Chapter 37

Drake

I couldn't sleep that night. Neither could Jimmy, because at about three A.M., he got up, soundlessly put on his clothes, and left the room. I pretended to be asleep, but I knew he was going to meet Emma. I'd seen his mobile phone screen project its light onto the ceiling. Once he'd gone, I started tossing and turning, thinking about everything that was going on. Our bachelor party had been amazing, but real life was about to start again. I was pretty sure Jimmy and Iris had planned something for my birthday, and of course, Iris and I were getting married. That night.

But Olivia was still captured.

We had so much to worry about. I lay down on my back, and stared at the ceiling. I was worried about a lot of other things as well. I was afraid of Iris being hurt the upcoming week, or our baby… I'd never felt so scared in my entire life. The most afraid I'd ever been, was the time after my father had passed. In my eyes, he was the strongest man alive, and I'd never thought I'd lose him. When I did, I felt so insecure, life grew scary in an instant, like a maze I couldn't find my way out of. This time was even worse. The idea of something happening to Iris or our baby… it wasn't in a maze.
I was trying to swim the fucking Atlantic, without a swimming certificate.

I groaned as I brought my hands to my face and rubbed. I needed Iris to be safe, I needed her gone. Out of sight, out of reach, no assassins. She'd kill me if I ever brought it up, I knew that… but I still preferred a fight over her getting hurt. I'd seen her fight, I knew she was capable of many things… but she was too important to be a "possible" target. I knew Jimmy, Emma and Tim agreed with me, we'd talked about if before, at Bellatio. Mark and Bree warned us about Iris getting angry if we'd ever suggest her leaving. I knew that as well… but I also knew I was going to, after the elopement. Maybe not the best time, but we were lacking in time, so right after would be as good a time as any.

I tossed and turned for a while longer, mentally making a list of all the things that needed to be done before the wedding. Saving Olivia and finding out who Godfrey's son was were at the top of my list, and right below, I'd place capturing both Godfrey and his son. I sighed. Seven days. We had seven days.

I turned onto my right side and grabbed my phone to look at the time. 03:30 A.M. Damn. I was hoping Iris was sleeping, but somehow, I expected her to be awake, like me. It didn't feel good, spending the night away from her. I texted her. "You awake?" It didn't take long before I received a notification. "Can't sleep?" I sighed. She was awake. Even though I really wanted to talk to her, I had hoped she'd be sleeping. "No, and you can't either I see?" I was staring at the screen. I could see she was typing.
"No. Tossing and turning." She continued typing. "I miss you next to me."

Iris

I wasn't having a panic attack, I wasn't. But I was slightly panicked. My mind couldn't stop racing, thinking about all the things we still had to do before the wedding. It made me more than scared. I was terrified. I was replaying Drake's words in my head. We're the Walkers. We would conquer.

I bit my lip. Would we?

Drake and I were getting married that night. We were eloping, which was about the last thing we'd do that didn't involve guns, knives and fighting techniques. Jimmy and I had decided to save Olivia the day after Drake's birthday, which bought us a little time to find more information on Godfrey's son. Regina and Madeleine were searching every file, yet hadn't found anything so far. The waiting was driving me crazy, and I needed Drake by my side. I needed his slow and steady breathing to keep me calm. Emma had left a while before that, to meet Jimmy, and I'd pretended to be asleep. I didn't want Emma to worry, she had enough on her plate as it was, becoming a queen… God.

I was slightly startled when I received a text. I turned on my right side and grabbed my phone, seeing it was a text from Drake. He was up too… maybe he'd woken up because Jimmy had left? Or had he been tossing and turning as well? I texted him I missed him next to me. Truth was, I didn't just miss him. I needed him next to me. We'd only known each other about seven months, and here we were. About to get married and pregnant. I'd never expected myself to fall this hard and quickly, but yet again, here I was. I needed him. I'd always need him.

He didn't react to my text. In some way I was hoping he'd fallen asleep, so that he'd get at least a little bit of sleep on his birthday… but on the other hand, I wanted him to stay awake, so I could talk to him, and remain calm. When he didn't answer for five minutes, I slowly put my phone aside, rolling onto my back. He'd fallen asleep. I sighed and stared at the ceiling. Suddenly, I heard a soft knock on my door. My heart skipped a beat. Would that be Drake?
Emma wouldn't knock, she had a key. I slipped out of bed and walked over to the door. 'Drake?' I asked, before I opened the door. 'Yeah, it's me,' I heard his low voice say. I smiled big and opened the door, revealing my handsome fiancé. I felt somewhat calmer immediately.

'I left Jimmy a message, saying he and Emma can go to our room. I need to be with you right now,' he said, as he walked in and pulled me in his embrace. I hugged him tightly and nodded, feeling a small lump in my throat. A thankful one. I closed the door behind him, and led him to my bed, crawling onto the covers together. He took off his shirt and his sweats, and pulled me close. 'I couldn't stop thinking about all the things we have yet to do,' I admitted, 'what about you?' He stroke my cheek with his thumb, and I rested my hand on his upper arm, feeling his muscles flex as he moved his arm. 'I had the same. Freeing Olivia, capturing Godfrey and his son… all those things,' he sighed. He ran his hand through my hair and kissed my forehead.

'We can hardly fix anything from here,' I said, then shook my head. 'What am I saying, we can't fix anything from here… we can't even fix anything once we're back in Cordonia.' His eyes turned lucid. 'We can't, I admit, that's one of the things that terrifies me. I keep thinking we'll make it through, and we'll conquer… but time is now officially running out.' I frowned, and put my forehead against his. 'I was replaying your words in my head, not to panic. We're the Walkers.' I let my finger slide over his wound softly, his had almost healed, yet still hurt him, I was pretty sure. 'You survived a bullet for me…' He cupped my cheeks and pressed his lips onto mine, in a sudden, urgent manor. 'And I will fucking survive ten more, even though I'd rather not have to,' he said, cocking an eyebrow. I smiled slightly. 'I don't want you to.'

We were silent for a little while, just being in each other's presence was calming the both of us down. 'I hated being apart from you,' I admitted, leaning back so I could look at him. 'I am officially a train wreck when you're not around.' A small smile curled his lips, 'I'm glad it's not just me. It wasn't making me happy either.' I was silent for a few seconds. 'Hey,' I said softly. 'You may not want to hear this, but…' I rolled on top of him and smiled big. 'It's your birthday and you're now twenty-seven!' He frowned, 'Yeah, I didn't want to hear that!' I chuckled and covered his face in kisses, making him chuckle involuntarily. 'Stop it, Valentine, you can't make me excited for something I dislike.' I grinned. 'I bet I can.' He raised his eyebrows. 'Fine, you make me smile with a birthday fact.' 'What do I get when I win?' He snorted, 'don't be so smug. You get a kiss.' I nodded appreciatively. 'I can live with that. How many chances do I get?' He frowned. 'Two.' I rippled my nose. 'Three.' He rolled his eyes. 'Fine, three.'

I grinned. 'Okay, we'll first of all… you get to see my naked body today.' His lower lip quivered slightly. 'That's not fair, that has nothing to do with my birthday.' I smiled. 'Of course it does, you love seeing me naked, so why wouldn't you get to on your birthday?' He almost smiled, yet kept it in. 'That I do, Valentine. Next?' 'Well, you get to ride a horse today,' I said happily. The almost-smile left his face. 'That's a real let down after talking about your naked body,' he said. I chuckled, 'I'm actually glad to hear you say that. Fine, then number three… this must make you smile.' I cupped his cheek. 'In less than twenty-four hours, I'm your wife, and you're my husband.'

He wasn't even fighting it. His lips curled up into a smile, a big one even, and he kissed me lovingly. 'I admit defeat, marrying you will definitely make my day.' He flipped us, hovered over me and kissed me again. 'Now where is that naked body?'

Only a few hours later, Drake and I woke up in each other's arms, at around seven thirty. My alarm clock went off, quite early, because our flight was leaving at twelve. Drake groaned and pulled me closer. 'I don't want to get up this early,' he grumbled. I chuckled and shook my head. 'Me neither, but we've got to go back to Bellatio. We can sleep once we're in the air.' 'I'm not travelling in a different airplane again,' he stated. 'It's my birthday, they can't do that to me.' I let out a laugh and kissed his cheek. I stepped out of bed and looked at him, as he kept lying there, his eyes closed. I grinned, and undressed soundlessly. I threw my top and shorts onto his head. At first he was startled, but then he reached for the clothes and realised what they were.

He shot up, seeing me naked. He smiled and shook his head. 'I don't think I'll ever stop loving this sight.' I blushed slightly and stroke a strand of hair behind my ear. I walked towards the bathroom, and heard him groan. 'Where are you going?' I grinned and bit my lip as I turned around. 'I'm going to shower, but you're welcome to join me.' I winked and walked into the bathroom. I stepped into the shower, and let the hot water engulf me. Just a few seconds later, I felt Drake's body behind me. 'Decided to get out of bed, huh?' I asked, and turned around to meet his eyes. He grinned mischievously. 'As if I'd ever pass on a shower invitation.' I let out a laugh.

We showered quickly, brushed our teeth, and he put his clothes back on and texted Jimmy that he'd be coming back to his room. Jimmy texted back quite soon, and so Drake left, after giving me a kiss. I smiled at the door, after he'd gone. I sat down onto the bed, and smiled even bigger at the thought of me being his wife by nightfall.

Drake

'Drake, you know that if you do this, of course we'll back you up, but she won't be happy. Are you sure?' Emma asked, as she was sitting on Jimmy's bed, fully clothed, as Jimmy was packing his stuff. As I'd returned to the room, Emma asked me why I'd gone to see Iris. I explained that both of us couldn't sleep, and that I'd been up, mostly because I was afraid of her and the baby getting hurt. I grabbed my toiletries and threw them in my suitcase, rubbing my face with a groan. 'I don't know, Em. I just know that I don't want her anywhere near Lythikos. I'd be a damned fool to let her go… right?' I said, looking at Jimmy, who looked conflicted. 'Of course, but wouldn't she feel the same? Almost everyone she loves is going, what do you think it'll be like for her if she stays behind?' He said, folding his arms.

'Yeah sure, but she's carrying the future prince or princess, and she's my best friend. She needs to be safe,' Emma stated, frowning at me. I threw my hands in the air. 'Here you go, the exact reasons why I am in doubts.' Emma stood up and walked towards the door. 'Maybe you shouldn't worry about it today, Drake. Today is your birthday, and we've planned something low key to have one more day… and then we'll rescue Olivia. Maybe you can bring it up tomorrow morning?' Emma suggested.

Well that was going to be a short lived wedding bliss.

I sighed. 'Doesn't matter when I'll tell her. She'll hate me for it anyway.' Jimmy put his hand on my shoulder and smiled half-heartedly. 'She won't hate you… but maybe we'll have to push back the wedding a bit.' I grimaced. 'Thanks, Jimmy,' I said sarcastically. 'I'm going to grab my stuff. I'll see you at breakfast. Drake, put on a smile and suck it up today,' Emma said, looking stern. I cocked my eyebrows. 'Wow, great advice, thanks.' She chuckled, 'well yeah, you don't want her to find out prematurely, do you?' I shook my head quickly.
She'd be too busy being mad instead of being a bride tonight.

Emma left, and Jimmy and I finished our packing, in silence at first. 'Why couldn't you and Emma sleep?' He sighed. 'I couldn't stop thinking about how to free Olivia, and Emma couldn't stop thinking about how to stop Iris from going, just like you.' I cursed and threw my suitcase off the bed, staring at Jimmy. 'We're all thinking it, how much could she hate us for it?' Jimmy snorted sarcastically. 'You're the one marrying her, Drake, I think you know the answer to that quite well.' I sighed, and grabbed my suitcase again, regretting my action because now I'd had to pack it all again. 'I just…' I said, my voice slightly hoarse as I stared at my scattered stuff. 'I…'

Jimmy walked up to me and put his hand on my shoulder. 'I know you do. We all do.'