Author's note: Wow. This is it. The end of the story. What a fitting way to end it than with an extremely long chapter. I'm not going to spoil anything. I just want to thank all of you for reading and enjoying it! I didn't know whether or not I'd have time to finish typing the chapter this weekend, but I owe my stalker. Thanks for saving me Thursday night! She's been waiting very patiently for this chapter...and without further ado, the final chapter. There is a smidge of naughtyness in the middle. I tried keeping it PG-13. Can't say much more without giving it away. Leave me some love and click on that cute little button at the bottom!
Just a few short days later, Will found himself sitting on his bed, deep in thought. How had it gotten to this point so quickly? Just a few weeks ago Natalie had professed her love for him. Now she was apparently set to move cross country, leaving Will forever. That was hardly what Will had meant when he said he needed time. Now because of those words, he was forced to race against time in hopes of convincing Natalie to stay, With a long sigh, Will pulled on a pair of dress shoes to match his khakis and hunter green dress shirt. That shirt had always been a favorite of Natalie's. He dabbed on cologne, ironically a gift from Natalie.
" Are you ready bro?" Jay shouted from the livingroom. Will stood, his heart already racing in his chest. He solemnly walked out to the living room, racking his brain of what to say to Natalie to convince her to stay. Will quietly followed Jay outside to his truck and climbed into the passanger's seat.
" What gives?" Jay asked as they had traveled in silence for a handful of minutes.
" Natalie is making plans to move back to Seattle," confided Will, feeling defeated.
" Seriously? Who told you that?"
" Marcel. He said he heard Natalie and Maggie talking about it the other day."
" So what are you going to do about it?" challenged Jay.
" I have no clue."
Maggie and Ben had chosen to be married at a park with a beautiful scenic view of the Chicago river in the background. While they would exchange their vows outside, two tents stood in the distance. Most of the guests had taken seats outside, waiting for the ceremony to take place. A few lingeres around a larger tent which clearly was where the bar was located. Will watched as Crockett approached him, a drink in hand.
" Care for a shot of liquid courage?" he asked.
" I can't. If I have any chanfe of changing Natalie's mind I need to be level headed," reasoned Will.
" So what did you get the happy couple for a wedding present?" Crockett asked, changing the subject.
" Cash."
" Really? That's like the least original gift imaginable," he quipped.
" Then what did you give them that's so much better? Your musket from the damn Alamo?"
" You know at some point you're going to run out of material," Crockett declared, downing his drink.
" I'm not the one whose parents decided to name their son Crockett," remarked Will.
" I was named after my great grandfather."
" Davey Crockett, right?" said Will, not missing a beat before taking a seat near the front of the aisle next to Jay.
" Your brother is an ass," Crockett informed Jay, taking a seat behind the brothers.
" What did you do now?" Will once again leaned into his brother's side and whispered into his ear. Had music not begun to play, the two would have inevitably started laughing again. Ben and two gentleman Will assumed were his brothers stood to one side. April was the first to come down the aisle, followed by Natalie. Will couldn't help but stare as she approached where April stood. Natalie looked simply stunning in her peach floor length, strapless dress. Her long hair fell in curly waves down her back with rhinestone clips keeping it from getting in her eyes. She spotted Will and smiled, sending her own heart racing. That smile was the only sign of acknowledgement she had shown him in weeks.
A hush fell over the crowd as everyone stood and faced the back of the aisle. Pacabel's Cannon began playing as Maggie appeared, draped on the arm of Dr. Charles. Will was happy to see his friend looking so healthy and radiant in her wedding dress. When the two reached the head of the aisle the priest stepped forward.
" Who gives this woman to this man?" Will stood, followed by Crockett, Sharon, Ethan, Noah, and the rest of their coworkers.
" We do," they all announced in unison. Maggie smiled with pride, giving Daniel a friendly kiss on the cheek before taking Ben's outstretched hands. Will attempted to focus on the ceremony and the words being said, but he couldn't help staring at Natalie. It felt like he was seeing her, fallnig in love with her all over again, right down to the feeling of butterflies in his stomach. He couldn't lose her. Not again. Will was head over heels in loves with Natalie Manning and he knew he was going to fight with every fiber in his being to stop her from moving to Washington.
" Will...Will…" Will turned around to find Jay standing beside him.
" Huh? What's going on?" he asked.
" The ceremony is over."
" Where's Natalie?" questioned Will, snapping out of his day dream.
" She headed for the tent," replied Jay.
" I have to go stop her," he muttered, taking off towards the tents.
" What is he talking about? Is he okay?" Jay asked Crockett who was still standing in the row behind him.
" It's fine. Will is going to get his girl."
Will entered the large tent, feeling frustrated as he searched the crowd for Natalie. He was doing his best to navigate the sea of people when he was stopped by Sharon Goodwin.
" It's great to see you uop and on the mend. How are you feeling?
" I'm feeling better every day. Have you seen Natalie?" he asked as Sharon sipped a drink she was holding.
" I think everyone is over there taking pictures," she explained, pointing.
" Thanks," replied Will, hastily making his way towards an archway near the dance floor. It was Maggie who noticed him first.
" Big Red! I didn't know if you'd make it!" she declared happily, enveloping him in a tight hug.
" It was a last minute decision," commented Will, looking over her shoulder and locking eyes with Natalie.
" You're not over doing it, are you?"
" I wouldn't have missed this for the world. You look absolutely stunning Mags."
" Thank you. Can I get a picture of us together?"
" Of course," said Will, posing beside the bride. The photographer snapped a few pictures.
" Nat! Get over here and take a few pictures with us!" Maggie shouted.
" What are you doing?" Will whispered.
" Marcel told me you know what's going on. Trust me," the nurse quietly stated as Natalie walked over.
" Stand on the other side of me Nat," instructed Maggie. Everyone smiled, their arms slung over the bride's shoulders. After the pictures were taken Natalie turned to leave, but was stopped by the photographer.
" You and your friend make such a cute couple. Let's get a few shots of you two together."
" We're not a couple," Will and Natalie said in unison.
" That's not what the bride told me," insisted the photographer. Natalie looked around for Maggie, but was unable to find her.
" Stand next to her. Now put your arm around her waist." Will did as he was directed to. After a few pictures were taken, the photographer had them face each other.
" Now hold hands." Natalie reached for Will's hands slowly. An audible gasp could be heard as she clasped her hands, her heart once again pounding wildly. The photograpgher managed to capture the exact moment they locked eyes. Before Will knew what he was doing, he leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on Natalie's lips. He expected her to pull away. Instead she deepened it, all while the photographer kept snapping pictures.
" Damn it Maggie," Natalie whispered, finally breaking their kiss.
" Can we talk?" asled Will.
" Yes," replied Natalie. Will reached for her hand, leading her out of the tent.
" My car?" she suggested hesitatingly. Will nodded his head in agreement, realizing that there weren't many other places they could talk privately. As he climbed into the backseat of her SUV he couldn't help but remember all of the makeout sessions and quickies that had taken place there in the hospital's parking garage. Natalie closed the door behind her, the pair only separated by mere inches.
" Will I…"
" Natalie don't…" the two said simultaneously.
" You go first," declared Natalie.
" Natalie. Don't go."
" Go where?" she asked, feeling slightly confused.
" Don't move back to Seattle."
" Who told you?"
" Marcel. He overhead you and Maggie talking."
" Nothing is set in stone as of yet."
" But is it a possibility?"
" What do I honestly have keeping me here Will? You said you needed time. How long am I supposed to wait?" Will sighed.
" I've had a lot of time to think over the past few weeks. Nat, I know neither of us are perfect. We each have baggage weighing us down. The truth is I've never stopped loving you. Or Owen. Thinking of you two got me through my darkest days when I was in Arizona. I can't believe I allowed myself to just throw all of what we had away."
" Will you can't beat yourself up over that. I can't even begin to imagine what you went through. How that whole experience changed you. How it wound up sending you into a PTSD fueled spiral."
" But I let it happen. I surpressed everything, hoping it would just go away. I need you to be there for me damnit."
" I realize that now. I've had my fair share of time to think as well. I've known since that night. Since the crash. You are my future."
" Why would you throw that all away and then move across the country?" interjected Will.
" You hurt me Will. And before you say it, I know I hurt you too. This is all so...confusing," Natalie confessed with a sigh.
" You can say that again," replied Will with a smile.
" I've missed that smile," said Natalie, her face glowing as she herself smiled.
" Same here," Will stated, scooting closer to Natalie so their hands were now touching. Will could feel the electricity between them consume his whole body. He leaned in, giving Natalie a much more passionate kiss than he had given her moments ago. At this point, they were now beside each other, Will's hands cradling Natalie's face.
" I love you Natalie," he whispered, caressing her cheek with his thumb.
" I love you too Will," she whispered back, running her hand through Will's hair. Before they knew it, that kiss had turned into an intense makeout session. Despite being crammed into the backseat, Natalie was able to maneuver herself so Will was now on top of her. Her hands reached for his shirt, fumbling as she undid each button. She pulled the shirt completely off, exposing the fresh scars that ran across his stomach and side. Natalie gingerly traced the scars, the flesh still slightly swollen and pink. Will was frozen, her touch leaving him breathless. He reached behind himself, somehow managing to slide off Natalie's shoes. Natalie pulled him closer to him for another kiss, this time slipping her tongue into his mouth.
With a sense of urgency, Will pulled off her underwear, hiking up her dress as she slid down his pants and boxers. He could feel both of their hearts pounding in sync as he carefully positioned himself on top of her, a sense of urgency filling the air. Bliss took over Natalie. She had not felt this...she didn't realize just how much she had been craving such intamacy from Will until now. Somehow in the midst of their sexual romp, she managed to maneuver herself on top of Will, her dress covering them. The two moved in perfect sync, Natalie collapsing onto Will's chest as they finished.
" That was amazing," declared Will as Natalie laid her head on his chest.
" I love the sound of your heartbeat," she mused. Will gently kissed her forehead.
" Can we just lay here? Just like this? Forever?" he asked. Natalie opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a loud tapping on the window.
" Who is it?" asked Will, feeling bewildered as Natalie threw a blanket over his head.
" It's Marcel," she hissed quietly before rolling down the window.
" Can I help you?"
" Maggie is looking for you. I suggest you finish what you started before finding her," instructed Crockett, his back turned to the SUV. Natalie rolled the window back up and grabbed a stray pack of baby wipes.
" He knows I'm not alone," she stated as she hastily cleaned herself up before offering the wipes to Will. Natalie slid her panties back on then her shoes.
" I'll see you soon," stated Natalie, her words sounding more like a question than anything. She hastily kissed him before climbing out of her SUV. Will laid in the backseat letting everything that had just happened sink in. Despite feeling elated as if he were on cloud nine, an uneasy feeling still shrouded him. Where exactly did his relationship with Natalie stand now? Will discarded the blanket she had tossed over him and sat up. After pulling his clothes back on and attempting to tame his touseled post sex hair, Will slid out of the SUV to find a smug Marcel still leaning against it.
" That must have been one hell of a talk," he mentioned, following Will back to the large tent.
" Shut up," declared Will, flipping Crockett off as he left him behind.
" Where were you? Maggie has been looking all over for you!" April said to Natalie as she approached the tent.
" I was busy," muttered Natalie.
" I'd say so. You might want to reapply your lipstick. It's smudged," she said, handing Natalie her lipstick.
" Thanks," replied Natalie.
" So did you and Will work things out?"
" I have no clue what you're talking about."
The first person Will came across when entering the tent was Maggie.
" Will. Where have you been? Jay was looking for you."
" I was busy."
" I can tell," stated the bride in an accusatory tone.
" What are you talking about?"
" That shade of lipstick looks great on you," commented Maggie, wiping at several smudges of lipstick along Will's neck and jawline. His cheeks turned bright red, clashing violently with his hair.
" So I take it you and Natalie worked things out?"
" You could say that I guess. Have you seen her?"
" She's right over there," Maggie pointed. Will headed over to the other side of the dance floor where Natalie stood alone.
" Hey," he said, sidling up beside her.
" Hey yourself," she responded, her tone warm and inviting. They stood beside each other, staring at the dance floor as Maggie and Ben shared their first dance.
" That could have been us," Natalie said longingly.
" It still could be. One day that is," Will added.
" We're so...broken though."
" Then let's rewrite our history. Let's become whole again," suggested Will.
I know it won't be easy, but you're worth fighting for Natalie Manning." Natalie turned and smiled at Will.
" When did you become so...insightful?"
" When I realized just how much I love you." Natalie blushed slightly before extending her hand.
" Of course," replied Will, leading Natalie to the dance floor. As a slow song began playing, she placed her head on his shoulder.
" I think you're worth fighting for too Will Halstead. I've never stopped loving you." Will smiled. He had waited so long to hear those words. He pulled her closer, their bodies swaying in time to the music.
" I wish we could just stay like this forever," she whispered.
" We can. Marry me Natalie Elizabeth Manning."
" Are you crazy?" Natalie asked.
" More like being on the brink of insanity is more like it. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm sorry," he replied, shaking his head as they stopped dancing.
" Ask me again."
" What?"
" I said ask me again," she stated, holding Will at arms length so she had a clear view of his face.
" Will you marry me Natalie Elizabeth Manning?" he asked.
" Yes," replied Natalie, falling into his loving embrace.
I think we're both far past the brink of insanity, but the good news is we aren't alone." Tears brimmed in both of their sets of eyes as the music began playing once more.
" I love you. I love you Natalie. And Owen. I love Owen. Nothing is ever going to change that. Nothing."
Every day I just won't go away
I'm not scared of anything
But saying this to you
It's going down, neither of us wanna be alone right now
What, whatcha gonna do
Oh my my
Yeah I'm loving all your warning signs
Cause I'm a sucker for you oh my my
Girl you get me high
Yeah you're my type, you're danger, danger
Oh my my
Yeah I'm a sucker for the lonely kind
Because I'm loving all your oh my my
Girl you get me high
Yeah you're my type, you're danger, danger
I can
I'll go anywhere you want me
You want me to
Caught my eye
Watch us free fall
Catch me, I'll catch you too...
~Blue October~ Oh My My