Matt.
I'd never moved that fast; I saw what she was going to do almost before she did it, the hollow look in her eyes, the tension in her muscles, and that fragile smile she tried to give me as the gun swung up. I pushed off, pouring everything I had into that ten-foot sprint. My hand collided with hers; a reflexive pivot drove the weapon high and away as it went off with a crack! that destroyed my hearing. My momentum carried us into the bricks; my abused left hand screamed a little when it collided with the rough surface. I cradled the back of her head against the impact, waiting for the hot coppery rush of blood.
For a moment, I was in purgatory. Horror rushing through me like a living thing.
I wasn't fast enough to save her...
Until a soft sob against my chest brought me back to life.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" I whispered... the relief wouldn't let me yell. I couldn't keep the fresh flood of tears off my face as I stroked her hair while shook like a leaf in my arms. I peeled the gun out of her hand with numb fingers, dropping it on the pavement with a soft clatter; my hand slid back up and joined my other behind her head.
I couldn't speak; I just shook and cried, pulling her against my chest, relishing the warmth of her.
"Becca...Jesus…"
Her shaking hands dragged up my shirt, sliding up my neck to brace my cheeks as we sank to the snowy ground, I was ruining my clothes, and I couldn't give a shit.
Then she pulled back and pressed her forehead to mine, those amber eyes taking my breath away.
She felt so good in my arms…
It didn't fix ten years of heartbreak... wondering if she was alive or dead.
If she'd found someone else…
...But it finally slapped a dressing on the bloody wound, staunching the flow enough that I knew I could heal.
And it hit me like a wrecking ball.
I didn't want to heal without her...a decade was long enough.
No matter what had passed between us, no matter how angry I still was...
I had to try to forgive her…
I made up my mind in a flash as she hyperventilated and shook in my arms... I gently, tentatively, leaned forward...fear and anger still there, but slowly numbing out as I felt her ragged breaths on my lips, my breathing coming in hot rushes, fogging the cold air in what little space remained between us…I backed her up against the bricks as gently as I could, cradling her against me… This was what she did to me; nothing I achieved, no mountain I summited, or enemy I conquered could compare to the woman pressing desperately against me…
"Everything okay here?"
The real world rushed back, uninvited, and we both jumped a little. I glanced over my shoulder at the concerned-looking cop, his brows knitted and uncertain.
"You two okay? We got a call about gunshots."
I turned my gaze back to Becca; her hopeful amber eyes stared up at me, full of questions.
I was home again.
I gently kicked the gun in between her feet, her boot sliding forward to push it out of sight.
Perfectly in sync again.
My eyes never left hers, "Yes, sir, we're okay. Didn't hear anything like that."
"Miss?"
Becca cleared her throat, staring into my soul.
"No problem, sir, just out for a walk." A weak smirk drifted across her perfect lips.
Whole again…
Becca crouched and picked up her Beretta; I shifted my weight to block her from view as it disappeared into her jacket. I grabbed her hand, nodded to the cop, and headed back for the lobby, almost undone by the feeling of her skin on mine.
The ride up to Becca's room was spent in silence…
I didn't trust myself to speak.
Her hands shook violently as she tried to slip the key in the lock; I gently reached around her and guided her hand, steady even though I was coming apart. The door opened, and she slipped out of my grasp; I could feel the nervous energy coming off her in waves…I wasn't in much better shape as I shed my coat, watching her pace. She seemed to be ramping up to something.
I lit two smokes with shaking hands and held one out to her; the time-honored ritual felt as natural as breathing…She stopped and stared at me in my dressed down getup, almost like she'd just noticed… I wore a simple black turtleneck and slacks without the coat, a stark contrast to the opulent thousand dollar suits worn by most of the clients here. I'd never stood on formality, no matter how loaded I was…I'd always be that little gutter-rat.
I shook the cigarette at Becca, and she blinked, her eyes still roving over me, raising the temperature a few degrees; she gingerly reached out with hands that held a tremor and plucked the cigarette from my fingers. Our hands touched, just a flash of heat, but enough to stoke the fire in my chest to a raging inferno.
"Why, Becca?"
She jumped a little at my almost shout, shame creeping into her eyes.
"…Why what, Matty?"
Hearing the abridged version of my name in that sweet rasp after all these years was sweeter than any music. I closed my eyes and sighed, letting the steel into my voice.
"Why in the fuck would you try and off yourself? What the fuck?"
Her gaze flicked to the floor, then back up to mine, something warring with something else behind those beautiful eyes…
"Because I couldn't take it, losing you…Not again, it doesn't fucking matter that I'm the one who ran, I've been fighting the urge for years now, four pounds of pressure and all the pain would just go away. The thoughts of you with someone else, the thought of our son being raised by someone else or worse... that you were still waiting for me… I just wanted to give you two a chance, and all I did, in the end, was hurt everyone, me included…" She looked away, shame washing across her face like a wave. "And when I saw you two tonight…something snapped; I was either going to make it right, or die trying…"
Revy.
Goddamn…
My boy cleaned up good.
He was angry; any normal person would be; his green eyes glittered at me like emeralds as I tried to explain…it had the opposite effect…I could never stand it when he got all dark and brooding on me.
It usually ended with him on me…
Here's hoping some things never change.
"I thought that was it, Matty…I thought it was over…I've spent the last ten years hoping that maybe there was a chance…just a small chance, that I didn't fuck this up beyond hope…"
I wanted him so bad I could taste it.
A hand came up to run through his hair, and my throat ran dry. He was fighting something; I could see it in the way his eyes flicked all over the room, the muscles in his neck tensing and relaxing. My mouth was watering a little at the thought of crossing the room and taking what I needed after so long…In one smooth motion, he snatched a bottle off the dresser and hurled it into the wall. Bracing his hand on the corner of the expensive-looking oak, breathing heavily as he tried to get his temper under control…
Oh my God…
I might've been able to keep it together before he showed me the caged animal…
Now it was all over but the crying…
Matt.
I leaned against the dresser, trying to get my anger under control and failing miserably. Becca just stared at me with unreadable eyes…
"Becca, Christ…You don't…You don't get to do that… so you're gonna run off, then come back and fucking die in front of me?" The words came out in a rush, more to myself than her, the fresh horror of what she'd tried to do was still terribly present, the images of what would've happened if I hadn't been fast enough…I tried to force them back, my gaze flicking to the rum dripping down the far wall.
Her words finally penetrated the veil, and the world tilted a little.
"Becca? What do you mean you were trying to make it right?"
I dragged my gaze back to her; it looked like she was fighting something, hands twitching at her sides.
"W-what do you think I meant?" Her voice had taken on that husky quality that I knew all too well, knew it like the back of my hand.
My heart sped up, my breathing likewise.
This was Becca… turned on and needy…
I could barely wrap my head around it, if I was reading her right, all my fears were unfounded, and she'd spent the last decade in as much agony as I had…
But that meant…
She took a jerky step forward, her hands fisted in that little skirt she wore…"Matty, I never stopped loving you; no matter how much I told myself it was right, it never was. I spent the last ten years running from it…But I couldn't escape how much you mean to me…And I don't want to try anymore."
I didn't know such beautiful words existed. My heart felt like it was going to beat its way free of my chest… the temperature shot up a few more degrees…and I knew, in my soul, that everything was about to change.
Becca's gaze faltered, glancing off to the side…
"Do you-"
"Yes."
I cut her off, shocked at how automatic the response was, closing the gap between us in two long strides; my hands slid up her arms, fingers dug into her shoulders, and pulled…
…Our lips collided, and oh God…
Revy.
I forgot how to think the moment Matty started kissing me…and a piece of me snapped into place, a piece that had been missing ever since that night I left him to save him…
And I felt fuckin' unstoppable…
My boy's hands were all over me, lighting fires in their wake while tears rolled down my face.
He loved me.
He still loved me…
And I loved him.
Now I was going to show him just how much.
Matt.
My hands roved all over her, sliding into her jacket, feeling the coiled muscle she'd packed on, shuddering a little at the feel of her. A nudge and the coat puddled on the floor; I backed her up until her knees hit the bed. She moved like lightning, hooking one of my ankles and spinning me onto the mattress. Shaking hands tugged at her clothes, amber gaze locked onto mine in the dim light.
I didn't wait for a decade to sit on the sidelines.
I came flying off the mattress and snatched her up in my arms, tossing her onto the bed; her gasp echoed in my ears like a gunshot for a beat before I crushed my lips against hers. The taste of her was beyond intoxicating, raising goosebumps and filling every gap she'd left behind.
My hands moved of their own accord, gently tugging her shirt up, over her toned stomach… over her bra-clad breasts that heaved with every breath. God, she was as perfect as I remembered. Better. My wildest fantasies could never compare to the real thing…
My fingers brushed her skin, and we both gasped a little, electricity arcing between us. I stopped pulling at her shirt just as it reached her eyes, blindfolding her with it, her breath came in hot rushes, and she just looked too good to slow down… I dropped my lips to her collarbone, nipping at her skin; she moaned and shook as my teeth raked her.
"Matty…"
I growled deep in my chest when she breathed my name like a prayer, ripping the shirt off completely, sending it flying into a dark corner of the room. I couldn't help the gasp at the sight of her body revealed to me after a lifetime…old scars and new ones marked the other half of my soul.
Her eyes were wild, lust and love storming behind them, burning up at me…
Revy.
No gunfight, no shot of booze, no amount of anything could compare to his hands on me. My body felt like it was on fire… Matty reached up and switched gears, gently pulling my hair free of the ponytail and into the waterfall that he loved…his eyes were shining with something that I couldn't place as his fingers ran through it gently.
The shift was shocking. I was soaked, ready…needy for him after a lifetime. But I couldn't move, I just watched him get reacquainted with me in…awe? I guess?
All I knew was that I was in fuckin' heaven.
He just stared at his hand as it dragged through my hair, and then he started to shake, tears in his eyes when he looked at me like he could barely believe I was real, deep green pools that sucked me in like a day hadn't gone by.
"Becca…"
Jesus…
Was there anything better than hearing him say my name?
Not a fuckin' chance.
"Matty…I love you…" It slipped out of me with no effort, escaping before I could catch it.
His eyes turned fragile, like they might break if the wind blew too hard. But his lips quirked into that crooked smile I loved so much it hurt.
"I love you too, Becca."
And all was right with the world.
Matt.
I watched the tears well up in her eyes at my breathless confession, but how could it be any other way? I loved her; it was the truth, THE truth, like saying the sky was blue.
We had a metric ton of shit to work through… but right now?
She was the piece I'd been missing, and only love shone through.
I ran a hand down her neck, holding eye contact as my fingers slipped across her stomach, down to her waistband, the thin material of her leggings barely separating us. I leaned back and added my other hand to the mix, slowly unzipping the little skirt she wore. Her breath was coming hard and fast, mine likewise, but I wouldn't hurry; I would savor this moment, and the next, and the next. She gently lifted her hips, letting me tug her skirt and those leggings down, pulling them off slowly and flicking them onto the floor, violently aware that she wasn't wearing anything underneath.
Jesus…
The years had been kind; every inch of her was hard muscle stretched over a feminine frame, the looping tribal tattoo down her right arm was new, but it only added to her wild allure. Something stuttered behind her eyes as I reached down and grabbed the hem of my shirt, pulling it off in one smooth motion; I watched her pupils dilate as her gaze drifted over my scars, tattoos, and hard-won muscle.
"Matty…Jesus."
I went to work on my belt as she watched, nerves flooding through me like the first time as I pulled my 1911 and laid it on the floor… It had been so long, what if…
No. This is Becca, no room for insecurity here.
I dropped my slacks, and she sucked in a breath, eyes flicking below my waist more than once as I advanced on her, crawling up on the bed, looming over her. She almost made to retreat before I dove in, kissing her with everything I had; she reached back and unsnapped her bra; I ripped it off her and threw it who gave a fuck where.
The feel of her laid bare dragged a shiver out of me that I couldn't control.
Becca's hands slid over my abs, hooking into the waistband of my boxers, pushing them down just enough… her legs moved to wrap around my waist, stoking the raging inferno inside me… until I gently stopped her, kissing her again at the questioning gaze, before letting my lips trail across her cheek, down the side of her neck, drawing whimpering moans from her throat, so I kissed her there too…The journey south punctuated by sucking kisses on every part of her that I could reach…
Revy.
I watched him take me apart, lips lighting fires in their wake, his tongue brushed my nipples, and I moaned, biting a knuckle to try and stay quiet before it hit me that I wanted the whole block to hear.
His lips grazed my stomach and almost had me folding around him, but an iron-hard hand at my collarbone kept me pinned, driving me a little insane as my boy explored me, getting reacquainted in all the best ways. He settled between my legs, and I finally got what he was trying to say, but no amount of getting it prepared me for when his tongue swiped my clit, the room turned into a raging fire, my back arched, and a shriek ripped it's way out of me at the slight movement. Nothing to write home about for anyone else, just a peck really, but it was all about who was doing what to my neglected body.
My eyes rolled back, and my hands tore at the sheets as he really went to work…
Matt.
The taste of her, sweet and smoky, stole every bit of sense I had left. I dove in like she was the last drink of water in a desert, teasing her clit when I wasn't outright plundering her depths with my tongue. Wild moans and shrieks were my rewards for not forgetting a single inch of her.
A decade later and I still knew where her buttons were.
A pair of desperate hands fisted in my hair, and she started to grind, faster and faster…filling my head with the scent of her, like rum and the ocean and freedom and everything I'd been missing…
"Matty! Oh…OH FUCK!"
Solid steel thighs wrapped around my head, locking me in place as I licked and sucked at her, lost to it now as my heart pounded in my ears… she didn't need to hold me there; there was nowhere on earth I'd rather be…
Revy.
Lightning ripped through me, my back arched, and I screamed long and loud as ten years of wanting, longing, and the worst kind of emptiness all washed away in an instant. My boy kept right on going, blanking my brain and taking my sanity with it; my hips moved on their own, trying desperately to get more of his tongue on me.
And he just held me there, one hand at my throat, the other on my hip, pinning me in place as he tore my soul out and filled the void left behind with all the love I'd been missing.
There'd never been, and there never would be, anyone or anything like him…
I started to come down, twitching violently, unable to control the shocks of pleasure that surged through me—glancing down as I tried desperately to get my racing heart under control.
Matty was grinning up at me, a toothy smile that dragged a weak laugh out of my abused throat.
"Don't say it…" I rasped in between heaving breaths.
He shook his head, and I jumped a little, a small moan rushing out of me as his stubble grazed my thighs. He wiggled his fingers against my oversensitive skin; his rumbling reply sent a shock of the best kind of nostalgia through me.
"Yeah…You goddamn know it…"
I grinned right back; once I was done loving on him, I was going to kill him. Same lame joke every fuckin- JESUS!
Matty figured out what to do with his hands while I wasn't looking…
Matt.
I barely had the strength to joke, but somehow I managed a goofy smile and an old jab…She looked…I almost don't have the words…her hair was splayed out behind her in an auburn halo, her eyes were glassy and sated, lips curled into a drunken smile as she stared down at me and my handiwork.
She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen…
So when she rolled her eyes, I slipped two fingers inside her, gently curling them in a 'come hither' motion, finding what I was looking for after a few moments of searching…Becca locked up, any witty retort dying on the vine as her eyes rolled back again and she moaned to the ceiling.
I kept torturing her, relishing the wicked heat wrapped around my hand, and slowly made my way back to her lips, we were both shaking when I kissed her hotly, savoring the taste of her, her from what I was doing, and I…I was just afraid…
I didn't want to disappoint her.
"Matty…" She purred it at me, gyrating her hips to match what my hand was doing, eyes locked on mine…
"You're stalling, baby…mmmph! You don't have to… honey, I'm…aahn! I'm nervous too… I want you, Matty, I need you…please…take me…"
I stopped moving, stopped breathing…She was in my head, knew what I needed better than I ever could…and it hit me… she was still my Becca.
She'd always be my Becca.
I didn't have to be afraid anymore.
I bit back the tears and gently dragged my hand clear of her, earning a gasp from my angel…and she smiled, opening her arms and pulling me close, wrapping her long legs around my waist and pressing her lips to my cheek.
"Make love to me, Matty…Make me yours again…"
Her words chased it away like they always had. I felt her hand trail down my chest as the air between us shifted, naked anticipation filled the space, and her eyes never left mine as her hand curled around me, guiding me closer…closer…
Contact.
Becca's eyes flared wide, and she sucked in a breath; I wasn't faring much better; the heat from her was close to burning me alive…
"Matty…" She breathed, eyes flicking down to where we were almost connected and back up to my face again and again.
"Becca…" I whispered…gently pressing forward….
I felt her part around me, slowly inviting me in, welcoming me back with a gasping moan from those perfect lips.
"Matty…Matty… oh god…"
I was already struggling to keep it together; she was so tight, so hot…but so much more than that…
"Becca…fuck…ready, baby?"
A jerky nod was her reply…I pushed forward, burying myself inside her in one thrust… her eyes fluttering as I started to move, slowly rolling in and out of her, dreamlike. If I lived for a hundred years, I could never commit to paper what it felt like, to have her again, to be whole again after so long…Gentle impacts rocked her, and her eyes never left mine, flaring with each thrust.
I stared right back, lost in her.
And it was too much…Ten years is a long time…
"Becca…I'm gonna…fuck!"
She darted forward, clamping her teeth down on my shoulder and rolling her hips up to meet mine in that way that drove me out of my mind as I emptied ten long years of longing inside of her. Finally spent after a few long moments, I collapsed on top of her, thoroughly ashamed…
"Becca…" I mumbled into her hair, "Jesus, I'm sor-"
Those thighs clamped around me, and she rolled us over, taking the lead and keeping my cock buried inside her, stealing my apology with a deep kiss, purring into my mouth as I trembled through the aftershocks.
"God, I missed you, Matty, every minute…" She started to move, rolling her hips, "Of every day that I was gone…and now that I'm back?" Her eyes flashed down at me as her pace started to speed up, and I got what she was trying to say…
"We have forever to make up for lost time…"
Hours later, we'd finally collapsed from exhaustion, bone-weary…I'm glad to say that I rallied and gave as good as I got. Now Becca traced my scars in the dark… on what remained of the destroyed bed, broken glass from the mirror we'd smashed into littered the floor, holes in the drywall, and everything.
I dragged on my smoke, a small smile on my face.
"Your boss is fucked on her security deposit."
Becca didn't say anything, hadn't in a long while, just kept tracing the holes in my chest and the jagged scar under my collarbone.
When she finally spoke, it was in a voice laced with longing and regret.
"I wasn't there. You almost died…and I wasn't there."
I could hear the barely contained tears there, so I reached up and grabbed her hand.
"Becca…No, you weren't, but it's okay, the past has to be the past. I want this; I want you…Hell, you're all I ever wanted, period. But we have to leave the last ten years in the rearview if that has a snowball's chance in hell of happening."
Her brow was furrowed, eyes misty in the dim light, but she nodded and buried her face in my neck, inhaling like she was trying to burn me into her.
"I'm sorry I ran Matty, it was some stupid little girl shit; I was still carrying my dad around…and Morris…Maybe Sis will let me have some personal time to deal with that ghost too…"
Oh…shit…How could she have known? She was on fed lockdown and then out of the country.
"Becca…Morris is dead…"
She shot up before I could get the rest out, leaning against the headboard.
"What?" It came out in an angry hiss, like a rattlesnake.
I stubbed out my smoke and pulled myself up next to her.
"Bec's, I killed him…after you went down, Sal came to me, told me about a dirty cop on the take, Gambino's wanted him handled. That was the price for their lawyers; once he told me who it was, I couldn't say no…"
She started to shake a little.
"You killed him?"
I nodded, a grim smile breaking across my face as I lit two more smokes, passing her one.
"And that fucker didn't go easy, I told you I'd kill him for you one day, and I promise you, baby, he felt it all the way down."
For a long moment, neither of us spoke; I could feel her coming to terms with it…before her head dropped onto my shoulder, nuzzling into the knot of scar tissue where the knife had almost ended me.
"Thank you… if it wasn't me, I'm glad it was you, baby boy…" she whispered thickly, "Thank you for being you, for never giving up on me, even though I gave up on everything… You never stopped trying to save me, did you?"
I shifted my smoke to my left hand and snaked an arm around her.
"Never… I would have, and still would walk into hell for you with a smile on my face."
She sniffed hard, "Even after…what I did to you?"
I nodded and planted a kiss on her scalp.
"Yes."
Silence drifted in again, comfortable now; there was nothing more between us; we had forever to figure out what to do with ten years of heartbreak, right now? I was loving the feel of her smooth skin against mine, the smell of her hair, and how none of this was some fever dream.
Oh.
I wasn't ready for it when it came, but once it did, I fought to keep the grin off my face.
Bear.
Becca spoke up, taking the words out of my mouth in a voice that was laced with fear.
"Matty…can I…I need to see our baby…Bear? You called him Bear?"
I couldn't help the smile then… "Barrett Johnathan Weber, after my grandfather and my dad. Becca…he's so good, so good and loved, cared for like we never were. I made sure of it; he's a tough little dude too, no spoiled rich brat, and…he never stopped asking when his mom was coming home."
She sucked all the air out of the room.
"Matty…really? He…"
I stubbed my smoke and pulled her into my lap, gazing into her eyes… "I told him you loved him and that you had to leave, but you never wanted to. He spent his whole life waiting for you…" I reached up and cradled her cheek, wiping away a tear with a thumb, "I think he's waited long enough…don't you?"
Tears rolled down her face, her eyes slid closed, and more leaked out as she nodded, planting a kiss against my palm.
"Yes." Came the breathless reply.
I let the grin break across my face, remembering my promise to Bear, giving myself over to the wild joy of it.
"Then let's go wake him up."
We padded down the hallway toward my suite, Becca's hand wrapped in mine. I could feel her fear, the trepidation circling her like a halo. But I knew my little boy, and I could barely keep the tears out of my eyes…He was about to get the world's most awesome birthday present. She didn't have to be afraid, and I couldn't wait for her to see it…
My hand shook as I dug out the key, gently sliding it into the lock and pushing the door open when Becca grabbed my coat.
"I…I can't…"
I glanced over at her, and she was pale, shaking, tears brimming in her eyes…I spun into her, gathering her up in my arms, kissing her with everything I had, breaking it a moment later to whisper in her ear.
"Becca…It's okay; I'll be right here with you the whole way…"
She nodded and swallowed hard, smiling weakly, fear still evident in her eyes, "Okay, Matty…"
I gave her a squeeze and let her go, stepping into the dark room, Bear's sleeping form nestled under the covers, rising and falling with his breath. Becca stayed rooted to the spot, waiting; from the look on her face, she couldn't have moved if she wanted to; I reached past her and closed the door behind us. I took a breath to steady my pounding heart and slowly closed the gap to Bear's bedside, settling onto the mattress and clicking the light on.
"Bear? Hey buddy…" I reached out and gently ran my hand over his forehead, "Need you to wake up for a second."
He snorted in his sleep, and my heart filled up so fast it took my breath away.
"C'mon, kiddo, wake up."
His little brow furrowed, eyes cinching tight before fluttering open, sleepy amber pools a perfect match for the ones over my shoulder.
"Dad?"
I smiled, ruffling his hair, "Hey, buddy. Got you something."
Now he was awake, "Yeah? What is it? My birthday present?"
I nodded, feeling a few stray tears leaking down my face.
"Yeah, buddy…I…"
He sat up, concern on his face, "Dad, what's wrong?"
I shook my head and bundled him into my arms, "Bear…" I gestured over my shoulder for Becca to get closer; soft footfalls greeted me, unsteady and staccato, like she was forcing herself to move.
"I promised I'd wake you up… right?"
Revy.
Nothing had ever scared me like that little boy was, even as my heart melted, watching him rub his little eyes, looking at Matty with so much love… it rocked me to my core. I wanted to run to him and run out of that fuckin' hotel at the same time.
And then Matty just came right out with it.
"Bear… this is your mom… Rebecca."
And my baby looked past Matty, staring into my eyes with eyes like mine…
Something snapped… all the love I thought I could feel, all the love I never got growing up, nothing felt like looking my baby in the eye for the first time as his mother instead of some stranger.
I was on my knees before I could stop it, tears running down my face, dripping to the carpet.
"H-hi, Bear."
He looked at Matty, caution and something else in his eyes.
"That's… mom?"
Matty nodded, holding back his own tears, "Sure is, buddy."
Then we didn't need words; Bear, my baby, my little boy, slipped out of his dad's arms, little feet making contact with the floor, slowly approaching like I'd disappear if he moved too fast…
I pulled the last bit of strength I had from somewhere deep inside and held my arms out, silently begging him to forgive me for all the years he'd had to miss me…And then my beautiful little boy broke into a sprint, throwing himself around me, burying his face in my shoulder, and in between the sobs, mine, his, and Matty's, my baby whispered the sweetest words I'd ever heard.
"Mama…I knew you'd come back for us…"
Matt.
I thought I knew what being happy was; I thought that seeing Becca again was as good as it got, then we made love, and happiness took on a whole new meaning…
But this?
Becca held Bear as they cried, wracking sobs that shook them both. I slipped off the bed, closing the gap and sinking next to them, cradling everything that mattered in my arms…We'd found each other, and as long as I was alive, nothing would ever break us apart.
Never again…
My hand found Becca's, gently lacing my fingers with hers, my other arm wrapped around her and Bear as he cried softly… I caught Becca's eye and jerked my head towards the mattress. She nodded through her drying tears. I let them go, letting her scoop Bear up in her arms, watching them together as she climbed up on the bed, tucking the covers around them and shedding her jacket, boots, and skirt. It took a little bit of effort, but I pushed my bed against Bear's, shrugging off my coat and ditching my 1911 on the furthest corner of the mattress, keeping it within reach.
Becca was rubbing Bear's back, staring down at him with the most amazing look in her eyes, adoration mixed with a protective edge. The sight of her in the throes of "mama-bear" mode made my heart pound a little harder…the tattooed, well-armed love of my life cradling our son…I couldn't help but smile through my tears, crawling up next to them, sliding an arm under her head as I ditched my shoes.
Becca curled into my side like she'd never left, reaching a hand up to stroke my cheek. I felt my eyes drifting closed, almost blacking out a little, exhausted down to my bones, but happier than I'd been since that balmy night when I realized she was gone and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it. Bear had finally drifted off, cried himself out with the joy of it, cuddled in his mama's arms.
I smiled at the feel of Becca's fingers running through my hair, slowly realizing that sometimes…sometimes the people who deserve to win…do.
"Will you be here when I wake up?" I whispered…
And just like in my sweetest dreams… her husky, rasping voice answered…
"I'm here for as long as you'll have me…"
I could feel the nerves in her voice, we still had a long way to go, but we'd walk that path together; I never had a chance anyway…and I knew what I had to do; there was nothing else to be done about it…
"Forever then?" I whispered.
She stiffened, hand freezing on my face, "Matty? What-"
I smiled into her hair, "You know what I'm asking, Becca. What's it gonna be?"
"A-are you sure? I-I mean, after what I di-"
My smile got a little bigger, and I cut her off, "In the past, all of it, we've got the rest of our lives to figure this out, but I never had a chance, Bec's, from the moment I met you I knew, as much as a kid can, I knew you were the one…"
I was wide awake now, the force of my conviction ringing in my voice; I'd never been so sure of anything in my life.
"…So marry me, Becca. Let's raise our boy together…I've got enough money, we can go anywhere… be anything we wanna be. You always wanted to ink people, and I'd say you did a pretty good job your first time out; maybe open a shop? Whatever you want out of this life, I'll move heaven and earth to make it happen; we don't have to be what they made us…not anymore. We can be better…for our boy, and for each other. What do you say, Revy?"
"Becca…" She whispered thickly
"Hmm?"
"I waited ten years to be 'Becca' again, Matty…please, forget the nickname, like it never existed, and one day I'll tell you why. But for now, let me just be Becca…and don't ask…"
I nodded, hearing the pain in her voice, and tried not to think about what she meant…
"You got it, Becca…still waiting on an answer…you gonna put me outta my misery or what?" I smirked a little, loving the fact that she was here to tease more than I'd ever be able to put into words… the other part of me, the part with my heart resting squarely on my tongue, waited on hot needles for her response…
She buried her face in my chest and pulled the trigger…
"Of course I'll marry you, you big fuckin' idiot…I never had a chance either…" A finger poked me in the ribs, "And you better make me the happiest woman alive, or so help me, God."
I sniffed back the tears, love blowing through me like a hurricane…
"Give it my best shot Bec's… anybody's guess at this point."
She sniffed, and I felt my shirt getting damper by the second. When she spoke, her voice was less…haunted.
"Something tells me you're gonna do just f-fine."
I caught the edge of a sob and held her tighter, drifting off to sleep with a full heart, a smile on my face, and my whole world in my arms…
A/N: AND WE'RE BACK, BABY! This chapter was an emotional one to write for me for a lot of reasons. Matt and Revy finally reunited, Revy meets her son, and we even got a proposal out of it! Matt and Becca have always done shit their way, and this is no exception. Stay tuned; still got a long way to go. In the meantime, R&R, let me know what you think; I read all of your feedback and appreciate every bit of it.