John's fingers lazily travelled the length of Selene's arm in a soft caress, from shoulder to wrist, just enjoying the silky feel of her skin for what could potentially be the last time.

He sighed, looking down at the woman snuggled against his side, tucked in under his arm, her head pillowed on his chest as naturally as if she'd been there forever, like she belonged there. God, the thought of not seeing her again was one too horrible to even consider, but considering it he was. He wouldn't be himself if he didn't.

None of them knew what the morning would bring, what they would find out there in the Oort cloud, if they would even find their father let alone bring him safely home. The possibilities were many and varied and hardly any of them were good. This would be their most dangerous mission yet and he had felt the need to put certain precautions in place.

As if sensing the direction his mind had taken her arm tightened around his waist and she shifted restlessly. Typical of her, she couldn't even let him have his thoughts to himself, not that he minded.

Selene had given him the final choice over how they would spend the evening, and while he'd felt a touch of guilt that he wasn't on the island with his brothers, he knew that he needed the calm quiet of her and the apartment rather than the noisy chaos of the villa.

He could picture it, Scott stomping around in full on worry mode, Virgil trying to calm him, Gordon just making things worse and Alan bouncing like an excited puppy. He loved his family but more often than not they were very hard to handle. Selene was good at bridging the gap and acting as a buffer but even she had given up on them the past week.

No, the idea of spending the night fielding questions and brothers could not compare to a night on the couch with a take out, a movie and his woman.

They had tried to put the upcoming event out of their minds as best they could, but as was often the case they had ended up talking things through. Selene, being Selene, had refused to even consider the possibility that anything would go wrong, her blind faith in them all was loyal and commendable, if not a little misguided.

He'd had to try very hard not to get frustrated with her because of it, she could be a dreamer, relying on faith and hope and the belief in the magic of fate, whereas he was more of a realist and felt that such things needed to be talked about, planned for and accepted as part of the job.

They had all come to terms with the fact that their lives with International Rescue would never be easy or safe, there were no guarantees and he preferred to go into things with his eyes open. Selene on the other hand had not found that mindset yet, she hadn't been with them long enough for that, and that meant she was often more dismissive of even the thought of tragedy striking. He was not, he was nervous, something that he rarely felt even in their line of work.

Usually they were thrown in at the deep end and flying by the seat of their pants, making it up as they went along, giving them no time to overthink things. This time was different, months of planning had led up to this one moment and that meant that he'd had months to ponder over every single tiny aspect. It didn't help that he was often alone for long periods as he wasn't as actively involved with the building of the craft. His area of expertise had been in the programming of the systems, the plotting of the course, the amalgamation of Five and EOS with the on board system of the Zero-XL, all of which had been easier done from him space station while Brains, The Mechanic and Virgil had toiled away back at base.

John was someone that liked to feel secure in his knowledge, to know that every eventuality had been planned for, every base covered and he'd done his best to do that, both professionally and personally. Being so alone had also given him time to put plans for his personal life in motion away from International Rescue and the family business, giving him the peace of mind that he needed.

Unfortunately that didn't stop the nagging anxiety that was eating away at him, poking at him when he least expected it and it was pissing him off, it wasn't something he was used to experiencing. In the middle of his morning shower it was there, during his scheduled breaks that Selene insisted on and had programmed into EOS, even in his dreams.

He didn't dream often, or if he did he didn't recall them by the time EOS woke him, but the past month there had been a marked increase in nightmares, usually culminating in him jolting awake, bathed in sweat, his heart racing and a concerned EOS peppering him with questions.

Disturbing images haunted him, his subconscious mocking him when he could do nothing to stop it. He saw the Zero-XL exploding as they had thought the original had, he saw his dad, or more accurately what was left of him, decaying in the battered remains of the Zero-X cockpit. Most disturbing of all was when he saw his Grandmother receiving the news that, not only that she'd lost her son all over again, but her grandsons too, her entire blood family wiped out in an instant. He recalled the look on her face when they had received the news of the Zero-X explosion, and the thought of her going through that again, times five, was horrifying.

And then there was Selene, doing what she always did, being strong and an emotional crutch for everyone else, while silently dealing with her own grief and heartbreak. The image of her breaking down as soon as she was alone was just too real to ignore.

She didn't just love him, she loved them all, she wouldn't just lose her future husband, she'd lose her best friends and her younger siblings. He knew his Grandma, Penelope and Parker would never abandon her, they would all be there for her, but they would have lost just as much, especially with the blooming relationship between Gordon and Penny. It was just too horrendous to contemplate but something he couldn't get out of his head.

They were both physically sated and mentally exhausted and Selene had quickly fallen asleep, snoring lightly in his ear. How he wished he could do the same. He'd been studying her face for the last two hours, committing every single detail to memory, so that when he closed his eyes she was there, a full colour picture in his mind.

He glanced at the clock on the bedside table, seeing that the numbers hadn't changed much since the last time he'd looked, there was only two hours before dawn when he was due to leave and head up to Five to prepare for the rendezvous with the Zero-XL.

It was no good, he was far too restless, far too unlikely to fall asleep and if he did it would just make it harder to get up when the alarm went off. There was plenty of work he could be doing that would keep his mind occupied and take it away from the thought of never seeing her again.

They had a tradition in International Rescue, one that Scott had brought with him from his Air Force days, they never said goodbye, just variants of "see ya later, bye for now, catch you on the flip side, see you back at base," anything but goodbye. It was too real.

God, he didn't want to say goodbye to her, he never wanted to say those words, because there was a finality in that, an admittance that it might potentially be forever. She wasn't going anywhere but he was and he didn't want her last moments with him to be an emotional farewell. He'd call her before they left, wish her luck with her first day working with the GDF and force out a cheerful 'see you soon' because that's what they both needed to hear.

Mind made up he slowly, carefully, extracted himself from her embrace, deftly tucking his pillow into her arms for her to cuddle. She looked so sweet and innocent with her nose buried in the pillow, her hair obscuring her face. Unable to resist he gently stroked the hair back, smoothing it out and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. He didn't want that to be their last kiss, but he hadn't been able to leave without one.

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a sheaf of papers, placing them lightly on her bedside table. At least now he knew that, should the worst happen, she'd be taken care of. He'd been planning on giving them to her earlier in the evening but as usual she had succeeded in distracting him, of turning the conversation in a more pleasant, less maudlin direction and he hadn't had the heart to press the issue. Besides, she'd probably yell at him and tell him he was being stupid and maybe he was.

Taking his clothes with him he crossed over to the door, pausing to take one last look at the love of his life. His brothers were all saying that this mission was going to be the hardest thing they would ever have to face, but they weren't the ones leaving their heart behind on earth.

"I love you," he whispered, hoping that somehow, somewhere deep in her dreams, she had heard him.

He shut the door behind him and let himself out onto her roof where Five's elevator was waiting for him.

A loud crack of thunder shook the building, jerking Selene awake. Grumbling in annoyance she tightened her arm around John, already halfway asleep again. Huh…he was unusually squishy. She opened her eyes to a face full of pillow rather than the delectable muscles she was used to.

"Babe?"

No answer. She'd gotten used to him getting up in the middle of the night, unable to sleep, his sleep pattern almost non existent most days, but he always, always answered her if he was there and hadn't vanished to spend time with his other love high in the sky.

"John!" She sat up in bed, her heart pounding, something didn't feel right. Reaching over she switched on the bedside lamp and reached for her comm to call him.

"The fuck is this?" distracted she picked up the neatly stapled papers, the front one bearing nothing but her name and a series of numbers, 210662. Frowning she flipped over to the next page.

"Deed of sale? Property?" there was her address as plain as day, the signatures below both John's, her landlady's and someone she didn't recognise.

"Oh no he fucking didn't."

She grabbed her comm out of her bedside drawer.

"John?"

No reply.

"John, Don't you dare ignore me."

The comm beeped but remained silent. Was it broken?

"EOS?"

"Yes, Selene?"

Selene sighed in relief, the sweetly childlike voice a comfort.

"Can you put me through to John?"

"No, John has blocked all incoming calls for the next hour."

"What? Don't be silly, he'll talk to me."

"He has blocked all incoming calls."

"Well override it!"

"I can't, he has locked me out."

Selene growled under her breath, glancing at the papers again, noticing the numbers.

"EOS, what is 210662?"

The AI was silent for a few seconds.

"There is a video file that matches that number, it is labelled 'end of the road'."

Selene's heart dropped.

"Please play it."

"John has labeled it private and I will not break his trust."

Selene sighed, trying to not let her impatience show or to take her frustrations out on the AI. "Baby girl, it's important that I see that file, I need to know what's in it, I need to help him."

"I cannot."

"EOS, if you can but don't want to, I understand, but you need to trust me on this. Remember when John told you that sometimes things aren't so black and white, how sometimes humans make mistakes due to their emotions and fears?"

"Yes."

"I think this is one of those times. I need to see that file, please."

Again EOS went quiet, obviously thinking before she spoke.

"One moment please."

Selene held her breath.

John's hologram popped out of her comm, his eyes focused on what must be a camera in front of him, his voice his usual cool and calm tone, but that did little to ease her worries.

"This is the last will and testament of John Glenn Ray Tracy of International Rescue and if you are watching this it means that something, somewhere went very wrong…"

"EOS! Get the elevator down here, right now! Don't argue, just do it!"

Something in her tone must have scared even the unflappable AI.

"Lowering now."

The video still playing, Selene dragged on his dressing gown that he'd left draped over a chair and raced for the door, not even bothering to lock it. She slammed her hand down on the keypad to the roof and sprinted up the stairs.

The rain was hammering down outside and she was soaked in seconds, not that she gave a fuck. The elevator seemed to take forever although she knew it was only eight minutes. The dark sky lit up in rhythmic pulses as the storm raged overhead, seeming to match her mood.

She watched the video back twice while waiting, the image rippling and distorting, battered by the rain and another three times in the elevator. Each time was worse than the last, his words drilling themselves into her brain.

"Where?"

"I do not understand."

"Where is he, EOS?"

"John is in his bedroom."

The elevator docked and as soon as the door opened she took off running.

"John!"

He stood up the second she burst through the door, his shock at seeing her there evident on his face. She was soaked through, her hair plastered to her head, hanging limply around her face. His dressing gown was stuck to her skin, giving him a clear view of every part of her.

Why was she even awake? Selene could sleep for England and they had both been tired the night before. She had a long day coming up, just as he did and she needed her rest.

He'd finished all he could do in preparation and had been taking a quiet few minutes on his bunk, watching the world below. There was a comfort in knowing that whatever happened the earth would keep spinning as it had for millions of years, those on it would be safe and life would continue with or without them. That was one thing about the human race you could always count on, they were survivors, they would continue to grow, to live, to simply be.

He felt calmer now, more in control, knowing he had done all he could to prepare for every eventuality and now there she was, as always, bursting into his carefully organised existence and shaking things up.

She looked awful, her eyes wide, her face pale, breathing ragged as if she'd run a marathon. What the hell had happened in the hour he'd been gone? Had something gone wrong? Someone been hurt? Was she hurt?

Automatically he reached for her, offering her comfort and shelter in his embrace. Wanting, no, needing, to fix things and make them better as she so often did for them.

She wondered if he would turn her away, make her leave or worse, but he immediately opened his arms. She threw herself into them, clinging to him, tears already leaking their way down her face. His arms wrapped around her, crushing her against his chest as her lips found his in a desperate, heartbreaking kiss.

She sank into his embrace, melting at each touch of his lips, her fingers tunnelling into his hair to keep him close.

He held her freezing body in his arms, feeling her shivering as if it were his own. She was soaked to the bone, her skin icy cold, the dampness soaking through his suit. What had she been thinking?

He broke the kiss, resting his forehead against hers, his breathing slightly ragged.

"What are you doing here? Are you OK? Did something happen?"

"What am I doing here? Yes something happened, I woke up and you were gone. Now tell me what the hell you were thinking? How could you leave like that?"

"I didn't want to say goodbye, it's tradition."

She frowned, confused? "Goodbye? You'll be back in a day or two. And that doesn't explain the paperwork or that video."

Video? EOS. She had obviously caved and showed Selene the file that contained his will. He hadn't expected Selene to jump straight into asking EOS what it was, in fact he hadn't expected this from her at all. He'd thought she'd wake up with her alarm and he'd accept her call a minute later, soothe her ruffled feathers at him being slightly high handed in the purchasing of her apartment and she'd forgive him as soon as he explained.

His arms dropped as he stepped back, needing to put some distance between them, he couldn't think when she was so close. He grabbed his blanket and draped it around her shoulders, rubbing at her chilled arms. She growled in frustration, jerking away and tossing the blanket to the floor.

"Don't try to distract me, answer the damn question. You bought my home and you left a gods damned will! John, what the fuck?"

He sank back down onto the edge of his bed, his fingers raking through his hair. He should have known she would react like this, he was stupid to think otherwise, to expect her to act like a rational human being. She never saw things the same way he did. It was one of the few things that managed to annoy him about her and one of the most frequent things they argued about.

"I wanted to make sure you would be OK. Some people buy their partners jewellery, I went with concrete and steel."

She folded her arms, glaring at him.

How could she not see that he was merely doing the sensible thing? It was something they would have had to discuss eventually, he'd just sped along the process and missed out the discussion part. He hadn't known she'd react this badly, angry, yes, shouting, definitely, but looking so desperately scared? Not his Selene.

"I know how much you love that apartment, so I figured that if everything went well you'd save some money on rent and we'd still have our little home away from home, and if it didn't then you'd at least have that."

She continued to glare, one foot tapping, a sure sign that she was very angry and trying not to kill someone, namely him.

Maybe she hadn't been so immune to the same worries he had? Just because she didn't voice them didn't mean they weren't there.

"We aren't married yet, so you'd have no claim to anything of mine, so I wanted to make sure that you would be provided for."

"Do you honestly think I care about any of that? All I care about is you. You're my home, you're my world, that's all I need," she exploded.

He looked up then, and she saw an echo of fear in his eyes that mirrored her own, although he kept it carefully hidden behind what she always referred to as his work mask.

"But what if I'm not there anymore? Maybe not this time, but another. You'll need looking after, you and Grandma. Scott has things put in place for her, but I wasn't sure if he had updated anything to include you, I wanted to make sure."

"There's not even a need to discuss this. You can't think that way."

"Yes, there is. This is a very serious situation, one that we do not have complete control over. We have no idea what we're going to find out there. Much as I would love to be able to just ignore things the way you do-"

"You think I ignore things? That I cant be serious or fully grasp the concept that you are literally flying out of the fucking galaxy with your entire family and that I'm not there with you?"

"I didn't mean that-"

"Do you honestly think that I wouldn't rather be there? That I wouldn't rather know exactly what was happening to you, to actually have a fucking clue what happened to you if you didn't come back? Do you think I want to be stuck here not knowing? Not having any fucking idea if you're alive or dead? Fuck that shit! I can be serious, but I prefer to not be, because that makes shit easier and means I can get through my days without constantly needing to be by your side."

John got to his feet in a burst of movement, too angry to stay seated. For someone who was usually so good at judging his moods, of understanding his ways and his motivation for the things he did, she was doing a pretty poor job of it at that moment.

"That's exactly my point! I wouldn't know either! I wouldn't know if you are alright, if you're looked after and taken care of. I wanted that surety, I needed that surety. I needed to know that you were safe, that's why I won't let you come!" How could she not understand his point?

"So you get your way, you get to just skip the fucking planet and know that everything, including me, is wrapped up in a neat and orderly little package? Newsflash, babe, life can't always be organised and planned."

"Do you think I don't know that? We deal with disasters on an almost daily basis that never go according to plan. I just needed to be able to focus on the tasks at hand without worrying about you!"

"I don't need you to worry about me! I was perfectly fine and dandy without your input into my life for the last 25 years and I can do it again!"

"I wanted to make it easier!"

"For who? Me or you?" she poked at his chest with an accusatory finger. "Who was all this really for? I'll tell you, its for you, not me. Because all I need to focus on is the fact that you are going to get your arse back here and drag your dad with you, no doubt he's as stubborn and annoying as you, and then you'll shut the fuck up, kiss me and stop trying organise my entire widowhood!"

"You won't have a widowhood because you haven't actually married me! That's my point! Legally you'd have nothing!"

"You know it's not been the right time for that, we've all been way too busy."

"Oh, well I'm sorry if finding the time to marry me is too much trouble!"

"Too much trouble? I'm the one that just had to block eight wedding dress company newsletters that your Grandma signed me up for! We both agreed, we wait until your dad's home."

"And what if we don't find him? Or if we don't even make it back ourselves? Then you're back to having nothing!" he dropped back down onto his bunk, his head dropping into his hands, suddenly so tired of arguing. He was leaving in less than seven hours, she was due at the GDF in two and she was currently soaking wet in nothing but his ugly thin silk dressing gown and intent on driving him insane.

Watching the fight go out of her man was scary, but that's exactly how it had felt to her. Seeing the proof of his worry that he might not survive had shaken her to the core. She didn't want to argue with him, she didn't want to let him go with anger, hurt and misunderstandings between them.

She dropped to her knees, all anger draining away in a split second and took his hands in hers.

"Baby, you're coming back to me, that's all there is to know. You're coming home, we're getting married, your Grandma is not baking the cake-"

He shook his head. "You can't know that, logically-"

"Fuck logic, this is about faith and belief. My faith in all of you, my belief in us. We're a team, there's no me without you, you're it for me." She needed to prove it to him, prove to him that everything would be OK, that she believed in him, that she was right there by his side even if he was far away.

"Faith isn't everyth- what are you doing?"

Selene had dropped his hands to tug at the dressing gown. She peeled it off, removed the belt and tossed the soaking gown aside, uncaring as to the fact she was now naked. She made a loop out of the belt, with a slip knot, something she'd obviously learned from Scott and held it up.

"Give me your hand."

"Why? We don't have time to waste right now."

"Your hand, give it to me," she repeated refusing to take no for an answer.

He held out his hand, completely bemused.

"It's totally the wrong time of year, the wrong moon phase, the wrong fucking cords and the wrong fucking place, but it's the right us, and that's all that matters right now. We'll do it properly soon, but this is just for us, our bond."

She placed her hand on top of his, linking their fingers and slipped the loop over their joined hands, pulling it tight.

"You cannot possess me, for I belong to myself, but while we both wish it, for a year and a day, I give you what is mine to give. You cannot command me, for I am a free person, but I am also yours."

"Selene, what are you doing?" She was the one tying him up, how was that possessing her?

"A very improvised and unofficial handfasting, now shut up and listen."

She wrapped the cord around their hands once.

"I pledge my vow on bended knees that it will be your eyes into which I smile every morning, I pledge to you my living and my dying, each equally in your care. I shall be a shield for your back as you will be for mine."

She wrapped the end of the belt around their hands again.

"Our destinies are aligned, we shall walk our path together in both sunshine and rain. We will celebrate the joy that true love brings, we will face adversity together and find strength in this union, for we know that we are blessed."

A small smile twitched at the corners of his mouth, amused by the irony of the situation, the fact that it had taken the potential of them all being lost to space to get her to actually make a step towards marrying him. He knew it wasn't official, it wasn't even a proper ceremony for her belief system, but she was right, they needed this, he needed to share a little of her faith.

"Your turn."

He hadn't prepared for this, but it was so like her to spring it on him. I didn't know the words he was supposed to say as they had planned on writing their own vows. He didn't know what to say, so simply spoke from the heart.

"All I can give is my love, my time, attention, trust, honesty and devotion. I promise to always be true to you."

She managed one more wrap of the belt.

"I love you, and to you I offer my sacred vow, to honour and love you for a year and a day. Do you accept my vow?"

"Just a year and a day?" He'd done his research, he knew how handfasting worked, you could pick a year and a day and renew each year or dissolve the relationship, you could choose as long as love lasts or this life and the next.

"It means you have to come back to me so we can do it properly and make it for all time. Plus that way no one bitches that they missed out on anything, we are never telling them about this, just FYI, because I will force Kayo into a bridesmaid's dress if it's the last thing I do. I'm giving you my heart, here and now. Will you take it?"

God he loved this woman and all her crazy ways. He hadn't meant to upset her or imply that he had no intention of coming home, he'd do everything humanly possible to get back to her, he'd just had to make sure that she would be looked after, needing to give himself that peace of mind.

"I will, I accept your vow and offer my own in return."

"Say it, promise me."

"I promise to come back and marry you properly because I love you."

"Do you have faith?"

"I do."

"Good, or I'd have kicked your arse."

He started laughing then, using their joined hands to pull her up and onto his lap.

"I didn't know what I was missing until you crashed into my life and rampaged around in my heart."

She snorted, she'd done no such thing, she was a demure, sweet little thing.

"We'll do this legally very soon, and when we do, my father will be there to see it."

"Yes, he will." She kissed him softly.

"I'm sorry for scaring you and for leaving like that. It wasn't intentional. I would have explained it to you before now, but you didn't give me a chance."

She wrapped her free arm around his middle, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"I know, and I know you didn't mean to upset me, you were just being your usual, organised self, I should have realised that, but I panicked, it seemed like you'd given up, that you knew something I didn't. I guess, seeing that, it just made it a bit too real. I didn't want to give in to my own worries that you wouldn't make it back."

"I promise you, I'm coming home."

"I know you are, and I promise I'll be right there waiting for you."

They lapsed into silence for a few minutes, content to just hold each other before Selene felt the need to speak.

"What were you doing before I got here?"

He shifted her weight further onto his lap, then pointed down at the clear floor below their feet.

She followed his finger, her eyes widening at the sight. There below them hung the now familiar sight of the earth, the pinpricks of light from a million buildings creating a glittering image in the darkness, but directly below where they sat she could see little flashes that she'd never witnessed before. They exploded in the air above the earth, lighting up the clouds, each lasting no longer than a few seconds but very much there. It looked like camera flashes, like the planet was being paparazzied and was striking a pose.

"What is that?"

"Lightning, I was watching the storm," he tugged gently on a wet strand of hair that clung to her neck. "Looks like it got you good."

"That it did."

"Grab that blanket or you'll freeze."

She leant over and caught the end of the blanket, pulling it closer.

"I don't want to leave you yet."

"Then don't, not until you have to."