Bride and Prejudice: Reclaiming Love

by tarskeewee08

John's plane hit the runway causing him to jostle in his seat. He looked out the window into the cold icy night. It was around 11pm and he was saying a silent prayer that she was at the Castle.

He thought it highly unlikely she would go there and stay by herself in dead of winter. She was terrified of the place and the upstairs had no heat. But his heart told him that her flying to Cambridge was his final shot. She left a small window open for them and he prayed that she hadn't closed it yet.

Stepping off the plane he walked to the car as the wind blew his hair around him. He'd been sick with worry over her since he left Ireland. As soon as he stepped on the plane he asked the pilot if he took her to any other destination after bringing her here. The pilot told him that she left in a cab from this private airport with her luggage. That was enough for him. She had to be at the castle. John had given her a set of keys to the Castle months ago and was pretty sure she still had them.

Telling the driver to take him to the Fitzgerald place he reclined in his seat. When leaving he told Ming and Layla that was going after her. Layla begged to come with him but he couldn't allow it. This was between them and together they would resolve it.

Thomas told him that he would take care of the media circus surrounding the company after John told him of his plans to resign as CEO and chairman over the Foundation. Mike and Marcie wished him luck advising him to fight for her and his happiness. Watching CNN on the plane he saw the images of her being led away in that gown crying and it broke his heart. He understood why she felt the need to escape and get away from it all. He just couldn't understand why she would think that anything would make him love her less.

Eve didn't come out of her room after John told her he was leaving for good and he was grateful. He could no longer stomach the sight of her. Pulling up to the castle he saw how dark it was from the outside. His heart sank with the reality that she may have just taken a room in town and not come to this dank dark place by herself.

Getting out of the car he went to the door and worked the lock pushing it open. Going to the light switch he flipped it on lighting the entire lower foyer. The driver brought in his bags and John walked in looking around. He stopped and looked upstairs. Could she be in their room?

Walking toward the steps he fought the urge to call out her name. The hope of arriving to the room and finding her was something he wanted to hold into until he reached the door. Taking the steps two at a time he went down the darken hallway still trying to swallow the lump in his throat.

As he neared the room he smiled slowly seeing the orange flicker of a candle glow or fire from under the door of the master suite. Pushing the door open he saw her sitting on the bed. She looked up relieved and went straight into his arms. John lifted her hugging her tightly. "I'm so sorry" they both said at the same time.

She laughed and so did he. He cupped her face and kissed her tear stained eyelids and mouth. Evangeline hugged him around the waist and kissed him back. Finally letting her go he looked her in the face "You knew I would come for you"

"I hoped you would. There was no way we could stay there John and I had to give you the opportunity to decide."

"Evangeline I made that decision long ago. Don't you ever do that to me again!"
She smiled weakly "I'm sorry, but I've messed things up so badly."
"Shhhh…..you have not. What you did was cut the final tie to the house of lies that I've been chained to. I did it all for mum….now I do it all for me."

"Are you sure?"
"Positive Ms. McBain!" he said smiling at her
Evangeline kissed him quickly. "I'm so happy to have you John. I want nothing more than to be your wife"
"And you will be sweetie"

John let her go and pulled off his leather jacket as she undressed and went back to the bed smiling at him. He removed his clothes in the warm room and climbed in with her. He held her and they looked into the fire. He told her that Ming and Layla were extremely upset and she needed to contact them. She promised to do so. It was amazing after all they've been through in the past 48 hours that they so easily fall back into normalcy with each other. Neither can exist outside their love and holding onto each other in the 100 year old castle watching the dancing flames they are both painfully aware of how suffocating a separation is for them.

John was too exhausted from his long flight and the fright that he could loose her to make love to her. He just pulled her closer to him and relaxed into the bed. She melted into his chest and gave into the familiar comfort of their love.

"Wake up sunshine…"

Evangeline opened her eyes to see John coming in with a breakfast tray. She giggled and sat up. He made toast and fruit like he used to years ago when she woke up in the castle unaware she was making love to a prince.

"I didn't know there was food here!"

John smiled "I make sure they always come once a week to clean and restock the fridge. Especially since you reappeared in my life"

Eating some melon Evangeline looked at him happily gazing at his handsome face "Didn't take you long to find me."
"You knew I would find out the flight manifest. I prayed that you would come here" he said winking.

"What do we do now?" she asked curious
"We go back to our lives and plan a wedding."
"Is that possible? I mean can we actually return to normalcy?"

John fed her some strawberries. "I quit the Foundation and McBain Industries."
"John!" Evangeline gasped
"It's okay sunshine. It's for the best."
"No….sweetie the Foundation was important to you."
"The kids were important to me, and there are enough people on the committee to make sure that they will be taken care of."

Evangeline saw how happy he was and softened "Are you sure?"
"Positive."
"Okay…."

John looked over to the fire that was diminishing and got up from the bed going over with no shirt and his sleep pants. Adding more kindling Evangeline remembered the times years ago when she giggled as a school girl loving the idea that a man was making a fire for her. This place was magical for them. She wanted to make it their home.

"I think I am going to take sometime off from Oxford" she said eating more melon
John turned around surprised "Why? You love school."
"I want to renovate this place….make it our home. I think I want to live here John."

John looked at her amused "You want to live in this big ole spooky castle?"
Evangeline laughed "Can I tell you that when I arrived I was scared out of my wits. I prayed that you came but if you hadn't arrived when you did you might have missed me. I was so close to bolting."

John laughed "Well I think renovating is a great idea, especially for the wedding but you don't have to quit school."

"I do if we are going to start on making babies!" she said smiling
John walked over to the bed. "Making babies hunh!" he said climbing on top and leaning into her biting her neck.

Evangeline squealed jumping back and almost knocking over the breakfast tray.

"I'm serious" she said as he pushed her back on the bed. John picked up a piece of Kiwi and pushed aside the top part of her nightgown freeing her breast. Slowly he traced the contour of her breast with the fruit.

Evangeline giggled "What are you doing Master McBain?" she said in a proper English voice

"Why having breakfast mistress" John said lowering his face to her chest and sucking the sticky remnants of the fruit off. Evangeline moaned as his tongue traveled her body and she smiled that they won after all. Leaving him was painful but she knew in her heart she wouldn't go through with it. She wasn't that brave or stupid.

John looked up at her "I won't make you promise me to never leave again. You know why?"
She looked at him confused "No why?"
"Because now I know for certain that you won't."
She touched his hair and smiled down at him. "That's right baby, I won't"

Moving the tray he climbed back on top of her driven by his need to feel the warmth of her skin and smell the sweetness of her breath. Soon he was in between her silky thighs making slow deliberate love to her, savoring every feeling of ecstasy that passed between them.

When he was done they slept through the morning and woke again into the afternoon making love again. Neither of them hungry for anything but each other time meant nothing to them. It was as if the brief separation had left them starved for each other and they remained desperate for reassurance that the other was still beside them.

When the day turned to dusk they admitted to their hunger pains and showered together getting dressed. John begged her to let him pull out his motorbike to go into town to eat. She resisted at first because of the cold but finally his pouting won her over.

Layering up on clothes and putting a skull cap she followed him out to the side storage to get his motorbike. She couldn't believe she was going to ride it again in the dead of winter but felt exhilarated at being with him in this way.

They rode out of the castle and made it to the roadway expertly. Holding onto him she looked through the dark visor and barely saw the country road. The dusk had turned into night and a big glowing moon hung in the sky. Evangeline titled her head back and saw a million stars that seemed to sparkle like diamonds against black velvet. She lowered her head and held onto her man enjoying the night ride.

They arrived in the market place and she smiled when they passed the Pub that they met at all those years ago. He pulled up to a quaint restaurant. And as soon as they got off the bike she thought about the press and being recognized.

She considered saying something but John was so happy she didn't want to spoil the mood. Taking her helmet grinning he pulled her into the restaurant. As they walked in she sighed relieved that barely a head turned at their arrival. Evangeline felt her tension subside as they were shown to a table.

Enjoying dinner and wine he reminded her to call her sister and she regretted waiting so long to do so. Getting up she went to the back of the restaurant to a payphone and gave her credit card number to make a long distance call.

"Hello"
"Layla?"
"Van! Oh my god are you okay?"
"I'm fine sweetie"
"Did John find you?"
Evangeline looked across the restaurant and him sitting there drinking his beer and smiled "He sure did"

"Girl you had us worried sick"
"I'm sorry, it just all became so overwhelming"
"I know sweetie. I will call Ming and tell her you two are together"
"Thanks babe!"
"Love you sis"
"Love you"

Hanging up she started to go back to the table when a man stepped up to her. "Hey there princess"

Evangeline looked up at the man confused "What?"
"You are that black princess marrying that Irish bloke over there right?"
Evangeline looked past him and saw that John didn't see she was cornered. "Get out my way!"
"What are you going to do? Kick me in the nuts like you did that photographer? Read all about how feisty you can be" the man said touching her hair. She slapped at his hand and backed away.

"If you don't move asshole I swear I will make you sorry!" she hissed
"Ooooh I always wanted an American piece of ass!" he said leaning into her. Before Evangeline could say something the man was pulled off her and thrown against the wall. John had his arm up against the guy's throat. "What did you say to her?" he growled "What did you say you bloody asshole!"

"Calm down man!" the guy said shakily. "I was only horsing around"

Evangeline grabbed his arm grateful that most of the restaurant remained oblivious to them. "Baby, its okay really"

John glared at the man and Evangeline rubbed his back trying to get him to calm down. "Let him go John, its okay"

Letting him go the man, they watched as he took off scurrying back to his table.
John looked at her and touched her face. "Are you okay?"
She hugged him. "I am now can we just go?"
"Yes" he said

They rode back home and Evangeline hated that their night was ruined by that ugliness. She wanted it to all go away but the truth is it wouldn't for some time. Once they were in the Castle, she went silently upstairs to her room.

John followed her his mind racing over the stigma that would remained attached to him no matter where they went. Walking into the room he started working on the fireplace as Evangeline sat on the bed watching him.

"John…."
Looking over his shoulder he smiled "Yes.."
"It's going to get better right?"
"Of course sunshine" he said rising from the now blazing fire and going to her. He sat down next to her. "There is ignorance and prejudice in this world Van, it's a fact of life."

He pulled her closer to him. "But there is also great kindness and good. We will focus our values and the values we instill in our children on that goodness. We just have to remain committed to each other."

Evangeline smiled and looked in the fire. "Did you ever think that night all those years ago we would end up right back here?"

John gazed into the fire "No I didn't….But I think we have finally come full circle. Our life together should be here. It's where we belong, I feel that strongly now."

"Me too" she said lifting her head and kissing his face
He pushed her back on the bed "Now about those babies. I think its time we start practicing"
Evangeline laughed "Yes sir!" she said pulling him to her.