, this phone call is for you, mate."
Matt raised an eyebrow. "Who is it?"
"A girl by the name of April Young," Klaus said. "She's on hold. She sounds delightful."
Matt nodded at Klaus before heading over to the desk and picking up the phone. "Hello?" he asked.
"Hi, is this Matt? This is April Young. Your partner sounded very … proper," April said with a small, soft laugh.
Matt could feel himself getting hard just by her voice and the sound of her laughter through the phone. "Yeah, that's Klaus for you. He's British, so being proper goes with the territory," Matt said. "So, how can I help you, April?"
On her end, April bit down on her lip gently. "Well, your flyer said that you were looking for models for your next shoot," April said. "It just so happens that my friends and I are models and we'd like to volunteer. In fact, I wouldn't mind having you." Realizing what she had just said, she quickly added, "As my photographer, I mean."
Matt laughed slightly. "It's okay, I knew what you meant. Anyway, how about you and your friends come by the studio and we can work something out? Would 5:00 be good for you?"
"It's good for me, but I'll have to check with my friends to see what their schedules are, since theirs are different from mine," April said. "I look forward to seeing you, Matt."
"You too, April," Matt said. "Thanks for calling."
"Bye," April said huskily before she hung up and squealed, not giving a damn if she got incredulous stares from the other students that walked by.
By the time April had finished telling the story, she glanced down to see that Fiona had fallen asleep so she eased out from her daughter's hold then left her room to head down the hall to her own bedroom, where she found her husband still awake.
Matt smiled at his wife. "You told Fiona the story of how we met, didn't you?"
"I did," she replied. "She wanted to hear it again even though she's heard it so many times she knows it by heart."
Matt smiled again as she joined him under the covers and snuggled against him while his hands stroked her hair gently.
April smiled as Matt ran his fingers through her hair. "I love you, Matt."
Matt kissed her forehead. "I love you too, April."
Author's Note: Time for an update! I hope you all will remember this and the prequel, as they will now be my first completed works since, well, forever! I have other one-shots that you can read, they're on my profile.
