It Takes a Village
Well, here we (finally) are.
I couldn't post this very last chapter without saying a massive thank you to everyone who has reviewed/comments/added this story (or me!) to their favourites list. This last year has been a weird one for all of us, and getting back into writing and posting in this fandom really helped. I hope finally finishing this one makes up for the fact I took the best part of 3 years to finish "The Weekend".
I hope you enjoy this last chapter. It's mostly how I originally intended for it to end. For a long time (up until the day I posted the first chapter) this story was supposed to be called "The Rest of Their Lives" and I hoped I tied up everyone's stories neatly - but it's Cassie & Sam's love story that is the focus of this. I did name Tara & Brandon's baby boy, but in the end it wasn't relevant to the finale - so, you can make your own minds up about that.
I must also say a massive thanks to xfphile who kindly and expertly beta read this last chapter for me.
Chapter 26: The Rest of Their Lives
Nick stood stock still in the entryway to their kitchen. He didn't need to call out to know that the house was empty, rather than just unoccupied. Some might say that he had been spending so much time with the Merriwicks lately that their gifts and feelings were rubbing off on him, but it would be closer to the truth to observe that Nick was leaving his turbulent teenage persona behind and evolving into an intuitive and caring young man.
He cautiously studied the note his mother had left for him on the kitchen table.
He knew he should feel something about her departure from Middleton, but in all honesty, the only thing he could feel was relief. It wasn't an easy thing to realise that, although your mother loved you, she was never going to be able to love you in the way that you wanted, or needed, her to.
Nick couldn't help but feel that his real family was at Grey House.
He had come home to pick up his toothbrush and pyjamas because both Grace and George had suggested that he stay at the B&B. His dad and Cassie were still at Brandon and Tara's house awaiting the arrival of…Nick's mind boggled when he tried to determine what his relationship to the newborn would be. He didn't even stop to consider that he had already accepted that his father's relationship with Cassie was permanent.
The note from his mother, he left on the kitchen table. He wished he could be more disappointed that she had changed her mind about settling here in Middleton, close to him, but leaving town was really the greatest gift she could have given him.
Leaving without a prolonged and awkward goodbye was the cherry on top.
When Nick returned to Grey House with an overnight bag of things for him and his dad, he saw that Abigail and Stephanie had also arrived. Both of the Merriwick women in attendance gave him a sympathetic glance, and he swore to one day figure out just how they did that. He was grateful that neither Grace nor Abigail brought up the situation, but he appreciated the support from his 'found' family that he had never gotten from his own mother.
"Have you heard anything?" he asked, his voice hopeful. He hadn't been gone long, but if he'd picked up anything from his father, it was that things could change in an instant in these kinds of situations.
"Not yet," Abigail replied as she looked at her watch. "I think I'll go make some cocoa, anybody else want some?"
She was greeted by nods from the rest of her assembled extended family.
"I'll come help," Stephanie offered, and they went through to the kitchen together. "Is it okay that I'm here?" she asked, when it was just the two of them. "I don't want to intrude on a family affair."
Abigail set a handful of mugs down on the kitchen counter and turned to the blonde.
"You're family too now, Stephanie."
With a sideways grin at Abigail, they set about preparing the cocoa – domestic bliss in the eye of the storm.
Sam sat on the sidewalk, a can of cold beer at his side. His shirt was sticking to his back even in the cool late evening air, and he felt like he had just completed a marathon. The adrenaline that had been coursing through his veins had levelled off, and what he wanted more than anything was a nap.
He felt Cassie's approach before he saw or heard her. It seemed they really were rubbing off on each other.
Wordlessly, she took a seat next to him on the warm tarmac and rested her head against his shoulder.
Oh, this was what, and who, he needed much more than that nap.
Neither of them spoke for a few minutes as words could not fully express the exhilaration, and the terror, of the past few hours.
They had come so far, overcome so much, in the past few months (and, really, in the entire duration of their relationship from neighbours, to friends, to lovers. Twice.) that the quiet was okay – it was the kind of silence that could only exist between two people who truly loved and understood each other.
Sam had never really had that before, and he cherished it with Cassie.
Cassie slipped her hand into Sam's and gave it a gentle squeeze and smiled when she felt him rub the pad of his thumb against her palm. It amazed her that they could be this connected. She always had a head start when it came to forming bonds with people, but she wasn't used to having someone so naturally in step with her.
Especially because he wasn't of the Merriwick lineage.
They sat like that for a while, enjoying the warm spring evening as dusk began to fall in around them.
"Marry me."
Cassie couldn't help her laugh of surprise. If anyone could catch her off guard, it was Sam.
He turned to face her, their hands still entwined.
"I'm serious. I picked out a ring, and I was going to take you to that new Greek place in Blairsville, but…" he paused, carefully studying her face. "I love you, Cassie. Today showed me, again, how precious life is. And we've wasted so much time not being together like this."
Cassie swallowed audibly at his heartfelt words.
"Ask me again."
Sam's face split into a grin, but he fought to hold it back as he composed himself. This was the most important question he'd ever ask.
"Cassie Nightingale, I've never felt this way about anyone in my life and I never want to feel this way about someone else. I love you." he paused long enough to take her left hand in both of his. "Cassie, will you marry me?"
She didn't know if she was going to laugh or cry, and it was a beautiful feeling.
"Of course I'll marry you."
"Yeah?" Sam gave her the lopsided, boyish grin that she loved so much.
"Yes."
The months of doubt, their separation, and all of the roadblocks thrown into their path didn't matter now. Maybe…maybe those obstacles had made them stronger, forced them to realise that this was what they both needed so badly.
"Sam?"
"Hmm?"
"Let's go home."
By the time Sam and Cassie arrived back at Grey House, everyone else had left or gone to bed. Cassie had kept in touch as the evening progressed, letting them know how Tara was getting on but not saying anything that would cause undue panic. She knew that Abigail and Grace's senses would be firing on overdrive, so she was glad that Nick, George, and Stephanie had been there with them.
"I can't believe you helped deliver a baby tonight, Sam," Cassie said, looking at her…fiancé, with a combination of love, awe, and pride.
"I know," Sam chuckled. "It's a whole different ballgame when you're not in an OR with a staff of trained experts. I'm just glad Megan got there in time to do the heavy lifting."
"You were great though," Cassie praised him. "Thank you for bringing my first grandchild into the world."
Sam watched as her eyes filled, but the tears didn't spill over. He just looked at her, wondering how he'd gotten so lucky to find a woman like her, let alone get her to agree to marry him, and took her in his arms, kissing the top of her head as she wrapped her arms around him.
"Stay with me tonight," she invited, her voice a little muffled where her face was pressed into the front of his rumpled shirt.
"Cassie, it's been a really long day…"
Although she'd been close to (happy) tears before, now she had to stifle a giggle. Exhaustion was starting to take its toll on both of them.
"I'm asking you to sleep with me, not sleep with me."
"Ah," He smiled. "Are you sure?"
Her low chuckle was music to his ears, even if she did shake her head.
"It looks like Nick's brought over some things for you as well," Cassie replied, spotting the bag of clothes and toiletries on the counter.
Their eyes met, and Sam raised his eyebrows.
"I'm honestly too tired to decide how I feel about that right now."
Cassie smiled at him and, after offering him her hand, they made their way up to her bedroom together. Both of them were asleep within seconds of their heads hitting the pillow, settling into each other's arms as if this was how they slept every night.
The next day, the town was abuzz with the news that Tara had given birth to her first child, a healthy, happy, and very vocal, baby boy. In the early hours of the morning, just as dawn was breaking over Middleton, Cassie and Sam had been talking quietly in bed. They agreed to keep their engagement between the two of them for the time being, not wanting to overshadow Tara and Brandon's happiness.
Sam admitted that there was a part of him who couldn't wait for Linda's reaction, though.
"Linda's gone, Sam," Cassie said softly, laying her hand on his bare forearm.
He rolled over so he could face her properly.
"Gone?"
Cassie nodded, watching the emotions flicker across his face.
"Oh God, I'm not saying I'm not glad…but Nick."
Cassie loved him all the more for this being his first reaction.
"I think he'll be okay," she replied with a soft smile.
Sam nodded, a slow smile lighting up his face, too. Not only had he found the love of his life, but he and Nick had made a family of their own here. If he and Cassie were going to get married, then that would make Tara and Brandon's new arrival…
"So, what would you like to be called…Granddad, Grandpops…PawPaw?"
It was impossible for her to keep the grin from her face, and he couldn't hold back his laughter either as he conceded her well-earned retaliatory jibe. Cassie reached for him, their limbs tangling up in the bedsheets and each other. God, this was everything she wanted and everything she had been so afraid to have; to lose.
She wasn't afraid anymore. She was going to marry him.
She was going to love him.
Always.
Three months later.
Grey House had been a hive of activity all week. For Nick and Sam, who had been so used to their bachelor lifestyle next door, it had been quite the adjustment but neither of them would have ever considered changing it. Technically, they still lived next door to Grey House, but in reality the B&B was their home now. Abigail had not been subtle, but then when was she ever, in her interest in moving into their house once Sam and Cassie got married.
They hadn't been able to keep their engagement secret for long. You didn't need to be a Merriwick to see that something had changed, solidified, between Cassie and Sam. So, once the excitement surrounding Tara and Brandon's new arrival had died down, the two of them had invited their nearest and dearest to celebratory barbeque in the Grey House garden.
On the morning of the christening, Cassie was up early and making tea in the kitchen before anyone else had even stirred. After months of happiness and bone-deep contentment, she was feeling what she could only describe as jittery, which was not a sensation anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of Cassie's character would associate with her usual calm demeanour. Even Cassie, who could be perceptive to a fault, wasn't quite sure where this was coming from.
She opened the refrigerator, more for something to do than for any real desire for food. Cooking calmed her, but Stephanie had taken over the catering arrangements for the christening so there was very little for her to do. The shelves were already laden with covered canapés, dips, and crudités – Stephanie would be bringing the cake later.
As Cassie swung the refrigerator door shut again, the realisation hit her.
She felt so out of sorts because this day - the preparation, the location, even the food - was reminding her of Tara and Brandon's gender reveal party. She had been so broken that day, so hollow inside. It had been the breaking point, yet also the turning point, in her relationship with Sam. She had really thought that she had lost him, and it had led to her finally facing up to Jake's loss so that she could move on without him.
Feeling more settled now that she had worked through her feelings, Cassie poured a second cup of tea and took them both upstairs. The man she was going to marry was currently snoozing in her (their?) bed; there was really nothing to feel jittery about.
There had been a few misty-eyed moments during the lovely christening ceremony, and Cassie was grateful for the support of her family, both old and new. Nick's presence in the pew beside Grace filled Cassie's heart with happiness; she had really won the lottery when it came to step-children. She gave his shoulder a brief squeeze as they filed out of the church, and he returned it with one of his warm, quirky grins. He was really growing into a wonderful young man, and although she'd never say it to either of them, he seemed to be blossoming even more without the presence of his mother.
Middleton itself seemed to have let out a sigh of relief at her departure.
Back in the Grey House garden, Cassie stood back from the throngs of her family and friends, content to watch them mingle. She had always wanted a home like this, where she could entertain and care for all the people she loved. She looked down at her left hand, the diamond winking back at her in the late August sunshine.
"Penny for them?" Sam asked, appearing behind her and offering her a slice of cake on a paper plate.
"I was thinking that this—" she gestured with the cardboard fork, before cutting off a square of cake with it — "it's all kind of perfect."
"Yeah," he agreed, turning that lopsided grin on her, the one that made her think he must have been particularly devastating when he was twenty years younger – after all, he was pretty lethal now. "It's not so bad."
"The next time everyone will be together like this will probably be our wedding," she suddenly realised, and smiled at the thought.
He nodded. "I'm not sure what surprises me more, that you convinced me I wanted to get married again or that you turned me into someone who loves Halloween."
Cassie smiled around the forkful of butter icing in her mouth, but then her expression turned serious. The memory of her jitters earlier that morning was still kicking around at the back of her consciousness.
"I'm sorry that I didn't have the faith in us that you had. I shouldn't have ever let you get away from me or let anything come between us."
"Cassie…" he took their empty plates and set them down on the grass so he could touch her. "You have nothing to apologise for. Having to deal with Hurricane Linda made me realise a few things myself. I think about how much I love you now and how I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I can't imagine what it would be like to lose you and then, years from now, fall in love again." He stroked his hands down her bare arms, which were chilled despite the humid summer air. "I'm honoured that you chose to give love another chance with me."
Cassie blinked at her tears, but they were happy ones.
"I didn't have the faith in us that I should have had…that you deserved," she protested, taking a breath to steady herself, aware of the chatter and laughter of their loved ones nearby. "But I do now. I have enough now for the rest of our lives."
Sam lowered his forehead to hers, grinning down at her.
He liked the sound of that.
The rest of their lives.