Previously in "Pages in Between", Carrie and Liam get married in the same church where his parents got married, and Bridget gets engaged.
Chapter Twenty-Eight – Epilogue, Part 2
One Month Later…
"Are you ready, my beautiful Georgia peach?" John asked his oldest daughter as they stood before the doors outside the church, which were currently closed.
Savannah smiled at the nickname her father gave her. "I'm definitely ready, Daddy." She kissed his cheek. "Are you ready?"
"No father is ever truly ready to let his daughter go," he replied. "But, there does come a time when she meets the young man of her dreams and he has no choice. Xavier is a fine young man, Savannah, and I know that he loves you more than his own life."
"He does love me, Daddy, and I'm happy that you approve," Savannah said before kissing his cheek again.
John was about to answer her when the music played and he walked her down the aisle. Xavier, who was standing at the altar, smiled as he saw his bride approaching. It filled his heart with joy knowing that she was just moments away from becoming his wife. When they were close enough, Xavier extended his hand to Savannah and they stood in front of the altar. Just before the priest began the ceremony, Xavier whispered into her ear, "You look beautiful, Savannah."
Savannah beamed at him, refusing to let the tears overwhelm her and mess up her makeup. Then, the ceremony began. When it came time for the vows, Xavier took both of Savannah's hands and looked into her eyes. "Savannah, words can't describe how much you mean to me. I loved you from the moment we met and I'm proud to become your husband today. You're my best friend and I promise to love, honor and cherish you all of the days of our lives."
Savannah smiled at him and tried not to cry. Clearing her throat, she said, "Xavier, life with you has been an adventure and I look forward to all of the adventures that we go on together. I love you so much and I'm proud to become your wife. I will love, honor and cherish you all of the days of our lives."
"Now that Savannah and Xavier have exchanged vows, I would ask that they exchange the rings, which have been blessed," Pastor Young said.
Xavier took the ring from his brother, Brighton, for Savannah and Pastor Young said, "Xavier, place the ring on Savannah's finger and say, 'With this ring, I thee wed'."
Xavier placed the ring on Savannah's finger and said, "With this ring, I thee wed."
Pastor Young looked at Savannah after she got the ring for Xavier from Nichole and said, "Savannah, place the ring on Xavier's finger and say, 'With this ring, I thee wed'."
Savannah nodded and placed the ring on Xavier's finger and said, "With this ring, I thee wed."
"By the power vested in me in the state of Virginia, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Xavier, you may kiss your bride," Pastor Young tells him.
Xavier smiled and pulled Savannah to him, kissing her as the congregation stood up and applauded. Of course, he wasn't paying attention to that. He was more focused on the woman he was kissing. Savannah moaned against his lips as she returned the kiss, also not paying attention to the applause.
Once they broke the kiss, they turned to the audience and grinned as they clasped hands then walked down the aisle.
At the Reception…
Lexi smiled at her husband as they sat at the table, taking his hand and squeezing it. "I can't believe this day finally came, Kol. Our little boy is married now."
"I can hardly believe it myself, Alexia," he replied. "But, we both knew it had to come eventually. Xavier has the woman of his dreams at last."
Over at the table with John and Meredith, Meredith sat on her husband's lap, nuzzling his cheek. "You're okay with this, aren't you?" she asked softly.
John smiled and nodded. "Of course I am, Merry. As long as Savannah is happy, I have no problem with it. Xavier is a very responsible young man and he treats her well."
"I'm happy too, you know. I'm happy that we're still together after all this time, and that we've stood strong," Meredith whispered against his cheek.
John smiled and kissed her softly. "Yes, we certainly have. No matter what obstacles that came our way, we've helped each other get past them."
Meredith smiled against his lips. "I love you, Jonathan Gilbert," she said softly.
John smiled. "I love you too, Meredith Fell-Gilbert."
"Let's disappear somewhere, anywhere," she whispered.
John smiled. "I think I have ESP or something because I was just thinking that same thing."
Meredith giggled then got up from her husband's lap, grabbing his hand and tugging him out the door. Once they were outside, John pulled Meredith flush against him, kissing her passionately.
Meredith moaned against her husband's lips as he kissed her, savoring the moment between them. "Oh, John, that feels so good, just like the first time."
"I agree," he replied. "And I think it can only get better from here."
She nodded again then pulled on his hand once more, tugging him toward the car, where he pressed her against the driver's side, claiming her lips in a rough, hungry and desperate move, moaning when their tongues collided as she rubbed her body against his.
Meredith moaned against his lips and returned his kiss, running her hands all over his body, trembling as she felt the passion between them rising. Her graceful hands pull his shirt from inside his tuxedo pants before she reaches up underneath it to run over the bare skin of his chest. "Merry, shouldn't we go find a hotel before someone catches us out here?" John asked against the skin of her neck after he broke the kiss.
Meredith panted and said, "I suppose we could find a more private spot. Come on, let's go find a hotel."
Her husband nodded then opened her car door for her before climbing inside of it himself, starting the ignition and driving away from the church.
Upon reaching their destination a few minutes later, John paid for a room for him and Meredith, wasting no time in getting inside and once the door closed behind them, John gently pushed his wife up against the wall and kissed her passionately, running his hands up and down her body, hearing her moan against his mouth as their tongues danced.
He groaned when he felt her push him toward the bed and he fell upon it, smiling up at her as she began to unbutton his shirt.
Meredith smiled at him as she slipped his shirt off and ran her fingers over his skin, moving down to kiss it, trembling at the feel of it.
"You're so beautiful, Meredith; do you know that?" John said as he sat up to wrap his arms around her.
Meredith moaned at her husband's words. "I do, John, I do. I even feel beautiful because I have such a wonderful husband like you around, as well as a wonderful family."
Her head fell back when he began to press open-mouthed kisses along the column of her neck, whispering words that made her hips buck wildly against his as she straddled him.
Two Hours Later…
Meredith smiled as she looked at John. "That was amazing."
"It definitely was," he replied. "You were amazing too, Meredith."
He was currently at the part of the bed where the headboard was, while Meredith rested firmly on her back, her feet propped up onto the wood of the headboard.
John smiled and gently stroked her foot with his finger. "This is going to sound selfish, but I just want to lie here forever, just the two of us and not give a damn about anything."
Meredith laughed. "You're not the only one who thinks that. I want to do that too."
John smiled again then picked up her foot, his hands almost dwarfing it as he then said, "I wish I had known before you were with Brady about the children."
Meredith bit her lip. "I wanted to tell you about them, really I did, but I was afraid that you wouldn't want them."
John put down her foot and went over to her. "Darling, don't talk like that. Of course I'd want them."
"I tried so hard to forget you after we parted ways, even buried myself in work to keep from going home alone," Meredith confessed softly.
John smiled. "I missed you so much during that time. I didn't know what you were doing or where you were living."
"I was still here, but going back and forth between Mystic Falls and Richmond," Meredith replied.
John nodded. "I still missed you, Meredith. I kept hoping that you'd call me."
"I came close to it, once. And I drove by the place we used to share," she confessed softly again.
John blinked in surprise. "You did? Meredith, you could've come in. I would've loved to see you."
"Then what would have happened? We would have gotten back together, fought again and broke up a second time. By then, I'd found out I was pregnant and Brady offered to marry me, since he and Amanda had already split up," Meredith replied. She sat up and turned away, before standing up and pacing.
John saw her pacing. "I'm sorry, Meredith." He got up and gently grabbed her arms, making her stop pacing. "Listen to me, okay? What happened in the past doesn't matter. What does matter is that we're together again...forever this time."
"I love you so, so much, Jonathan Gilbert. You know that, don't you?" she whispered as she let her fingers cling to his arms over hers.
John nodded. "Yes, Meredith, I do. I love you too, until I take my last dying breath."
"I will keep on loving you until my last dying breath too, John," Meredith vowed as she moved her arms up around his neck.
John smiled and kissed her. "I know you will, Meredith. I don't doubt you, I never have doubted you."
She smiled then jumped up until he caught her easily, smiling as her legs wrapped around his waist. "I hope you also know that your shirt now belongs to me, Mr. Gilbert," she said with a smirk.
John laughed when she told him that. "You are a naughty girl, Mrs. Gilbert."
"Ah, but I'm you're naughty girl, right?" she asked as she began tickling at his ribs, smirking as she watched him squirm a little.
John smiled and nodded. "Yes, Merry; you are my naughty girl, and I wouldn't have it any other way."
Her lips smack over his as she continues to grin at him in a big manner. "I know you wouldn't. Now, what do you say you give this doctor her special treatment?" she said with a giggle as her hand stroked over his shoulder and chest.
John smiled at his wife. "You want special treatment, huh? Well, I'll definitely give that to you, my love."
Meredith giggles again and John swears that he's never heard a more beautiful sound.
John picked her up bridal style and carried her to the bed, following her onto the cool sheets and kissing her hotly. Meredith returned his urgent, demanding kisses then moaned quietly into the kiss when she felt him loosening the buttons of his shirt that she wore.
John smiled as he unbuttoned the shirt. "I love you so much, Meredith."
Meredith arches her back a little when she feels his lips nip over the skin of her neck and collarbone, her hands moving up to clutch his hair as her fingers sift through it.
John felt Meredith running her fingers through his hair and growled playfully against her skin.
"Don't tease me, Jonathan, you know I don't like it when you tease me," she ground out as she rubbed her body against his.
John smiled. "Oh, I know, baby, and I have no intention of teasing you."
"Then take me…again," she demanded as she continued to grind her body against his.
John smiled at her demand then replied, "As my lady commands."
That being said, he began to thrust hard and fast against her, groaning at how good a fit he was in her.
Meredith moaned as she felt him inside of her then shifted until he was buried to the hilt.
John felt her shifting and then, feeling himself getting close to the edge, let out a scream of pleasure, Meredith following suit half a beat later.
A few minutes later, they collapsed back onto the bed, wrapped tightly in the other person's arms.
Reception Hall – That Same Moment…
Xavier looked over at Savannah and saw that she was quiet, so he asked, "Penny for your thoughts, Van?"
Savannah looked at him as she ground out, "What did I tell you about calling me that?" She sighed. "Well, if you must know, I'm worried about my parents. They've been gone an awfully long time and I haven't heard from them."
"They're probably just off having some fun," Xavier said. "My parents do that whenever they feel the urge." He laughed slightly as he took her hand. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that by worrying about them, you've become something of a parent yourself, love. They say that when the child gets to a certain age, he or she becomes the parent and the parents become the children."
"Well, it just so happens that your lovely wife is going to be a mother in the literal sense as well," Savannah replied with a smile as she took their joined hands then moved down to her still-flat stomach.
Xavier smiled when he felt her stomach with his hand and then kissed her softly. "I love you so much, Savannah. You really have made me the happiest man in the world."
Savannah smiled against his lips and returned his kiss. "I love you too, Xavier."
"And I love you too, little Mikaelson," Xavier said as he leaned down to kiss her belly.
Savannah smiled as she felt him kiss her belly. "We love you too, Daddy."
Across the Room…
"Was she ever going to tell her that Savannah wasn't mine?" Brady demanded to his first ex-wife as she sat across from him. Amanda had come with their daughter Nichole and it had surprised Brady, but he'd never spoken a word to her all during the ceremony and the reception.
Amanda rolled her eyes. "Brady, will you stop it? I'm sure that Meredith had her reasons.
Brady scowled at her. "Yeah, I'm sure she did, but that doesn't answer my question."
"You want answers? Don't ask me," Amanda said. "The one you should be asking is Meredith."
With that being said, the dark blonde-haired woman got up from the table and stomped away.
Nichole saw her mother leaving and, giving her father a stern glance, followed after her, finding her in the bathroom, staring angrily at the mirror. "I know how you feel, Mom. Dad was way out of line talking to you like that."
"Thank you, sweetie," her mother replied. "Though, sometimes, I'd like to take a butcher knife to his unmentionables."
Nichole snorted in laughter when she heard her mother say that. "I'd do that to T.J. Lockwood, but I love him too darn much," she tells Amanda.
Amanda forced a smile at what Nichole. "You're a lot more forgiving than I am, Nichole."
Nichole nodded. "Why do you hate Dad so much?"
"I don't hate him, per se," Amanda said. "He just gets on my nerves."
"I sometimes wonder what made you and Dad really split up in the first place," Nichole mused quietly."
Amanda sighed. "If you must know, your father and I broke up because he kept comparing me to another woman."
"What other woman? Dad should know that you're beautiful the way no other woman should look," Nichole replied.
Amanda shook her head. "The other woman I'm talking about is Meredith Fell, Savannah's mother. You know, the woman John Gilbert is married to."
"Oh, come on, really? Mom, I like Meredith, but her destiny is with John. Yours should be with Dad!" Nichole said enthusiastically.
Amanda sighed. "It's complicated, Nichole."
"It doesn't have to be, Mom! Just got to him," Nichole encouraged her mom.
Amanda wanted to protest, but knew that it would only fall on deaf ears, so she agreed to talk to Brady and exited the bathroom. She didn't have to look very far for him, because she saw him standing by the door to the men's room. Sighing, she approached him and said, "Brady, we need to talk."
Brady raised an eyebrow. "Okay. What did you want to talk about?"
"Us, Brady; I want to talk about us," Amanda said. "I had an interesting conversation with our daughter just now and she says that...well, we're destined for each other, whether you choose to see it or not."
"I always knew you were the one for me, not Meredith," Brady said as he moved closer then framed her face between his firm hands.
Amanda felt him frame her face between his hands. "You did? Well, if you always knew that, why did we split up?"
"I don't know," he replied. "I guess it was because I was stupid and selfish."
Amanda was about to contradict him when she felt him capture her lips with his in a passionate kiss.
Amanda moaned against his lips and wrapped her arms around his neck tightly.
Brady pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. "I love you so much, Amanda. I'll never leave you again, I promise."
"I'll hold you to it, Brady Stephen Garrison," Amanda replied softly.
Brady nodded. "I know you will, and I promise to not fail you."
"I love you, so, so much, Brady," Amanda whispered.
Brady kissed her softly. "I love you too, Amanda."
She embraced his waist and rested her head on his chest, nuzzling where his throat connected with his chest.
Nichole returned to the reception hall, a smile on her face. She had passed her parents on the way and seeing how happy they were made her happy too. Savannah noticed it and approached her. "What's going on, Nichole?"
"My parents reconciled."
"Oh my gosh that's so great, Cole!" Savannah said excitedly as she hugged her former stepsister.
Xavier smiled as he heard what they were talking about. "That's great news, Nichole. I'm glad your parents reconciled. They were better together than apart."
"Yes, they were," Nichole said with a soft squeal.
Author's Note: I was on vacation most of last week, so an update was my most important priority when I returned, only yesterday. Unfortunately, it was late when I got home, so I decided to wait until today to do it. ENJOY!