A/N: Thanks to anyone who had read, favorited and followed me and the story; you guys are amazing,a nd I don't know where I should be, or what I should have done with this piece, if not for you guys! I should have answered to any registered users by now, if I didn't, I'm sorry, and remember you are always in my thoughts and I am ever grateful for your support. It's been a great ride, and despite the plot, it had been very funny for me to do this. So, thanks, and I hope I'll see you as many of you as possible in the lines of "Love for sale".
Dutchie: Thanks, I always appreciate compliements and kind words.
Guest:First, thanks. Second: I guess your questions are gonna be answered just about now...
And now... the epilogue!
"Are we ready?" Tommy asked as he entered in the small room in the back of Austin's cathedral. Teresa looked at him, smiling, shaking her head. Her little brother was unbelievable, always making the same questions.
"Yeah, more than ever." She said as she took his arm like that time over one year before, Fisher at her back was arranging the train of her wedding dress; she had decided for a new dress, classical but that still suited her, long and white and soft like a cloud. And she had been also following the old traditions: the dress was her something new, her mother's cross was her something old, Kim's diamond earrings were her something borrowed, and she was wearing a blue garter underneath the dress. Hell, she had respected all the traditions this time around: Jane hadn't seen the dress, he hadn't been sleeping underneath her same roof the night before the ceremony, and hadn't seen her yet that day. They even hadn't had sex yet, after the birth of the baby- and this time around, she was going to celebrate on their wedding night, no matter what.
Teresa smiled, blushing like she was a fresh bride, while nothing was farthest from the truth. After all, even if she hadn't been married in front of the Church, her wedding had happened over one year before; but now, with everything out in the open and their problems finally solved, Patrick (because he wasn't Jane any longer for her) had asked her to renew their vows, this time in the same way she had always dreamt. It had been almost heart-breaking, and thinking about it Teresa wanted to cry, but how could she not?
She lazily opened her eyes, still feeling sore and… strange. She had her child in her for nine months; knowing that the baby wasn't there any longer, it gave her a weird feeling, but the small ache in her heart was easily compensated by the knowledge that their child was now with them.
She hummed, and looked at her side, and saw Patrick sitting on a chair, holding the baby in his arms. He kept kissing the hair, covered by a thin layer of dark curl, smiling and laughing and crying, all together.
"Ehy…" she breathed, looking at him, her eyes filled with joy, and her heart melting at the beautiful view right before her. The pregnancy hadn't been easy for Jane; yes, after his first admitting things had gotten easier, but when she looked at him she knew he feared he would fail them, fail this baby like he thought he did his first born.
He gave the baby one last kiss, then put the creature back in the crib, and sat on the bed at his wife's side, and bent over to kiss her tenderly on the lips, cupping her flushed cheek.
"You are so beautiful… the both of you… I'm so lucky, Reese…"
She smiled as she leaned in his touch. "Flattery will get you everywhere, mister." She looked at the sleeping child, and rolled her eyes a little. "Eventually." She added, chuckling.
"I'm looking forward it, my dear." He said, kissing her again. "But I think right now we may have other things to think about. You made me the happiest man alive when you agreed to marry me; would you gave me that pleasure again, and allow me to give you the wedding you've always wished to have?"
She simply smiled, and cupping his cheek, brought her down to her, and kissed him fiercely, letting her body answer for her.
"Is that a yes?" he asked once they parted, painting on her lips. She simply nodded- and she had never been as radiant as in that moment, despite the sweat, the fatigue, the soreness and the not exactly beautiful clothes she was wearing…
Kim went out first, wearing a classic bridesmaid dress that reached her feet, in the exact shade of the one she had used at Teresa's previous wedding; waiting for her outside the room, there was Cho, dressed impeccably like a 007 agent with his smoking, and as soon as he saw his "girlfriend" (they hadn't labelled their relationship yet, and no, they weren't calling themselves Kim & Kim) he offered her his arm.
"You scrubbed up pretty nicely, agent Cho. Care to keep up the old tradition of the maid of honour and the best man fooling around after the ceremony?" she asked, chuckling.
"We'll see." He answered with his usual dead-pan style, but Kim had gotten to know him quite well, and she could see the hint of a smile and the amusement very clearly.
They reached the aisle, where Jane was already waiting, dressed with a flashy, brand-new three-pieces suit in light grey, and as soon as they did, the Wedding March started, and Teresa and Tommy emerged from the room, Annie in front of them wearing a shorter version of Kim's dress.
"Ladies and Gentlemen" the started as the siblings arrived at the altar. "We are gathered here today to bring together in marriage Patrick and Teresa; they have formed a close bond of love and wish to formalize their marriage with this ceremony in front of God. Patrick and Teresa know there will be wonderful times ahead as well as challenges and their combined love and strength will help them achieve a happy and successful life together. Both Patrick and Teresa feel they are now committed to being formally, spiritually and legally married as husband and wife. The experience of their love touches us all and it is fitting we should celebrate their happiness with them; this wedding gives public recognition to the private experience of their love. At a different level we share it, we rejoice for them and we support them. Now, who presents Teresa to be married to Patrick?"
"I do." Tommy said, letting it go of Teresa's hand and giving it to Jane to hold.
"Before you are joined together in marriage in my presence, and in the presence of your family and friends, I am bound to remind you publicly of the solemn, serious and binding nature of the relationship into which you are about to enter; marriage, as most of us understand it, is the voluntary and full commitment of a man and woman to each other. It is made in the deepest sense to the exclusion of all others, and it is entered into with the desire, the hope and the firm intention that it will last for life." The old man paused, and gave a look at the couple in front of him, clearly deeply in love- a love that, from what Teresa and Patrick had told him during their meeting, had been a long time coming, and was going to last until their very last breath. " Patrick, do you take Teresa to be your wife? Do you promise to be true to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love her and honor her all the days of your life?"
"I do" Jane answered, his eyes glassy as he never let it go of Teresa's hand.
"Teresa, do you take Patrick to be your husband? Do you promise to be true to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love him and honor him all the days of your life?"
"I do." She answered, sobbing a little for the emotion. She still blamed the hormones; yes, she had given birth over three months before, but she was breast-feeding, and she was adamant that if she was emotional or moody, it was because she was sure that breast-feeding her baby had probably augmented her level hormones, or something like that anyway. It didn't matter if her doctor said it didn't work like that. She knew herself, damn it, and she refused to get all emotional and teary because of Jane- not in front of him, at least. His ego was big enough as it was, she couldn't allow to get it any bigger because of her.
"What God has joined, men must not divide. Now you can exchange your rings, and pronounce your vows."
Jane half-turned toward his best man, and Cho immediately took the hint, and took from his slack pockets a silk white bag and emptied its contents in his hands, revealing two wedding rings, and offering the one in white gold, with thin borders of yellow one, to Jane. Teresa looked amazed at the small object in his hand, the breath dying in her throat. It definitely wasn't the wedding band he had given her on their "first" marriage, and the thought of what he had done, of the surprise and the meaning behind it made her fall in love with him a little bit more, if it was even possible.
"They are Claddaghs rings; I thought they were fitting, as we both have Irish blood running through our veins." He kissed her hand, looking adoringly at her. "The words are Gra, Dilseacht, Cairdeas. In Gaelic they mean love, loyalty and friendship."
He sighed, and put the band on her finger, where her emerald engagement ring still was; Jane had asked her if she wanted another one of those too, but she had answered no, saying that she knew that when he had chosen it, he had done it with her in mind, and out of love.
"Teresa, I promise to encourage your compassion, because that is what makes you unique and wonderful. I promise to nurture your dreams, because through them your soul shines. I promise to help shoulder our challenges, for there is nothing we cannot face if we stand together. I promise to be your partner in all things, not possessing you, but working with you as a part of the whole. Lastly, I promise to you perfect love and perfect trust, for one lifetime with you could never be enough. This is my sacred vow to you, my equal in all things."
"Oh, Patrick…" she breathed. She hadn't expected him to write his own vows; she guessed she should have seen it coming, with Jane being Jane, but she had believed that he wouldn't have put too much in a religious wedding, as it was something that mattered to her alone. But maybe, that was the point, the reason he had put so much effort in this: because it mattered to her, and she mattered to him.
Kim handled her the ring- the same as the one she was wearing, but with the color scheme reversed- and she slid it on his finger, like she had once done already. She closed her eyes and breathed in, trying to remember his words and work on them; she had expected a classic ceremony, and had learnt (again) the "normal" vows, but in light of facts, they were too banal for them. besides, what better occasion to show him she had been working on her memory palace in the time he was gone to Venezuela?
"I promise to encourage your individuality, because that is what makes you unique and wonderful. I promise to nurture your dreams, because through them your soul shines. I promise to help shoulder our challenges, because through them we'll emerge stronger. I promise to be your partner in all things, not possessing you, but working with you as a part of the whole. I promise to share with you the joys of life, because with you they will be that much sweeter. Lastly, I promise to you perfect love and perfect trust,
for one lifetime with you could never be enough. This is my sacred vow to you, my equal in all things."
"Oh, Reese, you've already given me all these things… there is no need for you to promise. I'm the one who always lacked in our relationship." He muttered as she intertwined their fingers together. She didn't answer, just shook her head and smiled, her eyes glassy with emotion.
"Patrick and Teresa, in the presence of God, of your family and friends, you have made special promises to each other that have been symbolized by the giving of rings. Therefore I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now both seal your marriage with a kiss" the priest smiled, and hands clapped as the couple shared a sweet peck, smiling at each other. "Now, before introducing you to Patrick and Teresa Jane, we'll have a little addendum to our ceremony…" the man said, smiling. As he said so, from the front row, Grace and Wayne stood up, a baby dressed in white in the redhead's arms - Patrick and Teresa's child.
"Patrick and Teresa, we are here today because you have asked to have your child baptized. In doing so you are accepting the responsibility of training this child in the practice of the faith. It will be your duty to bring him her up to keep God's commandments as Christ taught us, by loving God and our neighbor. Do you clearly understand what you are undertaking?"
"We do." They answered at the same time, as Teresa took in her arms her baby, smiling at her and shining like that very first time, as soon as she saw her after she had given birth.
"What name do you give your child?"
"Eileen." Lisbon said, and Jane put an hand on her shoulder, smiling happy as he looked down at the bundle in her arms. They had chosen the name together; they had wanted something that would have meaning for the both of them, and he had always knew that she would have preferred for her child to have a Christian name. Eileen had been a sort of middle ground; the Church approved of the name, it wasn't too common and it had a meaning- "light", because that was what it had meant that baby for the both of them, what she was. Also, it was Irish, just like "Patrick", so it didn't hurt.
"Eileen Anne." He clarified. He hadn't told Lisbon he wanted to call that way the baby, but Tommy had told him that "Anne" had been the middle name on their family for four generations, passed from mother to daughter; Teresa, being Teresa, hadn't told him anything, never breaching the subject as she was well aware that it was Charlotte's middle name too; but he wanted to do that for her. They didn't have anything physical to pass to their daughter that had belonged to the family history, with the exception of Teresa's cross; but if they could give at least this as inheritance, so be it. Besides, it was like she had something from his side, too: that had been Charlotte's middle name, and it was something that it would link the two half-sisters beyond the mortal world- something that he knew meant a lot to his wife – when they decided it was the right time to tell their child of the sister she had never met.
"Eileen Anne Jane, I baptize you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Father Michael said as he signed the cross on the baby's forehead, and in that moment, with their real family, and the one they had created along the way- the one they had chosen for themselves- Jane whished for many days like that to come. He knew that their shadows were always going to stay with them, that there were going to be days when the pain of their pasts was going to be overwhelming, but he knew that together, with that little Guiding Light at their side, they would overcome everything.
Because as a team, as a partners, they were more that the sums of each parts; they were unstoppable- all they had to do was being honest to each other, and stop lying. Or maybe, allow the lies to turn into reality.
It had worked once, after all, so, maybe the spell could work again and again and again…
For all the days to come.
