Series-, Episode-: A Thousand Years

Date: Thursday 2nd/Friday 3rd/Saturday 4th June 2016

Investigating Officers: -


"Hey, Han!" The redhead was instantly suspicious of her brother's overly cheery tone.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" He replied, too quickly to convince her.

"Max, tell me what's happened?" Hannah was suddenly worried. She glanced around CID before hunching over her desk and resting her forehead on her palm. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah… no, I'm fine, it's just… there's been a slight problem."

Rubbing her forehead tiredly, she focused her full attention on the conversation. "Max, please, just tell me what's happened."

"So… I've broken my leg."

"What?" Hannah jumped out of her chair, immediately panicking. She didn't even care that she'd attracted most of CID's attention with her movement. "Max! I'm getting married on Saturday! How the hell did you break your leg? Who's going to give me away now?"

"I know, I'm sorry. I slipped by the pool and fell awkwardly. It was a complete accident – I wasn't even drunk." He said and she could tell that he was genuinely apologetic. It didn't help her anxiety, though. "I've arranged a substitute to walk you down the aisle. I think you'll approve."

Her mind immediately jumped to their stepfather. "Who? Max? Is it Ian? He's nice enough and I'm glad Mum's happily married to him, but I've known the guy for like five minutes and I don't want him walking me down the aisle."

"No, it's not Ian."

"So… who?"

"Jack." Max announced, sounding incredibly pleased with himself.

Hannah paused. "What? Jack? Jack Meadows?"

"Of course."

"He actually agreed?"

"Of course he did! He was delighted." Max continued. "I'm still doing the speech, though."

"Yeah, about that…" Hannah wrinkled her nose. "You're going to get someone to read through it, right? Maybe Freya or Ellie?"

He chuckled. "Don't you trust me?"

"Trust you? You broke your leg two days before my wedding! Are you gonna be alright to get home? Will they let you get your flight tonight?"

"No problem." Max agreed cheerfully. "All sorted."

Shaking her head as he ended the call, she leant back in her chair. Knowing that she should inform her fiancée of the change of plans immediately, but also knowing that Jo was likely to completely freak out at the news, Hannah debated making her way downstairs to speak to her straight away. Deciding to get it over and done with as soon as possible, the redhead ignored everyone else in the office and stalked through the double doors and along the corridor.

"Callum? Piss off." She ordered, opening the Sergeants' office door and spotting both of them in there.

He huffed at her and clearly considered arguing, before spotting the challenging expression on her face. Instead, he muttered something about heading out to chase up a victim statement and left them alone. Jo arched an eyebrow, leaning back in her chair and watching as her fiancée rounded her desk and perched on the surface in front of her.

"That was overly rude, even for you." She announced casually, tilting her head to one side. "What's happened?"

"Max has broken his leg, so he can't give me away."

"You fucking what?" Jo demanded, her face contorting as the words sank in. "What the hell are we going to do? We're getting married in two days, Han? Who's going to give you away?"

"It's sorted. Max sorted it before he even told me what had happened." Hannah chuckled. "You'll never guess who he's conned into giving me away."

"Oh god, who?"

"Jack."

There was a pause and then Jo smiled with clear relief. "That makes sense."

"Huh?" Hannah blinked a couple of times, confused by her reaction. "What d'you mean?"

"I bet Jack was delighted."

"That's literally the word Max used." Hannah told her. "I don't get why?"

Laughing, the brunette wheeled her chair closer and situated herself between her fiancée's legs. "Jack loves you, babe. He literally thinks of you as a wayward daughter he needs to keep a close eye on. I bet he's completely honoured to have been asked."

"I'll have to ring him later and check."

Jo laughed again, squeezing her thighs. "You also need to phone Stevie and check she's still OK to take Molly, Fin and Cait home when she leaves with Freddie and Ava. If not, Gina said she'd have them."

"So inconvenient that my best mate has a seven-month-old."

"I mean… she is babysitting our three youngest, so…"

"Yeah, fair enough." Hannah conceded. "That is a bonus, actually."

"Right… go and get on with some work." Jo ordered, leaning in and kissing her quickly. "Make the most of your last shift for three weeks, but do not get punched or stabbed or shot at, do you understand?"


Jo stared at her phone, willing it to ring. They had agreed that it made more sense for Hannah to phone when she'd managed to get all the children to bed, but the brunette was now regretting that arrangement. She wanted to speak to her fiancée and she had no idea how much longer it was going to be before Hannah got the chance to call.

Ellie had wanted Jo to stay at hers, but they'd soon decided that sharing a house with a six-week-old baby the night before her wedding might not be the best idea. Instead, she'd taken up Jen's offer to stay at her flat. Hannah had groused at her fiancée's wish to follow the tradition of spending the night before the wedding apart, but hadn't argued too much.

"I'm so sorry, my love." The younger woman apologised as soon as Jo accepted her call. "Molly was having a minor breakdown about tomorrow. Apparently she now hates the colour of her bridesmaid's dress."

"How is that even possible? Blue is her favourite colour."

Hannah let out a long sigh, flopping back against her pillows. "She's ten. She's not rational."

Jo chuckled, unknowingly mirroring her position on the spare bed in their daughter's flat. "How are the rest of the kids?"

"Missing you." Hannah replied. "But they're asleep. Well… Theo's not; he's on his PlayStation." She sighed deeply. "Apparently he won't be tired tomorrow, however late he's up. I hate fourteen-year-old boys. How's Jen?"

"Excited." Jo laughed. "She hasn't stopped annoying me since I got here; cocktails, face masks, foot soaks… honestly it's like my own private spa."

There was a content silence for a couple of minutes before Hannah spoke again. "In seventeen hours we'll be married."

"Terrifying, isn't it?"

"Absolutely."

"No second thoughts?"

"None at all." Hannah replied immediately. "You?"

"Not a single one." Jo smiled. "I can't wait."

"Me either."

"What's up?" The older woman asked, hearing the wobble in her fiancée's voice as she answered. "Han? Is everything OK?"

"Yeah, I just… I never thought I'd ever… I never thought I'd get this lucky, you know? I still can't believe that you actually want to marry me. I love you so much, babe."

"I love you too, Han." Jo told her softly. "More than you know."


The next morning passed in a blur of activity. Ellie arrived almost before Hannah was completely awake, sweeping into the house and starting to organise things immediately. She had left Dylan and Eliza with Callum who was, apparently, sure that he had everything under control. Ellie had absolutely no time for her younger siblings' nonsense that morning and, as soon as Freya and Alex arrived, she ordered them to take the children to the hotel and keep them occupied.

"Ready?" Ellie asked when she and Hannah were alone at the house, waiting for the car to arrive.

Hannah nodded quickly, her hair flying around her shoulders and making her daughter tut in annoyance. As Ellie fiddled with it, arranging the loose curls over her mother's shoulders, she smiled reassuringly. Standing back, she took in the sight in front of her, her grin widening.

"Wow, Mum… you look… amazing."

"Shut up."

"No, honestly, you do." Ellie told her. "You're glowing."

"I don't think I've ever been this excited, Els…" She confided. "I'm not the tiniest bit nervous. I just… I just want to marry Jo."

"Then we'd better get going." Her daughter replied, opening the door and ushering her outside.

They chatted casually as they drove towards the hotel where the wedding was taking place. It was almost funny to the two redheads that they could have been heading anywhere, not necessarily a wedding. It was only when Hannah mentioned some evidence she'd been looking for on a fraud case that her daughter rolled her eyes and punched her lightly in the shoulder.

Pulling up outside the large, Georgian building, Ellie reached out and squeezed her mother's hand. She opened the door and slid out, brushing down her dress and heading straight for her fiancée and children who were waiting beside the entrance.

Hannah let out a small huff at just being abandoned on the driveway, before following her towards the building. At once Molly and Caitlin ran towards her, chattering nonstop about the wedding. Even Theo grudgingly told her she looked beautiful before sloping away to stand with his uncle. Max grinned at her, motioning that he couldn't be bothered to hobble over on his crutches and earning himself an eye roll from his sister.

"Let's get inside before Jo arrives." Ellie suggested, moving to stand beside her.

"You look… wow, Hannah." Callum let out a low whistle as he appraised the redhead thoroughly. "Jo's a lucky girl."

"Shut up, you massive flirt." She ordered him, pushing him lightly in the shoulder. "But thank you."

As he and Dylan headed away to find their seats, Hannah followed Ellie into the building. She smiled around at the mingling guests who hadn't gone in yet, accepting their compliments and congratulations almost with embarrassment. She glanced at her daughter quickly, receiving a knowing smile and a nod as the younger woman directed her quickly towards a side room.

She hadn't been alone for more than a couple of moments when there was a light tap on the door and it opened.

"Hannah?"

The redhead's smile dropped slightly from her face as she turned and found herself looking at her grandmother. She glanced sideways to where Sharon was standing beside Sarah, looking for some kind of explanation as to why the she was there.

"Congratulations." The older woman said softly, sending her a warm smile. "You look beautiful."

"I… I didn't expect you to come." Hannah admitted.

"I couldn't miss the wedding of my eldest granddaughter."

"Even if I'm marrying a woman?"

Sarah smiled softly at her. "You clearly love her very much and you're obviously incredibly happy. Who am I to judge that?"

"Thank you." Hannah smiled. Hesitantly she reached out and touched her grandmother's forearm.

"Your grandfather isn't here." Sarah said, correctly interpreting the tension that suddenly appeared on the younger woman's face. "He couldn't accept your marriage and so he hasn't come with us."

"Well… thank you for coming anyway. Sharon will look after you and I'll… I'll introduce you to the rest of the family later on."

No sooner had the two women walked away to take their places than Jack entered the room. Hannah smiled warmly at him, closing her eyes and leaning into him as he grasped her upper arms and pressed a kiss to her cheek. They stood in silence for a moment, before Jack pulled back and looked at her carefully.

"Are you alright?"

"Fantastic." She assured him. "I just can't wait."

"That's not how I felt at my wedding… I thought I was going to throw up on the vicar."

"Maybe that's a good sign for me and Jo, then… I mean, you are divorced."

He chuckled at her cheek before nodding. "Perhaps you're right."

"Me and Jo… we're forever, Jack." Hannah said softly.

"If I believed that anyone was meant to be together forever, it's you and Jo."

Looking up to the ceiling, Hannah blinked a couple of times before sniffing. "Right, don't get all emotional on me. Is it time yet?"

Jack chuckled again and moved to speak to the man who was standing beside the door with a clipboard. After a couple of moments, he moved away and nodded to Jen who turned to grin at her mother. Hannah inhaled sharply, turning to face the door that would lead in to the room where they were getting married.

"Why are you laughing?" Jen demanded, holding Caitlin's hand tightly as they crossed to stand beside their mother.

"I have no idea." Hannah admitted, attempting to stop herself. "I'm just… excited?"

"You're so weird." The twenty-year-old muttered, shaking her head.

"Right, ladies… let's get this show on the road." Jack suggested, beaming around at them.

He moved backwards with Hannah, holding out his arm and patting her hand when she slid hers through his. Jen moved forwards, pulling her little sister with her and smiling down at the seven-year-old reassuringly.

Jo and Hannah had decided to pick the songs they would walk down the aisle to secretly. Jen and Ellie had almost resorted to begging their mother to reveal her choice for Jo, but Hannah had remained resolutely tight-lipped on the subject, claiming that it would spoil the surprise if she said anything. Jo, too, had been reluctant to reveal her choice for Hannah and so the two women had informed the hotel of their choices without letting anyone else find out.

As the doors opened, displaying a sea of faces waiting for the brides to enter, Jen heard the music Jo had chosen for the first time. With a sharp intake of breath, the young brunette glanced over her shoulder at Hannah as the opening bars started playing.

"Don't…" Hannah whispered, her voice cracking with emotion.

"What?"

"Don't start crying… you'll set me off."

Jen laughed softly, reaching backwards and squeezing her mother's hand tightly in her own. "I'm so happy for you. You really deserve this, Mum."

Hannah smiled, leaning forwards and pressing a kiss to her daughter's cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too… come on." She smiled. "We'll see you on the other side."

When I look into your eyes

It's like watching the night sky

Or a beautiful sunrise

Well there's so much they hold

And just like them old stars

I see that you've come so far

To be right where you are

How old is your soul?

Jen grinned down at Caitlin again and started walking down the centre of the room. The younger girl almost bounced along beside her, grinning at the familiar faces standing on either side of the aisle and waving at a few. Her older sister shook her head slightly as the seven-year-old lapped up the attention, finally reaching the front of the room and nudging Caitlin sideways to stand in front of their seats.

As she started following in her daughters' footsteps along the aisle, Hannah felt another wave of emotion rising up inside her as she listened to the lyrics of the song Jo had chosen for her. Fighting down the tears that were threatening to fall, she looked resolutely at the floor, focusing on her steps and the words of the song that was playing.

Well, I won't give up on us

God knows I'm tough

He knows we got a lot to learn

God knows we're worth it

I won't give up on us

Even if the skies get rough

I'm giving you all my love

I'm still looking up

Jack pressed a kiss to Hannah's cheek as they reached the front of the room, squeezing her shoulder and stepping back. There was no time to think about anything else because the music changed and the doors at the back of the room opened again.

Jen knew what song Hannah had chosen for Jo from the first few chords. She grinned at Ellie as she and Molly walked towards them, Eliza cradled carefully in her mother's arms. There was a slight pout on their ten-year-old sister's face and she was swinging her bouquet a little as she walked but, when Molly met Hannah's eyes, she broke into a broad, beaming smile. The bride reached out and squeezed both of her daughters' hands as they joined her at the front, moving to stand in front of the chairs on the opposite side of the aisle from Jen and Caitlin.

Heart beats fast

Colors and promises

How to be brave

How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?

But watching you stand alone

All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow

One step closer

As she watched Jo walking down the aisle towards them, Ellie glanced towards her mother and saw the tears welling up in Hannah's eyes. The brunette looked stunning in her simple dress. Her eyes were fixed on her partner's and Ellie had the feeling that neither of her mothers would have noticed if everyone else simply disappeared. She was pretty sure that Hannah wouldn't have been able to describe Jo's dress if she'd asked, too focused on her wife-to-be's face.

Henry paused as they reached the front, leaning in to kiss his daughter's cheek, just as Jack had done with Hannah. Then he moved slightly and repeated the action with his daughter-in-law, beaming between them before standing aside.

I have died everyday waiting for you

Darling don't be afraid I have loved you

For a thousand years

I love you for a thousand more

And all along I believed I would find you

Time has brought your heart to me

I have loved you for a thousand years

I love you for a thousand more

"Welcome to the marriage ceremony of Joanne Elizabeth Jane Masters and Hannah Coco McKay." The registrar started.

Hannah clearly heard Stevie's snort of laughter at her middle name and was sorely tempted to turn around and scowl at her. Jo squeezed her hand tightly and shot her a smile, making the redhead roll her eyes as she realised she had read her mind. Instead, she focused her attention on what the man in front of them was saying, doing her best to concentrate and respond in the correct places.


A/N:

The songs are I Won't Give Up by Jason Mraz and A Thousand Years… specifically the John Barrowman cover.