Chapter 3
Nathan would be glad to never be on another plane ever again. He hated travelling by plane, but there was no way it could be helped. Gabriel, as always, helped him through it, even though Nathan knew that it pained him, too. It felt good to be back in England, and even better once they made it back to their glade in Wales. It was just as they left it, completely untouched.
"It feels good to be home," Nathan told Gabriel as they set their bags down.
"Yes, it does," Gabriel agreed. It was getting to be late afternoon. They weren't expecting Arran and Adele until tomorrow. Of course, Gabriel had written Arran before they had left the States. They ate again, deciding to have the wedding in a couple of months, and then laid there in each other's arms in the dying light of the day. "You know, I think we could both use a rinse off." His lover, his fiance, leaned over and kissed him, before dragging him up off the ground.
Nathan wrapped his arms around Gabriel and kissed him hard on the mouth. The two slowly stripped each other as they made their way to the river. They did manage to wash while they were in there, in between kisses and touching of course. After that, they made their way back to the dying fire. Gabriel pulled Nathan down to the ground with him, and then Nathan was on top of him. They kissed, and he slipped his tongue into Gabriel's mouth. He felt his fiance moan underneath hands ran over each other, and they pressed together until they were fully intertwined. It was so good; he couldn't imagine that he had ever wanted anyone else but him.
Arran and Adele came by the next day and asked about their travels. He and Gabriel told them about everything - climbing in France and Switzerland, going to see Nesbitt and his fiancee in Australia, sightseeing, and then heading over to the States. They told them about going to the beach, climbing in Oregon, and then going to see Edge.
"You went to see him?" Arran exclaimed. "I'm glad you decided to."
Nathan shrugged. "I wasn't sure, but Gabriel convinced me," he said. "It turned out fine. He likes me well enough, I guess." He explained the suggestion that Annalise and Ben had come up with for allowing Nathan to see his son, and Arran agreed it was a good idea. "After that, we came home."
"We have something to tell you, too," Arran said, smiling as he looked over at his girlfriend of two years - or had it been over two years now? He couldn't remember. He did know that they had gotten together right after he and Gabriel had. "We're getting married. We didn't know when you'd be back, and we wanted both of you to be there, so it's not for another four months or so."
"About time," Nathan said right as Gabriel said, "Congratulations." They hugged, and then Nathan said, without thinking, "So, we're getting married before you then." It had been meant more to himself than anything, and he hadn't meant to say it like that. Of course, they had been going to tell them about it.
Gabriel just put his face in one of his hands and laughed a bit. "You know, there are better ways to say it than that."
Nathan shrugged. "It just slipped out."
Of course, Arran and Adele were both thrilled and congratulated them as they hugged them. "When did you two decide this?" Arran asked. Nathan explained how the conversation had come up while they'd been with Nesbitt. "So, you have a kid before me, and you're getting married before me?" Arran smiled at him. "I'm the older brother. Aren't I supposed to do things first?"
Gabriel chuckled, and Nathan just shrugged. "Hey, not my fault you're slow." Arran gave him a playful shove on his shoulder, and after that, the conversation turned to their impending nuptials. Arran and Adele told them what they had decided to do, and of course, that lead into discussions about what he and Gabriel were going to do. Ideas were tossed around, but they agreed to have it here - this place was important to them. They also agreed to build a house for Edge. They had a couple of months to do it before Annalise dropped him off. They also agreed that Celia would perform the ceremony. They wanted someone they knew to do it instead of a stranger, and she was the Head of the Joint Witch Council, so she was more than qualified to perform it. She had also been Nathan's guardian.
Arran and Adele stayed for a while but eventually left leaving Gabriel and Nathan alone. His fiance started to work on plans for the house that he discussed with Arran and Adele. That was a bit above Nathan's head, so he just watched him work. All he could think about was that they were going to get married. Gabriel had actually agreed to marry him.
Their list of people that they wanted to come to their wedding was rather short. Celia had agreed to perform the ceremony. Obviously, Arran and Adele would be there. They invited Greatorex, and Nesbitt and Barbara, who had to come all the way from Australia. Nesbitt wrote back saying that they'd be there. They were going to use it as a honeymoon because Barbara had never been out of Australia before. Anyone else they wanted to invite was dead - Ellen, Van, Marcus. Nathan was sure that Gabriel would want his sister to be there, but she was dead, too, and he didn't speak to his father.
Gabriel refused to buy a new ring for the ceremony because the one he wore was special to both of them. He did, however, buy Nathan one. He wasn't going to give it to him, but it was hard to hide things from each other when they lived together, and… well, you had nowhere to hide anything. Gabriel was wearing his ring, so Nathan would wear his. Gabriel said he would wait until either the house was done or right before the wedding to buy their clothes. Neither of them had anything to wear to a wedding ceremony.
They spent most of their time building the house, once Gabriel had figured out what he wanted to do with it. There was no electricity out here, but if they needed power, there was always a propane tank. They weren't sure they needed it, though, but it was an option. They discussed the rooms that that they needed to have, and settled on three bedrooms. One would be for them, of course, and one for Edge. Most of the rooms would have partially removed roofs and walls, like at Nesbitt and Barbara's house. They also talked to Arran about getting them nightsmoke, because they would need it when Edge came to stay with them.
Nathan and Gabriel spent most of their time leading up to their wedding on making the house. They wanted it done before Edge got here, which should be a couple of days before they got married. They spent all their days getting the house together until the light started to die. After that, they would cuddle by the fire after eating dinner, and then make love before going to sleep. Life was good, and with Gabriel by his side, things could only get better.
Sure enough, two days before the wedding Annalise came with Edge. She was carrying two bags stuffed full of his things. Honestly, it looked like enough stuff for six months, not just the three that he was spending with him. Annalise greeted both of them warmly, Edge in tow. The boy broke free of his mother, running up to Nathan. He scooped up his son, hugging him tightly. He shouldn't be surprised, but he had missed him. He hadn't realized how much until just now, holding onto him. It would be a lot easier if he lived in the States; he could see him a lot more, but he had no interest in living there. This was home; he and Gabriel had no doubt about that. Annalise and Ben had no interest in moving to England. So things were the way they were.
Nathan set Edge down, and the toddler went straight to Gabriel, who had been standing next to him. He proclaimed, "Uncle Gabby" as he was scooped up into Gabriel's arms. Edge, of course, couldn't say "Gabriel" just yet. Nathan took that time to go over and talk to Annalise.
"How was the flight?" he asked her.
She shrugged and smiled. "Good," she said. "Long time. Even longer I'd imagine for you and Gabriel."
"I'm sure it wasn't pleasant with a toddler."
Annalise laughed. "That's true enough," she said. "He gets squirmy after a while." She looked behind him, to where Gabriel and Edge were, and the house. "That's a nice house."
"Yeah, we just finished it a couple days ago," he said. They had been putting the finishing touches on it. Arran had helped them get what they couldn't build - most of the furniture they could, but some things - window panes, fixtures, and mattresses, among others - they couldn't .
Annalise's eyes widened. "You built it?" She was clearly impressed.
Nathan nodded. "It was mostly Gabriel, and we had some help from Arran, but yeah, we did," he told her. "We wanted to have it for Edge for when he came. Worked every day on it, but we're done." He looked back. He was proud of what they had accomplished.
Annalise smiled. "It's great," she said. "Anyway, here, I brought everything I could think of. This bag is all his necessities - diapers, biodegradable of course just like you requested. Er, his favorite books, his favorite toys, you know…" She handed it over. "This bag is all of his clothes." She handed it over. "And this bag," she said, swinging a big around that he hadn't noticed. "Is extra stuff that you can keep for him. That way, he can have stuff here. Obviously, he'll grow out of clothes by the time he's over here next year, but… Here." She handed it over. Nathan took all the bags with a smile. "He likes having a bedtime story before bed, so make sure you ask Gabriel to do that -"
"Annalise -"
"His bedtime is eight. He needs a routine and -"
"Annalise -"
"And make sure to-"
"Annalise!" Nathan yelled, and she finally stopped talking. "We got it." He smiled at her, trying to reassure her.
"Oh, I know you do, it's just… I've never been away from him except when I'm at work," she said. "But yeah, you'll be fine. If you need us, I have our number in the bag, so call us, or have Arran call us. Write us or call us when you're ready to go. Ben and I can't come back, but if we need to, that's fine."
Nathan nodded. "We'll figure something out."
Annalise nodded. "I know," she said. "You'll be fine." She took a deep breath. "Okay, Ben's back at the hotel. I should go." She looked past him. "Edge, honey, come and say goodbye to mummy." Nathan looked back, and saw Gabriel release the toddler, who ran to his mother. She scooped him up, and spent a few minutes hugging him. He squirmed a bit and she set him down. "Now, you be good for your daddy and Uncle Gabriel, okay?" He nodded. She gave him a kiss, and then sent him to Nathan. She said her goodbyes, and then left
Nathan picked up the three bags of stuff that Annalise had bought while Edge ran back over to Gabriel. "What are all those?" Gabriel asked.
"Everything we could ever possibly need and more," Nathan answered.
Edge seemed to enjoy being outside so much, but it was clear that he wasn't used to it. He expected after a bit to be told to go inside. He got excited when Nathan told him that they weren't going inside, that he could stay out here. Even though he was young, Nathan took that as a good sign. They put him to bed, and then they went to bed themselves.
Celia came by the next day. They needed to finalize the details for the wedding. The first thing she commented on was the house. Nathan and Gabriel informed her that they had built it for Edge, who was playing with one of his toys on the ground nearby. The second thing she commented on was Edge himself. "That must be your son," she said. "He looks just like you." Nathan nodded. He was well aware - except for his eyes. They were brighter than his.
They made some small talk. Nathan and Gabriel told her about the idea that Annalise and Ben had come up with for visitation. She talked to them about her job leading the Joint Witch Council - well, what she could tell them anyway. They told her all about their travels that they had gotten back from a couple months ago. They asked about Greatorex. She had visited last year with some trainees, but they hadn't seen her since. She was the leader of the Hunters now. Both her and Celia were very busy.
Celia asked how they were adjusting to being parents now. Gabriel just laughed and said that they were adjusting. It was hard having a toddler around all the time - no alone time for one thing unless he was asleep, and for another he never stopped moving unless he was eating or sleeping. He seemed to have a never ending amount of energy. The toddler in question was now running around, giggling. He seemed to enjoy having so much freedom, and Nathan wondered how he would adjust to going back to the way things were at Annalise and Ben's when he was set back there in a few months.
After that, they talked about the wedding. Celia said she was honoured to perform the ceremony. She made sure that they knew they needed their rings. She also said that they'd need a rope or tie of some sort, as well as a knife. She said it was important that it was one knife. It had to be the same knife that they used. Then, she asked them if there were any alterations they wanted to make, saying that sometimes people liked to individualize things, like their vows.
Nathan looked at Gabriel. If anyone would want to do that, it would be him. He just turned to him and smiled before looking back at Celia. "No, tradition is fine," he said. "It's the act that matters, after all." He couldn't agree more, and was glad that his lover didn't want to do personal vows. Gabriel would be brilliant at them, but Nathan… well, he was well aware that talking in and of itself wasn't one of strong points.
The conversation turned back towards other things, and Celia left. That night, Nathan laid awake in bed for a bit, in disbelief that he was actually getting married tomorrow.
Nathan wasn't sure how you were supposed to feel getting married. Some, he supposed, were nervous. Others, were excited, and some probably felt somewhere in between. If anything, he felt anxious. Now that the day was here, he just wanted to be married already. There was no doubt in his mind that Gabriel was the only for him, and that he wanted to marry him, so he was not nervous in the slightest. They had already been together for over two years, so he wasn't excited either. This was just legally binding what was already between them
Of course, he and Gabriel explained to Edge as best as they could what was going on. He already knew about Annalise and Ben, so it was easy enough.
People started arriving a couple hours before. The first to arrive were Arran and Adele. Nathan introduced Edge to them. Nathan and Gabriel too that time to go and change quickly. Their nice clothes for the ceremony had been hung in the closet. Gabriel had gotten them a couple of days ago for them. They both changed in the room. They both had black trousers , but Gabriel's button-up shirt was white, while he had chosen black for Nathan.
Nathan turned to face Gabriel, and his breath hitched in his throat. He just stared , unable to take his eyes off him. Gabriel turned towards him and smiled, a smile that said a lot more than words ever would. "Hmm, see something you like?"
'Fuck yes," Nathan said, grabbing him and kissing him. Gabriel was just so fucking beautiful. He couldn't believe that this amazing, gorgeous creature in his arms, kissing him back, had actually agreed to marry him.
Once everyone had arrived, they started the ceremony. Nathan and Gabriel stood facing each other in front of Celia, holding hands. Everyone else stood behind them. Celia waited for a moment, before clearing her throat and beginning to speak. "Welcome to all! We are gathered here today to witness one of the greatest moments in life - to give recognition and witness to the union of Nathan Byrne and Gabriel Boutin. We have all come here today to share in this wonderful event. I am honoured to be performing the ceremony today."
They had set up a table next to her, which held the knife that they were going to use - it was the knife that Gabriel had give him. It was special to both of them. Also sitting there were the rings, and the rope that they were going to use. Nathan felt a sense of nervousness wash over him. Not because he was having cold feet or doubts or whatever, but because he didn't want to fuck this up. He wanted everything to go perfectly, not for him, but for Gabriel. He deserved that. He deserved a lot more.
Celia picked up the rope. "The rope symbolizes the lives you have chosen to lead together. Where once your lives were separated, by the rope binding your hands, you are being joined together as one." She motioned for the knife, and Nathan picked it up. "The act of cutting your hand and binding them together further symbolizes the joining of you two as not two people with two lives, but as one body, one soul, one life. Now, cut your right hand, and quickly hand it over. Once complete, quickly press your palms together, and do not move them."
They knew this hand to be done quickly, because both Nathan and Gabriel would heal fast. He put the knife in his left hand, and put a deep cut across the palm of his left, quickly handing it to Gabriel. His lover repeated the action, and they quickly pressed their palms together, entwining their fingers. He met Gabriel's eyes, who smiled at him.
"Now, repeat after me, Nathan." Nathan nodded, and repeated each word after Celia.
"I, Nathan Byrne, hereby take you, Gabriel Boutin, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, to love and to cherish, until death do us part. This my vow to you." Tears were stinging the edges of Gabriel's eyes, and Nathan knew that they were in his, too. Celia smiled and turned to Gabriel.
"Now, repeat after me, Gabriel." Gabriel nodded.
"I, Gabriel Boutin, hereby take you, Nathan Byrne, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, to love and to cherish, until death do us part. This my vow to you." Some words went unsaid between them, because they both knew that not even death would separate them. That's what Gabriel had always told him - always.
Nathan took a deep breath as Celia untied their hands. "As it is, you cannot always be physically joined," she said. "The rings are thus a symbol of that connection. It is a reminder of your union, and of the devotion you two have to each other." She motioned for the rings. The one that Gabriel had gotten him, one that was similar in size and shape to his father's ring that he had given to Gabriel. The two rings matched pretty well. He picked it up Gabriel's ring and Gabriel picked up his.
"You hold now the rings that you will exchange with each other. You are giving the symbol of your love for each other, which like the rings, has no beginning or end," Celia said. "As you understand this, and wish to affirm your love and commitment, please slip the ring on each other's finger and say the words, 'With this ring, I thee wed.'"
Nathan slipped the ring on Gabriel's hand, and said, "With this ring, I thee wed." HIs voice was shaking a bit.
Gabriel let out a breath, and slipped the ring on Nathan's hand. "With this ring, I thee wed." His voice shook a bit, too.
"It now gives me great pleasure to pronounce you legally wed," Celia said. "You may kiss." Gabriel grabbed him almost before she had finished speaking. Nathan slipped his arms around as everyone cheered, and kissed his husband back with an equal amount of passion.
They were married.
Everyone stuck around as they celebrated. Slowly, everyone started to leave, except for Nesbitt and Barbara, who announced during the party that they were expecting their first child. Since they had come all the way from Australia, Nathan and Gabriel said they could stay with them. They had put an extra room on the house, just in case, so they offered it to them.
That night, they had just lay down in bed when Nathan just looked over, and stared at Gabriel for a moment. He leaned forward and kissed him firmly on the lips. Gabriel's lips eagerly parted as he kissed him back. "Hmm, what was that for?" his new husband asked.
"I can't believe you actually agreed to marry me," Nathan said, the words out of his mouth before he could stop them.
Gabriel chuckled, pushing Nathan down on his back. He straddled his hips, and kissed him deeply. Nathan wrapped his arms around him. Slowly, they stripped each other and Gabriel got back into his position straddling Nathan's hips. Their hands roamed each other's bodies. By now, they knew every kiss, every touch that would make the other moan and beg. Gabriel changed positions, and spread Nathan's legs, kissing and touching every inch of his husband's body before slowly sliding inside him. As it always, it was perfect.
Later, when they were ready to sleep, Nathan wrapped his arms around Gabriel. "I love you."
"I know," Gabriel said, sleepy amusement in his voice. "I love you, too."
This was it. The happy ending that he thought for a while would never come. This was everything he wanted, everything he needed. His son was sleeping peacefully in the next room, and he was going to sleep with his husband his arms. He couldn't think of anything else that would make this moment any more perfect than it already was. He didn't need anything else.
