Previously in "A Soldier's Coming Home", Abigail says one final goodbye to her mother then runs into Mason, a childhood friend before telling Tatia about being attacked by Richard Lockwood. Abigail also accepts the proposal of Mikaelson cousin, Christopher.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Mikaelson Mansion – That Evening…

"Here is to Christopher and Abigail, may they live happily in love," Mikael said, lifting his glass in a toast to his nephew and niece-to-be.

"To Christopher and Abigail!" his wife, sons and daughter echoed in unison.

Christopher smiled. "Thank you, Uncle Mikael." He looked at Abigail. "I've loved Abigail for a long time and I decided it was time to make it legal."

His uncle smiled as he watched the younger couple. "Well, it is good that you have found happiness, my boy. You deserve all that you can get," he said.

Christopher nodded. "We certainly do."

"And since you are now engaged, what will your plans be?" Eleanor asked her step-nephew.

Mikael smiled and handed Christopher a paper from his pocket. "I'm one step ahead of you on that. I bought them a house."

"You…Uncle Mikael, thank you!" Christopher said excitedly, getting up and hugging his uncle tightly.

Mikael hugged him back. "You're very welcome, Christopher. I want you and Abigail to have nothing but the best."

His wife and the rest of his family smiled as he generously gave out the gift to Christopher, knowing he certainly deserved it. He'd worked hard after the death of Victor, Mikael's younger brother, to get into the family company. Abigail felt tears of joy in her eyes and said, "We really appreciate this. You all are so very generous and we can't thank you enough."

"You're family, dear," Finn said as he came over to her. "And family means loyalty."

Abigail nodded. "You're definitely right about that."

Sage smiled from behind Finn then opened her arms for a hug, which Abigail immediately fell into, stroking the younger woman's dark brown hair softly as Abigail began to cry tears of joy. Sage continued to run her fingers through Abigail's hair. "If need us for anything, we're always here."

"Thank you, Sage," Abigail said after pulling back from the hug, smiling at Christopher when he embraced her from behind.

"Are you ready to go tell your father about our engagement, love?"

Abigail nodded. "Of course I am. After all, we do want him to perform the ceremony."

He nodded then stepped back and held his hand out to her, which she took with a smile. "We will see you all later, cousins. Uncle Mikael, Aunt Eleanor," he said before they headed out of the mansion, hand in hand.

Young Family Ranch – Later…

Christopher saw that Abigail was a bit nervous when they arrived at the Young family ranch. "Everything will be fine, love."

Abigail bit her lip. "I hope so. I want my father to approve of my decision."

Gathering her close, Christopher kissed the side of her head. "He will. I promise you that, love," he said softly.

Abigail nodded. "I trust you, Christopher. I always have."

"That's good," he said with a soft smile down at her.

Abigail held Christopher's hand as they walked up to the house. Even though she trusted him completely, Abigail still felt her heart pounding. She hoped her father approved of this. She knocked gently on the front door then stepped back to snuggle against her fiancé to wait for someone to answer the door.

They didn't have to wait for very long, because Theresa answered the door, seeing her stepdaughter standing there. Smiling, she hugged her. "Abigail, sweetheart, your father and I were just talking about you."

Abigail smiled as well. "I guess I must've read your minds then." She then presented Christopher to her. "Theresa, you remember Christopher Mikaelson, don't you?"

"Oh, yes, I remember him," Theresa said. "He always came by to help us out whenever we needed an extra hand around here." She smiled at him. "My goodness, you shout up like a weed."

Christopher laughed at her observation. "It's good to see you too, Mrs. Young." He cleared his throat. "Is Pastor Young at home? Abigail and I wish to discuss something with him."

"Yes, he is. Please, come in out of the cold," she said, stepping aside to let them in.

Andrew was working on a new sermon when he heard the front door open and close, coming out to see Abigail, smiling at her as he said, "Abigail, sweetheart, what a wonderful surprise."

Abigail returned his smile. "Hello, Daddy." She cleared her throat. "Daddy, there's something I need to tell you."

Andrew nodded. "Okay and what's that?"

Abigail showed him the ring on her finger. "I'm engaged."

For a few minutes, Andrew didn't respond and Abigail got worried and then she tilted her head to the side, seeing the tears in his eyes. "I thought you would always be the first of my girls to get married, but when April beat you to it, by marrying that Donovan boy so quickly because her baby needed a name, it made me wander if you would do the same just for me to give you away," he said softly.

"Daddy, there is something else I need to tell you. Can you promise that you won't get mad about this though?" she said, kneeling down beside him.

Andrew gave her a curious look as he asked, "Sweetheart, why would I get mad?"

Abigail gulped. "I'm marrying Christopher Mikaelson."

"No, absolutely not," he said quickly. "I forbid it! He will not be a good man to you, Abigail. Please, don't do this!"

His eldest daughter began to cry. "Daddy, that's not all…I was sexually assaulted in the past, before Christopher and I met," she whispered in a choked voice.

Andrew looked at her. "You were raped, and by whom?"

Christopher answered for her, seeing how hard it was for her to say it. "Richard Lockwood."

"Mayor Lockwood…but when did this happen?" Andrew asked. His hand ran worriedly down his face before he turned to look at his wife, who came into the study, giving him a soft smile.

Abigail sighed. "It was a long time ago. I was working for Mayor Lockwood during the summer. One day, he cornered me and the next thing I knew, he was ripping my dress off and forcing himself on me. I tried to fight him off, but he threatened to lock my mother up if I didn't cooperate."

"My beautiful angel…her innocence taken away before it was supposed to be," Andrew said in a choked voice.

Abigail sobbed. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about it sooner, Daddy, but I was just so afraid."

"You don't have to be afraid anymore, sweetheart. I'm here, always and forever," he said, kissing the top of her head after embracing her.

Abigail nodded sadly. "I know, Daddy. I love you so much. I also love Christopher, which is why I need your blessing. I also want you to perform the ceremony. Please, Daddy?"

"Of course I will, my angel," he said with a smile down at her. "When do you want it to happen though?"

Abigail looked at Christopher. "We haven't set a date yet, Daddy."

"Why not do it now then? That way, you don't have to wait to pick a date," Andrew suggested.

Christopher nodded. "That sounds good to me. I'll just call my uncle and let him know that the wedding is set for tonight."

Andrew nodded and gestured to the phone sitting on the desk in the study. "Theresa and I will give you two some privacy," he said, letting Abigail go before stepping over to his wife, who smiled at him as she took his hand and they walked out of the room.

Christopher went over to the phone that his future father-in-law directed them to, dialing Mikael's number. After several rings, he heard Mikael say, "Hello?"

"Uncle Mikael, we just spoke to Pastor Young," his nephew replied. "It would seem that there's going to be a wedding tonight. I know that its short notice, but I would appreciate it if you, Aunt Eleanor, and everyone else could be there."

"Say no more, son; we're on our way," Mikael said with a smile.

"Thank you, Uncle," Christopher said.

Abigail smiled as Christopher hung up the phone. Said smile faded a few seconds later, which he noticed immediately. "What's wrong, love?"

"I just wish my mother were alive to see me get married."

"Come here," he said softly and she did as he asked, smiling sadly as he wrapped his arms around her. "Do you know what I think? I think that your mother is watching over both of us and that she's happy you're going to be marrying the man of your dreams tonight."

Abigail nodded against him. "I think you're right. I can feel her as we speak."

"And she's happy for you, love," he said softly.

Abigail smiled as happy tears ran down her face. "I know she is."

Later…

Theresa and April helped adjust the crown of flowers on the head of the bride-to-be as she admired herself in the tall length mirror that sat in the bedroom of Andrew and Theresa. "I can't thank you two enough for allowing Christopher and I to host the wedding here," Abigail told her stepmother and half-sister.

Theresa smiled at her stepdaughter. "No need to thank us, dear. You are marrying the man you love and that is all the thanks we need."

"I've waited a long time for this day. I never did tell anyone the story of how Christopher and I met, did I?" she asked.

"No! Tell us now," April said with a grin.

Abigail sighed. "Well, it was after Mayor Lockwood hurt me. I was healing, but it still hurt. I guess you could say Christopher came into my life when I wasn't expecting him to."

"We want further details!" April said excitedly.

Abigail shook her head and said, "April, honestly." She sighed. "All right, I'll elaborate. I was at the market, buying some bread and milk when who should come walking in but this handsome young man with a smile that could make the strongest of women melt. I tried not to look at him, but I wound up looking at him anyway. The thing that mesmerized me the most was the way he called me 'love'. His accent was just so heavenly."

Her sister clapped gleefully, a grin worn on her face that matched her mother's. "It sounds like you found a winner when you met Christopher then," Theresa said.

Abigail smiled. "I did, didn't I? And you know what? I couldn't be happier having that man in my life."

"Well then, we better finish getting you ready so you can become Mrs. Christopher Mikaelson," April said with a smile.

Abigail nodded. "Right, of course; come on, there's no time to waste."

Her sister and stepmother nodded and they all finished off prepping Abigail for the wedding.

Downstairs…

"Father, how do I look?" Ruby asked Finn as he helped Christopher with his tie.

Finn smiled at his oldest daughter. "You look beautiful, Ruby Red. Like a little angel."

She beamed then went to join Sage, Bridget and the rest of the female Mikaelson family members. "You've done well for yourself, Finnegan," Christopher commented to his oldest cousin.

They were around the same age, and they'd been more than just cousins growing up…they became like brothers too. Finn smiled at Christopher. "Thank you. You've done well for yourself too. You get to marry the love of your life and I couldn't be happier for you."

Christopher smiled. "She's the blessing I knew would come into my life one day," he said to Finn.

Finn nodded. "She certainly is. You know, you remind me of when Sage and I were courting, so much in love and not having a care about anything in the world besides the two of us."

"Will you tell me more about when you two first met? I wasn't here the first time and didn't really get to hear the whole story," Christopher said.

Finn smiled. "Well, you know that we met when I applied for a job at the Mystic Grill? Well, later on, I found out that her father had arranged for her to marry another man. Thankfully, Eleanor convinced Seamus to allow us to be together."

"Aunt Eleanor is good to have around then," Christopher said, smiling once Finn was finished fixing his cousin's tie.

Finn smiled. "She is. Eleanor is a blessing and we all love her. She makes Father happy and that makes the rest of us happy too."

"Have you considered telling Sage about your…promotion?" Christopher asked as his eyes went over to the redhead, who was still immersed deeply in conversation.

Finn smiled. "I'm going to tell her. It's just that with everything that's been going on lately, I haven't been able to."

"What…why the hell haven't you, Finn?" Christopher demanded. "This is the opportunity of a lifetime, and you still haven't told your wife?"

Finn sighed. "You're right, I should tell her. I'll tell her at the reception."

Before the Ceremony…

"Are you nervous at all?" Andrew asked his daughter as they stood at the top of the staircase while they waited for the musical cue.

Abigail nodded. "A little, yes. But, I'm also happy because I'm going to be Mrs. Christopher Mikaelson."

"And you two are going to live a long, happy life as husband and wife," Andrew said with a smile at her.

Abigail smiled. "Thank you, Daddy. I know we will too."

The music to 'Wedding March' began and father and daughter began their trek down the stairs, where Abigail knew her husband-to-be stood waiting for her in front of the fireplace.

Christopher stood at the altar, waiting for Abigail. He had yet to see her in her dress and was dying to know what she looked like. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait too much longer, because he saw her coming toward him, led by her father. She looked absolutely beautiful and it made him happy knowing she was minutes from becoming his forever.

Once she reached his side, he held his hand out to her and she took it immediately then passed her bouquet to Sage, who was standing up for her, before taking his other hand as well.

Andrew smiled at the couple and then began the ceremony. "Friends, family, and honored guests. We are gathered here to witness the union of Abigail Kathleen Young and Christopher James Mikaelson. The couple has written their own vows, which they will now recite to each other."

His older daughter turned to look at the man in front of her, gently squeezing his hands. "Christopher, I never imagined that you would become my prince. You have been my best friend for what seems like forever, but we both know that friendship turned into love when we weren't looking." Lifting one of their joined set of hands, Abigail turned it around and pressed a soft caress of her lips onto his knuckles.

Christopher smiled at her and cleared his throat to say his vows to her. "Abigail, they say there is a special person out there for all of us and with you, I believe it. I fell madly in love with you the moment we met and I knew you were my princess. I am proud to stand here before you and become your husband. You are my life, my world, my love, and my best friend. I look forward to spending my life with you and showing what this world has to offer. I love you, Abigail, and I promise to honor and cherish you every day for the rest of our lives."

Her smile was genuine as her eyes filled with tears at his words before she turned to her father, who smiled back. "Now that their vows have been spoken, I would ask that Abigail and Christopher turn to their witnesses and get the rings in which they will exchange to seal their vows," he said. Christopher got the ring for Abigail from Finn and Andrew said, "Christopher, place the ring on her finger and say, 'With this ring, I thee wed'."

"With this ring, I thee wed," Christopher said in a proud, strong voice, a smile planted firmly on the lower half of his face.

Abigail took the ring for Christopher from Sage and Andrew said to her, "Abigail, place the ring on Christopher's hand and say, 'With this ring, I thee wed'."

"With this ring, I thee wed," she said, her smile matching his as she gently pushed the ring onto his finger.

After the rings were exchanged, Andrew smiled and said, "And by the power vested in me by the state of Virginia, I am pleased to pronounce you husband and wife." He looked at his new son-in-law. "Christopher, you may kiss your bride."

Christopher nodded and smiled before pulling Abigail flush against him and captured her lips in a soft and gentle but still a little passionate kiss and she returned it with her entire being, smiling against his lips as she whispered, "I love you, Christopher James Mikaelson."

He whispered back, "And I love you, Abigail Kathleen Mikaelson." Christopher smiled and kissed her one more time before he led her back up the aisle, catching the eye of those in attendance.

Later – At the Reception…

Christopher and Finn stood together and watched their wives in deep conversation before the newly married Christopher turned to his cousin. "Now's a good a time as any, cousin; go for it," he told Finn.

Finn nodded and went over to hold his hand out for his wife to take, which she smiled at. "May I have the pleasure of this dance, my Irish Rose?" he asked.

"You may have the pleasure, my British Prince," she replied, placing her hand in his.

During their dance, Finn cleared his throat. "I got a promotion."

Sage looked at him in surprise, before asking quickly, "Oh? When did this happen?"

Finn smiled and kissed her softly as he replied, "Recently, about a month or so ago. I meant to tell you sooner, but I kept getting distracted by one thing and then another."

She nodded. "What does this promotion entail?" she asked softly.

Finn bit his lip. "There will be some travel involved. That means I'll be away most of the time."

"You're kidding, right?" Sage asked, anger beginning to seep into her tone.

"Sage, please don't make a scene," he said in a soft, demanding tone.

"You don't get to tell me what to do, Finn!" she hissed before pulling away from him and turning to head outside. Finn sent an apologetic look to his cousin and went after his wife, finding her in the stables. "You can forget about trying…"

He cut her off by claiming her lips in a harsh, demanding manner, almost brutal as he wrapped his arms around her, tightening his embrace to further prove his point before finally breaking the kiss, his breaths coming in quick pants. "You and I came into this relationship together, Sage. I need you to meet me halfway."

Sage felt hot tears sting her eyes. "I want to, Finn, but you have to understand that I'm not exactly thrilled about you being gone all the time. Don't get me wrong, I love you and I'm happy that you got the promotion, but it's the fact that you have be away from your family that bothers me."

"So, basically what you're telling me is that you want to end our marriage because you don't want the chance to travel with me?" Finn asked, turning his head to look away from her.

Sage raised an eyebrow. "What did you say?"

"I'd take you with me, Sage," he replied. "I wouldn't leave you behind."

Sage pulled him to her in a tight hug. "I'm sorry, Finn, I didn't mean to get angry. I don't want to end our marriage. I love you too much to do that."

Author's Note: It's almost time to see the end of this, y'all. I think the next chapter will focus on some of those couples forgotten, and the final chapter will as well. Thanks for taking this journey with Erin and me; it has been a long time coming to the end. WE LOVE YOU ALL!